Historians of early 21st century American politics will remark the degree to which radical forces, usually called neoconservatives, perverted language as recommended by the National Socialist Party in 1930s Germany. Continue to demonize liberals, blame them for all social and economic problems, and soon enough no one will be willing to admit to being a liberal. Claim that liberals and Democrats are too soft to combat terrorists and soon enough a majority, even in the oldest democracy on earth, will believe it. Open up entire electronic networks, such as Fox, and chains of radio stations, such as Clear Channel, and buy enough newspaper chains, and make all these media available to pre-programmed neoconservative ditto heads, and sure enough a subculture will emerge which distrusts its own government and believes that an entire political party is not to be trusted.
This has all happened before. And where it has happened, authoritarian government emerges.
Worst of all, a formerly "maverick" Republican, one who was sensible enough to understand the dangerous perversions involved in this radicalization of American politics, will find himself repeating the idiotic mantra that we are "fighting al Qaeda in Iraq so we don't have to fight them here."
John McCain knows better. I know he knows better. But it is appalling when a serious patriot like McCain is forced to fall into line with these radical perverters of language, one of the most dangerous things that can happen in a democracy, in order to lead a party that is so far off the mainstream rails that it will take decades to return to civility and normality.
If John McCain seriously believes we are at war with al Qaeda in Iraq, that alone is such a serious error in judgment as to rank him with George W. Bush at his worst and therefore disqualify him from any chance to govern this country.
John McCain is intelligent enough to know that our tragically flawed invasion of Iraq has indeed kicked open a hornets nest, a 1300 year old hornets nest of violent rivalry inside Islam, and that for us to put all the hornets back in the nest will take decades and trillions of dollars, that it will assure the decline of the American republic, and that it will represent a grasp at empire that would cause all of our founders to revolve in their graves.
Why then would he, a combat veteran, a courageous prisoner of war, permit himself to be captive to the perverters of language? Does he want to be president so badly that he will join that band of radicals who have seriously damaged American democracy, who have tortured and lied, who have twisted our very Constitution so wrongly that it is hardly recognizable?
I refuse to believe it. It is not the John McCain I have known for 30 years.
John McCain can redeem himself and redeem the soul of his party by admitting once and for all that what is flawed about Iraq is not our military strategy, not our lack of will, not our failure of national commitment. It is that we chose the wrong war at the wrong time with the wrong enemy. John McCain's problem is not al Qaeda. His problem is George W. Bush and the people he chose to advise him.
We will pay for their arrogance for years to come. Our 35,000 casualties are paying with their lives and their futures.
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Petraeus and Craker reported in April 2008 that there are 540,000 Iraq Security Forces,
the US has 140,000 Troops, Our Allies have 10,000. That is 690,000 and I think you have to add the Awakening Force (Sons of Iraq) which was reported to be 80,000 at $16 Million/Mo
If we continue this TERRIFIC PROGRESS it will take at least another 7 years to kill or capture the remaining 6000 Al Qaeda. ALL the other metrics will most likely follow i.e. another 4000 Dead GI's.
OOOPS I forgot, we have to continue fighting the CIVIL WAR until there is only ONE PARTY remaining. Then we will have come FULL CIRCLE.
Of course as a result of this great track record General Petraeus will be awarded the 5th Star by June 2008.
Jim Frego
in part to help cover up the supreme stupidity of the decision-m
Senator Hart knows that al Qaeda in iraq is only a few years old. The people killing our troops and the majority of Iraqis are Sunnis and Sadrists killing each other.
You are so wrong you have earned the right to send your kids to fight this war and to sell the two SUVs.
They aren't working just on the world economy, they are working on our Freedoms. Haven't you noticed a change in the Bush years? Freedom is not free, as they say.
I don't think Russia is a bigger threat than al-Qaeda. It's a little nuts to think that.
An enormous part of the electorate
McCain has not yet quite grasped the fact that his candidacy is the product of a deeply flawed Republican campaign. That he has any voice, is more the result of the Clinton campaign's erosion of the Democratic Party's moral high ground, than anything that his party has produced to date.
His platform is built on lies and corruption
Do the research my fellow citizen. One you do the research you can apply critical thinking skills to the data and perhaps then your comments will make more sense. At the very least they will be based in FACT.
Just try bringing up that point in a debate. His response will be something like
My friend, you can say a lot of things about me, but at least I know there aren't 57 states in the USA
Between Rice, Bush, and Cheney, plus the other assorted ideologica
I can't wait for the first debate
Answer: Yes. That may not be the McCain you knew, but you'll get a lot farther judging people based on THEIR actions and words than on YOUR beliefs. It's sad, but (everyone say it with me) "THE MCCAIN OF 2000 IS NOT ON THE BALLOT IN 2008!"
The unwillingn
Eric C. Jacobson
Public Interest Lawyer
Culver City, California
I already have difficulty posting an honest, moderate (no TOS violations
Since 2006, virtually every one of my postings gets the "sorry, but your comment cannot be saved at this time - please try again later" This has happened at all hours of the day & night - so I don't think it's traffic!