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April 3, 2007, 8:12 am
By
John Feehery
A smart press strategy by Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) crack staff has muffled the potential political explosion of his announced support of an amendment to cut off funding for the troops as they fight in Iraq. But this story is not going away. In fact, Reid’s announcement is not merely a political tactic to get President Bush to the negotiating table. It is philosophical dogma to the hard left of the Democratic Party.
Democratic leftists want us to leave Iraq now. They wanted us to leave Vietnam, too, and guess what happened there. A communist takeover of Saigon, massacres, genocide and a crisis of confidence in the United States that led to a weakening of American influence from Iran to South America to Africa.
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April 3, 2007, 7:53 am
By
A.B. Stoddard
We barely had time to react to Matthew Dowd’s bomb of a confessional Sunday when another one exploded on Monday. Vic Gold, longtime friend of President George H.W. Bush and the Cheneys, has also left the reservation with a big, hot blast.
“For all the Rove-built facade of his being a ‘strong’ chief executive, George W. Bush has been, by comparison to even hapless Jimmy Carter, the weakest, most out-of-touch president in modern times ... Think Dan Quayle in cowboy boots.” These are not the words of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) but of Gold in his new book, Invasion of the Party Snatchers: How the Holy Rollers and the Neo-Cons Destroyed the GOP.
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April 3, 2007, 7:52 am
By
Armstrong Williams
Newt Gingrich equates bilingual education with “language of living in a ghetto” and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in several languages. While some may not share Gingrich’s use of the word “ghetto,” many overwhelmingly agree with his overall affirmation that the United States should not have to create ballots in any language except English and that other languages should be secondary in schools.
Immigrants infiltrating this country should learn to speak English in order to prosper and thrive here. If you are a U.S. citizen then you should vote as a U.S. citizen in English and English only. Even if someone is highly proficient in two or more languages, his/her so-called communicative competence or ability may not be as balanced.
Bilingual education is another issue for the country to be divided along ethnic lines. It sends the wrong message to immigrants, encouraging them to believe they can live in the U.S. without learning English or conforming to “American” ways.
Gingrich’s observation is on the mark and a necessary step in the preservation of our nation. It is common sense that if you plan to make the good ol’ USA your home, then you must speak her language. Whether you are seeking a right to participate in our democratic process, find work or create small businesses, you must speak English. What sense does it make for us to adapt to someone else’s language to communicate with them in our America? Do you agree with this common-sense idea?
Archived under:
Presidential Campaign
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April 3, 2007, 4:55 am
By
Peter Fenn
April 15th. Yes, it’s tax day, but we all want to forget that. The other significance of that date? Bush really seems serious about focusing on it as the day “we will run out of money in Iraq.” He is playing politics with the war, just as he has since he started the conflict. Instead of working with Congress and finding a solution, Bush thinks he will have a Clinton-Gingrich budget-shutdown moment.
Of course, this is the administration that told troops “you go to war with the equipment you have” and proclaimed our veterans’ care was “fully funded.” Right. This is the administration that fired a general when he told the American people that the war might cost as much as $200 billion. Hmm. This is the administration and president who have been accused by the military and many Republicans of trying to wage a war “on the cheap.” Please.
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April 2, 2007, 10:21 am
By
Bill Press
Isn’t it exciting?
Results of the first presidential primary are in and now we know: not who got the most votes, but who raised the most money.
Hillary Clinton comes in first with an amazing pot of $26 million raised since she announced her candidacy Jan. 20 — setting a new record for presidential fundraising.
Barack Obama gives Hillary a run for her money, with a reported $22 million. Not bad for a guy nobody ever heard of two years ago.
And John Edwards shows he’s a serious candidate too, by weighing in with an impressive $14 million.
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April 2, 2007, 6:26 am
By
Brent Budowsky
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is very expressive. When he does not quite believe what he says, he speaks in a low, droning monotone — as he did at a weekend press conference in which he criticized the American media for its coverage of Iraq and proceeded to tell tales about how he walked comfortably among Iraqis.
Obviously McCain walked among Iraqis for a few moments, surrounded by a hundred American troops on his side, protected by American military helicopters above him.
And this proves what, exactly?
The whole episode was weird, strange and delusional. It illustrates what has gone so wrong with George Bush, with his Iraq policy and with John McCain.
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April 2, 2007, 4:09 am
By
Armstrong Williams
A recent Time magazine cover story argues “Why We Should Teach the Bible in Public School.” The question in this article is asked, “Should the Holy Book be on the public school menu? Yes. It’s the bedrock of Western culture. And it’s constitutional — as long as we teach but don’t preach it.” As you know, Time and Newsweek are venerable vehicles for us to receive news from around the world, and for Time to put this article on the cover of their April 2, 2007 issue tells us its readers are in search of moral answers to the many dilemmas they face. No other book has the centuries-old impact on moral striving and living life as the Bible. Its origin and authorship, its antiquity, its wonderful preservation in the midst of the unparalleled and continuous opposition that sought to destroy it, as well as its diversity and teaching, make the Bible the most wonderful book in existence. It is a collection composed of 66 separate books, written by about 40 different writers living centuries apart, speaking different languages — subjects of different governments who were brought up under different civilizations. If you have a thorough understanding of the Bible, according to its own rules of interpretation, you will find its statements to be in harmony with each other.
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April 2, 2007, 4:02 am
By
Peter Fenn
The political vacuum cleaners are in high gear — pulling in the campaign cash fast and furious. Hillary has amassed $36 million in the first quarter, which includes $10 million left over from her Senate run. Barack Obama will announce soon; his numbers are presumed to be impressive as well. Edwards has nearly doubled the $7.4 million he raised in the first quarter of 2003. Bill Richardson, one of my favorite long-shots, came in with a solid $6 million, with $5 million left in the bank.
Here is my point: A lot of these candidates will raise the funds needed to be competitive through next January. Of course, the super-primary day of Feb. 5, when over half the Democratic delegates may be chosen, poses another set of problems for a cash-strapped campaign.
But my advice right now is beware of frontrunner-itis. The ones with the most money may not be the ones who end up as the nominees. Remember Howard Dean with his $45 million-plus? He didn’t make it out of Iowa. The candidates who are leading in the polls now may fail to keep up the momentum this year or early next.
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April 2, 2007, 3:58 am
By
A.B. Stoddard
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke from Baghdad Sunday with "cautious optimism" about the progress a surge in U.S. forces has produced in Iraq, having become cautiously optimistic during what the Washington Post described as "a heavily guarded walk through a newly fortified Baghdad market." But McCain added wisely, "I am not saying 'Mission Accomplished.' ... we have a very difficult task ahead of us."
As McCain struggles to keep his footing in the presidential race he led until recently, progress in Iraq is key to progress on the ground in Iowa, New Hampshire and other political battlegrounds for this war's strongest supporter. He must tout each incremental success in the face of an increasingly emboldened opposition party in the Congress and an angry, disheartened public, even as politicians in Iraq have begun to conclude that American forces are on their way out sooner rather than later.
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April 1, 2007, 10:48 am
By
Peter Fenn
Matthew Dowd has seen the light. Former chief strategist for Bush 2004 and one of the insider of insiders, Dowd is breaking from the "loyal Bushies", as Kyle Sampson would describe those surrounding the President.
This is big. He believes that the Bush policy on Iraq is wrong and he is severely disappointed that the president is in such a "bubble" that he has adopted a my way-or-the highway approach to Congress. He points to the radical difference between what Bush campaigned on in 2000 — uniter not a divider — and where he is today. This is not a bitter or angry or vindictive break, either. The comments in The New York Times on Sunday were thoughtful and heartfelt. This makes this all the more difficult for the Bush team to respond to and combat.
I do believe that the levees are overflowing and the dams are breaking at the Bush White House (sorry for that analogy). This was as tightly controlled a message and staff operation as we have seen in modern politics for the first four years. No more. Bush is in severe denial, on the war, on his domestic program, on budget and tax issues, and particularly on the degree of support from Republicans.
He can bring them all down to the White House and line them all up in a photo-op but they are not standing behind him. The smart ones know that unless this president changes course and attitude quickly, lame duck will be a kind phrase for him. They are looking ahead, and if by fall or early winter Iraq is still a mess and Bush is hovering
around a 30% approval rating, Republicans will be leaving him in much the same manner as Matthew Dowd.
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