• Iraq,  Iraq War,  John McCain,  MoveOn.org,  President 2008

    MoveOn.org and AFSCME Channel 100 Years of Iraq War in Anti-McCain ad

    New ad by MoveOn.org and the public employee labor union AFSCME

    This is a hard-hitting ad targeting John McCain’s “100 Years in Iraq” remark.

    Of course, the entire remark has been taken and spun out of context, but what else is new for the LEFT?

    The RNC’s response:

    “MoveOn.org was wrong to smear General Petraeus, just like Barack Obama was wrong to not go to Iraq to meet with him. America cannot afford a Commander-in-Chief who listens to partisan groups like MoveOn.org instead of our commanders. Bringing peace and security to Iraq will require a Commander in Chief who won’t allow partisanship to cloud his judgment.”

    The unions and left-wing organizations will continue to pound McCain on the unpopular war. But, will the Iraq War be the primary issue in the Fall with conditions on the ground there being dramatically better?

    Flap thinks the economy and taxes will supercede the importance of the war.


  • George W. Bush,  Iraq,  Iraq War

    Bush Lied and People Died – Well Not So Fast Part 2

    ANOTHER Bush never lied to us opinion piece.

    Key graph:

    This may sound like ancient history, but it matters. After Sept. 11, President Bush did not want to risk allowing Hussein, who had twice invaded neighboring nations, murdered more than 1 million Iraqis and stood in violation of 16 U.N. Security Council resolutions, to remain in possession of what he believed were stocks of chemical and biological warheads and a nuclear weapons program. By glossing over this history, the Democrats’ lies-led-to-war narrative provides false comfort in a world of significant dangers.

    You don’t say.


  • Barack Obama,  Iraq,  Iraq War,  President 2008

    Barack Obama Watch: Flipping On Iraq?

    Barack Obama on April 5, 2004
    Obama: Don’t Bring The Troops Home

    So, has Barack Obama opportunistically flipped on the Iraq War when war events went sour after 2004?

    Or is his Iraq War policy a LIE or an inconsistent NON-TRUTH?

    So I guess what I’m getting to… is that Obama hasn’t been consistent… but that consistency is not the coin of this realm. The Obama campaign claims that Obama has made an evidenced-based assessment of what to do and will continue to do as president; as the facts on the ground change, he won’t stubbornly stick to preconceptions about what to do.

    Me thinks this will be Town Hall and/or candidate debate fodder. Obama should explain what his policy WILL be regarding the Iraq War. Obama already flipped on his Iran preconditions for negotiation pronouncement.

    Words have meaning, Senator.


  • George W. Bush,  Iraq,  Iraq War

    Bush Lied and People Died – Well Not So Fast

    From a Cindy Sheehan Rally

    The mantra from the Anti-War LEFT has been Bush Lied and People Died. But, did President Bush lie?

    Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, set out to provide the official foundation for what has become not only a thriving business but, more important, an article of faith among millions of Americans. And in releasing a committee report Thursday, he claimed to have accomplished his mission, though he did not use the L-word.

    “In making the case for war, the administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when it was unsubstantiated, contradicted or even nonexistent,” he said.

    There’s no question that the administration, and particularly Vice President Cheney, spoke with too much certainty at times and failed to anticipate or prepare the American people for the enormous undertaking in Iraq.

    Key graphs from Senator Rockefeller’s report:

    • On Iraq’s nuclear weapons program? The president’s statements “were generally substantiated by intelligence community estimates.”
    • On biological weapons, production capability and those infamous mobile laboratories? The president’s statements “were substantiated by intelligence information.”
    • On chemical weapons, then? “Substantiated by intelligence information.”
    • On weapons of mass destruction overall (a separate section of the intelligence committee report)? “Generally substantiated by intelligence information.” Delivery vehicles such as ballistic missiles? “Generally substantiated by available intelligence.” Unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to deliver WMDs? “Generally substantiated by intelligence information.”
    • But statements regarding Iraq’s support for terrorist groups other than al-Qaeda “were substantiated by intelligence information.” Statements that Iraq provided safe haven for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and other terrorists with ties to al-Qaeda “were substantiated by the intelligence assessments,” and statements regarding Iraq’s contacts with al-Qaeda “were substantiated by intelligence information.”

    So, Democrat Senator Jay Rockefeller’s report essentially vindicates President Bush as to the LIED part. But, why does the LEFT and Democrat politicians continue to use the mantra?

    Why, for partisan political advantage – as they have all along.


  • Barack Obama,  David Petraeus,  Iraq War,  John McCain,  President 2008

    McCain Rips Obama over Iraq War AGAIN

    McCain in Reno, Nevada May 28, 2008: Obama Needs To See The Facts On The Ground In Iraq. Skip ahead to 1:20

    John McCain in a townhall forum today in Reno, Nevada ripped Barack Obama for having ONLY been to Iraq one time two years ago (before the Surge) and for failing in his duties as a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    Key Quotes:

    • “A little over two years ago he went and he has never seized the opportunity except in a hearing to meet with General Petraeus. This is about leadership and learning.”
    • “Why is it that Senator Obama wants to sit down with the president of Iran but has not sat down with General Petraeus…”

    Flap wonders if Senator McCain has been reading Jim Geraghty over at National Review who this morning made similar observations.

    Is Obama Willing To Meet Ahmadinejad, But Not Petraeus?

    Obama has been to Iraq once, in 2006. It was a two-day tour of the country.

    I suppose one can argue about the value of seeing the situation on the ground with one’s own eyes, but wouldn’t the architect of a withdrawal want to see some of the circumstances himself? Even if Obama didn’t want to travel with McCain, is it really wise to suggest that a tour of post-surge Iraq is unnecessary? Wouldn’t scheduling a visit defuse criticism like this from Vets for Freedom PAC?

    And isn’t Obama vulnerable to the argument that a man who’s pledged to meet unconditionally, one-on-one, face-to-face with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really ought to meet at least once one-on-one with Gen. David Petraeus?

    Barack Obama is too inexperienced in foreign policy to be the President and Commander in Chief. Obama has not served in the military and his military background is limited except a Great Uncle who served in World War II – and Obama got the facts wrong on his service.

    Is this someone we can trust to be the leader of the free world, especially in a time of terrorism and war ?


  • Barack Obama,  Iraq War,  John McCain,  President 2008

    John McCain Attacks Obama Over Iraq War

    John McCain speaking in New Mexico on Memorial Day

    Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial on Monday, May 26, 2008, in Albuquerque.

    In an interview today with the Associated Press, Senator and presumptive GOP nominee for President rips into Senator Barack Obama (the presumptive Democrat Presidential nominee) over the Iraq War.

    Republican John McCain on Monday sharply criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for not having been to Iraq since 2006, and said they should visit the war zone together.

    “Look at what happened in the last two years since Senator Obama visited and declared the war lost,” the GOP nominee-in-waiting told The Associated Press in an interview, noting that the Illinois senator’s last trip to Iraq came before the military buildup that is credited with curbing violence.

    “He really has no experience or knowledge or judgment about the issue of Iraq and he has wanted to surrender for a long time,” the Arizona senator added. “If there was any other issue before the American people, and you hadn’t had anything to do with it in a couple of years, I think the American people would judge that very harshly.”

    McCain, a Navy veteran and Vietnam prisoner of war, frequently argues that he’s the most qualified candidate to be a wartime commander in chief. In recent weeks, he has sought portray Obama, a first-term senator, as naive on foreign policy and not as qualified to lead the military.

    In time of war the American people will have to decide whether they want an experienced military commander or an inexperienced first term Senator who has never been in the armed services for President.

    Obama can criticize the policies of President Bush but will have a harder time persuading voters that he is ready to be commander in chief – especially since McCain was critical of President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld early on in the war.

    Advantage McCain.