Chronicling the McCain reversals

Maybe it can become a new play in the NFL - the McCain reverse, on two!

This is yet another great example of a McCain flip flop - this one on the dim-witted idea of privatizing Social Security. (I won't get into my thoughts on that right now.) Just add it to the long list of issues that McCain has reversed himself on in the name of political convenience (Read: What he thinks will get him the most votes.)

CNN's Jack Cafferty, no fan of President Bush or John McCain, took aim at McCain's flip flops the other day, and it's pretty entertaining.

Cafferty is right, too - McCain in '08 really is giving John Kerry in '04 a run for his money.

McCain could fill in a whole bunch of issues in the sentence that made John Kerry famous:

I was before __________ before I was against it.

So far, you could fill the blank in with Social Security privatization, offshore oil drilling, the Bush tax cuts, and a windfall profits tax for Big Oil. The list is growing and growing.

Ron Paul gives Rudy a reading list; Foreign Policy for Dummies should top it

While I'm in an anti-Rudy mood (when am I not?), I wanted to bring you this footage from CNN's Cafferty File.

As usual, Jack Cafferty takes aim at ignorant, arrogant or ill-informed Republicans; three hats that America's Mayor wears quite well.

In this footage, Cafferty gets viewer reaction to Congressman Ron Paul's assigning Rudy Giuliani a reading list. Paul's press conference really did make for good political theater, because it had the added value of being true.

Whoever wrote in and said that he was "sick and disgusted" and the hoots, hollers and wild applause after arrogantly trying to dismiss Paul's remarks about the root causes of 9-11.

I'm glad that Paul is not withering in the face of criticism from within his own party about the war. Paul represents a dying breed in American politics (much like Joe Lieberman) - minority voices that are not only afraid to speak out and to stand up to the leadership within their own party.

That takes political courage, and I applaud Paul for having something that most do not in contemporary American politics.

Cafferty jumps on top of McCain dog pile

A phony photo op like McCain's in a Baghdad market really could be a campaign killer. McCain's pic could have the same effect that the one below it did - Michael Dukakis' imfamous "Tank Photo," circa 1988. (Talk about a recipe for erasing a 20-point lead in the polls - this marked the turning point for Dukakis - he never recovered and got steam rolled in 1988 by George H.W. Bush.) Only time will tell if McCain's disastrous sojourn into Baghdad will have any lasting political impact. It could and should, but only time will tell if it will. We'll know about nine months from now, or maybe even sooner.

CNN's Jack Cafferty is one of the few reasons to still want to watch CNN. The network has fallen a long way since the 1991 Gulf War, when it was THE cable news network.

Cafferty offers up as good of a body slam of McCain as I've heard about his disgraceful, despicable, tragically hilarious trip to Baghdad. The only thing that would have made it better is if he would have flown in, bedecked in a flight suit, landed at Baghdad International Airport, jumped out and hollered, "Mission Accomplished!"

Take it away, Jack...



Photos from AP

Cafferty on checks and balances

I'm no longer much of a fan of CNN, but I do like Jack Cafferty - he usually is pretty cranky and very anti-Bush. (Boy, like THAT'S hard to listen to.)

This is a pretty good Cafferty screed about checks and balances. It's just a bit old, but certainly still relevant.

Iraq death odometer hits 3,000, & counting

So, there are now over 3,000 dead Americans in the name of Iraqi democracy, and it's our brand of democracy that we are trying to shove down the throats of the Iraqi people. There was no Iraqi Civil War until we came, but there sure is one now. In addition to all of the American blood that has been spilled, no one even talks about all of the senseless Iraqis who have been killed. Most people I know seem to think that the Iraqi people are disposable, that their lives aren't worth squat. And we wonder why people in the Middle East hate us so much.

I say one death in Iraq is one too many. Al-Quaeda wasn't there until we showed up, so now it's the "front line in the War on Terrorism." Gee, thanks for that nugget of wisdom, Mr. President.

One quick thought on our nation's spreading of Democracy. To me, it smacks of the Cold War, and is directly analogous to how we used to hate, detest and despise the Soviet Union for spreading Communism under threat of duress. You think that analogy is too far fetched? Take a quick read of President Bush's 2004 inaugural address, and it's not a difficult to see the parallels. I know it's long, but it really is worth the read. My comments follow:

On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.

At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical - and then there came a day of fire.

We have seen our vulnerability - and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.

We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time.

So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.

The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.

My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people against further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve, and have found it firm.

We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.

We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.

Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty - though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.

Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:

All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.

The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."

The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.

And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.

Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:

From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.

A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause - in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives - and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself - and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.

America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.

In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance - preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.

In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character - on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before - ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?

These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes - and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.

We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.

When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.

###

I have to admit, his speech seems much more scarier to me now than when he first gave this address. He speaks of democracy and freedom like it's some sort of cult or religion. It's not. Of course everyone in the world wants to be free, but it's not the duty of the United States, or our president, to make that happen. We can't afford to, religiously, politically, monetarily or culturally.

What's Our Oil Doing Under Their Soil?

Honestly, as you either heard about or saw pictures (and even the video) of Saddam's execution, do you really believe all of this would have happened if the circumstances were exactly the same, but in another part of the world? Anyone who thinks that oil wasn't/isn't at the heart of the War in Iraq needs a major reality check.

I'm no fan of CNN - I don't like the way their coverage has moved the past few years. Actually, the network has gone way down hill - their coverage is mostly a joke.

But, even CNN has its moments, and Jack Cafferty is one of them. His commentary is normally pretty biting, and it's always liberal, which means I usually agree with him. Following the 3,000th American death in Iraq, last week, Cafferty unleashed a blistering attack on the president on Wolf Blitzer's show, and I found it pretty poignant. More comments after the video...



I can't add much more to what Cafferty says here, other than to say that the comparisons to Vietnam are becoming more and more real by the day. Now, our military is going to send 40,000 more Americans to Iraq? That will do little more than increase the causalities. December '06 was by far the deadliest month last year.

Now, Bush has announced that he will replace all of the generals in Iraq, and he has already replaced his secretary of defense. That's just changing the cat litter. In the end, it's the animal making the mess is what needs to be taken care of, and that animal is the War in Iraq.

Hopefully, the Democratically controlled Congress can now do something about this war, from stopping it to finding out about the cooked intelligence that led us into this catastrophe in the first place.

The sooner, the better; thousands of American lives are tragically depending on it.

CNN's Cafferty rips Bush

Okay, I'm a bit behind on blogging, I know, but call it a post-election hangover. I just haven't had the energy the last few nights to write much, but I'm returning to form and will have lots to say this weekend.

Anyway, here's a clip of Jack Cafferty ripping the president right before the election, and in my view, rightfully so. Why? Because Cafferty lays out in pretty painful detail how the president has not kept his word - about "nation building," the reasons for the Iraq War, NSA spying, and on and on (the list could be much, much longer).

I'll have a separate post very soon about Bush's latest reason for the War in Iraq - OIL! As if, Mr. President. We knew it all along, you jackass, and for those of you out there slow to learn, go back and look at one of the only places our troops guarded when the Liar-in-Chief declared "major combat operations are over" under a "Mission Accomplished" banner on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. I'll save you the trouble - it was the Iraqi Oil Ministry, presumably because the oil was going to pay for the war. Three plus years, 3,000 American lives and $300 billion later, there ain't that much oil under all of Iraq to repay us the cost of this stupid war in blood and money.