In the aftermath of the Republican Convention, the truth is hurting the Democrats and Senator John Kerry.
The truth hurts. In the aftermath of the Republican Convention, the truth is hurting the Democrats and Senator John Kerry.
It was delicious to watch the mainstream media go apoplectic over Senator Zell Miller’s factual presentation of Senator Kerry’s record. He outlined his liberal colleague’s abysmal voting record on defense initiatives for the past twenty years, upbraiding Kerry for refusing to sign an appropriations bill that would have armed our troops in Iraq. For this in-your-face honesty, Senator Zell’s “rant” was called mean-spirited, and I saw the words “old coot” recorded on many web logs.
What the press didn’t say is that Senator Kerry began bashing President Bush the moment he accepted his Party’s nomination. President Bush became the target of incessant media assaults from mainstream newspapers, Hollywood, billionaires George Soros and Peter Lewis, and malicious ads from Moveon.org. For the past year, they’ve done their damage on President Bush’s war policies and character. Now, the GOP has their convention and tells the truth about Kerry’s record (or lack thereof) and they are called vicious.
It would be difficult to pick a perfect moment from this convention, or a shining star. The biggest crowd pleaser had to be Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s quite an achievement to come to America unable to speak a word of English and through persistence and determination become governor of the largest state. Arnold’s “You know you’re a Republican” speech was mesmerizing, but it was aimed at immigrants, letting them know there’s no stopping the fulfillment of the American dream. That’s quite a contrast from the angry, pessimistic American-born failures that paraded outside Madison Square Garden.
In my view, President Bush’s acceptance speech was flawlessly delivered and substantive. He was both visionary and reflective of his administration’s accomplishments. He summarized them: sweeping education reform which improved students’ test scores and held teachers accountable, the prescription drug plan for seniors which strengthened Medicare, and tax relief. Despite angry protests to the contrary, President Bush has done more to fight AIDS than his predecessor, with a $15 billion dollar package to Africa, where the disease started. No Republican has ever spent more money on domestic programs.
The Democrats wrongly accuse President Bush of not fighting al-Qaeda. They falsely claim that we must find Osama bin-Laden to win this war. The significance of Osama’s capture has been blown way out of proportion to our war strategy for protecting America. The hatred of western culture and other religions is what motivates Islamic fascists to kill. Their convictions to dismantle America’s way of life are deep-rooted and do not require a spiritual leader. Leaders can always be replaced. Once Osama bin-Laden is captured, the terrorists will reorganize and continue as before unless we destroy their network, which extends around the globe.
The proof can be found in Israel. Because of non-stop homicide bombings by Hamas terrorists, the Israeli army assassinated Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and shortly thereafter assassinated his replacement, Ahmed Rantisi. That did not stop the slaughter of innocent Israelis, as witnessed by the two busses that blew up last week for which Hamas takes credit.
Another tragic act of terrorism occurred in the town of Beslan near Chechnya, where Chechen terrorists and external Arab (al-Qaeda operatives) slaughtered over 350 children and injured 700 in a hostage takeover at their school. It was later discovered they had used an al-Qaeda training manual. President Bush responded by stating that it was “another grim reminder of the length to which terrorists will go to threaten this civilized world.”
Osama bin Laden may be difficult to locate, but that does not mean we cannot prevent future attacks on America. There is proof of that, too: no attacks on U.S. soil over the past three years. President Bush’s war has been a resounding success, but it’s difficult for American voters to appreciate a hidden achievement.
The lowest point was the Kerry/Edwards rebuttal shown live from Ohio, which came across as angry, bitter and desperate. Senator Kerry called President Bush unfit to lead. “They can’t talk about their record because it’s a record of failure,” he said. President Bush’s entire speech was about his record; Mr. Kerry has no record in the Senate to speak of, and he hasn’t.
That Kerry maligned President Bush and Vice President Cheney’s credibility as war leaders by labeling them draft dodgers is hypocritical. His own running mate John Edwards received a student deferment from military service. Unlike Edwards, President Bush enlisted in the National Guard. To claim the current administration is a failure will backfire, as President Bush’s war efforts are working.
The New York Times issued a denigrating editorial in response to the Vice President’s speech:
It was depressing to hear Dick Cheney, who spoke on Wednesday night, repeat his crowd-pleasing snipe against Senator Kerry for calling for “a more sensitive war on terror.” It was a phony criticism, given that Mr. Bush has used almost identical language in the past.
The contexts were different, which the Times ignores. President Bush’s first comment was made in March 2001, before we were attacked. Last month the President said that “we need to be very sensitive” when gathering intelligence and interrogating suspected terrorists. Mr. Cheney clearly was speaking in a broad sense; that you can’t win a war against a deadly enemy using diplomacy.
But worse, it signaled that Mr. Cheney and the administration’s other hit men will spend the next two months trying to sell their failed approach to foreign policy, and encouraging Americans to believe that anyone who acknowledges that the United States needs to take a more patient and humble approach to the world is in league with the girlie men.
I’d like to see New York Times publisher Pinch Sulzberger try to sell his patient, humble approach to the parents of those dead Russian kids, shot in the back by terrorist animals while screaming and fleeing.
Islamic fascists do not see shades of gray, as the young victims near Chechnya, found out. Yes, this GOP Convention presented terrorism as black and white, right and wrong, moral and immoral and good and evil, and they will continue to do so. For that, America should be grateful.
bcr1954@hotmail.com
Read more articles by Bonnie Chernin Rogoff
