SwiftVets.com

[Rdtf]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/18/dean.perle.ap/index.html


Perle stands at the podium while a shoe (highlighted) is tossed in his direction.

Shoe tossed at ex-Pentagon adviser during debate
Richard Perle, Howard Dean trade barbs
Friday, February 18, 2005 Posted: 8:19 AM EST (1319 GMT)

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- Howard Dean, the newly minted leader of the Democratic Party, and former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle made clear their opposing views on the war in Iraq during a debate marred by a protester who tossed a shoe at Perle.

Perle had just started his comments Thursday when a protester threw a shoe at him before being dragged away, screaming, "Liar! Liar!"

Perle, who was Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's top policy adviser, was a key architect of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and Dean is among the war's most prominent opponents.

In his new role as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Dean has stressed that Democrats are stronger than Republicans on defense.

"Defense is a lot broader than swaggering around saying you're going to kick Saddam's butt," Dean said Thursday, drawing cheers from the crowd in this city that overwhelmingly voted Democratic last November.

Perle said the war in Iraq was justified based on the intelligence available at the time. "Sometimes the things we have to do are objectionable to others," he said.

Dean also said the Bush administration has ignored the mounting threat in Iran and North Korea. "We picked the low hanging fruit in Iraq and did nothing" about the other, more dangerous regimes, he said.

Perle had his own barbs, too. He began his opening comments in the 11/2-hour debate by saying Democrats "looked at the Democratic Party and chose a physician to lead them."

Perle, a veteran of the Reagan administration and a former Pentagon adviser, was forced by one of the questioners to recast a comment he made on September 22, 2003, in which he predicted that within one year, there would be "a grand square in Baghdad named for President Bush."

"I'd be a fool not to recognize that it did not happen on the schedule I had in mind," Perle said, adding that he did not deny that the administration had made mistakes in Iraq.

Defense is a lot broader than swaggering around saying you're going to kick Saddam's butt.
-- Howard Dean

But, Perle added, "I will be surprised, yet again, if we do not see a square in Baghdad named after this president." He did not specify a time.

Dean became chairman of the DNC earlier this month. The former governor of Vermont had been leading the race for the Democratic presidential nomination but failed last January in the Iowa caucuses. His candidacy sparked interest among young voters and attracted millions of dollars, largely through the Internet.

Thursday's debate was part of the annual forum held by Pacific University to honor Tom McCall, a former Republican governor of Oregon.



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Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[shawa]

Dean tried to have a press blackout of this debate, no recording,
no pictures. Now we know why. The loony left again.

I wonder if the shoethrower was Larry O'Donnell--"LIAR,LIAR,LIAR!!"

[Uisguex Jack]

I would have liked to have seen Richards reaction.... He has a ability to give quite a cool stare when needed.

Does anybody remember when he dropped the sausage from his hotel room in Reikyavik while negotiating with the Soviets way back when. His sausage caused quite the stir among the security detail where it landed. He'd had the sausage on the window ledge to keep it cool.

The thing about Perle, Horowitz and Christopher Hitchens (Dominick Dunne where the hell did I get that) the left insists on denying is these are all men from the hard left of American Politics. All of them are Democrats.... these are the smart democrats. All of them remain quite liberal yet they have a keen grasp of the obvious when it comes to International Security Policy and keep their politics aside. They, each have grown up. John Kerry, Pellosi, Clark, Berger, Clinton..... on and on... they are all still somewhere between adolescence and toddlers, all with attitudes.

While Watching Christopher Hitchens in a similar debate to this one on CSPAn about a year back I loved how he handled the hecklers. There would occasionally be these nasty Hisses from one part of the audience and boo's from another. Dunne Points out you can always tell where the idiots are sitting, they are the one's doing the Hissing.... God it was funny.... in a tragic sort of way.

By the way Dean is barely quallified to tie his own shoes, certainly not Perle's and for him to be debating Perle is a huge waste of time for all concerned.... I'd like to see a broadcast of it.


edit
My god I confused domomike Dunne with Christopher Hitchens..... I'm getting senile

[kman]

God I hate to say this, but I'm afraid it's just a matter of time till the shoe thrower is replaced by a homicide bomber.

Please let me be wrong.

Kurt

[wwIIvetsdaughter]

Dean's "low hanging fruit" comment is simply stupid. Just what the heck is wrong with starting off (eliminating the triad of evil) with the easiest opponent? Further the "did nothing about Iran and more dangerous regimes" hit assumed we will never do something about them..Message to Dean: W. has a VISION and you err when you assume we are done deconstructing the triad of evil. Either the USA or possibly Isreal will deal appropriately with Iran's nuclear capability. I will remember your quote when action is taken and you side with the moonbats once again against the United States and in essence for the despots.