Thursday, November 17, 2005

Time for Hardball?


Vice-President Cheney makes the case of the democrats attempting to change history to make themselves stronger for the mid-term elections. It's about time and I know of many Republicans who have been looking for this response...

"Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence, and were free to draw their own conclusions. They arrived at the same judgment about Iraq’s capabilities and intentions that -- made by this Administration and by the previous administration. There was broad-based, bipartisan agreement that Saddam Hussein was a threat, that he had violated U.N. Security Council Resolutions, and that, in a post-9/11 world, we could not afford to take the word of a dictator who had a history of weapons of mass destruction programs, who had excluded weapons inspectors, who had defied the demands of the international community, whose nation had been designated an official state sponsor of terror, and who had committed mass murder. Those are the facts."

"What we’re hearing now is some politicians contradicting their own statements and making a play for political advantage in the middle of a war. The saddest part is that our people in uniform have been subjected to these cynical and pernicious falsehoods day in and day out. American soldiers and Marines are out there every day in dangerous conditions and desert temperatures –- conducting raids, training Iraqi forces, countering attacks, seizing weapons, and capturing killers –- and back home a few opportunists are suggesting they were sent into battle for a lie."

"The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone -– but we’re not going to sit by and let them rewrite history."

"We’re going to continue throwing their own words back at them. And far more important, we’re going to continue sending a consistent message to the men and women who are fighting the war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other fronts. We can never say enough how much we appreciate them, and how proud they make us."

"They and their families can be certain that this cause is right and just, and the performance of our military has been brave and honorable. And this nation will stand behind our fighting forces with pride and without wavering until the day of victory."

Vice-President Dick Cheney

Un-just war?

There was an interesting call today on the Rush Limbaugh show with Roger Hedgecock filling in for Rush. The caller felt that the war in Iraq and on terrorism is not justified for the terrorist can only inflict limited destruction as compared to what the United States can do to them. The caller felt that the war is a waste for “What more can the terrorist do to us?” .

He felt that somebody like Russia, when they were a superpower, deserved actions to keep them in check. He felt the fight on terrorism did not deserve us in Iraq & Afghanistan because they can’t do that much to us anymore. Roger asked if 3,000+ killed during 911 was not enough to justify a war. Roger did a good job at putting the caller in his place but let me add my thoughts:

What if 50,000+ were killed in the World Trade Center towers? At times there were that many working in the buildings.

What if the additional plane that went down in Pennsylvania had hit it’s original target? What if that target was turned out to be the “Left” wing of the capitol building where Barbara Striesand and Bono was visiting at the time and were lost?

What if the plane made it thru to the Capitol building and took out the Senate and\or House while in session at the time?

Was the caller to the show putting a “Headcount” on the table as to where or how much we should respond to a attack? 3,000 or more?

What if Bill Clinton had a lower tolerance to terrorist attacks back in the 90’s? If he had actually taken serious steps to deal with the terrorist maybe 911 would not have happened…

What if the media would show footage of the 911 attacks from time to time to keep the images fresh in the publics memory. FOXnews is just a guilty of not providing images of the worst attack on America in history.

When was the last time you watched a DVD of the coverage of the attacks on September 11th? Do we avoid watching these for it only brings on anger and possibly support the President’s war on terror?

Maybe we need to re-focus on the issue and our commitment…

"Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs..."



Just some of the better ones from the last election.
Maybe a blimp next time???

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Remember when they said...

Published by Investors Business Daily 11 November 2005

“One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.” President Clinton Feb. 4, 1998

“If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.” Clinton Feb. 17, 1998

“Iraq is a long way from here, but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use a nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.” Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State Feb. 18, 1998

“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has 10 times since 1983.” Sandy Berger, Clinton national security advisor, Feb. 18, 1998

“We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions [including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspected Iraqi sites] to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraqi’s refusal to end it’s weapons of mass destruction programs.” Letter to Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry and others, Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology, which is a threat to countries in the region and has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” Rep. Nancy Pelosi. D-Calif. Dec. 16, 1998

“Hussein has… chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.” Albright Nov. 10, 1999

“There is no doubt that … Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf war status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.” Letter to President Bush, signed by Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. And others Dec. 5, 2001

“We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.” Al Gore Sept. 23, 2002

“Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter, and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.” Gore, Sept 23, 2002

“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” Sen Ted Kennedy, D-Mass Sept 27, 2002

“The last U.N. weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons.” Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.VA Oct 3, 2002

“I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force - if necessary - to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.” Kerry Oct 9, 2002

“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years… We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in the development of weapons of mass destruction.” Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va, Oct. 10, 2002


“He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant U.N. resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do.” Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. Oct. 10,2002

“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort and sanctuary to terrorist, including al-Qaida members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying top develop nuclear weapons.” Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY. Oct. 10. 2002

“We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.” Graham, Dec. 8, 2002

“Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime… He represents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation… And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction… So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real.”
Sen. John Kerry, Jan. 23, 2003