It could come down to a battle of subtraction: Rudy losing the religious right, and Hillary losing the anti-war left.

Re the post: Well done, Sister. The left somehow thinks that they “own” Vietnam. The reality, I think, is that if in the wake of Watergate Congress hadn’t cut off aid to South Vietnam and prevented our Air Force and Naval air from helping out in that final NVA offensive, the South might well have been able to hold on.

Not only did defeat in SWoutheast Asial lead to the boat people and the mass-murders in Cambodia, the Soviet Union saw it as an American weakness and spent the rest of theat decade flexing its muscles. They built up their military, funded insurgencies around the world, and of course invaded Afghanistan. In short, they were on a roll. It took Reagan to set things straight, and it sure wasn’t easy. But the liberals want us to forget that part too.

- Anyway you look at it point, set, and match to Rudy.

- BTW, I think Rudy’s already been told by top party insiders. It shows in the steady as you go manner they are presenting him, and his numbers from the very beginning, both in the party, and against Hillary, have stayed steady. There’s a ways to go before the real fireworks start, with state primaries. It was telling from the low level flack he took for skipping Iowa, and it did nothing to push down his numbers. In that, hes already setting precedence.

- Instead of the normal “off year” switchover, this could be another Reagan run by the Reps, due largely to what looks like bad political choices by the Dems. They most probably will even bite it when this Congress is reviewed. I wouldn’t want to be them.

- BBH -

My fear is that the Republicans will kill their chances by eating their own. If they had stuck together the first Clinton would never have made it to the White House.

- Historically, ignoring every other factor, America has NEVER changed the party in the White house during a time of war, or even the threat, or close aftermath of war.

- The Dems have literally handed the Reps a virtual gold mine of devastating political talking points, mainly because of their wild roll of the dice on Iraq.

- The Dems are fielding a group of candidates, all of whom have such serious baggage, i.e Hillary with her changeable act, and history of the Clinton lies, and Obama with next to zero experience. Edwards is toast. at least Kerry knows that once you lose an election, you’re used goods in politics generally, but with the left you’re dead meat. Al Gore the same. Bill Richards is just not known enough. The rest are bit players. The Dems are choosing who will get their brains beat in by Rudi.

- On the Rep side the situation would be similar, except for America’s Mayor. Thompson is too little too late, and only has a chance at the VP slot. Rudi is the lead dog that makes the race anyway. Condi would absolutely seal the deal.

- Rudi will be the next POTUS, with Thompson, Condi, or Romney as his running mate. He will serve two terms.

- BBH –

But when the communists commited wholesale and fully documented murder on a far larger scale than even their fantasies, they hadn’t a thing to say. No word of disapproval or even acknowledgement. Funny how they still do this today, even though their new cuddle-mates are the islamofascists and not the Khmer Rouge. Seems like the rule is, as long as you hate the USA, you have a pass on every crime, all the way up to genocide.

…challenging the historical memory that the pullout from Vietnam had few negative repercussions for the United States and its allies.

Maybe the lying sacks masquerading as journalists were implying that since the US abandoned Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam, allowing thousands upon thousands to be slaughtered by the commie basturds, they no longer see those countries as our allies.

- Since ‘Nam is the one and only “victory” the Left can even begin to claim in a distorted sort of way, the millions of brown people that were outright murdered because we left as a direct result of Leftist sedition here in the states, simply cannot be allowed to “exist”. If you needed any more evidence of the fallacies of Ill-Liberal thinking, and phoney caring, that should suffice. All propaganda, all the time, for the “greater good” of the cause.

- This signals the approach the far Left, Dems, and the laim-brain press have decided to take, to head off any sort of Iraqi success. Its a ratcheting up of the Iraq = VietNam meme, because they’re afraid it’s their last hope.

- Pelosi held a brain storming meeting last week with all the key Dem leaders to come up with a new set of talking points, and find a way to move the party to a safer position on Iraq. What we’re seeing is the shift, and new approach as it develops. If things continue to improve because of the surge, I don’t think it’s going to work, no matter how many propaganda pieces the NYT and AP run. They have to try anything they can to keep Bush back on his heels, or suffer a massive blowback, which could carry over to the 2008 election cycle.

- BBH –

Mr. Bush is challenging the historical memory that the pullout from Vietnam had few negative repercussions for the United States and its allies

There’s that liberal compassion showing through again!

“So what if millions of people were tortured and butchered, it really didn’t affect US that much!”

I saw Jules’s post and it was very good.

The only good thing about being 55 going on 56 is that I can actually remember those days. I even remember John Kerry going on TV and saying that if we left Viet Nam the fighting would end. Liar.

Those people seemed to think there was a war in Viet Nam because we were there, when in fact we were there because there was a war in Viet Nam. Not the same thing at all.