Mr. Hobbs, I believe Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. is right in this statement. I mean the only real "plan" that President Bush has come up with is that we must secure the oil fields of Iraq to build up the Iraqi economy.

Congressman Ford wants to get away from our dependence of foreign oil and embrace the technology that we have here in the states to make more energy friendly cars, then import them to other countries that desperately need them. How can you be against that?

I could go into the whole long story that everyone has heard about the "real" reasons for going to war (i.e., nukes), but the fact is that we are over there protecting the oil so that large companies like Halliburton can tap into what the U.S. Government has secured. Because of that, the President has turned our troops into "oil cops" when the real reason our troops should be over there is to fight when there is a grave danger--not protect oil fields.

Are you suggesting that a U.S. Congressman is unpatriotic, or is that just the conservative spin you have become accustom to?

I have not been able to really respect Harold Ford Jr. ever since he came out on national television and proudly proclaimed that he personally had benefitted from Affirmative Action.

This little punk was born in 1970 and has never seen a segregated lunch counter in his life. He grew up a scion of one of the wealthiest and most politically powerful families in Tennessee and went to the best private schools Washington DC had to offer. And this weasel had the audacity to stand up and brag about how because he was black he deserved special treatment at college, that he deserved to bump some poor Arab or white or Asian kid?

What an embarassment to the entire state that man is.

Congressman Ford is correct in calling the troops in Iraq right now 'oil cops'. That is what they are. That is not an indictment on them, but rather the Bush Administration's Iraq policy. It is a shame that we are continuing to subject our troops to such dangers due to our over dependence on oil. It is time we invest in developing an alternative fuel source, and Congressman Ford is dedicated in doing so.

I agree with the previous poster that alludes that this article suggests Congressman Ford is un-patriotic or anti-troops. There is nothing farther from the truth. He has said just like I have, the criticism we level is not an indictment on the troops, but rather the Bush Administration and their poor handling of the situation in Iraq. We have the best and bravest troops in the world, and Congressman Ford knows that and has the utmost respect for those in the service Heck, just look at what he has done for our vets in the past month:

Ford Asks For More For Tennesseans Returning From Iraq: http://www.house.gov/apps/li st/press/tn09_ford/pr_063005tenreturniraq.html
Congressman Ford: Leave No Vet Behind: http://www.house.gov/apps/li st/press/tn09_ford/pr_063005vets.html

Ed Bryant tried to use a similar smear last month on Congressman Ford, but was met with the truth: http://fordfortenness ee.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=51

The truth speaks for itself. The troops in the field have no better ally in Congress than Harold Ford Jr.

Finally, Congressman Ford is a product of affirmative action, just the same way many other of our national black leaders are, including Colin Powell. If you believe that we now live in a color blind society, you are sadly mistaken. Even if wealthy or powerful, African Americans still face discrimination, especially here in the South. That is just a fact--sadly. We all should be proud that Congressman Ford is at the forefront of the battle to end discrimination in America. Can you imagine what kind of message it will send when next year we elect an African American to the US Senate? What a day that will be!

To be so bold and so stupid can be a fatal combination. But in the case of these Democrats and Ford, I can only encourage them to repeat their talking points at the top of their lungs.

LINK

We should ignore the fact that Iraq's main resource to rebuild itself is oil. This is the thinking of the perennial Backseat Driver Party. They would rather soldiers guard a museum that was looted before we got there. We should let terrorists bomb the only resource they have so that the newly liberated Iraq will have no means to fill its national coffers. And the ensuing environmental disaster that comes with it.

You all are truly to stupid to be allowed to vote. But Ford will be called down on the carpet for his traitor talk when the time comes.

--remainder edited for being, well, way over the top...

I have but one question for Mr. Smantix: If I am so "stupid,” can you please explain in detail the current proposals of the other U.S. Senate Candidates have for facing the situation in Iraq?

I wouldn't mind hearing from a "well educated" voter...

For the sake of the Republican nominee in '06, I encourage Chris and Matthew to please - please - keep calling TN National Guardsman "oil cops." It will make the work of the GOP primary winner that much easier.