Gee, but I was told the Dems don't have a plan . . .
Republicans fond of slurring the out-of-power Democratic members of Congress will now have to come up with some more original lines. Today, the Democratic Party officially released a policy statement designed to outline their response to our current national crises. Entitled "Real Security", it is surprisingly brief and contains many broad swipes at Smirky's utter failure to lead our country. Neatly tying together military, energy, and diplomatic strategies, the statement addresses some of this Administration's most embarrassing, costly, and egregious "mistakes". Some of the highlights:
After September 11, all Americans trusted President Bush to take the steps necessary to keep our country safe. Since then, inadequate planning and incompetent policies have failed to make Americans as safe as we should be. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina showed that the federal government was still not prepared to respond.
Under President Bush and the Republican majority in Congress, the war in Iraq began with manipulated intelligence and no plan for success; our ports and other critical infrastructure remain vulnerable, while both soldiers in the field and first responders at home lack the basic equipment and resources they were promised. Both in the Persian Gulf and our own Gulf Coast, lucrative no-bid contracts have gone to companies such as Halliburton, Kellogg, Brown and Root, and others with friends in high places and records of cheating taxpayers. And despite record high fuel prices, our country remains heavily dependent on foreign oil because of an energy policy that benefits the big oil interests.
I especially like the description of how Smirky and the Republicans "manipulated intelligence", as well as the thematic linkage of "Persian Gulf" and "Gulf Coast".
Enact a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century that guarantees our troops -- active, reserve, and retired -- our veterans, and their families receive the pay, health care, mental health services, and other benefits they have earned and deserve.
This is a nice slam on the almost unseen and unknown Republican stripping away of Veterans benefits and services through their budgetary manipulations.
Eliminate terrorist breeding grounds by combating the economic, social, and political conditions that allow extremism to thrive; lead international efforts to uphold and defend human rights; and renew longstanding alliances that have advanced our national security objectives.
A wonderful encapsulation of what our country should have been doing all along, and would have been doing currently, if it weren't for Smirky's accession to his perceived throne in 2001.
Provide firefighters, emergency medical workers, police officers, and other workers on the front lines with the training, staffing, equipment, and cutting edge technology they need.
Protect America from biological terrorism and pandemics, including the Avian flu, by investing in the public health infrastructure and training public health workers.
Well now, this just makes good sense, doesn't it? Why isn't this being done currently? Oh, right, because this would reduce our dependence on private sector capital/influence, wouldn't it?
Hold the Bush Administration accountable for its manipulated pre-war intelligence, poor planning and contracting abuses that have placed our troops at greater risk and wasted billions of taxpayer dollars.
Oh manoman--wouldn't that be sweet? And finally:
Increase production of alternate fuels from America's heartland including bio-fuels, geothermal, clean coal, fuel cells, solar and wind; promote hybrid and flex fuel vehicle technology and manufacturing; enhance energy efficiency and conservation incentives.
It's a nifty document, even in skeletal form, isn't it? After months of waiting for the Dems to put 2 and 2 together for the American public, after months of disappointments, after too many lies and scandals seemingly overlooked, we finally have a decently simple batch of objectives to bring forth to the voters. Yes, it's too bland and doesn't contain specific numbers or dates, but this is what a mission statement is supposed to look like. The Democratic Party, and anyone who ascribes to this set of ideas and ideals, are not in power--we don't have the ability to implement any ideas into action until we the sane regain some semblance of control over this madness. This should be an easy platform on which to stand for all patriotic Americans, and it becomes instantly clear that it is the Republicans, and only the Republicans (seeing as how they have controlled both Congress and the White House--if not the Supreme Court as well--for all but 18 months of the last 62), who have ignored or actively worked against achieving these objectives. Amen!
After September 11, all Americans trusted President Bush to take the steps necessary to keep our country safe. Since then, inadequate planning and incompetent policies have failed to make Americans as safe as we should be. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina showed that the federal government was still not prepared to respond.
Under President Bush and the Republican majority in Congress, the war in Iraq began with manipulated intelligence and no plan for success; our ports and other critical infrastructure remain vulnerable, while both soldiers in the field and first responders at home lack the basic equipment and resources they were promised. Both in the Persian Gulf and our own Gulf Coast, lucrative no-bid contracts have gone to companies such as Halliburton, Kellogg, Brown and Root, and others with friends in high places and records of cheating taxpayers. And despite record high fuel prices, our country remains heavily dependent on foreign oil because of an energy policy that benefits the big oil interests.
I especially like the description of how Smirky and the Republicans "manipulated intelligence", as well as the thematic linkage of "Persian Gulf" and "Gulf Coast".
Enact a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century that guarantees our troops -- active, reserve, and retired -- our veterans, and their families receive the pay, health care, mental health services, and other benefits they have earned and deserve.
This is a nice slam on the almost unseen and unknown Republican stripping away of Veterans benefits and services through their budgetary manipulations.
Eliminate terrorist breeding grounds by combating the economic, social, and political conditions that allow extremism to thrive; lead international efforts to uphold and defend human rights; and renew longstanding alliances that have advanced our national security objectives.
A wonderful encapsulation of what our country should have been doing all along, and would have been doing currently, if it weren't for Smirky's accession to his perceived throne in 2001.
Provide firefighters, emergency medical workers, police officers, and other workers on the front lines with the training, staffing, equipment, and cutting edge technology they need.
Protect America from biological terrorism and pandemics, including the Avian flu, by investing in the public health infrastructure and training public health workers.
Well now, this just makes good sense, doesn't it? Why isn't this being done currently? Oh, right, because this would reduce our dependence on private sector capital/influence, wouldn't it?
Hold the Bush Administration accountable for its manipulated pre-war intelligence, poor planning and contracting abuses that have placed our troops at greater risk and wasted billions of taxpayer dollars.
Oh manoman--wouldn't that be sweet? And finally:
Increase production of alternate fuels from America's heartland including bio-fuels, geothermal, clean coal, fuel cells, solar and wind; promote hybrid and flex fuel vehicle technology and manufacturing; enhance energy efficiency and conservation incentives.
It's a nifty document, even in skeletal form, isn't it? After months of waiting for the Dems to put 2 and 2 together for the American public, after months of disappointments, after too many lies and scandals seemingly overlooked, we finally have a decently simple batch of objectives to bring forth to the voters. Yes, it's too bland and doesn't contain specific numbers or dates, but this is what a mission statement is supposed to look like. The Democratic Party, and anyone who ascribes to this set of ideas and ideals, are not in power--we don't have the ability to implement any ideas into action until we the sane regain some semblance of control over this madness. This should be an easy platform on which to stand for all patriotic Americans, and it becomes instantly clear that it is the Republicans, and only the Republicans (seeing as how they have controlled both Congress and the White House--if not the Supreme Court as well--for all but 18 months of the last 62), who have ignored or actively worked against achieving these objectives. Amen!
posted by bryduck at 12:31 PM
3 Comments:
Amen, indeed!
Neat-o. Except that the very first line, the first one you quoted anyway, contains a presumption that egregiously underestimates the electorate: I never trusted Bush to do anything to make me feel safer or better as an American.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that sound platforms, not bullshit family-values idiocy, will win in 2008.
Sure, you and I knew Smirky was evil, but telling people who didn't that they weren't as smart as we were (or even more to the point, that they were complicit in his evil) isn't good politics, especially since he presumably represented the majority of voters. Nobody likes being told they have been stupid or bad; it's much more palatable (and certainly not a falsehood in this case) to tell them they were lied to. I would definitely rather win than be 100% right in this particular fight.
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