Hillary Talks About Her Differences With Obama

For many months now, the media and the public have been urging Sen. Barack Obama to draw contrasts between himself and Sen. Hillary Clinton and he finally did so a few weeks ago. Now, its Sen. Clinton's time to do the same and she's letting the contrasts be known:

-On healthcare:

"When it comes to health care, one of my opponents believes it’s acceptable to leave out 15 million Americans. That would be 100,000 in Iowa. Leave them out from his health care plan because universal coverage might be too hard to achieve. I disagree. I don’t think we should start by giving up on 15 million Americans. That’s why my health care plan covers everyone."

-On Social Security:

"When it comes to Social Security, one of my opponents uses the Republican talking points and has been open to raising the retirement age and cutting benefits. Now he says he is for lifting the payroll tax, which would be a trillion dollar tax increase. Again, I disagree. I don’t think we should fix Social Security on the backs of our seniors and the middle class. I have always fought for Social Security, I have always stood up against privatization, and as President, I will restore fiscal responsibility so we can keep Social Security as a sacred promise to our seniors."

-On Iran resolution:

"When it comes to Iran, I took a stand for aggressive diplomacy. One of my opponents made a different choice: He didn’t show up for the vote. He didn’t speak out during a presidential debate that night. And finally, he decided to play politics and claim that the vote he missed - a vote for diplomacy - was really a vote for war. Well if he really thought it was a rush to war, why did he rush to campaign and miss the vote?"

-On Obama's Legislative record:

"In the Illinois State Senate, on issue after issue, my opponent voted “present,” instead of yes or no. Seven of those votes were on a woman’s right to choose. Two of those votes were on measures to protect families from gun violence - one of which was a measure about firing guns on or near school grounds. A President can’t vote "present". A President can’t pick and choose which challenges he or she will face. My opponent’s campaign said that voting “present” was a strategy to provide political cover. Instead of looking for political cover or taking a pass, we need a President who will take a stand and stand there and do whatever is necessary for their country."

For all those who hate Sen. Clinton just because her name happens to be Clinton, I ask you to pretend, just for a moment, that you didn't know who said these statements and who that person was referring to. Would you agree with those statements or not? Thats the question that has to be answered. Quite frankly, you don't have to personally like a candidate, but if you agree with them on the key issues, then why not support them?

Demand The Truth: Ask Sen. Biden To Hold Hearings

One of the first things I thought of when the NIE Iran report was released a few days ago, was that I hoped Congress would get to the bottom of this. Well this morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe, both Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan, two Republican conservatives, called for Sen. Joseph Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to hold hearings to get to the bottom of what the administration knew and when they knew it. While I normally disagree with much of what Scarborough and Buchanan say, they were right on the mark with these statements.

So I call on you to follow me and others in sending Sen. Biden a message via his email: we want the truth to be known and we would greatly appreciate it if you hold hearings in your committee to get to the bottom of this.

Please email Sen. Biden at Joe@JoeBiden.com and ask that he becomes a leader on this issue and takes action.

The President's Lack Of Reality And Truthfulness

Contrary to the fear and war rhetoric of President Bush that Iran is working on a nuclear program to produce nuclear weapons, American intelligence just completed and released their assessment.  It concluded Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen.

Like the President did concerning Iraq, he told the American people he knew for sure that Iran was developing the bomb.  He sent V.P. Cheney out, as usual, to tell America how Iran's nuclear weapons program was a threat to the world.  Mr. Bush continued to govern by fear.

 

At a news conference yesterday morning, the President reminded the reporters that intelligence gathering is not an exact science.  He said that as a self serving statement to justify his rhetoric.  The reporters should have asked the President why he said he knew for sure that Iraq and Iran were working to produce nuclear weapons if he knew intelligence is not an exact science.

 

The intelligence report also said the halt was imposed by Iran primarily in response to international pressure and scrutiny.  The available intelligence also suggested the Iranian leadership is guided "by a cost-benefit approach" and not a headlong rush to develop a bomb.  This is a startling statement.  In the past, countries who wanted to go to war were not motivated by cost.  All one has to do is look how Bush took our country to war and occupation in Iraq over WMD that did not exist.  The cost of the war is not in the Bush budget and America is paying for the war by his deficit spending.  The cost is already at $500 billion.

 

It should also be noted that France, the British, and Germany, who were the original negotiators with Iran concerning its nuclear facilities, never engaged in the type of rhetoric Bush does.  In fact, the U.S. did not join in their negotiations for a period of time.  It was only much later when the U.S. agreed to be a silent partner to the negotiation.

 

History has repeated itself in this report.  Mohamed ElBaradei, director General of the IAEA, the arm of the U.N. responsible for checking Iran's nuclear programs, said a few months ago, "there is no evidence Iran had a nuclear weapons program in operation".  And ironically, five years ago before the U.N. and before the Iraq war started, he reported, after his inspections in Iraq, that there was no evidence that Iraq or Saddam reconstituted its nuclear program.  A short time later Bush told the U.N. inspectors to leave and started the war.  Mr. ElBaradei was right in both instances; Mr. Bush was wrong.  Even our own inspectors who combed Iraq after the war started came to the same conclusion as Mr. ElBaradei.

 

Next month Mr. Bush will be in office seven years and will give his usual "State of the Union" address.  It is time he acknowledges the mistakes he has made that has cost America dearly.  For the time being this new intelligence report has derailed the President's rush to another war, this time Iran, the country he recently associated with WWIII.  Lets also see how this intelligence report will affect the oil market.  Will the speculators be curtailed?  Time will tell.