Fitz

fecund

Fitz

and Ned too!

Fitz

Ms. Rohe belongs in the Harry Taylor Hall of Fame.

Perhaps we do need to start our own Citizen Speak Hall of Fame and start the snowball down the hill collecting all the momentum we can.

Cindy Sheehan
Harry Taylor
Jean Sara Rohe
. . .

NED !!!

Al From of the Democratic Leadership Council is a strong Lieberman guy. Digby quotes him from the NYT in a current posting, and in that article, From calls Lieberman “one of the great statesmen our party has.”

I sent the following message to Al From:

Al From is quoted in the New York Times saying that support for Ned Lamont arises from the sole fact that the Iraq war has gone bad. That is just wrong. Those of us who were anti-war were right, and Al From and Joe Lieberman were wrong. It makes perfect sense to want to rid the Senate and the Democratic Party of people who are consistently wrong, especially when the issue is life and death.

That process is going forward at every level. The center has moved to the far right, thanks to people like From and Lieberman. My considerable dollars are going to vote against that kind of thinking.

This is contact information from the DLC homepage:

http://www.dlc.org/cobrand/contact_us.cfm

Jean Sara Rohe belongs in the FDL hall of fame with Fitz, Ned, Feingold, Gore, Boxer, Harry Taylor(thanks RevDeb), Cindy.

This young woman did herself proud.

McCain is a whore.

that photo continues to make me physically ill: the horrible, uncomfortable and violent vibe between those straight men who are so afraid of other men’s bodies: that don’t-touch-me/i’m-no-fag-you-goddam-faggot armoring, so completely american … cripes, they look so f+cking incapable of being humans …

time for an asian century, please?

Morning Everyone,

Citzen Speak Hall of Fame - that young doctor who told Cheney to go F himself - Ben ???

O/T - 10 sec. video from Ned’s party in case you missed the late nite hoopla
NED

…don’t forget McLameCain recently got into bed with crazy Jerry Falwell and spoke at his psycho factory Liberty University.

Before the war Bob Kerrey wrote an op ed piece advocating a pre-emptive invasion of Iraq. Both he and McCain deserve to be considered NeoCon whores. As far as I’m concerned, the blood of our young men and women dying in Iraq is on their hands.

waive -> wave

Add to that hall of fame, Steve Almond, the adjunct professor who resigned when Condi was selected to speak at Boston College. His letter to the college president was in the Boston Globe:

http://adopt.specificclick.net.....d=19300326

Leslie (#8): Colbert

Good morning, Christy! We missed you at our Ned-Fest last night.

I, personally, would like to shake this young woman’s hand and buy her a beer or something.

“Where no bravery is required”

you mean like admitting to slitting the throats of women and children 32 years after collecting a bronze star, Bob ???

OT - mary cheney live on c-span2 pushing her book (again). said that the media has created the darth vader image of her dad. yeah mary, it’s all the media. C-SPAN2 has the call-in #s up so u can call and ask mary a question.

Lieberman and McCain — trillion dollar men.

http://www.bopnews.com/archives/006404.html#6404

Yesterday, the war died. Not because of the acceptance of an incomplete cabinet for a weak government in Iraq, even as the fatalities mount. But because two of its most arrogant and outspoken proponets suffered humiliations - and they bounced back by proving that the war was all about the people who ordered it, and not about the realities of the situation.

The fact is that Lieberman and McCain are both in a very select club - that of trillion dollar men. Men whose bad judgement has cost more than a trillion dollars each - and on more than one occasion. McCain was personally involved in the S&L meltdown - which, when one totals bailout, interest and lost productivity came to over a trillion dollars to clean up. Lieberman isn’t just an Iraq booster, but the architect of the Department of Homeland Security - a bloated byzantine maze of incompetence which could not even protect New Orleans from the results of a clearly expected disaster.

Brief aside: It should be “sign-wavers in the audience”. Unless the people signed a waiver that they would be foregoing signs, right?

That made me dizzy.

i’m gonna be the contrarian here. I don’t like what McCain has been doing lately either, and I sure won’t support him in any way.
But i think we need to try remember one thing: both McCain and Kerrey paid a big price fighting for this country. McCain, with his years in a POW camp and, Kerrey, with at least one leg.
We can disagree with them strongly without using insulting language. That’s what wingnuts do. We do owe these men respect.
Jean Sarah Rowe did it right. We need to do it that way too.

Thes at 20 — Thanks. That’s my third typo correction in that single phrase. First it was “sing-waivereres.” Then “sign-waivers.” I swear, I should not blog until I’ve had at least half a pot of coffee on the weekends. I’m having a crappy arthritis hands day today, and I’m afraid it’s just doomed to be typo central. I’m just glad you guys catch them. *g*

psycho factory Liberty University

twolf1: I predict tornadoes (help, Dan Quayle) (and hey, why isn’t Quayle spelled like quail?) will lash you and tsunamis will fill your living room with evul creatures from the deep…careful out there!

If McCain’s aim is to court the far right, then the heckling will actually have helped him.

“Poor John. A war hero got heckled by rude kids.”

“If those New York Jewish liberals hate him, then I guess he really is one of us.”

BTW, Fahrender, being a war hero at one moment in one’s life is no guarantee of a lifetime of wisdom and probity. One word: Cunningham.

CT Bob ran a correction on the Lieberman sushi story:

I was mistakenly advised that Lieberman was serving sushi, when in fact it was burgers and booze they were pushing on their reluctant constituents.

You might want to run a correction (although your graphic was hilarious). Or you can take the LBJ route, ‘Lyndon, we can’t prove that!” the naive manager is supposed to have protested. “Of course we can’t,” said LBJ. “But we can make the son-of-a-bitch deny it.’ Lieberman’s campaign may smell like dead fish but his campaign tent was filled with charred bovine flesh, not raw fishees.

Cindy Sheehan
Harry Taylor
Jean Sara Rohe

A few more:

*Stephen Colbert

*Dr. Marble(of F-you Mr. Cheney fame)

*Ray McGovern

fahrender at 21 — which is exactly why I pointed out what she did. I’ve always felt that you catch more flies with honey — even very emphatic and pointed bits of honey — than you do with all the vinegar in the world. I agree with you that both of them — and a whole host of other past and current veterans — have paid an enormous price for the choices made by our government. I think that Ms. Rohe was exactly right with tone and facts, and that’s exactly why I applauded her efforts this morning. Well done, indeed.

Flamethrower - Well, hopefully I am safe for now. I am (reluctantly)watching Mary Cheney on CSPAN2 so that will ward them off for now. Kos is supposed to be on later so that is when I will most likely meet my divine demise.

Mary Cheney on hunting with her dad - “He is one of the safest people I have been hunting with.”

I guess she hasn’t been hunting very much.

i suggest adding charlie rangel

he’s among few who have the cojones to want universal conscription — do you think our leaders would have taken us into iraq had their own offspring been at risk? — can you see the bush twins going off to fight in daddy’s war? — can you see hillary posing as a warrior if her daughter had to enlist?

As to McCain.

I think it is incumbent on every liberal and progressive and Democrat to remind anyone of the same that John McCain is NOT a maverick. he is a self described “Conservative Republican” who has supported Bush whenever push came to shove.

Even when he supposedly behaved as a maverick by pushing against torture–Bush merely used a signing statement to null and void that.

John McCain is a very conservative Republican–not a liberal–an iconoclast–not a progressive.

-GSD

Oversight.
Accountability.

Thank God for musicians who will teach about these words, since Congress evidently doesn’t know what they mean.

Markos Moulitsas live on CSPAN-2 now - from D.C. book expo

So Bob Kerrey (who was a Democrat when he was a Senator, IIRC) is put out about heckling “where no bravery is required.” How much bravery is required to order the slaughter a whole Vietnamese village?

Redd(#27): Thanks. Passion is important. Tempered by reason shouldn’t be forgotten.

Scarabus (#24): True, but Duke Cunningham is no John McCain. Cunningham is a venal criminal. John McCain has just hugged a criminal.

I think Kerrey’s right. The students at the new school would show more courage if they spent their time trying to oust the war criminal who’s running the the place.

McCain=BobKerrey=LOSERS
McCain is just beginning to get what he deserves. NO RESPECT. Did he actually think by going to the New School he could rejuvenate his straight-talker” meme?
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
Not there. They got him good. A friend of mine told me,(who was there), the booing was so loud, that McCain didn’t even bother to stop he just read his speech without any emotion to get it over with, and leave.

John McCain is a sellout and opportunist. He rants and raves about pork and is a pig himself– a preeminent DoD pig. He is a bloodthirsty savage and bush embracer. He had my admiration and respect in another less informed life.

Kos is doing a great job!

Kind of interesting. Don’t think McCain got booed at Liberty- did he? Not sure how this affects him- probably burnishes his credentials with the wingnuts more than the Liberty speech did. Now he’s a martyr. Funny as hell.

Domenech (#34): I suppose you’ve fought in a lot of wars, Ben? Were you there? Do you know what actually happened? I do not condone shooting any civilians unless they are truly dangerous criminals. If Bob Kerrey did what you claim, he should be tried in a courts martial. Not at FDL.

John McCain’s quiet in the face of what Rumsfeld is doing to the military, and his fellow soldiers is not worthy of being a hero of any sort. Once a hero by getting shot down and surviving, does not make the man one can look up to.

I honor all soldiers and their sacrifice for the time they served. However, the evil of power has washed all over McCain and he has lost all his shine of heroism.

I don’t like using the word “oversight.” It has one too many possible definitions.

OT - here’s a funny foto of chimpy
http://tinyurl.com/g9zk7

McCain is cursed by being the gooper leader for the White House with 2 1/2 years to go. He is going to find out that riding point with a pack of goopers behind him is a dangerous game.

Iraq has it’s new govt. The new govt. says it will establish a timetable for US withdrawal from the country! Take that Clusterfuck!

The students at the new school would show more courage if they spent their time trying to oust the war criminal who’s running the the place.

That’s exactly what they are doing. By heckling McCain, the far right hand in the department of Bush Apologists, the New Schoolers are hitting BushCo where it hurts most — peeling off the itty bitty veneer of John McCain’s credibility.

This is right out of Rove’s playbook — attack your opponent’s strength, not their weakness. Johnny Mac’s cred as an independent maverick is one of the few lines of defense Bush has; expose him as the pandering fraud that he is, and we are that much closer to the Boyz in the Bunker.

Fahrender -

Your point on respect is well taken and not contrarian at all - No one here is discounting the sacrifices these men made
And,
McCain and Kerrey both virtually stood aside when another man who sacrificed in Vietnam was swiftboated -

they continue their advocacy of Bush’s War with over 2400 dead and 20,000 wounded and maimed for life, untold numbers exposed to DU, and a generation of soldiers facing untreated PTSD

“We who have witnessed the obscenity of war and experienced It’s horror and terrible consequences have an obligation to rise above our pain and suffering and turn the tragedy of our lives into a triumph.” - Ron Kovic

OT but too good to not read.

‘Sharm El-Sheikh’

http://billmon.org/

Reading Billmon’s Egyptian adventure is an ‘ultimate luxury’.

Way off topic, but thought you all might like to know that now that your herd press is showing signs of breaking free, it appears that the Office of Special Plans Whirlitzer has moved North:

Last night the (Canadian) National Post ran a story informing us that Iran was on the verge of forcing its Jewish and Christian citizens to wear coloured badges in public so they would be identified as non-Muslims. Quite a few media outlets picked up the story, all sourced to the Post. And a lot of bloggers picked up the story, mostly to take it at face value and scream and gnash their teeth about that horrible Iranian regime (not that they’re particularly nice guys).

{Snip}

But independent reporter Meir Javedanfar, an Israeli Middle East expert who was born and raised in Tehran, says the report is false.
“It’s absolutely factually incorrect,” he told The New 940 Montreal.
“Nowhere in the law is there any talk of Jews and Christians having to wear different colours. I’ve checked it with sources both inside Iran and outside.”

{Snip}

The Post story was credited to unnamed Iranian expatriates. I’d pull a quote to prove it, but the link now seems to give me a blank page. Funny, it was there this morning. Let’s try a link to the print version of the story. Oops, “This story is no longer available.”

There are obviously a fair number of people who are in a hurry to create a crisis where Iran is concerned. And there are obviously a lot of people who have already forgotten the con job that was pulled in the run up to the invasion of Iraq and the role that expatriates played in the propaganda. Either that or they’d like us to forget.

___
* The National Post is a vile rag that was started by the Marauder himself, Conrad Black, back when his goal was to erase the 49th parallel. It is now owned by paragons of truthiness the magnificent AsperSons.

.

rwcole #45 - BushCo says that with the new government, they expect the violence (which has been in it’s last throes) to subside. Hmmmm, I seem to remember hearing that a couple times before.

McCain knows that his position on the war is:

1) Necessary to win the gooper nomination.

2) Quite likely a kiss of death as the war grows increasingly unpopular-

So what’s a gooper to do? In the end- supporting this war is quite likely to brand politicians as lacking in the judgement necessary to be president. McCain knows this- and realizes that he may have to eventually admit that he was wrong- a cardinal gooper sin.

Yeah the new govt. is GW Clusterfuck’s last chance to say “Now we’ve got it under control”. It won’t last long.

GSD #26~
Helen Thomas

All praise to Ms. Rohe, but isn’t “half-assed” a bit feeble as a description of Bush’s government?

Christy Hardin Smith notes that Ms. Rohe did it exactly right with her remarks concerning McCain’s speech yesterday at the New School graduation ceremony in Madison Square Garden. Hat tip to you Christy, for reminding us that “I’ve always thought you catch more flies with honey…than you do with vinegar in the world.” Ms. Rohe at her young age seems to have learned this lesson very well. Diplomacy, persuasion, humility, understanding, respect for those with whom one disagrees, empathy, being open minded, agreeing to disagree and perhaps above all, kindness, is what I think democracy is all about. Nasty sarcasm and vituperatively framed arguments are self-defeating, destructive, and inevitably doom open and productive discourse. Appreciating the other person’s, perhaps opposing viewpoint, and respecting same, is indelibly essential to a feeling of well being, and a sense of freedom. Maybe, to make a long story short, it’s about the “golden rule”.

RWCole,

Re: Iraq.

The goalposts have been moved off the field and into the highway leading to the field.

No more “benchmarks” to crow about about.

Even Mary Cheney, daughter of the man who shotgunned a 75 year old man in the face and then didn’t report it for two days…..even Mary was sounding a little tired of the “Happy Iraqi voters” talking point.

-GSD

“We can disagree with them strongly without using insulting language. That’s what wingnuts do. We do owe these men respect.
Jean Sarah Rowe did it right. We need to do it that way too.”

Well said.

Kerrey paid a price rarely mentioned.

His guilt brought on depression only seen by his friends. Very few knew about his depression and, I, for one, was quite relieved with his public mea culpa about the Vietnamese village and his SEAL team.

I think Bob is to be commended with his public outing of guilt and his bravery for fighting such demons will never be fully known.

Kerrey’s paper advocating invading Iraq was based on administration lies. Rather than conflating Kerrey with scum like Miller, Leiberman, et.al. perhaps we should consider those “trusting, yet did not verify” in a separate category. Just sayin’

J says 53 - Maybe one-third-assed? or 29%-assed?

and let us not forget the brave soul who, in the aftermath of katrina, said “go fuck yourself, mr. cheney…go fuck yourself,” on national televsion.

McCain has morphed his war herioism into the worst of kind of character trait displayed on the political scene today, brazenly selling his soul to achieve higher office. He must think the people in this country are fools not to assess what he is doing. Thats what is so insulting, and frankly obscene. But then again, most of the politicains think we are fools., The proof???… the reelection of the messianic buffoon in the white house who thinks our Constitution “is just another god damned piece of paper”.

Looks as if we are going to see a government in the US that is even more deeply divided after November. Whoever controls the senate and the house will do so with a margin of two or three seats. The war in Iraq will still be blazing away- even after Chimpy McClusterfuck makes some token troops withdrawals and sents em to the Mexican border to sit and watch the illegals pour through.

So how’s the whole thing going to look in 07? Congress will spend 24 hours a day yellin at each other and calling names- the misbegotten war in Iraq will continue- and will become increasingly unpopular- the housing bubble will burst- the stock market will subside- inflation will be a problem- the economy will weaken- and neither party will have solutions that make any sense. The goopers are stuck in their positions- barring the entree of a new voice. The dems will scream for getting rid of Clusterfuck’s tax cuts and winding down the Iraq conflict- but nothing will happen.

We are in the middle of a very ugly part of american history- and the people who bear the responsibility are the voters- who demand that they be lied to. Sick.

Whoever wins in 08 loses-

whj#58~
that would be Dr Ben Marble

Anyone who believed the Adminitration’s lies wasn’t doing his homework. The truth was lying all around — in editorials, in the U.N., by officers speaking out. But Kerry and many other dems like him, believed the Administration, or chose to for some reason, and 2400 good sons and daughters are dead, and the families of over 17,000 Americans are dealing with disabilities beyond our imagination, PLUS, are deficit’s are beyond repair without some rastic retrenching.

And much of the world hates us.

So those who believed the lies, when many others did not, have something to account for in my mind. My heart is extremely heavy knowing the burden our soldiers are carrying. Murtha has owned up to his error and is trying everything he can to set the record straight. Has Kerry?

My upset at Lieberman does not lessen with those dems who served and still went along with the war dreams.

thanks, leslie. dr. ben marble is also a hero.

saw something interesting in the CNN coverage of McCain’s speech at Liberty -

a soundbite from Rev. Falwell when asked about McCain as opportunist- not exact quote -

‘He may be trying to co-opt our value voters as a means to the WH, like GWB did’

I italicized ‘co-opt’ b/c I could not tell from his inflection, what his connotation was - considering how grumbly the fundies are right now, he could’ve been slamming Chimpy - if that’s the case, Mehlman’s gonna need more pearls

We can already see that the straight talk express is running off the rails.

McCain can’t tell the truth and get elected. HE KNOWS the truth- all of em do. The tax cuts are bad fiscal policy. The war in Iraq was a tragic mistake. The oil price issue will only get worse- the housing bubble is in the process of popping.

Goopers MUST engage in happy talk. It’s required- and Happy Talk doesn’t solve anything- it dooms the happy talker to a dysfunctional status quo. We are mired- quicksand is sucking us into the bowels of the earth- and politicians can do nothing about it- even though the solutions are self evident.

The tools politicians use to gain power- fear- the flag- and religious fervor- are now chains that keep them from objective problem solving.

Meanwhile, the PINO travels to Arizona and rides around in a dune buggy. Fuckin insane.

Here’s my leter to the DLC

My support will be for Ned Lamont not Senator Lieberman as for why, Senator Lieberman has failed in moving forward any of the Democratic party agenda, and when his vote was needed he more often than not sided with the opposition. Also he has failed to preform his duty he has not provided or made a serious call for oversight of the Bush administartion’s policies. This is a duty as a constitutional officer it’s what he swore to do to uphold the constitution, well Senator Lieberman has been little more than a sellout giving lip service, while selling his vote to the opposition. Also when asked if he would support the who ever won a primary for the democrat nomination he was not forth coming as a democrat, he evaded the question and made comments to suggest if he didn’t win the primary he would run as an independent, this should have cut off any support you have for Senator Lieberman but if you wish to back a traitor to our party then thats your choice, you live with Senator Loserman I want something better for my daughter.

Ditto, GrandmaJ @ 61!

By 2008, the key issues in this country will be economic. Goopers will have to stick to their arguments that tax cuts solve everything- that’s the only semblance of an economic plan they have.

Unfortunately- the truth is ugly and involves sacrafice by the whole nation- which means that NO ONE will have the courage to say it.

And let’s add to the list those musicians who put their careers on the line to speak out through their art:

The Dixie Chicks

Neil Young

Steve Earle

Pink (yes, Pink!)

Bruce Springsteen

Kanye West

and of course, the great Bob Dylan, because everyone, young and old, knows “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Grandma J,

It is now over 18,000 Americans wounded.

-GSD

Christy, wonderful picture of McCain, capturing his supine nature and the true spirit of Republican presidential politics. I bet Frist would pose on his knees. And, in that direction, Adam, the Art Director at Down With Tyranny (whose been on a drinking binge for 3 weeks and hasn’t been doing any art lately) came up with another way of looking at McCain’s political posture (http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2006/05/new-school-graduation-ceremony-erupts.html).

GSD #26, et al…

I recall a Harry Truman quote that goes something like this…

“Give ‘em hell? I just tell the truth, and they think it’s hell!”

OT but was hoping to read on my patio about Leopold’s “outed” sources this AM with my coffee-and about Luskin’s cat - *sigh* all I am hearing is crickets.

fahrender at 21:
Unfortunately, McCain is my Senator. I have never voted for him, I will NEVER vote for him. It is high time that everyone actually SEE what kind of man he is.
My previous comment on McCain:
Katymine comment on McCain

I come from a military family, not the acadamy type. Both parents are WWII Vets, Uncle Vet of 3 wars, sister - USAF, Ex-husband - USAF, 4 cousins - Vietnam vets. Between them all 3 out of the 4 branches were served.

I do not negate McCains military service. But what he did and survived during Vietnam does not give him a right to skate through life on that record.

McCain’s statements DO NOT match his voting record (gee where does that also apply?). He consistantly votes uber-Neo-Con. He also is a uber-War Hawk.
Now lets compare McCain to Cunningham, both Vietnam war heros, both served our country well and then ran for congress.

Or now compare McCain to Murtha, again, both served well, ran for congress but WHO is it standing up against the war and for our military? Who is it who is saying that if something is NOT done soon, will not have much of a military left?

Now let me relate to you an incident last year. I was really pissed after Kyl voted against the Murry amendment to fund Veteran benefits which directly affected all my senior Vet family members and this was also at the height of those stupid “support our troops” car magnits. I put together a letter in PDF format listing what it means to “support our troops and then listing Kyl’s NO votes against funding for active duty and Vets. I handed these out at DFA meetings, District meetings and posted on our local DFA website. Even handed one to General Wesley Clark when he was here in June. This letter was party neutral. It was Arizonians support our troops, why don’t you?

The Outcome? Kyl had a webpage added to his site, I heard that those letters flooded his Phoenix office by the hundreds. The best part was hearing from a mother of a service man who was in Iraq thanking me for creating the letter campaign.

I got off track. Just because you have a heros military record does not mean that can carry you through life. Yes he did serve, great, thank you. But there is the rest of your life that counts too. My WWII vet father who was one of 11 who survived the second wave on Tarawa, served on town counsils, led Eagle scout troops, and at 82 he board member of his towns Habitat Chapter. He continues to BE his values.

Now as to Kerry….The 2004 Ohio election returns were not contested by Kerry, this after so many contradictions of Ohio voter polls, the history of what happened in Florida, the conflict of interest of the voting apparatus by Ohio secretary of state Blackwell, (the republican election spearhead figurehead for Bush in Ohio) .. and this after Kerry himself was overheard to say that the white house was run by a bunch of crooks. If ever there was prima facie evidence to contest the vote in Ohio, that was the time..But no,… he conceded the day after the election… with no fight whatsoever! The fire in the belly was not there, so, he doesn’t deserve another bite at the worm infested apple..His continued defense of giving Bush authority to go to war, underlines the point as to why he doesn’t deserve another chance to run for the presidentcy. A patrician lightweight it turns out, and another example how politics corrupts war hero principles..Move over McCain.

rev deb: let’s not forget to include the gentleman that told Deadeye to “go fuck yourself” for the citizen’s Hall of Fame.
Can’t remember his name. Young doctor.

No one here is going to vote for McCain anyway- so it doesn’t much matter what he does in terms of our support. What’s interesting is whether he can get the gooper nomination- can he develop credentials with the zealots? I wonder. For some reason, the zealots believe GW Clusterfuck from the beginning- they never really bought into Clusterfuck Sr. or Dole. Don’t know what the secret is- but apparently you have to convince em that you are one of em. Not easy for a sane person.

The greens sponsored a recount of Ohio- in which not much showed up as I recall. If there was serious cheating- apparently the cheaters covered their tracks. Not much Kerry could have done about it.

rw - 77,

It’s easy, just stop taking your meds, and remember that it’s cool to be stupid.

Oh, and have a huge propaganda apparatus in place to push your message, and undercut all who oppose in a way that allows you to appear out of the fray.

Growing Number of GOP Seats In Doubt
Vulnerability Seen In Unusual Places
By Michael D. Shear and Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, May 20, 2006; Page A01 “VIRGINIA BEACH, May 19 — When some of the country’s top political handicappers drew up their charts of vulnerable House incumbents at the beginning of this year, Rep. Thelma D. Drake (R-Va.) was not among them. Now she is….”

katymine– tis powerful stuff you wrote! give your dad a hug from me!

give yourself a hug, too!

Grandma J - Bravo!

And you’ve highlighted one of the big differences between American political culture and the one “over here” - In general Americans are IMO way too deferential to their public officials. It’s way past time for people to say what you’ve said and the way you said it. Firmly and politely. If that doesn’t work - mockery.

As to McCain and every other vet who is a politician. How does past service cover for current misdeeds or cowardice? Everybody on capitol except either the wilfully self-deluded or the wickedly uncaring knows what’s wrong, and why. How many more have to be maimed for the likes of them.

They’re addicted to the two most powerful drugs in the world, power and sycophancy. Time for them to do some cold turkey.

You have to wonder what would have happened had a dem won in 04 and tried to withdraw from Iraq. Could have led to the permanent gooper majority that Rove dreams of.

When you realize that we are still fighting the civil war and the war in Vietnam- you see that the psychological effect of wars is very deep and very long term. Moving out of them too soon can be nearly as dangerous as starting them in the first place.

Hitler rose to power on the argument that the German govt. surrendered prematurely in WW1. A withdrawal from Iraq by a dem before the people are ready could have similar consequences.

O/T John Casper you have email from me

I’m glad that people are discovering that McCain is nothing more than a phony. Too bad the media still hasn’t.

Probably the best way out of Iraq is to be kicked out by the Iraqis- something the new govt. is promising to do. What’s the response to that? In terms of domestic US politics, can’t see how there could be one. Don’t think even the goopers would advocate an overthrow of the elected Iraqi govt to force them to let us stay. There’s no appeal..

A wise politician would be behind the scenes pressuring the Iraqis to kick our asses out of their country.

Ditto what angie said in 81 katymine.
The Bloody Battle of Tarawa, 1943
“Tarawa is located approximately 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. It isn’t an island but a series of barren islets formed by the exposed tips of a submerged mountain sticking above the waters of the blue sea. The military importance of Tarawa lay in its strategic location at the gateway of the US drive through the central Pacific towards the Philippines.
The largest of Tarawa’s islets is Betio measuring less than 3 miles in length and 1/2 mile in width. Here, the Japanese built an airstrip defended by 4,700 troops dug into a labyrinth of pillboxes and bunkers interconnected by tunnels and defended by wire and mines. The task of dislodging this force fell to the Marines of the 2nd Division. The resulting struggle produced one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles in Marine history
The landings began on November 20 and immediately ran into trouble. Coming in at low tide, the assault boats were forced to disgorge their men far from shore. Wading through waist-deep water over piercing, razor-sharp coral, many were cut down by merciless enemy gunfire yards from the beach. Those who made it ashore huddled in the sand, hemmed in by the sea to one side and the Japanese to the other.
The next morning, reinforcements made the same perilous journey bringing with them tanks and artillery. By the end of the day the Marines were able to break out from the beach to the inland. The fierce combat continued for another two days.
The cost of victory was high for the Marines who suffered nearly 3,000 casualties. The toll was even higher for the Japanese. Of the 4,700 defenders, only 17 survived. Their willingness to fight to the last man foreshadowed the fierceness of the battles to come

McCain’s got a tough act to pull off here. In order to get the gooper nomination, he has to wear a Chimpy McClusterfuck mask- in order to get elected- he has to wear an anti-chimpy McClusterfuck mask. He’s gonna get tired with all the costume changes.

Gee RW I can tell you’re just heartbroken for him … bless your tender heart ;-)

OT.

A quote from the only Jewish parlimentarian in Iran:

(Snip)

“Such a bill was never introduced in the parliament,” said Maurice Motammed, Iran’s only Jewish deputy who represents Iran’s community of 25,000 Jews, on state television today. “Iranian minorities benefit from the same liberties and social rights as other people.’

(End o’ snip)

Not that I have any qualified support for the relgious fascists that run Iran, but, harang them on the merits and not on made up stories. There are plenty of crappy things to highlight, like the persecution of gays, without making inflammatory and false claims.

As to the Republicans, they are in dire straits when it comes to 2006.

My general theory is they like George Allen as their first pick…..so if Webb or Miller can topple him, there goes Georgie.

Romney is appealing but he is a Mormon and the theocrats won’t vote for him, period.

Giuliani has some nice fascist leanings but he better get tough on the gays abandon abortion support pronto or he is DOA.

McCain is old hat.

-GSD

Look for Michael Bloomberg to pull a Perot and run as an Independant. Despite all of his shilling of late for Repubes, he is far better than anything the right has to offer.

McCain’s campaign positioning statement- I’m a chimp- but a SANE chimp.

And yet…tune in to any talking head show, and there will always be one person, with whom the others agree, who refers to McCain as a “maverick,” and a “straight-talker.” It’s apparently a conditioned response, because it continues to be said even as it becomes clear that McCain is pimping himself out for votes.

But, we all know that it’s all about perception. Somehow, McCain has continued to ride the “maverick” perception, even as he has found his way back into the arms of the man - Bush - whose campaign smeared him, and his family, mercilessly - and back into the arms of another man he called “dangerous.”

Anyone wonder whether McCain will change his speech? I think giving the same speech wherever you’re speaking is pretty lame, and diminishes the honor and pride college graduates deserve on their special day. If I were graduating from college #4 on the McCain College Tour, I’d be offended that this so-called maverick was just phoning it in. But that’s me.

The major Dems supporting Lieberman must need laser eye surgery and hearing aids, as they are clearly having difficulty seeing and hearing what is going on. Or maybe it’s just that someone needs to come to grips with the fact that Bill Clinton may have been the only Democrat capable of making the DLC-style campaign work for him and acknowledge that it’s time to let it go.

Good for Ned Lamont, and good for Jean Sara Rohe. A fresh wind is blowing through the country, and I’m hopeful that it is taking the stale and slightly smelly air with it.

New thread kids

Thanks mfi, nice pics.

“Their willingness to fight to the last man foreshadowed the fierceness of the battles to come.”

To any lunatic advocating a “limited bombing campaign” of Iran, note the above quote.

Some people will fight till the death or to the last man to defend their nation. Don’t look at bombing Iran as an end of the nuclear program, look to it as the beginning of the Iranian retribitions.

-GSD

OK kiddo in post #54 talked of the “golden rule.” And didn’t Helen Thomas recently write a piece asking where the Christians are? Christian Left mobilizes.

Times they are certainly a-changin’

and dont forget, while new orleans drowned, there was mccain eagerly waiting at the foot of the air force one staircase with a cake:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news.....-515h.html

Umm…(34)…Christy, did you catch that one?

Rayne at 100 — I did.

just to note; your photo links are broken since yesterday after your server issue. I haven’t seen a photo since the day before on your site

Did you read all of Bob Kerrey’s remarks? Or would that have prevented you from lumping him into the same category as McCain? From The Nation: “At the beginning of the event, New School President, and former Senator, Bob Kerrey predicted a raucous affair. “Our founding purpose is proudly liberal,” he said. “We began as an act of protest.” And this: “Well, we’re having fun now, aren’t we?” Kerrey cracked before introducing McCain. Please tell the whole story, not just the part that suits your agenda.

Dems seem to have lost some steel. Give-em-hell Harry knew that dropping those bombs was the right thing to do. It was only the second one that pushed the Militarist maniacs into surrender.
Then there was the ‘ Daisy spot’ ad campaign against Goldwater. Blew the fascist son-of-bitch out of the water in one hit. Todays Dems ( with honorable exceptions noted inc Murtha) seem to cower before the slightest redeeming or minority feature of Team Bush while being steamrollered, ratfucked, swiftboated and slamdunked seven ways to sunday - well no more. Tell them the outlaw justice posse is here - tell them justice is here and to hell with this last evil empire.

If they’re “proudly liberal” McCain wouldn’t have been invited to be the fucking janitor!

After selling their souls to the devil, the current administration and it’s enablers like McCain has made promises to sell ours. The longer we remain silent and do nothing to oust these criminals, the blacker our souls become. They have already turned the Statue of Liberty from a shining beacon to the whore of Babylon. Now we are it’s captive servants.

The ironic part of complaining about Kerrey’s inviting McCain to speak is that it actually gave Rohe and everyone else there an opportunity to talk back, something that has been so rare, given the administration’s tax-payer-funded, invite-only, must-sign-loyalty-oath events. Would the event have been as newsworthy or powerful with a more liberal speaker? Jodie Foster apparently gave a stirring speech at Penn (to students who’d complained about her choice, too!) but it didn’t create the same opportunity for others to speak their minds.

Let’s hope that there are a lot more opportunities just like the one at The New School in the near future, precisely because even if they spin them, the MSM cannot completely ignore them. And then, if necessary, the progressive side of the blogosphere can take them to task for shoddy analysis.

The ice-breakers (Sheehan, Colbert, McGovern) have reclaimed some of the oxygen… while really inspiring others, and notice their diversity: a grieving mom turned activist, a devastating comedian, and a career intelligence officer. We really do have a bigger tent.

My favorite part was hearing about the turned backs, a form of protest that’s universal. “Speak to the back…”

I’m really proud of this young woman. A 21 year old music major who was on deck for a jazz vocal contribution to the ceremony, she spontaneously made a remarkably poised and articulate statement.

Farender