Final Day, is this Hatefest over yet?
OK, so I am live blogging the convention - these are my thoughts (rough as they are) during the speeches.
Tommy Franks
The Global War on Terrorism will be a long fight. But make no mistake – we are going to fight the terrorists.
You aren't fighting terrorism by invading Iraq.
In the battle for Afghanistan we removed a regime that provided the base of support for the al Qaeda terrorists that had been killing Americans for years.
In the battle for Iraq, we removed a brutal regime with an avowed hatred of America, a history of torturing its own people, and a history of using WMD against its neighbors and its own citizens.
We removed a regime with well documented ties to terrorists – like al Qaeda murderer Abu Zarqawi.
Abu Zarqawi was operating in the Northern Alliance area, which the US effectively controlled before the invasion of Iraq. Remember this - we controlled the area where a know terrorist operated, but we did nothing.
And we have not been in this fight alone. President Bush has built the largest coalition in the history of the world – nations united together against terrorism.
Did he forget World War II or perhaps World War I? To make the "Coalition of the Willing" out to be more that the combined Allied Forces that defeated true evil in World War II is besmirching the honor of those who dies.
This is a man who, before sending us into battle, personally asked each military commander if he had everything he needed. This is a man who made sure everything possible was done to protect our troops from the WMD we all expected.
But, oops we forgot to plan for the occupation. And now our troops are paying for it.
Pataki
You know the history. Osama bin Laden declared war on America — and then came the attacks — the first World Trade Center, the embassies, the USS Cole — hundreds dead, thousands injured. How I wish the administration at that time, in those years had done something.
How I wished they had moved to protect us — But - they - didn’t - do -it.
This is the most disingenuous attack I have ever heard.
He declared a new doctrine: The United States will find and remove terrorists, whoever they are and wherever they are, and if you harbor them, there will be hell to pay.
He mobilized our forces and went to Afghanistan, where the United States fought and won a war. Al Qaeda camps were pulverized, the Taliban deposed. George Bush protected our country. And - he - protects - it - still. With supreme guts – and rightness – President Bush went into Iraq. The US had asked for peace, went to the UN time and again, asked Saddam to step aside. But Saddam would not be moved.
But, as we have already discussed, there is no connection between terrorism and Iraq. Terrorism has gone transnational, nation-states are no longer needed. in fact, they are a detriment due to the immolate nature of states. It is far easier to capture a city or a section of territory and claim victory, then eliminate a amorphous, mobile entity such as Al Qaeda. The Republicans are trying to link terrorism September 11 with Iraq in the mind of the populace, using fear of terror in order to accomplish other, unlinked, goals. Terrorism will not be won by the might of our weapons, nor how many countries we invade.
President Bush
To create jobs, my plan will encourage investment and expansion by restraining federal spending, reducing regulation, and making tax relief permanent. To create jobs, we will make our country less dependent on foreign sources of energy. To create jobs, we will expand trade and level the playing field to sell American goods and services across the globe. And we must protect small business owners and workers from the explosion of frivolous lawsuits that threaten jobs across America.
Man, making the tax cut permanent really got this crowd going. Tort reform is the biggest non-issue. Tort is the only defense the populace has against business and corporations. How are you going to level the playing field?
The American people deserve ? and our economic future demands ? a simpler, fairer, pro-growth system. In a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the federal tax code.
If a second term comes to happen, my prediction: Flat Tax. And the most regressive tax system in the world.
To stand with workers in poor communities - and those that have lost manufacturing, textile, and other jobs - we will create American opportunity zones. In these areas, we'll provide tax relief and other incentives to attract new business, and improve housing and job training to bring hope and work throughout all of America.Just like those extra-legal free trade zones in China and the Third world, which are so positive and rewarding.
offer comp-time and flex-time.
Isn't this already happening? I think we can leave that up to the free market.
Home ownership will always be on the rise. The type of homes that are being built are not good.
Privitation of Social Security. Let me repeat this to you: Social Security is fine - it is Medicare that is in trouble. This is just printing free money for the country's banks.
Testing is not the answer. Many tests are biased against minorities, but more important, all of the teacher's time is spent teaching to a rigid test.
he's proposed more than two trillion dollars in new federal spending so far, and that's a lot, even for a senator from Massachusetts. To pay for that spending, he is running on a platform of increasing taxes - and that's the kind of promise a politician usually keeps.
OK, lets look at all of the programs that President Bush discussed tonight. I have placed them in three categories: Expense, Neutral, and Revenue.
Expenses
Double worker job training
American Opportunity Zones
Health Savings Accounts Tax Breaks
Expand Pell Grants
More poor children on government health care
Increased Science FundingDon't Forget the wars:
Afghanistan
IraqRevenue Neutral
Medical/Trial/Tort Liability repealRevenue
NoneHow are you going to pay for all of this? Plus making the regressive tax cuts permanent? How is it that Kerry is the tax and spend guy, when you are the cut taxes and run up huge debts? Your economic plan is worthless - if you were the head of a CEO and proposed something similar, you would be fired for gross incompetance.
Bla bla bla, anti-abortion, pro hate amendment, bla bla. Because defending marriage by denying marriage to people is actually defending marriage by letting less people marry. Did you follow that logic?
And I will continue to appoint federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
Unlike the 5/9th of the Supreme Court interpreted law to elect you?
"Do not let me down."
Well, you let us down when you took a united America and split America by invading a country that had no connection with terrorism. Update, the letter is from right-wing propaganda outfit.
Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of al-Qaida, Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups, Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising, Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, Iraq was a gathering threat, and al-Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
Does no one remember that Clinton bombed training bases in Afghanistan? Clinton also used the powers of law enforcement, chasing where the funding originates, and using special forces.
more than three-quarters of al-Qaida's key members and associates have been detained or killed.
This is so disingenuous, because the real figure is three-quarters of known al-Qaida members.
We knew Saddam Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing, even using, weapons of mass destruction. And we know that September 11th requires our country to think differently: We must, and we will, confront threats to America before it is too late.
But you are NOT THINKING differently! The Security Council is comprised of 5 members. You then bombed Iraq a day early, moving the country to war. You sir, are an Indian Giver.
When asked to explain his vote, the Senator said, "I actually did vote for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it." Then he said he was "proud" of that vote. Then, when pressed, he said it was a "complicated" matter. There is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
Now, Mr. President, you should know better. There are always competing bills in each Committee and House.
President Bush does not know the basic parliamentarian process. And he is the head of the Executive.
I'm pretty sure that is not the Judeo-Christian God he was talking about, so I don't understand what all the clapping was about.
And another thing, Iraq is nothing like Europe. Germany was, and is, homogenous where Iraq has three very distict factions: the Sunnies, the Shia, and the Kurds. This doesn't even take into account the Baathists, who have had power for so long.
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This is the permanent home of Final Day, is this Hatefest over yet?. I wrote this post at 20:10 on September 2, 2004. This post is part of grubbykid.com, a weblog. If you liked this entry, why don't you read some other posts such as Comparative Media Analysis or Bloomberg calls protesters Terrorists? Or you could go to the site archives or return home. All are good choices.
