Obama Advisor Susan Rice's Major Historical/Foreign Policy Error

Unfortunately, Susan Rice's statement regarding the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting, "Thank God he did because if he hadn't we would have not been able to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis" is completely false. In fact historians agree that this meeting fueled the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Weekly Standand, in detailing the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting, quotes NYT columnist James Reston who interviewed President Kennedy right after his meeting with Khrushchev,

"Reston reported that Kennedy said just enough for Reston to conclude that Khrushchev "had studied the events of the Bay of Pigs" and that he had "decided that he was dealing with an inexperienced young leader who could be intimidated and blackmailed." Kennedy said to Reston that Khrushchev had "just beat [the] hell out of me" and that he had presented Kennedy with a terrible problem: "If he thinks I'm inexperienced and have no guts, until we remove those ideas we won't get anywhere with him. So we have to act."

Kennedy responded to the meeting with a congressional request for a dramatic increase in defense spending, and a significant increase in the size of the military. Khrushchev responded to Kennedy's actions with above ground nuclear testing and erecting the Berlin Wall. The tensions between the US and Soviet Union dramatically increased due to the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting; the Cuban Missile Crisis followed.

Susan Rice's statement is simply false. There is no historical record of the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting being at all helpful in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis and actually the exact opposite true that an inexperienced leader was bullied into an arms race.

'Obama Advisor Susan Rice's Major Historical/Foreign Policy Error' first published at Purple People Vote

Endorsements for McCain

A Times Editorial
Published January 25, 2008

Florida Republicans have an opportunity Tuesday to provide some clarity in a muddled presidential primary. With a win here, John McCain would build on his victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina and become the clear front-runner heading into the many contests on Feb. 5. The Arizona senator offers the best hope among the Republicans to bring change to the White House and restore America's reputation in the world.

In some respects, McCain is a throwback. At a time when most Americans are rarely asked to sacrifice for their country, his heroic survival for more than five years of torture and isolation in Vietnam prison camps still stirs the soul. While other candidates switch positions based on opinion polls and focus groups, he sticks to his convictions regardless of the political price. McCain is as genuine and unvarnished as some of his competitors are programmed and polished.
While McCain has spent 25 years in Congress, he regularly has challenged conventional political thinking and the Republican establishment. He has told corn-fed Iowans he does not support farm subsidies, Michigan voters that all of the lost jobs in auto plants aren't coming back and Floridians that he does not support a national catastrophe fund to lower property insurance rates. He successfully fought the Republican leadership to bring about campaign finance reform. For years, he has been one of the nation's strongest critics of pork-barrel spending and the abuse of earmarks in the federal budget. Refusing to pander for votes and sticking to his convictions are among McCain's greatest strengths.

That does not mean McCain is unable to reach across party lines, which would be essential for a Republican president dealing with a Congress controlled by Democrats. He has worked with Senate Democrats over the years on issues ranging from HMO regulation to embryonic stem cell research. He was a key member of the so-called "Gang of 14," a bipartisan group of senators that brokered an end to a deadlock over President Bush's judicial appointments. His ability to transcend partisanship and his personal integrity enhances his appeal among independent voters who were critical to his early primary wins.

Only Republicans will vote in Florida's primary, and McCain's biggest challenge remains winning over conservative voters in his own party. Many of those voters remain angry over his lack of emphasis of social issues and his support of comprehensive immigration reform and caps on greenhouse gas emissions. They forget that McCain's overall voting record is more conservative than his maverick reputation suggests - and that immigration and global warming will be high on the next president's agenda.

We have our own disagreements with McCain on some significant issues. He opposes abortion rights, although he does not make that the centerpiece of his campaign. He now says President Bush's tax cuts should be made permanent, but we agree that the alternative minimum tax meant for the wealthy and now targeting the middle class is unfair. McCain also has consistently supported the war in Iraq, where we see little hope of a positive outcome. Instead of suggesting a timetable for withdrawing American troops, he talks about reducing casualties and suggests our troops could have a significant presence there for years to come.

But McCain also was an early critic of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's mismanagement of the war. He regularly called for additional troops, and the Bush administration's surge has reduced the violence even if it has not produced the political changes vital to Iraq's future and our departure. The former prisoner of war also knows something about torture, and he has stood up to the administration and called the waterboarding of suspected terrorists during interrogations what it is: torture. Such straight talk is rare in Washington, and McCain is more of a clear-eyed realist than any of the other Republican candidates.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani virtually set up housekeeping here and made Florida the key to his entire campaign. But he has offered little beyond recounting his 9/11 experiences, a hurricane catastrophe fund plan that lacks specifics, massive tax cuts and an extension of the Bush administration. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee cannot distinguish public service from his personal religious beliefs as a former Baptist preacher. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney helped steer his state toward universal health care, but he has backtracked on that commitment as a presidential candidate. He has switched positions on so many issues in an unsuccessful attempt to rebuild the Reagan coalition that it is unclear whether he has any core beliefs.

McCain has not compromised his values, but that does not mean he is inflexible. He rebuilt his campaign after it almost collapsed last year, bloated with consultants and nearly broke. After losing the 2000 South Carolina primary to Bush, he spent eight years cultivating relationships that contributed to his victory there this year. He continues to support broad immigration reform despite last year's failed attempt, but he now concedes the borders must be secured before the public debate can refocus on a more comprehensive effort.

At 71, the white-haired McCain is not the typical face of change. He has the resume of a government insider. But his honor, integrity and independence set him apart. Among the Republicans, he represents the best opportunity for changing the culture in Washington, repairing our reputation in the world and rebuilding the trust many Americans have lost in their government. The Times recommends John McCain in Tuesday's Republican primary.

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/25/Opinion/McCain_for_Republican.shtml

A Letter from Senator Lieberman

A letter of support from Senator Joe Lieberman...

My Fellow American,

Last week I went to New Hampshire to ask Republican and Independent voters to support John McCain in the first-in-the-nation primary on January 8.

I know that it is unusual for someone who is not a Republican to endorse a Republican candidate for President. And if this were an ordinary time and an ordinary election, I probably would not have done so. But this is no ordinary time -- and this is no ordinary election -- and John McCain is no ordinary candidate.

In this critical election, no one should let party lines be a barrier to choosing the person we believe is best qualified to lead our nation forward. The problems that confront us are too great, the threats we face too real, and the opportunities we have too exciting for us to play partisan politics with the Presidency.
My friend John McCain is that candidate, and that is why I am so proud to endorse and support him for President.

I have worked closely with John for many years on many issues. I have seen John, time and again, rise above the negativism and smallness of our politics to get things done for this country we love so much. John McCain has proven that we can trust him to do what is right for our country, not only when it is easy, but when it is hard; to do what is necessary, not only when it is popular, but when it is not; and to tell us the truth, not only when it is easy to hear, but when it is not.

As President, John McCain will bring America together again. He will inspire a new American unity and a new American patriotism. He will push all of us to work together to solve our biggest problems, and defeat our most dangerous enemies.

Throughout our history, succeeding generations of brave Americans have risked their lives for the cause of freedom -- which is America's cause. Throughout his career, from the ranks of the military to halls of the Congress, John McCain has made freedom's cause his own. He learned the ideals of patriotism and service from his father, he taught them to his sons, and he will hold those ideals high as an inspiration for all Americans.

When others were silent, and it was thought politically unpopular, John had the courage and common sense to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq and to call for more troops and a new strategy there. And when others wavered, when others wanted to retreat from the field of battle, John had the courage and the common sense to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge in Iraq, where we are at last winning.

There are many fine people running for President. Many of them are good friends of mine. But I have concluded -- and I hope you will, as well -- that John McCain is the candidate who can best reunite our country and lead us to victory.

Now I ask you to do all that you can to elect John McCain the next President of the United States. Every one of us should make a contribution. You can follow this link and make a secure donation right now.

After you have contributed to the cause I want you to follow this link to volunteer to make phone calls into the early primary states on behalf of the campaign. John McCain is the right man for the times and we all need to do our part to further the cause of liberty and freedom for all Americans.
Sincerely,

Joe Lieberman
United States Senator

PS. When it comes to keeping America safe in this time of war, John has proven that he has the experience, the strength, and the character, to be our commander-in-chief from day one. I have traveled the world with John, so I can tell you how much he is liked and admired by leaders across the globe. He will be a President our friends will respect and our enemies will fear, and a President who will lead our nation on the world stage with purpose and principle. Please join me in doing all that we can to support the election of John McCain.

Donation Link: https://www.johnmccain.com/CONTRIBUTE/ContributeA.aspx
Phone Call Sign Up: https://www.johnmccain.com//Secure/Signup.aspx?guid=e80e026d-8e7b-4161-87d8-d1e5f627f523

McCain and the Town Hall Meeting

I attended a McCain Town Hall meeting in Weare the other night. Senator McCain reiterated his support of New Hampshire's first in the nation status, while confessing to pandering. He explained that town hall meetings are a unique and important part of the election process, and that New Hampshire deserves its first in the nation status because it takes its responsibility seriously.

I have to admit hat I love the town halls, and wish that more people had the opportunity to see them. The media could learn a lesson about how to ask a question from these events. Health care, social security, Iraq, and the economy are frequent topics, and a wide range issues are often discussed in detail. People are much more interested in the issues than the politics of the race itself contrary to what the media portrays.

Part of the reason for my support of the Senator is that I've had the opportunity to hear him fully explain his positions on a variety of topics where he wasn't limited to just a sound bite. Two things particularly impress me; one is that he encourages people follow up on questions even when there they disagree with him. He routinely asks the questioner if they were satisfied with his answer and will respectfully debate just about any issue. The other aspect that I'm impressed by is simply the amount of 'stuff' that he knows. At one town hall he was asked about dairy prices in New Hampshire. He responded saying he knew that there was competition between the groups of Northeast and Midwest dairy farmers that often caused pricing problems. I sat there and thought, 'How does an Arizona Senator know about New Hampshire dairy prices?' I live less than ten miles from a New Hampshire dairy farm, and don't have the foggiest idea about dairy prices; I'm not even sure I summed up his answer properly. His depth of knowledge is particularly evident when it comes to foreign policy. I've seen several candidates speak and none of them can hold a candle to Senator McCain on foreign policy. He talks about Pakistan, Waziristan, the impact of Iran on Iraq, and the interconnection of countries in the Middle East; as well as challenges in China, Korea, and Russia. He simply knows more than any other candidate on these issues, and that is particularly evident at town hall meetings. For any undecided voter out there my request isn't that you vote the way I think you should, its that you go to these town hall meeting and let the candidates speak for themselves. Frankly, I'm confident Senator McCain will win New Hampshire if enough voters go see him in person.