Oliphant: Kennedy's 'uncivil' truths on Iraq (Globe)

[Warren Stuart]

"GIVE OR TAKE a couple of nouns -- "bribery" and "fraud," to be precise -- here are the facts behind what Senator Edward Kennedy had to say last week about the mess in Iraq.The secrecy surrounding the way President Bush is spending military billions appears to have a purpose, one that has nothing to do with keeping valuable intelligence from our enemies. In addition to keeping secret the actual expenditures for specific activities, the president is also keeping secret the precise destinations of the dollars, one of which just happens to be the treasuries of other countries. One example is the "international" division of troops on the scene, nominally led by the Poles. As far as anyone can determine, not a dime of the costs associated with this division's presence in Iraq is being paid for by any of the countries participating in it. The United States is paying all the freight, and those troops would not be in Iraq -- their governments would not have sent them -- if it weren't."


Tom nails it "BIGTIME"

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/23/kennedys_uncivil_truths_on_iraq/

[realFedUp]

1. Love the Oliphant Man. n/t

.

[Manix]

2. ...way to set the record straight Thomas!

...his subs on the Newshour PBS analysis are usually great!

[Sticky]

3. "McCarthyesque"

GOP Attacks, Kennedy Stands by Iraq Views

WASHINGTON - Republicans stepped up attacks on Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) on Tuesday for his stinging criticism of President Bush (news - web sites)'s policy in Iraq (news - web sites), with one branding the senator's remarks "hate speech." Kennedy said he won't back down.

"Kennedy's brand of hate speech has become mainstream in the Democratic Party," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. "Senator Kennedy owes the president and the country an apology, but we all know no apology will come."

snip


Any time somebody speaks out criticizing this administration or its policies, there is this orchestrated concerted effort to attack those who criticize," said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. "Criticizing those who are vocal in their personal criticism, their approach, their concerns, is McCarthyesque."


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030923/ap_on_go_co/kennedy_iraq_1