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Jim, Washington, D.C. — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:44:48 GMT

Edelman was such a weasel that Bush had to go around a skeptical (Prepublican!) Congress and do one of his infamous "confirmations while Congress is out of town".(ANOTHER good reason Congress should not leave town for so long.) How did this neocon dimwit get to write Clinton back at all? Recklessly calling the likely presidential candidate of the opposition party the equivalent of a Jane Fonda clone ought to get this guy the ax in a sane (i.e., non-Bush) world. I agree someone leaked it, and it couldn't have been the feckless neo-cons of Edelman's stripe. But now that it's hot news and Clinton has sent a letter directly to Bob "I cry alligator tears but won't pull the troops out" Gates, Edelman's boss, the ball is in Gates's court as to what to do with this facist little weasel. My guess will be nothing. Or maybe he'll get a Medal of Freedom from Bush, like every other screw-up in hsi administration has.

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Jim, Washington, D.C. — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:44:54 GMT

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jerry/corpus christi texas — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:46:42 GMT

Mission accomplished my foot! Hillary voted for the war, no matter how much spin you seem to put on it, her vote is on the offical record. Hillary just needs to sit in the back of the bus and let the military do the driving! Just keep running on your record of leaving no post office unnamed and stick to doing whatever it is you seem to do best.

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Yiannis, Baltimore — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:50:25 GMT

I'm surprised noone here noticed Ted Sorensen's piece at the New Republic on the similarities between JFK and Barack Obama.

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jerri fan — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:57:40 GMT

jerri you the girl, go girl go

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RH Oregon — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:00:40 GMT

Did I miss something? Here I thought President Bush had been elected as Commander in Chief. Hillery needs to sit back and shut the hell up. Like it or not she voted to go to war and she is not in charge of running it. Flapping her jaw to the media is nothing except feeding the media. To bad for New York she does not put the same effort into being their Senator. But the Clintons have always been self serving crooks.
Im with Fred dotcom

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MK,MO — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:04:33 GMT

romney should have a fish named after him as much flip floppin as he does, one with a lot of different colors on it like his $1200+ a week face paint, classy cat that mitt

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Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:18:18 GMT

That's the letter? Oh, sheesh. You got to be kidding me.

You know, the sad thing is Clinton actually might shore up her "anti-war" credentials with this, especially after Olbermann last night. I wonder how many will actually follow the link and read what it says.

Anyway, I can't take Clinton seriously on this issue because I still don't know whether she thinks the initial decision to invade Iraq was the right call or a mistake. I know what the other candidates say, but not her.

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mikeeg,adn,wa — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:26:30 GMT

rh oregon you missed the part of freedom of speech in the Constitution of the USA.

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leon — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:26:48 GMT

First, I watched the debate where Hilary said we were safer now and I choked. OMG, these guys would have never been able to commit 9/11 if the airlines had been forced to place stainless steel doors and deadbolt locks, but of course that wasn't cost effective. No one wanted to talk about the greed involved. I mean I flew 20 years ago with just a curtain between me and the pilots and thought that it was just crazy to be able to get to the pilots like that. Terrorism has seen a 45% increase across the globe since the Iraq campaign started and our National Guard is over there not here where we need them at home.

Secondly,I cannot trust any reporting Gregory does anymore after seeing him dance with rove, bush and co. at the press club dinner. That came across as an endorsement. Does any one remember the video bush made about looking for the WMD in the oval office? That was crude and showed a complete indifference to the young men and women dying in Iraq. Where are the photos of bush with head in hands trying to figure out the next move? We can debate politics again in a civil fashion but surely we can agree that bush's actions have been irrational.

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juan,ft lauderdale,fl — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:32:39 GMT

Come September....no November.....no the Iraqi army will be in place to take over in the spring of 08...come to think of it the political situation between the Sunni/Shia will be much better in fall of 08. Does all this sounds like a broken record? YEP! While more Americans die(5 yesterday) for partisan politics, obstinence and arrogance. The final say will be voters in 08 when the democrats re-take the presidency and increase their majority in the congress. For all you right-wingers out their...catch the lastest CBS/N.Y TIMES whereby 63% strongly believe that Hillery will be THE NEXT PRESIDENT based on the fact that a hlthy majority of women will vote for her. Get used to it!

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Ravine Force, Kissimmee, FL — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:37:10 GMT

Talk about some foolish posts. A member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee who requests plans for withdrawal be addressed, gets a response from a political hack questioning it? If no plans are made and there is a withdrawal, what happens then? Are we going to witness our forces dumping the choppers into the Gulf, or the equipment set ablaze in the middle of the desert? Lack of planning will yield such scenes, see Viet-Nam.

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Brad, Madison, WI — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:37:26 GMT

Go read Federalist paper 69. It was anticipated and intended that Congress would have major power over the waging of war. The President is specifically denied the powers to declare war, to raise funds to wage war, and to make regulations for the conduct of the military forces. That Clinton votes approval for the President to utilize force does not in any sense indicate that she or Congress must "sit back and shut the hell up." Bush has bungled the war and US foreign policy. Congress has the power and duty to assert authority over the war in Iraq, and over all military matters. It's built in to the Constitution and is intended to prevent a King-George-like president waging an unneeded war. Congress failed their responsibility and duty when they delegated their power to Bush (something not authorized by the Constitution) but Congress surely is not under any obligation to continue failing. The need to shut up is more in the Executive branch.

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GONZO-GATER — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:37:51 GMT

"GONZO-GATE" IT JUST WILL NOT GO AWAY.

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C. Williams — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:56:59 GMT

Don't mention Iraq? This reminds me of the hilarious German episode of Faulty Towers where Nigel (John Cleese) keeps saying "Don't mention the war!", with the hilarious result being him goose-stepping out of the dining room. I can only hope we get the same result from either Thompson or Romney. It will be bad for them, but fun for us to watch.

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Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:03:53 GMT

But Brad, the Defense Department just responded to a senator's request for information. Are you saying it shouldn't have responded?

I'll grant you the response is lacking. There isn't much a plan there. That's been a crticism of this administration all along, and a valid one in many circumstances. But the letter does seem to reflect the position of the administration pretty well, and not in the tone that Keith Olbermann (and presumably the Clinton campaign) would like us to believe.

This is much ado about nothing. And "nothing" right now also describes what I know about Clinton's thinking with regard to Iraq. She's trying to mask her lack of substance on this issue by creating the impression that she's at the vanguard of the fight against the Bush administration on the war.

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RH Oregon — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:06:11 GMT

My intent was to say she should 'shut the hell up' in regards to talking specifics to the media. There is a line that a government official (Rep or Dem) should not cross in speaking to the media. She has every right and the responsibility to ask those questions. But she absolutly should not be relating them to the world wide media. You and I have no 'need to know' the withdrawal plans of the US military. The way Hillery and her partner Reid use the media for their own ends is discraceful. I also hate the way that every media story now days has 5 disclaimers that their sources are "said under condition of anonymity" "not allowed to talk to the press" it invalidates everything said. There is no concience left in the media or our officials.

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bob NY NY — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:06:20 GMT

the day GWBush and his warmongers leave the white house
and go home it will be a day of deliverance for America a day of celebration for the entire civilized world.
A big portion of crime committed against humanity will stop with them.
GWBush can try to hide but he can only run right now...

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Yiannis, Baltimore, MD — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:07:51 GMT

Brad from Madison, WI.

As you know it's pretty clear from the constitution that congress funds the war. They can de-fund it at their own pleasure. They are elected like the president is.

So it's clear that the *constitutional mandate* of the congress trumps whatever federalist paper you ever want to quote.

This is a democratic republic, NOT a kingdom.

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RH Oregon — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:12:11 GMT

Still waiting for Hillery to have a original idea. The war is the best thing that ever happened for her. I gives the Dem's something to harp on. She can't talk about improving the economy, it's running pretty good. All I hear is negative's on the Pres, but nothing positive on what she would do.(outside of single handedly ending the war). By the way what has she said about her plan once the Jihadist's can focus all thier efforts on mainland America?
Im with Fred dotcom.

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juan,ft lauderdale,fl — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:12:15 GMT

BRAD-right on!

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Edwin — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:12:43 GMT

Sad state of affairs, when you get an ignorant pencil pusher, making command decisions for Congress, the Bush administration and the corruption behind it, now tries to regulate Congress to a subservient branch. Americans need to take back their government, and stop letting an incompetent clod tell the other checks and balances they don't count.

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Doug, San Diego CA — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:14:25 GMT

The republican candidates distancing themselves from Bush is going to be exactly as effective as Gore distancing himself from Clinton in 2000.

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Edward, Tampa, FL — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:14:33 GMT

"She voted for the war." "He voted for the war." No matter how you put the spin on it ... Under the circumstances and from what was told to the U.S. Congress, I would have voted for the war at the time as well. However, we now know that the Bush Administration LIED, LIED, LIED, LIED, LIED, LIED about the intelligence reported to the American public. Secretary of State Colin Powell resigned from his position -- isn't that a big enough CLUE for all of you "spin" people to realize that an intelligent man like Powell knew to get away from the lies. And as for those of you who keep calling anyone who questions the war in Iraq "unpatriotic" and not supporting the troops ... I'll just say that <B>I SUPPORT THE TROOPS, BUT I QUESTION EVERYTHING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAYS AND DOES</B> in relation to Iraq now ...

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Jim, Washington, D.C. — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:14:50 GMT

Did I miss something? I thought we were a CIVILIAN government. Maybe a military junta took over while I was asleep. All that stuf about "by and for the people" and "a nation of laws and not men" comes down to "Hilary, shut up and let the generals do their thing"? Since when did generals overrule civilians in Congress? AS usual, the neo-cons seem to haved never had civics class in high school. Maybe that's why they have so little regard for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (NOT Bill O'Reilly, Bill o' RIGHTS, remember?)

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Mudfish, Blue Springs, Florida — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:15:43 GMT

We are all strong enough to endure the sacrifices of others

Forget the 9/11 Commision Report. We are battling "evil," so just shut up and enjoy your war of zero shared sacrifice.

After all, it's only about 150,000 troops and their families (less than 1% of the USA population) who are making the sacrifices over and over and over . . .

You have a campaign pledge of "no draft," a war tax cut, and zero calls for conservation of any kind.

So endure it.

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Desmond — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:20:51 GMT

C.Williams or "I know nuthin'"-Miguel waiter on Fawlty Towers

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Davis Hall, Antonino, KS — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:21:29 GMT

William Shakespeare said, "There is tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; on such a full sea we are now afloat; and we must take the current the clouds folding and unfolding beyond the horizon. when it serves, or lose our ventures."

The tide is NOW, so "GO FOR IT" Daily Kos and "LET THE BEST MAN WIN".

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HP, Kansas — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:22:41 GMT

This is a lot to read, but worth the time

by Mark Derewicz

A distant country mostly unknown to Americans. The United States is at war. The military takes the capital city and captures the foreign leader. The president announces “mission accomplished.” Rebels raid American strongholds and supply lines. The indigenous Muslim population, hardly loyal to the fallen leader, resents American occupation. Despite inferior firepower, the insurgents don’t surrender. A guerrilla war sets in.

Meanwhile, anti-imperialists chastise the American press for keeping quiet on the war’s immorality. They accuse the government of stealing natural resources. Soldiers torture captives. Locals want Americans out. Terrorism grips the region. The world watches America on the hot seat.

Sound familiar? Nope, it’s not Iraq; not even the Middle East. All this happened a century ago in the Philippines.

Tim Marr, assistant professor of American studies, was conducting research for his forthcoming book when he came across century-old accounts of American encounters with the Moros, a diverse group of indigenous Muslims in the southern Philippine Islands. The Moros fought Spanish colonizers for three hundred years before the Americans took the Philippines at the turn of the twentieth century. Quarreling with the Moros, it turns out, was like stepping on a beehive. The United States, with little colonizing experience, didn’t know how to react. The resulting ten-year occupation, according to Marr, is eerily similar to current events in Iraq.

“This was really the first time Muslims were absorbed into American national territory,” Marr says. “All of a sudden there were these Muslims who were difficult for Americans to understand.”

So the United States created a military bureaucracy with little regard for Moro political aspirations, culture, religion, or history. But the government could not fully control the Moros. Thousands died, and American involvement had political consequences still evident one hundred years later.

Marr says he wants to peel away the reasons why the Moro situation, like the one in Iraq, got so messy. The Moro wars were more than military conflicts, Marr says. They were cultural conflicts with implications few people have addressed. More than anything, Marr wants to hear from the Moros themselves, which very few Americans have done.

“I’d love to get access to Moro culture but I can’t right now,” Marr says. “It’s basically a war zone where I’d like to go.”

Still a war zone after four hundred years. And still, the United States is in the thick of it.

It all started in 1898 when the United States won the Spanish-American War and claimed the Philippines. Filipino leader Emilio Aguinaldo, who was supported by many Filipinos, declared independence in 1899. The United States declared war—the Philippine-American War. Aguinaldo chose guerrilla warfare due to superior American firepower. After he was captured in March of 1901, the Americans quickly pacified the northern islands and organized a Filipino civilian government more in tune with American definitions of democratic principles.

According to historical accounts, American soldiers killed at least 250,000 Filipinos in three years, most of them civilians. Soldiers tortured and either hanged or bayoneted to death civilians under suspicion of supporting the rebellion. According to historians of this era, soldiers commonly raped Filipino women and girls. The military burned down entire villages and sent thousands of Filipinos to concentration camps. Of the 120,000 American soldiers sent to the Philippines between 1899 and 1902, over 4,200 died—ten times the Spanish-American War death toll.

mission accomplished
Incredibly, Marr says, most historical accounts of the Philippine-American War end with Aguinaldo’s capture. President Theodore Roosevelt declared the official end to the insurrection on July 4, 1902. True, the insurrection was quelled in the north. The Moros, though, live in the south.

At first, Americans and Moros were not at odds. The Moros remained neutral during the Philippine-American War, after which they did not attack Americans. U.S. military advisors and Moros posed together for photographs, and the U.S. government initially agreed to steer clear of Moro business as stipulated in the Bates Treaty of 1899.

The treaty, though, was set aside in 1904. Instead, the United States created the Moro Province and used the military to control it.

The Moros resisted American occupation for ten more years, which saw some of the most brutal U.S. military victories of that era. Two such encounters are now better known by historians as massacres or slaughters. The first came in 1906 when American soldiers killed nine hundred Moro men, women, and children trapped in the crater of an extinct volcano called Bud Dajo. The second happened in 1913 when Moros opposing General John Pershing’s disarmament order took refuge in another volcanic crater called Bud Bagsak. Americans killed over five hundred Moro men, women, and children. Fourteen Americans died.

President Roosevelt wrote to commanding officer General Leonard Wood after Bud Dajo: “I congratulate you and the officers and men of your command upon the brilliant feat of arms, wherein you and they so well upheld the honor of the American flag.”

Marr says these encounters weren’t really battles. He found that the craters were actually traditional gathering places where Moro men, women, and children would assemble when threatened. “This assembling was perceived by the Americans as a challenge,” Marr says. American policy was to kill or capture anyone who opposed U.S. control. “But in these massacres, the killing predominated over the capturing.”

A U.S. Army poster shows a romanticized view of the four-day battle of Bagsak Mountain on Jolo Island in the Philippines, June 11-15, 1913. Americans of the 8th Infantry and the Philippine Scouts, led by Brigadier General John J. Pershing, ended years of bitter struggle against the Moro “pirates,” the poster says. “These Bolo men, outlaws of great physical endurance and savage fighting ability, were well organized under their Datus, or chiefs. They had never been conquered during several centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines. The U.S. Army .45-caliber pistol was developed to meet the need for a weapon with enough striking power to stop fanatical charges of lawless Moro tribesmen in hand-to-hand fighting.”

Mark Twain and other anti-imperialists lambasted not only Roosevelt but silent editorial writers and men in the field. In his personal journals, Twain called American soldiers “Christian butchers” and “uniformed assassins,” two descriptions most anti-imperialists refused to use. Throughout the decade, American soldiers killed over fifteen thousand Moros armed mostly with knives and swords, if at all.

Few Americans learned about the Moros in school, but Marr believes it’s time for some homework.

“There are two lessons,” he says. “There needed to be clear understandings of the implications of bringing these people, who had never accepted Spanish rule, under U.S. control. And second, if you are going to get deeply involved in other people’s territories, you’d better understand their cultures.”

american amnesia
Ironically, the Philippine-American War was called “the forgotten war” until the Korean War usurped the title. The Moro-American War, meanwhile, is buried even deeper in what Marr calls “American historical amnesia.”

Marr doubts the Moros have forgotten. Military records show that Moro women and children sometimes watched conflicts from a distance. In 2002, Filipino filmmakers Sari Lluch Dalena and Camilla Benolirao Griggers codirected a documentary on the Moros called Memories of a Forgotten War.

“If I could write my own passport, I would be standing on the lip of that volcano on the one hundredth anniversary,” Marr says. “Because my deepest desire is to understand what effect this massacre had on the people themselves.”

Twain and other anti-imperialists believed that the United States could have avoided war, just as today’s antiwar protesters believe the Iraq War was avoidable. According to Marr, three of five American peace-treaty negotiators did not want to acquire the southern islands after the Spanish-American War. Marr says, “This was one moment when something could’ve been done differently: asking, ‘Was this territory really something we should incorporate? Was the south really part of the Philippine national body politic?’ Because that’s still the Moro problem today.”

The government did not heed the recommendation. The United States had its eye on the plantations of Mindanao, the second-largest and best agricultural setting of the seven thousand Philippine islands. “Economic development was not a motivating factor for taking Mindanao,” Marr says. “But there were visions of what could happen there if that island became a tropical American space where people could relocate and make money.”

Such hopes were dashed due to Moro warriors, who gained a legendary reputation among soldiers for bravery.

According to Marr, “Moros struck terror in the American military partly because of sabil, a practice in which the Muslim would take an oath, shave his body hair, bind his body tightly to staunch bleeding, and then attack American soldiers with swords before giving up his life. It is from this—the contemporary form of suicide bombings—that the idiom ‘to run amok’ entered the English language.” Amok is a Malay word meaning “out of control.”

Marr added that Moro jihadis killed soldiers even after soldiers had shot them several times. This led the U.S. Army to adopt the more powerful .45 caliber revolver as standard issue. Despite Moro resistance, swords were no match for artillery. The United States was winning, and soldiers summed up American foreign policy with the punchy mantra, “Underneath a starry flag, civilize ’em with a Krag.” The reference was to the Krag-Jorgensen rapid-fire rifle, the likes of which the Moros had never seen until the war.

This photo, taken during the conflict, depicts a Moro Datu in dress and head-gear typical of the period. The rifle is the American Krag-Jorgensen, issued to American troops. The revolver and cartridge belts also may have been captured as booty. Typically, Moro warriors were armed with the kris, a broadsword made for slashing. The kris worn here has an ornate white handle. Image courtesy of george@arco-iris.com.

Due to this military difference and the Moros’ darker skin color, soldiers lumped in their enemy with Native Americans. Soldiers called Moros “the Apaches of the Philippines” and said, “The only good Moro is a dead Moro.”

“The easiest thing to do was to fit the Moros into existing racial categories of how Americans understood race,” Marr says. “But that was inadequate.”

Popular culture was infiltrated with caricatures of Moros. George Ade’s popular 1903 operetta, The Sultan of Sulu, featured a Moro leader in what Marr calls “opulent orientalist clownface.”

The operetta features soldiers singing verses:

We want to assimilate if we can
the brother who is brown
We love our dusky fellow man
and we hate to hunt him down
So when we perforate his frame
we want him to be good
We shoot at him to make him tame if he but understood.

Marr says that many Moros resented being controlled by “a small population of transient Christian Americans.”

The United States implemented taxes and a civil court system, both of which bypassed Moro traditions. Soldiers raided Moro forts. Many Moros, feeling threatened, attacked. This further agitated the conflict, which eventually led to General John Pershing’s disarmament campaign. Some Moros resisted that, too, which led to the second massacre.

The Americans handed over the Moro province to Filipino civilian control in 1914, but the Moros continued striving for autonomy and independence throughout the twentieth century. Catholic Filipinos from the north, though, migrated to the south, claiming land. They gained political control, and this still adds fuel to the fire today, Marr says.

Marr adds, “It’s fascinating to consider how to create a nation that federates ethnic differences in a way that the nation can hold together.”

The same problem exists in Iraq, Marr says. British and American troops are trying to maintain order in traditionally distinct regions with various political, cultural, and religious desires.

“The Philippines have been able to hold on to the southern territory and resist the separatist movement by giving them more autonomous control,” Marr says.

the united states returns
American foreign-policy makers, according to Marr, currently think that the southern Philippine Islands are the new post-Afghanistan training grounds for Islamist terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. After 9/11, the United States deployed one thousand military officers to advise and train Filipino armed forces to help defeat another threat, Abu Sayyaf, labeled a terrorist organization after it kidnapped tourists and Christian missionaries. The United States also considered sending three thousand troops, but did not because the Philippine constitution does not allow foreign troops to engage in combat there. The United States was also busy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Philippine government is still dealing with the Moros. Marr says the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is the latest group trying to unite Muslim areas into a homeland called Bangsamoro.

According to Marr, the MILF signed a cease-fire with the Philippine government in 2004 and is presently negotiating a new political agreement. This includes a renewed push against Abu Sayyaf and its leader Khaddafy Janjalani, who has a five-million-dollar bounty on his head thanks to the United States. The MILF is supporting the Filipino Army in a new offensive against terrorists that began in the summer of 2005. Meanwhile, the United States is providing intelligence and communication support and has sent military advisors and former soldiers under contract with the Pentagon to support Filipino efforts. The MILF, though, opposes any U.S. military involvement.

Of course, not all Moros are in the MILF. Moros, like Muslims in general, don’t toe a company line. And many of them are interested in working together, Marr says.

History might not repeat itself in the Philippines. Moros might not be massacred in volcanic craters in 2006. But Southeast Asia, not the Middle East, is home to most of the world’s Muslims. This, along with collective forgetfulness, creates a recipe for renewed conflicts.

“The fact that Moro history is not known is the real Moro problem—the amnesia that we have about the United States dealing with the Islamic world,” Marr says. “This knowledge is crucial if we want to engage with Muslims in a mutually beneficial way.”

Timothy Marr researched the Moro problem this past summer with assistance from a Spray-Randleigh Fellowship. He has presented his research on the subject at American studies conferences in Ottawa, Canada; Auckland, New Zealand; and Hartford, Connecticut. He plans to continue his investigation this spring with a trip to the Army War College archives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and hopes to travel to the Philippines as soon as the southern islands are removed from the U.S. State Department’s restricted-travel list. His book, The Cultural Roots of American Islamicism, is due in July 2006 from Cambridge University Press.

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Carrie, Eastern Iowa — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:23:13 GMT

Leon - Man, you need to lighten up a little bit. Gregory endorsing the Administration? The press corps dinner is a rare occasion when people who are often on opposite sides (the press and the government) are able to relax and let off some steam. It's not a sign of any sort of alliance. Enough with the conspiracy theories.

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Scott in South Texas — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:27:24 GMT

bush and them don't think we "need to know" anything except what they want us to believe for their benefit.

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RH Oregon — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:27:44 GMT

Bob NY NY,
To bad the whole world is not civilized then we would not feel the need to take the fight to them. The Islamic Jihadist have been on the attack against America for the last 20 years.
Your crimes against humanity statment is hogwash. America and our leaders, past and current, have always led the good fight. You may not like the current situation, nobody should, but it is better than the most of the alternatives. I'm betting you subscribe to the notion that the White House knew about 9/11 and did nothing..
The world is not civilized, they don't all love you for your peaceful notions, several of them would slit your throat and dance in your blood, just because you advocate freedom.
Our country is the best the world has yet produced.
Do not demonize our leaders, when you could not walk for a minute in thier shoes.
God Bless America.

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Carrie, Eastern Iowa — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:28:35 GMT

Yiannis - The Federalist Papers are not law, that's true. However, they represent some of the few clues as to the thinking of the Founding Fathers when the Constitution was drafted, ergo they may provide insight into what they may have intended their words to mean. The Constitution famously lacks detail and defintion, and a common way to supply that detail and definition is to look at the intent of the authors. The Federalist Papers provide a glimpse into what some of the drafters intended at that time.

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GAB, Austin, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:32:04 GMT

Recently, a tape of LBJ in 1964 saying he knew we could not prevail in Vietnam but he didn't know how to get us out and save face. So he did nothing and another 50,000 soldiers died. Seems like we are playing the same song again.
Besides, there IS no plan to extricate our troops.

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Einstein — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:33:42 GMT

First Thoughts: George Bush is a "idiot".

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rick,ky — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:35:09 GMT

Well, well, well, a political attack on a sitting senator, what's next, outing a CIA agent? Give Hillary her due. She responded accordingly to this attack, which is a sign, that no personal attack will go unchallenged this election cycle. She's not my 1st choice, but i give her kudo's for her Not letting this shill, go unanswered. As for mitt the flip-flopper ( here's my new name for him- FLIPPER), he can only make news by responding to another candidates news. Hey Flipper, strap your dog to the roof again, & go on a Flipper's big Adventure tour. I'm sure dave/ jerry would approve of that. Rudy the protector ( what a Joke) enough said! " DELUSIONAL THINKING BY COMMON SENSE AMERICAN'S IS OVER"

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Darleen Russo, Bakersfield CA — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:39:32 GMT

*** Man, you need to lighten up a little bit. Gregory endorsing the Administration?

The Far Left, well represented here, gets real upset if you do not eat, sleep, and breath hated for GWB. To be even a bit civil to anyone in the administration is grounds for being dismembered.

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Lyn, silver Spring MD — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:40:00 GMT

It never ceases to amaze me how gullible most of the press and for that matter the public can be. First Read hit it on the head. Look at the whole letter this was a can response. Clinton selectively leaked out portions to try and make her look like it is her against Bush and with the help of the MSM she is doing it. What I find most amazing is that "We the People" let the media do this to us when it came to Bush in 2000 and 2004 I thought we would have learned by now to question things like this. This is right out of the Bush/Rove playbook. Be very careful what you ask for you may get. I really don't believe Democrats want Hillary in the general. I really believe that when it comes to decit and coverup in the WhiteHouse she will be no different from Bush. The bickering among parties and fighting will it ever stop? Not if she is elected.

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Olivia — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:40:46 GMT

HP, Kansas--Thanks for the interesting, informative post on the Philippines and US involvement there--especially for describing what's going on there today. What you say about American amnesia is oh, so true. And this is not only regarding history, but also current events because it seems that as we focus on Iraq and sometimes on Afghanistan a lot that's going on elsewhere in the world, including the Philippines, is slipping in under the radar.

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Buzz — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:46:06 GMT

Jerry (9:46AM)- "Hillary voted for the war..."
You seem to be saying if one realizes they made a mistake, they should never change their mind or point of view after reviewing new/changing evidence/conditons? Who the hell do you think she is- George Bush?

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Marcus — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:46:41 GMT

So lets see...

First Bush's pet Supreme Court ignores the Constitution and anoints him king. Supreme Court is now a wing of the GOP.

EPA ignores science of global warming and also declares air at Ground Zero "safe to breathe" rather than face the political fallout of admitting its highly toxic. EPA is now a wing of the GOP.

Then the Justice Departments decides US Attorneys should be prosecuting Democrats to help the GOP in the 2006 Election. Justice is now a wing of the GOP.

Defense Department jumps into Presidental Politics by accusing Democratic candidates of "aiding the enemy" while ignoring similar requests from Republican senators. Defense now a wing of the GOP.

And Congress does nothing...

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FL — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:50:28 GMT

"Mission accomplished my foot! Hillary voted for the war, no matter how much spin you seem to put on it, her vote is on the offical record".

Jerry, then why won’t the GOP allow a vote now on Iraq instead of pulling a filibuster? Let’s have a vote on the record and she where everyone stands on the war. Unless they have something to hide!!

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HP Boston — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:02:44 GMT

HILLARY you are the ONE. OUR NEXT PRESIDENT.
You are running a great campaign, smart and crafty.
I am sure you can beat the old boys at their game.
Women are the majority, vote early and vote often.
Women are the MAJORITY!
OH Paul if Hillary was a republican,and as good as I think she is,I would not vote for her. Gender thing???
Even if she voted for the bushman to use a brain he does not have,she is against his actions.

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RH Oregon — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:03:45 GMT

When the Democrat's lose the White House again this time, it will be thier own fault. They are turning into bunch of harpies with one song. Who cares how much they hate President Bush, he's not running next year. If they want to win they better start talking about what they are going to do IN America. Have the forgotten we have education, immigration, an economy? When Fred Thompson wins in '08 it will be because he talked on all the issues, not just mudslinging.
Run, Fred, Run. (my back bumper sticker)
Run, Hillery, Run. (my front bumper sticker)

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Olivia — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:05:52 GMT

On a different topic, it looks like now that Edwards' Poverty Tour has been over for a few days, post-Katrina news has gone back to slipping under First Read's radar.

Here's some substantive news out of Congress that First Read missed: yesterday's hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee at which investigators, per the Washington Post, released internal e-mails indicating that FEMA lawyers rejected environmental testing of FEMA trailers out of fear that FEMA would then become legally liable if health problems emerged among as many as 120,000 families displaced by Katrina who lived in trailers.

3 months after news reports surfaced about the possible effects of formaldehyde--an invisible cancer-causing compound--and one month after the agency was sued, a FEMA logistics specialist wrote in June 2006 that FEMA lawyers "advised that we do not do testing," because this "would imply FEMA's ownership of this issue."

Another FEMA attorney, also in June 2006, advised to "not initiate any testing until we give the O.K.....Once you get results and should they indicate some problem, the clock is running on our duty to respond to them."

3 trailer residents who testified before the panel described frequent nosebleeds, respiratory problems, and mysterious mouth and nasal tumors that they or family members had suffered. They also said veterinarians and pediatricians had warned that their pets and children may be experiencing formaldehyde-related symptoms. "What makes me so angry is that FEMA is providing trailers to disaster victims that they have 'inspected' and deemed safe without truly ensuring that they are," said Lindsay Huckabee, a mother of 5 from Pass Christian, Mississippi, who now lives in a trailer in nearby Kiln.

"We have lost a great deal through our dealings with FEMA, not the least of which is our faith in government," said Paul Stewart, a former Army officer in Mississippi.

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rick — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:09:53 GMT

I know this is way off this topic, but has anyone noticed what's happening to the dollar? The Euro is at an all time high against it. And the Canadian Dollar is now worth more then the American Dollar! I wonder why First Read ignors such amazing economic news?

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Ray, San Francisco — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:11:49 GMT

RH from Oregon... Bush was never elected President let alone commanderinchief. The judicial/political coup that appointed Cheney President was the end of Democracy in the United States. Beware....

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Rick, WS, NC — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:14:07 GMT

Those bushies just don't get it do they? This is a constitutional republic, not a military dictatorship...any senator has a right and obligation to ask questions, some puke in the pentagon works for her and us, not the other way around...

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leon houston tx. — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:14:52 GMT

I felt the same way when Larry King hugged GWB after the 2000 elections,my point is ethical reporters do not cozy up to the people on either side of the aisle they are reporting on. If they do you get Robert Novak and Judy Miller. For credibility, there must always be a thin wall between said journalists and politicians. As I said this could have come across as an endorsement. There are now reporters being fired over MSNBC's reporting on contributions. And I need to lighten up I realize but please remember I really do live in Texas and had to put up with this spoiled rich kid as governor. He has fulfilled my worst fears about his intentions. I saw the Iraq invasion coming before 2000 and was hoping Gore would question him on that in the debates.

As always, have a great day!

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H P Boston — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:19:07 GMT

YUP after reading Marcus, RH(negative) could be right.
WE HATE BUSH HE IS A MURDERER..MY bumber sticker.

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Peg Ramsey, Indian Shores FL — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:33:23 GMT

//// WE HATE BUSH HE IS A MURDERER..MY bumber sticker.

Do you have it on your car, or do you slap it on across your a**? And, which one is wider?

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Desmond — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:35:30 GMT

rick, I saw that about the dollar. My wallet felt it too.

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Carrie, NW Iowa — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:47:33 GMT

Again...where is the evidence that Hillary's campaign leaked the letter?

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MK,MO — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:51:44 GMT

HP Boston/ no offense but the earth doesn’t revolve around a huge vagina, hillary you say is running a "smart and crafty campaign" others would say she's running a "deceptive and coldly calculating campaign".
she is and always has been part of the established politics as usual click in d.c., we need some one who isn't deeply entrenched in the politics of washington, if she were elected she would turn her back on working america to sooth the wealthy elite that have always been her buddies, and stick her head in the trough of the lobbyists, but the even bigger problem is she can't win the general election, that's why the corporate run media loves her so, just imagine edwards has mommy parts and vote for him, otherwise you will just be getting rudy elected

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:00:11 GMT

Jerry and RH

Have been listening to the two of you spout your BS for months and have just one question to ask.

Which of you is Shawn Hannity and which is Bill O'Rielly

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juan,ft lauderdale,fl — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:03:40 GMT

Breaking News-The Shrub to get a colonoscopy....Cheney to take temporary control.GOD HELP US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!QUICKLY LETS IMPEACH NOW!

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HMT — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:15:14 GMT

Brad in Wisconsin----you are the best ---you explained everything in a clear concise way that cannot be twisted---even by hannity

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:18:46 GMT

We are all strong enough to endure the sacrifices of others

After all, it's only about 150,000 troops and their families (less than 1% of the USA population) who are making the sacrifices over and over and over . . .

So endure it.

You've got to be kidding. No one of real conscience can make this kind of statement and expect to be taken seriously. If the number was only one it would be too many.

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HP, Kansas — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:21:39 GMT

Juan, I'll volunteer to shove the hose up his ....

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H P Boston — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:23:19 GMT

Well no kidding MK, the world revolves around a small penis. In fact right now we have a penis in charge, see what a great job that penis has done.
A penis would never be "cold and calculating", they all thinks they are WARM AND WONDERFUL!

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Mary, Illinois — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:23:39 GMT

I just saw that Cheney is going to be president for a short time tomorrow while Bush has a colonoscopy. This is very frightening. How much damage to democracy can Darth Cheney do in that time? Is anybody else concerned?

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:31:08 GMT

Breaking News-The Shrub to get a colonoscopy....Cheney to take temporary control

HOW WILL WE BE ABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE?????

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HMT — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:34:59 GMT

I am sick of Tony Snow and his hee-haw smug answers to the questions he is asked.Smart ass ----oh but wait he has cancer---so what -many of my friends do too and I have lost family to this evil disease----they did not turn into bull sh-- liars and decievers because of it.Bush looked under the val office rug for WMDs 2 years ago---did not seem to bother so many then ---just the people that already had disgust for him.

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HOT DAM — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:00:25 GMT

SO what is the differenc between Cheney and a colonoscopy?

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Alan in Phx — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:28:35 GMT

All the women in here should think of their sisters around the world. None of you would be able to say 1/1000 of what you say here. Just talking to a man that is not a brother, cousin or husband gets you lashed or stoned. Freedom for women around the world lessons the need to kill the enemy. After WW2 the japeneese women got freedoms and their economy exploded and they are friends with us.

Dealing with the Arabs currently no matter the country a women has no respect in any negociations. Condi's biggest problem is that she is looked upon as less than a camel no matter how smart she may be. we are about 50 years from that changing.

A president Clinton will be just the same unless in her first meeting with them she just pulls out one of those big curved swards and loops off the dome of somebody.

With the enemy of this generation being so sexist it is important to have a man as President. This is not sexist, but reality. The US will have a women president one day in the future and that will be about 2020.

Power respects power and weakness begets ridicule and further attacks. Bill Clintons biggest deficit was he was never a fighter. Never in his whole life did he ever throw down to defend himself. Bubba never had his mates back in a bar fight.

If the Democrats would just talk about winning and kicking butt there would be no contest. Cutting and running is not a strategy. Are we raider nation or a power puff team.

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:39:29 GMT

Alan in Phx

IDIOT!!!!!!!
You couldn't see the obvious if it jumped up and bit you in the butt.

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Siles Van Burane — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:41:14 GMT

The President will be just like all you lefty-loons here. He too will have a stick up his butt. His though is temporary.

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Carrie, Eastern Iowa — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:52:21 GMT

Alan - Strangely enough, the fact that she was female didn't seem to be a huge disability for Margaret Thatcher...and that was 20 years ago. I had this same disucssion with my mother not long ago, and she raised that question. I told her that I think it would be very sad if we defined ourselves, and who we choose as our leaders, by the lowest common denominator, i.e. those nations that give women no rights and no respect. If that means the leader of Iran won't come to the table with President Hillary Clinton, so be it. BTW...what are the odds of the Iranian leader meeting with the American president anyway?

Aside from which, notice what you said - Condi is negotiating with the Arab nations. Not the President, but the Secretary of State. Diplomacy is typically delegated to members of the State Dept. unless there is something significant that requires the president himself to be in attendance.

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:09:12 GMT

Alan in Phx and Siles Van Burane

Alan - You are absolutely 100% correct, Cut and run is not a stategy. it is a Rovian creation so that guys like you can have something to say when your puney brains can't think of anything else to say.

Siles - Small correction, the doctors will not be able to put a stick up W's butt because his inflated head is in the way

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Siles Van Burane — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:21:40 GMT

"Cut and run is not a stategy."

It most definitely is a strategy. De-funding the war is the "Cut", and what the troops will need to do when there is no more money to fund the things they need to fight with is "Run".

Cut and Run.

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RH Oregon — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:26:15 GMT

I still have not heard one positive thing from Hillary on what her agenda is. Besides leaving the Iraqi's to the mercy(?) of Iran. No platform, nothing original. Just a one song harpy.
Go to imwithfred dotcom and listen and read someone who is talking thoughtfully and positively on issues that need addressing within America.
And to anutcrackhead in TX: so glad your our first line of cannon fodder when the illeagal immigrant wave washes on Texas's border. Good riddance.

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Olivia — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:34:56 GMT

The way I see it, the big news of Bush's colonoscopy is proof that the world revolves around a big a--hole!

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Terry Jones — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:44:27 GMT

Rick WS: "Those bushies just don't get it do they? This is a constitutional republic, not a military dictatorship"

I thought we were an autonomous collective.

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:45:54 GMT

Sorry

Cut and run IS NOT A STRATEGY

Defunding is what we do when we finally accept the fact that what we are doing is wrong. That the money we are spending and the lives we are losing are no longer worth the failed policy of the war. That is not cutting it is responsible reaction.
As for running. No one, to my knowledge, (except those of you that don't yet get it)has ever professed the argument that our troops should have to run. The necessary funding and protections to exit the war will always be there.

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:58:01 GMT

RH

If inwithfred.com is thoughtful and positive then we are in trouble. Although I agree that the topics are important, the message on this site is hollow and without substance. Just like the senate career that represents this man.

As for the illegal immigrant issue, that topic should be the #1 issue being discussed. Your comment although coarse and biting highlites the fact that controlling our borders is the most important issue that threatens all of us.

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Sierra. San Francisco — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:02:29 GMT

Edward, Tampa, FL: A majority of Senate Democrats voted AGAINST THE WAR.
It was only opportunists like Hillary and Joe Biden who VOTED FOR WAR. Hillary voted against Sen. Levin's amendment, asking Bush to exhaust diplomatic means before going to war. WHY ? Why would she vote against this amendment ? Because she wanted to look 'stong' and 'presidential'.

Improving her image at the cost of a few thousand American lives and a few tens of thousand of Iraqi lives. I guess that's OK for Hillary supporters.

RH Oregon: 'Your crimes against humanity statment is hogwash' An unprovoked war against a country that hadn't attacked or threatened us is a war crime. Torture is a crime against humanity. Stress positions and 'water boarding' are crimes against humanity.
Abolishing Haebeus Corpus and using illegal wire taps are just crimes. Lying to the American people about WMDs is just wrong. Outing a CIA agent is a crime. Take your pick ....

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Siles Van Burane — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:03:10 GMT

No matter how many pretty words you put around it, no matter how fast you spin, no matter how many euphemisms are made, it is still the same. When you boil it down, take all the masks off, peel away all the fancy language, it is one just one thing:

Cut and Run.

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ANUTKRAKER, TX — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:26:46 GMT

Not trying to change your mind, but you just proved that no matter how you argue it "Cut and Run" is nothing more than BS

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Don in LA — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:43:14 GMT

RH, exactly how much do they pay you for your dribble? You say the Dems should be talking about what to do for this country...what the hell has bush done? Besides that, your goose stepping republican senators are obstructing every damn bill to be voted on. It's apparent that you follow their logic of support the Party not the Constitution. Another useless pos for them to toss. God Help America

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nuanced — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:36:50 GMT

What, no John McCain politcal obituary today?

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Lee Holmes — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:39:20 GMT

Thatcher never had to go up against jihadis. For a more accurate example, we must point to the reign of Pakistans female president Benhazir[or Benazir] Bhutto,who was the lightning rod for the formation of the Taliban in the late 1980s and who engendered fundemental Muslim outrage throughout the region.Her own political corruption was also a detriment which the jihadis made propaganda usage out of. Her PPP Party is now being targeted by al Qaeda and the Taliban.Their take?''No woman shall be in any position of power''.
Of course, both Rice and Pelosi in their respective visits have been largely brushed aside or in Pelosis case, patently ignored.There is no reason whatever,especially in a Hillary presidency coupled with an Iraq retreat,which will make the US seem even weaker,to expect that this person will engender even minute respect in the Middle East. If this be a most sexist attitude,blame the Muslims. Not American voters.

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Alan in Phx — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:57:53 GMT

Carrie, Mrs Thatcher time was more spent on the russian cold war then the arabs and I would venture a guess tha any negociations at that time and now are done by the Home Secretary and that was a man.

Condi is negociating for the president, but her effectiveness is limited. They do not listen when a womon speaks. Clinton had the same problem when Albright was SOS. She was dismissed out of a conference room by the Arabs because they thought she was the cleaning lady, it was not until they saw her credentials that they let her stay. These guys even have the room and chairs wiped down after it is defiled by a women.

Hey Anut in TX try having a relevant comment then an ad hominem attacks. Defunding will never happen. For all the blow hard speeches and protestations the funds will continue.

And yes all of the candidates should start every speech with now fast are they going to shut down the southern border, in fact they should be having a race to see who could do it the quickest.

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nuanced — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:01:38 GMT

Alan in Phx, you convinced me that only a Muslim president can negotiate a mideast peace.

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Memmie, Connecticut — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:12:25 GMT

God Bless Undersecretary of Defense, Eric Edelman. Clinton made it a "Political" stunt when she went around saying in her speach on 6/27/07 (made not on the Senate floor) that she wrote a letter in the first place. Don't buy into her self-rightouse Indignation. If they want Bush fine,Go after him (what little that has accomplished) but leave our troops out of their passion play.

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Alan in Phx — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:47:01 GMT

nuanced - there is no peace without victory. We did not negociate peace with the germans, we killed them and they surrendered, same with the Japanese. What we need to do is stop talking and start using the real new weapons that we have and stop pussy footing around. Minimalist military operations only prolong things. The US has some realy cool things that could use field testing.

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yiannis, baltimore MD — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:13:47 GMT

Carrie,

The fact that the constitution provides the authority for the congress to defund the war is a much stronger statement about its role in this democracy.

Full Stop.

You might want to interpret any paper as you wish but the constitution is pretty clear about the role of the congress on the funding of the war.

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Lee Holmes — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 19:21:01 GMT

Jim: Since when did it become a crime to criticize Jack Murtha simply because the ones doing it are civilians who may have never served? Better get that vision checked again.

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Desmond — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 20:49:53 GMT

Lee Holmes, India just elected their first female President. Isn't that country a neighbor of Pakistan?

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Lee Holmes — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:44:10 GMT

Desmond:With a Hindu majority.Not an Islamic one.

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mark derewicz, Carrboro, NC — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:45:40 GMT

HP in Kansas, thanks for posting that story I wrote about Tim Marr and his research on the Moros of the Philippines. But please, that was an article that appeared in a copyrighted magazine called Endeavors, a University of North Carolina publication. (http://research.unc.edu/endeavors)
please attribute such things in the future.

thanks,
mark derewicz