A Happy 4th to everyone. Believe me – I would have liked to have prepared a Required Reading that was appropriately and perhaps tritely thematic, but there was too much other good stuff out there. 1) From the New York Times, “New and Not Improved” by the editors. Hell hath no fury like a Grey Lady scorned. Disappointed over Barack Obama’s latest evolutions, the Times has lashed out with a furious editorial, lamenting, “We are not shocked when a candidate moves to the center for the general election. But Mr. Obama’s shifts are striking because he was the candidate who proposed to change the face of politics, the man of passionate convictions who did not play old political games.” And then to really twist the knife, the editors conclude with the observation, “This country needs change it can believe in.” Meow. Now, if you’ll pardon my French, what in tarnation is the Times talking about when it says Obama “was a man of passionate convictions?” Where and on what issues exactly did he manifest those convictions? Favoring Hope/Change, however strongly, really doesn’t qualify as a conviction. 2) From BarackObama.com, “Why I Screwed the Left on FISA*” by Barack Obama. (*Actually, the essay was untitled, so I tried to give it a title that fit) Obama goes to Greenwaldian lengths to explain one of this week’s many betrayals of the left. Since I know no one will follow the link, I’m going to provide a lengthy excerpt so that you may best wallow in the equivocations and intellectual confusion:
This was not an easy call for me. I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn’t have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush’s abuse of executive power. It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush Administration’s program of warrantless wiretapping. This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That’s why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate. But I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year. The exclusivity provision makes it clear to any President or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court. In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited. As I’ve said many times, an independent monitor must watch the watchers to prevent abuses and to protect the civil liberties of the American people. This compromise law assures that the FISA court has that responsibility.
Let me be crystal clear: if elected president, my first act will be to call for the immediate withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq. I have always been consistent and forthright in this position, and I want to reassure my supporters that my recent statement backtracking from it was just some bulls**t my staff came up with to tack to the center for the general election. To win this election, it will be critical to appeal to the dwindling but stubborn group of idiots who cling to fantasies of American “victory” in this tragic disaster. It’s an unfortunate part of the complicated game of presidential politics, but let’s face it: I can’t stop this war if I’m not in the White House. However, you should know by now that whatever I may say from now until November, once elected I will immediately pull the rug from these gullible pro-war rubes. Or will I? We have the terrorists on the run, and it would obviously be crazy for us to pull our troops from the region just as we are on the verge of victory. And it is equally obvious that everything I said in the previous paragraph was designed to placate the naive hipster moonbats I brilliantly exploited to destroy the Clintons. (You’re welcome.) Now that the nomination is in the bag, I am finally free to stake out my genuine pro-victory Iraq position, and have a good laugh while the dKos morons screech like a bunch of apoplectic howler monkeys. See what I mean? That previous paragraph should be a signal to all of you in the progressive community just how committed I am to an immediate troop withdrawal.
I urge you to read the Iowahawk’s entire essay right after reading the thing Obama wrote about his FISA reversal. If you’re of a certain age, you’ll be asking yourself, “Which one is live and which one Memorex?” 4) From the New York Post, “Price of Freedom” by Ralph Peters. An outstanding and moving essay.
“Without men willing to take up arms and fight for the freedoms the Founding Fathers asserted, the words themselves would have secured us nothing… Unless etched in the blood of patriots, noble words evaporate. Yet, for all too many Americans today, words have becomea substitute for sacrifice. We vow that our fallen heroes shall not be forgotten. Then we forget them.”
In my brief five day career of doing the Required Reading, I’ve never said “read the whole thing.” But I’m saying it now – read the whole thing. 5) From Army.Mil News, “1215 Service Members Re-Up in Iraq” by Marine Cpl. Frances L. Goch (HT: HotAir.com) A perfect complement to Peters’ column, and a perfect place to direct our thoughts on this 4th of July. David Petraeus said of the re-enlistees, “You and your comrades here have been described as America’s new greatest generation, and, in my view, you have more than earned that description. It is the greatest of honors to soldier here with you.” The video below is a little over one minute long. On this day especially, please watch it – you’ll be glad you did.
