Target Centermass

Category: Politics

  • Kerry’s Sister Tries to Sour Aussies on Coalition

    Apparently tired of lying about Bush’s “unilateral” campaign in Iraq, John Kerry might be taking steps to disperse our coalition himself, with his own sister acting as surrogate.

    JOHN Kerry’s campaign has warned Australians that the Howard Government’s support for the US in Iraq has made them a bigger target for international terrorists.

    Diana Kerry, younger sister of the Democrat presidential candidate, told The Weekend Australian that the Bali bombing and the recent attack on the Australian embassy in Jakarta clearly showed the danger to Australians had increased.

    “Australia has kept faith with the US and we are endangering the Australians now by this wanton disregard for international law and multilateral channels,” she said, referring to the invasion of Iraq.

    Captain Ed over at Captain’s Quarters effectively takes Kerry to task for this maneuver.

    So much for “building alliances”! Kerry has now acted to undermine a critical relationship in the war on terror just to score some electoral points.

    ….

    Does John Kerry care more about grabbing power than he does about the United States? It certainly appears that way. Who gave the order for Diana Kerry to interfere with the Australian election? Who told her to act in a manner that is calculated to undermine the American-Australian partnership on the terror war? Frankly, not only should this disqualify him for the presidency, it should disqualify anyone involved in his campaign from ever holding public office. Those who condone this interference in a wartime alliance must be punished at the polls, and their party as a whole should be blocked from any power whatsoever until they atone for their actions.

    Just as interesting was this from CQ commenter Dismuke:

    Gee – why bomb trains prior to an election when you have the Kerry campaign out there trying to accomplish the exact same thing?

    Frankly, as the days go by, the more I’m disgusted by John Kerry. He is seriously doing all he can to turn my pro-Bush vote into an anti-Kerry vote.

  • French Press: Kerry Attacks Not Working

    An article released by the French press AFP enumerates a list of recent attacks and claims by the seemingly desperate Kerry campaign and their negligible, perhaps negative, effect on voters.

    First, let’s look at the attacks.

    Kerry’s claim that the White House has a secret callup plan stirred up the presidential election campaign….

    ….

    Kerry has condemned the president over his own military service and his handling of Iraq and the economy.

    He has also hit out at Cheney over his links to Halliburton, the controversial oil and general services giant which is in trouble over military contracts in Iraq.

    In his latest assault, Kerry said the president has a secret plan to call up large numbers of reservists for Iraq duty, which he said will be announced only after the November 2 election.

    “He won’t tell us that day by day we’re running out of soldiers and that we’re now resorting to a backdoor draft from our reservists and our National Guard,” the Massachusetts senator said during a campaign stop in Albuquerque on Friday.

    First, yes, many reservists are currently scheduled to go to Iraq. This is known, not secret. Many have been called up and scheduled to rotate in January. More will assuredly be needed. Second, the attacks on the president’s service won’t work as long as surrogates assisting in the assault rely on forgeries and shoddy journalism. Maybe not even then, as the focus on Viet Nam has not helped Kerry since the primaries. Third, the evil Halliburton attacks only work with the far left, and ignore the abilities and sacrifices of the corporation. Fourth, can someone freakin’ tell Kerry that the phrase “backdoor draft” refers to stop-loss, not utilizing the reserves. It means keeping people from exiting after their commitment is complete. This guy will only have limited respect from the military as long as he cannot speak their language.

    The article then looks at the current effectiveness of the strategy of attacking everything Bush while never establishing anything Kerry.

    Two polls published Thursday had shown Kerry pulling even with Bush, but a third gave the Republican a healthy 13-point margin.

    The CBS/New York Times poll said Bush’s lead had widened from seven to nine points in the past week.

    ….

    The Times said voters are saying that Kerry “has not laid out a case for why he wants to be president and expressing strong concern about his ability to manage an international crisis.”

    ….

    But it said that Bush has been “lifted as much by what Mr Kerry has done wrong as by what Mr Bush has done right.”

    Maybe, just maybe, the American public doesn’t want a candidate whose stance on Iraq and other terror issues is a wheel of fortune, spinning around with constant options of definitely, definitely not, and definitely maybe but certainly differently if so. Unfortunately for the Kerry campaign right now, a good chunk of the electorate is still living in a post-9/11 world.

  • Fla. Supreme Court Puts Nader on Ballot

    Hopefully, this will end the Democrats’ wrangling with the Nader campaign in the sunshine/hurricane state.

    The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that third-party presidential hopeful Ralph Nader can appear on ballots in the decisive state, increasing the chance the maverick contender will again influence the outcome of the presidential election.

    The 6-1 ruling ended a legal tussle that saw state election officials printing out two sets of ballots, one containing Nader’s name and one without.

    The Democratic Party, which is suing to remove Nader from the ballot in several key states, said it would not appeal the decision.

    Nader will also appear on Colorado ballots after a judge ruled in his favor in the western state Friday.

  • Need a CBS News Update?

    Well, they’re still a bunch of pathetic weasels that cheapen the journaliasm portion of my agricultural journalism degree.

    For a more current, thorough nailing of CBS’ journalistic atrocities, I suggest this from Sling & Arrows.

  • Edwards: No Military Draft if Dems Win

    As it should be, national defense is an issue in the 2004 presidential election. Unfortunately, it is not being discussed but, rather, manipulated in a seemingly concerted effort.

    Vice presidential candidate John Edwards promised a West Virginia mother on Wednesday that if the Democratic ticket is elected in November the military draft would not be revived.

    During a question-and-answer session, the mother of a 23-year-old who recently graduated from West Virginia University asked Edwards whether the draft would be reinstated.

    “There will be no draft when John Kerry is president,” Edwards said, a statement that drew a standing ovation.

    The current force is all-volunteer, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said he opposes reinstating the draft. But the Pentagon has taken several steps that have drawn criticism.

    In June, the Pentagon recalled to active duty 5,674 members of the Individual Ready Reserve, soldiers who have served specified tours of duty but have years remaining in their enlistment contracts.

    Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, has complained about the extent of the Bush administration’s use of Reserves and National Guardsmen and a device called “stop loss,” which prevents soldiers from leaving when typical obligations end. “They have effectively used a stop-loss policy as a backdoor draft,” Kerry said.

    First, tie this to the (incorrect) allegation of a backdoor draft during Kerry’s DNC acceptance speech.

    Second, tie this to an email campaign started from a “Soapbox Alert” on Congress.org, a soapbox alert that has been subsequently removed and has been replaced with the message “The Soapbox Alert you’ve requested is no longer available.”

    Luckily, a discussion forum I’m a member of was subjected to repeated postings of this “alert” and threads are still available. The alert read as follows:

    Pending Draft Legislation Targeted for Spring 2005
    The Draft will Start in June 2005

    There is pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program’s initiation so the draft can begin at early as Spring 2005 — just after the 2004 presidential election. The administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now, while the public’s attention is on the elections, so our action on this is needed immediately.

    $28 million has been added to the 2004 Selective Service System (SSS) budget to prepare for a military draft that could start as early as June 15, 2005. Selective Service must report to Bush on March 31, 2005 that the system, which has lain dormant for decades, is ready for activation. Please see website: www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the sss annual performance plan – fiscal year 2004.

    The pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide.. Though this is an unpopular election year topic, military experts and influential members of congress are suggesting that if Rumsfeld’s prediction of a “long, hard slog” in Iraq and Afghanistan [and a permanent state of war on “terrorism”] proves accurate, the U.S. may have no choice but to draft.

    Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year, http://www.hslda.org/legislation/na…s89/default.asp entitled the Universal National Service Act of 2003, “to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons [age 18–26] in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.” These active bills currently sit in the committee on armed services.

    Dodging the draft will be more difficult than those from the Vietnam era.

    College and Canada will not be options. In December 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a “smart border declaration,” which could be used to keep would-be draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves a 30-point plan which implements, among other things, a “pre-clearance agreement” of people entering and departing each country. Reforms aimed at making the draft more equitable along gender and class lines also eliminates higher education as a shelter. Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service until the end of their current semester. Seniors would have until the end of the academic year.

    Even those voters who currently support US actions abroad may still object to this move, knowing their own children or grandchildren will not have a say about whether to fight. Not that it should make a difference, but this plan, among other things, eliminates higher education as a
    shelter and includes women in the draft.

    The public has a right to air their opinions about such an important decision.

    Please send this on to all the friends, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and cousins that you know. Let your children know too — it’s their future, and they can be a powerful voice for change!

    Please also contact your representatives to ask them why they aren’t telling their constituents about these bills — and contact newspapers and other media outlets to ask them why they’re not covering this important story.

    I looked into this and quickly was able to set up a pat response anytime this was posted: both pieces of legislation, while legitimate, were introduced in 2003 by Democrats (e.g. Rangel, McDermott, Conyers, Hollings). That President Bush is so brilliant as to be able to manipulate the Dems into submitting legislation supporting his secret plans is simply astounding.

    Okay, enough of fighting the stupidity campaign with facts. Now, let’s look at Edwards’ promise.

    This is simply a promise that never should be made. If unforeseen events demand a draft, the president would either have to break the promise or live up to it, cutting short our ability to respond.

    Nobody wants a draft. The all-volunteer military is far more effective in its current form than it would be with a bunch of conscripts. However, it cannot and should not be promised that there will not arise a need for conscripts. Contrary to apparently popular perception, the draft wasn’t a public raping used exclusively in the Viet Nam campaign. No, the draft has a long history of being used by this country in time of need, back to the Civil War and even in WWII, despite the popular notions that these were wars fought by idealistic volunteers.

    We are the United States of America. We have several advantages in our global position, militarily speaking, among which are the following:

    • Nuclear capability, anytime, anywhere
    • Technological superiority
    • Relatively sizable population

    It is my opinion that none of these advantages should ever be taken off the table. Our military is for this nation’s defense; I can honestly never see a reason to broadcast to a potential enemy that we, by policy, limit ourselves in any fashion.

    I honestly do not think that the Kerry-Edwards ticket takes our national defense and the fight against Islamist terror seriously. I have spoken before, repeatedly, about wrestling with the idea of re-enlisting since 9/11. I state now that (barring disaster), this will not happen if Kerry wins the presidency.

    It’s that simple. Short of disaster, I will not again volunteer to serve while John Kerry is Commander-in-Chief.

    At least I’m wise enough to hedge and allow for necessity; Edwards isn’t.

  • You Knew It Was Coming

    Rathergate.com (Hat tip to Allah)

  • DMN: Bloggers and Hubris Beat Up Big Media

    This morning’s lead editorial in the Dallas Morning News slams CBS over the Killian forgeries (registration required, try bugmenot.com).

    In the world of investigative journalism, they don’t come any bigger than 60 Minutes. That’s why the lightning-quick takedown of the venerable CBS News program’s tale of President Bush’s alleged sweetheart Vietnam-era treatment in the Texas Air National Guard was so shocking.

    We don’t know for certain if CBS and correspondent Dan Rather were really snookered by forged documents. CBS is sticking by its story that the papers on which it based its damning report were authentic. But that report was shredded by the school of piranhas in the blogosphere – and Old Media reporters who followed quickly in the Web bloggers’ wake.

    The attack started immediately after 60 Minutes II aired the report Wednesday. Hours later, posters at the Free Republic Web site noticed something odd about the documents. The lawyer-run Powerlineblog.com site got interested, and then graphic designer Charles Johnson at littlegreenfootballs.com showed on his site how the documents were likely designed using Microsoft Word and its Times Roman font – which did not exist when Mr. Bush was in the Guard.

    Sensing blood in the water, the professional sharks at ABC News, Newsweek, The Dallas Morning News and others took big bites out of the report’s credibility in other areas. Result: The story is now about CBS and what looks like its sloppy reporting, not Mr. Bush and what he did during the Vietnam era.

    There’s a little more after this, but I think it’s fairly safe to say that the fat lady’s song has started on this story. Also, good to see another MSM recognize the role that Power Line and lgf played in this. INDC Journal and Allah deserved plugs, as well.

  • Dien Bien Phu Defenses Weakening Around CBS

    Roughly a day ago I compared the CBS stance on Rather’s Bush-Killian documents to the French stance at Dien Bien Phu, their Indochina demise.

    Now, it seems the perimeter is weakening to the point of endangerment of penetration.

    From INDC Journal, the WaPo lets go with both barrels.

    From Wizbang!, Rather’s world crumbles.

    From Vodkapundit, CBS News is backing away from the memos.

  • Rather’s Dangerous Game

    With its firm stance supported only by weak defenses, CBS is walking a high-wire with Dan Rather’s assertions that the Bush-Killian documents are valid. These defenses are repeatedly rapidly overwhelmed by the research of the conservative side of the blogosphere, and this has led me to re-evaluate the situation.

    Short of serious substantiation, CBS has two choices: first, crawdad on its assertions and confess its egregious errors in both methodology and mission; second, lay low and continue to deny, hoping it blows over or the rest of the mainstream media rides in to the rescue.

    This brings to mind the French at Dien Bien Phu.

    From Summons of the Trumpet by Dave Richard Palmer:

    The French and the Viet Minh fought the climactic battle at an unimportant and unimposing village high in jungle-covered hills near the Laotian border — Dien Bien Phu. (Memories of that battle would return fourteen years later to haunt and distract American leaders at a crucial moment.) In January 1954, Viet Minh General Vo Nguyen Giap surrounded a large French force at Dien Bien Phu, isolating it from all support except that dropped by parachute. Through February and into March the French held on doggedly. But they were doomed without help — and by March they knew it. Desparately, Paris asked Washington to intervene.

    Is CBS setting up MSM’s own Dien Bien Phu, with the bloggers in the role of the surrounding forces? It would certainly seem that the rehashing of the old AWOL stories would be the equivalent of “an unimportant and unimposing village” in this election year. The stakes on the confrontation? Nothing short of the credibility of the entirety of the old media. If the bloggers retreat into the jungle and let Rather escape, then the current situation continues. If critical mass of the story is reached with the public, MSM goes into a crisis. Will the other branches of the old media play it neutral and see how things play out, or will they do their actual job and seriously look at Rather’s claims? Their credibility may hinge on it, as the Swiftboat Vets story has shown that MSM no longer has exclusive claim to the public’s attention.

    CBS and Rather are potentially setting up their own Dien Bien Phu. Will the rest of the old media support them or do what’s right and what’s their role in society — investigate and cover the story?

  • Bombastic Gore Back on the Stump

    After toning down his rhetoric for the Democrats’ Boston shindig, former Vice-President Al Gore has once again bitterly gone over to the Dark Side and returned as Darth Gore. There’s little new in this story, but I’m linking it because I found humor in it.

    First, the accompanying picture:
    They played on our fears. It made me hungry.

    Second, the initial Republican response was a side-splitter:

    GOP strategist Keith Appell likens him to “some kind of cheerleader on acid.”

    “Some of the things he has said have been outrageous and he says them in this high-pitched scream,” Appell said. “I really don’t know what to call that.”

    Third, pollsters are very astute observers:

    Pollster Andy Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, said Gore is “emblematic of happier days” to many Democrats.

    But Kohut cautioned that “swing voters tend to be moderate, and if he comes across as too over the top, there’s a risk.” The pollster added, though, “Certainly he’s not any more over-the-top than Dick Cheney.”

    Swing voters tend to be moderate? Voters who cannot decide between left and right tend to be in the center? Really? Who’d have thunk it. I feel now that I can go to the polls and consider myself an informed voter. Thank you, Mr. Kohut.

    And thank you, Associated Press, for the laughs.