The Fred Thompson ad before the debate last night? Ho-hum. I'm still not feeling it. He looks old and tired. I still think he missed his window of opportunity. He's not the second coming of Reagan, as much as he tries.
It was the old John McCain last night featured on the Republican candidates debate. The John McCain we thought had fizzled out was in full form. It was good to see. He is at his finest when he speaks of honor, a national purpose and patriotism. Yes, patriotism. I know in today's political world, patriotism is for rubes, dupes, stupid robots going along with what they are told to do. Couldn't be farther from the truth.
Just as those who claim dissent is a high form of patriotism, just exercising free speech, they say, so is expressing a love for your country. The need is even greater now as we are a nation at war. A nation so divided that the haters of this administration, so small minded and lacking of character that the war is seen as a vote getter to increase numbers in the senate for their party, now go to the floor of the Senate and proclaim:
"The violence in Anbar has gone down despite the surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from al-Qaeda, said to these tribes: "We have to fight al-Qaeda ourselves." The Senator? Chuckie Schumer, D-NY, of course. A snarling, petty, vindictive Bush hater who is willing to say absolutely anything to pander to the aging hippies and those too naive to know any better about the safety of our country in this new age of terrorism. The party of which we are not suppose to call unpatriotic, that we are suppose to tolerate while they exercise their use of free speech, are the exact ones with absolutely no business running this country.
Since when is defeat a national strategy in war for the USA? Since when is it ok for the leader of the majority party in the Senate to declare the war is lost for the world to hear? For Dick Durbin to compare our soldiers to Nazis with gulags? For Murtha and Kerry to proclaim the soldiers are committing atrocities as a way of carrying out their mission? This is traitorous speech, not free speech. They are not worthy of office, let alone leading the country.
The interesting result is that the American people, even the ardent anti-war folks, are turned off by them, too. Their poll numbers are in the tank, twice lower than the president's, whose numbers are inching back up.
The surge is showing progress. The military benchmarks are being met. The political benchmarks are still up in the air. Nothing will happen overnight. Defeat is not a strategy. Americans expect to win. It's what we do. It's what is expected of us by other nations.
I am ashamed of every politician so small of thought that feels emboldened to use such hate speech. Yes, hate speech. And then say, but don't question our patriotism. We support the troops. Please. Grow the hell up already.
The media in this country so heavily invested in our defeat in the war in Iraq decided to concentrate on topics like the sexuality of Larry Craig and cheer leading for the Clintons, her for President, him for his book tour which just happens to get him lots of face time to pimp Hillary's campaign, that scant notice was paid to the agreements made by the three factions in Iraq. The Kurds, Sunni and Shiite came together to work out oil revenue distribution and security issues. Little is said that al-Qaeda is suffering humiliating losses and the Sunni leadership has decided to fight with the Americans not with al-Qaeda. That is huge. But it is good progress, not bad news. Can't have that.
I'm telling you that history will not look favorably on this period in our national story. Mistakes have been made in Iraq, some like me didn't even want to go there in the first place, but that is over. We're there. I would never turn my back on a soldier in the field. I would never belittle a leader trying to do the right thing and bring freedom to a country. Over 50 million have been given the opportunity to live as free people, in Afghanistan and Iraq, thanks to this president and what happened? His opposition decided it was more important to turn against their own country and show their true opinion of the military than to roll up their sleeves and work for success. They forget Clinton signed the policy into effect in 1998 to bring about regime change in Iraq. Just one more thing he didn't follow through on. Too busy being serviced and attending to his own pleasures. Telling the world how much he loved his job, don't you remember? He passed on three opportunities to get bin Laden. Now his wife's campaign is hampering the release of the dvd of the movie about the lead up to 9/11 that he was having a hissy fit about when it was on ABC. Real class acts, those two.
So desperate for power they'll sell out their own country. I have no problem calling them unpatriotic.
5 comments:
People have small memorys about the Clintons.
As always, very well said. There was a raucous debate a couple of days ago over at another site -- with me in the minority, as always -- and I wish you'd been around to put in your two cents. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Wow! I love when you come back from a break.
Congress, more than any other American institution, is the one which makes me pessimistic about America's future.
Americans, who elect and re-elect people like Schumer???
Great post.
I'm weary of the glass half-empty crowd who looks for every dark cloud attached to the silver lining. We are willing ourselves into a defeat. Histoy indeed, will not look kindly upon our generation if we "give up" and abandon Iraqis to a fate they don't deserve, and make all the hard work of those who have served and sacrificed, be for naught.
He's not the second coming of Reagan, as much as he tries.
Conservatives are so desperate, they are trying to make Thompson fill the boots of a legend. It's an unfair comparison. We should judge Thompson on his own merits and potential.
I wasn't impressed by Thompson; I think he should have joined in weeks (if not months) ago. By waiting, he has made himself look a bit wishy-washy.
I think you're right about McCain. He's got the kind of patriotism that America needs to have in high office. The country could do worse than to elect someone who would actually put America's interests first.
Personally, I rather like Giuliani. I like his combination of hard-nose realism and social liberalism, combined with a proven track record as a competent administrator. I would vote for a Giuliani/McCain ticket.
Thanks for coming by blog; hope to see you again.
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