Democrat Says Declining Casualties in Iraq is Not Progress
(CNSNews.com) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democratic presidential candidate, said Sunday that the decline in U.S. casualties in Iraq -- which has accompanied the increase in U.S. troops in that country -- is not a sign of progress.
"Progress shouldn't be measured by casualty counts, body counts," Richardson told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week."
Richardson must be getting his talking points from the Hideous One.... he is obviously angling for a cabinet position
America hates Hillary Clinton and Co
By Toby Harnden
They call it flyover country. These are the parts of the United States that the pundits and prognosticators of American politics see just occasionally - and usually from several thousand feet. It is a land where people shop at Wal-Mart, eat at Dairy Queen, work two jobs to make ends meet and have a Bible at home. They can decide on their vote with the help of talk radio, cable television and the internet - or from a combination of rumour, scraps of hard information and gut feeling.
Iowa and New Hampshire are the early-voting states into which the east-coast campaign “bubble” bounces every four years. They provide the stage for the opening acts. But it is in flyover country where the 2008 presidential election will be won and lost.
“There’s less hustle and bustle here than on the coasts and a different outlook on life,” said Marla Russ, a secretary and part-time policewoman at a football game in Weatherford, Oklahoma. “There’s pride in the land and trust for each other. Things are still done on a handshake.”
So is Hillary Clinton the “polarising” figure we hear so much of in the media? Can only a Democrat win in 2008? Is America ready to elect its first female or black president? Has the letdown of the Bush years left the average Joe Schmoe yearning for the Clintons?
With a year to go before the country votes for its 44th president, The Daily Telegraph embarked on its “Crossing America” project to find out. The answers that Julian Simmonds, photographer and videographer, and I got were often surprising. They provide little comfort for Mrs Clinton but not much more for any other politician. Although few people have no opinion about the 2008 candidates, the election has yet to grip the American imagination. And for most, their final decision remains a long way away.
Travelling principally by road in between hops by air, we reported as we went along, posting video, text and photographs on the Telegraph website each night. Our odyssey was enhanced by the emails and blog comments we received from Americans suggesting routes, berating us for skipping over their town or promising to show us a slice of true American life if we stopped down their way.
Try small-town restaurants, country stores, truck stops and outside houses of worship after services,” advised MyTelegraph’s racefan. “You will be intrigued to discover that people can think for themselves.”
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