"Soldiers dying in Iraq are dying to defend the US against terrorism as a victory in Iraq is a victory in the war on terror. They are dying to defend freedom and democracy in the US and to spread freedom and democracy to Iraq. They are dying for the interests of the US, her allies, and by extension, all Americans (whether they understand it or not). They are not dying for Haliburton, oil, or any other ridiculous shit / slant the anti-war types or conspiracy theorists want to spin. Haliburton is a company (among many others, both US and foreign) that seized a chance to profit in REBUILDING Iraq. There is a big difference between that and war-profiteering. Haliburton did not start the war, terrorists and those that support them did. Putting the chicken before the egg just won’t fly."
-polymath
"[B]efore you [Europeans] write us off as just a bunch of sweaty, hairy-chested, Bible-thumping morons who are more likely to break their fast by dipping a Krispy Kreme into a diet cola than a biscotti into an espresso - and who inexplicably have won more Nobel prizes than all other countries combined,
host 25 or 30 of the world's finest universities and five or six of the world's best symphonies, produce wines that win prizes at your own tasting competitions, have built the world's most vibrant economy, are the world's only military superpower and, so to speak in our spare time, have landed on
the moon and sent our robots to Mars - may I suggest you stop frothing at
the mouth long enough to consider just what are these ideas we hold that you find so silly and repugnant?"
- LynnKramer
"Democracy may have been invented in Greece, but cowardess was invented in France where it lives and thrives to this very day."
- RedTigress
"I'm referring to the Iraqi terrorist bastard fighters. The ones liberals insist are either not in Iraq, or are there by the thousands, depending on which liberal you listen to."
- noguru
"How is it that the Left can believe absolute crazy shit, like the Bush-Saudi Arabian money connection, or the even worse and totally false Bush-bin Laden connection (based on 100% lies) and look at you straight and say there was absolutely no way that Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda had ties?"
- reducto
Why is Kerry Talking About Vietnam in the Debates?
I am sitting here after watching about an hour of this thing, and Kerry is pissing me off. There's only been about one response where he hasn't referred back to his Vietnam days. "When I was in Vietnam...; When I lost someone in Vietnam...; In the war I fought..." Come on! And stop taking notes! Every time Bush says something the guy is sitting there feverishly writing something down (if you're watching a station other than FOX you may not see this), I thought Kerry was supposed to be the guy that was great at speaking on his feet.
I'm not happy with Bush either. He really needs to get off that "wrong war, wrong place, wrong time" line. It was okay the first time, but after the 3rd or 4th, it gets annoying. They need to just screw the debate rules and make it a free-for-all. That's what the American public wants to see.
On a happier note, Bush has a 9 point lead in Florida.
Once again, before you lefties start spewing this "They've been discredited, how dare you question Kerry's patriotism!" stuff, watch the ad. Not once does a swift vet appear in the ad. Not once is Kerry's service questioned in the ad. So that lame excuse won't work. Unless....have the POWs' wives been discredited? Are they liars?
September 29--The latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds Senator Kerry with 48% of the vote in Maryland to 45% for President Bush. That's a stunning result in a state that Al Gore won by 17 points four years ago. Before the Republican Convention, Kerry was comfortably ahead in Maryland, 54% to 41%.
Michael Barone has written of a potential Metroliner "effect" that may be hurting Democrats along the Amtrak route from Washington to New York. States along that route were impacted heavily by 9/11 and appear to be less solidly in the Democratic camp than they were four years ago.
As a result of this latest survey, we are moving Maryland to Toss-Up status for our Electoral College projections. We will also check on the state again soon to see if this result is a one-time aberration or a lasting change.
I've been addicted to rasmussen lately. But isn't this just too cool? All these states that were comfortably in Kerry's column have been moving closer and closer to Bush. I can't wait to see the next New York poll, after Kerry lost 14 points in the last month. Bush has to really screw up these debates to lose it now. Now, we just have to keep hold of Congress and I can rest easy.
“We should not have gone to war knowing the information that we know today," Kerry said Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” "Knowing there was no imminent threat to America, knowing there were no weapons of mass destruction, knowing there was no connection of Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda, I would not have gone to war. That's plain and simple."
But on Aug. 9, 2004, when asked if he would still have gone to war knowing Saddam Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction, Kerry said: “Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right authority for a president to have.” Speaking to reporters at the edge of the Grand Canyon, he added: “[Although] I would have done this very differently from the way President Bush has."
Read it and weep. So by my count, that makes 15 flip-flops on Iraq.
I was going to post this yesterday, but either tBLOG screwed up or my computer did.
I stumbled on this site when I was searching for my blog on google, and decided to check it out. Of course, they got my blog title completely wrong, but I forgive them. They've also got most, if not all of you fellow tbloggers in there, screwing up your blog title as well.
BlogShares is a simulated, fantasy stock market for weblogs where players invest fictional money to buy stocks and bonds in an artificial economy where attention is the commodity and weblogs are the companies. Weblogs, or blogs for short, are valued by their incoming links from other known blogs. In effect, links become the business deals in the simulation and players speculate on the fortunes of thousands of blogs by buying and selling shares. A whole host of options exist for advanced play including gifting shares, leveraged buy-outs, stock splits, additional share issues, market and player bonds. For full details see the Help Center.
Anyone can play BlogShares for free, and ownership of a blog is not a requirement to participate. You need simply to register to receive a virtual $500 to start investing. Blog owners also receive 1000 shares of stock in their blog. Each individual uses the simulation for different purposes: you can use BlogShares to find new blogs to read, to show your appreciation by buying or gifting shares and, of course, to accrue as much capital as possible. Advanced options such as bonds allow you to take the game in a number of different directions.
With over 5,000 active players at the end of the Beta phase and more than 40,000 known blogs, BlogShares provides a rich, complex environment for (virtual) profit and fun. BlogShares continues to expand as more members, more blogs and more features are added to this quickly growing online community.
Twelve French soldiers on peacekeeping duties in Ivory Coast have been arrested in connection with a bank theft there last week.
The troops had been assigned to protect a branch of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) and were charged with stealing $120,000 (100,000 euros).
French military spokesman Colonel Henry Aussavy said the accused soldiers were being sent home to face French justice.
More than 4,000 French troops are serving alongside UN peacekeepers.
Ho ho ho, those French. Robbing the very organization they were sent to protect. But at least it only happened once....right?
Four French soldiers are accused of robbing a bank in Ivory Coast they were supposed to be guarding, sources say.
The men have been placed under judicial investigation, one step short of formal charges, say judicial and military officials in Paris.
They are accused of taking 58,000 euros from the bank in the northern rebel-held town of Bouake.
The officials in Paris said the men were detained after allegedly trying to buy diamonds and gold.
The soldiers are accused of "aggravated theft" in November and December, sources say.
The soldiers are all said to come from the 126th Infantry Regiment, which was guarding the branch of the Central Bank of West African States. They are not being held in custody.
Economic Left/Right: 4.00 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian : 3.28
Authoritarian
Left
Right
Libertarian
I'm about 2 John Paul's short of Hitler fascist-wise and a Schroder away economically, so I'm happy. Who cares about the rest of the people, all you really want to know is how close to Hitler or Stalin you are.
FLIP FLOP #1: "Most Important Task" Is To Win "War On Terrorism." "Only a few blocks from here, three years ago, the events of September 11 reminded every American of that obligation. That day brought to our shores the defining struggle of our times: the struggle between freedom and radical fundamentalism. And it made clear that our most important task is to fight ... and to win ... the war on terrorism." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Balked At Calling War On Terror An Actual War. "The final victory in the war on terror depends on a victory in the war of ideas, much more than the war on the battlefield. And the war - not the war, I don't want to use that terminology. The engagement of economies, the economic transformation, the transformation to modernity of a whole bunch of countries that have been avoiding the future. And that future's coming at us like it or not, in the context of terror, and in the context of failed states, and dysfunctional economies, and all that goes with that." ("In His Words: John Kerry," The New York Times Website, www.nytimes.com, 3/6/04)
FLIP FLOP #2: Iraq Was "Diversion From" War On Terror. "That means we must have a great honest national debate on Iraq. The President claims it is the centerpiece of his war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against our greatest enemy, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists. Invading Iraq has created a crisis of historic proportions and, if we do not change course, there is the prospect of a war with no end in sight." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Said Iraq "Is Critical" To Success Of War On Terror. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "Iraq may not be the war on terror itself, but it is critical to the outcome of the war on terror. And therefore any advance in Iraq is an advance forward in that. And I disagree with the Governor [Howard Dean]." (Fox News' "Special Report," 12/15/03)
FLIP FLOP #3: Evil Of Saddam Was Not Enough To Justify War. "Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell. But that was not, in itself, a reason to go to war." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Originally Agreed With Removing Saddam Hussein. "I agree completely with this Administration's goal of a regime change in Iraq - Saddam Hussein is a renegade and outlaw who turned his back on the tough conditions of his surrender put in place by the United Nations in 1991." (Senator John Kerry, Speech To The 2002 DLC National Conversation, New York, NY, 7/29/02)
Kerry Cited Saddam's "Breach Of International Values" As Cause For War. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "I believe the record of Saddam Hussein's ruthless, reckless breach of international values and standards of behavior is cause enough for the world community to hold him accountable by use of force if necessary." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 10/10/02)
FLIP FLOP #4: Saddam's "Downfall ... Has Left America Less Secure." "The satisfaction we take in his downfall does not hide this fact: we have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Questioned Judgment Of Those Claiming Saddam's Capture Doesn't Help American Security. "Those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein, and those who believe we are not safer with his capture, don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president." (Anne Q. Hoy, "Dean Faces More Criticism," [New York] Newsday, 12/17/03)
FLIP FLOP #5: Decision To Go Into Iraq "Colossal" Failure. "The President now admits to 'miscalculations' in Iraq. That is one of the greatest understatements in recent American history. His were not the equivalent of accounting errors. They were colossal failures of judgment - and judgment is what we look for in a president. This is all the more stunning because we're not talking about 20/20 hindsight. Before the war, before he chose to go to war, bi-partisan Congressional hearings ... major outside studies ... and even some in the administration itself ... predicted virtually every problem we now face in Iraq." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
In Response To President's Question About How He Would Have Voted If He Knew Then What He Knows Now, Kerry Confirmed That He Would Still Have Voted For Use Of Force Resolution. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it's the right authority for a president to have. But I would have used that authority as I have said throughout this campaign, effectively. I would have done this very differently from the way President Bush has." (CNN's "Inside Politics," 8/9/04)
FLIP FLOP #6: Iraq Was Not "Threat To Our Security." "We now know that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and posed no imminent threat to our security." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Said, "If You Don't Believe ... Saddam Hussein Is A Threat With Nuclear Weapons, Then You Shouldn't Vote For Me." (Ronald Brownstein, "On Iraq, Kerry Appears Either Torn Or Shrewd," Los Angeles Times, 1/31/03)
In Response To President's Question About How He Would Have Voted If He Knew Then What He Knows Now, Kerry Confirmed That He Would Still Have Voted For Use Of Force Resolution. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it's the right authority for a president to have. But I would have used that authority as I have said throughout this campaign, effectively. I would have done this very differently from the way President Bush has." (CNN's "Inside Politics," 8/9/04)
FLIP FLOP #7: Iraq War Took "Attention And Resources" Away From Afghanistan. "The President's policy in Iraq took our attention and resources away from other, more serious threats to America. Threats like ... the increasing instability in Afghanistan." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Said War On Terror "Doesn't End With Afghanistan" And Suggested U.S. Move On To Addressing Menace Of Saddam Huseein. KERRY: "I think we clearly have to keep the pressure on terrorism globally. This doesn't end with Afghanistan by any imagination. And I think the president has made that clear. I think we have made that clear. Terrorism is a global menace. It's a scourge. And it is absolutely vital that we continue, for instance, Saddam Hussein." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 12/14/01)
FLIP FLOP #8: Iraq Not "Source Of Serious Disagreement With Our Allies" Before War. "We know that while Iraq was a source of friction, it was not previously a source of serious disagreement with our allies in Europe and countries in the Muslim world." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Questioned Where Russia And France's Backbone To Stand Up To Saddam Was. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "So clearly the allies may not like it, and I think that's our great concern - where's the backbone of Russia, where's the backbone of France, where are they in expressing their condemnation of such clearly illegal activity, but in a sense, they're now climbing into a box and they will have enormous difficulty not following up on this if there is not compliance by Iraq." (CNN's "Crossfire," 11/12/97)
Kerry Noted French Have Opposed U.S. On A Number Of Foreign Policy Issues. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "Well, John, frankly neither you nor I know that we did nothing. I don't know that for a fact. We certainly didn't publicly, I agree, but I don't know that we did nothing. But it's not the first time France has been very difficult, as the congressman said. I think a lot of us are very disappointed that the French haven't joined us in a number of other efforts with respect to China, with respect to other issues in Asia and elsewhere and also in Europe." (CNN's "Crossfire," 11/12/97)
Kerry: Europeans Are "Wrong On Iraq" And U.S. "Will Have To Do What We Need To Do." FOX NEWS' BILL O'REILLY: "The ambassador to Germany is basically saying what most people in Europe are saying, senator. They're afraid. They're afraid that if we go after Saddam Hussein, and all the Arabs get crazy, and the whole thing blows up, that Europe's going to take the brunt of this. I said you can't negotiate with tyrants out of fear. How do you feel about it?" SEN. JOHN KERRY: "I agree with you. ... [I] think that you're correct in making that judgment. And I think we've all reached a judgment that obviously the United States has to protect our national security interests. And we have to do what we think is right. I do think the European demonstrations are larger than just Iraq. I think they're concerned about other issues, like global warming. They're concerned about proliferation. They're concerned about - I mean, there are a whole host of issues. So I think it's a more confused bag than just Iraq, but I think they're wrong on Iraq. I mean, plain and simply, the United States will have to do what we need to do, and our best judgment to protect our national security. And quite frankly, if we do what we need to do, it will also wind up protecting Europe." (Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," 5/22/02)
FLIP FLOP #9: President's Iraq Policy "Has Weakened" National Security. "Let me put it plainly: The President's policy in Iraq has not strengthened our national security. It has weakened it." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Questioned Judgment Of Those Claiming Saddam's Capture Doesn't Help American Security. "Those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein, and those who believe we are not safer with his capture, don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president." (Anne Q. Hoy, "Dean Faces More Criticism," [New York] Newsday, 12/17/03)
FLIP FLOP #10: Would Not Have Invaded Iraq Given What He Knows Now. "Yet today, President Bush tells us that he would do everything all over again, the same way. How can he possibly be serious? Is he really saying that if we knew there were no imminent threat, no weapons of mass destruction, no ties to Al Qaeda, the United States should have invaded Iraq? My answer is no - because a Commander-in-Chief's first responsibility is to make a wise and responsible decision to keep America safe." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
In Response To President's Question About How He Would Have Voted If He Knew Then What He Knows Now, Kerry Confirmed That He Would Still Have Voted For Use Of Force Resolution. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it's the right authority for a president to have. But I would have used that authority as I have said throughout this campaign, effectively. I would have done this very differently from the way President Bush has." (CNN's "Inside Politics," 8/9/04)
FLIP FLOP #11: "'Capability' To Acquire Weapons" Not Reason Enough For War. "Now the president, in looking for a new reason, tries to hang his hat on the 'capability' to acquire weapons. But that was not the reason given to the nation; it was not the reason Congress voted on; it's not a reason, it's an excuse." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Called Those Who Would Leave Saddam Alone "Naïve To The Point Of Grave Danger." "It would be naive to the point of grave danger not to believe that, left to his own devices, Saddam Hussein will provoke, misjudge, or stumble into a future, more dangerous confrontation with the civilized world." (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/9/02, p. S10171)
Kerry Said Saddam's Miscalculations Are Biggest Concern, Not "Actual" WMD. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "I would disagree with John McCain that it's the actual weapons of mass destruction he may use against us, it's what he may do in another invasion of Kuwait or in a miscalculation about the Kurds or a miscalculation about Iran or particularly Israel. Those are the things that-that I think present the greatest danger. He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It's the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 9/15/02)
FLIP FLOP #12: "Cannot Afford" To Fail In Iraq. "In Iraq, we have a mess on our hands. But we cannot throw up our hands. We cannot afford to see Iraq become a permanent source of terror that will endanger America's security for years to come." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Voted Against The $87 Billion Supplemental Supporting Our Troops And Providing Resources Needed To Win In Iraq. (S. 1689, CQ Vote #400: Passed 87-12: R 50-0; D 37-11; I 0-1, 10/17/03, Kerry Voted Nay)
FLIP FLOP #13: Iraq War "Made Us Less Secure." "I believe the invasion of Iraq has made us less secure and weaker in the war against terrorism." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Questioned Judgment Of Those Claiming Saddam's Capture Doesn't Help American Security. "Those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein, and those who believe we are not safer with his capture, don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president." (Anne Q. Hoy, "Dean Faces More Criticism," [New York] Newsday, 12/17/03)
FLIP FLOP #14: Would Have Continued Containment Of Saddam."I would have tightened the noose and continued to pressure and isolate Saddam Hussein - who was weak and getting weaker -- so that he would pose no threat to the region or America." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At New York University, New York, NY, 9/20/04)
Kerry Expressed Opposition To "Policy Of Containment." "So we've got a major set of choices to make here. And we'd better make them. We've been sliding into a fundamental policy of containment, which I share with Major Ritter the notion is disastrous to our overall proliferation interests and disastrous with respect to the Middle East and our interests with respect to Saddam Hussein and Iraq . But we have to make a decision whether we're prepared to do what is necessary, and I mean to the point of a sustained targeting of the regime; not the Iraqi people, but the regime." (Sen. John Kerry, Committee On Armed Services And Committee On Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, Joint Hearing, 9/3/98)
BERLIN - The dramatic surge in support for a neo-Nazi party and reformed communists in weekend state polls marks a voter drift to the extreme political fringes, an ominous trend just two weeks before the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The xenophobic National Democratic Party (NPD) attracted 9 per cent support in one of the two state elections, in Saxony.
September 20, 2004--John Kerry's lead in New York is down to single digits. The Empire State, among the bluest of the Blue States from Election 2000, is still in the Kerry column for our Electoral College projections, but the raw numbers are stunning.
Confirming findings found in other recent polls, Rasmussen Reports shows John Kerry leading George Bush by merely five percentage points, 49% to 44%. Four years ago, Al Gore defeated Bush to carry New York by a 25 point margin. Our last New York survey found Kerry up by 19 points.
Can you believe it? In less than a month, Bush gained 15 points in one of the most liberal states in the country. And Gore won it by 25 points! My guess is that the average New Yorker saw a little too much hate coming from the protesters at the convention.
Now that they've gotten away from the swift vets and started letting Kerry contradict himself, these things are just fun to watch. I think this is the best of the 5 or so they came out with, especially at the end there. If only the swift vet thing hadn't blown over.
You've probably heard that Bill Burkett was behind misleading CBS with those memos. After hearing his name cited way too many times by people trying to convince me Bush was AWOL, I have to say something.
Retired Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, who was then an adviser to the Texas adjutant general, who in that capacity serves as the commander of the state's National Guard, made the allegations.
He said that in 1997 he overheard Joe Allbaugh -- who was Bush's chief of staff at the time -- ask Guard commander Maj. Gen. Daniel James to gather Bush's files and "make sure there wasn't anything there that would embarrass the governor."
Allbaugh reacted angrily to Burkett's charges, calling them "hogwash" and "absolute garbage." Allbaugh, who went on to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Bush administration, said he doesn't even know who the "goober" is, referring to Burkett.
James denied any reports were altered, according to The New York Times.
Burkett said that the day after he overhead Allbaugh's request, he heard James convey a directive to the state services officer to gather Bush's files and go through them. Then, about 10 days later, he said, he came across "files on a table."
"But I also saw at the edge of that table a roughly 15-gallon, old metal waste can. At the top of that were several pages, 20 to 40 pages approximately," Burkett said on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now."
"I glanced down at the top of those documents. In ink was the word 'Bush, George W., 1 Lt.' This was a performance report. I was right at the trash can. I filtered through the top five or six pages in that, and they were all copies and originals of old performance documents and pay records for 'Bush, George W., 1 Lt."
Burkett said he was disheartened after the incident. "All of those efforts, I felt, had been -- had undermined our cause," said Burkett, who had worked to make the Texas National Guard more efficient.
"I'm not going to get in the mud. You know, this has become a political football," he told CNN. "I'm here to tell you the same facts that I said, and I reported, and I have worked through the state legislative system in the state of Texas," Burkett said.
If Burkett created a false memo and mislead CBS, then why should we believe his other story has any weight to it?
WASHINGTON — John Kerry's opposition to the Vietnam War led him to many places, including Paris, where he met with the North Vietnamese in 1970. Kerry said then, and says now, that the meeting was a part of an effort to learn more about U.S. POWs. But some question the propriety of a commissioned Naval officer meeting with the enemy at a time of war.
When Kerry testified before the Senate in 1971, he pushed for an immediate, unilateral withdrawal of U.S. forces. If that happened, he said he knew the North Vietnamese would return all U.S. POWs.
"I have been to Paris. I have talked with both delegations at the peace talks, that is to say the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government," Kerry said.
Kerry referred to an eight-point withdrawal plan that was offered to the U.S. by Madame Nguyen Thi Binh, then-foreign minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government. While on his honeymoon in Paris with his first wife Julia Thorne, Kerry met with Madame Binh at a meeting that included members of both delegations to the peace talks, according to Kerry spokesman Michael Meehan.
Explaining Kerry's trip, Meehan said in a statement, "Senator Kerry had no role whatsoever in the Paris peace talks or negotiations. He did not engage in any negotiations and did not attend any session of the talks. Prior to his Senate testimony, he went to Paris on a private trip, where he had one brief meeting with Madame Binh and others. In an effort to find facts, he learned the status of the peace talks from their point of view and about any progress in resolving the conflict, particularly as it related to the fate of the POWs."
I'd search through the transcript of Kerry's testimony and find the context of that quote, but I don't think I have to. Kerry was more than likely implying that he had attended those talks. But lets get to the rest of the article.
Kerry's meeting with Binh occurred while he remained a commissioned officer with the U.S. Navy. Kerry was, by then, a member of the Navy Reserve and not on active duty.
"We've had presidents who have served in the military. We've had presidents who have never served in the military. But we've never had an American president who met with the enemy in a time of war while a naval officer in reserve status. Inconceivable," said John O'Neill, a key member of the anti-Kerry Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (search).
Some critics have suggested Kerry's meeting might have violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice (search), which prohibits members of the armed services from meeting with the enemy at a time of war. Meehan told FOX News the code of military justice did not apply to inactive reserve officers and that Kerry "did nothing wrong." Meehan also said that Kerry met with the North Vietnamese only once.
I'll give him credit for saying it right, but that's about it. First we have this whole thing about Kerry saying he is agianst the putting nuclear waste in Yucca mountain, but voted for it. You liberals could try to pull that "when the facts change, so shoudl you" thing, but I'm not buying that. The only thing that's changed is we now have more nuclear waste, and Yucca mountain is still the best place we have to put it.
John Kerry has been much lampooned for saying that he "actually voted for" funding U.S. troops in Iraq "before he voted against it."
He's in a another contradictory position when it comes to nuclear energy.
Kerry's Web site states that "nuclear power can play an essential role in providing affordable energy while reducing the risk of climate change." His aides also say he is for nuclear power.
So far, so good. But then on a recent campaign stop in Las Vegas — about 100 miles away from the planned Yucca Mountain (search) site for the long-term disposal of waste from nuclear power plants — Kerry said, "When I'm president of the United States, I'll tell you about Yucca Mountain: Not on my watch."
The realty of the matter, however, is that you can't be "for" nuclear energy (search) but "against" Yucca Mountain.
If only there were more than like 15,000 nuclear engineers.
It is democrat instead of democratic right? I'm pretty sure I remember that from an old English book.
I never really took the time to look at most Nader's stances because the ones I knew made me hate him enough, but now that they've been snuck under my conservative-defense ;system via townhall.com, I have to say that he has a lot more in common with most liberals that I know.
Ralph Nader is rarely allowed by the media to outline his political agenda, mostly because he has time only to answer the charge, “Isn’t voting for you a throwaway vote?” Nader defends himself well, but it is always obvious that he would rather get past this silly question and onto real issues.
Now, before I make a case for why you should vote for Nader—assuming you are a diehard liberal and dead-set against another four years of Bush—let me first tell you what Nader stands for. You will be able to get your arms around his rock-solid platform right away, whereas with John Kerry, the same exercise is like playing the “What do you see in that cloud?” game. Here are just twelve points to prove that Nader, not Kerry, is your man:
1. He believes mankind has an obligation to pool resources to stop poverty.
2. He is for the working stiff, and is against big corporate power; he believes in a “living wage” and protections to stop workers from losing benefits and pensions.
3. He wants to undo laws that make unionization difficult.
4. He wants to tax the rich and give to the poor; he’s for a truly progressive taxation system.
5. He thinks the U.N. can really become a bastion of goodness and peace.
6. He believes it is the President’s job to “create jobs,” and acronyms like WTO, IMF, NAFTA makes him cringe.
7. He believes the environment is a top priority, because people are dying by the thousands for our poor stewardship of the planet. With him, Kyoto is a go-go.
8. He thinks global trade is irritatingly impossible to stop, but it’s okay, as long as we balance it out with laws to protect the workers and the environment.
9. Electoral voting is out, popular voting is in, and the government should fund it all. (If he wins in 2004, I’m running in 2008, just for the free travel and meals alone.)
10. He wants to get back to smaller farms that commit to Rodale-like organic production; he hates big agribusiness and probably would like to see everyone at least think about getting veganized.
11. He’s for affirmative action to offset historical wrongs, and he thinks women and gays still don’t have enough rights. That means he won’t undo Roe v. Wade or stop gay marriage.
12. He will end the Patriot Act and will pull the troops out of Iraq without delay.
And after redtigress went on about how she hated Nader, I better mention that he's pretty anti-Israel.
That right there pretty much sums up the positions of 90% of the liberals I meet on the internet. But guess who all these liberals are voting for, Kerry. I don't get it. I just don't get it. If a majority of the left has more in common with Nader than Kerry, Nader should be their candidate.
On another note, I found this site with a bunch of cool patriotic sound files. They're in my links. I wouldn't want to screw with their bandwith, so if I use any, which I plan on doing, I'll be hosting them myself.
I haven't been to flashbunny.org in a while, and there's always some funny pictures. I'm going to resize the first one. How about that. You can resize straight from the little edit window.
With little proof save for the conspiracy theories of an obese low-budget filmmaker and a professional hack at the Democrat National Committee, the left-leaning national press corps moved Heaven and earth to get to the bottom of the gaps in President Bush’s military service record.
The White House complied, releasing pay records and other peripheral evidence that Bush had indeed served in the Alabama National Guard during the time in question. The press was -- and remains – unsatisfied, though the gaps in the president’s service record can almost certainly be chalked up to bureaucratic paperwork screw-ups.
Not so with the record of President George W. Bush’s rival for the presidency, Senator John Forbes Kerry. An anonymous source has brought to our attention a yawning hole in the decorated veteran’s service record. It is time for Kerry to answer the questions President Bush was forced to answer. It is time for John Kerry to answer the big question:
Did you go AWOL from the Naval Reserves?
Please click READ MORE ...
We at www.crushkerry.com have remained relatively mum on the issue of Vietnam and John Kerry’s service record when compared to other anti-Kerry websites. Indeed, heretofore, we’ve been content to aver merely that while Kerry fought with bravery in Vietnam he acted in shame upon returning home. But we had no idea the depth of the problem before the junior Senator from Massachusetts.
It bears repeating: Kerry obligated himself to at least 3 years active duty, and the remainder of his 6 year obligation in the Ready (not Standby) Reserves.
He further agreed that while in the Ready Reserves (from discharge to 1972) he would perform no less than 48 drills per year and up to 17 active duty days per year, or alternatively, 30 active duty days per year.
None of Kerry’s released records shows any evidence of his performing these Ready Reserve obligated days in 1970 through 1972, after which he was transferred to the Inactive Reserves. The only Performance of Duty form released covers 1966. There should be one for every year.
Nor is there any excusal from drilling status in his records, or alternatively, pay and attendance records indicating that he performed any drills in 1970-72 as required of a Ready Reservist.
It was George Bush's alleged non-performance of his obligated reserve duty that caused all the furor last February, yet Kerry apparently cannot show his performance of his obligated Reserve duty.
The Kerry campaign has said that his separation from active duty put him in the inactive, non-drilling Naval Reserve so he could run for Congress. This is NOT true, as follows:
Contrary to what Kerry's campaign flacks say, the wording on his Release from Active Duty (to run for Congress) does NOT put him in the Inactive Reserves - it puts him in Inactive Duty status, which includes Ready Reserves with attendant drill obligation. BIG difference - though the confusion is understandable.
According to our source, the legal specifics that counter Kerry’s word trickery pits a Title 10 duty (Active Duty) Green Card vs. Title 32 duty (Inactive Duty) Red Card. Did Kerry have a Green Card or a Red Card?
We are beginning to see a pattern of obfuscation and deceit by the Kerry campaign. Are they intentionally using the tortured language of the military bureaucracy as a cover up?
Had Kerry been placed in the Inactive Reserves in 1970 upon his release from Active Duty, as Kerry's people suggest, there would not have been the 1972 Transfer to the Standby Reserves form we show above - he would have already been there.
Also, if the timing of these records is correct, as a drilling Ready Reserve naval officer, in 1970-72 he was somewhat restricted by military regulations in what comments he could make in public regarding statements on the military leadership and the National Command Authority. Yet this is the period of his most public protests and anti-war demonstrations.
In fact, his hairdo alone in the 1970-72 period would not meet Navy standards, and he would be sent home from drill if he had ever attended one.
We at crushkerry.com suggest the fun is over in the presidential campaign of 2004. John Kerry’s people have called President Bush a deserter. The White House has called Kerry a flip-flopper who’s soft on defense. All great fun. But we’re drawing ever closer to decision time and it’s beginning to appear that while John Kerry was slandering his fellow Vietnam Veterans at the Winter Soldier Investigation and on the floor of the U.S. Senate, he may have been AWOL from the Naval Reserves.
John Kerry’s service record is an onion, with each layer stinkier than the previous one. So stinky, in fact, there’s probably a Pulitzer for a brave journalist with the courage to dig to its core.
I like the part about the haircut.
Look at his hair style in 1970:
Now I know how long your hair can be in the army, but just to be safe I looked up the navy grooming standards. These are current, but I imagine they couldn't have changed that much. I'll leave it up to you to decide how closely Kerry kept to these standards.
Keep hair neat, clean and well groomed. Hair above the ears and around the neck shall be tapered from the lower natural hairline upwards at least 3/4 inch and outward not greater than 3/4 inch to blend with hairstyle. Hair on the back of the neck must not touch the collar. Hair shall be no longer than four inches and may not touch the ears, collar, extend below eyebrows when headgear is removed, show under front edge of headgear, or interfere with properly wearing military headgear.
The bulk of the hair shall not exceed approximately two inches. Bulk is defined as the distance that the mass of hair protrudes from the scalp.
Amid questions about one of John Kerry's combat "V" decorations, unearthed remarks by the senator eight years ago reveal he judged an admiral's allegedly false awards as a serious offense that disqualified him from leadership.
After the suicide of Adm. Mike Boorda in 1996, National Review columnist Kate O'Beirne notes Kerry gave his response to two Boston papers.
"In a sense, there's nothing that says more about your career than when you fought, where you fought and how you fought," Kerry told the Boston Herald.
"If you wind up being less than what you're pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value and self-esteem and your sense of how others view you."
At that time, a left-leaning news service had raised questions about Boorda's combat "V" clip, which is awarded for valor under fire. The doubt was over whether Boorda's two tours in Vietnam aboard combat ships qualified him for the awards. The Washington Post reported Boorda's right to wear the clips apparently was supported by a Navy manual, but hours before he was scheduled to address the issue with Newsweek reporters, he shot himself.
The Herald described Kerry as among the veterans who said although they would take offense at someone falsely wearing the "V" pin, they couldn't see how it would drive Boorda to suicide.
"Is it wrong? Yes, it is very wrong. Sufficient to question his leadership position? The answer is yes, which he clearly understood," Kerry told the Herald.
Kerry also spoke with the Boston Globe.
"The military is a rigorous culture that places a high premium on battlefield accomplishment," he told the paper.
Of Boorda and his apparent violation, Kerry said: "When you are the chief of them all, it has to weigh even more heavily."
So there you have it. In John Kerry's own words, the legitimacy of these medals is important.
Since Kerry's stepped up the Vietnam rhetoric, I think it's time we quote him again.
"We will not quickly join those who march on Veterans' Day waving small flags, calling to memory those thousands who died for the "greater glory of the United States." We will not accept the rhetoric. We will not readily join the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- in fact, we will find it hard to join anything at all and when we do, we will demand relevancy such as other organizations have recently been unable to provide. We will not take solace from the creation of monuments or the naming of parks after a select few of the thousands of dead Americans and Vietnamese. We will not uphold traditions which decorously memorialize that which was base and grim." - John Kerry, in "The New Soldier"
MoveOnForAmerica.org was created due to the Bush campaign’s largely timid ads against Mr. Kerry, and will air this first ad starting Tuesday Sept. 7th in the Washington D.C. market and in key swing states beginning Monday September 13th. Since the organization is a “non-connected” committee, the ads will run non-stop until Election Day, and are not subject to the McCain-Feingold ban during the campaign’s final 60 days.
I don't think their ads are very moving, but I'm already in the Bush camp so I guess I'm not the best judge.
I would post the AP article, but it couldn't be more biased. It's nothing but "Marginal drop in unemployment, fewer jobs than projected" yatta yatta yatta. I'm suprised no one else blogged this, I must not be looking hard enough.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. job market brightened modestly in August as employers added 144,000 workers to their payrolls and hiring totals for the two prior months were revised up, the Labor Department reported on Friday.
With the economy growing in importance as an issue in November presidential elections, the department said the August unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent from 5.5 percent in July.
It was the lowest rate since a matching 5.4 percent in October 2001 and was certain to be cited by President Bush as a sign that his tax cuts have helped stimulate economic activity.
FINALLY!! It's about time I don't have to keep watching that downward trend. Every month fewer and fewer, I was dreading this month's, but I guess we didn't do a U-turn like Kerry said we did. Kerry's gonna lose. Kerry's gonna lose. Neener neener neener.
I know this is old in the blogosphere, but you don't listen to 3 hours of conservative talk radio without having to blog about what you heard.
This is just the first wall crumbling for Kerry. After those job numbers and the convention bounce, Kerry is beyond screwed.
Ok, this doesn't have the same effect if you didn't hear it. It was awesome to listen to on Hannity's show. When Zell Miller is angry, he's a racist hatemonger, but when Kerry is angry, he's passionately defending himself.
NEWARK, Ohio — In a scathing attack, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (search) accused Republicans of hiding President Bush's "record of failure" behind insults and promised a new direction for the country under a Kerry-Edwards administration.
Apparently Kerry considers exposing his Senate record as insulting, that says enough.
He lashed out at the commander in chief and Vice President Dick Cheney (search) for not serving in Vietnam during the war and for comments made during the convention about Kerry's fitness to occupy the Oval Office.
"I will not have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and who misled America into Iraq," he told a crowd of thousands in Springfield.
I don't know what convention Kerry was watching. This is straight from Cheney's speech, and is the only time Vietnam is mentioned, "He speaks often of his service in Vietnam, and we honor him for it."
Kerry faulted the president and Republicans for not talking about "real issues" — creating jobs, improving the economy, expanding access to health care and reducing gasoline prices.
"They did everything except talk about that" at the four-day convention, Kerry said. "We've had insults, we've had anger from Republicans. And I'll tell you why," Kerry said. "Because they can'distortion."
I heard Bush talking about it, but I guess Kerry didn't see it. After all, he held this rally less than an hour after Bush's speech, and I imagine he had to have the speech written in advance.
"For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as commander in chief," Kerry said. "I'm going to leave it up to the voters to decide whether five deferments makes someone more qualified than two tours of duty."
Unless you've been blind for the past year or so, you've noticed us conservatives constantly making fun of Kerry for using that very "are you questioning my patriotism!" line. I thought he'd stopped, but he's right back where he started. Nobody has said any amount of service makes anyone more qualified than someone else, only Kerry seems to think that. Nobody in the Bush administration has questioned your service.
Thursday September 02, 2004--The latest Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll shows President George W. Bush with 49% of the vote and Senator John Kerry with 45%.
This is the first time that Bush has reached the 49% mark in the Tracking Poll since Kerry wrapped up the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday (March 2). It's also the first time Bush has been up by four points since April 26.
Kerry reached 49% a few times following his convention but neither candidate has yet reached t
