My Unpublished Letter to the CM Life
Earlier this month, I wrote a letter to the CMU school newspaper in response to this guest article. Not surprisingly, given the right-wing lunatic they have editing the Voices section, it went unpublished. So here it is:
Hi there Editor:
Regarding Jared Geist’s letter in response to Chad Livengood’s column in the September 3 CM Life entitled, “Bush wants it both ways with 527s,” first off, Bush did not, in fact, specifically condemn the Swift Boat Vet ads. He condemned all 527 groups, but danced around the subject of the Swift Boat Vet ads, refusing to specifically condemn them. It’s an important distinction, since Geist is taking Livengood to task for an alleged inaccuracy.
Second, If Geist hasn’t seen Kerry condemning any anti-Bush 527 ads, he simply hasn’t been paying attention. Because when Move.On.org released an ad attacking Bush’s sketchy military service record, Kerry specifically and promptly condemned the ad.
As to this tired, old flip-flopper business, it turns out Bush can just as easily be referred to as a flip-flopper. His most recent flip-flop was on the subject of the winnability of the war on terror. At first, Bush claimed he could win the war on terror: "One of the interesting things people ask me, now that we're asking questions, is, can you ever win the war on terror? Of course, you can." [President Bush, 4/13/04] Then he said that the war on terror is unwinnable: "I don't think you can win [the war on terror]." [President Bush, 8/30/04] Reaction to this statement caused Bush to flip again: "Make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win [the war on terror]." [President Bush, 8/31/04]
Jared’s right! This is a fun game. Let’s do another!
Bush said that we’d found Iraqi weapons of mass destruction: "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories...for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." [President Bush, Interview in Poland, 5/29/03] Here’s the flop: "David Kay has found the capacity to produce weapons. And when David Kay goes in and says we haven't found stockpiles yet, and there's theories as to where the weapons went. They could have been destroyed during the war. Saddam and his henchmen could have destroyed them as we entered into Iraq. They could be hidden. They could have been transported to another country, and we'll find out." [President Bush, Meet the Press, 2/7/04]
And here’s another, regarding Osama bin Laden: "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01] And here’s that flop: "I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him." [President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
Finally, back to the subject of 527s, at first, Bush opposed restrictions on 527s: "I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising [in McCain Feingold], which restrains the speech of a wide variety of groups on issues of public import." [President Bush, 3/27/02] Then, in the requisite flop: "I don't think we ought to have 527s. I can't be more plain about it…I think they're bad for the system. That's why I signed the bill, McCain-Feingold." [President Bush, 8/23/04]
For more Bush flip-flops, go here: http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=118263
Can we call it a truce, then, on this flip-flopping foolishness, and spend the last few weeks before the election talking about the candidates’ records? Of course, I can certainly understand why Republicans like Geist might be hesitant to do this, and, instead, persist with the childish name-calling. After all, sporting the lowest net job creation since Hoover is really nothing to brag about.
Andy Price
Mount Pleasant Senior
Hi there Editor:
Regarding Jared Geist’s letter in response to Chad Livengood’s column in the September 3 CM Life entitled, “Bush wants it both ways with 527s,” first off, Bush did not, in fact, specifically condemn the Swift Boat Vet ads. He condemned all 527 groups, but danced around the subject of the Swift Boat Vet ads, refusing to specifically condemn them. It’s an important distinction, since Geist is taking Livengood to task for an alleged inaccuracy.
Second, If Geist hasn’t seen Kerry condemning any anti-Bush 527 ads, he simply hasn’t been paying attention. Because when Move.On.org released an ad attacking Bush’s sketchy military service record, Kerry specifically and promptly condemned the ad.
As to this tired, old flip-flopper business, it turns out Bush can just as easily be referred to as a flip-flopper. His most recent flip-flop was on the subject of the winnability of the war on terror. At first, Bush claimed he could win the war on terror: "One of the interesting things people ask me, now that we're asking questions, is, can you ever win the war on terror? Of course, you can." [President Bush, 4/13/04] Then he said that the war on terror is unwinnable: "I don't think you can win [the war on terror]." [President Bush, 8/30/04] Reaction to this statement caused Bush to flip again: "Make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win [the war on terror]." [President Bush, 8/31/04]
Jared’s right! This is a fun game. Let’s do another!
Bush said that we’d found Iraqi weapons of mass destruction: "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories...for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." [President Bush, Interview in Poland, 5/29/03] Here’s the flop: "David Kay has found the capacity to produce weapons. And when David Kay goes in and says we haven't found stockpiles yet, and there's theories as to where the weapons went. They could have been destroyed during the war. Saddam and his henchmen could have destroyed them as we entered into Iraq. They could be hidden. They could have been transported to another country, and we'll find out." [President Bush, Meet the Press, 2/7/04]
And here’s another, regarding Osama bin Laden: "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01] And here’s that flop: "I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him." [President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
Finally, back to the subject of 527s, at first, Bush opposed restrictions on 527s: "I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising [in McCain Feingold], which restrains the speech of a wide variety of groups on issues of public import." [President Bush, 3/27/02] Then, in the requisite flop: "I don't think we ought to have 527s. I can't be more plain about it…I think they're bad for the system. That's why I signed the bill, McCain-Feingold." [President Bush, 8/23/04]
For more Bush flip-flops, go here: http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=118263
Can we call it a truce, then, on this flip-flopping foolishness, and spend the last few weeks before the election talking about the candidates’ records? Of course, I can certainly understand why Republicans like Geist might be hesitant to do this, and, instead, persist with the childish name-calling. After all, sporting the lowest net job creation since Hoover is really nothing to brag about.
Andy Price
Mount Pleasant Senior
posted by Price at 6:08 PM
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