Another Stein Lie

Once again, Rocky Mountain News cartoonist, Ed Stein is making things up. His offering of 11/25/06 shows President Bush asking Syria to help in Iraq. Besides for warning Syria not to harbor or support Terrorists, Hezbollah and former Baathists, I don’t recall his asking Syria or Iran, for that matter, to assert themselves in Iraqi affairs – ever!
On the contrary, it’s Stein’s partners-in-crime, the democrats who have publicly called for those very countries (who are supporting Al Qaida and fomenting Civil War in Iraq) to be invited in to “take over” the peacekeeping role which the US and its Coalition have done for three years.
How could anyone who advocates for a Syrian and/or Iranian presence in Iraq truly be hoping American succeeds there? Stein’s cartoon is right by showing Syria killing democracy in Lebanon and they would do the exact same in Iraq if given half a chance.
Stein’s suggestion that Bush has done so is a vicious lie designed to make the President look desperate and shift blame from democrats who are on-the-record calling for such stupidity.
The only thing keeping Iran and/or Syria at bay is America’s presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and people like Stein diminish that strength by purposely mischaracterizing American policy in the Middle East.

Post Election Blues

After the election, I fully expected to have many partisan Democrats email me or phone up to gloat and tell me how wrong and foolish I was for supporting the President, etc., but to my surprise, not one person took that tact except Darryl, the one fellow I’d previously considered to be a non-partisan, thoughtful Independent. Imagine my shock when he was the only guy to try and ‘kick me when I was down’ by sending me newspaper clippings purposely selected to be vengeful and bitter, devoid of any of the intellectual integrity or curiosity he’d always presented in our discussions. Articles and cartoons Calling the President “stupid”, labeling him a “chicken-hawk” or attempting to rewrite history are the kind of childish nonsense that I’ve come to expect from radical, leftist, wing-nuts. Prior to this past election, he was always able to disagree without becoming disagreeable, he could debate ideas without distorting reality and he kept ugly suppositions such as; Class Envy, Avarice and Egotism out of our talks.
Darryl is a smart guy and so are the authors of the news clippings he sent, but trust me, given the choice I’ll go with the man who graduated Yale with a better GPA than John Kerry, earned an MBA from Harvard, conceived of and built the Ball Park at Arlington, defeated Ma Richards, was re-elected Governor of Texas and has served as President of the United States for six years! And by the way, Rush Limbaugh has single-handedly built the largest radio audience in the Free World, been America’s #1 broadcaster for 17 years running and earns $25,000,000 a year, but he must be stupid ‘cause Darryl said so.
I still consider Darryl a friend, but don’t think that means he can come into my home and bad-mouth the men I admire most. Just because a few democrats got elected to Congress hasn’t and will not shake my convictions or resolve, because they are born from knowledge and principal not popularity polls and propaganda.
I regret our disagreement took place in front of his wife and daughter and was so upsetting to them. With Hanukah fast approaching, I’d like to see our families be able to get together without repeating the fireworks of last night, so I’m going to encourage my wife to extend that invitation and I hope he’ll consider accepting, only this time leaving his newfound, defeatist books and attitudes at his house – we’re not buying any of it!

Good bye Abu Gharib

Three years, to the day, the US Military convicted one, I repeat one, Reservist Lt. Col. thereby closing the book on the Abu Ghraib prison episode. True to character, the Rocky Mountain News chose to bury the story on page 50A (Lone Abu Ghraib officer charged, 11/24/06). After piling-on with dozens of, Page One Tabloid headlines and Editorials speculating as to; Cover-Up, Scandal, War Crimes, Administration Incompetence and Mission Failure, the Rocky, like everyone else in the ‘Drive-By Media’ corrects the record with a single hidden story.
Without the benefit of evidence, the Rocky, along with the rest of America’s Main Stream Media (MSM) convicted President Bush, Sec. Rumsfeld and the US Military, leading average Americans to question the moral character of our troops and our mission in Iraq. The Abu Ghraib Media feeding-frenzy opened the door for journalists to take undocumented, cheap shots at our Country’s leadership and (its) moral authority to advocate the spread of Democracy in the Middle East or anywhere. Because of the hysterical, over-the-top reporting on Abu Ghraib, many of our own countrymen lost faith in our ability to succeed in Iraq, our adversaries took heart in the West’s despair and redoubled their own efforts to destroy a democratic Iraq and defeat America.
So, here we are, three years later and the most senior official to be deemed responsible for Abu Ghraib is not the President or Rumsfeld, but a Reservist who apparently was not particularly well trained for that command, but was otherwise an exemplary soldier. His crimes were more of omission rather than commission, but can the same be said of the RMN and the MSM?
Chalk up another one for the Drive-By Media – this time they really damaged America and managed to get the story completely wrong all at the same time. Way to go!

Rumsfeld's Resolve

For what is normally a very courageous Editorial page, I was disappointed to see the Intermountain Jewish News regurgitate the same, old, anti-Rumsfeld platitudes of the ‘Chicken-Little Left’ in its (11/17/06) What we have wrought in Iraq missive.
While the American Military and Bush Administration have been making difficult decisions in real-time, its critics and now the IJN, display all the arrogance of Monday morning quarterbacks. Despite having the benefit of hindsight, these geniuses have no idea whether the conditions in Iraq would have been better; if there had been more American troops deployed, whether Paul Bremmer had let the Baathists remain in charge or if Rumsfeld’s resignation had been accepted two months or two years earlier.
Absent from the IJN editorial is any mention of the ferocity and resolve of our enemies, the 30 years of majority Shi’ite oppression at the hands of Sunnis or the persistent efforts of the Iranian and Syrian governments to infiltrate and undermine the fledgling Iraqi democracy and Coalition security forces.
Despite labeling the Administration as “incompetent” and divining that Rumsfeld and President Bush “live in their own imaginary kingdom”, the IJN fails to present any coherent alternative plan for action in Iraq. Meanwhile, al Qaida is totally committed to driving the West out of Iraq and the Entire Middle East and takes heart every time they see another American institution, media or constituency abandon our Commander-in-Chief.
Personally, with Syria and Hezbollah assassinating Lebanese leaders and Iran threatening the nuclear destruction of Israel, I like having a significant American military presence based in Iraq and Afghanistan rather than 8,000 miles ‘off-shore’ in Korea. As a Jewish American, I like knowing that Israel is not standing alone against a wave of militant, anti-Semitic, Islamo-Fascism and would venture to guess that most Iraqis feel the same.

Election Aftermath

Responding to a Denver Post Letter to the Editor and Editorial by Mort Zuckerman - While the letter writer chastises Republicans for forgetting their Republican principles, i.e. smaller government, secure borders, less gov’t intrusion, end to wasteful spending and tough measures against illegal aliens, I would argue that, in fact, Republicans have done their best to adhere to those goals.
It is important to remember that even under a Majority Senate that a minority of just 41 can effectively block any and all legislation via the use of a Filibuster. This is something that Senate Democrats used regularly to thwart the best efforts of Republicans. I’m sure that Republicans will now return the favor as they find themselves in the minority.
While it is true that in many cases the resulting compromises w/Dems produced larger Gov’t spending, I believe that had Republicans had a filibuster-proof majority things would have been more true to Conservative principles. Let’s also remember that it was House Republicans who defied their own President and blocked “comprehensive” Immigration policy in favor of a 700-mile border fence only!
Sadly, the Media hasn’t highlighted many conservative achievements of the past Congress; Bankruptcy Reform, Tax Cuts, Supporting the War on Islamic Terrorists and Confirming Judges that won’t legislate from the Bench. I already explained to you the value of adding an Rx benefit to Medicare, as those costs will actually replace Hospital/Surgical expenses with proactive prescription treatments, thereby saving money in the long run. Also, all of the scheduled increases in Soc. Sec. and Medicare/Medicaid benefits and costs were written into legislation many years and Democrat Congresses ago and had nothing to do with the recent Republican majority.
Despite the costs of recovering from the Dot-Com Clinton bubble, 911, the War on Terror, rebuilding the Military after 8 years of Clinton neglect, corporate scandals, record natural disasters including Katrina and the outsourcing of domestic manufacturing jobs (resulting from NAFTA passed by the Dems and Clinton), the Deficit has been reduced by half three years ahead of schedule.
As far as Zuckerman’s complains about Iraq I can only say, “what would he do differently”? The War in Iraq ended three years ago. We Won! Saddam was deposed, tried and soon will be hung. What has transpired since then has been a police action and admittedly, all has not gone perfectly. This effort is unprecedented by both our military and the Iraqis themselves and while its one thing to be a Monday morning quarterback, its quite another to lead with the Media and Democrats constantly carping and giving comfort and encouragement to our enemies. Personally, I don’t think that the Liberals give a shit about the 3,000 American Soldiers killed in Iraq, except to use them as a means to beat on Bush. If they really cared about the loss of human life then where is their concern over the 4,500 Americans killed every year on our highways, the 4,000 American Pedestrians killed in the past three years or the fact that the murder rate in many American cities exceeds that of Iraq? To me, the daily emphasis on death in Baghdad is purely political and designed to demoralize American’s commitment to see the job in Iraq through.
I think that Republicans lost this past off-year election because they split from the President and broke Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment to not criticize fellow Republicans. Democrats don’t criticize each other and when Republicans do, the Media jumps on it to promote the appearance of disunity when, in fact, it is more a reflection of the “big tent” coalition of today’s Republican party.