Are Melody Townsel's allegations against John Bolton uncorroborated?
Is it true she doesn't have a single witness to back up her claims?
Is she a self-described "very liberal Democrat," who helped organize the Dallas chapter of "Mothers Opposing Bush" during the 2004 presidential campaign?
Did she fail to come forward with her complaint in 2001, when the same committee was considering Bolton's nomination for undersecretary of state?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
Since this is the case, I think it would be wise for Democrats and their liberal media mouthpieces to stop repeating her charges.
Friday, April 29, 2005
HILLARY CLINTON PLAYS WITH WORDS AND REALITY
I have finally figured out Hillary Clinton.
I used to wonder why she stayed with Bill, a serial philanderer with no respect for her or their marriage vows.
I wondered how she could tolerate his lies.
Now, I understand. She has the ability to create a reality that fits her needs. This isn't the same as Bill's compartmentalization. (He was very effective at compartmentalizing his marriage at opportune moments.)
Hillary is a master at denying the truth, massaging the facts, and reconstructing reality, so that it becomes completely unrecognizable to observers. Just by saying something, she believes she can make it real.
This technique proves very useful when the truth doesn't conform to the image she wishes to present to her supporters and those she hopes to win over.
From the New York Times:
In an interview on Thursday, Mrs. Clinton called Admiral Jacoby's statement "the first confirmation, publicly, by the administration that the North Koreans have the ability to arm a missile with a nuclear device that can reach the United States," adding, "Put simply, they couldn't do that when George Bush became president, and now they can."
While this may be technically true, her statement suggests it is the President's fault. She assigns negligence to the Bush administration. In effect, she says Bill had North Korea under control and President Bush mismanaged policy, resulting in Kim Jong Il's possible capacity to hit the U.S. with a nuclear weapon.
What a joke!
Does she really think that she can suggest that her dearest Bill isn't responsible? Obviously, she does believe she can get away with it. How wrong she is!
In July, 1999, Daryl M. Plunk wrote an analysis of Bill Clinton's North Korea policy.
(Excerpts)
When South Korean President Kim Dae Jung visits Washington, D.C., on July 2 for a summit with President Bill Clinton, the discussion of "rewards" for North Korea should be linked to clear concessions from Pyongyang that lead to peace. The Korean Peninsula--the most heavily militarized spot on earth--is the only place where an outbreak of war would result in the swift and heavy loss of American lives.
Despite $419 million in aid to North Korea since 1995, the Clinton Administration has not achieved any reduction in the threat North Korea poses to the South, the region, and the United States. On August 31, 1998, for example, North Korea launched a Taepo Dong-1 missile over Japan, achieving intercontinental range. On June 14, 1999, its ships exchanged fire with the South's ships in the Yellow Sea--the first such exchange since the Korean War. Future aid to the North must be linked to real concessions that reduce the likelihood of such belligerence and promote lasting peace on the Peninsula.
Although North Korea has made occasional concessions since signing the October 1994 Agreed Framework with the Clinton Administration, it has failed to change its aggressive behavior. Concessions--such as recently allowing the United States to inspect a suspected nuclear weapons site--have come at too great a price. For example, to gain access to this site, the Administration pledged to provide the North with $200 million worth of grain. To date, the United States already has given the North nearly half a billion dollars in foreign aid. Congress is justifiably frustrated in funding policies that fail to reduce tension on the Peninsula...
THE FAILURE OF THE AGREED FRAMEWORK
Early in his first term in office, President Clinton grappled with North Korea's renegade nuclear weapons program. After many months of tedious negotiations, the first U.S.-North Korea political agreement was signed in October 1994. This Agreed Framework marked a sharp break with the established policy that had governed relations with North Korea for decades. With the signing of this Framework, the United States entered a major agreement with Pyongyang that did not include the South. Such direct political ties had been a key North Korean diplomatic goal for years.
In the Agreed Framework, the Administration offered improved trade and political ties that eventually would end the U.S. economic embargo on the North and lead to the beginning of formal diplomatic relations. But more important, for the first time the United States pledged economic aid to the North, including $50 million per year for fuel oil and the construction of two nuclear reactors valued at about $5 billion. Together with a consortium of about a dozen nations, the United States is raising funds to support this process, although Seoul pledged to pick up most of the tab. This approach was justified by the Administration because it would promote greater North-South economic interaction and increase the chances of an eventual peaceful unification.
...The Agreed Framework clearly has failed to achieve its intended goals. North Korea has not suspended its nuclear program, has not sought reconciliation with the South, and now poses new threats to the world in the form of its long-range ballistic missiles.
Plunk pointed out, in 1999, the woeful inadequacies of Clinton's North Korea policy and predicted its dire consequences.
He concluded, "The Administration's current policy toward North Korea has failed. The North continues to threaten South Korea, refuses to engage in meaningful dialogue with the South, and continues to build dangerous missiles."
Before Bill Clinton left the oval office, it was clear that he and his administration really blew it.
For Hillary to imply that the Bush administration is at fault for the current situation is as historically inaccurate as it is personally disingenuous.
Her need to make such a statement, "Put simply, they couldn't do that when George Bush became president, and now they can," is the surest sign that Hillary understands she must alter reality as quickly as possible, utilizing her twisted method of offense.
When one looks at the truth of Bill Clinton's disastrous policy, it is undeniable that blame for the North Korean nuclear threat does not fall in President Bush's lap.
Bad news for Hillary.
I used to wonder why she stayed with Bill, a serial philanderer with no respect for her or their marriage vows.
I wondered how she could tolerate his lies.
Now, I understand. She has the ability to create a reality that fits her needs. This isn't the same as Bill's compartmentalization. (He was very effective at compartmentalizing his marriage at opportune moments.)
Hillary is a master at denying the truth, massaging the facts, and reconstructing reality, so that it becomes completely unrecognizable to observers. Just by saying something, she believes she can make it real.
This technique proves very useful when the truth doesn't conform to the image she wishes to present to her supporters and those she hopes to win over.
From the New York Times:
In an interview on Thursday, Mrs. Clinton called Admiral Jacoby's statement "the first confirmation, publicly, by the administration that the North Koreans have the ability to arm a missile with a nuclear device that can reach the United States," adding, "Put simply, they couldn't do that when George Bush became president, and now they can."
While this may be technically true, her statement suggests it is the President's fault. She assigns negligence to the Bush administration. In effect, she says Bill had North Korea under control and President Bush mismanaged policy, resulting in Kim Jong Il's possible capacity to hit the U.S. with a nuclear weapon.
What a joke!
Does she really think that she can suggest that her dearest Bill isn't responsible? Obviously, she does believe she can get away with it. How wrong she is!
In July, 1999, Daryl M. Plunk wrote an analysis of Bill Clinton's North Korea policy.
(Excerpts)
When South Korean President Kim Dae Jung visits Washington, D.C., on July 2 for a summit with President Bill Clinton, the discussion of "rewards" for North Korea should be linked to clear concessions from Pyongyang that lead to peace. The Korean Peninsula--the most heavily militarized spot on earth--is the only place where an outbreak of war would result in the swift and heavy loss of American lives.
Despite $419 million in aid to North Korea since 1995, the Clinton Administration has not achieved any reduction in the threat North Korea poses to the South, the region, and the United States. On August 31, 1998, for example, North Korea launched a Taepo Dong-1 missile over Japan, achieving intercontinental range. On June 14, 1999, its ships exchanged fire with the South's ships in the Yellow Sea--the first such exchange since the Korean War. Future aid to the North must be linked to real concessions that reduce the likelihood of such belligerence and promote lasting peace on the Peninsula.
Although North Korea has made occasional concessions since signing the October 1994 Agreed Framework with the Clinton Administration, it has failed to change its aggressive behavior. Concessions--such as recently allowing the United States to inspect a suspected nuclear weapons site--have come at too great a price. For example, to gain access to this site, the Administration pledged to provide the North with $200 million worth of grain. To date, the United States already has given the North nearly half a billion dollars in foreign aid. Congress is justifiably frustrated in funding policies that fail to reduce tension on the Peninsula...
THE FAILURE OF THE AGREED FRAMEWORK
Early in his first term in office, President Clinton grappled with North Korea's renegade nuclear weapons program. After many months of tedious negotiations, the first U.S.-North Korea political agreement was signed in October 1994. This Agreed Framework marked a sharp break with the established policy that had governed relations with North Korea for decades. With the signing of this Framework, the United States entered a major agreement with Pyongyang that did not include the South. Such direct political ties had been a key North Korean diplomatic goal for years.
In the Agreed Framework, the Administration offered improved trade and political ties that eventually would end the U.S. economic embargo on the North and lead to the beginning of formal diplomatic relations. But more important, for the first time the United States pledged economic aid to the North, including $50 million per year for fuel oil and the construction of two nuclear reactors valued at about $5 billion. Together with a consortium of about a dozen nations, the United States is raising funds to support this process, although Seoul pledged to pick up most of the tab. This approach was justified by the Administration because it would promote greater North-South economic interaction and increase the chances of an eventual peaceful unification.
...The Agreed Framework clearly has failed to achieve its intended goals. North Korea has not suspended its nuclear program, has not sought reconciliation with the South, and now poses new threats to the world in the form of its long-range ballistic missiles.
Plunk pointed out, in 1999, the woeful inadequacies of Clinton's North Korea policy and predicted its dire consequences.
He concluded, "The Administration's current policy toward North Korea has failed. The North continues to threaten South Korea, refuses to engage in meaningful dialogue with the South, and continues to build dangerous missiles."
Before Bill Clinton left the oval office, it was clear that he and his administration really blew it.
For Hillary to imply that the Bush administration is at fault for the current situation is as historically inaccurate as it is personally disingenuous.
Her need to make such a statement, "Put simply, they couldn't do that when George Bush became president, and now they can," is the surest sign that Hillary understands she must alter reality as quickly as possible, utilizing her twisted method of offense.
When one looks at the truth of Bill Clinton's disastrous policy, it is undeniable that blame for the North Korean nuclear threat does not fall in President Bush's lap.
Bad news for Hillary.
Teddy Kennedy Should Resign Immediately
Clifford D. May had a traumatic experience. It happened twenty years ago, but the scars remain.
He details the horror in his column, "Teddy Kennedy yelled at me! So shouldn't he resign?"
______________________________
April 28, 2005
For 20 years I have kept my silence. I will do so no longer. In the debate over John Bolton's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, it finally has been made clear to me that a human being who yells at another human being does not deserve to hold high office. It's what Sen. George Voinovich calls “the Kitchen Test.”
And so, it's time I finally told the painful truth: Ted Kennedy yelled at me. He hurt my feelings. Therefore, those who believe John Bolton does not deserve to be confirmed must surely also agree that Senator Kennedy must step down. Here is the never-before-told story:
It happened in Ethiopia during the height of the Great Famine of the 1980s. Sen. Kennedy had come on a fact-finding mission. As Africa correspondent of The New York Times, I was assigned to travel with him.
One night, after we had flown into a small city northeast of Addis Abba, we repaired to a ramshackle hotel. One of the Senator's staffers told me there would be no further events that evening. So I turned to Martha Radditz (now of ABC News but in those days a Boston anchor woman) and said something like: “Great! What say we go check out this burg?” Martha agreed.
We had a pleasant excursion but found no restaurant to our liking so we returned to the hotel early. We were shocked at what we saw: Senator Kennedy was holding forth at a dinner with local luminaries. As quietly as we could, we tip-toed into the dining room to take our seats -- but the Senator spotted us. He was furious. He interrupted the proceedings.
“What do you think you're doing?” he shouted for all to hear. “You're either with this group or you're not with this group. You don't come waltzing in anytime you choose!”
I can't recall whether his hands were on his hips; probably not since he was sitting down. I do know that he scolded us for what seemed a long time. To be candid, his words were a bit slurred. It was his custom, in those days, to propose a few toasts – and then a few more toasts - to Ethiopian-American amity.
In any case, Martha and I retreated, meekly, to her room, feeling like children sent to bed without supper. Not long after, one of Kennedy's staffers knocked on the door.
“It's been explained to the Senator that there was a mistake,” he said. “He now knows you were told there was no event tonight and you had left the hotel before plans changed. The reception is continuing and the Senator would like you to re-join it.”
We demurred. Our self-esteem was too badly battered. He insisted. “The Senator would really like you to return,” he said. “I would like you to return.” And something in the way he said it made us believe that if we did not respond to this entreaty, he, too, might feel the Kennedy wrath.
Downstairs, Martha and I approached the Senator to offer our apologies. “Oh, forget about it!” he said amicably. “Let's just forget the whole thing.” He seemed in a much improved mood.
“Forget it, Senator?” I responded. “Senator, I will never forget it. I will forever remember the night that Edward Kennedy laid me to bat guano [I actually used a more common term] in Ethiopia.”
“Oh, don't say that!” he exclaimed. “It was no big deal.”
And all these years, I have tried to convince myself that it was no big deal. People get angry. People yell. People get over it. Life goes on.
But now I know better. Now I know what happened was a terrible trauma. And what the Senator did was unpardonable. People who hurt people are the most hurtful people in the world – and they should not serve in positions of trust and authority. They should not serve as ambassadors, senators or maitre d's.
It was what Sen. Voinovich might call: “The Dining Room Test.”
________________________________
For years, I've considered Kennedy unfit to serve as a U.S. senator.
This recent revelation makes me even more uncomfortable.
Do we really want a man that went off the deep end and yelled at someone to be serving in the Senate?
May's story shows he does not have the temperament to hold that office.
"And all these years, I have tried to convince myself that it was no big deal. People get angry. People yell. People get over it. Life goes on.
But now I know better. Now I know what happened was a terrible trauma. And what the Senator did was unpardonable. People who hurt people are the most hurtful people in the world – and they should not serve in positions of trust and authority. They should not serve as ambassadors, senators or maitre d's."
Senator Kennedy should resign immediately.
He details the horror in his column, "Teddy Kennedy yelled at me! So shouldn't he resign?"
______________________________
April 28, 2005
For 20 years I have kept my silence. I will do so no longer. In the debate over John Bolton's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, it finally has been made clear to me that a human being who yells at another human being does not deserve to hold high office. It's what Sen. George Voinovich calls “the Kitchen Test.”
And so, it's time I finally told the painful truth: Ted Kennedy yelled at me. He hurt my feelings. Therefore, those who believe John Bolton does not deserve to be confirmed must surely also agree that Senator Kennedy must step down. Here is the never-before-told story:
It happened in Ethiopia during the height of the Great Famine of the 1980s. Sen. Kennedy had come on a fact-finding mission. As Africa correspondent of The New York Times, I was assigned to travel with him.
One night, after we had flown into a small city northeast of Addis Abba, we repaired to a ramshackle hotel. One of the Senator's staffers told me there would be no further events that evening. So I turned to Martha Radditz (now of ABC News but in those days a Boston anchor woman) and said something like: “Great! What say we go check out this burg?” Martha agreed.
We had a pleasant excursion but found no restaurant to our liking so we returned to the hotel early. We were shocked at what we saw: Senator Kennedy was holding forth at a dinner with local luminaries. As quietly as we could, we tip-toed into the dining room to take our seats -- but the Senator spotted us. He was furious. He interrupted the proceedings.
“What do you think you're doing?” he shouted for all to hear. “You're either with this group or you're not with this group. You don't come waltzing in anytime you choose!”
I can't recall whether his hands were on his hips; probably not since he was sitting down. I do know that he scolded us for what seemed a long time. To be candid, his words were a bit slurred. It was his custom, in those days, to propose a few toasts – and then a few more toasts - to Ethiopian-American amity.
In any case, Martha and I retreated, meekly, to her room, feeling like children sent to bed without supper. Not long after, one of Kennedy's staffers knocked on the door.
“It's been explained to the Senator that there was a mistake,” he said. “He now knows you were told there was no event tonight and you had left the hotel before plans changed. The reception is continuing and the Senator would like you to re-join it.”
We demurred. Our self-esteem was too badly battered. He insisted. “The Senator would really like you to return,” he said. “I would like you to return.” And something in the way he said it made us believe that if we did not respond to this entreaty, he, too, might feel the Kennedy wrath.
Downstairs, Martha and I approached the Senator to offer our apologies. “Oh, forget about it!” he said amicably. “Let's just forget the whole thing.” He seemed in a much improved mood.
“Forget it, Senator?” I responded. “Senator, I will never forget it. I will forever remember the night that Edward Kennedy laid me to bat guano [I actually used a more common term] in Ethiopia.”
“Oh, don't say that!” he exclaimed. “It was no big deal.”
And all these years, I have tried to convince myself that it was no big deal. People get angry. People yell. People get over it. Life goes on.
But now I know better. Now I know what happened was a terrible trauma. And what the Senator did was unpardonable. People who hurt people are the most hurtful people in the world – and they should not serve in positions of trust and authority. They should not serve as ambassadors, senators or maitre d's.
It was what Sen. Voinovich might call: “The Dining Room Test.”
________________________________
For years, I've considered Kennedy unfit to serve as a U.S. senator.
This recent revelation makes me even more uncomfortable.
Do we really want a man that went off the deep end and yelled at someone to be serving in the Senate?
May's story shows he does not have the temperament to hold that office.
"And all these years, I have tried to convince myself that it was no big deal. People get angry. People yell. People get over it. Life goes on.
But now I know better. Now I know what happened was a terrible trauma. And what the Senator did was unpardonable. People who hurt people are the most hurtful people in the world – and they should not serve in positions of trust and authority. They should not serve as ambassadors, senators or maitre d's."
Senator Kennedy should resign immediately.
No New Information on Jeffrey Ake
From LaPorte County's Herald-Argus:
Ake's home up for sale
By DANIEL PRZYBYLA — Staff Writer
LAPORTE — While no news has emerged regarding the abduction of LaPorte’s Jeffrey Ake in Iraq, a new development has occurred here at home.
The Akes’ home, at 400 Closser Ave. in LaPorte, went up for sale over the weekend. A sign in front of the home identifies R&R Construction and Realty as the Realtor.
...Also this morning, FBI Special Agent Wendy Osborne, with the FBI’s Indianapolis field office, said that while the investigation into Ake’s kidnapping on April 11 in Baghdad is ongoing, there is no new information at this time.
Meanwhile, interest in the April 11 abduction of Ake by terrorists remains high in different parts of the U.S. The Russian immigrant newspaper The Russian Advertisement, published in Brooklyn, N.Y., published a story Friday that sought to inform its readers about Ake’s wife, Russian-born Liliana. Freelance reporter Max Samadov told the Herald-Argus Tuesday that he knows the Russian immigrants of New York care about the well being of the Ake family because they are “compassionate people. I believe the story of Jeffrey Ake and his wife touched them.”
The Ake family has made it a point to not talk with the media since Ake was taken hostage.
The city of Rock Hill, S.C., knows something of what LaPorteans are going through right now. Rock Hill resident Ty Hensley is the brother of Jack Hensley, a civilian contractor in Iraq who was kidnapped by terrorists and beheaded a week later in September 2004.
“It just brought it home,” Larry Timbs, Rock Hill-based Winthrop University associate professor of mass communication, told The Herald-Argus. “When something like this happens and as grisly a murder as it was, can you imagine something so horrific?”
...“It gets heavy, heavy coverage when someone gets abducted.” And “For a few days it gets heavy national coverage.”
...But he said in some cases, as in the Ake case, “it disappears off the radar screen. It’s gone. Like it’s a story and (then) it’s not a story.”
_______________________________
When an American civilian is being held hostage by terrorists in Iraq, the story should not disappear off the radar screen.
Do many Americans even know about Ake's abduction and his family's agony?
They should know. They should care. Most importantly, they should pray for his safe return.
Ake's home up for sale
By DANIEL PRZYBYLA — Staff Writer
LAPORTE — While no news has emerged regarding the abduction of LaPorte’s Jeffrey Ake in Iraq, a new development has occurred here at home.
The Akes’ home, at 400 Closser Ave. in LaPorte, went up for sale over the weekend. A sign in front of the home identifies R&R Construction and Realty as the Realtor.
...Also this morning, FBI Special Agent Wendy Osborne, with the FBI’s Indianapolis field office, said that while the investigation into Ake’s kidnapping on April 11 in Baghdad is ongoing, there is no new information at this time.
Meanwhile, interest in the April 11 abduction of Ake by terrorists remains high in different parts of the U.S. The Russian immigrant newspaper The Russian Advertisement, published in Brooklyn, N.Y., published a story Friday that sought to inform its readers about Ake’s wife, Russian-born Liliana. Freelance reporter Max Samadov told the Herald-Argus Tuesday that he knows the Russian immigrants of New York care about the well being of the Ake family because they are “compassionate people. I believe the story of Jeffrey Ake and his wife touched them.”
The Ake family has made it a point to not talk with the media since Ake was taken hostage.
The city of Rock Hill, S.C., knows something of what LaPorteans are going through right now. Rock Hill resident Ty Hensley is the brother of Jack Hensley, a civilian contractor in Iraq who was kidnapped by terrorists and beheaded a week later in September 2004.
“It just brought it home,” Larry Timbs, Rock Hill-based Winthrop University associate professor of mass communication, told The Herald-Argus. “When something like this happens and as grisly a murder as it was, can you imagine something so horrific?”
...“It gets heavy, heavy coverage when someone gets abducted.” And “For a few days it gets heavy national coverage.”
...But he said in some cases, as in the Ake case, “it disappears off the radar screen. It’s gone. Like it’s a story and (then) it’s not a story.”
_______________________________
When an American civilian is being held hostage by terrorists in Iraq, the story should not disappear off the radar screen.
Do many Americans even know about Ake's abduction and his family's agony?
They should know. They should care. Most importantly, they should pray for his safe return.
NO SPIN
Did you watch Bush's press conference or did you only catch bits of the talking heads picking it apart?
Here's the transcript.
Read it for yourself.
Think for yourself.
Here's the transcript.
Read it for yourself.
Think for yourself.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Ken Mehlman's statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON -RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman tonight issued the following statement:
"Now that President Bush has set a clear course to permanently strengthening Social Security for future generations, the time for Democrat obstructionism is over. Progressive indexing will make Social Security a better deal for all Americans, and it is now time for Democrats to propose their own strategies if they disagree with President Bush's common sense ideas. It's no longer acceptable for Democrats to play politics with the retirements of American workers by refusing to show up at the negotiating table."
WASHINGTON -RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman tonight issued the following statement:
"Now that President Bush has set a clear course to permanently strengthening Social Security for future generations, the time for Democrat obstructionism is over. Progressive indexing will make Social Security a better deal for all Americans, and it is now time for Democrats to propose their own strategies if they disagree with President Bush's common sense ideas. It's no longer acceptable for Democrats to play politics with the retirements of American workers by refusing to show up at the negotiating table."
Biden
I'm listening to Biden on ABC.
He's saying Bush did not present a single idea on how to manage Social Security.
Was he in the bathroom during the press conference?
He's saying Bush did not present a single idea on how to manage Social Security.
Was he in the bathroom during the press conference?
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