Austin American-Statesman endorses Bush

[TXDemGal]

My blood is boiling! :wtf: :mad: :grr: :thumbsdown: :puke:

The daily paper of Austin, Texas, capital of the state, has re-endorsed Bush in 2004. In effect, don't change horses in the middle of a fucking apocalypse. Grrrrrr.

SEE IMPORTANT INFO BELOW ABOUT FLASH MOB PROTEST SET FOR SUNDAY 10/24 AT NOON ON CONGRESS AVE. BRIDGE!!!

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/endorsements/2004/24Endorse_edit.html

Endorsement: Despite flaws, Bush better leader for perilous times

<. . . >
We generally have supported the war on terror as well as the decision to go to war in Iraq, but we have never been shy about criticizing the prosecution of them either. The judgment of the president and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as well as Rumsfeld's deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, has been clouded at times, and if Bush wins a second term, changes are certainly in order.

Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz need to go. Changes at the top of the Defense Department hierarchy would signal not weakness but a commitment to break from the mistakes of the past three years. The young people bearing the brunt of the burden and their families who share that burden deserve no less.

But there is no guarantee that a change in administrations would bring either stability or security to the Middle East in the foreseeable future. In fact, changing administrations now might embolden enemies who believe that Americans don't have the stomach or the patience for the kind of protracted, unconventional warfare in which we are engaged.

Three years after terrorists struck at targets in New York and Washington, we live in a world that looks familiar but is vastly different from the one we knew before Sept. 11, 2001.

President Bush got some things wrong, but there is much he got right. We are faced with an unrelenting foe who strikes from the shadows and won't be deterred by diplomacy or international resolutions. Bush's resolve and commitment to stay the course are clear. As Winston Churchill once said, "When you're going through hell, keep going."

***********************
AUSTIN FOR CHANGE ||| WWW.AUSTINFORCHANGE.COM

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Endorsement: Despite flaws, Bush better leader for perilous times

Click for the whole article: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/endorsements/2004/24Endorse_edit.html

We cannot stand for this. Meet us at high noon (sharp!) on Sunday 10/24 on the Congress Ave Bridge with your favorite shirts and favorite signs.

We need as many people as possible. Drag everyone you know along. If you were at the Flash Mob on Friday, you know how powerful we all are TOGETHER.

Please show up, and bring your walking shoes and your dialing fingers.

We will be distributing maps and leafletting walklists with leaflets as well as phone lists to call. We will be distributing both from the site (look for Glen's orange Element) and also walklists from 512 E. Riverside Suite 203 immediately afterwards and throughout the rest of today and the rest of the week.. If you would like to phone and do not want to get a list from us, go to 701 Rio Grande. We need to do everything we can to COUNTERACT this travesty, and the best way to do so is by hands-on activity in the streets. We need to stand up and fight back.

[NDFan]

1. Who did they endorse in 2000? NT

[Longhorn]

4. They endorsed Bush.

But at the time, Bush was still considered more -- how shall I put it -- talented? But I honestly thought they would see the light after the miserable failure that he has been and come clean!

[TXDemGal]

7. I had hoped they'd endorse Kerry, too

After all, editorial boards of some other Cox Communication rags (i.e., Atlanta Journal-Constitution) have endorsed Kerry. And the paper that formerly employed Editor in Chief Rich Oppel, the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, turned course and endorsed Kerry last Sunday even though they went for Smirk in 2000.

Back in 2000 I cut our subscription down from daily to weekends only. It's time to cancel it completely, with letters to Oppel and Michael Laosa (publisher) telling them why.

Effers.

[TXDemGal]

5. BushCo; see my post #3 below for excerpts n/t

n/t

[Longhorn]

2. That's it. I'm cancelling my subscription!

I've had it with that rag!

[RoundRockD]

6. I'm canceling my subscription too!!

How in the world can anybody with a brain endorse this horrible, horrible man.

[TXDemGal]

3. Some choice cuts from 2000 AA-S BushCo endorsement

These little nuggets of wisdom (NOT!) were included in an email I just got Glen Maxey of Austin For Change (http://www.austinforchange.com). The ironies are simply astounding, aren't they?!

Economy

"Bush is right when he says the surplus is our money. But the national debt is ours, too. A tax cut should be balanced with continued reduction of the national debt."

National Defense

"Gore brags about being an active partner in this administration. The administration's national defense policies are nothing to brag about.

The administration has overextended a pared down force and has been unable to curb congressional appetites for pork, which too often puts money into hardware and not enough into training and retaining military personnel.

Our troops need more than glib assurances from the vice president that they are the finest fighting force in the world. The need training, benefits and better pay.

Bush's comments about restraint and humility suggest an administration that would be slow to commit military power to problems overseas. Bush's wise caution is reflected in the widespread support of his candidacy by retired military leaders who understand the limits as well as the uses of U.S. power."

Woman's Right to Choose

"...but Bush's record on judicial appointments in Texas is pretty clear. While he has leaned toward what's called "pro-business" jurists, nothing about his appointments indicates hostility toward a woman's right to choose whether she will or will not have a child."

Education

"Bush has shown strong and impressive leadership in education."

Environment

"Could Bush have done better on environmental issues in Texas? Of course. Is he capable of learning from the pounding he's been taking on the issue? Absolutely."

Final Call

"Bush has the right combination of judgement, political ability and personality to lead the nation and the world."

[pinkpops]

8. I'm sure Rich Oppel is either on his way to Mexico or being

fitted for armor right now. Oppel seems to be of the of the Joe Lieberman school. Remember this: Most of the time a statesman endorsement of your opponent is good luck.

[TXDemGal]

9. CONTACT INFO FOR STATESMAN

Subscriber Info Dept. [phone] (voicemail hell)

Letters to the Editor

Richard Oppel, Editor in Chief
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 670
Austin, Texas 78767
Send faxes to [phone]

I encourage snail mail letters and faxes; email is very easy to ignore, while hard copies and faxes are not.

For best chance of publication (if you wish it), it's generally a good idea to keep your letter under 150 words--the shorter, the better.

Rich Oppel's email address isn't published in the paper, but if it follows the format of other Statesman employee email addies, it's probably [e-mail].

[DemFromMem]

10. Most papers in Texas endorsed Bush in 00

DUers might find the tabulation at http://www2.gwu.edu/~action/natendorse5.html useful. It lists most of the major (and many minor) newspaper endorsements from 2000. Of the ten papers in Texas on the list, all but the one in Longview endorsed Bush in 2000. I wouldn't expect a change this time. The treatment of the Iconoclast in Crawford probably will chill free speech in the Lonestar State.

[Princess Buttercup]

11. Just what I expected from the Spaceman

No subscription to cancel since I refuse to give Cox any more $$. Used to work for the AAS (years ago) and have refused to subscribe ever since.

[TexasChick]

12. Despite flaws, Bush better leader for perilous times?

Yeah, pal, perilous times that he and his cabal created!!! Don't these pusballs know we are on the verge of World World III with this administration's preemptive striking, economic ruin, and almost in a complete dictatorship?

Gee, I have given up faith in my home state of Texas. I know there's a lot of folks here voting for Kerry, but still..this is embarrassing!!


Jennifer

[crispini]

13. WTF?

just :wtf: ??????????????????????????????????????

ok, pissed off Democrats in austin, my thoughts are with you.

[byronm]

14. This is pathetic..

Austin is the more "progressive" of any texas town. Sad to see University City rags going the way of the Bush & Co.