I continue to be amazed by our President's compassion. So many actively set upon him, calling him an idiot, calling him evil, calling our troops baby killers at their funerals, but he continues to have compassion for them, talking yesterday about the comfort in wanting to turn away from the violence. I know most conservatives love Reagan, and he was great, and Bush's father was the noble statesman, but Bush himself communicates our purpose so well, and his demeanor speaks to his faith, while his actions speak to his compassion. We are graced.

I continue to be amazed by our President's compassion. So many actively set upon him, calling him an idiot, calling him evil, calling our troops baby killers at their funerals, but he continues to have compassion for them, talking yesterday about the comfort in wanting to turn away from the violence. I know most conservatives love Reagan, and he was great, and Bush's father was the noble statesman, but Bush himself communicates our purpose so well, and his demeanor speaks to his faith, while his actions speak to his compassion. We are graced.

Wow. He entered the "decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century" without any plan for keeping the peace after the Iraqi army vanished into the woodwork? .

Interesting to hear Bush's thoughts on Clinton -shame the MSM won't be quoting that part of the speech much -if at all.

You've pointed out that our enemy hates us across our political spectrum. I'd like to add that they simply hate anyone who is not muslim - as they define "muslim". To them a non-muslim who despises George Bush is still a non-muslim, and deserves either death or enslavement as a Dhimmi.

While some on the left seem to think that our enemy's hate was provoked by things we have done, it's about time we all faced the ugly truth. This is a bigotted enemy that hates us mainly for what we ARE. This is a concept that should be familiar to the left, who correctly recognize the bigotry of racists, for example. Just as no one makes excuses for racists, no one should make excuses for religious bigots, but should place blame where it belongs - on the bigots themselves.

Longz,

Ever get tired of having to make ill-informed statements on conservative blogs?

Mark,

GREAT piece! I wouldn't even waste time with Longz. That crowd is delusional which is a shame because they honestly can't see truth, no matter how hard we may try.

Kinda like my preacher says, "Why are you so surprised and shocked at the way lost people act? Lost people simply act like lost people. It is that simple."

Keep up the good work.

Here's a question for those who actually believe Bush's latest attempt to rally his base: Why hasn't he reactivated the draft, printed war bonds, doubled the military budget, and strenuously rallied allies to the cause?

Alas, the president hasn't done any of those things, nor has anyone in his entourage encouraged him to do so. And that's because, while the war on terror is important and keeping Iraq from disintegrating is important, they're not that important. Osama Bin Laden is not Hitler or Stalin. Baghdad is not Berlin. Al-Qaida and its imitators don't have the economic resources, the military power, or the vast nationalist base that Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union had.

If, as he said in his speech, the war in Iraq really is the front line in "the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century"; if our foes there are the "successors to Fascists, to Nazis, to Communists"; if victory is "as important" as it was in Omaha Beach and Guadalcanal—then those are just some of the steps that a committed president would feel justified in demanding. To pursue a sound policy in the Middle East and to impede civil war in Iraq, would require Bush to shift gears, to drop his rhetoric on spreading some abstract concept of freedom and to resume the long-standing pursuit of stability. Such a shift may be too humbling for Bush to endure and, at the end of the day Bush is only concerned with his "image" and "legacy" at the expense of common sense and logic. His desire to top his daddy and willingness to be a neo-con shill has set this country back both domestically and internationally.

The irony is that you guys who support him know that he is an empty suit, but you continue to support him because your egos and pride won't allow to admit that you were all duped by Rove and his king-making machinations. Here's a thought: Instead of being "republicans" and continuing to "take one for the team," why not act like Americans and start putting the needs of this country ahead of the whims of a political faction?

...

Mark,

I will never tire of trying to turn you into an actual conservative.

The Big Lie About 'Islamic Fascism' by Eric Margolis

"On one side are those who believe in the values of freedom and moderation -- the right of all people to speak, and worship, and live in liberty. And on the other side are those driven by the values of tyranny and extremism -- the right of a self-appointed few to impose their fanatical views on all the rest."

Which side does Bush belong - the first or the second? Think about it.

We will carry on this fight, and we will win - we will win this war for both the patriotic and the unpatriotic.

Blind faith in our leaders is NOT patriotic.
Speaking up to denounce the wrongs of an administration is.

Teenage,
That was yesterday's democratic talking point. Keep up.
Clearwater,
When's the last time federal officers kept you from entering a church to worship or showed up at your door because you didn't? When's the last time your attempt to speak freely was quashed by the federal government? My advice: go to Iran for a few weeks, then come back and tell us how Bush impeding liberty, if you make it back without getting executed for breaking Islamic law.
Ethan,
In case you haven't realized it, you're an extremist. You think if Bush doesn't act in an extreme manner, then he can't be serious. Find some balance in your life.

Excellent piece guys.

I think some of the readers here might be interested in my interview with a top Clinton military advisor, Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson on what the Clinton administration knew about Saddam's support for al Qaeda, the role of bloggers, the impact of the Iraq war on the troops in Iraq, what his sources tell him will happen with Iran etc.

The link is here for those interested....
http://regimeofterror.com/archives/2006/08/interview_with_lt_col_buzz_pat/

A podcast link is now available and many podcasts on the shall be coming soon.

Ethan,

"Why hasn't he reactivated the draft, printed war bonds, doubled the military budget, and strenuously rallied allies to the cause?"

Spoken like a true liberal, someone who doesn't have a clue how our military operates.

1. Why hasn't he reactivated the draft? Why should he reactivate the draft? The only reason that a draft could become necessary is if Congress greatly expanded the authorized strength of the Active Duty forces and the various recruiting commands couldn't meet the demand for the additional forces. Currently, there is no reason to reactivate the draft as the recruiting forces are meeting their recruiting objectives. Additionally, before the "peace dividend", the recruiting forces were able to sustain an active duty force structure nearly twice the current size. Besides, it takes Congressional action to reactivate the draft. It is not something the President can do by Executive Order.

2. Printing war bonds? You realize that "war bonds" were a way for average people to participate in funding the war. They eventually evolved into savings bonds. If you want to act like you are buying "war bonds", go to your nearest bank and purchase a savings bond, or sign up for savings bond purchase through your employer, if you have one.

3. You are aware, of course, that the President cannot "double the military budget"? Probably not. The President submits a budget to Congress, who votes to authorize and appropriate the budget. The President cannot, by himself, double the military budget. And exactly why do we need to double the militar budget? I haven't heard of any budgetary shortfall when equiping, arming, or supporting our military.

4. As for you last suggestion, the President has "strenuously rallied allies to the cause". Unfortunately, many of our "allies" are governed by liberals who do not see the danger presented by Islamist-Fascists. They think that appeasement will work. They are wrong. Dead wrong. Which they will be if they do not come to their senses and joined the fight against the Islamist-Fascists.

"Democratic Party, have willfully blinded themselves to the facts of the war. They don't want to know about these facts - they don't want to face up to what needs to be done, and I can only guess that their unwillingness to do so is based upon lack of patriotism."

This ridiculous and is real or realistic.

"They hate us for what we are, not what we do."

This is absolutely incorrect, Mark. They hate us for what we do. Bush is the ONLY ONE who has said they hate us for what we are, and Bush is incorrect. The terrorist attacked us on 9/11 because of our support of Isreal, that's it. I don't know how you can have this blog and not understand that. It makes your blog look not like any educated political blog.

Could somebody please ban Clearwater Conservative? He's just a seminar Lib who regurgitates Lib talking points. Most of the libs around here, misguided though they may be, are honest enough to admit it.

Could somebody please ban Clearwater Conservative? He's just a seminar Lib who regurgitates Lib talking points. Most of the libs around here, misguided though they may be, are honest enough to admit it.

Ethan:

While some here will argue with the specifics of your comments, the thrust of them is absolutely correct.

If the war on terror is the great ideological struggle of the 21st century, then Bush is taking an awfully lame approach to winning it. If he had the courage of his convictions, he would send 500,000 or 1,000,000 troops to Iraq for a decisive victory. But he won't because he doesn't even believe what he is saying. His speeches are nothing more than focus-group tested rhetoric intended to bolster the claim that if you vote for Democrats, terrorsists will kill you.

In WWII, people lined up around the block at enlistment centers to fight. But, now College Republican and Young Republican meetings are full of people who support the war, claim to believe Bush's comments, but won't enlist and fight.

If they believe Bush's claims then they are eith coweards or they do not love our country enough to figt for it.

If they don't believe Bush's claims then they ares cynically using the war as a partisan political tool to increase Republican political power.

We should re-instate the draft - with no deferment except unfitness to serve - so that the children of the ultra-wealthy would have to go and fight. If that were to happen, you would see a major turn-around on Iraq and future wars. I guarantee you that we wouldn't go to war unless the reasons were far better than the reasons for invading Iraq and that when we did go, sufficient resources and troops would be committed to win a decisive victory as quickly as possible.

And, we wouldn't have a president threatening to veto legislation if it included funding for up-armored humvees, body-armor, or protective head gear. Despite the fact that traumatic brain injuries are the most common disabling injury, the Republican Congress refuses to fund protective helmet inserts for all of the troops and is cutting the funding for medical care and rehabilitation for traumatic head injured veterans in half.

"They hate us for what we are, not what we do."

It makes no difference why terrorists hate us.

What is important is what everyone else in the Middle East and throughout the world thinks about us. We cannot root out terrorists and bring them to justice without the unqualified support and cooperation of the entire world.

And, in that arena, what we do makes a critical difference that we ignore at our own peril.

When we manipulate the governments of countries around the world for our benefit and to the detriment of the people in those countries, we lose the heart and minds of people throughout the world. That means less cooperation and makes it poltically difficult if not impossible for governments in the Middle East to give us the support we need.

Things like Abu Grahib, Gitmo, and Fallujah generate resistance here at home and create sympathy and support for the terrorists around the world. Who can blame Middle Easterners, seeing what we are doing, for taking guilty pleasure in our setbacks and the successes of the Iraqi reistance?

Bush's bungling and mismanagement of the war, refusal to fully fund the 9/11 Commission recommendations such as hardening our ports and nuclear power plants, and getting all first-responders on compatible communications systems demonstrates to Americans a lack of focus and creates questions about the true motives for the war.

Bush decimated FEMA by appointing unqualified cronies to head it, thereby causing morale problems and the resignations of the experienced professionals. Couple that with the refusal to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations and when a catastrope such as Katrina occurs, we are totally unprepared to handle it.

After Katrina, surely no one has confidence that Bush and his executive branch would do any better handling the after math of another terrorist attack such as blowing up a nuclear power plant, or exploding a dirty bomb in a major metropolitan area.

And, then there's the money. $9,000,000,000 is unaccounted for in Iraq, the Republican congress refuses to investigate it, claims we can't afford to do everything needed in New Orleans, Louisianna, and Missippi, and then scrutinizes how the money is spent is so heavily that much of the money is bottle-knecked and not being distributed.

we all know clearwater for what he/she is Mel! No need to ban his useless drivle, it's all the same to us!

Deleted - repeats known lies.

Censorship in an echo chamber? How original!