McCain’s cringe-worthy remarks on jihad
John McCain is supposed to be the presidential candidate best equipped to tackle what he calls “the transcendent challenge of our time: the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.” His speech yesterday to the LA World Affairs Council demonstrates, however, that McCain doesn’t get it.
Mark Steyn points to this cringe-worthy passage in the speech:
I have called for major changes in how our government faces the challenge of radical Islamic extremism by much greater resources for and integration of civilian efforts to prevent conflict and to address post-conflict challenges. Our goal must be to win the “hearts and minds” of the vast majority of moderate Muslims who do not want their future controlled by a minority of violent extremists. In this struggle, scholarships will be far more important than smart bombs.
Says Steyn:
There’s plenty of evidence out there that the most extreme “extremists” are those who’ve been most exposed to the west – and western education: from Osama bin Laden (summer school at Oxford, punting on the Thames) and Mohammed Atta (Hamburg University urban planning student) to the London School of Economics graduate responsible for the beheading of Daniel Pearl. The idea that handing out college scholarships to young Saudi males and getting them hooked on Starbucks and car-chase movies will make this stuff go away is ridiculous – and unworthy of a serious presidential candidate.
Yes, it’s part and parcel of the same idiocy that leads the State Department to embrace “spa days” to “build bridges” with the Arab world and President Bush to open up our aviation schools to Saudi students to “improve understanding.”
Memo to the McCain camp: Go to the dunce corner, read “How Khalid learned his ABCs,” and take that stupid scholarships/smart bombs soundbite out of your boss’s speeches.
***
While we’re on the subject of Johnny Mac not getting it, if what Heath Shuler says is true, McCain remains as committed as ever to open borders no matter what his lips are telling you:
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler says he believes Republican presidential candidate John McCain blocked his immigration bill from getting a vote on the U.S. House floor. McCain’s staff denies it.
The Waynesville Democrat spoke to the Rotary Club of Hendersonville on Tuesday. He said the Republican leadership tried to bring the Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement Act to the House floor. They used a provision of House rules called a discharge petition, in which a simple majority can bring to the floor a bill that is stuck in committee.
The petition had 181 of the 217 signatures needed to force a vote on the bill.
“It was going great until McCain blocked it,” Shuler said.
McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, called Republicans in Congress and asked them not to sign the petition, Shuler said. He said after McCain’s intervention, Republicans in the House were less willing to sign onto the bill.
“We’ve really slowed down in the last week in Washington,” Shuler said.
A spokesman for McCain denied any involvement, saying the senator has neither taken a position on the SAVE Act nor tried to block anyone from signing it.
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#93 On March 27th, 2008 at 5:57 pm, dakine said:
“Wow, CRus and granite…that’s not too elitist. I wonder how the non-landowners who post here feel about your proposal that only those who own real property should have the right to vote.”
Nice try at setting up the straw man, but no dice.
I said nothing about owners of real property.
If you think there is no danger, once the net tax consumers outnumber and outvote the net tax producers, then you are sadly beyond reasoning with.
“Maybe just enact a requirement that a tax return showing some sort of minimum AGI be provided prior to a citizen being permitted to register to vote? What do you think? Hell, better yet, maybe we just allow the corporations that actually run this country anyway to choose our elected officials. That’s sort of how it works anyway.”
Such tired, 60s-type retread rhetoric…so silly and boring.
Is that the best you’ve got?
WOW!
What a wonderful argument against McCain!!
I’m certain to vote for Obama now. Thanks so much beenthere, you’ve really done a wonderful service to us all here, and you’ve set us straight!!!
Thanks again!!!
“Johnny Mac”, Michelle?
Smarmy statements like this one have become all too commonplace here, and they solidify my opinion you’ve allowed your unbridled animosity for John McCain to transform you into someone who looks like a petty, vindictive, cheetohs-eating basement blogger instead of a seasoned professional journalist.
This is where you lose my respect… sorry.
I’ll be back to participate in political discussion here when you start writing like an adult again.
I have been posting so much less, ’cause all this is so depressing! The more McCain says, the more I know I can never hold my nose and vote for him. I hope I am motivated enough to actually go out and vote for Congress, etc. I don’t think McCain is much better than Hillary. I think she actually may be tougher than him, just to prove that a woman can be tougher than a man. Sad. Good night y’all.
OT..
Shame Hollywood had to take that book and turn it into a movie about killing bugs..
Michelle, could you please get rid of this lockstepping clown?
re: #24
Something both Messrs. Bush and Sharansky fail to understand is that Islamic culture is totally incompatible with democracy.
Islamic societies require a tyrant to keep them in line…compare Pakistan with India for an example of this.
After World War I, the British attempted to make Iraq into a constitutional monarchy with a British style democratically elected parliament; they eventually gave up that hopeless task.
Any Muslim intellectual who has the courage to write or speak about the need for an Islamic Reformation where the Shariah and offensive Jihad is consigned to the dustbin of history does so at grave risk of life and limb, and in an Arab country or in Malaysia, Pakistan and perhaps Singapore
will likely face serious criminal charges.
Like the U.K. did in the 1920s, the USA should wash its hands of that part of the world and develop secure energy sources here in the Western Hemisphere.
As Europe wants to repay our Marshall Plan aid and the heavy lifting we did with NATO to keep the Red Army at bay by slitting our throats with the Eurodollar, let THEM send THEIR sons to die for that oil!
We need to vote him in to keep the other two out, then fight him at the House and Senate level.
CC, Irish Rose,
What makes McCain better or more qualified than Hillary?
I have officially taken B Hussein off my list. (Moral support only, as I could not pull a lever for a dem)
If he were a Black republican, he would have been forced from the campaign long ago, thanks to his Rev Wright revelations.
Back to Irish Rose’s dissatisfaction with Michelle,
Michelle is pointing out the obvious about these candidates; they are all hopelessly incompetent and corrupt. Loosely translated, they are all nincompoops!
Has anyone heard of the passport outsourcing to Thailand scandal? And China stealing the chip technology for the passport. Seems to involve former Senator Trent Lott. Let me see…..I wonder who else could be involved???
I think if McCain were a worthy choice, Michelle has the mental faculties to illustrate his strengths and why he is good for America.
Given who McCain has proven himself to be, how can anyone be excited about a republican win for POTUS?
For any of the McCain defenders – other than POSSIBLE (not a sure thing) better SCOTUS picks, please cite evidence that McCain will be better than Hillary.
Evidence would be things such as votes cast, bills sponsored. Evidence generally would not include things a candidate says while campaigning as these are known not to be reliable if one considers history.
Assignment 2a: Imagine McCain as POTUS. Who would support/oppose his plans? What damage would be done?
Assighment 2b: Imagine Hillary as POTUS.
Who would support/oppose her plans?
What damage would be done?
Assignemnt 2c: Imagine B. Hussein Obama as POTUS. After you wipe up the vomit from the floor, answer: Who would support/oppose his plans? (are there any plans?). What damage would be done?
Others may disagree – but my conclusion when doing this exercise – Obama would be most damaging to USA, followed by McCain (other than POSSIBLE SCOTUS picks – which may be enough to justifiy pulling his lever) with Hillary least damaging.
It’s amazing to me how we have been reduced to considering nothing positive, only damage minimization.
This is pretty tame compared to the hate mail she gets. I doubt Michelle is offended or hurt by IR. I am all for Michelle acting like a three year old to keep IR from coming back! You have to love IR’s debate prose though. Does exactly what she condemns Michelle for.
It has been some time since we have heard that most beloved statement though:
Buh-bye!
Oh what, am I supposed to be hurt by your name-calling? Please.
I think that Michelle is a big enough girl to handle some legitimate criticism and take it under advisement… she doesn’t need you to defend her honor or monitor the blog for her, you arrogont twit.
Her opinion about Mr. McCains politics – which she is of course, entitled to – aside, this is smarmy behavior that is uncomfortably revealing. And it does not befit an intelligent, professional woman and journalist like Michelle Malkin.
She seems to have lost her ability to write objectively about McCain without resorting to playground rhetoric, and its’ sad.
I’m not the first to say it, and I certainly won’t be the last.
IR
Sweetheart if MM is doing playground rhetoric, I suggest you visit the Huffington Post or any other lefty blog and then come back with your criticisms.
McCain is a Class A Jack-Ass in republican clothing.
We are in deep caca with the crop of morons we have to vote for.
Ah yes, you’d love to see me thrown out the door wouldn’t you? And you think that you actually have the influence here to make it happen?
Give me a break.
I’m not just writing to Michelle here as a participant, I’m writing to Michelle as one professional woman to another.
This kind of thing makes her look bad… it makes her look very immature, and it detracts from everything that she is working so hard to achieve.
Michelle is more than welcome to say “buh-bye” to me, if shes’ not able to handle a bit of constructive criticism from a fellow professional. I’m not concerned about it at all. There are blogs that are equally worthy elsewhere.
On March 28th, 2008 at 8:39 am, rooster said:
I have.
And thats’ exactly why I’m holding Michelle to a higher journalistic standard.
The rhetoric on these McCain threads is becoming disturbingly similar to what I see very frequently at the DU, HuffPo and Kos… just a slightly different flavor. It’s bad enough when the participants do it. But when the HOST does it, journalistic credibility flies right out the window.
Smarmy, immature rhetoric is smarmy, immature rhetoric… and we’re not above criticism or accountability simply because we happen to be on the right instead of the left.
And I’m not your sweetheart, moron.
IR the “professional woman”?
HMMMMMM….
I see your point.
/sarc off
sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the crib.
IR’s name calling/insults:
vindictive,
cheetohs-eating basement blogger
arrogont twit
smarmy behavior
lost her ability to write objectively
playground rhetoric
makes her look very immature
immature rhetoric
moron
Again, where is YOUR “professionalism? You have the nerve to call Michelle out? Then you wonder why there are others, like me, who will not give you a pass. No, I am not here to defend Michelle. She does NOT need me at all. I and others like me will not, however, let someone come here and impugn her character, when you have little herself, and let it slide.
Well this is what happens when we are so lazy that we let the MSN pick the republican nominie…no worries though they will soon Bob Dole him right out of town and President Hillery or Obama will take over with the “dumb” statements…golly just hope its not my city that gets a-bombed.
whats an arrogont twit?
Wow! The rhetoric spit forth from such a professional woman/man/madam/pimp! Which profession do you profess to be a part of…….#9, #9, #9.
Signed;
Affectionately,
Your moron,
rooster
PS Johnny Mac is a disaster!
IR
Please do the exercise in #108. Once you show us how McCain is better, we’ll be happy to listen to you. Until then, all you have is your opinion. And I have one thing to say about opinions, yours is no more valid and anybody else’s including our liberal “contributors”. They have opinions too. Until it is thought out, reasoned with fact, it’s merely your thoughts vs. mine. “I feel” doesn’t cut it.
oops – yours is no more valid thank
ugh..I give – darn cold hands…THAN
So for the sake of discussion, how do all of you think we should go about combatting the ideology of radical Islamic Jihad?
We can spend the next 100 years running around stomping out fires, or we can start using the superior ideology of Democracy to prove to young Muslims that Democracy is a better path than Theocracy.
We can make changes in young lives that have known nothing but religious suppression and violence, that will resonate soundly in the hearts and minds of young Muslims both here at home and abroad.
Look, folks… the culture of Islam is ancient, and you’re not going to affect cultural change in one fell swoop.
If you’re going to help people understand that Democracy is a better path than Theocracy because it involves personal and religious freedom instead of religious oppression, you do it by influencing one person – one life – at a time.
In America, we have room for people of all flavors and all religious beliefs. This is the very principal that this country is founded upon… religious freedom.
Yes there are many who exploit that freedom… but it is one of our cherished constitutional freedoms nonetheless, and we cannot cherry pick which American citizens are and are not allowed to excercise it.
Free people living in a Democracy are able to make choices for themselves on every level, up to and including choices about religious faith. These choices are not available to Muslims living in the Middle East and many parts of the world.
I’m a firm believer that all people yearn for freedom… they hunger for it… and if you provide that freedom under the umbrella of Democracy, they are going to begin to recognize that they were misled. We’re seeing it today in Iraq.
I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I simply do NOT subscribe to the idea that all Muslims embrace the ideology of radical fundamentalist jihad.
I live in Michigan. I know, and have met, many Muslims… including some fine young Muslim men who are serving this nation honorably in the U.S. Armed Services.
My son is serving with some of these fine young people, and they serve this nation because they are just as committed to the principals of freedom and Democracy as my son is.
We may not like some of the words in the Quran, but many modern Muslims have been able to reconcile the violent teachings in the Quran with their modern faith in the very same way that many Jewish persons have reconciled their modern faith with the Torah.
We don’t subscribe to Islam, so what? It doesn’t give ANY OF US the right to call for the extermination or deportation of Muslims or even suggest it.
As long as free Muslim citizens live peaceably with others, reject violence and the funding of violent fundamentalism, do not try to supress the rights of others or change our governmental structure, and do no harm to their fellow men… who are we to tell them what they can and cannot believe, or that they are not welcome? Their religious beliefs are their own, and they are just as entitled to them as every single Christian on these discussion threads.
If we start oppressing one religion in favor of another, we become little better than China.
John McCain clearly understands the principals that this country was founded upon.
It doesn’t mean that he is going to bow to bullying from Islamic extremists. It does mean that he is smart enough to understand that any kind of lasting change in the conflict between East and West, is going to happen from the bottom up.
John McCain is absolutely right on this issue. And Uncle Jimbo over at Blackfive hits the nail squarely on the head.
AJ,
I am. Some of the othe choice names I have been called:
bigoted right-wing fascist neo-nazi ignorant redneck mouth-breathing racist backwoods born-again Christian redneck wingnut knuckledragging Neanderthal.
I think it was a professional type who did this to me. WHAAA! LOL
IR,
Now that is a post (#123) I can get behind. The others I could have done without. That is just me.
I think that statement may be a bit opinionated and not factual. We all know not all Muslims embrace the ideology of radical fundamentalist jihad.
Two thoughts:
1. It is the 1% (and that is a lot of people) we worry about that do embrace the ideology of radical fundamentalist jihad. The pilots that flew the planes into the buildings on 9/11 were trained where I live. You could not discern them from any other person on the planet until 9/12.
2. In Muslim countries, no other religion is permitted (even by moderates). We do not have that problem here. You are right, it is called freedom and we honor it.
On March 28th, 2008 at 10:05 am, On-my-soap-box said:
Thanks.
Look, I’m clearly not the only one who has a problem with Michelles’ rhetoric. If you haven’t read the post over at Blackfive, I encourage you to do so… and read the responses.
Other people are noticing what I’m noticing, and Michelle is taking a hard hit over there.
IR – most of your 123 I can agree with. Then you get to…
and I’m lost. That is opinion.
I do disagree though with one part of your thought process. Democracy in and of itself is not superior. Democracy based on something solid is superior. But democracy based on the “whims” of humans, what feels good at the moment, or any other of the modern liberal way, is not any superior to islam. One is anarchy, the other is oppression. Both are bad.
What you say may be true. Michelle is a big girl and she goes against the grain – not unlike Ann Coulter. The best thing to do is leave it alone. This thread is about McCain. You have your thoughts (and I disagree with some), I have mine, Michelle has hers… To call her out like you did while doing what you accused her of is uncalled for. You know (to borrow a phrase from you), she does not need you either. Let’s debate the subject and leave it at that.
I might agree with you if I were the only person who is “calling her out”.
Unfortunately, I’m not.
I’m not arrogant enough to suggest that Michelle “needs me” for anything, I’m simply a participant on the discussions here. Nor do my words have any weight with those who would choose to read this blog, or not read it.
My character is not the character being dissected here and elsewhere to define the journalistic integrity of this blog…. Ms. Malkins’ is.
Irish Rose,
Many of us would love to get behind McCain, but find it harder and harder. Everytime he opens his mouth, a petential deal breaker comes out.
My brother-in-law is from Dearborn, I grew up in Madison Heights, and I think you are sugar coating the muslim presence and potential problems in metro Detroit.
I don’t believe McCain will be tough on terror, anymore than I think Obama is a closet conservative.
signed,
moron(rooster)
The fact of the matter is that there isn’t a single candidate for president with even a microscopic particle of conservative value within them. We’re screwed anyway this election is done.
It’s becoming less a matter of how incredibly horrible that Obama or Clinton would be as president anymore. It’s becoming less of a matter or how much irreparable damage that either of these two would do to our country.
Election day will come, and millions of conservatives (otherwise republican voters) will either find it impossible to vote for McCain out of principle, or they’ll have other things that will seem more important to do that day than to remember to vote. Meanwhile, Mr. McCain will spend the entire time from now ’til election day vying for Hillary’s and Barack’s voters, reaching out to mindless liberals and spineless moderates, and doing everything in his power to minimalize and distance the voters who could put him in the White House.
Barack Obama is absolutely toxic. He’d rather throw the grandmother (who raised him and helped ensure his place in the world) off the train in favor of a man who made his fortune preaching ignorance, hate, and poverty–because Obama himself embraces the same “values” of the preacher.
Hillary is so absolutely stupid and incompetent that she repeatedly lies about matters that could not in any way help her attract voters. That she thought that anyone would care about what she did supposedly dodging bullets in Bosnia is beyond me. And that she thought that there wasn’t anyone who would show the difference between what she said and the actual events is mind-boggling. This stupid lie literally erased all of the “gains” she received by Obama’s heartlessly embracing a hate-monger.
And in spite of all of this, McCain will do and say anything to distance himself from the voters who would ensure his election as president of the United States. He’d rather spend the election cycle going after people who are already divided in their loyalties to a party that is tearing itself apart. The stupidity and incompetence of John McCain is absolutely mind-boggling.
I MIGHT be able to find the time to vote for this guy, and then again, by that time I might be so completely disenchanted and depressed by then that it won’t matter to me. I sware, if he were in the same room with me right now, I’d probably do something to him that would land me in the hoo-scow, like try to slap some sense into him.
Couldn’t agree more with your
observationrealityAs I’ve stated before and on multiple occasions, I don’t particularly like John McCain and he was not my candidate of choice.
What it comes down to for me – and believe me, I say this holding my nose as a moderate – is partisanship.
Party loyalty has never been very high up on my list of priorities as a moderate. Many folks would call me an independant in fact, because I used to vote Democrat.
I’ve always been one to vote for the best candidate for the job.
But this year is different. This election cycle it is absolutely CRITICAL that we unify as one party.
We are a nation at war, in a war for our very survival. And the outcome of this war will affect this nation for generations to come.
We MUST have checks and balances in place in Washington for the next four years. It doesn’t matter whether I think that Mr. McCain is too conservative, not conservative enough, blah blah blah.
The bracketed letter next to a politicians name is THE qualifier in Washington. It either places you in the majority, or the minority. And the qualifer next to the name of the next POTUS is of grave importance.
I’m sure that this nation can survive 4 years of moderate Republican leadership. Its’ NOT going to survive four to eight years of unchecked Democrat leadership, multiple lifetime appointments of far-left leaning liberal judges to the Supreme Court, and a rapid troop withdrawal that will further endanger our men and women in uniform, and bring the WoT back to our own shores.
Yes, I am going to vote for John McCain.
He’s not the perfect candidate by a long shot, but he does have an (R) behind his name and a voting record that trends conservative on many important issues, including abortion.
And I dont’ care if my wishes and wants aren’t specifically catered to… I’m going to perform my civic duty however distasteful come November, and make sure that as many (R)s are in place after the election cycle is over as is possible.
And that list includes the President-elect.
I’m so with you on this one, IR. I wish McCain would just shut his mouth until the general election. God, does he ever just think before he speaks? When he says stuff like “scholarships instead of smart bombs” he sounds like a whitless wonder.
I’m also with you on providing a “balance” to the Dems’ unchecked power. As a conservative, I’m very concerned about immigration but nothing will change on that front with either of the three presidential candidates. Believe me, I wish it would.
My in-laws absolutely hate McCain (they voted for Romney in the primary). My parents like McCain but I’m not sure they share the same concerns that I do. This is one of those presidential election cycles where you’re “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”
I hope all of us can agree on this blog about one thing regardless of whether you do or don’t support McCain: we need to get more conservatives into the House and Senate (if possible). If not… dark days will lie ahead.
On March 28th, 2008 at 2:22 pm, emjem24 said:
On the surface, perhaps.
But I encourage you to follow the link over to Blackfive. Read it, and think about it.
IR,
Are you getting paid by Blackfive? You are starting to sound like an advertisement.
Soap/AJ/Rooster/Fellow Conservatives:
IR is speaking her mind on McCain. Someone put it best when they said “risk minimalization.” I think IR is big-time turned off by partisanship on both sides (I know I am).
Who thought here originally that Pres. Bush would be a conservative and apply conservative principles to his presidency? I’ll raise my hand to this one. Somewhere along the way he sold his soul on immigration, wanting to be pals-walsy with Mejico, China, and any other third-world cesspool. Pres. Bush lost sight of what was important… territorial integrity.
While I find it ironic that the Dems are devouring each other, aren’t we doing the same to each other on the other side? I love Michelle Malkin for her honesty, her voice, her commitment to conservatism when it seemed like after 2006 the Republican Party no longer understood the meaning of the word “conservative.” I hate it that this country has put more of a value on the lives of illegals (and I don’t care if they’re Mexican) than it does the lives of legal residents or native born Americans.
There are times that I do feel Michelle is verbally b*tch-slapping McCain around and he does deserve it. However, it comes to a point where she can accomplish so much more with less vitriole. This doesn’t mean I appreciate what Michelle has done for me/us any less through this blog.
As a 32-year-old “typical white famale” (if you exclude the Native American blood), I’m heartsick with sorrow, even embittered because the country has forgotten brave people like IR’s son and my husband and even military spouses like me who have to put up with a lot of crap because this country would rather walk from a fight then finish it. Yes, I have my doubts about McCain about everything from Iraq to immigration, but the doubts I have about Shrillary and Obummer far outweight them.
Sorry to be long-winded, hey, it’s the Irish in me
… but what I’m trying to say is: IR is pointing out things that even I see. This doesn’t make me respect Michelle less. There are people of the liberal persuasion who take hits at her because of her ethnicity, race, gender, and political ideology. IR just feels that Michelle may be “borrowing” from their playbook.
I HATE MCCAIN. He may still lose my vote if he doesn’t knock it off. If the Republicans don’t start finding better quality, conservative candidates, I might just become one of those “unaffiliated,” independent voters that I used to criticize as being fence sitters.
Funny how times change, huh…….
Manchurian Candidate, the one with Frank Sinatra is on TV this morning. That glazed look that John McCain seems to wear………