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The responses I've received from e-mails to various individuals representing organizations from the "peace" protest links often begin with the sentence: "Bush gave $43 million to the Taliban this year." Typical talking points from the left are simple, deceptive and inflammatory. We've seen from the NAACP-Byrd campaign that accuracy isn't considered, nor do they expect their audience to validate the PR they promote.

For the record, the Bush administration did allow for $43 million in aid -to Afghanistan, after being approached numerous times by the UN, Colin Powell, US Senators (especially Diane Feinstein) and various charity organizations concerned about the starvation resulting from the drought and sanctions. I am not condoning this, simply adding perspective. It was mainly organizations friendly with the left that insisted this aid was necessary and their implications that George W. Bush funded the Taliban and thus the attack last Tues. is shameless (see links above for further details).

The left-wing hate sites (Smirking Chimp, FreeDem, Bartcop, Democratic Underground, Salon) and their liberal denizens who wander to non-partisan websites (Capitol Grilling for example) are all circling like buzzards over the dead, screeching "Blame Bush! Blame Bush! Blame Bush!" They were trying to get political mileage out of these events even while the instantly-cremated ashes of the WTC victims were still settling to the ground. I was hopping back and forth between FR and CG at the time.

At first the conservatives at CG, and even a few liberals who still have a soul, tried to convince them to shut up. But they refused. Their screen names, if you'd like to wander over and flame them mercilessly, are NJCher, Youthful Indiscretion, SunRock and George bush-bin-Laden. The latter screen name, custom-designed for the occasion, was posting entire essays from Salon, DU and Bartcop, showing that at the left-wing hate sites, the "hate Bush, blame Bush" mantra was going full blast.

I started going around to every thread started by Youthful Indiscretion, posting a statement (with link) from Colin Powell indicating that the $43 million in aid was in the form of grain, medical supplies and other hard goods, routed directly to Red Crescent (Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross) and other relief organizations to keep it out of the hands of the Taliban. Powell also pointed out that last year we gave $114 million in aid for the Afghan refugees.

I then posed a few questions to these left-wing punks at CG: First, do you really believe that in some smoke-filled room at the White House, Bush said to Powell, "Here's an idea. Let's send $43 million in small, unmarked bills to Osama bin Laden. I hear he's planning to blow up the World Trade Center and destroy America, and that should help him a lot"?

Second, do you really think anyone else is stupid enough to believe it?

Third, did Clinton send his $114 million in the form of grain and other hard goods directly to relief organizations or did he send his boys to deliver it in small, unmarked bills to bin Laden? (Inquiring minds want to know.)

And fourth, why weren't all the liberal-sympathizing TV journalists asking the same silly questions last year?