Thursday, March 30, 2006

Dem's resurrect Kerry's "I've got a plan" rally cry

Real Security
The Democratic Plan to Protect America
and Restore Our Leadership in the World
PDF to Text


While reading this, I can't get Arlo Guthrie's lyrics for "Alice's Restaurant" out of my mind...

... and we all had to go to court.... Obie came in with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one


Here we go. John "I have a plan" Kerry rallying cries rise again. All in all, not so dissimilar in presentation than Obie's court antics in "Alice's Restaurant". Here we have the Democratic "plan" and committment to secure the nation, complete with 5 pages of glossy text, stars and stripes, and 5 more upside-down ones in Spanish for our English challenged citizens who are determined not to assimilate to life in the US by learning the language. The only thing that's missing is a definitive picture of said "plan". In fact, most of it echoes exactly the "plan" in action by the current administration... but a few differences that are as clear as mud.

To their credit, they have it neatly categorized in five categories...

  • 21st Century Military

  • War on Terror

  • Homeland Security

  • Iraq

  • Energy Independence


  • 21st Century Military


    Ooooo..wheee. After a decade of tearing down the military in the 90s, the Dems now want to rebuild and fund it. A bit late, don't you think? They include the hot buttom about up-armoring without nary a reference to the fact that it was Congress themselves who held up the funding for armor requests from the Pentagon for over 6 months. Anyone remember that "I voted for it before I voted against it" funding bill?


    Then, of course, Congress was slower than molasses in the distribution of the funds to implement what they finally got around to approving. Meanwhile, our soldiers... inventive types that they are.... busied themselves creating what they needed with what they found. Needless to say, the up-armoring has already taken place except for the body armor, which most soldiers don't wish to utilize for the cumbersome weight under which they must operate. But how nice they addressed this non-issue.

    There's the token references to increasing VA benefits... a number that has already increased substantially under the current administration compared to under the Clinton administration. Then again, since the cut it back so severely, one could say increased benefits for a down-sized military was a moot point.


    The last is the biggest laugh for me. Strengthening the National Guard and partnership with Governors. This is, no doubt, a sideswipe at the Katrina aftermath. One might be better served to advise some of those Guv's... ahem, Ms. Blanco?... that the Guard is, and always has been, under their control to make ready in the event of disasters, and not under the command of the WH.

    War on Terror


    Downright laughable... all of it. Actually sounds alot like what we have as the goals now, except their plan to eliminate terrorist breeding grounds reads like sci-fi fiction combined with visions of Utopia.

    Homeland Security


    Here's the reference to the revered "911 Commission" again. Remember those bozos who deliberately ignored Able Danger?

    But I can't wait to see how the shipping world reacts to the Dem's plan to "screen 100% of cargo bound for the US in ships or airplanes". And I tap my toes anxiously for the economic repercussions as the cost of importing to the US soars, and costs are passed along to us, the unwitting consumer that buys into this nonsense.

    As usual, they open mouths and change feet without looking at the full picture. Then again, hot air and words has always been a Congressional specialty.

    Iraq


    Da plan? The same plan we have now... but added is "holding the Bush administration accountable" for the perceived "lies" and "manipulation" of intel. Pshaw.... more of these idiots should start reading those recently released Iraqi documents.

    Energy Independence


    Again sounds like what Bush has laid out for alternative energy. But hilarious to hear it from those who were instrumental in slamming the door on every opportunity to provide more domestic oil resources, build refineries, and contributed mightily to making alternative energy sources cost prohibitive.

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