Jesse Ventura Calls Cheney a Coward

If you read the title of this post I’d just like to say Amen to former Governor Ventura’s description of former Vice President Cheney. Unlike Cheney, Ventura had to train under stress and was water boarded as part of his Navy SEAL training. Jesse Ventura knows what torture is because he went through it. He experienced it, he lived it. Water boarding is torture and Governor Ventura would prosecute everyone involved with it, authorized it, and passed it. Torture is illegal and the Governor has some interesting points. Specifically, that former Vice President Dick Cheney had five deferments during the draft and that Rush Limbaugh that is forever waiving the flag on the political right never served in our nations military. Governor Ventura calls them both Chicken Hawks.

Mind you, as a moderate Liberal I don’t see a single Republican out there that could touch President Obama in the next election but the former Governor of Minnesota as an Independent certainly could. Mind you this is a fairly long video of the Governor on Larry King but it is a must see for those of you on the cutting edge of tomorrows political issues. First he calls Cheney more or less an ass and coward in defense of Colin Powell, Rush Limbaugh is a coward too according to the Governor. Then he calls the drug war a farce in line with prohibition strengthening underworld black markets and mobsters, then he calls the Cuban trade embargo a joke and idiotic and lacking all common sense. Kick me in the butt, I like this guys thinking!

Check out this CNN video of Governor Ventura on Larry King…

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Governor Ventura has no immediate plans to run for any political office but I’m pretty sure that he could make for one hell of a political candidate on the national stage if he so choose so. He sure as hell would make the daily coverage colorful in the press.

Surf on Governor! And by all means stay by the phone for the call to be our first Ambassador to Cuba when President Obama works that mess out.

Papamoka

Cheney Disses Colin Powell

A friend once told me that you need to watch out for people that could turn on you when things get rough. Dick Cheney, the former Vice President turned on former military leader, former Secretary of State, and former confidant of the White House, Colin Powell. Politically, Cheney would go to bat for Rush Limbaugh first over Colin Powell, the same Rush Limbaugh who never served in our nations military, never held a public office, and would bite the hand that feeds him if it works for his entertainment talk radio network. Um, Mr. former Vice President, you just slapped every man and woman that served in our armed forces upside the head? One has to wonder how Cheney thinks, decorated military and life long public servant versus a blow hard aleged addict of prescription drugs. Cheney still goes for the aleged drug addict?

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Need I mention that Dick Cheney never served in our nations military but condoned tactics that could be used against our own troops if torture is justified? And it was under his watch! It only takes a swipe of a pen and a signature to authorize anything in defense of America but the consequences of thinking that you are right just because you say you are is way off of the foundation of what our nation was and is built on. Thank God that nothing ever happened to President Bush where Cheney would have moved up the ladder. Cheney would have nuked all of Iraq in a heart beat even though our troops were stationed there. His logic for doing so would be for the betterment of democracy, as long as you don’t agree with his definition of it.

Walk over to this side of the aisle Colin Powell, you get a hug and a way to go for being an American that believes we have a moral obligation to humanity.

Papamoka

My thanks to Think Progress for the hat tip…

Obama Transition Selection

President Elect Barack Obama (I'm so happy to be able to type that) has to be very careful who he picks for his cabinet and transitional teams. As politics goes, he owes some favors to some people and he does not owe favors to others. That is just how the political system has always worked. Early reports are out that some of the star power he will be tapping have some serious credentials to back them up and it appears that President Obama (I love writing that by the way) is not just selecting Democrats and left wing liberals.

Colin Powell’s name has come up on various sites for either an education position or Secretary of Defense position. Former Congressman Rham Emanuel has been selected as President Obama’s (did I tell you I love writing that) Chief of Staff.

Anywho, election night television and internet reporting burned me out for most of the day today and I needed some serious veg time. Countdown had this to say on the transition to an Obama Presidency… (I still like writing that by the way)

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It isn’t hard to believe that President Obama (still like writing that) will not surround himself with people that yes him to death. If you followed his campaign over the last year or more he has said that would be how his cabinet would be formed. The best, the brightest, political affiliation did not matter, and the best man or woman would fill out his administration. I’m just guessing but I’m pretty sure that your qualifications to run an organization like FEMA would have to have more than just raising horses in it? You just might have to have some serious experience with disaster management. I’m just guessing though.

We can all be pretty confident that President Obama (you know, I like how that sounds) will surround himself with people that can get the job done in the areas of leadership he places them. He has to come out with a first rate team to manage the details of the respective government organizations so he can concentrate on the legislation and changes in our federal government that have been ignored for almost a decade. In the coming days and weeks very well qualified people will either accept his request for service to our nation or beg not to be chosen. We have a rough road ahead of us and some of the best and brightest paths may move them to decline the offer. I could actually see President Obama (I like typing that) offering Senator Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State and she could not decline such a high profile post. I could actually see former Mayor Rudy Giuliani asked to fill the position of top gun at Homeland Security.

In a separate thought, John McCain was a true American gentleman in his concession speech on election night. Honestly, I thought it was the best speech he ever gave. In my eyes he will always be a true American hero but we just disagree on politics and the issues and the election results showed that too. Now is the time for all America to come back together and face the problems front on! Even if the houses that govern us are lopsided we still need to have them work together for the betterment of the people of America and McCain nailed that in his speech. Check it out…

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Side bar thought, don’t be surprised if President Obama (Liking that more and more) might just tap Senator John McCain for a very high profile post. I could be wrong but it would be a ball hit out of the park if President Obama (Yup, that sounds so good) embraced John McCain and asked him to help us all though the many challenges we now face. That would heal many wounds in this long and nasty election and be a true unifying offer to the political party of John McCain.

Just to let you our readers know, President Elect Obama is not getting a freebie on this website, if he screws up then we will voice our honest and heartfelt opinions on it. We are Americans first here at Papamoka Straight Talk and if our newly elected leaders pull the same crap as Bush then God help them.

Papamoka

Colin Powell Steps Up for Obama

In the last two weeks of the election for President the endorsements from Newspapers across America are flying off the news racks. One of the most interesting was from the Chicago Tribune, a newspaper around since the early 1800’s, that endorsed Barack Obama for President but has never endorsed a Democrat before. When it comes to endorsements most newspapers really don’t matter anymore in America because they are left or right leaning publications and it can be proven by reading the opinion page every single day in their paper. But the Chicago Tribune? A staunch Republican paper goes for Obama, now that is news!

Moving on, then you have one man with one voice, with character beyond question, a Republican, a former chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff for America’s Military, and a former Secretary of State that has broken party ranks to endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States. I’m talking about General Colin Powell who announced his endorsement on Meet the Press today with Tom Brokaw. MSNBC has this video on the historic event today…

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It’s pretty common knowledge that the Bush Administration threw Secretary of State Colin Powell under the bus to get this nation into the war in Iraq. It is also common knowledge that he resigned to “Spend time with his family” as a disgusted American and life long public servant that was duped by President Bush and Vice President Cheney. If Colin Powell ran for President as a Republican then I honestly have to say that I would vote for him over Barack Obama if he was the Republican nominee. That being said, if he thinks Barack Obama can and will be a better President then Obama is a lock for many moderate voters.

Colin Powell summed up why many Independent and Moderate voters are looking at Obama more favorably than McCain, it isn’t the issues, it’s the rhetoric and suggestion of discrimination from the base and some of the leaders in the Republican Party. When he speaks of Robo calls, and defamation, insinuations, and accusations against Obama from the campaign of John McCain he is talking about questions that happen every single day in the states in play. Questions still suggesting Obama is a Muslim, Obama is associating with terrorists, Obama is anti American. Phone calls to mom and pop taxpayer and voters during the dinner hour. What General Powell said is correct in the thought that those types of politicking is not worthy of someone wanting to be President of one nation. That form of disgusting politics is divide and conquer and that is not what America is all about. If McCain can not sell his position on the issues then why is he and his campaign going so negative with the Robo calls? Why do they have to make it so personal and frankly Un-American? Politics is a dirty way of life but it was never this bad before. John McCain has his name on the bumper stickers and no matter how you look at it he owns the negativity one hundred percent.

In the long run, elections are not always won by who fights fair and who fights for what is right but who connects best with the American people. John McCain can not make that connection and Barack Obama has in more ways than you can count. Many of us should consider the wisdom of Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff, General of the Army, Vietnam Veteran, and just one voice as a Republican and just a citizen like Colin Powell that will be voting for Barack Obama for President.

Papamoka

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