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Politics : THE VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (5427)	1/17/2004 11:30:47 PM
From: calgal	Respond to of 6358

Clark Hints at Bush's Military Service BY TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer PEMBROKE, N.H. - Wesley Clark (news - web sites) suggested Saturday that questions remain about President Bush (news - web sites)'s Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard, but the retired general stopped short of endorsing a comment by actor-director Michael Moore that Bush was "a deserter." AP Photo Reuters Slideshow: Wesley Clark Latest headlines: · Kerry in Iowa Is Boosted by His Vietnam Past Reuters - 6 minutes ago · Dems Crisscross Iowa for Caucus Support AP - 14 minutes ago · Clark Hints at Bush's Military Service AP - 25 minutes ago Special Coverage Moore, a Clark supporter, introduced the Democratic presidential nominee at a campaign rally here by saying he looked forward to debates between Clark, if he wins the Democratic nomination, and Bush. "I want to see that debate: the general versus the deserter," Moore said to enthusiastic applause at a packed rally in a high-school gymnasium, reiterating a line he uses frequently. Clark, asked later by reporters if he agreed with Moore's characterization of Bush as a "deserter," said: "I've heard those charges. I don't know whether they're established or not. He was never prosecuted for it. The question in this election is can we bring a higher standard of leadership to America." The exchange recalled a controversy that was an element of the 2000 presidential campaign. Bush served as a pilot in the Texas Air National Guard from May 1968 to October 1973, mostly flying F-102 fighter interceptors. He did not go to Vietnam. Bush spent most of his time in the Guard based near Houston, but in May 1972 he received a three-month assignment in Alabama with the 187th Tactical Recon Unit in Montgomery while he worked on a political campaign in the state. Retired Gen. William Turnipseed, a commander at the Alabama base, said during the 2000 presidential campaign that he never saw Bush appear for duty for that unit's drills. Bush maintains he was there, but records have never been produced to document that Bush was there. At a news conference after the rally, Clark insisted, "I'm not going to get into the issues of what George W. Bush did or didn't do in the past." But he also declined to criticize Moore's "deserter" remarks. "I'm delighted with Michael Moore, I really appreciate his support, he's a fantastic leader. I thank him tremendously for being here." Clark was the only Democratic presidential candidate campaigning in New Hampshire on Saturday. Most of his rivals were in Iowa. Clark, a late entry, decided to skip Iowa. In New Hampshire, his ratings in polls were increasing, putting him within striking distance of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (news - web sites), who remained the front-runner here. Earlier, in Laconia, in the lake region of central New Hampshire, Clark said that one reason New Hampshire property taxes are high is the state has no income or general sales tax. "Some of the responsibility for your high property taxes is a function of your state government and leadership in the state," Clark said in response to a question at a campaign stop. High property taxes are a perennial political issue in New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary Jan. 27. Iowa's contest on Monday involves caucuses, rather than a primary. In a brief interview after his appearance in Laconia, Clark said he did not intend his remarks as criticism of New Hampshire's tax system, which he said is the responsibility of the state's lawmakers and voters. "I'm not passing judgment on it one way or another," he said. Clark was responding to a teacher who complained that underfunding of the federal No Child Left Behind Act was driving up local property taxes. Clark said he would fully fund the act and reform it, reducing the financial burden on communities. "To be honest with you, in New Hampshire you don't have a sales tax for most of your purchases, and you don't have an income tax as most states do," he said to a large round of applause. Only New Hampshire and Alaska have neither general sales nor income taxes, and Alaska has substantial oil revenues. URL:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20040118/...

To: calgal who wrote (5427)	1/17/2004 11:30:57 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6358

What's wrong with having a temper? Neil Cavuto (archive) January 17, 2004 \| Print \| Send So Howard Dean has a temper. I wouldn't know closely following the guy. But apparently many of his Democratic opponents make a big deal over it. Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I mean, is a temper a bad thing? Look, I'm half-Italian and half-Irish. I figure I was born with a temper. My Irish mother used to joke and let her more "cerebral" side prevail. Oftentimes, it didn't. But that's not my point here; this fuss about Dean's temper is. I think we need people with tempers. Tempers are good. Tempers show passion. Tempers show commitment to a cause and a determination to go after those who will block your cause. There's everything wrong with getting angry for nothing; there is nothing wrong with getting angry for something. Believe me, I am far from square on Dean's political positions . . . some, like rescinding the president's tax cuts, are out to lunch. His view on the Iraq war, to me at least, seems naive. But I do admire the guy for passionately believing these things, or at least looking like he passionately believes these things. He shouts at President Bush. He shouts about Iraq. He shouts about the economy. He shouts about people who say he shouldn't shout. Opponents love to capitalize on a guy with a temper because they think they know how to push his buttons or get him to snap. I know I sound crazy here, but I love it when candidates snap, when they show what really gets their goat. I know it was a small thing, but remember when the first President Bush made a big stink about how he hated broccoli? I loved it! It was the first time I saw this guy get really passionate about something. The same with Ronald Reagan some years earlier when he was campaigning for the presidency and made a big stink out of who could and couldn't talk at a New Hampshire Republican debate, funded in part by the candidates themselves. "I paid for this microphone!" he shouted, and the rest was kind of history. I remember the story as well about Bill Clinton losing it with economic advisers in the first few weeks of his administration, when, in an effort to appease the financial markets, his aides were calling for strict deficit-control measures. "I guess we're all Eisenhower Republicans," he allegedly snapped. Lyndon Johnson used to throw things at television images of Walter Cronkite. Jack Kennedy went apoplectic when reluctant Southern governors weren't toeing his non-segregation line. And who can forget how Harry Truman ripped into a reviewer of his daughter's singing abilities by vowing when he was done with him, he might need some support "down below." Or how our current president ripped a certain New York Times reporter during the campaign, calling him a major league ass----. These very human, often very in-your-face confrontations don't make me think less of these guys. They make me think more of them. Sometimes candidates and politicians are so packaged, so restrained, so vanilla, that you don't get any real idea if they have any real concern. Showing a temper, maybe even throwing in a curse word or two, conveys passion and anger . . . real emotions in an often illusory world. I say, shout it, curse it, throw it and have at it. We could all do a lot worse than have the guys who want to be our leaders get a lot more passionate. ©2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc. URL:http://www.townhall.com/columnists/neilcavuto/nc20040117.shtml