The special hell of a Cruz rally: What it's like to spend an evening with GOP’s oiliest operator

Salon ^ | February 5, 2016 | Gary Legum

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.. Two flat-screen TVs on either side of the stage are showing a campaign film of more cheering crowds, backed by patriotic music..

[Cincinatus' Wife]

On his proposal to "carpet-bomb" ISIS, Cruz has been getting blasted by military leaders for weeks for a) not seeming to know what carpet bombing actually is, and b) not knowing that it's a war crime. But he hasn't changed his pitch. In Nashua he tells the crowd that during the first Gulf War in 1991, the United States flew 1,100 sorties a day against the Iraqi army, "carpet-bombing" it into oblivion so that all our ground forces had to do once the invasion began was mop up the shattered remnants of Sadaam Hussein's forces. This understanding of carpet bombing is wildly inaccurate. Cruz either does not know this, or more likely he does not care. I'm betting on the latter.

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FR THREAD: A Reagan Doctrine for the Twenty-First Century - Let's take off our gloves

Post #1: The AEI scholars recommend a return to the level of defense spending proposed by Robert Gates, and the gradual build to "an affordable floor of 4 percent of gross domestic product that would sustain the kind of military America needs." These numbers might not be as shocking as Reagan's. But at least they would reverse the hollowing out of the force. And they would grab the attention of the Kremlin.

"...."You claim it is tough talk to discuss carpet bombing," [Ted] Cruz said. "It is not tough talk. It is a different fundamental military strategy than what we've seen from Barack Obama."

Cruz continued to hammer Obama over his military strategy.

"Barack Obama right now, No. 1, over seven years, has dramatically degraded our military," he said.

He then invoked the Persian Gulf War, using it as justification of his strategy of increased air attacks:

Just two weeks ago was the 25th anniversary of the first Persian Gulf War. When that war began, we had 8,000 planes. Today we have about 4,000. When that war began, we had 529 ships, today we have 272. You want to know what carpet-bombing is? It's what we did in the first Persian Gulf War: 1,100 air attacks a day, saturation bombing that utterly destroyed the enemy. Right now Barack Obama is launching about 15 and 30 air attacks a day. He's not arming the Kurds. We need to define the enemy, we need to rebuild the military, to defeat the enemy, and we need to be focused and lift the rules of engagement so we're not sending our fighting men and women into combat with their arms tied behind their backs. Jan 28, 2016

[Byron_the_Aussie]

.. WBZ-UMass Amherst Poll: Trump, Sanders Lead In NH (Trump up 34% to 14% for Rubio and 9% for Cruz) ..

Cincy?

Cincy!!

CLEAR!

[Faith65]

The special hell of a Cruz rally: What it’s like to spend an evening with GOP’s oiliest operator.

“The speech is filled with the usual bullshit that no one will call him on”....

[Eagles6]

Salon is populated by adolescent homosexuals and trannies.

[LeoWindhorse]

Gary Legum belongs on someones list

It is so amazing that American has begat these people

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Your usual, "QUICK! deflect attention away from content" distraction.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

This is what the Left has been teaching our kids and grandkids.

As Rush says, “They always tell you who they fear the most.”

[Cincinatus' Wife]

http://www.salon.com/writer/gary_legum/

[GeronL]

No one is more oily than Trump

[Bobalu]

Yup, what scares me is Rush’s love affair for Rubio of late...Rubio is so slick he makes a banana peel look like sandpaper.

[doosee]

Without a picture, I can see this guy sitting there looking down his effeminate snoot at all of the conservatives. You can bet your mortgage that this guy never served his country yet writes this sneering snotty piece which the most disdain saved for elderly patriotic veterans. Self employed wannabe writer who is a joke.

[uglybiker]

Gary’s boyfriend must’ve deflated.

[grania]

Odd to hear criticism about biased news outlets, considering how the Cruz campaign accepted and amplified “breaking news” from CNN, without even verifying it.

[jonrick46]

oleaginous
[oh-lee-aj-uh-nuh s]

adjective
1. having the nature or qualities of oil.
2. containing oil.
3. producing oil.
4. unctuous; fawning; smarmy.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Yup, what scares me is Rush's love affair for Rubio of late...Rubio is so slick he makes a banana peel look like sandpaper.

I don't see Rush as having a love affair with Rubio [Rush is a Cruz guy].

What Rush is doing is Spinning Plates

Watch that and then see if you agree.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Yeah, how about that?

I’ve heard that “oily” pejorative used here on FR.

[jonrick46]

This commentary by Gary Legum is a good example of why the MSM is becoming irrelevant. Everything is a biased, oleaginous, hyperbole from the fantasy land of the Unicorn Farm. Reading it raises the spittle on my lips like a conditioned response preparing to let my missile fly at the object of my distaste. If the MSM does not get a grip, they will find themselves in the ash can of history.

I hope Ted Cruz holds it together up to the Convention. We may need him for the fight of America’s life in the election.

[snoringbear]

“The special hell of a Cruz rally: What it’s like to spend an evening with GOP’s oiliest operator.”

Well, the author did everything but call Cruz a Greaser. A racially offense word right up there with the N Word. However, even though it was nuanced in meaning it was there. Looking for the outrage......