Dear Karl

From the diaries--Chris

Who could put the smack down to Karl Rove better than Kristen Breitweiser, one of the 9-11 widows who has been quite outspoken in highlighting the Bush and Republican hypocrisy. This is a must read:

More to the point, Karl when you say, "Conservatives saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and prepared for war," what exactly did you do to prepare for your war? Did your preparations include: sound intelligence to warrant your actions; a reasonable entry and exit strategy coupled with a coherent plan to carry out that strategy; the proper training and equipment for the troops you were sending in to fight your war? Did you follow the advice of experts such as General Shinseki who correctly advised you about the troop levels needed to actually succeed in Iraq? No, you didn't.

It has always been America's policy that you only place soldiers' lives in harm's way when it is absolutely necessary and the absolute last resort. When you send troops into combat you support those troops by providing them with proper equipment and training. Why didn't you do that with the troops that you sent into Iraq? Why weren't their vehicles armored? Why didn't they have protective vests? Why weren't they properly trained about the rules of interrogation? And Karl, when our troops come home - be it tragically in body bags or with missing limbs - you should honor and acknowledge their service to their country. You shouldn't hide them by bringing them home in the dark of night. Most importantly, you should take care of them for the long haul by giving them substantial veteran's benefits and care. To me, that is being patriotic. To me, that is how you support our troops. To me, that is how you show that you know the value of a human life given for its country.

For the record Karl, does Iraq have any connection to the 9/11 attacks? Because, you and your friends with your collective "understanding of 9/11" seem to be contradicting yourselves about the Iraq-9/11 connection, too. First, we were told that we went to war with Iraq because it was linked to the 9/11 attacks. Then, your rationale was changed to "Iraq has WMD". Then you told us that we needed to invade Iraq because Saddam was a "bad man". And now it turns out that we are in Iraq to bring them "democracy."


I have absolutely nothing to add. Please share this with everyone you know. This should be required reading for every American.

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Comments

11 Comments

As good as the excerpt is...
... the whole thing is even better.  This was a very strong, eloquent, and patriotic essay.

Thanks for the link.

by teknofyl 2005-06-24 08:36AM | 0 recs
Re: As good as the excerpt is...
This is just an appetizer. The whole thing is remarkable and a must read.
by michael in chicago 2005-06-24 08:48AM | 0 recs
truly
we need to do what we can to give her a bigger platform for her voice.  she's so powerful, so eloquent... it saddens me to think that she is still fighting this battle years after she lost her husband. it just breaks me heart.
thanks for linking this michael. it is well worth reading.
by annatopia 2005-06-24 09:51AM | 0 recs
Vote for the Greatest American (NOT the Gipper)
A couple of right wing sites are all over this (namely www.right-thinking.com).  They're trying to get the Gipper voted as greatest American... ever.  Please, help stop them and vote for Ben Franklin, or someone else.  Be sure to vote all three times.

Thanks, Paul

http://tv.channel.aol.com/greatestamerican

by twochoices 2005-06-24 09:55AM | 0 recs
This is how it is done
by bruh21 2005-06-24 10:06AM | 0 recs
Re: This is how it is done
Agreed.

But lets take look at why.

  1.  She takes him at his word.  He says he is a patriot, she doesn't directly rebuf this.

  2.  She uses his symbol in the way that people understand it.  He made a claim of being the patriot(even though he used different words), she just explained what being a patriot means to normal people.

  3.  She then tore him a new one because he doesn't meet the measure of a patriot that most people use in America.  Most importantly because he doesn't meet the measure most REPUBLICANS use.  The power in this essay is that it speaks to the opposition.

  4.  Only when she had demolished him did she slip in Health care for soldiers as a part of being supportive.  This also highlights subtly how our healthcare message while not sexy is part of a broader held patriotism of actions rather than BS patriotism of talking.
by donkeykong 2005-06-24 10:54AM | 0 recs
Re: This is how it is done
Exactly, she's demolishing him. She's focused on his weaknesses. They are many. She's not self absorbed enough to argue over top people's heads because unlike a lot of the left- she's lost something. It matters to her what this President does and does not do. It's sad what happened, but in my opinion she has something that I see lacking in alot of the "intellectual" rhectoric. She has passion because it's not just intellect. Don't get me wrong- I see it here and on other blogs every once in a while, but in them attempt to sound logical and reasonable, what ends up happening is something more akin to sounding like victims. There is not sense of that with what she's saying. Instead, it feels like Rove is talking to his equal. In trying to asking for an appology rather than saying, "you know what I don't want your appology. What I want is for you to do what you haven't done in over 3 years- which is find Osama. If you can do that- that would be a start. I want you to win the war or set a date and come home." All those things are how someone sounds if they are not whiny and afraid to act. Asking for an apology is a weaker stance.
by bruh21 2005-06-24 04:54PM | 0 recs
Re: This is how it is done
sorry for all the typos.
by bruh21 2005-06-24 04:56PM | 0 recs
Rove/GIPPER
Amen--I wouldn't vote for the GIPPER if he were the last American on earth (I leave as an exercise to the reader how RR could be the last one while I was alive to vote for him). I hope they hooked up a swere pipe to the GIPPER'S head in hell and are pumping it full of shit, because that's all he had between his ears while alive.

As for Rove, he's going to look so STUPID staggering around hell, shrieking in a giant flame as he tries to explain to everyone he meets that he did it all for a good cause.

by GaryHobson 2005-06-24 10:07AM | 0 recs
Democrats should boycott cable
Not a single Democrat should go on any cable "news" show until this woman's story has been told. There is not a single Democrat that has anything to say to the American people that compares.

No issue is as important. No voice is as powerful.

by Gary Boatwright 2005-06-24 10:19AM | 0 recs
action for the day
click here to take action against john bolton via senator boxer's pac for a change.  please urge your senators to push bush toward picking someone else to go to the UN.  it takes all of 30 seconds. go do it!
by annatopia 2005-06-24 10:40AM | 0 recs

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