ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE AL QAEDA SCRIPT

Yesterday President Bush made a speech to the Military Officers Association in Washington D.C.  The transcript can be found in the reading assignments. 

One part of the speech is especially interesting.  Bush was discussing some of the messages that our intelligence forces have found in captured Al Qaeda documents.  Here's a portion of Bush's speech where he discusses a letter from Osama bin Laden to Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Secondly, along with this campaign of terror, the enemy has a propaganda strategy. Osama bin Laden laid out this strategy in a letter to the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, that coalition forces uncovered in Afghanistan in 2002. In it, bin Laden says that al Qaeda intends to "launch," in his words, "a media campaign to create a wedge between the American people and their government." This media campaign, bin Laden says, will send the American people a number of messages, including "that their government will bring them more losses in finances and casualties." And he goes on to say that "they are being sacrificed to serve the big investors, especially the Jews." Bin Laden says that by delivering these messages, al Qaeda "aims at creating pressure from the American people on the American government to stop their campaign against Afghanistan."

So ... a question.  Are you living up to Osama's expectations?  If you're a Democrat, or if you're living in a tree house in Crawford, Texas, the answer is probably "yes."

DEMOCRATS TAKING ON NATIONAL SECURITY

The mid-term elections are 2 months away and like the Republicans, the Democrats have internal polling.  They know the war in Iraq is unpopular and George W. Bush is their lightning rod they can use to their advantage in advertising and their campaigns.  But they also know one other thing.

They know that Americans perceive them as being weak on national security. 

There's a reason for that.  Democrats ARE weak on national security.  We'll get to that in a minute. 

So the Democratic Party has decided to try and close the gap a bit...and are now on the offensive when it comes to the issue.  Just yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid tried took a shot at George W. Bush, saying "Under the Bush administration and this Republican Congress, America is less safe, facing greater threats and unprepared for the dangerous world in which we live."  The GOP shot back that there have been no terrorist attacks in 5 years and all Reid and his bunch want to do is cut and run in Iraq.  That's also true.

But whenever Democrats try to bring up this idea that we're so vulnerable national security-wise under the Bush Administration, the media never holds them accountable for what they did the last time they had the reins.  It wasn't that long ago that Bill Clinton was President of the United States (even though some of us may be trying to forget.)  Let's take a peek at the record, shall we?

It was during the Clinton Administration that we experienced attack and after attack by Islamic terrorists...and nothing was done about it.  The first World Trade Center bombing?  Nothing.  The debacle in Somalia?  No response.  The bombing of our African embassies?  Zero action.  Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia?  The Democrats did nothing.  All the while, Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were emboldened....propped up by our appeasement strategy.  During the 8 years of the Clinton Administration, Islamic terrorists plotted and planned their greatest attack:  September 11th.  And so they pulled it off.

And it was the policies and procedures of the Clinton Administration that benefited the 9/11 hijackers, right up until the end.  They could have been caught, but "the wall" put into place during Jamie Gorelick's tenure at the Department of Justice prevented the sharing of intelligence across agencies.  And yet she was put on the 9/11 Commission.

That's what the media should be asking the Democrats about when they want to say they're better on national security.  But it'll never happen.

SHOULD RUMSFELD STEP DOWN?

Donald Rumsfeld... has got to go is doing a heck of a job who?

Numerous Democrats have been calling recently for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld.  They didn't like it too much when Rumsfeld compared those opposed to the War on Terror to the Nazi appeasers in the late 1930's.  As the saying goes, if the shoe fits, wear it.  At any rate, the conventional wisdom on the Left is that Rummy screwed up the war, so he should have to go.  He should be fired.  Let's look at that reasoning.

Rumsfeld has been President Bush's Secretary of Defense for his entire tenure as president, since January of 2001.  During that time, Rumsfeld has guided the Pentagon through two major wars...the one in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.  The first was seen as a smashing success....the latter not so much these days.  But what Democrats and the media are missing is that Rumsfeld was also just as successful in Iraq.

Remember the invasion in March of 2003?  It took only a matter of days for Rumsfeld's military to march to Baghdad and put the Iraqi military in surrender mode.  Uday and Qusay were killed.  Saddam was captured.  By any measure of military success, the invasion was a roaring success with minimal casualties.  So Rumsfeld gets the credit for that.  So what has he done wrong?

He gets blamed for everything...but really, he shouldn't.  Take Iraq.  Was it Rumsfeld's decision to disband the Iraqi military, creating a security nightmare?  Nope.  That one belongs to former administrator Paul Bremer.  What about the decision to allow the looting to take place after the invasion?  Rumsfeld wasn't running the show in Iraq then either.  Is it Donald Rumsfeld that is running the insurgency that has been so hard to get rid of?  Hardly.

Oh..but there's Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.  The alleged abuses that took place there are surely his fault!  Not if you believe the investigations that took place.  There's no evidence the higher ups had anything to do with or knew anything about any sort of abuses.  That doesn't make it right, but it doesn't make Rumsfeld guilty of anything.

So in the end, Rumsfeld stays.  And he'll probably stay in his job right up until Bush leaves office, just to irritate the Democrats.

CINDY SHEEHAN BACK IN THE NEWS

Ladies and gentlemen .. introducing the face of the American pacifist, appeasement, anti-war movement!  Barking Moonbat Cindy Sheehan!

You know that your day wouldn't be complete without your daily dose of the goings-on of the Crawford Crackpot, Cindy Sheehan.  She's the anti-war protester that has set up shop down at President Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch the past couple years.  She drifts in and out of the news, doing one thing or another to get some attention.  But the latest headlines concern her new house she's planning on building.

You see, she bought a plot of land down there near the Bushes, but she had somebody buy it for her, knowing that nobody would want to sell to her.  She was right.  Once the person who sold realized it was for her, they immediately regretted the transaction.  But Cindy Sheehan has her property.  And now she wants to build a house.  But not just any house.

According to "Mother Sheehan,"  her new digs will be a tree house.  She gave an interview to the Waco Tribune in which she talked about her plans.  Actually ... it's rather appropriate.  A moonbat treehouse.  I wonder if she'll put some straps in there so she can hang upside-down from a limb while sleeping at night.

Come on now ... is this the best the peace-at-any-price movement in the U.S. can come up with? 

THE END OF DELTA PILOT PENSIONS

A federal judge has given Delta Airlines permission to end its pension program for pilots. 

Next step?  Delta goes to some outfit called the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to put an official end to the plan. 

Next step?  The taxpayers step in and pay a goodly portion of the pension benefits for retired Delta pilots.

Many of these pilots spent their entire careers steadfastly doing their difficult jobs with the understanding that when the government forced them to retire at 60 a comfortable pension would be waiting for them.  Now most of them will be trying to find a way to go on without having to go back to work or reduce their standard of living.

These Delta pilots aren't alone.  They have plenty of company in retirees from other companies who have also eliminated pension plans.  All of these people have one thing in common.  They relied on others for their retirement planning.

The sure way to avoid what is happening to these pilots, and what has happened to so many other American retirees, is to assume the responsibility and control of your own retirement planning from the very beginning.  When you invest the money that you earn into your own retirement account ... no company can come along and say "Hey, times are rough.  We're ending your pension program."  You're self-reliant!  You're immune from some third party's determination to raid and destroy your pension fund!

Sadly, the people of this country just don't have this type of an independent streak.  Minor decision, minor planning ... that's fine.  Americans don't have any problem coping with the freedom to decide what to eat for dinner tonight, where to go on vacation, or what book to read.  When it comes to the truly important issues:  How to provide for my family's heath care, how to plan for and fund a retirement plan and how to educate my child ... it's always somebody else's job.  Preferably the government. 

Several years ago Americans were given the choice of whether or not to support a simple plan to allow them to take just two percent of their earnings ... money that was going to be taken by Social Security anyway ... and invest it in a private pension plan over which they would have sole and complete control.  They passed.  This was just too much of a burden for most Americans.  They didn't want the responsibility of having to figure out where to invest that money.  Just let the government do it.

The rejection of the plan to partially privatize Social Security gave us a terrifying look into the psyche of the American worker.  Freedom is fine, as long as it doesn't entail to much responsibility.  When the going gets tough, go to the government.

The pensions for these Delta pilots were not guaranteed by the law or by our government.  Well, guess what?  Either are your Social Security benefits.  Watch how the pilots handle this situation.  You may have to emulate them at some point.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW CBS NEWS

Last night Queen Couric made her debut on the CBS Evening News.

Big deal.

I haven't watched a network newscast for five years, and I don't see any need to start now.  Anyone who would rather watch Couric on CBS than Brit Hume on Fox News Channel needs help anyway.

I did read the reviews though.  When I found out that Katie and CBS actually gave precious time out of about 20 minutes of actual news coverage to Tom Cruise's baby ... well, that about said it all.

Bread and circuses.

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

You know, you almost wouldn't mind being stuck behind this going 15 mph down a country road where you can't pass. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Thanks to the listener who alerted me to this from Captain Capitalism!  In this blog entry the good Captain puts to absolute and final rest the idea that Bush's economic policies are creating more poor people.  Gotta read this!

And here's another blog for you to read ...especially if you are somewhat lacking in your understanding of economics.  This one is entitled "Americans Hate their Fabulous Economy."  You can drive your bedwetting friends nuts with this stuff.

Tony Blankley provides us with a history of appeasement (it's not always a bad thing) and offers an opinion as to whether or not appeasement will work with radical Islamists.

Democrats are going to campaign for the next 61 days on the "incompetence" of the Bush Administration.  Cal Thomas sets the record straight.  The economy is doing great.  Unemployment is down. 

Here is a transcript of President Bush's remarks before the Military Officers Association of America yesterday in Washington D.C.

Well, Katie Couric has her first CBS Evening News broadcast under her belt.  So far the reviews are that she did O.K.  Of course, the proof will be in the ratings...or the lack thereof. 

This is the smack down we've all been waiting for:  White House Press Secretary Tony Snow got into it with NBC's David Gregory.  Gregory accused Snow of pointing at him and Snow called Gregory rude.  You can read the whole exchange here.

Here's the entire letter from White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten to Harry Reid on why his ideas for Iraq are misguided and why they're not going to fire Don Rumsfeld.  It will be interesting to see if Reid replies.

The hot rumor in  the UK is that British Prime Minister Tony Blair will step down as Labour leader on May 31, 2007 and leave office entirely July 26th next year.  This will make his tenure in office an even 10 years.  But the pro-appeasement forces in Britain aren't reacting too kindly to his retirement plans.

Michelle Malkin is challenging her readers with a post-September 11th vocabulary test.  She brings everybody up to speed on the different terminology of Islamic terrorists and how it relates to the rest of us.  But don't expect the mainstream media to tell you about any of these terms.

Pat Buchanan says what many are thinking....that the only hope the GOP has of retaining control of the House and Senate is to take control of the illegal immigration issue....and now.  As an example of this possibility, Buchanan points to Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania's poll numbers.

Discrimination is thought to be a bad thing, but Dr. Walter E. Williams asks a most politically incorrect question in his new column.  What if discrimination were truly outlawed?  Williams says we all discriminate every day.

This should wake up Republican voters and send them scrambling to the polls on November 7th.  Former impeached Federal Judge Alcee Hastings would become chairman of the House Intelligence Committee under Speaker Pelosi.

Cal Thomas turns the table on the Democrats...and wonders since they blamed George Bush for high gas prices last summer, will they be giving him credit for their decrease in the past few weeks?  Somehow I doubt it.

Thomas Sowell says the only difference between today's liberals and the now-defunct Soviet Empire is that the Soviet Union imposed its doctrine by force.  You'll be surprised by the similarities, though.

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