Bush: Hit by Friendly Fire

Yet another Republican heavy weight has come out with strong opinions regarding Bush's handling of the Iraq War. This week its Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel. (Too bad he didn't make more noise BEFORE-HAND. )

Hit by Friendly Fire
By Kevin Whitelaw
US News and World Report

27 June 2005 Issue

With his polls down, Bush takes flak on Iraq from a host of critics - including some in his own party.
Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is angry. He's upset about the more than 1,700 U.S. soldiers killed and nearly 13,000 wounded in Iraq. He's also aggravated by the continued string of sunny assessments from the Bush administration, such as Vice President Dick Cheney's recent remark that the insurgency is in its "last throes." "Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality," Hagel tells U.S. News. "It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."

That's strikingly blunt talk from a member of the president's party, even one cast as something of a pariah in the GOP because of his early skepticism about the war. "I got beat up pretty good by my own party and the White House that I was not a loyal Republican," he says. Today, he notes, things are changing: "More and more of my colleagues up here are concerned."

Indeed, there are signs that the politics of the Iraq war are being reshaped by the continuing tide of bad news. Take this month in Iraq, with 47 U.S. troops killed in the first 15 days. That's already five more than the toll for the entire month of June last year. With the rate of insurgent attacks near an all-time high and the war's cost set to top $230 billion, more politicians on both sides of the aisle are responding to opinion polls that show a growing number of Americans favoring a withdrawal from Iraq. Republican Sens. Lincoln Chafee and Lindsey Graham have voiced their concerns. And two Republicans, including the congressman who brought "freedom fries" to the Capitol, even joined a pair of Democratic colleagues in sponsoring a bill calling for a troop withdrawal plan to be drawn up by year's end. "I feel confident that the opposition is going to build," says Rep. Ron Paul, the other Republican sponsor and a longtime opponent of the war.
www.truthout.org...

Where oh where have all the NeoCons gone?

Last year at this time there woulda been all kinda folks jumping on this, frothing at the mouth over what a traitor Hagel was! Does this mean that many people have changed their minds, or have all the NeoConned simply left this site?

Last year at this time people trusted their president, now people has finally opened their eyes to truth of our administration and what is behind the lies.

I also was watching the "freedom fries" guy change of hart on prime time, funny that this is just the beginning of the pull out for Mr. Bush support, I wonder if all this will kill any chances for dear Condi if she decides to give a shot at the presidential wagon.

I forgot, Cheney make give it a try to a third term.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Where oh where have all the NeoCons gone?

Last year at this time there woulda been all kinda folks jumping on this..... Does this mean that many people have changed their minds, or have all the NeoConned simply left this site?

The greatest political force to have grown from saplings in the US in the past five years is APATHY. Now that cannot be denied.

[edit on 20-6-2005 by MaskedAvatar]

The fact that conservative Congressman Freedom Fries has come out in favor of some kind of pull-out plan speaks volumes.

The thing that gets me the most is that even though folks are tiring of the war, etc.. they still cannot bring themselves to NOT support Bush. It's insane.

Chuck Hagel is a moderate with Libertarians leanings, certainly he's no neocon. Plus, he's eyeing the 2008 Presidential race, so it makes sense he might be trying to quietly distance himself from some of Bush's policies that might at the moment seem unpopular.

I'm not surprised by this at all.

Uh, DJ, Slavery wasn't ended by war, I see you also slept in class. The Civil War was over the Union staying together, not slavery.... The freeing of slaves was a political move done by Lincoln, that actually didn't do anything, for the CSA wasn't the USA, and therefor didn't follow USA laws. It would be like USA making a law banning weed in Holland, doesn't actually do anything, for Holland doesn't follow USA laws.

Also, War didn't end Communism, it still exists, and what war did we fight that ended it? Korea? StaleMate. Vietnam? Lost. So, how did war end communism? Russia fell due to economy problems and moral problems, no war.

Nazis still exist, we stopped a small group of Nazis from taking over the world, we didn't stop Nazism, look at the republican party, still very much alive.

Anyways, so, the only Neocon reply is he is an evil libertarian who will be sent to a re-education camp once god/Bush is declared Emporer of America.

Edit: Left out Facism. Again, look at the GOP, still very much alive.

Anyways, stomped on that little bug. Sorry DJ, in class we learn reality, not GOP propaganda. Wait, GOP Propaganda.

Bush Sr. flew into Russia and raped them all! He lead the troops into Moscow secretly so no one knew. Stop looking at the real world/facts!!!

All Nazis are dead, sure the Neo-Nazis are like the #3 group to fund the GOP, but no Nazis. Stop looking at the real world/facts!!!

Sure CHina, N. Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, all exist, but no commies, I swear, stop looking at the real world/facts!!!

Sure the GOP exists, but no facism! Stop looking at the real world/facts!!!

Sure the Civil War was about the Union, but I am a republican, so again, stop looking at the real world/facts!!!

[edit on 20-6-2005 by James the Lesser]

Looking from across the pond id say , the knives are out for Bush , hes created to much animosity for the neocons and will be replaced soon.

Well you know what James the Lesser? Bunnies don't hop around with pancakes on their heads either!

But this thread isn't about avatars, is it?

Is that a bunny? I always thought it was a gerbil or a hamster.

Anyway, it's furry.

Well, James the Lesser seems to have managed to get the discussion off-topic.

Let's get back to Bush being hit by friendly fire
And, I agree with DJ. Any Republican with presidential aspirations will queitly begin to distance himself from the WH. If the Republicans wish to remain the WH, it will have to be with a plan different from Bush.

I imagine that anybody in the GOP that is looking to board the presidential wagon will distance themselves from the Mr. Bush administration.

After all the poll are telling the feelings of the American people, and even when Mr. Bush doesn't like to read bad news or new papers

The rest of the politicians are very aware of public opinion.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Where oh where have all the NeoCons gone?

Last year at this time there woulda been all kinda folks jumping on this, frothing at the mouth over what a traitor Hagel was! Does this mean that many people have changed their minds, or have all the NeoConned simply left this site?

*Hits himself in the head*. How many times will this be reiterated? I'm pretty sure I've made a post very similar in the past. The "neo-cons" as you seem to enjoy calling us have simply grown tired of the Bush bashing. I can't keep up anymore, the liberal bias being so strong on this board. That's why I rarely post in the political section anymore. I haven't changed my beliefs, I'm just tired of having to deal with 10 anti-Bush threads every day.

Hey, and while we're on avatars, I wasn't in Pirates of the Caribbean!!! Damn you Herman!

[edit on 21-6-2005 by Herman]

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Where oh where have all the NeoCons gone?

The neocons are jumping ship, ECK. Have you noticed that very soon after the election up until now there has been much talk on ATS about how Bush is not conservative enough?

2nd term. Last term.

Originally posted by Bulldog 52
Looking from across the pond id say , the knives are out for Bush , hes created to much animosity for the neocons and will be replaced soon.

That pesky curse (Tecumseh's Curse) is still in effect.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
Well you know what James the Lesser? Bunnies don't hop around with pancakes on their heads either!

I was wondering if that was a pancake!

Originally posted by Herman

*Hits himself in the head*. How many times will this be reiterated? I'm pretty sure I've made a post very similar in the past. The "neo-cons" as you seem to enjoy calling us have simply grown tired of the Bush bashing. I can't keep up anymore, the liberal bias being so strong on this board. That's why I rarely post in the political section anymore. I haven't changed my beliefs, I'm just tired of having to deal with 10 anti-Bush threads every day.

Discussing the president and his wrong-headed policies is not Bush-bashing.

Originally posted by cargo

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Where oh where have all the NeoCons gone?

The neocons are jumping ship, ECK. Have you noticed that very soon after the election up until now there has been much talk on ATS about how Bush is not conservative enough?

He's not a conservative. If you take religion out of it, he's bloated government, gotten us into an unwinnable war and nearly busted the budget. Isn't that what Democrats used to do?

Originally posted by EastCoastKid

Originally posted by Herman

*Hits himself in the head*. How many times will this be reiterated? I'm pretty sure I've made a post very similar in the past. The "neo-cons" as you seem to enjoy calling us have simply grown tired of the Bush bashing. I can't keep up anymore, the liberal bias being so strong on this board. That's why I rarely post in the political section anymore. I haven't changed my beliefs, I'm just tired of having to deal with 10 anti-Bush threads every day.

Discussing the president and his wrong-headed policies is not Bush-bashing.

Gee Herman-O, I thought you didn't post anymore because you took to heart the ironic anology of a teenager posting about morality/military/economics from a supposed position of 'conservative' erudition was like a veal calf posturing as a bucking bull!

As ECK alluded to, cognitive dissonance, at some point, has to subside to a rational talley of policy successes & failures; taking the words of accomplished adults, speaking in areas that they're expereinced in and/or professionally accomplished, as 100% Bush -bashing, is ignorant. Focus on the content & not the tenor.

ALL: Chuck Hagel is a scumbag, a corrupt thief and should be brought up on charges. It was Chuck Hagel who brought together fixed voter tabulation & rigged voting machines with the Republican Party. Hagel "miraculously" won a GOP Senate seat in Nebraska - the first one in 24 years, and one where his Democratic opponent was considered a "landslide" winner going into the election. Hagel just happened to own ES&S at the time. ES&S had, by his own salesmenship, won the voting contract for 80% of the state and tabulated 80% of the votes that gave Hagel the victory.
I agree, Hagel is now posturing for president.

Another disturbing part? Look at the Republican responders happily agree that yes, he is reversing what he stood with for political gain, yet they swallow it whole. If that's not the essence of fascism, I don't know what is.

There are few Republicans (nationally) that I would even consider supporting at this point. All but a precious few have sold their souls. And the majority of Dems are no better.

Thanks for pointing that out about Hagel, Bout Time. I had forgotten about his involvement with ES&S etc. I probably won't even bother voting until something is done about that whole situation. without a paper trail they are WORTHLESS.