What America did in Iraq was the single most gallant act of foreign policy since the Marshall Plan. 20 million Iraqis lived in daily fear of torture, rape, and murder. The whole Arab world was held hostage to Saddam’s ambitions of being the military dictator of the Middle East. Terrorists from Abu Abbas, Abu Nidal, and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi were granted safety and succor from the Ba’athist regime. Not to mention the absolute certainly that Saddam’s would spark another major crisis in the Middle East: be it from his death, his overthrow, or another military campaign of Saddam’s making.

Now, Iraq is the only Arab democracy in the world. Foreign oil companies - not American - are investing in Iraq’s natural wealth. Iraqi culture, from film to literature to art, is emerging. America has a new ally, and generations will enjoy freedom thanks to the sacrifices made by people such as Colin Wolfe.

But, if you don’t want to listen to this conservative, perhaps you would care to read what Bill Clinton had to say in November 2000 - the day of the Presidential election.

” Saddam Hussein says, I’m going to starve my kids unless you let me buy nuclear weapons, chemical weapons and biological weapons. If you let me do everything I want to do so I can get in a position to kill and intimidate people again, then I will stop starving my kids. And so we are supposed to assume responsibility for his misconduct. That’s just not right! I know they … you know, the truth is a lot of these people want to start doing business with Saddam Hussein again because they want his money.

And, you know, they want his … the money he earns from oil. But the … it is an absolute fact that he has more money today than he did before the embargo. So if any child is without food or medicine, it is because he has made a deliberate decision to let them die, to try to build up pressure to lift the embargo so he can spend that money how ever he wants. He doesn’t want to spend that money on his people. He wants to spend that money to become the military dictator of the Middle East again.”

“And, you know, remember, this is the only guy, the only world leader today who has used chemical weapons on his own citizens. And the American people in my judgement should give him all the money he needs to take care of his kids. But should do everything we can, and even if we are alone, to try to stop him from being in a position of murdering his kids again, and murdering other children in the Middle East. That’s what I believe.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/22/bill_clinton_loses_his_cool_in

It’s embarassing.

And then there is today’s Washington Post endorsement of Bell which attacks Marshall for his “clownish” antics while never mentioning Bob’s stand against the regional transportation authorities which was supported by the Virgina Supreme Court on a 7 - 0 vote.

Should be fun watching the returns the evening of 3 November.

Our broken health care system that is. That’s right — it’s not working for many women and their families.
In many states, insurance companies can still discriminate on the basis of gender — and not just on costs. In some states, maternity care is not covered because pregnancy can be seen as a “pre-existing condition.” It’s even legal in some states to deny a woman coverage because she’s been a victim of domestic violence!
That’s not right. Nobody in America should be treated that way. That’s why First Lady Michelle Obama is standing up for women and families in this newest video. Take a look:
With health insurance reform, the days of discrimination based on gender will be over. Insurance companies will be banned from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition, or dropping your coverage when you get sick and need it most. They will have to cover preventive care like mammograms and pap smears. And they will be forced to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge you for out-of-pocket expenses.

But we can’t make health insurance reform a reality without your help. As the First Lady says, talk to your family, your friends, your neighbors. Share this video with them and help get the word out about what’s at stake. It’ll take all of us working together to deliver the change we need on health care.

Thanks,
Nancy-Ann

Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform

Sheesh…talk about going off half-cocked!

I am calling you a liar. It’s not because I doubt you were ever a veteran of the United States Marine Corps (which I do). It’s because I do know Mrs Mattie Parrish, and Mattie would never say anything like this publicly, even if she felt this way privately. I also know that she never pays much attention to anything going on in the blogs, and she certainly wouldn’t unjustifiably link the war-related death of a fine young man to what is going on in local politics.

Mattie Parrish is a gentile lady. She was the wife of a veteran and public servant-politician, and is the mother of a veteran and public servant-politician. She knows that in a war, good young men die from the actions of the enemy. She also knows that in politics, reputations are attacked. I also know that the only person she really held any animosity for was her husband’s final primary opponent. This person attacked her husband’s sterling reputation and his character. This person led a protest outside of the family’s place of business. She laid part of the blame of her husbands passing on the strain of having to defend his seat in a primary. This person’s political career was later ended at the hands of this blog’s first incarnation. You know what? When this person was trying to succeed her husband in the nomination contest after her husbands passing, I had the opportunity to ask Mattie what she thought about what was happening out on the blogs. Her answer; “what is a blog?”

Now I am not going to waste time or keystrokes refuting your insane logic linking Greg to the Global War on Terror. You didn’t win anyone over here, with those remarks. What I will challenge you on is your “off-limits” attitude regarding Mark Wolfe. Their son was a patriot, in the truest sense of the word. To enlist in the nation’s premier fighting force with an almost 100% certainty that he would be placed in a combat zone, and to request a combat arms specialty on top of that, speaks volumes about the character this young man possessed. His parents should be eternally proud of the part they played in raising this American son, as should every parent of ever fallen serviceman who has paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect this nation’s freedom. Colin Wolfe is an American hero.

However, Mark Wolfe is an elected official. Should we turn a blind eye when there are questions regarding his handling of direct grant taxpayer funds?

Mark Wolfe’s status as a gold-star parent and his questionable financial dealings are unrelated. It is shameful for you to besmirch the memories of Colin Wolfe and Harry Parrish, and the reputation of Mattie Parrish in an attempt to shield Mark Wolfe from any scrutiny regarding questions of abuse of a public trust.

Bizarre.

Stay on topic please. It was the terrorists that killed Colin Wolfe, not Greg L. Besides, both Democrats and Republicans voted to authorized the wars which you seem to blamed Greg L for. So why take your grief and anger out on them or better yet find a way to help win the war so he didn’t die in vain? The Democrats have the White House and Congress under their control now and we’re still fighting the war. Why? Because we have to win it or at least not bug out like we did in Vietnam. BTW, retired Navy here, led Marines in Cuba and Bosnia, been there - done that, so please don’t give me the Gung-Holier-Than-Thou attitude.

Getting back on topic, too bad Jackson Miller couldn’t slip a dessert to them full of the eneymes from turkeys that causes everyone to fall sleep after Thanksgiving dinner. That would have delayed them from working a few more hours.