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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (461832)	9/19/2003 3:27:05 PM
From: jlallen	Respond to of 769670

Pinhead fantasy.... You'd think you'd be tired of embarrassing yourself by now....you're even less creidble at this point than TP...if that's possible.... JLA

To: American Spirit who wrote (461832)	9/20/2003 11:10:41 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Clark Shifts Position on Iraq War Resolution On Hill Vote, 'Never' Replaces 'Probably' By Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, September 20, 2003; Page A10 Retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark reversed course yesterday on the issue of Iraq, saying that he would "never have voted" for the congressional resolution authorizing President Bush to go to war, just a day after saying that he likely would have voted for it. On a campaign trip to Florida on Thursday, Clark told reporters, after some equivocation, that he "probably" would have supported the Iraq resolution approved by Congress last fall, though he went on to say that he was "against the war as it emerged" and that he did not believe the war should have been launched when it was. That statement caught many of his supporters, as well as many of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, by surprise. Yesterday, in interviews with the Associated Press and Reuters before a speech in Iowa City, Clark offered a revised statement of his position. "Let's make one thing real clear: I would never have voted for this war," Clark told the AP. "I've gotten a very consistent record on this. There was no imminent threat. This was not a case of preemptive war. I would have voted for the right kind of leverage to get a diplomatic solution, an international solution to the challenge of Saddam Hussein." Clark's reversal on an issue that is central to his presidential candidacy underscored the challenges that a political newcomer -- even one with the high-level experience of the retired four-star general -- faces in entering the race for the White House with so little preparation and with the kind of media attention he has drawn. Clark has promised major speeches outlining his views on economic and other issues in the weeks ahead, as he tries to put in place the infrastructure of a presidential campaign almost on the fly. On Thursday, Clark said his views on Iraq were similar to those of two other Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) and John F. Kerry (Mass.). Both senators voted for the resolution, but Kerry was far more critical of Bush before the war started than was Lieberman, although Lieberman has been critical of the postwar effort. Yesterday's remarks in Iowa appear to put Clark in the same camp as Howard Dean and several others in the race who either verbally opposed or voted against the resolution. Strategists for several of his rivals expressed surprise at the latest turn in Clark's position. Some said the apparent flip-flop will hurt his candidacy. "I think one of his key attributes is he's a steady, experienced guy; and if you look like you're not sure what you want to say, it hurts," said Steve Elmendorf, senior adviser to Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.). "If you're going to make the case that 'I have 35 years of military experience and deep knowledge of military and foreign affairs,' on this issue, it would seem you would have a very clear idea of what you want to say," Elmendorf added. Jim Jordan, Kerry's campaign manager, was asked for his reaction. He sent the following via e-mail: "We'll withhold comment until the general's blue-ribbon team of consultants and advisers decide what his position actually is." Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi was less critical. "I know we were surprised yesterday [Thursday] when we heard he said he would have voted for the resolution," he said. "But, look, he just got in the race. This is a new world of politics, and I think you've got to give him some time so we can learn where his positions are. But we think he's going to have an impact on the race, and other candidates should take him seriously. We do." Clark's latest statement on Iraq may provide relief to supporters who were drawn to him because of his opposition to the war. Earlier this week, Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), one of Clark's most prominent backers, said that he could not back any candidate who supported the Iraq war. In his first appearance in Iowa, Clark told supporters: "The American people want informed, thoughtful, smart, compassionate, strategic leadership. That's what I learned to do in the United States Army." Later, more than 1,000 people attended Clark's speech on foreign policy, which had been scheduled before he entered the race and for which he was paid.

To: American Spirit who wrote (461832)	9/20/2003 11:14:04 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

<<<France seeks a timetable that would establish a provisional Iraqi government in a month, a draft constitution by year's end and elections next spring.>>> this is stupidity -- Leaders of Germany, France and Britain Call for U.N. Role in Iraq By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:44 a.m. ET BERLIN (AP) -- The leaders of Germany, France and Britain called for a significant U.N. role in Iraq and a quick transfer of power to the Iraqis. But at a hastily arranged summit Saturday, they disagreed on a timetable for handing over authority. The summit came as France, Germany and others in Europe are squaring off with Washington over how to run post-war Iraq. The United States wants to keep control of the administration and opposes a speedy handover of power, saying Iraqi officials are not ready. Britain has backed the stance that the transfer can't be rushed. The differences have come to the forefront as the United Nations debates a new U.S. draft resolution seeking international money and troops to help rebuild Iraq. France has said it wants the resolution to strengthen the U.N. role and to lay out a timetable for handing over power within months. After their two-hour summit, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he and France's Jacques Chirac and Britain's Tony Blair agreed on ``granting the United Nations a significant role and to work together to make possible a transfer of political responsibility to an Iraqi authority as quickly as possible.'' ``We are of the opinion that it is the task of the international community to give Iraq the chance for democracy and stability,'' Schroeder said. However, the leaders did not present a timetable or any details on how they envision a transition. Chirac indicated continued disagreement. The leaders still ``don't entirely agree on the means and the timetable,'' said the French president, who again insisted the transition of power to Iraqi authorities must be made in a matter of months.'' The summit brought together Schroeder and Chirac, the most powerful members of the anti-war camp, with Blair, the United States' closest ally, for the first time since the build-up to the Iraq war split Europe. ``Whatever differences there have been about the conflict, we all want to see a stable Iraq,'' Blair said. ``We all want to see Iraq make a transition to a democratic government as swiftly as possible, and we all know there must be a key role for the United Nations.'' Blair said the leaders agreed to leave the details up to diplomats at the United Nations, who have been working on a compromise to the U.S. draft resolution. Schroeder and Chirac have opposed the U.S. draft, which seeks to include countries who did not participate in the war in the rebuilding, because the United States retains too much control. France seeks a timetable that would establish a provisional Iraqi government in a month, a draft constitution by year's end and elections next spring. Aside from the debate over Iraq, the summit also sought to mend fences within Europe and avoid disruptive policy splits as the European Union prepares for government consultations on the addition of 10 new members next year and a common EU constitution, analysts say. ``They are trying to establish common ground early,'' said Reinhardt Rummel, foreign policy expert at the German Institute for International Security. In the pre-war tangle over Iraq, ``Europe as a whole lost. Now they say they must avoid this sort of worsening situation,'' he said. Blair, at the same time, appears to be trying to strengthen his ties with the Franco-German axis that forms the continent's economic and political core. ``Blair understands that Britain cannot be an adjunct to the United States,'' said Stanley Crossick, director of the Brussels-based European Policy Center. Even on Iraq, the pro-war and anti-war camps appear to be making a greater effort at reaching a common understanding -- both emphasizing the need for stability, Rummel said. Striking a conciliatory note, Schroeder wrote in an article published Friday that Germans and Americans should ``work together to win the peace'' and repeated Germany's offer to train Iraqi security forces, assist with reconstruction and provide humanitarian aid. ``We should now look toward the future,'' Schroeder wrote in an op-ed piece in the New York Times. ``We must work together to win the peace.'' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: American Spirit who wrote (461832)	9/20/2003 10:27:57 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

1. Andy Rooney on Monica. Can you believe it? Monica turned 28 this week. It seems like only yesterday that she was crawling round the White House on her hands and knees. 2. Andy Rooney on Vegetarians. Vegetarian - that's an old Indian word meaning "lousy hunter." 3. Andy Rooney on Prisoners. Did you know that it costs forty-thousand dollars a year to house each prisoner? Jeez, for forty-thousand bucks apiece I'll take a few prisoners into my house. I live in Los Angeles. I already have bars on the windows. I don't think we should give free room and board to criminals. I think they should have to run twelve hours a day on a treadmill and generate electricity. And, if they don't want to run, they can rest in the chair that's hooked up to the generator. 4. Andy Rooney on Fabric Softeners. My wife uses fabric softener. I never knew what that stuff was for. Then I noticed women coming up to me, sniffing, then saying under their breath, "Married!" and walking away. Fabric softeners are how our wives mark their territory. We can take off the ring. But, it's hard to get that April Fresh scent out of your clothes. 5. Andy Rooney on Morning Differences. Men and women are different in the morning. We men wake up aroused in the morning. We can't help it. We just wake up and we want you. And the women are thinking, "How can he want me the way I look in the morning?" It's because we can't see you. We have no blood anywhere near our optic nerve. 6. Andy Rooney on Phone-In-Polls. You know those shows where people call in and vote on different issues? Did you ever notice there's always like 18% that say "I don't know," It costs 90 cents to call up and vote and they're voting "I don't know." Give me the phone. (Says into the phone) "I DON'T KNOW!" (Hangs up looking proud.) "Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe you're not sure about." This guy probably calls up phone sex girls for $2.95 to say, "I'm not in the mood." 7. Andy Rooney on Cripes My wife's from the Midwest. Very nice people there. Very wholesome. They use words like 'Cripes' 'For Cripes sake,' Who would that be; Jesus Cripes? The son of 'Gosh' of the church of 'Holy Moly'? I'm not making fun of it. You think I wanna burn in 'Heck'? 8. Andy Rooney on Grandma I know a grandmother who has a bumper sticker on her car that says, 'Sexy Senior Citizen.' You don't want to think of your grandmother that way, do you? Out entering wet shawl contests. Makes you wonder where she got that dollar she gave you for your birthday. 9. Andy Rooney on Answering Machine Greetings Did you ever hear one of these corny positive greetings on someone's answering machine? "Hi, it's a great day and I'm out enjoying it right now. I hope you are too. Think Positive! The thought for the day is: Share the love." BEEP "Uh, yeah...this is the VD clinic calling....Speaking of being positive, your test results are back. Stop sharing the love.."