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McCain Counters Democratic Distortion Of Iraq Views

Posted by Joe on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 7:16:53 PM
Democrats want to earn credibility and trust with the voters on foreign policy issues, but misrepresenting statements made by John McCain won't accomplish their goal:
The Obama campaign and Democratic leaders accused Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of being confused and heartless after he told NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday that it’s “not too important” when U.S. troops return from Iraq.
What the Democrat are trying to do here is combine their typical "Republicans aren't compassionate" meme with a "John McCain is old and mentally unfit for the presidency" line of attack.  And what point was McCain really making with his statement about it being unimportant when troops return from Iraq?
“As John McCain has always said, that is not as important as conditions on the ground and the recommendations of commanders in the field. Any reasonable person who reads the full transcript would see this and reject the Obama campaign’s attempt to manipulate, twist and distort the truth.”
Senator McCain has always believed that the American presence in Iraq is not the most troublesome issue with the American electorate.  What concerns voters is the number of American troops harmed or killed.   As long as that number is either in decline, or even reduced to zero during any significant period of measurement, American voters won't object to our continued involvement in Iraq.  And regarding our involvement, the decision to withdraw shouldn't be made as part of a domestic political determination, but should instead be based upon the experience and measured judgments of our military leadership.

Quite apart from being "heartless" and "confused," Senator McCain's position is responsible, mature and intelligent.  As they did with his comments about being in Iraq for another 100 years, the Democrats will continue to manipulate and distort Senator McCain's words.  Misrepresenting Senator McCain's words, after all, is far more easily done than actually going to Iraq, witnessing the dramatic changes on the ground and accepting the advice of military leaders whose experiences and opinions are contrary to the need among Democrats to paint Iraq as a lost cause.
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Impeachment Talk Get Louder For Illinois Governor

Posted by Joe on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 9:34:00 AM
How's this for interesting politics?  The Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, Mike Madigan, who also happens to be the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, is circulating a memo among Democratic state legislators that provides talking points for the impeachment of the state's embattled and scandal-plagued Democratic Governor, Rod Blagojevich.  The memo states the following:
"One thing we learned from the [imprisoned former Republican Gov.] George Ryan case is that we should excise a tumor when it is first discovered; not leave it in the body to continue to spread and do further harm," the memo reads.
The Senate President, Emil Jones, Jr., a Blagojevich ally, is not very happy with the issuance of the memo:
Democratic Speaker and Democratic Party Chairman to promote the impeachment of a Democratic Governor," Jones said. "Impeachment is unwarranted in my opinion, and should not be used as a political tool.

"It is a serious state action that should not be used to divert attention from the issues at hand, which are the operating budget and passing a capital bill."
The Civil War among Illinois Democrats continues unabated, with the Blagojevich/Jones faction battling with Speaker Madigan.  Incidentally, Senate President Jones is a significant political supporter of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

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The Trib on Plouffe

Posted by Joe on Sunday, June 08, 2008 8:00:00 PM

The Chicago Tribune has an article on Senator Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe.  Interestingly, Plouffe was the campaign manager for the winning New Jersey Senatorial campaign of Bob "The Torch" Torricelli back in 1996.  Also of interest is the following:

In 2003 and early 2004, he served as a senior adviser to Gephardt's short-lived presidential bid, a dozen years after getting his first taste for presidential politics working on a campaign for Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa.

Hmmmm.   Perhaps this is one more reason why Dick Gephardt could end up on the Dem ticket. 

Speaking of Dick Gephardt, a couple of weeks ago I walked right past him as he was entering the Illinois state capitol building.  I have no idea why he was there, and there was no mention of his visit by any of the media sources that cover Illinois politics and state government.
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Who Made Money Off "An Inconvenient Truth?"

Posted by Joe on Sunday, June 08, 2008 2:00:00 PM
Besides the content of the film, there's something about Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" that never quite squared with me.  I should disclose that I've never seen it, nor do I have much of a desire to spend any hard-earned money on a film in which so many half-truths, mis-truths and outright distortions were discovered.  My reluctance to even pay a minimal rental fee to see it is actually what got me thinking.

I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday to get a manual on the Ipod Touch.  Despite this singular mission, I'm incapable of going to a bookstore and not looking around.  One of the books on the discount table was Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth."  Seeing it discounted got me thinking about something I've contemplated before.  If getting out his "message" is so important to Gore,  why did he assent to charging $20 for the purchase of the DVD version?  Wouldn't he guarantee himself a wider viewing if he made the DVD, or book for that matter, available as a free download, or on a website?  Wouldn't this also be consistent with his "techie" persona?  I wondered if perhaps the sale profits go to the environmentalist cause.  Even so, wouldn't the cause be better off if more people changed their lifestyles after watching the DVD or reading the book?

Out of curiosity, I went to the "An Inconvenient Truth" website to see what was available.  One of the first things I noticed was that the site doesn't appear to have been updated for quite some time.  I also saw a conspicuous link inviting me to purchase the DVD.  The site does have some downloads available, but they are principally screen savers, Ecards, and wallpapers.  Sure enough, some, but not all of the profits from the sale of each $20 DVD goes to an organization called "The Alliance For Climate Protection."  This is a group founded by Al Gore.

This still begs the question.  If prosetylizing this message is so important, why not just have some environmental groups underwrite the cost to produce the film and then make it available for download at a minimal cost, with all proceeds going toward the movement?  Making it available online eliminates the DVD manufacturing and packaging costs.  Furthermore, bypassing the manufacturing process is presumably better for the environment.  This principle was even deemed important enough for a mention on the website:
The DVD is packaged to make the smallest possible environmental footprint - it is made of 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, no excess materials, and absolutely no plastics.
It would be interesting to see how much Gore, or anyone, made from this film.
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