David Brownlow -- Clueless in Miami

CLUELESS IN MIAMI

By David Brownlow
October 3, 2004
NewsWithViews.com

During the Miami "debate," President Bush looked us straight in the eye and told us that America is safer because we invaded a country that posed no danger to us, had no involvement in 9/11, and had virtually no army. The only thing more disturbing than being told such a huge whopper by our Commander in Chief, is that he seems to be in such an advanced state of denial that he may actually believe what he was saying!

The one highlight of the night came when John Kerry, who has arguably run one of the dumbest presidential campaigns on record, managed to clearly sum up the dilemma we face in Iraq. When Bush recited his typical, vacant- eyed mantra that we are in Iraq because "our enemies attacked us," it was quite a surprise to see Kerry firmly, and correctly, scold the President and remind him that Iraq NEVER attacked America.

But just about the time he had Bush on the ropes, Kerry went on to say "I have a plan for Iraq. I believe we can be successful. I'm not talking about leaving. I'm talking about winning. And we need a fresh start, a new credibility, a president who can bring allies to our side."

I wanted to throw the remote at the TV while shouting, "What do you mean you're not talking about leaving? You just said we were misled into this war, and that Iraq was never a threat to us. Why aren't you talking about leaving Iraq? A fresh start? How about a fresh ending? How about getting our boys the heck out of there!! "

It's hard to figure out which one of them is more clueless!

Kerry has a giant millstone hanging around his neck that he has never been able to shake loose. He voted for HJ Res. 114 in October 2002, which was the congressional misbehavior that set this current catastrophe into motion. Congress has the exclusive power to declare war, and HJ Res.114 effectively turned that power over to the President. The fact that Kerry, who swore an oath to defend the Constitution, would have signed such a sorry excuse for a war declaration (and is still defending it!) is reason enough for him to be disqualified for the office he seeks. (Read the resolution yourself here)

That Bush, who swore the same oath, would use HJ Res.114 to justify the invasion of a country that posed no danger to us, means neither of the two candidates have the slightest bit of respect for the Constitution they swore to defend - or the people they hope to lead.

Even after Kerry signed up for the war, he blew any chance he had to differentiate himself from Bush when he failed to sound the alarm as soon as it became apparent that all the Iraqi WMD and "imminent threat" tales were untrue. (See just a few of them here) Kerry had the perfect chance to come out against the invasion by stating that the "intelligence" he was given before his HJ Res. 114 vote was completely fabricated by the paranoid warmongerers who have taken over our government - and calling for a repeal of the authorization.

But Kerry was playing politics with the war and failed to alert the people when he should have. We needed Kerry's leadership before we went to war! Not after every one figured out this one is a loser!

Kerry fumbled another chance to show leadership after the WMD and "imminent danger" stories finally collapsed. When Bush and company cranked up the bait and switch machine and told us the war in Iraq was really to free the Iraqi people from an evil dictator and spread democracy throughout the Middle East, not to rid Iraq of WMD, that was Kerry's chance to pounce.

Of course, he didn't. Kerry failed to point out the fact that there were only two provisions in HJ Res.114 that "authorized" the use of force against Iraq - and that one of them was not bringing freedom to the Iraqi people. The "authorizations for use of force" were limited to, 1. Defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq and 2. Enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.

If Kerry had vocalized before the invasion that neither one of those two conditions were met, and had called George Bush's invasion exactly what it was - completely illegal - that would have been real leadership.

But now that over a thousand Americans and twenty thousand or so Iraqis are dead, Kerry finally seems to get it.

We could almost forgive Kerry for all his Iraqi flip-flopping, but just when he seems to have figured it out, his only plan is to do a better job of "winning." Winning what? What could there possibly be in Iraq that is worth winning? This war is a loser any way we look at it and our only success will be when we bring every one of our soldiers home! Something Kerry has not committed to do!

Ask yourself this; would you sacrifice your son for this war? There is NOTHING in Iraq that is worth my son dying for, I can assure you of that.

How Kerry's anti-war, socialist base could listen to him drone on about "winning" and "not talking about leaving" Iraq is simply amazing. And to see the delirious "conservative" crowds cheering on our warmongering President brings back some frightening historical memories. Aren't there any voters left out there who are willing to vote their conscience?

This is not complicated. We need to admit that we made a terrible blunder when we invaded Iraq. We need to apologize to the Iraqis (and the world!) and offer to pay them for all the people we killed and all the things we broke. Then, the only proper way to support our troops is to bring them all home - IMMEDIATELY!

The only way to remove ourselves from the Iraqi quagmire is to vote for someone other than one of the two clueless twins we are being forced to choose between. So don't throw away your vote! Vote for a man who understands the proper role of the American military - which is to defend our country - not to bring "freedom" to the world. Do the right thing and vote for Michael Peroutka.

While you're at it, vote for a Senator and Congressman who will vow to never take the power to declare war, a power that Congress alone possesses, and turn that power over to a President. The mess we have on our hands in Iraq is the inevitable consequence of electing men and women to Congress who refuse to obey the law.

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David Brownlow, an engineer, has been designing and selling industrial automation control systems since 1979. David and his wife Suzanne have four children and reside in Clackamas OR. He has been active in the pro-life movement and conservative politics for nearly 25 years. David is the 2004 Oregon Constitution Party candidate for the United States Senate. His Web-Site www.davebrownlow.com E-Mail: dave@davebrownlow.com

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