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Hastert Plays the McCarthyism Game with Biden

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Gandalf Grey

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Oct 25, 2001, 2:07:58 AM10/25/01
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Hastert blasts Biden remarks
From Jonathan Karl
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) --Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, lashed
out at Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Delaware,
on Wednesday for making what he called "completely irresponsible" comments
about U.S. armed forces operating in Afghanistan.

"The last thing our country needs right now is Senator Joe Biden calling our
armed forces 'a high-tech bully,'" Hastert said in a written statement. "The
American people want us to bring these terrorists to justice. They do not
want comments that may bring comfort to our enemies."

Hastert was referring to Biden's remarks made Monday to the Council on
Foreign Relations. Biden spokesman Norm Kerrs accused Hastert of taking
Biden's words out of context.

"He clearly doesn't know the facts," Kerrs said. "If he understood what
Senator Biden said in his speech, I'm sure he'd retract his statement."

Biden responded to Hastert's criticism on the Senate floor.

"I think this was a political drive-by shooting, accidental, I hope," he
said.

In his remarks Monday, Biden said he hopes the U.S. air campaign against
Afghanistan doesn't last too long because it "plays into every stereotypical
criticism of us is we're this high-tech bully that thinks from the air we
can do whatever we want to do, and it builds the case for those who want to
make the case against us that all we're doing is indiscriminately bombing
innocents, which is not the truth."

"How much longer does the bombing continue?" Biden said in his speech.
"Because we're going to pay every single hour, every single day it
continues, we're going to pay an escalating price in the Muslim world."

But in his comments, Biden also praised President Bush's handling of the
situation and said he could "go down as a great president."

A spokesman for Hastert said the speaker would not retract his criticism of
Biden. He said Hastert is concerned enemies of the United States could seize
upon Biden's "unfortunate" use of the words "high-tech bully" in their
anti-American propaganda.

CNN

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"We will not walk in fear. We're Americans. Americans don't walk in fear."
Colin Powell, Press Conference, September 13, 2001

Brickner's

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Oct 25, 2001, 9:04:47 AM10/25/01
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Senator Biden is a scumbag......(remeber the Waco hearings).......and he
is bought and paid for by the CFR........

Crusader

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Oct 25, 2001, 10:48:24 AM10/25/01
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>Senator Biden is a scumbag......(remeber the Waco hearings).......and he
>is bought and paid for by the CFR........

"The last thing our country needs right now is Senator "Buckwheat"
Bidet calling our armed forces 'a high-tech bully,'" said Mr. Hastert,
Illinois Republican. "The American people expect their representatives
and senators to support these operations and to support our men and
women in uniform," "After losing several thousand fellow citizens to
Arab terrorist attacks over the last month and a half, the American
people want us to bring these islamic terrorists to justice. They do
not want comments that may bring comfort to the enemy," Mr. Hastert
said. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III of Virginia, called Mr. Buckwheat's
comments "outrageous and negligent."

The top Democrapic lawmaker on foreign policy said Monday that unless
the bombing of Afghanistan ends "sooner rather than later," America is
a "high-tech bully.," "Every minute it continues, it makes the
aftermath problems more frightening to me," said Sen. Joe "Buckwheat"
Bidet, Democrapic Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, a leftist group of
foreign policy wonks, Bidet said he feels that a little careful
bombing might be needed to help protect U.S. Special Forces
operations, but it creates a scary problem. Bidet stressed that, like
most Democratic weenies, he is afraid to challenge President Bush -
but the "honeymoon' might get rockier soon." "The longer the bombing
goes on, the more susceptible we are to justified criticism, in the
Islamic World," he said. "With every hour that passes, the United
States pays an escalating price in loss of affection in the Islamic
World, and complaints that the USA is a high-tech bully that only
attacks from the air and won't fight on camelback."

Bob Rahe

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Oct 25, 2001, 12:21:45 PM10/25/01
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In article <3BD80DEF...@bright.net>,

Brickner's <dave...@bright.net> wrote:
>Senator Biden is a scumbag......(remeber the Waco hearings).......and he
>is bought and paid for by the CFR........

And the Thomas "hearings". (I'm regularly embarassed that he is from
my state. Note I didn't say he was my senator.... 8-(( )

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Bob Rahe, Delaware Tech&Comm Coll. / |
|Computer Center, Dover, Delaware / |
|Internet: b...@dtcc.edu (RWR50) / |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

King Pineapple

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Oct 25, 2001, 1:21:44 PM10/25/01
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Bubba Butt Brother Rob Borden <nom...@nospam.org.invalid> wrote in message
news:nomail-AF4B04....@enews.newsguy.com...

> Biden is a bright, well-spoken man that won't lockstep.

Except when it came to saving Clinton's ass...


Gandalf Grey

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Oct 25, 2001, 2:07:32 PM10/25/01
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Paid Right Wing Shill, King Pineapple <saddl...@earthlink.net> wrote in
message news:ISXB7.1091$2K5.1...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...

And Pineapple once again proves that he exists only to toe the right wing
line.


Randy Cox

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Oct 25, 2001, 7:11:48 PM10/25/01
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Well, I've never critisized Hastert before, thinking him a bit inert,
but now he has proven to me that he is either stupid...or just another
political hack taking unfair advantage.

Biden, who speaks for me while Gore is still playing the honorable
defeated candidate, is doing what leaders are supposed to do, trying
to develop policy with intelligence.

He wasn't blaming Bush for killing Omar's ten year old son, or for
bombing the hospital, or for taking out an old folks home! He was
just stating what is a problem for our image in this war. Bush has
said it would be a long war, and, of course, it will be. We can't
keep doing the things I mention in the first part of this paragraph
without looking like a "high tech bully!"

Some people who voted for republicans like Bush and Hastert may be
too busy making money to think deep enough to know these things...but
the inhabitants of the world can see these things clearly. It is
really difficult remaining united with "idiots" like Hastert when he
keeps trying to drive "thinking" Americans away.

"Shut up, Hastert!", I say...."Let Biden temper your Republican zeal
with a little old fashioned wisdom."

Randy R. Cox

On Wed, 24 Oct 2001 23:07:58 -0700, "Gandalf Grey"
<ganda...@infectedmail.com> wrote:

>Hastert blasts Biden remarks
>From Jonathan Karl
>CNN Washington Bureau
>

>

Tom Abbott

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Oct 26, 2001, 12:22:53 AM10/26/01
to
On Thu, 25 Oct 2001 23:11:48 GMT, ran...@airmail.net (Randy
Cox) wrote:

>Well, I've never critisized Hastert before, thinking him a bit inert,
>but now he has proven to me that he is either stupid...or just another
>political hack taking unfair advantage.
>
>Biden, who speaks for me while Gore is still playing the honorable
>defeated candidate, is doing what leaders are supposed to do, trying
>to develop policy with intelligence.
>
>He wasn't blaming Bush for killing Omar's ten year old son, or for
>bombing the hospital, or for taking out an old folks home! He was
>just stating what is a problem for our image in this war. Bush has
>said it would be a long war, and, of course, it will be. We can't
>keep doing the things I mention in the first part of this paragraph
>without looking like a "high tech bully!"
>
>Some people who voted for republicans like Bush and Hastert may be
>too busy making money to think deep enough to know these things...but
>the inhabitants of the world can see these things clearly. It is
>really difficult remaining united with "idiots" like Hastert when he
>keeps trying to drive "thinking" Americans away.
>
>"Shut up, Hastert!", I say...."Let Biden temper your Republican zeal
>with a little old fashioned wisdom."
>
>Randy R. Cox
>


Well, you are probably not going to believe this but I
agree with you and Senator Biden!

Now Senator Biden and I do not see eye to eye on many
things having to do with national security and the military
but in this case he is exactly right: a prolonged bombing
campaign which is not in support of ground troops, is a very
serious public relations problem. It most certainly
reinforces the view of many around the world that the US is
a bully because we are more than willing to bomb, which is
safe for our side, but we won't put our ground troops in
danger.

This was the problem with bombing in Kosovo and was a
public relations disaster for Clinton, or rather for the
United States since we now have to carry this burden of new
outrage.

I think people around the world understand a bombing
campaign that is aimed at paving the way for ground troops.
They understand that it is the wise thing to pick off the
heavy weapons before introducing ground troops, but if we
only bomb and nothing else, then we appear not to be serious
about the war we are prosecuting, and others will think we
are doing it just on a whim just because we can without
being harmed. This leads to resentment and fear on the part
of others, because they could just as easily be the next
target of the bully that likes to bomb.

It is time to put in the troops, and show the United
States is serious enough about it to risk our blood. This
will quell the cries of bully (not all of course).

And I think this is just what is going to happen in the
very near future. Eight or ten countries have already said
they were going to supply military forces, and the Taliban
have by now been reduced in strength by a large margin, so
it seems to me that ground operations are imminent.

The only question mark is whether bin Laden has weapons of
mass destruction to use on allied troops. If he does, then
the US and its allies may not put large numbers of forces
into Afghanistan at first, just to see what Osama has up his
sleeve.

But yes, bombing alone, especially by the United States is
a public relations disaster waiting to happen and it must be
managed very carefully.


TA

Kenneth Almquist

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Oct 26, 2001, 1:02:50 AM10/26/01
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"Gandalf Grey" <ganda...@infectedmail.com> quoted CNN reporter
Johathan Karl:

> A spokesman for Hastert said the speaker would not retract his
> criticism of Biden. He said Hastert is concerned enemies of the
> United States could seize upon Biden's "unfortunate" use of the
> words "high-tech bully" in their anti-American propaganda.

If enemies of the United States do this, I'm sure that they'll
be gracious enough to send Hastert a note thanking him for the
suggestion.
Kenneth Almquist

Richard

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Oct 26, 2001, 1:31:40 AM10/26/01
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"tØpe" <tØpe@nØ.Ørg> wrote in message
news:2_%B7.1562$2K5.1...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> Remember folks, King Pineapple is neither Republican nor religious.
>
> Apparently, he just enjoys goose-stepping.
>
> tØpe

Well said. LOL.

--
Liberal
Signifies an openness to change and respect for individual liberties within
a societal framework in which all have equal opportunity (See Rawls Theory
of Justice or Walzer's Spheres of Justice)

---Richard


King Pineapple

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Oct 26, 2001, 6:30:41 AM10/26/01
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tØpe <tØpe@nØ.Ørg> wrote in message
news:2_%B7.1562$2K5.1...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...

> Remember folks, King Pineapple is neither Republican nor religious.

Correct. Thanks for playing. Boy, did I strike a nerve, or what?

Tell me what Clinton "won" again in impeachment...


louisianne

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Oct 26, 2001, 10:33:22 AM10/26/01
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What he won is called: A-C-Q-U-I-T-T-A-L

Hope that's not too many sysllables for you, is it?

Jeffrey Davis

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Oct 26, 2001, 11:06:28 AM10/26/01
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King Pineapple wrote:

> tŘpe <tŘpe@nŘ.Řrg> wrote in message

The car, the bed room suite, the boat, the box of apple sauce, the home
spa....

--
Jeffrey Davis <res0...@verizon.net> E Pluribus unum


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