July 22, 2007
Jul 22 01:18 Franken on Republicans: They're Afraid of Me Jul 22 03:45 Betwixt & Between Jul 22 08:50 Right On Time Jul 22 09:57 Thanks to Sen. McConnell Jul 22 10:23 Death, Destruction in Iraq Jul 22 10:55 Another Instance of Media Coverup? Jul 22 11:53 Winning Hearts & Minds?
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Prior Years: 2006
Franken on Republicans: They're Afraid of Me
Believe it or not, that's an almost verbatim quote from 'Saturday Night Al'. What started as a
"The people who are saying these things have not heard me speak," Franken said. "They're repeating what Republicans say. You know what? They [Republicans] are scared of me. Because I'm serious. Because I'm passionate. Because I'm not a windsock, like Norm Coleman. They're afraid of someone who connects with people, who has been speaking out on these issues for years."Franken is the gift that keeps on giving. His mouth is his worst enemy, which speaks directly to the type of legislator he'd be in Washington. This nonsense that he's "been speaking out on these issues for years" is utter nonsense. He's clueless about lots of issues and he's wrong on the rest of the issues. He accuses "the people who are saying" things about him as "repeating what Republicans say." NOTE TO AL: You sound like a puppet playing the Daily Kos's sheet music. That might fly in MN-5 but it won't play in central Minnesota or in rural Minnesota.
There's a reason why most polls show Coleman with a 20 point lead. It's because Ciresi and Franken aren't taken seriously by voters. Franken's litany of hateful quotes from his Air America days will convince people that he isn't a 'good government liberal'. Those quotes will convince people that he's a hateful jerk who will focus on the MoveOn.org agenda, not on Minnesota's priorities.
"National Democratic insiders are very hopeful about winning this seat," said Washington political pundit Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report. "But they, like everyone else, recognize that the two top candidates in the race have some downsides, some weaknesses."That's putting it mildly. I'd rephrase that to say that they're worried sick about their options.
"There's clearly some concern among Democrats in Minnesota, and I think nationally about whether there will be a credible candidate who can really take on Coleman," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.NOTE TO PROFESSOR JACOBS: Minnesota Republicans know that neither candidate is capable of coming close to defeating Sen. Coleman.
The reason why they can't is because Sen. Coleman has shown himself to be a serious policymaker who's worked with people on both sides of the aisle. Franken definitely hasn't shown that capacity. He's a bombthrower. PERIOD. In fact, he'll never be taken seriously on policy matters because he doesn't want to be serious about policies.
Franken and other Minnesota Democrats have tried tying Sen. Coleman to President Bush, which won't be easy. They've tried several times to tie Sen. Coleman to President Bush, only to have MDE expose the DFL's ineptitude.
Some fret that Franken's colorful history of beyond-edgy laugh lines and rhetorical aggression may not wear well with everyday Minnesotans. His acerbic wit delivers talking points with style but makes some leery of verbal grenades that could backfire on the first-time candidate.Gee, ya think??? MDE has made a living this year exposing Franken as a bitter man who doesn't hesitate in spewing the most vile things imaginable. People would be wise to learn something fast: Telling off-color jokes isn't something that Franken does. It's part of who he is; a vile, petty man.
Franken isn't worthy of serious political consideration. Thus far, it's obvious that Minnesotans have figured that out.
Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007 1:18 AM
Comment 1 by Fake Michael Brodkorb at 22-Jul-07 09:35 AM
Dude you are wrong about Jacobs. He knows no Democrat has a chance against Normy boy. See my recent blog post on the subject, natch!
Betwixt & Between
Based on this Time article, Democrats are finding themselves having to thread an ultrafine line on Iraq. This illustrates things perfectly:
Can't we please stop the war?" Eugene Gabriel implored Congressman Jason Altmire, shouting over a singer belting out Beyonce's Listen at the annual New Castle fireworks festival in western Pennsylvania. "That's what I wrote on my donation envelopes to you, both times, $200 a pop."If I were Mr. Altmire, I'd be more nervous about getting re-elected next fall than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Most of the seats that Democrats picked up were in swing districts. Such districts frequently reject ideologues. It doesn't help when Congress is earning the reputation of not getting the people's business done. That's something Pelosi's Democrats seem to specialize in.
The freshman Democrat leaned into Gabriel's ear to make sure his response was heard: "We tried, but [President George W.] Bush vetoed it." The Democratic strategy, Altmire explained, was to keep the pressure up by continuing to schedule votes on Iraq and hope "that more Republicans will go to the White House and say, 'We can't do this anymore.'" The reply didn't quite mollify Gabriel, 49, a financial adviser who calls himself pro-life, pro-gun but antiwar. His son Michael, 22, is in the National Guard in neighboring Ohio; half of his division is expected to be deployed to Iraq in 2008.
Two hundred feet and 20 minutes later, having weaved his way farther into the crowd, Altmire faced another question about "the mess in Iraq," this time from William Proch, 71, a retired steelworker. But when Altmire again mentioned Bush's veto, Proch grew angry, accusing Altmire of being "in lockstep with [Speaker of the House Nancy] Pelosi, putting our troops in danger." The lifelong Republican voted for Altmire in 2006 after GOP ethics scandals left him wanting a fresh face. But because he also wants more troops in Iraq, not fewer, Proch is feeling buyer's remorse.
This isn't something that's confined to congressmen living in swing districts. This is likely to spill over into presidential politics, too. In fact, I'll predict that the party that does the best job addressing the anti-war, anti-defeat demographic will be the winner in November, 2008.
It was against that backdrop that Pelosi announced her plan to hold a series of votes on Iraq this month, one each week throughout July. The Democrats' strategy of slowly winning over GOP votes to their side has already shown some success, as witnessed by recent efforts by Republican Senators John Warner and Richard Lugar to hasten the White House's timeline. Democratic leaders are also counting on the fact that public opinion continues to turn against the war. "This issue is a much more challenging problem on the Republican side," says Chris Van Hollen, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who is tasked with making sure those freshman Democrats hold onto their seats in November 2008. "There's a consensus that people want to change direction on Iraq."Based on this quote and his appearance on FNS last week, I wouldn't put much stock in van Hollen's answer. He's a natural born spinmeister who isn't in touch with America. While I agree that people want a change in direction, Democrats think that that new direction is toward unilateral defeat. Democrats haven't believed in American exceptionalism since the 1970s. In this instance, they think that America's wanting a change in direction means that America wants defeat and chaos.
It hasn't dawned on them that America wants to win. It hasn't dawned on them because they refuse to believe that America has always loved winners. If Democrats cater too much to the Kos/MoveOn wing of the party, they'll experience some pain in November, 2008.
"All you do is fight and don't get anything done," Proch told Altmire, slapping his jeans-clad knee with a rolled-up program. Proch said he's frustrated that Democrats are trying to dictate timelines to Bush, whom he trusts more to handle the war. When I asked Altmire about Proch's criticism in an interview, he grew visibly frustrated. "I don't know how to respond to that because we're doing the best we can to address the issue that he's concerned about," Altmire said. "And we're getting no help from the Republicans, and we're certainly getting no help from the President. How's that our fault?"Mr. Altmire, it's your fault because you're pursuing a policy that the people reject. Yes, you're addressing the issues most important to voters but you're choosing the wrong side of the issue.
Altmire's district stretches west from the Pittsburgh suburbs to the Ohio border. In 2006 he wrested the congressional seat from three-term incumbent Melissa Hart with just 52% of the vote. The district should vote solidly Republican; on the same ballot, former Steelers football star Lynn Swann, the Republican challenger to Governor Ed Rendell, won by more than 20 percentage points. But the time was right for Altmire, a pro-gun fiscal conservative whose sandy hair, hazel eyes and freckles make him look far younger than his 39 years.Saying that "I can't imagine people wanting to go back to more of the same" isn't a smart thing to say to a national audience. I'm betting that Republicans will run against Altmire and other Democrats by saying that America can't afford another do nothing congress. I'd doubt that voters won't vote for a "more of the same" do nothing congress.
The narrow win, by just 9,798 votes, has made Altmire a top target of Republicans. Swann briefly flirted with the idea of challenging Altmire but announced last week he would not, opening the door for a rematch with Hart, who told local papers this month she plans to run again.
Altmire welcomes the rematch. "I can't imagine people wanting to go back to more of the same," he told supporters in front of the Ambridge Pic 'n Save supermarket, flashing his boyish smile. Altmire is betting that the votes on Iraq will not only bring around Republican lawmakers but also turn the tide of public opinion on the war as a whole. When General David Petraeus' plan to add more than 30,000 troops to stabilize Iraq was announced in January, Altmire's office was fielding calls split down the center for and against the so-called surge.
Betting your political career on the hopes that people will suddenly switch to his side of the Iraq war following Gen. Petraeus' testimony seems risky at best. I wouldn't want to stake my political career on that.
Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007 3:46 AM
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Right On Time
A day after the Strib ran an article saying that DFLers were nervous about their senatorial candidates, Nick Coleman has penned a column saying that he was wrong for earlier writing a column praising Norm Coleman. Now Nick is saying that Iraq will become an albatross around Sen. Coleman's neck, among other things:
Norm is hoping to win a second term after soaking up the home-state limelight at next summer's GOP Convention in the Twin Cities. By convention time, though, he may find himself having to sink or swim with Iraq tied to his ankle.Nobody in their right mind has accused Nick of being a political analyst. That won't change anytime soon after reading this column. As I said here, Norm Coleman will get re-elected because (a) he actually thinks policies through, (b) he works well with others across the aisle and (c) Al Franken, who will be the Democrats' candidate, is a thuggish Neanderthal ideologue who is totally in step with the Daily Kos/MoveOn.org crowd but who isn't in touch with Minnesota's agenda.
Democratic opponents like Al Franken have begun not-too-subtle campaigns to saddle Norm with the increasingly unpopular war. Despite the naked politics of that effort, Coleman's refusal to turn against the war, as some of his Republican colleagues have done, makes him ripe.
NOTE TO NICK: Minnesotans want their senators and representatives who'll do their business, not an extremist who spews the most bigoted, mean-spirited things imaginable. They don't want someone who ignores their priorities while being an uninformed bombthrower who won't get things done for Minnesota.
No Nick Coleman column would be complete with a dose of over-the-top rhetoric. Here's today's serving of it:
Six months ago, I praised Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman for seeming to back away from the Kool-Aid vat on Iraq. I spoke too soon. The Iraq quagmire has gone from bad to worse, but Norm is still wearing a Kool-Aid mustache.The Iraq quagmire? I feel sorry for him. He hasn't picked up on the fact that people can search the internet, read articles from around the world & find out the truth about what's happening on the ground in Iraq.
We know that there's still work to be done but we also know that significant progress has been made in former AQI sanctuaries like Ramadi and Baqouba, Diyala and Anbar provinces. We know that Sunni sheikhs have turned against AQI terrorists because AQI terrorists killed their families.
As for the "Iraq...has gone from bad to worse" part, is it too much to ask to have Nick Coleman get the facts straight instead of automatically putting in print the DFL's talking points? Now who's drinking the Kool Aid?
Of course, the Pentagon might achieve consistency by extending all deployments to the length Minnesota's soldiers served. That won't help. The problem is the regular Army is overextended, the National Guard has been abused (and its strength in many states depleted), all to prop up a last-ditch effort to keep Iraq from falling apart in a civil war.Operation Arrowhead Ripper is a last ditch effort to keep Iraq from falling apart? I thought it was a brilliant plan put together by the foremost authority on counterinsurgencies. I thought it was working nicely, thank you. Why let a few facts on the ground get in the way of a seemingly endless stream of ad hominem attacks, right Nicky?
Most of the troops are home, and Coleman is in a tough fight in which his opponents are trying to tie this miserably misbegotten war to his neck.It's now officially reached intellectually insulting. Sen. Coleman currently holds a commanding 20 point lead. But Nick Coleman wants us to believe that Sen. Coleman is "in a tough fight"? Certainly, there's work to be done but I don't think Sen. Coleman should start panicking just yet.
This should be a lesson to everyone that just because someone writes for a formerly major metropolitan newspaper, it doesn't mean they're sane. It just means they're 'adept' at spewing that newspaper's talking points.
Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007 8:51 AM
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Thanks to Sen. McConnell
That's the title to this Washington Times' editorial. It does a great job of laying out the great week that Republicans had thanks to Sen. McConnell.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had come under heavy fire last month for his handling of the immigration bill, has performed heroically in recent weeks on several issues, including the war in Iraq, the "Fairness Doctrine" and enemy combatants. In doing so, the Kentucky Republican has been notably successful in advancing conservative principles and illustrating the incompetence and intellectual bankruptcy of the Democratic leadership.It doesn't exactly take a miracle to illustrate "the incompetence and intellectual bankruptcy of the Democratic leadership" these days but it's always a welcome thing to read. Let's get to the particulars though:
On Wednesday, thanks in large part to Mr. McConnell's leadership, Senate Democrats came up eight votes short in their effort to obtain cloture on an amendment to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 120 days. During debate, Mr. McConnell drove home a point that was clearly embarrassing to Democrats: that even Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin could not explain how his own amendment would work.That isn't just a minor oops. That's a major blunder. Of course, the Agenda Media hasn't printed a word about it.
Sen. Harry Reid, clearly angered by the fact that his latest legislative attempt to undermine the war effort had failed, responded petulantly, pulling the defense authorization bill from the floor. By doing so, the majority leader is holding up funding to assist wounded war veterans, and to provide mine-resistant trucks to protect American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. In short, Mr. McConnell helped expose the fraudulence of Mr. Reid's argument that the Democratic Party opposes the war but "supports the troops." In reality, Mr. Reid and his political allies demonstrated that they are more interested in scoring cheap political points against the war than in improving conditions for American fighting men and women.Washington Democrats are intellectually challenged at best. They're backstabbing, hyperpartisan politicians at worst. Right now, I'm leaning towards the latter rather than the former. Reid's pulling of the entire Defense bill shows a lack of seriousness in getting the Senate's business done. They've shown where their priorities lie. They're only interested in undercutting the Bush administration. They can't be bothered by doing the American people's business. They certainly can't be bothered with doing what's right for our military.
I've been watching politics for 30+ years. In that time, I've seen several disgraceful, shameful congresses. In that time, though, I've never seen the Senate ignore the American people this consistently. This Reid Senate is an abomination to the great deliberative history of the Senate.
In the past, I've seen do nothing congresses. This year's version hasn't just done nothing. They've looked like idiots doing nothing. They're a total disgrace.
People know that I've been critical of the DFL-dominated Minnesota legislature. I'm still standing by that. That said, they're looking somewhat competent compared with Reid's Senate.
Late on Thursday, he persuaded the Senate to pass by a 94-3 margin his amendment to an education bill which put the Senate on record in opposition to moving Guantanamo Bay detainees to military bases and jails inside the United States. The vote came as a surprise because many Democrats, among them Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, view shutting down Gitmo as a great international public-relations move (even if it means that terrorists would be moved into jails located near American cities and towns.) Apparently, the Democrats hadn't bothered to read the McConnell amendment, so it passed easily.Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for not having a clue what a bill contains. It's their job to know this sort of stuff. But they clearly don't. If they knew what they were doing, they wouldn't have let this sense of the Senate measure pass.
Last fall, I ridiculed Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi for being the most incompetent party leaders in House and Senate history. I haven't seen a reason to change that opinion. If anything, my opinions have been reinforced.
It's obvious that the American people have figured this congress out. They're giving them the lowest JA ratings in history because Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have proven that they're interested in petty retributions but they aren't interested in debating serious legislation that will improve American's lives.
That's something voters will remember in November, 2008.
Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007 9:58 AM
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Death, Destruction in Iraq
The good news is that, according to this BlackAnthem.com article, it's the bad guys doing the dying:
Coalition Forces conducted a broad operation south of Baghdad, raiding 10 buildings in search of a terrorist who is reportedly a Shari'a judge and cell leader for al-Qaeda in Iraq. As the ground force approached the first target, a Coalition security team saw two armed men taking up tactical positions against the force. Coalition Forces, reacting appropriately to the hostile threat, engaged the two armed men, killing them.How many more such reports need to be reported before Democrats will acknowledge that Operation Arrowhead Ripper is working? Let me rephrase: Will an endless stream of improving conditions in Iraq cause Democrats to admit that Arrowhead Ripper is working? At this point, I don't see it happening.
As Coalition Forces secured the series of buildings, they detained 16 suspected terrorists who are believed to have ties to the targeted individual. Coalition Forces raided five buildings in the city during a raid targeting an al-Qaeda in Iraq cell leader there. As the ground force cleared the buildings, one man armed with an automatic weapon attempted to maneuver into a position to assault the force. Coalition Forces, reacting appropriately to the hostile threat, engaged the man, killing him.
The ground force detained 10 suspected terrorists on the scene for their alleged involvement with the al-Qaeda in Iraq cell.
Though it doesn't mention who commanded these troops, it's worth noting that Gen. Lynch is in charge of that general region. Suffice it to say that he's doing a terrific job thus far.
Coalition Forces captured an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq financial emir and four of his associates during a raid east of Ramadi. Intelligence reports indicate the targeted individual is also a close associate of an al-Qaeda in Iraq emir and recently returned from Syria, where he allegedly facilitated the supply of weapons to terrorists in Iraq.The Democrats' attempts to portray Iraq as a hopeless quagmire are disappearing with each positive report. At some point, they'll be forced to admit that it's working. If they don't, they'll look like they aren't interested in the truth. They're slowly approaching that point already.
Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007 10:24 AM
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Another Instance of Media Coverup?
If you haven't started questioning the media's coverage of Iraq, you have to start seriously questioning them now. I'll bet you didn't read that reconciliation talks were held in Taji in the NY Times lately.
Sunni and Shia tribal sheiks from the Iraqi villages of Aqar Qaf, Bassam, Salamiyat and Fira Shia moved closer to reconciliation July 16 here during a meeting facilitated by the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment.While Democrats in Washington talk about Iraq only meeting 8 of the 18 benchmarks, stories like this go unnoticed by the Beltway media. That's where I come in. I actively look for stories that talk about developments like this. I'll look for them each day. That doesn't mean that I'll sugarcoat things, though. If I see negative things happening, I'll report that, too. Let's return to the real story:
The sheiks, who are putting aside their differences to band together to end violence and bloodshed in their villages, met to discuss ways to start neighborhood watch programs made up of volunteers to protect their communities and improve the security situation there.
"This is the first time in more than three years that these tribes have sat down to talk-leaders from the west side who are Sunni and those from the east which are Shia, said Kamper."Though the American people are yearning for faster progress, long-lasting measures that lead to the stabilization of Iraq take time. They require the types of meeting that's being reported here. Though the progress is slow, it is measurable and significant.
"This has been a very positive step on their parts, and it's important to have them involved in the government process that will lead to volunteers providing security for their own villages," Kamper added. "It has been the result of about six weeks of work to bring them to the table and for this first meeting we're offering them a neutral ground here on Camp Taji."
It's my contention that we'll look back 5 years from now and recognize the value of these reconciliation meetings.
During the meeting, sheiks determined that each village will be responsible for providing its own volunteers for security within their own respective village. There will also be areas, or fault lines, where combined Sunni and Shia volunteers will work in places that borders for villages overlap and areas such as on bridges and at traffic control points.The significance of that paragraph can't be underestimated. Once cities and people take ownership of a situation, things improve. When supposedly opposing groups work cooperatively, that's an even better sign.
The reconciliation of the sheiks will open the doors for villages working with the Iraqi government and coalition forces to pursue future projects to improve the quality of life for villagers. "There has to be a stable security environment or we won't be able to make any great progress with service projects," said Kamper. "(Reconciliation) will build a foundation for working service projects and issues. When the Sunnis and Shia can come together and agree on security and it improves, eventually we will be able to fix water and work other projects and begin making dents in the services gap."Notice the importance of military and security forces in laying the foundation for future infrastructure projects. Democrats argue that "there isn't a military solution to Iraq." I've repeatedly modified that statement to say "there isn't a military-only solution to Iraq." This article proves who's right and who's wrong.
The next logical question that must be asked is which political party is best prepared to keep this progress going? I'd submit that that question is settled at this point.
Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007 10:56 AM
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Winning Hearts & Minds?
That's what appears to be happening thanks to things like this:
Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized) led a combined operation with Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment to bring medical care to the people living here July 15. During the event, more than 400 local citizens were treated for mainly minor ailments at a local school. Iraqi Army medics, an Iraqi Army doctor from the 4th Brigade, 9th IA Div. (Mech.), several medics and physician's assistants from both 2nd Bn., 8th Cav. Regt. and Charlie Medical Company, 115th Brigade Support Battalion treated everything from patients with minor burns to colds, ear infections, headaches and cuts.John Murtha complains about how our occupying Iraq is hurting our chances to win the Iraqis' hearts and minds. I'd argue the opposite is true. I'd argue that events like this are helping win over hearts and minds. It isn't difficult to imagine the gratitude Iraqi parents must feel when the US Military heals their child of a major medical problem. You can't convince me that this won't have a profound impact on their opinion of Americans.
Occasionally patients arrived with major injuries or ailments such as major heart conditions as well as a child who had a severe form of spina bifida, a genetic neurological disorder.
"What we're doing here is basically like a sick call for local nationals and for anything beyond those capabilities there's a system by which we can refer them to hospitals," said Maj. James Rice, physicians assistant for the 2-8 Cavalry, who hails from San Antonio, explaining that there is a program for treatment sponsored by the Iraqi Ministry of Health. "(For major illnesses) they can fill out an information sheet through which they are enrolled in a consultation program, referring them to a larger hospital in Iraq or outside Iraq in a neighboring country.
"Obviously there's an overall contribution to our mission by doing things like (the joint medical effort) to help build relations with local nationals and it lets them know that we're not about violence, but rather about helping people," said Rice. "One of the most important things that we've been doing has been working closely with the IA medics and the IA doctor here, and this is an important step towards handing over this mission to them so they can transition, and the only way for that to happen is for them to take the lead, and get out here and do these types of things."
It's time that Democrats and their Agenda Media allies stopped ignoring these things and started acknowledging the impact things like this will have on Iraqis. It's pathetic that the media that for years rationalized nothing stories by saying that "The American people have a right to know" now won't report each aspect of what's happening in Iraq.
Thankfully, bloggers like Michael Yon, websites like BlackAnthem, GOE and Vets For Freedom are getting the word out. When they do, I'll be there to spread the word even farther.
As this information starts filtering out to the American people, their opinions of Democrats will change. That change won't be for the good, either. When people read these articles, they'll know that the Agenda Media has lied to them through their omissions.
Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007 11:54 AM
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