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If you've ever wondered just how out of touch university faculty can get, look no further than the behavior of the University of New Hampshire's faculty union during its recent contract talks.
After shunning the Dalai Lama in September, President Obama must have shocked the Red Chinese when he spoke firmly for human rights.
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Andrew Cline has been editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader since October of 2001. His writing has appeared in more than 100 newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and National Review.McCain's '100 years': The Democrats' war on the truth
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Reader commentsYou might have heard from the New Hampshire Democratic Party and Democratic Presidential candidates that Sen. John McCain wants 100 more years of war in Iraq. It is not even remotely true -- and they know it.
On Jan. 3 in Derry, Sen. McCain was asked about President Bush's comment that U.S. forces could be in Iraq for as many as 50 years. Here is McCain's response:
"Make it a hundred. . . We've been in Japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That would be fine with me, as long as American, as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed.
"It's fine with me and I hope it would be fine with you if we maintained a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al-Qaida is training, recruiting and equipping and motivating people every single day."
McCain thinks it would be OK to keep American forces in Iraq to serve as a deterrent against al-Qaida -- as long as "Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed." That means, obviously, their presence would be maintained there in the absence of war.
Yet here are how the Democrats are characterizing his comments:
"John McCain Supports a 100-Year War in Iraq at the Expense of NH's Families" -- State Democratic Party press release, March 19.
"John McCain offers . . . a 100 year war in Iraq." -- State Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley, March 31.
"(McCain) says that he is willing to send our troops into another hundred years of war in Iraq." -- Sen. Barack Obama, Feb. 19.
Zachary Roth of Columbia Journalism Review wrote last week, "Obama is seriously misleading voters -- if not outright lying to them -- about exactly what McCain said."
So is State Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley. We contacted Buckley last week. We provided him a link to McCain's actual statement and one to Factcheck.org's conclusion that the Democratic Party is being misleading when it asserts that McCain wants 100 years of war in Iraq.
His response? He said "the American people are not interested in fancy word smithing. The bottom line is that John McCain thinks it is acceptable to have our troops in Iraq for 100 years."
Buckley calls being accurate "fancy word smithing." Incredible. And he doesn't even have the excuse of being under sniper fire at the time.
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YOUR COMMENTS
Do the Republicans have any right to cry over this tactical move the Democrats made after the Republicans have been smearing the Democrats since the 2004 election-saying how they'd be "soft on terror" and Cheney even saying that if Kerry got elected he was certain we would be attacked again? Not that I think that Hillary or Obama would be much better the mcCain but voting FOR McCain would be giving Bush that third term by proxy and the Republicans know it. We will still be in Iraq in 2012 if McCain gets elected -maybe longer. Is that what America wants? No- and the polls are showing it.
- Joe T., Derry, NH
I'm sorry which McCain are we talking about here? The one that was against the tax cuts for the rich or the current one who is for them. The one that was for immigration amnesty or the one that is against it. The one that was for a woman's choice or the one who is prolife? The one who thought Bush an abomination because he started rumors about his out of wedlock black child or the one who doesn't remember that and now wants to be McBush? The one who rejected Falwell or the one who spoke at his school? The one who was against torture or the current one who doesn't particularly mind? The one who thought ethanol was a boondoggle or the one who has seen the light of donations and now thinks that Iowa should be all ethanol? The maverick or the McBush? How could you tell if there was a lie about McCain, you just have to wait a while and you will certainly become correct.
- Robert, Deerfield
DNC and the Dem. Party take a look around before you put McCain down. Look what happen between Clinton and Obama in their race for President. Dem.you have your problem to. Clinton you voted for Iraq war to. Now she say she was wrong. Shame on you Hillary.
Obama,did not vote for the Iraq war he stood by his belief.
McCain is a man running on his belief not what Bush tell him to do or RNC.
Let the fall election races tell us the truth story.
Not a bunch of people(Dem.) who are talking with a fork tongue.
- mo baxter, plymouth
John McCain would happily serve tea in a French maid's outfit to work at the White House. He's a pure politician looking for power, but not a great or careful speaker. He'll make more clumsy statements like this one, and he is going to get very angry as they are used to attack him. He's known for no control of his temper and when he gets in a debate with Obama, he will no doubt be made to look like an old fool, and blow his top. I can't wait.
- Gary N, Hanover
This is only the beginning of the smear tactics the left wing is planning to use on McCain. They cried foul for years when Kerry was "swiftboated", yet this is their exact plan. Watch for how they will try to blame McCain for an accident while he was landing on a carrier where a missile broke loose and exploded, watch for them to hint that McCain was too easily broken by his captors in Vietnam and even colluded with the communists, etc.
This will backfire though and drive even more moderates and Clinton Democrats to vote for McCain because they dont trust Obama with the security of the US. Let's hope the coat tails of this backlash also puts Carol Shea Porter out of a job. She is an absolute disgrace and should be representing Cambridge or San Francisco, not NH.
- Dennis Acton, Fremont, NH
This article is EXACTLY right, and proves how ignorant people can be. Senator McCain is qualified to be President because he is way ahead of everybody on this issue. It doesn't matter how long we are in Iraq or Afghanistan, or Germany, or Cuba, or Korea, it only matters that we provide complete 100%protection for our servicemembers who are in harm's way.
- Mike, Manch
John McCain is not for a Bush third term, either. And it's just as dishonest when Democrats say that.
John McCain has stood up to President Bush when he thought he was wrong, and that was very often. He's earned the respect to be treated fairly.
If Democrats don't treat John McCain fairly and respectfully it will effect their other candidates further down the ballot in a very negative way.
The threshold for a backlash is different for John McCain than it is for other politicians. I don't think partisan Democrats get that.
- Bob Jean, Northwood, NH
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