Posted on 08/18/2006 2:40:37 AM PDT by John Carey
It was in an interview with Wolf Blizter. Here's the transcript:
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I want to ask the president, why did he kill my son? What did my son die for? Last week, he said my son died in a noble cause, and I want to ask him what that noble cause is."So let's review:(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Well, what do you think? What do you say to this mother, Senator Allen?
ALLEN: I think the president ought to meet with his mother. Maybe not go out to the protest lines, but have her come in and have a heart-to-heart conversation with someone who's also made the ultimate sacrifice in losing her son in this war on terror.
I think what I would say to her is her son will always be remembered as a great hero and a patriot. He is one who has advanced, I think, freedom in Iraq and the Mideast. He has made this country more secure. Right now she has a lot of pain, a lot of anguish, and that will never go away until she passes away herself and joins him in heaven. But it is important for parents and families to understand how much we're grateful for the sacrifice they've made, for the loss of their loved ones.
But the cause here is for the security of the United States. We cannot just sit back. We have to take it to them. And while they die in these efforts, it's tragic, it's absolutely tragic, but still we look at them as heroes. And because of them, we are going to have greater security and there will be the advancement of freedom in the Middle East, which is good for their prosperity but also important for our safety.
BLITZER: You know the president's national security advisor, Steven Hadley, did meet with this woman yesterday, as well as another White House aide. But you're saying you think the president should invite her in.
ALLEN: I think he should. I don't control his schedule and I don't know what his schedule is today or tomorrow, but if possible, I think it would be good to have a heart-to-heart, a private thing, not a big, you know, press publicity deal, but have her come in and talk.
I'm not sure if she'll be convinced, but I think just as a matter of courtesy and decency and also appreciation for her hurt, and I think for many other families' as well.
Don't get me wrong. I think Allen's answer was wrong as well. But it was an intial gut reaction. At that point I'm not sure any of us knew the extent of her moonbattedness.
At the very worst, his answer was the result of poor preparation for the interview.
Disagree with the Senator all you want on the issues. If you don't think he's Presidential material, then by all means don't support him.
But the Sheehan comment and the "Macaca Moment" are pretty poor reasons to discount him.
At least base your opinion on something of substance.
Allen ought to apologize to every Republican voter in Virginia for not being able to keep his fat foot out of his mouth and using 60's style race baiting tactics. He let Webb get in striking distance, Webb is at 42% and Allen 47% in the latest Rasmussen poll.
The poll is 47% Allen, 42% Webb
bump
LOL!!!
If Allen want to indulge in 60's style race baiting, there are better ways to do rather than some offhanded and offcamera remark and with a word probably few have even heard off. I dont think it is such a big issue apart from Liberals, voters normally dont care such things.
Foot in mouth. Yes.
Race baiting. No.
Uh, as someone who is indian american, most indians are democrat. THey may be socially conservative but they overwhelmingly vote democrat. Take my parents, they don't like gays and abortion, but they aren't very fond of republicans.
I should add, indians are alot like jews. They act and live like conservatives but mysteriously vote democrat.
You are right about the rudy pimpers on FR. Instead of rallying around one of our guys (like most freepers rallied around rudy after that egregious hit piece by the MSM), they jump all over Allen. They are pathetic.
You forget, for every election allen has run, the WaPo has essentially been a campaign piece for his opponents.
I probably would have said, "Hey, Apu, aren't you late for the Quicky Mart?" Then again, I'm not a politician.
If you look at the posting history of those who are jumping all over allen for this, you'll notice that almost all of them are rudy fans. Interesting don't you think?
That's not that big of a gap from the last poll, and if you remember Allen won last time by a 52-48. This isn't utah you know.
I don't know that they're all Rudy fans. But a whole lot of FReepers are more than willing to play along with the RAT talking points.
In my opinion, he is not a very savvy political operator for giving coverage to sheehan in the CNN interview with blitzer and now this unwarranted apology. A decent conservative senator he is, he does seem to have to the spine to stand up to the lib MSM, perhaps years in the senate has robbed him of his backbone. This is not a very helpful character if he decides to run in the Presidential elections.
He actually has plenty of backbone. But he is not without his flaws and mistakes.
He is most certainly not in the same mould as Coburn, Kyl etc, it does not seem that way.
Don't forget, alot of those freepers have their own agenda. (Look at NRO, you can see the different writers bias's coming out). They want to see their '08 candidate (romney,rudy,mccain,newt) get the '08 nod, so now they see a competitor vunerable so they jump all over him to sour other conservatives to him.
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