BUSH: 'In the event of any attack on Israel, the United States will come to Israel's aid'...

Drudge ^ | 5/23/06 | Drudge

[Vision]

BUSH: 'In the event of any attack on Israel, the United States will come to Israel's aid'...

[Alas Babylon!]

All such wars are unauthorized and unconstitutional.

Wrong. The president has constitutional authority to do so as commander-in-chief. Washington used it when he donned his Blue and Buff in supressing the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 (without asking permission from Congress), Jefferson sent Decatur and the Marines into Tripoli in 1804 w/o Congress, the Civil War was fought w/o a declaration of war, and both the Korea and Vietnam actions survived challenges of constitutionality in the Supreme Court, to the point that Congress had to pass the War Powers Act in 1974 in an attempt to take a small amount of the commander-in-chief's (president's) constitutional powers away. The Congress is the only body who can declare a state of war, but every president is granted the right to use the military, up to total mobilization and constant combat, in an emergency he declares.

Now the Congress can vote to withhold funds, and they did just that in 1975 when the North Vietnamese broke the Paris Peace treaty.

[Iscool]

Did I mention immigration at all in that post? No... in reality, I was thinking more of the Pat Buchanan/Anti-Israel types who want the US completely isolated...

aCould be you're a hundred percent wrong...I, as a Pat supporter and a Christian, support Israel 100%...

I believe most of Pat's supporters are Christian...And actual Christians support Israel...

[Iscool]

Not long after 9/11, almost 1/2 Americans didn't even want to defend themselves, thinking they could talk themselves out of the looming conflicts with radiscal Islam.

I disagree...Right after 9/11 we could have taken on the entire islamic world and the people would have supported it...

Problem is, it took almost a year before we could get parts from Sweden to make our cruise missles operable...Sweden was against the war and our feeble gov't has allowed our military apparatus to be outsourced...

By the time we could move, people were rethinking their patriotism...

[TXnMA]

I'd like to think you're right, but I think any action much stronger than posturing won't have enough support of the American people, at this point.

From where in Nevada do you obtain a view of what all Americans are thinking? And from where do you obtain your information?

Please don'tell us you're in that most bizarre bastion of artificiality called Las Vegas...

[TXnMA]

I dunno if I'm totally wrong, mostly wrong, largely wrong, or fairly right, on this issue.

Thank you. That is considerably more mature than the "squinting imp" sneer with which you started.

[HitmanLV]

I have enough clarity to see that the president has broad disaproval by the American people. Deny them at your peril.

[TXnMA]

On a totally different -- and personal -- note, what is your connection with the queen of the sport that first made TV a "must watch" sports medium? (Yes, I remember watching her -- on a tiny B&W screen...)

I'm saddened to learn that Anna Theresa Calvello is no longer with us.

[TXnMA]

Peace offering:

[HitmanLV]

I'm 38, so too young to remember anything but the last gasps of Roller Derby & its strange sibling, Rollergames. In the early 70s. The game did exist in some forms into the 1980s but I missed the glory days. :(

I am a lifelong fan of Roller Derby though and devoured anything I could on the subject. Awesome stuff.

I keep an eye on the game (we lost the LA Thunderbirds' Ralphie Valledieres about a year and a half ago), and its showing some signs of revival but I don't think it will happen.

Ann Theresa Calvello was a classic, one of a kind character. All personality and all talent. She is one of the truly iconic figures in Roller Derby history (and in a lot of ways, American Culture). I have no personal connection with her, but I have some videos and the documentary made about her a few years ago.

She passed away in Mid March and it got some mainstream press, but not nearly enough in my book. I am a big pro wrestling fan since childhood (saw my first match on Ch 47 in NYC, back in 1975 at the tender age of 7 and have been hooked ever since), and a wrestling newsletter I subscribe to did a huge obituary/bio/tribute to her, which was very insightful. If you want a copy of it, just let me know.

I never had the pleasure of meeting her, though I always wanted to. I'm just one of the last fans of the sport she helped make great. So long, Ann!!! You are missed!

[HitmanLV]

PEACE! CALVALLO RULES IT!!!!! SHE IS MISSED!!!

[rmlew]

I believe that we are only bound to defend Israel if attacked by Egypt.

[HitmanLV]

Ann Calvello was looked up to by the younger girls on the circuit in the late 60s/early 70s. Ann was convinced a big part of her appeal was her trim, athletic, but feminine body, and he impressive bustline.

She referred to her bosom as her 'tickets' because, well, she felt they sold tickets!

Anyway, as she assumed a leadership role over the younger women in the crew, she was known to bark the order as they took to the track: "OK, girls, 'tickets' out, tummies in!!!"

Hell of a gal! ;-)

[dervish]

"Why do you think Iran is talking so tough? They know he can't do much except talk. That's all he's been doing."

I don't know. Why did Saddam talk tough right before we attacked Iraq? The Muslim pysche does not operate on Western rationality.

[snoringbear]

Well, gotta tell ya; ole Bush left himself a "lot" of wiggle room in his statement of "in the event of any attack on Israel, the U.S. will come to Israel's aid". That can mean doing as little as Fedex'ing a bottle of aspirin. So, I suggest that no one should get too worked up about his statement one way or the other.

[expatguy]

Point of no return has already passed.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[gakrak]

"Any Freepers have a problem with this?"

I can't imagine any Freeper having a problem with this, Bush said what we all hoped he would say in regards to Israel. Amen.

[gakrak]

All of them, it was not nation specific but general to all nations who may want to destroy Israel. Amen.

[TeddyCon]

Hmm, let's see, do I have a problem with that?

That would be a No!

I've no problem whatsoever with the commitment my President has made to the caretakers of the Holy Land.

[VaBthang4]

But you want open borders right?

[ExSoldier]

So... it begins.

I'll bet those three words have been uttered more times in history than any other phrase except the one expressing love. When Gulf War #1 began with the bombardment of Baghdad, I woke my daughter from a deep slumber to put her on my lap in front of the TV so she'd remember where she was at THAT moment in history. I said the same thing after after 911, but I never said it under the Clinton regime because I knew he wouldn't ever mean it.

With Clinton it was always What diversion is there around to take the sheeps attention off Monica this week? Hey! Why don't we kill a camel in Afghanistan? Only take a few cruise missiles to handle that job.