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He seemed like a decent fellow
2008-02-28 06:29:00
By VictorM:I echo this Liberal Values comment:William F. Buckley, Jr has died at age 82. While the news is too recent for much reaction, National Review Online does note that he died while at work in his study, exactly how they think he would have wanted it. Buckley’s great achievement, as noted by The New York Times, was to make conservatism “a system of ideas.” We might not agree with many of his ideas, but Buckley was the type of person to turn to in order to hear opposing viewpoints argued with intelligence and wit.I remember watching his TV show on PBS and although even as a teenager I disagreed with the man on virtually everything, I just couldn't dislike the guy. Truly, a far cry from today's rat pack of conservatives.To paraphrase the Man in Black: He seemed like a decent fellow.

Smelling a rat
2008-02-27 19:48:00
By VictorM:So a right wing radio host says some nasty things about Barack Obama, and after it, John "Bush's 3rd term" McCain says:"I take responsibility and I repudiate what he said," McCain gamely said. "I will not tolerate anything in this campaign that denigrates either Sen. Obama or Sen. (Hillary) Clinton.''McCain's comes across as taking the high road. But I have to ask: why didn't the Republican senator repudiate the person who called Hillary Clinton a "bitch" a while back?The answer is obvious: when McCain was contesting the Republican primary, coming across as uncaring towards Hillary served his purposes to attract core Republican votes but now that he's in general election mode, he wants to come across as a uniter.Bottom line: McCain's latest statements are pure political grandstanding and the radio host was used to accomplished that purpose. After all, as this poster said:If McCain is willing to vote for torture, and let his campaign be run by K-street lobbyists...

The job from hell
2008-02-27 00:10:00
By VictorM:How would you like the job coaching the national soccer team of Iraq? Can there really be compelling reasons for taking such a job? Wouldn't starvation and homelessness anywhere beat that gig? I would think so, but 3 months ago, Drillo Olsen, from Norway, accepted the job. Luckily for him, he's gotten fired:"I have tried to make contact with the association down there, but haven't heard anything since Thursday," said Olsen, noting that he'd only heard of his alleged firing through the media.I tried to find an angle to blame the Bush administration for this, but I think they're off the hook this time. Although, thanks to the billions of our money going there, payments were not much of a problem:Olsen also had initial problems getting paid, but now says he's received all agreed pay. He reportedly will also receive severance pay.All that and he's alive to tell about it. Now, that's what I call progress. (This article doesn't mention that the team doesn't p...
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Intellectually incoherent
2008-02-26 21:14:00
By Atrios:I don't know if Bush stays in Iraq simply because he's stubborn, doesn't like when Poppy's pals, otherwise known as the Iraq Study Group, try to tell him what to do, and equates leaving with losing, or if he really is invested in a long term military occupation of a Middle East client state. It doesn't much matter, really, the guy is a simpleton and whatever reasons he has are probably intellectually incoherent.

Tell us how you REALLY feel, S.W.
2008-02-25 23:31:00
By VictorM:Ralph Nader's announcement that he will be running for president again has brought about this reaction from S.W. Anderson:For his contribution to advancing liberal causes and candidates, Nader doesn’t deserve a job as doorman at the White House. He’s a selfish, egotistical SOB who deserves only to be road kill along the campaign trail. We wish Nader all the luck and success he deserves: none. Well... I know who S.W. will not be voting for.
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The Spoiler Returns
2008-02-25 19:13:00
By VictorM:Ralph Nader will be running for president again. Some of us have opinions about his candidacy. Come join our discussion forum and participate in The Spoiler Returns.

What God is telling the church
2008-02-25 07:36:00
By VictorM:John Marks was a born again Christian who years ago questioned his fate and left the church. Recently, he spent a couple of years investigating Christian America. In a Salon.com interview, he had this to say about religion in America:I don't see America outgrowing its faith. But what God is telling the church to do is changing. If you think of the evangelical community as Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson, you're going to be surprised at every turn in the next 20 years. You're going to see many more evangelicals becoming staunch Democrats."But what God is telling the church to do is changing." How did he do that? Text message? Email? How exactly? And is god changing what he told Pat Robertson? And is this the same god that talks to bin Laden? And told George Bush to invade Iraq?Come on! God didn't tell anyone anything. The religious establishment will just adapt and change their marketing strategies to maximize revenue and stay relevant as long as they can.Evangelic...
More About: Church , The Church

Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee
2008-02-24 23:34:00
By VictorM:Well, that's if you believe the Republican party. They have started their typical coordinated attacks on Barack . The newest piece of garbage being floated by their rumor mill and picked up by a too willing mainstream media is that Barack is not patriotic enough:Sen. Barack Obama 's refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin along with a photo of him not putting his hand over his heart during the National Anthem led conservatives on Internet and in the media to question his patriotism.I'm serious. I know it sounds like material from The Onion, but it's not.
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Idiot of the day: Dean's World
2008-02-23 17:43:00
By VictorM:As Atrios is fond of saying, sometimes right wingers are so stupid it hurts. This bozo compares the actions of a few individuals to national movements that included armies and governments:Michael Hirsh approvingly quotes perhaps the stupidest thing ever written: "It is perhaps a paradox—and one that is fitting for the strangeness of our current age—that we will need to end the war against terrorism because we cannot end terrorism." Yes, if only we had applied this logic to Communism and Nazism, we could have avoided so much needless conflict; there are, after all, still a few Communists and Nazis, so clearly we cannot end Communism or Nazism.Michael Hirsh is right; we can no more end terrorism than we can end crime, drug use, prostitution, abortion or virtually anything else that an individual is able to carry out. Sure, we can try to control and minimize, but we can't end them.But at least the visitors to Dean's World are setting the poster straight:terrorism...
More About: Idiot

The cult of Russ Feingold
2008-02-22 20:28:00
By VictorM:The greatest US Senator on the land had been reluctant to endorse any Democratic candidate but now, even without an official endorsement, Russ Feingold has sent a strong signal:Sen. Russ Feingold said today that he voted for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama in this week's Wisconsin primary and indicated that he likely will vote for Obama's nomination as one of the state's "superdelegates" to the Democratic convention this summer.I'm still willing to support either of the two Democratic candidates, but Russ Feingold's views carry a lot of weight with me. And I'm not the only one:Feingold is the reason I dropped my support for Edwards, so I'm glad to see he and I are on the same page with respect to Obama.I agree 100%. There is no one in government that I too respect more than Senator Feingold and his endorsement seals the deal for me!I know the world does not work this way, but I wish he could be veep.
More About: Cult , The Cult

... but is the allegation true?
2008-02-22 09:14:00
By VictorM:About the allegations by the New York Times that senator John "Bush's 3rd term" McCain had improper relations with a lobbyist... His defenders say the New York Times is a liberal newspaper that will do anything to get Obama or Hillary elected. Even if that's true, the question remains... but is the allegation true?
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A text book non-denial denial
2008-02-21 21:03:00
By VictorM:In response to accusations that he had an affair in 1999, John "Bush's 3rd term" McCain, the Republican presidential candidate said:“At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest or would favor anyone or organization.”Test book non-denial denial.When asked if he had romantic relations with that woman, Ms. Iseman, Senator McCain said "no." That, of course, was a poorly worded question. Romance is a hard thing to prove. The question should have been: "Did you ever have sexual intercourse or engage in oral sex with Ms. Iseman?"But, we're all now playing the Bill Clinton game of parsing words.
More About: Book , Text , Denial

Yeah!!!!!!!!
2008-02-20 23:57:00
By VictorM:Every time I post about George Bush's approval ratings, not matter how low they have been, I've expressed displeasure with the results, saying that until his numbers are below 20% I will not be happy. Well, it finally happened in a poll from ARG, one of the major pollsters:Among Americans registered to vote, 18% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 78% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 15% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 79% disapprove.18%!!! Fitting for the worst president ever! For the first time I'm proud of my country I have never been as proud of my countrymen![UPDATE] To put things in perspective about how low these numbers are, take a look at this:Worse than Richard Nixon in the days before he resigned in disgrace during Watergate, worse than Jimmy Carter during the Iran hostage crisis, much worse than Bill Clinton when he was impeached. Just as Roger Banniste...
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260 and climbing
2008-02-20 07:30:00
By VictorM:Looking for substantive reasons to vote for Barack Obama? davefromqueens listed 260 of them, with others adding to the list. I don't like number 260 (Favors the death penalty in the rarest but appropriate of circumstances), but hey, most of the other ones are pretty good.
More About: Climbing

Avoiding TV
2008-02-19 18:23:00
By VictorM:Right after George Bush was awarded the presidency by the US Supreme Court in 2000, I decided to give up all television watching, except for soccer games. No more Firing Line, no more Hardball, no Survivor or American Idol, no more annoying commercials selling crap, no Brady Bunch, and no Father Knows Best. Nothing! And my life has been much better for it. Last night I got a reminder why my decision was a good one.I stopped in for dinner at the concierge lounge at the hotel I'm staying and they were showing Larry King Live. I ate as fast as I could to get out of there, but not before I saw an interview with Ronald Reagan's son about his mother, Nancy Reagan's fall. The woman is 86 years old. She fell. She's OK. What's the big story there? But then came the promo for the next segment... dramatic look on Larry King's face... Obama... Hillary... and "The War of the Words"... dramatic music.... cut to commercial.Are there any political shows that actual inform ...

Idiot of the day: Moonbattery
2008-02-18 08:03:00
By VictorM:Right wingers, I swear, are too stupid to live. They have screwed everything up and with logic like this idiot, no wonder:Oddly, Northern Illinois University, where an armed maniac wreaked havoc today amid defenseless students and faculty, is another gun-free zone. The killer shot 22 people, killing 6, if you include himself. He must not have noticed the "gun-free zone" signs. Police arrived in minutes, but that was much too late. As the Founding Fathers understood, the only safe populace is an armed populace.Yes, let everyone have guns. Sure. Problem solved. Like what society needs are more teenagers with loaded guns walking about. As if this guy couldn't fire off a bunch of rounds before someone in the classroom could reach for their gun, aim, and shoot the guy without taking down innocent bystanders running around for cover. These people are so stupid it hurts.And by the way, the Founding Fathers understood nothing of the sort. Not only are people like this right ...
More About: Idiot

Northern Ill. University Killings
2008-02-18 07:33:00
By VictorM:This almost uniquely American disasters continue to happen. We continue to spew the same crap about the killers, but really, does anyone really understand why this is happening? Mark Ames has a good article that dares to look at this problem in detail. It's a good read and good food for thought. Read it.Here's some of what it says:In my book Going Postal I proposed looking at these uniquely American and uniquely post-Reagan massacres without cheap moral blinders. Look at the setting of the crime, look at the people who live in that setting, and look at the genealogy of the crime... If we bracket his massacre as the work of an evil lunatic on drugs, we'll miss yet another opportunity to genuinely examine what life is like for most Americans today, who live in that terrifying gap between the official propaganda about a nation of happy fun-loving Number Ones, and the reality of mediocrity, petty malice, and a flat physical setting that reflects the malice and medi...
More About: University , Killings , Northern

An answer in one word: No
2008-02-17 23:36:00
By VictorM:The Philadelphia Inquirer has a readers' letter section with this title in big, bold letters: Use taxes to support stadium? An answer in one word: NoThis is how they describe the question posed to their readers:Today's letters respond to a question about whether the state government should subsidize the proposed soccer stadium in the city of Chester (with $47 million) to spur a waterfront economic development in that city that goes beyond the stadium.They posted nine reader letters. Of the nine, only one objects to the idea; all others are enthusiastically in favor. Here's some examples of what they said: "I fully support the proposed use of tax dollars to construct an MLS stadium..." "I say bravo! Good investment. I'll happily take my kids to Chester for an MLS match." "Bringing the soccer franchise to Chester would be one of the best things to happen to the Philadelphia area in a long time..."" I am thrilled with the idea of a proposal to build a professional s...
More About: Answer , Word

Bush's Africa "Successes"
2008-02-17 16:49:00
By S.W. Anderson:CNN Radio News noted the incidence of AIDS in Africa has tripled during Bush’s time as president. The Bush administration’s reluctance to support programs that subsidize distribution of free condoms, favoring instead programs urging abstinence except within marriage, is surely part of the reason for the sharp increase in AIDS cases.

To the right of Bush
2008-02-17 16:41:00
By The Seminal:Check out McCain's laughable response: "Anyone who worries about how long we’re in Iraq does not understand the military and does not understand war." As Think Progress points out, McCain is at odds here with several top pentagon and military officials. Not to mention the American people... When it comes to indefinite wars and pre-emptive strikes, this guy is to the right of President Bush .

What's going on here?
2008-02-16 20:41:00
By VictorM:In an article in USA Today from February 14 (page 5A), they cover how enthusiastic the Democratic party is and how the low morale on the Republican side is so evident. They include results of polls that show a 52 to 39 percent party identification in favor of Dems. On questions about the views of the political parties, we have results like: which party can bring needed changes (Dems=58%, Reps=39%); able to manage the federal government effectively (Dems= 54%, Reps=38%), has most honest and ethical members in Congress (Dems=52%, Reps=41%). Anyway, you get the idea.Then, they mention a USA Today/Gallup poll that shows John McCain leading Hillary Clinton by 1 and trailing Obama by 4, both within the margin of error. What's going on here? I would expect that both Hillary and Barack would hold significant leads over McCain.Am I to assume that independents are overwhelmingly for McCain? I don't believed that for a second. Is it that enough Obama or Clinton supporters simply...

Demography is destiny
2008-02-16 00:26:00
By VictorM:While some continue to decry soccer's ability to make it in the Unites States as a successful professional sport, others look for the realities that may make the doubters wrong:As people scoff and say that soccer simply doesn't fit the United States, the country transforms to fit soccer. The Census Bureau says that 25 percent of the population will be Hispanic by 2050. In 35 of the 50 largest cities in the country, non-Hispanic whites are or will soon be the minority. Americans debate border control and guest worker programs, and the immigrants keep coming.Like Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Hispanic immigrants often lived close to each other. The Italians, too, faced a language barrier and lived in poor conditions in "Little Italy" neighborhoods. The Italians, as well as the Irish, faced discrimination. They ate "strange" food and had "weird" customs. They worked the most humble jobs. They were stereotyped as Mafia members or alco...
More About: Destiny

It's over!
2008-02-15 06:29:00
By VictorM:Valentine's Day is behind us. Thank the almighty one. It's one of the many holidays I can't stand. It's so freaking fake, so commercial, so pathetic. I was going to write a whole bunch of reasons why I dislike that day, but sanantonerose posted a something that expresses my sentiments exactly. Go read this V-Day Rant!

Washington’s Culture of Corruption
2007-11-05 18:08:00
By dengre:I’ve been following the impact of Washing ton’s Culture of Corruption for almost a decade. It is why sweatshops, human trafficking, forced prostitution and other crimes have been (and still are) being protected by the US Congress. But that story was just my way into researching and writing about the cancerous impact of corruption on our Nation, Government, values and politics. A just solution to every issue of concern is blocked by corruption. You want universal health care, or even a simple expansion of SCHIP—well you have to bust through layers of corruption just to begin the process. Ending the war is next to impossible without confronting the massive corruption that feeds off the growing disaster. Any issue, any concern is blocked by corruption. Look at the Farm Bill, or the renewed push for nuclear power, or FEMA, or... well, anything. The voters get this...Now if only the Democrats in the 110th Congress and the other Candidates for President would enga...

Once again, Russ does the right thing
2007-11-05 06:14:00
By Russ Feingold, currently the best US Senator in the land:I will vote against the nomination of Judge Mukasey to be the next Attorney General. This was a difficult decision, as Judge Mukasey has many impressive qualities. He is intelligent and experienced and appears to understand the need to depoliticize the Department of Justice and restore its credibility and reputation. At this point in our history, however, the country also needs an Attorney General who will tell the President that he cannot ignore the laws passed by Congress. Unfortunately, Judge Mukasey was unwilling to reject the extreme and dangerous theories of executive power that this administration has put forward. The nation's top law enforcement officer must be able to stand up to a chief executive who thinks he is above the law. The rule of law is too important to our country's history and to its future to compromise on that bedrock principle.
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Spreading the truth about Rudy
2007-11-03 05:38:00
By VictorM: It's good to see Democrats not being all nice about the scum that is Rudy Giuliani.Let's start with Joe Biden, a man famous for falling over his own words, but this time, he nailed it:Rudy Giuliani. There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11. I mean, there's nothing else. And Barack Obama's team showing some spine (I want more like this from him):While Rudy Giuliani may embrace Hillary Clinton's policy of not talking and saber rattling towards Iran, Barack Obama knows that policy is not working. It's time for tough and direct diplomacy with Iran, not lectures from a Mayor who skipped out on the Iraq Study Group to give paid speeches, and who was naive and irresponsible enough to recommend someone with ties to convicted felons for Secretary of Homeland Security.
More About: Truth , Ruth , The Truth

Bush: Childish behavior
2007-11-02 19:45:00
By Scarecrow:Our spoiled, adolescent President threw a temper tantrum yesterday, because, he claimed, Congress is not giving him everything he wants. He charged that anyone who disagrees with his policies is the same as those who sought to appease Hitler and coddle Stalin.... He’s behaving like a spoiled, petulant adolescent, blaming everyone but himself for his own failures and in denial about the wreckage caused by his own policies. Without impeachment, there is little the country can do about such childish behavior.
More About: Bush , Behavior

Idiot of the day: Sean Hannity
2007-11-02 19:34:00
By VictorM: If I had the time and the tolerance, I'm sure I could do an "Idiot of the Day" post every day with quotes from Sean Hannity , but my stomach is not that strong, so I'll settle for this piece from Media Matters:On the October 31 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity claimed that "Halloween is a liberal holiday" and "is teaching our kids to be liberals." Hannity explained that "we're teaching kids to knock on other people's doors and ask for a handout." Co-host Alan Colmes responded by asking if that meant that Christmas is a "liberal holiday." Colmes asserted that Halloween represents "the act of giving," and asked: "Isn't that a Christian thing, to give, to share with your community?" Hannity replied: "Not to teach your kids to beg for a handout."He was serious. Really. You can watch the clip yourself by following the Media Matters link.
More About: Sean Hannity

The Big Gorilla knocking on the door
2007-11-01 05:24:00
By rreppy:Using modern methods of recombinant DNA and gene sequencing, researchers have used the tissues of a dead soldier from WWI to reconstruct the virus that caused the great Influenza Epidemic of 1918, which killed 40 million people worldwide. In the U.S. it got so bad that funerals were limited to 15 minutes to cope with the backlogs, and small towns were stopping railroad cars and demanding medical certificates for all passengers before letting anyone get off. More American soldiers died from the flu than from the war.That was the worse epidemic in history in terms of sheer numbers (although the Black Death in the 1300's killed a larger percentage of the population and started the beginning of the end of the Middle Ages and the loosening of the rigid rule of the Church. Remember, they had no concept of microbes, so plagues were purely "the will of God" - and God was apparently killing off priests as much as everyone else!).What the gene research uncovered is disturbing. It ...
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Osama alive: Bush's best asset
2007-10-30 05:52:00
By Pamela Leavey:Absolutely astounding. But, yet not at all surprising to hear that BushCo botched another opportunity to kill Osama bin Laden:We know, with a 70 percent level of certainty — which is huge in the world of intelligence — that in August of 2007, bin Laden was in a convoy headed south from Tora Bora. We had his butt, on camera, on satellite....Even some of the BushCo apologists in the blogosphere are more than a little ticked to read this piece on Faux News from Col. David Hunt. Kevin pegged it on American Street: “Letting Osama Live could be Bush’s favorite pastime.”
More About: Alive , Asset