Politics Blog

Reader “daniel” offers some comments on recent remarks by Senator Chuck Hagel.

“On the American front Senator Chuck Hagel (RINO-Neb.) has joined the other two RINO’s Warner and Chafee in trashing Israel. He commented on the Senate floor that"the sickening slaughter on both sides must end and it must end now". Hagel went on to criticize Bush for declining to call for a cease fire and endangering “America’s image” in the Arab world. He said, “Our relationship with Israel is special and historic, but it need not and cannot be at the expense of our Arab and Muslim relationships. That is an irresponsible and dangerous false choice.” All conservatives must question the fact that we have such a RINO squatting on such a red state? Even most Democrats aren’t expressing such moral equivalence, at least not in public. This radically open borders, anti-war RINO is up for election in two years and must be shown the door by conservatives.”

daniel

Can someone remind myself, what member of the Bush Administration argued against removing the American Bar Association from evaluating Judges? I think the person was nominated to be a Judge or something.

“In a letter in today’s Wall Street Journal, American Bar Association President Michael Greco objects to our calling his outfit a liberal interest group that should lose its special role in vetting federal judicial nominees. Well, then what are we to make of the ABA’s report last week accusing President Bush of abusing his power by explaining how he interprets the bills he signs into law?”

From The New York Daily News:

“Most Americans know that Al Qaeda and its franchises are willing to sink to any depth to destroy the United States. But few people realize just how deep those depths are.

The public’s knowledge of the terror group’s goals and motives is largely confined to the English translations of Osama Bin Laden’s and Ayman al-Zawahiri’s propaganda. Consequently, Al Qaeda and like-minded groups, or “jihadis,” are viewed either as unthinking zealots or misguided freedom fighters.

“The Management of Savagery” - a book written in 2004 by Abu Bakr Naji, a high-level Al Qaeda strategist - suggests that both perspectives are off the mark.”

A pdf download of the text in english is HERE.

{Crossposted from “RepublicanPundit”}

“Hezballah knows exactly how to use the liberal news media. I am linking to an article which clearly explains their tactics to get attention from the media. They will stop at nothing, including killing their own allies women and children. link to article

It appears that the Western World is again succumbing to the killing of “so called” innocents and clammering for another cease fire, which will only lead to rearming of the terrorists and another trip back to the same place in a few months.

The only solution is for all Americans to turn off the TV’s and get information from blog pages only.”

Republicanpundit

E.J. Dionne writes, “Elections Interfering w/ Immigration Reform.”

I can see how a liberal democrat is disturbed that voters are influencing their best laid plans.

Kind of like the Editorial Board of the Orlando Sentinal saying that “House immigration hearings hurt chances for compromise with the Senate.” Of course they do, because voters will be informed!!!!

Dick Morris has been pretty negative about Republican prospects but now I understand his tactic here. He is trying to give them/us a kick in the ___.

Why? Just read, “True friends of Israel cannot let the Dems take power.”

This is what happens in a society when parental rights are diluted:

“Authorities said a 17-year-old girl facing a murder charge in the death of her newborn told lies and used privacy laws to hide her pregnancy from her parents, even as they tried to get medical attention for her.”

What does the defense attorney have to say?

“I can’t imagine how frightening that was for a 17-year-old girl to go through in the shower,” Gallagher said.

I do not care how frightened this young woman was.

What about the frightened baby that was murdered? That child will never have a 17th birthday.

Now I understand why Dearborn, Michigan provided the final votes for Stabenow to win the 2000 Senate Race from Abraham:

“Finally, the antisemitic placards at the rally were a horrendous display of Israel as Nazi obsession. Signs compared President Bush to Adolf Hitler and equated Stars of David with Nazi swastikas; one sign read, “Israel Nazi Are the Same Thing.” This ugly comparison demeans the victims, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, of Nazi genocide, demonizes Israelis, and dehumanizes those who support Israel. Had the July 18 rally been held in Europe instead of Dearborn, it would likely have been officially classified as an antisemitic event.”

Today is the “deadline” for “troops to the border” and I am extremely sad to write that sending the National Guard to the “Southern Border” is turning out to be an embarrassing failure. As a member of the Reserve Components, I am ashamed at what I am seeing.

President Bush was first failed by the advisors that originally proposed the plan. Now he is being failed on the execution of the plan.

Unfortunately, the National Guard has a long and troubled history on “strength accounting” which must be considered whenever politically sensitive numbers such as these, are reported. For historical background, you may read the original USA Today reporting HERE. Because of the National Guards history, Congress should demand that the General Accounting Office perform an audit of all “strength reporting” pertaining to “Operation Jump Start.”

The bottom line is that we are being treated to a “carnival shell game” and in order to find the proverbial “ball under the shell” we first need to go back to the Presidents Address to the Nation on May 15, 2006 to determine the deployment standard:

“By the end of 2008, we’ll increase the number of Border Patrol officers byan additional 6,000.”

“One way to help during this transition is to use the National Guard. So, in coordination with governors, up to 6,000 Guard members will be deployed to our southern border. The Border Patrol will remain in the lead. The Guard will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance systems, analyzing intelligence, installing fences and vehicle barriers, building patrol roads, and providing training.”

Yesterday, Col. Mark Allen, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau said that “2,000 to 3,000 were on the border, most searching for illegal activity” and the the balance of “6,199 troops were somewhere in the four southwestern border states, with many still in training.”

As a fellow Reserve Commissioned Officer I would ask COL Allen, what is this spread of 2,000 to 3,000? You either know where your soldiers are or you don’t. Where are these missing 1,000 soldiers. Where is this place called “somewhere?” How much time will soldiers have to do their job if “they are still in training” when the deployment is in two to three week cycles?

Second, most Americans, including myself, took the President at his word and “assumed” that 6,000 troops to the southern border meant that 6,000 troops would be reasonably close to the border. We did not expect that they could be hundreds of miles from the border. However, it looks like the President’s Plan was not the National Guards plan:

“The Guard never intended to have 6,000 troops “with their toes on the border,”

Third, we must remember that these troops are sacraficing their two week Annual Training period, when they would normally practice their combat skills as a unit. So, just what are these troops doing instead of training for the War on Terror:

“California has assigned more than 1,200 troops, Guard spokesman Maj. Dan Markert said Monday. About half will be at the border looking for illegal activity; the other half will be in support roles ranging from plumbers to office workers.”

What kind of “bang for our buck” are we getting for these 6,000 soldiers that will be rotating in and out of the border states every two to three weeks?

“The number that we’d identified originally when we started planning this operation that would – the numbers of badges back to the border, if you will, was 581.”

Yep, all these hoops for 581 “badges back to the border.” We are paying the wages and travel costs (every two weeks) of 10 soldiers to put a single “badge back on the border.” More importantly, these soldiers are performing duties that will be of no use to them in preparing to serve on deployment in the Global War on Terror.

I have many friends in the Army National Guard, both in the Border States and at National Guard Bureau. In recent weeks, I have seen the raw numbers that were used to make yesterdays press statements. I was very disturbed when I read that a National Guard Spokesman said,
“Some are assigned to military bases to receive incoming troops.” Those in the National Guard and/or Reserve Components should clearly understand why counting “those soldiers” is extremely troubling.

The National Guard is not doing itself any good nor are they helping President Bush with this “creative accounting.”

If this charade does not stop soon, the eventual Congressional Hearings will be devistating to the Administration, the National Guard and Republican Members of Congress. Yesterday’s “creative accounting” will be considered minor.

Prager bodyslams this one right through the table:

If you are ever morally confused about a major world issue, here is a rule that is almost never violated: Whenever you hear that “world opinion” holds a view, assume it is morally wrong.

And here is a related rule if your religious or national or ethnic group ever suffers horrific persecution: “World opinion” will never do a thing for you. Never.

“World opinion” has little or nothing to say about the world’s greatest evils and regularly condemns those who fight evil.

The history of “world opinion” regarding the greatest mass murders and cruelties on the planet is one of relentless apathy.

Excellent point:

It is difficult to overstate the damage done to the world by television news. Even when not driven by political bias – an exceedingly rare occurrence globally – television news presents a thoroughly distorted picture of the world. Because it is almost entirely dependent upon pictures, TV news is only capable of showing human suffering in, or caused by, free countries. So even if the BBC or CNN were interested in showing the suffering of millions of Sudanese blacks or North Koreans – and they are not interested in so doing – they cannot do it because reporters cannot visit Sudan or North Koreaand video freely. Likewise, China’s decimation and annexation of Tibet, one of the world’s oldest ongoing civilizations, never made it to television.

Stay the course:

Fourth, those who don’t fight evil condemn those who do. “World opinion” doesn’t confront real evils, but it has a particular animus toward those who do – most notably today America and Israel.

The moment one recognizes “world opinion” for what it is – a statement of moral cowardice, one is longer enthralled by the term. That “world opinion” at this moment allegedly loathes America and Israel is a badge of honor to be worn proudly by those countries. It is when “world opinion” and its news media start liking you that you should wonder if you’ve lost your way.