06-15-2004 

QUOTABLES:

"Never again will the Democrats go into a campaign where the public doesn't know who we are, what we stand for, and how different we are from the Republicans," Pelosi said in recalling her promise in running for House Democratic leader after the 2002 House elections.

"I thought everybody was going to break out in 'Kumbaya.'"
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, on the mood at the White House as portraits of the Clintons were unveiled.

"The critical issue is that the Vietnamese communists have chosen to honor Senator Kerry in their War Crimes Museum for his assistance in helping them achieve victory over the United States." -- Vietnam Veterans for the Truth.

"The Vietnamese communists clearly recognize John Kerry's contributions to their victory. This find can be compared to the discovery of a painting of Neville Chamberlain hanging in a place of honor in Hitler's Eagle's Nest in 1945." – Larry Epstein, Vietnam Veterans for the Truth, regarding photo of John Kerry in the Vietnamese Communists’ museum.

BUSH BEAT

Media Distorted Bush’s Italy trip

Is the mainstream media willfully misrepresenting President Bush’s trip to Italy this month? According to an article in the Washington Times: Yes!

The Washington Times says Bush’s trip to Italy was a success. It also says that the negative reports of it were misrepresented. For example, numerous publications touted headlines of Pope John Paul II scolding America about Iraq and the prison abuse. Just how accurate were these reports? According to the article:

While the pope did briefly refer to the Iraq war in his meeting with Mr. Bush, he did so vaguely and in the context of the need for all nations to respect human rights. He only used one sentence to refer to "deplorable events" but did not specifically discuss Abu Ghraib prison or any other aspect of the operations. In a classic example of Vatican diplomacy, John Paul II carefully avoided embarrassing Mr. Bush and did not even reiterate the pontiff's opposition to the war. He merely noted that the president is "very familiar with the position of the Holy See" -- and left it at that.

The media ignored developments that could have an impact on this year's presidential election. For example, the pope strongly endorsed Mr. Bush's "commitment to the promotion of moral values in American society, particularly with regard to respect for life and the family." This is important given that abortion and same-sex marriage are issues in the 2004 campaign. John Paul II's praise is relevant because John Kerry, a Catholic, is opposed to the church's positions against abortion and same-sex marriage. It can also be seen to correct liberal U.S. Catholic bishops, who have ignored the Vatican's order that Catholic politicians such as Mr. Kerry who support abortion should not receive sacraments in the Catholic Church.

Another pet headline had to do with mobs of angry protesting Italians, crowding the streets to protest Bush. According to the WashingtonTimes, this also is misrepresented in the press coverage:

Mr. Bush's state visit with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi similarly was misreported. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators were predicted, but the Italian police stated that significantly less than 10,000 actually showed up. A plan to plaster Rome with peace signs flopped, and even leftist politicians came out against the protesters after they chanted in support of a massacre of Italians in Iraq. After Mr. Bush detailed Mr. Berlusconi's leadership and commitment to the Iraq mission, the prime minister's poll numbers improved. This is an impressive sign of the president's prestige. It is not a surprise that the U.S. media failed to report it.

Catharsism, Catharsism

MoveOn.org is trying to play a religious card of their own. The extreme liberal organization that often finds itself on the other side of evangelical Christians is tying itself to liberal religious groups who are complaining about the abuse at Abu Graib prison in Iraq:

Dear MoveOn member,

By refusing to hold senior administration officials accountable, President Bush has failed to fully repudiate the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib. Every passing day brings new photos and new news of how these despicable techniques were sanctioned at the very top, but Bush won't even condemn Rush Limbaugh for saying that the tactics were "brilliant" and the troops were "just blowing off a little steam."

So it's up to us to try to make things right. Our campaign to hold Donald Rumsfeld accountable will continue. But today, there are two other ways we can help -- joining an apology from Americans of faith to the world, and helping pass a legal re-commitment to the Geneva Conventions and what they stand for.

First, an important new group called FaithfulAmerica is putting a very moving TV ad on the air in Arab countries. The ad is a montage of American religious leaders -- Christian, Jewish, and Muslim -- humbly expressing the regrets so many of us feel for what happened.

You can watch the ad, sign onto it, and help get it on the air, at:

http://www.faithfulamerica.org/adclip.htm

At the end of the ad, FaithfulAmerica will state the number of people who've signed on, so the more people who endorse the message, the more effective it will be.

Please sign on today.

Second, the Senate has an opportunity now to reaffirm our opposition to torture and our commitment to the Geneva Conventions, which ban it. The Senate is debating a bill authorizing Defense Department actions for this year, and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) has offered an amendment repudiating torture and re-confirming our commitment to uphold international human rights as specified in the Geneva Conventions.

A vote on the Durbin amendment is expected early this week. Please call your Senators now:

 Just POlitics

Kerry: There he goes again...

"Our economy should lift up middle-class families, not push them closer to the edge," Kerry said. "We can do better, and together we’ll help families by creating high-quality, better paying jobs, cutting taxes and making health care and education more affordable."

Sen. John Kerry is doing another famous flip-flop and trying to become Joe Lieberman and recognize the importance of the middle class. That’s right, he is going to support Tax Cuts!

Kerry is staying with his theme that the world is collapsing because of President Bush’s Tax Cuts. Kerry is in danger of having both of his issues (the economy & Iraq) evaporate out from under his campaign. The G-8 Conference and the U.N. Resolution have changed the political climate in Iraq, as have the over a million jobs that have been created in the last few months. Both of these events are compelling Kerry to try and recapture the economic issue as he makes a two-week economic issue blitz.

Kerry offered this statement in his release kicking-off the week:

"The middle class is the engine that drives America’s economy, and for decades, it has been powered by families working hard, investing in the future and doing the right thing," said John Kerry. "When these families do well, our country does well. When they have the chance to save and get ahead, our country and our economy grow stronger. But today, America’s middle class is struggling."

The interesting aspect is that the Kerry campaign is issuing its own reports as to what is clearly an attempt to recreate the ‘misery index’" We all remember the last Democrat, Jimmy Carter, who invented the misery index. The question is: How are Kerry’s policies different than Carter’s?

Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter wanted to weaken our defenses... so does Kerry. Presidential candidate Carter was unclear what it was he was going to do... so is Kerry. Presidential candidate Carter was a boring speaker who could not inspire our nation to greater efforts... so is Kerry. Presidential candidate Carter was a junior senator with an uninspiring political career... so is Kerry.

So, will the media take a critical look at what is a made-up report from the Kerry campaign?

clinton comedies

Bill & Hillary hung in the White House

Yesterday marked a rare moment in American politics, as former President and first lady Bill and Hillary Clinton were honored by President Bush. The Clintons were at the White House for the presentation of their official White House portraits.