Posted on 11/26/2005 4:55:05 AM PST by HonduGOP
Graham, McCain continue to stand for what is right
THIS NEWSPAPER did not endorse Lindsey Graham in 2002, but he keeps giving us reasons to be quite proud that he represents our state in the U.S. Senate.
On Oct. 7, we praised Sen. Graham for being among those who led the Senate to vote, 90-9, to reassert essential American values in the way we treat prisoners in wartime.
Later that month, he was one of seven Republican senators who tried to inject at least a little sanity into the federal budget by trimming out $125 billion worth of mostly ill-considered spending to help pay for Katrina relief. It was an inadequate gesture in light of a $318.62 billion deficit in fiscal 2005, but it was also, unfortunately, far more responsibility than the rest of Congress was willing to take on.
On Monday, we had fresh reason to cheer upon reading the front page of The New York Times, which reported that Sen. Graham was one of three senators — along with John McCain of Arizona and John W. Warner of Virginia — taken to the figurative woodshed by Vice President Dick Cheney over the detainee issue.
Mr. Cheney wanted the provision removed from a defense appropriations bill. As the Times reported, “The senators would not budge.”
Their stand has not only put them in hot water with the White House, but with many of their fellow Republicans in the Congress.
But the members of what Sen. Graham called their “little triumvirate” are not renegades. They are not in revolt against President Bush, but are determined to press the administration to achieve its goals in the war on terror without sacrificing the ideals that we are supposed to be fighting for.
And it’s not just a matter of principle. “I think I can help the administration by forcing this through,” Sen. McCain was quoted as saying. “I think I can help them more effectively pursue the war on terror in general and the war in Iraq in particular.”
We agree. The Abu Ghraib scandal may have done more to frustrate our nation’s ability to win hearts and minds in this struggle — in Iraq, through the Muslim world and among our Western allies — than anything else, including the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. And in order to build a stable and peaceful Iraq and defeat terrorism worldwide, we must win hearts and minds to our cause; we cannot do it through force of arms alone. The Bush administration has maddeningly refused to recognize this, and anyone who corrects that error acts in this nation’s best interests.
It’s worth noting that Sens. Graham, McCain and Warner were also among the “Gang of 14” who saved the Senate from self-destruction over judicial nominations earlier this year. But the three don’t agree on everything: Sens. McCain and Graham are steadfastly committed to increasing our efforts to succeed in Iraq, and voted against a Warner plan that they said smacked of a defeatist timetable for withdrawal.
Triumvirates aside, Sens. McCain and Graham have been an almost inseparable duo, joining to take stand after difficult stand to lead our nation in the right direction.
We recently published a letter from a reader who hoped to be able to vote for a McCain/Graham ticket for president and vice president in 2008. It’s a bit early to talk about endorsing anyone in an election that far off, but we can certainly understand where that reader is coming from.
Sorry, instead of barf alert it should have been RINO Alert
In my opinion, McLame is nothing but a Southwest version of Howeird Dean
I agree, McCain will not even win New hampshire this time around. After NH he will be history. The GOP primaries will be extremely interesting; expect someone other than Rice, Cheney, McCain or Giuliani. Forget Pataki; he is barely running on fumes in NY state
Graham, McCain
no thats a ticket I can totally ignore
It will be a cold day in hell before I would vote for either one of those clowns.
I received this email from Senator Allen about his support of the Warner Amendment, I mentioned I was touting him for POTUS. I said I was very disappointed in his report and was having second thoughts. It may be just a form email. Thank you for contacting me regarding the Warner Amendment, S. Amendment 2518, to the Defense Authorization Bill. I appreciate your concerns and value the opportunity to respond. As you may be aware, Senators Warner and Frist sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that addresses our ongoing efforts in Iraq. By passing this amendment, the Senate reaffirmed to both Americans and Iraqis that our forces will not stay in Iraq longer than needed to complete our mission of creating a free and stable Iraq. Particularly, the amendment specifies that the Department of Defense submit a classified report to the extent practicable every three months outlining the following: · The current military mission and its progress · Iraqi political agreements and measures made to defeat the insurgency · The number of Iraqi Armed Forces, special police, and regular police to defend against the insurgency · Any specific conditions included in the April 2005 Multi-National Forces-Iraq campaign action plan and any actions taken to provide the transition of security responsibility to Iraqi forces I understand there is concern that such a measure undermines the confidence of our troops and the leadership of our President. It is important to know that the Senate’s intent was not to negate our mission, but to ensure that Congress stay well-informed of the progress being made in Iraq. Throughout the war and our continuing efforts I have remained firm in my support for the President and our troops. I believe that this measure only affirms my commitment to our soldiers and the people of Iraq. As President Bush stated “I view this as an amendment consistent with our strategy.†Congress’s bipartisan call that our troops will stay the course until the mission is complete is a confirmation of our commitment to this cause. It serves as a recognition to our troops for their hard work and sacrifice; and as a reminder to all Iraqis that we will not abandon them. I want to make it perfectly clear that this measure does not impose any artificial timetables on our President or our troops. The Senate by a vote of 58-40, with bi-partisan support, defeated a resolution offered by Senator Levin and his democratic colleagues that would have required the President and the Department of Defense to create a timetable for troop withdrawal. Instead the Warner Amendment calls for our continued efforts in 2006 to be toward full Iraqi sovereignty and for the Administration to provide reports on their progress. These progress reports are similar to those that have been approved in the last Iraq supplemental request passed by Congress and which the Department of Defense has already provided. There is every reason to be optimistic based on the progress so far. Iraq has taken a number of significant and monumental steps in their fight for freedom. The Iraqi people reaffirmed their desire for freedom to the world by holding the first open election in almost 50 years and by drafting and ratifying a national constitution establishing fundamental protections for all Iraqi citizens. Additionally, according to the Department of Defense report, Iraq has made considerable progress in infrastructure and security. Today Iraq enjoys 44 commercial TV stations, 72 commercial radio stations and over 100 independent newspapers compared to none before the war. The Iraqi Security Force (ISF) has 210,000 trained and equipped members with 120 Iraqi Police and Army battalions participating in the fight. In fact, as of September 2005, one division, five brigades, and thirty-six battalions currently have the lead in their designated area of Iraq as compared to only one division and eleven battalions a few months prior. As our mission continues and Iraq takes more of the reigns of security, please know that I am forever grateful to the families who have lost loved ones for our greater security. We shall always remember those courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. My thoughts and prayers are with the men and women in both the civilian and military services. I appreciate their character, bravery and sense of duty in these trying times. I hope you will feel free to contact me again about issues important to you. If you would like to receive an e-mail newsletter about my initiatives to improve America, please sign up on my website (). It is an honor to serve you in the United States Senate, and I look forward to working with you to make Virginia and America a better place to live, learn, work and raise a family. With warm regards, I remain Sincerely, Senator George Allen
The MSM is 'gonna do all it can to promote McCain & Giuliani during the run up to the 2008 primary.
Hmmm. Those same terms were applied to John Edwards..
The Dems are dreaming of a McCain/Graham ticket.
All those "questions" about Lindsey Graham's "personal life" would go a long way toward neutralizing any concerns about electing a woman president.
And you can bet your last dollar that we'll be reminded that Hillary is a "happily married mother." She'll be playing Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" at her rallies if it will get her some "NASCAR dads" that won't vote for a ticket with Lindsey Graham on it.
Hmmm, I did not know that Lindsey may have major skeletons in his little closet! That may prove to be too radioactive for a national ticket, although the RINOs, Dems, MSM, they would not object
Pubbie primaries in 08 will resemble the Dem primaries in 04.
Dems had 10-12 contenders and their debates were bizarre.
Pubbie field will have 10-12 contenders. Like the Dems of 04, it will end up being a 'candidate by default'.
Unless some Pubbie can captivate the National scene (such as Hillary will definitely do on the Dem side), the Pubbies don't stand much of a chance of retaining the White House.
The Dems, after two or three major primaries, will have their candidate: Hillary or not-Hillary. For them, that is all that will matter. Their base (leftists, wackos, solid Dems, moderate Dems) will support whatever candidate emerges.
As with previous elections, unless the GOP goes with a complete dud or the non-Hillary Dem is a complete dud, the election will sway with the moderate Independents.
The MSM has been trying to ram McCain down our throats since the ass whupping Dubbya gave him in SC the first time around. When Graham was in the house and gunning for Klintoon the MSM considered him to be a loose cannon now he is Mr. Statesman. Hillary will go through Gov. Warner of Va. like a dose of salts through a goose when the primaries really start. Those FBI files that were missing for so long will be put to good use by Carville and his Arkansas Mafia crowd. Gov. Warners next victory will be over Sen. Rino Warner. The Republicans do not have a winning candidate at this time and a best get busy finding one.
I would have read that.
Never heard of the "The State", but the headline alone destroys any hope of credibility for me.
The State is a leftist rag.
Their support of Graham and McCain is very predictable - and speaks volumes about Graham and McCain.
The GOP Primaries will be overcrowded with candidates. Here is a sample of 11 candidates that will likely run for the GOP nomination:
Senators:
1. George Allen-VA
2. John McCain-AZ
3. Bill Frist-TN
4. Sam Brownback-KS
5. Chuck Hagel-NE
6. Kay Bailey Hutchison-TX
Governors:
1. Kenny Guinn-NV
2. Mike Huckabee-AR
3. Mitt Romney-MA
4. Haley Barbour-MS
Other: (Dark Horse)
1. Gen. Tommy Franks
Both of these RINOs will never get my vote. They are both traitors to the Republican party on issues that matter.
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