Posted on 06/02/2005 8:11:41 PM PDT by kcvl
Hurting Your Country
By: Bill O'Reilly for BillOReilly.com Thursday, Jun 02, 2005
So how did the USA go from being a beacon of freedom to a champion of the gulag? How exactly did that happen? Well, pull up a chair, here's what happened.
After President Bush won re-election last November, there was much consternation among some powerful anti-Bush Americans. They were stunned that John Kerry lost and feared that if Bush succeeds in his second term, the Democrats would lose again in 2008.
Then came the successful election in Iraq, and the fear on the left multiplied. If Iraq turned out to be a success, Mr. Bush would become a hero. So the need to undermine the Bush administration became more intense than ever. But how to do it? Social Security wasn't emotional enough, particularly for young voters. What could be done to hurt Bush?
Then came the revelation--let's torture the President.
The New York Times had already primed the pump, running more than 50 front-page stories on the abuses at Abu Ghraib. Then came reports from the International Red Cross that more abuse was happening at Guantanamo. The American Civil Liberties Union was already challenging detentions there and so a strategy was sealed: the Bush administration was full of torturers and human rights violators. It was ruining America's reputation throughout the world. Bush was a villain.
It was easy to get that thesis out. The left-wing websites fed anti-Bush columnists like Bob Herbert and Richard Cohen information and the drumbeat intensified. There was torture and abuse and murder all sanctioned by the evil Bush administration. Article after article appeared and soon some TV people followed along. It didn't take long before the torture seed was fully sown.
The Newsweek debacle slowed things down a little, but the anti-Bush press quickly banded together and pronounced that Newsweek's mistake would never have happened if Bush wasn't torturing everybody. I'm sure you read those opinion pieces, as they appeared in liberal newspapers all over the country. The theme and wording was so similar that one person could have written all of those articles. And that was no accident.
All the while this was happening, the President and his crew were doing what they usually do when the press pounds them: nothing. They did not engage the abuse propaganda until it was obvious Newsweek had screwed up. But even that effort was derided by many in The White House press corps, who chided the administration for scolding Newsweek.
Now the torture theme has new momentum. A liberal federal judge in New York City has ruled the Defense Department must release more photos and videos of Abu Ghraib to the ACLU. Of course, that will incite even more hatred against the USA and put our soldiers in more danger but, hey, politics comes before protecting the troops. The anti-Bush people want those pictures almost as badly as Al Jazeera wants them. Another nail in the President's coffin is more important than bodies in real coffins.
If you think I am exaggerating, I assure you I am not. This torture campaign is being run brilliantly, and if Mr. Bush doesn't wise up soon, he will be bloodied just as Lyndon Johnson was in the Vietnam debacle.
The truth is that abuse has occurred, but on a relatively small scale. According to General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. has detained about 68,000 people since 9/11 (most have been released), and there have been 325 investigations into alleged abuse. At this writing, about 100 cases of wrongdoing have been substantiated.
That's not a big number, but it doesn't matter to the anti-Bush cabal, which understands that perception is reality in a nation where "reality programming" is the rage of the day. If you can sell the nation that America is now a war criminal, President Hillary Clinton is a real possibility.
So there you have it. For the anti-Bush folks, it is simple: no pain, no gain. Torture is selling and the media is buying. For those of you who are appalled by this analysis, I can only say one thing: sometimes the truth, like torture, hurts.
Brass knuckles.
I think they need to be called on it, and efforts made to expose them.
---we are now routinely tasering americans at traffic stops, mostly in disputes over summonses. far worse in almost all cases then these "torture" incidents.---
Oh, I see what you're saying! I was making the same point yesterday about discipline in the ROK Army. Korean soldiers were rather routinely beaten with rubber hose for small disciplinary infractions, far worse than most of these "abuse" allegations. While we didn't approve it wasn't our business to interfere in how they ran their Army or society.
I concur with your sentiments on Professor El Arian- yet, BOR has been way off base with the Swift Boat Vets and gave unquestioned media support to the Kerry DNC efforts. Hannity is a Great Liberty Bell ringer, without a doubt, and I don't quite understand the animus towards Sean. Is there a better counterpoint to "Kermit" Alan C.? Now, you state that Rush is protected on this site, by Jim Rob., if this is true- Excellent choice! BOR or Sean are in a different league.
Being audited THREE TIMES in a row would tend to *iss me off too! Especially, when Hillary Clinton's "friend" was running the IRS.
You have to give it to Hillary though. She knows where to put her key people. The government is infected with Clinton loving sociopaths and that's scary. What is scarier is Hillary as PRESIDENT!
---You said it was better than getting kicked into submission. Who got kicked into submission? How hard is that question?---
It's not a question of who. It's a question of how. I was saying that tasering was a better method of bring someone into submission than beating or kicking them.
I don't either. I turn Sean off when he has someone I just can't stomach, or if he has a "debate" that gets out of hand. But I don't understand Sean-bashing.
lol...please do not put your hands up,yet, FRiend! There is a long time before the tippy bunch will get their way...
"I really wish that the administration would go on the offensive, rather than the defensive."
For some reason, even though Bush is a very competitive fellow, he seems too inclined to maintain this image that he's "above the fray". I know presidents are supposed to do that, to an extent, but once in a while can't George Bush let his anger and resentment come out, and fire back at his attackers? I am sure he's fully aware of the daily assault
on him from the left and MSM.
I think in his heart, he'd love to zing them, but his "handlers" won't let him. It's times for him to take the gloves off, IMO.
I must be missing your point because I thought you were saying we were torturing people by kicking them into submission. I'm sorry if I misunderstood.
Without a doubt, and there is nothing wrong with a angry disagreement. I'm talking about those posters who are part of the mindless bashing contingent.
Now, you state that Rush is protected on this site, by Jim Rob., if this is true- Excellent choice!
That was maybe 5 years ago or more, JR simply deleted threads and posters, nipping it in the bud. I'm not sure if they still take those actions, but given what has happened to Hannity over here I wish he'd take the same hard line for them.
We routinely taser citizens on traffic stops? How do these traffic stops escalate to the point of the drivers being tasered? Im sure there are good reasons for the jolt.
Thanks for letting me in on the sitrep.
---I must be missing your point because I thought you were saying we were torturing people by kicking them into submission. I'm sorry if I misunderstood.---
Sorry! I misunderstood oceanview and went off on a tangent and it just sort of snowballed from there.
She is and she is also more determined to become President. I never believed Bill Clinton would become President the first time. I also didn't believe he would win a second term. I was absolutely positive that people weren't stupid enough to elect Hillary as their Senator. So much for overestimating them.
Hillary has one chance to make it as the first woman President. She didn't get this far to let anyone stand in her way. I am not going to make the mistake of thinking people are not stupid enough to believe Hillary is really a middle of the road Democrat once it is pounded into their heads daily.
If I remember correctly Rick Lazio scared her to death presenting her with a piece of paper (according to the OLD MEDIA). How many people felt sorry for the "poor woman" and voted for her? She knows how to play the sympathy card when she needs to. Imagine a male candidate presenting another male candidate a PIECE OF PAPER and having the OLD MEDIA have a cow over it. The "poor woman" had her "space invaded" according to a bunch of lunatics and people fell for it. That's the kind of politicking by "poor Hillary" that I'm talking about. She is going to play dirty and many, many people will only hear what the OLD MEDIA tells them. No, I'm not sure she can be stopped unless people start waking up to the fact that she is ruthless (and never gets her hands dirty).
Yes, I think you are right about the fact that AI hasn't been to Gitmo. They say they have not been allowed in, which is probably true. That said, the problem with their claims is that they have relied TOTALLY on the statements of ex-prisoners and family members of ex-prisoners to come to their conclusions.
Obviously, to people with half a brain, this presents a problem. Islamofacists are not particularly well-known to be capable of presenting a view of reality that is even minutely close to truth as the rest of the sane world knows it.
During the election, I constantly heard people complain about how BOTH candidates where trashing each other. I would always counter with "Can you give me a specific way the President has trashed Kerry?" No one ever named one. But they could name specifics going the other way.
Several people I talked to change their minds after that. I think we often blame both parties out of a sense of civility. "All politicians lie." But we actually respect someone who is clear and does what he says. And that is getting through to people.
When people quit listening to the press, and start thinking for themselves, they SEE the difference.
"If you can sell the nation that America is now a war criminal, President Hillary Clinton is a real possibility."
If Hillary becomes President I hardly think the blame can be laid on the media. While they sensationalize prisoner abuse, a lot of Americans are worrying about our borders and just who the heck are all these Spanish speaking people moving in... Mr. O'Rielly is right, they over-report these damaging stories but I care more about not hearing English spoken when I go to the local Food Lion for milk.
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