DEPARTMENTS
ANTI-WAR
DEATH PENALTY
ELECTIONS
ENVIRONMENT
GLBT ISSUES
HEMP
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
REVIEWS
|
Departments National Issues It's time Democrats aggressively play the terrorism card But now it's time to turn the tables on the Repugs and make fighting the war on terror a Democratic strength, not a weakness. There's several ways to accomplish this goal. First, the DNC, DSCC and DCCC, along with groups like MoveOn.org, should wage a nationwide PR/ad campaign to promote the unparalleled military expertise of Democrats, and at the same time highlight the lack of military service in the GOP. Let's hit 'em in the gut with aggressive advertising: "John Kerry. John Murtha. Charlie Rangel. Ted Kennedy. Jack Reed. Wesley Clark. These are just some of the members of the Democratic Party who wish to bring an end to the Iraq war and bring our troops home. What they also have in common is that they've all served honorably and courageously in America's military. Their guys, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Bill Frist, Denny Hastert, Roy Blunt, Mitch McConnell, Trent Lott, Rick Santorum, want to keep sending our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, to die in Iraq as we indefinitely "stay the course" without a clear plan. What they also have in common is that none of them served in the U.S. military. Who would you rather have finding a solution for ending the war and protecting America, those who know what it feels like to put on a uniform and fight for their country, or those who did everything in their power to avoid it?" Vote Democrat. Make the right choice in 2006. Damn, I get goosebumps just thinking about seeing this on the airwaves during primetime. The next thing Democrats need to do, as Sen. Kerry called for this week, is to take ownership, politically, of the CIA's "Alec Station" unit which, for the past ten years, existed solely to hunt and capture/kill Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants. It was just shut down by the Bush administration, which intends to "reallocate" assets to other counter-terrorism agencies. In essence, the Busheviks have given up on trying to find the murderous animal who vaporized 3000 Americans. Democrats should be all over this issue, hammering home the message that the Repugs may talk a good story, but their actions say something else. That they have failed in their promise to hunt and bring to justice the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks and do everything possible to protect Americans. That they are closing the very spy unit designed to do just that. "This unit should be reconstituted immediately and given all resources necessary to finish the job of holding bin Laden accountable and preventing him from organizing or inspiring future attacks against the United States and our allies," Kerry, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote in a letter to John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence. Kerry said the agency's reorganization of assets "is not a compelling rationale for curtailing efforts to bring this mass murderer to justice....Moreover, disbanding the bin Laden unit sends the message to the terrorists that they can kill thousands of Americans without being held to account." How about another commercial: "(tape plays Bush's 9/13/01 quote "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.") (tape plays Bush's quote from March 2003 "So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him...I am truly not that concerned about him.") (voiceover) George Bush and the Republicans promised you almost five years ago that they would do everything in their power to find Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants and bring them to justice for the horrific attacks of September 11. But while bin Laden keeps making audio and videotaped threats against America, Bush and the Republican leadership has shut down the CIA's "Alec Station" unit, the only U.S. counter-terrorism unit dedicated exclusively to hunting, capturing or killing bin Laden and Al Qaeda's leaders. After almost five years of tough talk and broken promises, they've simply given up. (Tape plays Bush quote again..."The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.") (Voiceover) George W. Bush has thrown in the towel on bin Laden. But he's still the number-one priority of Democrats. If we regain control of Congress, we'll re-open the critical CIA bin Laden unit and bring this brutal murderer to justice. Vote Democrat, and vote for leadership that will keep its promise to truly keep America safe from terrorists." Lastly, Democrats must remind voters how the Busheviks have failed in the war on terror by diverting valuable financial, political and military resources away from Afghanistan--the country that housed, harbored and trained the 9/11 terrorists--and into Iraq. How they've let that country fall back into the hands of warlords, drug barons and the reconstituted Taliban as the fragile Democratic government of Hamid Karzai struggles to survive. As Jamie Rubin, former Clinton State Department official and Sky News TV anchor, wrote in the New York Times Friday, Democrats need to overcome the image as "quitters, unwilling to hang tough in the fight against terrorism. Next time, the Democrats should try a different strategy. Instead of calling for troop cuts in Iraq, they should call for transferring forces and resources from Iraq to Afghanistan. "By forcing a debate on transferring American forces back to Afghanistan," Rubin writes, "the Democrats can avoid the trap of allowing Republicans to claim they are weak. They can argue that their proposal is not a withdrawal from the front, but rather a deployment to an equally important front where American leadership can make the difference in securing a long-term victory. Democrats can justifiably argue their goal is to reverse the Bush administration's premature diversion to Iraq. If nothing else, such a debate would focus attention on the Bush administration's failure to finish the job in Afghanistan." Our last commercial: "When it comes to Iraq, the war on terror, and keeping America safe, Republicans say Democrats don't have a plan. To the contrary, we have a very good plan. It's the same plan we had almost five years ago when we voted to invade Afghanistan and wipe out Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored them. But as soon as Republicans took control of Congress the following year, they, and President Bush, took their eye off these vicious terrorists and chose to divert our much-needed political, financial and military resources to an unnecessary war with Iraq, which did not attack us, did not possess weapons of mass destruction as the Bush administration warned, and posed no threat to us whatsoever. And as a result, Osama bin Laden and his top henchmen remain free as they continue plotting their next murderous attack on U.S. soil. If Democrats can regain control of Congress, we'll put the fight against the 9/11 terrorists back where it belongs, in Afghanistan, and the focus back where it belongs, on Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. We'll go after the enemy that attacked us, not the one that didn't. Vote for Democrats this November. We'll get America back on track in the war on terror. C'mon, Democrats, get tough. It's time to out-Rove Rove. George Soros, are you listening? |
|
Recent National Issues Articles The ethics of Palestinian resistance And the Empire Mourned . . . Dissecting the Big Lie A 'vast carelessness' - the president's and ours Gerald Ford’s historic mistake New year's utopianism needed fast Obama scores as exotic who says nothing Ignorant armies The GOP, butterflies' wings and the withering of empire: could your climax be the decider? If you don't try, you'll never know Announcement of candidacy for President of the United States Call me Ebenezer, but Christmas as we know it needs to go..... Intolerable questions: the search for the heart of New Orleans, part II Dear Mr. O’Reilly, THIS is culture: the search for the heart of New Orleans, part III Hillary Clinton and my Visa bill The Tin Man Challenge: Overcoming technology without Heart Bread, bread, everywhere, yet not a morsel to eat O come let us adore them: treasuring our American values of greed, self-interest, and enlightened oppression Blood fatigue Blind obedience to the canons of capitalism: of sick societies, American Dalits, and a nation of Lady Macbeths The peace majority U.S. v. Bush Milton lost: can we regain paradise? Progressive caucus rising: this election was no victory for centrists Rumsfield replacement (Robert Gates) was director of voting company Is there meth in Ted Haggard's heaven? The politics of hope Corrode your conformity: Big Brother doesn't practice fraternal love Grassroots matching grants: my five minutes as a donor The trek down to N’Orleans: home to hotel in a couple of bounds: the search for the heart of New Orleans, part I Peace Activists Arrested on Grounds of U.S. Capitol Foley's meltdown - the seductions of clicking Naked and afraid Piercing the simulacrum: Of faux democracy, petty tyrants, and painful realities The genius of John Nichols The arrogant, the misguided, and the cowards Mommy, what's waterboarding? Nuclear winter, global warming, or impeachment Here's why it's personal Reclaiming Omelas The brilliantly profitable timing of the Alaska oil pipeline shutdown My city, our president and exploiting 9/11 Palast charged with journalism in the first degree 9-11 compromise - the mini-series The fugitive girl act The year the levees broke Semper why? The smell of fear Cynthia McKinney's election night remarks Bush versus the Constitution The Lamont victory -- next steps for citizens Bush heir cut: Awards tax break to son of an Astor Where were you when they took your rights away? Chicago City Council passes living wage bill Conservatives and conscience They don't call it the "White" House for nothing Kansas Attorney General is Bush’s kind of guy Containing the military industrial complex Kinks among us: contemplations on pride and democracy Republican Congressman says Bush should be removed from office It's time Democrats aggressively play the terrorism card Cindy Sheehan to move Camp to National Mall Joe Lieberman's loyalties So much for "We'll Get bin Laden Dead or Alive" The Supreme Court issues a stinging blow to Bush. Score one for the little guy. Has this country gone completely insane? A line in the sand: why the Busby/Bilbray election and their voting machine "sleepovers" matter (or should) to the entire nation Bush at the tipping point: a lawless and incompetent leadership Shushing the big money The startling contrast betweeen Dems and Repugs this fall The strange case of San Diego's: lazy independents, self-destructive Minutemen, and closet Libertarian, voters Support the troops Gathering to demand the truth about 9/11 Building green websites Nine state Democratic parties back impeachment: Whose table is it, Nancy? Photo essay: Poverty and homelessness in San Francisco Safe passage on the Earth Why John Kerry is going to have it tougher the second time around Eleven excellent reasons not to join the military Another Swiss cheese Gore denial that leaves the door wide open for 2008. Who's he kidding? Bush pal says gay marriage is nothing more than a political issue for the Prez American capitalism and the moral poverty of nations Twenty-fifth anniversary of first reported case of AIDS a time to recommit to the fight Uproar downwind Last Call FTC and credit reporting reform -- or the next wave of multi-district national class actions Lay convicted, Bush walks (and Ahnold gets Lay'd) Used the phone lately? Worried? Enron's good fight So, how WOULD a Patriot Act? Shadow America When Ahnold Got Lay'd…and California got Screwed Blocking justice Fighting back in the language war and winning elections Immigration: Myths and Reality Let's raise gas taxes and lower income taxes Bush beats out Nixon: Least liked President ever The spies who shag us: The Times and USA Today have Missed the Bigger Story -- Again Divine strake Divine strake RNC attack on John Conyers demands action from Democrats Act now, pray later Impeach Cheney first Crossing the border The Bush administration and Wall Street – Two peas in a pod The "New Totalitarianism" now defines a desperate neo-con end game Rove's status as "Official A" spells indictment The FEMA gap Have a Koch and a smile: free markets and property rights Trump humanity and the environment! We are the deciders Out of the shadows -- the Seattle immigration march The beloved Cynthia McKinney: a White ex-cop speaks out about a Georgia Congresswoman An interview with fifteen term Congressman Andy Jacobs A Message from Dennis Kucinich Democracy be damned - Republicans need another war Loser nation Censure movement catching fire Gangster government: a leaky president afoul of 'Little Rico' The real problem with Bush's leak Public energy is misdirected An interview with Norman Birnbaum What’s really scary about the “new religious right” and their politics Fitzgerald will seek new White House indictments Housing cuts for the poor, tax cuts for the rich The definition of insanity House leader not home when peace knocks Just a Thought Americans call Bush "Incompetent, Idiot, Liar" Most Democratic senators fail as presidential candidates The age of anxiety redux National Lawyers Guild calls for the impeachment of South Dokota Governor Michael Rounds for signing anti-abortion legislation Libby attorneys identify CIA officials in Plame leak True to its history, FBI is still violating civil liberties On the executive branch and war powers, continued Obstruction trial may jog Libby's memory A powerful new voting block emerges: The anti-war movement becoming a political force that cannot be ignored Beating a dead horse Did Bush make mistakes in good faith? Hungering for justice at my first congressional testimony You know it’s hard out here being pimped: Thoughts Hustlin’ and Flowin’ in my mind Chicago pro-immigrant, anti-HR4437 rally CIA leak path: Cheney, Libby, Woodward Detroit's other Super Bowl Carnival Post-Katrina Port insecurities In the spirit of Lysistrata Details emerge in latest round of plame emails ‘found’ by the White House 15 arrested at White House torture protest Bush and Gandhi NY Times bungles coverage of AP video which proves Bush lied about breached levees White House ‘discovers’ 250 emails related to Plame leak Time to disband Homeland security and renew democracy Huge march planned for eve of Katrina evictions Bush violated the law on port sale Check your conscience at the door: we're building an empire NSC, Cheney aides conspired to out CIA operative Bush, Republicans, and Judas Priest: Breaking the law, breaking the law For whom does the Secret Service's bell toll? Guns don't shoot people--Vice Presidents do Impeachment could be the Democrats' best get-out-the-vote message DINO stands for "Democrats In Name Only" Founding Fathers, baseball, apple pie, and impeachment Road to peace goes through Santa Cruz Pogo was right The Republican talk radio “big lie” Gonzales withholding Plame emails The Nader effect The most incredible thing about Cheney's shooting The polite majority Debating impeachment among Democrats Removing Attorney General Gonzales What really happened back at the ranch The Bush pattern of deception continues Cheney spearheaded effort to discredit Wilson Give peace a vote What every Jew should know about new House Majority Leader John Boehner New discoveries about the Lucasville uprising Brown calls President's '07 budget "morally reprehensible" U.S. detention camps for political subversives Bring regime change home Evolution is intelligently designed: Social Darwinism, silver spoons, and our emperor’s call to arms to sustain the rich Cindy Sheehan terrorizes Bush and his trained clapping seals at the State of Disunion speech "Fixed" intelligence from Feith's "Gestapo Office" the CIA and the Bush administration's impeachable lies about Iraq's prewar links to al Qaeda Enron: The Bush Administration's first scandal What an idiot! Being a national activist Responses to State of the Union Address The State of the Union: Blah, blah, blah (Yawn) Bush & Cheney Are The Great "Protectors?" Give Us a F***king Break Rev. Jesse Jackson mourns Coretta Scott King What we didn't hear tonight Eggs Roll, Eyes Roll Unfathomed dangers in Patriot Act reauthorization Halliburton's Sleeze Relevant Saint Alito and Roberts: Evasion Confirmed Open letter to members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee How Dick Cheney used the NSA for domestic spying pre-9/11 The war on dissent gets creepy The polite majority NASA ready for the worst, response will be prompt if Atlas 5 explodes Woolsey's way to peace Bush and Republicans vs. rule of law Dr. King: Drum Major for Justice Filibuster Bush, impeach Alito Filibuster evasion Poll: Americans support impeaching Bush for wiretapping Birth of awareness Anti-war group has documents proving NSA spied on them Pants on Fire: The Liars of the Bush Administration will take the world down in flames if we let them Fitzgerald maintains focus on Rove but attorney says 'Architect' not a target It's been a long trek since Nov. 2, 2004 -- now getting shorter Man of the Year: Patrick Fitzgerald Another unqualified Bush appointment A peace movement demanding the rule of law On Martin Luther King Day: giving ourselves to the struggle Forum with Congressmen Moran and Murtha packs hall, 500 turned away Primal smirk A new year’s message from Ramsey Clark Extraordinary circumstances indeed ImpeachPAC forms Citizens Impeachment Commission Go to the light! Can Cheney save Bush's presidency? Read National Issues Articles by Year: |
FREE PRESS EMAIL UPDATE
Donate to the Free Press Election Protection Fund to help us investigate and monitor election fraud in this year's election.
FOLLOW US ON
twitter
facebook
SEARCH THE FREEPRESS
1021 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43205 | 614.253.2571 | truth@freepress.org
All content © 1970-2012 The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer