STRAW VOTE TOTALS
George W. Bush - 7418 (31%)Steve Forbes - 4921 (21%)Elizabeth Dole - 3410 (14%)Gary Bauer - 2114 (9%)Patrick Buchanan - 1719 (7%)Lamar Alexander - 1428 (6%)Alan Keyes - 1101 (5%)Dan Quayle - 916 (4%)Orrin Hatch- 558 (2%)
Posted on 12/19/2001 5:38:59 PM PST by Jean S
On September 11, America and the world were confronted with the challenge of whether the 21st century would be one of freedom or barbarism.
In the aftermath of this barbaric attack on America, we have witnessed countless acts of heroism and leadership by so many Americans who have well earned the distinction of men and women of the year.
The brave firefighters and police who gave their lives so others might live. The soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have gone into harms way to vanquish the terrorist foe. A mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who personally embodied the grit and courage of a city and a nation. The wise counsel and guidance of Powell, Rumsfeld and Rice who have built a coalition and directed a war against evil.
And there’s no doubt that President Bush, who grasped the magnitude of that challenge, has provided the leadership for this moment. He rallied our nation and much of the world, in this righteous cause to defend our values, our liberty and our very lives.
President Bush understood that this is not just a battle to destroy the al Qaeda terrorist network and their Taliban henchmen. It is a war against all terrorists and the states that harbor them, whether they reside in Damascus, Teheran, Baghdad, or the West Bank.
He has led the world in a heroic campaign to vanquish freedom’s foe and issued a warning to all nations that neutrality in this war is not an option. "Either you are either with us, or you are with the terrorists."
The President has shown the determination needed to prevail against this international network of terrorists who hate the values we hold dear, and he has shown compassion for the victims of this abominable hate. He has extended America’s hand of friendship to Muslims who reject the hateful purpose of terrorists.
To see this mission through, President Bush has wisely counseled Americans to be patient as our soldiers, sailors, and airmen bravely fight on foreign soil against these hostile forces. He has helped us realize that this war will be long and hard; it will be waged on tough terrain and in the shadows.
Today, we find ourselves in a new era as Americans respond to these challenges with a display of patriotism and a new spirit of unity. President Bush has sought to capture this uniquely American moment by channeling it into what historian Stephen Ambrose describes as "common-patriotism."
He has issued a call to service, declaring that "our citizens have new responsibilities" and endorsing the creation of new opportunities within AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs for public safety and public health efforts. In recognizing the untapped desire of Americans to contribute to their country during war, he is encouraging a citizen army of individuals who can unite all citizens in service to their nation, in both civilian and military capacities, to win this war.
In 2001, President Bush was summoned to serve as freedom’s Commander-in-Chief. And he understands, as General MacArthur did fifty years ago, "There is no substitute for victory."
McCain will leave the GOP about 2 months before he must register to run in the primaries. he will say in a thundering voice "I leave this party because I belive the republican party does not represent the values for which I STAND!! "
The press will say "what an act of courage my this man" McCain will win the RAT primaries b/c they have no-one. Then he will face Bush later as what he truly is: a RAT.
Maybe. But it also might be that McCain, Buchanan, Bauer, Keyes et al., have actually realized that President Bush is not the baffoon that they originally believed him to be.
I had such a conversion after years of not being able to look at him without seeing his father.
You just have to trust your gut with a man like McCain. He is a man NEVER to be trusted.
Just give the guy a break already. He makes me mad sometimes, too. But it's important to give credit where credit is due. McCain is being generous to his sometimes-foe because he just knows it's the right thing to do. It'd be nice if you folks could do the same...
Interesting that the people writing these articles contested each other back in Ames Iowa in the summer/fall of 1999 for the Republican nomination. Bauer, Buchanan, Dole, Forbes, Hatch, Kasich, McCain, Smith..... seems to be only a couple missing... Alexander, Keyes
STRAW VOTE TOTALSGeorge W. Bush - 7418 (31%)Steve Forbes - 4921 (21%)Elizabeth Dole - 3410 (14%)Gary Bauer - 2114 (9%)Patrick Buchanan - 1719 (7%)Lamar Alexander - 1428 (6%)Alan Keyes - 1101 (5%)Dan Quayle - 916 (4%)Orrin Hatch- 558 (2%)
This year, Jim Jeffords gets RINO of the Year.
John McCain: RINO OF THE YEAR 2002!
Of course these characters TRIED very hard to paint Bush as a buffoon, but do you really think they BELIEVED their own B.S? Whatever you may think of the respective campaign platforms of these various candidates, not one of them approached the stature and electability of Bush.
Mr. "Straight Talk Express" has amply demonstrated that he is a "man of the moment" who will say and do just about anything to get face time on TV. Before 9/11, he had positioned himself as a permanent thorn in the President's side; a spineless, Jim Jeffords wanna be. Once the bombing started, he got big pub spouting quagmire nonsense for which he surely should have known better.
The only credibility McCain has is that which is assigned to him by sycophants like Don Imus and Chris Matthews.
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