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A Terrible Ignominy - How many Republicans will desert the troops?
Weekly Standard ^ | 02/12/2007 | William Kristol

Posted on 02/04/2007 11:43:21 AM PST by bnelson44

Perhaps the shade of the great Yeats will forgive me:

I write it out in a verse-- Warner and Smith And Collins and Snowe Now and in time to be, Wherever Reagan is remembered, Are changed, changed utterly: A terrible ignominy is born.

John Warner of Virginia, Gordon Smith of Oregon, and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine are the four Republican senators (in addition to Nebraska's Chuck Hagel) currently signed on to the Democrats' anti-surge, anti-Petraeus, anti-troops, and anti-victory resolution. (I give Hagel a pass--perhaps undeserved--in my roster of ignominy, since he has been a harsh critic of the war for quite some time.) Three of the four are up for reelection in 2008--Warner, Collins, and Smith. Collins and Smith will be running in states Bush lost in 2004. Warner will be standing in a state where an antiwar Democrat won in 2006.

Now, politicians are entitled to be concerned about their political survival. They're even entitled to make foolish and shortsighted political judgments--for example, that voting for this resolution in February 2007 will help their electoral prospects if the Bush administration's foreign policy is in shambles in November 2008. Indeed, they're entitled to ignore the fact that voting for this resolution somewhat increases the chances of a shambolic outcome to Bush's foreign policy, and therefore may not be in their own interest.

(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
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1 posted on 02/04/2007 11:43:24 AM PST by bnelson44
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To: bnelson44
Many so-called Conservatives already did when they stayed home on Election Day 2006.

I didn't know it was a Conservative principle to stab the American soldier in the back by giving control of Congress to anti-American liberals.
2 posted on 02/04/2007 11:45:23 AM PST by new yorker 77 (Speaker Pelosi - Three cheers for Amnesty!)
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To: new yorker 77

It also isn't conservative to set up a straw man just so you can knock him down.


3 posted on 02/04/2007 11:48:36 AM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

Men like Arlen Specter make me glad I didn't blindly vote RINO. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that we removed a RINO in my congressional district and replaced him with a conservative who will represent the people of this district.


4 posted on 02/04/2007 11:54:23 AM PST by cripplecreek (Peace without victory is a temporary illusion.)
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To: cripplecreek

Reason number 268 I dont give money to the RNC anymore


5 posted on 02/04/2007 11:57:30 AM PST by Yorlik803 ( When are we going to draw a line a say"this far and no farther")
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To: new yorker 77

Lot of conservatives in Congress from New York...


6 posted on 02/04/2007 11:58:53 AM PST by dakine
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To: new yorker 77

All the Conservatives I know voted GOP in 2006, despite the lack of spine or conservative values in those we voted for.

Is it Conservatives' fault when known RINOs show their colors and sell us out? Is it Conservatives' fault when a SchwarztenKennedy proposes socialist health care and opens the already-plundered treasure box to illegals?

Hey GOP: big spending and socialism doesn't work. Being traitorous hurts us. Kissing up to the Dims (as Bush did yesterday: yech!) will not help us. Is it Conservatives' fault to point out the obvious, and demand change? I keep hearing on FR how eeeevil we are for pointing out the simple fact that we need to turn the boat around before heading over the falls.


7 posted on 02/04/2007 11:59:30 AM PST by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender!)
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To: Yorlik803
Reason number 268 I dont give money to the RNC anymore

I'd love to see the rest of your list!

8 posted on 02/04/2007 12:02:09 PM PST by Night Hides Not (Chuck Hagel is the Republican Joe Biden!)
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To: bnelson44
Collins and Smith will be running in states Bush lost in 2004. Warner will be standing in a state where an antiwar Democrat won in 2006.

Bush should campaign heavily for them in 2008, whether they want him or not....just to piss them off when they lose! Its not like he owes anything to those @ssholes anyways!

9 posted on 02/04/2007 12:20:02 PM PST by Bommer (Global Warming: The only warming phenomena that occurs in the Summer and ends in the Winter!)
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To: new yorker 77; All

I felt that way too .. even though I voted for all the repubs .. because I knew what the dems planned and none of it was good.

However, when the repubs who remained in office continued to kiss the behinds of the dems .. I was upset.

Obviously, the repubs believed we wanted the dems' policies, and we wanted out of the Iraq war.

NOTHING COULD BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH. We wanted the exact opposite. We were sick of the "corruption" within our own party and the seemingly inattention to the problem. We were mad because they wouldn't fight the dems - when they had the advantage of being in the majority. We wanted to WIN the war not "pull out now".

Because of the repubs capitulation to the dems resolution .. Hugh Hewitt challenged the repubs by issuing his "pledge" - NO FUNDS FOR ANY REPUB WHO VOTES FOR ANY RESOLUTION AGAINST THE TROOPS. The last number I had was over 35,000 people have signed the pledge.

Hmmmm?? I believe I've read on FR today that Warner is VOTING AGAINST HIS OWN RESOLUTION (with Levin). Evidently, the "pledge" has helped to open the eyes of most of the remaining repubs in the senate. At least I hope it has.


10 posted on 02/04/2007 12:26:51 PM PST by CyberAnt (Drive-By Media: Fake news, fake documents, fake polls)
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To: bnelson44

Wonder how many William Kristol bashers will show up here.


11 posted on 02/04/2007 1:00:55 PM PST by gcruse (http://garycruse.blogspot.com/)
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To: new yorker 77

I wish the Pubbies had run like Pubbies so the Conservatives wouldn't have felt compelled to vote against 'em...

Ed


12 posted on 02/04/2007 1:29:12 PM PST by Sir_Ed
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To: new yorker 77

Yet another post making excuses for Republican losses in 2006. It isn't the voters that are to blame - it is the party that keeps fronting people who less and less reflect the voter's values.

It is the politicians who are stabbing the soldiers in the back. And it is this same back-stabbing by the formerly pro-troop Republicans who will hand the Democrats even more victories in the 2008 elections (including POTUS).

Blaming the conservative voters who stayed home in 2006 is not going to get them to the polls to support even worse RINO candidates the next go-round. But it might drive them to show up at the polls and vote for REAL candidates - even if they represent a 3rd party - which will still bring condemnation from those who would rather see a Democrat in Republican clothing in office...


13 posted on 02/04/2007 1:41:15 PM PST by TheBattman (I've got TWO QUESTIONS for you....)
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To: bnelson44

Warner and his crowd are cockroaches.


14 posted on 02/04/2007 1:47:23 PM PST by wouldntbprudent (If you can: Contribute more (babies) to the next generation of God-fearing American Patriots!)
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To: TheBattman

Voters with you POV are the very REASON we are where we are in the House and the Senate...

And no amount of patting yourself on the back for not supporting a 100% conservative candidate is going to HELP the situation.

You do the same thing in 2008...and this country is screwed..and YES, I will blame you and anyone else that is that stupid AGAIN>


15 posted on 02/04/2007 2:21:24 PM PST by Txsleuth (Duncan Hunter 2008)
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To: Txsleuth

I guess if people like you can blame people "like me" who DID vote in the 2006 election - and for Republican candidates, by the way, then I can blame people LIKE YOU:

1. Capitulating to the left by continually supporting a party because of their name only - regardless of their real stand (or lack of one).

2. Who gripe and moan because this country slides further and further into the ceaspool of corruption and liberalism (synonyms?) because candidates call themselves Republicans out of convenience, not out of conviction - and continue the charge to Hell - but get your vote anyway.

3. For not stepping up to the plate and actually DOING something to change or restore the Republican leadership/direction/platform - and instead gripe at those of us who DO take a stand and are frankly getting sick and tired of the same old crap from the same old limp-wristed fake-conservatives who are just happy as as can be voting for liberals...

4. For completely throwing away any chance of real progress from our former majority in both houses of congress - because those in power thought - by YOUR vote - that it was ok to play nice with the Democrats (AKA Liberal Marxist Party) and give in to every whim of the same-said former minority party.

Other than possibly the abandonment of our troops and purpose in the WOT (which was already in the works from capitulation to the media and the left), I am not convinced things are going to be any worse than they were already headed.

I still say that if EVERY supposedly Conservative voter actually voted their conscience - then things in the Republican Party would return towards the Right. But as long as a chunk of folks calling themselves conservative continue to vote for liberals .... how will we change ANYTHING?

Let me give you a hint - we won't.

And by the way - I don't expect 100% perfect conservative candidates- because not even conservatives can agree on what "conservative" means. But I refuse to settle for folks who are 98% liberal, but try to sell themselves to me based on a 2% conservative platform...


So - keep on doing what you are doing (settling for the same old crap), and keep on blaming others for the lack of positive change...


16 posted on 02/04/2007 2:51:36 PM PST by TheBattman (I've got TWO QUESTIONS for you....)
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To: TheBattman

You sure are good at accusing people that you don't even know of doing/not doing things aren't you??

You don't know anything about what I do or don't do to help...


17 posted on 02/04/2007 3:18:47 PM PST by Txsleuth (Duncan Hunter 2008)
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To: Txsleuth
I AM GOOD at accusing people? Go back and look at your post to me... You accused ME of being responsible for Republican losses...
18 posted on 02/04/2007 8:13:16 PM PST by TheBattman (I've got TWO QUESTIONS for you....)
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To: TheBattman

You know...you are right.

I did jump on you too quickly. I also didn't read your post closely.

I think the the Republican Party and the voters have made mistakes..and I can't say I am very optimistic at this point that we will get it right in 2008.

I just pray that we do...this is a very precarious time in our history..and we can't afford a bad mistake.

I apologize to you. I need to knee-jerk less..and discuss more.


19 posted on 02/04/2007 8:52:06 PM PST by Txsleuth
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To: Txsleuth

I too often over-react. We need to focus on working together to get some candidates we can vote for without compromising our values. No candidate is going to be 100% perfect, but I believe we can do a whole lot better than we currently have.


20 posted on 02/04/2007 8:59:31 PM PST by TheBattman (I've got TWO QUESTIONS for you....)
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