Does Carol Shea-Porter agree with President Obama's war strategy in Afghanistan?
Within hours of Obama's speech Tuesday night, the congresswoman's fellow Democrats, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Paul Hodes, weighed in with generally positive views of the president's policy. Republican Sen. Judd Gregg gave his opinion the day before.
Shea-Porter, however, gave little response. Asked yesterday for her views on the speech, Shea-Porter, through spokeswoman Jamie Radice, responded, "I have not heard anything to change my mind. However, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I look forward to hearing from (Defense) Secretary (Robert) Gates and Admiral (Michael) Mullen tomorrow, and General (Stanley) McChrystal and Ambassador (Karl) Eikenberry next week."
State Republicans say it is hard to know what Shea-Porter believes.
Republican Party spokesman Ryan Williams accused Shea-Porter of flip-flopping, from supporting the war during her campaigns to opposing a buildup now.
"Either she's not telling the truth on her views in Afghanistan during the 2006 and 2008 campaigns or she's being intellectually dishonest today," Williams said.
National Republican Congressional Committeeman Tory Mazzola added, "It seems a bit strange that Carol Shea-Porter, who made her name as a candidate protesting the war, is now avoiding the issue altogether."
Historically, Shea-Porter has been a vocal protester against the Iraq war, talking frequently about the need to instead focus on Afghanistan.
"We need to re-deploy our forces from Iraq, and with our allies, refocus our efforts on the fight against these terrorist criminals in Afghanistan and neighboring countries," she says on her website.
She told the Portsmouth Herald in October 2008 that she would support a phased withdrawal from Iraq while putting more troops in Afghanistan.
But Shea-Porter told the Monitor in September that her concerns about the war multiplied after she visited Afghanistan in May. "I came back and said, 'We really need to do a deep analysis and reassessment of what our goals are, our markers for success, how we know when we reach this, what's our strategy,' " Shea-Porter said.
Shea-Porter portrayed Afghanistan as a deeply troubled country, with illiteracy, health problems, high childhood mortality and a drug-based economy. She said it would be difficult for the U.S. to pick up and leave because "they lack everything we'd expect a country to have if they're going to step forward on their own." Shea-Porter said generals told her nation building would be a "10- to 16-year project."
Shea-Porter called on European nations to help with aid. She said the U.S. needed to carefully analyze its mission, to determine if more troops are sent how they will accomplish that mission, and to figure out whether Americans have the "stomach and political will" to keep fighting as the U.S. economy struggles.
Radice yesterday referred to news stories from May, when Shea-Porter returned from Afghanistan. From those stories, it was unclear whether Shea-Porter would support a troop surge leading to eventual withdrawal, as Obama laid out. Shea-Porter told the Portsmouth Herald she did not want another Vietnam "where we do enough to keep it going but not do enough to win." She told the Union Leader that "to fix Afghanistan would require an effort that I don't see happening."
On Monday, before the speech, Shea-Porter told WGIR that "I have not been in agreement" with the decision to send 30,000 more troops. She worried about the deficit, the war's cost and the lack of international assistance. "We need a presence there, need to keep working to catch terrorists," she said, but added that regarding a buildup, "my inclination is no."
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Comments
No American Blood for Opium Trade and Government corruption!
By ArmyVet_72 - 12/04/2009 - 7:47 pmThe rampant government corruption and booming illegal opium trade needs to be cleaned up first before American blood is spilled in this region.
As a US Army Veteran, I pray for the safe return of our troops and I fully support them, God speed. As always, the mission comes first regardless of the politics.
Brother of Afghan Leader Said to Be Paid by C.I.A.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/asia/28intel.html?_r=2
KABUL, Afghanistan
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As in Vietnam, so as in Afghanistan
By ArmyVet_72 - 12/04/2009 - 7:30 pmAs in Vietnam, so as in Afghanistan
I am not a defeatist, I am a Patriot, a Veteran and an avid student of history. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. I just do not want to repeat Vietnam.
I do support a small footprint of several thousand U.S. soldiers who are confined to counter-terrorism missions. Where they cut off their head strategy aimed at militant leaders which are carried out by special forces and drone attacks as opposed to counter-insurgency force of 25,000 or more.
As in Vietnam, so as in Afghanistan. A corrupt government, Opium production, porous borders, thousands of villages to defend and an enemy that becomes one with the local population. Which war am I describing? Vietnam or Afghanistan?
Obama is realizing as the British and Soviets have that a war in Afghanistan is un-winnable as history has proven. As the Viet-Cong did so shall the Taliban, they can quickly evaporate into the villages and return, knowing that U.S. forces will be too few to hold gains that cost American lives. Irregular warfare controlled and dominated by the so called Islamic fundamentalists will be impossible to win as history has proven. We are fighting a culture, a religion, a tribal nation, not some Western or Asian civilized power.
I hope that the Unites States does not follow the same path as two great world powers once did, Britain and Russia who found out that getting into Afghanistan was easy, the trouble was getting out with hundred and thousands of their soldiers killed.
Obama
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Obama's used wars
By clarenceiii - 12/04/2009 - 1:23 pmCLARENCE3 I find it sort of intersting with the election to office, President Obama bought two very old, very used wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that are sucking the very lifeblood out of the American ecomic structure when combined with the failures of the big rollers of Wall street. However, One thing is for certain the voters did not plan on Obama leaving Iraq, a long overdue action and to letting the Sunni , shite and Kurds come to some sort of a functional state or state. The American newspapers very nicely rarely mention that the Kurds are the largest group in the world without their own nation. The presidents forget that the nation of Iraq was created by the European powers out of the old Turkish empire and like Frankenstein's monster was created from parts that never functioned together before. The British even brought in two different royal families to rule Iraq. One of which was killed off in a blood bath even worse than that which killed off the Russian Czar when the comminists seized power.We are left with the feeling we never knew why Bush got us into this mess. If it was to remove the head of state? That was achieved long ago.
****Now to the Afghanistan situation the British colonial people could not control it like they did India, , to modern Russians who wasted fifteen years in a war regarded by many as their own Vietnam, to varied barbaric hoards of history that could not control it and even Alexander the great failed as it is not a nation but a series of war loving tribes. What is our objective there do we have one ? Is it to stabilize the farmers best crop on the world market? Namely Opiom to keep the local war lords rich or what At one point George Bush the welder was trying for an oil pipeline from from there to Pakistan. Will that let the line be billt? Does anyone really see what our objective is? Is it to make the country stable so the american President can go to the capital city and ware native garb like George Washington Bush did in Vietnam? Or so obama may bow down to the son of a warlord like he did in Japan? Oh! I forget ,it is so we can get oil and trade with them as we did in Vietnam , korea and the orient. It might be loike we did with Panama so that the Communist Chinese will take over the management of the Pasnama canal. Or like the Bay of Pigs invasion so we will have over 30 years of ignoring a nation roughly 20 plus miles from or bondery.What wonderful leadership the America gets from the members of both parties. An old proverb states"God watches over fools, idiots and the United States of America " seems even truer today than ever. Pray for justice.
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Containment, Containment, Containment!
By ArmyVet_72 - 12/05/2009 - 10:45 amUsing counter-terrorism is a much more effective method, especially for containment.
Counter-insurgency is a failed doctrine, look throughout history!
I do support a small footprint of several thousand U.S. soldiers who are confined to counter-terrorism missions. Where they cut off their head strategy aimed at militant leaders which are carried out by special forces and drone attacks as opposed to counter-insurgency force of 25,000 or more.
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Peter Schiff realist economist
Stimulus Bill Will Lead to Unmitigated Disaster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3jBUVPCQik
More Peter Schiff
http://twitter.com/peterschiff
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Pelosi's conscience
By truthsetufree - 12/04/2009 - 12:52 pmBill Duncan: You mean CSP voted Pelosi's conscience on this issue...oops...wait a minute, Pelosi doesn't have a conscience, she's the supreme, dug in her heals, left-wing moonbat.
CSP invites vets to "hear" from them for her photo op; that's why she always calls the press to attend; many vets who have attended her lil' photo op have become sick to their stomachs when they've realizer that they've been had!
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Wait a minute...
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 1:01 pmDo you mean to tell me that there's a (gulp) Democrat from (oh no!) San Francisco (cover the children's ears!) who is in a (shudder) position of leadership in the Democratic party? How did that happen??? What is wrong with our beloved nation?
(Gimme a break, please)
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Pelosi values = your values
By sailmaker - 12/05/2009 - 5:20 pmThe Democrats mascot of true liberal Democrat partisan values is Nancy Pelosi - she is the perfect example of YOUR values - which happen to be San Francisco values -
NOT an ounce of N.H. YANKEE values left in Carol Shea Porter anymore...if she ever had them to begin with
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San Francisco Values
By URSUS - 12/05/2009 - 11:23 pmPerhaps you could enlighten us as to what these "San Francisco Values" are that you refer to? I, for one, would be curious to know. Maybe they have something to do with those outdated concepts of Equality, Peace and Fairness, along with Compassion for your fellow man?
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Here is 1 - SF Considers Public Gay Sex Tents - nuf said
By sailmaker - 12/06/2009 - 8:47 amfrom WP Post...
SF Supervisor Considers Public Gay Sex Tents
I've often wondered what it would take to disgust even the moonbats running the San Franfreakshow Comical. Thanks to the gut-wrenchingly repulsive activities on display during the Folsom Street Fair, I finally know:
Public sex tents? Now there's an idea that should have been shot down the second it was announced from the mouth of a member of the "leather community" in response to complaints about public sex at Folsom Street Fair and its smaller sibling fair, Up Your Alley.
Instead, it appears that at least one of our local leaders (Supervisor Bevan Dufty) has agreed to take the matter "under advisement." Since our local leaders are having trouble speaking the obvious, we will: Public sex is not appropriate at Folsom Street Fair or anywhere else. Even in San Francisco.
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Mardi Gras
By URSUS - 12/06/2009 - 9:39 amObviously you have never been to or heard of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Straight sex is on display both in and out of the bars. But it's telling that you direct your comments to a gay fair in San Francisco.
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Add New Orleans to the Liberal Democrat values
By sailmaker - 12/06/2009 - 10:12 amyep..... New Orleans - the capitol of Government welfare - another shining example of Liberal Democrat values....not an ounce of NH Yankee values their either....I am sure Carol Shea Porter would fit in well there too
As for liberal democrat values ...if you don't like the traditional NH Yankee values that have worked for generations and centuries.......you are free to move to ....S.F. or N.O.
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NH values
By URSUS - 12/06/2009 - 10:38 amI thought that NH values had to to with live and let live, and helping your neighbor. You seem to be against the government helping the unfortunate and the poor (how Christian of you). Maybe something else can be done with the "excess population", are there no workhouses, are there no prisons? BTW, the largest recipient of Federal assistance is the state of Alaska.
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That's the point, exactly
By Michael57 - 12/06/2009 - 2:27 pmAnd it isn't only Alaska--take a look at this chart. Contrary to right-wing rhetoric, it's the blue states in this country that support the red states.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/266.html
What this means is that the liberal states are self-sufficient and are bailing out the red states, which are always looking for a handout. One of the biggest ironies in American politics today.
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WARNING...Liberals statements are not FACTS
By sailmaker - 12/07/2009 - 2:45 amWarning : the statements made by Liberal Democrats are not facts.... but made up stories by foaming at the mouth Liberals trying to shape debate.
Please see the enclosed map to see where Red and Blue districts are located
http://innovation.cq.com/atlas/district_08
.....and then note where the largest welfare expenditures per capita are located
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/eco_wel_cas_tot_fam_percap-caseloads-to...
You will note the largest welfare districts in the US - large cities - are all located in Liberal Democrat areas.
As usual Liberals will Lie, Cheat and Repeat false stories and facts that have nothing to do with the debate to support the unsupportable.
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I stand by my comment
By Michael57 - 12/07/2009 - 2:57 pmProjection: the attribution to your opponent of all your own worst flaws. Projection: it's the silent killer (of intelligence).
Obviously it isn't only "welfare" that drains our national coffers of cash. It's federal aid of all kinds to the states. It's funny how you won't object when wealthy corporations get cash from DC, only when the indigent--who need it more--get money.
Furthermore, what counts is not simply the raw dollar amount of welfare expenditures per region--you also have to look at how much money those regions send in. Cities need more services because of the density of their populations, but for that same reason they also contribute a lot more to the government.
The areas that do not contribute very much, but nevertheless demand a disproportionate amount of federal dollars per capita to support them, are the mostly rural southern and midwestern states--the red states.
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Carol Shea-Porter has brought consistency and integrity
By Bill Duncan - 12/04/2009 - 12:39 pmto the Afghanistan discussion, recognizing that there's no simple answer.
She has supported the Afghan war on the basis that there's a real enemy there and, as far as I can see from her public statements, she still does support it. However, it's a tough situation with Afghan corruption, Pakistani vulnerability and years of backsliding while we fought in Iraq. So while we do need to fight the enemy there, we need to formulate some convincing new strategy. She, along with the rest of us, are engaging the difficult question of whether Obama's current proposal is something we can get behind.
If you're just against Obama and the Dems, the answer is easy - you oppose anything they say. But if you're a Member of Congress and of the House Armed Services Committee who takes your job seriously, it might take longer.
Shea-Porter voted her conscience on this issue in May when she voted against the supplemental appropriation on Afghanistan and she will take a principled position on this vote as well.
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Impossible!
By NH - 12/04/2009 - 12:58 pmPorter HAS no principles!
I say, anyone who agrees with this insane surge, all Democrats, vote them out in 2010.
Obama = BAD ECONOMY = BAD, UNWINNABLE WAR.
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lol
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 1:05 pmAre you envisioning a lot of Republicans voting against more troops? Naivete has its charms but overindulgence is always unwise.
Regarding the "bad economy," I guess the Republican complaint against Obama can be boiled down to "You aren't fixing our screw-ups fast enough."
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Wow
By Loveburger-Toas... - 12/04/2009 - 1:21 pmHoly conservative Flip Flop Batman!
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"Pelosi's poodle"
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 10:49 amFunny how everyone here --everyone!-- who wants to criticize Carol S-P does so by saying she's a stooge for Pelosi. I guess they all got their talking points from the same source. So who is their Pelosi-style mastermind? Don't right-wingers have a sense of irony?
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Michael in 2006 CSP & Hodes
By AlexK - 12/04/2009 - 2:07 pmMichael in 2006 CSP & Hodes made Jeb and Charlie's voting record percentage with the GOP a core platform of their campaign, and attacked them heavily on it. Why can't they be criticized for it now when they are voting lock-step with their party at almost 100%? A little hypocritical of them now don't you think?
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If I remember correctly...
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 3:28 pmIn 2006, the GOP was increasingly under fire for making poor decisions and for executing poorly. Linking an opponent to a record of failure is what politicians do. Being in lockstep with their party was not the criticism--having failed ideas was the criticism.
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So your saying
By Dave in Suncook - 12/04/2009 - 7:23 pmThat the stimulus waste of money, the big bank pay offs to good govt. hacks, the stealing of GM stock as a pay off to union hacks,and the colossal spending on pork and expansion of govt.programs(nothing to do with jobs or the economy) have all been policies that Carol-Shea should be proud of, and deserving of no criticism?
Her lock step with the nut case Pelosi is a problem because the woman is driving the economic bus over the cliff.
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Dow Jones Average reflects government stimulus spending
By ArmyVet_72 - 12/04/2009 - 8:02 pmWhy more job losses and foreclosures? Look at the money spent
In the last 11 months look how much Government taxpayer money was pumped into the US economy, more than half of it by Obama. That is what is driving the Dow Jones, not real economic growth.
This money only benefited the Financial Industry and big Corporations. The American Worker and their families were left with trickle up poverty!
$3 Billion for Cash for Clunkers
$24 Billion for first home buyer
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Here are the stats
By wayneinnh - 12/04/2009 - 12:55 pmOn the average, Democrats vote with the party leadership 92.7% of the time. Republicans vote the party line 87.6% of the time. CSP votes the party line 97.5% of the time.
Here's the link:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/s001170/
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01.20.13 - Hope for Change
We'll stop calling you a liar when you stop lying.
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nice stats Wayne...
By LIAMD2 - 12/06/2009 - 6:22 am...keep 'em coming. Facts drive the liberals nuts. That's why you've been engaged by the biggest Democrat apologist and defender that posts on this site.
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Thanks!
By Michael57 - 12/06/2009 - 2:44 pmLet me return the compliment and say that you are the purest representative of the fringe right who posts here--and that is a very competitive position.
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I work hard at it cupcake
By LIAMD2 - 12/06/2009 - 5:00 pmThanks for noticing!
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So what?
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 12:58 pmThere's usually a sharply drawn distinction between Democratic and Republican views on issues that come up. This isn't the old days, when there were overlaps between the parties. The only thing they agree on now is that they had better hurry up and spend money somewhere.
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She is waiting for guidance
By NH always - 12/04/2009 - 10:34 amAs always, Nancy will tell her which way to go and she will follow.
Our decision shouldn't be difficult this fall !!!
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Once the president's plan has enough votes to pass
By wayneinnh - 12/04/2009 - 12:08 pmOnce the president's plan has enough votes to pass, Pelosi will release our sharp-as-oatmeal representative to vote "no". Until that happens, there will be no statement.
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01.20.13 - Hope for Change
We'll stop calling you a liar when you stop lying.
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Right!
By Dave in Suncook - 12/04/2009 - 7:26 pmThis is what they had her do for earlier bills that would hurt her at home...Pelosi was quoted as telling her..
"Tell your voters whatever you need to tell them, we have the votes we need already"
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Pelosi is also telling Shea-Porter
By LIAMD2 - 12/05/2009 - 6:41 amDon't worry, you're safe. We opened the SEIU (ACORN) office in Concord for you and Hodes. I'm sure Pelosi finished with, "Remember what they were able to do for Al Franken?" That's why Carol Shea-Porter is smiling in the photo. The fix is in.
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Actually...
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 12:21 pmPartisan rhetoric aside, you may be onto something there. This kind of thing happens all the time in Congress. But then the question becomes: how does a vote one way or the other help or hinder Carol S-P? "More troops to Afghanistan" isn't breaking out as a left-right issue. There is no vote either way that would necessarily endear her with a particular bloc of voters.
Maybe we might consider the possibility that she is really unsure that this is the correct move. I know I am.
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Pelosi's Poodle
By AlexK - 12/04/2009 - 10:22 amI always find it funny that this woman sits on the armed forces committee. Just a few years back she would only vote on a troop funding bill if it included subsidies for spinach farmers located out west. This woman is an joke and as former protester she only finds dissent "cool" now if it is in line with her left wing radical ideology. Vote all the bums out 2010.
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CSP Decision
By Jim_NH - 12/04/2009 - 10:11 amCarol is quiet on the President's speech because she is just not quite sure what it is she thinks Nancy Pelosi wants her to think.
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Yes, We Did
By DickNH - 12/04/2009 - 10:08 amArmyVet, if you were at all paying attention, which obviously you are not, you would know that there were protests against Mr. Obama's Afghanistan decision statewide, and nationwide. Contrary to your misguided statements, we in the peace movement do not blindly follow anyone. Mr. Obama is making the same mistakes that George Bush, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and John Kennedy have made in the past. Escalation of foreign engagement only fuels "insurgents". We will continue to state clearly our opposition to any position that does not focus on leaving both the illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq until such time as our "leaders" finally learn the lessons of history. Sadly, once again those lessons will be learned by the spilling of American and Afghan blood.
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Liberal Democrat Hypocrisy
By sailmaker - 12/05/2009 - 7:36 amLiberal Democrat Hypocrisy ......when Bush was President... I saw people with signs on street corners and Code Pink was shouting at Congressional hearings and Cindy Sheehan was camped outside the Bush home......... and the liberal state media covered it all.......
now that Obama is here (for only 3 more years) the media and the liberal hyped up anti war crowd is silent....
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Huh?
By armyvet - 12/04/2009 - 10:21 amDid I say there were no protests against any of people you mentioned other than Bush? No. My simple questions is when and were are there going to be protests against Obama's take on sending more troops to Afghistan held by the organizations I mentioned. I don't remember any media coverage when there were protests against Obama in the past please show me some if you can.Once again please let me know about the upcoming protests, if any, and I will attend them.
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Kerry was one of our finest soldiers?
By truthsetufree - 12/04/2009 - 9:54 amKerry is a traitor! Ask his swiftboat teammates who know more than you about what kind of soldier he was, SmarmyVette.
And, yep, BO is commander in Chief and that's what scares the hell out of all of us since he's never run anything and now commands our beloved troops!
CSP has never made a decision on her own; she has to be told what to say and do by repugnant Pelosi.
But CSP did say that we should not be in Iraq but in Afghan long ago so what's to ponder? She's had years to make a decision on what's right for Afghan. Again, Nancy nutcase hasn't called her apparently.
And don't forget, these people get a transcript long before the actual speech.
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Swift Boat Liars
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 10:44 amThe Swift Boat guys who came out against Kerry were either lying or feeble-minded, or both. There is no way around that.
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I think its the French
By NH_Native - 12/04/2009 - 1:36 pmI think its the French looking senator from Ma that's feeble - minded. What a piece of work!
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Let's do the Time Warp, again
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 1:46 pm"French-looking"? What is this, 2004?
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how about a few examples...
By LIAMD2 - 12/04/2009 - 12:28 pm...of their lies? How about one example? I believe the Swift Boat guys were telling the truth. No one has been able to disprove their claims.
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Fantasy
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 1:49 pmStart here, with the letter David Brock sent to bookstores suggesting that they consider what to do with works of non-fiction that are proven to be fraudulent.
http://mediamatters.org/research/200408200003
Salon and the WaPo also exposed fraud in the book:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/08/19/swiftbook/index.html
Only someone full to bursting with right-wing Kool-Aid still gives much credence to the Swift Boat liars. Corsi especially has been exposed as a bigot and a fantasist.
"Belief" can be the enemy of thought, sometimes, Liam.
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media matters and salon...
By LIAMD2 - 12/04/2009 - 3:11 pm...now there's two unbiased news sources. Wasn't there similar articles on moveon.org and michaelmoore.com? Keep defending your religion! It's almost admirable.
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Sure
By Michael57 - 12/04/2009 - 3:52 pmIf you can't play the ball, play the man, Liam. The allegations of dishonesty at those sites are specific. Either refute them or can it.
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Shea Porter is on the Armed
By NH_Native - 12/04/2009 - 9:12 amShea Porter is on the Armed Services Committee??? Thats a good one!! Another reason she must go! If she is so worried about the deficit, why has she voted for all the spending?? Why didn't the monitor ask her that??
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Shea-Porter should take her time and get it right.
By Michael Marsh - 12/04/2009 - 9:02 amWhat an odd hook for a story. The reporter writes that Carol Shea-Porter had nothing to say on the President's surge plan and in the next sentence admits she in fact did have a response:
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Issue for ALL(VETS)..no anawer from Congresswoman in 4 Yr's
By POW/MIA - 12/04/2009 - 8:54 amWe have an American Servisceman being held "POW" in Afghan. at this time and hidden by the Country he serves with Terminology.
"When one American Serviceman not worth fighting for then we as American's have Lost"
Neither This Congresswoman(or other 3 NH Fed. Reps) or McCain or Kerry seem to care about this ONE American Soldier..
Lots of talk out there..little action !!
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