The Republicans HAD to bring this whole "war debate" to a head. The rats have been mounting a very effective campaign to use the war as a way to divert attention from the news they don't want America to hear - - terrific news about the economy.
It is critical to remember that the Democrat Party thrives on a bad economy - - what they want more than anything else is an economic recession in which people lose their jobs, their homes, and their savings. This is when the Democrats have the most success selling their vision of a Euro-style, secular-socialist welfare state. This is when they see their best chance of getting elected.
Their problem, their nightmare, has been that the economy is roaring - - the stock market is climbing, unemployment is virtually non-existant, and even oil prices are plummeting (I got my gas today at $2.09!). This is the worst possible news for the Democrats. All their best soundbites ("How will people afford to heat their homes this winter?", for example) are becoming obsolete.
And so, the Democrats have been left only with their old dependable fallback position of silently hoping like crazy for more and more filled U.S. military body-bags to provide them with the political fodder they needed to use against Bush and the Republicans - - until tonight.
With tonight's vote, the Democrats' harping about the war will ring hollow. Now the focus can turn back to the good economic news, as well as the tremendous progress that has actually been made in Iraq and in the war on global terrorism.
Tonight's vote was a tremendous poltical victory for the Republicans and for America. And the night was capped by the surprise live broadcast of President George W. Bush rallying the troops and the nation.
(P.S. Are the Democrats some very sick animals, or what??)
I filled up several days ago at 2.02. Now it is 1.99.
This is my first post after reading for months. So tell me if I don't do something right.
"Their problem, their nightmare, has been that the economy is roaring..."
This comment is so true. The democrats have a vested interest in things going badly. The sad thing is that many people start believing these things after they have been blindly repeated by CNN, etc. a thousand times.
$2.09 for a gallon of gas is pretty good. According to the Department of Energy's website, the price of a gallon of gas (nationwide average) as of 11-14-05 is $2.296. Stocks are at thier highest level in 4 1/2 years. The price of oil is at a 5-month low, and the GDP in the 3rd quarter was a VERY healthy 3.8%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unempoyment rate in September 2005 is lower than the average unemployment rate during all of the "golden" Clinton years (5.1% vs 5.2%). So what gives?
"...the Democrats have been left only with their old dependable fallback position of silently hoping like crazy for more and more filled U.S. military body-bags..."
Just like they were praying for more dead in New Orleans during Katrina. "More dead" translates into "Bush is stupid" in their minds.
"With tonight's vote, the Democrats' harping about the war will ring hollow."
Isn't this exactly the vote that the democrats wanted? They have been saying forever that the American people WANT us to pull out of Iraq. Now, when they get a chance to put their money where their mouth is, they balk.
The media breathlessly reported Congressman Murtha's comments as a call for "immediate" withdrawal. That includes the NYT and AlJazeera, which highlighted his comments on the front page.
How much do you want to bet that now the NYT tries to frame Murtha's comments as a "gradual" withdrawal? Or a withdrawal "over 6-months"? They will do this because they will want to paint the vote last night as not being on Murtha's proposal (as if HIS proposal would have been passed).
One thing I noticed is that the media did everything they could to NOT report the vote. The BBC, as far as I can tell, has NOTHING on their website about it, and CNN buried it in the side bar (with a story about Robert Blake as the main story), while CBS reported it as "House Rejects GOP Withdrawal Plan" (I paraphrased that since the headline is no longer up).
Well, this is my first post. I hope I did it right.
Jim in Chicago
:)
Hoisted on their own petard.
Democrats have been calling for the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq for quite some time now. The Republicans finally woke up and offered them a chance to ACTUALLY do it.
And because of that, the Democrats cry foul.
It seems that Democratic demands are demands that they themselves do not want, when forced to choose.
Well said!
Well sick animals are to be pitied: Demoncrats are beneath contempt.