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Dardedar
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Post by Dardedar »

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) will announce Wednesday that he will not seek reelection to the House, according to a Republican source with knowledge of his decision.

Davis is the fifth House Republican in the last week to announce that he will not run for reelection, joining Reps. James Walsh (N.Y.), Dave Weldon (Fla.), Kenny Hulshof (Mo.) and Ron Lewis (Ky.). There are now 28 House GOPers vacating their seats. --The Hill
I bet they want to spend more time with the family....
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Post by Doug »

Darrel wrote:There are now 28 House GOPers vacating their seats.
DOUG
They are deserting the GOP so fast the Demos are going to run out of people to fill those seats!
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Post by Dardedar »

How shit happens:

First the Distortion:
ABC News’ Jake Tapper has caused quite a stir with an item this morning about a speech Bill Clinton delivered yesterday in Denver.

In a long, and interesting speech, he characterized what the U.S. and other industrialized nations need to do to combat global warming this way: “We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ’cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.”
Then the repetition of the blatant lie, by the Republican National Committee (who should know better):
The Republican National Committee, among others, are making hay of the ABC report. “Senator Clinton’s campaign now says we must ’slow down the economy’ to stop global warming,” said Alex Conant, RNC Spokesman. “Clinton needs to come back to Earth. Her ‘tax-it, spend-it, regulate-it’ attitude would really bring the economy crashing down.”
What Clinton actually said.
“And maybe America, and Europe, and Japan, and Canada — the rich counties — would say, ‘OK, we just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ’cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.’ We could do that.

But if we did that, you know as well as I do, China and India and Indonesia and Vietnam and Mexico and Brazil and the Ukraine, and all the other countries will never agree to stay poor to save the planet for our grandchildren. The only way we can do this is if we get back in the world’s fight against global warming and prove it is good economics that we will create more jobs to build a sustainable economy that saves the planet for our children and grandchildren. It is the only way it will work.”
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Post by Betsy »

If a group such as moveon.org would make a commercial and air it nationally explaining this exactly as you have it could actually have an impact on a lot of people who don't realize how this happens. I use moveon.org as an example because it's organized and has money -- but maybe on a local level, a group such as the fayetteville freethinkers could raise enough money to do it...it would be a worthwhile project!
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Post by Dardedar »

Betsy wrote: ...maybe on a local level, a group such as the fayetteville freethinkers could raise enough money to do it...it would be a worthwhile project!
DAR
Well, that would make us into some kind of political action group and really we try to be, and the goal has always been, to be neutral. We were pretty good at it until Bush came along and started going so blatantly after the science. Sacred ground. So we don't have any official political positions but, unlike so many reporters, I don't think we should hold back from calling a spade a spade and pointing out blatant lies and distortions which are quite abundant and like the above, crystal clear.

And check it out (Crooksandliars did the work of laying out the above problem, not me) the ABC News’ nitwit Jake Tapper is still pretending like he doesn't understand what Clinton said. See it here.

D.
Last edited by Dardedar on Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Dardedar »

Two minute video clip from the Young Turks ranting about the:

Differences Between GOP and Democratic Debates.
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Post by Dardedar »

Surge Working? The best summary I have seen in a while:

***
John McCain the GOP Nominee? Bring Him On!
By Joshua Holland
AlterNet.org

Excerpt:

The Realities of Occupation...

The "surge is working" narrative's not reality-based, and when it comes to Iraq, we've seen the spin give way to the ugly facts time and time again.

That the troop escalation has been anything but a success is not an ideological claim, as supporters of the occupation charge, but numerical and chronological. The surge began last February, and there was something approaching a consensus at the time that the addition of about 20,000 combat troops - the rest were support personnel - would be a drop in the bucket in a country of 25 million people. Retired four-star General Barry McCaffrey said at the time: "I personally think the surge of five U.S. Army brigades and a few Marine battalions dribbled out over five months is a fool's errand." But the troop build-up continued in March, April and May.

The period that followed was a bloodbath - last June and July were the most violent summer months of any year of the occupation. August was one of the bloodiest months, period. Then, that month, the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mehdi Army to stand down. The number of Iraqi civilian deaths fell by about 50 percent the next month and decreased again in October and November. The militia is estimated to be 100,000 strong and is arguably the most powerful ground force in Iraq after the U.S. military. While the change can't be wholly ascribed to any single factor - the violence has also decreased as a result of communities that have been fully "cleansed" of one or another ethnic or sectarian group - it's clear that al-Sadr's order, not Bush's "surge," was responsible for most of whatever "success" there may have been.

Finally, there is the masterpiece of propaganda known as the "Sunni Awakening." Spun as a sign of success, the reality is that the U.S. military turned over some of the areas where they'd encountered the most violent resistance to local Sunni authorities - many of whom they had condemned as "terrorists" previously - and started paying their fighters to stop shooting at U.S. troops. In other words, the U.S. was defeated and surrendered territory to the "enemy," effectively paying reparations to local populations and suffering fewer casualties as a result. There are many ways to define success, but defeat and surrender are not among them. Yet, in perfectly Orwellian fashion, after four years of saying that Iraq was mostly stable aside from a few local areas and the Sunni "Triangle of Death," the administration simply stopped using the phrase and replaced it with talk of a "Sunni Awakening." We've always been at war with Eurasia.

The stated goal of the escalation was to "provide space" for political progress that might lead to a lasting and sustainable peace. But there's been no move towards political consensus on any of the Iraqi political class's most divisive issues, not has there been any reconciliation of ethnic and sectarian tensions in the streets.

Dissatisfaction with the Iraqi leadership will continue to increase. Tensions in the South between Shia nationalists and separatists have been on a straight upward line since the Brits pulled back. A growing rift has developed between the national army and U.S.-backed Sunni militias. Mosul has become the latest city to catch fire. The referendum for the future of Kirkuk has been delayed because the question of the oil-rich city's future is too explosive.

Every day, the stress on Moqtada al-Sadr's ceasefire, which is scheduled to expire this month, continues; it's unlikely that it will hold through November. There have already been a number of instances in which Mehdi Army units have gone freelance; if the ceasefire holds, that number will no doubt increase.

Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government are at odds over oil contracts. The country's infrastructure is still in tatters, and there are 4 million displaced Iraqis. If the 2 million or so who are refugees in other countries return, nobody knows what to do with them and inadequate food supplies will be further strained. If they try to return to neighborhoods that have been successfully "cleansed," a new wave of violence will likely ensue. A terrible drought is decimating Iraqi agriculture. Public health officials say that while the cholera epidemic that swept the country last year is under control now, they expect it to return with a vengeance as the temperature rises this summer. I could go on - Iraq is a disaster of epic proportions, and no amount of spin can conceal that reality indefinitely.

Remember that the troop escalation is scheduled to end in July, three months before Americans go to the polls. At that point, even a docile media is going to have to either report that violence - and the all-important U.S. casualty rate - is on the rise again, or they'll be forced to examine the escalation's success or failure in terms of political progress as well as the level of violence. Either storyline shifts the debate significantly (as would a cancellation of the long-planned summer draw-down).

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Post by Dardedar »

The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll reveals that Americans trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle every issue of any significance, including -- by a now fairly wide margin -- "the U.S. campaign against terrorism":

* The economy: Dems led Republicans, 52% to 33%

* Immigration: Dems led Republicans, 40% to 37%

* Iraq: Dems led Republicans, 48% to 34%

* The budget deficit: Dems led Republicans, 52% to 31%

* Taxes: Dems led Republicans, 48% to 40%

* The U.S. campaign against terrorism: Dems led Republicans, 44% to 37%

* Health care: Dems led Republicans, 56% to 29%

No cherry picking, these were all of the issues polled. Republicans trailed in every category.

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Post by Dardedar »

Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates

February 4, 2008

(Ventura, CA)One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be.

Barna

DAR
Note it says born again not "evangelical."
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Post by Dardedar »

Really cool campaign finance tracking tool.
You can insert zip code. Insert address, names or search by
occupation to see which candidates received money, how much
and from whom. Put in your zip code and you can see how much your neighbors gave, and who the gave it to. Almost too much information.

You can even track by celebrities.

Huffington
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Post by Dardedar »

The worst thing that's ever been said about Chelsea Clinton

But doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?
-- NBC News' David Shuster, talking with pundit Bill Press on MSNBC's "Tucker," Feb. 7, 2008.

As the whole world knows by now, Shuster's ill-conceived and crass remark about the former First Daughter has rocked the race for the White House; the high visible newsman has been suspended by MSNBC, and the Hillary Clinton campaign has gone so far as to say it won't debate Barack Obama on the cable network (one was scheduled for later this month.)

Make no mistake, what Shuster said was pretty stupid and in bad taste. But was it the worst thing ever said about Chelsea Clinton in the public arena?

Not even close.

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."

-- Sen. John McCain, speaking to a Republican dinner, June 1998.

Not only is McCain's hideous attempt at humor about 10 times more tastelessl than what Shuster said (as the David Corn article notes, newspapers that reported on the joke wouldn't even print it), but while the newsman's ill-conceived comment was at least spontaneous, McCain's joke was a prepared remark to a public audience.

So now Shuster is suspended and, who knows, maybe his career is in jeopardy, while the other guy is nearly halfway to becoming the next president of United States. Is this a great country or what?

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DAR
If a Faux Noise talking head had said it, they'd get a raise.
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Post by Doug »

Darrel wrote:If a Faux Noise talking head had said it, they'd get a raise.
If a Bush employee had said it, he or she'd get the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Or is that reserved for those who screw up the war in Iraq?
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Post by Barbara Fitzpatrick »

The Medal of Freedom goes to anybody who can shovel an extra couple of billion into Bush crony pockets under the guise of incompetence.

Probably the worst thing said about Chelsea was the "white house dog" routine that Slimeball did some 10 years ago. Attacks on Chelsea were used to get at Bill during his White House years and are currently being used against Hillary for the same reason. And Bill and Hillary are really solid at fighting back - true "rapid responders" - one of the reasons I'm still a Clinton fan. They make the media pay attention to their responses to swiftboating (even before the term became popular, the deed was an R staple). Al Gore and John Kerry weren't able to pull that off. (As in, yes they did "say" whatever it is you think they should have said after being attacked - they just weren't able to get the media to carry it.) It doesn't matter who has the best plan, if they can't get into office.
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Post by Dardedar »

Found a cool new site:

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Bush Bashes Obama on FAUX News

Post by Doug »

Appearing today on Fox News Sunday, President Bush laid into Sen. Barack Obama, claiming he would "attack Pakistan" and "embrace" Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Host Chris Wallace asked, "Do you think there's a rush to judgment about Barack Obama. Do you think voters know enough about him?"

Bush responded, "I certainly don't know what he believes in. The only foreign policy thing I remember he said was he's going to attack Pakistan and embrace Ahmadinejad." Bush said he doesn't think people know enough about Obama, but wouldn't comment on why, if that's the case, so many people are supporting him.

...WALLACE: So why do you think he's gotten this far if people don't know what he stands for?

BUSH: You're the pundit. I'm just a simple president.

See here.

DOUG
Yes, Bush is a simple president.
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Post by Doug »

Bush "justifies" waterboarding on FAUX News with Chris Wallace:

==================

BUSH: First of all, whatever we have done, was legal. And whatever decision I will make, will be reviewed by the Justice Department to determine whether or not the legality is is there. And the reason why…there’s a difference between what happened in the past and today is there’s new law. And um, and so to answer your question, whatever we will do will be legal. The American people have got to know that what we did in the past gained information that prevented an attack and for those who criticize what we did in the past, I ask them which attack would they rather have not permitted…stopped? Which attack on America would they have said, you know, well, maybe that wasn’t all that important? That we stopped those attacks. I’ll do what’s necessary to protect America within the law. That’s what you gotta understand. And um, [nods head]

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BUT:

“Torture is defined under the federal criminal code as the intentional infliction of severe mental pain or suffering,” said John Sifton, an attorney and researcher with the organization Human Rights Watch. “That would include water boarding.— Water boarding was designated as illegal by U.S. generals in Vietnam 40 years ago."

See here.
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Post by Dardedar »

DAR
I look at that picture of that f-ing idiot and think... in 2050, when I'm 84, and history has judged Bush so thoroughly and carefully that instead of an eternal flame at his grave site they build a urinal into his head stone so people can express themselves properly... people will ask me "you lived during the GW Bush presidency? Wow. Did he really seem as stupid then as they now say he was?" And I will nod my head and say, "worse, you have no idea."

D.
----------------------------
"And if you're interested in the quality of education and you're paying attention to what you hear at Laclede, why don't you volunteer? Why don't you mentor a child how to read?"
—George W. Bush, St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 5, 2004

"Then you wake up at the high school level and find out that the illiteracy level of our children are appalling."
—George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004
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Post by Dardedar »

Prediction markets now see Obama defeating Clinton

Mon Feb 11, 12:54 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Traders wagering on the outcome of the U.S. presidential vote were overwhelmingly betting on Monday that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will defeat former first lady Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and ultimately win the presidency.

Obama, whose campaign swept four state Democratic presidential contests against Clinton over the weekend, was trading at about 70 on Monday on the Dublin, Ireland-based Intrade predictions market, meaning traders gave him a 70 percent chance of being the Democrats' presidential candidate in the November election.

Clinton, who replaced her campaign manager in a staff shake-up, was selling at about 30, meaning traders gave her a 30 percent chance of winning the Democratic nomination, data on the Intrade web site showed.

Traders on the Iowa Electronic Markets, a nonprofit exchange run by researchers at the University of Iowa, had similar expectations, giving Obama a 70 percent chance of winning the nomination and Clinton about a 27 percent chance.

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Post by Dardedar »

"If Hillary wins the states she has won and Obama wins the states he has won, do the math and tell me who is the more viable candidate.

Hillary - 205 Electoral votes (FL, NH, AR, NV, MI, NY, NJ, TN MA, OK, CA, AZ)

Obama - 110 Electoral votes (IA, MO, GA, SC, ID, NM, AL, IL, AK, KS, UT, DE, ND, MN)"
--Larry Johnson
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