Some say that the GOP will block the conference committee. Not so fast. Remember who controls Congress: The DNC Committee Chairs. The Chairs in both the House and Senate can agree — before the bills leave their committees — have like bills. There’s no requirement for a Conference committee if the bills that leave committee match in both houses; and remain matching during the debate.

I appreciate the fine discussion. I’m not convinced the DNC leadership is serious about ending its blame of the GOP. If the DNC really wanted to end this war, it could zero-out funds; it could bypass teh Conference committee; and it could do things which make the GOP threats meaningless. What’s wrong with America? The leadership isn’t serious about using all funding options to end what is illegal. That says one thing: America wants to create excuses to keep doing what is wrong.

We’ve changed from post-Civil War days and people have been isolated more from one another. The Internet helps remedy some of that, but it just isn’t enough.

If a bridge falls in Minneapolis it just isn’t feasible for the neighbors to pitch in and build a new one. We need government for that.

How did we get isolated from one another?

Corporations, industry, ultra-efficient agriculture, better transportation…change.

How do we remedy it?

Remember we’re all Americans, we’re all part of a ‘great experiment’ and we all rise together or split apart when some of us rise very far and others can’t.

You see, our economic system is terrific. It allows many of us to do very very well, corporations included. But, human nature being what it is, people don’t always look beyond their own front yard to notice problems elsewhere. That’s another reason we need great communications systems, better news gathering & reporting and analysis and better government. So, the economy works well, some people get wealthier, some don’t, and in that dynamic problems appear.

Over time we work to repair things and it works for a while, but as you move from horse-drawn wagons to automobiles to jet airplanes and iPhones there are likely to be new activities which just weren’t dealt with before. The FISA law discussion is related to that.

So, we keep working on repairing things and hopefully the American Dream keeps on for a long time. But, it takes individuals who look beyond their front yard and who care about the despair and problems of their more distant neighbors.

Who’ll help the trapped Utah miners? Well, the mine owner is already saying it wasn’t his fault. I guess you and I should help out.

It’s weird but I have come over to Hillary in the past week. I saw her at YK07 and watched her last night. Of all of the candidates, she seems like the best prepared. I don’t agree with her on everything. Her IWR vote really rankles me even now. But last night, I think I heard her acknowledge for the first time that not scrutinizing intelligence was a mistake and one that we should never do again. It may be the closest we ever get to an admission of a mistake. Ok, we have to move on.
We need to pick a candidate who can hit the ground running in Jan 2009. She’s ready.

In what direction?

Is it really worth the risk of running Hillary? As a former woolly Rightie I know lots and lots of hard and equally woolly Righties. I have not yet met one who has ’swung’ and voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate in the past who would vote for her in a month of Sundays, and they all offer different reasons for not doing so.

It is critical that focus is maintained and we are ruthless in finiding a candidate who is as close to a shoo-in as one can get.

Is the Party preparing an ad which says “The Republicans — spying on Americans, not Al Qa’eda!”? I hope so.

Those wooly righties would never vote democratic anyway let alone Hillary Clinton. The Right wingers will get a candidate they like or just stay home from voting. However, all the political journalists following campaigns consistently report how Clinton won over the upstate or more conservative voters in New York when she ran successfully for the senate. I think she may be on the road to doing that again.

Watching the post debate analysis, I can’t help wondering how Keith Oberman and David Schuuster keep a straight face when appearing on the same show with Chris Matthews knowing the blogosphere commonly refers to him as Tweety. Cracks me up.

johnSwifty @ 80

She’s been preparing for twenty five years. Of course she’s prepared; but is she going to do what’s necessary to turn the worm? I don’t think so. She’s a status quo vote for the moderate mindset, at best.

Hmmm, can we get away from labeling people left, right or moderate? What’s wrong with rational? For instance, if a Republican had a good idea about something (I know, when pigs fly, but stay with me here) would you reject it just because it came from a Republican? Because I wouldn’t. I think we have to acknowledge that not every Democratic idea that was put into practice in the past was wonderful either.
It’s like what Wes Clark said about diplomacy. You start with principles that everyone can agree on and then work out ways to accomplish your goals. That strikes me as the way Hillary operates and I am comfortable with it.
In any case, no Democrat who takes office in Jan 2009 is going to be able to enact progressive initiatives for a looooong time. The GOP goal was to wreck government and they’ve done a damn good job. Putting it back together is going to be tough and painful. *My* goal is to see that the most competent and prepared person gets elected to do the job. In fact, the demolition is so complete, it may be a good time to lay a new foundation. But I want it done rationally, putting ideology aside in favor of thoughtful planning.
But that’s just me. You may have a different take on it.

What you say seems logical BUT it requires someone who’s looking at things objectively and that IS NOT Hillary. she’s looking at things in terms of what’s best for HER politically

It all comes back to the IWR vote. She can’t claim to have been misled. She had the info and if not she could have requested it

Instead she voted blindly to start a war that has killed 650,000 Iraqis (yeah I know that the likes of her don’t care a damn about those Iraqis) just to make herself look tough

I could NEVER vote for hillary for that reason alone…..and that applies to John edwards as well – another who voted for the war to set himself up politically

I have an idea. Get Faux News to hold a Republican Debate with the members of the AFL-CIO asking the questions. You know to provide a “fair and balanced” take on the issues. I wonder how many of the candidates would show. (After all if you can’t face the American Electorate, how you gonna face the terrasists?). Of those who would attend, how many do you think would make it out alive?

Bahahaha. What a GREAT idea. “Depends” could sponsor, and provide their product to the Repub candidates BEFORE the debate.

We are indeed looking for a real leader. I look at this passel of presidential wannabes with strange detachment. I guess I don’t want to/can’t believe this is as good as it gets. That these are the best of the best.
(sigh)

Barbara, I’m hopelessly EPU’d, but thank you for putting into words something I could not put my fingertips on. I’m lukewarm about all of them. I like John Edwards. I think he has some concept of how things are, as opposed to how we’re told they are. Christy’s right about Dennis Kucinich keeping us honest, too.

I want Al Gore to run more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. At the same time, how in God’s name can I ask him to do it? Whomever wins that office will be in the fight of their life — not only to preserve the country from complete financial collapse, but to save our dying planet. How can any of us expect one man (or woman,) to clean up the aftermath of Hurricane Bush?

Maybe I’m just having a bad day, but I’m tired. I’m discouraged after the FISA vote this weekend. I’m frustrated.

I have to believe this, too, shall pass.
-S

And she REALLY needs to do some cleaning on that one. :o)