the gift that keeps on giving
I found this gem of an article from the he Canandaigua Daily Messenger Post in a post on Buzzflash. Here’s some of the highlights:
“Most of the country is very, very safe,” said Kuhl.
(snip)
Kuhl said he saw evidence of advances in Iraq, such as the construction of schools and sewer and water systems. He was impressed with the comfort of U.S. bases, invariably air-conditioned and served by top-notch cafeteria services. In Balad, American soldiers — whom he called “the best in the world” — can get “anything and everything they want,” including lobster tails when he was there.
Balad Air Base opened fast food restaurants in 2004, according to a military Web site. It has Burger King, Pizza Hut, a Subway and a Baskin Robbins.
But read the whole thing.
Update (btp): It’s nice to see a reporter put Kuhl’s comments into context:
Kuhl dismissed media reports and Senate testimony from two U.S. military generals — made Aug. 3, the day after Kuhl returned from Iraq — that the situation in Iraq is deteriorating.
Wow, Kuhl knows Iraq better after a lunch and flyover than embedded media and generals who have been managing the situation in Iraq for a couple years! Maybe he can diagnose people by videotape like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, too!
Well said.
I’m not one to waste money, but I’m be happy to throw in a few bucks to help send Randy to Iraq, where life is comfortable, in January 2007…when he’s out of work.
[...] This is unbelievable. We’ve noticed before how Kuhl’s, well, optimism can get in the way of his objective analysis of a situation. For example, saying that things were going great in Iraq the same day that a panel of generals spoke on how Iraq was sliding into civil war. [...]
[...] Hey Randy Kuhl, are our tax dollars still being spent well in Iraq? Tom Reynolds, Jim Walsh? How are we doing? [...]
[...] guess I can’t blame Kuhl for thinking we should send more troops to Iraq.ÂÂ After all, he thinks they’re having a swell time over there: He was impressed with the comfort of U.S. bases, invariably air-conditioned and served by [...]
[...] field one of these, the last one: Kuhl earned the criticism of his trip to Iraq when he came back saying things like this: He was impressed with the comfort of U.S. bases, invariably air-conditioned and served by [...]
[...] of Iraq will see the same thing; if they’re lucky, they may even see our servicemen enjoying lobster tail at the commissary. Meanwhile, there will be others who see different things with their own two eyes [...]
[...] I wonder how many focus groups they went through before they came up with this phrase. It sure beats “lobster tail.” [...]
[...] talk”. I’m referring specifically, for example, to his misty-eyed stories about lobster tail at the mess halls in Iraq and the time he screamed about people who are “trying to kill all of you.” [...]
[...] is unbelievable. We’ve noticed before how Kuhl’s, well, optimism can get in the way of his objective analysis of a situation. For example, saying that things were going great in Iraq [...]