Good morning Attaturk.

Just got up to Some smarmy Georgia congresscritter on MSNBC, blathering about Obama not wearing a lapel pin and Dan Abrams actually called him on the fact that he was not wearing one. Abrams actually asked if that was all he had. Maybe there is hope? Nah.

We (Cbl and me) have begun to push back. The Austin American Statesman phoned Cbl yesterday to let her know that one of her letters to the editor will run this week. After several minutes of conversation the caller asked her if she would submit an op ed piece.

We have also started letting advertisers know that we will no longer be using their products if they choose to continue supporting serial disinformers. Not much but our only voice is our money.

I’m heartened that Obama’s counterpunch pointing out McCain’s original fallacy was broadcast one after the other on our local news programs.

If Barack Obama can continue to react this quickly and this effectively, the upcoming general election campaign will be fun to watch.

1,771 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Attaturk and the earyl mornin’ crazy Firepup Freedom Fighters:

I think John Stewart inoculated Obama against the “Hussein” repetition by repteatin’ it several times durin’ the Oscars. Obama has shown to be especially adroit at cuffin’ back slime and inuendo…this guy is incredibly disciplined and has the chops ta take a punch and counter without finchin’. These pathetic trolls won’t lay a glove on ‘im…he’s got a majority invested in ‘im already, it would take a heinous crime of immorality in the street ta spearate the masses from their new hero.

The only thing that ken stop the long, tall Kenyan-American is a bullet…we can’t let ‘em take this one away from us.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, WE GOTTA GET THIS GUY’S BACK!!

~~~ModNote: Let’s keep the grisly imagery to a minimum.~~~

Settle on in Mr. McCain.

It’s gonna be a long year.

McCain Resurrected
The Arizona Senator has gone from laughingstock to presumptive nominee by campaigning for World War III. So why do conservatives fear him?

MATT TAIBBI

No matter how moderate McCain seems on domestic issues, on the issue of war he’s stark raving mad. He’s a wounded, crusading Ahab, and civilian command and diplomatic restraint are his Great White Whale. If he gets put in charge of a Middle Eastern war that is easily widened, it’s whirlpool time for all of us.

In a wider sense, McCain’s candidacy is a referendum on America’s fantastic self-image when it comes to our use of force. He is offering voters the chance to re-litigate these failures (both military and moral) in Vietnam and Iraq that muddle the cinematic happy ending. When I ask Sam Wilder, a sixty-eight-year-old veteran who supports McCain, if he thinks occupying Iraq is a good way to persuade Muslims not to attack us, he scoffs.

“We’re not an occupying force,” he says.

“How’s that?” I ask. “We invaded the country and occupied it. We’re ruling a foreign country by force. That’s the definition. . . .”

“We’re there training their force,” Wilder says.

“But we’re also there occupying the country,” I say. “In an objective sense, we’re occupying. A hundred thousand people are dead.”

“Well,” he says, “that wasn’t the idea.”

“Well,” he says, “that wasn’t the idea.”

I’m sure that is very reassuring to the hundreds of thousands of dead people.

Norske, stop with the bullet references bro, we all know it and it doesn’t help to keep saying it. Please

“John McCain may like to say he wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but so far all he’s done is follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq,” he said.

Can you say it more clearly than that? Old John McCain is a war-monger, pure and simple. He wants to send American soldiers to die in Iraq to win a war — for what? Oil? Empire? Israel? WMD’s? Freedom and democracy? Or just plain American imperialism? Or most likely, stupidity. Albeit avaricious, oil-greedy, imperialistic stupidity. Does America really want to elect a President with the motto — “Stupidity Uber Alles”? That’s John McCain.

It was a great response to John Sydney McCain.Delivered fast and reported widely.Better than Kerry did for his entire campaign ,but that was ages ago .
Maybe things can change,maybe not .

OK, Raven, we’ll pretend…whistle a happy tune and don’t think bad thoughts…well, damn man, we’ve done that before and ended up lettin’ the bastards get away with murder. But ok, brother, I’ll not remind folks that we have a bigger responsibility here ta not take any of this shit sittin’ down and pretendin’ that it ain’t happenin’…ok, but I won’t stop remindin’ folks that it’s not jest Obama’s job ta counter the verbal and rhetorical hits…we gotta do it everywhere and remind our brothers and sisters that we can’t let it happen again.

Aw man, you know I think about all the time, ask my old lady.

Penultimate paragraph - Sunni MINORITY!!

George Will on the case!

In 2001, McCain, a situational ethicist regarding “big money” in politics, founded the Reform Institute to lobby for his agenda of campaign restrictions. It accepted large contributions, some of six figures, from corporations with business before the Commerce Committee (e.g., Echosphere, DISH Network, Cablevision Systems Corp., a charity funded by the head of Univision). The Reform Institute’s leadership included Potter and two others who are senior advisers in McCain’s campaign, Rick Davis and Carla Eudy.

Although his campaign is run by lobbyists; and although his dealings with lobbyists have generated what he, when judging the behavior of others, calls corrupt appearances; and although he has profited from his manipulation of the taxpayer-funding system that is celebrated by reformers — still, he probably is innocent of insincerity. Such is his towering moral vanity, he seems sincerely to consider it theoretically impossible for him to commit the offenses of appearances that he incessantly ascribes to others.

Such certitude is, however, not merely an unattractive trait. It is disturbing righteousness in someone grasping for presidential powers.

Clarified now I hope. I mean Anbar Province. Thanks for noting the confusing sentence.

Great piece by the way - I just got a bit confused - it reads much better now!

Meanwhile, Obama, at a rally greater than 10,000 surrounded by a vast field of enthusiastic supporters, a mosaic of all ages, races, and ethnicities responds with three paragraphs of unvarnished truth and it actually gets reported.

Comments to that reporting were pretty interesting as well.

Morning Attaturk. Morning “my friends” let me tell you we have won the war in Iraq. When Saddam invaded us on Sept 11 the taliban and AlQueda in Iraq declared war on us but we have prevailed and we will continue to prevail for another 100 years. I know some say I cannot run for Preznit as I was born in Panama but that is just a law for Democrat people. I am a gooper so laws do not apply to me.

Where the heck is Marion I want hot chocolate!

Yea, and I hope Biodun ain’t in some snowbank!

Yea, and I hope Biodun ain’t in some snowbank!

Just shoveled out my wife’s car for her journey to work, did not find Biodun.

Good morning, pups. It’s Collins, Cohen and Kristof today. TOMC typed something called “Hillary, Buckeye Girl,” where she says that if Hillary Clinton can win Ohio — and if she doesn’t, she is as cooked as reheated risotto — it will be because people here worry that Barack Obama is getting show-offy. Mr. Cohen’s column is called “The Long Haul in Afghanistan,” and he says if troops are to stay until 2013, as the NATO secretary general suggests, the alliance will need re-branding. Re-branding, like breakfast cereal… Mr. Kristof tells us about “A Genocide Foretold,” and says without easing the outrage over Darfur — where the bloodshed has been particularly appalling lately — we must broaden the focus to include the threat to the south.

http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/

The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and I’ve got French toast today. It’s 31 degrees here and my azaleas, which have started to bloom, are not amused. Come to think of it, neither am I! Have a great day.

clinton2’s withdrawal from the “race” will not be easy for her as she was certain that the primary season was purely a matter of anointing her but she now has a chance to increase her stature among those that do not think well of her. She can withdraw gracefully, which she must do to preserve any credence what so ever or she also can fuck it up royally, be divisive and be a pain in the ass to the Democratic party for a while. Which will it be?

If big bill stays out of the process I believe she can do the statesperson like thing however if he has his fingers in the pie the DLC will not fold it’s tent quietly.

MMMMMM hot chocolate after shoveling snow, can’t get much better.

Hey my man—

Guess what? I’m off to Paris, France, this afternoon till next Tuesday. Anything you want to to bring you from Paris? Seriously….

Barack is getting show-offy?

Is that another way of saying he is an uppity… uh.. …candidate?

And in other news, a longtime Georgetown resident
known only as The Dean was found dead from a broken prostate heart.

I think it implies that he’s possibly an EFFECTIVE candidate. I can understand poor TOMC’s confusion — she hasn’t seen many of them and doesn’t quite know what to make of it all. Maybe she’ll learn… Nah…

French toast! One of my favorites! I like to make it with the worlds best cinnamon bread that I buy at a bakery downtown.

Hmmmm

Yep.

This is the more subtle meme that Kristol suggested in Monday’s New York Times, that the Obama’s think they are better than you.

It may be a topic I post about today…or not.

Is it okay to opine that the Obamas ARE better than Little Billy Kristol? (All right, I’ll behave now…)

ohmigod cinnamon bread french toast.
*Homer drool*

opine away Marion!

Collins entire article did come off better than my initial impression. The money quote has to be:

What’s the Clinton campaign come to when she can’t get equal denunciation time from a right-wing nut job?

I have to say, that is a place I never pictured her campaing being at.

ohmigod cinnamon bread french toast.

Day old Brioche is our favourite.

nope, see my 22? reponds, s’il tu plais…

Cool, bon voyage!

I thought Obama’s response to McCain’s idiocy was brilliant

yes have a nice time in France, Biodun

I just think Barak will hammer him in person. . .no contest.

you want anything? I meant what I said…really. I’ll bring stuff back and ship it to your brick-and-mortar when I get back Tuesday…no sweat. You’re already on my Facebook. And you’re my bro…(But please, please, don’t tase me…*G*)

“And my friends, if we left, they (al-Qaida) wouldn’t be establishing a base,” McCain said Wednesday. “They’d be taking a country, and I’m not going to allow that to happen, my friends. I will not surrender. I will not surrender to al-Qaida.”

But When John do you plan to fight Ossama in Pakistan?

I appreciate it, nothing comes to mind, my closest association with France was the wonderful bread baked in the villages of the Mekong Delta!

Thanks! you want something as well–from France, I meant…*g*

BTW, I’ll be heading there with my French passport (as distinct from my US one) ‘coz I wanna be treated like a Native Son…*g* (ref: Richard Wright wrote the classic, and he lived in Paris!)….

The paragraph leading into McCain’s quote - “But there was greater foolishness…”

I’m persnickety this morning.

Just checked the $/€ a moment ago. Are you ready for $1.511 / €1.00 ?

hey hefe, el caudillo, you want something from Paris? le cafe, peut-etre? Not Yerba matte, but hell…

You’re my man too, in politics and ideas…early in the morning…

Oh thats right you are afraid to go into Pakistan. Because Pakistan would not like that despite all the money we gave Pakistan.
John Pakistan does not control the area where Ossama is that is why they are afraid to send there army there.
They are embarrassed.
But as Obama has pointed out Bush did send in a drone to kill one of Ossama’s guys in Pakistan to bad Bush didn’t tell you ahead of time before you made your stupid comment.
Bush is now trying to protect his own legacy John but he is leaving you defending his lame excuses. Can’t you see John Bush hates you.

L’Indo-Chine, oui…

I know, I know. But you see, BBC World Service’s picking up the tab, and I’ll be staying with, er, an old/new flame to save Auntie (the Beeb) some money as well…*g*

BTW, I’ll be heading there with my French passport (as distinct from my US one) ‘coz I wanna be treated like a Native Son…*g* (ref: Richard Wright wrote the classic, and he lived in Paris!)….

Yep. I use my Irish passport when not in USA. A lot less hasslesome in europe etc. Also I feel safer.

thanks Biodun, I’d love a round of fresh crusty french bread like Raven was making me drool about.
(I really better eat breakfast or put on a bib)

Hmmm is the healthcare system really open to everyone? Do you have to buy property to stay there long term? My sister says a good bottle of wine is cheaper there than a six pack here… well that was before the Dollar collapsed.

meanwhile, MSNBC’s in the midst of trying to guess/advice Obamaon his running mate. Guess they’ve more or less pissed off (In a Brit sense) Hillary…

If we are wining the war in Afghanistan then why is the Discovery Channel doing stories about how Afghan Heroin is being smuggled to America?

now Obama has to put McCain in his place…every time McCain tries to make believe he knows anything about conducting a war

Obama can do this easily as well, with a couple of question that can do nothing but shut McCain’s face on the spot;

“senator McCain has the nerve to challenge my plan for Iraq?

I want to ask this man who graduated 5 above the very worst in his class and almost a nearly a thousand below the very best;

“how would he assess a strategy that created al qaeada in a country where there were none before that strategy, and how would he rank the “commander in chief” who was informed by his military personal that’s exactly what would happen?”

“does the senator think a strategy that creates more enemies against our country is a good strategy?”

“what exactly is wrong with a man that endorses the policies that had us divert the assets from our enemies and engage those assets in a commitment he knew from his own advisor’s would exacerbate the fight we needed to win?”

more attack in the very question, lay the facts at his feet in the question and ask if the strategy that created those facts was a good strategy

simple lawyer trick, ask the questions the person can only answer one way

yep…I also have a UK one. UK and France passports both allow me to “work” in the EU (which I’m doing now anyway as a freelancer for BBC–even if I live mostly in Minneapolis–that’s globalization for ya), and the US one gives me access to lotsa countries without the need for visas…including Honk Kong (which also applies to a UK passport as well). The French one gives me free access to Francophone African countries…and so on and so on. I’ve been living like this for years!

Always use my French passport when I travel to Europe to visit family and friends. They have been warned that all of our telephone calls are being “monitored”. They went through the same thing during WWII. They sympathize about what’s going on in the U.S..

Yesterday will probably be about as good as it gets out of the media coverage. The visuals were stunning. McCain speaking at a rally that’s about as big as he can get…a few hundred — in front of a group of young, very white, undoubtedly suburban kids dressed up like they were dragged out of their glee club meeting to be there and tried to assert Barack Obama doesn’t understand that Al Qaeda is in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Obama, at a rally greater than 10,000 surrounded by a vast field of enthusiastic supporters, a mosaic of all ages, races, and ethnicities responds with three paragraphs of unvarnished truth and it actually gets reported.

this is nice to see however I want to temper my enthusiasm a bit;

nobody needs to come out for mccain, he’s already their candidate, they’ll galvanize in the election

obama however is not yet a lock, he’s just the most likely, and many of his supporters were never involved in politics before this cycle, or if they were they didn’t empathise as much with the candidate as they do with obama

so the numbers and support are a little decieving

bread for Raven and Elliott: please leave me your brick-and-mortar on my Facebook–(private messages). Will be back in Minneapolis Tuesday and will ship to overnight…I’m not kidding. You’re part of my FDL family (Just ask Jane!)…

If the Democratic Contest had ended before Ohio we Lefties would never have gotten that pledge from both candidates to renegotiate Nafta’s labor and environmental parts. While I’m against NAFTA I must admit that before Ohio it wasn’t even on my radar to get changed.
The longer this contest goes on who knows what issue will be a spark in a given state?
I’m hoping that one of the candidates will find a voter whose health insurance is denying them coverage. We need both candidates to drop their healthcare plans and say we are just going to copy the French healthcare system and explain how that will save us all money.

Please say you got a link cause bottom 5% and he is an Admirals son?
John is so vulnerable to the charge that he might have been passed.
We do not need another special president!

I wish someone would point out that the minute the last American boot leaves the ground in Iraq the streets will flow with the blood of al-Qaida. The Iraqis hate them and they are only kept alive out of an “enemy of my enemy” mentality.

Please say you got a link cause bottom 5% and he is an Admirals son?
John is so vulnerable to the charge that he might have been passed.
We do not need another special president!

comming right up

Please say you got a link cause bottom 5% and he is an Admirals son?
John is so vulnerable to the charge that he might have been passed.
We do not need another special president!

here ya go

Dropping out was unthinkable, and so he successfully completed his training and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958; he was sixth from the bottom in class rank,[19] 894th out of 899.[15]”

that’s wiki in case you want to get it in the future

I wish someone would point out that the minute the last American boot leaves the ground in Iraq the streets will flow with the blood of al-Qaida. The Iraqis hate them and they are only kept alive out of an “enemy of my enemy” mentality.

this is probably true but we can’t make predictions we aren’t certain

Thanks I just bookmarked it!

Raven, I don’t know how old you are, but those of us who were adults when JFK, MLK and RFK were killed are extremely sensitive to the possibility. Especially since at least one of the murders MLK was deliberate and the perpetrators never found.

Yes, I thought it was a good article. It described the situation pretty fairly.

”What’s the Clinton campaign come to when she can’t get equal denunciation time from a right-wing nut job?”

I just wondered if her use of the word denunciation, as opposed to rejection, was intentional.