Video: Ted Kennedy says Iraq is Bush’s Vietnam
posted at 3:27 pm on January 9, 2007 by Ian
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Sen. Ted Kennedy handed an irresistible sound bite to the media in his speech to the National Press Club this afternoon, some 32 hours before the president announces his new strategy for Iraq. Christopher Hitchens, an ardent opponent of the Vietnam War, has addressed this subject several times, most memorably in 2004:
A war fought with weapons of indiscriminate slaughter, and accompanied by racist rhetoric, with a conscript Army deployed against a highly evolved revolutionary movement is as different as could possibly be from a campaign of precision-guided munitions, with an all-volunteer Army, directed at the overthrow of a hideous and dangerous tyranny, and then taking the form of a drive for free elections and a constitution. If people say that it’s “reminiscent” of Vietnam, it means they don’t remember Vietnam…
There’s something creepy about the Democratic decision to hail the heroes of Vietnam, from Kerry to Clark, and to denigrate the extraordinary effort being made to salvage Iraq and to pursue and kill people who really are, unlike the Viet Cong, the common enemies of humanity. It’s trying too hard, and it’s inauthentic and hypocritical as well as point-missing. It would be as if the Republicans suddenly started talking, as that great veteran Robert Dole once did, about all the conflicts in American history as “Democrat wars.” That didn’t fly, if you recall, though it would have been a fair description of Vietnam.
Kennedy is promising to introduce a bill that would block funding for a force above the current numbers unless Congress approves Bush’s plan.
Update (AP): Fox says the first wave of new troops will be in country by the end of the month. If Teddy wants to defund them, he’d better do it before they get there.
Update (AP): Anti-war Republican Sen. Gordon Smith digs Teddy’s demand for a vote to block funding. Alas, Harry Reid prefers the timid, non-binding resolution approach instead.
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honora, I get what you are saying (and I believe that a lot of that could have been cleared up if the Bush administration would just do a better job of getting their message across) - now, as far as the Dems go, the problem with your statement above is that they were key participants in the “train wreck” (in fact, they were the co-conductors); and since then, all they have done is argued that they weren’t even in the train, by claiming they were “misled” as to the train’s departure time, where the train departed from, and so on…
Now, they are arguing that the events leading up to the “train wreck” need to be investigated - but only by investigating one of the conductors (Bush), and giving the impression that there was never a co-conductor (Dems).
Rightwinged posted a great example of this above:
You want to talk about being able to “stand the heat” in the kitchen - the Dems left the kitchen a long time ago, but continue to stand at the kitchen entrance with an extra large blowtorch.
As for this weekend - never underestimate the Pats (they have been there and done that numerous times).
Rick on January 10, 2007 at 12:05 PM
Yep,
Vietnam minus 57,000 dead soldiers.
dougless on January 10, 2007 at 12:14 PM
We need to use a specific word to describe Kennedy’s speech. It’s a PREsponse. Get that meme into the ’sphere, everyone.
The Monster on January 10, 2007 at 12:29 PM
The problem with the Democrats is that they are not serious about the defense of America. They see Iraq as a wedge issue, like a highway bill or a tax bill, that they can use to win power. They act as partisans rather than statesman. They don’t care if they torch the country as long they win.
Tantor on January 10, 2007 at 12:33 PM
You’re right, I mis-spoke. Bush is not abdicating his responsibility. But you are giving him a pass (abdicating for him, which yes I know makes no sense, but you get my meaning). Again, if he is CIC and is in charge, it’s his ballgame, win, lose or draw.
honora on January 10, 2007 at 1:08 PM
Not all Dems. Resolution in the House: 81 for, 126 against; Senate: 29 for, 21 against.
Hey, I am all about some of the Dems being wimps. I was against this from the get-go and frankly think that the Dems (and responsible Reps)should have asked hard questions before we went in. I agree its pretty slimy for Dems who voted to go to now be attacking the decision to go.
I do not agree that they are forever banned from stating the obvious–it was a mistake–OUR mistake, not just Bush’s, it was badly handled.
Where I get fed up with Reps is when they only react to the criticism. Jesus, talk about mis-directing anger.
Here’s what I would like to know, if only I had a crystal ball: if we stay another 5 years, will be really any closer to “winning”? If the answer to that question is no, then we are fools not to leave.
Oh hell, this is all too damned depressing. Would kinda like to see Philly beat the Saints but not counting on it.
Later.
honora on January 10, 2007 at 1:20 PM
HELL NO!!
Rick on January 10, 2007 at 1:25 PM
Wow, that’s a brainbuster. You mis-spoke about Bush abdicating his responsibility, and now you try to lay it off on me that I abdicated for him by giving him a pass, which I never did.
Huh?
I have to agree with you honora …… you don’t make any sense.
fogw on January 10, 2007 at 1:33 PM
Let me make it simple: the decisions that have been made in Iraq are Bush’s decisions. If things are not going well, that’s the direction to look, not at the people who are criticizing him. Simple enough?
You want it both ways–you want your boy to call the shots, but when things go awry, you want to be able to blame other people. Sorry, that’s not the way it works.
(Try this in your own life: make a big mistake at work. See how far you get whining to your boss or your Board that other people are to blame for your decision because they were not “supportive” of you. Good luck with that.)
honora on January 10, 2007 at 2:35 PM
This is getting painful, but still fun.
Its.Not.That.Simple.
I think I’ll pass on your little lesson in life honora, since I was the boss and I was on the board. Heh.
fogw on January 10, 2007 at 2:53 PM
The decisions are Bush’s, the lack of support and undercutting is from the liberals. If we were united, and just not interested in “getting votes” we would have been on top of this war. Instead we are fighting two fronts, the one over there and the one over here. Votes should be secondary to us winning the war, but hey, the Dems are in control so it must be right, right? Wrong!
If you put a marketing plan (no matter what the plan is) together at work, and your fellow employees go to the competitor and your customers and tell them you are wrong, incompetetent, stupid and a liar, guess who gets fired.
Thanks for the analogy, you just made the point that has been driven home for the past few years. You cannot have it both ways, complain and help the enemy, and complain that the campaign is ineffective.
right2bright on January 10, 2007 at 3:35 PM
TEDDY NEEDS A “BRO”….and if they are all out,
AMAZON has THESE.
Bless his heart…
seejanemom on January 10, 2007 at 4:07 PM
seejanemom, you sent me on a crazy adventure with your “BRO” link. I ended up at wiki, then clicked on one of their links, and somehow ended up at some site where women discuss “disciplining” their husbands - the whole thing was just strange.
Rick on January 10, 2007 at 5:24 PM
Honora stupidly writes: “…how Dems have in any way adversely affected the conduct of the war in Iraq?”
1. By ILLEGALLY leaking to the press the CLASSIFIED program of incarcerating captured Al Qaeda operatives in foreign countries.
2. By ILLEGALLY leaking to the press the CLASSIFIED NSA program to track Al Qaeda operatives around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
3. By ILLEGALLY leaking to the press the CLASSIFIED SWIFT program that tracked Al Qaeda financial fund transfers.
4. By the discovery of a Rockerfeller memo that detailed exactly HOW the Democratic Party would undermine and sabotage the war effort in order to regain power. Zell Miller, former Democratic Senator called it treason, if not it’s first cousin.
You wanted to know how the actions of your party affected operations in Iraq? YOUR party committed 4 illegal acts that not only interfered with operations not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but around the entire world.
And you assholes did it for PARTISAN POLITICAL GAIN. Democrats want America to LOSE the war on terrorism, whether it is in Iraq or elsewhere. This is no longer about “dissent” or “politics,” it is about the TREASON of the Democratic Party.
Learn to love the epithet of TRAITOR, Democrat. You might as well, since you collectively live it, embrace it, and act it out.
georgej on January 10, 2007 at 5:41 PM
Whoops, wrong Kennedy. Sorry about that. I guess the U.S. from 1961 was a scary neo-con driven nightmare…
gekkobear on January 10, 2007 at 5:53 PM
You are wasting your time georgej, honara thinks Churchill lost his election because of lack of central heating, that is how out of touch liberals are. She represents the lost liberal souls, who think undermining the government to get votes is worth it. Your post has all of the points to prove that.
Your accusations are their honor.
right2bright on January 10, 2007 at 6:25 PM
So what you’re really saying is that you only wanted to confirm what I predicted, that you’d divert and dodge, rather than answer actual charges? Notice that I started off my reply to you saying I wasn’t going to waste my time, because I KNEW that’s what you’d do… but I just couldn’t help myself, so I did give a semi-detailed explanation.. and that’s your reply? WTF!? Do you see why I say I am done being respectful to Democrats and explaining things to them? Are you really completely unaware of what a bit** move you just pulled?
RightWinged on January 10, 2007 at 6:30 PM
It’s time someone made a movie depicting the true story of what happend when Ted left Mary Jo Kopechne to drown . How he swam to his hotel and went to bed rather than inform anyone that she was under water. It is incomprehensible that he has remained a US Senator after that outrageous, self serving, irresponsible act. Younger people have no idea of the circumstances and it is time they did!
Mellen on January 10, 2007 at 6:37 PM
RICK—-But did you have “I need a cigarette” fun or just “regular” fun??
Teeheehee…………
seejanemom on January 10, 2007 at 6:42 PM
GEORGE IN ‘08
GEORGE IN ‘08
GEORGE IN ‘08
GEORGE IN ‘08
GEORGE IN ‘08
GEORGE IN ‘08
Can you hear me now, RNC..????
seejanemom on January 10, 2007 at 6:45 PM
No comment…cough.
Rick on January 10, 2007 at 7:18 PM
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