[neverdem]

FWIW, life is not fair to Al Gore. Bwahaha

[neverdem]

Oops,the author's last name is Owens. Pardon me.

[finnman69]

Saddamfreude!

[ChewedGum]

Poor Al. He has Clinton's drive for recognition without any timing.

Gum

[Reagan Man]

I think the Bathist loyalists and those terrorists stupid enough to have entered Iraq, are the ones who've been caught in "the" real quagmire. We entrapped Saddam Hussein and the US military continues making life difficult for the dwindling Saddamite thugs and IslamoFascists dumb enough to stick around Iraq. Not a good predicament to be in. This all proves, the end is around the corner. OTOH, if we listen to Howie Dean and his anti-war supporters, PresBush is the enemy and we have no business defending ourselves. Dean can't beat Bush with that political agenda. Won't work.

[MainFrame65]

The Memphis Commercial Appeal Washington reporter is James Brosnan, who has spent his entire career as waterboy for the Gores, Senior and Junior. Here is his latest attempt, remarkable only for its incredibly bad timing (A special talent of both Junior Gore and the unfortunate Mr. Brosnan).

---

Gore's nod a testimony to Dean's savvy

By James W. Brosnan
WASHINGTON -

Only in Washington or Manhattan would a governor who was elected five times be regarded as political "outsider."

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean's wooing of Tennessee politicians shows that he can play the inside game of politics as well as recruit supporters and collect campaign contributions through the Internet.

One example was the endorsement last week by former vice president Al Gore. Dean realized that the way to Gore's heart is through issues, not politics or personality, and solicited his views.

Roy Neel, Gore's former chief of staff, said Gore's thoughts on opposing the war in Iraq were reflected in the tone and language of Dean's speeches.

"It's one thing to ask for advice. It's another thing to take it," Neel said.

Gore's running mate in 2000, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., had moved so far from Gore in favor of the invasion of Iraq "that he could have hardly expected an endorsement," Neel said.

Gore should have found a way to let Lieberman know of his intentions, however. A few days later, Gore E-mailed key supporters and explained why he backed Dean.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is backing Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., said of Dean: "I think he's a very effective politician. I can't think of any of our nominees who would not have wanted Al Gore's endorsement."

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is similarly impressed with Dean's efforts to reach out.

Dean huddled with Bredesen during a meeting of the National Governors Association in February for advice on campaigning in the South.

As a native New Yorker, Bredesen said he learned in Tennessee that Southerners are more interested in character and less interested in issues than voters in other places.

"I think people want to feel that somebody has a core. They want to know who they are," Bredesen said.

Since that meeting, Bredesen said Dean has called "multiple times."

"He was the most effective telephone worker by a considerable margin," said Bredesen, who has decided not to endorse any of the Democratic contenders before the Feb. 10 primary in Tennessee.

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton is taking a similar stance for now, but if he endorses anyone, it won't be Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Herenton was offended when top aide Gale Jones Carson and key ally Sidney Chism were invited to a Kerry reception last spring and he wasn't.

Attorney David Cocke, who chairs the Kerry Shelby County campaign now but didn't then, said the reception was hastily put together and that the invitations were issued from the Washington headquarters.

Dean called Herenton directly in September as well as Harold Ford Sr. even though his congressman son is backing Kerry.

Harold Ford Jr. still believes Kerry is the Democrats' best general-election candidate. But if Kerry's campaign doesn't survive the New Hamp shire primary, don't be surprised if Ford throws his support to Dean.

Dean's political acumen shouldn't surprise anyone.

"Vermont is a small, moderately unique state, but so is Arkansas," Bredesen said.

Dean had to run for re-election every two years just as Bill Clinton had to do in Arkansas before the state changed the governor's term to four years. You can't do that without constant politicking with local officials and legislators.

Being a governor is "much closer to the real world" than what goes on in Washington, Bredesen said. "I think history and my generation has shown that a governorship is much sounder ground to run for president from."

But Dean is far from having the nomination sewn up. Gephardt, Kerry, Lieberman, Gen. Wesley Clark or Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., could emerge from the pack to make it a two- or three-man race.

[walford]

I hate to put a damper on things, but we mustn't get overconfident in our euphoria at Saddam's capture to think that the Left will finally concede we did the right thing in removing Saddam. The Left always applies a double-standard to anything their side does wrong and anything ours does right. They are always eager to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

When Bubba got caught lying about Monica, I thought for sure he was finished, because I figured he would be treated the same as if he were a Republican.

Here our troops have defeated one of the most bloodthirsty dictators in the history of the world, and the President of the United States is portrayed as the bad guy. I'm hearing some commentators saying that the Arab street is offended at how Saddam was humiliated on camera.

When he was captured, only Fox News felt that it was necessary to review his responsibility in killing over 300,000 of his own, and countless others [I flipped around the dial -- didn't Dan look confused?]

The Left is already working hard to push this great event under the rug:

Hussein's Capture Is Yesterday's News
By Christopher Scheer
h**p://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17387
"...We are, none of us, in a very good place. We are encouraged to believe in an Alice-in-Wonderland world in which Saddam Hussein is a workable stand-in for Osama bin Ladin; that it is worth sacrificing thousands of American lives to grant human rights to Iraqis but not to Congolese, Burmese, Liberians, Uzbekistanis, Syrians, Colombians, North Koreans and other societies that lack precious natural resources; and that progressives actually oppose human rights and base their political positions on an irrational hatred of alleged patriots like George W. Bush..."

Saddam Hussein’s capture will not resolve Iraqi quagmire
h**p://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/dec2003/sadd-d15_prn.shtml
"...There is no doubt that the gloating in both the White House and the media will continue for many days to come. Having demonized Hussein as the equal of Hitler, his apprehension is treated as a milestone in the birth of a “free” and “democratic” Iraq. This interpretation of events evades a number of inconvenient questions..."

[R. Scott]

I would like to see him tried in The Hague, and I tell you why.

I would not like to see him tried in The Hague, and I tell you why. There is no death penalty, and Saddam might live out the prison sentence.
I also would not like to see him tried in the USA – I’m hard pressed to think of what charges he could be brought against him under US Law. He committed no crimes while in a US jurisdiction.
I prefer to see him tried in Iraq by Iraqis. They are likely to order a swift execution.

[Rummyfan]

....under international law with an international group of justices, bringing witnesses from other nations...

Wesley, you chump, there is no such thing as international law! On this one simple issue Clark has shown why he is not presidential material. How did this man ever rise through the ranks to general????

[neverdem]

Ping

[fourdeuce82d]

I would vote for a national lottery to be held in which relatives of those killed by Saddam would vie for the right to execute him in a manner of their own choosing.

death by cheese grater. Start at the toes and work up. over a period of a year or so.

[HighWheeler]

"...Al Gore...making a play for the pro-Saddam wing of the Democratic party,...

How many humans are in the anti-Sodom wing of the RAT party? Maybe Zell Miller.

[Mat_Helm]

Saddam has been the fly paper and rat poisen to attract all the jihadist into the shooting gallery for annihilation. Leftwing liberals and leftwing presidential candidates and leftwing media outlets have also been caught by the Saddam rat poisen and exposed by the Saddam fly paper into the light of day to be disposed of by the American people. Saddam is bringing out all the rats into the light of day to be exposed and the American people will be throwing all of these traitors, saddomites, jihadists, into the trash heap and out the door along with the cold bloody bathast water down the drain. Alqatie Couric the colon queen is leading the way for all Ameria to see how corrupt and out of touch and slanted the liberal whiny media is. We have a vicotry in the war on terror and they try to rob us of that victory. How truly stupid and self destructive are these liberlas. Can they truly be this stupid and out of touch? The democrats have let there one sided media become their own worst enemy in an uncontrolable monster that is eating its own by showing how traitorous and unamerican they are. ABCNNBCBS will soon be nothiong but a tabliod entity with nobody listening but thieves, fellons, athiests, abortion clinics, welfare recipients, perverts, serial killers, the clinton library, and Al Frankin.