GOP Swiftboating Begins?

  The Republican gutter-crawlers seem to be gearing up for more records bullshit. Are we really surprised about it? They have no issues to run on and the best that they can produce for a presidential nominee is John McPain, McCain.

  Check this one out from DailyKos

by Brandon Friedman

Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 01:17:24 PM PST

[from the diaries - BarbinMD]

This is hilarious.

The Republican Party of Texas, acting on behalf of chickenhawk Senator John Cornyn, has formally requested to review the military records of Senate candidate Rick Noriega.  Lt. Col. Noriega announced this publicly this afternoon on his website and on VetVoice.

Hmmm.  Now why would the Texas GOP need access to this decorated Afghanistan veteran’s military record?  I wonder where this could be going.  

Let’s see what the Noriega campaign thinks:

We know where this is going.

The Republican Party of Texas, and by extension, Senator John Cornyn, has requested that I release my military records to them. I am astounded and outraged at the implications of this request.  Over the past few years, some Republicans have conducted the most dishonest and disreputable attacks on veterans that our nation has ever seen.
In 2002, we saw the National Republican Senatorial Committee smear Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, a triple-amputee Vietnam veteran, as being in league with Osama bin Laden. This was shameful and goes against every Texas value.

Texans will not stand for this.

   Not only should Texans stand for this shit, but the rest of the country shouldn't either.

       Lt. Col. Noriega had this to say in written reply:

I welcome honest scrutiny of every aspect of my service.  It's been my privilege to serve our nation for nearly 27 years in places like Afghanistan, and on the Texas border, and I fully intend to release my military records, subject to security review and updating of my most recent training and commendations, to the public. As I am currently serving as the Commander of the 1-141 Infantry, 36th Infantry Division and potentially subject to redeployment, I am not going to allow my family, my soldiers or my country to be put at risk as a result of your political games.  You are welcome to view my military records at the same time as the citizens of Texas.

Noriega goes on to state:

These attacks on individuals who have put their bodies and lives on the line for their country are an outrage to all veterans, and they have to stop.

My record of service includes not only my years in the National Guard and Reserves, but also legislating to aid members of the Texas National Guard and all Texas veterans.  Among my legislative accomplishments are obtaining health services for Veterans, including a screening for metal traces after exposure to munitions, educational benefits for those who have served Texas and our nation, and spearheading legislation to create a database of medical, social and economic resources for military personnel seeking benefits they have been promised by the government.  I also am proud to have authored and supported free hunting/fishing licenses for all Texas guardsman and active duty personnel.

I look forward to discussing with Senator Cornyn why he twice rejected responsible troop deployment limits, twice voted against increased funding for veteran health care, voted against funding for armored vehicles, against increased funding for TRICARE but for allowing TRICARE fees to triple, and against protecting soldiers' civilian salaries while they're serving in Iraq.  This is the conversation that we should be having.    Full Article

Technorati Tags: Rick Noriega, swiftboating, Texas GOP, National Guard, John Cornyn

John McCain Votes For Torture

  I guess that is just fine with some people if they toss their morals out the window with the hopes that they might become the next president of the United State, as Senator John McCain has done

John McCain has sold the last piece of his soul to the right-wing extremists in this country. He just voted to allow waterboarding by the CIA, acting against everything he has ever said or backed in his life up until now. This is not the man I voted for in 2000. This is a sad, sad remnant of that man. AOL

    John McCain  in December 15, 2005?

   And I would like to also repeat, we've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists. We have no brief for them, but what we are is a nation that upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of all people, no matter how evil or bad they are. And I think that this will help us enormously in winning the war for the hearts and minds of people throughout the world in the war on terror.  Source

  Of course, Bush issued a signing statement after the deal with McCain, so it became, what deal? This was nothing but a play for the American people to get us to believe that McCain had accomplished something.

  But wait, there's more !

DesMoinesRegister October 25, 2007

Waterboarding is a form of torture no matter how it is done and should be a prohibited among U.S. military interrogation practices, Republican presidential candidate John McCain said today, taking issue with GOP rival Rudy Giuliani’s recent remarks.
“Anyone who knows what waterboarding is could not be unsure. It is a horrible torture technique used by Pol Pot and being used on Buddhist monks as we speak,” said McCain after a campaign stop at Dordt College here.
“People who have worn the uniform and had the experience know that this is a terrible and odious practice and should never be condoned in the U.S. We are a better nation than that.”

“When I was imprisoned, I took heart from the fact that I knew my North Vietnamese captors would never be treated like I was treated by them,” McCain said, who has pointed out that his opposition to torture among Republican presidential candidates is based on military experience not shared by his opponents. “There are much better and more effective ways to get information. You torture someone long enough, he’ll tell whatever he thinks you want to know.”

 

Arianna Huffington

Has there ever been a more repugnant example of political pandering than John McCain's decision to vote against a bill banning waterboarding, putting hoods on prisoners, forcing them to perform sex acts, subjecting them to mock executions, or depriving them of food, water, and medical treatment?

That's right, John McCain, the former POW who has long been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's disturbing embrace of extreme interrogation techniques.

But that was before his desperate attempt to win over the lunatic fringe that is running the Grand Old Party.

  This is what happens after you are a Republican for any length of time. Your morals and beliefs go out the window and you become a " Lock-in-step Lackey ".

Soul is sold to the highest bidder!

Technorati Tags: John McCain, torture, waterboarding, CIA