The American Spectator

Beverly Gunn br> Angry East Texas Rancher, former military wife and mother /p> p> SLOWLY BUT SHARIA br> Re: Christopher Orlet’s Freedom Lost : /p> p>Well, well, well! Afghanistan didn’t become the United States of America in two years. Remember the United States of America didn’t become the United States of America in two years. Slaves were not freed, women could not vote, blacks suffered horribly until the 1960’s, etc. Give us a break. These “liberals” in Afghanistan know what the risks are as did those who fought to change things in America knew what the risks were. To say not much has changed in Afghanistan since the war I think is a gross overstatement and one only a fool would entertain that thought for five minutes. br> — Annette Cwik /p> p> SENSITIVE COWARDS br> Re: James Bowman’s Fighting Words : /p>

Republicans have to be especially sensitive these days to the prickly egos of their Democrat brethren and sistheren . As we have witnessed in recent months, to disagree with a Democrat’s position on Iraq is to attack his patriotism. And patriotism is inseparable from manhood. To counter a Democrat’s call for immediate withdrawal by arguing that the Iraqi forces are not quite ready to fully engage the insurgents, and that such withdrawal would therefore imperil Iraq’s budding democracy, is now akin to calling said Democrat a traitor. Such large chips. Such small shoulders.

Mr. Bowman is exactly right that Democrats have been questioning the patriotism and manhood of Bush & Friends relentlessly at least since John Kerry’s emergence as the Democratic frontrunner in February 2004. Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard was portrayed as the ultimate act of cowardice by many of the same Democrats who had praised Clinton’s courage for criticizing and evading the Vietnam War. Some called the President and Vice President “chicken hawks” so often the that term became seared — seared — into the left-wing mind.

p>There’s no reason for Republicans to use loaded words like “chicken hawk’ or “coward” when debating Democrats. Let the Republicans simply say that they respectfully disagree with their good friends on the other side of the aisle, and reject Peace Through Impotence. br> — GnuCarSmell br> Jacksonville, Texas /p> p> I have always heard that the truth hurts, and it must hurt the Dems a lot. They can take offense at nothing. And Congresswoman Jean Schmidt should NOT have apologized, what she said was the truth as written by a serviceman. Someone needs to take a stand and stop apologizing every time Kerry or one of the other lefties get their drawers in a twist. Kerry is up to his old tricks running down our soldiers. Think about the last time someone sent troops in at night to terrorize women and children: Clinton and Reno in Florida taking a small child to send back to Cuba. br> — Elaine Kyle /p>