Recently in Howard Dean Category
This is your irony of the day. If you don't see it, I can offer no help for you.
Dean laments the fighting between Hillary and Barack as "too personal".
Also, there's this for the "selected, not elected" file:
"You bring both sides together and say, `Don't you think it's time that the two campaigns made a deal on how we're going to do this?'" Dean said.
As long as I'm catching up on my reading, why not share?
Here's a brief but illuminating history lesson from Gateway Pundit.
From this AP story about the DNC's weekly radio address:
"America had a great victory this week in the war on terror," Dean said in the radio address. "Key Democratic senators and representatives forced President Bush to give up the idea that six major American ports should be run by a foreign country.
Of course, anyone not comatose during the past week knows the truth. The Dems didn't force Bush into anything, and Dean is just lying his ass off again, taking credit for something his rudderless bunch of whiners couldn't possibly accomplish without adult assistance.
I hope the left remains in denial about Howie - he's probably the best thing that's happened to the GOP in years.
From Howard Dean on today's CNN’s Late Edition via press release:
“There are no Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff, not one, not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal is a Republican. Every person under investigation is a Republican. Every person indicted is a Republican. This is a Republican finance scandal. There is no evidence that Jack Abramoff ever gave any Democrat any money and we’ve looked through all of the F.E.C. reports to make sure that’s true…I know the Republican National Committee would like to get the Democrats involved in this. They're scared. They should be scared. They haven't told the truth. They have misled the American people, and now it appears they're stealing from Indian tribes. The Democrats are not involved in this.”
Why then, Howie, are they all scrambling to give all the tainted money away?
The Democrats feel they have found the proper "framing" of their message, hoping it will get them back into power:
Democrats Test Themes for `06 and `08
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - To hear Democrats tell it, an anxious and isolated public craves a sense of national community and would galvanize behind a leader who asks people to sacrifice for the greater good. John Edwards says he's that leader.
Wait a minute, so does Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. Ditto for Virginia Gov. Mark Warner.
Edwards, Vilsack and Warner, all likely presidential candidates in 2008, are toying with the same lofty community-and-purpose message. And that says as much about the sour mood of the country as it does about the state of the Democratic Party.
Wonder if anyone will notice that this is the same Democratic Party that has obstructed and undermined every single step the current administration has taken? And done so not out of committment to "community-and-purpose", but instead for cheap partisan politics? Will anyone take stock of what the Democrats have sacrificed for "the greater good" in the last five years?
How rich. If this is the best they can come up with, I say bring it on.
for good cheer, and Iowahawk serves up a barrel full in "POLL: 61% BACK TORTURE OF HOWARD DEAN".
As a side note:
Isn't it interesting that during the Christmas season, the leader of the party who counts among it's membership the people who would do away with the holiday becomes a surrogate for the usual Christmas traditions, at once delivering presents and answering prayers for Republicans?
From a press release by the Florida Democratic Party:
"With the President's latest PR campaign clearly failing, Republicans like Jeff Miller are now cherry-picking Governor Dean's words just like they cherry-picked the pre-war intelligence."
Hmm. Let's see what Jeff Miller said, shall we?
“Yesterday, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee said our troops can’t win in Iraq. Howard Dean effectively signaled to insurgents and terrorists everywhere that his party was ready to wave the white flag in the War on Terror.
For the sake of political gains, Dean’s Party has chosen to trivialize the sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made in Iraq. His Party has gone from attacking the liberation of Iraq, to attacking the Bush Administration, to attacking the Armed Services of this country and saying they cannot win.
Howard Dean’s comments were a direct attack on the morale of our military and border on treasonous.
Regardless of your opinions on Iraq, it is wrong to attack the capabilities of our military for the purposes of political gain. I call on Mr. Dean to resign as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.”
Just as a reminder, this is what Rep. Miller supposedly "cherry-picked":
"Iraq is a catastrophe for America and Americans will leave, it will only be a matter of time.
"I say to Bush: You entered Iraq with lies, you will lose Iraq and lie about it and you will leave with the pretext that you have completed your mission ... America only has to decide on the number of (troops) it wishes to lose before withdrawing."
Oops - I'm sorry. That was Al Zawahri. Maybe it was:
"...Iraq can not be won militarily."
Oops - Sorry again. That was Mothra. Here it is:
"We should follow the lead of Congressman John Murtha"
Sorry again - that was Nancy Pelosi. Lets try again:
the "idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong."
"I've seen this before in my life. This is the same situation we had in Vietnam. Everybody then kept saying, 'just another year, just stay the course, we'll have a victory.' Well, we didn't have a victory, and this policy cost the lives of an additional 25,000 troops because we were too stubborn to recognize what was happening."
Maybe the Florida Dems are right - Rep. Miller did cherry-pick. But Miller wasn't incorrect, just incomplete. It was wrong for him to paint Dean's remarks as out of step with the rest of the party - increasingly, it's becoming the unified party message. A message of defeatism, surrender, and hopelessness.
Via Yahoo/Al-Reuters, Al Qaeda's number two guy is insisting that Osama Bin Ladin is still in charge:
"I bring a message of joy to all Muslims and mujahideen that al Qaeda is spreading, expanding and strengthening. Its prince Sheikh Osama bin Laden is still leading its jihad (holy war)," he said in a video interview aired on an Islamist Web site.
It's getting increasingly difficult to determine who is writing the talking points, and who is simply repeating them, as Al Zawahri appears to be channeling Howard Dean:
Zawahri said the United States had suffered a defeat in Iraq and it was only a matter of time before it pulled out its troops.
"Iraq is a catastrophe for America and Americans will leave, it will only be a matter of time.
"I say to Bush: You entered Iraq with lies, you will lose Iraq and lie about it and you will leave with the pretext that you have completed your mission ... America only has to decide on the number of (troops) it wishes to lose before withdrawing."
I hope Howard is proud of himself.
Updated: Klause corrects me - Al Zawahri's statement does indeed pre-date Howard's. Thanks, Klause - good catch!
The point is still valid, though. And it's been pointed out by others, many times, the uncanny similarity between the talking points of the left and the rhetoric of the terrorists. Howard really needs to pull his head out and ask himself if he really wants to throw in with a bunch of murderous thugs before he opens his mouth.
If you can stomache something truly frightening and disgusting, check this out at Bare Knuckle Politics:
Be sure to check out the forum where there are more images and some terrific discussion.
Living in a hopelessly liberal state like Delaware, I hope that this doesn't start showing up in school libraries.
Via Wizbang.
Update (5:33 PM): And the fun starts.
You remember the fundraising drive the Democrats were having to put up billboards smearing Rep. Jean Schmidt?
At least for now, stopped dead in their tracks:
Company Blocks Ads Critical of Ohio Rep.
Lamar Advertising Co. of Baton Rouge, La., refused to put up two billboards in Portsmouth, Ohio, and another in Cincinnati with a picture of Schmidt and the following message: "Shame on you, Jean Schmidt: Stop attacking veterans. Keep your eye on the ball — we need a real plan for Iraq."
Turns out the folks at Lamar have a conscience:
Lamar's Huntington, W.Va., regional manager, Mark Watts, rejected the billboards criticizing Scmidt as a personal attack, said Hal Kinshaw, Lamar's vice president of governmental affairs.
And the reason they have a conscience? They're not moonbats:
In 2004 elections, it gave Republicans 70 percent of its U.S. House race donations and 60 percent of its U.S. Senate race contributions.
Thank God the folks at Lamar aren't those greedy heartless Republicans the left is always telling us about. They might have placed profits above morals and common sense.
Howard Dean, responding to the Murtha controversy, sent a letter to Democrats yesterday defending the former Marine. What's in it is fairly ordinary for this type of communication from Dean, lots and lots of mud-slinging against the Republicans. What's notable is what he doesn't include - there's not a word about what the fuss was really all about. Here's Dean's masterpiece of illusion in its entirety:
Dear Friend,
I want to tell you about John Murtha. He's a Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania. He's also a combat veteran and retired Marine Corps colonel.
Murtha spent 37 years in Marine Corps, earned the Bronze Star, two purple hearts, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. And for the last thirty years he's been one of the most respected voices in Congress on military issues -- universally respected by Democrats, Republicans and military brass alike.
Until now.
Republicans have disgraced themselves by viciously attacking John Murtha with such disrespect that not only veterans, but every decent American should be angry.
What did Murtha, a decorated combat veteran, do to draw fire from a White House led by a president and vice president who evaded service in Vietnam? He questioned their management of the war in Iraq. Here's part of what he had to say:
"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region. ...
"For two and a half years, I have been concerned about the U.S. policy and the plan in Iraq. I have addressed my concerns with the Administration and the Pentagon and have spoken out in public about my concerns. The main reason for going to war has been discredited. ...
"I have been visiting our wounded troops at Bethesda and Walter Reed hospitals almost every week since the beginning of the War. And what demoralizes them is going to war with not enough troops and equipment to make the transition to peace; the devastation caused by IEDs; being deployed to Iraq when their homes have been ravaged by hurricanes; being on their second or third deployment and leaving their families behind without a network of support.
Shameless Republicans immediately went on the attack. Dick Cheney, who has said that he had "other priorities" and collected 5 deferments while people like Murtha served in Vietnam, called Murtha's comments "irresponsible" and regretted that "the president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone." The White House spokesman, who has also never worn the uniform, pronounced himself "baffled" that Murtha, who volunteered for two wars, wanted to "surrender to the terrorists". A Republican Congressman said Murtha and others "basically are giving aid and comfort to the enemy".
Shame on them. Every one of us -- right now -- needs to let Jack Murtha know that we respect his service, respect his leadership, and respect his right to speak the truth. This man has spent his life serving us. The very least each one of us can do is let him know that no matter what dishonorable smear campaign Republicans wage we will be there with him.
Send Congressman Murtha a note telling him that you will not be silent while he is attacked:
http://www.democrats.org/shameonthem
I will deliver your message to him personally, along with my own thanks for his service to our country and his continuing courage in the face of threats.
Lies and manipulation characterized the Republican case for war, and lies and manipulation have been the primary weapon against anyone who questions their failed leadership.
First it was Senator Max Cleland, who left limbs in Vietnam, being savagely attacked in 2002. Then John Kerry, who received three purple hearts, being smeared in 2004. The history of this war has shown that Republicans value political posturing more than the service of America's veterans.
Republicans don't want a serious debate about Iraq because they know the American people are simply not with them. They cannot respond to the substance of Murtha's criticism -- or any criticism -- because they are wrong.
Jack Murtha is already fighting back. When told of Cheney's comments he reminded people where Cheney was while he was in Vietnam: "I like guys who got five deferments and have never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done."
But Jack can't beat this back alone. Show him that Americans know that Republicans should be ashamed of themselves:
http://www.democrats.org/shameonthem
Enough is enough -- we cannot allow another veteran to be smeared by George Bush's cronies.
Thank you for taking a stand.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
What he fails to pass on to the rank and file is the part of Murtha's statement that got everyone riled up - the part about immediate withdrawal:
"This is the immediate redeployment of American forces because they have become the target," said Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record), D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats.
"To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces."
"I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis. I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy."
Not everyone follows the news as closely as the average blogger, and I'm sure that many Democrats had not heard the whole of Murtha's statement, if any of it at all. Obviously Dean was trying to capitalize on it by omitting key facts which would have revealed the true nature of Murtha's "Cut and Run" message.
All this from Howie, who in the letter says:
Lies and manipulation characterized the Republican case for war, and lies and manipulation have been the primary weapon against anyone who questions their failed leadership.
Yet it's Howie using lies and manipulation to sway the voting public once again.
Well, Howard Dean noticed that President Bush made a speech today. Terrific speech, too. After months upon months of moonbats smear artists like Howie spewing dishonest bile, President Bush finally fought back. And Dean shows us he has no shame:
On Veteran's Day, a day to honor the sacrifices of Americans who have so bravely served our country, President Bush chose instead to deflect from the truth and resort to political attacks, even as more Americans now doubt his honesty and his ability to handle the war in Iraq.
"While the White House continues to shamefully stonewall and hide behind their attacks, Democrats will continue to press for the truth. The President ought to be ashamed of himself. With more than 2,000 brave Americans dead to date and tens of thousands more injured, the President ought to be telling the truth to the American people. Mr. President, the best way to honor our troops is to tell the truth about why they went to war and when they can come home.
"The fact remains that pre-war intelligence was manipulated and cherry-picked. Instead of trying to pass the buck to members of Congress, who like so many Americans were willing to trust their Commander-in-Chief, the President should tell the truth to our troops and their families about how they were sent to war. In a democracy, the truth is not withheld. In a democracy our leaders provide real leadership and do not hide behind political attacks.
"Democrats stand committed to our troops and their families. Americans deserve the truth and the answers to hard questions when it comes to the decision to go to war. We can no longer stay the course. Our troops and the American people need a comprehensive plan so that success can be achieved in Iraq and our troops can come home safely."
Note to Howie: When the President said, "The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America’s will.", he was talking about you.
Lets hope that Bush keeps it up. The Dems have the advantage of months of repetition, and their distortions and lies about Bush and their own actions in leading up to the war have convinced many. If Bush continues to put the message out, eventually many of those mislead by the left will hopefully come to recognize the truth.
By the way - Talking about using your soapbox on cheap shots for political gain, Dean released this under the header "Dean Honors America's Veterans and Servicemembers on Veterans Day":
"While Democrats are fighting to fund combat-related trauma centers, VA medical and prosthetic research, and programs to expedite the processing of benefits claims, Republicans in Congress have stood in the way. While Democrats are fighting to get full TRICARE benefits for all members of the Guard and Reserve, which would help thousands afford health insurance for their families, the Republicans in Congress have blocked this. And, while Democrats have fought against the Bush Administration's underfunding of veterans' health care by $3.7 billion, Republicans in Congress have refused to join us.
"Together, America can do better. Our veterans deserve better. Republicans in Congress need to put aside their broken promises and empty rhetoric about supporting our veterans and join Democrats in standing up for the brave men and women who have served our country. We owe at least this much to those that have sacrificed so much for our nation."
I figured it out, Howie. That line across your forehead isn't a wrinkle, it's a circumcision scar.
