I Cogitate
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The remarkable responses to yesterday's Chuck Hagel post
Some people just cannot see the forest from the trees.
After posting my Thursday entry here over at the DailyKos mega-site, I fully expected a number of followup comments there pointing out this and that about Chuck Hagel, his stances and voting record and maybe a few who actually 'got' what I wrote. That's been my history whenever I post anything there regarding Hagel.
I was correct.
In the particular instance that I was posting about, Chuck Hagel is bucking his own party, the party of the presidency. Now, I love Russ Feingold and wish he would be running in '08 but Russ's valiant and gallant attempts to make Bush retreat on various actions is NOT opposing a sitting president of his own party.
Think about this. Go back into history. Here is someone knowingly sacrificing his political future for what he thinks is right. As good as Russ or John Murtha have been on Iraq, both knew they weren't throwing themselves on their own sword.
The sense I get from a number of the followup comments to my post is that any acknowledgement of anyone or nod to anyone first requires a political checklist/litmus test. Does he or she support this, this, this and that? Okay, then we can grudgingly give some recognition. But just a little bit.
That is both sad and wrong.
In the very beginning of yesterday's post, I typed that Hagel and I disagree on most issues but that such doesn't blind me, as it has apparently done to some, from applauding a remarkable act.
But, apparently to some, an open mind is not a dangerous thing.
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Here's a smattering of the DailyKos comments to my post (and yes, I readily expect to be accused of cherry-picking):
"He's so brave that he voted against requiring Congressional authority for Bush to increase troop levels in a vote in the Foreign Relations Committee.and
Can't get much braver than that.
And the minimum wage hike.and
Oh - and he found his spine only after he was in the minority. He couldn't stand up to Santorum and Frist, but now that he has all to gain by standing up to McConnell?
Brave indeed
There is not ONE SINGLE DEMOCRATand
...who is speaking with the plain truth and force of Chuck Hagel.
That's the point of the diary. And it's pathetic.
So did Hagel. He's not some kind of johnny-come-lately here. I can't believe I'm defending a rethug.and
Hagel has been criticizing (although, not actually doing anything else) BushCo on Iraq since at least August of '05. I won't ever vote for the man, but when Reid and Clinton were mummering "stay the course" along with Bush, Hagel was calling bullshit.
You can blow as much hot wind as you wantand
My comment stands. I said nothing about prescience. I was talking about conviction.
Show me an example of one single Democrat speaking with the fire and plain truth and utter lack of calculation that you see manifested in the words above. You simply can't.
This is not a salute to Chuck Hagel. It is a mark of shame on our party.
How is Hagel's position devoid of calculation? He has not committed to bringing troops home, and all he's doing is casting doubt on a TREMENDOUSLY unpopular strategy via non-binding resolution. Thats not brave. Don't confuse loud-sounding plainspeak with lack of calculation. All Hagel is doing is sounding tough without actually threatening action. Notice he will not cut funding, etc. His actions spark no shame for Dems whatsoever.and
I sense that he is sincere and that he is deeply concerned about our troops. I called his office today to compliment him and urge him to keep talking. A Democrat from Michigan appreciates what he is doing, and I told him so.and
Chuck Hagel is a slimebag who talks the talk, but has consistently voted to support Bush administration over the last 6 years. He's also the ex-CEO of one of the most corrupt voting machine manufacturers in the country. Now he's gambling that the contrarian position will pay off and propel him to the nomination. It doesn't take courage to short-sell a stock when it's obviously about to crash. Just opportunistic shrewdness.top
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