The American Spectator

Alan Brooks| 1.20.09 @ 6:27PM

patriotism? you mean control the southern border?

ruth| 1.20.09 @ 6:29PM

It'll never work with those Godless, traitorous clowns on the left.

Real American| 1.20.09 @ 6:34PM

If liberals feel as if they need to reclaim their patriotism, maybe they never had it in the first place. Of course, to them patriotism is paying higher taxes and criticizing America, but that's just splitting hairs.

LOL| 1.20.09 @ 6:48PM

ruth / Real American (self-parody alert): Keep it up, please. As long as you are the way you are, the Dems will keep winning. The GOP hasn't learned its lessons yet, and your kind needs to self-immolate fully, hurl the party fully off the Freeper edge before the GOP can recover. So keep up the hating of your fellow countrymen, the spitting, the snarling, the libeling of your political opponents. You drove me out of the party, but there's a lot more damage to do. Excelsior!

ruth| 1.20.09 @ 6:58PM

Go for it, LOL. Your constant spitting and bleating of 'BusHitler' for the last 7 1/2 years will be hard to beat. You liberals are all about power, you don't give a damn about your fellow Americans. Libtard.

Alan Brooks| 1.20.09 @ 7:29PM

leftie religion?

like the guy we had over for dinner in '66. he saw God on the tablecloth; but you would too if you were high as a kite like he was.

Jeremiah| 1.20.09 @ 7:39PM

It never ceases to amaze me that "conservatives" can sit in the warm homes believing that all who serve this country overseas are Republicans.

In fact, a sizeable (although probably not majority) of soldiers are Democrats, and Obama received a large portion of the military vote.

Yet you people, comfortably and without second thought can forget them and their service with incredible ease.

What war has a Republican won?

It was Democrats who led this country to the two greatest military victories not just in our own history, but in human history.

For Republicans, so far, you have to retun (desperately) to Lincoln to find a commander in chief able to win decisively a war.

Let's hope the best for Iraq. But I don't think it belongs in the "win" column while soldiers are still dying there.

Doug N| 1.20.09 @ 7:51PM

Jeremiah:
The Spanish-American War
William McKinley

ruth| 1.20.09 @ 7:56PM

Jeremiah, I've told you this before: Reagan defeated the USSR without firing a shot. You liberals have to have massive bloodshed before you declare a victory. Reagan was better than that. He was smart.

Paul E. More| 1.20.09 @ 8:07PM

Jeremiah,

That is pretty funny, complaining that there aren’t many wars Republican presidents have won. Let us examine that one.

The first Republican President was Lincoln, who won (and some say started) the Civil War (or War Between the States). The next war begun by a Republican President was the Spanish American war in 1898. After that, the next war begun under a Republican president was the first Iraq war (the Gulf war). So, nearly a century between wars begun by or under a Republican president. That one, the Gulf war, was won rather clearly, if it also was limited in the war aims (forcing Iraq out of Kuwait). The second Iraq war was a failure, in that it included an occupation, and contained no realistic war aims. In fact, the second Iraq war was the brainchild of Democratic operatives, namely Richard Perele and Paul Wolfowitz, who began their Washington careers as staffers to Democrat Senator “Scoop” Jackson.

Meanwhile, Democrats presided over getting the USA into World War I and WW2, both in dishonest ways that didn’t serve the national interest or world stability. US entrance into WWI laid the ground work for Hitler and Stalin. US entrance into WW2 (managed dishonestly and nearly treasonously by FDR), would result in Soviet domination of central Europe for half a century and the costly Cold War.

Democrats followed up with the Korean war and the Vietnam war, neither of which was anywhere near being won or ended when Republican presidents found a way to end them with honor. Democrats were able to undermine the honorable ending to the Vietnam war, which they by then had dishonestly blamed on Nixon and all Republicans.

While it is clear Republicans have begun fewer wars than Democrats, it should also be noted that the forces behind the two Iraq wars were heavily Democratic, especially the second Iraq war. In large part this is because the Israel lobby, which strongly supported both Iraq wars, is overwhelmingly made up of Democrats.

ruth| 1.20.09 @ 8:27PM

Mr. More, truth doesn't matter to these liberal morons. Public Skool Education and all.

Alan Brooks| 1.20.09 @ 8:44PM

FDR was a congenital liar, even Truman didnt really like him much, he sure didnt love FDR.
Truman was the standup guy, not FDR.

Jeremiah| 1.20.09 @ 9:28PM

Paul More --

If the first Iraq war were a success, there would have been no need for a second.

So -- you're right. There was the Spanish American war, which wasn't exactly one of this country's high points, you'll have to admit.

My larger point, of course, was that this knee jerk assumption out here on these fringes that the "left" is incapable of patriotism is just plain false.

It is also insulting as hell and completely uncalled for.

You don't burnish your own patriotism by scoffing at the patriotism of others.

Besides, some of the bathos and sentimentality that is offered as patriotism on the right can be incredibly unmanly.

There's something that resists patriotism in the American spirit that I think is healthy, and mindless flag-waving never did this country much good.

Jeremiah| 1.20.09 @ 9:32PM

It's so odd that "conservatives" claim to hate and fear government while going on at such unseemly lengths about their love of country.

Here's the truth of the matter:

"Conservatives" are people with what political philosophers have called an "authoritarian personality."

They are conflicted by a feeling of intense emotional dependency upon a "Daddy"-type strong man government and, like young boys, idealize that figure.

When in the course of things the authority lets them down, they grow cynical and profess to despise it.

Kat| 1.20.09 @ 9:55PM

Jeremiah the preening liberal lecturing conservatives on mental health issues. No thanks, libtard.

Alan Brooks| 1.20.09 @ 10:10PM

um, Jerry, libertarians hate and fear govt...
an authoritarian personality, Jeremiah?
someone who tells you what to think, how to run your life, what to eat,

Gosh, what sort of world do we live in?
you mean, things might not work out? people might try to gain power? are they jealous? is something not quite right?

Basil Plumley| 1.20.09 @ 10:47PM

Jeremiah,
Your post make me wonder whether I actually witnessed the petulence and demagoguery of the Left over the last 8 years.

"It's so odd that "conservatives" claim to hate and fear government while going on at such unseemly lengths about their love of country."

Really? I thought dissent was the highest form of patriotism. Or is it paying higher taxes?
I presume that your post will be the beginning of re-writing history. After all, you and your fellow travelers were supporting the soldiers all along. At least you are waving the American flag again.

PS: McCain won the military vote 54-44. Bush did 15 points better in 2004. From what I gather from friends in the military, McCain did not carry great bona fides with the military; mostly from his policy positions rather than Obama's.
2o00 is unknown as many military votes did not count in FL. Gore's lawyers are still high-fiving themselves.

Crusader| 1.20.09 @ 10:50PM

Jerry, libtard, if you can't see the basic difference between "government" and "country," then nothing else you say really matters. Or makes much sense.

I mean your whole last post is classic, CLASSIC projectionism. Basically the defense mech where what I don't like about me I project onto my adversaries. Conservatives have a daddy-govt complex? Are you effing serious? God bless it you are a freaking moron.

ruth| 1.20.09 @ 10:52PM

Basil, didn't you know that Bush stole the election of 2000? Actually Florida was Acorn's first test run and the demos couldn't quite pull it off yet. That was the Gubernatorial race in Washington state in '06.

Crusader| 1.20.09 @ 10:52PM

Libtard Jerry, I am going to use your own argument against you.

If the first world war was such a success, why did we need a second?

Ran| 1.20.09 @ 10:53PM

"libertarians hate and fear govt...

Mr. Antle,
If I may adjust a common misperception? Libertarians... recognize that government first is self-imposed, extending then to family, to community and downwards in importance to the "big" state and federal governments. In this sense, American conservatism, too, is libertarian, though conservatives anchor self-government in Faith. In theory, at any rate.

It is "liberals" who see the whole thing inverted, rather in the feudal manner. Individuals are lesser beings in their pantheon than "society" and governments in their hierarchy. God just gets in the way.

Probably better to say that libertarians abhor unnecessary large, imposed State governance where personal responsibility should suffice. Though... after the Warsaw Ghetto and Waco and Ruby Creek and and and, Hell yeah, libertarians fear Government. A little paranoia can be healthy.

ruth| 1.20.09 @ 11:00PM

I think of myself as a SoCon but big government sure scares the hell out of me, too! Any tyrranical regime is included, left or right.

Spicy Joker| 1.20.09 @ 11:19PM

Yeah, all those other liberals who write books trashing religion ("The God Delusion") are going to be thrilled that Obama is "taking back" religion for the Democrats (as if it belonged to them to begin with).

Kat| 1.20.09 @ 11:29PM

Just remember Obama's concept of religion--he attended Rev. Wright's church for 20 years.

jay white| 1.20.09 @ 11:46PM

LOL ; you must be important. Since YOU left the Republicans they've been on a losing streak. I'm glad you have the perfect President who shares your insane grandiosity. The "ONE" is closer to the ZERO. Obama needed a 5 to 1 spending advantage, the biggest RINO in the senate as an opponent, the MSM doing a great imitation of Pravada and Der Sturmer in order to serve the "ONE", the worst situation for Repubican incumbent POTUS to get elected.

Paul E. More| 1.21.09 @ 2:08AM

Jeremiah,

The government isn’t the same thing as the “country.” A government is a temporary administration of the state. Thus we refer to the Bush government, which is different from the Obama government, or “administration.”

BTW, we didn’t need a second Iraq war. The second Iraq war was, as I explained, the brain child of the Democrats known as “Neocons.” Richard Perele and Paul Woflowitz, both Democrats, tried to sell this war to the Likud hard line Prime Minister of Israel but he didn’t buy it. I’m told by my Israeli friends that he didn’t buy because he knew Iraq was a toothless tiger, after the first Iraq war. Bush Jr. bought for several reasons, among them the fact that most powerful Democrats supported the idea, including both Clintons, Senator Schumer, Seantor Daschle, Senator Fienstein etc.

L. Ross| 1.21.09 @ 11:38AM

Jeremiah:

Seems like no one wants to do anything but trash you today. So, this is my Me Too moment.

You are correct that Obama did get a substantial portion of the military vote, but incorrect to think that there are many liberal democrats in the military. I've been in since 1981, and I can count the liberal democrats I've met on one hand.

The reason that McCain didn't do better with military members is, quite frankly, we understand that getting captured and tortured for years has very little to do with your fitness to be President. McCain was a piss poor pilot, and a freaking RINO. Not exactly the kind of man the troops will rally behind. Heck, I voted Libertarian because I couldn't bring myself to punch his ticket.

ruth| 1.21.09 @ 3:28PM

Mr. Ross, your comment makes my point that we lose when we run a RINO. Who wants demo light when you can have the real deal?

sidnee| 12.12.09 @ 12:07PM

jack wills
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