# Tom DeLay says the Democrats lack seriousness on foreign policy **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 26, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098 "2003-07-26T15:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/1 "2003-07-26T15:52:01Z")
Huh? What? Its a trap! Run! Run! ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/2 "2003-07-26T16:00:55Z")
Oh damn. I came in ready to roll my eyes, and… Hook and line. Now confess. How? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/3 "2003-07-26T16:14:41Z")
I don’t get it either, **furt**. But its probably diabolicaly clever! I mean, I couldn’t resist a chance to clobber on Tom Dull Lay who is, in my estimation, the most slithersome pustule of necrotic tissue ever to infest the body politic since Bill Clinton handed Newt Gangrene’s balls to him. Few things make me happier than when the public spotlight falls upon him, he _always_ come off as a stuffer of kittens into blenders. The man looks like a recent corpse, forcibly reanimated with methamphetamine and high voltage to his neck bolts. And foreign policy savvy! Just check this out: > **[DeLay Is to Carry Dissenting Message On a Mideast Tour (Published 2003)](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/25/world/delay-is-to-carry-dissenting-message-on-a-mideast-tour.html)** > > House majority leader Tom DeLay, one of three most powerful Republicans in Congress, will voice his grave doubt that Middle East is ready for Palestinian state during his upcoming trip to Middle East; his message seen as reminder to Bush... "As he travels next week through Israel, Jordan and Iraq, he will take with him a message of grave doubt that the Middle East is ready for a Palestinian state, as called for in the current peace plan, known as the road map, backed by the administration and Europe. “I’m sure there are some in the administration who are smarter than me, but I can’t imagine in the very near future that a Palestinian state could ever happen,” he said in an interview today, as he prepared to leave for a weeklong official tour. “I can’t imagine this president supporting a state of terrorists, a sovereign state of terrorists,” he said…" You know, I got a hunch that Ol’ Tom may find himself in Karl Rove’s sights before long. Hasn’t been spending enough time with his family lately, you know? ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/4 "2003-07-26T16:38:52Z")
Well for my nickel we can put DeLay and Daschle in a sack together and throw them in the river. But you’re ducking. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/5 "2003-07-26T16:43:20Z")
: Peering inside, wearing lab coat and safety glasses : Good, I see the **december** post filter is functioning properly. : shutting safety door : Sorry, **december** couldn’t resist. 🙂 Please come back, us liberals love you! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/6 "2003-07-26T16:46:56Z")
He also [accused the Dems](http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030725-112229-3446r.htm) of calling the prez Benedict Arnold. This is just partisan nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/7 "2003-07-26T18:51:18Z")
From the above link: > [@](#): > > “…their policies would not make us safer in the world, and President Bush’s do.” > _snip_ > “The once-proud party of Franklin Roosevelt, who famously told us ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself,’ now seems to have nothing to offer but fear itself,” Mr. Gillespie said. First they imply that the sole issue of concern is US safety, then they accuse the Dems of fear-mongering. > [@](#): > > Democrats’ sole strategy is to try to weaken the president, though they present no credible alternative. > _snip_ > Mr. Delay went on to assail individual candidates by name, then as a whole, calling their ideas “just weird.” First they imply that the Dems have no ideas to offer, then they imply that their ideas are so provocative as to be needing to be labled “wierd”. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/8 "2003-07-26T19:15:51Z")
See? This is what I’ve been talking about, trying to get people to listen! Cognitive Dissonance has reached epidemic proportions, the Republic is in grave peril! Please, when your CD volunteer comes calling, give, and give generously, so that little Tommy DeLay can go to Disney World with his head screwed on right! ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/9 "2003-07-26T20:26:15Z")
_Who knew the hamsters could start the thread, but reject the OP? Here it is:_ The gloves are off! Rather than just defend President Bush against Democratic charges, the Repulicans are now counter-attacking, claiming that the Democrats are not serious about the war on terror. [Tom DeLay gave a rousing speech](http://www.majorityleader.gov/news.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=127) in which he made the following charges:[ol][li]Democrats hate the president because on every political issue of significance since he came into office “he has beaten them like rented mules.”[_]The September 11th attacks were a premeditated assault on the freedom of every human being on this planet, and the United States is now committed to fight global terrorism with every resource at our disposal. But the extreme, Bush-hating wing of the Democrat Party has decided to either ignore or reject the fundamental realities of 21st century life.[_]The Democrats’ problem is not a lack of patriotism. It’s a lack of seriousness. They don’t hate their country, they just refuse to face the serious challenges of the 21st century.[_]The Democrats now spew more rhetoric about President Bush than they ever did about Saddam Hussein.[_]They are now embarrassing themselves and their party over a single, irrelevant sentence in a 10-year old case[_]Dick Gephardt the other day said we were less safe and less secure than we were four years ago… when Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein ran free.[_]Bob Graham – a respected former governor and chairman of the intelligence committee – is calling for the president’s impeachment.[_]Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich – a long-time member of Congress – now calls for legislation to ban “mind control” weapons in outer space.[/ol]There are other zingers in this brief speech. It’s red meat for true believers._ [/li]Furthermore, the [new RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie made some similar points in a recent speech.](http://www.rnc.org/Newsroom/Speeches/Gillespie072503s.htm) These attacks are part of a coordinated Republican strategy. Two questions for debate: 1. Are the Democrats less serious than they should be about the war on terror? 2. Whether the charge unseriousness is fair or not, will it work politically? Will the voting public buy the idea that the Democrats can’t be trusted to lead the war on terror? My answer to #1 is _Yes, but it doesn’t matter at the moment, because they’re out of power. If the Dems were in power, they would thake the war on terror seriously._ On #2, I don’t know. Republican activists will be moved by this type of stuff. But, it won’t affect the general public unless it reaches the point where Jay and Dave are using it as a premise for jokes in their monologues. \*(mixed metaphor alert) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/10 "2003-07-26T20:35:33Z")
Am I expected to take Tom DeLay seriously when he refers to what’s going on in Iraq as “the experiment?” ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/11 "2003-07-26T20:51:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Squink \* > He also [accused the Dems](http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030725-112229-3446r.htm) of calling the prez Benedict Arnold. > This is just partisan nonsense. Either that, or he was channeling Ann Coulter’s new book. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/12 "2003-07-26T21:25:52Z")
Well, DeLay sure gets off to a nice start: > [@](#): > > Good afternoon, or, as John Kerry might say: “Bonjour!” Welcome to first grade, class. > [@](#): > > To try to gauge just how out of touch the Democrat leadership is on the war on terror, just close your eyes and try to imagine Ted Kennedy landing that Navy jet on the deck of that aircraft carrier. Huh? What? > [@](#): > > Yet the Democrats now spew more rhetoric about President Bush than they ever did about Saddam Hussein. Mr. Hussein is not an opponent in the 2004 elections. > [@](#): > > Dick Gephardt the other day said we were less safe and less secure than we were four years ago… when Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein ran free. Which they still do. Is he trying to say that Gephardt would be more accurate in saying we are “as secure”, because conditions are similar to four years ago? I don’t get DeLay’s point here. > [@](#): > > If you take their comments to their logical conclusion, they’re essentially calling our Commander in Chief, Benedict Arnold. > > Ridiculous as it sounds, the logical extension of the Democrat leadership’s assertion is that President Bush is an international war criminal. > > If we are to take this nonsense seriously, THAT is how out of control the Democrats’ rhetoric has become. Now he’s criticizing the Democrats for rhetoric that _he_ came up with? Come on. > [@](#): > > they’re in the middle of a Michael Dukakis look-alike contest…this is a time for serious leadership…the Democrats are all going to show up wearing aluminum-foil helmets to protect their brain waves from the mother ship He’s as partisan and lacking in seriousness here as he claims the Democrats are. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/13 "2003-07-26T21:42:21Z")
Probably got POOPY PANTS too, and they’re makin him cranky. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/14 "2003-07-26T21:59:30Z")
Before he became Majority Leader, Tom DeLay was the party whip. As such, he was often referred to as “Whip Tom DeLay,” to which I would always reply “I wish somebody would.” His position has changed; my sentiments have not. ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/15 "2003-07-26T23:13:01Z")
So Tom DeLay has a raging hard on for the Democratic Party. A crushed out fourteen year old would be less subtle than this. I mean, come on… > [@](#): > > But the extreme, Bush-hating wing of the Democrat Party has decided to either ignore or reject the fundamental realities of 21st century life. …he said, going on to note that the form of sex education he favors is preaching abstinence and saving yourself for marriage, rejecting the fundamental realities of 21st century life. > [@](#): > > [Democrats] don’t hate their country, they just refuse to face the serious challenges of the 21st century. Like turning our economy around? Or dealing with a nuclear North Korea? > [@](#): > > The Democrats now spew more rhetoric about President Bush than they ever did about Saddam Hussein. …he said, spewing more rhetoric about Democrats than he ever did about Saddam Hussein. > [@](#): > > Dick Gephardt the other day said we were less safe and less secure than we were four years ago… when Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein ran free. …he said, while Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein run free. -fh ---
**Author:** ![Phoenix\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Phoenix\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoenix_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/16 "2003-07-26T23:30:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > **Democrats hate the president because on every political issue of significance since he came into office "he has beaten them like rented mules."** Care to give any examples? Because this seems to be making one hell of an assumption, and I’m not buying it. Myself (Not exactly a Democrat…), I “hate” him because on almost every political issue of significance since he came into office, he’s rather consistently chosen what I take as bad, if not the _worst_ choices he could have made. > [@](#): > > **The September 11th attacks were a premeditated assault on the freedom of every human being on this planet, and the United States is now committed to fight global terrorism with every resource at our disposal. But the extreme, Bush-hating wing of the Democrat Party has decided to either ignore or reject the fundamental realities of 21st century life.** …This doesn’t seem to be a full statement. What “fundamental realities” are being ignored or rejected? And reign in the rhetoric a bit, December. The September 11th attacks were a premeditated terror attack on a country that a small group considered to be attacking them and their culture. Your rhetoric is as bad as al’qaida claiming the USA is assaulting the freedom of every human being on this planet. The attacks were bad enough, they don’t need some political spin-job to try and make them sound even more evil, just to garner sympathy for your own political purposes. > [@](#): > > **The Democrats’ problem is not a lack of patriotism. It’s a lack of seriousness. They don’t hate their country, they just refuse to face the serious challenges of the 21st century.** What “serious challenges,” and how are they refusing to face them? One could also say the Republicans are refusing to face serious challenges, too. The economy, for example. Or the impact on world opinion that the recent and hasty war agains Iraq (And other foreign policy) has caused. > [@](#): > > **The Democrats now spew more rhetoric about President Bush than they ever did about Saddam Hussein.** Well, you know, Bush _does_ have a much larger effect on the USA than Saddam ever did… > [@](#): > > **They are now embarrassing themselves and their party over a single, irrelevant sentence in a 10-year old case** So irrelevant that you can’t even mention it here, for those of us who have no clue what you’re going on about? > [@](#): > > **Dick Gephardt the other day said we were less safe and less secure than we were four years ago… when Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein ran free.** Seems someone is forgeting… They’re _still_ running free! And what’s more, we now have even less of an idea of where they are. In other news, terrorism in all areas of the world except South America has held at fairly constant rates since 9/11/01, and there are some quite reasonable points about how the USA’s increasingly offensive measures in the dealing with terrorism is hurting or hindering deffensive measures. > [@](#): > > **Bob Graham – a respected former governor and chairman of the intelligence committee – is calling for the president’s impeachment.** Wouldn’t mind a cite for this one, but I don’t really need one to believe it. Plenty of other americans are, too. > [@](#): > > **Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich – a long-time member of Congress – now calls for legislation to ban “mind control” weapons in outer space.** Definatly calls for a cite. I’ll also point out that one could find a good number of equally “weird” things coming from members of the Republican party, so I don’t really see what your point is. > [@](#): > > **1. Are the Democrats less serious than they should be about the war on terror?** Not particularly. Since they’ve been pretty much cut from the loop here, with the current administration doing things its way and ignoring others, what the Democrats do or do not do has little or no influence on what happens. What they _should_ be doing is trying to change the current dominant policies of the administration, which just seems to create more fodder for GD-rants. > [@](#): > > **2. Whether the charge unseriousness is fair or not, will it work politically? Will the voting public buy the idea that the Democrats can’t be trusted to lead the war on terror?** I dunno, but I don’t buy it. In fact, I think that the currently offensive-oriented posture should be reigned back. I also think that some of the current administration’s policies are not the kind of behavior that the self-styled “leader of the free world” should be taking. I don’t know if the Democrats would do better than the current administration, but I certainly don’t think they would do worse. \*Disclaimer: these are the opinions of one who neither subscribes to the full beliefs of Republicans _or_ Democrats, so you’ll have to do a little more work than just dismiss me as blindly following the Democrats’ possition… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/17 "2003-07-27T00:20:51Z")
Well, kids, this is where I put on my Cassandra wig and predict stuff that will probably happen but nobody will believe me. I think the Pubbies are gonna Trent Tom DeLay. He has been acting way too big for his britches for some time now, and rumors have been scurrying about that he has his eye on Dennis Hasterts job. This latest cutesy trick of undermining the Bushistas foreign policy (see above) is just one of a string. Myself, I get all giddy whenever Tom Dull Lay is thrust into the limelight. He has all the characteristics of rattlesnake, save that he lacks the warmth. His sense of humor is…unique. He scares children. He scares _blind_ children! Now if I just love seeing Ol’ Marse Tom as the spokesman for the Tighty Righties, somebody over there must hate it, and for the same reasons. Tom DeLay is an embarassement to the rational wing of the party, those eager to maintain the illusion of centrism. He is an embarrassment to the neo-cons when he sneers at thier carefully cultivated ME policies. He is an embarrassment to anthropoid apes, up to and including orangutans. I think they will dump/demote Tom DeLay. You heard it here first. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/18 "2003-07-27T01:31:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phoenix Dragon \* > Care to give any examples [where Bush has beaten the Democrats]? Tax cut. War in Iraq. > [@](#): > > …This doesn’t seem to be a full statement. What “fundamental realities” are being ignored or rejected? I presume DeLay is alluding to the risk of Islamic terrorism. > [@](#): > > And reign in the rhetoric a bit, December. The September 11th attacks were a premeditated terror attack on a country that a small group considered to be attacking them and their culture. My impression was that al Qaeda is a large, widespread organization. > [@](#): > > What “serious challenges,” and how are they refusing to face them? DeLay is arguing that the Democrats are not offering an alternative to deal with the threat of Islamic terrorism. > [@](#): > > One could also say the Republicans are refusing to face serious challenges, too. The economy, for example. Or the impact on world opinion that the recent and hasty war agains Iraq (And other foreign policy) has caused. Yes, indeed. Criticizing these would be appropriate and mature conduct IMHO. It’s fair to debate whether the war in Iraq did more good than harm for America. > [@](#): > > Well, you know, Bush _does_ have a much larger effect on the USA than Saddam ever did… True, but still it’s noteworthy that the Dems are more concerned about a political adversary than about a true enemy of the country, even though we’re not near an election. > [@](#): > > So irrelevant that you can’t even mention it here, for those of us who have no clue what you’re going on about? He’s referring to the fuss over the British intelligence report that Saddam sought to buy African uranium. > [@](#): > > Seems someone is forgeting… They’re _still_ running free! And what’s more, we now have even less of an idea of where they are. True, but they have less freedom to make mischief. > [@](#): > > In other news, terrorism in all areas of the world except South America has held at fairly constant rates since 9/11/01, and there are some quite reasonable points about how the USA’s increasingly offensive measures in the dealing with terrorism is hurting or hindering deffensive measures. Fair point. > [@](#): > > Definatly calls for a cite. (Dennis Kucinich now calls for legislation to ban “mind control” weapons in outer space.) [http://www.subversiveelement.com/MK\_Psychotronic\_weapons.html](http://www.subversiveelement.com/MK_Psychotronic_weapons.html) Actually I tried [Kucinich “mind control”](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&edition=&q=kucinich+%22mind+control%22&btnmeta%3Dsearch%3Dsearch=Search+the+Web) in google and got a whole bunch of hits. > [@](#): > > I don’t know if the Democrats would do better than the current administration, but I certainly don’t think they would do worse. You’re entitled to your opinion, and I thank you for sharing it. However, I think your POV is far from the center on the issue of the war on terror and the Iraq war. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/19 "2003-07-27T01:46:52Z")
Oh, so Republicans are _for_ mind control weapons in outer space. That’s almost enough to make me renounce my membership. Somehow, I can’t actually make myself do it. It’s as if… I have no idea if this strategy will work. I’m pretty far out of the loop of what the “mainstream” thinks. My media contact is pretty much limited to the internet. I know that true believers will certainly buy the spiel, but their votes were already decided. Skeptics will see it as just another bit of agitprop from a regime they already don’t trust. If the Dems can get smoe good ideas out there in an easily digestable form, then this tact won’t sway the swing voters. If the Dems are inarticulate then the Repubs could accuse them of any sort of crucial deficit they like and it’ll fly. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098/20 "2003-07-27T02:35:33Z")
So, this mind control thing, is that, like, a wildly extravagant concept, based on delusional science, with no known basis in physics, math, or ballistics. Would that have any similarity to the Strategic Defense Initiative? How much did Congressman Kucinich propose to spend upon this science fiction fable? Math geeks: what is the approximate ratio of that amount of money in comparison to the great slobbering hunks of money pissed away on Star Wars Bushwah? Extra credit for within a factor of ten. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-delay-says-the-democrats-lack-seriousness-on-foreign-policy/191098.md?page=2)