Bob Dole Unloads On McClellan

Bob Dole Unloads On McClellan

By Jonathan Martin

Bob Dole yesterday sent a scalding email to Scott McClellan, excoriating the former White House spokesman as a "miserable creature" who greedily betrayed his former patron for a fast buck. In an extraordinary message obtained and authenticated by Politico, Dole uses his trademark biting wit to portray McClellan as a classic Washington opportunist.

"There are miserable creatures like you in every administration who don’t have the guts to speak up or quit if there are disagreements with the boss or colleagues," Dole wrote in a message sent yesterday morning. "No, your type soaks up the benefits of power, revels in the limelight for years, then quits, and spurred on by greed, cashes in with a scathing critique."

Michael Marshall, Dole's spokesman and colleague at the Alston Bird law firm, confirms the message came from the former senator and presidential candidate. "Yes, it is authentic," Marshall wrote in an email.

"In my nearly 36 years of public service I've known of a few like you," Dole writes, recounting his years representing Kansas in the House and Senate. "No doubt you will 'clean up' as the liberal anti-Bush press will promote your belated concerns with wild enthusiasm. When the money starts rolling in you should donate it to a worthy cause, something like, 'Biting The Hand That Fed Me.' Another thought is to weasel your way back into the White House if a Democrat is elected. That would provide a good set up for a second book deal in a few years"

Dole assures McClellan that he won't read the book -- "because if all these awful things were happening, and perhaps some may have been, you should have spoken up publicly like a man, or quit your cushy, high profile job"

"That would have taken integrity and courage but then you would have had credibility and your complaints could have been aired objectively," Dole concludes. "You’re a hot ticket now but don’t you, deep down, feel like a total ingrate?"

He signs the email simply: "BOB DOLE"

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0508/Bob_Dole_unloads_on_McClellan.html

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: 'There Is No Liberal Media'

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: 'There Is No Liberal Media'

How Does Obama Love Israel?

How Does Obama Love Israel?
By Vel Nirtist

Senator Obama recently expressed his deep love of, and "unshakeable commitment to" Israel. I believe him, but I am still worried. What exactly does he mean by love?

Love is indeed a many splendored thing, and people use the word to cover a wide range of phenomena. There are, after all, love-hate relationships, not to mention varieties of twisted love. But even more benign forms of love come in a variety of shapes.

Love between equals is far from the only manifestation. How does Senator Obama see Israel? As a peer? Or perhaps something smaller, needing guidance?

I worry about a President Obama loving Israel the way a strict parent loves a child.

more...

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/05/how_does_obama_love_israel.html

White House Rips NYT For ‘Misleading’ Editorial

White House Rips NYT For ‘Misleading’ Editorial
By Klaus Marre

The White House on Monday blasted The New York Times for “irresponsibly distort[ing] President Bush’s strong commitment to strengthening and expanding support for America’s service members and their families.”

In an editorial on a new GI Bill, which passed the Senate ahead of recess, and Bush’s opposition to the legislation as written, the paper said that “having saddled the military with a botched, unwinnable war, having squandered soldiers’ lives and failed them in so many ways, the commander in chief now resists giving the troops a chance at better futures out of uniform.”
The White House reacted quickly and strongly.

“This editorial could not be farther from the truth about the president’s record of leadership on this issue,” White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said in a statement. She added that the newspaper’s editorial board “doesn’t let the facts get in the way of expressing its vitriolic opinions - no matter how misleading they may be.”

Perino noted that the Pentagon has “specific concerns” about the legislation that was passed in the Senate, pointing out that the White House supports a GOP-sponsored version of the measure. In addition, she touted several steps Bush has taken to help service members and their families.

The criticism of The New York Times is the second time this month that the White House has aggressively gone after media outlets. White House counselor Ed Gillespie earlier this month had blasted NBC News for how it edited an interview with Bush and for quietly ending its practice of referring to the internal strife in Iraq as a “civil war” even though the network made a big deal out of its decision to label the conflict as such in 2006.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/white-house-rips-nyt-for-misleading-editorial-2008-05-26.html

The Candidates’ Communist Connections

The Candidates’ Communist Connections
By Cliff Kincaid

Senator McCain’s communist connections consist of bombing the communists during the Vietnam War and then being shot down, badly injured, captured, and tortured by them. On the other hand, Senator Barack Obama was mentored by an identified Communist Party member in Hawaii who had functioned as a Stalinist agent. That was before Obama developed cordial relationships with communist terrorists who openly supported the communist regime that tortured McCain and killed 58,000 of our fellow Americans.

Can we have some coverage of the contrast between the two candidates on Memorial Day? It’s not just a matter of McCain serving in the military and Obama not doing so. It’s a matter of which side they were on.

McCain was on the American side during the Vietnam War. He personally risked his life and carried out the U.S. policy of resisting the communist military conquest of South Vietnam. Obama had friendly associations with those who had been on the other side and they helped launch his political career in Chicago. Obama can’t solve this problem by occasionally wearing an American flag lapel pin.

Keep in mind that we are not talking about associating with those who simply opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Obama’s friends, such as Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, cheered for a communist victory and visited Havana, Cuba and Hanoi, North Vietnam to bring that about. Like his comrades in the communist Students for a Democratic Society, Tom Hayden of “Progressives for Obama” wrote a letter urging a communist military victory over the U.S. These were people who actually supported the enemy...

more...

http://www.aim.org/aim-column/the-candidates-communist-connections/

Bless Our Troops!

Have A Blessed Memorial Day!

Maxine Waters Threatens To Nationalize U.S. Oil Industries

Maxine Waters Threatens To Nationalize U.S. Oil Industries
WND

In a grilling of oil executives by a House panel yesterday, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., threatened to nationalize the industry if it didn't do something about the rising prices at the pump.

A report by Fox News, captured in a clip posted on YouTube.com, showed Waters challenging the president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister, to guarantee the prices consumers pay will go down if the oil companies are allowed to drill wherever they want off of U.S. shores.

Hofmeister replied: "I can guarantee to the American people, because of the inaction of the United States Congress, ever-increasing prices unless the demand comes down. And the $5 will look like a very low price in the years to come if we are prohibited from finding new reserves, new opportunities to increase supplies."

Waters responded, in part, "And guess what this liberal would be all about. This liberal will be about socializing … uh, um. …" The congresswoman paused to collect her thoughts.

"Would be about, basically, taking over, and the government running all of your companies. …"

The oil executives responded, according to Fox News, by saying they've seen this before, in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=65111

Bush at the Knesset: Another Historic, Unheralded Speech

Bush at the Knesset: Another Historic, Unheralded Speech

By Paul Kengor

Last week President George W. Bush gave an outstanding speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. It stands out among the top five or so best speeches of Bush's two terms, and probably one of the top two speeches dealing with his long-term vision for the Middle East and the world-the other being his November 2003 speech before the National Endowment for Democracy. Any political science professor who teaches the Bush presidency and ignores this speech is derelict in duty.

The occasion for the speech was the 60th anniversary of the founding of the nation of Israel, which, said Bush, in one of many eloquent passages, "was more than the establishment of a new country. It was the redemption of an ancient promise given to Abraham, Moses, and David." The president recalled how 11 minutes after that moment, America, on the order of President Harry Truman, was the first nation to recognize Israel's independence.

What Bush didn't say was that not only was America alone then, but so was its president-who recognized Israel in defiance of his staff, from Secretary of State George Marshall to Secretary of Defense James Forrestal -and that America did not support a desperate Israel in the immediate Arab invasion that followed. On May 15, 1948, Joe Stalin's Soviet Union did more for Israel than the United States. Only decades later could an American president rightly say, as Bush did last week, that "America is proud to be Israel's closest ally and best friend in the world."

more...

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/0/bush_at_the_knesset_another_hi.html

MUST READ: Kennedy's Illness, and the Left's

Kennedy's Illness, and the Left's
By Ben Johnson

The media keep reminding us of the issues that divide us as a nation: Iraq, different approaches about reviving the economy, socialized medicine, the role of mankind in global warming, gay marriage, social issues, and many others. As Ted Kennedy’s recently diagnosed brain tumor demonstrated, Right and Left are also divided based on whether they display basic human decency when misfortunes befall a member of the other side. The American people seem to be fundamentally cleft about how they treat news of an opponent’s impending death in a conservative manner – with prayer – or a leftist one – with champagne and hate mail.

The Right Way to Greet Death

Immediately upon learning of the diagnosis, Kathryn Lopez posted a blog on National Review Online headlined “Oh No,” adding, “Our prayers obviously...” The May 19 edition of National Review Online carried an article entitled, “Praying for Senator Kennedy.” As of early yesterday morning, the post on Little Green Footballs announcing his illness had 1,036 comments. Here are a few representative samples:

“Well I wish him the best. If a cure is not possible, then as many quality months with his family as are possible.”

“I disagree with Senator Kennedy's politics, but he is a fellow American and a fellow human being so I sincerely pray for his recovery and wish his family well.”

“Prayers for the Ted and Kennedy family. Much strength and peace for them in the coming days.”

The Soros-funded Media Matters, try as it might to find evil right-wingers celebrating, found only a clip from Michael Savage. The average conservative, however much he disagreed with Ted Kennedy, wished him well.

Not "Rest In Peace": "Rot In Hell"

This could be contrasted to the hatred the Left has vented toward so many of those who opposed its agenda. One could begin with its reaction to the death of Kennedy – the Rev. Dr. D. James Kennedy. The late minister of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church was one of the least political of all national Christian spokesmen, but when he passed away last September, the DailyKos announced: “Another Hate Merchant Meets His Maker.” “This won't be a long diary, but another of the first wave of Mega-church hate peddlers has died,” the diarist stated. “He and Jerry [Falwell] and Ron [Reagan] should have plenty to talk about for enternity, [sic.] comparing notes and anecdotes. I won't even get into where, since I'm basically a Humanist.”

Naturally, the Left had similar thoughts about the death of Jerry Falwell almost exactly one year ago. Amanda Marcotte, a former employee of the John Edwards presidential campaign, immediately blogged: “The gates of hell swing open and Satan welcomes his beloved son. Jerry Falwell's dead. Guess god [sic] — notice the small 'g' — liked the ACLU better after all.” Ms. Marcotte was far from alone.

more...

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.aspx?GUID=B9F4C4D5-E52E-4932-9866-2EF5966294C9

This IS the Left, the Libbies, the 'progressives', the Democrat Party of today.

Clinton's Shocking Florida Gambit

Clinton's Shocking Florida Gambit
Jonathan Chait

Hillary Clinton's rhetoric today about counting the results in Florida and Michigan is simply incredible. Her speech compares discounting the Florida and Michigan primaries to vote suppression and slavery:

She said "there's a reason why so many have fought so hard and sacrificed so much. It's because they knew that to be a citizen of this country is to have the right and responsibility to help shape its future. Not just to have your voice heard but to have it count. People have fought hard because they knew their vote was at stake and so was their children's futures.

Those people, she said “refused to accept their assigned place as second-class citizens. Men and women who saw America not as it was, but as it could and should be, and committed themselves to extending the frontiers of our democracy. The abolitionists and all who fought to end slavery and ensure freedom came with the full right of citizenship. The tenacious women and a few brave men who gathered at the Seneca Falls convention back in 1848 to demand the right to vote.”

It's worth repeating: They supported this "disenfranchisement." Here's a New York Times story from last fall, headlined, "Clinton, Obama and Edwards Join Pledge to Avoid Defiant States."

Moreover, it's obviously true that Obama not campaigning, organizing, or advertizing in those states hurt him, and helped the more familiar candidate in Clinton. She decided to campaign to change the rules only after it became her interest to do so.

This gambit by Clinton is simply an attempt to steal the nomination. It's obviously not going to work, because Democratic superdelegates don't want to commit suicide. But this episode is very revealing about Clinton's character. I try not to make moralistic characterological judgments about politicians, because all politicians compromise their ideals in the pursuit of power. There are no angels in this business. Clinton's gambit, however, truly is breathtaking.

If she's consciously lying, it's a shockingly cynical move. I don't think she's lying. I think she's so convinced of her own morality and historical importance that she can whip herself into a moralistic fervor to support nearly any position that might benefit her, however crass and sleazy. It's not just that she's convinced herself it's okay to try to steal the nomination, she has also appropriated the most sacred legacies of liberalism for her effort to do so. She is proving herself temperamentally unfit for the presidency.

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/05/21/clinton-s-shocking-florida-gambit.aspx

THE FLEET'S IN! Great White Fleet's Mission Resonates 100 Years Later

Great White Fleet's Mission Resonates 100 Years Later
By Donald C. Winter

In our history, the hearts of the American people have experienced certain moments of patriotic pride and joy. These include hearing the news that World War II had finally ended or watching television screens in wonder as an American made history by walking on the moon.

The awe-inspiring deployment of the Navy's "Great White Fleet" 100 years ago was another such moment. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt conceived the idea of sending 16 battleships on a 14-month around-the-world cruise — a feat never attempted before. Those battleships, with hulls painted white, became known as the Great White Fleet.

This week, Navy ships return to Seattle as part of the centennial celebration recalling the fleet's visit to Seattle May 23, 1908. The port call garnered much attention, with Seattle Mayor John F. Miller presenting Rear Adm. C. S. Sperry with the key to the city (made from Klondike gold). The newspapers were full of stories profiling the ships, the commanders, and Roosevelt's naval and foreign policies...

more...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004427201_
whitefleet21.html

A Mother-May-I Future

Whose permission would he ask? If no one else on earth felt so constrained, it would make us marks of the world... (Hey, someone go get him a Malaise Sweater... all those teeth are starting to chatter.) In Jimmah Bama's world, there will be no such thing as 'the fruits of our labors'.

Twinship

Happy Armed Forces Day!

Summer Soldiers By Any Other Name: Act II

Summer Soldiers By Any Other Name: Act II

By Kyle-Anne Shiver

"We must view as shameful any act by any American that emboldens and encourages the enemies we fight in the field. That is what is happening with the current efforts by anti-war activists purporting to show our soldiers as nothing more than criminals with guns terrorizing a helpless people. To look at it, one would think the enemy himself is scripting the testimony of the Iraq Veterans Against the War." - Lt. Col. (ret) Steve Russell, May 15, 2008

American patriots should have known better, I suppose, than to think that the Winter Soldiers would have enough pride not to show their faces in public again after their March tomfoolery in Silver Spring, MD.

The American public is not being fooled, in my opinion.

But the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), aka Winter Soldiers, have now found a willing audience in Congress, that is sure to fawn over them with all the theatrics of a Soviet-style show trial.

The Progressive Congressional Caucus (PCC; now there's a hoot) is laying out the red carpet, the one we taxpayers provide by the sweat of our brows, so that they can hear "testimony" by a tiny group of veterans, who are apparently unhappy about the fact that the American people decided we needed to fight a war while they were in uniform.

more...

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/05/summer_soldiers_by_any_other_n_1.html

MUST READ: Triple Cross: How Britain Created the Arab-Israel Conflict

Triple Cross: How Britain Created the Arab-Israel Conflict

By Rachel Neuwirth

DING DONG....... HUH? ROFLMAO!

Let's Remember Who Our Heroes Are:

Medical Helicopter Crashes in Wisconsin, Killing 3
Associated Press
A medical helicopter dropped off a patient and then crashed shortly after it took off on its return flight to Madison, killing the surgeon, nurse and pilot on board, officials said Sunday.

The University of Wisconsin Hospital Med Flight crew went down about three miles from the La Crosse airport, where they departed late Saturday, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said in a statement.

The wreckage was found early Sunday and preliminary reports indicate the helicopter may have struck a hill or some trees, said Margaret Van Bree, the hospital's chief operating officer.
Killed in the crash were surgeon Darren Bean, nurse Mark Coyne and pilot Steve Lipperer, she said. All three lived in Madison. Their ages were not immediately available.

There were no concerns about the weather before the crew took off about 10:30 p.m.
"No further communication was received from the crew," Van Bree said.

more...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354984,00.html

Code Pink Protesters Try Witchcraft at Anti-Marine Rallies

Code Pink Protesters Try Witchcraft at Anti-Marine Rallies
FoxNews

Code Pink is now resorting to witchcraft to beef up the number of its supporters protesting Berkeley's controversial Marine Corps Recruiting Center.

The women's anti-war group has told ralliers to come equipped with spells and pointy hats Friday for "Witches, clowns and sirens day," the last of the group's weeklong homage to Mother's Day.

"Women are coming to cast spells and do rituals and to impart wisdom to figure out how we're going to end war," Zanne Sam Joi of Bay Area Code Pink told FOXNews.com.

The group's week of themed protests, which included days to galvanize grannies and bring-your-daughter-to-protest, appears to have done little to boost its flagging numbers.

A FOX News camera, which has a 24/7 live shot of the recruiting center's front door, recorded little action, and the gatherings have, until this point, been ill attended.

more...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354400,00.html

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISRAEL!

Obama’s Buddy, Bill Ayers Stomping the American Flag

Obama’s Buddy, Bill Ayers Stomping the American Flag
By John Stephenson
There is a huge blogswarm going on about this photo, from Chicago Magazine, of Obama's unrepentant terrorist associate, Bill Ayers stomping on the American flag. The photo was taken in 2001, the same time Barack Obama served on the Woods Fund Board with Ayers. This was also the same time that Ayers donated to Obama's campaign.

Marathon Pundit has similar photo, and many political bloggers are saying it long past due for Obama to disown his association with this controversial radical.

The question that remains is, will the media pick this up or will they write it off as old news? Its worthy of recycling this to further probe into Obama's judgement, the one thing he says he should be measured by.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/john-stephenson/2008/05/05/obama-s-buddy-bill-ayers-stomping-american-flag

MAG: USA FADING?

THE WORLD BETTER HOPE NOT....

MUST READ: You Want Lower Gas Prices?

Action Points: Where's Pelosi's "Commonsense" Plan on Gas Prices?

By Tom DeLay

If Congressional Republicans allow Nancy Pelosi and her Democrats to skirt responsibility for rising gas prices, they will once again earn the time-honored mantle of “The Stupid Party.” Two years ago this week, Nancy Pelosi – as part of a concerted campaign of opportunistic mendacity – said she and her party had a “commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices.” Their "plan" conveniently came to fruition after Democrats voted against a comprehensive energy plan that would increase fuel production and open up untapped oil reserves.

Democrats won control of Congress partly because of such promises. The day she took over as speaker, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $2.33. Today, it’s $3.60. This $1.27 “Pelosi Premium” is the single most pernicious factor behind the struggling economy in general and middle class anxiety. Recent polls demonstrate rising gas prices are the most important economic issue facing Americans today. And here’s the thing: it’s all their fault.

more...

http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/5eca63e8-a00e-4c79-8dff-79b6a9857940