Posted on 03/28/2007 10:55:59 AM PDT by Tulsa Ramjet
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday withdrew the ambassadorial nomination of businessman Sam Fox after Democrats denounced Fox for giving money to a controversial conservative group that undermined Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.
Kerry, D-Mass., had criticized Fox because of a $50,000 contribution that Fox made in 2004 to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Many Democrats blame the group for sinking Kerry's presidential hopes that year after it aired a series of controversial ads that impugned Kerry's military record in the Vietnam War.
"Sam Fox had every opportunity to disavow the politics of personal destruction and to embrace the truth," Kerry said Wednesday. "He chose not to. The White House made the right decision to withdraw the nomination. I hope this signals a new day in political discourse."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Thank you. I still have faith in FReeperdom.
Why go to war over a post that lasts about a year and a half?
Conniption = Fit of anger, tantrum
Well maybe you're both right. Maybe he should have gone ahead with confirmation hearings and turned it into a minor debate about the Swift Boat Vets and their right to free speech, etc. I'm not being sarcastic. I don't know that much about Washington political strategy, but it seems like usually nominees don't want to go through confirmation hearings if they aren't going to be confirmed. So maybe the nominee asked to bow out rather than be interrogated by senate Dems.
Correction: the President is basically accomplishing the Democrats' work for them.
The man has lost his spine, his stomach for a fight, and his common sense and no amount of cheerleading will change that.
Because Bush WON'T CLOSE THE BORDER NOW! [chuckle]
It does get crazy around here at times, doesn't it?
It simply astounds me that things FReepers should know instinctively need to be explained over and over.
Then you'll be deeply disappointed.
I don't like this either, but one thing has nothing to do with the other.
So many people on this site seem to think if a politician does something they dislike, he/she will never do anything they like. This is real life. You will agree with some of what he does and disagree with other things.
What most FReepers don't know/get is that since the beginning, Bush was going to be the anti-Clinton PR wise.
The toon went on the attack every opportunity 24/7. The White House became a permanent, partisan war room with the toon taking up any and every issue.
The Pres. saw this state of affairs and concluded that the US is better served if only crucial issues are address at ctrtain breaking points. This helps explain why it always take a significant amount of time for him to respond and not so on every issue. He's waiting for the right moment to do so. Agree or disagree that his plan is solid, it has nothing to do with cowardice or political expediency.
Yes part of this is new tone but it is also meant to preserve the dignity of the office and to separate the Presidency from partisan politics and not to get embroiled in every little non-issue (of course he gets to define what a non-issue is) or spend his entire time in office rebutting liberal/Democrat lies. He has a country to run after all.
Apparently he decided this is not the hill to die on. And there are certainly valid reasons to withdraw his nomination. Besides the fact that it'd be a losing battle, thus wasting capital, it would also increase rancor with the traitors making governance that much harder. Why fight over an ambassadorship when he could fight over the WoT or another important issue.
Besides, this deoesn't mean Fox will not get another, even better job. Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can be ambassador.
More importantly, how unseemly would it seem if some guy who donated to a pro-Bush PAC gets an ambassadorship? That wouldn't sit well with the American public. Heck, I could already see the headlines:
"Bush Appoints SwiftVets Donor: Democrats charge cronyism."
I wouldn't be surprised if the same people who boo the Pres. for withdrawing his nomination would scream murder if the toon nominated someone who donated to his campaign and decided to stick to his guns. It is also ironic that people leveling charges against AG Gonzalez's appointment as cronyism regard Mr. Fox's ambassadorship as perfectly a-ok despite donating to the SwiftVets.
No, Kerry spent Christmas in Cambodia...sent there by President-elect Nixon a month before Nixon was sworn in.
Yes, that's because there are still so many Freepers who are moved by media headlines.
Yes, of course. Clearly, these dates are not indelibly seared into my mind.
Then why in the name of Pete did he nominate him? This discussion wouldn't exist, there'd be no AP story, and the Dems wouldn't get a chance to snipe the Swift Boat Vets. Is the President and/or his advisors that out of touch with the political scene?
It seems this didn't come to light until the dumpster diving DEMons went to work.
I don't know who you donated to and how much. So if I'm President and you are my ambassadorial nominee, I'd be more interested in how you'd perform than who did you pay and nominate you on that basis. Also, besides a standard FBI check, I wouldn't do much else. If I nomiinated Bob and it turns out that he's gay, donated to some weird charity/PAC, or has a furry fetish, I would most likely miss that.
It is only because the DEMons are such colassal scum that a a deeper check is necessary. Let this be a lesson to all potential politicos, know your candidate right down to the underwear and always factor the lies and spin of the DSM adn the sheeple's willingness to fall for such.
If Bush runs up the white flag one more time, he automatically qualifies as a candidate in the French presidential election.
C'mon "W". Show some 'nads at least once before you leave office.
Bush has turned into a real wimp! Forget that part about a person's experience/qualifications. He's so pathetic that he can't even stand up to John traitor Kerry! He has no spine! I'm sorry that I ever voted for him!
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