Guest_ikonboard Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Blaming America first Linda Chavez May 12, 2004 Ted Kennedy should be ashamed of himself. On Monday, Kennedy proclaimed from the floor of the Senate, "We now learn Saddam's torture chamber reopened under new management." We have learned no such thing. As disgraceful, vicious and wicked as the actions of a handful of U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison were, they are not morally equivalent to the systematic torture and murder of thousands of men, women and children that took place for decades under Saddam Hussein. We still do not fully know what happened at Abu Ghraib between October and December 2003, when American soldiers photographed naked Iraqi prisoners in humiliating, sexually degrading poses. But the picture that has emerged this week in testimony by those who have investigated the incidents suggests the abuse was not part of some systematic policy of trying to break down prisoners before interrogation, but the actions of a small number of U.S. military personnel who suffered from "a lack of discipline; no training whatsoever; and no supervision," according to the report of Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. "We did not find any evidence of a policy or a direct order given to these soldiers to conduct what they did. I believe that they did it on their own volition," Taguba testified this week. Months before the pictures of abused prisoners were broadcast around the world on CBS two weeks ago, setting off a storm of outrage, investigations into the incidents were underway, and several persons had already been reprimanded, relieved of their duties or were awaiting criminal prosecution. There appears to be no cover-up here, no dereliction of duty to punish those guilty of abuse. So why have some Democrats tried to turn the Abu Ghraib abuse into a partisan weapon? Twenty years ago, former U.N. ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick coined the phrase "the blame-America-first crowd" to describe Democrats' attitude when any problem cropped up around the globe. "When our Marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the 'blame America first crowd' didn't blame the terrorists who murdered the Marines, they blamed the United States," Kirkpatrick said in a speech to the 1984 Republican convention. "But then, they always blame America first," she noted, listing a series of contemporary examples of Democrats' tendency to find fault with America for everything that goes wrong in the world. I had thought Democrats had abandoned this strategy, but they appear only to have modified it. Now when anything goes wrong anywhere, it's blame George W. Bush and his policies first. The actions of a few aberrant soldiers and the negligence of their direct superiors can't be to blame for what happened at Abu Ghraib prison over a three-month period, it must be Bush's fault or Donald Rumsfeld's or the policies they put in place. It wasn't just Ted Kennedy who put on a shameful display of partisan finger-pointing this week. With the exception of Sen. Joe Lieberman, virtually every Democrat who has spoken out on this issue has been quick to assume the abuse at Abu Ghraib was part of some systematic policy ordered, or at least condoned, by those in charge. "There's all kinds of evidence that military intelligence is involved here," Michigan Democrat Sen. Carl M. Levin said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, though the witnesses had just testified to the contrary. Rhode Island Democrat Sen. Jack Reed and New York Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton implied that the abuse resulted from recommendations on interrogation methods made by the general who ran the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which holds suspected terrorists. In every case, the Democrats wish to turn this sorry incident into a weapon with which to beat George W. Bush. Perhaps the beheading of Nick Berg will refocus the Democrats' ire back where it belongs: on our enemies. We are involved in a difficult and prolonged war against the barbarians who committed this horrific act. They would do it to each of us if given the chance. And what we do not need are politicians who, for partisan political advantage, try to set up some terrible moral equivalence between the acts of our enemies and those of our elected leaders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02IndianSpiritRider Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 You know LR what gets me is that so many assholes in our congress and in the U.S. still take stock in a man who committed Adultery for one and killed his girlfriend for another , just living off the "Kennedy" name , JFK was a real man , Teddy , was a complete waste of sperm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fungus Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 The Kennedy's suck period...they are crooks and criminals, who should be voted out of politics once and for all. They are not America's royalty like many portray them to be. Look at all the shit they have done, and gotten covered up...that shyster cousin, who killed the girl with a golf club years ago, finally got his due..now its time for the rest of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Mike Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 I have to agree with Fungus. The Kennedys are a thoroughly corrupt clan. Truman called Joseph Kennedy the biggest crook in the country. He made his money bootleging whiskey during prohibition. I'm no fan of prohibition. Only a fool would refuse to acknowledge that it gave the Mafia in this country the money to go bigtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02IndianSpiritRider Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Thats all true abort the Kennedys , JFK included , but lets face it , JFK fucked Marylyn Monroe on the oval office! That accounts for something! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaycox Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Thats all true abort the Kennedys , JFK included , but lets face it , JFK fucked Marylyn Monroe on the oval office! That accounts for something! You know he's has a valid point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_ikonboard Posted May 14, 2004 Author Share Posted May 14, 2004 Thats all true abort the Kennedys , JFK included , but lets face it , JFK fucked Marylyn Monroe on the oval office! That accounts for something! You know he's has a valid point! "I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. And, Mr. Clinton, you're no Jack Kennedy." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugdbdt Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 It gave the Mafia in this country the money to go bigtime. So that explains Uncle Nick's huge house - when all he has was that little pizza place. Thanks, Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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