This guy makes John Lennon look like a hawk.
Mark O. Hatfield: For me, choice for president is clear: Bush
As a young Navy officer in World War II, I was one of the first Americans to see Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. That experience lives with me today, and it helped to shape the view I held during my public service career: a view that war is wrong in nearly every circumstance.
As Oregon’s governor, I was the only governor in the nation who refused to sign a statement supporting President Johnson’s Vietnam War policy.
As a senator, I joined with Sen. George McGovern in an unsuccessful effort to end that war. I was the only senator who voted against both the Democrat and Republican resolutions authorizing the use of force in the 1991 Gulf War.
In my final years in the Senate, I opposed President Clinton’s decision to send American troops to Bosnia.
During my 30 years in the Senate, I never once voted in favor of a military appropriations bill.
I know that this record will cause many to wonder why I am such a strong supporter of President Bush and his policy in Iraq. My support is based on the fact that our world changed on Sept. 11, 2001, a day on which we lost more American lives than we did in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I know from my service in the Senate that Saddam Hussein was an active supporter of terrorism. He used weapons of mass destruction on innocent people and left no doubt that he would do so again. It was crucial to the cause of world peace that he be removed from power. …
I believe the choice is clear. I will proudly cast my vote for President George W. Bush.
What makes this so incredible, of course, is Hatfield’s track record. They don’t make them any more dovish than Mark Hatfield.
While I have not been so bold as to predict it, for a few years now, I’ve felt this election would not even be close. As the saying goes, “9/11 changed everything.”
While it was quite some time ago and many have forgotten, there were thousands or more probably millions of people who changed forever that day. I used to do a radio show with a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. This guy hated Reagan and had all the liberal talking points at his fingertips. That was until 9/10.
Since the terrorist attacks he views the whole world differently. He now realizes national security is the main objective of government and he also realizes there are people who want him dead — and talking nice to them won’t change their minds. He is now, potentially, as conservative as me. Incredibly, he changed to a strong taxcutting, small government conservative. There are millions just like him.
Clearly, Mark Hatfield changed on 9/11.
The media will not dare speak of it. We hear the occasional mention of “security moms” but the big media will never admit that 9/11 changed millions of people forever and it did not make them move to the left.
If you consider the last election was 50/50 it would actually be remarkable if something the size of 9/11 DID NOT make a major change in the electorate in one direction or the other. It was the most historic day most people alive have ever lived thru.
It’s my firm belief, that 9/11 created millions of Mark Hatfields in the world.
I was getting ready for a normal day’s work on 9/11/2001. When I heard the news on my radio that morning, it was devastating. I went on to work (at a major newspaper in Dallas,TX) and just sat there, dazed and unsure.
Right afterwards, I started to blog. So much evil and wrong in the world, I had an endless supply of material, right. I needed to vent.
I, like so many others, believe that we need to clearly see the face of our enemies. We need to see them for what they are. So, I heard of the beheading of Eugene Armstrong and cautiously decided to find it online to download the file. When I watched the video file, I nearly stopped breathing. My fingers were ice cold and I had to force myself to breath. I have seen so many action movies in my life, to this point never giving the Hollywood version of death and mayhem much credence, but when i witnessed poor Mr. Armstrong’s last moments, I was in utter shock. I have never, ever before, in my entire life, witnessed the equivalent horror of that moment.
For hours, I had a scowl on my face- the trademark face of a man in deep, deep thought. I was soul searching. I tossed in my sleep and woke up with the video on my mind.
How could mankind belittle life so? Such blatant, arrogant and hideous disregard for the sacredness of life. Sure, I’ve grown up hunting animals like deer, rabbits, etc. and have field-dressed my kills (hunters know the gory details of this). But a man…a human life is so, so, so very different. It has to be different. Sacred. Blessed. Human.
That video file sits on my computer desktop tonight. I cannot touch it. I can’t delete it. Who knows how long it’ll stay there.
I hope your right.
I generally pride myself on being able to understand other peoples points of view. But when it comes to this particular issue, that is former doves becoming hawkish, I don’t do so well. I had been expecting a major terrorist attack in the US for years before 9/11. The only thing that surprised me was that they used planes. I had been expecting a large bombing. I am kind of constantly amazed by so many people feeling so caught off guard. I can understand how that would be a wake up call. But I find myself unable to get a good estimation for the depth of the reaction by some people. Don’t get me wrong even though I expected something it didn’t mitigate my anger any, my sister used to work at the pentagon.
dewaun: I can’t add anything to what you wrote. We lived the same experience watching that video.
I’ve never considered myself a violent man, and I didn’t even know Mr. Armstrong. But for him and his family, I would gladly kill every last one of those kidnappers with my bare hands if I ever got them alone in a room.
I always liked his guitar playing in Metallica
but I think St Anger was a shitty CD.
Mark Hatfield…. wait… I thought you said James Hetfield…
Nevermind… (no wait that’s Kurt Cobain)
As an historical aside, Mark O Hatfield read the Winter Soldier Investigations into the Congressional Record and asked the Military to investigate the allegations.
He said in part
“There has recently been brought to my attention testimony relating to the policy and conduct of American forces in Indochina which has grave and very serious implications.
The testimony is given by honorably discharged veterans who had served in Vietnam, and was conducted by Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Three days of testimony were conducted in Detroit, Mich. on January 31, February 1, and 2 of this year. This group, which represents 11,000 veterans, plans to send several thousand to Washington the week of April 19 to petition Congress for full congressional hearings.
I, of course, have no way of ascertaining the veracity of all the testimony given, and I am not in agreement with certain of the statements and judgments made by those who testified.
However, I believe that the allegations made by these Americans, who served their country in Vietnam, are so serious and so grave that they demand the full study by the appropriate committees of Congress as well as by the executive branch.”
Of course, the MSM will ignore Hatfield’s support for Bush.
9/11 certainly changed me. But I was amazed to see so many people stick with the 60’s Vietnam-era liberal default position. “Any war in which the U.S. is engaged must be an imperialist war; if something bad happens in the world it must be because of something the U.S. did or failed to do; no matter how many speeches the President gives about freedom and liberty, he’s really just in it for corporate profits, etc.” And oddly, it seems a majority of New Yorkers still feel this way. Even witnessesing 9/11 personally did not change their world view.
Wow, an honest Liberal — now I’ve seen everything.
{{{{lifts gun to head, pulls trigger — BOOM}}}}
Come on there are obviously some honest liberals. Pat Caddell, Ron Silver. I know various good people who happen to be liberal in my personal life. It just that the Press and the Democratic party is dominated by dishonest or arrogant people who happen to be liberal.
It’s my firm belief, that 9/11 created millions of Mark Hatfields in the world
I
dewaun: ditto!
A buddy and I watched are weekly dose of Hollywood shock and all and for the first time I sat there wondering why I was watching this. What did these blow them up and trash the city movies entertain me?
The Lust for violence is something you hear about on the news and don’t understand why people could be like that; then you watch the act itself and wonder just why I felt the need to watch it, not having the answer until several minutes later.
Richard