Links to Important Blogs / Stories

GOP House Minority Leader John Boehner was seen late today in a Georgetown bar downing
Jack Daniels shots like water and muttering something under his breath that sounded like “We are so screwed".

He was joined later on by his buddy,former House Speaker Dennis Hasert. Who was heard to tell him “I TOLD you we should have used a LIVE chicken for that sacrifice to Jobu, using a Bucket of KFC just wasn’t right"…

Other GOP leaders were similarly downbeat..

A palpable sense of doom has set in among Republican rank and file as the party begins to lick its wounds from last night’s defeat in a special Mississippi congressional election. The loss, which was the GOP’s third straight in what had been reliably Republican districts, spurned talks of even greater, historical setbacks in the fall.

“This is 1994 all over again,” Frank Luntz, a famed Republican communications consultant, told The Huffington Post. “I was there. I saw it firsthand. The Republicans of 2008 are behaving exactly like the Democrats of ‘94 and making exactly the same mistakes. It’s pathetic.”

Indeed, even the leadership team responsible for shepherding the GOP’s election efforts acknowledged that the party’s political vital signs were depressing. Rep. Tom Cole, who heads the National Republican Congressional Committee, didn’t bother to try and put a good spin on the loss in Mississippi – where Democrat Travis Childers won with an eight percent margin in a district that Bush carried by 25 percent in 2004.

Late last week the high speed deep thinking GOP Leadership came up with their Campaign 2008 slogan.

“Change you Deserve".

Which was promply pounced upon by progressive bloggers world wide, as a direct rip off of
an ad slogan for an Anti-depressant drug called Effexor.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/gop-slogan-borrowed-from-anti-depressant/

SO I guess their new plan is to medicate all Americans so they won’t notice just how badly things are in this country right now?

Even hard core Kool aid drinkers like Michelle Malkin are cringing at this HUGE screw up
by their clueless leaders.

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/13/the-stupid-party-strikes-again-the-change-you-deserve/

Conservatives have spent the entire campaign season eviscerating Democrat candidates who’ve tattooed themselves with the empty “change” slogan. So what do the brain-dead strategists and p.r. market wizards of the GOP go and do?

Wrap themselves in “change.”

What about self-preservation? What about sovereignty? What about consistent adherence to constitutional principles?

Nope. We get more insipid “change.”

The crack research staff at GOP HQ somehow missed that “Change You Deserve” is the marketing slogan for Effexor, an anti-depressant.

Brilliant.

The GOP lemmings deserve everything they’re going to get in November.

RIGHT.. Michelle, except the fact remains you supported these retards in everything they have done for the last 8 years, and you are STILL a huge supporter of the dumbest and worst president this country has ever suffered under, AND his wastefull and unnecessary war in Iraq.

And they are too, and the American people can see that very plainly.

Lisa gives us a great story at -

http://newnebraska.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=1018

As reported today, OUR Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning is off on a trip to Iraq
spreading good will with the Kurds in the North, and promising them they will all be really screwed if a Democrat gets elected as President in the fall.

Somehow I can’t figure out how taking care of the Kurds in Iraq is his business
since he doesn’t seem to take care of OUR business right here at home in Lincoln.

Then again, like many of the “do nothings” the good people of Nebraska seemed to get hoodwinked to vote into office, he seems to be following the same game plan.

Get elected and then position himself for the next job level… and forget what he was actually asked by the people to do…

http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8285395&nav=menu606_2_4

Bruning says the trip is being paid for by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

OK, so who is doing his job HERE while he is off playing idiot savant in Iraq?

Oh, wait, no one is…. just like when Jon is here….

Hey Jon, if you want some Kudo’s for going to Iraq, how about you join the Nebraska Army National Guard and THEN go to Iraq carryiing a rifle and wearing body armor….

That, at least MIGHT give you a little credibility….

Otherwise, the people of Nebraska would like you to start showing up and act like you are
actually interested in being our Attorney General…..

Oh yeah, and one more thing…. climb down off that high horse of yours and go out to actually TALK to some local people and see how they REALLY feel about the issues would ya?

(Not holding my breath for THAT to happen)…

NE Blues Douchebag of the week - Jon Bruning…

A very insightful post is up about John McCain by a fellow Naval Aviator..

By Phillip Butler

http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,164859,00.html

I furthermore believe that having been a POW is no special qualification for being President of the United States. The two jobs are not the same, and POW experience is not, in my opinion, something I would look for in a presidential candidate.

Most of us who survived that experience are now in our late 60’s and 70’s. Sadly, we have died and are dying off at a greater rate than our non-POW contemporaries. We experienced injuries and malnutrition that are coming home to roost. So I believe John’s age (73) and survival expectation are not good for being elected to serve as our President for 4 or more years.

I can verify that John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head. He has a quick and explosive temper that many have experienced first hand. Folks, quite honestly that is not the finger I want next to that red button.

It is also disappointing to see him take on and support Bush’s war in Iraq, even stating we might be there for another 100 years. For me John represents the entrenched and bankrupt policies of Washington-as-usual. The past 7 years have proven to be disastrous for our country. And I believe John’s views on war, foreign policy, economics, environment, health care, education, national infrastructure and other important areas are much the same as those of the Bush administration.

The Facts and a little clarity.

John Sidney McCain III

Was a good student when he wanted to be, but mostly he liked to push back against authority
and break the rules when it suited him, having a father and Grandfather that were US Navy Admirals probably kept him from being tossed out of the US Navy for rule breaking
during his time at the US Naval Academy, and later on as a pilot when he crashed two
aircraft and hit powerlines with another.

Even as a child McCain had a quick and bad temper, and by all accounts, (even his own) it persists to this day.

John McCain was wounded and almost killed during the flight deck fire on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal in July of 1967, he had to leap from his own jet as burning fuel ran under it, and was wounded when a bomb went off while he was trying to help another pilot out of harms way.

After the Forrestal left Yankee Station for repairs from the fire damage, McCain transferred to the USS Oriskany to continue as a combat pilot flying an A-4 Skyhawk.
He was shot down on his 23rd mission into North Vietnam.
John’s total time spent in Combat = about 5 months (June to Oct 1967).

John then spent the next 5 and a half years as a POW in North Vietnam until he was released
in March of 1973.

After his release McCain had numerous health problems due to his injuries from being shot down, and his subsequent torture at the hands of the NVA during his time as a POW.
Some of these health problems still are evident today in his arms, shoulders and legs,
If you watch him walk you can plainly see the toll this period of his life has taken on him.

After his return to the US, McCains career continued in the Navy, and he became the Commander (Captain) of a training squadron at NAS Cecil Field Florida where he struggled to
regain his qualification as a Naval Aviator. Which he finally did by performing landings aboard an aircraft carrier in an A-7, with much help it seems from fellow aviators in his
unit.

His marraige to his wife Carol (of 15 years) fell apart after his return for many reasons.
None of which are my or your business, nor do they really matter today.

Many people with an axe to grind view John McCains military record, and time as a POW with
a microscope looking for every possible iota of information to use against him politically.

To that all I would say is this.

John McCain was a hero during his time as a Naval Aviator, in the midst of a massive fire
on the flight deck on the USS Forrestal John McCain did not run away from the fire or exploding ordnance, but ran towards another plane to help a shipmate (A fellow Aviatior)
get away as well.

He also flew 23 missions into North Vietnam which at that time was pretty much the jaws of hell for pilots, with the worlds best anti-aircraft air defenses ever known.

And during his time as a POW McCain filmed an anti-American screed pushed upon him by his torturers, which he admits shames him to this day. This arguement that he did not keep the faith is illogical and unfounded, because I will state publically and for the record,
that NO person can withstand the kind of torture a determined and expert enemy can dish out, without either eventually breaking or dying in the process.

The US Military Code of Conduct does NOT require POW’s to go to their deaths, and John McCain acted as honorably as he could under circumstances beyond what most Americans can
even imagine, and most would not have even survived under.

Had John McCain NOT been shot down in 1967, he would have been with all likelyhood been promoted upward, and attained the rank of Admiral in the US Navy as his Father and Grandfather had, and would be sitting on the beach somewhere enjoying his retirement
and hanging out at the local Navy Officers Club and golfing in his sunset years.

As it was though, his signing the confession to being “An Air Pirate” as he did, brought him enemies within the Naval Service, and some of these actively sought to end his career
for it. The Navy in it’s better judgement did keep him on until he retired as a Captain in 1981, keeping the faith as it usually does with those that serve it well in time of war as
honorably as McCain did.

And those that would go after John for his flying record do not understand the US Navy flying community as it was in the 1960’s, crashes were not uncommon at that time, and very few Aviators were kicked out for crashing an airplane, unless they did it while using
grossly bad judgement.

Even today, US Naval Aviators are the best pilots in the world, because they not only have to fly, they have to land aboard an aircraft carrier, sometimes at night, and in bad weather.

Your grandmother can land a plane on a 10,000 foot landing strip, but very few skilled people can do it on the deck of an aircraft carrier even once and survive to tell about it.

So now having put the past to rest let’s talk about the John Mccain of today.

John McCain had ot look for a new career outside the US Navy when he was pretty much forced out in 1981, and he found it via a new young rich trophy wife and used her money and family power to get him into politics.

I am not going to go into detail about the various claims that John McCain is either good, bad or somewhere in between as a US Senator due to the fact that all those opinions, and facts have already been talked about and posted all over the media.

The main thing we all should be intersted in is the John McCain of today.

And here we go.

Somewhere along the line of his career John noticed the Republican party was way off track
and he actually entertained the thought of switching parties to be a Democrat, loyalty
it seems got the better of him, and he eventually declined to switch.

That or he realized that his money from lobbyists would dry up, and he would be vulnerable in any re-election bid. McCain has ALWAYS taken money from lobbyists, just so you know.

At best John McCain is a product of his own conservative upbringing, and at worst a man that values loyalty over the betterment of his own country, while he is much smarter than
George Bush he is also very similar to him in that respect.

While his father and grandfather chose service to their country as their highest calling, John eventually chose to forgo that ideal and buy into the current GOP plan of more of the same, which is of service to no one but an elite few.

Even after being slammed personally by George Bush in the 2000 Primary, he has embraced the current policies of the GOP and GWB without reservation it seems, and even GWB himself.
Although he probably burned his clothes after the public hug.

His comments about staying in Iraq for 100 years show his lack of foresight and planning
for where this country should go, and how we should solve the massive problems all Americans are facing right now.

In his lack of understanding of the reality of the US economy and the Iraq war it is extremely evident that he has not thought long and hard about the direction this country should be led in, and he has no long term plan at all to help either one get better.
On Iraq he says we should strive to be successful, well ok, but what is success?
He can’t define it, because he does not KNOW.

Like just about every Vietnam Veteran I have ever met, or talked to, John Mccain is bitter about the fact that the war he was part of was a losing war. The grand ending of that war was the televised view of US Marines evacuating people from the US embassy roof, and not the Wall street ticker tape parade they all wanted.

Like Vietnam, the war in Iraq, and the larger Global War On Terror is being run badly,
and eventually like Vietnam it will end, and not end well. John McCain would continue it as it is, because he has no clue how to win, or how to end it, indeed he would give blank checks to the powers that be in the Military and the supporting Military Industrial complex to keep it going until he get’s the troops that ticker tape parade that he never got in his losing war.

Indeed John McCain seems to have forgotten everything he once supported as a young man in combat, that poor leadership and badly run wars cost American lives and money this country call ill afford to waste.

Here’s a quote from his book -

“McCain and his fellow pilots were frustrated by micromanagement from Washington; he would later write that “In all candor, we thought our civilian commanders were complete idiots who didn’t have the least notion of what it took to win the war.”

Does this sound familiar? It is where we are today, not only in Iraq but in our own economy as well, and the simple fact is John McCain does not listen to, or even identify
with average Americans on all the important issues we face, the Economy, the war, and just about everything else as well.

Which is why regardless of John McCains past service in he Military I cannot vote for him
and will not support him.

Thank you John for serving, I salute you as a fellow veteran for your Bravery and Honor.

But as a leader you lack understanding, compassion and vision, and you are not the best person we need right now to help this country get back on track.

You are at best, a supporter of the status quo, and a member of the elite that has taken Washington DC away from what it should be, as a place where elected leaders actually care about what average Americans think, and our leaders there work honorably for the betterment of all Americans, not just their supporters that lobby them with money.

References -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02EFDF1439F934A15751C0A9669C8B63

Dislcaimer as follows.

I have many years in the US Naval Service on active duty, I served at NAS Cecil Field in Florida and worked on A-4F Skyhawks like John McCain flew. I even partied in the same Bar
in Tijuana that John McCain’ Mother and Father were married in - (Caesar’s) although it was many years later on when I was there.

My Father was in 1967, a US Navy QM1 and was standing on the Bridge of the Forrestal the day of the terrible flight deck fire that John McCain was injured in, my Father probably watched him bail out of his stricken aircraft while the fire ran under it, and bombs and missiles exploded all over the deck of the Forrestal that day.

My family and I have walked a lot of the same ground, and served in the same places as John McCain and his family did, so I do feel a kinship to Mr. McCain for his service.

As a hero of the US Navy John McCain and his family should be revered for their dedicated service, but as a leader for the United States today, John McCain has shown poor judgement, and no vision for where this country should go. His embracing George Bush and the failed policies of the past have helped put us where we are now, and will not make it a better place in the future, not with John McCain firmly supporting those failed policies still.

It’s that simple.

Govenor Heineman evidently has a problem with people that report the truth.

The New Nebraska Network has a series of good columns up about Gov Dave’s latest
stumbles… they are worth a read.

Dave Heineman Cuts Off Daily Nebraskan For Publishing Story

Dave Heineman Backs Down From Full Threat Against Student Journalists

Oh and there’s another really good story up there…

Lee Terry & Nebraska GOP Are Scared Of Barack Obama

Well Done Kyle….

Being busy as hell I had to record the PBS special on the Iraq war.
“Bush’s War” ran earlier this week and I finally got around to watching it.

One of the stellar moments of clarity (in Hindsight) run in that show, is in the lead up to this grossly mismanaged war is when Gen Shinseki was asked how many troops it would take to secure the country after the initial invasion, and he answered perhaps 200,000.

Which of course inflamed Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld so they eventually sacked him for not being a good stooge and actually speaking from experience as a General and combat soldier.

Well you all know how well it turned out with Rummy and Wolfy calling the shots.

The part most people do not realize is, the powers that be in DC under Georgie and his crowd of Neocon dimwits do not listen EVER to the Generals… they want to make their own reality, they are so sure they will always win, that they are destined to overcome anything in their path, they disregard reason, facts and reality.

They still are doing this as much today as they did in 2002… They just sacked Admiral Fallon for actually acting like the strong and truthful leader he has always been, he spoke the truth about the middle east, Iraq and Iran and the Neocons once again killed the messenger, because they did not like the message, they do not EVER actually listen to the commanders in the chain of command or on the ground, they tell the Generals and Admirals what to say, and what to do and expect full and complete loyalty to the party line.

General Petraeus is a tool of Bush regime period… all of the smarts he has, all of the battles he has fought yet he is burying the truth of the situation this country and his soldiers are in, to save his own ass from getting canned, The first thing a new Democratic President should do in Jan 2009 is relieve this clown and put someone in charge that will act like a General and not a yes man toady of George Bush.

15 month tours suck…. and doing it again and again without end will break the Army.
And it is close to being there right now.

We seem to be fighting a holding action, to save face for George Bush, and at the cost in lives and money we are currently bleeding out daily, well George should just face facts like the rest of us that he screwed up, so the troops can come home for a decent rest.

I really don’t know why we are there anymore, I mean Saddam is dead, and there was no WMD so what else is there to accomplish?

Like all wars that are fought for the wrong reasons, with out right lies to get them started, this war will end with a whimper, and we will all mourn the lives and opportunity wasted by it, and rue the names of those who started and enabled it.

Oh and by the way, Johnny McCain Iran is still not supporting or training Al Qeada, no matter how many times you have a senior moment and forget that.

P.S. Osama Bin Laden is STILL not in Iraq……

After her major gaffe in making the claim of going to Bosnia in 1996 under sniper fire, and then having it shown by the press to be blatantly false..

Hillary Clinton brought onboard a team of damage control experts to help her campaign
with that issue today.

The names of the team members have not yet been made available, but a picture of the team has been released to the press.

Good luck with that Hillary, really…

And here’s some better news..

It’s a great week for fairy tails, as spoken by assorted incompetent folks in
the media. Which once again reinforces the opinion that some
of these people should not be allowed to speak to small animals, let alone
the public in General.

First off, Maureen Dowd compares George W. Bush to Gene Kelly (Yes, the great Actor, dancer
and artist) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/opinion/16dowd.html

Most people would compare GWB to Mr. Ed the talking horse if they were looking for a way to complement George and villify Mr. Ed. But Gene Kelly?

Patricia Ward Kelly puts it in persepective.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patricia-ward-kelly/i-knew-gene-kelly-the-pr_b_92469.html

Besides Georgie doesn’t even TRY to tap dance as he blows smoke up all our collective backsides… Maureen must have been having a senior moment when she rambled this story
into existence.

——————————————————–

Next up, a favorite target of people that like journalism that includes at
least a small bit of truth. Joe Klein serial LIAR and outrageous douchebag, steps in
it once again.

Joe Klein is a Time Magazine contributor and political pundit who anonymously penned the novel Primary Colors and who, if you are unlucky enough to come within shouting distance of, will no doubt remind you of how he’s covered more presidential campaigns than you. Also, lots of people think he’s kind of an idiot for various reasons - for example: he has never demonstrated a functional understanding about FISA and yet he keeps on running his mouth about it.

But hey, don’t take my word for it! Flash forward to today, when, in search for just the perfect metaphor to describe Obama’s recent troubles, Klein’s fecund imagination alights upon today’s news. Specifically, the Michigan woman who died when an eagle ray leapt into her boat.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/20/joe-klein-stingray-comm_n_92685.html

Joe’s latest penchant for putting up quotes that are compeltely wrong, or attributed to the wrong sources in his articles, makes me wonder is he just pulls stuff out of thin air
when he writes, or if he really is as dumb as some people have suggested.

——————————————————————-

And finally Dan Perino, spokeswoman for George Bush and all things irrelevent and untruthful
takes a slap at Helen Thomas when she was on the Jon Stewart show.

In an off-handed cheap shot, Ms. Perino complained about answering questions from Thomas that were “not based on fact.”

Helen Thomas has been covering the news for 57 years. That’s 23 years longer than Dana Perino has been alive. Ms. Thomas was the first woman officer of the National Press Club, and the first woman president of the White House Correspondents Association. In 1998 White House Correspondents Association created the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award – which she won, as the first recipient.

And Dana Perino complains about questions from Helen Thomas “not based on fact.”

Dana wouldn’t recognize a fact if she were slapped in the face with one hard enough to knock her crosseyed.

The only difference between Dana and Baghdad Bob, is the blonde hair, well that and Bob
seemed to have a better grasp of the english language then Dana does.

All in all a fine week for slimeball journalism, which sadly to say is pretty much
just more of the same crap we have already been seeing come from the White House, and the Main Stream Media outlets.

Cheers!

Paul

Tony Raimondo has updated his website giving it a polished look.
And it actually has some decent content on it now.

Here- http://www.raimondo2008.com/

The thing I was most interested in was seeing if he would put up some
clarification about his stand on the issues, and he did.

Obviously his campaign manager has been schooling Tony or is at least hiding the right wing talking points a little better on his website, than when he was making personal appearances.

(See our Blog about Tony’s views in person)
- here http://nebraskablue.com/index.php/2008/03/04

Ok now, getting back to Tony on the Issues…. I am posting a link to each page with Mr.
Raimondo’s explanation of the issues and his statements with a rebuttal from
NebraskaBlue in the context of a Progressive Democratic stand on those issues.
Feel free to check out Mr. Raimondo’s website and read his statements for yourself.

First up he says - A FRESH APPROACH

And to all that boilerplate, all I can say is; Well Tony, Washington DC is broken because
of the GOP, their my way or the highway brand of politics has gottten us to where we are now.

We do have a non partisan Unicameral here in Nebraska, but there is one party that shows only soldiarity with it’s own ranks time and again to stop any progress being made
here AND in Washington and that party is the GOP, which you have supported in person and with your money your entire life, until just a few months ago.

Your claim to be able to help fix that is pretty hard to swallow.
Because it seems to tastes like koolaid and doesn’t go down very well considering your own history of personally supporting some of the WORST Republicans ever elected to office.
AND using money from your company and your Corporate Jet to lobby for favors on Capital hill.

Then there is - JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

Well in 2007 Tony’s company laid off workers here in Nebraska, and opened a plant in China, which is fine for his own pocketbook and his shareholders, not so good for Nebraska and the United States. Plus Tony is anti-union and his workers he glowingly talks about at his plant in Columbus are making about the same money they made back in 1965 or 1985 when he took over, adjusted for inflation.

I will bet anyone that Tony’s OWN paycheck has risen by a factor of over 200 percent over what he made back then, even adding in inflation.

Sorry Tony, but you are a corporatist, you use the labor of the people
in your company to make youself wealthy, and help to concentrate more and more wealth at the top class of Americans while sharing very little of those profits to those that actually go out each day and work hard for a living.

The he gets to the meat of his campaign, since he thinks his ultimate opponent is
Mikey (do nothing) Johanns.

AGRICULTURE

Calling out Mikey’s failure is a pretty easy target, considering he didn’t do anything, and the agency as it was under under him is being investigated by the GAO for gross wrongdoing.

The fact remains Tony is a city Kid, basically a businessman that sells goods to Farmers and Ranchers. Of course Tony could do well on this one issue., which Mikey is weak on.

But on AG issues, after Mike Johanns ANYONE looks good, up to and including the local village idiot.

Next up - BUDGET AND DEBT

Tony talks about the National Debt which is nice, but he leaves taxes entirely out of it. You want to know why? Because he supports George Bush’s Tax cuts AND he
supports the elimination of the Estate Tax (Sorry Tony only GOP Koolaid drinkers call it a death tax).
You will NEVER get Tony to agree to raise taxes, he still believes in supply side Voodoo economics which is why there is not one whisper about taxes on his website.

Note to Tony; you have to be able to bring money in, to pay debt down. And the reason the middle class and working class people in America are being royally screwed right now is the fact that people like YOU pay less in taxes with all the loop holes you enjoy, than working families do.

By percentage of income I would bet you paid less in taxes personally than most working class Democrats did last year, and most other years also. Would you care to release your tax returns Tony?

The majority of Nebraska Democrats support FAIR taxation across the whole spectrum of wage
earners Tony, and if you can’t handle that idea then you are in the wrong party.

Tony on NATIONAL SECURITY

OK, on this subject I am going to quote him as follows:

“Our troops deserve our respect. In order to respect them and their service fully, we need to continue to have a serious discussion regarding the direction of this war.

There is no doubt Al Qaeda exists in Iraq today. As a result, it is important that in the effort to defeat terrorism around the globe we must continue to fight Al Qaeda and other terrorists in Iraq – as long as they continue to pose a threat to our national security.

I am not for setting an arbitrary date for troop withdrawal. I prefer the accountability approach – transferring the accountability for security and military operations to the Iraqi government. When they are able to make progress in providing for their own security, we will find the opportunity for an honorable strategy to exit.

But critical missions remain in Iraq – we are building a $1 billion embassy in Baghdad. We need to protect those assets and personnel. We should continue to fight Al Qaeda there. And we should assist the Iraqi’s with maintaining their border integrity, especially as threats from Iran and others increase".

To which I say BS! Tony we are spending $222,000 per MINUTE supporting the forces we have in Iraq right NOW, if you want to keep our forces there much longer than you have to not ONLY repeal all the tax cuts made under GWB, you have to RAISE taxes also.
Or are you just gong to keep adding to the national debt?

You CANNOT have it both ways…
the middle class and most other American’s are TAPPED OUT. We don’t have anything else to give you.

The Army is suffering under 15 month tours, and bleeding many of their best Combat tested leaders out of the service because they cannot take multiple tours in Iraq with no end in sight. The Army is Broken and the National Guard is not far behind them, and if you even had a remote clue about the Army or even the Nebraska Army National Guard you might know that.

That Billion Dollar Green Zone embassy is a GWB boondoggle that we NEVER should have built in the first place, and probably will just be turned over to the Iraqi’s anyway in the end.

Quite Frankly Tony you need to quit watching FOX news and listen to smart people that actually spent time IN the Military over there in Iraq, and try and understand the different tribal alliances we face there, considering the costs of continuing this war are very high and perhaps more than this country can withstand. How long will we wait until the Iraqi’s can get their own act together? Ten years, fifty, perhaps a hundred like McCain wants us to?

Oh an by the way, here’s some schooling for you, so you don’t get it wrong , like Johnny (100 Years) McCain did today, Al Qaeda exists as an insurgent group allied with the SUNNI’s who IRAN does not support or even like. The groups WE are supporting in the Iraqi Goverment are SHIITE, and they ARE supported by and friendly to IRAN. And while the wonderful SURGE was going on, the Shiite Mahdi Army has pretty much taken over
the whole of southern Iraq, since all our forces are centered around Baghdad and the northern area’s supposedly fighting Al Qaeda. So the best effect of the Surge has been to lose HALF the country to people friendly to Iran… Heckova job GWB!!!

In closing I would give you Kudo’s for still being a Bush supporter with your version of “Stay the course lite” without any real idea of what Nebraska Democrats want.

Logistics win wars Tony, not ideas, politicians, nor pride, and we are just about out of money and people to send over there, well unless you want to raise taxes and actually have people in your tax bracket make some serious sacrifices for the war beyond just talking about it.

Better yet, if you want to have a permanent guard for that Green zone embassy, how about you talk to a couple of your own kids and have them sign up to guard it in the Army….

Or are you just another rich guy that thinks other people should sacrifice their kids for your security, but not YOUR kids?

I really would like to know.. and so would a lot of other Nebraska Democrats.

You want to represent us, yet you have made no personal sacrafice in this war you want to continue, your own family is not paying for it, not in any meaningfull way.

Please explain that to the Gold star mothers here in Nebraska if you would.

In closing all I can say is pretty much the same thing I originally thought about Tony Raimondo, there is not much there, not for a Democrat anyway, unless you want Bush Lite,
and I darn sure don’t mean the kind you drink.

He is at best a Corporatist businessman, and he still seems to value and follow the right wing policies that created the problems we all are worried about, and want resolved.

He does not appear to be a part of who Nebraska Democarats are today, or want to be in the future.

Like many people firmly rooted in one industry and in one party, Tony is stuck in the past
using the same values he learned in Business and as a lifelong GOP supporter.

And issuing the same tired talking points that we know mean nothing, and accomplish nothing,
and will not bring the change we all really want and our country desperately needs.

Sorry Tony, you’re a decent enough Guy, but right now we need someone with a better grasp of real Democratic values than you seem to have, to represent us in DC. Because even fools on the street can see the mess that Republican leadership has given us during the last 8 years.

Paul

Hillary goes after the Caucus voters in Texas…

As final results from the Texas Democratic caucus remain unknown, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign wants signatures from the March 4 contest verified before party conventions are held around the state later this month.

In a letter sent to the state Democratic Party late Friday, the Clinton campaign requests the March 29 count and state Senate district conventions be postponed until the eligibility of an estimated 1 million caucus-goers are double checked.

Link to full story below

The Dallas News

It is the Party’s responsibility to ensure the integrity of the precinct convention process by making sure that the Rules were followed,” the letter states.

The letter came after the Clinton campaign said party officials told them this week it would not verify the eligibility of all caucus-goers before March 29. The county and district caucuses will whittle down the delegates before the state convention in June, when the final delegate count for the Texas caucus will be known.

Texas Democratic Party spokesman Hector Nieto said Saturday the party has not yet had the opportunity to make any decisions on the Clinton campaign’s request.

“We’re not surprised Senator Clinton’s campaign has engaged with their attorney, but right now the TDP remains extremely pleased by the record-breaking turnout,” Nieto said.

Will someone from Hillary’s Campaign please explain why all of a sudden they think rules are important in Texas but not in Florida, or Michigan?

Or do rules only apply when you FEEL like they should?

Read more! »