What A Party, by Terry McAuliffe: on Homeland Security


George W. Bush: 2004 anti-Bush TV ad: AWOL from National Guard

George Bush got out of college in 1968, the height of the draft. He used his father's contacts to get a spot in the Texas guard. He then wanted to go work on an Alabama senate race. He went to Alabama for one year. He didn't show up [for National Guard duty].

My AWOL attack generated such intense buzz [that the press] asked the President directly if he could defend himself. "I served in the National Guard," Bush said. "I flew F-102 aircraft. I got an honorable discharge. I've heard this ever since I started running for office. I put in my time, proudly so."

Q: "There's no evidence that you reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972."

A: "Yea, they're just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report; otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged."

Bush could not defend himself against my daily AWOL attacks for the simple reason that his past was indefensible. His approval rating fell [that month] from 58% to 50%.

Source: What A Party!, by Terry McAuliffe, p. 4 Jan 23, 2007

Ronald Reagan: 1981: Iranian hostages released 5 minutes after inauguration

Exactly 5 minutes after Reagan was sworn in, the US hostages were finally released after 444 days in captivity. A former National Security Council (NSC) staffer named Gary Sick spent years investigating and put together a strong case that a deal had occurred between Reagan's people and the Iranians to sway the elections by delaying the release of the hostages--and in return for helping Reagan, the Iranians would be rewarded with weapons shipments from Israel.

Let me tell you why I'm sure the Reagan people had a hand in this. First of all, the arms transfers from Israel to Iran began almost immediately after Reagan became President. 2nd, the main defense of the Reagan people was that it would have been too terrible a crime for Reagan to cook up secret deals with the Iranians in violation of US law, but that is just what the Reagan administration did when it sold arms to the Iranians and used the profits to illegally fund the contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Source: What A Party!, by Terry McAuliffe, p. 35-36 Jan 23, 2007

Ronald Reagan: On Iran-Contra: We did not trade weapons for hostages

Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North admitted to taking money from selling weapons to Iran and diverting it to the contras. At first no one could believe Reagan had really gone to such extremes to curry favor with the Ayatollah Khomeni, one of America's biggest enemies. The facts soon became impossible to ignore.

"We did not, repeat, not trade weapons or anything else for hostages--nor will we," Reagan said on national television. "Those who think we have 'gone soft' on terrorism should take up the questions with Colonel Quaddafi. We have not, nor will we, capitulate to terrorists." [But we had]. Pres. Bush pardoned 6 top officials; the pardons stopped two pending cases and nullified one conviction and 3 guilty pleas.

The Iran-Contra affair should be taught in detail to every high school student in America, so we can do a better job of learning from past mistakes. Cynical secret deals with our enemies to win elections will always come back to haunt their perpetrators later.

Source: What A Party!, by Terry McAuliffe, p. 37-38 Jan 23, 2007

Tammy Duckworth: 2004: Lost both legs as helicopter pilot in Iraq

On a visit to Walter Reed Hospital, where many Iraq War Veterans were being treated for serious injuries during the fall of 2003, I will never forget how positive and upbeat these young men and women were, even though, they had received severe injuries. One of the more remarkable women there was Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois National Guard helicopter pilot who lost both legs and full use of her right arm in 2004 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Black Hawk she was flying over the Tigris River. She was determined to get back into the pilot's seat and fly again. Instead, she ended up running for Congress in the western suburbs of Chicago--I am proud to say as a Democrat.
Source: What A Party!, by Terry McAuliffe, p.384-385 Jan 23, 2007

Terry McAuliffe: Soldiers at Walter Reed are upbeat despite injuries

On a visit to Walter Reed Hospital, where many Iraq War Veterans were being treated for serious injuries during the fall of 2003, I will never forget how positive and upbeat these young men and women were, even though, they had received severe injuries. One of the more remarkable women there was Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois National Guard helicopter pilot who lost both legs and full use of her right arm in 2004 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Black Hawk she was flying over the Tigris River. She was determined to get back into the pilot's seat and fly again. Instead, she ended up running for Congress in the western suburbs of Chicago--I am proud to say as a Democrat.
Source: What A Party!, by Terry McAuliffe, p.384-385 Jan 23, 2007

  • The above quotations are from What A Party!
    My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals
    by Terry McAuliffe.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Homeland Security.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Terry McAuliffe on Homeland Security.
  • Click here for more quotes by Bill Clinton on Homeland Security.
Candidates and political leaders on Homeland Security:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019