helio, I didn’t use the rhetorical trick of bizilllion stated multiple times; you did… I simply offered that the soc-cons and farRight types need to leave Bush alone for a while and let the real scholars and historians sort out his legacy… and, to add to that, maybe farRight conservatives like you need to remember that your soulmates and pals in Congress (DeLay et al) gave us those budgets and pork and spending… and ruined the GOP brand in the process… thank you, very much.

Last time I checked, God-on-High Ronnie Reagan didn’t get the line item veto reform enacted, no? Congressional conservative majorities are to blame for all that pork and earmarking.

I gotta ask, are you channeling ILC’s spirit these days?

As far as Jeb – no way. I’m sure he’s a decent guy but his open-borders views are are a show-stopper for me.

I get it. Apparently moderates will have no disagreements over principle. I guess they just bend over in all directions with a smile and a wave.

Well, Levi, it’s clear you can’t come up with an answer to my question at #21, so I have another little quiz for you (and I would REALLY love to hear your answer, but I have grave doubts you can provide one). Please give us: (1) ONE example of what you sincerely consider a “threat around the world;” (2) to which you would commit US military troops to neutralize. And, again, no cheating! The “threat of climate change” will not be accepted as a valid answer. Tick…tock…tick…tock…

(CHRIS) WALLACE: Mr. Scheuer, as the man in charge of what was called “Alec Station,” the CIA unit in charge of hunting down Usama bin Laden, you say the Clinton administration missed at least 10 chances to get him. I don’t want to go into all 10, but what was the problem?

FORMER CIA UNIT CHIEF MICHAEL SCHEUER: Well, the president is correct, in that he got – President Clinton is correct that he got closer than anyone, but, of course, he always refused to pull the trigger. And in addition, we were never authorized, while I was the chief of operations, to kill Usama bin Laden. In fact, Mr. Richard Clarke definitely told us we had no authorization to kill bin Laden.

Why they didn’t shoot, of course, is, at least from Mr. Tenet’s viewpoint it was because one time they were afraid to have shrapnel hit a mosque when they killed bin Laden. And two other times I think they were afraid they actually would have to do something, so they warned the emirates on one occasion, the princes from the United Arab Emirates, to move so we couldn’t attack bin Laden.

WALLACE: They were on a hunting trip with bin Laden.

SCHEUER: Yes, sir. And Richard Clarke called the emirates and warned them that they should get out of that area, which cost us the chance to kill him.

WALLACE: In your opinion, as somebody who was up close and personal, why didn’t the Clinton administration go after Al Qaeda after the USS Cole?

SCHEUER: Mr. Wallace, my opinion is not all that important. I went to a little Jesuit school in Buffalo called Canisius, and the priests taught us never to lie, but if you had to lie, never lie about facts. Mr. Richard Clarke, Mr. Sandy Berger, President Clinton are lying about the opportunities they had to kill Usama bin Laden. That’s the plain truth, the exact truth.

Men and women at the CIA risked their lives to provide occasions to kill a man we knew had declared war and had attacked America four or five times before 1998. We had plans that had been approved by the Joint Operations Command at Fort Bragg. We had opportunities, many opportunities to kill him.

But that’s the president’s decision. That’s absolutely the case. It’s not a simple, dumb bureaucrat like me; that’s not my decision. It’s his. But for him to get on the television and say to the American people he did all he could is a flat lie, sir.

Fox News Sunday 1 October 2006

That’s a bunch of horsesh*t invented by the Republican propaganda apparatus out of thin air.

When did BJ become the Republican propaganda apparatus?

If there’s any horseshit ’round here, buddy, it’s you.

Also, as I recall, it was Clinton who gave the order in the spring of 94 to launch the attack against Saddam Huessin in retaliation for the plot on Bush I’s life.

As I recall, Hussein had tried again to invade Kuwait in October.

That’s a bunch of horsesh*t invented by the Republican propaganda apparatus out of thin air. Bush actually had a chance to catch the guy after he’d attacked us, but he wanted to take a detour through Iraq. I fully expect you droogs to start blaming Obama for not ‘catching the guy that attacked us on 9-11′ any minute, by the way. You’re a predictable bunch with all of your feigned outrage and overblown hysteria, don’t you know.

If you hired someone to be in charge of security at a warehouse, and nine months later the warehouse was robbed and burned down because this person spent all his time playing golf and vacationing, how long would it take for you to realize that you hired the right person at the right time?

If you had a security officer who knew who was going to rob and burn down said warehouse, but decided to bang an intern under the desk instead, why would you excuse that? The previous security officer had multiple opportunities to stop or kill the offender, but couldn’t be bothered but brain dead a-holes still suck his balls.

Nobody talks about what Bush was doing before 9-11 to address terrorism, because he was doing nothing.

WTF do you care? Your beloved messiah is planning on releasing 30 Ughars (sp?), captured at Tora Bora, on US soil. Not only that, WE’RE going to have to pay for their welfare.

Under his watch as president I seem to recall terrorists stopped at the border with electronic parts for bombs just prior to the millenium.

I seem to recall he shamelessly took credit for that too. Under his watch, I seem to recall a Ryder truck packed with explosives parked in the parking garage of the WTC. I seem to recall the 9/11 terrorists were already HERE before Bush was elected.

Did Bush & Co catch the guy who ran AlQueda? Nope.

Did lord BJ take bin Laden into custody when he had the chance? Nope. Did lord BJ authorize the CIA to kill bin Laden when they had him in their sights on more than one occasion? Nope. Did Lord BJ apprehend Khaleid Sheikh Mohammed? Nope.

Ummm…..what did BJ do to prevent terrorist attacks on the US? I mean, besides poking Chris Wallace.

20: Amen! He only succeeded in being elected Governor of TX only after his family spent a lot of money to surround him with political operatives.

12: If you did read Bush I’s lips you would have noticed he said “no new taxes”; not one word said about not raising existing taxes – talk about weasel words.

What is it with you people? Why is always ’since 9/11?’ Why does the clock start ticking after he presides over the biggest terrorist attack in the history of the world?

And no, he hasn’t ‘kept us safe.’ Our economy is in the toilet and Bush spent five years smashing our military into our wall. We’re not as prepared to deal with threats around the world and our most valuable strength, our wealth, has been threatened if not compromised. He’s done more to hurt this country than anything in recent memory.

John, I stated that GW LOST the veto pen for 8 years. Translation: He did not use the veto pen.

So why didn’t he look for it in the First Lady’s Study? Isn’t that where all important stuff are eventually found, a la the Rose Firm documents from the Clinton Era?

I guess the farRight has about as much anti-Bush hatred in them as the farLeft these days…

Don’t confuse legit criticism and needling for BDS. If I hated Bush I wouldn’t have voted for him twice. Of course, if I had had a better choice I wouldn’t have voted for him at all but then I could say that about all the choices I’ve had since 1988…

I guess the farRight has about as much anti-Bush hatred in them as the farLeft these days… can we leave W alone for a few years without the farRight and farLeft daily bashing of W? I mean, helio, TeddyKennedy lives and he’d be great fodder for your hate-cannon. Let the historians sort of W’s failings –the guy has taken enough roundhouses to the chin these 1st 100 days to last lesser men a lifetime.

Give him a break. Let it rest, already.

He had a bizillion and two chances to use it and he did not. He had a bizillion and two times he should have used it and he did not. He had a bizillion and two obligations to use it and he passed it by.

By that standard, Dear Teleprompter should have an approval rating in the single digits, just like Congress.

For starters, GWB was and is a successful businessman, including owning the Texas Rangers baseball franchise. He was also my state’s chief executive who was elected to two consecutive terms with little to no opposition – even trouncing then-liberal icon Ann Richards.

And if you call keeping us safe since 9/11 a “failure,” then you really have your sights set high for The Snob and his merry band of tax cheats.

Try again.

Regards,
Peter H.

Sorry, but no more Bushes. Americans have little tolerance for long-lasting dynasties in the WH anyways.