Why Progressives Need To Drop The Foley Outcry
Why Progressives Need to Drop the Foley Outcry
By Donna Marsh O’Connor,
Mother of Vanessa Lang Langer,
WTC Tower II, 93rd Floor
It’s only just over four weeks to the day of truth for America and its civil liberties, the day through which we will finally know if there are free and fair elections in the United States of America. That is, above all, the number one crisis of our time and progressives, progressive Democrats and plain old centrist Democrats better know it. If we don’t take this election our wars will grow bigger, our children will be fighting them in greater numbers and there will be very little potential for resistance from the middle class.
This week Bob Woodward’s book hit the pages and the television screens and proclaimed loudly that the Bush administration is a “state of denial” about all things wrong with the war on Iraq. Too coded for my taste, Woodward, hedged and distinguished between Bush’s personal optimism (he truly believes in this war) and his and his fellow criminally negligent (at the very least) cohorts—Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Card, etc. But we and most Americans know the truth. Bush lies. He lied about Iraq. He lied about Katrina. He lied about September 11th, 2001.
This week we heard, too, from Woodward that George Tenet, head of the CIA in the days leading up to 9/11, along with the counter-terrorism operative Cofer Black, informed Condoleeza Rice that al Quaeda would attack, would attack soon and would attack on American soil.
Since then we have learned (or heard at least on mainstream television) that Ashcroft, too, was warned, that he stopped flying before 9/11 on commercial aircraft, that Rumsfeld, too was warned.
The 9/11 Commission never knew of this meeting between Tenet and Rice. The 9/11 Commission, then, did not function to answer any of the key questions of 9/11/2001 and those questions still are:
Who had most to gain from the events of that day?
Who had the means to allow this day to be the event it was?
Who set the ground rules for any investigation of the events of that day?
This was finally the questions that were beginning to come to light in volume necessary to impact and test the upcoming elections. In short, we have known for a long time about the lies about WMDs and Iraq. What about the lies and 9/11 and Iraq? Instead of hearing this play out, we are now debating the despicable behavior of one man, one man—Mark Foley, calling as they do for the resignation of Dennis Hastert and for a full investigation of who knew what when. Why? Why is the sexual deviance of one man worthy of our air time now?
Progressive Democrats know that all America is clear on this—Clinton’s behavior, bad as Americans may have deemed it, is no where near as counter to family values as Foley’s. If this issue brings down the Republican house, let it. Let it play it’s course. But it in no way should be a talking point of the Democratic party and its constituents and leaders now. Because with all the Republicans have done, with all the death on their hands, from wars, from negligence, with all of the attacks on the middle-class economy and way of life, it is clear the vote will go our way and long as
1) we don’t blow it and
2) they don’t steal it.
I lost my daughter on 9/11/2001. She worked in Tower II of the World Trade Center. (I am so tired of telling this in all of its contexts, but it is key.) She was found whole and intact, not crushed, she had not fallen. She was four months pregnant and five minutes late to the rest of our lives and those five minutes were on George Bush’s watch. Because he walked into that school instead of taking command and ordering an evacuation of Tower II.
I am a mother. The Republicans say they are for family values—what about my family? Does anyone care about my family?
I am asking all progressive Democrats to stay focused, to stay on task.
Mark Foley cannot be a distraction. Let the Republicans take him down. Let them deal with Hastert and let the American people judge them by their hypocrisy. Instead of Democrats demanding Hastert account for covering up Foley’s crimes, how about they ask for answers to the real cover up? How about insisting they answer for 9/11?
We need to remember that Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, all of them need to go before more people die.
My daughter was not warned of the danger.
But we know the danger very well.
Internal Poll Suggests Hastert Could Devastate GOP
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,218043,00.html
Internal Poll Suggests Hastert Could Devastate GOP
WASHINGTON — House Republican candidates will suffer massive losses if House Speaker Dennis Hastert remains speaker until Election Day, according to internal polling data from a prominent GOP pollster, FOX News has learned.
"The data suggests Americans have bailed on the speaker," a Republican source briefed on the polling data told FOX News. "And the difference could be between a 20-seat loss and 50-seat loss."
Most GOP lawmakers have stood by Hastert, pending a full airing of the facts in his handling of the Mark Foley affair, in which the former Florida representative was caught exchanging salacious messages with teen pages in Congress. The new polling data, however, suggests that many voters already have made up their minds.
The GOP source told FOX News that the internal data had not been widely shared among Republican leaders, but as awareness of it spreads calculations about Hastert's tenure may change. The source described the pollster who did the survey as "authoritative," and said once the numbers are presented, it "could change the focus" on whether the speaker remains in power.
While internal GOP polls show trouble for Republicans, the newest AP/Ipsos poll also showed that half of likely voters say the Foley scandal will be "very or extremely important" when it comes time to vote on Nov. 7. By nearly a 2-1 ratio, voters say Democrats are better at combating corruption.
The same pollster who provided the gloomy news on Hastert's effect on GOP candidates nationwide did send out an advisory on Tuesday to rank-and-file Republicans that they might consider canceling appearances with Hastert in their districts. Hours later, Rep. Ron Lewis of Kentucky announced he was canceling a fundraiser scheduled for next week where Hastert was supposed to be the headliner.
Other Republicans, however, continue to stand by Hastert.
Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington, who runs the House ethics committee, offered his unabashed support during a briefing on ethics panel activities.
"I think the speaker has done an excellent job," Hastings said, later adding that his remark "is not related to the matter at hand here."
