Good morning, pups. It’s just Friedman and Kristof today, as MoDo and Frank Rich are off. The Moustache of Wisdom, in “From Baby-Sitting to Adoption,” says after eight years of work in Afghanistan, we still do not have a reliable Afghan partner to hand off to. It’s time to discuss if nation building is still worth doing and at what cost. Mr. Kristof, in “The Afghanistan Abyss,” says sending more American troops into ethnic Pashtun areas in the Afghan south may only galvanize local people to back the Taliban. I think that everyone in the current administration should be forced to read “Kim” and “Three Cups of Tea.”

Here they are.

The coffee and tea are ready, and I’ve got chocolate croissants and fresh raspberries this morning. We’ve been reveling in cooler temperatures and lower humidity, with a breeze. It’s delightful to be out of the worst of the summer heat. Have a great day.

Morning all, Different day same jerks pontificating.

Good Matthews…panel about the health care speech; the new Kennedy book.

morning firedogs!

another week live blogging my panera bread, free internet breakfast;

no line, cute counter girl, today I forwent the spinach artichoke soufle in favor of sausage egge and cheese, no bun…I switched out the swiss for gorganzoal…yum

this morning thom hartmann was a guest for someone hawking his new book to wich I forgot the title but get this

if we became vegetarians for week we would save more energy then everyon buying a hybrid and going to energy bulbs

that’s amazing stuff right there if true

we’ve had thomas on hawking a differant book and I would sure like getting him here again, whoever books the book salon please look into him again

thanx for the links and rundown savannah, preciate it

Roundtable: Rudy Giuliani (R); Harold Ford, Jr.; Tom Brokaw; and Tom Friedman.

What, Newt Gingrich and Dick Morris weren’t available?

rudy is going to be making the rounds trying to rustle up some support for new york governor

Biggest # on food stamps since the history of the program….thanks, George.

Sadly, Bill Frist wasn’t available either.

mornin’ all. Just sitting around waiting for the caffeine level to rise enough so as to be sentient.

Looks like George Stephy might be worth the time this morning, though, with no other suitable foil, Katrina V. will, I suppose, only have George Will to tee off on….

Pay attention, George(s) – you might learn something.

Morning. Was surprised to see that Van Jones resigned. I don’t know that much about him but I hate seeing FoxNews win.

Did the son every show up yesterday so that you could push West Point?

Re: food stamps – Craig T. Nelson on Glenn Beck, “I’ve been on food stamps and welfare, did anybody help me out? No. No.” Honestly, these people have peas for brains.

The good news is that Nelson disappeared after that fiasco. He was about to become the Hollywood mouthpiece fighting Obama (for the gang that hates Hollywood mouthpieces) and he blew it. But, hey, they still have Jon Voigt.

Morning everybody!
thanks for the paneraliveblog, perris ;)

I think I’ll go with the chocolate croissants — mebbe with some orange juice.

I must say it IS demoralizing writing up this list every week, seems to get worser and worser. Could there be lamer set of guests to cover the topics than

Roundtable: Rudy Giuliani (R); Harold Ford, Jr.; Tom Brokaw; and Tom Friedman.  Topics: “What are the president’s chances of passing health care reform and will any Republicans be on board? And, eight years after terrorists struck the U.S. on 9/11, we take stock of where we now stand in the resulting war against terrorism in Afghanistan. Are we any safer? Is the U.S. on the right course? And should we prosecute CIA detainee abusers?” 

Newt’s always available for Fox News Sunday.

Imagine being in his family and having to listen to the pontificating day and night….

heh – not yet. He’s still making the rounds of all his girlfriends…

The weird thing is – they all know about each other, and he still gets away with it.

That’s my boy! I’m not mad at him – yet.

OT I read the ridge thread… and what struck me was if these guys on the right ever ever encountered the questions that were posed to them by FDL? Do these ideas about reality even enter their minds?

One would think if they had any intellectual honesty and actually faced the questions, the answers would lead them to very different conclusions than what they operate on.

So do you think they never heard such questions?

Or are they such ideological bots and so intellectually dishonest that they simply can’t see or face truth or reality?

I wondered how Ridge felt being confronted with so many questions which implied such a different view of reality/

WHat say you?

that IS good news.

Well, he didn’t run away.
He did give a lot of politician answers, wondering if he’s looking at 2012?

Do you think his armor of ignorance was pierced at all by encounter with FDL?

I didn’t read the whole thing carefully, but I scanned it. Except for a few very simple Qs in the sense that they didn’t relate to policy or politics, Ridge didn’t answer any of the Qs. He gave bland nonresponsive talking points. You may have noted that, at the end, I typed: Great Qs, As not so much. Don’t think FDL had the slightest influence on him. I think he went away, as with his Rachel appearance, thinking he’d convinced everyone to change their minds.

So this week Meet the Press’ “Democratic” representative is Harold Ford? Nice way to frame Gregory. Might as well have asked Newt.

No.

“Three Cups of Tea” is excellent. Highly recommend this, too. Have not read “Kim.” (blush) Oh. Good morning, everyone.

OT – I was reading through last night’s TBogg thread and noticed your questions about Tourette’s. My son had a fairly mild form when he was younger; manifested by coughing and occasional eye-rolls. If I recall correctly, your nephew is about 12? My son’s disappeared almost completely when he hit puberty, which is not uncommon.

fwiw.

Met Van Jones at a conference a couple of years ago. Stellar man, doing essential work and advocacy. Now must backtrack to find out what’s happened to him re Fox.

And Van Jones is out, chalk one up for Glenn Beck
Van Go from TBogg.

Thanks for the info. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for my great nephew.

I read your comment which was spot on. It’s hard to believe that he would be so dense, his arguments were not arguments but silly platitudes at best, Snarkassandra made him look like an idiot.

I DON’T think dialogue is possible with even their rational ones, because they are intellectually dishonest.

Why even bother?

I didn’t come inside until around 8 so I missed the thread. Lord willing, if I didn’t have to stack wood and were available earlier, I would have had the self discipline to spend my time doing something more productive that wasting it with Ridge.

Thanks for link, Elliott. Should have put up my puke shield before I read it.

he should be, he might be their best hope

The other thing about the book salon format is that the guest can pick & choose which Qs to address. So s/he can pretend to participate in a dialogue while just harping on their own POV. I discovered this early on, since I often ask pointed Qs, which are then ignored by the guest.

morning. That Stephanopolopous line looks especially atrocious.

meant lineup. not line.

Krugman, you won’t be surprised to remember, was an exception. Hugh, selise & I pummeled him about Obama’s dismal economics team. Krugman directly addressed our Qs, defending them (think the salon was in December), though I think if we had Krugman back, he wouldn’t be so enthused.

oops sorry, solai, I musta missed this comment. I really hate that they win, too.

and that is evident to anyone reading the comments. A case of what they don’t say -or answer- says as much as what they do say -and answer.

it’s a tennis sunday, won’t be staying long, great to see everyone!

before I go, I was listening to college radio yesterday and was turned on to “ruth wallis”

man, a women ahead of her time, if you know the song “boobs” that randi rhodes plays, this is the women who both wrote and sings that song

look her up on wiki, quite an interesting girl;

She started singing in lounges and cocktail bars, where she met her husband Hy Pastman. Eventually it became clear that her novelty songs, which relied mostly upon double entendres, were the most popular. These songs discussed a number of topics that were taboo in fifties America, such as homosexuality and infidelity. For this reason, her songs were banned from Boston radio stations. She often had difficulty securing distribution for her works, so she started her own record label, Wallis Original Recordings. When she arrived in Australia for a tour customs agents seized her records. Rather than ruin her career, this only brought out crowds.

me likey

so if a women can sing about her boobs in the 50’s and become famouse becaues it was so taboo, maybe I can become famous singing about my…errr…never mind

HAVE GOOD HOLIDAY

Can be just like a W press conference.

Panera’s cool. Hedo Turkoglu (a basketball player for the non-sports fans)used to frequent the Lake Eola Panera in the City Beautiful. Cool guy. He’ll be missed.

Oh shit. I used the word cool twice in one comment? Well, one of those times I meant awesome.

This is excellent. He can organize against the rightwing idjits fulltime. What was that ol’ LBJ line about the camel?

That campaign to advertisers worked.

More, please.

I’ll probably be getting an e-mail from the Teabaggers “We Win!!!”. Assholes. How did i get on their lists?

Elliott !

Happy Labor Day, everyone !

Oh, no. In a W presser, no one ever asked pointed Qs. since they knew they’d never be called on again if they did.

Yeah. I learned a bit about Torrette’s last night (but not how to spell it, I guess). I’m pretty ignorant about it.

Coffee’s gone. I’m gonna go eat a really sinful brunch at the diner, then gonna buy some really good food at the farmers’ market for the rest of the week. Be good.

I’m going to agree with you on that, what they don’t say or answer speaks quite a few chapters;

I asked him for his thoughts on the pdb but I set it up so none of the talking points would work;

I gave the precise information in the pdb, that information disabuses all the talking points about it

the most devastating thing about that pdb is never brought up, except by me;

clinton was given an almost identical pdb and set the wheels in motion to stop the event, his template proved succesful, bush had that template and chose instead to do nothing…this is written in the report though now I don’t remember the exact page I believe it was 218 but I would have to google it

that comparison between the two presidents is brutal yet I am the only person pointing it out

ridge was disabused from all his talking points the way that question was framed and therefore chose to ignore the question

I have to tell you, he can only ignore the questiMon if his own opinion is challenged but he doesn’t want to admit it

that was my understanding of what was going on there

No guts, no glory. Simple as that.

Oh yeah, forgot.

I skipped him. saw Rachel skewer him and didn’t see any point to comming here and seeing more. Never saw Rachel rip somebody so aggressively. She usually rips them in a more subtle way. Good for her.

howz sailing this year sander?

I love diners. ’specially for breakfast. Like at 4 a.m when you’re wasted. Ah, the good old days. I miss diners so bad. Need to get back to NJ for some diner food. And atmosphere.

If we became vegetarians for week we would save more energy then everyon buying a hybrid and going to energy bulbs – Perris

That info. has been detailed in John Robbins’ Diet For a New America quite some time back … it is certainly eye opening.

Does Ridge get any ballsy points for having enough guts to show up? Or will he show up any place to hawk his book ?

whowever books the salon should try to get hartmann back for his new book, he was great

Bwahahaha … thank doG for Ghouliani … always popping up when we need some comic relief.

Barbara !

oh shit! It’s 9:30???!!!! I gotta run. Don’t know how much I’ll be back this weekend. Great weekend to everybody!!! Don’t take ANY shit from teabaggers if any show up at a barbecue you’re at.

(((Petro!!!))

Happy Labor Day Indeed!

mMmm YUMz!

Hedo is coming to Toronto … we have Panera Bread up here and also great non- franchise Breads, Bagels and a vibrant multi-cultural community. Hedo will love Toronto, except for the Winter.

Bai!

Happy Labor Labour Day, everyone !

Don’t be tryin’ to fake us out, my fine Canadian friend.

You know you guys spell it wrong.

I find myself agreeing with George Will this morning.

The end must be near.

lol

G’Morning, My Friend, eh? Glad to see you here. T’was fixin’ to email you soon, just to make sure everything’s fine. Feels like we’re ships passing in the night for a while.

Barbara !

Barbara !

morning demi.
still smokey?

Elliott! (Since we’re doing that). Nice and clear where I am, but it’s prolly still smokey for mommybrain. My sissie and I went shopping for the MOB outfit yesterday, and there’s still smoke out Pasadena way.
(mommybrain!)

(((Elliott)))

(((Petro)))

I feel kinda, sorta disconnected from FDL lately.

Kindest regards,
Semi-snarkless in MN *g*

Have any Labor Day plans?

I’m sticking around home this year.

Well, you know, everything changes. PUAC stills feels the same. But, yeah, things be different.

Brother is here with me (as is our custom for all holidays, the sacred and profane). And finally digging in and having dinner guests (notice how carefully I avoided saying “having guests for dinner”? *g*) in the new digs. Weather has been gorgeous in MN. Mild, clear, cool at night. This is why we live here.

Oh fer sure!

P.S. I love it here. I learn a lot. About politics. About human nature. Kinda sorta covers the waterfront, eh?

Very tribal.

we’re enjoying some of that weather here, altho it’s waAay too cold for me in the winters of Minnesota.

I hope you have a pleasant evening even if you aren’t BBQing your guests ;)

LOL !!!

My absence is because I am deluged with Murkan pests guests, who it seems are staying
until next year week …

((( demi )))

test

Why can’t you befriend some of the 70% of Merkins that don’t have passports, then your problem would be solved!