So Bush thinks we should have "stayed the course" in Vietnam. We'd now be in our 43rd year there with a million troops dead, because the North Vietnamese would have never given up.

Don't worry Bush...you did your part, there were no Viet Cong attacks on any bars in Alabama.

Everyone wants to speak to the VFW, which is commendable. However, if Bush tries to rally them around his failed attempt at being a savior in the history books, all it takes to dispell that untruth is to look at how he has thwarted attempts to provide proper support for the injured vets returning home. He has ignored all forms of counseling, mental health care and has been willing to ignore the seriously wounded through his cuts in services and benefits.

His war in Iraq is a total and complete failure and the sooner we all realize that fact and face the reality of what we have to do by exiting Iraq as soon as possible, we'll all be better off. Too much money has been wasted and unaccounted for in this most unholy of wars. Too many lives have been lost or damaged on all sides. Too many innocent children have been killed or scarred for life. Too many mistakes have been made in all areas of the execution and management of this war. Our policies towards POWs has been atrocious and immoral. Our real reasons for invading Iraq keep changing each time a Bushite is challenged.

The Bush Administration cannot concede defeat. They all have no concept of failure or mistakes. They have consistently led people to believe they are the chosen ones, the annointed ones, the holy ones.

May the VFW give Bush a cold reception for all these reasons.

Our president is an ass. If he is so concerned about what can happen when we leave Iraq (and we have to at some point, and when we do what all fear will happen will happen), then he should have thought about that before he went in. It's what happens when occupiers leave a conquered nation that was disunited before the invasion. The fact is, Bush and the boys don't give a flying fig about the Iraqi citizens and use the argument only to attempt to justify our continued involvement.

The pro-war conservative groups will have no better ammo than the absurd clip of Hillary defending the surge at the VFW event. That was pathetic.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Giuliani made the city safe for families? The fact is, the entire nation saw a dramatic reduction in violent crime. To credit Rudy with NY's crime reduction would be as ludicrous as crediting Bill Clinton with that of the nation. But Giuliani can certainly take credit for ridding the streets of those pesky squeegie guys, and forcing pervs have to walk a few extra blocks to watch their favorite porn movies. What a crock.

All politics aside, the best candidate is Hillary Clinton.  hillaryclinton.com

DID SOMEONE SAY GONZO-GATE ?

I provide you, the voter/reader, with the tools to enable you to, "fact-check", for yourself. Enjoy!

Whenever they post their, "opinions", ask, "Where did you get that information? could you please post the link?" Then you can go to the actual sources of their information. Almost all of the most current factual information on the candidates, the polls and the candidates finances and contributors can be found below. I will be posting this list EVERY morning and updating the sources as they become available. The best way to combat lies is with TRUTH. Here is your ammo pack!

http://www.fec.gov/index.shtml The Federal Elections Commission is where the candidates file the financial information for their campaigns.

http://www.opensecrets.org/  Opensecrets.org is "Your guide to money in U.S elections.


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/  Is THE source for political junkies, with links to every major political site on the right, left and center.


http://www.rasmussenreports.com/ is the one of the most accurate polling companies in the business, with daily tracking polls.


http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib.htm?o1=lib_composite&o2=asc#vr Has the voting records for all members of congress, and their Liberal/Conservative ratings.


http://votesmart.org/index.htm Here's what they say at the site;
Thousands of candidates and elected officials. Who works for you? Who is seeking your vote? Project Vote Smart, a citizen's organization, has developed a Voter's Self-Defense System to provide you with the necessary tools to self-govern effectively: abundant, accurate, unbiased and relevant information. As a national library of factual information, Project Vote Smart covers your candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and interest group ratings. What would you like to know?

Van

70% of population will continue to state the obvious that the surge will never work no matter how the neo-cons spin it. The administration will until they leave (not soon enough)continue with their fear mongering until history again repeats itself....going back to Alexander the Great who could not control what now is Iraq to the French and British who created the the country after  WWII. Certain countries will never be able to be so readily converted to a Jeffersonian democracy....Never going to happen! They have been fighting for centuries. So all you enablers can pretend that victory is just around the corner with your fixed delusions of grandeur and picture the Shrub waving the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BANNER PART 2.

W's comparison bewteen Iraq and Viet Nam is disgraceful.  I also believe from a scholarly standpoint the comparison is without merit.

Yes I said Gonzo-Gate, because it just isn't going to go away. Hi Alberto !

Give Dubya enough Bamboo, and he'll Punji himself.

"In the race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, Hillary Clinton continues to lead with 39% of the vote from Likely Democratic Primary Voters. Barack Obama earns support from 25% while John Edwards attracts 15% (see recent daily numbers). New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson earns support from 4%."

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/daily_presidential_tracking_poll__1

Clinton EQUALS the support of her two top rivals combined, and has been increasing her support each month.

"August is shaping up like the previous several months in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. New York Senator Hillary Clinton has built a bit more support than the month before while the other candidates remain essentially where they were (review week-by-week numbers)."

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/2008_democratic_presidential_primary

For whatever reason, neither Senator Obama or Senator Edwards have been able to get any traction in their campaigns, despite ramping up the rhetoric, and trying to highlight differences between themselves and Clinton.


Van

The more I hear from Biden, the more I like him.  I absolutely agree with what he is saying re: the primaries and caucuses.  There is a big difference between how politics is done in big, metropolitan states versus in smaller states like Iowa and NH, where we expect to get face time with candidates and we expect them to be substantive during that face time.  By bunching all these contests together, and states trying to be earlier than the next state, it is making it all about the money.  And when is it going to stop?  If MI moves up, will SC move up to in order to preserve its earlier contest, which is already forcing IA and NH to move once as it is.  

And not to coddle the candidates, but it's not fair to them either.  Realistically, they need to know where to devote their time and resources, and with all this leapfrogging that makes it somewhat difficult.  This all should have been handled months ago.  I know we say that the election cycle is too long, and I agree with that, but primary and caucus dates should be set well in advance and should not change barring some sort of emergency necessitating change.    

I think Louisiana has bigger problems then a mean nasty political race.  All the millions that congress has poured into the state and city of New Orleans after Katrina has gone to do nothing to protect the city.  Time Magazine had a very good story about it last week.  If Hurricane Dean has come ashore, the city would have been finished.

Dirties ads in history?   Obviously Stu Rothenberg is forgetting about Vernon Robinson.

If you were a democratic strategist, you couldn't hope for anything better than Dub, and his famous idiotic statements.  This one about Vietnam is no exception.  Just sit back and watch him make an idiot of himself.  James Carville must be giddy.

$9,000,000,000.00 (yes..$ 9 billion) a month to be in Iraq ,plus the loss of our brave soldiers. At the same time the Iraqi Parlement is on vacation. Does this make sence to anyone ?

I think President Bush should stay away from talking about Vietnam. This is not a positive subject for him.

IMO Vietnam is the perfect analogy.  Too bad none of the neocons understand why.

one comparison to nam and iraq is bush refused to serve in nam and his daughters refuse to serve in iraq.

El Presidente was SOOOO cute on TV yesterday, saying that it's up to the Iraqi people to replace Maliki if he is unresponsive the the will of the people. It was soooo precious! Almost like he believed the "will of the people" is somehow relavant to the removal of a useless and dangerous leader. In a democracy, maybe. Why would El Presidente Jorge be talking like that? OK for other, sink-hole countries, I guess.

We need to get the "hell" out of Iraq "now". End of Discussion !

van proclaims in all his faux wisdom "any attempt to strike a sharp contrast between the two on this topic is the overreaching of those who know very little about the two, and their stated positions."


vanreuter, NY NY / van can't you figure out that people are seeing hillary as the deceitful, cold and uncaring republican clone that she is and none of your incredibly lengthy carefully edited posts can change that? I'm sorry I forgot for a moment you want hillary nominated so rudy will win, please forgive me, hillary is good, hillary is great, you’re a deal van
MK,MO (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 1:07 AM)


vanreuter, NY NY / despite the incredible amount of false info in the posts you have made here, if you ask the question, the only question that needs answered, who is the candidate that speaks they're mind every time they are addressed with a direct question and sticks by their answer, it's john edwards, not hillary clinton, who has a workable plan to insure every working u.s. citizen, john edwards, who can get the moderate dems and independent votes, john edwards, who is the only dem that can win the general election, john edwards, who is a conceited loser here being paid to post elaborate cannon fodder, vanreuter NY NY, you’re so easy it ain't even fun chief, drag out the calculator and prove anything I have said not to be a fact
MK,MO (Sent Tuesday, August 21, 2007 11:19 PM)



vanreuter, NY NY / van in his self proclaimed infinate wisdom procaims "You are a negative voice that represents the worst kind of political mudslinging and dirty-tricks, whereas, I am informative and don't attack any of the democratic candidates", don't break your arm patting yourself on the back chiefy, van do you really think anyone believes that, your misson in life is faux worship of hillary, you are the man with all the polls and such, take a look at the posts on here and tell me hillary clinton is not the most polorizing candidate that has ever been, she is about as electable as jeffery dalmer, you can change the batteries in your caculator as many times as you want vanster, hillary still can't win the general election
MK,MO (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 12:06 AM)


vanreuter, NY NY / so you don't deny take'in a little cash from the repub's is what your saying, I ain't here near as much as you champ, hell it would take me half a day just to dream-up one of your posts, your most defiantly more imaginative than many, and more the deceptive than most, hang in there maybe you can get hillary nominated so she can hand the election over to rudy like you lust for so, good luck, I think I will vote for edwards since I really don't feel the same as you about rudy
MK,MO (Sent Tuesday, August 21, 2007 3:21 PM)

van, although you seem to have appointed yourself some type of an expert on all matters concerning everything, people still are going to have they're own opinion and interpretation of political matters, who's correct? do you think you should decide? most people don't have time to do in-depth research on each and every statement, someone that can devote those kind of hours to a political blog are normally doing it for hire, hillary has been a political insider her entire adult life, does that in itself prove unquestionably that she is corrupt and owned by the pacs and lobbyists, no, but it's probably proof enough for the average voter to suspect she is, so facts sometimes can be determined by circumstantial evidence, you and I both know hillary can't win the general election, and all the slick twisting of your alleged facts ain't going to change that chief, that’s why I believe you want the hillary nominated, because you know that will ensure your good repub candidate gets elected, hell hillary has the same agenda as the repub candidates fiancé the wealthy at the less fortunate’s expense

MK,MO (Sent Tuesday, August 21, 2007 1:41 PM)



vanreuter, NY NY / van you go on and on with concocted percentages and carefully trimmed tid bits, but after reading any of your excruciatingly long posts you come away saying "and the point is"? look you are obviously infatuated with hillary for some reason, let’s talk about that word "facts" why is hillary's healthcare plan the same as the repub's? it will do nothing to help insure the uninsured, but what it will do is insure the insurance and drug companies keep raping the american citizen, you will claim what? can't have anything to do with hillary taking truckloads of money from drug and insurance companies, edwards plan will cover all working americans while not unjustly burdening anyone, van your endless blathering about nothing does not fool anyone, hillary is part of the problem in d.c., not the answer, best change the batteries in your calculator, maybe then it will quit spitting out all that faux data
MK,MO (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 12:56 AM)


My GOD! You must be OBSESSED with me! Can you believe the number of posts in One Day?! Did you ever hear the phrase, "Me thinks thou doth protest too much"?
Probably not. If you can't rebut my posts with anything more than the empty blather above, why do you want to expose your own lack of anything reasmbling actual information to a group that with very few exceptions already KNOWS what you are?
MKmo you are EVERYWHERE all the time. Do you do anything else? I enjoy that you are so spooked by the truth that all you have is insult, schoolyard taunts, and idiotic insinuations to counter with.
I'll continue to post the truth and let EVERYONE know where they can find out too.
Now that your, "rebuttals" are there for all to see, I will now dismiss you. As Fez, from 'That 70's Show", says, "I say Good day to you Sir, GOOD DAY!"


Van

Bush is clueless, an idiot and a liar. The "killing fields" were in Cambodia not Viet Nam and were a direct result of Nixon's invasion of Cambodia not our withdrawal from Viet Nam. We, the US, I am ashamed to say, actually supported the genocidal Pol Pot regime to counter the Vietnamese.  Does he really want to dredge up our ignominious past?

One unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price  paid by millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like 'boat people,' 're-education camps,' and 'killing fields,is a price that would not have been incurred had we not engaged in a War of choice. We are making the same mistake in Iraq and the middle east due to the hubris and ineptitude of our current leadership.
The shame fest continues.

This "Wait for the Petraeus Report" rhetoric is kind of stupid and demeaning. Does the President get daily reports on Iraq or not? Should he know what's going on day by day? Or does he just sit around eating bon-bons waiting for this report? This talk about the Petraeus report is just another delaying tactic. We all know what the situation is. Some progress here, no progress there, no diplomatic progress, a few bombs, a few more US troops killed and wounded. Why should we be waiting and posturing for some stupid report? Does the Decider in Chief really think we're all sitting around, with baited breath, waiting for Petraeus to come and enlighten us?

Chuck and Mark -- I am going to make a prediction that with such an un-reality-based speech that is insulting to the intelligence of anyone who knows what actually happened with Vietnam, and veterans would know, that Bush will get the boos from the VFW though they may be too civil to do so.  PS: I was right predicting that neither Clinton nor Obama would be booed. Standing ovation for Obama.

Why is the media still calling it the Petraus Report when we have found out that it will not be his report after all?  I suggest calling it the Surge Status report.

I M P E A C H  B U S H ,  I M P E A C H  B U S H  .

Speaking as someone who's wife was a 'boat person' refugee and with a brother-in-law who was sentenced to a 're-education camp', I must say the lesson of Viet Nam is that:
             IMPERIALISM IS WRONG !!
We try to control and manipulate poorer countries and to steal their resources.

Another lesson is: AMERICA IS NOT ALL POWERFUL.
We're learning that in Ira1, right now.

If George Bush could have stopped doing those cocaine lines in the 60's + 70's he might have noticed that lying to the American people (Gulf of Tonkin, WMDs) is not a good way to build support for a long and arduous war.

At least, LBJ didn't politicize the war and try to use it to question people's patriotism.
in 2004 Karl Rove smeared Max Cleland (a paraplegic Viet vet who lost 2 legs and an arm in combat) by questioning hi patriotism in order to elect a cowardly draft dodger, Saxbe Chambliss.

We learned our lesson !!

Bush misses the fact that Vietnam is still communist,
yet a huge trading partner of the US.
Intel's building a billion dollar semiconductor plant there, we buy tons of coffee, textiles, etc from Vietnam.
The Vietnam war did nothing except kill millions of Vietnames and 58,000 Americans.

Per reporting on MSNBC this morning, Mr. Bush will be using language that his staff think the American people will relate to like "boat people" and "killing fields". How many civilians are dying right now? It is quite obvious to any intelligent human that a Viet Nam style withdrawl from Iraq would be catastrophic to the Iraqi people. Redployment is what Mr. Murtha laid out two years ago as a strategy, not complete withdrawl. The democrats should concentrate on honing a strategy that produces a positive result to Mr. Bush's mess in Iraq.  Mr. Bush, as the current commander in chief, should be talking about is how he intends to engage the rest of the world in helping solve the Iraq conflict along with the wider Middle East problem. The logical course is a massive UN investment in peace keeping forces in the region. The neocons of course demonize the UN and argue for their precious United States franchise in Iraq, which is quite profitable for their shareholders and quite costly for the American people at large.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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"In South Carolina’s Democratic Presidential Primary, the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Hillary Clinton leading with 38% of the vote among Likely Democratic Primary Voters. Barack Obama attracts 30% of the vote while John Edwards is a distant third at 13%. Joe Biden earns 3% and Bill Richardson 2%."

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/south_carolina_clinton_38_obama_30

Read the whole article for yourself. Don't let other people FILTER your news. Go to the sources. Read for yourself. Become an informed voter.


Van

So Ari and company are spending millions to continue lies about the surge working...

Bush and company will arrange a tax cut so that we the American taxpayer will fund those commercials.

Oh, and by the way, it's not the Petreaus(SP) report, it
s the white house report that Petreuas reads to congress.

Unfortunately, George Bush spent the 60's in a drunken stupor of sexual orgies and cocaine addiction
That qualified him for the Texas Air National Guard.

He probably can't remember much of anything that happened during the sixties.

When filling out a required National Gurad form, Bush was asked if he wanted to serve overseas. He checked the 'NO' box. Then, he went AWOL to do 'campaign' work instead of fulfilling his military obligations.

Thus began the legend of George Bush, the American Napoleon and conqueror of Iraq !!

George Bush is not very smart and he should refrain from speaking in public.  He is a disaster to my fraternity DKE and has done nothing to indicaate he graduated from high school.  I am much smarter than him and have no business being president other than the fact I belive in integrity, honesty and ethics, something that is totally foreign to Bush.  Can't we find a real man or woman to be Presdent?   Instead of some neo-convict?

Bush tells the VFW convention that history will prove that the Iraq war was the right move. Whether the veterans group considered this statement an insult to their intelligence was not reported. If they are stupid enough to believe him, then his trip there was a waste of time, because the Repubs already own the vote of the brain dead. I'm interested in knowing why the Repubs want back in the White House in light of the fact that they have just proven themselves unqualified for the job. As far as history proving him right, I believe future history books dealing with the decline and fall of the American hyper-power will note that the war with Iraq was among the major causes for America's decline and that Bush was the worst president in American history. Neither Bush, his children, or his grand children will live long enough to hear historians praising the Bush years and the Iraq War. He may still be on this trip where he believes that if he says something, that makes it true.

If shrub was not so stupid you could almost pity him. He is so delusional it is God awful scary. We must get Congress and the House to send the men in the white coats after him. Then impeach, next ship him and all his thugs to Iraq, do not give them any guns or body armor.

GWB worst president EVER!!

I wonder who lines up the speakers for the VFW convention?  So far the only guest speaker who could be a member is John McCain, none of the other speakers so far have ever served in the military on foreign ground during a war.
Of course I guess they could apply for membership by membership of a spouse or parent.  I am a member, that is how I came in, under my Dad - who actually served in the South Pacific during WWII.  And being a member by association I sure would not accept the honor of speaking to these brave folks who were actually in a foreign war.

Sure, the Vietnam/South Korea analogy will actually backfire on Bush.  We were lied into Vietnam, and it became an exercise in futility, which we had to leave sooner or later.  As always when we step in, stir the pot, and the  step out, thousands of people loyal to the U.S. die.  The same is happening in Iraq, and the same end will---must---occur.  It's horrible, but war is always an open-air lunatic asylum, and almost always ends badly.  In Korea, on the other hand, we have only kept the North from swarming south by babysitting the Koreans for fifty years, at huge expense.  Do we really want to do that for the Iraqis who cheer when they see U.S. soldiers die, and a government that gets angry when we actually attack its allies?  I don't think so.  So, neither analogy works very well for Bush.

How dare that coward president compare the Iraq war with Vietnam - a war in which the coward himself used his father's influence to GET HIM OUT OF!!!! This lying, low-life has really got a helluva lot of nerve to invoke Vietnam. Impeach this criminal while there's still time and give him the legacy of shame that he deserves.

"Does he think we should have stayed in Vietnam?"

I'm sure if the shrub had actually gone to Vietnam and taken Darth Vadar with him, he'd have an entirely different point of view.  

Someone needs to tie and gag that bozo Bush. He is not fit to grub for worms.

ok,let's impeach ! bring it on !

First Read, is everyone sleeping today or is something wrong with your site or server?  I have no comments to any of the articles and it's almost 12:30 p.m. Kansas time.

Just do it ! i m p e c h  t h e  i d i o t  B u s h .

vanreuter, NY NY--Let me say, Van, that the quality and the depth of your posts are very impressive and humbling.  Most of us, myself and LynMD included are not even a pimple on your ass as far as clearly expressing ourselves. But we try in our own sad and pathetic way to express our opinions.  Thank you, by the way for your wonderful "ammunition pack" posted in another thread.  You should really be charging.
I do wish you wouldn't expend that ammunition so easily in the direction of fellow members of the loyal opposition. It's almost as if you are making sure everyone knows that there is a mighty train moving down the track and its name is Hillary. And that we had better jump on board or get out of the way. The danger that you and other "train enthusiasts" run is that a lot of people won't jump on board but will just get out of the way. The other danger is that our opposition, which according to many polls has a great deal on animosity for your "Train", will rise up in great numbers on election day and pull the switch that derails her and a bunch of congress folk that chose to ride...in the club car of course. And there we will be.
You should be working in Hillary's war room...maybe you are. If so, roll hard over the opposition but keep an eye out for those of us with the same color jersey that are just trying to figure this out. You will  need us in the General election. Your Train has high negative numbers.

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:31 PM)


"...But we try in our own sad and pathetic way to express our opinions."
Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:31 PM)

Your eloquence and apparent sarcasm belie your deference and humility, sir. Why on earth would you include yourself with someone who writes;

"BTW..this is America and people can dislike and HATE her if they like.  On top of that they have the right to speak out about it true or not."?

I would suggest that you try reading my stuff again, as my, "ammunition", is reserved, as it should be, for defensive and retaliatory purposes, not to, as you say, "...making sure everyone knows that there is a mighty train moving down the track and its name is Hillary. And that we had better jump on board or get out of the way."

Where do you get that from, the FEC website? The comparison of the candidates finances?
Responding to attacks on Senator Clinton (and sometimes myself) from those, prominently represented by LynMD, who espouse hatred and enmity  that seems far beyond the pale of simple politicking or promoting the views of their candidate?

I'm not out here slamming anyone's choice. I am promoting mine. If, in doing that you feel that I have somehow offended you, I would appreciate your guidance as to where and how, so that I may be a better advocate and better reach, "those of us with the same color jersey that are just trying to figure this out." as I wholeheartedly agree that, "You will  need us in the General election."

As to my status; I am a private citizen with no ties to any campaign, but I am flattered at the number of (mostly critical) readers who have mistaken my work here for that of a political professional.
Whoever you support in the primaries, it is obvious that it will be a well-considered decision, based on the above. I hope that we can all get aboard whichever train wins the current race, and that we can ride that train to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2008.


Van

Impeach Bush, Lets get it started. Impeach Bush.

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