THE FOUNDATION: NATIONAL DEFENSE
“National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman.” —John Adams
DEZINFORMATSIA
That’s the spirit!: “When we broadcast teach-ins on the Vietnam War, and the Watergate hearings during the trial of Richard Nixon, it was a real public service—the reason PBS was created. We should keep Iraq in prime time every week—the fighting and dying, the suffering, the debate, the politics, the extraordinary costs. It’s months until September. This war is killing us now, body and soul.” —PBS’s Bill Moyers ++ Memo to the Left: “Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily ‘victory’ but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.” —Michael O’Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution and no fans of President Bush, recently returned from Iraq and writing in The New York Times
This week’s “Sociocrat Sycophant” Award: “Senator Clinton gave the president the authority to use force in Iraq based on intelligence, uncontested at the time, to which she was privy and Obama was not, that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction that he was poised to use. That is what justified giving him the authority to use force. But it was George W. Bush’s administration that was not only partly responsible for the inaccurate information, but that also made the decision to give up on diplomacy and inspections and go directly to force. Nothing in the congressional vote required that.” —Susan Estrich, offering cover to the Clinton campaign
From the Theo-Lib Files: “We have never seen this many Democratic politicians who are both so sincerely religious and also very comfortable with the language of faith.” —Time magazine’s Amy Sullivan
Newspulper Headlines: Isn’t That What Got Him in Trouble Before?: “Clinton Focuses on Female Bonding” —USA Today
Because It’s So Hard to Get Them to Reproduce on Their Own: “China Claims a First With Cloned Rabbit” —Reuters
Almost Certainly Money: “What Do Lamar County Schools Spend?” —Paris (TX) News
With Friends Like These...: “Man Cuts Up Friend’s Body, Stuffs It Into Barrel” —(Minneapolis) Star Tribune
What Would Lohan Do Without Experts?: “Experts Urge Lohan to Seek Rehab” —Associated Press ++ “Experts: Lohan, Spears Making Mockery of Rehab” —Reuters
News You Can Use: “O’Connor: Educate Youth About Government” —Associated Press (Thanks to The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto)
UPRIGHT
“The Democrats have convinced themselves, once again, that the enemy is us—or at least our fault. There was no al-Qa’ida in Iraq before we invaded the country, they argue. If it exists now, it’s entirely our own doing. Our presence causes the violence in Iraq. In fact, they say, our presence in Iraq is the greatest recruiting tool the terrorists have.” —Mona Charen ++ “Liberals used to be the ones who argued that sending U.S. troops abroad was a small price to pay to stop genocide; now they argue that genocide is a small price to pay to bring U.S. troops home.” —Jonah Goldberg ++ “Gen. Dave Petraeus and his subordinate commanders are by far the best team we’ve ever had in place in that wretched country. They’re doing damned near everything right—with austere resources, despite the surge. And they’re being abandoned by your elected leaders. Maybe the next presidential primary debate should be held in Baghdad.” —Ralph Peters
“In political life today, you are considered compassionate if you demand that government impose your preferences on others.” —John Stossel
“I suspect the way many viewers reacted to [the] Democratic presidential debate co-sponsored by CNN and YouTube depended on whether they generally see themselves on the taking or giving end of government transactions. For those accustomed to taking from government, it was a tremendous night. For those accustomed to giving to government, it foreshadowed the nightmare to come if a Democrat is elected president.” —Terence Jeffrey
“This is pathetic. What you have right now is partisanship on Capitol Hill that quite often boils down to insults, insinuations, inquisitions and investigations rather than pursuing the normal business of trying to pass major pieces of legislation.” —Tony Snow
“Being a conservative Republican should be about more than abortion policy and the War on Terror. The [GOP presidential] candidates should have to tell voters whether they still believe in traditional principles of limited government, federalism and individual liberty.” —Michael Tanner
EDITORIAL EXEGESIS
“Unsatisfied with thwarting a Republican effort to authorize $3 billion for a border fence, congressional Democrats are trying to enhance the incentive for illegal aliens to enter the United States by removing the citizenship requirement from the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Republican Congress in 1996 passed legislation blocking people who are in the country illegally from claiming benefits from the federal government, and when SCHIP was created in 1997, states were required to verify citizenship. But Democrats want to take that sensible requirement for Medicaid and SCHIP and leave it to the discretion of each state. This reflects the Democrats’ eagerness to offer free services to illegals at taxpayer expense, undermining the principles of both immigration law and good governance. And it is also a step Democrats want to take toward expanding SCHIP, like their plan to expand its coverage to include children from middle-income families that make up to $83,000 per year—a plan encompassing more than 70 percent of American children. (When SCHIP first came into being it was only for families with incomes up to double the poverty level, or $40,000 for a family of four.) Expanding the program will cost $50 billion over five years; expanding it by giving states the option to not enforce the citizenship requirement pushes the price tag up even higher—although just how much would depend on how many states decide to include illegals in the program.” —The Washington Times
INSIGHT
“You don’t make the poor richer by making the rich poorer.” —Winston Churchill
“The firm basis of government is justice, not pity.” —Woodrow Wilson
“There is nothing more likely to start disagreement among people or countries than an agreement.” —E. B. White
“The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.” —Lord Acton
“The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a state depend.” —Benjamin Disraeli
“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” —Gen. George S. Patton
THE DEMO-GOGUES
The truth comes out: “That would be a real big problem for us, no question about that.” —Rep. James Clyburn on how good news regarding the surge in Iraq would be bad for Democrats *America first, anyone?
Don’t know nuthin’ about economics: “In order for America to remain truly competitive in a global economy, we must invest in our workforce to stimulate small business growth. Small businesses create two-thirds of all new jobs in this country, and the vast majority of them are paying their new workers higher than the minimum wage.” —Sen. John Kerry congratulating himself on voting to raise the minimum wage, which has the exact opposite effect
Scary proposal: “I’m going to be asking a new generation to serve. I think just like our military academies, we need to give a totally all-paid education to young men and women who will serve their country in a public service position.” —Hillary Clinton on her plans to start a national academy for public servants
Aiding and abetting: “The Bush administration has set up a separate and lesser system of justice for Guantanamo detainees... The Bush administration’s failed legal experiment at Guantanamo hurts the United States around the world every day. The time has come to close it down.” —Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Supreme Battleground: “The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.” —Sen. Chuck Schumer on why electing a Republican in ‘08 is important
How noble: “I would vote against impeachment of Bush because the corruption of the vice president, Cheney, would even be worse.” —Rep. Charlie Rangel
VILLAGE IDIOTS
Poor, persecuted John: “This stuff’s not an accident. Nobody in this room should think this is an accident. You know, I’m out there speaking up for universal healthcare, ending this war in Iraq, speaking up for the poor. They want to shut me up. That’s what this is about. Let’s distract from people who don’t have health care coverage. Let’s distract from people who can’t feed their children... Let’s talk about this silly frivolous nothing stuff so that America won’t pay attention. They will never silence me. Never.” —Breck Dogg John Edwards, emulating a Joan Crawford moment from “Mommie Dearest.”
Patting himself on the back: “Since the Carter administration left office, we have been criticized for many things. Yet I remain enormously proud of what we did in those four years, especially that we told the truth, obeyed the law and kept the peace.” —Walter Mondale *“What do you call it when the U.S. sits idly by as the Soviets invade Afghanistan and a newly radicalized Iran holds Americans hostage? Walter Mondale calls it ‘keeping the peace’.” —James Taranto
From the “Quid Pro Homo” Department: “We have received clear guidance that, at least in New Jersey, the state truly views civil union partners as married. We’ve heard that loud and clear from state officials and we’re happy to make this change.” —Allen Hill, UPS’s senior vice president for human resources, on the company being pressured into extending health-insurance benefits to the civil union partners
It ain’t easy being green: “The eventual construction of this barrier would place at risk the various ecosystems that we share.” —Mexico’s Environment Minister Juan Rafael Elvira, opposing the border security fence along the U.S. southern perimeter
SHORT CUTS
“Last week, a snowman was allowed to ask a question about global warming to serious candidates by way of a YouTube video. We have reduced a presidential debate to a TV game show similar to ‘Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader.’ This is no way to choose the leader of the free world.” —Rick Tyler, press secretary for Newt Gingrich ++ “George Washington. Abraham Lincoln. Franklin Roosevelt. John F. Kennedy. Ronald Reagan. Who among these men would answer, with a straight face, a question posed by a snowman?” —Ken Connor
“Every time ‘objective’ networks claim to seek the voice of the American people, they seem to think that 75 or 80 percent of Americans are squarely on the political left of the spectrum, people who think Dennis Kucinich-think is in the mainstream.” —Brent Bozell
“What is it about Democrat Congresswomen from California that gives them the ability to actually see global warming? I’m not sure of the answer, but am positive that for the second time in about two months, a high-ranking Democrat from California went to Greenland, and actually saw global warming.” —Noel Sheppard on Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi
“While, as I recall, conservative little boys practice quick draw with their cap guns while playing cowboys and Indians, apparently liberal little boys practice how fast they can throw up their hands to surrender to the guys in the black hats.” —Tony Blankley
Jay Leno: Hillary Clinton is working hard to win the women’s vote; they say her campaign has six full-time staffers just for women’s “outreach.” And another six full-time staffers to keep women out of Bill’s reach. ... It seems the little tiff between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has really heated up since their last argument at the last Democratic debate. They have become distant. They barely speak to each other now. When they do speak, it’s really icy. As Hillary calls that, “marriage.” ... More bad news today for John McCain. John McCain’s media team has resigned. But McCain says he intends to stay in the race, according to the campaign’s new media spokesman, John McCain. ... A panel investigating NASA found a heavy use of alcohol by astronauts before launches. In at least two occasions, astronauts were allowed to fly while so intoxicated that they actually posed a health risk. Maybe that’s why they call it the Kennedy Space Center. ... They said today on one mission, the astronauts were so drunk they were actually wearing their diapers on their heads. ... According to a study by The New England Journal of Medicine, obesity can be “socially contagious.” That means the more time you spend hanging around heavy people, the more likely you will become fat. Obesity can be contagious? Do you believe that? Hey, if it was contagious Clinton would have contracted it years ago. He would way 1,100 pounds now.
Veritas vos Liberabit—Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families—especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)