I thought President Bush started off slow, but finished strong. Meanwhile, I thought Kerry started off strong, but ended weakly. Kerry got caught in a huge discrepancy in his so-called "plan" (which he never explained or detailed, despite repeated promptings by the moderator) to fight the war on terror. It's a MAJOR FLIP-FLOP that so far no one has caught or mentioned. And it gets to the core of the problem with his shifting positions on the GWOT.
Kerry repeatedly tried to make the case that Bush brought the USA into Iraq virtually by ourselves, and we should have had a more broad approach with a larger coalition of nations (disrespecting 30+ nations contributing money, troops, aid, resources and intelligence... but that's beside the point).
But, when he talked about North Korea, he then criticized Bush for taking that same multilateral approach - instead opted for a "better plan" in which the US should go it alone in dealing with North Korea (a country which already has nukes, no thanks to the failed policies of the Clinton administration).
Well, which is it Mr. Kerry???
Do we go it alone, or do we bow down to the United Nations???
Make up your frelling mind!!!
The other thing that I found so amazing is that Kerry stated the Iraq war was "a mistake" ... and then a few moments later he stated that it was "not a mistake."
HUH???
And for those of you keeping score:
# of times Kerry mentioned his Vietnam service - 4
# of times Kerry mentioned JFK - 2
# of times Kerry mentioned Halliburton - 1
UPDATE: Captain Ed caught the Iraq/North Korea discrepancy I mentioned above!
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Iraqi Nuclear Scientist Speaks Out
There was an article in the New York Times (registration required) on 9/26 written by former Iraqi nuclear scientist Mahdi Obeidi. He writes at length about the state of Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program program. The key quotes here:
"...the blueprints and prototype parts for the centrifuge, which I had buried under a tree in my garden...
"Was Iraq a potential threat to the United States and the world? Threat is always a matter of perception, but our nuclear program could have been reinstituted at the snap of Saddam Hussein's fingers...
"Iraqi scientists had the knowledge and the designs needed to jumpstart the program if necessary. And there is no question that we could have done so very quickly. In the late 1980's, we put together the most efficient covert nuclear program the world has ever seen. In about three years, we gained the ability to enrich uranium and nearly become a nuclear threat; we built an effective centrifuge from scratch, even though we started with no knowledge of centrifuge technology. Had Saddam Hussein ordered it and the world looked the other way, we might have shaved months if not years off our previous efforts."
"...the blueprints and prototype parts for the centrifuge, which I had buried under a tree in my garden...
"Was Iraq a potential threat to the United States and the world? Threat is always a matter of perception, but our nuclear program could have been reinstituted at the snap of Saddam Hussein's fingers...
"Iraqi scientists had the knowledge and the designs needed to jumpstart the program if necessary. And there is no question that we could have done so very quickly. In the late 1980's, we put together the most efficient covert nuclear program the world has ever seen. In about three years, we gained the ability to enrich uranium and nearly become a nuclear threat; we built an effective centrifuge from scratch, even though we started with no knowledge of centrifuge technology. Had Saddam Hussein ordered it and the world looked the other way, we might have shaved months if not years off our previous efforts."
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
SeeBS News just can't learn from their mistakes, can they?
*sigh*
So, C-BS News takes the Kerry Campaign's bogus story (about President Bush's "secret plan" to bring back the military draft after the election is over) and runs it unchecked. Classic... just classic. The woman in the C-BS story who claims this falacy is labeled by the network as "a Republican who's going to vote for Kerry." Mass e-mails were sent out to college students all over the country by the Democratic Party (and presumably the Kerry campaign) to scare young voters away from Bush and towards Kerry.
The problems (yes... there are many) are:
* The woman in the story is the Chapter President of an advocacy group called People Against the Draft (PAD) - an organization that's closely connected to the radical leftwing groups International A.N.S.W.E.R. and Not In My Name.
* President Bush, the Republicans and the Pentagon consistently and repeated have stated that they have no plan, no desire, no need for a return of the draft.
* "The plan" to bring back the draft is being spearheaded by seven Democrats in the House & Senate (including Rep. Charles Rangle and Sen. Fritz Hollings).
* Kerry's own website had an archive page several months ago which stated a plan that HE wanted to bring back a form of the draft.
Don't believe me???
Go read all of these postings:
here (Powerline's post),
here (Capt. Ed's post),
here (Betsy's post on the college e-mails),
here (digging up the Kerry archive),
here (Senate Bill 89),
here (House Bill 163),
here (LGF Post #1),
here (LGF Post #2),
here (a little FactCheck.org to set the record straight),
and see Kerry's archived web page here (that is, if they haven't taken it down yet).
HAH! C-BS just begs to get smacked down again. Will they ever learn???
So, C-BS News takes the Kerry Campaign's bogus story (about President Bush's "secret plan" to bring back the military draft after the election is over) and runs it unchecked. Classic... just classic. The woman in the C-BS story who claims this falacy is labeled by the network as "a Republican who's going to vote for Kerry." Mass e-mails were sent out to college students all over the country by the Democratic Party (and presumably the Kerry campaign) to scare young voters away from Bush and towards Kerry.
The problems (yes... there are many) are:
* The woman in the story is the Chapter President of an advocacy group called People Against the Draft (PAD) - an organization that's closely connected to the radical leftwing groups International A.N.S.W.E.R. and Not In My Name.
* President Bush, the Republicans and the Pentagon consistently and repeated have stated that they have no plan, no desire, no need for a return of the draft.
* "The plan" to bring back the draft is being spearheaded by seven Democrats in the House & Senate (including Rep. Charles Rangle and Sen. Fritz Hollings).
* Kerry's own website had an archive page several months ago which stated a plan that HE wanted to bring back a form of the draft.
Don't believe me???
Go read all of these postings:
here (Powerline's post),
here (Capt. Ed's post),
here (Betsy's post on the college e-mails),
here (digging up the Kerry archive),
here (Senate Bill 89),
here (House Bill 163),
here (LGF Post #1),
here (LGF Post #2),
here (a little FactCheck.org to set the record straight),
and see Kerry's archived web page here (that is, if they haven't taken it down yet).
HAH! C-BS just begs to get smacked down again. Will they ever learn???
Crass Kerry Quotes
Michelle Malkin has an interesting article commenting on and list some of the choice Kerry quotes of the past year. These are quotes that get to the character of the man, rather than his (shifting) positions on policy:
-- Such as publicly calling one of his own Secret Service agents a "son of a (bleep)" for accidentally knocking him down on his snowboard during a press availability in Ketchum, Idaho. "I don't fall," Kerry sniffed to reporters as he cursed the Secret Service agent on the record.
-- Such as badmouthing NASA for releasing routine publicity photos of Kerry, dressed in a goofy-looking "bunny suit," while on a campaign visit to the shuttle Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center. After the pictures caused unforeseen embarrassment, Kerry sent his spokeswoman onto the cable news to falsely suggest that NASA had played a dirty trick.
-- Such as burning his own campaign staff over his failure to effectively counter the claims of the Swift Boat Veterans. "The candidate is furious," a longtime senior Kerry adviser told the New York Daily News. "He knows the campaign was wrong. He wanted to go after the Swift boat attacks, but his top aides said no."
-- Such as ridiculing President Bush for remaining with schoolchildren for a few extra minutes after learning of the Sept. 11 attacks, while neglecting to mention his own emotional paralysis [40 minutes] at the Capitol that morning.
-- And such as using an Outdoor Life magazine question about what his favorite gun is to tout his Vietnam War hero status again, then faulting his campaign staff for fabricating the weapon he named in his interview. "My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam," Kerry is quoted as saying in the October issue. "I don't own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle."
Now, according to Monday's New York Times: "Senator John Kerry's campaign said yesterday that Mr. Kerry did not own a Chinese assault rifle, as he was quoted as saying in Outdoor Life magazine, but a single-bolt-action military rifle, blaming aides who filled out the magazine's questionnaire on his behalf for the error."
Add to that the other "gun" comment from a few weeks ago (which I posted here on Sept 8):
-- In West Virginia, Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, gave Kerry a rifle as a gift. Kerry, a self-described gun-owner and hunter, quipped: "I thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me."
Read Michelle's full article here.
-- Such as publicly calling one of his own Secret Service agents a "son of a (bleep)" for accidentally knocking him down on his snowboard during a press availability in Ketchum, Idaho. "I don't fall," Kerry sniffed to reporters as he cursed the Secret Service agent on the record.
-- Such as badmouthing NASA for releasing routine publicity photos of Kerry, dressed in a goofy-looking "bunny suit," while on a campaign visit to the shuttle Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center. After the pictures caused unforeseen embarrassment, Kerry sent his spokeswoman onto the cable news to falsely suggest that NASA had played a dirty trick.
-- Such as burning his own campaign staff over his failure to effectively counter the claims of the Swift Boat Veterans. "The candidate is furious," a longtime senior Kerry adviser told the New York Daily News. "He knows the campaign was wrong. He wanted to go after the Swift boat attacks, but his top aides said no."
-- Such as ridiculing President Bush for remaining with schoolchildren for a few extra minutes after learning of the Sept. 11 attacks, while neglecting to mention his own emotional paralysis [40 minutes] at the Capitol that morning.
-- And such as using an Outdoor Life magazine question about what his favorite gun is to tout his Vietnam War hero status again, then faulting his campaign staff for fabricating the weapon he named in his interview. "My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam," Kerry is quoted as saying in the October issue. "I don't own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle."
Now, according to Monday's New York Times: "Senator John Kerry's campaign said yesterday that Mr. Kerry did not own a Chinese assault rifle, as he was quoted as saying in Outdoor Life magazine, but a single-bolt-action military rifle, blaming aides who filled out the magazine's questionnaire on his behalf for the error."
Add to that the other "gun" comment from a few weeks ago (which I posted here on Sept 8):
-- In West Virginia, Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, gave Kerry a rifle as a gift. Kerry, a self-described gun-owner and hunter, quipped: "I thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me."
Read Michelle's full article here.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Syria to send Iraqi scientists to Iran?
Captain's Quarters links to a London Telegraph article reporting that Syrian is negotiating with Iran to send Iraqi nuclear scientists to Tehran.
...The Iraqis, who brought with them CDs crammed with research data on Saddam's nuclear programme, were given new identities, including Syrian citizenship papers and falsified birth, education and health certificates. Since then they have been hidden away at a secret Syrian military installation where they have been conducting research on behalf of their hosts...
...Under the terms of the deal President Asad offered the Iranians, the Iraqi scientists and their families would be transferred to Teheran together with a small amount of essential materials. The Iraqi team would then assist Iranian scientists to develop a nuclear weapon. Apart from paying the relocation expenses, President Asad also wants the Iranians to agree to share the results of their atomic weapons research with Damascus...
...The Iraqis, who brought with them CDs crammed with research data on Saddam's nuclear programme, were given new identities, including Syrian citizenship papers and falsified birth, education and health certificates. Since then they have been hidden away at a secret Syrian military installation where they have been conducting research on behalf of their hosts...
...Under the terms of the deal President Asad offered the Iranians, the Iraqi scientists and their families would be transferred to Teheran together with a small amount of essential materials. The Iraqi team would then assist Iranian scientists to develop a nuclear weapon. Apart from paying the relocation expenses, President Asad also wants the Iranians to agree to share the results of their atomic weapons research with Damascus...
Friday, September 24, 2004
Syrian Pressure --- Franco-American Style
As was brought up a few weeks ago, the pressure will soon be building for Syria to (1) get out of Lebanon, (2) stop funding and training terrorist organizations, and (3) disclose any Iraqi WMDs within it's borders. American Thinker has the latest here. France is joining the US on this one, folks!
Let's count the flip-flops, shall we...
RWN has a nice compilation of Kerry flip-flops:
Flip
"Those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein and those who believe today that we are not safer with his capture don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president." -- John Kerry 12/20/03
Flop
"...(T)he satisfaction we take in (Saddam's) downfall does not hide this fact: We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure." -- John Kerry, 9/20/04
And it just goes on from there.
Flip
"Those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein and those who believe today that we are not safer with his capture don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president." -- John Kerry 12/20/03
Flop
"...(T)he satisfaction we take in (Saddam's) downfall does not hide this fact: We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure." -- John Kerry, 9/20/04
And it just goes on from there.
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Burkett admits giving forged docs to Kerry campaign!!!
This is the end of the line for Kerry and the Democrats!!! An AP article reports that Bill Burkett e-mailed his forged documents information to the Kerry campaign after getting the "ok" from Max Cleland:
A retired Texas National Guard official mentioned as a possible source for disputed documents about President Bush's service in the Guard said he passed along information to a former senator working with John Kerry's campaign.
The retired Guard official, Bill Burkett, said in an Aug. 21 e-mail to a list of Texas Democrats that after getting through "seven layers of bureaucratic kids" in the Democrat's campaign, he talked with former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland about information that would counter criticism of Kerry's Vietnam War service. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the e-mail Saturday.
"I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money. (Cleland) said counterattack. So I gave them the information to do it with," Burkett wrote.
UN-FRELLING-BELIEVABLE!!!
A retired Texas National Guard official mentioned as a possible source for disputed documents about President Bush's service in the Guard said he passed along information to a former senator working with John Kerry's campaign.
The retired Guard official, Bill Burkett, said in an Aug. 21 e-mail to a list of Texas Democrats that after getting through "seven layers of bureaucratic kids" in the Democrat's campaign, he talked with former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland about information that would counter criticism of Kerry's Vietnam War service. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the e-mail Saturday.
"I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money. (Cleland) said counterattack. So I gave them the information to do it with," Burkett wrote.
UN-FRELLING-BELIEVABLE!!!
Kitty Litter
Rachel DiCarlo has a great little tidbit about Kitty Kelly's "meticulous note-taking" during her interview with Sharon Bush for her slimefest book about the Bush family:
On page 266 of her new book The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, Kitty Kelley writes, "[The president's] sister-in-law Sharon Bush alleged that [George W. Bush] has snorted cocaine with one of his brothers at Camp David during the time their father was President of the United States. 'Not once,' she said. 'but many times.'"...
On the Today Show yesterday Matt Lauer, interviewing Kelley, asked her why she didn't tape record the conversation with Sharon Bush. Kelley replied that tape recorders don't work well in restaurants--there's too much noise....
Recalling the meeting in her author's note on page xxv Kelley writes, "[Sharon Bush and I] agreed to meet on April 1, 2003, at a quiet restaurant. When I arrived, the Chelsea Bistro on West Twenty-Third Street was empty."
(Um-hmmm)
On page 266 of her new book The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, Kitty Kelley writes, "[The president's] sister-in-law Sharon Bush alleged that [George W. Bush] has snorted cocaine with one of his brothers at Camp David during the time their father was President of the United States. 'Not once,' she said. 'but many times.'"...
On the Today Show yesterday Matt Lauer, interviewing Kelley, asked her why she didn't tape record the conversation with Sharon Bush. Kelley replied that tape recorders don't work well in restaurants--there's too much noise....
Recalling the meeting in her author's note on page xxv Kelley writes, "[Sharon Bush and I] agreed to meet on April 1, 2003, at a quiet restaurant. When I arrived, the Chelsea Bistro on West Twenty-Third Street was empty."
(Um-hmmm)
Coming Oct 17th & 18th - Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
Don't know what Farscape is??? Shame on you! It's only the best science fiction TV program ever made. Four awesome seasons on the Sci-Fi Network. All episodes available on DVD for purchase (at places like BestBuys) or for rent (at places like blockBuster).
And the ALL NEW, 2-Part, 4-Hour Mini-Series is set to debut on the Sci-Fi Network. Part One will air Sunday, October 17th @ 9:00 PM. Part Two will air Monday, October 18th @ 9:00 PM.
Want a preview of the Mini-Series??? Go here and see the new trailer!
(You can thank me later.)
And the ALL NEW, 2-Part, 4-Hour Mini-Series is set to debut on the Sci-Fi Network. Part One will air Sunday, October 17th @ 9:00 PM. Part Two will air Monday, October 18th @ 9:00 PM.
Want a preview of the Mini-Series??? Go here and see the new trailer!
(You can thank me later.)
U.N. Oil-for-Fraud --> Iraq --> Al Qaeda
Claudia Rosett and George Russell (both at Fox News) start a series of extensive reports on the fraudulent United Nations Oil-for-Food Program and how it fattened and emboldened Saddam Hussain's bloody regime. It also uncovers how Saddam used some of the illegal funds to bankroll and assist terrorist organizations within and outside of Iraq (including Al Qaeda). Part One is here. Part Two will be published tomorrow.
Nowhere left to flop
Charles Krauthammer has a breakdown of Kerry's erratic stance(s) on Iraq, and why he's got nowhere left to flop. (Hah!)
Dan Rather ticks off Vets.
Mudville Gazette clearly explains why what Dan Rather has done is so despicable to military service men and women.
Fisking Burkett.
The Houston Chronicle gives us a clearer look at who and what Burkett is all about. If you've been reading those essential blogs I pointed you to earlier this past week, then you are well aware of the guy's mental and emotional state.
And, is this the possible connection from Burkett to Kerry?
Meanwhile, FactCheck takes another close look at Bush's TexANG record.
And, is this the possible connection from Burkett to Kerry?
Meanwhile, FactCheck takes another close look at Bush's TexANG record.
So... what do Iraqi bloggers think about things?
AllahPundit has a great link to several Iraqi bloggers who give a much different (and more positive) outlook of the situation in their country. Check it out.
Also, here's a good review of the Abu Ghraib situation.
Also, here's a good review of the Abu Ghraib situation.
35 Questions for Kerry.
When (and if) Kerry ever meets with a serious journalist for a lengthy sit-down interview, there are a bunch of serious questions that need to be asked and answered.
This place has 20 questions.
This place has another 12 questions.
And I ask three more:
33) Why haven't you released your medical records yet?
34) Why haven't you released your multi-multi-millionaire wife's financial records yet?
35) Campaign financing laws dictate that financial disclosure of election donations be timely. President Bush has started receiving federal matching funds for the campaign since September 2nd, while Senator Kerry has relied on federal funding since July 30th. Why does your financial disclosure rate for your campaign remain at 78.6% (worse than all other presidential candidates except Wesley Clarke), while Bush has the highest disclosure rate at 92.8%?
This place has 20 questions.
This place has another 12 questions.
And I ask three more:
33) Why haven't you released your medical records yet?
34) Why haven't you released your multi-multi-millionaire wife's financial records yet?
35) Campaign financing laws dictate that financial disclosure of election donations be timely. President Bush has started receiving federal matching funds for the campaign since September 2nd, while Senator Kerry has relied on federal funding since July 30th. Why does your financial disclosure rate for your campaign remain at 78.6% (worse than all other presidential candidates except Wesley Clarke), while Bush has the highest disclosure rate at 92.8%?
Thursday, September 16, 2004
"Saint Tereza" says "let 'em run naked"
Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up. You just have to step back and let the fools open their mouths and let their own words tumble on out for all to hear:
Teresa Heinz Kerry, encouraging volunteers as they busily packed supplies Wednesday for hurricane relief efforts in the Caribbean, said she was concerned the effort was too focused on sending clothes instead of essentials like water and electric generators.
"Clothing is wonderful, but let them go naked for a while, at least the kids," said Heinz Kerry, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. "Water is necessary, and then generators, and then food, and then clothes."
Let 'em eat cake... let 'em run naked... you get the drift. (*sigh*)
Teresa Heinz Kerry, encouraging volunteers as they busily packed supplies Wednesday for hurricane relief efforts in the Caribbean, said she was concerned the effort was too focused on sending clothes instead of essentials like water and electric generators.
"Clothing is wonderful, but let them go naked for a while, at least the kids," said Heinz Kerry, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. "Water is necessary, and then generators, and then food, and then clothes."
Let 'em eat cake... let 'em run naked... you get the drift. (*sigh*)
Economic Comparisons: Clinton vs Bush (1st Terms)
Let's compare the state of the economy between Clinton's first four years in office to Bush's four years (keeping in mind the impact of 9/11), shall we?
But, you won't here this from the mainstream media... so, I guess it's not true. (*sigh*)
But, you won't here this from the mainstream media... so, I guess it's not true. (*sigh*)
Sorry for the long break between posts...
But I just needed to take a breather and deal with other issues in my life. Besides, the whole "See-BS" forgeries scandal has been just utterly fascinating. And it's going to get even bigger and juicier. It's looking more and more like Bill Burkett is the forgerer, and Ben Barnes (the #3 individual contributor to the Kerry campaign) has his sticky hands on this story as well (How the frell can he claim to have been pressured to get Bush in the TexANG while Lt. Gov. of Texas when Bush entered the Guard many months BEFORE Barnes became Lt. Gov.???)
Along with the key blogs of PowerLine, Instapundit, Hugh Hewitt, Captain's Quarter's and Betsy's Page (all linked in previous posts as well as on my blog roll to the right ----->
keep reading LittleGreenFootballs, INDCJournal, PoliPundit, and everything that all eight blogs link to within their own postings. You're witnessing the self-destruction of a once-respected news network and news anchor. History in the making.
For laughs, check out this 20-year-old Bloom County comic strip. (HAH!)
Along with the key blogs of PowerLine, Instapundit, Hugh Hewitt, Captain's Quarter's and Betsy's Page (all linked in previous posts as well as on my blog roll to the right ----->
keep reading LittleGreenFootballs, INDCJournal, PoliPundit, and everything that all eight blogs link to within their own postings. You're witnessing the self-destruction of a once-respected news network and news anchor. History in the making.
For laughs, check out this 20-year-old Bloom County comic strip. (HAH!)
Friday, September 10, 2004
Something to ponder re: RAthERGATE
Follow me with this.
If Dan Ra(th)er says that they (CBS) had the documents/story for six weeks before airing the story on "60 Minutes"...
And the story aired on "60 Minutes" on Wednesday, September 8th...
Counting six weeks backwards takes us to Wednesday, July 28th...
And, if the forged documents came into Ra(th)er's hands via Democrat Party operatives, or (worse yet) the Kerry Campaign...
And the DNC Convention was from July 26-29...
And Kerry himself state in his acceptance speech on Thursday, July 29th, that:
"I want to address these next words directly to President George W. Bush: In the weeks ahead, let's be optimists, not just opponents... let's respect one another; and let's never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States.
My friends, the high road may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And that's why Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas, not small-minded attacks."
Does this mean that they (Democrat Party or Kerry Campaign officials) fed these fake documents to CBS (and had planned to do so) LONG BEFORE Kerry made his lame plea to not resort to "small-minded attacks"???
Hypocrite, thy name is Kerry!
If Dan Ra(th)er says that they (CBS) had the documents/story for six weeks before airing the story on "60 Minutes"...
And the story aired on "60 Minutes" on Wednesday, September 8th...
Counting six weeks backwards takes us to Wednesday, July 28th...
And, if the forged documents came into Ra(th)er's hands via Democrat Party operatives, or (worse yet) the Kerry Campaign...
And the DNC Convention was from July 26-29...
And Kerry himself state in his acceptance speech on Thursday, July 29th, that:
"I want to address these next words directly to President George W. Bush: In the weeks ahead, let's be optimists, not just opponents... let's respect one another; and let's never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States.
My friends, the high road may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And that's why Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas, not small-minded attacks."
Does this mean that they (Democrat Party or Kerry Campaign officials) fed these fake documents to CBS (and had planned to do so) LONG BEFORE Kerry made his lame plea to not resort to "small-minded attacks"???
Hypocrite, thy name is Kerry!
More C-BS
If you want a detailed breakdown of the whole Forged Memo/Ra(th)er-gate situation, read this.
And, aside from the damning testamonies from Killian's widow and son, as well as from the daughter of Ben Barnes, and credibility issues with Barnes and Kitty Kelly, you also have this detailed info about Lechliter.
The blogosphere will continue to apply the pressure, and so will the rest of the MSM (mainstream media) - far be it for them to let Dan stain their own reputations. Dan's just delaying the inevitable.
And, aside from the damning testamonies from Killian's widow and son, as well as from the daughter of Ben Barnes, and credibility issues with Barnes and Kitty Kelly, you also have this detailed info about Lechliter.
The blogosphere will continue to apply the pressure, and so will the rest of the MSM (mainstream media) - far be it for them to let Dan stain their own reputations. Dan's just delaying the inevitable.
CBS stands for CB(ia)S
Does CBS stand for:
CB(ia)S,
C(onsistant)B(ush)S(lander), or
C(omplete)B(ull)S(h*t)???
If you don't know what I'm talking about, you HAVE to read all of the September 9th entries from PowerLine (these guys are amazing!), Hugh Hewitt, Instapundit and Captain's Quarters (and the corresponding links in their posts). THESE ARE ABSOLUTELY "MUST" READS!!!
All uncovered by the blogosphere in under 24 hours!!! Un-frelling-believable! (Yo, Mr. Rather... go read that bestselling book by your former colleague, Bernard Goldberg! While you're at it, read his other book as well!)
UPDATE: Thanks to Betsy's Page, JustDan has a scoop about Ben Barnes (from Barnes' own daughter). Seems that he's also lying! (You see, folks... this is why I told you last month that these five blogs are the Top-5 Best Blogs to read... daily.)
9/10 UPDATE: Looks like Dan Rather is going to sink with his own torpedoed ship. Please read the 9/10 entries in the above five blogs for more. I cannot believe how fast this thing is developing.
CB(ia)S,
C(onsistant)B(ush)S(lander), or
C(omplete)B(ull)S(h*t)???
If you don't know what I'm talking about, you HAVE to read all of the September 9th entries from PowerLine (these guys are amazing!), Hugh Hewitt, Instapundit and Captain's Quarters (and the corresponding links in their posts). THESE ARE ABSOLUTELY "MUST" READS!!!
All uncovered by the blogosphere in under 24 hours!!! Un-frelling-believable! (Yo, Mr. Rather... go read that bestselling book by your former colleague, Bernard Goldberg! While you're at it, read his other book as well!)
UPDATE: Thanks to Betsy's Page, JustDan has a scoop about Ben Barnes (from Barnes' own daughter). Seems that he's also lying! (You see, folks... this is why I told you last month that these five blogs are the Top-5 Best Blogs to read... daily.)
9/10 UPDATE: Looks like Dan Rather is going to sink with his own torpedoed ship. Please read the 9/10 entries in the above five blogs for more. I cannot believe how fast this thing is developing.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
UN info on Iraqi WMDs
And RedState has a link to the latest (detailed) information from the UN (of all places) on the Iraqi WMD situation. We're getting close!
The Al-Qeada & Chechnya Connection
Winds of Change has a fascinating breakdown of the Al-Qeada/Chechnya connection here.
Iraq & France (the connections)
Hat-tip to PowerLine, Bill Gertz starts a 3-Parter at the Washington Times on the connections between France & Iraq:
New intelligence revealing how long France continued to supply and arm Saddam Hussein's regime infuriated U.S. officials as the nation prepared for military action against Iraq.
The intelligence reports showing French assistance to Saddam ongoing in the late winter of 2002 helped explain why France refused to deal harshly with Iraq and blocked U.S. moves at the United Nations.
Read all of Part 1 via the link (above).
New intelligence revealing how long France continued to supply and arm Saddam Hussein's regime infuriated U.S. officials as the nation prepared for military action against Iraq.
The intelligence reports showing French assistance to Saddam ongoing in the late winter of 2002 helped explain why France refused to deal harshly with Iraq and blocked U.S. moves at the United Nations.
Read all of Part 1 via the link (above).
Putting KIAs in proper perspective
From RWN:
1,002: Soldiers killed in Iraq
2,403: Americans killed at Pearl Harbor
2,976: Americans lost on 9/11
9,386: American soldiers killed taking Normandy
12,500: American soldiers killed taking Okinawa in WW2
24,000: American soldiers on both sides killed at the battle of Antietam during the Civil War
54,246: American troops killed in Korea
58,198: American soldiers killed in Vietnam
116,516: American soldiers killed in World War 1
295,000: American soldiers killed in World War 2
498,322+: Union & Confederate troops killed in the Civil War
Fraters Libertas has a similar breakdown here.
1,002: Soldiers killed in Iraq
2,403: Americans killed at Pearl Harbor
2,976: Americans lost on 9/11
9,386: American soldiers killed taking Normandy
12,500: American soldiers killed taking Okinawa in WW2
24,000: American soldiers on both sides killed at the battle of Antietam during the Civil War
54,246: American troops killed in Korea
58,198: American soldiers killed in Vietnam
116,516: American soldiers killed in World War 1
295,000: American soldiers killed in World War 2
498,322+: Union & Confederate troops killed in the Civil War
Fraters Libertas has a similar breakdown here.
A Compendium on Bush's National Guard service (including the recent AP BS)
Betsy points to an Associated Press report on "finding a gap" in President Bush's National Guard service. As Betsy points out:
Basically, it seems that his commanders didn't fill out the paperwork when Bush missed his check up. Somehow, this is spun as a suspicious hole in Bush's records perhaps caused by Bush himself.
I am waiting for the detailed story about all the military records that Kerry has not yet released - the almost 100 pages from his records that haven't been released. And they can throw in his medical records, Senate Intelligence Committee closed-door attendance records, his wife's financial records, and his military diaries.
Touche, Betsy!
Following up on Betsy's last paragraph, Just One Minute expands on the issues Kerry needs to clear up and the records he needs to release. His commenters add a few more items.
Now... for clarifications on the Bush/TANG issue, read the following item by Capt. Ed, this item by Aero Space Web, and the Washington Times articles here and here.
UPDATED: For even more info on Bush's National Guard service, read this as well. Also this post by Captain Ed. And to get a clue about the type of plane Bush flew all those years, there's this info from Winds of Change:
F-102s: Dangerous Service
by Joe Katzman at September 7, 2004 06:00 PM
When President Bush was in the Air National Guard, his unit flew F-102A "Delta Daggers". Some members of that unit even flew them in Vietnam, but a certain amount of flight time was required and the planes weren't all that useful; the Air Force soon stopped putting F-102 Air National Guard pilots in theatre. This is all well known. John Weidner of Random Jottings has the operational history of the F-102 in Vietnam, overlaid with a timeline of George W. Bush's service.
Even so, I wouldn't exactly call flying F-102s safe. Flying jets is always dangerous, but some planes are inherently more dangerous and earn reputations as "widowmakers" (i.e. B-26 Marauder, CF-104 Starfighter, etc.). So, how dangerous was the F-102? Lt. Sparky has the stats, and compares them to other aircraft:
* F-102As Manufactured: 875 (Appx. 200 sold to Luftwaffe, NATO allies, etc.)
* Class A Mishaps (1953-1981): 357. Class A Mishaps are accidents which result in a fatality or at least $1 million in damage.
* Destroyed Aircraft (1953-1981): 259
* Pilots Killed (1957-1973): 70
Basically, it seems that his commanders didn't fill out the paperwork when Bush missed his check up. Somehow, this is spun as a suspicious hole in Bush's records perhaps caused by Bush himself.
I am waiting for the detailed story about all the military records that Kerry has not yet released - the almost 100 pages from his records that haven't been released. And they can throw in his medical records, Senate Intelligence Committee closed-door attendance records, his wife's financial records, and his military diaries.
Touche, Betsy!
Following up on Betsy's last paragraph, Just One Minute expands on the issues Kerry needs to clear up and the records he needs to release. His commenters add a few more items.
Now... for clarifications on the Bush/TANG issue, read the following item by Capt. Ed, this item by Aero Space Web, and the Washington Times articles here and here.
UPDATED: For even more info on Bush's National Guard service, read this as well. Also this post by Captain Ed. And to get a clue about the type of plane Bush flew all those years, there's this info from Winds of Change:
F-102s: Dangerous Service
by Joe Katzman at September 7, 2004 06:00 PM
When President Bush was in the Air National Guard, his unit flew F-102A "Delta Daggers". Some members of that unit even flew them in Vietnam, but a certain amount of flight time was required and the planes weren't all that useful; the Air Force soon stopped putting F-102 Air National Guard pilots in theatre. This is all well known. John Weidner of Random Jottings has the operational history of the F-102 in Vietnam, overlaid with a timeline of George W. Bush's service.
Even so, I wouldn't exactly call flying F-102s safe. Flying jets is always dangerous, but some planes are inherently more dangerous and earn reputations as "widowmakers" (i.e. B-26 Marauder, CF-104 Starfighter, etc.). So, how dangerous was the F-102? Lt. Sparky has the stats, and compares them to other aircraft:
* F-102As Manufactured: 875 (Appx. 200 sold to Luftwaffe, NATO allies, etc.)
* Class A Mishaps (1953-1981): 357. Class A Mishaps are accidents which result in a fatality or at least $1 million in damage.
* Destroyed Aircraft (1953-1981): 259
* Pilots Killed (1957-1973): 70
A Compendium on Kerry's Medals (and the thoughts of one PO'ed Vet)
Captain Ed has posted a complete rundown of Kerry's five medals (minus the controversial "V" on his Bronze Star which I mentioned in a previous post). It's an important read if you're so hyper about Bush's National Guard record.
Blackfive has a powerful post by a Vietnam Vet regarding Kerry's post-Vietnam shenanigans. It's Kerry's denouncing and slandering of his fellow soldiers that's what is really so damning.
Blackfive has a powerful post by a Vietnam Vet regarding Kerry's post-Vietnam shenanigans. It's Kerry's denouncing and slandering of his fellow soldiers that's what is really so damning.
So... Kerry admits he's confused (what else is new?) and wants to take a shotgun to the debates (o-kay)
From the New York Times:
Mr. Kerry stepped boldly into the verbal minefield early, arriving at a front-porch session with supporters in Canonsburg, Pa., near Pittsburgh. As he likes to do, he brandished a bit of local color to show he wasn't just any interloping politician blowing through town.
But in so doing he seemed to forget that Republicans have been tearing him down for months as a vacillating, indecisive, finger-in-the-wind politician of the worst order.
"Everybody told me, 'God, if you're coming to Canonsburg, you've got to find time to go to Toy's, and he'll take care of you,'" Mr. Kerry said, dropping the name of a restaurant his motorcade had passed on the way in. "I understand it's my kind of place, because you don't have to - you know, when they give you the menu, I'm always struggling: Ah, what do you want?
"He just gives you what he's got, right?" Mr. Kerry added, continuing steadily off a gangplank of his own making: "And you don't have to worry, it's whatever he's cooked up that day. And I think that's the way it ought to work, for confused people like me who can't make up our minds."
Meanwhile... Kerry says this in West Virginia yesterday:
In West Virginia, Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, gave Kerry a rifle as a gift. Kerry, a self-described gun-owner and hunter, quipped: "I thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me."
Mr. Kerry stepped boldly into the verbal minefield early, arriving at a front-porch session with supporters in Canonsburg, Pa., near Pittsburgh. As he likes to do, he brandished a bit of local color to show he wasn't just any interloping politician blowing through town.
But in so doing he seemed to forget that Republicans have been tearing him down for months as a vacillating, indecisive, finger-in-the-wind politician of the worst order.
"Everybody told me, 'God, if you're coming to Canonsburg, you've got to find time to go to Toy's, and he'll take care of you,'" Mr. Kerry said, dropping the name of a restaurant his motorcade had passed on the way in. "I understand it's my kind of place, because you don't have to - you know, when they give you the menu, I'm always struggling: Ah, what do you want?
"He just gives you what he's got, right?" Mr. Kerry added, continuing steadily off a gangplank of his own making: "And you don't have to worry, it's whatever he's cooked up that day. And I think that's the way it ought to work, for confused people like me who can't make up our minds."
Meanwhile... Kerry says this in West Virginia yesterday:
In West Virginia, Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, gave Kerry a rifle as a gift. Kerry, a self-described gun-owner and hunter, quipped: "I thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me."
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Kerry biographer Douglas Brinkley states that Kerry's campaign might be doomed
Sen. John Kerry's campaign biographer Douglas Brinkley said Sunday that if an ongoing Navy investigation into Kerry's military decorations turns up evidence of "purposeful" deception, it could spell doom for the top Democrat's White House bid.
Full story here at NewsMax.com. (Hat-tip to Brothers Judd)
Full story here at NewsMax.com. (Hat-tip to Brothers Judd)
More AP BS (re: AH-nold's speech)
The Associated Press posted a report questioning a couple points in Ah-nold's speech about his Austrian past. Many other news wires and organizations have run with it. PowerLine does a masterful job of setting the record straight.
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Massachusettes Democratic Party trades in city's security for political advantage
Yep... you heard that right. We all know that Chicago has been notorious for Democratic Party corruption and strong-arm tactics for many years. The state of New Jersey, as well. My old home town of Philadlephia is another city. Well, add Massachusettes (from the Boston Herald via Capt. Ed and Betsy):
The state troopers' union is seriously considering an endorsement of President Bush, a vote that would be an embarrassment for Sen. John F. Kerry and a risky move for the union, according to government and law enforcement sources.
It goes on:
If the endorsement materializes, there likely would be a political backlash among Democratic legislators, who have voiced distaste for the prospect of a Bush endorsement in the wake of their support for state police spending priorities, according to legislative and law enforcement sources.
"It is like physics," said one high-ranking State House Democrat. "For every action, there is a reaction."
As Capt. Ed then questions:
Really? Why would the union's political endorsement change the legislature's assessment of law-enforcement and homeland security needs?
Indeed!
The state troopers' union is seriously considering an endorsement of President Bush, a vote that would be an embarrassment for Sen. John F. Kerry and a risky move for the union, according to government and law enforcement sources.
It goes on:
If the endorsement materializes, there likely would be a political backlash among Democratic legislators, who have voiced distaste for the prospect of a Bush endorsement in the wake of their support for state police spending priorities, according to legislative and law enforcement sources.
"It is like physics," said one high-ranking State House Democrat. "For every action, there is a reaction."
As Capt. Ed then questions:
Really? Why would the union's political endorsement change the legislature's assessment of law-enforcement and homeland security needs?
Indeed!
So... what's to become of all those blogs after November 2nd?
EvanOutpost does some speculating on what will happen to the blogosphere after 11/2.
More re: Russia's battle with terror
Follow the links supplied by Michelle Malkin here. The recent school massacre reached a toll of 340 (article here).
Al-Jazeera kicked out of Iraq
"The Iraqi government shut down Al-Jazeera's Baghdad operations indefinitely on Saturday, extending a one-month closure order imposed after the pan-Arab channel was accused of inciting violence."
Read the full story here.
Read the full story here.
So, what's good for the goose...
Did you know that Kerry has yet to release his medical records? Not only has Kerry not released his SF180 military records, nor his personal journal from Vietnam... he has yet to release his medical records (even though he promised the mainstream media to do so many months ago). Read this interesting bit of background about Kerry (American Thinker).
Here comes the mud... from "60 Minutes" (and then some)
CBS to act as mud-slinging enabler for Kerry campaign. Didn't take long, did it? More info here and here. Even more ugly stuff to come out here. (Hat-tip to Capt. Ed, Betsy and Redstate)
Want to get PO'ed with the AP? Read this!
PowerLine has this damning account of blantant (and in my opinion near libelous) "reporting" of Bush supporters' reaction to the President's statement regarding the medical condition of former-President Clinton. It continues here. Additional info over here at Captain's Quarters.
Nah... there's no media bias, right?
UPDATE: Much more info on AP's attempted cover-up here and here and here.
Nah... there's no media bias, right?
UPDATE: Much more info on AP's attempted cover-up here and here and here.
A challenge to the muslim world after the Russian schoolchildren massacre
This NY Post article by Ralph Peters draws a much-needed line in the sand:
Those Muslims who preach Jihad against the West decided years ago that killing Jewish or Christian children is not only acceptable, but pleasing to their god when done by "martyrs."
It isn't politically correct to say this, of course. We're supposed to pretend that Islam is a "religion of peace." All right, then: It's time for Muslims to stand up for the once-noble, nearly lost traditions of their faith and condemn what Arab and Chechen terrorists and blasphemers did in the Russian town of Beslan.
If Muslim religious leaders around the world will not publicly condemn the taking of children as hostages and their subsequent slaughter — if those "men of faith" will not issue a condemnation without reservations or caveats — then no one need pretend any longer that all religions are equally sound and moral.
He ends with this set of hard questions posed to the NYC protestors at the RNC this past week:
A final thought: Did any of those protesters who came to Manhattan to denounce our liberation of 50 million Muslims stay an extra day to protest the massacre in Russia? Of course not.
The protesters no more care for dead Russian children than they care for dead Kurds or for the hundreds of thousands of Arabs that Saddam Hussein executed. Or for the ongoing Arab-Muslim slaughter of blacks in Sudan. Nothing's a crime to those protesters unless the deed was committed by America.
The butchery in Russia was a crime against humanity. In every respect. Was any war ever more necessary or just than the War on Terror?
And what will terror's apologists say when the killers come for their own children?
Those Muslims who preach Jihad against the West decided years ago that killing Jewish or Christian children is not only acceptable, but pleasing to their god when done by "martyrs."
It isn't politically correct to say this, of course. We're supposed to pretend that Islam is a "religion of peace." All right, then: It's time for Muslims to stand up for the once-noble, nearly lost traditions of their faith and condemn what Arab and Chechen terrorists and blasphemers did in the Russian town of Beslan.
If Muslim religious leaders around the world will not publicly condemn the taking of children as hostages and their subsequent slaughter — if those "men of faith" will not issue a condemnation without reservations or caveats — then no one need pretend any longer that all religions are equally sound and moral.
He ends with this set of hard questions posed to the NYC protestors at the RNC this past week:
A final thought: Did any of those protesters who came to Manhattan to denounce our liberation of 50 million Muslims stay an extra day to protest the massacre in Russia? Of course not.
The protesters no more care for dead Russian children than they care for dead Kurds or for the hundreds of thousands of Arabs that Saddam Hussein executed. Or for the ongoing Arab-Muslim slaughter of blacks in Sudan. Nothing's a crime to those protesters unless the deed was committed by America.
The butchery in Russia was a crime against humanity. In every respect. Was any war ever more necessary or just than the War on Terror?
And what will terror's apologists say when the killers come for their own children?
Close to capturing OBL?
The latest from the Jerusalem Post (excerpted below):
The United States and its allies are moving closer to capturing Osama bin Laden, a top US counterterrorism official was quoted as saying by Pakistani newspapers Saturday.
"Are we closer to getting Osama bin Laden? Yes," Joseph Cofer Black, the US State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, was quoted as saying by Dawn and The Nation, two English-language dailies...
It "could happen tomorrow, could happen a day after, a week from now, or a month from now. The thing is everything is in place. A little bit is needed to localize these people and to catch them," he said, according to Dawn.
UPDATE: More info from the AP wire here:
"If he has a watch, he should be looking at it because the clock is ticking. He will be caught," Joseph Cofer Black, the U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, told private Geo television network.
Asked if concrete progress had been made during the last two months — when Pakistan has arrested dozens of terror suspects including some key al-Qaida operatives — Black said, "Yes, I would say this."
Black, who briefed a group of Pakistani journalists after talks with officials here Friday, said he could not predict exactly when bin Laden and other top al-Qaida fugitives would be nabbed.
"What I tell people, I would be surprised but not necessarily shocked if we wake up tomorrow and he's been caught along with all his lieutenants. That can happen because of the programs and infrastructure in place," he told Geo.
Prepare for rabid conspiracy theorists' screeching if this occurs before 11/2.
The United States and its allies are moving closer to capturing Osama bin Laden, a top US counterterrorism official was quoted as saying by Pakistani newspapers Saturday.
"Are we closer to getting Osama bin Laden? Yes," Joseph Cofer Black, the US State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, was quoted as saying by Dawn and The Nation, two English-language dailies...
It "could happen tomorrow, could happen a day after, a week from now, or a month from now. The thing is everything is in place. A little bit is needed to localize these people and to catch them," he said, according to Dawn.
UPDATE: More info from the AP wire here:
"If he has a watch, he should be looking at it because the clock is ticking. He will be caught," Joseph Cofer Black, the U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, told private Geo television network.
Asked if concrete progress had been made during the last two months — when Pakistan has arrested dozens of terror suspects including some key al-Qaida operatives — Black said, "Yes, I would say this."
Black, who briefed a group of Pakistani journalists after talks with officials here Friday, said he could not predict exactly when bin Laden and other top al-Qaida fugitives would be nabbed.
"What I tell people, I would be surprised but not necessarily shocked if we wake up tomorrow and he's been caught along with all his lieutenants. That can happen because of the programs and infrastructure in place," he told Geo.
Prepare for rabid conspiracy theorists' screeching if this occurs before 11/2.
Friday, September 03, 2004
Dick Morris to vote for Bush!!!
(Former Campaign Advisor to President Clinton)
UNTIL President Bush began his speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention, the goal of the United States' anti-terror policy was perceived by a largely supportive public as a bid to assure safety. With a rhetorical flourish worthy of the great speeches of all time, George W. Bush has transformed the war into a battle for liberty.
In a speech that was at once eloquent and substantive, sensitive and dynamic, profound and familiar, Bush has risen to a level few presidents have ever reached.
Sometimes a strategist just has to sit back and gasp. Occasionally, a seasoned political observer needs to realize that he has seen something extraordinary. Tonight, Bush made me feel like that.
The speech satisfied every single political need. He contrasted with Kerry without appearing negative. He demonstrated emotion without pandering. He rose to a level of substantive specificity without becoming wonkish.
The Bush speech was akin to a State of the Union speech, surveying the landscape of American issues and articulating a proactive agenda for the next four years. But, like his stirring address to Congress in the aftermath of 9/11, he issued a ringing declaration for freedom, injecting the historic concept of freedom into the center stage in the 2004 election.
In recent times, Al Gore's 2000 convention speech holds the record for the largest vote swing as a result of an acceptance speech. But Bush left the Gore rhetoric in the dust. Summoning a poetry unusual in American politicians and unique among those who now run for office, Bush reached into each of our souls and brought forth an emotional response that only a glorious speech could summon.
He combined dignity and simplicity. His style reminded one of FDR's Fireside Chats, explaining policies in a philosophical context. He pulled his litany of programs together, labeling them an "ownership society." He explained his education agenda with a wisdom and insight that experts in the field and parents alike must find compelling. And he explained to each of us what the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are about.
He elaborated the domestic Republican agenda and explained its relevance to men and women trying to raise children and workers seeking better jobs, secure retirements and access to health care. In a party largely devoid of issues ever since Clinton passed welfare reform and balanced the budget, and since crime dropped and Reagan defeated communism, Bush outlined an agenda for the future which, at last, competes with the Democratic promises and spending.
I voted for Gore in 2000, as a true child of the Clinton era. But I decided to vote for Bush on Sept. 12, 2001 when I saw how he handled the threat we face. I used to back Bush because he offered safety; now I support him because he summons us all to an ideal. Before he spoke, supporting Bush was a duty one owed to the fallen. Now, it is an honor.
Link here.
UNTIL President Bush began his speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention, the goal of the United States' anti-terror policy was perceived by a largely supportive public as a bid to assure safety. With a rhetorical flourish worthy of the great speeches of all time, George W. Bush has transformed the war into a battle for liberty.
In a speech that was at once eloquent and substantive, sensitive and dynamic, profound and familiar, Bush has risen to a level few presidents have ever reached.
Sometimes a strategist just has to sit back and gasp. Occasionally, a seasoned political observer needs to realize that he has seen something extraordinary. Tonight, Bush made me feel like that.
The speech satisfied every single political need. He contrasted with Kerry without appearing negative. He demonstrated emotion without pandering. He rose to a level of substantive specificity without becoming wonkish.
The Bush speech was akin to a State of the Union speech, surveying the landscape of American issues and articulating a proactive agenda for the next four years. But, like his stirring address to Congress in the aftermath of 9/11, he issued a ringing declaration for freedom, injecting the historic concept of freedom into the center stage in the 2004 election.
In recent times, Al Gore's 2000 convention speech holds the record for the largest vote swing as a result of an acceptance speech. But Bush left the Gore rhetoric in the dust. Summoning a poetry unusual in American politicians and unique among those who now run for office, Bush reached into each of our souls and brought forth an emotional response that only a glorious speech could summon.
He combined dignity and simplicity. His style reminded one of FDR's Fireside Chats, explaining policies in a philosophical context. He pulled his litany of programs together, labeling them an "ownership society." He explained his education agenda with a wisdom and insight that experts in the field and parents alike must find compelling. And he explained to each of us what the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are about.
He elaborated the domestic Republican agenda and explained its relevance to men and women trying to raise children and workers seeking better jobs, secure retirements and access to health care. In a party largely devoid of issues ever since Clinton passed welfare reform and balanced the budget, and since crime dropped and Reagan defeated communism, Bush outlined an agenda for the future which, at last, competes with the Democratic promises and spending.
I voted for Gore in 2000, as a true child of the Clinton era. But I decided to vote for Bush on Sept. 12, 2001 when I saw how he handled the threat we face. I used to back Bush because he offered safety; now I support him because he summons us all to an ideal. Before he spoke, supporting Bush was a duty one owed to the fallen. Now, it is an honor.
Link here.
Michael Barone's take on "Give 'Em Hell" Zell's speech.
Michael Barone is one of the most well-respected political commentators around today. Here are a few excerpts. (Read the whole commentary here).
Until Wednesday night, I was under the impression that Andrew Jackson had died in 1845. But on Wednesday night he appeared at the podium of the Republican National Convention under the guise of Georgia Senator and former Governor Zell Miller...
Zell Miller is, technically, a Democratic colleague of John Kerry in the United States Senate. But in his speech Miller took as dead an aim at Kerry as Jackson did against the man who impugned his wife’s honor and, like Jackson, hit his target. “There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust [my family’s] future, and his name is George Bush.” And he does not cotton well to politicians who for political reasons call our soliders names...
[H]e was appalled by the partisanship of Tom Daschle’s Democratic Caucus. Since he became Democratic leader in 1994... It was a game Zell Miller did not want to play...
Then came September 11. Daschle rallied to support Bush in September, but by December was holding up the economic stimulus bill by his effective partisan tactics. Then, as the focus shifted toward Iraq, Senate Democrats laid the predicate for undermining Bush’s policies. This Miller evidently identified as something close to treason. And he saw the Senate Democrats rooting against American success. As he said in Madison Square Garden, “Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator. And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.”...
In 2003 and 2004 Democratic politicians, infected by their and their staffers’ recollection of their versions of what happened in Vietnam, engaged in systematic denigration of our military efforts in Vietnam. The Democratic convention in Boston seated in President Carter’s box Michael Moore, who called those attacking American forces in Iraq freedom fighters who should and would win. The charge that leading Democrats wish that American forces fail in the hopes that it will help their political chances is well founded...
That is something Andrew Jackson would never stomach. Nor will Zell Miller... [who] was careful to say that he was attacking not the patriotism but the judgment of John Kerry; the only politicians who have attacked their opponents of unpatriotism this campaign year have been Democrats like Wesley Clark and Howard Dean—both still trotted out regularly as surrogates for the Kerry-Edwards campaign.
Until Wednesday night, I was under the impression that Andrew Jackson had died in 1845. But on Wednesday night he appeared at the podium of the Republican National Convention under the guise of Georgia Senator and former Governor Zell Miller...
Zell Miller is, technically, a Democratic colleague of John Kerry in the United States Senate. But in his speech Miller took as dead an aim at Kerry as Jackson did against the man who impugned his wife’s honor and, like Jackson, hit his target. “There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust [my family’s] future, and his name is George Bush.” And he does not cotton well to politicians who for political reasons call our soliders names...
[H]e was appalled by the partisanship of Tom Daschle’s Democratic Caucus. Since he became Democratic leader in 1994... It was a game Zell Miller did not want to play...
Then came September 11. Daschle rallied to support Bush in September, but by December was holding up the economic stimulus bill by his effective partisan tactics. Then, as the focus shifted toward Iraq, Senate Democrats laid the predicate for undermining Bush’s policies. This Miller evidently identified as something close to treason. And he saw the Senate Democrats rooting against American success. As he said in Madison Square Garden, “Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator. And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.”...
In 2003 and 2004 Democratic politicians, infected by their and their staffers’ recollection of their versions of what happened in Vietnam, engaged in systematic denigration of our military efforts in Vietnam. The Democratic convention in Boston seated in President Carter’s box Michael Moore, who called those attacking American forces in Iraq freedom fighters who should and would win. The charge that leading Democrats wish that American forces fail in the hopes that it will help their political chances is well founded...
That is something Andrew Jackson would never stomach. Nor will Zell Miller... [who] was careful to say that he was attacking not the patriotism but the judgment of John Kerry; the only politicians who have attacked their opponents of unpatriotism this campaign year have been Democrats like Wesley Clark and Howard Dean—both still trotted out regularly as surrogates for the Kerry-Edwards campaign.
Terrorist take hostages in Russia and France
Syria in the sites of the U.S.... AND FRANCE!
From the Washington Post:
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 1 -- The United States and France introduced a Security Council resolution Wednesday demanding that 20,000 Syrian troops "withdraw without delay" from Lebanon and that Syria stop meddling in the country's November elections. It threatens to consider unspecified "additional measures" against Syria to ensure compliance.
The resolution reflects mounting frustration by Washington and Paris that Syria is seeking to rewrite Lebanon's constitution to guarantee that the country's pro-Syrian leader, President Emile Lahoud, can remain in power after his six-year term ends on Nov. 24.
Read the whole article here (needs registration). (Hat-tip to Instapundit):
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 1 -- The United States and France introduced a Security Council resolution Wednesday demanding that 20,000 Syrian troops "withdraw without delay" from Lebanon and that Syria stop meddling in the country's November elections. It threatens to consider unspecified "additional measures" against Syria to ensure compliance.
The resolution reflects mounting frustration by Washington and Paris that Syria is seeking to rewrite Lebanon's constitution to guarantee that the country's pro-Syrian leader, President Emile Lahoud, can remain in power after his six-year term ends on Nov. 24.
Read the whole article here (needs registration). (Hat-tip to Instapundit):
... as opposed to the genuine character of President Bush
Get to know a little about President Bush from this heartwarming story. (No phoniness here.)
"V" for Violation?
An update on the issue of the possibly phony "V" on John Kerry's Silver Star:
General Thomas Wilkerson, the president of the U.S. Naval Institute puts it,“It is to your best interest to have your record in good order. If it is wrong, you are accountable. And if you use it to advance your career, it is even more important.”
Read the whole article.
General Thomas Wilkerson, the president of the U.S. Naval Institute puts it,“It is to your best interest to have your record in good order. If it is wrong, you are accountable. And if you use it to advance your career, it is even more important.”
Read the whole article.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
I hate using baseball analogies, but...
If Ah-nold hit a home run...
And Rudy hit a Grand Slam...
Then Zell was the Cleveland Indians' recent 22-0 drubbing of the New York Yankees.
WOW... just... just... WOW!!!
And Rudy hit a Grand Slam...
Then Zell was the Cleveland Indians' recent 22-0 drubbing of the New York Yankees.
WOW... just... just... WOW!!!
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
From the Chicago Tribune (Hat-tip to Capt.Ed):
A deep-cover Iraqi spy living undercover in the US for eleven years, awaiting orders from his IIS handler that apparently never came:
After the arrest of Sami Khoshaba Latchin, 57, prosecutors said he became a naturalized citizen after making false statements to immigration officials in 1999 and planned to "lay low" until contacted by his Iraqi handler.
Latchin entered a not guilty plea at a hearing Monday.
According to a federal indictment returned July 21 and unsealed Monday, Latchin worked for the Iraqi Intelligence Service, known as the Mukhabbarat, the foreign intelligence arm of the Iraqi government.
The indictment said that in addition to failing to disclose his ties to Iraqi intelligence, Latchin, a Baath party member, lied about overseas trips he made in 1994, 1996 and 1997.
Latchin, who was born in Dohuk, Iraq, and has lived in the United States for nearly 11 years, told authorities he was traveling on vacation when, in fact, he met with his Iraqi intelligence handler and received payment for his services, the indictment alleges.
Nahhhh... there's no connection between Saddam Hussain's Iraq and terrorism. No-no... not at all. (*ahem* cough-cough)
A deep-cover Iraqi spy living undercover in the US for eleven years, awaiting orders from his IIS handler that apparently never came:
After the arrest of Sami Khoshaba Latchin, 57, prosecutors said he became a naturalized citizen after making false statements to immigration officials in 1999 and planned to "lay low" until contacted by his Iraqi handler.
Latchin entered a not guilty plea at a hearing Monday.
According to a federal indictment returned July 21 and unsealed Monday, Latchin worked for the Iraqi Intelligence Service, known as the Mukhabbarat, the foreign intelligence arm of the Iraqi government.
The indictment said that in addition to failing to disclose his ties to Iraqi intelligence, Latchin, a Baath party member, lied about overseas trips he made in 1994, 1996 and 1997.
Latchin, who was born in Dohuk, Iraq, and has lived in the United States for nearly 11 years, told authorities he was traveling on vacation when, in fact, he met with his Iraqi intelligence handler and received payment for his services, the indictment alleges.
Nahhhh... there's no connection between Saddam Hussain's Iraq and terrorism. No-no... not at all. (*ahem* cough-cough)
Are yesterday's "Reagan Democrats" now today's "9/11 Democrats"?
In the 80s there was talk about the "Reagan Democrats." Some 20 years later, I believe there's a similar group of voters who I'd coin the "9/11 Democrats."
Every four years the presidential election breaks down into fairly predictable sectors. There will always be approximately 35-40% of the electorate on both sides of the political spectrum that will always vote for the D or the R lever. Even in the biggest landslides, there have always been that 35-40% who still voted for the losing candidate no matter what.
That leaves 20% of the electorate who occupy the middle ground and who can be swayed one way or the other (or a third direction - think Ross Perot's 19% in 1992). In some closer elections, that middle ground percentage will shrink to 10%. But you can be sure that they're there. In 1980 and 1984, Reagan was able to attract what was then termed the "Reagan Democrats." They were lost to Perot in '92 & '96. And that middle ground group shrunk even further in 2000.
But, post-9/11, I believe there is a new group of 10-15% who have been awakened by the terrorists attacks on American soil, and who will ultimately realize that it is much better to keep the current Commander-in-Chief in office in order to handle the difficult and serious international issues of our day. And I think a good portion of that sector is whom I call the "9/11 Democrats & Independents."
Every four years the presidential election breaks down into fairly predictable sectors. There will always be approximately 35-40% of the electorate on both sides of the political spectrum that will always vote for the D or the R lever. Even in the biggest landslides, there have always been that 35-40% who still voted for the losing candidate no matter what.
That leaves 20% of the electorate who occupy the middle ground and who can be swayed one way or the other (or a third direction - think Ross Perot's 19% in 1992). In some closer elections, that middle ground percentage will shrink to 10%. But you can be sure that they're there. In 1980 and 1984, Reagan was able to attract what was then termed the "Reagan Democrats." They were lost to Perot in '92 & '96. And that middle ground group shrunk even further in 2000.
But, post-9/11, I believe there is a new group of 10-15% who have been awakened by the terrorists attacks on American soil, and who will ultimately realize that it is much better to keep the current Commander-in-Chief in office in order to handle the difficult and serious international issues of our day. And I think a good portion of that sector is whom I call the "9/11 Democrats & Independents."
Some great "You are there!" blogger coverage of the RNC
If you're looking for some great and detailed coverage of the Republican National Convention by credentialled bloggers, check out these guys:
Hugh Hewitt
Captain's Quarters
PowerLine
Red State
Blogs For Bush
Command Post (Election 2004 section)
Real Clear Politics (both News & Commentary sections)
Hugh Hewitt
Captain's Quarters
PowerLine
Red State
Blogs For Bush
Command Post (Election 2004 section)
Real Clear Politics (both News & Commentary sections)
New Indy Films To Counter Moore's Agitprop
From WorldNetDaily:
Several films, including two targeting leftist filmmaker Michael Moore, will make their world debuts this month at the American Film Renaissance festival in Dallas. Taking place Sept. 10-12, the festival aims to screen pro-America, patriotic documentaries and serve as an alternative to the Sundance and Cannes festivals.
"Michael and Me" and "Michael Moore Hates America" will both premiere in Dallas as filmmakers take aim at the Bush-bashing director whose "Fahrenheit 9/11" paint the president as a liar and a dolt.
Read the whole article here.
Several films, including two targeting leftist filmmaker Michael Moore, will make their world debuts this month at the American Film Renaissance festival in Dallas. Taking place Sept. 10-12, the festival aims to screen pro-America, patriotic documentaries and serve as an alternative to the Sundance and Cannes festivals.
"Michael and Me" and "Michael Moore Hates America" will both premiere in Dallas as filmmakers take aim at the Bush-bashing director whose "Fahrenheit 9/11" paint the president as a liar and a dolt.
Read the whole article here.
NYC Firefighters For Bush
Hat-tip to Redstate:
New York firefighters to endorse Bush
by MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN (Associated Press Writer)
NEW YORK (AP) _ The union representing the city's 8,600 firefighters will endorse President Bush Wednesday night at a social club in Queens, bolstering the Bush campaign's efforts to focus the nation's attention on the president's leadership following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Uniformed Firefighters Association president Steve Cassidy said he will announce the union's endorsement as he stands beside Bush at the Italian Charities of America hall in Elmhurst. Cassidy and Bush will share a meal of pizza and sodas with about 100 firefighters and watch Vice President Dick Cheney's address to the Republican National Convention, Cassidy said.
"The reason we're supporting President Bush is leadership," Cassidy said. "Post-9/11 we needed someone who had the courage and the integrity to do what was right for this country. The president said he would take the fight to the terrorists and he has done that."
The UFA's endorsement is loaded with symbolism. The Fire Department of New York lost 343 members on Sept. 11. One of the most enduring images of President Bush has come from footage of him with his arm around a firefighter at ground zero addressing rescue workers through a bullhorn.
The union, which has traditionally backed both Republicans and Democrats in local and state elections, did not make an endorsement in the 2000 presidential race.
This year, the Bush campaign has been working to evoke Bush's response to the attacks without opening the campaign to criticism that it is exploiting a tragedy for political ends.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in New York on Wednesday and address the convention Thursday night. A Republican Party source, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Bush would also visit two firehouses Wednesday night. A fire department spokesman said the campaign had made no formal arrangement to visit a firehouse.
The International Association of Fire Fighters has endorsed Democratic Sen. John Kerry, along with the union representing the city's 2,900 fire lieutenants, captains and other officers.
A spokesman for the Bush campaign did not immediately return a call for comment, nor did a spokesman for the Kerry camp.
New York firefighters to endorse Bush
by MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN (Associated Press Writer)
NEW YORK (AP) _ The union representing the city's 8,600 firefighters will endorse President Bush Wednesday night at a social club in Queens, bolstering the Bush campaign's efforts to focus the nation's attention on the president's leadership following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Uniformed Firefighters Association president Steve Cassidy said he will announce the union's endorsement as he stands beside Bush at the Italian Charities of America hall in Elmhurst. Cassidy and Bush will share a meal of pizza and sodas with about 100 firefighters and watch Vice President Dick Cheney's address to the Republican National Convention, Cassidy said.
"The reason we're supporting President Bush is leadership," Cassidy said. "Post-9/11 we needed someone who had the courage and the integrity to do what was right for this country. The president said he would take the fight to the terrorists and he has done that."
The UFA's endorsement is loaded with symbolism. The Fire Department of New York lost 343 members on Sept. 11. One of the most enduring images of President Bush has come from footage of him with his arm around a firefighter at ground zero addressing rescue workers through a bullhorn.
The union, which has traditionally backed both Republicans and Democrats in local and state elections, did not make an endorsement in the 2000 presidential race.
This year, the Bush campaign has been working to evoke Bush's response to the attacks without opening the campaign to criticism that it is exploiting a tragedy for political ends.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in New York on Wednesday and address the convention Thursday night. A Republican Party source, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Bush would also visit two firehouses Wednesday night. A fire department spokesman said the campaign had made no formal arrangement to visit a firehouse.
The International Association of Fire Fighters has endorsed Democratic Sen. John Kerry, along with the union representing the city's 2,900 fire lieutenants, captains and other officers.
A spokesman for the Bush campaign did not immediately return a call for comment, nor did a spokesman for the Kerry camp.
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