February 14, 2004
WHO KNEW HE'D THROW LONG?:
Halliburton Likely to Be a Campaign Issue This Fall (JOEL BRINKLEY, 2/14/04, NY Times)
As the accusations and investigations of the Halliburton Company's federal contracts in Iraq expand in size and number, Democrats say they will use the company's ties to the Bush administration as a campaign issue, and Halliburton is responding with television advertisements implying that it is being unfairly singled out.
Amazingly, even in the fourth quarter, the Democrats play run defense though they're facing Don Coryell. So here we see them preparing to attack someone who won't even be on the ticket. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 14, 2004 09:46 AM
The media are utterly destroying Bush. They failed to do so for over three years, but it seems they broke through his defense lately. At this rate, he won't even win Texas in November.
With an opponent who basically wants the US to surrender to the French/the UN/the Islamonazis, that's really frightening.
Posted by: Peter at February 14, 2004 09:59 AMIt's still way to early to tell what the American people are going to do this fall (my personal feeling is the really nasty reception we're going to get at the Athens Olympics this summer is going to be a major point of refocusing people on the fact there are folks out there who hate us and might even want to kill us, and that will come right in-between the DNC and RNC conventions). But if Cheney does step down from the ticket in favor of Rice or someone else, he needs to do it fairly early and during a calm period (or a turbulent period for the Democrats) in order to avoid a "gotcha!" spin by the media to take effect.
Just from the standpoint of 2008 and the possible ideloigical feud within the Republican party and the potential Hillary candidacy, having a vice president who would be seen as the pre-emptive front-runner would be a good thing for the GOP. The other option would likely be a combination of the 1992 and 1996 problems, with a referendum on GWB's ideology among the candidates, none of whom at the outset would be considered a strong favorite.
Posted by: John at February 14, 2004 10:41 AMClinton gave Halliburton a no-bid contract for Kosovo.
I don't hear ANY repub when accused of Halliburton, asking same person how the bid process works. How long does it take?
Were we supposed was it more important to have people on the ground ready to go or let the Iraqis suffer while bidding takes at least 6 mo. to a year?
Doesn't the UN process take 18 months?
Posted by: Sandy P. at February 14, 2004 10:44 AMPeter - Don't lose sight of the fact that the biggest unreported (for obvious reasons) story of 2003 is the collapse of credibility of the major media outfits over the past year, culminating in the well-deserved thrashing of the BBC.
Think of the LA Times crusade against Schwarzenegger, writ large. It seems virually every crusade they have launched has resulted in the exact opposite of their desired result.
And, John, kudos on your brilliant thinking, which of course mirrors mine ;-).
I dread these Olympics (Athens! Yeah, they love us in Greece). I've been saying for a year that they will be an anti-American fest that will shock us... BUT... such a thing will likely benifit the GOP over the Democrats, as Americans, most of whom either fled or descended from those who fled brilliant European political schemes, will have a very visceral reaction to such behavior on the part of those whose freedom we have bled for.
An Anglospheric isolationism is coming. Maybe it's for the best.