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Great post, Andre. I also heard that Bush loved freedom and liberty. I ask: Why is he spying on Americans? I also heard that “God speaks through him.” I ask: Did He tell you to hate gay people? Because in the Bible, he commands us to love one another.

Politicians don’t have to answer any tough questions, nor are they required to. I have never in my life ever heard a DIRECT answer to a question without 99% fluff that doesn’t answer a thing.

did anyone see Tony Blair during his last campaign? Man, he was assaulted by TOUGH questions that he had to answer on the spot. Of course, the beauty of their system is that they engage in REAL DEBATE daily, so politicians there have to be eloquent and intelligent. they still are sneaky snakes i imagine, but at least they have some cognitive ability.

the president has never been asked a tough question. he is always giving ‘confrences’ in front of gated audiences that are pre-screen to only allow supporters in. does that make sense? no.

this would bother me just as much if a dem or a green were president, we need more transparency and more direct answers from our leaders.

VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT! MAKE THEM WORK FOR YOUR VOTE NOT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED.

I also heard that “God speaks through him.†I ask: Did He tell you to hate gay people? Because in the Bible, he commands us to love one another.

======

oh he ‘loves’ them. he just doesn’t want dudes to marry. the world as we know it would end instantly if that were to happen.

not that i am calling into question the rationale of an individual who believes that the universe is 5,000 years old….

Now comes the might Sicilian Eagle and will answer in a very patient manner the queries that my left tilting friend asks

1. This President and his Vice President had their opportunity to fight for their country and refused, why?

Same reason as FDR…military service alone isn’t a prerequisite for the presidency or vice presidency last I looked.This is a red herring question.

They have cut soldiers benefits and benefits for their families, why?

No they haven’t.The president signs bills from Congress,who passes them.Basic civics.

Why is it that low level soldiers, not high ranking officers and Pentagon officials are facing charges from Abu Graib incidents?

They broke the law…do you have proof otherwise?Does anyone?Ask Kerry…maybe he knows.

Why did it take so long to get supplies to our soldiers that they needed to fight the war(armor)?

You know that answer too,Andre….you’re smarted than that.We won too quickly and had to convert from a traditionial war to a guerilla war..which was done.Bueracies move slowly.See Congress for the slowness.

Why did Rumsfeld respond with essentially “tough luck” when asked by our soldiers?

You have taken that sentence out of context,as usual.He grieve each and evry soldier lost.He was alluding to battlefield conditions and the need to adapt on the fly.Again,you know that,

Why are U.S. borders still wide open years after the 9/11 attacks?

They aren’t “wide open”.If you mean Mexico.That’s a different story.This problem is being worked thru right niw and is more complex that your simple damnation suggests.Then again,you know that.

Why are we even debating whether to let sharp objects on planes?

Agreed.Dorks.

Why, after 9/11, has “Homeland Security” become such a failure despite pouring billions of tax dollars into the agency?

Way too broad a statement “such a failure”….they are light years ahead of 9/11.Are they perfect?No.Getting better every day?Yes.

Why do we check peoples shoes but not large shipping containers aboard commercial flights?

They do now.Bosaton does,anyway.The bigger poroblem is commercial freighters and their containers.That is a big problem.

What has been done to secure shipping ports, chemical plants and nuclear facilities?

A lot,but more has to be done.Your inference is that nothing has been done.Wrong.

Who’s profitting from the war on terror?

Anne Coulter,Richard Clarke,and every other person who has written a book now available for your Christmas stocking.

Plus,of course,Haliburton and it’s milliom plus retiree/shareholders.

Is it a mere coincidence that it’s Dick Cheney’s “old” company and the oil industry?

If you have an accucation,be prepared to prove it.Show me the evidence of corruption on his part…specific evidence of corruption,Andre,and I will walk that evidence into the Boston FBI office,ok?

Why has the gap between the wealthy few and the poor grown so rapidly under his watch?

Tax code changes lowering the threshhold of the poverty level.You know that.

Why has corruption and greed become the norm while his administration has held office?

You talking about Bush?Prove it and I will be happy to take two files into the FBI for you.

Congress?Simple.They are corrupt.Most corrupt since the Harding administration.David Reemer is right…vote evey single one of them out.

Why does the oil and energy companies that have major ties to several members of the White House get to dictate environmental policies that benefit them but not the environment?

Wwe need that Alaskan oil despite what you or the tree-huggers say,and that’s the end of it.

Why has government secrecy increased to record levels?

It’s called a war.Loose lips sink ships.

Why the attack on civil liberties?

Please name one American who had had his civil rights violated by the Patriot Act. One.

Why would any United States President argue for the use of torture?

No. McCain says torture is acceptable for an imminieent threat..which is ok by me.

Why staged interviews in front of pre-screened audiences?

John Kerry.Sometime Howard Dean.John Murtha.

We hear that the President has a plan in Iraq.
We ask:
Why attack those who question the justification of this war, rather than debate the merits of the justifications?

He addressed you personally last night,Andre.He said don’t be a defeatist and that he loves you.He loves Burt too.

Why have we been told several justifications for the war?(WMD, “regime change”, “take the fight to the terrorists”, “Iraqi Freedom”) etc.? Why do they keep changing?

There’s more that one reason,that’s why.Check the posts here on the right for the past two years…I am sure youll find one or two to your liking.

If the intelligence was flawed, why is it that those people who supplied the faulty intelligence reaped such great rewards(medals and power) for their mistakes?

It’s called Civil Service.Try firing a rank and file government worker.

Why are the attackers of those who criticize this war so highly regarded by this President?

Yes,I admit that George and I are close…I was the guy that nearly clipped Cindy Sheehan with my wing last summer on my way to the Ranch.

Why would the procurement officer for the Pentagon lie about the legality of contracts awarded to Haliburton?

Wistleblower statutue.Plus he can write a book too.Remember that ugly skank friend of Monica who wrote that book?.Heard from her since?

Where is the $8 billion dollars that was lost in Iraq?

Switzerland.The more interesting question is:under whose name.Be more specific,friend.

If the Pentagon can plant fake news in Iraq, why can’t they seem to be able to accurately report and show all the “Infrastructure Rebuilding”

Go to goodnewsiraq for all you want.

Why is it that low level soldiers, not high ranking officers and pentagon officials are facing charges from Abu Graib?

They committed the crime…second shift guards,that’s why.

Why do we get to use explosives that kill civilians(oops) and are the good guys, the terrorists do it and they are, well terrorists?

History is written by the winners.

Why do so many around the world not support this war?

Vast Stupidity.See France:Germany:Spain:Russia

Why was this war being discussed and planned by Republican “Think-Tank” years before we actually invaded?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure….

Why did it take so long to get supplies needed to fight the war(armor)?

Asked and answered.

Why is it that Haliburton can over-charge the tax payers of the U.S. with no repercussions?

You try delivering a truck of oil there..see what happens…

All in all,pretty lame questions….

.

Posted by Andre M. Hernandez at December 19, 2005 08:37 AM

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Whoops..sorry about Andre’s name at the end of my post…I was annswering his questions and forgot to delete the ret of his article….sorry andre

Why are U.S. borders still wide open years after the 9/11 attacks?

This is something that keeps coming up, and I just keep wondering if it’s always the southern border that people are worried about. The only attempted terrorist crossing that I’ve ever heard about was at the northern border between Washington Stare and B.C., Canada, in connection with a millenium plot to blow up LAX. Maybe we need a cement ditch or fence from there to Maine.

Terrific post.
Yes, so many unanswered questions. And everyone asking such questions are being labeled “haters” or “unpatriotic” or “traitors” or “unsupportive of our troops”. But like with so many things about this topsy-turvy administration, where one thing is said while the opposite is true, or something is called by a name when it should be called by an opposite name (Patriot Act, Clear Skies, Healthy Forests, etc.) we who are asking such questions are actually the ones who love our country, and are as patriotic and loyal to America as can be. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be making the demand that our leaders abide by our founding principles, and asking them to actually represent We the People as they were hired, by us, to do.

In this upside down situation, we must also acknowledge the fact that it is those who have been, and still are, FAILING TO ASK SUCH QUESTIONS of their leaders who are really the ones being unpatriotic, and disloyal, and unsupportive of our troops. These are the fellow American citizens we must fear — for their attitude has been, and can only continue to lead America down a path that is historically unrecognizable and in total discord with our nations founding principles.

sicilianeagle,

Nice to hear from you. I knew you’d be as thorough as you are inaccurate.

You keep telling me of these things I know, when in fact most of your responses are opinion or attempts at humor.

You can accept what is told to you by those who are more interested in placating you than giving you real information as fact. That is a real gift. I cannot. I refuse to allow myself to close my mind to both sides. I read your responses and looked for facts. I give your responses and the responses of others who do not agree with me just as much credence as the responses of those who do agree. I look at issues from varying perspectives.
I like facts, not conjecture and rhetoric.

1. This President and his Vice President had their opportunity to fight for their country and refused, why?

Same reason as FDR…military service alone isn’t a prerequisite for the presidency or vice presidency last I looked.This is a red herring question.

Sounds more like a red herring response, scilianeagle!

FDR was of military service age at a time there was virtually no military to speak of. He was 16 years old when the Spanish-American war broke out (and ended!), which was an all volunteer army.

He was in the military — in the civilian capacity — as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913 until 1920, which included World War I.

Bush and Cheney, OTOH, were both of draft age during the Vietnam war, both subject to the draft, and both found ways to avoid the draft and , therefore serving in the military during the Vietnam War.

Oh and btw, here is yet another question we may ask: Why has “Dr Germ” and “Mrs Anthrax” been released from jail and allowed to leave Iraq by a joint “American-Iraqi decision and in line with an Iraqi government ruling made in December 2004”?

Hey Andre, check this out: Democrats plan sharp rebuke of pre-war intelligence, Iraq war in massive new congressional report. Gotta love that John Conyers! I think he should run for president! I’d vote for that guy in a heartbeat.

Andre

I can’t prove a negative.You allege corruption…not me.

I asked that you prove it.

You respond by saying rhetoric from me?

Show me one shred of evidence…just one that either the president or vice-president is corrupt….one shred of evidence….not partisian baloney.One.Uno.

Your article was,in one place,a giant list of talking points from the left.

It’s unfortunate,my friend that most of your ilk don’t like the hearing points.

Pick one of your litany and I will be happy to discuss in depth any of your choice.

In the spirit of a true Republician,Merry Christmas.

Where is the $8 billion dollars that was lost in Iraq?

Wasn’t the war in Iraq supposed to pay for itself with oil revenues. They must have dropped that, since it reveals their motives too clearly.

oh he ‘loves’ them. he just doesn’t want dudes to marry.

Bush is already married to Laura, but isn’t he supposed to be in the closet, not that there’s anything wrong with that. This site is humorous but I suspect there’s something in it:

“>http://www.bettybowers.com/isbushgay.html

sicilianeagle

IMO You are as delusional as the Bush, or as mentall corrupt as the rest of the administration and cronies…

My mother was a rabid Republican, couldn’t convince her, even with documented facts, she was a born again christian, but because she was such a rabid republican, IMO if Christ returned to earth and declared himself a democrat, she would have disavowed christianity.

IMO I place you in that same catagory sicilianeagle as my delude mother.

SE,

You demanding evidence of us is obtuse nonsense. We’re not part of an investigative body, we don’t have a subpoena power. All we have is the press, and indications of malfeasance that are powerful and myriad. We want the people who do have the power to investigate to do so, but the administration adn the Republican-controlled congress won’t allow that to happen.

When investigations and explanations are demanded, the right refuses and dodges, and then demands proof of wrongdoing from civilians who are in no position to procure the evidence they demand, especially in light of the chokehold the administration keeps on all forms of information.

Yet another untenable position from the right.

SE,

You demanding evidence of us is obtuse nonsense. We’re not part of an investigative body, we don’t have a subpoena power. All we have is the press, and indications of malfeasance that are powerful and myriad. We want the people who do have the power to investigate to do so, but the administration adn the Republican-controlled congress won’t allow that to happen.

When investigations and explanations are demanded, the right refuses and dodges, and then demands proof of wrongdoing from civilians who are in no position to procure the evidence they demand, especially in light of the chokehold the administration keeps on all forms of information.

Yet another untenable position from the right.

ray, that url is hilarious (not to mention fab-u-lous!), but your link to it isn’t working.
So here it is again: Is President Bush a Girly Man?
My favorite thing about it was the Babs Bush Sr. quote! :^D

Yossarian wrote

“You demanding evidence of us is obtuse nonsense. We’re not part of an investigative body, we don’t have a subpoena power. All we have is the press, and indications of malfeasance that are powerful and myriad. We want the people who do have the power to investigate to do so, but the administration adn the Republican-controlled congress won’t allow that to happen.”

So what are your arguments based on? All the BS that the liberal media spreads. You are kind of like a parrot. You repeat what you hear and have no original thought of you own. If congress investigated every claim from the left, there would be no policy making and nothing but investigations. If the left had it their way, there would be no voting being done until they were back in power. They belive that no policy is better than republican policy.

David,

Please, *I’M* a parrot? You’re the one repeating the usual right wing dodge about the liberal media. Can’t deal with an issue on the merits? It’s liberal media distortion!

I will admit that I agree that if we investigated every indication of wrongdoing for this administration, there would be no time left for policy making, due to the sheer overwhelming amount of wrongdoing to investigate.

Of course, if it’s all left-wing media lies, your side really has nothing to fear from an investigation. In fact, think what amazing political capital your side would have if investigations were conducted by an impartial, bipartisan body, and nothing were turned up!

You guys should be begging for an investigation, a chance to clear your party’s name! I mean, isn’t the idiocy you guys are spouting right now, “You shouldn’t mind being spied on by the government, if you have done nothing wrong!”

Oops, last line didn’t make it in for some reason.

Should have read:

“… if you have done nothing wrong!” Same principle applies. Your guys have nothing to fear if they’ve been behaving themselves.

Yossarian

First you have to realize that the Sicilian Eagle is,among many things,a lawyer,and my friend Andre’s throw-shit against-the -wall approach,whuile it plays well in liberal Peroria,doesn’t with me or anyone else for that matter.

He accused the president and vice-president of corruption.

I don’t have to prove the president’s innocence….he has to prove the president’s guilt.

If he can’t.it’s he,not I blowing hot air.

I’m definitely a Bush supporter and I couldn’t stand Bill Clinton, even though he was my commander in chief when I served in the 90’s. However, I would (definitely) have agreed with Clinton if he had wiretapped the enemy w/out court approval if it meant saving American lives. Definitely! It’s time to cut the partisanship and get down to what is at stake, National Security!!

I’m definitely a Bush supporter and I couldn’t stand Bill Clinton

rahdigly, wiretapped the enemy, what does that mean, guys wearing black hats? You should read JFK’s 1963 Commencement Address at American University in Washington, it’s in his library site:
“>http://www.jfklibrary.org/j061063.htm
Maybe you will be converted from the dark side.
some excerpts:
What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. …
Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable—that mankind is doomed—that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade—therefore, they can be solved by man…
history teaches us that enmities between nations, as between individuals, do not last forever. However fixed our likes and dislikes may seem, the tide of time and events will often bring surprising changes in the relations between nations …in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.

“First you have to realize that the Sicilian Eagle is,among many things,a lawyer,”

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a woman who believes that the truth tends to be self-evident, and that truly successful people don’t generally feel the need to puff themselves up all the time.
I also know that bloggers on the internet will often claim all kinds of BS, with the bizarre expectation that this is going to impress other people. This is even the case when so much of what they say, and the manner in which they say it, puts the lie to all their grandiose claims.

“and my friend Andre’s throw-shit against-the -wall approach,whuile it plays well in liberal Peroria,”

There has been so much suspicious sh*t that has been thrown against the Neocon Republican Wall at this point that shoveling a new pile in that direction automatically means that one needs a clothes pin for the nose, and stout pair of wellingtons.
Really, we might even say that they’ve managed to turn the White House into a outhouse — one that is so rank, it’s now impossible to get down-wind of the place.

“He accused the president and vice-president of corruption.”

Yes. Lots of us are. Thats because there is just too many dung-clods that have been left clinging to that wall after the endless bombardment that’s been jettisoned in their direction.

SE as a lawyer you should understand logic thus you can answer this question for me.
If the president has admitted he used bad intelligence in his rationale to go to war and admitted that ultimately it was his fault that he used it in his state of the union address that leads to only two logical conclusions.
1- he lied and knew it or
2- he was incompetent.

Was our president incompetent or a liar?

By the way wasn’t FDR in a wheelchair? That might be a better reason to draft dodge than cowardice.

-The president signs bills from Congress,who passes them.Basic civics.

Basic civics also tells me there is this thing called veto power. I’m sure the president knows about it, even if he has never used it, since he did theaten to use it if congress passed a bill with anti-torture language in it.

-They broke the law…do you have proof otherwise?

Yes they did but that does not answer why those in charge did not suffer the same fate. If you are saying they did not authorize it I ask you this.
If the president never approved of torture why would he threaten to veto legislation that had anti torture language in it? Not proof just a question any reasonable person can clearly see the answer to.

-We won too quickly and had to convert from a traditionial war to a guerilla war..which was done.Bueracies move slowly.See Congress for the slowness.We won too quickly and had to convert from a traditionial war to a guerilla war..which was done.Bueracies move slowly.See Congress for the slowness.

We haven’t won the war yet so we can’t have won it to quickly. That very major point aside
you’re essentially saying it was a poorly planned war then? That is not congress fault. It is the fault of those who planned the strategy of the war which is Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney. This guerilla war should not have been a surprise after all it didn’t take us long to accomplish our goals the first time around. Why did they think it was going to be harder after years of debilatating sanctions? If they were not prepared for a guerlla war shouldn’t they have worked out all possible problems before they rushed to war? Also the republican controlled congress gave the presdident what he requested. It’s up to him to know what is going to be needed. You can blame congress all you want but even if correct, which it clearly isn’t, that is a small victory for you since congress is republican controlled. Either way conservatives are at fault for this.

I could keep going but quite frankly it’s pointless. If these are your best arguements I hope I never need you to represent me.

Adrienne

I skip over your posts…why not do the same to mine…lest I get accused of trolling…

I posted before proofing so there is a bit I should clear up. where I wrote

This guerilla war should not have been a surprise after all it didn’t take us long to accomplish our goals the first time around. Why did they think it was going to be harder after years of debilatating sanctions?

I should have said
If we accept the first stage of the war, which was removing Saddam, was won to quickly this part of the war should not have been a surprise. After all it didn’t take us long to accomplish our goals the first time around. Why did they think it was going to be harder after years of debilatating sanctions?

Sorry for not proffing it first.

lawyers, Sicilian Eagle is,among many things,a lawyer
HAMLET:
There’s another: why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddits now, his quillets, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks? why does he suffer this rude knave now to knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel, and will not tell him of his action of battery? Hum!

HMMMM let’s see here…

how many people in/around/supporting the Bush administration have admitted to, been indicted of, or are currently under investigation for criminal activity?

Scooter Libby
Tom Delay
Jack Abramoff
OH congressman Robert Ney
Michael Scanlon
Tom Craddick
Ed Buckham
Jim Ellis
Karl Rove
OH Gov. Bob Taft
Bill Frist
CA congressman Randy Cunningham
KY Gov. Ernie Fletcher
the RNC (for illegal campaign donations in TX)
MS Gov. Haley Barbour
CA congressman Christopher Cox
White House procurement officer David Safavian
OH Sec. of State Ken Blackwell
NY Gov. candidate William Weld
George Voinovich
CT Gov. John Rowland

Eagle, you truly must be flying high if you think a laundry list this long and thorough isn’t enough for the average dumbass to assume there must be something afoot and that it goes all the way to the top. There’s no need for any of US to come up with proof…all the evidence clearly points to Bush, Cheney and company…and any two-bit rookie cop would say the same.

HMMMM let’s see here…

how many people in/around/supporting the Bush administration have admitted to, been indicted of, or are currently under investigation for criminal activity?

Scooter Libby
Tom Delay
Jack Abramoff
OH congressman Robert Ney
Michael Scanlon
Tom Craddick
Ed Buckham
Jim Ellis
Karl Rove
OH Gov. Bob Taft
Bill Frist
CA congressman Randy Cunningham
KY Gov. Ernie Fletcher
the RNC (for illegal campaign donations in TX)
MS Gov. Haley Barbour
CA congressman Christopher Cox
White House procurement officer David Safavian
OH Sec. of State Ken Blackwell
NY Gov. candidate William Weld
George Voinovich
CT Gov. John Rowland

Eagle, you truly must be flying high if you think a laundry list this long and thorough isn’t enough for the average dumbass to assume there must be something afoot and that it goes all the way to the top. There’s no need for any of US to come up with proof…all the evidence clearly points to Bush, Cheney and company…and any two-bit rookie cop would say the same.

zakquiet

SE as a lawyer you should understand logic thus you can answer this question for me.

Sure.Here goes:

Q-.If the president has admitted he used bad intelligence in his rationale to go to war and admitted that ultimately it was his fault that he used it in his state of the union address that leads to only two logical conclusions.
1- he lied and knew it or
2- he was incompetent.

Was our president incompetent or a liar?

A-That’s a pretty big quantum leap and he is neither.He relied on the best intelligence available…from Egyptian,Isreali,The Mossad,Scotland Yard,Russian,in addition to that of the CIA …all confirmed that Saddam had WMD.If he did nothing he would be criminally negligent…especially in light of 9/11.No way he lied or is incompetent.

Q-2.By the way wasn’t FDR in a wheelchair? That might be a better reason to draft dodge than cowardice.

A-Military service is not a threshold criteria for the White House and no FDR was not in a wheelchair when first elected.I know many many heros in the military.I also know some 24 carat assholes too.

Bush was as much a coward as Clinton then,using your logic.When did Clinton serve?

Q—The president signs bills from Congress,who passes them.Basic civics.

Basic civics also tells me there is this thing called veto power. I’m sure the president knows about it, even if he has never used it, since he did theaten to use it if congress passed a bill with anti-torture language in it.

A.Listen:IF a terrorist in custody knows the location of a nuclear bomb in a suitcase,you bet yoour ass I am in favor of torture.McCain endorsed the so-called dooms-daty scenario today by the way.

Q.-They broke the law⦣x20AC;?do you have proof otherwise?

Yes they did but that does not answer why those in charge did not suffer the same fate. If you are saying they did not authorize it I ask you this.
If the president never approved of torture why would he threaten to veto legislation that had anti torture language in it? Not proof just a question any reasonable person can clearly see the answer to.

A.see above answer.Other than the doomsday scenario,I am agaist torture…as is the president.To sday otherwise is irresponsible.

Q.-We won too quickly and had to convert from a traditionial war to a guerilla war..which was done.Bueracies move slowly.See Congress for the slowness.We won too quickly and had to convert from a traditionial war to a guerilla war..which was done.Bueracies move slowly.See Congress for the slowness.

We haven’t won the war yet so we can’t have won it to quickly.

A.I was talking about the invasion phase,which we certainly won hands down in a heartbeat.

Q.That very major point aside
you’re essentially saying it was a poorly planned war then?

Not the war..it was brilliantly planned…Tommy Franks did a great job.We scred up AFTER the occupation began.Blame the military planners,the Pentagon and career professionials here too.

Q- That is not congress fault. It is the fault of those who planned the strategy of the war which is Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney. This guerilla war should not have been a surprise after all it didn’t take us long to accomplish our goals the first time around. Why did they think it was going to be harder after years of debilatating sanctions? If they were not prepared for a guerlla war shouldn’t they have worked out all possible problems before they rushed to war? Also the republican controlled congress gave the presdident what he requested. It’s up to him to know what is going to be needed.

A-We are all in new territory with this war….there is no certainty in war as you know and the outcome of the post invasion behavior of the Iraqis was clearly wrong.

Q You can blame congress all you want but even if correct, which it clearly isn’t, that is a small victory for you since congress is republican controlled. Either way conservatives are at fault for this.

A.For what?Creating 2 Democracties in Afganastan and Iraq where millions and millions are now free?If so,then we are at “fault”

QI could keep going but quite frankly it’s pointless. If these are your best arguements I hope I never need you to represent me.

A.I usually require a substantial retainer anyway.

Lighten up a bit.

HMMMM let’s see here…

how many people in/around/supporting the Bush administration have admitted to, been indicted of, or are currently under investigation for criminal activity?

Scooter Libby
Tom Delay
Jack Abramoff
OH congressman Robert Ney
Michael Scanlon
Tom Craddick
Ed Buckham
Jim Ellis
Karl Rove
OH Gov. Bob Taft
Bill Frist
CA congressman Randy Cunningham
KY Gov. Ernie Fletcher
the RNC (for illegal campaign donations in TX)
MS Gov. Haley Barbour
CA congressman Christopher Cox
White House procurement officer David Safavian
OH Sec. of State Ken Blackwell
NY Gov. candidate William Weld
George Voinovich
CT Gov. John Rowland

Eagle, you truly must be flying high if you think a laundry list this long and thorough isn’t enough for the average dumbass to assume there must be something afoot and that it goes all the way to the top. There’s no need for any of US to come up with proof…all the evidence clearly points to Bush, Cheney and company…and any two-bit rookie cop would say the same.

Macsnox

Where is the president’s name?….my answer was in response to him being corrupt.If you have evidence…let’s see it!

Adrienne,

As always, well said. You’d think these guys would have learned to not get into a debate with you.

sicilianeagle,

“I can’t prove a negative.You allege corruption…not me.

I asked that you prove it.

You respond by saying rhetoric from me?”

1) Oil and energy companies give millions to Bush campaign.(Fact)
2) Bush, Cheney, C. Rice and many others in this administration have ties to those companies, (actually worked for them)(Fact)
3)Cheney meets with oil/energy companies CEO’s to discuss U.S. environmental positions and policies that would ease restrictions on pollutants and help to bring higher profit to said oil/energy companies, all the while helping to destroy the environmant.(Fact)
4)Bush/Cheney dismiss scientific proof and information warning of global warming and other environmental issues in favor of oil/energy companies.(Fact)
5)The U.S. thanks to this administration refuses to join those “crazies” A.K.A the rest of the world in meaningful reduction of gases and pollutants that cause global warming in favor of oil/energy companies.(Fact)
6)Gasoline price gauging accusations have still not been laid to rest.(Fact)
I’m just asking questions.

The real smoking gun comes from a top secret investigation done by Michael Moore, Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy. Their findings suggest that the President and Dick Cheney are running a kitten sex ring and are selling crack cocaine to Cuban leader Fidel Castro.(Not fact but funny)
“You want the truth! You want the truth, you can’t handle the truth!”
Jack Nicholson “A Few Good Men”

“I skip over your posts…why not do the same to mine…”

Yeah, well. I’m afraid I can’t.
Such
L
O
N
G
opinion-filled posts totally devoid of facts and links are quite impossible to miss.

“lest I get accused of trolling…”

Accused? Ha. Like I said, I think the truth tends to be self-evident…

“I usually require a substantial retainer anyway.”

:^D Must be some serious overbite you’ve got there, chief…

I usually require a substantial retainer anyway. Lighten up a bit.

OK

Messenger in Henry6pt2:
All scholars, lawyers, courtiers, gentlemen,
They call false caterpillars

Fool in King Lear:
‘tis like the breath of an unfeed lawyer- you gave me nothing for’t. Can you make no use of nothing

Timon:
Crack the lawyer’s voice, That he may never more false title plead, Nor sound his quillets shrilly: hoar the flamen, That scolds against the quality of flesh, And not believes himself.

I usually require a substantial retainer anyway. Lighten up a bit.

OK

Messenger in Henry6pt2:
All scholars, lawyers, courtiers, gentlemen,
They call false caterpillars

Fool in King Lear:
‘tis like the breath of an unfeed lawyer- you gave me nothing for’t. Can you make no use of nothing

Timon:
Crack the lawyer’s voice, That he may never more false title plead, Nor sound his quillets shrilly: hoar the flamen, That scolds against the quality of flesh, And not believes himself.

-A-Military service is not a threshold criteria for the White House and no FDR was not in a wheelchair when first elected.I know many many heros in the military.I also know some 24 carat assholes too.

But he did have polio before that or am I mistaken. I could be in that point. He also did not rush to war he was reluctant to go and only went after being attacked and when Gremany declared war on us. Iraq did neither.

-Bush was as much a coward as Clinton then,using your logic.When did Clinton serve?

When did I say Clinton wasn’t? The only differance is CLinton did not agree with Vietnam and Bush did. That aside Clinton had nothing to do with my arguements.

-A.Listen:IF a terrorist in custody knows the location of a nuclear bomb in a suitcase,you bet yoour ass I am in favor of torture.McCain endorsed the so-called dooms-daty scenario today by the way

So your saying the torture was done to gain info on a nuclear bomb then? I didn’t realize Iraqis had them.

-Not the war..it was brilliantly planned…Tommy Franks did a great job.We scred up AFTER the occupation began.Blame the military planners,the Pentagon and career professionials here too.

And they said it would take more ground troops. It was Rummy who decided that was enough. That aside NO ABSOLUTLY NOT it is the commander in chiefs responsibility. Bush himself claims it is his job.

-A-We are all in new territory with this war….there is no certainty in war as you know and the outcome of the post invasion behavior of the Iraqis was clearly wrong.

Wrong again. Isreal has put up with isurgencies for generations after it won the war against the palistinians. Northern Ireland is also a prime example of insurgencies and terrorism fighting an occupying power. History is full of the very same problems we are facing today in Iraq. Perhaps Bush and co. should have read their history books a little better.

-A.For what?Creating 2 Democracties in Afganastan and Iraq where millions and millions are now free?If so,then we are at “faultâ€

You should understand that having a constitution and being free are two very differant things. Iran has a constitution yet is far from free. Everything I have read about the Iraqi constitution is it resembles the Iranian constitution far more than it resembles ours. So congrats congress and Mr. Bush you’ve established another Islamic state in the middle east. As far as Afghanistan goes yes they should be commended, sort of. I just wish we would have sunk all the money we wasted in Iraq there. Maybe then it would be able to boast of an economy that has more than just heroin and hash as it’s biggest export.

-A.I usually require a substantial retainer anyway.

Just a guess here but judging from the way you butchered the word bureaucracy you aren’t a lawyer at all. I promise to lighten up if you promise to come clean and admit you work at McDonalds ok?

Andre

1.Only the Republicans,huh?Not the Democrats?Isn’t the Kennedy family wealth based on oil as well as corruption?Don’t they own millions of shares of Atlantic Richfield?(ARCO) stock?Hmmmm….

2.Big freaking deal.What guilt by association?Using your logic,then Kerry is a traitor because he was on a first name basis with Ho Chi Minh.

3.Are you a tree-hugger?Oh,I understand,then.Not allowed to make money,huh?So what if shares of Exxon are in every portfolio of every granny in America…..shoot all those corporate pigs,eh,Andre?

4.Wrong.They would endorse it PROVIDED US interests aren’t harmed.As presently constructed,it does.

5.How about China?Their pollution dwarfs the world combined.Fact.

6.Kill the bastards if they gouged.Seriously.Make them read every post Adrienne ever wrote.Make them suffer.No,wait…torture has been outlawed!Sorry,forget that.

Adrienne

Only a joke,Adrienne…a simple Republician joke…

Isn’t the Kennedy family wealth based on oil as well as corruption?

I thought it was based on ownership of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. It was the largest building in square feet in the world until the Sears Tower was built. It was sold, but is still managed by someone who was born on the 4th of July in the year that his uncle was murdered,insert your favorite theory about that here, and 5 years before his father said:
“I think we can end the divisions within the United States. What I think is quite clear is that we can work together, in the last analysis. And that what has been going on with the United States over the period of the last three years, the divisions, the violence, the disenchantment with our society, the divisions - whether it’s between blacks and whites, between the poor and the more affluent, or between age groups, or in the war in Vietnam - that we can work together. We are a great country, an unselfish country and a compassionate country.”

and I saved this from 2Henry6 for the last.
Dick the Butcher:
The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.

Ray

Your post made me smile.

For you,I will waive the retainer.

sicilian eagle
you constantly ask for proof. you imply direct proof.

you are a lawyer, whatever happened to substantial circumstantial evidence.

if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quakes like a duck, you ask for proof that it is a duck.

“all the BS the liberal media spreads”

david,
you talking about rush limbaugh and o’reilly??

could i have i few examples?

Ray,
“rahdigly, wiretapped the enemy, what does that mean, guys wearing black hats? Maybe you will be converted from the dark side.”

That means when Al Qaeda and other (known) terrorists groups make a call to the US, ala Mossaui to OBL, we can tap into it and find out what’s going on. FISA can’t get a court order in time for that to happen; that’s why the President has the power to keep us safe. And, he certainly did keep us safe, that’s why I agree with what he did and why I agreed when Clinton did it in the 90’s (the NSA used code name “echelon”).

Sometimes I comfort myself by thinking Bush can’t be THAT stupid and then he opens his mouth. I just watched his live news conference and he refered to the NSA as NASA. My God!

SE,

Could you please come up with a new handle?

My mom was full-blooded Sicilian, from Montemaggiore.

She died almost 20 years ago.

The fact that you, or your ancestors, hail from the same part of the world makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Up until now, I loved everyone from Sicily.

Thanking you in advance (and no hard feelings)…

Magoo

It seems to me that a lawyer would be able to use better grammer. If Sicilianeagle is truly a lawyer, I hope I never need his services. I am not one of the priveleged few. I’ve worked all my life and am now on Social Security Disability, but I am intelligent enough to know when we are being scamed by the white house.
Since George couldn’t get his oil industry buddies into the north slope the only other logical thing to do was to go for the oil fields in Iraq. If someone with the resources to do so would check the patent office for fuel systems for autos that would produce cars that get over a hundred miles to the gallon on gas, they would find that the auto industry has the technology to do that as they have bought patents from individuals but will not put them on the market because a great deal of their stock portfolios include oil company stock.
We were told that we were going after terrorists. They were in Afghanistan, but the oil fields of Iraq were just so close and so tempting, so why not jump over there and grab some. The American people are too stupid to know what is really going on anyway. They will believe anything they are told. That seems to be the way the politicians think.
I heard a man say the other day, “I don’t own a gun, but when a politician tells me I no longer have that right, I’ll get one and take it to him and see how bad he wants it.” I feel pretty much the same way.

I believe the full qoute was, “In order to have a more perfect democrqacy, the first thing you do is kill all the lawyers.”

Off the subject but important: Why the huge federal deficit? The more the Repub administration and Congress spend, the bigger grows the deficit. To contain spending, cuts must be made somewhere. The military is sacrosanct and spending grows madly. What’s left? Health care, education, food stamps, child care - anything that helps ordinary people. The Republ plan is to increase the federal debt and deficit as a justification for cutting social spending. Repub tax cuts that up the deficit and national debt do the same. Rob the rich to help the poor ‘til there are no rich no more - good idea.

rahdigly,

FISA doesn’t need a court order to start wiretapping. they can start the tapping and get a court order afterwards. nothing is lost, so why do it in secret?

The media are left-leaning? Reporters may be somewhat liberal, columnists are a mixed bunch but who owns the media, anyway? The important owners are the major stockholders. When these are wealthy individuals, who tend to be conservative Repubs, why would they allow their properties, the newspapers and TV news, etc, to reflect views that oppose their own? Why, in other words, would a Republican allow himself to be misrepresented by liberals? I can’t figure it out.

Why?hasn’t somebody figured out that we’re not fight a war on terror, or to evangelize democracy on the Iraqis. The truth is we’re fighting this war to save face for the president. That’s all it comes down to after a half trillion dollars, thousands of our best killed, tens of thousands of our best maimed for life, and 60,000 Iraqi civilians and military dead with uncountable tens of thousands maimed. It’s all about gw’s saving face, that’s all it’s about.

Texas, our men and women in uniform completely reject your opinion.

They are not willing to die to save face for the president, and it’s an insult to them to suggest otherwise.

Those who have served in Iraq are reenlisting in record numbers—even many of those who have been wounded and seen friends die—and it’s outrage to claim that their only reason is that they want to make the president look good. It’s because they believe in their mission, believe that it will succeed, and are willing to put their lives on the line to see throught what they started.

None of us here—and I include myself—who are “bravely” asserting our opinions on a website can equal the true commitment of these remarkable men and women.

Johnie

Sorry about the typos…..I write things for this post betweeen doing really important stuff profesionally and throwing down a few paragraphs here and there breaks the tension for me.Plus I don’t spell-check.Most regular posters on this side know that.Plus it really pisses them off too,which is ok by me.
When some from the left recognizes typos(most here don’t)I respond with an apology.
Just kidding,guys…couldn’t resist.

ec
You ask for my professional opinion?Here it is:
This one is a close call.The Fourth Amendmant is a powerful protection against intrusive governmental behavior.However,this is war and the President is relying,thru counsel,on provisions written shortly after September 11 empowering him to act in defense on another terrorist attack.

The question is then are we still in that “zone of danger”?Although this is a tort term,the question can be asked..in other words,is this a continuing threat that can trace its beginning from that original Congressionial authorization?

This isn’t for me to decide.Rather,the President should go back to Congress and get this thing fixed.

What bothered me was the timing of the NYT article…the day after the elections in Iraq and two days before the Patriot Act was being voted in Congress…that smacks of politics to me.

The NSA says the taps were performed by career professionals..not politicial appointees…and bad guys have been captured as a result..

Thus this is a fine line question.

Let’s wait until Alito gets on the bench and decide the issue.

Ouch.(I can see Andre and Adrianne seething on that sentence!)

Magoo.
So that’s critiquing the messanger,huh?Nice.
If you are half Sicilian,I can make arrangements to get that deleted from your background if you want…and substitue in its place something more appropriate..say half donkey,for instance.

I will,however,say a prayer for your mom’s soul.

Stick to the topic and stop the personal insults.

“Those who have served in Iraq are reenlisting in record numbers—even many of those who have been wounded and seen friends die—and it’s outrage to claim that their only reason is that they want to make the president look good. It’s because they believe in their mission, believe that it will succeed, and are willing to put their lives on the line to see throught what they started.”

My brother Shane is in Iraq as we speak. He is not in favor of this war. I mention Bush and he just rolls his eyes. He goes because it is his duty. Do not assume just because these men and women do their job that they approve of the job. Also it would seem a bit odd if all the military people were so gung ho about the war that we would have veterans coming home and running for office as democratics.

“What bothered me was the timing of the NYT article…the day after the elections in Iraq and two days before the Patriot Act was being voted in Congress…that smacks of politics to me.”

They sat on the article for a while because it could have threatened ongoing investigations. Personally I think they should have published it right away.

“The NSA says the taps were performed by career professionals..not politicial appointees…and bad guys have been captured as a result..”

Name the bad guys who were caught because of it. This time the burden of proof is on you. You brought it up.

sicilianeagle,

“No they haven’t.The president signs bills from Congress,who passes them.Basic civics.”

You offer very little in regard to fact. You have a strong opinion on matters but unfortunately, they are just that, opinions.
Prove he did not cut military benefits. I’ll show you many articles that proves he did. I’ll show you which members of Congress voted for the above mentioned cuts. I’ll show you articles from several different news sources chronicling soldiers families fighting the system to get access to treatment and benefits.

Andre

What part of “you can’t prove a negative” don’t you understand?

You are the one that said the president cut military benefits and you want me to read an article?No thanks.Show me his proposed cuts.His cuts…not the House’s.

By the way,my opinion is no stronger than yours.

Zaquiet
If the NSA and the President say that bad guys are being caught,that is good enough for me.Amazingly many here seem to forget that the president is the commander in chief and this is war.

You do believe there is a war…don’t you?

sicilianeagle,

Heres a few of the 1,108 articles posted on the subject of Bush slashing military benefits during “War On Terror”.

“Fight Effort to Cut Military Benefits”
heraldtribune.com

“GOP propose cuts”
Navytimes.com

“Serious Cuts to Disabled Vets”
www.veterans.house.gov

“$1.5 Billion in Cuts”
www.military.com

“Support for Troops Questioned”
www.washingtonpost.com

“Military Families”
armytimes.com

“Rumsfeld uses BRAC to make Cuts”
www.house.gov

“Dems Assail Bush on Military Cuts”
cnn.com

If you need more let me know.

sicilianeagle,

The next time i’m invited to the Pentagon to meet with Rumsfeld on proposed military benefits cuts I’ll be sure to clarify which of the cuts have the G.W. seal of approval, videotape the entire event and bring an autographed copy for you to verify as authentic.
When the Army and Navy are pissed because of cuts in benefits. They point the finger at the GOP and Bush, I tend to believe them. I’m weird like that.
By the way I’m a Doctor, Lawyer and Indian Chief. Beat that!
I was the Butcher, Baker and Candlestick Maker but I lost a couple of fingers so I changed careers.

Andre,Andre,Andre

My friend.

Nice try.

Really.

BUT..the “cuts”…almost all of them I may add…pertain to base closings and streamlining as the Pentagon moves away from a Cold War military to a rapid deployment force.

Again,you know this but you are trying,it seems,to make everyone believe that our troops in Iraq have to throw rocks at the insurrgents because they have no ammo.

Wrong.

The Secretary is trying to reduce waste and you crucify him.

Had he recommended an increase you would say that he is a wastful spender.

By the way…I left 2 tickets for you at the “will call”window at the Pentagon…you and Elvis.

And its not “Indian Chief” bucko..It’s “Native Americian” leader….

Well, SE, I am an attorney as well. And the reason that the administration currently will not elaborate the on the legal justifications for this surveillance is because the claim that this action has justification in the Constitution or FISA is laughable, and they’re scrambling for some kind of plausible rationale.

On the topic of proving guilt rather than innocence, you should know as a lawyer that that is a standard for determining guilt in a court of law, and does not apply to public discourse. Nor is it a standard for beginning an investigation. Weak argument. We can believe he’s guilty all we want, and so can whatever body investigates Bush.

ec,
“FISA doesn’t need a court order to start wiretapping. they can start the tapping and get a court order afterwards. nothing is lost, so why do it in secret?”

It’s done in discretion so the enemy (remember them?) doesn’t know what’s going on. That’s why. Too late now, huh?!

sicilianeagle,

“Benefit cuts dismay veterans

By Leigh Dethman
Deseret Morning News
      Military recruitment will suffer if President Bush continues to slash veterans benefits, a handful of veterans groups said Monday.

Deseret Morning News graphic      In his budget released Monday, the president targeted veterans health care on a variety of fronts. The co-payment for prescriptions for many veterans would more than double, and some would have to pay a new fee of $250 a year for the privilege of using government health care.
      With troops needed in both Afghanistan and Iraq and recruiting efforts dwindling, now is not the time to cut veterans’ benefits, said Bob Jones, state commander of the Utah American Legion.
      “I can’t find it in my heart to tell a kid a military career is a good career move because we are not taking care of them,” said Jones, who used to work as a military recruiter.
      If Congress approves the president’s budget, nondisabled, higher-income veterans seeking Veterans Affairs health care would see their co-payment for a month’s supply of prescription drugs jump from $7 to $15.
      Those nondisabled, higher-income veterans would also pay a $250 annual enrollment fee to receive VA health care.
      “They are having difficulty meeting their recruitment needs now,” said Terry Schow, director of the Utah Division of Veterans Affairs. “Why this, why now?
      This isn’t the first time Bush has made these types of recommendations. It’s the third year in a row the president has attempted to establish a similar enrollment fee for the veteran health-care system. But in previous budgets Congress rejected the proposals each time.
      The budget would raise medical care spending from $21.6 billion to $22.4 billion, paid for by increasing the premiums for some veterans.
      “It is incomprehensible that our veterans will pay for the shortfall in VA health-care funding from their own pockets as tax dollars flow out the back door of America,” said Thomas P. Cadmus, national commander of the American Legion.

This my friend is not streamlining, it’s screwing the troops.

sicilianeagle,

“Benefit cuts dismay veterans

By Leigh Dethman
Deseret Morning News
      Military recruitment will suffer if President Bush continues to slash veterans benefits, a handful of veterans groups said Monday.

Deseret Morning News graphic      In his budget released Monday, the president targeted veterans health care on a variety of fronts. The co-payment for prescriptions for many veterans would more than double, and some would have to pay a new fee of $250 a year for the privilege of using government health care.
      With troops needed in both Afghanistan and Iraq and recruiting efforts dwindling, now is not the time to cut veterans’ benefits, said Bob Jones, state commander of the Utah American Legion.
      “I can’t find it in my heart to tell a kid a military career is a good career move because we are not taking care of them,” said Jones, who used to work as a military recruiter.
      If Congress approves the president’s budget, nondisabled, higher-income veterans seeking Veterans Affairs health care would see their co-payment for a month’s supply of prescription drugs jump from $7 to $15.
      Those nondisabled, higher-income veterans would also pay a $250 annual enrollment fee to receive VA health care.
      “They are having difficulty meeting their recruitment needs now,” said Terry Schow, director of the Utah Division of Veterans Affairs. “Why this, why now?
      This isn’t the first time Bush has made these types of recommendations. It’s the third year in a row the president has attempted to establish a similar enrollment fee for the veteran health-care system. But in previous budgets Congress rejected the proposals each time.
      The budget would raise medical care spending from $21.6 billion to $22.4 billion, paid for by increasing the premiums for some veterans.
      “It is incomprehensible that our veterans will pay for the shortfall in VA health-care funding from their own pockets as tax dollars flow out the back door of America,” said Thomas P. Cadmus, national commander of the American Legion.

This my friend is not streamlining, it’s screwing the troops.

Yassarian

Of course that is the standard in a court of law..Andre alledged corruption,and I wanted facts….which I didn’t get.

As for a lower standard for public discourse in proving guilt…please direct me to your source counselor.

Andre
Bush red-lined the budget or does the House of Representatives have the say?Let’s start there.

SE,

Huh? I need a source for that? You believe that people need legal evidence of the type admissible in a court of law just in order to believe something?

Maybe I didn’t explain myself well. I’m saying that when people are just talking or writing or whatever we’re doing here, we don’t need to obey the presumption of innocence, because there are no legal implications that proceed from my opinion about Bush.

And the point I was making, in attempting to answer your response to Andre, was that the best information we can muster, since BushCo has adamantly refused and avoided investigation or even simple transparency at every turn, is what we find in the press, which, of course, is never going to be good enough for a court of law. So demanding that type of evidence is ridiculous. There is plenty of evidence (in the non-legal sense) of corruption, however. But I’ll leave that to more assiduous posters. My point was only that you were making an unfair and unrealistic demand.

Yossarian

No matter.Semantics.Have a Merry Christmas.

SE,

I’d love to let this drop, but it’s not semantics. The problem with the tactic you employed was that it has a tendency of ending debate and scoring cheap rhetorical points, when really all it demonstrates is an inability to deal with the argumentative thrust of the position you’re opposing.

Have a fruitful winter solstice.

sicilianeagle,

“HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTE TO CUT VETERANS’ BENEFITS

From veterans affairs:

Washington, D.C. – “Yesterday, the House Republicans voted to reject increased funds for veterans’ health care in the war supplemental and today they voted to actually cut veterans benefits in their budget resolution. This is wrong,†said Lane Evans (IL), the senior Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee.”

The GOP and their master G.W. Bush do not support our troops.
Happy Holidays.
If you want proof of corruption I suggest reading the Congressional hearing testimony of Haliburton employees and the procurement officer for the Pentagon who said, “This is the worst abuse of the process I’ve ever seen.” or something very similar in nature.
I read the news,I watch the news, I investigate to the best of my ability, then I come to a conclusion.
I’ve never been to the moon, I’ve never measured the distance, but I’ve looked at it enough to know it’s far away.
Knowhatimean?
Torture
Eavesdropping using illegal and unconstitutional phone-taps
FBI investigating peace activists and PETA
Prisoners held indefinitely
extraordinary rendition
Government having access to your library choices.
G.W. says, “We’ve got to be fast on our feet, quick to detect and defend.” I agree.
Bush feels that the legal framework for domestic surveillance is too cumbersome.
We know that the system has a secret court that always grants emergency surveillance requests to the Federal government and that he could begin the surveillance three days prior to making the request.
Which means he could have acted quickly and legally. He chose not to, why?
Just asking questions.

SE,

I didn’t mean to offend. But I still think you should change your handel. Especially given the fact that you don’t care about facts.

Perhaps your new handle should be “Lemming.” After all, you seem to believe that George W. Bush is incapable of making a mistake or using incredibly poor and/or dangerous judgement — when the facts often prove otherwise. Plus, only a political lemming would state what you did a few posts back: “Amazingly many here seem to forget that the president is the commander in chief and this is war.”

No one has forgotten that, Lemming. What we are trying to point out is that this was a war of his choosing, based on bad intelligence, and that it hasn’t been going very well. Facts you keep brushing aside in favor of your opinions…as you did when Andre pointed you to many factual reports that Bush has indeed cut veterans benefits.

If this were North Korea you would no doubt be defending Kim Jong Il…simply because he is “The Leader.” And in this country, you seem unable, or at least unwilling, to grasp the fact that questioning our leader is not unpatriotic, but a Constitutional right. And that’s not an opinion.

David,

The big problem is that this Republican Congress does NOT investigate anything. Therefore, your assumption that the Federal Government would be bogged down in investigations is very misleading. That situation was exactly what happened with the Clinton Administration…they were bogged down by quite a number of false accusations from a Republican Congress.

Here are some facts:

Democrats on the Government Reform Committee said the panel issued 1,052 subpoenas to probe alleged misconduct by the Clinton administration and the Democratic Party between 1997 and 2002. The Democratic analysis found that those congressional probes cost more than $35 million. By contrast, the committee under Davis has issued three subpoenas to the Bush administration — two to the Energy Department over nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, and one last week to the Defense Department over Hurricane Katrina documents.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/17/AR2005121700992.html

The foundation of this email string is that there is no oversight and that reasonable questions are never answered. Also, the Bush White House has very few, if any, checks and balances to their actions. A Republican Congress that is willing to change parlimentary rules to force their hand (Nuclear option regarding Supreme Court nominees) certainly can’t be looked on as being anything but self-serving and highly partisan. Of course, since they’re a particular Party, they should be partisan…but they should also act within the rules set down over the years. Rules that have been significantly relaxed, by the way, when it comes to overcoming a judicial filibuster.

Magoo

Perhaps you don’t like my nom di internet…(something I frankly don’t give a shit about),but at least I am comforted that you in fact do have an an appropriate “handle”…Magoo…blind to the facts of this administration…blind in your anger and hatred of everything right of center…blind that your candidate didn’t win in 2004..blind in your hatred…. period.

You and those of your kind don’t give a shit that 25 million people are free today because of the presaident’s decision to wage this war.Time and again you (collectively on the left)betlittle this profound accomplishment.

Two countries Afganistan and Iraq elected governments this year.For many,it was the first time they went to the ballot box in their lives.

Of course,patriotism is hokey,isn’t it?It’s not cabernet,brie and Bruce Springsteen,is it?

It’s found on the back and blood of kids everywhere who don this nation’s colors to fulfill a job and a mission.

Facts?You want facts?Here,swallow this:Last year there were 16,200 homicides in the United States.Why aren’t you screaming about that?Want another “fact”.Here,swallow this:ZERO.That’s how many terror attacks have happened on this nation’s soil since September 11,2001.Want another “fact”?Here swallow this:There isn’t a god damned thing you can do about a change in the administration until the next election which is in three years.Want another fact my blind as a bat friend?You’re the lemming..not only that a blind one to boot.The hatred will eat you up.

SE,

Aren’t you the one always talking about “proving a negative”? Nothing happening for the past few years doesn’t prove anything. Could just be luck, especially in light of hte fact that the bipartisan 9/11 commission gave Bush a failing grade for homeland security.

“You and those of your kind don’t give a shit that 25 million people are free today because of the presaident’s decision to wage this war.”

Well, 25 million…minus 30 thousand, give or take.

Yossarian

No,that’s called deductive logic.The fact of the matter is that we are dealing with cold-blooded killers who want to kill us because what we stand for.

Again ,you know that.Watch Daniel Berg’s be-heading again to get the idea.

Yes,30,000 is a heavy price to pay,as is 2,200 US casualities and 10,000 wounded.

Tow weeks ago “cut and run” was the cause celebre du jour.Today it’s wiretaps.Anything at all except giving the president a little credit

sicilianeagle,

There have been no known documented cases of Martian attacks in the United States since Bush has been in office either.

I’d like to personally thank him for that right now.
Thanks G.W.

No matter what, you and I are fellow Americans. Your patriotism is admirable and I enjoy our chats.
Have a Great Christmas.

P.S.
You’re still wrong and I’m right. ;)

SE,

No shit, deductive logic? Don’t wax pedantic with me. I was cordial before that patronizing comment, but no longer.

Yes, the logical fallacy you are employing is a variety of “attempting to prove a negative” whose name escapes me, but this is the meat of it (I think maybe it’s called the “burden of proof” fallacy?):

The existence of a condition at a time when an event was not occurring does not prove that that condition was the cause of that event’s non-occurrence.

Andre pointed that out via his example. To give another: if I happen to sit outside on my front walk on a given day, doesn’t mean I can claim that I was the reason that nobody on my block got burglarized. As I recall, it comes from the fact that, in an argument, the burden of proof is on you to demonstrate the connection between the events, not upon me to disprove it.

Keep trying, though. I could do this all day.

Andre

In the true spirit of Christmas I will let you have the last word.

Have a Merry Christmas(I’ll be zooming off to Rome,then Sicily on business)so I am sure that on some other thread our swaords will again cross.

You’re right though..you are a good American…we just see things diferently.

Yossarian

Same.Have a wonderful Christmas and we’ll see you on the next thread.

SE,

Seems to me you’re the one being eaten alive by hatred. You’re the one with the potty mouth, not me. But I’m not surprised.You’re just following Dick Cheney’s example. Aren’t you, Lemming?