October 22, 2006

The Republican Tough Guise

How many times have we heard from Republican Party strategists, policymakers, officeholders, and other Party "true believers" that it is only the Republican Party that has kept us safe and can keep us safe in the future. How many times have we heard this in the context of denegrating the Democratic Party as the party of "cut-and-run" and surrender.

The essence of the claim that only Republicans can protect us ignores the fact that it was a President who brags that he does not read very much who ignored warnings, in writing, from the Clinton administration, as well as from his own intelligence community about impending Al-Queda attacks. Three thousand American are dead in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on Bush's watch, 3000 Americans dead in Iraq on Bush's watch, 20,000 plus Americans wounded on Bush's watch in Iraq. And in the face of this, Republicans are actually convincing a large percentage of Americans that we are safer under their rule. It defies logic, but logic apparently doesn't count when it comes to Republican braggadocio.

It is true that since 9/11 we have not had another attack in America like 9/11, but it has nothing to do with the Republican Party. It has to do with hard working Americans, by the tens of thousands, who work every day for the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the United States Coast Guard, US Customs, the Border Patrol, along with every police force in the country. These are the people who protect us, not Dick Cheney's tough-guy sneering, or George Bush's awkward cowboy posturing.

The fact is that these Americans would still be doing their jobs protecting Americans regardless of what party is on power, and the suggestion by Republicans that the Democratic Party would be any less dedicated to protecting Americans is purely shameful and reprehensible.

4 comments:

Mimi said...

As a lifelong and committed Democrat, I know that's true--but where is the Democratic leadership? Is anybody out there? I'm afraid Hillary and others are so desparately striving for presidential nominations that they're afraid of antagonizing the red staters. That means the rest of us are screwed. I WANT TO RALLY BEHIND A LEADER, not some spineless two-face scared to death they'll lose a vote in Montana.
(Glad to read you're back, Stephen.)

Stephen McArthur said...

Thanks Mimi. Did you hear Nancy Pelosi on 60 Minutes. She was so much more forthright then Hillary. It was refreshing.

Anonymous said...

Hi Steven, long time no see!
Well what a fine kettle of fish we have in the world of politics today!
And this rotten kettle of fish stinks to high heaven!
The last few days Bush and company have been running away from "stay the course" like it was a red hot iron!
If it wasn't so disgusting it would be funny, witness Bush's stupid, lying speech today. Mindblowing!

Cappy said...

...the suggestion by Republicans that the Democratic Party would be any less dedicated to protecting Americans is purely shameful and reprehensible.

And, entirely true. The local Democrat controlled city councils where I live have all cravenly begged out of the war on terrorism, within months of the Iraq fighting. All I ever hear from Democrats is "respect for third world culture" and "Kumbiyah", and bowing to the Muslim demands. The Democrats are the party of Islam. The Republicans are the party of America.