Comments on: Gravel Responds To Harsh Criticisms

Long-Shot Democratic Hopeful Shoots Back At McCain And Biden

[prinzowhales]

Mike Gravel was absolutely right. "I married the mob" McCain wants to re-write history. Ziggy Brzenski even admitted that we backed Pol Pot and his murderous gang. You can lay the Killing Fields of Cambodia beside the Killing Fields of Iraq at the feet of the Jackal Regime in Washington--Democrats and Republicans supporting a war of aggression for the sake of the successors of Brown & Root and Big Nose Baines...Halliburton and the Chimp.

Troops home now! You have been betrayed by the Washington Regime! Remove the Usurpers!

[mudrose-2009]

"I will carry it as a badge of honor the fact I haven't raised these multi-million dollars from the insurance industry, from the pharmaceutical industry, from the military industrial complex, from the trial lawyers," said Gravel.

Then I guess it's hedge funds. This guys a real patooie.

[panhandlpete]

So we end up with the person who collects the most money? That speaks volumes for the intellect of the citizen voters, doesn't it? We go to the polls and select the name we've seen the most in newspaper ads and on television, regardless of their qualifications or platforms. If the voters wish to send a message to the elite rich who rule this country, a vote cast for someone like Gravel would do just that. But, without enough votes to win the nomination, then your vote is wasted. That is why there are so many people in the race. The wanna bees can afford to say what is the truth and hope it finds receptive ears and a vote. The top contenders have to watch every word and action for fear it will return to "haunt" them, and they end up saying a lot but really saying nothing.

I plan to make my selection from the group BELOW the top two in the DEM group or still thinking of becoming an Independent.

I would say that both parties have failed the American people. The DEMS have been unable to pass legislation to END THIS WAR, and the REPUBS just thumb their noses at "what the people want" and the Constitution and rule of law. If the REPUBS cared about the future of their party, they would cast votes to END THIS WAR, using whatever means necessary to do it. Doing what Warner and Lugar did is like "pixxing in the wind." Get these two relics out of Congress!

[forthepeopl1]

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that the Iraqi army and police are capable of keeping security in the country when American troops leave "any time they want," though he acknowledged the forces need further weapons and training.

OK THE WHAT IN THE HELL ARE WE STILL THERE, AS THE PRESIDENT HAS STATED ONCE AL-MALIKI TELLS US HE DOESN'T WANT US THERE WE WILL LEAVE.

ITS TIME FOR OUR SEN/REPS TO REMINDE HIM OF WHAT HE HAS STATED..NOW LETS GET THE F/U/C/K/ OUT OF THERE.

so how about looking up how many times this dirt bag of a president and his side kick cheney has told all america that if they say they dont need us than we will leave.

so how about it mr president you said many times we will leave if they dont need us. so how about it..

congress and all media should be pounding what he has stated on tv many many times..put this in his face all day and night

[trillion1]

Considering the abismal choices in the lead so far I wouldn't write anyone off at the moment.

[johnpatrick9]

Three cheers for Senator Gravel for putting the arrogance and stupidity of the military mindset in it place: needless death and maiming is not a matter of honor. What we did in Nam and Cambodia ,as well as the horror we have visited upon Iraq, is nothing to be proud of. The Military and the American people were lied to and misled by corrupt politicians who cared not a fig that there actions ripped bodies and minds apart to bolster their sense of ego and pride. Mcain is just one more Republican idiot willing to spend lives and to maim human bodies for ill conceived notions of national security. If a Nation cannot defend itself and is not willing to make the sacrifice then as the Roman saying goes: "Some slaves idealized their chains for it suits them to be slaves." We have to stop sticking our nose in where it does not belong and clean up the mess and inequalities here at home first. Lead by example and not from the cockpit of a jet dropping napalm and agent orange upon hapless citizens of their own land. Lets dump the fascist attitude of the past years and the nutjobs who propogate it. MANY will look back upon these ugly years and ask: "Did you stand for or against libety and the ideals of America or were you a fascist supporter of the military-industrial complex?" Hitler is a shame upon the German nation and bush-cheney will and is a shame upon America.

[brianbwb-2009]

However that doesn't change the cold hard truth that supporting him with money or a vote is wasting both. Posted by RandalDS,

100% correct, dude, I just wish the challenge in his message could be put repeatedly to the mainstream candidates for a "calling out" of how they stand on letting people die so they can better rally support to gain office.

[randalds]

Besides, his right to speak and my right to wish he'd shut up and go away don't change the fact that he hasn't a snowballs chance in hell of doing anything more then wasting his breath, time and his contributors money. The idea of a 3rd party or out of the mainstream candidate being anything other then a distraction is still a pipe dream.

[randalds]

I read many of your posts and some others have accused you of having either a drug problem, drinking problem or some type of mental disorder. One thing for sure you certainly suffer from memory loss.

Posted by red164 at 02:45 AM : Jul 16, 2007

I see nothing inconsistant in those two posts. He has the right to speak just like I have the right to say I wish he'd shut up and go away.

[red164]

Mike...go away...you're becoming an embarrassment, to yourself and those who have to listen to and see you, just like Nader is. Stop it. Now. Thank you.
Posted by RandalDS at 09:14 PM : Jul 15, 2007

I certainly support his right to speak and to run for office. In fact I agree with much he has to say. However that doesn't change the cold hard truth that supporting him with money or a vote is wasting both. It's no different then supporting Nader or any third party candidate. Hey if it makes someone feel better to do it then they should go for it, but they should have no illusions of victory. It ain't going to happen in our lifetime. Far better (and more realistic) to work for change from within one of the established parties.
Posted by RandalDS at 02:30 AM : Jul 16, 2007

I read many of your posts and some others have accused you of having either a drug problem, drinking problem or some type of mental disorder. One thing for sure you certainly suffer from memory loss.

[randalds]

I understand your pragmatism, Gravel really cannot defeat the dollars aligned against him.

But I would also say that the points he made during his conversations with Stephanopolos are indeed valid, and such views should be given much more airtime, as they also represent reality, and it is obscene that none of the front runners dare speak such truth.

It is beyond madness that people are dying for no real reason other than greed, and the current crop of wannabe presidents on both sides are drinking the blood of innocents trying to attain office.
Posted by brianbwb at 01:32 AM : Jul 16, 2007

I certainly support his right to speak and to run for office. In fact I agree with much he has to say. However that doesn't change the cold hard truth that supporting him with money or a vote is wasting both. It's no different then supporting Nader or any third party candidate. Hey if it makes someone feel better to do it then they should go for it, but they should have no illusions of victory. It ain't going to happen in our lifetime. Far better (and more realistic) to work for change from within one of the established parties.

[brianbwb-2009]

RandalDS,

I understand your pragmatism, Gravel really cannot defeat the dollars aligned against him.

But I would also say that the points he made during his conversations with Stephanopolos are indeed valid, and such views should be given much more airtime, as they also represent reality, and it is obscene that none of the front runners dare speak such truth.

It is beyond madness that people are dying for no real reason other than greed, and the current crop of wannabe presidents on both sides are drinking the blood of innocents trying to attain office.

[red164]

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: So let's follow the metaphor. What are the ripples you want to send out in this campaign?

SEN. GRAVEL: Thank you for asking that, because the ripples are that we've got to pull away from politics as usual. I'll give you an example. At the last debate on the 32nd wing at the end I made the statement about their being immoral.

SEN. GRAVEL: (From tape.) We have to have a president who has moral judgment.

Most of the people on this stage with me do not have that judgment and have proven it by the simple fact of what they've done.

SEN. GRAVEL: It's not their personal life I was talking about. I was talking about the fact that those presidential candidates that are standing up with me, they've got the power to end this war and they're not doing anything about it. And that in my mind is immoral, because as we we're talking then, as we're talking now, George, human beings are dying and American soldiers are getting their bodies blown apart and we're killing Iraqis, and there's no reason for it. We can stop that. And so if they aspire to be president, they ought to show some leadership in the Congress right now to end it. And I've given them the tools to do this with, and they don't pick up on it.

[red164]

Of course, the many are parroting Stephanopoulos but

." Gravel's response was, "One of the great beauties of this great country of ours is that anything is possible in politics. You just have a tough time accepting it."

"Do you know absolutely?" Paul came back. Do you want to bet every cent in your pocket for that? ... The odds are great ... but I would say that what has happened so far has been 100 times greater than I anticipated."


Stephanopoulos concluded by saying to Gravel, as he had to Paul, "You're not going to be president." Gravel's response was, "One of the great beauties of this great country of ours is that anything is possible in politics. You just have a tough time accepting it."

[red164]

Stephanopoulos then asked Paul, "What's success for you in this campaign?" but cut off the start of Paul's response, "Well, to win ..." with an interjected "That's not going to happen!"

"Do you know absolutely?" Paul came back. Do you want to bet every cent in your pocket for that? ... The odds are great ... but I would say that what has happened so far has been 100 times greater than I anticipated."

[red164]

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Monday July 9, 2007

former Democratic Sen. Mike Gravel and Republican Rep. Ron Paul. While providing both underdogs with prime network coverage, the one-time communications director for President Clinton also told the candidates straight to their faces that he didn't believe either could win.

Stephanopoulous pressed Paul on his calls for immediate withdrawal of the troops from Iraq, saying, "Don't we have a responsibility to those we leave behind?"

"It's a tragedy of what's happening, what we're going to leave behind," replied Paul. "But we don't know it's going to be as bad as those who are predicting bad things -- just remember, the people who are predicting these very, very dire things to happen are the same ones who predicted it would be a cakewalk. ... Think of Vietnam. It worked out much better than anybody predicted."

"The main motivating factor of the hostility to this country ... is our presence in the Middle East," continued Paul. "The sooner we get out of there, the better. ... We have done a great service to Osama bin Laden, inadvertently, because it's a recruiting tool for him. ... We have become isolated from the world. .. We have more enemies today, more enemies and less friends than we have ever had in our country."

[red164]

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Monday July 9, 2007

Gravel retorted, "What's more important? Getting office? Or doing the moral thing and stop people from dying? I'll tell you, if that's the sacrifice we've got to pay to stop these people from dying and killing these Iraqis, I'll pay that sacrifice every day of the week."



Gravel insisted that the votes against Bush "are there now" and that you just have to get them. He recalled his own extended filibuster of the draft during the Vietnam War, saying, "Five months, and there's no draft in the United States today, and I'm proud that George Bush does not have the boots on the ground to invade Iran."

When Stephanopoulos pointed out that many Democrats fear their party's opposition to the Vietnam War has cost them political support in the decades since, Gravel retorted, "What's more important? Getting office? Or doing the moral thing and stop people from dying? I'll tell you, if that's the sacrifice we've got to pay to stop these people from dying and killing these Iraqis, I'll pay that sacrifice every day of the week."

Stephanopoulos concluded by saying to Gravel, as he had to Paul, "You're not going to be president." Gravel's response was, "One of the great beauties of this great country of ours is that anything is possible in politics. You just have a tough time accepting it."

[red164]

static.
Posted by RandalDS at 10:11 PM : Jul 15, 2007

If you were a radio station, no one would ever hear anything else.

[randalds]

I%u2019m sure you won%u2019t agree with Gravel about his POPULIST CONCEPT OF DEMOCRACY you and those spineless Democratic leaders would just like for people like Gravel to fade away.

Posted by red164 at 09:50 PM : Jul 15, 2007

I follow reality. He has no realistic chance of getting the nomination or the win in the general election. Therefore he is a distraction, just like Nader or Ron Paul. All they are doing is adding to the static.

[red164]

Posted by RandalDS at 09:45 PM : Jul 15, 2007


I%u2019m sure you won%u2019t agree with Gravel about his POPULIST CONCEPT OF DEMOCRACY you and those spineless Democratic leaders would just like for people like Gravel to fade away.

You follow the DNC as well as some of those Looney Republicans follow the RNC gospel of politics line for line.

http://www.gravel2008.us/national_initia

tive

Mike Gravel for President 2008

The National Initiative for Democracy
A POPULIST CONCEPT OF DEMOCRACY

%u201CLet the People Decide%u201D

The central power of government in a democracy is lawmaking not voting. Those who make the laws determine how, when, and if voters can vote. Florida and Ohio are but recent examples. Governments throughout history have been tools of oppression; they need not be. American citizens can gain control of their government by becoming lawmakers and turning its purpose to public benefit, and stemming government growth
the people are more conservative than their elected officials regardless of political party.

Are the people qualified enough to make laws directly to govern their lives? They%u2019re qualified enough on Election Day to give their power away to political candidates who manipulate the electoral process to get elected. In fact, it%u2019s easier to decide one%u2019s self-interest directly than it is to guess the mind of a representative who will naturally put his or her self-interest first.