With one sentence, Edwards can win the South on Tues. night:

[Francine Frensky]

"George W. Bush is as popular in Iraq today as William Tecumpsah Sherman was in the south after the civil war. There was a right way and a wrong way to win both wars, and Bush, like Sherman, has chosen a path of chaos and destruction that will take us GENERATIONS to reverse."

OK that's two sentences and I'm not a writer and that could be better said.

But ask any multi-generational southernerTODAY what they think about Sherman, and the hatred that has been passed down by their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents WILL BE EVIDENT!!!

And think about how many generations of middle-easterners have been lost here with the bungling of this war, and it is truly frightening.

[mac56]

1. Brilliant!

Welcome to DU, by the way.

[elehhhhna]

16. "When was your last orgy with Scalia?" is good, too.

[demnan]

2. I'm sure Edwards is going to beat Cheney like a drum

And just to hear it done in a Southern accent is going to be a treat!

[NewJeffCT]

3. Please, Cheney has too much experience & gravitas

Edwards has no chance.

[9119495]

7. and some standardize tests show Edwards is

borderline retarded! (okay so I twisted the Daily Show a bit)

[oscar111]

9. ha ha ha I hope you jest!

Mr. Snarl is a wonder of biology. Why doesnt his curled lip get fatigued?

[Road Scholar]

15. Oh no!

I'm worried. A little embarrassed for Edwards already.Little dumb southern country boy up against a big Washington insider.It'll be a bloodbath. :)

[NewJeffCT]

20. There you go - & welcome to DU

That's the spirit. We need to lower expectations. Everybody on DU has seen * be pissy, impatient & petulant. So, I don't think a lot of us were surprised by what happened last week.

However, Cheney is the real president & * is the figurehead. I don't expect him to get flustered by tough questions.

[Road Scholar]

29. I'll share this with you

I'd be totally shocked if our dumb little southern boy doesn't take that sonofabitch apart.
He's outta my league, but at least I'm
another dumb little country boy from NC. :)

[IdaBriggs]

40. Loved that! nt

[jmowreader]

25. He didn't listen to his mom and his face froze that way

[oscar111]

5. "bush's mess-up in Iraq is just like Sherman's march thru Georgia"

that might shorten it.

[patricia92243]

4. Actually that is pretty good. I'msure he has all his talking points alrea

already and I hope they will include something like this.


North Carolina

[asjr]

6. Welcome! That is a great analogy. Send it on to Edwards.

As a Southerner I can see exactly what you mean. I remember my Georgian grandparents talking about it endlessly.

[King Coal]

11. My great uncle marched with Sherman.

And my dad always said that they were told as kids never to speak of it.

[asjr]

18. My great-great grandfather was conscripted and was never

heard from again. My great grandfather, who was born in 1854, used to relate stories about it. Unfortunately I was not into history then and didn't listen. I have regretted that for a long time. He died at age 98 and had been a wealth of information.

[edhopper]

8. Actually...

I think Edwards should just say "CAKE WALK!?" in response to anything Cheney says.

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. My Southern (albeit Democratic leaning) husband loves it!

I think I agree! :hi: But of course, then we'll be accused of opening Civil War wounds along with Vietnam War wounds...

Now, what can we say about the Spanish American War? ;) :hi:

Great idea!

[theorist]

35. The Repugs are running * as a war-time president.

If that's not obvious to the public, I think Edwards should remind them before making a statement like the one in the original post (which I love, by the way).

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. AWOL Reminds Me Of Another George Who Served In The Civil War

George Armstrong Custer...

[Diana52]

17. George

Yeah....but that George actually showed up!

[Tamyrlin79]

13. I don't think re-fighting the civil war is a good idea...

This is not the time to be reminding the country of the most divisive episode in the country's history or to put civil war ideas in the Republican's heads.

[mac56]

19. Why not?

The Repugs have spent an awful lot of time and energy re-fighting the Vietnam War.

[ladjf]

27. Tam, I see your point. But, I believe that forewarned is forearmed.

It appears to me that a lot of the bad thinking that led up to the American Civil War is happening again. And as for the Republicans getting ideas, they already have a huge arsenal of destructive and divisive ideas about how to take over the Country. At this point, they may be headed toward achieving what the secessionists only dreamed of and without firing a shot.

[Francine Frensky]

36. Believe it or not, the south is still fighting that war

at least parts of it are.

Northerners have no idea how serious these people are about what happened a hundred years ago. But they are serious because it happened in their yards, it was their innocent children who saw the ugliness of the battles, it was their women who were violated, their barns and houses that were burned down.

And my point is that simmering anger that still lives today, is exactly the kind of anger that we will unfortunately be facing ONE HUNDRED years from now in Iraq and the middle-east.

That's the damage wrought by bush. And it's no small matter.

[progressivejazz]

14. Excellent!

It may not win the South, but it sure will resonate! Great idea.

[HFishbine]

21. My guess is...

...you're not from the south. Edwards would do far better to speak to the problem of diminishing manufacturing and textile jobs. Maybe a handful of southerners still live in the times of their great, great grandfathers, but most are concerned about the future.

[merh]

32. I have to agree with you HFishbine - those that relive the

Civil War and wear the chips on their shoulders to this day are generally the pro-* types. They listen to the GOP talking points of states rights and do not realize that they are just talking and the opposite is happening.

[welshTerrier2]

22. Symbols can be more powerful than facts

This is an excellent idea ... it uses a powerful symbol and draws a parallel to the perception of bush in Iraq ...

[sendero]

23. It's a "highly charged" comment....

... but I have to say it might be effective. Certainly brings the situation home to a lot of diehard Southerners.

On the other hand, some may bristle at the comparison. I think a lot of people could go either way on it...

[goclark]

34. The solids Rethugs won't like it

and they will pounce on it!

The Democrats will love it if they are not from the south.
Just don't know what the swing state undecided would think of it.

But then, it is hard for me to believe that they is anyone on the planet who has not decided. Those people that self identify just want more attention.

[Francine Frensky]

39. Honestly, if Clinton had invaded Iraq, this would be a great * talk. pt.

The ones this would really resonate with, who really understand what it means to have the blood on your front door and to be beaten in a brutal fashion, are, like you say, die-hard * fans.

If the right could use this to criticize dems, then it would be a great talking point because it would really resonate with them.

If the dems use it, it will cause some kind of cognitive dissonance inside them, challenging their core beliefs, and their heads might explode.

I guess that's what I'd like to see.

[Southern Patriot]

24. Points for originality but....

I think that the demographic group that would find this line appealing is already in GWB's camp.

Then you've got the other 97% of the U.S. population who wouldn't get it at all. A lot of them might think that Sherman was a great general and, thus, that GWB was "doing what it takes to kill terraists." My guess is that it wouldn't resonate at all with Hispanics and damned little with African-Americas--- two groups that Kerry desperately need to energize.

Sadly, Georgia and SC are out of play despite what a few outlier polls say. They bore the brunt of Sherman's March. It might resonate in NC a little but, like TN and LA , I think that economic issues would be more efficient points of attack.

[BeFree]

30. Have to agree...

What John can say is "You know how the South is still angry with the way the North created havoc and civilian deaths as it brought war to the South? Well, how do you think Iraqis will feel about us if the US continues the assault on innocent bystanders?"

"This war is the wrong war fought the wrong way. Sure, our military can win the war this president's way, but one must ask, how many friends will we win?"

"John Kerry and I will win this war, and we will win friends."

[debatepro]

31. I think many people will not get it.

I have no idea what you are talking about and the name sherman invokes military strength for some poeople. WWII sherman tank is was comes to mind for me. I am in texas now but was born and raise in washington state.

[sampsonblk]

26. That won't help our cause one bit

Saying bad things about Sherman won't help us win the south. But it might alienate some northerners who think Sherman did the right thing.

In any case, what Sherman did worked. That might suggest to some that what Bush is doing will work also.

[GreenArrow]

28. nope,

Sherman's march through Georgia worked. It may not have won hearts and minds, but it was a critical component in winning that war. What Bush and Co. are doing isn't working and won't. Plus, Kerry is a Yankee.

[Elidor]

33. A minor point:

It was Lee who first slashed and burned his way across civilian territory in Pennsylvania. The southerners who bitch so much about Sherman never like to acknowledge that their guys did it first. In fact, many of them are so woefully ignorant of their own history that they're not even aware of it.

[TexasSissy]

37. Most people will say, "Sherman who?"

[Stuckinthebush]

42. Lord, no!

You can't say the name "Sherman" in the South without getting a nasty look.

It is a name with a nasty connection for Southerners.

[TexasSissy]

43. I'm from the deep south. Most people won't know what Edwards

is referring to, and of those that do, most won't have any bad feelings toward him. And the African Americans won't like such a reference.

[Bridget Burke]

38. Even in the South....

There are many whose ancestors got here after that particular war. And let's not forget those whose ancestors were here--as slaves. Also, the debates will be broadcast all over the country; not all Yankees are like the ones who continually post here--"we should have just let the South go!"

Southerners care about the economy, health care & education--just like regular people. And, since military service is a strong tradition in the South, some may be concerned that they & their children are dying in the wrong war.

Leave that old bloody shirt alone.

[Mike L]

41. Cheneyburton: We will be welcomed as liberators, etc.

September 10, 2004
By E.J. Dionne, Jr.
Washington Post Writers Group

"On “Meet the Press” in March 2003, Cheney blithely dismissed Tim Russert when the host asked what would happen if “we're not treated as liberators but as conquerors.” Would the American people be “prepared for a long, costly and bloody battle with significant American casualties?”

Not to worry, said Cheney: “I don't think it's likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe we will be greeted as liberators.” Cheney dismissed Gen. Eric Shinseki's view of how many troops an occupation would require: “To suggest that we need several hundred thousand troops there after military operations cease, after the conflict ends, I don't think is accurate. I think that's an overstatement.” Have we forgotten this, too? "
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey, don't forget to mention Chalabi and reconstituted nuclear weapons too!

Man, Edwards has enough material to cut Cheneyburton to pieces.

[skygazer]

44. Bad can of worms to open

That's a statement that is aimed at white southernors and I don't think the black population would appreciate it (and I don't blame them).

Also, say what you like about Sherman, his tactics were successful and critical to ending the Civil War. Better to conjure up Hitler's drive on Russia, which was ill-advised and unsuccessful.