More Republican Party In-Fighting: Hastert Lectures McCain on Sacrifice, War

[conjur]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120422,00.html

WASHINGTON ? Growing tensions between House and Senate Republicans over the war in Iraq, abuse of Iraqi prisoners, tax cuts and budget deficits erupted Wednesday with House Speaker Dennis Hastert (search) lecturing former POW and Arizona Sen. John McCain (search) about sacrifice and war.

McCain, who spent five years in a North Vietnamese prison, excoriated fellow Republicans on Tuesday for pushing more tax cuts while U.S. troops are fighting in Iraq (search) and Afghanistan (search).

"Throughout our history, wartime has been a time of sacrifice. ... What have we sacrificed?" McCain said. "As mind-boggling as expanding Medicare has been, nothing tops my confusion for cutting taxes during wartime. I don't remember ever in the history of warfare when we cut taxes."

Asked Wednesday about McCain's remarks, Hastert, who was rejected for military service because of a bad shoulder, first joked: "Who? Where's he from? A Republican?"

Then, more seriously, he said: "If you want to see sacrifice, John McCain ought to visit our young men and women at Walter Reed and Bethesda (two Washington area military hospitals). There's the sacrifice in this country. We're trying to make sure that they have the ability to fight this war, that they have the wherewithal to be able to do it. And at the same time, we have to react to keep this country strong not only militarily but economically. We want to be able to have the flexibility to do it. That's my reply to John McCain."

McCain stood fast in his reply to Hastert.

"The speaker is correct in that nothing we are called upon to do comes close to matching the heroism of our troops," he said. "All we're called upon to do is not spend our nation into bankruptcy while our soldiers risk their lives. I fondly remember a time when real Republicans stood for fiscal responsibility."

The conflict erupted as Hastert laid down a budget making it easier to pass future tax cuts regardless of their impact on the federal deficit. McCain and a group of GOP moderates in the Senate want to rein in deficits by making tax cuts harder.

Later, Hastert spokesman John Feehery said the speaker "values Sen. McCain's military service, but he disagrees with him on tax relief."

Bravo, Sen. McCain!  Bravo!

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: conjur
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120422,00.html

WASHINGTON ? Growing tensions between House and Senate Republicans over the war in Iraq, abuse of Iraqi prisoners, tax cuts and budget deficits erupted Wednesday with House Speaker Dennis Hastert (search) lecturing former POW and Arizona Sen. John McCain (search) about sacrifice and war.

McCain, who spent five years in a North Vietnamese prison, excoriated fellow Republicans on Tuesday for pushing more tax cuts while U.S. troops are fighting in Iraq (search) and Afghanistan (search).

"Throughout our history, wartime has been a time of sacrifice. ... What have we sacrificed?" McCain said. "As mind-boggling as expanding Medicare has been, nothing tops my confusion for cutting taxes during wartime. I don't remember ever in the history of warfare when we cut taxes."

Asked Wednesday about McCain's remarks, Hastert, who was rejected for military service because of a bad shoulder, first joked: "Who? Where's he from? A Republican?"

Then, more seriously, he said: "If you want to see sacrifice, John McCain ought to visit our young men and women at Walter Reed and Bethesda (two Washington area military hospitals). There's the sacrifice in this country. We're trying to make sure that they have the ability to fight this war, that they have the wherewithal to be able to do it. And at the same time, we have to react to keep this country strong not only militarily but economically. We want to be able to have the flexibility to do it. That's my reply to John McCain."

McCain stood fast in his reply to Hastert.

"The speaker is correct in that nothing we are called upon to do comes close to matching the heroism of our troops," he said. "All we're called upon to do is not spend our nation into bankruptcy while our soldiers risk their lives. I fondly remember a time when real Republicans stood for fiscal responsibility."

The conflict erupted as Hastert laid down a budget making it easier to pass future tax cuts regardless of their impact on the federal deficit. McCain and a group of GOP moderates in the Senate want to rein in deficits by making tax cuts harder.

Later, Hastert spokesman John Feehery said the speaker "values Sen. McCain's military service, but he disagrees with him on tax relief."

Bravo, Sen. McCain!  Bravo!

Little Denny Hastert lecturing John McCain on sacrifice?

Is there no end to chickenhawk arrogance?:Q:|

 

[SViscusi]

Originally posted by: Perknose
Little Denny Hastert lecturing John McCain on sacrifice?

Is there no end to chickenhawk arrogance?:Q:|

As much of an ass Hastert is, I don't think it's fair to classify him as a chickenhawk.

 

[Infohawk]

Did Hastert serve in the military?

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Infohawk
Did Hastert serve in the military?

Apparently not:


Dennis Hastert rose to his position as Speaker of the House from the cornfields of Illinois. Born in Aurora, he grew up in Oswego and earned degrees from Wheaton College and Northern Illinois University. After 16 years of teaching and coaching at Yorkville High School, he served in the Illinois House of Representatives for six years before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. In 1999, Hastert's colleagues honored him by electing him Speaker of the House, the third highest elected official in the U.S. government.

 

[wirelessenabled]

Good for McCain! One of the few Rebublicans who doesn't have Karl Rove write speeches for him.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Infohawk
Did Hastert serve in the military?

It says right in the article that he was rejected due to a shoulder injury.

I find his arrogance in this context just stupefying. Good for Senator McCain for pointing out how far removed the neoconservatives have strayed from the traditional Republican principles of small government and fiscal responsibility.

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: conjur
earned degrees from Wheaton College.

Well there's half your problem right there..

 

[Ldir]

This is on the Today show this morning. They are talking to McCain.

 

[smashp]

McCain is Right. How is bankrupting the country at home Supporting the Troops at all?

War time is Sacrifice Time.

The Problem is if more and more americans Have to sacrifice anything from their Greedy little lives, No one would support the war.

Their Goal is to make you think that it doesnt affect you at all. War is Nice, War is Easy.

 

[arsbanned]

So, we have yet another pussy who has never fought, urging us on to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.
a*shole.

War is Nice, War is Easy.

Well, it is, as long as it isn't you or your children getting slaughtered.

 

[YellowRose]

Originally posted by: SViscusi

Originally posted by: Perknose
Little Denny Hastert lecturing John McCain on sacrifice?

Is there no end to chickenhawk arrogance?:Q:|

As much of an ass Hastert is, I don't think it's fair to classify him as a chickenhawk.

Yes to do so would insult the chickenhawk.

 

[earthman]

Has any of the Republican leadership actually been in combat? Hastert? Cheney? Bush? Rumsfeld? Wolfowitz?

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: earthman
Has any of the Republican leadership actually been in combat? Hastert? Cheney? Bush? Rumsfeld? Wolfowitz?

Rumsfeld was in the Navy, but I'm not sure what he did while he was there.

 

[conjur]

Came across this...not sure if the information has been verified:

GOP CHICKENHAWK GALLERY

George "aWol" Bush. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: timid daddy's boy

Dick Cheney. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: "had other priorities"

Spencer Abraham. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: Harvard law School

Elliot Abrams. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: bad back

Andrew Card. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Don Evans. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Asa Hutchinson. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Richard Perle. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

David Stockman. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Tommy Thompson. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: hid in Guard

Paul Wolfowitz. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

John Asscroft. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: "teaching business ed"

Ted Olsen. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Antonin Scalia. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Ken Starr. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: psoriasis

Clarence Thomas. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: law school

Lamar Alexander. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Bob Barr. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Gary Bauer. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Jebby Bush. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: timid daddy's boy

Tom DeLay. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: attended grad school

Newt Gingrich: Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: attended grad school

Dennis Hasert. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: bad knees/fat

Jack Kemp: Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: injured knee playing football

Don Nickles. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: cushy Guard slot

Dan Quayle. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: timid daddy's boy

Brit Hume. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Alan Keyes. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: law school

David Limbaugh. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: hid in Guard.

Rush Limbaugh. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: anal cyst, homosexual

Roger Ailes. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

Bill O'Reilly. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: college deferment

George Will. Avoided: Vietnam. Reason: attended divinity school

 

[Czar]

damnit McCain, register as an independant and run for pres!

 

[alchemize]

Came across this...not sure if the information has been verified

Conjur, the True Moderate, have you come across the list yet of the Democrat Senators who voted for Iraq but haven't served?

 

[conjur]

No, why should I? This thread isn't about that.


But...how about this:      

http://www.awolbush.com/whoserved.html

Prominent Democrats
Representative Richard Gephardt, former House Minority Leader - Missouri Air National Guard, 1965-71. (1, 2)
Representative David Bonior - Staff Sgt., United States Air Force 1968-72 (1, 2)
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle - 1st Lt., U.S. Air Force SAC 1969-72 (1, 2)
Former Vice President Al Gore - enlisted August 1969; sent to Vietnam January 1971 as an army journalist, assigned to the 20th Engineer Brigade headquartered at Bien Hoa, an airbase twenty miles northeast of Saigon. More facts about Gore's Service
Former Senator Bob Kerrey... Democrat... Lt. j.g., U.S. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam (1, 2)
Senator Daniel Inouye, US Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, World War Two (1, 2)
Senator John Kerry, Lt., U.S. Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat (1)
Representative Charles Rangel, Staff Sgt., U.S. Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea (1, 2)
Former Senator Max Cleland, Captain, U.S. Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam (1, 2)
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) - U.S. Army, 1951-1953. (1)
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) - Lt., U.S. Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74. (1, 2)
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) - U.S. Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91 (1)
Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) - served as a U.S. Army officer in World War II, receiving the Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons. (1)


Representative Leonard Boswell (D-IA) - Lt. Col., U.S. Army 1956-76; two tours in Vietnam, two Distinguished Flying Crosses as a helicopter pilot, two Bronze Stars, and the Soldier's Medal. (1, 2)
Former Representative "Pete" Peterson, Air Force Captain, POW, Ambassador to Viet Nam, and recipient of the Purple Heart, the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit. (1, 2)
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-CA: Staff sergeant/platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army; was wounded and received a Purple Heart. (1, 2)
Bill McBride, Democratic Candidate for Florida Governor - volunteered and served as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam; awarded Bronze Star with a combat "V." (1)
Gray Davis, California Governor, Army Captain in Vietnam; received Bronze Star. (1)
Pete Stark, D-CA, served in the Air Force 1955-57

Prominent Republicans
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey - avoided the draft, did not serve.
House Majority Leader Tom Delay - avoided the draft, did not serve (1). "So many minority youths had volunteered ... that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself."
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt - did not serve
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve. (An impressive medical resume, but not such a friend to cats in Boston.)
Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-KY - did not serve (1)
Rick Santorum, R-PA, third ranking Republican in the Senate - did not serve. (1)
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott - avoided the draft, did not serve.


Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld - served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. (1) Served as President Reagan's Special Envoy to the Middle East and met with Saddam Hussein twice in 1983 and 1984.
GW Bush - decided that a six-year Nat'l Guard commitment really means four years. Still says that he's "been to war." Huh?
VP Cheney - several deferments (1, 2), the last by marriage (in his own words, "had other priorities than military service") (1)
Att'y Gen. John Ashcroft - did not serve (1, 2); received seven deferment to teach business ed at SW Missouri State

Jeb Bush, Florida Governor - did not serve. (1)


Karl Rove - avoided the draft, did not serve (1), too busy being a Republican.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich - avoided the draft, did not serve (1, 2)
Former President Ronald Reagan - due to poor eyesight, served in a noncombat role making movies for the Army in southern California during WWII. He later seems to have confused his role as an actor playing a tail gunner with the real thing.
"B-1" Bob Dornan - avoided Korean War combat duty by enrolling in college acting classes (Orange County Weekly article). Enlisted only after the fighting was over in Korea.
Phil Gramm - avoided the draft, did not serve, four (?) student deferments
Senator John McCain - McCain's naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. Why did the Bush campaign smear him so? At least Senators Cleland (D-GA), Kerry (D-MA), Kerrey (D-NE), Robb (D-VA) and Hagel (R-NE) defended him.
Former Senator Bob Dole - an honorable man. http://www.bobdole.org/bio/wwII.php
Chuck Hagel - two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam. http://www.senate.gov/~hagel/Information/bio.htm
Duke Cunningham - nominated for the Medal of Honor, received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, the Purple Heart, and several other decorations http://www.house.gov/cunningham/about_duke.htm#Biography
Senator Jeff Sessions U.S. Army Reserves, 1973-1986
Colin Powell. What are we to make of Powell? On the one hand, a long career as a military manager. On the other hand, accused of covering up the My Lai massacre. Back on that first hand, one of the seemingly sane voices in this administration when it comes to Iraq (or at least he used to be). On the other hand, a clear hypocrite ("I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed... managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units...")
Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), served in USMC in Vietnam; wounded in action.

 

[smashp]

Originally posted by: alchemize

Came across this...not sure if the information has been verified

Conjur, the True Moderate, have you come across the list yet of the Democrat Senators who voted for Iraq but haven't served?

Im sure Hell Post it In the Thread Titled "More Democratic Party In-Fighting"

that is unless you beat him too it.

 

[alchemize]

No, why should I? This thread isn't about that.

Well because you are a True Moderate! A non-partisan, always looking at both sides of each issue!

:roll:

 

[conjur]

Ah...no response to the list, eh, alchemize?

 

[Strk]

Former President Ronald Reagan - due to poor eyesight, served in a noncombat role making movies for the Army in southern California during WWII. He later seems to have confused his role as an actor playing a tail gunner with the real thing.

Didn't he try several times to get around the eyesight problem in order to try and serve overseas?

 

[conjur]

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/printrn20040520.shtml

May 20, 2004


WASHINGTON -- During George W. Bush's keynote address to the 40th anniversary black-tie banquet of the American Conservative Union (ACU) last week, diners rose repeatedly to applaud the president's remarks. But one man kept his seat through the 40-minute oration. It was no liberal interloper but conservative stalwart Donald Devine.

As ACU vice chairman, Devine was privileged to be part of a pre-dinner head-table reception with President Bush. However, Devine chose not to shake hands with the president. Furthermore, he is one of about 20 percent of Republicans that polls classify as not committed to voting for Bush's re-election.

The conventional wisdom portrays the latest Zogby Poll's 81 percent of Republican voters committed to Bush as reflecting extraordinary loyalty to the president by the GOP base. Actually, when nearly one out of five Republicans cannot flatly say they support Bush, that could spell defeat in a closely contested election. When Don Devine is among those one out of five, it signifies that the president's record does not please all conservatives.

In a time of crisis in Iraq, Bush spent more than an hour at the J.W. Marriott Hotel Thursday night to celebrate the ACU's anniversary and woo his conservative base. His speech was crafted to evoke the maximum response from that audience. There was no mention of either "compassionate conservatism" or "no child left behind "

Why, then, did Devine dismiss a consciously conservative speech as "long and boring"? At age 67, Devine has spent a lifetime as a party regular and faithful conservative. I first encountered him some 30 years ago when, as a University of Maryland political science professor, he was adviser and strategist for conservatives in rules fights at Republican national conventions. Directing President Reagan's Office of Personnel Management, he was one senior administration official who took seriously the Reagan Revolution. He was a political adviser in Bob Dole's presidential campaigns and ran himself for Congress and statewide office in Maryland.

So, the question remains: Why would Devine stay seated at the ACU dinner when everybody else was standing and clapping? To begin with, he shares concern with many Republicans about what the U.S. is doing in Iraq and where it is going. Businessmen I have talked to recently exercise limited patience in how long they will tolerate the bloodshed and confusion.

What most bothers Devine and other conservatives is steady growth of government under this Republican president. If Devine's purpose in devoting his life to politics was to limit government's reach, he feels betrayed that Bush has outstripped his liberal predecessors in domestic spending. A study by Brian Riedl for the conservative Heritage Foundation last December showed government spending had exceeded $20,000 per household for the first time since World War II. Riedl called it a "colossal expansion of the federal government since 1998."

Curbing this expansion surely has not been on the top of Bush's agenda for much of his time in the White House. Until recently, when a presidential political aide heard conservative complaints about runaway spending, he predictably would point to the partial-birth abortion ban and tax cuts rather than address the grievance. In the last few months, the president's men have talked a better game about spending. Nevertheless, it is too late to satisfy Republicans such as Devine who care deeply about governmental growth.

Bush is also under pressure from his conservative base to speak more clearly and more frequently against same-sex marriage. At the ACU dinner, he drew one of his many standing ovations by declaring: "We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society." That was all he said on the subject in a speech that went on at length about the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Bush's saving grace for the 2004 election may be John Kerry. In the end, I am sure Don Devine will cast his ballot for George W. Bush, if only because the alternative is noxious. How many of the rest of that 19 percent of non-Bush voting Republicans in the Zogby Poll will fall in line may determine the outcome Nov. 2. That is the importance of Devine's little sit-down strike.

 

[Zephyr106]

But but but didn't McCain have an interracial lovechild?????

Zephyr

 

[Corn]

Originally posted by: conjur
Ah...no response to the list, eh, alchemize?

Here's my response to that list you halfwitted moron: Why is Bill Clinton missing from that "prominent Democrat" list? Why is John McCain missing form the "prominent Republican" list. Well, because that wouldn't fit in too well with the parrot patrol's sensibilities, would it?

Why not make up a list of every currently serving Senator, Congressman, and cabinet member, then break it down into D's and R's listing who has and has not served in the military and see where that ends.

Somehow I doubt that'll happen with the likes of you Conjur, but that's simply because it would require effort and sheep like you would rather be spoonfed your propaganda........