Sunday, March 11, 2007

Ted Koppel For President

The more I hear from Ted Koppel these days, the more impressed I am with his remarkable ability to analyze situations, in a thoughtful, intelligent, and realistic manner. Not that I didn't respect him until recently mind you, but in the days he has been without a hoard of liberally-biased news executives weighing him down, he has been free to offer up a more honest practical view of the world without the fear of losing ratings and free from pie in the sky naivety that seems to permeate the news industry, these days. Here are some of the things he had to say on this week's installment of Meet The Press, with Tim Russert.

Let's take a look at just some of which he had to offer:

MR. RUSSERT: Ted Koppel, the meeting in Iraq—the Iranians, Syrian, Iraqis, U.S—what should we think about it?

MR. TED KOPPEL: Had to happen. I, I, I made a little note here of something that Ambassador Khalilzad said to you a moment ago. He said the region will not be stable until Iraq is stabilized. It’s the one thing nobody talks about. Everyone is concerned about the United States being in the middle of a civil war inside Iraq, but they forget about the fact that, if U.S. troops were to pull out of Iraq, that civil war could become a regional war between the Sunnis and Shia. And the region, just in case anyone has forgotten, is the Persian Gulf, where we get most of our oil and, you and I have talked about his before, natural gas. So the idea of pulling out of there and letting the region—I mean, letting the national civil war expand into a regional civil war, something the United States cannot allow to happen.

Now, I can just hear the Left's chants of "No war for oil" and "don't trade blood for oil". Those are just a couple of the many catchy slogans developed by the political anti-war cults, to go along with other classics like "Bush lied, people died". But if we really let Mr. Koppel's answer sink in, we must look inwardly and realistically at what would happen if the oil supply were shut down, because of a regional war.

If you think we are paying too much for a gallon of gas now, ask yourself, how much would we be paying if the Persian Gulf were shut down for business? And not only us in the U.S., but what about Europe, China, India, and the rest of the industrialized world? It doesn't take an MIT educated economist to figure out that when demand exceeds supply, price goes up. Persian Gulf gets shut down, oil doesn't get out, price goes up. Not just for us, but everyone.

If there's no oil, there's no gas. If there's no gas, there will no way to ship things we make and get to areas where services are needed. The economy is a funny thing, you know? Things like this have a way of rippling out and affecting every other industry in the world. Jobs will then be in grave jeopardy, pretty soon we are talking not just recession here, but deep depression.

I wonder how many of those that wish America to fail so miserably in order for them to say, it's all Bush's fault - really understand these concepts. I wonder how many can grasp the thought of how many people would suffer if this were to happen, just so they could have something to villify and demonize one man they hate so much, and with every ounce of their existences.

Regardless of what Mr. Koppel thought of the reasoning of going to war, he demonstrates here that he understands all of these concepts I have just mentioned, and understands them with great clarity and deep understanding. He could have taken a potshot at the administration as it appears to be in chic, to do these days. But he didn't. He gave a solid answer that is the reality of the situation, whether any of us likes it or not.

I do not like the fact that this war has been mishandled, but that's not the issue right now. Now is not the time to troubleshoot that aspect of the war, there will be plenty of time for that down the road. What we must be doing is, trying to win some kind realistic victory here, tied to the success of the new Iraqi government. Or at very least, keep the enemies of peace and stability from winning. Winning means getting the Iraqis to do what we are doing, with less and less of our help.

MR. RUSSERT: Ted Koppel, you are tonight airing on the Discovery Channel a special called “Our Children’s Children’s War.” “The long war,” as you called—call it repeatedly, that this war on terror is much more than just Iraq, and it’s going to go on for a long time.

MR. TED KOPPEL: It could go on—I mean, General Abizaid, with whom I spoke, talks in terms of generations. And if you think about two things, that’s not so hard to imagine. Number one, the Cold War, after all, lasted 50 years. We didn’t know it when we began it. We didn’t know it—we didn’t know how long it was going to be when we were in the middle of it, but it lasted half a century.

If you look back at the elements of the war against terrorism, that war was going on and has been going on for the past 24 years. We just didn’t connect the dots. Twenty-four years ago, the, the precursors of Hezbollah blew up the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. That was 1983, 241 Americans killed. In the interim, between then and now, you had two attacks on the World Trade Center, you had the blowing up of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, you had the attempt to blow up the, the U.S.S. Cole, you had the bombing of the two U.S. embassies in East Africa. This war’s already been going on for 24 years. We were just a little bit slow to recognize it.


I would disagree with Mr. Koppel in one thing he states here. This war began earlier than he says. It did not begin with the Marine barracks bombing, it began when the Iranians stormed our embassy in 1979. That was the giant step into the jihad age. That was the first blow that registered, the barracks bombing was just an escalation of the first blow. (For more on this, read this long, but in-depth essay by Sal Rosken. Anti-war types, especially.)

With that said, look at what Mr Koppel has to say here. We didn't know how long the Cold War would last, we only knew that we had to fight it or risk losing the world to poverty and corruption. If China, Russia, and Europe would all look at this in the same light, this thing would not be as much of an issue, as it is. Instead, China, Russia, and Europe have this thing about rewarding the kinds of behaviors that lead us all to this point.

MR. RUSSERT: You also mention that the—besides providing military assistance, health care for cattle and goats.

MR. KOPPEL: Well, the idea is—and, and they talk about, you know, in the old days, in, in Vietnam, they used to refer to it as winning hearts and minds. These days they talk about conquering human terrain. And the way they do that—and again, the, the, the notion is to use as few troops as you possibly can. You have those troops on the ground, they’re digging wells for people, they’re inoculating sheep and goats, they are building health clinics, they’re helping to build schools. And in the—in the course of that, they’re gaining intelligence, they’re winning over allies, they believe, to the United States, and they’re denying terrorists the ability to gain a foothold.

Here, Ted is saying what he would not have the liberty to say, if he still had to bow to the wishes and will of ABC news. ABC, as well as the other major networks, have made it look like we have brought nothing but death and despair to the region. Mr. Russert has painted that dismal image in the past. And rather than asking some extra follow-up on Mr. Koppel's answer, he chose to swing back to another panel guest and change the subject just enough, to divert some attention away from what Ted said.

Let's look at something, here. How many times do we hear Iraqis complaining about electrical blackouts?

What we do not hear is the Iraqi being interviewed on the network newscast, usually lives in an area that used to enjoy the high life under Saddam. They had all the amenities, we take for granted, like electricity. But, many more people never had it or the other things. Some regions of Iraq never had power under Saddam. Now they have it. But until the infrastructure can be completed and in some cases rebuilt, there has to be rolling blackouts from time to time to accommodate demand.

No, you hear about the blackouts, but you do not hear why. You do not hear the rest of the story, just the version of a former Baathist that feels the need to whine because he has to sacrifice a little - so that his other countrymen can have something, as well. And it's all because there is an element within this nation that wants the U.S. to fail, so they can blame George Bush. They hate him so much that they are willing to send everything down the tubes, to discredit him anyway they can.

Like I have said in many posts before, I do not like everything that the man does and he wasn't my first choice in 2000. But I do not hate the man so much that I would be willing to sacrifice the peace and stability of the world, just to prove he was wrong about something. I do not think that Mr.Koppel would either - which is evident by his statements made earlier today. He had every opportunity to do a hit, but didn't.

Mr. Koppel for President? I wouldn't mind listening to what he had to say, and if it was much like what I heard from him in this forum, I would give him a serious and enthusiastic look. He is one deeply intelligent and analytical thinker. But rest assured that Mr. Koppel falls into one very important category that is worthy to consider - he is too smart to want the job.

20 comments:

All_I_Can_Stands said...

Wow, I have to pick my chin up off the floor. He seems to have "grown" during retirement unlike that fool Cronkite.

Great point on the electricity. I had not heard that. What deception we are subject to!

Mary Ellen said...

if U.S. troops were to pull out of Iraq, that civil war could become a regional war between the Sunnis and Shia. And the region, just in case anyone has forgotten, is the Persian Gulf, where we get most of our oil and, you and I have talked about his before, natural gas. So the idea of pulling out of there and letting the region—I mean, letting the national civil war expand into a regional civil war, something the United States cannot allow to happen.

Doesn't Ted Koppel read the resolutions in Congress? Doesn't he look at the suggestions coming from the Democrats? Where is it that says that we want to pull our troops out of the region? Didn't Murtha say from the very beginning that we would leave troops in the region and in the Gulf to stand by to prevent such a conflict? It would have been nice if Mr. Russert, White House shill, would have mentioned that.

Ummm....and let's not forget Cheney's remarks when asked how much this war would end up costing us, he said it wouldn't cost much because the oil in Iraq would pay for it. Now, because of Bush and you supporters of Bush, we are paying even more in oil and gas.

If you think we are paying too much for a gallon of gas now, ask yourself, how much would we be paying if the Persian Gulf were shut down for business?

Hmmmm....maybe Bush should have thought of this before bringing us to war in Iraq. It was one thing to go into Afghanistan to go after Bin Laden (remember him? the guy who actually DID plan 911?), but Bush decided it was also a good idea to go after S.H. (who had nothing to do with 911). I also seem to remember seeing a memo that was written about how Bush wanted to go into war with 4 or 7 Middle Eastern countries while he was in office. How much were we paying for gas when Clinton was President?

So, do you think he had any concern about what would happen to the oil then? Oh yeah...he though it was going to be a cake walk. Flowers and candy...hearts and minds...

I wonder how many of those that wish America to fail so miserably in order for them to say, it's all Bush's fault - really understand these concepts. I wonder how many can grasp the thought of how many people would suffer if this were to happen, just so they could have something to villify and demonize one man they hate so much, and with every ounce of their existences.

That is sheer bullshit, LA! There is no way you can ever tell me, after making that statement, that you are an Independent. Just because we are against this war, does not mean that we want to lose it in order to prove a point. We are losing this war because Bush is an incompetent boob. We aren't the ones who sent our soldiers to die in a war based on lies. Just because someone protests a war, does not mean they are vindictive, it means they care about our troops and our country....I can't say the same about you or YOUR Republican party.

You don't like demonstrations agains this war? How un-American is that, LA? Why do you hate our Constitution, LA? How many more of our troops have to die because of people like you who want to justify Bush's folly?

You do not hear the rest of the story, just the version of a former Baathist that feels the need to whine because he has to sacrifice a little - so that his other countrymen can have something,

Sacrifice a little? Are you nuts??? How many civilians have died in Iraq since this war began, LA? Have you even bothered to look up a little information on how many Iraqi's are without water, can't go to hospitals, have no medicine, can't send their kids to school, men can't go to work or find jobs...this is a little sacrifice?

Like I have said in many posts before, I do not like everything that the man does and he wasn't my first choice in 2000. But I do not hate the man so much that I would be willing to sacrifice the peace and stability of the world, just to prove he was wrong about something.

Peace and stability in the world? Bush has caused more instability, LA! In fact, the Middle East has never been so unstable and volatile! This didn't happen because of Saddam Hussein...it happened because of Bush, and those like you who voted for him.

I will add this note. I don't often agree with you on politics, as you don't agree with me. But you have crossed the line this time by inferring that those who don't support this war want to lose it. I was hoping that the more than 3,000 soldiers who have died in Iraq and the over 10,000 soldiers who were wounded and lost limbs would have died or had their lives changed forever for a reason. General P (can't remember his name now) said himself, this war cannot be won by the military, there needs to be a diplomatic solution. Does that make him a vindictive leftie too?

You keep cheerleading for Bush and every time I see a soldier come home in a body bag or missing limbs, I'll think of you and the rest of your neo-con friends...and how you think they weren't worth the trouble to fight for or to demonstrate for.

Stay the course, LA...just stay the course.

Anonymous said...

Wow, ME, you really are a fast typer. I declare you the Super Nun.

I might take a philosophical path, and say that there are some mistakes in this world the undoing of which cannot be achieved without going to the very beginnings and admitting to how it started and why it got worse (in reference to LA's "done is done, let's work to win it now" mantra). But, but... there is no need to philosophize in the presence of the Super Nun.

P.S. Nobody crossed the line with me.

LA Sunset said...

AICS

//What deception we are subject to!//

The electricity situation was told to me by a man that was physically there, but was injured by a roadside bomb. He was in the circle that had much information, due to his position. I trust his information.

LA Sunset said...

ME,

//Doesn't Ted Koppel read the resolutions in Congress? Doesn't he look at the suggestions coming from the Democrats? //

(sigh)

Ted Koppel had read more by accident than you and I ever will. I am sure that he knows much more about who said what, than you and me.

//Didn't Murtha say from the very beginning that we would leave troops in the region and in the Gulf to stand by to prevent such a conflict?//

What does Murtha have to do with this? The post is aboout Ted Koppel and HIS thoughts. If this would have been about Murtha, Murtha would have been a guest on the show.

//Hmmmm....maybe Bush should have thought of this before bringing us to war in Iraq.//

This illustrates my points about the left, magnificently. But as above, this post is not about Bush, it is about Ted Koppel's thoughts and views on the subject. Just because he didn't toe the MoveOn.Org line of thinking in his answers, you want to tie him and Russert to Bush. I have heard it all now.

Nice try at the bait and switch technique, though.

//How much were we paying for gas when Clinton was President? //

Do some research on gas consumption in China when Clinton was President, and contrast it with now. Therein lies the reasoning behind the higher prices.

//You don't like demonstrations agains this war?//

Where did I say this? I have yet to criticize anyone's right to demonstrate. I fully support anyone's right to so, whether I agree with them or not. If you are going to criticize my views here, do not put words into my mouth, please.

//Sacrifice a little? Are you nuts??? How many civilians have died in Iraq since this war began, LA?//

Again, nice try at diversion. I was speaking about electricity. Yet, you have read into my statements and pulled something out that wasn't there. Electricity was the subject, not deaths.

//But you have crossed the line this time by inferring that those who don't support this war want to lose it.//

Based on what I see, hear, and read, I cannot deny that there are many that are rooting for failure. I will not say all of them are, but many are, and I will stand by that statement. Nice try at twisting my words, again.

Keep reading that MoveOn.Org literature, ME. You are doing good as their spokesperson. Maybe you could become chapter President for the Chicagoland area. ;)

LA Sunset said...

Anonim,

//I might take a philosophical path, and say that there are some mistakes in this world the undoing of which cannot be achieved without going to the very beginnings and admitting to how it started//

If your house is burning, do you need to know how it got started before you put it out? I would submit the answer is no. You put the fire out, first. Then, you look at the cause.

PS-How's that for philosophical? ;)

Anonymous said...

LAS: expanding on some of the questions you ask, why can't the press report from the Kurdish region or from Basra? The answer of course is b/c life proceeds as normal there, with very few attacks. In the Kurdish region especially, the US is adored, people praise the US Marines, and they pray we will not leave abruptly and ruin everything that has been accomplished for them. The reporters instead prefer to stay in Baghdad to see if they can catch some video of blood and body parts.

The reporting of the talks with Iran and Syria has been funny too. We are to believe that this is a possible turning point in the war. A big deal! I laugh. Why not report that since the surge began, violence is way down? Maybe the surge is the turning point (we all hope!). Obviously, most reporters in Baghdad have a clear agenda, which is promoting failure.

I am now sorry that I have stopped watching Meet the Press. Hopefully I can catch a re-run tonight on MSNBC.

All_I_Can_Stands said...

ME,

Didn't Murtha say from the very beginning that we would leave troops in the region and in the Gulf to stand by to prevent such a conflict?

I believe he wanted to redeploy the troops to "nearby" Okinawa.

But really, how do you think we would prevent the conflict if we pull out? We would have to go back in. Why pull out knowing we would have to go back in? And are you kidding that the libs would be fine with us going back in? No, they would stand by and view the carnage that would occur just like they did after Vietnam. It makes no sense.

Mr. Russert, White House shill
Yeah, the other shills are Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Rosie O'Donell.

There is no way you can ever tell me, after making that statement, that you are an Independent I know this was directed at LA, but you are basically saying that someone cannot be an independent and passionately agree with one of the parties on a single issue. That is the beauty of being an indepedent. LA can passionately agree with points from the other party too. Case in point, we know LA is very anti-death penalty. Should I jump up and say "Ah hah! I knew you were one of them all along?"

General P (can't remember his name now) said himself, this war cannot be won by the military, there needs to be a diplomatic solution

Diplomatic solution with who? We keep killing and capturing each new al queada leader. They don't seem too interested in talking. The Shiite leader al Sadr keeps talking with his fingers crossed behind his back. Basically, if we go the negotiation route, we should start with a bullet between al Sadr's eyes and offer to negotiate with the next guy.

Also, the left in this country puts in a position where any negotiation would be from a position of weakness. How does that ever work?

Let's hope General P (if he even said this) is stronger in military strategy than he is in foreign policy.

Mary Ellen said...

LA


Now, I can just hear the Left's chants of "No war for oil" and "don't trade blood for oil". Those are just a couple of the many catchy slogans developed by the political anti-war cults, to go along with other classics like "Bush lied, people died".

and


Where did I say this? I have yet to criticize anyone's right to demonstrate. I fully support anyone's right to so, whether I agree with them or not. If you are going to criticize my views here, do not put words into my mouth, please.

I see...we should all demonstrate in silence. Makes perfect sense, LA. So, I guess 70% of the American people are now a "political cult"? Sounds more to me like you belong to the right wing fringe political cult,LA.

So...you only want to keep your discussion to the view narrow subject of electricity?

BAGHDAD – Younes Abbas Shamari is a carpenter with an open-air shop on Baghdad's Zawiya Street, which means he depends on electricity for most of what he does: sawing, drilling, sanding. These days, however, he rarely works, as the electricity is off more than it's on.

His workshop sits on a commercial strip in a relatively calm area in the central part of the city. Many small businesses here are in need of electricity to function, but Mr. Shamari estimates he gets just two hours of electricity for every four there is none. And that's twice the Baghdad average, this being one of the capital's more upscale neighborhoods.

Thanks largely to deteriorating security, electricity - along with water, sewage, and oil production - has dropped below prewar levels. Before the invasion, for example, Baghdad was receiving an average of at least 16 hours of power a day. Today, with insurgents targeting power plants and electrical lines on an almost daily basis, the city gets power just four hours each day on average.

"It's not enough to pay for the rent on my shop," says Shamari, whose salary supports an extended family of 13 in Diyala, outside Baghdad. "The rent is almost higher than whatever income I get from my work." He acknowledges that before the war, electricity wasn't nonstop, but it was available when he worked.

Iraq was generating 4,500 megawatts before the US invasion. But by November of last year that generation capacity had dropped to 3,995 megawatts, well below the national demand of 7,000 megawatts, according to a January report by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Production has slumped despite the $3 billion - of $18.4 billion authorized for Iraq reconstruction - the US has set aside for electricity projects.

Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, testified Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Iraq would need much more than the $56 billion estimated by the World Bank and UN in 2003 to rebuild Iraq. He didn't give a new figure.

Mr. Bowen told the committee that Iraq's water supply, sewer system, and electrical grid were worse off than once thought.

When fuel was still cheaper than water, before the government cut subsidies in December, Shamari made up for the lack of power with a gas-powered generator. But with the price of fuel now three to five times what it was just three months ago, that's no longer an option.

"How is Iraq supposed to make an economic recovery if businesses don't have basic necessities like electricity?" asks Humam al-Shamaa, an economics professor at Baghdad University. "And the lack of electricity affects security, too, because the streets aren't lighted after sundown and so businesses close earlier than normal."


This article was written a year ago. Since then, conditions in Baghdad have become much worse. It's not exactly a "green zone" anymore.

Ted Koppel had read more by accident than you and I ever will. I am sure that he knows much more about who said what, than you and me.

Then why didn't he report the truth, instead of telling the viewers that we want to "pull out" of the region? If he read so much, how did he come to the conclusion that if we leave Iraq, that the whole region will be in a civil war, when in fact, the Democrats have been calling to keep our troops in the region, but get them out of the middle of the civil war that Bush managed to get them into? Either he is well read and chose to skew his facts, or he's an idiot. Which is it?

Based on what I see, hear, and read, I cannot deny that there are many that are rooting for failure. I will not say all of them are, but many are, and I will stand by that statement. Nice try at twisting my words, again.

Based on what you see and hear? From where are you hearing this, LA? Hannity? Fox News? I've seen nothing but praise and concern for our troops from the Democrats. I don't see any "rooting for failure". That propaganda is coming from your bad choice of news sources. Try looking at some legitimate news sources for a change instead of trying to dig up dirt on the Democrats.



Greg

expanding on some of the questions you ask, why can't the press report from the Kurdish region or from Basra?

Why don't they just report the good news? Why not ignore the war and what our troops are dealing with and paint a rosy "candy and flowers" scenerio? Because these reporters are there to show what is going on in the war. If they aren't reporting about Basra and the Kurdish regions, how do you know they are doing so well? Oh....maybe because you heard a report about that region. You just want to hear it every day, instead of the reality of what our troops are going through on an everyday basis. See no evil, hear no evil. Right?

Why don't you point out to me, Greg, the reports that came from the wartime reporters during WWII...tell me all the reports of the "good news" coming out of Europe. What? No feel good stories? How about Viet Nam, Greg....any feel good stories coming from those war correspondents?

They aren't there to make you feel good about the war, they're there to report what is happening in the war zones.

If it will make you feel better, though, Laura Bush, while on Larry King, said that all we hear are the one bomb that goes off in Iraq and not the "good stories". Unfortunately, she is either an idiot or a liar, because there are more than 235 bombings per day in Iraq. Maybe you guys should get your news from Laura....oh, that's right. That's where Fox gets their news.

Mary Ellen said...

LA

Do some research on gas consumption in China when Clinton was President, and contrast it with now. Therein lies the reasoning behind the higher prices.

Regarding China and it's oil consumption. Lets look at what has happened since Bush has become President.

According to a report released in Beijing last month by the State Information Center, foreign trade is the major driving force of China's economy. In particular, China's net exports, or trade surplus with the rest of the world, are credited with bringing strong growth to the nation. The report discloses that Chinese exports totaled $156 billion in the first quarter of 2005 while imports totaled only $143 billion. More than 60 percent of Chinese surplus came at the expense of the United States. Last year, the U.S. bilateral trade deficit with China exceeded $162 billion, while the rest of the world actually ran a trade surplus with China. As a result, it is almost entirely the Chinese trade surplus with the United States that is providing the country with this extraordinary pace of expansion.

Oil producing countries are having a bonanza. Saudi Arabia, a country in danger of not being able to make payments on its foreign debts just a few years ago, is now raking in revenues at a rate that dwarfs even the oil price boom of the 1970s.

Oil executives in this country are also prospering. The 3 million shares of Exxon Mobil held by Board Chairman and CEO Lee R. Raymond are now worth about $170 million, up more than $62 million or about 59 percent from the level such shares would have sold for only 18 months ago. Raymond is only one of thousands of oil company executives enjoying the new prosperity that China's demand for petroleum has created for the industry.


The reason our gas is so high is because Bush and Co. have been placating the Oil Industry with tax breaks and tax cuts, while they stick it to the average American who has to pay the high prices for gas. This has everything to do with Bush policy and not with "problems in the ME region". Saudi Arabia is making record profits from this war, which is why they are fueling the insurgents in Iraq, all the while, kissing and holding hands with Bush.

Mary Ellen said...

Ooops, forgot to close my tag...the last paragraph is my commentary.

LA Sunset said...

ME,

//I see...we should all demonstrate in silence. Makes perfect sense, LA. //

Again, I didn't say that. You are twisting my words to suit your views. You can say what you want, as can your leftist friends. You are free to demonstrate all you want. I am not advocating that you do not have the right to disagree and hold protests. But I do not have to agree with the purpose of that protest, do I? I can criticize the purpose of it, can't I?

You criticize what you want, it's your right. If you want to rely on out of context word twisting to make your point, that's fine with me. But I won't. If you want to rely on illogical inferences and suppositions, that's your right. But I won't. And if you want to negate something that a highly educated man like Ted Koppel says, just because you disagree with him (and me), that's your right too. But I tend to give some credit to people that know a hell of a lot more about things, than you and I do.

But in all of this, do me a favor, stop telling me I am this right wing fanatic, because I do not believe the way you do. I have served in the military honorably and been more places in this world than the lion's share of people you and I know. You know precious little about me, what I have accomplished in my life, and how I have arrived at many of the beliefs I have arrived at. My ancestors have fought for, and some have died for, this country. And I will be damned you are going to tell me that I am something I am not, on my own blog.

If you wish to argue with me on points, issues, and principles you are welcome to do so and I will gladly give you the forum to do so, as I have gladly done in the past. But all I ask in return is to respect my views as I have respected yours. I will not agree with many of them, but I will NOT put you down personally for them, as you are doing to me.

I think you are one of the most dear people in the world, when it comes to a great many things. I especially appreciated how you went to that chapel to pray for me on the eve of my surgery last year. That meant a lot to me. That told me who you really were.

The truth be known, we think alike on many things.

Like AICS said, I am anti-death penalty - as you are. I am pro-choice - as you are. I am sure there are more social issues we can find that we agree on as well. But I do not share your views on the war, exactly as you would have me to.

That doesn't make me a right winger.

I may agree with the right on some things, but I do not agree with them on all issues, nor to I completely agree with them on how things have been handled. I have stated such, so please give some credit where credit is due.

LA Sunset said...

Greg,

There's this old adage: if it bleeds, it leads. Such is certainly apllicable here. Don Henley wrote a song about it. It's called "Dirty Laundry".

LA Sunset said...

ME,

//The reason our gas is so high is because Bush and Co. have been placating the Oil Industry with tax breaks and tax cuts, while they stick it to the average American who has to pay the high prices for gas. This has everything to do with Bush policy and not with "problems in the ME region". Saudi Arabia is making record profits from this war, which is why they are fueling the insurgents in Iraq, all the while, kissing and holding hands with Bush.//

I agree with you in part here, but the consumption of oil by China has gone up exponentially, since Clinton left office too. It is but one factor of many. Think about it, when China took over Hong Kong, in the late 90s, their revenue increased instantly.

I too share your concern about the trade deficit with China. I wrote a post about awhile back. Here it is.

Anonymous said...

Why don't they just report the good news?

No - the question is why can't they report ALL the news, good and bad from Iraq? What have you read lately about Basra or Mosul? I haven't seen anything. Not enough blood and guts, apparently.

As for where I get the "good news" on Iraq, much of it is from blogs of Iraqis and US soldiers.

Here's an Iraqi blog I highly recommend. Omar lives in Baghdad. I think he is Sunni. He supports the surge and sees signs it is working.

www.iraqthemodel.com

Here's a blog by an ex-green beret who is now a journalist. He goes all over Iraq.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/

There are many others like these. It is true that if you want all the news, and not just the bad, you have to find it on your own.

Mary Ellen said...

LA

I am arguing with you on points! I'm not twisting your words! You made commentary in your post about the "catchy slogans" that the "leftists" use. So, what is it that you want them to say, LA? You are the one who is twisting the reason why the Democrats are against this war. You are the one who says that we are against this war for the sole reason that we hate Bush. So, if you want me to see you in another light, not as a Republican, then you shouldn't be so quick to adopt their propaganda and hateful remarks about Democrats. To say that Democrats or "leftists" as you call us, are so cold and calculating that we would be willing to see our soldiers die and fail in this war, just because we hate Bush....that is a lot worse than me calling you a Republican. If anyone should be insulted, it's me, LA. You attacked my honor by accusing me of putting my politics before my country with those remarks. I AM a Democrat. I AM a liberal. I AM against this war. That's a fact that I don't deny, nor hide...but I DO NOT WANT OUR TROOPS TO FAIL OR TO ALLOW THEM TO DIE IN ORDER TO PROVE A POINT ABOUT BUSH'S INCOMPETENCY. We will fail in this war if we continue to follow a failed policy set forth by Bush, who refuses to listen to his own commanders on the ground or the Pentagon.

I have no doubt that you served your country honorably in the military...when did I ever say that you didn't? I never attacked you for your military service, nor have I ever shown disrespect for any one of our troops in this war, or any war for that matter. That said...the disrespect for MY views came from you when you said that seeing Bush fail was more important than our country winning this war. That is a low blow that is more in line with Sean Hannity...frankly, I was surprised at that remark coming from you. If you want my respect, I suggest you show the same.

Mary Ellen said...

Greg

I suggest you start watching some of the shows on CNN that are shown in the evenings and weekends. There are often programs that show "life in Iraq" in the views of the Iraqi's and there are some good things that come through. Don't think I haven't read some of those blogs from the Iraqi's, I look at both sides of the story.

That said, I'm more interested in what is happening to our troops than anything. I want the people in the US to see what our guys are going through, instead of giving them the impression that they are doing nothing but painting schools and giving candy to Iraqi children. If the reality of war is not put in the forefront, we will see more unsuspecting kids signing up to the military, not realizing what they are getting into.

Good news about Iraq is great, but this is a war, not a peace mission or a cake walk, and it shouldn't be perceived that way.

I remember how the "news" in Viet Nam was filtered by our government. It did nothing more than keep that war going longer than it should have, which resulted in the death of thousands upon thousands of our young men. I don't want that to happen again.

LA Sunset said...

ME,

//If anyone should be insulted, it's me, LA. You attacked my honor by accusing me of putting my politics before my country with those remarks.//

I stated that there are those that do this, I never once said that YOU do. Not once ME. Never.

In fact, this is my statement:

//I wonder how many of those that wish America to fail so miserably in order for them to say, it's all Bush's fault - really understand these concepts.//

Where did I say ME wishes this to be so? Where did I accuse you personally of being in this light? I know you care about the military, I have read your statements to many others on this topic. But you cannot take general statements that I make about people that do NOT care about the military and personalize them to you, unless I state it as such or it is true. There's an old saying, if you are guilty admit it, if not forget it.

You cannot get offended because I disagree with your ideology, it is the ideology of many that agree with you that have little or no respect for the freedoms we have here. They want to silence disagreements with them, they want their views to be accepted as the only view of the world. And yes, they are on both sides of the aisle. I will call them all out, when I feel the desire. It's my blog.

I give you free reign to put up whatever arguments you want here. You have put up copied and pasted stuff from left-wing sites like Move On and Think Progress with no complaints from me. All I ask is that you respect me, personally, and not to denigrate me personally for believing the way I do, by calling me something that I am not, all because I do not agree with you. I disagree with Republicans on many things. We do not live in a black and white world here, there are gray areas that must be considered. That's all I am saying here.

Mary Ellen said...


You cannot get offended because I disagree with your ideology, it is the ideology of many that agree with you that have little or no respect for the freedoms we have here.


So, MY ideology is the ideology of people who have little or no respect for the freedoms we have here? Nahh...not personally insulting to me at all! Do you ever read what you write, LA?

I give you free reign to put up whatever arguments you want here. You have put up copied and pasted stuff from left-wing sites like Move On and Think Progress with no complaints from me.

Have any of those cut and pastes from those blogs proven to be false? Were there any lies put in those left wing sites? If so, by all means, prove them wrong. Isn't that what this forum is supposed to be about? Or do I just have to agree with all of the things that come out in your right wing sites and take them at face value? I should just accept your cut and pastes from Drudge and not discuss or show where I get my information from? Interesting blogging technique you have there, LA.

Your right, this is your blog. I'll keep my views to myself and you can all pat yourselves on the back and tell each other the evils of the Democratic party. You can all ponder over the pure hatred we feel for our country because all we do is think of party first and dream about how we can keep the deaths in Iraq going so it will make Bush look bad.

I'll accept your "Independent" status, as you wish. In the meantime, I'll continue to be the evil anti-war cult you speak of so fondly and I certainly won't muddy your blog with those pesky facts. Again, if you saw anything I pasted on your blog as false, you should have spoken up. I was under the impression that this is what blogging was all about....my bad.

LA Sunset said...

ME,

//I'll keep my views to myself and you can all pat yourselves on the back and tell each other the evils of the Democratic party.//

That's up to you. It's your decision, not mine.