Since it has been getting kinda slow here lately, I figured I would post something that might spark a discussion...
From Rush Limbaugh on Feb. 29th...
...and the relevant articles...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022702217_pf.html
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=1258
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/02/28/pew-majority-now-believe-us-effort-in-iraq-will-succeed-53-39/
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/rich-noyes/2008/02/28/fewer-u-s-dead-less-tv-coverage-iraq
From Rush Limbaugh on Feb. 29th...
February 20 through 24th, the latest Pew poll shows rapidly decreasing support for a quick withdrawal from Iraq. The poll also showed an even split among those who believe the military effort is going well and those who don't. It's 48-48. Now, in November of last year, there was a 13-point gap among those who wanted to bring the troops home and those who preferred to keep them there, it was 54-41 back then. Now the numbers of people who want to pull out of there instantly are decreasing rapidly. There's an even split now, 49-47. Only 14%, though, the real number here, want an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, and the majority now, 53 to 39% believe that the US effort in Iraq will succeed. Just last month, respondents were evenly split on the question 48-46.
Everybody today is raving about a piece in the Washington Post by Angelina Jolie in which she just got back from Iraq. She says, "We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact." Her point is to stay, help the Iraqis, especially those who are out of the country, want to come back home, the time is right now, and that the surge is working. Now, if you read the piece by Angelina Jolie today in the Washington Post, you will conclude that she is deeper and in ways more specific than Obama about this if you read the whole article. She makes more sense than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or anybody on the Democrat side about this. It's stunning.
"My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation...to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis. ... What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made." She makes more sense than any Democrat that's out there running for office. She makes more sense than any Democrat anywhere in this country talking about Iraq, other than Lieberman.
The Democrats on the left, they came at us with this: Our brave troops are caught in the crossfire of a civil war in Iraq. Even the word bloodbath was used to make sure that you got it, and civil war kept creeping in. Our brave troops are caught in a bloodbath, the crossfire of a civil war in Iraq, news cycle after news cycle, week after week, leaders of the left like Durbin and Schumer and Murtha, crossfire, bloodbath, crossfire, bloodbath, death counts, our troops can't win, the surge won't work, wave the white flag of surrender, we don't deserve to win, all of these things. Well, guess what we didn't see? We didn't see a civil war; we didn't see the crossfire; we didn't see the bloodbath, and, sadly, we also did not see these political hacks drummed out of the Senate or at least drummed off television as they continued to berate our troops, our military, and their families. As they impugned their honor, their abilities, their commitment, their valor, they continued to be given TV time to continue this assault. And now they're back. Now that Iraq is undeniably and unquestionably on a success track, now they're back with their new act. Forget the crossfire, the bloodbath, the civil war, forget all that, now it's the cost fire, meaning the cost of the war.
The civil war crossfire didn't work. That war is going too well. Now they have to talk about the cost. Obama talks about it repeatedly in these debates. All the money that we could have spent on needed social programs for the children and all of these typically rotgut, left-wing liberal things. Even though 65% of our budget is spent on entitlements for social programs, it's still not enough for these people, because until everybody is dependent on them, they will not consider themselves to have been victorious. So now they're talking about the cost of the war and for that reason we've gotta get out. The verge of meaningful victory, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, scattered, leaders killed and captured, oh, no, can't have a victory, not in an election year, no, no, no, we can't permit that. Even if we have a victory, we've gotta talk about, say the Democrats, how costly it was, how expensive it was; how much it denied health care to children; how much it denied breakfast to children; how much it denied nurses to pregnant women; how much it denied this and that and the other thing. The cost of victory, it wasn't worth it.
I know why the left does this. They do this for power. What I don't know -- well, I do, too. I was going to say what I don't know is why the media still treats them as if they are anything but a national disgrace. But that is what Obama would call being too hopeful, because, you see, they are a national disgrace, and the Drive-By Media will do anything in an election year to promote those who seek to convince as many Americans as possible that, A, Iraq, even after victory, isn't worth it, wasn't worth it, cost too much. And they're not going to give up. Nancy Pelosi is refusing a vote on the new security bill, the new FISA bill. They still, the Democrats, when it comes to national security, the defense, the protection of this country, I don't care who our candidate is, they cannot be trusted with it, the Democrats cannot.
The civil war crossfire didn't work. That war is going too well. Now they have to talk about the cost. Obama talks about it repeatedly in these debates. All the money that we could have spent on needed social programs for the children and all of these typically rotgut, left-wing liberal things. Even though 65% of our budget is spent on entitlements for social programs, it's still not enough for these people, because until everybody is dependent on them, they will not consider themselves to have been victorious. So now they're talking about the cost of the war and for that reason we've gotta get out. The verge of meaningful victory, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, scattered, leaders killed and captured, oh, no, can't have a victory, not in an election year, no, no, no, we can't permit that. Even if we have a victory, we've gotta talk about, say the Democrats, how costly it was, how expensive it was; how much it denied health care to children; how much it denied breakfast to children; how much it denied nurses to pregnant women; how much it denied this and that and the other thing. The cost of victory, it wasn't worth it.
I know why the left does this. They do this for power. What I don't know -- well, I do, too. I was going to say what I don't know is why the media still treats them as if they are anything but a national disgrace. But that is what Obama would call being too hopeful, because, you see, they are a national disgrace, and the Drive-By Media will do anything in an election year to promote those who seek to convince as many Americans as possible that, A, Iraq, even after victory, isn't worth it, wasn't worth it, cost too much. And they're not going to give up. Nancy Pelosi is refusing a vote on the new security bill, the new FISA bill. They still, the Democrats, when it comes to national security, the defense, the protection of this country, I don't care who our candidate is, they cannot be trusted with it, the Democrats cannot.
...and the relevant articles...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022702217_pf.html
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=1258
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/02/28/pew-majority-now-believe-us-effort-in-iraq-will-succeed-53-39/
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/rich-noyes/2008/02/28/fewer-u-s-dead-less-tv-coverage-iraq