Democrat Joe Biden: Democrats have lost faith in the American people

Biden: Democrats have lost faith in the American people
posted at 7:30 am on November 9, 2007 by Bryan
Assuming the quote is accurate.
Sen. Joe Biden said in an interview at the New Hampshire Union Leader this afternoon that too many Democrats, including the frontrunners for the presidential nomination, do not have faith in the American people.
“We’ve got to trust the American people more,” Biden said.
“I think they’ve really lost faith in the American people in terms of leveling with them,” he said of his leading rivals.
When he asks groups of Democrats if they think the American people are stupid because they elected George W. Bush twice, most respond that, yes, they do, he said. He said he thinks that attitude is a real problem for the Democrats, who fail to understand how smart and pragmatic the American people really are.
Biden was generally critical of the far left wing of his party and of the strategies the frontrunners are using to win the nomination.
It’s beyond just the left wing. The entire big government approach of concentrating power in the hands of the elites rather than allowing and encouraging power to decentralize out to states and local communities is a symptom of mistrust. It shows up throughout the government, from national educational standards that stifle local control and freedom, to tax policy, to the centralized approach to managing health care, to matters of national and especially self defense. The Democrats’ default attitude is to take power from the people rather than entrust power to the people. Biden is on to something in saying so.

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/11/09/biden-democrats-have-lost-faith-in-the-american-people/?print=1

University of Maine journalism professor offers students extra credit for burning U.S. flag or Constitution

Flag-burning ‘lesson’ provokes UM student

By Toni-Lynn RobbinsSaturday, November 03, 2007 – Bangor Daily News
ORONO, Maine – A University of Maine student alleges her former professor offered extra credit to class members if they burned the American flag or the U.S. Constitution or were arrested defending free speech.
On the first day of class, associate professor Paul Grosswiler offered the credit to members of his History of Mass Communications class, according to sophomore Rebekah McDade. Disturbed by the comment, McDade dropped the class and intends to take the course again next semester with a different professor.
“I was offended,” McDade said Friday. “I come from a family of military men and women, and the flag and Constitution are really important symbols to me because of my family background.”
In an e-mail responding to a request for comment from the Bangor Daily News on Friday, Grosswiler said he thought McDade misunderstood the class discussion, which was intended to elicit thought about the First Amendment. He said he has held this same discussion for years without incident.
“I don’t intend for students to burn either the Constitution or the flag, and over the years hundreds of students have understood that,” Grosswiler wrote.
The incident was made public recently when The Leadership Institute, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization, distributed a press release detailing the classroom discussion.
The Leadership Institute was founded in 1979 by Morton Blackwell and has a mission to identify, recruit, train and place conservatives in politics, government and the media, according to the organization’s Web site.
A field representative for the institute met McDade on Oct. 1 at UM, when she shared her experience and expressed an interest in spearheading a group “Students for Academic Freedom,” Blackwell said Friday.
The group’s initial goal would be to convince UM to enact a “Student Bill of Rights,” as other colleges have, which would protect students from professors who treat and grade students differently based on religious or political beliefs, McDade said. The institute has assisted McDade in the startup process, she said.
“When we heard the story, we said ‘Hey, this is probably worthwhile our doing a news release,’” Blackwell said. “When you expose leftist abuses, it invigorates conservatives. I am sure that the administration, like most administrations we deal with, is not happy when leftist abuses come to life. They far prefer to have students under their thumb and indoctrinated.”
McDade said Friday she was a little uncomfortable with the publicity and that it might have gotten out of hand. She said her intent was not to put the focus on Grosswiler, but to give students an opportunity to voice their concerns.
A journalism and political science double major, McDade said the first class of her fall semester at UM began with the typical syllabus introduction and class overview. Despite repeated “liberal” comments made by Grosswiler, McDade said, she was not uncomfortable in the classroom until the flag burning comment.
“Everyone is entitled to their own political beliefs, and more power to you if you are passionate about it,” McDade said.
When Grosswiler listed the extra-credit opportunities, McDade said the class of approximately 50 students grew very quiet, and some questioned whether he was serious.
At first, student Kathleen Dame said she thought Grosswiler was joking, but then he went on to explain to the class that burning the flag was not illegal. While Grosswiler approached the topic in a serious manner, Dame said she felt he used it as a tool to educate the class on the First Amendment.
“It was pretty outlandish and [he was] trying to prove a point,” Dame said Friday.
While McDade said she would not be surprised if students followed through with the flag burning, Dame disagreed.
UM spokesman Joe Carr said Friday that Grosswiler’s classroom comments were not intended to be taken literally and that extra credit would not be granted for carrying out such activities.
A second person in the class did submit a complaint about the lecture, but Carr did not know in what form it was filed.
When asked whether the university would pursue disciplinary action, Carr replied, “No.”
He said Grosswiler has worked at the University of Maine since 1991, is one of the more veteran professors in the department of communication and journalism, and is a “well-respected member of the faculty.”
In his e-mail Friday, Grosswiler, who is a former BDN employee, explained that he refers to provocative examples, such as flag burning, to demonstrate the courage necessary to support free expression.
“If they don’t tolerate thought that they hate, they don’t believe in the First Amendment,” he wrote.
“I applaud the student’s exercise of free expression. If she had stayed in the class, I would have given her extra credit for publicizing her opinions.”

http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=156138&zoneid=500

Career Army man to challenge Murtha

Career Army man to challenge Murtha
BY MIKE FAHERThe Tribune-Democrat
— After nearly three decades in the military, William T. Russell’s latest mission has brought him to Johnstown.The career Army man, just two years short of retirement, has left the service and moved to the Flood City in order to mount a political campaign against veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha.As a Republican and first-time candidate facing a powerful congressman in the sprawling, Democrat-dominated 12th Congressional District, Russell faces a tough challenge.But he is determined to press ahead and will formally announce his candidacy within weeks.“I recognize this is an uphill battle,” Russell said in an interview last week at The Tribune-Democrat. “But it’s one that must be fought.”Murtha, who declined any comment on Russell’s candidacy when contacted through a spokesman last week, has served in the House since 1974.The 75-year-old is known for bringing money and jobs – especially in the defense sector – to his district, and last year he became chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.But Murtha’s repeated calls for a military withdrawal from Iraq and his criticism of the Bush administration have spurred a backlash among conservatives.Republican Diana Irey, a Washington County commissioner, tried to capitalize on that sentiment during her 2006 campaign against Murtha. But the congressman cruised to victory.Russell, 45, is betting on a different result next year. He readily acknowledges that he moved to Johnstown from the Washington, D.C., area specifically so that he could run in the 12th District.Murtha is a decorated Vietnam War veteran. But Russell also has extensive military credentials.Born on an Air Force base in Newfoundland, Canada, Russell’s long Army and Army Reserve career includes duty in the Balkans and in both Iraq wars.Russell and his wife, Kasia, were in the Pentagon when a hijacked jetliner crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001. They escaped unharmed.While Murtha’s encounters with wounded soldiers have solidified his stance on Iraq, Russell said a similar encounter left him with the opposite impression: To withdraw from Iraq, he argues, would render the sacrifices of those soldiers pointless.“I think Mr. Murtha is just flat-out wrong,” Russell said.The Republican also cites, as Irey did, Murtha’s public accusation that U.S. Marines murdered innocent civilians in the Iraq town of Haditha in 2005.The congressman, Russell contends, is “playing right into the hands of this enemy.” On his Web site, Russell takes that line of thought a step further and attempts to raise the stakes for next year’s election.“In this war against Islamic radicalism, the political battle of the 2008 election in the Pennsylvania 12th Congressional District is a critical turning point,” he said.Russell’s platform is not limited to the Iraq issue.He seeks to turn a long history of substantial economic clout against Murtha, arguing that the congressman is an “extreme practitioner of cronyism” who has not created long-term, sustainable jobs in this area.As a small-business owner who operates an ATM company, Russell says he wants to help create a local economy that is more dependent on the free market – while also acknowledging that some jobs may be lost if governmental contracts disappear.“A lot of folks have gotten very, very dependent on this ‘pork’ structure,” Russell said.Russell still has significant hurdles to clear before he can legitimately challenge Murtha. Political support is one issue.It is not yet clear whether Russell will have any primary-election opposition from within his party. Irey last week would say only that she is focused on her current campaign for Washington County commissioner.Russell has met with local Republican leaders, who are not wading into the Murtha race just yet.“Right now, we’re focused on the Nov. 6 election,” said Ann Wilson, Cambria County Republican Committee executive director. “It’s too early to comment on the 2008 election.”Adequate fundraising also is a concern, though Russell said he hopes to buttress campaign cash with significant grassroots support.“There’s a lot of folks who might not have a whole lot of money to throw at a campaign but can donate some time and effort,” he said. “And I’m getting a lot of those types of promises.”

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_301003334.html

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo-lyc4tcsM&rel=1">

SHOCK DOCS: THE NEW REPUBLIC ‘SHOCK TROOPS’ STORY COLLAPSES

SHOCK DOCS: THE NEW REPUBLIC ‘SHOCK TROOPS’ STORY COLLAPSES

WED Oct 24 2007 12:29:44 ET

The DRUDGE REPORT has obtained internal documents from the investigation of THE NEW REPUBLIC’S “Baghdad Diarist”, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, an Army private turned war correspondent who reported tales of military malfeasance from the Iraq War front. The documents appear to expose that once the veracity of Beauchamp’s diaries were called into question, and an Army investigation ensued, THE NEW REPUBLIC has failed to publicly account for publishing slanderous falsehoods about the U.S. military in a time of war. Document 1: Beauchamp Refuses to Stand by Story (Beauchamp Transcript Part 1) THE NEW REPUBLIC has been standing behind the stories from their Baghdad Diarist, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, since questions were first raised about their accuracy over the summer. On August 10, the editors at TNR accused the Army of “stonewalling” their investigation into the stories by preventing them from speaking with Beauchamp. The DRUDGE REPORT has since obtained the transcript of a September 7 call between TNR editor Frank Foer, TNR executive editor Peter Scoblic, and Private Beauchamp. During the call, Beauchamp declines to stand by his stories, telling his editors that “I just want it to end. I’m not going to talk to anyone about anything really.” The editors respond that “we just can’t, in good conscience, continue to defend the piece” without an explanation, but Beauchamp responds only that he “doesn’t care what the public thinks.” The editors then ask Beauchamp to cancel scheduled interviews with the WASHINGTON POST and NEWSWEEK. Document 2: Beauchamp Admits to “Gross Exaggerations and Inaccurate Allegations” (Beauchamp Transcript Part 2) The DRUDGE REPORT has also obtained a signed “Memorandum for Record” in which Beauchamp recants his stories and concedes the facts of the Army’s investigation — that his stories contained “gross exaggerations and inaccurate allegations of misconduct” by his fellow soldiers. Document 3: Army Investigation: Tales “Completely Fabricated,” Beauchamp Wanted to be Hemingway The third document obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT is the Army’s official report on the investigation into the allegations made by Private Beauchamp. The Army concluded that Beauchamp had “completely fabricated” the story of mocking a disfigured woman, that his description of a “Saddam-era dumping ground” was false, and that claims that he and his men had deliberately targeted dogs with their armored vehicles was “completely unfounded.” Further the report stated “that Private Beauchamp desired to use his experiences to enhance his writing and provide legitimacy to his work possibly becoming the next Hemingway.” The report concludes that “Private Beauchamp takes small bits of truth and twists and exaggerates them into fictional accounts that he puts forth as the whole truth for public consumption.”

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash8.htm

As the Democrats Try to Undermine America’s Military, Support Wanes in House for Genocide Vote

Support Wanes in House for Genocide Vote
By CARL HULSE
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 — Worried about antagonizing Turkish leaders, House members from both parties have begun to withdraw their support from a resolution supported by the Democratic leadership that would condemn as genocide the mass killings of Armenians nearly a century ago.
Almost a dozen lawmakers had shifted against the measure over the last 24 hours, accelerating a sudden exodus that has cast deep doubt over the measure’s prospects. Some representatives made clear that they were heeding warnings from the White House, which has called the measure dangerously provocative, and from the Turkish government, which has said House passage would prompt Turkey to reconsider its ties to the United States, including logistical support for the Iraq war.
Until today, the resolution appeared to be on a path to House passage, with strong support from the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California. It was approved last week by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But this evening, a group of group of senior House Democrats had made it known they were planning to ask the leadership to drop plans for a vote on the measure.
“Turkey obviously feels they are getting poked in the eye over something that happened a century ago, and maybe this isn’t a good time to be doing that,” said Representative Allen Boyd, a Florida Democrat who dropped his sponsorship of the resolution Monday night. .
Others who took the same action said that while they deplored the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, beginning in 1915, the modern-day consequences in the Middle East could not be overlooked.
“We simply cannot allow the grievances of the past — as real as they may be — to in any way derail our efforts to prevent further atrocities for future history books,” said Representative Wally Herger, Republican of California.
“I think it is a good resolution and horrible timing,” said Representative Mike Ross, Democrat of Arkansas.
The Turkish government has lobbied heavily against the resolution, which is nonbinding and largely symbolic. But lawmakers attributed the erosion in support mainly to fears about a potential Turkish decision to deny American access to critical military facilities in that nation and its threat to move forces into northern Iraq to attack Kurdish rebels.
“This vote came face to face with the reality on the ground in that region of the world,” said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and an opponent of the resolution.
The Bush administration and top American generals have been vocal in warning that passage of the resolution could cause great harm to the American war effort in Iraq and have put significant pressure on Republicans to abandon their support for the measure. President Bush called Ms. Pelosi today and asked her to prevent a floor vote on the resolution.
“The president and the speaker exchanged candid views on the subject and the speaker explained the strong bipartisan support in the House for the resolution,” said Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Ms. Pelosi.
The Democratic leadership has been examining the exact level of that support to gauge its next step, but lawmakers and officials said it was now unclear whether the resolution could be approved, given Republican resistance and Democratic defections. “We will have to determine where everyone is,” said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader.
Ms. Pelosi, who has promised a vote on the resolution if it cleared the Foreign Affairs Committee, said she was leaving it to its chief backers to round up votes. “I have never known a count,” she said.
Backers of the resolution, which has the fervent backing of the Armenian-American community, described the loss of support as slight and attributed it to the intense lobbying by the Turkish government, the Bush administration and their allies. They said they would try to change the minds of some of those who were wavering.
“This is what happens when you are up against a very sophisticated multimillion-dollar campaign,” said Representative Brad Sherman, Democrat of California, who chided the Turkish government. “Since when it has become fashionable for friends to threaten friends.”
But he acknowledged there was little margin of error for backers of the resolution, which had once boasted 225 co-sponsors. “If the vote were held today, I would not want to be my house on the outcome,” he said.
Mr. Sherman and others noted that Turkey, at the start of the Iraq war, had refused to let American forces operate from its territory, and that Turkey’s intentions toward the northern border of Iraq had clearly captured the attention of Congress.
American military officials in Iraq and in Washington said today that they were concerned about possible Turkish military incursions into northern Iraq against the Kurdish rebels, which the Turkish government blames for a wave of attacks in eastern Turkey.
At the moment, these officials said, they did not see many indications that Turkish military was preparing for large-scale incursion into the mountainous strongholds of the Kurdish rebels. They d expressed hope that diplomatic efforts under way between Iraqi and Turkish officials would ease the crisis.
“We see no signs that there’s anything imminent by Turkey,” one senior military officer said. “So there’s time for the diplomacy to work for a few more days, if not weeks.” But, he added, the situation could get “ugly” if Turkey sent troops across the border and they clashed with Kurdish militias or Iraqi forces.
The biggest fear, several former officials said, is that Turkish forces could push past the border and head for Kirkuk, forcing Iraq to respond and presenting the United States with mediating between two allies and a decision about whether to commit American troops. Such a crisis could also draw in Iran, which has also had growing problems with Kurdish groups crossing into its territory from Iraq.
In addition to the potential movement of Turkish forces, opponents of the Armenian genocide resolution continued to point to Turkey’s role as a prime staging area for moving American military supplies into Iraq.
“This happened a long time ago and I don’t know whether it was a massacre or a genocide; that is beside the point,” said Representative John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who is urging Ms. Pelosi to keep the resolution from the floor. “The point is, we have to deal with today’s world.”
While the resolution enjoyed more than enough support to pass earlier this year, about two dozen lawmakers have removed their names from the official list of sponsors of the resolution in recent weeks as a vote on it grew more likely and the reservations grew more pronounced.
“I think there was genocide in Turkey, in 1915, but I am gravely concerned about the timing,” said Representative Jane Harman, a California Democrat who said she would l remain a co-sponsor of the resolution but at the moment would oppose it were it to reach the floor. “I see no compelling reason to do this right this minute.”
Representative Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Republican who dropped his backing of the measure today, said, “Nothing changes the fact that mass killings and unspeakable acts of brutality occurred. However, passing this nonbinding resolution at this critical time would be a destabilizing action when the United States needs the help of its allies, including Turkey, in fighting the global war on terror.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/washington/17cnd-cong.html?ei=5065&en=20af3ab48140086a&ex=1193198400&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

White Liberal Air America DJ Attacks Inner City Youth With Face after Victim Demands Redistribution of Wealth from Wealthy White Oppressor (UPDATED)

Randi Rhodes is the Victim of a Violent Attack

Randi Rhodes was mugged on Sunday night on 39th Street and Park Ave, nearby her Manhattan apartment, while she was walking her dog Simon.According to Air America Radio late night host Jon Elliott, Rhodes was beaten up pretty badly, losing several teeth and will probably be off the air for at least the rest of the week. At of late Monday night we have not able to locate any press accounts of the attack and nothing has been posted on the AAR website.Several liberal blogs, including the Randi Rhodes Message Board and Democratic Underground have logged numerous posts on the Rhodes mugging with most of the posters expressing concern about the condition of the popular lib talker.Morning talk host, Lionel filled in for Rhodes on Monday, but did not say anything about why she wasn’t on hand to do her show. The Randi Rhodes board reports that Sam Seder, who does a Sunday afternoon show for AAR, will be filling on Tuesday and Wednesday.Elliott was extremely agitated when he reported on the incident. He opened his show by saying “it is with sadness that tonight I inform you that my Air America colleague Randi Rhodes was assaulted last night while walking her dog near her New York City home.”Pointing out that Rhodes was wearing a jogging suit and displayed no purse or jewelry, Elliott speculated that “this does not appear to me to be a standard grab the money and run mugging.”"Is this an attempt by the right wing hate machine to silence one of our own,” he asked. “Are we threatening them. Are they afraid that we’re winning. Are they trying to silence intimidate us.”Some of blog posters also expressed concerns that the attack on Rhodes was hate crime. Other posters warned that we need more facts before any judgements are made.According to Elliott, Rhodes was resting in her New York City apartment and was not hospitalized.Attacks on liberal talk radio stations and their hosts are not a new thing. About a month ago a gunman fired a shot through a window at the studios of KPFT, Houston’s, Pacifica station narrowly missing a DJ who was hosting music show at the time. There is currently a $10,000 reward offered to anyone who identifies the shooter.This is not the first politically motivated attack on KPFT. More than 35 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan blew up the station’s transmitters twice within the Houston station’s first year on the air.Also, according to a blogger on Democratic Underground, Thom Hartmann said on his Friday show that his auto repairman, after replacing his windshield, pointed out to him that he had three bullet holes in his car.Apparently, some right-wing critics of lib talk aren’t happy that conservative talk only accounts for 90% of the programming on talk radio. These whack jobs appear determined to whatever it takes to silence the opposing point of view.Not surprisingly, the only talk radio host killed for his political views was a liberal. In 1984, two right wing extremists gunned down Denver talk show host Alan Berg. Berg’s tragic murder was memorialized in a chilling movie Talk Radio

http://talkingradio.blogspot.com/2007/10/randi-rhodes-is-victim-of-violent.html

UPDATE: Liberal Air America Blames Right Wing for Host Falling Down and Hurting Herself

Newsday.com
Attorney for radio’s Randi Rhodes disputes report of NYC mugging
1:49 PM EDT, October 16, 2007
NEW YORK
An attorney for Air America radio personality Randi Rhodes is disputing on on-air report by a colleague that the liberal talk show host was attacked on a Manhattan street. Air America’s Jon Elliott announced on his late-night show Monday that Rhodes had been assaulted Sunday while walking her dog about a block from her Park Avenue home. He also speculated that the attack was the work of “the right wing hate machine.” Elliott’s account of the incident, however, was contested Tuesday by Rhodes attorney, Robert Gaulin. Gaulin confirmed that Rhodes was injured after she was floored by someone _ or something _ as she strolled the streets of Manhattan’s Murray Hill district around 8 p.m., but wasn’t sure herself what sent her tumbling to the pavement. “She hit her head on the street and was disoriented,” Gaulin said. “She’s not sure what happened. She didn’t see anything.” He added that she never reported the incident to police. Air America released a statement saying that “the reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded.” Air America’s vice president of programming, David Bernstein, said Rhodes missed her shows on Monday and Tuesday, but hoped to be back soon. “She’s OK. She needs a little dental work, and that’s all,” he said. “I spoke with Randi. She said that it happened, it took her by surprise and it’s over,” he said. A message posted on Rhodes’ Web site acknowledged that she was “a bit under the weather,” but didn’t say why. New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said investigators tried to contact Rhodes after learning of the incident, but were told that she did not intend to file a report.
Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny–people-randirhode1016oct16,0,7372381.story

Democrats Offers Bill to Sabotage America’s War on Terror – Turkish general warns of irreversible damage to US ties if genocide resolution passes

Turkish General Issues Warning on Bill
Oct 14 10:27 PM US/EasternBy C. ONUR ANTAssociated Press Writer
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – Turkey’s top general warned that ties with the U.S., already strained by attacks from rebels hiding in Iraq, will be irreversibly damaged if Congress passes a resolution that labels the World War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide.
Turkey, which is a major cargo hub for U.S. and allied military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, has recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations and warned that there might be a cut in the logistical support to the U.S. over the issue.
“If this resolution passed in the committee passes the House as well, our military ties with the U.S. will never be the same again,” Gen. Yasar Buyukanit told the daily Milliyet newspaper.
Despite the general’s strong words, it is not clear how far Turkey will go to express its dismay to Washington.
Turkey suspended its military ties with France last year after the French parliament’s lower house adopted a bill that that would have made it a crime to deny that the Armenian killings constituted a genocide.
But there is more at stake for NATO’s only Muslim member when it comes to its relations with the U.S. The Turkish military, and especially the air force, is heavily dependent on the American defense industry, experts say.
Still, when Washington imposed an arms embargo against Turkey in 1975 due to a dispute over Cyprus, Turkey ended all its logistical support to U.S. troops and sharing of intelligence until the embargo was lifted, said Onur Oymen, the country’s former permanent representative to NATO.
President Bush has said the resolution is the wrong response to the Armenian deaths, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure’s timing was important “because many of the survivors are very old.”
In an interview broadcast Sunday with ABC’s “This Week,” Pelosi noted that the resolution would make the U.S. the 24th country to label the killings a genocide.
Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, said the measure was “irresponsible.”
“Listen, there’s no question that the suffering of the Armenian people some 90 years ago was extreme. But what happened 90 years ago ought to be a subject for historians to sort out, not politicians here in Washington,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”
About 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq goes through Turkey as does about one-third of the fuel used by the U.S. military there. Turkish truckers also carry water and other supplied to U.S. bases.
In addition, cargo planes fly supplies to U.S. soldiers in remote areas of Iraq from Incirlik, avoiding the use of Iraqi roads vulnerable to bomb attacks. U.S. officials say the arrangement helps reduce American casualties.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has “urged restraint” from Turkey and sent two officials to Ankara in an apparent attempt to ease fury over the measure, which could be voted on by the House by the end of the year.
At issue in the resolution is the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Many international historians contend the deaths amounted to genocide, but Turkey says the mass killings and deportations were not systematic and that many Turkish Muslims also died in the chaos of war.
The congressional resolution comes as the Turkish parliament debates authorizing a military campaign into northern Iraq to root out rebels who seek a unified, independent nation for Kurds in the region.
U.S. officials have urged Turkey not to send troops and appealed for a diplomatic solution with Iraq. The Kurdish region in northern Iraq is one of the country’s few relatively stable areas, and the Kurds here are also a longtime U.S. ally.
A Kurdish rebel commander on Saturday said Turkey would face a long and bloody conflict if it launched a large-scale offensive in northern Iraq.
Speaking to The Associated Press deep in the Qandil mountains straddling the Iraq-Turkish border, some 94 miles from the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, Murat Karayilan, head of the armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, warned that an eventual Turkish incursion would “make Turkey experience a Vietnam war.”
The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Turkey says the rebels use Iraqi Kurdish territory as a safe haven. Iraqi and Kurdish authorities reject the claim.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8S9D12G0&show_article=1

Marine cleared in Haditha case set to sue Democrat John Murtha?

Marine cleared in Haditha case set to sue Murtha?
posted at 6:08 pm on October 12, 2007 by Allahpundit
This makes three suits either pending or soon to be filed stemming from Murtha’s “in cold blood” comments last spring: SSgt. Frank Wuterich filed suit alleging defamation last August, Col. Jeffrey Chessani, commander of the Third Battalion that allegedly perpetrated the massacre, said he was thinking about it six weeks ago, and now apparently Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt — against whom all charges have already been dismissed — told Sean Hannity he’s ready to jump in, too.
Exit question: Will a groveling, humiliating apology from Murtha suffice or will nothing short of monetary damages do? Exit answer: The former, because Murtha will invoke the Speech or Debate Clause (inappropriately) if they press ahead and try to hit him in the wallet.

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/10/12/marine-cleared-in-haditha-case-set-to-sue-murtha/

Rush Limbaugh Auctions Off Democrat Letter Demanding His Apology on Ebay – Money Goes to US Military Charity

http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=rush-letter-for-charity

FOX News Poll: Nearly 20% of Democrats Say World Will Be Better Off if U.S. Loses War

FOX News Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Democrats Say World Will Be Better Off if U.S. Loses War
Thursday, October 04, 2007
By Dana Blanton
AP
Oct. 4: A U.S. soldier gives candy to an Iraqi boy in western Baghdad, Iraq.
NEW YORK — Nearly one out of every five Democrats thinks the world will be better off if America loses the war in Iraq, according to the FOX News Opinion Dynamics Poll released Thursday.
The percentage of Democrats (19 percent) who believe that is nearly four times the number of Republicans (5 percent) who gave the same answer. Seven percent of independents said the world would be better off if the U.S. lost the war.
Click here for results of the poll.(pdf)
Overall, 11 percent of Americans think the world would be “better off” if the U.S. lost the war, and 73 percent disagree.
Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters for FOX News from Sept. 25 to Sept. 26. The poll has a 3-point margin of error.
Praying for Peace
Large majorities of Americans say they have said a prayer for soldiers serving in Iraq and for the war to end, while just over half say they have prayed for President Bush.
Most people — 87 percent — say they have said a prayer for the troops, and another 77 percent have prayed for the war in Iraq to end. A much smaller 54 percent majority of Americans say they have prayed for the president.
Related
Among groups, Democrats (80 percent) and Republicans (76 percent) are about equally likely to say they have prayed for the war to end, and women (80 percent) are only slightly more likely than men (73 percent) to have done so.
Republicans (74 percent) are twice as likely as Democrats (37 percent) to have included the president in their prayers, while just over half (52 percent) of independents have prayed for Bush.
Appealing to a higher authority on behalf of the president does not appear to be influenced by gender, as about as many men (51 percent) as women (56 percent) say they have prayed for Bush.
“It’s interesting to see the parallel between overall voter sentiment toward the president and the relatively reduced likelihood to pray for him,” says Ernest Paicopolos, principal of Opinion Dynamics. “It’s also striking to see a more than 30-point gap between prayer for the troops and prayer for the commander-in-chief of those same troops.”
In general, more Republicans (64 percent) than Democrats (53 percent) and independents (48 percent) say they pray every day. Southerners (66 percent) are 20 percentage points more likely than those living in the Northeast (46 percent) to pray daily.
Overall, a 56 percent majority of Americans says they pray every day, including 64 percent of women and 47 percent of men.
Another 17 percent say they pray several times a week and 7 percent several times a month. Few Americans — 7 percent — say they never pray.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C299374%2C00.html