July 11 - Where Are They Now? Wednesday - Political Duels

Today is the anniversary of the famous duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.

On this date in 1804 the then Vice President Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Hamilton during a pistol duel in Wechawken, N.J.

This is the subject of this week’s WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WEDNESDAY.

Where have all the good duels gone?

Vice President Cheney shot someone last year, but he was a friend. I think Cheney should take Nevada Senator Harry Reid for a walk in the woods, say ten paces.

To be fair to both parties, Ted Kennedy could play car chicken on a small bridge with any Republican of his choice.

Politicians do not have the same convictions as they had back then. The only convictions politicians have today are for bribery, indecent exposure, and felony lying. (Is that the sound of a rim shot I hear?)

It would be great if politicians actually stood behind their campaign promises.

Yo, Democrats, how’s that troop withdrawal going?

Yo, Congress, got that border fence built yet?

On October 11, 2002 Hillary Clinton cast her vote supporting the President's resolution to go to war. She said her vote was cast with the "conviction" that the war authorization "best serves the security of our nation."

Hillary also said that she rejected setting a timetable to withdraw from Iraq. Her exact words:"I reject a rigid timetable that the terrorists can exploit, and I reject an open timetable that has no ending attached to it." (Associated Press, 12/3/05)

But in recent months and days, Hillary has voted against providing funds to support our troops and their safety. The legislation she voted against provided $1.6 billion for body armor, $2.4 billion to help combat IEDs, and $3 billion for mine resistant vehicles.

And now she is saying that "this is not our fight." She wants to withdraw.

Could Hillary be running for office and want to go with the poilitical winds?

It’s too bad more politicians don’t share the fire that Burr and Hamilton emanated. You can show commitment without violence.

John McCain is the only current Presidential candidate that has stayed true to himself. Unfortunately, McCain’s campaign will flame because of the consistency of his convictions.

So WHERE ARE THEY NOW, the politicians with the character to stand by their convictions and fight for them to the death?

Two hundred years ago they were referred to as Patriots. Today we call them Insurgents.