Politics: Onward from New Hampshire

[sgtclub]

Anybody see it yesterday? Before I go on a rant, I'd like to hear from the peanut gallery whether Kay objective or just a shill for the Administration. I remember last week when he said there were no WMD in Iraq he was objective, but is he still?

[sgtclub]

Two letters from John Kerry, circa 1991:

Letter 1

"Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition ... to the early use of military force by the US against Iraq. I share your concerns. On January 11, I voted in favor of a resolution that would have insisted that economic sanctions be given more time to work and against a resolution giving the president the immediate authority to go to war."

--letter from Senator John Kerry to Wallace Carter of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, dated January 22 [1991]

Letter 2

"Thank you very much for contacting me to express your support for the actions of President Bush in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From the outset of the invasion, I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush's response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf."

--Senator Kerry to Wallace Carter, January 31 [1991]

http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=1261

[sgtclub]

Courtesy of the lovely Ann Coulter:


"This low-born poseur with his threadbare pseudo-Brahmin family bought a political career with one rich woman's money, dumped her, and made off with another heiress to enable him to run for president. If Democrats want to talk about middle-class tax cuts, couldn't they nominate someone who hasn't been a poodle to rich women for the past 33 years?"

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Courtesy of the lovely Ann Coulter:


"This low-born poseur with his threadbare pseudo-Brahmin family bought a political career with one rich woman's money, dumped her, and made off with another heiress to enable him to run for president. If Democrats want to talk about middle-class tax cuts, couldn't they nominate someone who hasn't been a poodle to rich women for the past 33 years?"

I'm sure that attack works in comparison to Bush. Which is more honorable? Marrying into it or being born into it?

[Secret_Agent_Man]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Anybody see it yesterday? Before I go on a rant, I'd like to hear from the peanut gallery whether Kay objective or just a shill for the Administration. I remember last week when he said there were no WMD in Iraq he was objective, but is he still?

I sense a clever trap. Nonetheless, I will seize the bait --


Nope, didn't see it; heard a few reports. But I have no reason to believe that Kay is not a relatively objective fellow without a political axe to grind. He has, throughout this process (even post-resignation) said that theis WMD stuff should not be a partisan political issue, and has never said word one critical of the Administration, except that "we were wrong".

What pieces of his testimony strike you as a revelation?

The facts that he now believes that there are no WMD stockpiles left, and that (per incomplete documents they've found) Hussein most likely destroyed what was left in and around 1995 (after Kamel defected), and that the Iraqi scientists then began to tell us the truth (i.e. they were destroyed) -- but the inspectors wouldn't believe them because there was no proof presented, and that there was no proof presented because Hussein wanted to keep things ambiguous?

The problem with anyone knowing this pre-War is that there is no way we could afford to believe or trust the scientists absent hard evidence while Hussein was in power. Which may, or may not, mean that the intelligence failure was inevitable.

S_A_M

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Courtesy of the lovely Ann Coulter:


"This low-born poseur with his threadbare pseudo-Brahmin family bought a political career with one rich woman's money, dumped her, and made off with another heiress to enable him to run for president. If Democrats want to talk about middle-class tax cuts, couldn't they nominate someone who hasn't been a poodle to rich women for the past 33 years?"

This low-born poseur gets a chuckle at the Republican smugness here -- keep it up, Ann. What, offended that we're all so uppity?

(psst - why is it these intelligent well-heeled heiresses go for such low-born poseurs instead of members of their own class -- coiuld it be a desire not to be stuck with a lemon-mouthed prig like Bush?)

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Secret_Agent_Man
I sense a clever trap. Nonetheless, I will seize the bait --

S_A_M

Not a trap at all. I just wanted to be sure that others also view him as objective.

His testimony is surely damaging to the Administration in that he concludes that there are no WMDs in Iraq.

But it is also helpful to the administration in that it directly contradicts the "Bush Lied/this War was 'concocted' in Texas for political gain" mantra. This was highlighted in Kay's exchange with Teddy. Teddy was trying to pin him down as to the aggressive of interpretation by the administration of the intelligence. Kay response was essentially that after reading the volumes of intelligence compiled over the 12 or so year period by the US and our allies, he believes that a reasonable person could not reach any other conclusion but that SH had WMDs. He also said that he believes that SH was a "serious and gathering threat" to the US and that the US and the world is far safer with him gone. He also went on to explain that, based on the absense of controls, the presence of al qaeda and other terrorists in the country, and the WMD knowledge of Iraqi scientists, proliferation was a serious risk.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Courtesy of the lovely Ann Coulter:


"This low-born poseur with his threadbare pseudo-Brahmin family bought a political career with one rich woman's money, dumped her, and made off with another heiress to enable him to run for president. If Democrats want to talk about middle-class tax cuts, couldn't they nominate someone who hasn't been a poodle to rich women for the past 33 years?"

I hear she has 13 other lines. Just push the button.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Not a trap at all. I just wanted to be sure that others also view him as objective.

His testimony is surely damaging to the Administration in that he concludes that there are no WMDs in Iraq.

But it is also helpful to the administration in that it directly contradicts the "Bush Lied/this War was 'concocted' in Texas for political gain" mantra. This was highlighted in Kay's exchange with Teddy. Teddy was trying to pin him down as to the aggressive of interpretation by the administration of the intelligence. Kay response was essentially that after reading the volumes of intelligence compiled over the 12 or so year period by the US and our allies, he believes that a reasonable person could not reach any other conclusion but that SH had WMDs. He also said that he believes that SH was a "serious and gathering threat" to the US and that the US and the world is far safer with him gone. He also went on to explain that, based on the absense of controls, the presence of al qaeda and other terrorists in the country, and the WMD knowledge of Iraqi scientists, proliferation was a serious risk.

Kay has slanted his prior reports and statements to play to the Administration's political interests. If he says something is a fact, I believe that it's a fact, but I take his characterizations of the facts with a hefty dose of salt. To use bilmore's terms, he spins everything in a pro-Administration way. Witness the gratuitous reference to Al Qaeda above.

eta:
For an example of how Kay hyped things, see this post and this one about reports of botulism found in Iraq.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.) Putting aside issues of where those mikes were located

I hear the GOP placed ringers in Dean's campaign who were in the crowd with those mikes. Ty told me so.

[Not Me]

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/s...s25jan25.story

Texas Church Cards People Who Patronize Adult Stores
* A pastor photographs vehicle license plates and mails the pictures to customers' homes. He's bent on driving the businesses out of town.

By Lianne Hart, Times Staff Writer

KENNEDALE, Texas — It's 2:30 on a Thursday afternoon, and inside a windowless adult video store a dozen people are perusing XXX-rated movie titles. Pastor Jim Norwood surmises this because he has photographed the customers' cars in the parking lot, carefully adjusting his digital camera so that each license plate is in focus.

Each car owner will soon get a postcard in the mail from Norwood's Oakcrest Family Church. On the front will be a color photo of their vehicle in the video store parking lot. On the back will be a note: "Observed you in the neighborhood. Didn't know if you were aware there is a church in the area … please stop by next time. We'd love to have you visit."

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
Kay has slanted his prior reports and statements to play to the Administration's political interests. If he says something is a fact, I believe that it's a fact, but I take his characterizations of the facts with a hefty dose of salt. To use bilmore's terms, he spins everything in a pro-Administration way. Witness the gratuitous reference to Al Qaeda above.

Confidential to SAM- This is why I asked my lead in.

[SlaveNoMore]

Not Me
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/s...s25jan25.story

If I actually owned a car, I might care.

[sgtclub]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...type=printable

This is just plain stupid.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by sgtclub
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...type=printable

This is just plain stupid.

Don't worry, Club. OBL and Omar probably don't read SF Gate, so I doubt they've been tipped off.

Of course, this will prove ample fodder for the "October Surprise" theorists, but OTOH at least we've got a deadline over which Vegas (if not DARPA) can place some nice odds.

So what does everyone think? 3:1? 10:1?

-- Gattigap