Iowa Presidential Watch
Holding the Democrats accountable

Q U O T A B L E S

August 12, 2005

"People have asked what it is I want to say to President Bush. Well, my message is a simple one. He’s said that my son -- and the other children we’ve lost -- died for a noble cause. I want to find out what that noble cause is. And I want to ask him: "If it’s such a noble cause, have you asked your daughters to enlist? Have you encouraged them to go take the place of soldiers who are on their third tour of duty?" I also want him to stop using my son’s name to justify the war. The idea that we have to "complete the mission" in Iraq to honor Casey’s sacrifice is, to me, a sacrilege to my son’s name. Besides, does the president any longer even know what "the mission" really is over there?" Cindy Sheehan writes.

“As in Vietnam, once again it appears for now that the soldiers withdraw first, with their hearts and minds, even as their bodies go through the motions. The spirits of the dead take point for the living,” writes Tom Hayden.

Wesley Pruden writes, "…George W.'s gift is his stubborn and determined persistence in not allowing sacrifices made in Afghanistan and Iraq to be squandered by those who have no stomach for the fight now that the fight is rougher than expected. Democracies wage war only with difficulty. Mackubin Thomas Owens, a Vietnam veteran and associate dean of the Naval War College, observes in National Review that the Athenians second-guessed every decision their leaders made in the Peloponnesian War; Lincoln had to contend with Radical Republicans who thought he was a bit of a weenie as the commander in chief... "But neither the Athenians nor Lincoln had to contend with a smug, detached mainstream media," he writes, and " ... it is hard to conduct military operations when a chorus of eunuchs is describing every action we take as a violation of everything for which America stands, a quagmire in which we are doomed to failure, and a waste of American lives... Certain earlier presidents would agree," Pruden concludes.

Bill Clinton said, "We have a rule in our family that I always followed and now she does: Don’t look past the next election or you might not get past the next election. So I’m convinced in my own mind that she hasn’t decided on that. I believe I would know if she had," Clinton concluded.

J U S T P O L I T I C S

A family divided

The Drudge Report received communication from the rest of the Sheehan family criticizing Cindy:

In response to questions regarding the Cindy Sheehan/Crawford Texas issue: Sheehan Family Statement:

The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect.

Sincerely,

Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.

Gingrich in Iowa

The Iowa State Fair is on and the politicians who would be President are paying tribute at this iconoclast event.

Newt Gingrich is here for two days and his schedule is:

Friday

7 a.m. –Rotary club breakfast

8:30 a.m. - meeting with former Governor Terry Branstad

10 a.m. - Jan Mickelson Show on WHO-AM 1040

Noon – Health Transformation Roundtable

2 p.m. - tour Pioneer International headquarters

4 p.m. – Sean Hannity & Colmes appearance

Saturday

8 a.m. – Jeff Lamberti for Congress fundraiser

8:30 a.m. – School Board candidate training seminar, Republican Party of Iowa

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Iowa State Fair tour

Now, there is a schedule for the rest to try and live up to!

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