Pink-Clad Iraq Protesters Press On

The New Republic: Controversial Code Pink Has Made A Name For Itself On Capitol Hill

(The New Republic)  This column was written by Britt Peterson.

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The frenetic scene outside of 2154 Rayburn is one that's become familiar in recent months: As a congressional hearing lets out (this one on the Pat Tillman fratricide, featuring Donald Rumsfeld as a witness), several women, dressed all in pink and bedecked in crowns like a group of mad bachelorettes, rush out the doors and launch into battle formation at the side exit, as the mostly military audience files out.

"Make way for the war criminals!" shouts Liz Hourican, who's wearing a large pink shirt over pink sweatpants and sneakers. To her right, standing with their backs pressed tightly against the wall, is a tourist couple and their two small children, dressed up for the day. The kids stare at the protesters. "That's the first amendment, kids," explains the father, sounding irritated.

Later, when Rumsfeld doesn't show, Hourican comes up to the children and starts talking in her rapid-fire way, her voice hoarse: "You two are the cutest! And you're so lucky you're in the Capitol." The kids smile, shocked into politeness, and their mother lays a protective hand on her son's shoulder. Then Hourican jogs away as she spots a Republican committee member, Darrell Issa, making his exit: "You're disgusting, Darrell Issa!" she yells. One of the women with her mutters, "Douchebag," as the crowd chases him down the hallway.

This on-a-dime switch from outrage to friendliness and back typifies the actions of Code Pink, which, along with the members of Congress it spends its days harassing, has just wound up its session and gone on recess. Its last few days on the Hill were relatively quiet, partly because members of the group have been arrested so often that several of them are either blocked from attending hearings or face serious consequences if they get arrested again. Still, it has been a good season for Code Pink, cementing its status as the most visible (both literally and figuratively) anti-war group on Capitol Hill. And group members, reminiscing as they pack up their pink costumes to return home to their families, their jobs, school and, of course, to bring the fight to constituency offices, say they've accomplished even more than that.

"We feel like we moved the Democrats in Congress — not fast, not far enough," said Medea Benjamin, one of the group's founders. "But we moved Hillary Clinton, we moved Nancy Pelosi." Hourican said, "If it weren't for Code Pink, people wouldn't be moving [to an anti-war position]."

Along with Gael Murphy and Jodie Evans, Benjamin (born Susie) launched Code Pink in 2002 as a female-led anti-war protest wing of the anti-globalization nonprofit Global Exchange, which she founded with her husband 20 years ago. The group is now independent from Global Exchange and functions as a loose national coalition of chapters, unified by weekly strategy phone calls. Code Pink's main goal is ending the Iraq War (their platform, as explained to me by Benjamin, includes a phased withdrawal taking place as soon as possible and the impeachment of Bush), but side projects have focused on bringing peace to Iran and Darfur as well.

To accomplish this, the group has unfurled giant pink banners from highway overpasses, camped out in front of the White House for months, and once organized a hunger strike outside Joe Lieberman's office to protest his belligerent rhetoric toward Iran. The name originally riffed off the homeland security terror alerts, but has become, for many in Code Pink, a way of life: "I rarely see Medea out of pink," Midge Potts, a statuesque transvestite from the D.C. wing, told me.

This term, the D.C. branch of Code Pink has become increasingly prominent at Hill events, and their tactics have evolved as well. Potts, who at the Tillman hearings was wearing a pink miniskirt and sandals along with a pink foam crown that read, "No Blood for Oil," offered an example of Code Pink's ability to stay, literally, in the picture: During a Senate Armed Services hearing to confirm Admiral Mike Mullen as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Potts, who isn't allowed to attend hearings after an arrest in February, watched the proceedings on C-Span from home. She couldn't see any of the Code Pink women's signs or crowns, but she noticed Benjamin's shoe in the top left of the frame when the camera was on Mullen. So she texted Benjamin to put her sign down at her feet, and that little square of pink is visible on the C-Span tape right over the Admiral's right shoulder. "They surprise us sometimes," Potts said of the committee aides, "but we surprise them a lot."

Code Pink's tactics are confrontational, but not (always) alienating. Their congenial relationship with John Murtha made news in March after Murtha convinced the Capitol Hill police not to arrest Benjamin after she disrupted a hearing. "Murtha called the sergeant-at-arms and said, 'This is not a police state. This is a democracy. You will not arrest this woman for speaking out in a hearing,'" Benjamin said. After one hearing, I saw Representative Maxine Waters take a photo with a group of Code Pinkers. Later, Waters told me: "I really appreciate the work that they're doing on this war in Iraq...They may get on some people's nerves, but they don't get on my nerves. As a matter of fact, I rather like them."

Group members have even bonded with their natural enemies, the Capitol Hill Police Department. While Benjamin and Desiree Fairooz, a grandmother and former school-teacher and librarian who cashed out her retirement fund to join Code Pink in D.C., were leaving the House office building, a plainclothes cop stopped to chat. He and Benjamin talked for almost 15 minutes, Benjamin remembering that a member of his squadron had just got married and asking after his children. Another cop came up to Hourican before the oversight hearing to apologize for arresting her the day before. "Yeah, they often bring us little gifts, we bring them gifts, we share books, we share interesting articles we find," Benjamin said of the Capitol Hill police, sounding bemused. "We give them lots of t-shirts." (A spokeswoman for the Capitol said that Code Pink was "generally cooperative" when arrested.)

At the end of a grueling day of hectoring lawmakers, Code Pink members retire to a spacious Northeast D.C. home with five bedrooms, a winding staircase, several fireplaces, a large bay window in the back living room — and pink bedsheets, curtains, posters, stuffed animals, and flowerpots ("It gets pinker and pinker as time goes on," said Benjamin.). This is the Code Pink house, half "Legally Blonde"-style sorority and half radical boot camp, housing up to 22 activists at a time. The group pays $2,200 a month in rent; the money comes partly from donations, partly from a "suggested" rent of $150-300 per activist per month.

The house's huge basement, which Benjamin calls the "Fuchsia Factory," is where Code Pink gets its color. It is filled with shelves and boxes of art supplies, make up, and a Vegas dancer's lifetime supply of costumes and accessories: pink doctor's outfits, pink police costumes, pink parasols that open up with slogans ("We often go out on the water with those," said Benjamin), tutus and pompoms for when they do "radical cheerleaders," pink gowns with sashes like "I Miss Liberty," pink slips (it's a joke), constitutions to pin on your clothes, pink hula hoops, tambourines and make-shift noisemakers (most involving frying pans), huge bobble heads of Bush, Cheney and Condi, and a foam Nationals hand that someone wrapped pink electrical tape around and painted black fingernails on. Everything in the basement (like everything in the whole house) is neatly labeled with more pink tape, and there are slogans and facts posted everywhere, along with more typical group house notations: "Fund Health Care Not War," "3660 Soldiers Dead," "No Peace No P---y," "Mess up the basement and we'll non-violently slap you."

"I miss my husband, I miss my kids, I miss my home, but I really love the camaraderie of a group house," Benjamin told me, as we sat on a couch in the house's central living room, decorated with a pink painting of a peace sign and pink gauzy curtains. The group's two interns, Ina and January, both teenagers, were in the kitchen cooking fried rice and potatoes for dinner. "There's an amazingly — it might sound corny, but a very loving feeling in the house," Benjamin went on. "People really take good care of each other."

Code Pink's enemies don't get such sympathetic treatment. In one hearing, I heard two Senate committee aides call Code Pink "the worst" and describe an incident when a group of Code Pink women chased down another staffer, calling her a "little Nazi," and made her cry. (Benjamin says she's heard about this incident but doesn't know anything about it herself.)

Once, I witnessed Code Pink's righteous fury firsthand. After the oversight committee hearings, Lori Perdue, a compact brunette Air Force veteran from Indiana, confronted Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, on the congressional subway platform. Rohrabacher had told protesters at a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on renditions on April 17th that, if another terrorist attack happened, "I hope it's your families that suffer the consequences." Rushing as close to the subway as she could legally get, Perdue thrust her teenage daughter, Lindsay, a delicate girl in a pink t-shirt and jeans, at the flustered congressman. "You want my family to suffer the consequences? Here she is! You want her to suffer the consequences?" Rohrabacher and his aides cast her a terrified look and bolted for the train, and Lori walked away, looking satisfied. Later, Lindsay, who arrived in D.C. just a few days before, told me, "I'm just starting to not be nervous."

For all its skill at making a scene, Code Pink closed out the congressional term rather quietly. One of the final protests of the session was at a Senate Judiciary committee hearing on Alberto Gonzales and the attorney firings. Lori and Lindsay had gone home to Indiana the night before, and Benjamin, Hourican and Fairooz were the only ones waiting in line to get in. Benjamin had taped a photo of Karl Rove (who had been subpoenaed but didn't attend) to the back of a Safeway Wheat Pockets box and held it up like a mask. She'd be flying home to San Francisco the next day. Hourican and Potts were leaving soon, too, for Arizona and Missouri, respectively. The house was emptying out, in fact, except for Fairooz: "I can't deal with going back to Texas," she told me.

Instead, she will be holding down the fort at the Code Pink house and helping lay plans for their actions in September, when Congress returns. Her six-year-old granddaughter was coming to visit in a few days: "We'll just be doing touristy things," she said. But she has no civilian clothes, so when they visit the Capitol Building and the White House, the duo will be properly pinked out. She has two tiny pink tutus back at the group house waiting for her granddaughter.

During the hearing, the three women continuously switched places to make sure their crowns and Benjamin's Rove mask got into the camera, following Pott's texted directions on Benjamin's pink cell phone. Gael Murphy and January the intern slipped in at the back a bit later, Murphy relatively unobtrusive in a white jacket covered with Code Pink pins, and January in a "Pink Police" shirt and hat that, along with her skirt, sensible shoes, and pantyhose, made her look like a Mary Kay meter maid. Senator Patrick Leahy shushed them a couple of times and the committee aides loomed over them defensively, but the only major disturbance came when Murphy's cell phone went off, playing the "1812 Overture," and Leahy asked her to take it outside.

As the women sat in their seats, a newspaper journalist at the press table nodded at the group and whispered to her neighbor, "If I had a son in Iraq, I'd be there with them."

[tx2democrats]

Keep Up The Good Work Code Pink!!!

We''re so proud of you here in Dallas, TX.

You make us proud to be Americans.

It''s YOUR stories that offer our troops
the real support on Capital Hill that
they deserve.


Thank you for all your hard work, the time,
and for your personnal sacrafices for such
a powerful cause.

More Power To You and
To All People.

[alicemarple]

You hard-faced, shrieking sows are the most loathsome form of excrement in God''s Universe.

[one_american]

"Controversial Code Pink Has Made A Name For Itself On Capitol Hill"

It is true - they have made a name for themselves; that name is "MOONBAT".

Let''s face the facts - these individuals are the outer fringe of society, and government conspiracy theories, crystal worship, and tin foil hat wearing is standard fare for them.

And, let''s not forget about The New Republic''s fake stories, supposedly of the misdeeds of American soldiers (which have been proven false), from the lying husband of an employee of TNR: Scott Thomas Beauchamp.

Code Pink and The New Republic will be relegated to the "laughingstock" and "irrelevant" sections of history books.

[bluestardad]

GREAT JOB CODE PINK!

The republicans don''t support the troops there are enlisted men living on Fort Benning not drawing BAQ or BAS having to pay for their meals in the mess hall! Were is the SUPPORT THE TROOP BUSHITS NOW?

[xzavierbrown]

GREAT JOB CODE PINK!

The republicans don''''t support the troops there are enlisted men living on Fort Benning not drawing BAQ or BAS having to pay for their meals in the mess hall! Were is the SUPPORT THE TROOP BUSHITS NOW?
Posted by bluestardad at 12:24 PM : Aug 19, 2007
+ report abuse

8888888888888888888888888888888888888

hahahahhahahahhaha ahhhhhhhhh another cindy sheehan..and how do you support the troops??

[rafterman1]

Well over half the American people agree with them but sit on their asss. These folks have the courage of their convictions.

I never cared much for the "confrontational" tactics. The same thing with PETA. I think that even people in favor of these causes are turned off by the confrontational tactics.

[xzavierbrown]

the reason why they need ''sensationalized protests'' because the reason for thier protests DOES NOT grab enough attention..

[rafterman1]

===hahahahhahahahhaha ahhhhhhhhh another cindy sheehan..and how do you support the troops??===

By bringing them home from a battle that''s unwinnable since you can''t win someone else''s civil war. By supporting increases in VA funding and for rules on how long troops must rest before being redeployed (two things Republicans voted against or filibustered).

[rafterman1]

===the reason why they need ''''sensationalized protests'''' because the reason for thier protests DOES NOT grab enough attention===

Keep spinning. The majority of Americans may not agree with their tactics, but they do agree with their cause.

[ringading3]

Keep it up Code Pink. America needs to see what nut jobs you are! Everytime you do your antics, more people are converted to the other side. Best political weapon the Republicans could have devised!

[cbs_oliver]

You Go Girls!

[katg21]

"We feel like we moved the Democrats in Congress %u2014 not fast, not far enough," said Medea Benjamin, one of the group''s founders. "But we moved Hillary Clinton, we moved Nancy Pelosi."

How, they both voted to put the troops in Iraq in the first place...many democraps did. These people are psychos. The fact that they believe there will be peace, automatically, if we pull our troops out is completely retarded. Anyone who believes that is smokin'' something.

[michellem99-2009]

I am for the sisters in PINK. By sisters it is ladies of all skin colours. I am an old lady. We Need to fund the VAMCs,Bring the boys and girls home,impeach Bush and Company, vote, don''t pander to the church,NRA,etc. Maybe we all should wear something pink to send the message that them ladies know is Right. We can start by not raising our right paw when we know it is wrong. That illegal war. I shall not soppost it but the troops must be told come home where ye belong.

[stevenga777]

I''m a 100% disabled veteran. We need more people to protest. Keep up the good work code pink.

[stevenga777]

PS..Some are critical of Code Pink but they are the only anti-war protesters who are making the news and therfore an impact against the war.

[andor3]

Bravo! Protesters are the real patriots, the real defenders of America, the real supporters of the troops and the nation.

These protests are scaring the *** out if the do-nothing conservatives and well they should!

[dexbyte]

A military may keep us safe, but patriots like the women of Code Pink keep us free. God speed!

[libsluvsuvs]

A military may keep us safe, but patriots like the women of Code Pink keep us free. God speed!
Posted by dexbyte at 11:18 PM : Aug 19, 2007
+ report abuse

******************

please explain for our edification..how these ladies from Code Pink manage to keep us free..here is what I think they are managing to do..KEEPING THIS COUNTRY IN A STATE OF DENIAL. everybody wants in this country wants peace..they want to continue on with thier lives whatever it may be..ITS IS THE OTHER SIDE THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF PEACE OF CO-EXISTANCE.

[grazinggoat]

More of this pink code is needed, higher said and more frequent interruptions. Proud of this fellow female American. She is more patriotic than many sissy ones gathering goods and (cakes) for the troops (dying in Iraq) and pretending to be Patriotic. Troops need to be home. Now.

[xzavierbrown]

More of this pink code is needed, higher said and more frequent interruptions. Proud of this fellow female American. She is more patriotic than many sissy ones gathering goods and (cakes) for the troops (dying in Iraq) and pretending to be Patriotic. Troops need to be home. Now.
Posted by grazinggoat at 12:27 AM : Aug 20, 2007
+ report abuse

*********

brazzen wow demonstration which is pretty dominant in most liberal crusades is better serve if they would focus more on the most direct solutions..these women are fighting to bring the troops home without any regards to its consiquences..THESE PEOPLE WOULD BE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT WOULD PROTEST WHEN THEY CANNOT GET ANY MORE AFFORDABLE GAS..OR WHEN ISLAMIC TERRORIST ACTS BECOME A COMMON OCCURANCE WITHIN OUR BORDERS..the way that we can trully bring our troops home from middle east per se,, is to remove the reason for them to be there to being with..which is protect our oil interest..how do we do that???? CONSERVE...PROTEST FOR MORE ALTERNATIVE FUELS...
now sinking this nation in a level of denial that if we pull our troops that we will have peace is foolish and dangerous..SOMETHING THAT I WOULD NOT PUT UP WITH.

[micma-2009]

Way to go ladies! You speak for the majority of Americans who''s voices have been ignored. We won''t be ignored after the next election.

[micma-2009]

The American people are no longer willing to sacrifice their sons and daughters to continue this unnecessary war for profit based on a pack of lies. We''re just playing referee in a Civil War now and both sides hate us even more than they hate each other. So who''s side should we be on?

[andor3]

uh oh... bringing the troops home soon is a good idea, would save lives, money, and make political sense. Most Americans favor it.

But then xzavierbrown says this is "SOMETHING THAT I WOULD NOT PUT UP WITH."

Well, I guess we have to rethink this, after all he did type in all caps.

It is great to see the tide turning with former war supporters: smart ones have seen the light and changed their stance, the others are starting to pound sand and howl at the moon.

[brianbwb-2009]

SOMETHING THAT I WOULD NOT PUT UP WITH.
Posted by xzavierbrown

As if you were anything more than a war mongering troll...

Protect our oil interest? When did Bush say that when he declared war?

[bluestardad]

GREAT JOB CODE PINK!

The republicans don''''t support the troops there are enlisted men living on Fort Benning not drawing BAQ or BAS having to pay for their meals in the mess hall! Were is the SUPPORT THE TROOP BUSHITS NOW?


BUSHY IS GOING TO WRITE THE SEPTEMBER 15th IRAQ SURGE REPORT....

REGISTER TO VOTE REPUBLICAN AT THE KOOLAID CONVENTION!

[jacksteen1]

"NO PEACE - NO POOSIE!"

You gotta love these broads!

[usayesterday]

The September 15th Iraq report:

Written By: The Bush Administration

Sung By: General Patreus

With back-up singers: Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Karl Rove, and the rest of the Nazi party.

Available on CD and cassette...

...only $19.95!
(plus $700+ billion - shipping and handling)

[usayesterday]

The September 15th Iraq report:

Written By: The Bush Administration

Sung By: General Patreus

With back-up singers: Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Karl Rove, and the rest of the Nazi party.

Available on CD and cassette...

...only $19.95!
(plus $700+ billion - shipping and handling)
.......

This new release includes previous hits like...


..."Stay The Course"

..."New Way Forward"

..."When They Stand Up, We Stand Down"

And everybody''s favorite...

..."We Fight Them Over There (So We Don''t Have to Fight Them Over Here)"

HURRY! ORDER NOW!

While (troop) supplies last!

[skyk-2009]

now sinking this nation in a level of denial that if we pull our troops that we will have peace is foolish and dangerous..SOMETHING THAT I WOULD NOT PUT UP WITH.
Posted by xzavierbrown at 12:45 AM : Aug 20, 2007

Would you PLEASE tell us what the War in Iraq is all about? Not the present spin because thats a LONG way from the spin that sent our kids off to die in that desert. You Fascist continue to attack anyone and everyone who wants to end this insanity and as a Combat Veteran of Vietnam, I fail to understand you. You paint those who want to end it as being UnPatriotic and UnAmerican while allowing all the lies and deception that created the mess to go. I ask you which is more UNAMERICAN, attacking and continuing to occupy a nation that had NOTHING to do with any attack on us for OIL or finding a better way to fuel our nations needs? Is ONE American Life worth a barrel of oil? I sure hope not!!

[rafterman1]

===..."When They Stand Up, We Stand Down"===

Actually, this one is OK and makes sense. But the neocons won''t do anything to light a fire under the Iraqis to get them to "stand up". The one weak attempt by Congress (the Iraqi funding bill with provisions for benchmarks) was vetoed by lil'' Bushie.

[jeffstersf]

xzavierbrown, excuse me but you SUV driving suburban clowns would be the ones angry about higher gas prices. This war was immoral, unjust and unncessary from the beginning. These Code Pink women are true American heroes, at least on par with the poor unfortunatey soldiers sent off by Bush & co for no valid reason (then brought back in body bags or legless, forgotten when no longer useful to the neocon cause).

[usayesterday]

Posted by Rafterman1 at 09:07 AM : Aug 20, 2007
.......

You''re actually right Rafterman. I remember hearing this line earlier in the war, but somebody in the Bush Administration probably told Bush and Cheney that if the Iraqis actually stand up on their own, that would give us a reason to leave. Leaving Iraq is CLEARLY not a goal of the Bush Administration. That has been made clear when Bush has continuously rejected any form of time-tables and/or benchmarks.

The movie/documentary: "Iraq for Sale", says it all.

[katg21]

ITS IS THE OTHER SIDE THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF PEACE OF CO-EXISTANCE.
Posted by libsluvsuvs at 11:23 PM : Aug 19, 2007

Well said. I don''t think there''s a person in this country who doesn''t want peace; but most understand that achieving peace is not as easy as just bringing the troops home. The bigger picture is often ignored in order to achieve instant gratification, to push an agenda. Do any of these anti-war people really ever see the whole picture or just theirs? Do they have a reasonable plan for dealing with what will come after we pull the troops out...NO. These women in pink are hate mongers, driven by their disdain for Bush, nothing more.

[rafterman1]

===These women in pink are hate mongers, driven by their disdain for Bush, nothing more.===

Gotta love you neocons, who think the world revolves around Bush. You act like they woke up one day deciding to hate on Bush for no reason. Well, we all hate Bush, but we got plenty of reasons. The war in Iraq, the corruption, the shredding of the Constitution, the damage his policies have done to this country and his general air of arrogance and stupidity are the top reasons.

[dragonmouse-2009]

Maybe they need to spend a little time over there themselves to really get a feel for what''s going on. I also don''t think they''re very "respectful" of those that have served over there. Are they saying that those men and women have no purpose and shouldn''t feel good about the job they did because PINK thinks the war is a waste? Things aren''t as "PINK and White" as they think they are.

They say they want to back Iraqi women well many of them have only NOW been able to lift that veil. Changes don''t just come by "magic".

I''m tired of the war too but...it''s not as easy to walk away as people think. Bush, for good or bad, isn''t the ONLY deciding factor. This whole idea of "impeaching" him is silly...No president makes the "sole" decision to start or end a war. I think these people need to go back to school and see how the "process" works.

This whole middle east thing is like being faced down by a rabid dog. Your eyes are locked together and the dog is just waiting for you to turn and walk off. If you move that dog is going to bite your keester. You need to subdue the dog before you can get out of dodge.

If they want us out so bad all they have to do is "behave" for a few months and quit blowing each other up. I''m quite certian we''ll have the chance to leave then.

[katg21]

Gotta love you neocons, who think the world revolves around Bush
Posted by Rafterman1 at 10:58 AM : Aug 20, 2007

On the contrary, Rafterman, it is your world which revolves around Bush. You are obsessed with hatred.

[andor3]

katg says: "... your world which revolves around Bush. You are obsessed with hatred."

Nah we love America thats all. Bush is only a minor irritation. It''s like when a hiker wanders between a mama bear and her cub--the mama doesn''t hate the hiker, she just wants him out of the way. And he better move aside quick.

[katg21]

Nah we love America thats all. Bush is only a minor irritation
Posted by andor3 at 11:45 AM : Aug 20, 2007

Well now that''s some rational thinking on your part, however, Rafterman is the specific person I was speaking of, he''s consumed with hatred. Read his posts. It''s bothersome to most of us Republicans to hear the far left rhetoric and talking points constantly thrown all over the news and these boards, while no solutions are ever discussed. Sure, we all want the troops home but come on, do you honestly think that can happen quickly? The problem with a lot of liberals is that they think they know better than everyone in our government. They haven''t seen the intellegence on the matter; don''t have to deal with all of the responsibilities of running the country, yet they are the authority and to hell with anyone who disagrees. Rafterman is one of these irrational people. Constantly wants to pick a fight with the right. A hateful person. So I ask you this, is there a "right" person for the job of president and why do you think this person will do anything different than Bush?

[xzavierbrown]

xzavierbrown, excuse me but you SUV driving suburban clowns would be the ones angry about higher gas prices. This war was immoral, unjust and unncessary from the beginning. These Code Pink women are true American heroes, at least on par with the poor unfortunatey soldiers sent off by Bush & co for no valid reason (then brought back in body bags or legless, forgotten when no longer useful to the neocon cause).
Posted by middlecrank at 09:09 AM : Aug 20, 2007
+ report abuse

******
This is one clown that rides a bike everywhere. ironic though its those SUVs with "no war for oil" or "war is not the answer" that is always trying to run my down off the street.
No war has any moral background and I am not disputing thier tenacity towards what they belive in. It is the "moving forward" that is incorrect. Moving our troops out of middle east would not stop terrorism BUT would just embolden our enmies, would put our resources (OIL) in danger. Bottomline, we need to secure our interest but at the same time start moving away from that dependency. we have the technology BUT we dont have the desire..(hence these same ladies are the same ladies that would bicker and whine when they dont get thier gasoline to go to another protest)
CONSERVE OIL..CONSERVE OUR RESOURCES..CREATING NEW ALTERNATIVES..that is the answer

[andor3]

katg asks: "is there a "right" person for the job of president and why do you think this person will do anything different than Bush?"

George Bush is a criminal, an enemy of America and Americans and their rights. He has failed to uphold the Constitution and Bill of Rights. He has weakened America and aided her enemies. He has impeded justice. The indictments against him are solid, and only politics prevent his impeachment and removal. His failures in action and inaction have resulted in the death and injury of thousands of people, some U.S. soldiers. He has done damage to America that will take us a long time to repair.

Still, the worst offense is not by Bush, but by those supported him, and even worse by any who continue to aid and abet him.

The right person for President will not do the above, and will help lead us in repairing the damage.

[katg21]

The right person for President will not do the above, and will help lead us in repairing the damage.
Posted by andor3 at 12:11 PM : Aug 20, 2007

Just as I expected, you can''t answer the question. I am well aware of how you feel about this administration; can almost predict word for word what you would say and don''t care anymore. Hot air, ALL OF IT. You people are the problem! You preach about bringing the troops home and about peace, how is that accomplished? Give us a solution already!!! Another thing, you scream about the corruption in this administration and then you turn around and sing the praises of the Clintons...hypocrites all of you. You have no credibility whatsoever. Put up or shut up already.

[sparks224]

Thanks to W and the neo-cons the U.S is now viewed by the rest of the world as a staggering drunk with a loaded gun.

There is a certain amount of fear and apprehension, but also distain and disgust.

[rafterman1]

Katg21, you don''t know s h i t about me, so shove it. I only hate on narrow minded f*ckwads like you. You and the rest of the Bush loving neocons attack libs and dems (meaning you attack me) with hateful rheteric, calling us traitors and worse. I''m a USMC veteran and used to be a moderate Republican, a Reagan guy and my first vote was for Bush Sr. But to you, the "far left" is anyone who doesn''t goosestep in line with Bush. In the past, I''ve had pretty to say around here on how to withdraw from Iraq realistically, but got tired of being called a coward by people like you for daring to suggest King George has it wrong. You neocons call us haters, but do your best to kick immigrants out, lock up Muslims and ban gay marriage. So who''s the hater? If I''m a hater, neocons like you drove me to it.

[one_american]

"Controversial Code Pink Has Made A Name For Itself On Capitol Hill"

It is true - they have made a name for themselves; that name is "MOONBAT".

Let''''s face the facts - these individuals are the outer fringe of society, and government conspiracy theories, crystal worship, and tin foil hat wearing is standard fare for them.

And, let''''s not forget about The New Republic''''s fake stories, supposedly of the misdeeds of American soldiers (which have been proven false), erroneously reported by the lying husband of an employee of TNR: Scott Thomas Beauchamp.

Code Pink and The New Republic will be relegated to the "laughingstock" and "irrelevant" sections of history books.

[xzavierbrown]

Thanks to W and the neo-cons the U.S is now viewed by the rest of the world as a staggering drunk with a loaded gun.

There is a certain amount of fear and apprehension, but also distain and disgust.

Posted by sparks224 at 12:45 PM : Aug 20, 2007
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and thanks to the liberal media, the liberal masses and the DNC,, OUR ENEMIES VIEW US A COUNTRY WHO IS DIVIDED, weak, easily manipulated by ladies in pink and afraid to deal with terrorism and more than willing to bury our heads in the sand as they rip us a new one.

[katg21]

Rafterman1,

See, you''re out of control and full of hate...that is the point I was making with my previous posts and you have justified it beautifully.

[katg21]

If I''''m a hater, neocons like you drove me to it.

Posted by Rafterman1 at 12:56 PM : Aug 20, 2007

Always blaming someone else, typical liberal. You were never a Reagan republican.

[dragonmouse-2009]

Oh please people...didn''t half of you pay attention to Government while in school?

For good or for bad Bush isn''t the sole ruler. There are others that make or break his decisions.

[neenga]

"Code Pink and The New Republic will be relegated to the "laughingstock" and "irrelevant" sections of history books.

Posted by One_American"

You wait ... just wait.

[libsluvsuvs]

You wait ... just wait.
Posted by neenga at 04:52 PM : Aug 20, 2007
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they will be INFAMOUS..