Jack Kirkwood – 3/16/06

This page was last updated on March 26, 2006.

Getting what you voted for; Jack Kirkwood; Beaver County Times; March 16, 2006. Shortly after its website publishing on March 16^th, this letter was removed as were other letters. I don’t know if it appeared in the print edition.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Just wanted to remind the people for what they voted for in 2004.”

[RWC] This letter is one discredited talking point after another and Mr. Kirkwood provides no evidence to support even one. As a result, I’ll only address the talking points I haven’t heard or addressed before.

“The use of manipulation of false intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq; letting Colin Powell present nothing but lies about Iraq to the United Nations and the world.

“Failure to properly outfit the military; more than 19,000 dead and wounded military personnel since the invasion billions in Iraq reconstruction funds reported missing by the Pentagon.”

[RWC] This isn’t true, but if it were wouldn’t we have to blame Bill Clinton? After all, who was commander-in-chief for the eight years before President Bush took office?

“Bush’s failed plan for Social Security; the new Medicare drug law crafted by lobbyists that is a big expensive joke.

“Bush interrupting his vacation to come back to Washington to sign away Terry Schiavo’s rights; Harriet Myers is ‘most qualified’ for the Supreme Court; leaks from the administration in the Valerie Plame case (outing a spy); indictment of the vice president’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby.

“Bush signs the McCain Bill barring torture then writes a statement saying he doesn’t have to abide by this law; paying journalists to write favorable stories about him; putting imposters in the White House pressroom to change the subject of unfavorable stories.

“No bid contracts to Haliburton [sic] and the missing $9 billion in payments for work not done; $3 trillion budget but the Democrats, not the Republicans, are the tax-and-spend party.”

[RWC] Nope, the vast majority of elected politicians are tax-and-spenders, regardless of party.

“The appointments of unqualified people to top positions in the FDA, FEMA, Department of Education and others; the failure of Homeland Security to enforce the laws to make our ports, airports, chemical plants and nuclear plants safe; the Ambramoff [sic] scandal.”

[RWC] How has the Abramoff scandal affected the White House? Mr. Kirkwood would probably like us to believe this is a Republican scandal, but the record shows Mr. Abramoff and his clients were equal opportunity givers. Even the Senate Minority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV), accepted over $60,000 from Abramoff clients and wrote letters helpful to those clients.

“And the biggest is spying on Americans, and our do-nothing Republican-controlled rubber-stamp Congress doing absolutely nothing about it.

“Feel free to add to this list.”

[RWC] Regarding “spying on Americans,” Mr. Kirkwood should check with his handlers. Given the chance to censure President Bush for the NSA terrorist surveillance program, Senate Democrats blocked the move. To date, every – and I literally mean every – representative and senator – both Democrat and Republican – who’s been briefed on the program agrees it is valuable and must be continued.