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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (93133)	4/9/2007 7:03:53 AM
From: puborectalis	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 173976

But there is little sign that the Baghdad push is accomplishing its main purpose: to create an island of stability in which Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds can try to figure out how to run the country together. There has been no visible move toward compromise on the main dividing issues, like regional autonomy and more power sharing between Shiites and Sunnis. For American troops, Baghdad has become a deadlier battleground as they have poured into the capital to confront Sunni and Shiite militias on their home streets. The rate of American deaths in the city over the first seven weeks of the security plan has nearly doubled from the previous period, though it has stayed roughly the same over all, decreasing in other parts of the country as troops have focused on the capital. American commanders say it will be months before they can draw conclusions about the campaign to secure Baghdad, and just more than half of the so-called surge of nearly 30,000 additional troops into the country have arrived. But at the same time, political pressure in the United States for quick results and a firm troop pullout date has become more intense than ever.

To: American Spirit who wrote (93133)	4/9/2007 9:28:06 AM
From: JeffA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

Ah yes, those "for the poor" Democrats living in a 5.3 MILLION dollar estate can really, really, relate to me. You see, the "little" guy in this story getting pushed around by the edwards could be me. This is what is wrong with Dems. This is their snotty, snooty, "entitled" elitist attitude, in a nutshell. I could never vote for this guy for anything. GUN, PROPERTY CONDITION FUEL ILL WILL Elizabeth Edwards afraid of neighbor She has never met `rabid Republican,' but wouldn't be nice MIKE BAKER Associated Press RALEIGH --Elizabeth Edwards says she is scared of the "rabid, rabid Republican" who owns property across the street from her Orange County home -- and she doesn't want her kids going near the gun-toting neighbor. Edwards, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, particularly recalls the time neighbor Monty Johnson brought out a gun while chasing workers investigating a right of way near his property. The Edwards family has yet to meet Johnson in person. "I wouldn't be nice to him, anyway," Edwards said in an interview. "I don't want my kids anywhere near some guy who, when he doesn't like somebody, the first thing he does is pull a gun out. It scares the business out of me." But Johnson defended the occasion he brandished a gun, saying those on his land didn't have the proper approval. "I use the gun for protection, and I considered that an appropriate time," Johnson said. "Sometimes you have to take drastic measures." Edwards views Johnson as a "rabid, rabid Republican" who refuses to clean up his "slummy" property just to spite her family, whose lavish 28,000-square-foot estate is nearby on 102 wooded acres. Johnson, 55, acknowledges his Republican roots. But he takes offense to the suggestion he has purposefully left his property, including an old garage he leases for use as a car shop, in dilapidated condition. Johnson said he has lived his entire life on the property, which he said his family purchased before the Great Depression. He said he's spent a lot of money to try and fix up the 42-acre tract. "I have to budget. I have to live within my means," Johnson said. "I don't have millions of dollars to fix the place." Johnson, who has posted a "Go Rudy Giuliani 2008" sign on a fence just 100 feet from the entrance to the Edwards' driveway, has criticized Edwards for the scale of their nearby home. The property and home, which includes an indoor basketball court, an indoor handball court and an indoor pool, is valued at $5.3 million. The Edwardses are still putting the final touches on the property, which they purchased in 2003. "I thought he was supposed to be for the poor people," Johnson said. "But does he ever socialize with any poor people? He doesn't speak to me." Johnson said he has put his property on the market, in part blaming the high property taxes for his decision to leave. He also wants to move for another reason. "I don't want to live somewhere where someone's always complaining about me," he said.