DOWNLOADS: (148)

PLAYS: (1429)

Embed

A revealing snippet from Romney. Fox's Bret Baier queries Romney on why he didn't mention the troops or the war in his speech at the Republican National Convention.

via Fox News

BAIER: A few more things, Governor. To hear several speakers in Charlotte - and I don't think this is jump (?) - they were essentially saying you don't care about the U.S. military because you didn't mention U.S. troops and the war in Afghanistan in your nomination acceptance speech. (....) Do you regret opening up this line of attack, now a recurring attack, by leaving out that issue in the speech?

ROMNEY: I only regret you repeating it day in and day out. (LAUGHS)

BAIER: Well I mean, what just came from Charlotte -

ROMNEY: Because when you give a speech, you don't give a laundry list. You talk about the things that uh you think are important.

I've cut him off right there, deliberately. Romney would go on to give the lamest of excuses, that he had indeed mentioned the military in his speech, that he'd visited an American Legion the day before, and that he absolutely opposed cuts in military spending, and so on. A better answer -- and a better man-- would have just owned up to this error, admitted it, and perhaps gotten some props for honesty. But that man wouldn't be Willard Mitt Romney.

Repealing "don't ask, don't tell" is one more popular bill Congress somehow manages to snatch from the jaws of victory.

DOWNLOADS: (1026)

PLAYS: (1165)

Embed

It's about time some of these troops are finally getting to come home from Iraq. We're still going to have 50,000 troops there so this doesn't mean the end of casualties by any means, though the troops in Iraq have seen a drastic reduction in casualties as Iraqi troops take responsibility for their own security.

The official end to Operation Iraqi Freedom is August 31st. But today's exit of the last Stryker Brigade into Kuwait signals an end to the United States' active combat role in that country, and serves as notice that the promises made to leave are being kept.

The remaining 50,000 troops will continue to leave the country through December, 2011, when the US military presence is scheduled to end completely.

This does signify fulfillment of President Obama's promise as well:

February 28, 2009:

The plan will withdraw most of the 142,000 troops now in Iraq by the summer of next year, leaving 35,000 to 50,000 behind with the limited missions of training and advising Iraq security forces, hunting terrorist cells and protecting U.S. civilian and military personnel. Those "transitional forces" will leave by 2011 in accordance with a strategic agreement negotiated by President George W. Bush before he left office.

"Let me say this as plainly as I can," Obama told the Marines. "By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."

As Combat Troops Roll Out, The Media Rides Along:

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (459)

PLAYS: (879)

Embed

Karl Rove goes after President Obama for spending Memorial Day in Chicago instead of at Arlington and tells everyone how much the military loves our former warmonger and chickenhawk-in-chief with this fable.

Rove: I know that there's some concern in the military that they don't feel that he sort of gets it. There's an emotional bond between any Commander in Chief and the military. There is a professional bond, there's a Constitutional bond, but there's also an emotional bond and this President sometimes I think that relationship is strained. I'm struck by how many people I see when I go through airports in military uniforms that come up to me and say "Please tell my former Commander in Chief I miss him". And I appreciate the kind sentiments towards President Bush but it also disturbs me a little bit, but I get a sense that they don't feel as they have a close relationship with the Commander in Chief as they used to have.

Gee Karl, maybe if he decided to play dress up and pretended to land an aircraft on a flight carrier that would all change. I believe military personnel are approaching Karl Rove in airports and telling him they miss Bush about as much as I believe he didn't help out Valerie Plame.

DOWNLOADS: (82)

PLAYS: (324)

Embed

Sarah Palin walked into some more friendly territory on Fox News and told Greta Van Susteren that President Obama has not acknowledged the sacrifice our troops have made. Palin seems to have a bit of selective amnesia on this topic, doesn’t she? Not that Van Susteren was going to point that out. The entire interview was such a word-salad tsunami of talking points it was hard to listen to.

Palin: The worst thing, you know, I think there's been a lack of acknowledgement by our President in understanding what it is that the American military provides in terms of obviously the safety, the security of our country--the comment made the other night you know about you know the troops make for a good photo op and I'm giving you guys a raise and that's the applause line you need.

Van Susteren: What do you want from him?

Palin: I want him to acknowledge how the sacrifices that these individual men and women our sons our daughters our moms our dads our brothers and sisters are providing this country to keep us safe--this service that they are providing that is to something greater than self; they are making sacrifices they are putting so much on hold right now so that the homeland can be safe and they can fight for democratic ideals around our world. I want to see more acknowledgement and more respect given to that.

Palin went on with more of the "President Obama needs to listen to his Generals" nonsense--as though they make policy rather than follow it. And we need to "win" in Afghanistan which of course Palin has no definition for other than basically "whatever the Generals say".

DOWNLOADS: (82)

PLAYS: (355)

Embed

November 21, 2009 FOX News

DOWNLOADS: (2101)

PLAYS: (7099)

Embed

Lawrence O'Donnell tears into Liz Cheney for her remarks criticizing President Obama for his visit to Dover AFB. Liz Cheney lies again. Chip off the old block.

O'DONNELL: When President Obama honored our Afghanistan war dead by taking part in a military ritual at Dover Air Force Base yesterday, it was easily predictable that a Republican would criticize him for it. And in our fourth story on the Countdown, the former Vice President's pet attack dog, his daughter Liz Cheney, has now done just that. And once again, she wasn't going to let the facts get in the way.

On the John Gibson radio show yesterday, Ms. Cheney was rehashing her father's fact-free critique of President Obama's war in Afghanistan, and then Mr. Gibson asked her about the President's appearance at Dover Air Force Base.

LIZ CHENEY (RADIO AUDIO): I don't know why he went to Dover. I mean, I think that clearly it is very important for a commander-in-chief, whenever he can in whatever way it possible, to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers, our fallen military folks. But, I think, you know, what President Bush used to do was do it without the cameras, and I don't understand sort of showing up with the White House Press Pool with photographers and asking the family if you can take pictures. I just... that's really hard for me to get my head around—I think it's an honorable and important thing for us to pay tribute. There's no greater sacrifice people make to the nation. But, it was a surprising way for the President to choose to do it.

O'DONNELL: As we mentioned yesterday, President Bush never went to Dover Air Force Base to honor dead American soldiers on their final journey. And Vice President Cheney... never did either.

Hey Liz, have you ever lost a relative in battle? I have. My cousin Johnny, West Point graduate like his father before him. I wish the President or the Vice President had met his casket on the way home.

You know what 'never' means, Liz? It means zero. It means that in over seven years of two wars, your dad never left the comfort of his White House office or the Vice President's mansion and got himself up to Dover to bear witness to how his warmongering fell on families of dead American soldiers. Never, not once.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (1283)

PLAYS: (1603)

Embed

I suppose Bill Kristol fancies himself the "grown up" during this argument on Fox News Sunday. While discussing whether President Obama should be increasing troop levels in Afghanistan or not, Juan Williams points out that President Obama already gave Gen. McChrystal 21,000 additional troops this year, and the result has been nothing but increased casualties. Later in the segment Kristol responds.

Wallace: I know there are political pressures but I would like to think that this President—I do think that this President is trying to make the right decision. There is no guarantee if you give McChrystal the 60,000 troops that it’s going to work…(crosstalk) …particularly given the nature of the government that is in control in Afghanistan.

Kristol: Look, what is better about giving him, “giving him”—I like that—why do we have to use that formulation?—The President is sending as many troops as he thinks he should send, as many troops as he thinks best to accomplish the mission—unless he wants to abandon the mission. But he doesn’t want to abandon the mission. What argument… what serious grown up argument is there that sending 15,000 is any better than sending 40,000 troops when the generals, Gen. McChrystal and Gen. Petraeus think 40,000 is what we need to adequately resource the counter-insurgency.

Maybe we shouldn’t send so many bullets either—we shouldn’t send too many vehicles. They’re very expensive. I mean this notion that we’re sending—that we’re going to have more casualties is ridiculous Juan. Short term of course when you engage the enemy you might have more casualties. Ask any soldier or marine over there, “Would you prefer to have 110,000 of you or 70,000 of you?”—that we are stretched too thin. If we’re going to fight, let’s fight the war.

So when are you signing up to go over there Bill? Liz? Both of you ready to suit up and go put your lives on the line over there? I think if you asked those soldiers what they'd rather be doing, most of them would rather be home. Not on their third, fourth and fifth tours of duty.

DOWNLOADS: (145)

PLAYS: (315)

Embed

September 21, 2009 C-SPAN

DOWNLOADS: (168)

PLAYS: (255)

Embed

John McCain thinks it's just amazing that a Colonel decided to volunteer for his sixth, yes, his sixth tour of duty in Iraq. Isn't that wonderful? Incredible in McCain's words. Well, I agree, but not for the same reason McCain does. It horribly incredible that anyone is over there for a sixth tour of duty.

I agree with Thom Hartmann who thinks that Afghanistan is going to be Obama's Vietnam if we don't get the hell out of there. Any time I hear Mr. "I Know How to Win Wars" John McCain agreeing with the President on anything I figure we're pretty well screwed.

Stephanopoulos points out the strain this is putting on the enlisted military and their families, but that doesn't seem to phase McCain and his insistence that somehow our military can sustain that kind of prolonged presence in the region.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How do you answer the argument, though, of others who say that adding more troops now to Afghanistan is a fool's errand in nation-building? That we can achieve the goal of denying a safe haven to al Qaeda by letting the Afghan government take the lead and taking them out with drones when necessary?

MCCAIN: Well, I say with respect, and I understand that argument, but that was the same argument under Rumsfeld and Casey that didn't work. I think the fundamental to success of a counterinsurgency is to clear and hold and secure an environment for people so that the political and economic progress can be made.

STEPHANOPOULOS: That's a 40-year effort, isn't it?

MCCAIN: I think within a year to 18 months you could start to see progress. It's very hard. It's very tough. We're facing a very determined enemy that will stand and fight in some instances that are very adaptable, and obviously with safe havens in Pakistan.

But as the president described it in the campaign, this is a good war and one that we have to win. And I think he'll hold to that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: We're seeing now that the American public is turning against the war.

MCCAIN: Yes.

Continue reading »