An email I got that Dean supporters (and everyone else) will like

[WilliamPitt]

Dear Mr. Pitt:

I am a Republican who voted for George W. Bush. On 9/11 I sat before my TV and watched the horror of these planes crash into the World Trade Center; as a Pennsylvanian, we lived only an hour from where the one of the planes came down near Johnstown. I lived in a fear I never thought was possible as a citizen of one of the most powerful nations of the world. I began to read with an obsession everything I could regarding al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

The obsessive fear I felt of another attack continued until one day it simply and calmly hit me...How was this able to happen? How were nineteen men with box cutters, no less, able to crudely bring the most powerful nation in the world to its knees? While on vacation during the summer of 2001, I had read the book "The Brethren". Hauntingly, the question kept creeping into my mind, would our own United States government "allow" such a monumental catastrophe to occur, as the plot outlined in this novel? It was unimaginable, unthinkable, yet I continued to wonder more and more - how was 9/11 able, allowed to happen?

I am not a conspiracy theorist who spends my days dreaming up plots in order to explain catastrophic events, but I do have the simplistic curiosity to ask "why is it?" I guess my most recent question is: why is it that we bombed the living hell out of Afghanistan after 9/11, never found Osama bin Laden, who many suspected was living in border territories of Pakistan (which we recently learn is providing deadly WMD material to any nation, including many U.S. enemies). Pre-emptively, virtually without an ally (even Britain balked), and with false evidence attacked Iraq because this nation was a deadly and threatening enemy of the United States.

Halliburton and Bectel marched into Iraq carrying the American flag as a banner for our beloved U.S. troops, but we found no WMD which was our war cry. Our "Oh well" second best reason to pre-emtively attack Iraq was that we did eliminate a treacherous ruler who repressed and brutally murdered many Iraqis. While no one can inheir hearts deny that to liberate an oppressed people from such treachery is undeniably the right path to take, are we an "Equal Opportunity Liberator" who will step into all nations for its people who suffer such atrocities? North Korea, an "in your face" enemy of the U.S. who has the real stuff (WMD), certainly does not serve its dissidents tea and crumpets, and the list can undeniably go on.

Meanwhile, Osama and his band of thieves have managed to elude and re-strengthen. How can this be? As our American soldiers loose their lives by the day due to the guerilla war we are now fighting for what few can understand why we went in, and how we can now get out, theost powerful nation in the world has allowed the original enemy, al Qaeda to regroup and once again become the viable threat. We are in a far threatening cold war in 2004 than we were during the Soviet era (everyone hates us now) and no foreign policy except to fight a vague war on terrorism. We have no friends on the global block; to the contrary our nation has portrayed itself as the ultimate international bully which invites even the most rogue of nations to pull us down from our "king of the mountain" status we arrogantly occupy.

We need a foreign policy and we need integrity restored to our most beloved nation. Anyone less than a rocket scientist status could figure this out, and all the Democrats can do is rip away at the front runner of the 2004 presidential race. We need answers to many many questions, and we desperately need unity.

Debra *********

[Dookus]

1. lol....

why should Dean supporters like this better than anybody else? It's great for ALL democrats. Thanks, Will.

[WilliamPitt]

2. "and all the Democrats can do is rip away at the front runner"

[blm]

21. Then she should play catch up.

USA Today, April 28, 2003
>>>>
"Until now, the competition has been relatively harmonious, at least for public consumption, with the exception of Dean. His attacks on fellow Democrats have been so cutting that sometimes the Republican National Committee e-mails them to party members. "Gephardt Plan: 'Pie-In-The-Sky Radical Revamping' " was the headline on one last week, quoting Dean.

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri have been Dean targets in recent weeks. But Dean has reserved his sharpest thrusts for Kerry, repeatedly accusing him of selling out Democratic principles. The two men are virtually tied for the lead in polls in New Hampshire, which holds the critically important first primary election."
>>>>>
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-04-28-dem-words_x.htm

Funny, few spoke up when Dean was attacking the others and doing so even when Kerry was down during his cancer surgery and recovery period.

The lady should feel better knowing Dean got months of hits in first.

[mouse7]

22. Like I said on other thread, this is bad evidence

The quoted e-mail was sent out by the GOP, not Dean. The title in on the e-mail was written by the GOP staffer that sent it out to the GOP mailing list. The actual Dean quote is never given. All we have is the word of the GOP that it was a Dean quote. Not a good source.

[blm]

23. Get real...the article is talking about Dean's overall tactic to attack

the others.

And if you'd do a little research, even of the archives here at DU, during that time frame, you'd know that Dean started attacking them back on Jan.23 and NEVER let up.

The article said the GOP was using Dean's attacks in their emails. The headline of the email doen't matter.

You want to pretend that tree is blocking your view of the forest?

[Scott Lee]

4. Guess you might not have seen this part -

"...and all the Democrats can do is rip away at the front runner"

You're welcome.

[jonnyblitz]

8. people only see what they want to see. n/t

[RandomKoolzip]

3. Nice work, Debra and Will.

Very heartening post in certain ways. I'm a Deaner, and it does indeed sicken me to see him picked apart for petty reasons while he COULD be doing battle with the real enemies....Give him a chance, fer crissakes, guys! Democratc Unity Now!

BTW, I'm still ABB if Dean doesn't get the nod.


Thank you Will! Thank you Debra!

[diamondsoul]

6. For whatever it's worth,

I think Dean was really good in last night's debate. I was honestly impressed with his response to my candidate's Universal Healthcare challenge. Howard Dean stuck by the position that all of his supporters I've met describe as his stance on healthcare. I had a Kucinich supporter tell me on the phone today "I thought he completely dodged the question.", my response was "No he didn't. He explained his position perfectly as coming from an entirely different perspective.". I don't happen to agree with Dr. Dean's perspective but he explained it very well, imho.

To Will, Thanks very much for sharing this e-mail. It's good to know there are people waking up to the realities of Bush and crew even now.

[Nadienne]

29. Heart-felt agreement!!

Exchanges like that are what helps differentiate between candidates in a possitive manner. I also disagree with Dean and agree with Kucinich.

[imhotep]

5. Are you sure it was a Republican?

The email is too coherent and legible to be from a Republican.

[wryter2000]

7. Thanks

I think the Debra's are going to help us win in 2004 and save our country.

[zeemike]

9. Actually I am not all that worried

I think Dean can take it.

[adadem]

11. After all

he started it and now he can't handle it when it's returned.

[Gore1FL]

19. Hmmm He seems to be handling it

Why take a strident jab at Dean? Trying to prove the letter author's point?

[bitchkitty]

PeeWee!

I know you are but what am I? That's my name, don't wear it out. MOM! HE STARTED IT!

Very nice.

[bitchkitty]

20. PeeWee!

I know you are but what am I? That's my name, don't wear it out. MOM! HE STARTED IT!

Very nice.

[Cheswick2.0]

24. funny comment on another thread

Kerry "it all started when Dean hit me back".

[blm]

25. Except you KNOW it's not true...

but that doesn't bother you, does it?

You used to be wary of Dean because of his tactics. Well, just because you feel better now that Gore endorsed him, doesn't mean that we'll all change our minds, too, like obedient sheep.

[Cheswick2.0]

26. What I know is that Kerry can't win

and in all his effort to wound Dean he is only wounding himself.
Who says I "feel better because Gore endorsed him?"

[blm]

27. Based on the timing.

Wasn't too long ago that you were uneasy about Dean, too. Now you berate others who still feel that way and don't like his tactics.

[Cheswick2.0]

28. are you psychic?

You could make a lot of money off of that skill.

[never cry wolf]

10. Candidates aside

I hope you wrote her back and linked her up with the many fine articles you have written on the subject such as your speech in NYC and the two bouncing around GD lite today.

Thanks for posting this, it is heartening!!

[VelmaD]

12. That made me feel better.

When I get really down and convinced that people are unthinking sheep and that we don't have a hope in hell of beating back the neo-cons in this fight - I need posts like this one that show that there are still people out there who think. Despite the corporate-whore mainstream media and despite the administration and its lies, people still think about this situation and once they start thinking they start asking embarassing and difficult questions. I hope that this woman is just one of millions of average Americans out there who are quietly thinking.

[Scott Lee]

13. I find this interesting....

Usually, Mr. Pitt's posts garner quite a few responses. He posts what's titled as an email friendly to Dr. Dean, and it struggles to attain 12 responses.

In the outside world, Dean is not only the front runner with the most popularity on the democratic side, but a CNN poll now actually shows Dean nipping at Bush-hole's heels.

Quite the disparity, is it not? DU-world versus the outside world?

[WilliamPitt]

14. kick

[clarknyc]

15. People have their priorities...

whatever they may be.

[AntiCoup2K4]

16. Thanks for sharing this, Will

And I hope all the other "Debras" out there reach a similar conclusion.

[REP]

17. Yay, Debra!

This reaffirms my naive belief that many R-voters are not stupid, but just ignorant.

[isbister]

18. all the Democrats can do

We need a foreign policy and we need integrity restored to our most beloved nation.

That's why I'm for Kerry.

Anyone less than a rocket scientist status could figure this out, and all the Democrats can do is rip away at the front runner of the 2004 presidential race. We need answers to many many questions, and we desperately need unity.

I want all the Democrats to rip away at "the front runner of the 2004 presidential race" because that person is bush! I know, I know, ripping away at Dean...

We need to darn well be sure we're choosing the right guy to represent our party against such a powerful machine as the one that got George W. Bush selected to the White House. Why? Look what these people have done when they didn't have a mandate, what will happen to our country if they think they have one. If the Democrats get trounced in the election, kiss your country good-bye because you won't recognize it after four more years.

Howard Dean is too far right and not the right Democrat for me. I do not trust him. I think he a misleader... I know he's a misleader and I really would rather not see another one in the White House, no matter how much better than bush he may be. PoliticsNH.com reports on a meeting on Jan. 2nd. They quote Dean as saying:

that if he becomes president “what you can expect is a muscular foreign policy but one that is always based on facts.”

Facts are good but I don't want a "muscular foreign policy", it doesn't work. I want an intelligent foreign policy backed up with muscle if absolutely necessary. (I don't think anti-war people say muscular foreign policy" by the way)

Dean also said:

"It seems to me that if I was able to come to the conclusion that the President of the United States was not being candid with us about why he was going, and the other four guys voted to go, that’s the kind of foreign policy you want in the White House is my kind; not theirs."

That's misleading. He often paints the other candidates with the same brush when he knows their positions differ. He must have read the IWR and knows "the other four guys" did not vote to go to war in Iraq, they voted to give the president the authority (he already had) to use force if the president met the criteria laid out in the resolution. The president claimed he did but, as we know, he did not. The only person that voted for the war was bush and Dean should have kept the focus on bush's actions from the beginning and not made the IWR the devisive issue it has become by misrepresenting the facts.

And to further illustrate my point about misleading... in that same NH meeting PoliticsNH.com reports:

Another woman asked Dean to clarify his support for the Biden-Lugar resolution, which in October 2002 authorized the president in to use force in Iraq if the United Nations passed a resolution requiring Iraq to disarm.

“I’ve never supported the president’s intervention in Iraq,” Dean said. “The reason for my support of the Biden-Lugar resolution was because I think the president deserves the presumption of right on his side in foreign policy.”

I know Biden-Lugar was much different than the final IWR, but that is not the answer he gives. From this and everything else he says, to me, his position seems at lot closer to Kerry's than Kucinich's.

With all of the damage bush has done to the country, there's no time for on the job training. I believe we need a Democratic nominee, and a President, that understands what is going on both here and in the world. A President that will be able to hit the ground running to clean up the mess and not have to rely so heavily on advisors to get the job done. And I believe we need a President that knows the ways of Washington politics. There will be little time for that initial stumbling and bumbling we've seen from Washington outsiders in the past (remember the Clintons or the Carters).

Having said that, even though he's a right-wing democrat, pretending to be moderate, wearing liberal clothes, Dean is better than bush by far and I will support him to the best of my ability should he win the nomination. However. I cannot, and do not expect my candidate to, give up just yet because some corporate media driven polls say Dean is the front runner. However. I cannot, and do not expect my candidate to, give up just yet because the front runner, having attacked his way to the top of the media's polls (and he continues to attack) doesn't like it when he is called on the carpet for his bushisms and/or for his record.

PoliticsNH.com article