Hu, Yassir, Kofi, Costello and Bush

George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening?

Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.

George: Great. Lay it on me.

Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.

George: That's what I want to know.

Condi: That's what I'm telling you.

George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes.

George: I mean the fellow's name.

Condi: Hu.

George: The guy in China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The new leader of China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The main man in China!

Condi: Hu is leading China.

George: Now whaddya' asking me for?

Condi: I'm telling you, Hu is leading China.

George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China?

Condi: That's the man's name.

George: That's who's name?

Condi: Yes.

George: Will you, or will you not, tell me the name of the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he's dead in the Middle East.

Condi: That's correct.

George: Then who is in China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir is in China?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Then who is?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Look Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.

Condi: Kofi?

George: No, thanks.

Condi: You want Kofi?

George: No.

Condi: You don't want Kofi.

George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi?

George: Milk! Will you please make the call?

Condi: And call who?

George: Who is the guy at the U.N.?

Condi: Hu is the guy in China.

George: Will you stay out of China?!

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi.

George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone.

Hypocrisy

Topic: State Of The Union
The Indy Voice has been pondering the inaugural address given by our President. I see shadows of the truth and much hypocrisy in statements like this,

"For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.

We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

...All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors."

The large division that has been created between the liberals and conservatives over Iraq has been needless and almost a simple matter of miscommunication. The ideologies and foreign polices that George W. Bush is promoting are extremely similar to those of the 1960's liberals in their quest against communism vis-a-vis the domino theory. Liberals in the 1960's were the hawks that the conservatives railed against.

Conservatism once stood for prudence and practicality, not conflict based upon an ideology. When the liberals that stood firmly with the President following 9/11 broke from him, they did so not based on an ideology but rather because it was the pragmatic thing to do. Liberals were not decrying the use of violence in all its forms nor were they railing against war based on philosophy of dovishness. Liberals have and were trying to say that Iraq was a country that the United States should be concerned with but not a country that we should war with. Iraq posed no threat through either intent or ability to the security of the United States. Liberals knew it then definitively and now the rest of the world knows it unequivocally. Liberals are and were trying to say that we need to take a practical approach to defeating terrorism. Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia do and did pose more of a significant threat to the security of the United States than Iraq. Liberals have lately been promoting a foreign policy reminiscent of the main street conservatives.

The first step that a main street conservative would take in defeating terrorism is to understand the implications of the actions our country has taken in the world. Take a good look at our country in the mirror and ask if you like what you see. Think about a country of 5% of the total world population militarily dominating and extending into areas of the world that even the Romans could not justify or maintain. Ask yourself if its either hypocritical or important to maintain a foreign policy of allying with tyrannical kingdoms like Saudi Arabia for the sake of oil.

The next step that a main street conservative would take is to understand our enemy. We should ask why someone would die in a suicidal act against our country. The answer, if we do attempt to ask the question, is of incomparable significance. People do not take upon a mission of certain death because the don't like McDonalds, women without head coverings, apple pie or freedom. They decide to die because they believe that our actions and policies have directly led to their suffering and through their death they may be able to instigate a resolution. Courage would be admitting to ourselves that there may be some truth to that. Changing would not condone their behavior but it would make us a people willing to question themselves and a nation strong enough to face the implications of the answer.

The answer is that we can never let violence, injustice, hypocrisy and hatred breathe. That means that when we see injustice, whether at our hands, a terrorists or a kingdom that sells us oil, we need to raise a wall of impenetrability against it. It also means sacrifice, patience and resolve. When it becomes tempting to act just like those that perpetrate violence for political ends we need to pledge that we will exhaust every alternative first. That will require facing the hard realities that we have been avoiding for some time. This is the essence of the division between the modern day conservatives and liberals. Words are empty. Strength lies in accepting complicity for our actions and defying injustice and hypocrisy no matter who's flag it's flying under.

Priorties

Topic: Bush
I thought that those of you who voted for Bush might want to know what he's been up to. Besides slashing and burning various countries around the world he's presently gutting "big government" programs so that he can create even bigger and badder, bastardized, government programs that typically help those that are already rich or the self-righteous. Take a look at what the man of the people is up to. These programs are slatted for either cuts to their budgets (55) or total elimination (99) as per the Bush budget (154 total programs in case your counting):

Agriculture Department

AMS Biotechnology Program

Forest Service Economic Action Program

High Cost Energy Grants

NRCS Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations

Research and Extension Grant Earmarks and Low Priority Programs

Commerce Department

Advanced Technology Program

Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Program

Public Telecommunications Facilities, Planning and Construction Program

Education Department

Comprehensive School Reform

Educational Technology State Grants

Even Start

(High School Program Terminations:)

Vocational Education State Grants

Vocational Education National Activities

Tech Prep State Grants

Upward Bound

Talent Search

GEAR UP

Smaller Learning Communities

Perkins Loans: Capital Contributions and Loan Cancellations

Regional Education Laboratories

Safe and Drug Free Schools State Grants

(Small Elementary and Secondary Education Programs:)

Javits Gifted and Talented Education

National Writing Project

School Leadership

Dropout Prevention Program

Close Up Fellowships

Ready to Teach

Parental Information and Resource Centers

Alcohol Abuse Reduction

Foundations for Learning

Mental Health Integration in Schools

Community Technology Centers

Exchanges with Historic Whaling and Trading Partners

Foreign Language Assistance

Excellence in Economic Education

Arts in Education

Women's Educational Equity

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling

Civic Education

Star Schools

(Smaller Higher Education Programs:)

Higher Education Demos for Students w/Disabilities

Underground Railroad Program

Interest Subsidy Grants

(Small Job Training and Adult Education Programs:)

Occupational and Employment Information

Tech-prep Demonstration

Literacy Programs for Prisoners

State Grants for Incarcerated Youth

(Small Postsecondary Student Financial Assistance Programs:)

LEAP

Byrd Scholarships

B.J. Stupak Olympic Scholarships

Thurgood Marshall Legal Opportunity

(Small Vocational Rehabilitation Programs:)

Vocational Rehabilitation Recreational Programs

Vocational Rehab (VR) Migrant and Seasonal Workers

Projects with Industry

Supported Employment

Teacher Quality Enhancement Program

Energy Department

Hydropower Program

Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization

Nuclear Energy Research Initiative

Oil and Gas Programs

Health and Human Services Department

ACF Community Service Programs

ACF Early Learning Opportunities Fund

CDC Congressional Earmarks

CDC Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant

CDC Youth Media Campaign

Direct Service Worker Delivery Grants

HRSA Emergency Medical Services for Children

HRSA Health Facilities Construction Congressional Earmarks

HRSA Healthy Community Access Program

HRSA State Planning Grant Program

HRSA Trauma Care

HRSA Traumatic Brain Injury

HRSA Universal Newborn Hearing Screening

Real Choice Systems Change Grants

Housing and Urban Development Department

HOPE VI

Interior Department

BLM Jobs-in-the-Woods Program

LWCF State Recreation Grants (NPS)

National Park Service Statutory Aid

Rural Fire Assistance (BLM, NPS, FWS, BIA)

Justice Department

Byrne Discretionary Grants

Byrne Justice Assistance Grants

COPS Hiring Grants

COPS Interoperable Communications Technology Grants

COPS Law Enforcement Technology Grants

Juvenile Accountability Block Grants

National Drug Intelligence Center

Other State/Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program Terminations

State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP)

Labor Department

Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker Training Program

Reintegration of Youthful Offenders

Transportation Department

National Defense Tank Vessel Construction Program

Railroad Rehabilitation Infrastructure Financing Loan Program

Environmental Protection Agency

Unrequested Projects

Water Quality Cooperative Agreements

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Hubble Space Telescope Robotic Servicing Mission

Other Agencies

National Veterans Business Development Corporation

Postal Service: Revenue Forgone Appropriation

SBA: Microloan Program

SBA: Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Participating Securities Program

MAJOR REDUCTIONS:

Agriculture Department

Federal (In-House) Research

Forest Service Capital Improve and Maintenance

Forest Service Wildland Fire Management (incl. supp. and emergency funding)

Biomass Research and Development

Broadband

CCC - Bioenergy

CCC - Market Access Program

Farm Bill Programs (EQIP

Farm Bill Programs (CSP)

Farm Bill Programs (WHIP)

Farm Bill Program (Farm and Ranchland Protection)

Farm Bill Programs (Ag. Management Assistance)

IFAS

Renewable Energy

Rural Firefighter Grants

Rural Strategic Investment Program

Rural Business Investment Program

Value-added Grants

Watershed Rehabilitation

NRCS Conservation Operations

NRCS Resource Conservation and Development Program

Water and Wastewater Grants and Loans

Commerce Department

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Education Department

Adult Education State Grants

State Grants for Innovation

Energy Department

Environmental Management

Health and Human Services Department

HRSA Children's Hospitals GME Payment Program

HRSA Health Professions

HRSA Rural Health

SAMHSA Programs of Regional and National Significance

State, Local & Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness

Grants

Housing and Urban Development Department

Housing for Persons with Disabilities

Native American Housing Block Grant

Public Housing Capital Fund

Interior Department

Bureau of Indian Affairs School Construction

National Heritage Area Grants

Payments in Lieu of Taxes

USGS, Mineral Resources Program

Justice Department

Federal Bureau of Prisons Construction Program

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program

Juvenile Justice Law Enforcement Assistance Programs

Labor Department

International Labor Affairs Bureau

Office of Disability Employment Policy

Workforce Investment Act Pilots and Demonstrations

State Department

Assistance for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union

Transportation Department

FAA - Facilities and Equipment

FAA - Airport Improvement Program (Oblim)

FRA - Next Generation High Speed Rail

Treasury Department

Internal Revenue Service - Taxpayer Service

Environmental Protection Agency

Alaska Native Villages

Clean Water State Revolving Fund

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Aeronautics: Vehicle Systems Program

Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter

Other Agencies

Archives: National Historical Publications & Records Commission

U.S. Institute of Peace, Construction of New Building

MAJOR REFORMS

Agriculture: Rural Telephone Bank

Commerce: Economic and Community Development Programs

Homeland Security: State and Local Homeland Security Grants

Homeland Security: Transportation Security Administration, Recover Aviation Security Screening Costs Through Fees

Labor: Job Training Reform, Consolidate Grants Program

Transportation: Amtrak

Army Corps of Engineers (Civil Works): Performance Guidelines for Funding Construction Projects

U.S. Agency for International Development and Department of Agriculture: International Food Aid

---

Think about what we spend on military expenditures and ask yourself if you have an alarm on your house. Is that a good defense against intruders? Why don't you figure out what percentage that expenditure is of your total budget? What do you think? Maybe 3 percent? That's probably really high, right? Then figure out what this country spends on the military and relate it to your house. You would first need a moat, bullet-resistant glass in all the windows, a private security gate, a full-time 50 man armed security detail, concrete reinforced walls, motion and scent detectors, industrial sized spot lights, a double reinforced impenetrable dome and sharks with freakin laser beams on their heads in the moat and the scale of what we spend on the military would still not even be close to the paranoia clad house you've created.

Governmental budgets are no different than individual ones. Everyone including our government has choices to make and they depend upon our priorties and this President's priorties are completely out-of-whack.

He Was Biased

Topic: State Of The Union
So let's just say that you're a married and self-righteous ding-dong working at the White House as a correspondent for Talon news. Well you don't really work, you just throw great big conservative softballs up in the air for the Bush administration's spokesman good ole' Scotty McClellan to nail out of the park. You hate gays, the Japanese, liberals, and well just about everyone except white guys like yourself but you have a little secret. Your ex-military and you like to provide boys for the boys through a couple of websites that you own, Hotmilitarystud.com, Militaryescorts.com and Militaryescortsm4m.com.

Then your world crumbles as you're outed by a bunch of gay lovin, Japanese hugging liberals. So you quit your job. Talon news then removes any trace of you from their website and you disappear. Then those same liberals that took you down start asking more and more questions because the mainstream media hasn't even noticed the whole thing took place. They ask how a guy with possible connections to male prostitution has been given access to the White House. Didn't anyone investigate the application for a White House press pass? And how is it that this guy has been implicated in the outing of a CIA agent who's husband tried to expose the lie made by our President in the State of the Union address where he claimed that the Iraqis were searching for yellowcake in Niger to build a nuclear WMD?!?

At this point much of this stuff is just speculation but don't you think someone should investigate what went on? Maybe the state of our union is in the hands of the Daily Kos and John Aravosis over at America Blog who broke the story? Maybe it's in your hands? I don't know. I'm not just happy that a dipshit conservative is no longer reporting for the Talon news at the White House. I'm happy that there is one less person at the White House who won't dare to challenge their beliefs with the truth by asking the questions and doing the work that would lead to it.

P.S. Check out the work of that biased liberal conservative, Dick Meyer, here:You're Biased, I'm Not

Truth In Sarcasm

Topic: Satire
The President, the First Lady and Dick Cheney are flying on Air Force One.

George looks at Laura, chuckles, and says,

"You know, I could throw a $1,000 bill out the window right now and make somebody very happy."

Laura shrugs her shoulders and says,

"Well, I could throw ten $100 bills out the window and make 10 people very happy."

Cheney says,

"Of course, then I could throw one hundred $10 bills out the window and make a hundred people very happy."

The pilot rolls his eyes, looks at all of them, and
says to his co-pilot,

"Such big-shots back there... hell, I could throw all of them out the window and make four billion people very happy."

Thanks Ann. Make that four billion and 1.

Top Dogs V. Underdogs

Topic: Personal
I noticed something interesting while talking to people about their picks for the Super Bowl. I observed that those people that didn't have a regional loyalty to one particular team over another choose either the top dog (Patriots) or underdogs (Eagles) depending upon their political affiliation. Conservatives tended to pick the top dogs and the Liberals tended to pick the underdogs.

Hum???

I'm vaklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.

Put The Children First

Topic: Misc.
Here's a letter I received from that pedophile loving liberal, John F. Kerry.

I find myself continually asking who's fighting for the best interests of the meek and powerless because it sure as hell ain't George W. Bush.

You may not agree with the politics of Kerry but you must agree that 11 million children deserve someone to stand up and fight for them. Why not put politics aside and lend a helping hand?

---

America gets it even if George Bush doesn't. Thousands of families from all across the nation have called our Give Voice to Our Values phone line (866-876-4490) and left one compelling message after another about the need to put Kids First.

Listen for yourself. Hear some of the moving testimony about the importance of passing the Kids First Act of 2005 and providing health insurance to the 11 million American children now living without it:

Put Children First!

This is the first nationwide online public hearing on an issue before the Congress. The thousands of testimonials we've received from concerned Americans are an invaluable contribution to the fight for better health care in our country.

Obviously, we have a lot of tough fights ahead because, on issue after issue, the Bush administration's policies are way out of step with the American people and frankly, with American values. Why else would George W. Bush devote his State of the Union speech to trying to stampede the nation into a phony sense of crisis over Social Security.

Instead of barnstorming the country today to gin up support for privatizing Social Security, why isn't he rallying America to action on the REAL crisis of millions of children waking up every morning exposed to the risks of living without health insurance?

We've got to make it clear that we will never let the President stampede the country into undermining Social Security. And we will keep giving voice to our values until each and every child in America has health insurance.

I will be contacting you later about the special role our johnkerry.com community can play in the effort to protect Social Security. Meanwhile, there are two steps I hope you will take right now to advance our Put Kids First campaign.

First, if you have a story to share, please call our "Give Voice to Our Values" project at 866-876-4490. Then, forward this message to a friend, neighbor, or family member. We want as many people as possible to hear the compelling messages we've gathered in support of our Put Kids First initiative.

I am very excited about the energy and enthusiasm you have helped generate on behalf of this vitally important effort. Let's keep it up.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

P.S. I urge you to listen to the sampling of messages we've gathered. There is no doubt about America's commitment to helping children. We just have to keep the pressure on until the White House and the Republican Congress have no choice but to act.

Put Children First!

Social Security Political Crisis

Topic: State Of The Union
George W. Bush and the brains behind the man, Karl Rove, are some of the most politically calculating people to ever walk the earth. They are cold and cunning. Rove is pushing this "crisis" in Social Security because he knows that the Democrats are going to fight tooth and nail against the cons to protect Social Security.

I think they have something else in mind. I may be wrong (not likely) but I think Rove is either looking to cash in on another political chip instead of Social Security or what I really fear is some compromise that may come out of the argument over Social Security. I can no longer believe a word that this President says and I now view everything he does through a Machiavellian lens. Rove is definitely no idiot but he's entirely unscrupulous. He's bluffing this hand and I hope the Democrats don't fall again into his political trap.

Take a look at what the Buying Of The President website (www.bop2004.com) lists as Bush's career patrons:

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. $672,175
Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. $654,704
Pricewaterhouse Coopers $637,498
MBNA Corp. $608,791
Enron Corp. $603,875
UBS AG Inc $564,100
Credit Suisse First Boston $538,850
Vinson & Elkins $498,100
Goldman Sachs Group $487,849
Ernst & Young LLP $473,154

Take Enron out and what are you left with? A picture of a President purchased almost entirely by financial companies. These same companies stand to gain the most by the privatization of Social Security. If Rove is up to what I think he is, any compromise would wind up creating a great windfall for the major benefactors of the Bush campaign for President. Contrast these donations with John Kerry's and there's a world of difference:

Harvard University $300,495
Time Warner $276,466
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo
$271,047
Citigroup $226,910
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom $205,475
FleetBoston Financial Corp. $202,087
University of California $194,750
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi $193,950
Goldman Sachs Group $190,750
Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand/Piper Rudnick $178,452

Just like Bush's support of toppling Hussein for the sake of Israel, Saudia Arabia and oil, Bush is now trying to forsake the future of the American people to pay back his top 8 campaign contributors. Or maybe I'm just a cynical liberal who no longer trusts our President? Maybe it's just coincidence that the companies that stand to gain the most by the President's latest "crisis" just happen to be his largest campaign donors? I don't know.

By the way, has anyone seen a WMD?

Origins Of The War

Topic: Iraq
It has been the case that throughout history many people have attempted to revise history to suit the needs of their time. In an unprecedented way, many people in power today are trying to revise contemporary history and they seem to be getting away with it (at least 61,000,000 people are buying it). The Indy Voice wanted to re-revise history to represent reality (wow, what a concept).

Many have said that George W. Bush's idea for war with Iraq came only after 9/11 and was only for national security reasons. The reality is that many within the administration were pushing for a military strike against Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power going back to 1998. In fact, on January 26, 1998 the members of "The Project for the New American Century" (PNAC) sent a letter to then President Bill Clinton outlining their reasons for removing Hussein from Iraq. Their reasons DID NOT include an imminent threat. Actually the language they used was "we MAY soon face a threat".

The present day positions of these PNAC members include the National Security Council, Deputy Secretary of State, George W. Bush's speechwriter, Under Secretary of Arms Control and International Security, Under Secretary of Global Affairs, counsellor to United States Secretary of Defense, Advisory Board of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and former chairman of the Defense Policy Board, Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs in the Department of Defense, Chairman of the Defense Science Board, Ambassador and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Defense. They let President Clinton know that they believed that "it is difficult if not impossible to monitor Iraq's chemical and biological weapons production" and "in the not-too-distant future we will be unable to determine with any reasonable level of confidence whether Iraq does or does not possess such weapons." How then was this administration so certain that Iraq possessed WMD in 2002?

As for the threat posed by Iraq on the mainland they mentioned nothing. They believed that Iraq possessing WMD would have a "seriously destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East." And "if Saddam DOES acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction" he will threaten "the safety of American troops in the region, [sic] our friends and allies like ISRAEL and the moderate Arab states" (like Saudi Arabia?) And they stated another reason why they were concerned. They were worried that Hussein would put at risk "a significant portion of the world's supply of oil." Interesting?!

They also made statements that may have been the origin of the more recent sentiments that have sought to defend unilateralism. They believed that the hanging of our "success upon the steadfastness of our coalition partners" was "dangerously inadequate". They proposed that the "aim of American foreign policy" should be "removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power" through "military action".

The most interesting part of the letter is the ending. It seems that the 1st five paragraphs of the letter could have spent a lot more time talking about the threats that Iraq posed directly against our country. Instead they talk about "our interest in the gulf" which as far as they see it, included Israel, the moderate Arab states and oil. If there was in fact legitimate threats against the mainland why wouldn't they tell the President more about them? And what "fundamental national security interests" did they have in mind other than the moderate Arab states, Israel and oil? Why didn't they list those?

Maybe all the members that signed this letter had a legitimate change of heart and mind post 9/11? Maybe they truly believed that a new threat existed in Iraq after 9/11 that dictated that we should invade to protect more than the moderate Arab states, Israel and oil? Maybe some new technologies have come about since long ago in 1998 and we are now capable of determining with total certainty that Iraq possessed WMD?

Maybe they forgot about our vital interests in the gulf, Israel, the moderate Arab states and the oil they have and decided to protect the U.S. from the new imminent threat posed by Hussein in a post 9/11 world? It's also possible that the President made the decision to invade Iraq without using the counsel of all these men. Maybe he didn't listen to Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz who were telling him to invade Iraq to "protect our vital interests in the gulf?" Maybe the members of the PNAC just forgot to add all the connections to terrorists that Hussein and his regime had? Maybe they forgot to mention the need to liberate the Iraqi people?

I don't know. Maybe I'm just a crazy liberal conspiracy nut. I like to think that I'm a rational person and believe that the simplest answer tends to be the correct one.

Maybe you can read the letter and make up your own mind Project For The New American Century Letter

The Iraqi Election

Topic: Iraq
Just a couple of thoughts about the recent "election" in Iraq:

1- The election in Iraq is neither a victory nor a defeat for George W. Bush and the ideology he represents.

At no point prior to the start of this conflict was the establishment of democracy an explicitly stated goal of this administration. That is not why the Senate voted to authorize the use of force and it is not why the American people gave the war overwhelming initial support.

Democracy, if that does in fact come about, would only be a victory for the people of Iraq.

2- Why would a terrorist like Zarqawi or the insurgents attack on a day when the country is virtually shut down?

Zarqawi's goal is not as stated, to destroy democracy. Bin Laden's and Zarqawi's goal is to create a worldwide conflict between the U.S. and the moderate Muslims. His statements and actions, especially using the Iraqi people, are only a means to an end.

3- Our continued occupation of Iraq is only just beginning.

Barring the Iraqi's telling us to get out of their country, this election is just an intermediary step on the path toward true democracy. It's going to be a long, arduous and unfortunately deadly process. Unless the Iraqi's demand our complete withdrawal the level of our forces will remain for years to come and will be followed by our continued presence through numerous extremely large military bases.

4- People of the liberal persuasion do not welcome or hope for failure in Iraq.

Liberals hope for the best for the people of Iraq. However we recognize that this conflict has brought additional crises to the doorstep of the Iraqi people who have suffered greatly within the past 25 years. We also have faced the reality that the people who have attacked us on 9/11 are literally getting away with murder. The reality of the situation is that the fundamental reasons that created those terrorists that attacked us on 9/11 still exist and the occupation of Iraq has only exacerbated this critical problem. The threat of terrorist attack on American soil is as great as it was the day before 9/11 and possibly even greater.

Liberals also recognize that the Iraqi's could have come to this point through their own means, with their own will and with their own hands.

5- The insurgency is not dead.

The insurgents are not stupid. They recognized that the elections were going to take place despite their violence. Contrary to popular belief, the insurgency is made up of predominately Sunni Iraqis which compromise 40% of the total population. They are now, through political means, stripped of power. That will only further the adoption of violence by the Sunnis. With the few trained and experienced terrorists that are moving into Iraq the insurgency will become more insidious and more lethal. Additionally the borders are still not sealed and will remain that way at the present troop levels.

Some Perspective:

The Iraqis have a long and dangerous road ahead. Their courage today should not be made into a political tool wielded by anyone within this country. Keep things within the context of what has occurred leading up to today:

- 100,000 Iraqi's have been killed
- 1400+ U.S. troops have been killed
- thousands have been maimed and injured for life

This is not a time for celebration. This may be a time for a little cautious optimism for the people of Iraq.