Today former President Bill Clinton blasted the Republican party over the MoveOn ad. He said those same conservatives who expressed outrage about MoveOn, had likened Sen. Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden and had smeared Sen. John Kerry’s war record, during the Swift Boat ad.
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Jenna Bush ducked a question about whether she agreed with her father about the war in Iraq, but she said she understood critics who argue that she and her twin sister, Barbara, should serve in Iraq.
“Obviously I understand that question and see what the point of that question is for sure. I think there are many ways to serve your country. I think … what’s most appropriate for me to do is to teach or to work in UNICEF and represent our country in Latin America.”
Jenna Bush is like the Romney Boys:
They serve their country by partying. They don’t need to go to Iraq for that type of service
Maybe Bill Clinton needs to tell his wife to speak out instead of being wishy washy.
I miss Pres. Clinton.
Larry, excellent points!
I miss Bill, too. I don't think Hillary will be as good a President and I have the feeling that she will be overshadowed by Bill if she makes it to the White House.
Hi Larry, and thanks for the comment.
Thanks Candace, and I wish he was President now as well.
I agree Mary Ellen, but she seems to be a very strong woman. She seems to think however that she's ready to get these debates over and crown her President, as if we have no say on the voteing.
You tell 'em Bill! The Swiftboat Slander Machine is offended by a Move.On ad -- this is beyond ridiculous.
Yes it is beyond ridiculous Tom.
My complaint about the moveon.ad is that it just wasn't cricket. General Patraeus is still on active duty and, regardless of what his personal feelings might be, he is not free to voice them if they contradict policy. He can't really even defend himself against the personal attacks against him until after he retires and thus attacking him personally was not fair.
Anyone who honestly expected Patraeus to openly contradict policy would have to have been delusional. Any reasonable person would have assumed that, in his testimony, he would simply regurgitate the policy he was given to implement.
Further, I believe that any citizen who expects soldiers to create policy as they go is falling down on his or her responsibility as a citizen of a republic. It is up to us to make sure they have good policy to implement in the first place.
Having said all that, I think that what happened to Cleland, McCain and Kerry is horrible. I don't approve of attacking the service and loyalty of anyone simply because he or she takes an unpopular political position. Nevertheless, what happened to them is just one more example of the tyranny of the masses de Tocqueville warned against and what my side, the left side, is also capable of engaging in when it suits them to do so.
Now there's the COVER of The American Conservative magazine saying basically the same thing about Petraeus! Hah!
I was watching a video of Bill Clinton when he was on Fox News last year and gave them hell about their set up question. When he gets pissed he looks like he could reach over and start strangling someone...and the tip of his nose turns red. His blood pressure must go up 10 points.
I wish we had a candidate with that kind of fire. Hillary doesn't have it.
equestrian1, Mentarch has a post on Limbaugh and he reference Army Of Dude. You might want to take a look at what some of our troops think.
Candace, Petraeus did our troops a dis-service.
Mary Ellen I think Hillary is somewhere close to the anger that Bill puts out makeing her a part of his logic and ways to deal with the Republicans.
Well, Let's Talk, I do know that people on active duty are not really allowed to contradict the policy they are given to implement and/or the President. Further, given the treatment that this administration has given generals who voice even the slightest amount of dissent, I would say that expecting Patraeus openly contradict the president would be just a tiny bit unrealistic. The guy has his rank and pension to worry about, after all.
If anyone has let the troops down, it is the American people. A lot of people who now consider themselves very liberal indeed paid NO HEED to the religious right and their amassing of power in the late 1990s--or to how the neocons were using them to rise to political prominence.
In any case, in a republic, it is ALWAYS the responsiblity of citizens to make sure that not only does the military have good policy to implement, but that we ALL have good policy to live with and by.
I would say that we have failed miserably with regard to all of these things.
"Well, Let's Talk, I do know that people on active duty are not really allowed to contradict the policy they are given to implement and/or the President. Further, given the treatment that this administration has given generals who voice even the slightest amount of dissent, I would say that expecting Patraeus openly contradict the president would be just a tiny bit unrealistic. The guy has his rank and pension to worry about, after all."
But are we to allow a General to give false or half truths and the same type of information to our House, Senate and the American people that the president has been pushing, just to appease said President and his policies?
"If anyone has let the troops down, it is the American people. A lot of people who now consider themselves very liberal indeed paid NO HEED to the religious right and their amassing of power in the late 1990s--or to how the neocons were using them to rise to political prominence."
Very true statement to a degree equestrian1. Just because people paid no attention to the religious right or the neocons, does not mean that America let the troops down.
What we have here is an injustice in the American voting and election process. We had a Supreme Court to interject its powers for just one instance to hand the Presidency over to a certain party. A party that has shown to be secretive and corrupted.
Some Americans, who have been fooled by this President and his parties are the ones who have let the troops down.
We need to get out and vote and recruit others to vote as well, so this type of injustice never happens again.
Very good comment equestrian1 and thanks for the debate.
I dunno, Let's talk. We may find out that what he feels differs from his testimony at some point. I am thinking about McNamera's statements about his career as I write this. There is simply no way to read his--or anyone else's mind so I can't say if he himself felt he was being truthful or not. At any rate, I surely did not listen to his testimony in hopes of learning anything about the state of affairs in Iraq. My mind was made up in that regard long before he was stateside.
I still think that there are just a lot of americans who had blinkers on even after and notwithstanding the election of 2000. Further, I have to wonder if some of our elected representatives have learned the folly of giving this president authority to do anything, as they, once again basically gave him permission to go to war in another country--this time Iran.
If their votes of last week are any indication of the consiousness of the average American with regard to where we have gone wrong over the past several years, I would say that we, as a nation, have learned very little and I wonder how long it is going to be before we can put this country back on anything that would be even close to a just and moral path.
As with McNamera during the Vietnam era. This General's after thoughts, have nothing to do with what he did and caused. If this General comes out with something different in about ten years from now. Then this guy will be in the company of people like McNamera.
Right now there are too many men and women from America and Iraq that will die, because this General told the country that the surge was working and is needed to continue.
You are correct, American blinked or was stunned by the rip off, pulled off by this President and the people that wanted him to become President and the Supreme Court.
Had they taken their time and did the honest thing. As we now know, our President by the true count of all the ballots that were finally counted correctly, was Al Gore.
I agree with you and yes, you are correct, our Representatives must be looked at very hard and if they cannot do the job that we sent them to do, then at the next election we should vote them out of office.
We cannot let Representatives run with lobbyist and corporations and make deals on their own behalf, for their own interest.
After this last vote by our Reps that give this President authority to deal with Iran, after they saw what he did with this type of authority with Iraq, then we should send them a message to start packing, because they want see another term serving the people of this country.
Over all, you've made some great points that I agree with.
equestrian1, if get the time before the weekend is over. Take a look at the first topic on my other site Let's Talk About It and give me your opinion on it.
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