Redstate

On adult stem cell research . . . with the argument that in California that there won't be any return on investment for 15 years. Well in 15 years I'll be approaching 60, my children will be 30 and I'll be damn happy for whatever cures come along if something terrible happens. And while I can understand Missourians fascination with Jeff Suppan (I hope he gets his ass whipped tomorrow night but I'm not holding my breath), healthy athletes going against stricken, popular actors isn't going to carry the day. The Michael J. Fox ad was like a punch to the gut. This ad is a pat on the back.

Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints - Sympathy for the Democrats

I am a Tigers fan. We are coarse, blue-collar types.

to utter a few colorful metaphors as well :) The owners of this site just don't want it on here, which I can understand and respect their decision.

Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints - Sympathy for the Democrats

Did I mention that I was ill-bred? :)

Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints - Sympathy for the Democrats

That was the one thing that bothered me about it. They really pulled out the local celebrities for the ad but I think it would have come across much better with some refinement. Maybe they didn't have time, but it almost seemed like these guys were working off home cameras.

For those not familiar with Patricia Heaton outside of her work with "Everyone Loves Raymond", she's actually a very intelligent woman and is well spoken.

Because Rush Limbaugh says he's acting, it's proven? Rush is a moron and he simply made the GOP look bad with his attack.

Michael J Fox has Parkinson's. He's had it for many years. No one knows whether he was off his meds that day, but as someone who has a family member with Parkinson's, I can assure you that you never truly control it. He deals with tons of pills just to maintain a semblance of a normal life.

If you don't like his point of view, then debate the facts. Don't question his integrity. The man has done more for this disease in the past 5 years than almost anyone in the world. He's raised millions, brought awareness, and so on. You may not agree with his stance on the issue of stem cell research, but respect the man for what he has done and what he has been through. This is a topic that needs to be discussed by adults, like adults, not by morons with a radio show.

Hasn't led me wrong so far.

Of course he hasn't led you wrong. Iraq was a great idea and we're being greeted as liberators.

The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.

It may not look like it's helping us, but that's short term. Your children and their children will live in a country and a world that is safer and freer because of it.

I'm sorry, I bit on that stance at the beginning of the war. I stood by and said "if we can turn one country to democracy, we can spread it".

The war was poorly planned, poorly executed, and we did not do enough to ensure our success. We didn't supply our troops with enough resources, and we didn't supply our military with enough troops to get the job done properly. I see absolutely no way that this war will have done anything to make this country safer.

There are many more countries over there that could have and should have been taken care of before Iraq. We have Iran openly building nuclear weapons, Syria and Saudi Arabia funding and encouraging terrorism. We bailed on Afghanistan before they could finish off the job. I'm sorry, but the Rush Limbaughs of the world steered the sheep in the wrong direction and our country is paying for it.

Don't refer to the American voting public - even the Republican members of it - as 'sheep'.

Retract, please. And don't make the tyro mistake of trying to ignore / argue with me.

The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.

I retract the use of the word sheep as it can be construed as deragatory. If the word listeners or fans is better, please feel free to edit.

I don't like talking heads much of all kinds (Republican, Democrat, etc). I think we give them far too much credit for having a TV/Radio show. This party is filled with intelligent people of all kinds, and it sometimes upsets me to see people say that someone they listen to on the radio is right about every single thing he says. I apologize if I offended the previous poster or misinterpreted his post.

For context: 'sheep' is one of our tripwire words, which is to say that it's a word that we've come to associate with potential trouble. Hence the jumping-on upon with both feet.

Thank you for the retraction.

Moe

The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.

I may be a sheep...but to only one Shepherd. That Shepherd gave me the ability to see a bigger picture and see beyond myself and my immediate future. We agree to disagree.

The war was poorly planned, poorly executed, and we did not do enough to ensure our success. We didn't supply our troops with enough resources, and we didn't supply our military with enough troops to get the job done properly.

you are on the JCS war plans staff? No, well, maybe the Centcom staff? No, perhaps the combatant commander's planning staff? Otherwise on what basis do you make these assertions? The combatant commander at the time (Gen. Franks) seemed to think he had a good plan, well executed and had enough resources and troops; since he rolled up the Iraqis in a few weeks I'd have to guess he was right.

We bailed on Afghanistan before they could finish off the job.

Bailed? So the current 20,000 troops plus the NATO contingents are what, chopped liver?

Get lost.

John
--------
Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel

You bet.

Name a war without them.

Military history, in fact, is far more about the mistakes than about the brilliant successes.

I hear that went pretty well. "Bully" in fact. (;

responded to the wrong post. I agree that it is impossible to fight a war without mistakes --- the other guy has a significant say in how your plan unfolds.

I just get frosted by people like the earlier poster who make statements like 'poor planning', 'poor execution', 'not enough resources', etc., with zero knowledge of the subject.

John
--------
Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel

I am on none of the staffs you listed, and I'm going to assume you are not either. My opinion comes from things I've read in the news, books, and information given to me by friends and family who have served tours in Iraq.

We've lost more lives this month than we have in 2 years, there are constant stories of a civil war, stories of the Taliban coming back, and the fact that Bin Laden seems to be a forgotten man. I never questioned how we started the wars, or what we did the first few weeks which were amazing. I'm questioning how we finish and the didn't seem to be planned out for. I'd love for all of it not to be true, for this to turn into what it was supposed to, but right now, I'm just not pleased with the situation.

You are right that I have never served on any of those staffs --- I was unfortunate enough not have been able to serve at all. And that is why I would never presume to make statements such as "poor planning", "poor execution", "not enough troops" or any of the other tommyrot you cited. The US military rolled over the Iraqis in record time with amazing speed and the fewest number of military and civilian casualties in the history of warfare. The dreck you cite comes directly from the pages of newspapers and the pontificating of TV news people ---- none of whom have any idea what they are talking about but have no aversion to making pronouncements. As to friends and family reports, while they are certainly interesting and entraining they are rarely to be taken to the bank in terms of strategic planning, execution, troop levels, etc.

We have not lost more lives this month than we have it two years --- I'll let that pass as an exaggeration for effect. There are stories of civil war in the press and if you choose to believe the charlatans of the press corps there is nothing anyone can do to help you. Bin Laden? So what; he is not Superman and he's on the run for his life day and night --- if an American sniper gets him in the sights he's on his way to virgin city.

You did in fact question how we started and the first few weeks --- see "poor planning, poor execution, troop levels, insufficient resources, etc." --- your words not mine. You have extrapolated the immediate situation to the overall and that's just plain sloppy argument.

No one can be "pleased" with the present situation --- there are a lot of American, coalition and Iraqi soldiers who are at great risk. But being "displeased" or depressed is not the way to solve a problem and tarring the war plan and its execution is certainly not the solution. There are always things in war that are not planned for --- the other guy has a major say in the way things go.

I will leave this with one final thought. The other day Moe posted an item from The Times of London. In that piece the author made what I commented might be one of the most profound observations of recent history

The largest single mistake, in retrospect, rests elsewhere. The problem has not been the Bush Administration underestimating how much Iraqis might come to loathe the West for the “occupation” but a failure to grasp the extent to which, thanks to Saddam, Iraqis had come to fear and hate each other.
[Emphasis added JRS]

That strikes me as the crux of the problem and an almost intractable one at that, something that I doubt anyone could have foreseen. While I doubt that we will ever run into that situation again, I am certain that it is a mistake we will not repeat.

John
--------
Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel

If I am not to believe news reports, books by people close or directly involved in the decisions, and people who are actually there, who am I to believe? If there is a source that is giving the truth, I am all ears. I am simply at the mercy to what is available to me and am always interested in other sources.

My statistic was a little off and perhaps misinterpreted. We are on pace to lose more American lives this month than in any other month in the past 2 years. We have already lost more lives this month than in any month prior this year. Now I understand the loss of life in war, but it is disconcerning to have this number going up when our President sat on an aircraft carrier a few years ago and told us the mission was accomplished.

While there is no question to our military might in my mind, I do have to question the lack of anticipation of some of the problems we are encountering. I like your quote and find it fitting, but I also don't understand how our intelligence didn't have a grasp for this climate before the war. I don't think many people would have assumed we'd be in this position this far into the war. You do remember the predictions our government gave us for this war, right?

With half an ounce of sense and a basic knowledge of military history could have told you that we wold be in a similar position to our current predicament. The causes could only have been guessed at, but we all knew this would be a LONG war and that most of us would not live to see its end. We Hoped otherwise, and we Prayed it would be quick and easy. But we knew there has never been such a thing as a "Short, Victorious War."

"Always be honest with yourself even if you are honest with no one else...
...It helps you keep track of your lies..."
--Myself

... has told us that on any number of occasions.

I've told my kids that it is unlikely that I will live to see the end of it but they will. At the same time the end will not be some treaty signing in a railcar or on a battleship; it won't be anywhere as obvious and satisfying as that. They will wake up some morning and realize that the world has been 'quiet and rational for a long time' --- that's when it will be 'over.'

John
--------
Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel

... but I also don't understand how our intelligence didn't have a grasp for this climate before the war.

As I said I doubt that anyone could have seen this; it is unlike any situation we have encountered before --- intelligence is never perfect.

I don't think many people would have assumed we'd be in this position this far into the war. You do remember the predictions our government gave us for this war, right?

Then "many people" would not be paying attention. The president has told us any number of times that this war is going to go on for a long time, it is unlike any we have ever fought, that this is likely to be our first generational war. The Islamofacists are in for the long pull and Western civilization has only two choices: win or submit.

John
--------
Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel

mikeleader
I had hoped someone would respond to the inflammatory liberal"talking points" which are so blatantly wrong and ill informed.

Your concise, logical response spared me the attempt to reply myself... which would have clogged the blog with a lot of verbiage filled with heat but short on illuminating light.

thanks for being there...

What exactly is it that Rush said about this issue that you consider moronic?

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. -Ronald Reagan