Goodbye for Now, Duncan Hunter

PA Times | 1/6/08 | Pissant

[pissant]

Dear Congressman Hunter,

Welcome back to the private sector. Having had the opportunity to talk to you a number of times, I know that you are looking forward to doing some "real" work for a few years before you retire. I wish you well in the construction business.

But I want to thank you for your service to the country. Frankly, the vast majority of politicians in DC provide nothing but disservice to our nation, including most republicans. But you, on the other hand, have been a national treasure. A true Reaganite from the beginning, you never wavered from your core beliefs of a constitutional, limited government, a robust military, US sovereignty, low taxes, and the sanctity or life. You also shared Reagan's belief in the American people and in God's hand in America's affairs.

Unfortunately, by maintaining your core principles, you found yourself at odds with the majority in your own party on many occasions. Kowtowing to the red chinese, the UN, the grievance pimps, the amnesty cheerleaders, the "gay rights" lobby and the global warming charlatans; spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer money to rescue Wall Street tycoons from their risky adventures; and fretting over what the "world thinks about America" are not conservative positions. Yet the GOP leadership was often nearly indistinguishable from the leftists in the other party.

Thank you for standing firm. Thank you for your efforts to stop illegal immigration - no one has put in the effort that you have. Thank you for scuttling the democrats' and McCain's plans to close Guantanmo. Thanks for standing up for our military and CIA interrogators during this war against islamic jihad. Thanks for telling Americans again and again about red chinese malfeasance. Thanks for your efforts on behalf of two imprisoned Border Patrol agents. Thanks for your leadership in not only instituting our missile defense systems way back in Reagan's day, but also preventing its demise over the years- over the objections of short sited political and Pentagon leaders. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the life of the unborn, and your many attempts to gain for them the constitutional rights they deserve. Thank you for frustrating the gun grabbing designs of the idiots like Rudy and McCain in our own party. Thank you for being a staunch advocate for American industrial might, and holding the line on outsourcing our military war machines. And thank your for fighting the good fight against the trillion dollar bogus "bailout".

And thank you for always putting America first!

And with God's hand continuing in our affairs, I don't think your service to the country is over just yet. But for now, enjoy your new work, your children and grandkids, your wife's company, and all the great things the country has to offer.

I say "well done", Congressman Hunter.

I raise my glass today in your honor.

(PS: Be sure to spend more time on FreeRepublic too!)

[pissant]

And thank your for coining the term "Ted Kennedy wing of the Republican Party" to describe your rivals. It was a bullseye.

[CPT Clay]

Thanks

[Vaquero]

living in Californication was his problem. He never would have made Senator or Governor there. Not in this day and age. By staying in the House he did not get the exposure needed to advance to national presidential politics.

[o_zarkman44]

A toast to Duncan Hunter. Stay fresh, friend of America.
We will need you back very soon.

[AuntB]

Thank you, pissant.

Thank YOU, Duncan Hunter. It was a honor to support you as a candidate for president and an joy watching you represent us for decades. We will miss you!!!!

Now, come back and help us fight ‘the Kennedy wing of the GOP’!

[cripplecreek]

Gotta love Hunter. Too few real men in politics these days.

Not afraid of the democrats or their media.

Called Harry Reid a liar and a coward outright and made Chris matthews tinkle down his leg.

[skeeter]

At an earlier time, when our now celebrity-obsessed culture actually thought things through, we would likely be awaiting an inauguration of president Hunter.

Maybe we'll get back to that point sometime, but for now looks like we're destined for a long walk in the wilderness.

[sig226]

Amen. We need more guys like him.

[nuconvert]

He was my 1st choice

[marron]

He was the best man running, truly qualified in a way no one else was, and truly principled in a way no one else was. And he couldn’t get the time of day.

The fact that the GOP chose a fraud like McCain over the genuine article tells us everything we need to know about the sad state of the GOP.

Hunter has served his country honorably and well. He has a lot to be proud of. With only a few men like him we could turn this country around. Sadly there are way too few.

Still, its my belief that God isn’t done yet with America, and he is probably not done yet with Duncan Hunter. And there is another Hunter who has just entered the field of battle.

Let the enemy beware. There’s two of them.

[Kryptonite]

Nice job. We need many more people like Duncan.

[cripplecreek]

He showed what kind of man he is in and after the CNN debate. While the rest of the candidates whined about CNN picking ringers to ask questions, Duncan Hunter sent a letter to Hillary Clinton and the democrats asking her to send more.

[cripplecreek]

As Ann Coulter wrote in her new book, the best-qualified of all the candidates is Rep. Duncan Hunter. During the debate he was the candidate who provided the best information about the economy and had a first-rate suggestion of what we need to do.

He keyed in on what must be one of the most important economic issues – trade.

He talked about our shocking $800 billion trade deficit, and what the Chinese are doing to us. Duncan understands that when anybody cites Ronald Reagan as a free-trade advocate in defense of our present trade policies, they need to remember that in my dad's playbook, protection of the American people came before anything else.

Take the case of Harley-Davidson. My father protected this American manufacturer of motorcycles against lower-priced Japanese imports. When he acted in behalf of an American company, Kawasaki and Honda reacted by moving their plants to the U.S. and created American jobs for American workers.

His policy was so successful that although he gave five years of protective tariffs to Harley-Davison, they didn’t even need that long a time before they could turn their company around. Given a level playing field they proved their superiority as an American manufacturer.

Ronald Reagan did the same thing with semiconductors, and the auto and steel industries. He also forced the Japanese and others to open up their markets to American products so that trade would be fair. When that didn’t happen he would impose tariffs on those products coming into the U.S., thus protecting American manufacturers.

Sure, he was a free trader who wanted too open up trade, but he always sought first to protect the sovereignty of the United States and its manufacturing base. He did not confuse free trade with giving the store away.

The effects of our current trade policies and the horrendous trade deficit they have produced are a gun pointed at the heart of our economy, and the Republican who can stand up and tell the truth about this problem and its solutions will be the one who emerges from the pack.

Michael Reagan on Ronald Reagan, free trade, and Duncan Hunter

[Tax-chick]

Good piece, pissant, and best wishes to Mr. Hunter in all his future endeavors.

[Dante3]

We need more people like him in Washigton.

[BGHater]

[OB1kNOb]

Rest up and recharge, Duncan. We need you for 2012.

[AuntB]

Hunter was the media’s best kept secret in 2008. I was thinking this morning earlier when he showed up on Morning Joe to ask why the media wasn’t covering all the candidates!

[Retired COB]

I say "well done", Congressman Hunter.

Concur. Very well written.

I sincerely wish that Duncan had been the one being sworn in on January 20th. He'd be an outstanding candidate to be RNC Chairman. We're about due for a conservative.

[PerConPat]

Thank YOU, Duncan Hunter. It was a honor to support you as a candidate for president...

Ditto!