More Quick Takes

Quote of the Week:

"I would rather be a baby-killing terrorist in Gitmo under President Bush’s watch than a baby in the Branch Davidian compound while Clinton was president."

What Democrat Iraq Pullout Legislation would actually do:

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Troop Withdrawal?

News reports have repeatedly characterized the Reed-Levin amendment, which brought the Senate to a halt, as requiring U.S. troops to be out of Iraq by the end of next April. But the actual language of the measure does no such thing.

The amendment — which Republicans prevented from coming up for a vote — called for a "reduction in the number of United States forces in Iraq". It also provided for a "limited presence" and limited missions including training Iraqi forces and counterterrorism. It provided no numbers or any specifics on how much of a reduction in forces, or how big the limited presence would be.

But assuming the Democrats did manage to get U.S. forces out of Iraq, they admit they have no plan in the event of a sectarian bloodbath many acknowledge is likely.

Pull back to our bases in Iraq is exactly the strategy which Democrats carped had "failed" last year. Funny that they want to do precisely that again. And of course it will not satisfy the anti-U.S.-war loons in the Democrat Party.

Democrats Accept Iraq Withdrawal Would be Bloodbath-- But Who Cares?

After years of moaning about the poor Iraqis caught in the crossfire of what Democrats claimed was a "civil war" this seems especially crass:

"Many acknowledged that Iraq could first plunge into vicious sectarian fighting. . . . Yet they flatly rejected the use of U.S. troops to stop the killing. 'I wouldn't be surprised if it's horrendous,' said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat who has helped lead the drive against the war. 'The only hope for the Iraqis is their own damned government, and there's slim hope for that.' "--Baltimore Sun, July 18, 2007

Hillary Clinton too "Mannish" to be President?
or: Who Wears the Pants in Clinton Family?

In an interview with Salon.com Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Dem presidential candidate and cancer victim above reproach said:

..."sometimes you feel you have to behave as a man and not talk about women's issues. I'm sympathetic -- she wants to be commander in chief. But she's just not as vocal a women's advocate as I want to see. John is. And then she says, or maybe her supporters say, "Support me because I'm a woman," and I want to say to her, "Well, then support me because I'm a woman." The question is not so much how she campaigns -- that's theater. The question is, what does her campaign tell you about how she'll govern? And I'm not convinced she'd be as good an advocate for women. She needs a rationale greater for her campaign than I've heard. When she announced her candidacy she said, "I'm in it to win it." What is that? That's not a rationale. Same with Senator Obama -- I've yet to hear a rationale. John is extremely clear about what he can accomplish and why he's the one to do it."

Bill Clinton responds in this audio interview: "I don't think she [Hillary] is trying to be a man."

Meanwhile, John Edwards with his perfect hair is being touted as potentially the "first woman president."

Taking Congressional Pork Personally

From the Grapevine: Tucked away in this year's labor and health bill is two million dollars sought by New York Democrat, and House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel. The beneficiary would be the City College of New York to establish the "Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service." That's right — he wants us to pay for a building named in his honor.


Anniversary of Shame: July 19, 1967
Still no charges against Senator Kennedy in death of Mary Jo Kopechne.

Senator Kennedrunk left Mary Jo to drown and went home to sleep it off. And he's still revered by Democrats?


Democrats Biggest Fear

Sparks from the Anvil has been assembling another stellar round of cartoons which speak more clearly to many of the issues surrounding surrender in Iraq than the words which I could write.