President Bush was right to include Iran in the "Axis of Evil." WRONG not to recognize that Iran was the real menace to the free world and NOT Saddam's Iraq. As a matter of fact, the demise of Saddam Hussein unleashed the long time amibitions of Tehran(which Saddam's militancy restrained) to dominate the Arab world and more ominously, the destruction of all US interests and budding democracies in the Middle East.
The "culture of martyrdom" including the terror tactics of suicide bombers which are utilized by Sunni and Shiite fanatics, originated as the brain child of Iranian clerics who authorized the take over of our embassy in Tehran in 1979 and created the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, that blew up 241 US Marines in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983.
Today in Iran the government controlled Media, TV and print, daily spew anti-American and anti-Semitic propaganda. The USA is the Great Satan and the Holocaust is a myth devised to justify the existence of the State of Israel in the Middle East.
Iran is behind much of the virulent insurgency in Iraq, and therefore, is responsible for turning thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians into bloody pieces of flesh. They supply Shiite militias, especially al Sadr, with IEDs, grenade launchers, truck and car bombs, and other sophisticated explosives and weaponry which are used to 'ethnically cleanse' Sunnis from mixed communities; but also as the cause of death and horrible injuries to US servicemen.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is emboldened by Iran's progress in Iraq and Lebanon. Now imagine how much more effective and threatening Iran would be to the Arabs in the ME, Israel, Western Democracies and USA...IF he had the BOMB?...nobody anywhere will be safe with an unhinged fanatic in possession of a Nuke.
Furthermore, the recommendation of the Iraq Study Group, that we talk to Iran and get THEIR help to stabilize Iraq bodes such naivete' of reality that I fear that the only wake up call about the odious threat of a Nuclear Iran will be the proverbial "mushroom cloud"...but ofcourse, then it will be too late?
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Pressure Points
The Iraq Study Group
After much ado and anticipation of the Baker/Hamilton review of the Iraq War, it is now clear that hopes for a new credible solution were vastly over hyped by Democrats and the Media.
Right out of the gate, hateful partisans anxious to demean Bush were spewing psycho-babble, calling him delusional, unrealistic, stubborn and in denial because the CIC wouldn't swallow the whole unimpressive diatribe as the silver bullet that solved all the problems in Iraq. The catch phrase to describe the Study Groups' conclusions was spun to label Bush's war policy as an unredeemable failure; "grave and deteriorating"...chock full of ways to get out..not ONE suggestion of how to Win.
On the front page of the very politically incorrect New York Post, Baker and Hamilton were in chimp suits; in BIG print the aging statesmen were called "Surrender Monkeys." Headline: Iraq panel urges U.S. to give up.
Bush is determined to make serious strategy changes. He'll reserve his revised course of action until after discussing the possibilities with the Military commanders acquainted with combat in Iraq. Their suggestions should have prominence over the two week wonders who have little hope of turning things around and coming out of Iraq with a better reputation for resolve and resilience than we did after abandoning our allies in South Vietnam and losing that War.
Afterall, we can't risk a failed state in the Middle East. Iran and Al Qaeda will move in for the kill and use that Country as leverage against the Arab States and bases to launch fatal attacks against Western Democracies and the USA. The consequences of failure are indeed dire for the entire World; that's one thing the Study Groupies got right.
Better minds than the ISG, men in uniform that know the stakes and will accept the sacrifices necessary to defeat the thugs that would enslave the Iraqis, the region, and condemn the USA to Islamic intolerance and terror...will WIN the day for the CIC and America's good name in the World.
All politicians have to do..is get out of the way.
D-Most Catastrophic Congressional Majority in History...
Incoming Democratic leaders and followers are giving the nonsensical American voters a glimpse of what's in store for the next two years...a rocky horror show for sure.
Starting with the purge of competent Republicans in the House enmass, and in the Senate-a few; power laden Democrats forced John Bolten from the UN, not for lack of brilliantly performing and championing American interests in the anti-American body but for purely partisan revenge. Same with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. President Bush, after Republicans got thumped in the Midterms, anti-climatically accepted his resignation the day AFTER the Republican Party lost the majority in both Houses of Congress.
Needless to say, this untimely and inexplicable announcement, if it should have been made at all, could have been done earlier when Rummy's sacrifice might've prevented the sad sweep by the Dems.
Most pols were dumbfounded by the Kerry-like fumble from the WH. The week of the election Bush declared: Rummy will be with me to the end. (Why bring it up?) Then...kabosh, <<----for/agin----->> Rove atleast should've felt the winds of change blowing from sea to shining to sea and used this key replacement for political advantage?
The next Circus attraction was, Nancy, with the nip & tucked eyes, Pelosi's attempt to install her felonious friends as Intelligence Committee Chairman and as her left-hand man, second in command, Majority Leader. Thankfully, ethically challenged John Murtha and Alcee Hastings went down in flames.
After promising the "most ethical Congress" Pelosi was caught trying to finagle around her promise. Democrats were forced to highlight the failings of their Speaker in waiting's choices. John (redeploy the troops to Okinawa) Murtha's brush with a bribery scandal was flashed across the blogospher and (reluctantly) on the front pages of every Newspaper in the Country. A grainy black and white FBI video, showing Murtha hedging his bets with undercover agents was #1 on Utube.
Alcee Hastings was Impeached by D-Senate and removed from the federal bench, but shockingly, SHE wanted to give him access to the nation's classified secrets as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee.
Did she think no one would notice? Geeeze...democrats won because they tagged Republicans with the "culture of corruption" rap and promised "change?"..doesn't that mean "improvement?
Yeah right..Dems will be honest holy rollers?...what a crock! If only voters were on to the scam artists BEFORE they gave these scoundrels the Majority? Perhaps individual voters didn't calculate the odds or the likely-hood of a significant spanking of Republicans..a voter tantrum? Maybe they're just as surprised as Republicans that soooo many voters chose a barrel of monkeys to lead this Country in such serious and dangerous times? OR could it be..misguided Americans really don't have a clue? Sheeesh..It's beyond me.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Pope Talks Turkey
On the first day of the Pope's historic trip to Turkey, apparently Benedict angered the radical Islamists in Turkey and Jihadis in Iraq as well, when he pointedly called for all religions to stand against violence. He emphasized that message when he recalled the 3 priests killed in Turkey as retribution over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed published earlier this year in Denmark.
Iraq's Al Qaeda wing poisoned his first papal trip to a Muslim nation by declaring that the Pope is attempting to lure Turkey away from its Islamic roots.
"The visit of the Pope in reality is meant to add momentum to the crusader campaign on the land of Islam after failures of crusader leaders to extinguish the flame of Islam among our Muslim brothers in Turkey. He wants to wipeout their Islamic heritage..and to guarantee that they stay in the quaqmire of secularism."
The Pope has flown into a political crisis within Turkey between the governing Justice and Development Party which wants public life to be more Islamic, and the Turkish military that supports the 20th Century secular constitution established by Kemal Ataturk. If internal dissent erupts to the degree of a Military Coup, Turkey's chances of being accepted in the EU will be slimmer than they are now.
Benedict's mission is to address John Paul II's death bed regrets, namely: that he had failed to establish a close rapprochement with the Orthodox Christian churces; that a united Europe was becoming not merely secular but godless, and that his reaching out to the Islamic world had not met with success.
Orthodox Christians..Benedict met with Patriarch Bartholomew and his flock of a mere 2,000 people. The Pope's visit might call attention to how oppressed by the Turkish government, Orthodox Christians are: I was accutely aware that the government of Turkey faced sharp criticism from the West for putting novelists, historians and journalists on trial, I had not heard before of the disgraceful conditions to which the patriarch of Constantinople and his church remain subject to this day. The patriarch is not permitted to own property, including the churches in its jurisdiction.
On reaching out to the Islamic world and influencing secular elitists in Europe..the Pope has "great trust and hope" that his trip to Turkey will be a positive step toward achieving those goals..but Pope Benedict has a lot more faith than I for a peaceful Islamic world or that Turkey "has always been a bridge between cultures, a place of meeting and dialogue."
Afterall....Istanbul ain't Constantinople anymore?
Iraq's Al Qaeda wing poisoned his first papal trip to a Muslim nation by declaring that the Pope is attempting to lure Turkey away from its Islamic roots.
"The visit of the Pope in reality is meant to add momentum to the crusader campaign on the land of Islam after failures of crusader leaders to extinguish the flame of Islam among our Muslim brothers in Turkey. He wants to wipeout their Islamic heritage..and to guarantee that they stay in the quaqmire of secularism."
The Pope has flown into a political crisis within Turkey between the governing Justice and Development Party which wants public life to be more Islamic, and the Turkish military that supports the 20th Century secular constitution established by Kemal Ataturk. If internal dissent erupts to the degree of a Military Coup, Turkey's chances of being accepted in the EU will be slimmer than they are now.
Benedict's mission is to address John Paul II's death bed regrets, namely: that he had failed to establish a close rapprochement with the Orthodox Christian churces; that a united Europe was becoming not merely secular but godless, and that his reaching out to the Islamic world had not met with success.
Orthodox Christians..Benedict met with Patriarch Bartholomew and his flock of a mere 2,000 people. The Pope's visit might call attention to how oppressed by the Turkish government, Orthodox Christians are: I was accutely aware that the government of Turkey faced sharp criticism from the West for putting novelists, historians and journalists on trial, I had not heard before of the disgraceful conditions to which the patriarch of Constantinople and his church remain subject to this day. The patriarch is not permitted to own property, including the churches in its jurisdiction.
On reaching out to the Islamic world and influencing secular elitists in Europe..the Pope has "great trust and hope" that his trip to Turkey will be a positive step toward achieving those goals..but Pope Benedict has a lot more faith than I for a peaceful Islamic world or that Turkey "has always been a bridge between cultures, a place of meeting and dialogue."
Afterall....Istanbul ain't Constantinople anymore?
Friday, November 24, 2006
Rudy Giuliani..Liberal Slayer?
By his enemies shall ye know him. And I'm not talking about social conservatives in the Republican Party who oppose his position on abortion and his support for homosexual domestic partnerships..it's the other things that New Yorkers know about Rudy Giuliani that will boost his acceptablility among Republican voters in the '08 Primary.
The New York Civil Liberties Union used the Courts 30 times to attempt to dismantle Hizzoner's efforts to use zoning laws to rid neighborhoods of porn shops..every one failed. Rudy used effective governing & legal tactics against idiotic Liberal groups to transform Times Square from a haven for hookers, pimps, addicts, drug dealers and shoddy porn shops into a family friendly attraction for tourists and New Yorkers alike. Remarkable!
He fought the New York Times, race barons (like Al Sharpton) and the dominant liberal establishment in NYC throughout his entire 2 terms as Mayor. They despised him. On so many "right wing" issues (a Dem tag) he out maneuvered the powerful Left Wing contingent. To name a few; the misuse of the welfare system. He instituted an ID card for all Welfare recipients; overnight 80,000 crooks were eliminated from the rolls; the destructive effects of Bilingual education, misuse of public money by municipal unions, the need for tax cuts, strong support of the city's police force, resulting in the drastic reduction of all crimes, from squee-gee misdemeanors to homicides.
That said; As a New Yorker I know Rudy is a proven Liberal Slayer but it is more likely that Rudy will calculate the odds and throw his support to Sen. John McCain. Considering McCain's ultra-conservative voting record, the War-Hero-Maverick will have better odds of convincing social Conservatives in the Primary that he can pick up more than enough votes in the '08 Presidential race to defeat the first woman candidate for President of the USA, Hillary Clinton.
The New York Civil Liberties Union used the Courts 30 times to attempt to dismantle Hizzoner's efforts to use zoning laws to rid neighborhoods of porn shops..every one failed. Rudy used effective governing & legal tactics against idiotic Liberal groups to transform Times Square from a haven for hookers, pimps, addicts, drug dealers and shoddy porn shops into a family friendly attraction for tourists and New Yorkers alike. Remarkable!
He fought the New York Times, race barons (like Al Sharpton) and the dominant liberal establishment in NYC throughout his entire 2 terms as Mayor. They despised him. On so many "right wing" issues (a Dem tag) he out maneuvered the powerful Left Wing contingent. To name a few; the misuse of the welfare system. He instituted an ID card for all Welfare recipients; overnight 80,000 crooks were eliminated from the rolls; the destructive effects of Bilingual education, misuse of public money by municipal unions, the need for tax cuts, strong support of the city's police force, resulting in the drastic reduction of all crimes, from squee-gee misdemeanors to homicides.
That said; As a New Yorker I know Rudy is a proven Liberal Slayer but it is more likely that Rudy will calculate the odds and throw his support to Sen. John McCain. Considering McCain's ultra-conservative voting record, the War-Hero-Maverick will have better odds of convincing social Conservatives in the Primary that he can pick up more than enough votes in the '08 Presidential race to defeat the first woman candidate for President of the USA, Hillary Clinton.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Majority flip -- Minority flop
Minority Majority
The Media Pundits, after intense cheerleading for a Democratic take over of Congress, are now in the position of reporting on D-Winners awkward transition to power.
Yesterday Nancy, speaker in waiting Pelosi, lost her first leadership battle. She not only supported John, get out now, Murtha, she strong armed the new arrivals who had given their support to Steny Hoyer (D-Md) while on the campaign trail. It was a rout..149-86. Hoyer a competent, experienced deal maker had the votes sowed up a week ago and said so publicly..so did Murtha, say so, that is.
In the days prior to the secret vote, John Murtha's brush with bribery in 1980, his characterization of the anti-perks Ethics Package, as crap & his excessive use of "ear marks" to stock his district with pork, was written about in the liberal New York Times, the Washington Post et al, all hard hitting opinions dismayed at Pelosi's decision to pick this fight for an ethically challenged Murtha.
The grainy black & white FBI scam video was aired on every 24/7 Cable Channel..Nancy's election night promise, that the Democrats would run the most ethical Congress in history sounded like poo. In contrast, the Republicans, if they argued at all, did it behind closed doors and quickly chose the same old leadership. No surprises in the House, Boehner and Blunt took GOP top jobs.
In the Senate, Mitch McConnell took Minority leader and Trent Lott made a come back by handily defeating Lamar Alexander for the Minority whip position. Lott was tossed out of the Majority Leader slot when he praised Strom Thurmon, a segregationist at his 90 something Birthday Party. The victory was sweet for Lott who had been treated shabbily by his Senate cohorts and the WH. Frist took his spot and didn't do as well herding the cats as the supreme schmoozer.
Iraq-Hot Potato
Just hours after the Democratics' sweep of both Houses of Congress, congratulatory messages started to flood in from Anti-American enemies and Bush haters. Al Qaeda in Iraq was giddy with the expectation of their own sweep through Iraq. They added that they dream of blowing up the dirtiest House in the USA, the WH.
Europe interpreted the Dem win as a condemnation of the Bush Administration by the American people. All the critics are hopeful that the Dems' defeatist attitude will rule and Al Qaeda & Iran will be given free reign by the Pacifist Party to easily dominate Iraq, moveon to the Arab States and ultimately visit us here at home or deliver a package in time for Christmas.
General Abizaid testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week and clearly explained the dire consequences of a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq. Hillary Clinton, speaking as the standard bearer for the Democrats, expressed the conventional incompetence so prevalent with Democrats at War: She bemoaned: "Hope is not a strategy." Abizaid countered her pessimism: "Either is despair. When I come to DC I feel despair. When I'm in Iraq with my commanders, when I talk to our soldiers, when I talk to the Iraqi leadership, they are not despairing. They believe that they can move the country toward stability with our help. And I believe that.."
If Democrats get their way and our troops leave before Iraq can defend itself, not only will thousands of our Iraqi allies be slaughtered or enslaved, the entire region threatened by an emboldened bunch of thugs and the reputation of our Military and Country's committment defamed..but the responsibility for this catastrophe will belong to the defeatist Democrat Party...they may have won the election, but they'll lose the War.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Purple Power
In case GOP gurus haven't noticed yet, the key to the Democratic Party's win Tuesday was their shift to the Center...there was no upsurge in voter acceptance of Liberalism across the Country. The Democrats that picked up Republican seats were atleast moderately Conservative on social issues: abortion, guns, taxes, immigration, affirmative action, gay marriage and eminent domain.
But why were voters so eager to replace a Republican with a Democrat in a clear rebuke of the Republican Party?
First, the GOP disregarded the growing Independent and Moderate block. Rove and Mehlman insisted to the end that "the Center" was too few in numbers to affect the outcome of any race and revving up the tried and true base was the way to victory. Up to ten days before the election, polls showed that 29% of voters were still up for grabs; and exit polls showed that 3 out of 5 of them decided on the Democrat. Half the Democratic House pickups were in the HEARTLAND. They got half of the surburban vote and took 48% of rural voters. Additionally, 27 of the 40 most competitive Democratic House candidates pledged to join the centrist New Democratic Caucus which opposes Liberal Democrats.
Secondly, the Republican base, social and fiscal conservatives alike, were profoundly dissatisfied with the performance of incumbents up for re-election and the Republican Congress as a whole. In particular, their failure to adhere to the ideological principles of the Conservative base; namely, limited government & spending, plus the lack of oversight that sadly led to rampant and embarrassing corruption, extinguished their enthusiasm. The impression that R-Congress had succumbed to the obsession of maintaining Power and devouring Money for their personal enrichment, neutralized Rove and Mehlman's efforts to motivate the base to reinstate the disappointing Republican Party Majority.
Democrats won in districts and States that have been reliably Republican Red. The location of this year's winners not only validates Democrats' 50 State Strategy but finishes the notion that elections are won by BASE voters alone. Democrats will be competitive in ALL States from now on..if the GOP ignores the expansion of the Centrist Constituency they will remain a minority Party in 2008 and beyond.
But why were voters so eager to replace a Republican with a Democrat in a clear rebuke of the Republican Party?
First, the GOP disregarded the growing Independent and Moderate block. Rove and Mehlman insisted to the end that "the Center" was too few in numbers to affect the outcome of any race and revving up the tried and true base was the way to victory. Up to ten days before the election, polls showed that 29% of voters were still up for grabs; and exit polls showed that 3 out of 5 of them decided on the Democrat. Half the Democratic House pickups were in the HEARTLAND. They got half of the surburban vote and took 48% of rural voters. Additionally, 27 of the 40 most competitive Democratic House candidates pledged to join the centrist New Democratic Caucus which opposes Liberal Democrats.
Secondly, the Republican base, social and fiscal conservatives alike, were profoundly dissatisfied with the performance of incumbents up for re-election and the Republican Congress as a whole. In particular, their failure to adhere to the ideological principles of the Conservative base; namely, limited government & spending, plus the lack of oversight that sadly led to rampant and embarrassing corruption, extinguished their enthusiasm. The impression that R-Congress had succumbed to the obsession of maintaining Power and devouring Money for their personal enrichment, neutralized Rove and Mehlman's efforts to motivate the base to reinstate the disappointing Republican Party Majority.
Democrats won in districts and States that have been reliably Republican Red. The location of this year's winners not only validates Democrats' 50 State Strategy but finishes the notion that elections are won by BASE voters alone. Democrats will be competitive in ALL States from now on..if the GOP ignores the expansion of the Centrist Constituency they will remain a minority Party in 2008 and beyond.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
'06 Vote:Caveat Emptor
The Democratic Party's success last night was due to New York's Sen. Chuck Schumer and Illinois' Rep. Rahm Emanuel's selection of moderate to conservative candidates in districts and States that usually lean Republican on such issues as: abortion, guns and taxes. Therefore, the result does not portend a radically liberal new Congress or dramatic shifts in policy; i.e, cut and run from Iraq, immediate tax increases or the Impeachment of President George W. Bush.
Democrats did however tap into the emotional discontent of voters with Bush's prosecution of the War in Iraq by labeling every Republican who supported the President's "stay the course" strategy as part and parcel of the "rubber stamp Congress."
Schumer and Emanuel effectively managed to do so without offering a unified solution of their own. In fact, the Liberal Democratic Party ousted Joe Liberman in the primary but running state-wide as an Independent and never wavering on his support for winning the War, he trounced anti-war candidate Ned Lamont. But in Rhode Island, anti-war Liberal Republican Lincoln Chaffe, who voted NO for the War, unlike most of the Democrats, lost because he was a Republican whose victory might determine the majority in the Senate.
By remaining vague, Democrats forged an alliance with those who opposed the War from the beginning and those who supported the invasion but passionately disagree with how Bush has handled the transformation of Iraq into a peaceful Democracy. They've backed away from the radical "cut & run" anti-war faction who demand withdrawal of all troops NOW.
The new Democratic Congress realizes that the consequence of a hasty retreat will most certainly result in the slaughter of our Iraqi allies and the fall of Iraq to Islamic terrorist elements and perhaps, Iranian domination. Plus a defeat in Iraq will validate the perception of a Democratic Party that's weak on Defense and unable to protect Americans from Islamic terrorists or any enemy for that matter. They, as the new majority, will be responsible to the American people for the results of their actions.
The American people clearly voted for change. What that "change" means is as yet undefined by the Democrats. They have two years to show us that they're in sync with all the Democrats, Republicans and Independents that voted for them.
IF they deliver perpetual investigations of Bush Administration's "lies," defeat in Iraq, weakness on National Security vis a vis appeasement of BinLaden and failure to understand the real and present danger of international Islamic terrorism, by amending the Patriot Act, discontinuing NSA surveillance and granting terrorists the same legal rights as American citizens, then they are dangerously deluded.
IF their interpretation of "change" does not tally with that of the people who elected them; in '08, the fickle political pendulum will knock the Democrats Right out of the majority by the election of Republicans with a defined positive message and a Republican President who will exemplify the ethics and principles that keep the United States of America invincible and safe from all challengers of our freedom to make that change over and over again.
Democrats did however tap into the emotional discontent of voters with Bush's prosecution of the War in Iraq by labeling every Republican who supported the President's "stay the course" strategy as part and parcel of the "rubber stamp Congress."
Schumer and Emanuel effectively managed to do so without offering a unified solution of their own. In fact, the Liberal Democratic Party ousted Joe Liberman in the primary but running state-wide as an Independent and never wavering on his support for winning the War, he trounced anti-war candidate Ned Lamont. But in Rhode Island, anti-war Liberal Republican Lincoln Chaffe, who voted NO for the War, unlike most of the Democrats, lost because he was a Republican whose victory might determine the majority in the Senate.
By remaining vague, Democrats forged an alliance with those who opposed the War from the beginning and those who supported the invasion but passionately disagree with how Bush has handled the transformation of Iraq into a peaceful Democracy. They've backed away from the radical "cut & run" anti-war faction who demand withdrawal of all troops NOW.
The new Democratic Congress realizes that the consequence of a hasty retreat will most certainly result in the slaughter of our Iraqi allies and the fall of Iraq to Islamic terrorist elements and perhaps, Iranian domination. Plus a defeat in Iraq will validate the perception of a Democratic Party that's weak on Defense and unable to protect Americans from Islamic terrorists or any enemy for that matter. They, as the new majority, will be responsible to the American people for the results of their actions.
The American people clearly voted for change. What that "change" means is as yet undefined by the Democrats. They have two years to show us that they're in sync with all the Democrats, Republicans and Independents that voted for them.
IF they deliver perpetual investigations of Bush Administration's "lies," defeat in Iraq, weakness on National Security vis a vis appeasement of BinLaden and failure to understand the real and present danger of international Islamic terrorism, by amending the Patriot Act, discontinuing NSA surveillance and granting terrorists the same legal rights as American citizens, then they are dangerously deluded.
IF their interpretation of "change" does not tally with that of the people who elected them; in '08, the fickle political pendulum will knock the Democrats Right out of the majority by the election of Republicans with a defined positive message and a Republican President who will exemplify the ethics and principles that keep the United States of America invincible and safe from all challengers of our freedom to make that change over and over again.
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