Break

To the superdelegates either supporting Sen. Hillary Clinton or who are undecided:

I have looked at the two candidates as equals for most of this race. They are of the same party and, as such, have policies that align with my political viewpoint. Recent comments by Sen. Clinton have changed my opinion.

Politics is a bloody game, and I realize that if you wish to play you might get bruised. In that spirit, I realize that much of Sen. Clinton’s behavior in recent weeks can be dismissed as typical campaigning. Her recent endorsement of Sen. McCain was a serious breach of protocol that crossed the line from politics to outright betrayal of her party’s beliefs.

Her comments remind me of what has been so wrong about our country over the last eight-plus years. It is time to say “no” to any politician who puts self-interest over the needs of the country or their party.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were bitter political rivals. When Adams lost the election to Jefferson, some wondered if he would leave office. This was the first time that a president had lost an election. His decision to leave or stay was an early test of our new republic. On the eve of Jefferson’s inauguration, Adams got in a carriage and rode away. In that single act he showed just what kind of man he was. He had faith in the system, and despite his differences with Jefferson, he did what was right.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Is Sen. Clinton really putting the country’s needs above her own?

Please reconsider your endorsement of Sen. Clinton. Do not disenfranchise the majority of people who support Sen. Obama.

Joseph Cotellese
New Britain Township

The flow of blood may be ebbing, but the flood of money into the Iraq war is steadily rising, new analyses show. In 2008, its sixth year, the war will cost approximately $12 billion a month, triple the “burn” rate of its earliest years, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and co-author Linda J. Bilmes report in a new book.

Anyone remember these statement by Paul Wolfowitz:
On the cost of rebuilding Iraq

“There’s a lot of money to pay for this that doesn’t have to be U.S. taxpayer money…We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.” (3/27/2003, House Committee on Appropriations testimony)

“The oil revenues of Iraq could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years…We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.” (3/27/2003, House Budget Committee testimony)

“Fundamentally, we have no idea what is needed unless and until we get there on the ground. This delicate moment—when we are assembling a coalition, when we are mobilizing people inside Iraq and throughout the region to help us in the event of war, and when we are still trying, through the United Nations and by other means, to achieve a peaceful solution without war—is not a good time to publish highly suspect numerical estimates and have them drive our declaratory policy.” (3/27/2003, House Budget Committee testimony)

Regarding getting other countries to help fund reconstruction after the war: “I expect we will get a lot of mitigation, but it will be easier after the fact than before the fact.” (3/27/2003, House Budget Committee testimony)

Last week Hillary Clinton release a fear mongering ad that I would typically associate with Karl Rove and some in the Republican party. Here it is:

Here is Bill Clinton’s response: