Helen Thomas: The Democrats Who Enable Bush

[babylonsister]

The Democrats Who Enable Bush
Submitted by davidswanson on Fri, 2007-10-05 19:52. Congress | Elections

By Helen Thomas, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

President Bush has no better friends than the spineless Democratic congressional leadership and the party’s leading presidential candidates when it comes to his failing Iraq policy.

Those Democrats seem to have forgotten that the American people want U.S. troops out of Iraq, especially since Bush still cannot give a credible reason for attacking Iraq after nearly five years of war.

Last week at a debate in Hanover, N.H., the leading Democratic presidential candidates sang from the same songbook: Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York, and Barack Obama of Illinois and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards refused to promise to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by 2013, at the end of the first term of their hypothetical presidencies. Can you believe it?

When the question was put to Clinton, she reverted to her usual cautious equivocation, saying: “It is very difficult to know what we’re going to be inheriting.”

Obama dodged, too: “I think it would be irresponsible” to say what he would do as president.

Edwards, on whom hopes were riding to show some independence, replied to the question: “I cannot make that commitment.”

They have left the voters little choice with those answers.

more...

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/27476

[rateyes]

1. More from the article, on Clinton and Pelosi:

Now comes a surprising Clinton fan.

President Bush told Bill Sammon — Washington Examiner correspondent and author of a new book titled “The Evangelical President” — that Clinton will beat Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination because she is a “formidable candidate” and better known.

Sammon says Bush revealed that he has been sending messages to Clinton to urge her to “maintain some political wiggle room in your campaign rhetoric about Iraq.”

The author said Bush contends that whoever inherits the White House will be faced with a potential vacuum in Iraq and “will begin to understand the need to continue to support the young democracy.”

Bush ought to know about campaign rhetoric. Remember how he ridiculed “nation building” in the 2000 presidential campaign? Now he claims he is trying to spread democracy throughout the Middle East.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is another Democratic leader who has empowered Bush’s war.

Pelosi removed a provision from the most recent war-funding bill that would have required Bush to seek the permission of Congress before launching any attack on Iran. Her spokesman gave the lame excuse that she didn’t like the wording of the provision. More likely, she bowed to political pressure.

----------------

Tell it like it is, Helen!!

[bvar22]

24. Hillary takes Bush*s advice.

Bush to Hillary:
“maintain some political wiggle room in your campaign rhetoric about Iraq.”

You could drive a "Regional War" through the "wiggle room" in Hillary's rhetoric.

[sallyseven]

29. Yes and Timmy would be the first

one to say on such and such a date you said. Who knows what it going to happen over there.

[iconoclastic cat]

2. I think "Who" can be removed from the title. nt

[HowHasItComeToThis]

3. THEY ARE AFRAID OF THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

WE HAVE SUFFERED A COUP.... MARK MY WORDS

[Raster]

11. cheney*/bush* is the product of the Military/Industrial Complex and the Texas Petroleum Mafia

This pResidency was conceived and executed to bleed this country dry.

[WinkyDink]

15. Exactly. That, and NOTHING MORE. There is no "governing" nonsense with them. It is ALL about the

LOOTING.

"Mafia" is the wholly accurate term---NOT a mere analogy.

[Raster]

23. I lived in Texas 1981-1996. I knew persons intimately associated with Rainwater and the

Texas RNC. Texas-American Petroleum Mafia is about as accurate as it gets.

[valerief]

19. And the anthrax. Don't forget the anthrax. And remember what that

Russian spy died from? I'm not allowed to say it here, but I would bet dimes to dollars that some of our Congress members are being threatened big time.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. They "don't have the votes". Not mine, anyway.

What a pathetic bunch of "duck and runners".

[TomInTib]

5. Remember all of the high hopes and dreams we had after the elections?

No mas.

The Dem "leadership" is an oxymoron.

They are less than worthless.

[Jane Austin]

6. I am real tired of the MSM falling for Russert's trap

of stipulating "all troops" in his question.

Both Edwards and Obama - and maybe more have said they would have all COMBAT troops out - for Obama, within 16 months of taking office at the rate of 2 brigades (?) a month.

Instead the MSM is taking the easy way out by saying all the candidates have the same message, which they don't.

Are they giving away free balloons or something for every article that paints all the Dems as spineless and all the Dem candidates the same?

[TahitiNut]

13. When they carry weapons, they're COMBAT troops.

As a U.S. Army veteran of Viet Nam, I can assure you that lesson is made very clear in basic training. While my MOS (74F20) was computer programming ... I sardonically referred to myself as a "combat programmer." That's not to dismiss the order of magnitude greater horror of being in a combat arm, but they sure as hell didn't give me a flak jacket, steel pot, an M-16, and 6 magazines of ammo to carry for photo-ops.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. "Every marine is a rifleman." Was the Crotch's version.

And, they didn't have us haul around those M1's to make a fashion statement.

[burythehatchet]

7. I can't believe I just posted something exactly along these lines

me and Helen. I'll take that

[Mythsaje]

8. Well, that's not quite what they said, now is it?

I like Helen, but this simply continues the myth that they're all on the same page.

They're not.

[Deep13]

9. "They have left the voters little choice...."

Somewhere Bill Richardson hits his head onm his desk.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

10. Clinton Knows She Has It In The Bag

Why bother making promises, especially ones she DOESN'T intend to keep? The candidates know we have no other choice, and Clinton knows that she's got the nomination in her back pocket already.

Queen Clinton need not worry too much about what the people think.

[roesch]

12. Clinton fans

Clinton fans it is time to let go of your cautious equivocation and get behind a candidate who will not get in bed with Blackwater.

[midnight]

16. I'm confused.... I watched Edwards say in an interview with

Keith Oberman that there is a difference between him and Clinton. He is going to end the war, and she isn't.

[seemslikeadream]

17. sorry I didn't see your post

:hi:

[Hepburn]

26. Gawd. what a beautiful picture of a ...

...beautiful lady! Thanks for posting this! :hi:

[Vadem]

30. It was wonderful to see Helen among all the roses that we sent

her! It still gives me a warm feeling to know that we DUers caused that great smile!

:toast:

[Maestro]

18. Let'em have it Helen!

Great article!

[Breeze54]

20. "They have left the voters little choice with those answers."

Spot on, Helen!!

Knocked the three right out of the game for me.

Not that they were actually in 'my' game. ;)

:kick: & Recommended

[Breeze54]

21. Remember this? ~ "Flowers for Helen"

Flowers for Helen



http://www.newsbusters.org/people/newspaper-magazine-wire/helen-thomas

By Greg Sheffield | March 31, 2006 - 17:21 ET

A member of Democratic Underground sent Helen Thomas flowers, honoring her
for "asking the President the questions all Americans want answered about Iraq!"

Thank you Ms. Thomas for bringing up the Project for a New American Century
in the corporate media and for asking the President the questions all Americans
want answered about Iraq! Thank you for always siding on the side of truth and
asking for others to do the same! We've got your back! Thank you, Ms. Thomas.

Helen Thomas responded in a message posted on Democratic Underground.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x803569">A MESSAGE FROM HELEN!!!
Posted by helderheid
Added to homepage Fri Mar 31st 2006, 11:06 AM ET

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://newsbusters.org/node/8856">White House Veteran Reporter Helen Thomas: 'I Will Be a Liberal Till the Day I Die'

[malaise]

22. Thanks Helen

K & R

[slipslidingaway]

25. K&R thanks for posting n/t

[lynnertic]

27. Hey check it out! Kucinich got an honorable mention!

They have left the voters little choice with those answers.

Some supporters were outraged at the obfuscation by the Democratic front-runners.

On the other hand, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., are more definitive in their calls for quick troop withdrawals.

[WillyT]

28. Big K & R !!!

:bounce::kick::bounce:

[AntiFascist]

31. K&R, excellent statement!

I'm getting really tired of DUers who feel that we have to forfeit our ideals and unite behind the Democratic front-runners. What's the point of having an opposition party when most of the power is supporting PNAC?