Let me finish tonight with this.
I think something fine is happening in American leadership. It is holding together, getting stronger. The bonds of our leaders getting warmer, closer.
I watched Bill Clinton give the speech of his life, saw the impact in the new polling that shows greater confidence in the economy—a confidence born of knowing a little more about what's been happening, what should give hope for improvement.
I watched Secretary Clinton with President Obama today out at Andrews Air Force Base honoring Ambassador Chris Stevens and the three others killed in Benghazi. That moving scene is America at our best, honoring our fellow citizens, especially those who serve our country, as individuals and public servants worthy of personal reverence.
What a contrast with the ratty politics being played on the other side: this dirtball attack that never seems to end on the President's birth in this country, this relentless effort to paint him as "the other"—someone who snuck in the country, someone who "pals around with terrorists," who "sympathizes" with the attackers, who gets his politics from "overseas."
I would like to hope that when they have to judge a president holding up our country's honor and saluting the troops as individuals, not simply as force levels, they will see the merit there. They will see in contrast the kind of dirtball politics that tarnishes our democracy and is certainly not the kind our uniformed men and women are fighting and risking all to protect.
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Well said Chris!!!!
Leaders and other side. We and they. Invitation to say what a leaders they are. No, thanks. You know who you are, we know it too. No boo, no conversation, vote!
On the other hand, there's Leo...
Sucks to be a Republican these days, no?
What do you mean Cabbie? Leo is a Democrat remember? Ha Ha Ha!
Right, and I'm a full tithe-paying Mormon....
Of course America at our best has always been about "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." But since Reagan it has been about breaking the unions, dividing the nation giving tax breaks to the rich, letting the infrastructure crumble and the schools fail, denying benefits and wages to the middle class, while giving massive wage increases and benefits to the upper class along with stock options. Inequality and limiting freedom.
All the while those self same billionaires bought the media and told the citizens that the rich were getting the short end of the stick and were under attack from the middle and lower classes (even though they kept stealing their bank and savings accounts and mortgages, and requiring credit checks and five years of tax returns to get a job).
Today Mitt Romney told his corporate owned media that the middle class were those that made $200,000 - $250,000 a year. That's part of the top 4% of America. That means that 96% of America is the lower class of America in Mitt Romneys eyes. They make less than $200,000 a year and they can all count on a tax raise and getting screwed if Mitt is elected.
sedwinmars You give out such Bull crap. Your nothing but a radical extremest. Go join those nuts in Cairo, you'll fit in nicely. If your not smart enough to make a buck, you feel cheated when somebody else has higher expectations then you, go get a life.
I'll let Sed handle you and your juvenile name calling, junkyard relic...
He's got facts, and you've only got flatulence....
Anyway, Sed, here's a laugh for you... I think a strong case can be made that "flip flopping" is endemic to Mitt's LDS culture...
http://universe.byu.edu/index.php/2012/09/14/caffeine-policy-protest-stopped-in-brigham-square/
There's been some local brouha over the disclosure that caffeinated sodas have never "violated" the Word of Wisdom, despite many of the faithful who forego them... But I guess rules is rules until they're changed...
SL Cabbie
You're a bigger idiot. And no you can't handle yourself. You think like Obama. Remember Carter, "America Held Hostage" Typical Dumb As-s Democrat running the show with these type of results, with Inflation, with QE3. All while he was playing in Vegas. Your way out of your league Junior. So step aside and let smart people take care of your irresponsible negligent mess you put in. Middle east does not Like Obama, they think he's a chump. Just like i think of you.
Ha Ha Ha. You're hilarious hemi. I've made fortunes many times over. YOU know me. YOUR family knows me. I'm a very famous guy. Ha Ha Ha! Additionally, I've worked as an executive for a half dozen Fortune 100 companies.
Sorry dude. Once you start to have success it just keeps coming. Mine started at a very young age, and I still had time to serve my country as well.
What's amazing here is that a film was put on the internet but no one saw it until a SAUDI owned news organization Wahabi Al Nas TV decided to play it to instigate the the stupid, gullible, hateful few in their society to start demonstrating against the United States government.
Then the SAUDI owned news organization in the U.S., FOX News started broadcasting propaganda about the video to the stupid, gullible, hateful in our society, like you hemi, so that they too would start demonstrating against the U.S. government and the U.S. President.
Of course the Saudis know that you all are too stupid and gullible to realize or remember it was the Saudis who attacked us on 9/11/01 and that these Saudi news organizations have re-released these videos and caused all this hate on the 9/11 anniversary.
So go ahead and hate your own country and President hemi. But don't accuse me of of being on the side of the nuts in Cairo moron. That's your position.
hemi: I remember embassies, a Navy ship and our homeland under attack under Bush. That was just a few years ago. Why are you going back decades ago? Do you want to bring up the World Wars or the Civil War too? Let's try to keep this current shall we? This is about 9/11 and Bin Laden. It fell on the anniversary of 9/11. Do you think that was a coincidence?
Iran hasn't been involved. You are a serious moron as are most of those who listen to and absorb lies and propaganda from Fox and Limbaugh. Try to use the two brain cells you have.
The film was made by an Egyptian christian fundamentalist and was financed by the Jews.It was made to incite the radical Muslims to generate this type of activity.Many people are waiting for the beginning of the religious war to be waged against Israel.The cowards that participated am sure have these beliefs.The scary thing is the Republicans are stoking this flame by their incendiery rhetoric and the ordinary citizens of all regions are being dragged into this
I worry about what blown head gasket thinks about me as much as I worry about what a street drunk thinks of me when I decline to run him for a $40 trip without seeing the money first....
Obama's approval rating is 52%, gonzo, and Carter's was 32%...
And to gild the lily a bit on where the right is with their vilifying Muslims, here's a bit on the "rehabilitated terrorist" they had appear at that dog=and-pony show, the "Values Summit" that Lyin' Ryan put in an appear at. This is from Rachel's sight...
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/kamal-saleem-former-terrorist-islamophobia
Over the last five years, Saleem's tale of terror and redemption has made him a minor celebrity among Christian conservatives.
However...
Saleem claimed to be a descendant of the "Grand Wazir of Islam," a position that doesn't exist. Howard dug deeper and discovered that Saleem's original name was Khodor Shami—and that for more than a decade before outing himself as a former terrorist he had worked for Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network and James Dobson's Focus on the Family.
'Nuff....
Cabbie, as I've said many times before I don't see much of a difference between right wing fundamentalists, Christian, Muslim or whatever. It's all pretty much the same no matter how you slice it. It just depends on your P.O.V.
Good find my friend.
Chris,
You are right. This is a tragedy and the country as a whole should come together instead of tearing each other apart. The President and Secretary Clinton were very moving. Their words were comforting to the families and to the nation. Everyone can talk all they want but they are not the President of the United States and they don't have the hard decisions he makes and continues to make.
The hit in Libya was planned. The 400 hundred armed militants with rocket launchers set up in a two wave, with intelligence on the Ambassadors location, his vehicle, his route, and his security staff would takes weeks coordinate. Not the few hours as portrayed by the U.S. Media, our Secretary of State, and our President. Our leaders failed those four lost Americans in Libya and are directly responsible for their deaths. It does not matter if they ignored intelligence briefs, or the fact that it was the anniversary of September 11, or they just lacked the skills and abilities to execute the duties of their Office: they failed and are 100% to blame. I can only pray that they do not get anyone else killed because of their gross incompetence.
Yes, we should've definitely occupied Libya right after the fall of Gaddafi, seizing it at a territory and claiming its oil riches as our own. We might need to reinstate the draft, but hey, jobs are so scarce here there are plenty who would welcome "three hots and a cot" in the good ol' Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine.
Do I really need a /sarcasm off tag for this one?
And that's right wing manufactured dung about the president not attending intelligent briefings. Those were used during the Bush 43 Administration because W. didn't like to be burdened with all that reading. Obama has no such problem, and he received written reports. The provocative film was only recently translated into Arabic (Repugs are insisting it had been on YouTube for several months), and the demonstrations served as a smokescreen for the attacks.
Attitudes like yours are what prompted the U.S. involvement in Vietnam where we ran afoul of nationalistic beliefs and mistook them for Communist ones. Democracy will need some time to "gel" and I find it noteworthy that the Right is hollering about the deaths of four individuals, but kept silent about the thousands of lives lost in Iraq.
There's a lesson there for those able to learn it...
mybriar is the typical Fox moron who not only believes the lies coming out of Fox and right wing radio (such as intelligence briefs were ignored, gee I thought that just was revealed about the Bush administration...Oh yeah thats why the right wingers have turned it around on the Dems because thats what they always do, turn everything they're guilty of immediately around on the other side), but who also believes he can second guess intelligence and foreign relations decisions based upon zero knowledge of the region and zero intelligence knowledge. Why don't you explain quantum theory to us too genius?
So he sides with the Saudi owned Fox network against his own government and President on the first anniversary of 9/11 after Bin Ladens death.
Talk about stupid and gullible. Keep watching Fox moron. Perhaps tomorrow they'll tell you to take up arms against your own government and support Al Qaeda. That is after all what Bin Laden wanted idiot. Saudi owned news are the ones who released the video over in the middle east so just keep siding with the terrorists against your own government lamebrain.
Libya’s deputy interior minister, Wanis al-Sharif, faulted the Americans at the mission for failing to heed what he said was the Libyan government’s advice to beef up its security. “What happened later is beyond our control, and they are responsible for part of what happened.” Yet he acknowledged that he had ordered the withdrawal of security forces from the scene to avoid inflaming the situation by risking a confrontation with several hundred people at the embassy angry about the video. (Seems like it was not beyond his control.)
Let’s see if I have this straight – the Embassy should have had more troops for protection – yet Sharif pulled his troops so as not to inflame the situation. So more troops inflame the situation but fewer troops encourage an attack.
I feel the need to re-read Catch 22.
As always the spineless point fingers and start yelling, "It's not my fault."
After generations of oppression, poverty and violence, it will take years for all these societies to rebuild themselves. Hopefully, they will do it peacefully and for the better. History, however, tells us that there will many who will inflame passions along the way. Unfortunately, for us here in the U.S., who aren't even involved directly in these revolutions, we have people who wish inflame passion and violence here as well.
Chris do you really believe American Leadership is holding together and getting stronger. I might agree American Leadership is holding together, but getting stronger I am not sure you are correct on that part of your statement.
Romney didn't get it right. Obama's statement that the "U.S. has profound respect for people of all faiths" is a nice statement, but I don't think he gets it either.
Obama didn't cut it in Copenhagen with the Olympic committee and his claim to fame is killing Bin Laden, which is a no-brainer.
So where have all our leaders gone? I wish our choice for November 6th could be none of the above.
Jon: Killing Bin Laden was a "No-Brainer?" That's funny because Bush gave up. Romney said he wouldn't have done it. Most of the advisors didn't want to do it. So I guess you are getting your information from the Fox and Limbaugh types who give you partial information and claim they too would have done it after the fact when before the fact they wouldn't have done it.
Obamas statement that "He has respect for people of all faiths," is one of the main reasons that we broke Al Qaeda according to the documents that we found in Bin Ladens compound. Obama changed the language so that we were no longer fighting a "war against Muslims" but a "war against Al Qaeda and terrorists." This made Bin Laden furious and he knew this made a huge difference because as long as there was a "war against muslims," he could recruit and maintain anger against the U.S. Obama is exceptionally smart and an excellent leader unlike the last guy and the guy running against him now.
Stop watching Fox and listening to Limbaugh. It makes you sound even more stupid than you already are. You know absolutely nothing about politics or the government and definitely nothing about foreign affairs. Leave these things to our leaders and go back to playing with your Legos set.
Moreover, "none of the above" is not a choice. Jon, critically think this one through! We are asking for your support, your family's, and your friends:
Vote! A Full Democrat Ticket 2012. Change goes viral!
Jon, at least you know lies and greed are holding the Republican leadership together so you have that tender thought to keep you warm at night. Ha Ha Ha!
Kennedy the PRESIDENT was particularly"HARD"to judge,because Kennedy the man so enigmatic and complex.Even for those who knew him BEST.@
Kennedy, like Obama had/has extreme intelligence. Something the Republicans not only lack but despise.
I didn't realize that Sarah Palin was active with the Romney campaign...that's a pretty broad brush you paint Obama's competition with, Mathews. And as to that new mantra that replaced the well discredited "Yes We Can" of 2008, "Forward", well, it's beginning to look more like "Back to the Future", or back to the 1970s, both in our economic state and in foreign affairs. Obama is so reminiscent of the failed Presidency of Jimmy Carter.
Why don't you do something useful with yourself next week, Mathews, and call on Obama to stop hiding behind Hillary's skirts due to his failed foreign affairs policies and trying to get a little of Bill Clinton's 1990s rubbed of on his disastrous economic policies, and stand up to the questions in a press conference.
*Yawn.*
Ha Ha Ha! I just love how these Republican keep harping back to four decades ago. Funny, Sarah Plain was a failure of just three and half years ago. Ha Ha Ha. This was the woman who didn't read, didn't know what the Vice President did even though she was running for that office, who resigned halfway through her Governorship because it was too hard (and this in Alaska where the hardest thing to do is issue fishing licenses). Ha Ha Ha.
And failed foreign policy? I remember Reagans blunders in Grenada and Beirut, as well as the Iran-Contra Affair but the right wing wont mention those, ever. Of course many if not most would characterize George W Bush as the worst of all Presidents on foreign affairs with lying to get us into two unpaid for wars while lowering taxes and promising that we would get cheap oil that we never got. That's horrible stacked upon horrible with a scoop of horrible. Ha Ha Ha! Now we see the Middle East unraveling because of those very wars. Thanks Bush.
The Republicans just have brain blocks when it comes to just how unbelievably clueless their Presidents were. Most of it is due to revisionism and propaganda because all they watch and listen to are Fox and Limbaugh who tell them their Republican party leaders are gods who walked on earth just like the middle east religious leaders because frankly they too are fundamentalist theocrats just like the Republicans. Ha Ha Ha!
I've got a great idea. Before you Republicans start telling us how great you guys are and how lousy we are...open up a history book! That's what we do. Of course we are the intellectual and professorial elite whereas you guys are just the dumb asses. Ha Ha Ha!
America has got to start electing intellectuals as Presidents, and stop this foolishness of anti-intellectualism. There is nothing cute about having a hard-working, hard-charging, one-dimensional man or woman leading the world! This description alone is a signal that the person should not lead the world.
Keith L., that's your opinion of the President and I am glad it is not mine.
I thought Chris's guest from the Washington post this Sunday morning was particularly entertaining when he said if given the chance he would ask the President, "Why did you waste so much time on health care reform..." Ha Ha Ha Yes, why would you Mr. President given the fact that the Gentleman from the Washington Post and so many other rich entitled people like him already had full healthcare coverage? Screw the 50 million uninsured Americans, including the millions of children and millions of Americans that the Insurance companies refused to cover. The rich people have theirs! Spend your time negotiating lowering taxes for millionaires like "Mr. Washington Post!" We all know how that has worked out for the last thirty years. Those poor and middle class people without insurance aren't real Americans anyway and they just deserve to suffer and die while losing everything they have worked for, so they are destitute and desperate in their last hours, when if they just had decent insurance and health care they might just instead be healed, kept their life, liberty and belongings and continued to earn like all Americans deserve and desire.
Hypocrisy and greed. That is the Republican Party.
I agreed, Sed. I am tired of airheads who only choose to see to the end of their wallets. They are just "mean girls."
Speaking of, where is Cindy?
I told Cindy to go get her nails done after taking a hot soak.... Maybe she was telling the truth about being a Clinton fan, and she was smitten by Billy Jeff's speech...
As for this bit of roadkilled zombie, he appears to have followed me over from Lawrence's site, and now he'll doubtless accuse me of stalking him... And I'm sure he'll steal that little nickname I gave the 42nd; I'm still sore at the way he awakened the bluenoses, and that one was from my former life as a Republican...
You can look for our global warming denier to follow the Religious Right's lead this week and holler about the godless Progressives... That flies hand-in-hand with their questioning our patriotism.... Somehow, though, I don't think that stuff is going to move the poll numbers...
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_09/romney_death_spiral_beginning039910.php
And oh man, look at this one... I hope it holds...
http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/09/poll_elizabeth_warren_pulls_ah.html
I believe she's upset because one of her comments was "modified" or "tempered" by the community somehow (I'm still mystified as to the mechanics myself). Nevertheless, it was enough keep her away for awhile. I'm sure my contentious remarks didn't help.
If or when she returns I'll try to be "nicer," for awhile anyway. ;)
I've seen two other national papers saying they give Obama a 80% and 90% chance respectively. I think Mitt may have really done himself in this week. But the debates are still ahead of us and Obama hasn't debated in 3.5 years whereas Mitt has had what, 20 debates in the last six months? So no one should be counting any chickens just yet.
In college I was President of a 5 man debate team in the IVY League debate circuit. We constantly went up against 30 -50 man debate teams who obviously expected to destroy us, of course they had 15 guys doing nothing but research, 15 guys preparing arguments and 10 guys debating, whereas we did everything while carrying 20 credits a quarter. But we always walked away with the most presentation trophies, (which technically means we didn't win but the crowds thought we did).
So the debates will obviously mean a lot.
Cindy, miss ya! :-(not really.
'Cabbie' and Sed, I sure wish the best for democrats this election season. Something good needs to happen and the republican party is unstable: They are not inclusive; they really need to empower the people and become more than the sum of their agenda groups.
WHERE ARE MITT ROMNEY'S TAX RETURNS? This man is a snob!
I think Mitt is keeping his tax returns with his economic plan, his foreign policy, his domestic agenda...all locked somewhere, in a secret location where the American public aren't allowed to see them. That's what theocrats do. "We the people," of the American democracy aren't privy to the "thoughts" of Republican gods. Ha Ha Ha!
The Republican Party has gone off the deep end. Vote a straight Democrat ticket this November.
sedwinmars,
"In college I was President of a 5 man debate team in the IVY League debate circuit"
" I've worked as an executive for a half dozen Fortune 100 companies."
Nice resume, which companies, are they still around today???
Yes. Here's a hint. I got my post grad degree "eating green eggs and ham."
The flagship of the first company (when I worked there, and it was a real ship) was the "President Eisenhower." The following five, like this one I'm sure you've never heard of since they are international shipping companies and law firms.
The next four aren't worthy of hints: Boatmens National Bank, Wells fargo, Bank Of America, and CIGNA.
Why 'dr,' are you writing a book?
How about you? is the 'dr' a real title or Dr. like in DrTrimmer or Dr Pepper?