Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: jlallen who wrote (714816)	11/23/2005 6:37:02 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

War of Words: Country needs honest debate, not name-calling 09:22 AM CST on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 With President Bush overseas, Rep. John Murtha's stunning call for an immediate pullout from Iraq skirted the long-standing custom of not criticizing a sitting president when he's out of the country. No doubt the Pennsylvania Democrat's comments were heartfelt, and they weren't deserving of the public excoriation he received from a White House spokesman, who suggested that the decorated Marine was somehow unpatriotic and compared him to filmmaker Michael Moore. To his credit, Mr. Bush came to the congressman's defense, but not before congressional Democrats and Republicans erupted in a vicious war of words. Said the president: "This is not an issue of who's a patriot and who's not patriotic. It's an issue of an honest, open debate about the way forward in Iraq." It's a way of life in Washington – pithy sound bites and recriminations obscuring legitimate policy debates. Democrats set the ball in motion with still unproven allegations that the administration lied about whether Saddam Hussein's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction. But the Republicans kept it rolling. The administration has to recognize that the public and congressional debate over Iraq has entered a new phase, one in which sharp rebukes will not suffice as open and honest public discourse. Criticism is not coming just from the political fringes, but also from mainstream moderates of both parties. The Republican-controlled Senate last week approved a proposal to seek from the administration additional quarterly reports on the war's progress. And, as Mr. Murtha said: "It's the public that is thirsting for an answer to this thing. ... They don't want a war of words. This is a real war where people are being hurt, and they want a solution to this very difficult problem." Mr. Murtha's call for a rapid withdrawal is impractical and counterproductive to efforts to stabilize Iraq. Asking hard questions about the progress in Iraq isn't. It's a debate the nation must continue to have, and one the Bush administration must facilitate. And it's a debate that will be most productive if it is done without partisan recriminations from either corner that relegate our courageous soldiers to political pawns. Online at: dallasnews.com

To: jlallen who wrote (714816)	11/23/2005 6:38:03 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

Rep. Schmidt Backs Off 'Coward' Comment 2 hours, 9 minutes ago news.yahoo.com Ohio Republican Jean Schmidt said Tuesday she should have rephrased her sharp critique of a fellow congressman's call to immediately pull troops from Iraq. Schmidt was booed off the floor of the U.S. House on Friday after she criticized Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record), D-Pa., saying that "cowards cut and run, Marines never do." When Schmidt made the comment, Democrats rose in protest at the suggestion that Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran and the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, was a coward. Schmidt said the comment was prompted by a conversation she had with state Rep. Danny Bubp, though he denies discussing Murtha with Schmidt. Schmidt, who sent Murtha a note of apology on Friday moments after her speech, said in a statement Tuesday that she never intended to attack Murtha personally. "While I strongly disagree with his policy, neither Representative Bubp nor I ever wished to attack Congressman Murtha," she said. "I only take exception to his policy position." Bubp said in a statement of his own Tuesday that his conversation with Schmidt "was based strictly on the proposal to immediately withdraw our troops from Iraq and the consequences of such a proposal." Schmidt declined during an interview on Cincinnati radio station WLW to discuss her fellow Republican's denial: "I was repeating words. I am not going to get into that debate." Neither Schmidt nor Bubp returned calls left at their offices Tuesday. Murtha has called Schmidt's comment ridiculous. "You can't spin this. You've got to have a real solution," Murtha said Monday when asked about her remarks at a news conference in Pennsylvania. "This is not a war of words, this is a war." Other Republicans also criticized Murtha for calling for the withdrawal of troops. President Bush and other administration officials have since said that while they don't agree with Murtha, they do not question his patriotism. Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.