IT IS ABOUT THE SECURITY, STUPID!

There comes a time when we have to listen to the voices trying to reach through the media buzz of Fox news and the right wing talk radio of Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy. We need to turn down the volume on the Laura Ingrahams and the Ann Coulters of the fringe right. There comes a time when sober citizens must hear the voices of their military leaders who are speaking, by necessity, in hushed tones, and those who can speak out strongly as Jack Murtha has done in the House and on the MSM.

Jack Murtha has not been shy about telling Americans that he is speaking for the military because the military cannot legally speak up for themselves. In the book Fiasco, author Tom Ricks helps military leaders tell the truth to the American people. (Richard Clarke tells the truth to the American People, Ron Suskind tells the truth to the American people… you get the picture, time to listen.)

On Wednesday, in a news conference, Tony Snow tells us that a vote for Lamont is a vote for another 9/11. On Fox news there is a Col. Hunt who says we line up Iranians and Syrians and kill them. These statements are inflammatory. They are not responsible statements. There is no statesmanship in those statements. There is certainly no wisdom in them. Statements like these are designed to play to the reactionaries among us.

At this juncture, Mr. Bush enjoys, at best, little over 30% in approval ratings, and nothing gives him a lasting bounce. His Secretary of State is under attack from the right wing for being too concerned about peace, too hesitant to let the battle in the Middle East rage. His Secretary of Defense cannot muster a coherent statement on his continued failures. His Attorney General is speechless as he tries so hard to get the Senate to give him their permission to let this Regime  torture. It seems personal.

On Wednesday we also read that Olmert and Bush signed an agreement regarding war in Lebanon (with coming attractions in Iran and Syria) two months ago. Americans have been purposefully misled on the issue. The endless struggles in the Middle East produced a time line for Bush and Olmert that conveniently began with the alleged kidnapping of two soldiers, soldiers who many claim were captured inside of Lebanon. We will never know.

The cease fire agreement the UN Security Council proposed may work, but only because of some outmaneuvering of the US in the hammering out of the deal with the actual players, Israel and Lebanon. And some report that Bush was looking for a wider war, and was hoping for an Israeli incursion into Syria. Who know? This sounds about right to me. It fits in nicely with a PNAC agenda.

The 9/11 commission gave this administration failing grades in security 3 years after their recommendations to improve security were handed down. And, the GOP refused to pass Al Gore’s recommendations in the 90’s for increased airline security. At every turn, real security measures seem to take a back seat to Republican Party partisanship, ideology and naked political power.

The Bush Administration has managed to find time and resources for spying on all Americans even though they cannot manage to improve airport security or to inspect containers imported into the U.S. They turned over our ports to foreign nations to manage. They continue to use cowboy "diplomacy" turning most every nation of the world against us, with the momentary exception of Israel.

The Bush Regime continues to pour billions and billions of our dollars and resources into the Middle East while cutting resources and allowing US infrastructures to decay. Not only that, but now this hapless group is lobbying for executive control of state National Guard Units, thus likely endangering state residents in times of local catastrophes.

This regime seeks to be held innocent even if they engage in war crimes around the world. They are planning to expand Guantanimo to accommodate 200 more people at the cost of $150,000 per person-- just for construction!

Billions of dollars meant to go to victims of 9/11 and Katrina have been lost to reckless spending and to  luxuries and excesses bought in place of systems to help keep Americans safe. The billions of dollars in Halliburton fraud in Iraq just adds insult to injury.

The current power and corruption poster boys have consistently projected onto others their own actions and intentions. When they accuse Democrats of bringing a partisan tone to DC, then you can be sure it is they who are behind the divisions. If they say they want to save Social Security, you can bet they are trying to get rid of it. If they say there is no civil war, then you can bet it has already begun.

And, when they say they want peace, what they are really doing is crossing their fingers behind their backs as they prepare for war. The Downing Street Memo is a testament to the dishonesty of the president. The current documents that claim Bush agreed to Israel's attacks on Lebanon are another.

The Lamont victory has been a rallying point for Democrats in pushing back at the war and the devastating fiscal and social policies of the Bush administration. As it turns out, it is serving an even wider purpose. The day after the Lamont victory, the story of the London bomb plot exploded onto our front pages and onto our TV screens. Dick Cheney, the night before, had implied that Lamont was the candidate that Al Qaeda was behind. It looked like the media blitz was going to go the GOP way. Lieberman piled on, and a CNN anchor speaking yesterday got to his talking point a bit late when he asked whether Lamont was THE Al Qaeda candidate?.

Perhaps the right wing was sleeping that day. Perhaps they were resting a little too comfortably on their security laurels. But, little did they know, the whole scene was about to turn very ugly for them.

The tide turns. The information that Team Bush has been trying to divert funding from fighting terrorism on our shores is seeping into the public mainstream. The message continues as the 9/11 Commission members tell the truth about the Bush/Cheney fascination with 9/11, but their consistent avoidance of protecting Americans. People are asking why Bush continued to vacation during the severe threat level to the U.S.

It becomes obvious that 9/11 is simply a political talking point for Republicans. The war in and occupation of Iraq are easy demonstrations of Bush incompetence that serves to endanger our national security rather than strengthen it. As Afghanistan turns back into a Taliban pumpkin, the failure of the Bush Regime's promise to hunt and catch Osama Bin Laden reinserts itself in our list of nagging questions. Why didn’t the Bush Regime go after Bin Laden? Why do they now seek to remove money from resources detecting liquid explosives?

In 2004 the release of the a Bin Laden tape helped George W. Bush win the election (do not criticize this author, I’m not so sure he won). George later admitted as much. It appears that the existence of terror and terror plots do much to help Mr. Bush. In fact the Bush crusade into the Middle East has benefited only one other movement more than it has the GOP, and that is Al Qaeda. The recruitment into terrorist organizations has been greatly enhanced by bold faced aggression by the US, Great Britain, and by Israel.

In short, from day one George Bush used the whole world as his photo opportunity, his personal vehicle in his struggle with his Oedipal complex to be better than Daddy. Karl Rove, being the opportunist he is, saw George’s many weaknesses as his chance to wield the power that his psyche told him would make him, Karl, invincible. George Bush with his weak moral fiber, his morass of personal vices, and his family money and connections, was Dick Cheney’s wet dream of having a political puppet.

The talking points are not working like they did before. There is a growing backlash against the idea that King George and his minions are keeping us safe. The American people are patient, but they are not blind. They are smart enough to see what is happening. They may not take the time to read every article in the news, but here is one thing they can read, they can read George Bush. And, it is a short book.

The Democratic Party is in a perfect position to seize the day. Let’s not make this a photo op. That will not work. We must step forward and demonstrate what security looks like, how much it costs, and how we will do it. It is time for us to stand up and say, "It’s about our Security Stupid." Tell George Bush and Karl Rove to bring it!!!!

-Mags


UPDATE: FEEL SAFER?

Are you as sick and tired of Bush and Cheney and Lieberman and that whole disreputable neo-Con crew using national security as a partisan political weapon? Yesterday's L.A. TIMES makes it clear Democrats are going on the offense against these scumbags who have been more to endanger our country than any other group of Americans not shot as traitors. "Two years after President Bush won re-election having painted his opponent as soft on terrorists and weak on national security, Democrats have seized on the latest alleged terrorism plot in hopes of turning the political tables on the White House. Their aggressive stance was evident hours after British authorities announced they had disrupted a plot to blow up airplanes: Leading Democrats blamed the terrorism threat on 'mismanagement' by the Bush administration and charged that the Iraq war had become a 'rallying cry' for the enemy. On Friday, Democrats continued with a series of sharp statements accusing the White House of exploiting the case for political gain... Schumer's committee issued a blistering memo Friday that, among other things, said Vice President Dick Cheney knew of the alleged terrorism plot when he conducted a rare conference call with reporters Wednesday in which he suggested that 'Al Qaeda types' would be emboldened by this week's Connecticut Democratic primary victory by political newcomer Ned Lamont, an opponent of the Iraq war seeking a Senate seat. The White House said Friday that Cheney was aware of a plot when he made his call but did not know the timing of the impending British arrests. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called it 'disgraceful' that Cheney used such rhetoric while knowing what was about to transpire in Britain. 'There are simply no boundaries for these people.'

The DSCC will start running this ad in key states this week: