Roviating Murtha

The Republican sleaze and slime machine is at it again. Now they are trying to roviate Murtha because he has come out for withdrawal from Iraq (apparently with the blessing of many of the senior Generals who cannot publicly do this themselves). The White House has actually called many of the Generals and asked them to repudiate Murtha but to their credit most of them have apparently refused. Not so all, however, and there are those who are attempting to discredit Murtha's purple hearts and other awards. This is the Swift Boats crap all over again. Why are they doing this? Because this is the way the Republican Party operates, positively Rovian. I doubt there is any real question about Murtha's medals but even if there were, what in the hell difference would it make now? Murtha is right. Iraq has proven to be a complete disaster and just keeps on getting worse, and will continue to do so until we get out. It's just like the monkey who reaches into the gourd to get the banana and is too stupid and/or greedy to let go and thus gets trapped by its own greed. Bush/Cheney and the neocons are never going to give up Iraq as long as there is a gallon of oil to be filched. We are building the world's most expensive consulate and four permanent bases in Iraq. Talk of withdrawing our troops is just nonsense, although there is little doubt they will withdraw some troops before the coming elections. The permanent presence of U.S. troops means permanent conflict just as in the case of Israel and Palestine.

Al Gore is scheduled to make a major speech on monday in which he will discuss how the Bush/Cheney administration has seriously and illegally overreached their authority, claiming the right to do things they have no right to do. If Gore had been given the Presidency which he rightfully won do you think we'd be in the terrible mess we are now in. No way! Personally, I believe Bush/Cheney should be forced to resign in favor of installing Gore who won the election. At the very least they should be impeached and tried for war crimes.

The Democrats are apparently meeting next week to decide on a strategy for the Alito nomination. They need to do whatever is necessary to block his appointment even if that means a filibuster. We cannot risk Alito on the Supreme Court, not because of Roe vs Wade (which I don't believe the Republicans truly want reversed), but because of his belief in an Imperial Presidency. This has got to be stopped now. Congress simply cannot give up their rightful duties and obligations to a dictatorship no matter what.