Democrats Refocus Message on Iraq After Military Gains (Bush's Iraq speech to hit on Vietnam)

Washington Post ^ | August 22, 2007 | Jonathan Weisman and Anne E. Kornblut

[S.O.L.]

And now the Democrats, along with wavering Republicans, will face an advertising blitz from Bush supporters determined to remain on offense. A new pressure group, Freedom's Watch, will unveil a month-long, $15 million television, radio and grass-roots campaign today designed to shore up support for Bush's policies before the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, lays out a White House assessment of the war's progress.

[S.O.L.]

This article references a new conservative group known as Freedom's Watch. FW plans a month long, 20 state launch of $15 million advertising campaign starting today. Freedom Watch's spokesman, Ari Fleischer (former Bush press secretary), says their hope is to inform the public that the surge is working.

Fleischer said, "We want to get the message to both Democrats and Republicans: Don't cut and run, fully fund the troops, and victory is the only objective."

Finally a group to counter Move On, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, and Center for "American" Progress.

Here's a link to one of their ads which is on their website.

http://www.freedomswatch.org/video.aspx

The Surge is working! Don't Quit Now!

[gridlock]

The Iraq/Viet Nam comparison works for supporters of the War, not against them. The aftermath of the Vietnam War was caused by our premature withdrawl and abandonment of the region. The Democrats are asking us to make the same mistake again, which will have the same predictable results.

[Reo]

Thanks for the link. Best stuff I’ve seen come out since the Swift Boat ads.

[Dan Calabrese]

The Post describes Freedom’s Watch as a “pressure group.”

Hmm. Never heard them describe MoveOn.org that way.

[Just mythoughts]

This liberal/rhino reenactment of Vietnam makes me nauseated, and truly surreal to live through. I remember Vietnam as a daily downer as a teenager, and I knew the instant that the A.N.S.W.E.R. crowed reared its ugly face what these pretend peace-nicks had in mind to replay.

It just plain appalling to see the continued divide and conquer routine being replayed once again.

[stm]

Sounds like a page right out of the John Kerry Flip Flop playbook. Surely they have to see just how pathetic this makes them look.

[Dr. Frank fan]

The aftermath of the Vietnam War was caused by our premature withdrawl and abandonment of the region. The Democrats are asking us to make the same mistake again, which will have the same predictable results.

What are you talking about? Absolutely nothing bad happened in the wake of the Vietnam War. John Kerry said so ('We heard that argument over and over again about the bloodbath that would engulf the entire Southeast Asia, and it didn't happen').

Actually there is a hint of truth here; from Democrats' point of view the aftermath of the Vietnam War meant:

-Nixon resigning in disgrace
-Democrats sweeping into power
-movies such as All the President's Men being released to wide acclaim, indeed a sort of Golden Age of paranoid/conspiracy movies (Parallax View etc.)
-CIA hamstrung by new rules
-U.S. taking a more passive approach in geopolitics (Iranian revolution, etc.)
-Americans feeling bad and guilty for several years

These are all great things! What's the down side?

The fact that lots of bad stuff happened to some Asian people after we left literally doesn't register on their radar. Bad stuff happening to Asian people only "counts" if we have soldiers there; once we left it was just "them sorting things out by themselves", which is ok.

And they have the exact same attitude about Iraq. So it's not an idle comparison.

[Philistone]

Yes, the demonrats suffer from “premature capitulation”.

[no dems]

The Dems biggest nightmare is if THINGS LOOK GOOD IN IRAQ on Labor Day ‘08. They will crap down both legs.

[S.O.L.]

Yup, those ads are great. We need something to counter all the anti-surge, anti-military movies that will be coming from Hollywood this Fall.

I agree, these ads are the best since the Swift Boat ones.

Once they are up on YouTube we should all vote for them so people in the other 30 states will be come aware of them. I doubt they will waste any money running them in Taxachusetts.

[bassmaner]

We need something to counter all the anti-surge, anti-military movies that will be coming from Hollywood this Fall.

I'm not a fan of government censorship, but I would make a wartime exception in this case in order to squash defeatism at home and demoralization of our troops in the field. The producers of this treasonous trash should be arrested and prosecuted for sedition.

[S.O.L.]

I served with the First of the Ninth Air Cav which was the chopper unit portrayed in the first part of one of the first (after Green Beret) movies on the Vietnam war: “Apocalypse Now.”

Much of this was a spoof, such as playing the “Ride of the Valkyries” on loudspeakers during an assault with a line of helicopters that would have done a ground armor unit proud, but is ridiculous for choppers. Much in Apocalypse Now can be taken both ways. “I love the smell of Nape in the morning!”

Anyway I have not seen the upcoming Hollywood movies so I think it is premature to judge them treasonous - anti-American maybe.

But again the soldier fights to protect their right to freedom of speech. We just need to work hard to make sure the other side is presented and the anti-American one is discredited.

These are great ads and they help do that.

[detch]

Does it ever occur to Democrats that maybe a discussion with military leaders on Iraq has merit?

Haven’t they figured out that the front page of the New York Times is not the place to get military intelligence?

[Republic Rocker]

America already understands their message, we have heard it over and over....., “LOSE AT ALL COST”!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

There is a book (now available in paperback ):

***********************

Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left
(Hardcover)
by David Horowitz

********************************************************

And reviews:

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Editorial Reviews

Rich Lowry, Editor National Review

David Horowitz is synonymous with pyrotechnics. A historian and polemicist of the first order, he is paid the ultimate compliment --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Davis Hanson, Author, Ripples of Battle

An original look at those who want us to fail in the Middle East, both at home and abroad. The --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

***********************************************************

See all Editorial Reviews

Fascinating Analysis of Leftist Goals, August 13, 2006

Reviewer: N. Sincerity - See all my reviews

A former 1960s radical, Horowitz is well-acquainted with the Leftist mindset. In this book, he strives to explain the modern alliance between left wing progressivists and radical Islamofascists. He argues that this alliance is based on a common desire to destroy Western capitalism. Leftist sympathy with Islamofascist ideas makes no sense from an intellectual point of view, given that countries ruled by radical Islamists are among the most racist, sexist, theocratic states in the world today. However, Leftists have recognized that they can benefit politically from destructive terrorist attacks on the Western world. A West under attack can be made to turn on its leaders in fear and desperation (as they did in Spain after the Madrid train bombings). Only once people reject current government structures can the Left execute its anti-capitalist revolution and build a new reality that mirrors the Leftist view of utopia.

The complete and utter idealogical hypocrisy of the Islamofascist-Leftist alliance is distressing, but as Horowitz reminds us,

Leftists radicals truly believe the ends justify the means.

***************************************

[goldstategop]

Victory Bump! Its a tough time to be a Democrat.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[S.O.L.]

Well, it won’t be a victory bump if we all just sit at our computers and preach to the choir. We can’t depend on a one month ad campaign in just 20 states. If that is all that happens, then too few people will see them to generate the needed public opinion turn around. We need to expand the audience though “viral” advertising and the kind of hype that surrounded the Swift Boat ads. Tomy knowledge those never played onthe air in Taxachusetts.

While these ads are up on YouTube, they don’t show up under a search because too few people have viewed, rated, and added them to their favorites. We all need to create a YouTube account, view the ads, and rate them and add them to our favorites so they will have a better chance to see them..