Grounded by Reality

Labor Day is approaching. I heard an interesting tidbit on a radio show I normally don't listen to, so maybe they have a new listener now. I like one that isn't just dwelling on the same stuff everyone else is, something new to ponder. Seems the Machinists union has endorsed both a Dem and a Repub. Whoa, Nelly. They stated that they expect an estimated 1/3 of their union members to vote Repub and thought it was time to begin some sort of bi-partisan process. It was a hallelujah moment for me, I'll tell you that. Imagine that. Unions members voting Republican? As if it hasn't always been so? As if union members were a monolithic group, like say, black Americans? Yeah, even that is marginally changing. There does seem to me to be room in all organizations and groups of people for more than one point of view.

The endorsements? Hillary and Mike Huckabee. Huckabee because he was the only Republican to show up! Republicans are missing out by not reaching out and forgetting about stereotypes. Think about it. Regular working Joes and Joans in the Heartland have just about nothing in common with the socialist agenda of Hillary. They get up and go to work everyday. They support families and educate their children. They aren't waiting for the government to take care of them. Republican tax cuts and low interest rates, low unemployment, higher consumer confidence is just as important to them as any sector. They are Reagan democrats.

And, with Labor Day almost here, all the buzz is about the upcoming report on Iraq by General Petreaus and Ambassador Crocker. The defeatists are in a distinct panic mode, trying to backpedal as swiftly and quietly as possible. According to a new Zogby poll, no friend normally to conservatives, reports that 54% of Americans believe Iraq is not a lost cause. 54%. Problems arise with the following breakdown: "While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same." The point is that a majority of Americans are not ready to surrender just yet. The surge is showing signs of progress. The drag is the political side of the equation. Even a major development last week, though, failed to get prominent coverage - the three major populations, the Shiite, Sunni and Kurds, came together and formed a union of sorts to pull the country together. Joining forces to resolve a national oil policy, easing of de-Baathification, and the release of certain detainees. No big media coverage there. Gee, wonder why.

A common complaint is that the Petraeus report will be written by the White House, therefore, it is not to be trusted. As if all of a sudden the rug had been pulled out from under the defeatists and the writing of the report hijacked by the White House. In fact, the law was written thus:

"Public Law 110-28 specifies that the President, having consulted with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Commander, Multi-National Forces - Iraq, he United States Ambassador to Iraq, and the Commander of the U.S. Central Command, will prepare the report and submit the report to Congress." "The United States Ambassador to Iraq and the Commander, Multi-National Forces Iraq will be made available to testify in open and closed sessions before the relevant committees of the Congress." (H/T Blackfive)

So, there you go. The braying donkeys will get lots of public and private testimony from all involved. They will have the opportunity to put on whatever kind of show they wish to subject the taxpayers to and live on C-SPAN, I'm sure.

The defeatists really ramped up the rhetoric when congressmen like Brian Baird, D-WA, a staunch anti war kind of representative came back from his journey to Iraq, who previously called the war "one of the worst foreign policy mistakes in the history of our nation", said he is convinced the situation "has at long last begun to change substantially for the better." And, along with that honesty from him came the predictable attacks from the far left blogging world. One of the nicer 'insults' was he's now Dick Cheney's trained monkey. As if.

And, when Hillary came back and said to the Veterans of Foreign Wars last week, "We've begun to change tactics in Iraq" she was warned by David Bonior, John Edwards's campaign manager about "undermining the effort in the Congress to end this war." To which Hillary did the expected bowing to any criticism and pandered "The surge was designed to give the Iraqi government time to take steps to ensure a political solution. It has failed...We need to start getting out." Atta girl, Hill.

They don't want no stinkin' honesty. Doesn't fit the agenda in which they are so heavily entrenched. Rooting for defeat.

Quite a party platform for 2008.