Originally Posted by Del Boy

Thank you kindly Bulldog. And my hand to mmarsh. I just try to fight my corner as hard as I can until the whistle blows. That's the very best thing about a good forum. When I take on the newspapers here , mostly on sport, they can just use the spike, so only one side of the argument is seen!

Apologies for getting involved in American affairs, that was never my intention. Anyway, I have no axe to grind here other than the hopefully good debate. But with some passion of course. God Bless America, bulldog.

Hand is extended as well, we will just have to agree to disagree...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Hunter

Parent's Empowerment Act

On April 28, 2004, Hunter introduced legislation that he said could "turn parents into prosecuting attorneys fighting a wave of obscenity."[19] HR 6390 IH, also called the "Parents Empowerment Act",[20] would allow the parent or guardian of a minor to sue in federal court anyone who knowingly disseminates material "that is harmful to minors", or specifically, "any pornographic communication, picture, image, graphic image file, article, recording, writing, or other pornographic matter of any kind",[21] if it is distributed in a way that "a reasonable person can expect a substantial number of minors to be exposed to the material and the minor, as a result to exposure to the material, is likely to suffer personal or emotional injury or injury to mental or moral welfare."

Hunter's call for Harry Reid to resign after Reid declared that the Iraq war is "lost"

On April 25, 2007, after Senate Majority leader Harry Reid declared "the war is lost", Hunter wrote "my highest obligation is, like yours, owed to our forces in uniform, especially during this time of war...Given your position of leadership within the United States Government, I find your pronouncement of failure irresponsible and disserving to America's armed forces. In light of the fact that this statement has both been used by our adversaries and has exhibited a marked lack of leadership to U.S. troops, I call on you to resign your leadership position".[27] Hunter further wrote that Reid's declaration "can have no effect but to demoralize the brave men and women, who are honorably fulfilling their mission in Iraq, and to encourage our adversaries...Even if you sincerely believe it to be true, your pronouncement of failure will undoubtedly be used by terrorist leaders to rally their followers — inevitably leading to increased attacks on U.S. and coalition forces".

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php...=Duncan_Hunter

Mr. Speaker, I want to yield myself 1 1/2 minutes to respond to the first assertion just made by my colleague, to the effect that we sent the troops in without what he called life-saving equipment.

When we finished the Clinton administration, virtually no one in any of the 10 Army divisions, which, incidentally, had been cut from 14 Army divisions when that administration went into power, none of the 10 divisions that were left, virtually none of them had any bulletproof vests, any of this body armor that we talk about that our troops have today.

When we went into the first operation, we had much more than the Clinton administration had. At that point we had a number of the inserts, of the so-called Small Arms Protective Inserts. We had the outer tactical vests that incorporate those inserts with all of our Marines, with all of the infantry units going in with the U.S. Army. And very quickly after that, we developed a plan in which we fielded body armor for not only the people on the front lines, the infantry, the artillery, the armor, but also everybody that is in theater.

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely outrageous to tell the American people that the Americans were dangerously unequipped when we went into Iraq. We went in with better equipment than we have ever had in any wars that this country has ever fought. And today, we have fielded over 40,000 pieces of new equipment that we didn't have 4 years ago that makes our troops yet more efficient.

I would like to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder).

Mr. Speaker, let me just take 2 minutes to respond to my colleague who has just made a number of points.

First, there are a number of live Democrats that I like to refer to. When somebody asks me whether or not Saddam Hussein was indeed a dangerous terrorist in and of himself, I like to take the words of all of the Democrat leadership of this country in the 1990s, when, in their words, there was no Bush administration to trick them, who made that point very, very forcefully.

Secondly, the invasion of Iraq and the taking of Baghdad in record time with very low casualties has been described by most military leaders as being a remarkably efficient and effective operation. In fact, while we had people saying that our troops would be bogged down, the same talk shows would be interrupted with a news flash that Tommy Franks had taken yet another stronghold of Saddam Hussein.

We took Baghdad with very low casualties, very, very quickly, in a very effective and efficient military operation.

Lastly, I don't think that the gentleman can say that there have been no ripples, no ripples whatsoever in the Middle East with respect to freedom and democracy and people wanting to be free as a result of the elections in Iraq. There clearly was action in Libya where they moved lots of parts of their nuclear weapons program which are now residing in the United States, I think as a result of American actions there. Clearly actions toward freedom, toward ejecting the Syrians from Lebanon and moving toward multiparty elections in Egypt. All imperfect to be sure but nonetheless reactions from our operation in Iraq.

Lastly, I would just say to my colleague let me just say to my colleague, there are no smooth roads. The smooth roads not taken, that have been held out by the armchair critics, like we should have kept Saddam Hussein's army in place, that was an army with 11,000 Sunni generals. What are you going to do with an army with 11,000 Sunni generals? Certainly not establish stability in a country in which you have a Shiite majority.

The idea that we needed to have 300,000 Americans in Iraq and yet at the same time put an Iraqi face, as a number of the critics have said, on the military apparatus.

So I think a number of the gentleman's points have been strongly disproven by the American operation in Iraq. We are in the second period right now of a three-phase operation: stand up a free government; stand up a military capable of protecting that free government; lastly, the Americans leave. Let's give the second phase a chance to work.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/reco...&person=400191

PACs are a way of life for a politician but some still owe the majority of their money to the people and NOT to special interests...

Duncan Hunter receives 53.7% of his campaign money from individuals.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicia...?cid=N00006983

Compare that to...

Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi
32.9% from individuals and 66.6% from PACs

Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer
26.7% from individuals and 72.4% from PACs

Majority Whip
James Clyburn
27.3% from individuals and 72.7% from PACs

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/index.asp

I can keep going but then it would take the fun out of you all looking for yourselves (be sure not to miss the fact that Rep Hunter is one of the VERY few who have 100% disclosure)... the point is if the majority of your campaign money comes from citizens that is who you will be accountable to. But if PAC money gets you elected then I am my fellow citizens get the shaft. Your vote is the power but if you put your head in your fourth point and simply vote for the moron with the coolest 15 second election commercial then you are quite succinctly ing yourself.

Duncan Hunter Backs Preemptive Strike on Iran

Republican candidates for U.S. president agreed on Tuesday that Iran must not develop atomic weapons even if a tactical nuclear strike is needed to stop it and accused Democrats of being soft on the issue.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/6/6/73123.shtml

Below is the exchange between Blitzer and Duncan Hunter during the June 5 debate. The question and answer occurred at around 8:55pm:

Wolf Blitzer: "Congressman Hunter, I want you to weigh in, because Arnold Schwarzenegger, your governor in California, has become very popular out there by bringing in independents and moderates, and trying to forge a consensus among Republicans and Democrats in your state. Shouldn't the GOP nationally be following that Arnold Schwarzenegger example in California?

Representative Duncan Hunter: "No. And let me just say, you know, I look at Governor Romney, Mayor Giuliani, my good friend John McCain -- Governor Romney joined with Bill Clinton for the 1994 gun ban when I was fighting that. Mayor Giuliani stood with him at the White House on that. Governor Romney has passed what I consider to be a major step toward socialism with respect to his mandated health care bill. John McCain is standing strong with Ted Kennedy on this Kennedy-McCain-Bush border enforcement bill. I think the guy who's got the most influence right here with these three gentlemen is Ted Kennedy. And I think we need to move away from the Kennedy wing of the Republican Party."

http://newsbusters.org/node/13261

Nail on the head.

USA : Trade deficit with China grow by nearly 12% in 2007
June 9, 2007

According to figures released by the U.S. government this morning, the U.S. trade deficit with China grew to $19.4 billion for the month of April 2007.

For the year, the U.S. trade deficit with China is up 11.9 percent. At this pace, the U.S. trade deficit with China will climb from last year's record of $232 billion in 2006 to a projected new record of $260 billion in 2007.

"The U.S. trade deficit with China is out of control. It is a key reason why the United States has lost more than three million manufacturing jobs since 2001," said American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) Executive Director Auggie Tantillo.

"The years of Bush Administration talks with China have produced negligible results. Congress now must forcefully act," Tantillo continued.

To address the China problem, two actions Congress immediately should take are passing:

• H.R. 2600, the Border Tax Equity Act sponsored by Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Duncan Hunter, Mike Michaud, and Walter Jones.

This legislation would negate the nearly $400 disadvantage to U.S. goods producers and service providers caused by foreign border-adjusted taxes.

Conservatively, U.S. goods producers alone were disadvantaged by an estimated $46 billion because of China's VAT rebates on exports and VAT impositions on imports in 2006.

• H.R. 782, the Fair Currency Act of 2007, sponsored by Congressmen Tim Ryan and Duncan Hunter in the House and its companion, S. 796, sponsored by Senators Jim Bunning and Debbie Stabenow.

This legislation would make fundamental currency misalignment an actionable subsidy under U.S. countervailing duty law. The legislation also would codify the application of U.S. CVD law to non-market economies such as China.

Experts estimate that China's currency is undervalued by as much as 15 to 40 percent.

http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/as...?news_id=36304

Finally a Presidential candidate who is more concerned about protecting American businesses that manufacture in the US rather than businesses who make their money by colluding with the enemy who seeks to gut the US economically.

Have no illusions on this point- China is waging an economic war against the US, and right now they are winning.

In January of 2002 before anyone else started talking about the needs of the military that have now become commonplace Rep Hunter had already compiled and submitted a report linked below.
http://www.house.gov/hunter/defincrisis-title.html

The following is the text of HR 3675 written by Rep. Hunter.

HR 3675 IH

110th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3675

To prohibit Federal grants to or contracts with Columbia University.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 26, 2007

Mr. HUNTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

A BILL

To prohibit Federal grants to or contracts with Columbia University.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Restore Patriotism to University Campuses Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the destruction of the State of Israel, a critical ally of the United States.

(2) In January 2007, commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno stated that the United States had traced back to Iran serial numbers of weapons captured in Iraq, including rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs and Katyusha rockets.

(3) These types of weapons have been used in Iraq to kill and injure members of American, Iraqi, and coalition forces and undermine the nascent Iraqi government.

(4) Despite Iran's support for terrorism, Columbia University extended an invitation to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to address students and faculty from the University campus.

(5) Columbia University dissolved its long-standing Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program on campus because of disagreement with United States military policy, and for nearly four decades has not invited the return of any ROTC program to the University campus.

(6) Despite this fact, Columbia University has continued to accept funds made available through ROTC scholarships, while University faculty continue to oppose United States military policies and law.

(7) Through their invitation, Columbia University provided a public, prestigious platform on United States soil from which on September 24, 2007, President Ahmadinejad spoke and defended his wide-ranging support for terrorist activities.

SEC. 3. DENIAL OF FUNDS.

(a) Denial of Funds for Permitting State Terrorist Access to Campus- No funds described in subsection (b)(1) may be provided by contract or by grant to Columbia University of New York, New York, or any subelement of Columbia University.

(b) Covered Funds-

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the limitations established in subsection (a) apply to the following:

(A) Any funds made available for the Department of Defense.

(B) Any funds made available for any department or agency for which regular appropriations are made in a Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

(C) Any funds made available for the Department of Homeland Security.

(D) Any funds made available for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the Department of Energy.

(E) Any funds made available for the Department of Transportation.

(F) Any funds made available for the Central Intelligence Agency.

(2) Any Federal funding specified in paragraph (1) that is provided to an institution of higher education, or to an individual, to be available solely for student financial assistance, related administrative costs, or costs associated with attendance, may be used for the purpose for which the funding is provided.

(c) Notice of Determinations- Whenever the head of a Federal department or agency makes a determination under subsection (a) or (b), the head of such department or agency--

(1) shall transmit a notice of the determination to the Secretary of Education, to the head of each other department and agency the funds of which are subject to the determination, and to Congress; and

(2) shall publish in the Federal Register a notice of the determination and the effect of the determination on the eligibility of Columbia University for contracts and grants.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill...bill=h110-3675

Duncan Hunter would be great, after him I liked Fred Thompson. I think Newt Gingrich would be best though.