fair and balanced
While the candidates' commenters may be frothing at the mouth, the candidates themselves are acting with class and pride:
Howard Dean: I think the first order of business is to say this is a great day -- I congratulate the Iraqi people -- and to say that this is a great day for both the American military and the American people and for the Iraqi people.
Gen. Wesley Clark: I could not be prouder of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces for capturing this horrible despot. This is a testament to their courage and determination. I'd also like to congratulate Lt. General Sanchez and the intelligence community for the crucial role they played. We've been due good news from Iraq and the world is a safer and better place now that he is in custody.
Excellent statements, both.
Comments
I love you. Really I do. :)
Posted by: Solonor | December 14, 2003 01:28 PM
Yes,Dean started out nice,but then immediately went into full"Now is the time to turn it over to the UN" mode.If he would have ended his statemement with what you have,he would have looked good.But he couldn't resist taking a cheap shot.
Posted by: mbruce | December 14, 2003 02:17 PM
It would probably be petty and partisan of me to add that neither of them would have had the chance to say such things if they had had their way. So I won't. I'm above such things.
Posted by: andy | December 14, 2003 02:27 PM
Same with Kerry -- he launched into a "U.N. Uber Alles!" whine immediately.
Posted by: david | December 14, 2003 02:37 PM
Personally, I liked Joe Lieberman's statement best: "If Howard Dean had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power today, not in prison..."
Posted by: scott h. | December 14, 2003 02:42 PM
Dang, should've read all your posts first.
Posted by: scott h. | December 14, 2003 02:46 PM
I mentioned your blog on my Live Journal.
Glad we got him!
Posted by: Ruth | December 14, 2003 03:31 PM
Michelle
Trust me, by Tuesday, they will be back into their "Bush Bad" mode. For what, I don't know. Maybe Dean will critises Bush for the way the tounge depressor was being used.
Mike
....Support Operation Give by buying my CD!
Posted by: mr. lawson | December 14, 2003 04:36 PM
There are two propositions: (1) Hussein's capture radically improves the security situation; (2) Hussein's capture doesn't radically improve the security situation.
Proposition #1 is the more optimistic, of course. The second half of Dean's statement accepts Proposition 1 (which I don't) and says that it would pave the way for more multilateral (and humanitarian) operations, as well as an accelerated transfer of power to Iraqis themselves. How is this undesirable or controversial?
Posted by: Norbizness | December 14, 2003 06:19 PM
Trust me, by Tuesday, they will be back into their "Bush Bad" mode.
Well, it may just be the obviously ignorant lefty in me, but there may just be a couple of other issues going on in the world that they disagree with the president on besides Saddam's capture being good.
But, yeah, really. Those politicians... they're going to start campaigning again! It's almost as if they want to be poresident instead of the current one... that's not how democracy works, is it?
Posted by: August J. Pollak | December 14, 2003 07:35 PM
Wow, they both sound almost, dare I say, presidential. I said "almost."
Posted by: Sgt Hook | December 14, 2003 07:37 PM
Oy, just listen to NPR. They are trashing this as being inconsequential. Such jewels as..."only 4% of the Iraqi people care about this"...
Posted by: alfredo stroessner | December 14, 2003 07:49 PM
PUCE has a few things to say on the matter...welucm bik forms retrismnt!
http://jimtreacher.com/
Posted by: cheshirecat | December 14, 2003 08:57 PM
I found Lieberman's remarks disgusting. To suggest Dean (or anyone in America) would want to see this all become a failure just for political gain, should just remove themselves from the running. The people that are disgusted by this good news really need to take a good look inside themselves and question what's important.
Saddam = Bad man
Bad man + captured = good thing
This is a great day indeed!
(Besides, I have plenty of other reasons not to vote Bush next year.)
Posted by: -=e=- | December 14, 2003 09:49 PM
Lieberman's comments would've been disgusting... if they weren't true. If Dean (and half of the Left) had gotten his way, we'd still be waiting for Blix & Co. to figure out what the deal is, and Saddam would still be jerking us around by our balls. Lieberman is spot-on... but Dean shouldn't have been his only target.
Posted by: Pete | December 15, 2003 01:51 AM
=e= (or however you spell it), reread the statement. Lieberman did not suggest that Dean "would want to see this all become a failure just for political gain" (though Dean's statements in recent months tend to suggest it). He merely pointed out the obvious (at least to the rest of us) fact that Dean would have caved on the Iraq issue and Saddam would still be in power and feeding Iraqis into shredders.
Posted by: Ken Summers | December 15, 2003 09:37 AM
So far it has been "Its good that he was captured, BUT..." from the left. I don't see much pride in that. Politics as usual, Bush bashing as usual.
Posted by: Bill OH | December 15, 2003 02:51 PM
Interesting that Clark seems to view this as the first bit of good news from Iraq.
Posted by: Sigivald | December 15, 2003 06:59 PM
He is just parroting what he is told to say by Terry McAulliff.
Posted by: alfredo stroessner | December 16, 2003 03:52 AM