Ohiosphere's Ralph King: A Decent Righty Blogger Loses His Way

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The frequently insightful and normally thoughtful conservative Cleveland-area blogger Ralph King has inexplicably started shoveling excrement on his Web outpost, Kings Right Site King is one of The Daily Bellwether's favorites; he has the sunshine of the mind. And the hope here is that he has only temporarily lost his way because he has been too keen-witted a conservative to pass off a disgusting effort at poop repartee as the equivalent of political satire or political debate. There is an old saying, "Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong."

King, of course, is free under the First Amendment to print pretty much whatever he wants. But he'll be hard to take seriously in the future if he's now throwing poop around to buttress his arguments. Usually, humans learn pretty early to stay away from that stuff, to not touch that stuff. Usually, they know it before they are out of diapers.

Worse, King has reprinted a diatribe that said the excrement should be shoved down the throats of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid. And why should they be forced to swallow human waste? Because they cannot be taken outside the Capitol and murdered.

Those kind of thoughts come nowhere close to civil discourse or dialogue. They are sicko. They reek with the threat of violence. No responsible bloggers -- on the right, on the left or in the middle -- should aid and abet language and commentary like that. It is political pornography.

I hope that King rethinks the post. The 'sphere should be a place were divergent opinions collide, where politics and points of view clash, where the right rips the left, and the left delivers its own licks. But where advocating violent acts -- or openly wishing one could commit a violent act -- is out of the question. There is enough cruelty loose in the world already. We don't need to add more in Ohio.

U.S. Senate Dem Leaders: March 31, 2008 Time To Pull All Iraq Combat Troops

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his top lieutenants announced a new joint resolution on Iraq that says U.S. troops are in the middle of a "bloody civil war" and all combat units should be out by March 31, 2008.

The Democratic leadership's measure states American soldiers should not be policing a civil war and sets a goal of starting a phased withdrawal within 120 days of Senate passage. Reid, D-Nev., likely won't be able to find enough votes for action any time soon so the troops probably are staying.

Still, the move puts pressure on the White House and Iraq's leadership. The Democrats said Iraq "must take responsibility for its own future" and the rhetoric is designed to emphasize the case that Iraq now is embroiled in a vicious power between Sunni and Shiite factions. The Democrats contend U.S. policy should shift to focusing on fighting terrorists elsewhere while the Iraqis fight among themselves.

"The President's strategy in Iraq is not working, and Congress must decide whether to follow his failed policies or whether to change course. Democrats believe, as does an overwhelming majority of the American people, that the time has come to transition the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq. Hopefully, Senate Republicans will now join Democrats and the American people in calling for a change in course. They must put doing the right thing above protecting the President," Reid said.

Senate Republicans have twice blocked debate on Iraq this year. At this point, there ranks are still holding firm. Reid's co-sponsors are his No. 2, Dick Durbin of Illinois, New York's Charles Schumer, Patty Murray of Washington, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Indiana's Evan Bayh.

The condensed version of the Reid Resolution from the Democrats follows:

Reid Joint Resolution To Revise United States Policy On Iraq
Whereas Clauses

-- We support the troops;
-- The circumstances cited in the 2002 use of force authorization have changed substantially;
-- U.S. troops should not be policing a civil war;
-- U.S. policy in Iraq must change to emphasize the need for a political solution in order to maximize the chances for success and more effectively wage the war on terror.

Redeployment of U.S. Forces From Iraq
-- The President shall promptly transition the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq and begin the phased redeployment no later than 120 days following enactment;
-- Goal to redeploy all combat forces from Iraq by March 31, 2008 except for a limited number that are essential for the following purposes:
* Force protection
* Training and equipping Iraqi troops
* Targeted counter-terror operations

New Comprehensive Strategy to Ensure Stability in Iraq
-- Redeployment shall be implemented as part of a comprehensive economic, diplomatic, and political strategy that includes sustained engagement with Iraq's neighbors and the international community.
-- New policy seeks to change course, transition the mission, and bring stability to Iraq.