Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Still Waiting




Republican Senator David Vitter's position: I apologize for "actions from my past," but I'm not going to say what those actions were. That's the line Vitter took during a rather brief press conference on Monday in Louisiana--his first public event since he was outed last week as a client of the DC Madam. Vitter, who said he would continue on as U.S. senator, did not address the issue of whether he was holding himself to a different standard than he sought to apply to Bill Clinton during the impeachment days. Back then, as I disclosed recently, Vitter wrote an op-ed contending that because Clinton had engaged in immoral conduct he ought to be thrown out of office. Why doesn't that rule apply to Vitter? Perhaps he'll explain that in another press conference.

COMING SOON. No more postings today. The Washington Post Outlook section has invited me to respond to a silly Bill Kristol article that argues Bush will be seen as a successful president. I'm putting the finishing touches on that rebuttal now. It should be posted by the Post this evening or tomorrow.

Posted by David Corn at July 17, 2007 10:10 AM

11 comments:

eyes_open said...

Has this been commented on yet?

Clinton, Edwards Talk of Limited Debates
They were caught by Fox News microphones discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some lower rivals after a forum in Detroit Thursday.

Edwards says, "We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group."

Clinton agrees, saying, "We've got to cut the number" and "they're not serious." She also says that she thought their campaigns had already tried to limit the debates and say, "We've gotta get back to it."

capt said...

Mr. David Corn,

It is just the hypocrisy being compounded by his avoiding the issue of his previous (dare I say) position.



Thanks

Kirk

capt said...

Eye's,

That whole thing gives me the creeps.

In spite of the fact that any one of the D candidates would make a much better prez than Bunnypants, I have yet to feel excited for more than a moment or two.


capt

eyes_open said...

It was pretty disgusting. I wonder if Fox news would have made that sort of thing public if it happened during a Republican debate... Anyway it's this sort of thing that has me leaning towards the opinion that Obama will prove to be the lesser of the big 3 evils. Of course someone like Kucinich would probably be better but that is just a pipe dream untill the whole system is overhauled to take money out of the equation.

capt said...

"take money out of the equation"


No doubt, yet we see the "race" being handicapped by the $$$$ and number of donations.

Funny factoid I heard on the radio - 52% of registered republicans $$ have gone to .....

Ron Paul!


HA!


Too bad we can't get that kind of action for Dennis.



capt

capt said...

Um, add or correct (if what I heard was accurate):

52% of registered R's that are also active military (some qualifier like that)

It was on the Stephanie Miller show - so it could be just for fun or humor.


capt

capt said...

Saudis' role in Iraq insurgency outlined


Sunni extremists from Saudi Arabia make up half the foreign fighters in Iraq, many suicide bombers, a U.S. official says.


BAGHDAD — Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran, accusing it of helping insurgents and militias here, the largest number of foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from a third neighbor, Saudi Arabia, according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers.

About 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia; 15% are from Syria and Lebanon; and 10% are from North Africa, according to official U.S. military figures made available to The Times by the senior officer. Nearly half of the 135 foreigners in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are Saudis, he said.

Fighters from Saudi Arabia are thought to have carried out more suicide bombings than those of any other nationality, said the senior U.S. officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity. It is apparently the first time a U.S. official has given such a breakdown on the role played by Saudi nationals in Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgency.

He said 50% of all Saudi fighters in Iraq come here as suicide bombers. In the last six months, such bombings have killed or injured 4,000 Iraqis.

The situation has left the U.S. military in the awkward position of battling an enemy whose top source of foreign fighters is a key ally that at best has not been able to prevent its citizens from undertaking bloody attacks in Iraq, and at worst shares complicity in sending extremists to commit attacks against U.S. forces, Iraqi civilians and the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

The problem casts a spotlight on the tangled web of alliances and enmities that underlie the political relations between Muslim nations and the U.S.


More HERE

*****end of clip*****

So it is and always has been the Saudi’s? And so it looks like we are making the whole mess from scratch. So the senate passes the Iran BS 97-0? WTF?



capt

capt said...

A Free Press or a Ministry of Truth?



In his novel 1984, George Orwell portrayed a future time in which the explanations of recent events and earlier history are continually changed to meet Big Brother's latest purpose. Previous explanations disappear down "the memory hole."

Sound familiar? Any American who pays attention can observe the identical phenomenon occurring in the U.S. today.

Think about the Bush regime's changing explanations for the failed U.S. occupation of Iraq. Shortly after Bush's May 2003 announcement of "mission accomplished," the mission revealed itself to be very much unaccomplished. Americans were told that the cause of the snafu was a small Sunni insurgency of two or three thousand at the most inspired by "die-hard Ba'ath Party remnants." Remember the propagandistic deck of cards identifying the most wanted down to the less wanted? Americans were assured that once Saddam Hussein and his relatives and henchmen were rounded up, our troops would be pelted with the promised flowers instead of roadside bombs.

When the roundups, trials, and executions failed to fix the problem, the "die-hard" explanation disappeared. A new explanation, with no continuity to the old, took its place.

The new explanation was that Syria was allowing foreigners to cross its border into Iraq to commit jihad against the American troops. This explanation lasted until it became all too clear, despite the propaganda, that the "foreign fighters" were remarkably well accepted by, and concealed within, the Iraqi communities that were suffering all the collateral damage of the conflict.

When it came time for the U.S. to create an Iraqi government, it was evident that it would be one dominated by Shi'ites. Then, for a limited time, it was permissible to recognize that the insurgency was popularly based in the Sunnis.



More HERE

*****end of clip*****

I fear Orwellian is an understatement.



capt

capt said...

Military support for the republican candidates


RON PAUL: 23,465 [6,975] [6,765] [4,650] [5,075]
McCain: 15,825 [6925] [6305] [1795] [800]
Romney: 3,551 [2,051] [0] [1500] [0]
Giuliani: 2,320 [1,450] [370] [250] [250]
Hunter: 1000 [0] [1000] [0]
Huckabee: 750 [250] [0] [500]
Tancredo: 350 [350] [0] [0]
Brownback: 71 [71] [0] [0]
Thompson: 0 [0] [0] [0]

Units are contributions in dollars by employees of the respective military organizations.

Source: Finance Reports for the 2007 July Quarterly.


Percentages:

52.53% Ron Paul
35.4% McCain
7.9% Romney
5.2% Giuliani
2.2% Hunter
2.6% Others

*Note: These statistics include the contributions of employees who recorded or indicated their military branch. Contributions where no employer was specified were naturally not included.



More HERE

*****end of clip*****


Well, not just fun or funny.


capt

capt said...

Tell Novartis: Drop the Case!


For millions of poor people throughout the world, generic drugs manufactured in India are a lifeline. In AIDS-wracked countries like Lesotho and Zimbabwe, more than 90 percent of lifesaving antiretroviral drugs are imported from India.

The pharmaceutical company Novartis is suing the Indian government to change a section of the country’s patent law that safeguards public health. If Novartis wins this case, however, the production of Indian generic drugs could be cut back – and millions of people around the world could lose access to the medicine they need to survive.

Join us in telling Novartis that people are more important than patents! Add your name to the petition below asking Novartis to drop the case.

Join in HERE

capt said...

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