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2004-06-14 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by Sherry 2004-06-14 12:00:00 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The good folks at http://www.thatliberalmedia.com has the story on this newest 'letter.' Another political play, sponsored undoubtedly by McAuliffe and the DNC, etc.

From the site.

Other portions of the story on the front page highlight the theme that these officials served under Republicans as well as Democrats:

Those signing the document, which will be released in Washington on Wednesday, include 20 former U.S. ambassadors, appointed by presidents of both parties, to countries including Israel, the former Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia.

Others are senior State Department officials from the Carter, Reagan and Clinton administrations and former military leaders, including retired Marine Gen. Joseph P. Hoar, the former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East under President Bush's father. Hoar is a prominent critic of the war in Iraq.

Let's read further, shall we? I'll identify for you the precise moment when the editors jump the story to the back pages -- where, studies show, most readers don't bother to follow the story:

Some of those signing the document â such as Hoar and former Air Force Chief of Staff

[See Statement, Page A26]

and here the story jumps to the back pages, which generally signifies that this is the part the editors don't want you to know:

Merrill A. McPeak â have identified themselves as supporters of Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. But most have not endorsed any candidate, members of the group said.

The first hint that this might be a group of Democrat partisans, and it's buried on Page A26. Most readers will never see this. Accordingly, their primary impression is likely to be: Wow, this sounds like a bunch of Republicans criticizing Bush...

I found the reference to the story at Right Thinking from the Left Coast

Posted by badanov 2004-06-14 1:17:13 AM|| [http://www.rkka.org] 2004-06-14 1:17:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 "Wah waaah! If Bush reorders the Middle East, then the dictators might fall, and then where will I get my supply of little children to molest?!"

(According to rumors, this is NOT an exaggeration.)

But in any case, that GOP strategist is right on the dot. That they're diplomats - state - should have been the first hint that they lack the standing to criticize the president on this isuse (being themselves at fault for some of the complained-of dictator-coddling), with John Bolton as the glaring exception.

Posted by Edward Yee 2004-06-14 2:00:07 AM|| [http://edwardyee.fanworks.net] 2004-06-14 2:00:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Your basic bull. Most of these folks have not been in a meaningful governmental position for a decade. LA Times Brownstein is masterful though, notice how he cites two names being aligned to Kerry early in the article and then again towards the end. At least he's consistently bias.

Posted by Capt America 2004-06-14 5:26:18 AM|| 2004-06-14 5:26:18 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Yea, paragraph 6 reads, "Some of those signing the document â such as Hoar and former Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill A. McPeak â have identified themselves as supporters of Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. But most have not endorsed any candidate, members of the group said."

Then, 7th paragraph from bottom, "Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., though named chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Reagan, supported Clinton in 1992. Crowe has endorsed Kerry. Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner served as Carter's director of central intelligence and has also endorsed Kerry.

Posted by Capt America 2004-06-14 5:32:14 AM|| 2004-06-14 5:32:14 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Uh, Edward, could you expand on that insinuation? What rumors?

Posted by Mitch H. 2004-06-14 9:01:24 AM|| [http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2004-06-14 9:01:24 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Mitch, I believe he's refering to the well known ex-UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, aka "Chester the Molester".

Posted by Steve 2004-06-14 9:34:52 AM|| 2004-06-14 9:34:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 "Thereâs no question those who were responsible for policies pre-9/11 are denying what seems as the obvious â that those policies were inadequate,"

ouch indeed!! You almost feel sorry for these guys for willingly placing themselves in a line of fire for John Kerry, he's soo not worth it. Though it will play well to CNN/IndyMedia/HateBush(TM) crowd, it will a get a big yawn from everyone else for being what it is, politics. As for the individuals who signed on, it will be like the Gorelick thing... the world will take note of these specific individuals who fiddled pre-9/11 and laid the foundation for 9/11 to occur and still, today, haven't got a clue.

Posted by B 2004-06-14 10:36:16 AM|| 2004-06-14 10:36:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Folks with this mindset will not be satisfied until:

1.) America accepts blame for all the wrong in the world as some kind of penance for being the most powerful country in the world.

2.) America apologizes for all the crimes in the world and submits itself as the SOLE INDICTED GOVERNMENT, with countries like Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba as our judges.

3.) America grovels to persuade allies to initiate good-willed dialog THAT THEY SHOULD ALREADY BE GIVING AS ALLIES.

So, we are supposed to accept blame, apologize, grovel? Shame on anyone who accepts this proposition.

Posted by jules 187 2004-06-14 10:47:51 AM|| 2004-06-14 10:47:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 ..."Red Mike' McPeak did more to damage the United States Air Force than fifty years of fighting the Cold War EVER did. If he told me the sun rose in the east, I would ask a dozen Rantburgers to go outside and check. He is an arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious SOB who is proof that every now and then, soembody manages to get through all the safeguards built into the system. Ignore him.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2004-06-14 12:03:13 PM|| 2004-06-14 12:03:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Yeah, I remember those thrilling days of yesteryear when Gen. Wesley Clark was gonna cakewalk to the Democratic nomination. Madonna told me.
Wait a second, that was 3 months ago.

Posted by tu3031 2004-06-14 12:38:11 PM|| 2004-06-14 12:38:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 He is an arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious SOB who is proof that every now and then, soembody manages to get through all the safeguards built into the system. Ignore him.

Done. Thanks.

Posted by Shipman 2004-06-14 1:28:03 PM|| 2004-06-14 1:28:03 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 A long time ago (twenty years) Presidents made a habit of appointing career politician to Ambassadorships whether they were left or right of the political spectrum. Of course in todays NASTY world of politics that is no longer so. Funny that no of these 'experts' think that establishing democracy in the middle east is a good thing? Tells you a lot about their political thoughts.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2004-06-14 4:37:12 PM|| 2004-06-14 4:37:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Patterico links to Rich Lowry's dismemberment of one of these "ambassadors" - a nice fisking

Posted by Frank G 2004-06-14 10:09:35 PM|| 2004-06-14 10:09:35 PM|| Front Page Top

02:07 Zenster
01:11 Old Grouch
00:22 .com
00:21 .com
00:16 Darth VAda
00:10 Mark Espinola
00:02 Yank
23:59 Quana
23:56 joe
23:54 Pappy
23:46 Long Hair Republican
23:35 Pappy
23:35 Atomic Conspiracy
23:32 Mark Espinola
23:31 Alaska Paul
23:24 A Jackson
23:16 Pappy
23:14 Alaska Paul
23:12 Pappy
23:11 Alaska Paul
23:00 Alaska Paul
22:56 Rafael
22:54 JDB
22:48 Gromky