Patriotism -- Is It The Last=20
Refuge Of A Scoundrel?
Vietnam Veteran Milt Copulos
Provides The Answer.=20
http://www.fcfnewsondemand.org=20
------------------------------------------------------------------
Senator Jim Inhofe On The=20
Oklahoma Results.
http://www.fcfnewsondemand.org=20
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Free Congress Foundation's
Notable News Now
August 2, 2004
The Free Congress Commentary
What Kerry Didn't Discuss, Bush Should=20
By Paul M. Weyrich
Believe it or not, I actually attended two Democratic conventions. The =
first
was in 1976 when Woody Jenkins, at the time a Democratic National
Committeeman from Louisiana, called a meeting of the convention's =
several
hundred pro-life delegates. He asked us to help with logistical =
support.
Think of it. Only 28 years ago the Democrats had still not become the =
wholly
owned entity of the pro-abortion lobby that it is today. Jimmy Carter, =
who
was nominated for President by the Democrats that very year, had won a
surprise victory in the Iowa caucuses by being the pro-life candidate. =
Then
20 years later, I broadcast daily on NET: The Political Newstalk =
Network,
from the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Democrats
treated me well; in fact, a lot better than the Republicans. That was =
the
year that Bill Clinton was renominated and, as ***** Morris told me =
later,
designed his campaign right out of the conservative playbook.=20
I didn=92t attend this year=92s convention (I only go every twenty =
years) but I
did stay up to watch all the speeches and=85guess what? Once again the
Democrats are running their campaign right out of the conservative =
playbook.
Poor Bob Dole. He didn=92t figure out what was happening in 1996. =
George Bush
and his people are a lot smarter. They should be wise to what the =
Democrats
are trying to do.
I didn=92t know what to expect when Senator John Kerry (D-MA) strolled =
through
the crowd and mounted the podium at the 44th Democratic National =
Convention.
I had watched him through the primaries. My impression was that he =
wasn=92t
much of a performer. He won the nomination because he wasn=92t Howard =
Dean.
Even on the night when he thanked Iowa voters for making him the =
=93comeback
Kerry=94 he seemed stiff and not at all at ease with himself.
But last Thursday night, Kerry did seem at ease. Not only that, he =
looked
presidential. If voters knew nothing about who Kerry is and what his =
record
is and they just tuned in to have a look-see at the alternative to =
George
Bush, they might well have come away impressed. You could imagine =
Kerry in
the Oval Office. He had managed to do what even most of his more =
ardent
supporters were afraid he couldn=92t do. He not only wowed the =
partisan crowd
at the convention, he spoke to the undecided voter and probably scored
reasonably well.
It was quite a performance. It took me about a half-hour of reflecting =
on
what I had heard before it hit me. John Kerry, who has spent twenty =
years in
the United States Senate, said almost nothing about his service there. =
In
fact, even the very impressive film introducing Kerry and the =
remarkable
introduction of him by his former colleague, Max Cleland (D-GA), made =
very
little mention of his Senate service.
It was a clever way in which Kerry started his speech by saluting and =
saying
he was reporting for duty. Indeed, much of what was said of Kerry and =
what
Kerry said about himself, concentrated more on his service in Vietnam =
than
anything else. I want to take nothing away from his service to his =
country,
but no matter how brave, are we to believe that having spent four =
months in
Vietnam at age 25 is more important to his ability to be President =
than two
decades in the U.S. Senate?
And neither in the introduction to Kerry nor in Kerry=92s own comments =
was
there mention of his service as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. =
Why?
Well, when discussing his service in Vietnam he puts President Bush, =
who was
in the National Guard, on the defensive. He forces Bush to argue in =
what he
believes is Kerry territory. If he mentioned his time as lieutenant =
governor
someone might ask =93who was the governor back then?=94 The answer is =
Michael
Dukakis. We wouldn=92t want to recall the fellow who was 17 points =
ahead right
after the 1988 Democratic National Convention and who was subsequently
defeated quite soundly by George Herbert Walker Bush now would we?=20
Likewise his role in the Senate. If we dwell on that, it is George =
Bush=92s
territory. It enables Bush to remind voters that the non-partisan =
National
Journal has said that John Kerry is THE most liberal Senator of the =
100 and,
while his runningmate, John Edwards (D-NC), is said to be the 4th most
liberal Senator, actually he is tied for second. Edwards was just =
listed as
fourth. And for having spent two decades in the Senate, Kerry=92s =
record is
rather sparse. Few bills bear his name. He did, for example, embrace =
the
Sandinistas in Nicaragua, not something that would necessarily speak =
to his
judgment on national security matters. President Reagan was trying to =
aid
the Contras in Nicaragua, while the left was supportive of the =
government
that had taken freedom away from the people. Kerry talks freedom now. =
He
didn=92t then.=20
Given the fact that we are in a war with radical Islam, you would =
think
Kerry would want to tout his service on the Senate Intelligence =
Committee.
But that would invite the spotlight on the fact that the Senator =
didn=92t show
up much while the Committee was conducting hearings. No wonder his =
record in
the Senate was skipped over.=20
Bill Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, warned President Bush =
that
Senator Kerry is brilliant at sidestepping issues and in changing the
subject. He suggested the President might think he was shadow boxing =
when it
was all over. Obviously, if the impressive performance that Senator =
Kerry
turned in Thursday night is to be countered effectively, it will =
depend on
President Bush=92s ability to get Kerry back into Bush=92s territory. =
In other
words, the President has to concentrate on making Kerry's record in =
the
Senate a pertinent issue. Of course, Kerry has indeed been on both =
sides of
most issues so Bush will have to be very well informed on what that =
record
exactly is in order to prevent Kerry from being able to contradict =
whatever
charge the President makes. Still, when you are more liberal than =
Senator
Ted Kennedy (D-MA), it may be hard to explain.
After I watched the smooth but somewhat anemic performance of Senator
Edwards on Wednesday, I thought if Senator Kerry turned in a stiff and
somewhat grim performance Thursday there might not be much of a bounce =
out
of the convention. It was the speech of Kerry=92s career and he was up =
to it.
Pollster John Zogby's survey taken during the time the Democratic =
National
Convention was in session showed the Kerry-Edwards ticket leading the
Bush-Cheney ticket by 5 percentage points. Most likely, the polls will =
show
Kerry holding a lead as the Republicans convene their convention in =
New York
at the end of August.=20
The President will have to meet the Senator on his ground, not on =
Kerry=92s
ground, if he is to prevail in November.=20
I have no doubt that the President served his country honorably. I am =
sure
if he had been sent to Vietnam he would have gone. He did learn to fly
fighter planes. But if the issue is who served his country more =
bravely,
Bush will be in Kerry=92s territory. Some in Kerry=92s platoon dispute =
his
bravery and will say so later in August. But Bush can=92t touch that =
issue
even if it has merit. No matter what the issue, Bush needs to get the =
focus
back on Kerry's record in the Senate. For example, Kerry said he has a
health care plan and Bush doesn=92t. Bush could ask why, when Bill =
Clinton was
President and the Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress, =
didn=92t Kerry
push his health care plan then?=20
There is a mighty good reason the Senate was mentioned in -- as I =
recall --
just about three sentences in a 46-minute speech. That tells you =
exactly
where Kerry doesn=92t want to go. I assume there are folks at the =
President=92s
campaign who are examining the Kerry record in the Senate. The debates =
may
prove to be a telling factor in this campaign, and the President must =
be
armed with the facts about the complete, unvarnished Kerry record. My =
old
friend Richard Viguerie has always argued that the tallest candidate =
in the
Presidential debates gets elected. John Kerry is 6 feet 4 inches tall. =
If
Bush manages to get Kerry into Bush territory, he just might be the
exception to the rule.=20
Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.=20
------------------------------------------------------
The Debt To The Penny=20
07/27/2004 $7,302,318,474,072.03
07/23/2004 $7,295,214,339,004.82
07/21/2004 $7,276,783,676,668.95
10/14/2003 $6,816,232,489,123.39=20
http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses =
both."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
------------------------------------------------------
Interest Expense on the Debt Outstanding
The monthly Interest Expense represents the interest expense on the =
Debt
Outstanding as of each month end. The interest expense on the Debt =
includes
interest for Treasury notes and bonds foreign and domestic series
certificates of indebtedness, notes and bonds; Savings Bonds as well =
as
Government Account Series (GAS), State and Local Government series =
(SLGs)
and other special purpose securities. Amortized discount or premium on
bills, notes and bonds is also included in interest expense.=20
The fiscal year Interest Expense represents the total interest expense =
on
the Debt Outstanding for a given fiscal year [October through =
September]
Interest Expense FISCAL Year 2004=20
June $ 84,468,634,709.08=20
May 20,432,938,610.90=20
April 12,755,485,706.79=20
March 14,096,687,261.36=20
February 15,150,706,352.06=20
January 13,004,064,259.60=20
December 82,435,960,974.56=20
November 19,292,044,501.20=20
October 13,311,682,915.94=20
----------------------=20
FISCAL Year Total $ 274,948,205,291.57=20
http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdint.htm
[June interest expense =3D 84 billion, 468 million, 634 thousand, 709 =
dollars
and .08 cents.=20
If you received $10,000 a day seven days a week, how long would it =
take you
to collect $1 billion? Nearly 275 years.]
------------------------------------------------------
Today's FCF News on Demand
Visit http://www.fcfnewsondemand.org to hear these stories:
Milt Copulos, Vietnam Veteran: In accepting his party=92s nomination, =
Senator
John Kerry, (D-MA), promised the nation that he would never mislead =
it, and
then proceeded to do so for almost an hour.=20
Senator James M. Inhofe (R-OK): Former three-term Congressman, Tom =
Coburn, a
physician from Muskogee, won the four-way race Tuesday to be the =
nominee of
the Republican party for a seat in the U.S. Senate by 61 percent of =
the
total vote. Despite the support of Oklahoma=92s two Senators, Kirk =
Humphreys,
the former mayor of Oklahoma City, was defeated by attack ads. Coburn =
will
face Democrat Congressman Brad Carson in the November election.
People are listening to FCF News on Demand. Be sure to let your =
friends know
that they can hear leading conservatives talk about issues that are
important to the future of our country. Please tell your local radio
stations and talk show hosts about FCF News on Demand!
------------------------------------------------------
Stay Informed. Get the Right Books.
<<...OLE_Obj...>>
----------------------------------------------------
For media inquiries, contact Jill Farrell
Visit us on the web at www.freecongress.org /,
www.judicialselection.org/ , and
www.fcfnewsondemand.org .
Letters to the editor are welcome and may be published in future =
issues.=20
###
Wake Up, we are at war (World War 3) and this is a war of =
CIVILIZATIONS!!!!! (If you can call theirs a CIVILIZATION)
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.719 / Virus Database: 475 - Release Date: 7/12/2004
.
|
