Lanny Davis Memo to MoveOn.Org - Just Crap

[EV_Ares]

This is what pisses me off about our Dem Leadership or DLC. This guy also is calling for the appointment of Ted Olson for the new AG job. Hell, Olson has carried water for Bush & the RWers since & before Bush went in office. Has argued cases before the Supreme Court for the administration and went hard on the impeachment of Clinton. Why would we want him for the AG, much smarter than Gonzo, I have to say. Is Davis a Dem or what is he. Would we ever see the republicans calling for a Dem or left winger for a position such as his? No, which is why they beat us so many times.


Memo to MoveOn.org:

1. I agree with your efforts to end the war in Iraq. I was opposed to the war from the outset and still am. I believe that the war has weakened America’s focus on the war on terrorism, not strengthened it.
2. But I believe the people who support the war, including President Bush, sincerely believed that the removal of Saddam Hussein was a good thing and was necessary to defeat the terrorists whom Hussein might have assisted. I disagree — but I do not challenge their or anyone’s good faith or sincerity, as you do.

3. I strongly disagree with your full-page ad attacking Gen. David Petraeus personally. Your language and innuendo regarding the general’s good faith and patriotism was offensive to me.

4. More importantly, I believe your ad hurts the effort to end the war. You risk alienating a broad middle of the electorate who are still ambiguous about a withdrawal timetable and the war and whom we must win over.

5. But I strongly defend your right to dissent during wartime, and strongly disagree with anyone who suggests that your opinions, as outrageous as I believe them to be in choice of words and personal attacks, weaken and divide the country. If anything, your ad was so patently over-the-top and unfair that, in my judgment, few serious people will take it seriously, much less allow it to weaken and divide the country.

6. But I defend your rights under the First Amendment to be outrageous and counter-productive — and the rights of others to disagree with and criticize your words, as I am in my blog. And with your right to disagree with me in response.

That’s what the First Amendment is about — not only in wartime but especially in wartime.

Sincerely,

Lanny Davis - Link: Link: http://pundits.thehill.com/2007/09/11/memo-to-moveonorg/#more-1680

BIO of Davis:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Lanny J. Davis (b. ?1946) is a lawyer and former Special Counsel to the President for Bill Clinton. He served as special counsel from 1996 to 1998, during which time he also was the spokesman for Clinton in issues regarding campaign finance investigations and other legal issues. He is a partner in Washington DC office of the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, and is a graduate of Yale Law School. His son, Seth, is a columnist for Sports Illustrated magazine and a college basketball commentator for CBS. <1>

Davis worked as a lobbyist for the nation of Pakistan prior to the attacks of September 11, 2001, according to the book Ghost Wars by Steve Coll.

His most recent book, which appeared in 2006, is entitled Scandal: How "Gotcha" Politics Is Destroying America. The book received praise from politicians and commentators across party lines, including Senators Evan Bayh and Lindsey Graham.

As an undergraduate at Yale, Davis was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. According to an item in U.S. News & World Report, as part of his initiation into the fraternity, Davis underwent hazing by, among others, the future U.S. president George W. Bush. <2> Davis also served as chairman of the campus newspaper, the Yale Daily News. <3>

In 1976, Davis, the son of a dentist, ran for Congress as a Democrat in Maryland's 8th congressional district and lost to Republican Newton Steers.

In 2006, opinions expressed by Davis in the Wall Street Journal (August 8, 2006) and on Fox News strongly supported Joseph Lieberman in the latter's losing bid against Ned Lamont for the Democratic Party nomination for the post of U.S. senator from Connecticut.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanny_Davis"

[Vanje]

1. Lannys got himself some Joe-mentum!

What good is a democratic midterm victory when house Dems en mass start channeling Joe Leiberman.
Its weird.

[Richardo]

2. Excellent letter from Mr Davis.

Especially point number 4.

[karlrschneider]

3. Point # 4 where he uses "ambiguous" instead of "ambivalent"?

:wtf:

[Webster Green]

12. Oh bullshit!

What would this "broad middle of the electorate" who, at this late date are still clueless, be doing to help end the war if they weren't in such a tizzy about Move-On?

A solid majority want this thing over now. Move-On speaks the truth, and speaks for me!:patriot:

[daa]

4. As a vet,

I know what it is like to be in the military. Do you have any idea how many careers of top generals have been ruined by chimpy? How many had to retire because of chimpy? Gen. David Petraeus is an honorable man who believes in defending the United States and defending the constitution.

No matter how much he disagrees with chimpy he can't say anything. It is a shame what bush has done to our military, but don't blame them. Whether it is killing civilians, torture, it all comes from bush/cheney/rummy/gates.

Look how long it has taken General Powell to start to really come clean and speak out. They are good soldiers and do what good soldiers do, they follow orders.

It won't change until we vote next year.

[EFerrari]

6. We don't need good soldiers. We need men of conscience

to stop the slaughter. There is no honor in following orders handed down from a corrupt executive.

And Petraeus and Powell are both to be condemned for doing wrong when they knew better.

[daa]

11. Sorry, Col. Hacks dead nt

[EFerrari]

15. Sorry if I was curt. It's been a long seven years. n/t

[emanymton]

14. Been There. Done That. Got Purple Hearts.

.
Commissioned officers are inculcated from the first day of training, your creditability rests totally on your integrity. Never lie! (Integrity is like being pregnant. You have it, or you don't; no middle ground.)

Sorry to say, the senior leadership of the military are compromised. Gen. Petraeus may be honorable but he is doing the bidding of morally reprehensible master. It is fair to be skeptical.
.

[GeorgeGist]

5. Triangulation ...

is great for determining what you are, but it won't tell you to go to hell.

[rocktivity]

7. Which "broad middle of the electorate?" the ones who voted Dem in 2006

or the ones who are 70% who are against Bush and the Iraqi occupation? No, we musn't to anything that might appeal to THOSE crazy extremists!

:eyes:
rocknation

[EFerrari]

10. The center gets skinnier every day. n/t

[emanymton]

8. How Many Times Does One have To Be Lied To?

.
After this performance,


.

Is there any reason to think the administration will not do it again? So it is totally correct for MoveOn.org (and the rest of the people) to be skeptical of any general.

DLC (or are we talking about GOP Lite?) may see themselves as players in the gaming of Washington D.C. but they do _NOT_ seem to understand the people's desire for honest government and true positive leadership.
.

[shain from kane]

9. There were some comments yesterday that the Betrayus term was first assigned

by Rush Limpballs's listeners to Senator Chunk Hagel. I don't see where Lanny Davis included that in his comments?

[King Coal]

13. Lanny is right. Personal attacks can be made in a subtle way, that

won't alienate people you want to convince.

[EV_Ares]

20. Talk to the RWers and get them convinced, the Kerry slime for

starters. Did any of them ever condem that. Yeah, being nice will get you a date with Ann Coulter & maybe a cup of coffee.

[King Coal]

21. Do you want to crawl around in the slime with them? Look, here is what

could have been said instead: "Did Petraeus betray us?"

The would have made the same rhyme, made the same point, and avoided the negativity. Sabe, Kimo?

[sandnsea]

16. Once again, I would have chosen less hostile words

If we can't figure out how to talk to each other in our own party - how in the world are we going to win over the independents and mushy middle.

And yes, I do know how to be diplomatic if I choose to. This is a message board, not an advertisement to millions of Americans.

[UTUSN]

17. Note to Lanny (in the words of his hero Shrub): "WHO CARES WHAT YOU THINK?!1" n/t

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

18. He's part of the clinton crew

Expect more crap like this if you nominate her

[VP505]

19. I was reading an

article in the local (right wing slanted) rag about how my states RePuke reps and Senator are criticizing Move On. The Senator called their ad "reprehensible", one rep called it "vicious" and the other went much further by calling it a "despicable attack on one of Americas most decorated military commanders and greatest patriots." I FAXED them all calling their phony outrage another example of RePuke hypocrisy because none of them said anything when the Swift-boat liars were sliming Kerry, none of then say anything about the crap Coulter spews, none of them say anything when Bu$h is questioning our patriotism for speaking out about his immoral occupation in Iraq.