Back With A Vengeance

The esteemed Dr. Rusty Schackleford has returned to The Jawa Report after being on hiatus for a couple of months. And he's rightly pissed:

"I'm back. Driven to blog by all this defeatest bullshit coming out of the Democrats' mouths. Administrations do not wage wars, nations do. So, yes, not supporting the war is the same as not supporting the nation you treasonous twits. We are at war, and the last time I checked the Democrats were a part of we. Until we win this war I will do my part. In the meantime:

Welcome back Rusty! We missed ya.

h/t: Robert the Llama Butcher

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The "Hawkish" Democrat

There's an oxymoron if ever I heard one. Don Surber's take on Rep. John Murtha's statements yesterday pretty much sums it up:

As Glenn Reynolds and News Busters point out, this is hardly a new position for Murtha.

He declared Iraq "unwinnable" on May 6, 2004 -- barely six weeks before the government was handed over to Iraqis. Eight months before the Great Purple Finger Election.

Clearly Democrats do not want this war to be won. In calling for a retreat from the battlefield, Murtha dishonors every single soldier who ever went to Iraq. He undermines U.S. foreign policy. No ally will ever trust us again.

It is a sick party that seeks to surrender America to rogue bands of terrorists in Iraq. The Democratic Party is selling out not just the American military, not just the American pride, but American security. Having won Iraq, those "insurgents" -- those Baathists and Islamo-nutcases will head for our shores.

John McCain: "Because the stakes there are so high — higher even than those in Vietnam — our friends and our enemies need to hear one message: America is committed to success, and we will win this war."

Dissent? Fine. But it is time for these dissenters to use their right to remain silent.

This recurring tactic of showcasing someone with military experience to criticize the war is a desperate attempt by Democrats to try and gain some credibility on this issue. And it really is pointless since no reasonable intelligent person takes any Democrat seriously when they talk about military matters.

UPDATE: 8:45am
Captain Ed reacts:

I listened to Murtha extensively on CNN this afternoon as Wolf Blitzer interviewed him, and the AP left out some of Murtha's more idiotic commentary. He kept bringing up Abu Ghraib as if it were the most critical juncture in the Iraq War and kept insisting that it doubled the casualty rate. He repeatedly told Blitzer that the military could not beat the terrorists, a lovely message to send to the 150,000 men and women currently deployed to Iraq, as well as the Zarqawi network and their recruiters. In fact, for most of the interview Murtha could hardly complete a sentence, he became so hysterical.

Democrats didn't learn from their experiences with John Kerry that just because you served your country in the military doesn't mean you have the right to engage in activity that undermines its security. Benedict Arnold served his country with distinction - before he tried to screw it over.

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"How Can I Help?"

A question often asked by folks who want to pitch in with our Global War On Terror. I can understand that there are people who are not in favor of our current mission in Iraq but feel the tug of compassion enough to show their support for the Iraqi people.

Well, here's a perfect opportunity. Camp Katrina refers us to a drive to raise money for a wheelchair for "Kevin", an Iraqi translator who was crippled by a bomb while helping U.S. soldiers.

Instructions on how to make a donation for this cause is here. If you would like to make a real difference in the life of an Iraqi citizen who has made a tremendous sacrifice toward a better life for his people, I urge you to at least consider a fifty, twenty or even a ten dollar act of kindness for "Kevin".

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I've Officially Given Up On "Boston Legal"

About two months ago, I wrote a post about what TV shows I planned to watch this season. This is what I wrote about ABC's "Boston Legal":

I've watched this show going back to the days when it was "The Practice". Back then, it was a compelling, intelligent show about criminal law. It's creator, David Kelley is an ex-lawyer and a big Hollywood Liberal, who unfortunately seems to use every episode in some way to take potshots at President Bush, his Justice Department, his Adminstration in general, the Patriot Act or Iraq. It's starting to get on my nerves. And the only reasons I still watch it are 1) my wife loves the show and 2) the outstanding performances by James Spader and William Shatner. They make the show worth watching. (UPDATE: And BTW, they both just won Emmy Awards) But I'm keeping it on a short leash this season and if the gratuitous Bush-bashing becomes to much to tolerate than the wife will be watching this one alone too - after Gilmore Girls.

Well, guess what folks? I have been a patient man since then but the November 1 episode was the straw that broke the camel's back. more...

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Waiting 'Em Out

In a post praising Senator John McCain's opposition to the ridiculous defense bill amendment passed by the Senate the other day, Betsy Newmark makes an excellent observation.

I teach a class on the American Revolution and the Civil War and we were just winding up our study of the Revolution yesterday with a contrafactual discussion of what would have happened if the French had not helped us at Yorktown. The consensus of the class is that Washington and the Americans would have continued their defensive-offensive tactics until British public opinion demanded an end to the war. I suspect that they are right. And remember, that by the second half of 1864 that that was the South's main hope in the Civil War. An exhausted public is one of the main advantages that a weaker power has in fighting a war. Think of Vietnam. The terrorists in Iraq have learned the lesson well that a democracy will only fight as long as the will of the people is behind the fight. So, they must weaken that will. The Senators voting for this amendment have just given them a victory.

And the moonbats on the Left, pounding away at the legitimacy of this mission, are doing a great disservice to our military who are trying to get the job done - whether they want to admit it or not.

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Heh. Now It's Big-Time's Turn

Cheney is getting into the act now:

"The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone – but we’re not going to sit by and let them rewrite history."

Drudge has posted a lot of the speech's text.

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Tammy Bruce Interview

If you're not familiar with best-selling author and radio personality Tammy Bruce, you should be. A self-decribed "pro-choice lesbian feminist", she currently has a book out called "The New American Revolution".

John Hawkins at Right Wing News interviewed her and the transcript is here. She has a fascinating analysis of the "hate-America first" Left based on her personal experiences. Tammy is considered by many to be a voice of the Right, but she started her political activism on the Left. Her personal philosophy, which emphasizes individualism and personal responsibility, became too incompatible with the "collectivist" mentality of American Liberalism. Upon reflection, she admits she's still not quite used to being labeled a Conservative:

"...itÂ’s still odd that IÂ’m now considered a conservative, but thatÂ’s because the left has gone so far to the left theyÂ’re fascists.

So someone like me is considered a conservative and it comes down to being willing to accept -- and IÂ’ve discussed labels in the book as well -- be willing to accept what youÂ’re called but also be clear for yourself about what you really are. In todayÂ’s day and age, I am a conservative, in the sense of what that stands for. TodayÂ’s conservative is yesterdayÂ’s classical liberal and IÂ’m determined to try to help make that label more popular, more broad, more accepted, and more understood and I hope IÂ’m doing a good job. "

The whole thing is definitely worth a read. Tammy's blog can be found here.

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Now Here Is An Idealist If Ever I Saw One

The Real Ugly American is a site I recently added to the blogroll. He describes himself in this way: "Still a Registered Democrat but I'm really disapointed in my party right now." Well, if his experiences as related on this thread don't convince him to unregister from that affiliation, I don't know what will.

He left a comment on a post at The Washington Monthly that posed four simple questions to his fellow Democrats. What he got from them was insults and hostility. He is confronting a sad fact that I learned a long time ago - the pointlessness of engaging these cretins.

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My God, What If His Team Had Lost?

Here's a story of a Welsh Rudby fan who commemorated a victory by his team against England by lopping off his grapes!

Geoffrey Huish, 31, took an agonising ten minutes to perform the op using a pair of blunt wire cutters, says the Sun.

Then he put his severed parts in a blue plastic bag and staggered to a social club to tell fellow Wales fans what he'd done.

There's more but I don't recommend reading it unless you have a strong stomach. Yikes!

Thanks (I think) for the tip to Jonah G. at The Corner

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At Least On This Issue, Lieberman Gets It

Connecticut if full of Democrats and Republicans who might as well be. So there aren't a lot of politicians here that I can enthusiastically vote for. But one Democrat I still have respect for is Senator Joe Lieberman. Aside from the fact that he is genuinely a really nice guy, on the most important issue facing this country - the Global War on Terror - he has the cojones to stand up to his party.

Sure Joe casts a lot of votes in the Senate that annoy the crap out of me, but I'll give him a pass because he understands what the stakes are. Yesterday he made an important speech on the floor of the Senate and here is the quote that sums it up the best:

It is no surprise to my colleagues that I strongly supported the war in Iraq. I was privileged to be the Democratic cosponsor, with the Senator from Virginia, of the authorizing resolution which received overwhelming bipartisan support. As I look back on it and as I follow the debates about prewar intelligence, I have no regrets about having sponsored and supported that resolution because of all the other reasons we had in our national security interest to remove Saddam Hussein from power – a brutal, murdering dictator, an aggressive invader of his neighbors, a supporter of terrorism, a hater of the United States of America. He was, for us, a ticking time bomb that, if we did not remove him, I am convinced would have blown up, metaphorically speaking, in America's face.

I am grateful to the American military for the extraordinary bravery and brilliance of their campaign to remove Saddam Hussein. I know we are safer as a nation, and to say the obvious that the Iraqi people are freer as a people, and the Middle East has a chance for a new day and stability with Saddam Hussein gone.

There's at least one Democrat out there who prioritizes national security over partisan politics and I'm proud to say that he's from Connecticut.

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Just Google It

Click on the Google graphic and see for yourself. Available at Michelle Malkin's site.

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It's A Full Moon Tonight!

CURRENT MOON moon phase info

And you know what that means! Moonbats will gather to bark their hatred for Chimpy McBushitler and his evil Repug minions!!! Don't Go Into The Light reports that they're being drawn to Washington D.C. tonight! Lock your windows and doors! And hang garlic cloves everywhere! Oh the humanity!!

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Democrats...In Their Own Words

Now we have it. This is the most comprehensive collection of "greatest hits" quotes from Dems about Saddam Hussein and Iraq that I've ever seen - going all the way back to the Clinton Administration.

Compiled by the RNC and brought to you here, courtesy of The American Spectator. Just in time for Thanksgiving, it's a nice heaping helping of the words they said and when they said them. Hope they're hungry.

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I Was Just Curious...

Intelligence Intelligence is most important in a boyfriend/girlfriend. You like to be able to talk about everything that is on your mind, and if your partner can't keep up, well, you know. You are very attracted to someone who can challenge you, and make you see things in a whole new way. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Guess intelligence beats kindness, hands down. Actually considering the relatively even breakdown of the other items, I don't quite know what to make of this. Ahem...not that it really matters as I am happily married...ahem.

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Is The Donkey On The Right Teddy Or Hillary?

A Cox and Forkum classic (a couple days late, but still relevant):

thanks to Mike's America for the heads-up!

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What Was He Thinking?

On Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (Dumbass-WV) said the following:

I took a trip by myself in January of 2002 to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view that George Bush had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq — that that was a predetermined set course which had taken shape shortly after 9/11.

This little slip went unnoticed by many, but Bill Bennett asks the question: Is he nuts? This Senator goes to visit two shaky U.S. allies and one ally of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and basically tells them - before the President has even made a speech on the subject - that they can expect us to go to war with Iraq soon? What a freaking idiot!

As Bennett observes:

If Syria — or elements in Saudi Arabia — began acting on this information before we even went to war in Iraq (more than a year later), then Senator Rockefeller may have seriously harmed, impeded, and hindered our war efforts, our troops, and the entire operation in the Middle East. This should be investigated immediately; and perhaps Senator Rockefeller should step down from the Intelligence Committee until an investigation is complete.

I think Rockefeller should be taken to task for this little rogue "diplomatic" activity. And I definitely agree with Bennett that an investigation is in order. Again, what was he thinking?

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POTUS Stays On Offense

Heh! Now Bush is throwing Democrats' quotes back at them. Call 'em out, I say! From his speech this evening at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, AK:

Leaders in my Administration and members of Congress from both parties looked at the same intelligence on Iraq –­ and reached the conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a threat. Let me give you quotes from three senior Democrats: First, quote, “There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons.” End quote. Here’s another one, quote, “The war against terrorism will not be finished as long as [Saddam Hussein] is in power.” End quote. And here’s the way another Democratic leader summed it up, quote, “Saddam Hussein, in effect, has thumbed his nose at the world community. And I think that the President's approaching this in the right fashion.”

The troops need to hear this from their Commander-In-Chief! Especially words like these:

As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory.

H/T: Michelle Malkin

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Who Said This?

"I am forced to conclude, on all the evidence, that Saddam poses a significant risk.

Some argue it would be totally irrational for Saddam Hussein to initiate an attack against the mainland United States, and they believe he would not do it. But if Saddam thought he could attack America through terrorist proxies and cover the trail back to Baghdad, he might not think it so irrational.

...At the end of the day, we cannot let the security of American citizens rest in the hands of someone whose track record gives us every reason to fear that he is prepared to use the weapons he has against his enemies."

President Bush?

Um, no. Actually Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) back in October 2002.

Tom Maguire at Just One Minute has this and a fine collection of similar quotes from Rockefeller, Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi.

You see Tom, unlike the stooges in the MSM, actually took the time to look it up.

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This Says It All

This is an actual exchange between Sen. Jay Rockefeller (WV) and Chris Wallace yesterday on Fox News Sunday:

SEN. ROCKEFELLER: Chris, there's always the same conversation. You know it was not the Congress that sent 135,000 or 150,000 troops.

WALLACE: But you voted, sir, and aren't you responsible for your vote?

SEN. ROCKEFELLER: No.

WALLACE: You're not?

Nice try Senator. I mean, really, did these guys actually think they were going to get away with this garbage? I guess the answer is irrelevant. After all, it's all they have.

H/T: Instapundit & Michelle Malkin has more examples of how the "Bush Lied" Lie is failing to resonate.

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Quote Of The Week

From the mouth of Al (I'm President in my own mind) Gore:

"I don't want to diminish the threat of terrorism at all, it is extremely serious, but on a long-term global basis, global warming is the most serious problem we are facing."

So while he takes terrorism "seriously", he considers it less a priority for the U.S. than some unproven theory? What color is the sky in Al's world, I wonder? This country really dodged a bullet five years ago.

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