… The crowd of about 50 smart, well informed and eloquent citizens made all the right points but the response from the elected was the party line, that is, fear that the Blue Dogs, the Dems in conservative southern, midwestern, eastern slopes of the Rockies, etc. districts might lose their elections. …

Suggestions?

I suppose the message at this moment is that things have changed in the last month or two and now it appears there’s a chance, yet to be verified, that we will wipe the Republicans off the map in ‘08 and we can use that as a chip to see if they’ll deal now (especially in the Senate). If they’ll let us take the lead and govern now, then we might be able to pull out of Iraq and stay out of Iran.

That achievement would be worth having some Republicans retain their seats in the next election.

Blue dogs don’t need to fear this issue any more. Holding back might be what gets them beat. Working together to end the war NOW might be the only way to stay in office.

Remember, the public elected Dems in ‘06 to end the war. And, as their frustration mounts they’re going to be LESS likely to re-elect a Blue dog Dem if they keep voting to support Bush.

Richmond @ 71

Boy I would love to see Edwards and Obama come together now with their delegates and numbers and say we will run together as a team.

Do you see either of them being willing to give up top billing on the ticket? If so which one?

Patience. It’ll sort itself out in due time.

BTW, did you see where Hillary and Obama had to give back thousands of bucks to a Mr. Norman Hsu? He’s a businessman, of which nationality I’m not sure, though he’s originally from Hong Kong he’s been living in America for some years. He’s apparently been giving money to a lot of Dems for some years now and there’s at least the appearance of money laundering to break FEC law. Whether he’s bringing in illegal Chinese money isn’t yet clear.

http://online.wsj.com/article/…..10677.html

“If you’re not afraid, you’re a coward.”

Labels: 9/11, Terror, Everywhere terror, Rudi Giuliani, William Kristol

# posted by craig johnson, copyright @ 8/27/2007 5 comments links to this post

As for stunning, the argument they present is towering and obvious and about time. The revision of Israeli history is emphatic. The ways that the lobby has diminished the suffering of the Palestinians and enabled the occupation and settlements are starkly and even emotionally described. Most stunning is the argument that Remnick accepts: the authors’ description of the Iraq disaster as arising from the lobby’s pressure. I study this issue, and yet I turned the pages of this chapter with my mouth open, especially the pages dealing with the manipulation of intelligence, and evidence of Israel’s hand in the WMD lies. It is this section that should and must stir national debate, and now.

[snip]

It is here that true insiders need to come forward and explain what befell us. When Thomas Friedman is quoted in the book, from Ha’aretz, amazingly, as saying the Iraq war originated among 25 neocons within a mile or two of his office, and now Remnick accepts Walt and Mearsheimer’s argument re the neocons, well, honey, the pro-Iraq liberal camp is falling apart; and explaining the Jewish rightwing klatch to the world is important journalistic work that awaits this country in the nightmare of the next few years. – Philip Weiss

I’ve been wondering what it is that Nancy Pelosi is afraid that impeachment inquiries directed at the President and Vice President might unearth… [The Israeli involvement in WMD lies may well even encompass the Valerie Plame leak case, potentially, which is one of the most explosive, yet easily “produced” investigations into grounds for impeachment that is available to a lazy Congress.]

So perhaps this is the answer, or at least a big part of it. “That Foreign Lobby” comes before our Constitution in Washington, D.C.

Http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/

P.S. Thanks to Jonathan Weisman for his helpful exploration of the Democratic caucus problems and their recent internal discussions (I’m glad it made the front page of the Post). I wonder if the “explosive” caucus meeting he describes is the one attended by about 20 Democrats on Saturday before the second FISA vote (mentioned by E.J. Dionne as where Blue Dogs Patrick Murphy and Heath Shuler urged unsuccessfully that Pelosi take a stand in defense of the Constitution), or a full-caucus meeting on Friday before the first FISA vote (mentioned by Jonathan Alter as where John Conyers advocated caving to Bush). We have some more names now, at least, to help apply pressure where it’s needed. As to Constitutional sell-outs Allen Boyd and Lincoln Davis, take a gander at the photographs of the Blue Dogs (backing up Pach @ 29):

http://www.house.gov/ross/BlueDogs/Member Page.html

raven @ 87

OT

CNN reporting nerve gas found in the UN. It’s the kind used in WWI and, oh by the way, Iran reportedly used it in the Iran-Iraq war. Hell, that’s good enough for me, saddle up boys!

WWI gas? Like the kind Britain used against Iraqis when they occupied it in the twenties?

If it’s WWI gas, then it’s not nerve gas, which was discovered in Germany in 1936.

While the poster was right that the Republicans failed to pass the Appropriations bills for FY 2007 (with the exception of the one for Defense), the Democrats didn’t pass them either.

They put a “Continuing Resolution” in place which funded Federal agencies and programs at a percentage of what their full budget would have been.

A Continuing Resolution makes it much easier for the Administration to play with the funds.

Congress should not pass the Supplemental for Iraq. They should rescind the AUMF and any money for the troops in Iraq should be to bring them home.

Congress should force the President to put any money for Iraq in the Defense appropriations bill — no more off-budget finagling.

Thanks for letting me vent.