Clinton Swings from Hawk to Chicken
Feb 18, 2007 Political
Hillary Clinton, who likes to take decisions based on poll results, has heard what her base is saying and has moved away from the war. Her transformation has taken several steps along the way. Originally she voted for the war and claimed to support the troops. She has voted for the spending bills for the war and made many statements indicating that she did not believe there should be a timetable for withdrawal. Of course, she has blamed the war, which she calls a mistake, on Bush but has avoided calling her vote a mistake. As I pointed out in an earlier post, she believes that the president deserves the benefit of the doubt and that Congress should not be directing the president’s actions. Except, of course, when the president is Bush.
Hillary has been avoiding calling her vote for the war a mistake so as to avoid being labeled a poll watcher, indecisive, or a flip-flopper. Her latest modification actually makes her look like all of the above. She is now indicating that the troops should begin coming home in 90 days and she is introducing legislation to limit the number of troops and to require Congressional approval for any increase. Then, she wants the troops to begin coming home within 90 days. This is nothing more than cut and run, regardless of what name they use to disguise it.
Hillary earlier stated that she believed a timetable for withdrawal would be a mistake. She has changed that position to espouse a 90 day timetable. This is a flip-flop, shows indecision and is definitely based on polls that show a lot of the Democratic base are upset with people who voted yes for the war, especially those who will not say they were wrong. It also shows that Hillary Clinton does not really care about the troops. In the past she thought a timetable would be dangerous to them and to Iraq, now she wants a timetable, danger be damned.
She indicated that her trip to Iraq only strengthened her opinion that the troops needed to come home. How many did she ask? How many places did she go? How many soldiers on this trip were forced to spend time with her against their will? Hillary is confident that she will be in the general election so she is not tilting too far tot he left, just yet. She is trying to appease the anti-war crowd so she will do well in the primaries. If she falters in any of those contests she will take a hard left turn like people have never seen. Her actions are all in accordance with those I have lain out all along. She is playing the game just as I said she would. I know her game plan.
Source:
al-Reuters
Tags: Commentary, Political
We Need Conservatives Who are Leaders
Feb 14, 2007 Political
This is the post I wrote for Tom DeLay’s website. Please visit there and look at what others have to say.
A great deal has been made of the results of the last election and what the root causes for Republican losses really were. The Democrats constantly cite the results as a referendum on the war on terror in Iraq. They falsely believe that Americans are so disgusted with what is going on that they [the Democrats] were put in charge to bring our troops home and end the war. Ann Coulter wrote an interesting piece the day after the election where she pointed out that the change was more in line with following historical voting trends than anything else but that has not kept the Democrats from beating their anti-war drums and using the election as a bellwether for their desire to bring our troops home in defeat. Unfortunately, many Republicans in Congress have bought into the idea that the war caused their losses and they have abandoned conservatism and leadership and are now acting like the cut and run Democrats.
Despite the historical trends the Republicans were directly responsible for their losses. They could have easily bucked history and maintained control had they displayed and lived conservative values and had they demonstrated leadership. Their desire to be reelected led them to abandon conservative principles and, in effect, abandon leadership. As the election results showed, this was not the correct method of winning.
Conservative principles succeed every time they are tried. There is no doubt that conservatism demands higher standards and that people who live conservatively must make tougher choices. It is so much easier to abort a child than take responsibility. It is easier to redistribute wealth than foster an environment where all people can succeed and it is easier for people to sit back and accept handouts than to work for what they need. The aftermath of hurricane Katrina demonstrated the ugly truth about liberal programs and their effect on people. Katrina showed us that people who learn to live off the government are unable to take decisions on their own behalf. How many people stood knee deep in water looking around for someone to come get them rather than exerting the effort to move themselves to the safety of dry land? There is no doubt that people who learn self reliance are better able to handle the dangers of life.
Leadership is the cornerstone of the foundation of government. We the people elect those who we want to represent us. We put them in office to lead this country and to do things that are in the best interest of all its citizens not just the small groups of special interest victims. People have a desire to be led and in the absence of true leaders they will look to anyone who sounds like a leader regardless of that person’s abilities. The Germans of the 1930s were so desperate for leadership they put a maniacal person in charge of them. He sounded good to them in the absence of true leaders and the world paid for their mistake.
In order to win and stay in power the Republican Party must find candidates who espouse, through word and deed, the principles of conservatism. They must not only be conservative, they must also be true leaders. There must be no doubt in the minds of the American people that they are leaders and that they will do what is right and that they will provide strong leadership through the best of times as well as the worst. This is no easy task because the American people have seen a Republican party become energized through Ronald Reagan and the Republican revolution of the 80s and 90s only to watch their capital erode as more and more Republican leaders became like their Democratic counterparts. Republicans became what they evicted in 1994 and the public did not like it.
Leadership is the ability to influence people to willingly follow. True leaders inspire those led and foster excitement for the leader’s views. In our military true leaders have followers who will walk with them through the gates of hell without question and without hesitation. Unfortunately, there are few if any leaders in the Republican Party who inspire that kind of devotion. It is time for those who fit these qualifications to rise to the top. It is time for those who realize that pandering is not leadership to step up to the plate. It is time for the Republican Party to field a team of leaders that will not succumb to the evil of money and influence and who will not sell their values for votes. It is time for us to rid ourselves of those who are not conservative and who can not lead.
The inability to do this has a one word result:
Hillary.
Tags: Political
Iranian Rifles In Iraq Just as We Said Would Happen
Feb 13, 2007 Political
50 caliber sniper rifles that Austria sold to Iran have ended up in Iraq. The rifles are being used by terrorists against US and coalition troops. The legal sale of these rifles was completed last year over the objections of the US who claimed they would end up in the hands of our enemies. It appears that those objections were well founded with the discovery of these weapons.
The Iranians could deny that the government was responsible for the explosive devices that originated in their country and have been used against us in Iraq. Those items could have come from a number of factions within the government or from rogue terrorists in Iran (like their President). These rifles though are a different animal. They were sold to the government and they were under government control.
The fact that they are there makes Iran a partner in the terrorism and confirms President Bush’s assertions that they are part of the axis of evil. I do not necessarily think this means we should invade Iran, at the present time, but it does require some action. We need to keep an eye on the border and apprehend or kill anyone who is crossing from Iran into Iraq. We need to make it clear to the Iranians that we will not tolerate any of their people coming across the border and that we will engage them as enemy combatants.
Interestingly, this calls into question what value sanctions will have on Iran. The weapons were sold to them legally as were the air defense systems the Russians sent (also over our objections). The fact that the rifles are being used against us demonstrates that the Iranians will not hesitate to use any of their weapons against us. Perhaps a few Cruise Missiles will get their attention.
Source:
Telegraph UK
TB: AV08
Tags: Political
Pelosi Backs Restrictions, Except on Self
Feb 9, 2007 Political
Al Gore is a Global Warming doomsday believer and yet he produces a larger “carbon footprint” than most people who go about their lives. This fact is often overlooked because in the Liberal elitist world it is alright for those who would do good for the world to involve themselves in the very things that they do not want the rest of us to do. Nancy Pelosi is part of that elitist clique that believes she is above that which she espouses. Pelosi told everyone how important it was to raise the minimum wage but she exempted a company of one of her constituents. It is good for everyone BUT my friends which is the way all elitists work. Murtha felt that jail was good enough for everyone but him.
In any event, Pelosi is big on Global Warming and now backs restrictions
on heat trapping gases and is willing to listen about nuclear power plants (one thing I agree on is the nuclear power). However, Ms. Pelosi wants a large military aircraft at her disposal, one that burns more fuel and produces more exhaust than a smaller plane. The plane she wants costs $22,000 an hour to fly and will cost the taxpayer 15 million dollars a year. It will also put quite a bit more exhaust gas in the atmosphere. Now Pelosi has indicated that she would fly commercial (which would be cheaper and less harmful to the atmosphere because the plane will carry more people). Even though she has stated that she did not ask
for a larger plane and that this is made up by the Republicans the fact is she stated that she wanted a plane that would fly coast to coast without refueling which means she want the larger plane, at least one larger than the former Speaker flew in.
So much for this concern for the environment. Pelosi, as with many in power, only expect these things to be done and to affect people other than themselves. The Democrats have shown time and again that they are do as I say and not as I do.
Tags: Political
Murtha Resorts to Extortion
Feb 8, 2007 Political
It is no secret to anyone who reads the news that there is a big uproar going on about the size of military aircraft that the new screecher of the house wants. After 9/11 the Speaker has been allowed to use a military aircraft to travel to and from the home district. Pelosi happens to live in California so she wants a plane that is capable of reaching that state without stopping to refuel. The problem is that she also wants to be able to take her family and a lot of other people on the trips with her and this is a violation of the law (immediate family can go if they pay for the flight). It also raises ethical issues that Pelosi was so hard on Republican about.
The Pentagon and Pelosi’s office are working out the details of this issue and we have heard many things about it. It should not surprise anyone that the corrupt Congressman Jack Murtha has resorted to extortion with regard to the plane the screecher will get:
But he denied pressuring the Pentagon. “I don’t need to pressure them. I just tell them what they need to do,” Murtha said.
~snip~
Murtha said he is convinced the Pentagon has been leaking information about the possibility that Pelosi would use large military planes to make her look bad. But he said, “They’re making a mistake when they leak it because she decides on allocations for them,” referring to the Pentagon budget. SF Gate
Murtha is saying that he just tells them what to do (and like good little peons they jump) but that they are foolish to release information (and in effect deny her request) because Pelosi will decide on their budget. The Democrats are holding the budget as a bargaining chip to get Pelosi a plane that allows her to fly in comfort with catered meals and an open bar. This is very unethical and amounts to extortion.
I do not believe the Pentagon is trying to make her look bad. they are trying to follow the rules and they are trying to accommodate her, within reason. Instead the Democrats are playing a heavy handed game and resorting to using the Pentagon budget as a bargaining tool. I think they should look at what their past budget is and see if the Democrats cut it. if so, there should be charges filed for extortion and we can use Murtha’s words against him, though that did not keep him out of jail when he was caught trying to take a bribe.
If I were running the Pentagon and they used this I would tell them to go ahead and cut my budget. Then when they did I would eliminate the VIP plane program as a measure that was unaffordable. Then Pelsoi and the rest of them can do like all other government employees and fly commercial. If they absolutely have to have a military airplane a C-130 can make it across the country and that plane is good enough for our troops so I know it is too good for members of Congress.
Tags: Political