GOPers--and Fred Thompson--Debate
I watched most of the GOP presidential debate this afternoon, expecting to write about it. But it was a bit on the, eh, dull side. Predictable questions; predictable answers--and plenty of attacks on Hillary Clinton. Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed Hillary wants to place a "lid" on economic growth. Where'd he get that fun fact? He didn't say. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee blasted the disparity between CEO compensation and worker pay. (Is he in the right party?) Two amusing moments.
* In decrying current economic policy, Representative Ron Paul, a libertarian, declared that the U.S. currency is "nonfunctioning." Maybe he needs a new ATM card.
* When Chris Matthews, the main emcee, asked what each candidate would do to restore Americans' confidence in the economy, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said he would be "confident" when talking about the economy. The future looks great, he added. Later he was asked to name the "greatest threat" to the American economy. "A sense of optimism," he said. "America has to be optimistic." Senator Sam Brownback, counseling optimism, noted that while the United States makes up 5 percent of the globe's population, it accounts for 20 percent of the global economy and one-third of the world's military spending. "This place rocks!" he exclaimed. Imagine how happy he'd be if the U.S. were responsible for even more of the planet's arms trade.
None of the GOPers stood out in the debate, and that made it easier for former Senator Fred Thompson, the latest entrant, to do just fine. The bottom line: the first Thompson-included face-off did not change the dynamic of the up-for-grabs Republican race.
Posted by David Corn at October 9, 2007 05:59 PM
5 comments:
Mr. David Corn,
I am glad you can watch that stuff.
Thanks
Kirk
Bill Moyers: Dispensationalism, Hagee, the Coming war With Iran and Armageddon
Bill Moyers Journal this week on PBS scared my pants off. It's a look into the organization Christians United for Israel led by Pastor John C. Hagee. In short it is a universal call to all Christians to help factions in Israel fund the Jewish settlements, throw out all the Palestinians and lobby for a pre-emptive invasion of Iran. All to bring Russia into a war against us causing World War III followed by Armageddon, the Second Coming and The Rapture so these Evangelicalfascists can go to Heaven in their lifetime. The wholesale thirsty enjoyable murder of 7 billion people. And of course the Jews who now support them will all go to Hell. And they call Muslims crazy murdering fascists?
This all revolves around what is called Dispensationalism. We live in the Sixth Dispensation with the Seventh being what is often called the Millennium or the End Times. So popular is this thirst to have everyone in the world killed, that Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series has sold 65 million copies.
This is not some little group of misfits; they include Jerry Falwell's organization, Pat Robertson and his gang, 50,000 evangelical preachers and even Billy Graham. They are prodded on by the the Likud, the powerful Israeli Lobby, American Neoconservatives and as you see in the video, supported by Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, megalomaniac Newt Gingrich and Texas Senator John Cronyn to name a few. As was the case in 2002 and early 2003 the war drums are beating once again not only throughout the GOP, but in the mainstream media and the Democratic Party as well. A coming pre-emptive war with Iran seems inevitable, while at the same time so obviously the worst mistake in human history. And there seems to be no helping ourselves. It's not oil, its religion. Two opposing religions saying my way or the high way, both Evangelicalfascists.
Though the video speaks for itself but I would like to add one thing.
I was having an argument the other day about absolutes when my adversary claimed there was no such thing. I pondered that and indeed found it problematic. It took a few days but I finally came up with the only one I could. 100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end in their lifetime have been 100% wrong 100% of the time.
More HERE
Debate on troop withdrawals put on hold
WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats have put on the back burner legislation ordering troops home from Iraq and turned their attention to war-related proposals that Republicans are finding hard to reject.
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The legislative agenda marks a dramatic shift for party leaders who vowed repeated votes to end combat and predicted Republicans would eventually join them. But with Democrats still lacking enough votes to bring troops home, the party runs the risk of concluding its first year in control of Congress with little to show for its tough anti-war rhetoric.
"We can no longer approach the discussion on Iraq as a partisan issue," said Rep. John Tanner, a conservative Democrat from Tennessee. "Our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Guardsmen aren't fighting as Democrats or Republicans but as Americans."
In the past week, the House passed two bills intended to curb misconduct by contractors in Iraq and one proposal by Tanner and Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, that requires updates on the Bush administration's plans for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. combat forces.
Following last week's rejection of a proposal by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., to cut off money for combat, the Senate is expected to follow suit with similar bipartisan measures.
Delayed until early next year is debate on the $190 billion the military says it needs to fund the war through September 2008.
There is little doubt that Democrats are biding their time and deliberating their next step. Democrats are divided on whether to continue paying for a war they oppose, or cut off the money and be attacked politically for refusing to support the troops.
They also hope that Republicans will grow increasingly nervous about the war's effect on the 2008 elections. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who chairs the panel that oversees military funding, predicted last month that GOP lawmakers will jump ship after the primaries end.
"I see what happens to a Republican when they say we ought to start to get out," Murtha said. "They bash them. I mean they attack them viscerally and of course they're the ones that nominate them. Until that plays out we're going to have a problem."
Democrats calculate that the Pentagon has enough money for the war, through February or March, by borrowing against its annual budget. Military officials warn that doing so can disrupt vital programs, such as base support and training exercises, and cost more money in the long run.
Democrats say they are still challenging President Bush on the war. The House on Tuesday passed legislation by Abercrombie intended to make it easier to convict private contractors of fraud.
The bill, approved by a 375-3 vote, would create a federal criminal statute banning contracting abuse associated with military operations and reconstruction efforts. It also would ensure federal courts have jurisdiction in all cases, closing what Abercrombie says is a loophole in existing law that has let many contractors off the hook.
A similar measure by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was approved in April by the Senate Judiciary Committee. A spokesman for Leahy said Republican objections have prevented it from getting a quick floor vote.
More HERE
Turkey shells rebels in northern Iraq
SIRNAK, Turkey - Turkey is shelling suspected Kurdish rebel camps across the border in northern Iraq, a newspaper reported Wednesday, but the government appeared unlikely to move toward sending ground troops until next week.
A member of the governing Justice and Development Party said a request for parliamentary approval for a cross-border ground offensive was unlikely to come to the floor before the end of a four-day religious holiday on Sunday. He asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that preparations for the parliamentary authorization were under way but he did not say when a motion could reach the floor.
A large-scale military incursion would disrupt one of the few relatively peaceful areas of Iraq and jeopardize Turkey's ties with the United States, which has urged Ankara not to take unilateral steps.
The Turkish military launched a major offensive on its side of the border this week in response to more than a week of deadly attacks in southeastern Turkey by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.
Turkish troops targeting the guerrillas' suspected escape routes in mountainous areas in Sirnak province have "squeezed" a group of about 80 rebels on Mt. Gabar, in Sirnak, the Hurriyet newspaper reported. Escape routes were being bombed by helicopter gunships while transport helicopters were airlifting special commando units to strategic points.
Turkish troops were also shelling suspected PKK camps in the regions of Kanimasa, Nazdur and Sinath, in northern Iraq, from positions in Turkey's Hakkari province, just across the border, Hurriyet reported. Tanks were positioned near the town of Silopi, in Sirnak province, the paper said.
The paper said the government would impose an information blackout on its preparations for a possible cross-border offensive.
In the event that parliament gives its approval, the military could choose to immediately launch an operation or wait to see if the United States and its allies, jolted by the Turkish action, decide to crack down on the rebels.
Turkey conducted two dozen large-scale incursions into Iraq between the late 1980s and 1997. The last such operation, in 1997, involved tens of thousands of troops and government-paid village guards.
Other punitive measure at Turkey's disposal including cutting electricity supplies and closing the border with Iraq.
More HERE
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This could be very bad.
capt
Young People Rejecting Christianity, Have Perception of Religion as Homophobic
I've been saying for a while now that the religious right in America finally and firmly jumped the shark over the past few years. But now that that big ol' shark's behind them, there's another bunch of critters looming ahead that may prove to be even more damning. It's that whole big flock of chickens that are finally coming home to roost.
I don't know how long they thought they were going to go on that way, all self-righteous and judgmental, blaming homosexuals and feminists for everything from 9/11 to the price of gas, ignoring the interests of the poor in favor of those of big business, and dismissing any kind of environmental stewardship as nothing more than a way to waste time until the Rapture comes. Clearly, the didn't see anything at all wrong with elevating the most spiteful and amoral among them as their national spokespeople, and rewarding them in direct proportion to the heat of their rhetoric. No, these folks were on fire (we're still not sure if it was Jesus or heartburn), and they weren't afraid to let their bilious light shine on the TV, in the streets, all the way to the White House. They did their best to set it high above the rest of the culture, where none of the rest of us could miss it if we wanted to.
And now, a new study reveals that young Americans, both inside and outside Christianity, have indeed taken note of this righteous spectacle-- and a large and growing majority of them are absolutely revolted by what they've seen.
A study released last week by the Barna Group, a reputable Evangelical research and polling firm, found that under-30s -- both Christian and non-Christian -- are strikingly more critical of Christianity than their peers were just a decade ago. According to the summary report, Barna pollster David Kinnaman found that the opinions of non-Christians, in particular, had slid like a rock in that time frame. Ten years ago, "the vast majority" of non-Christians had generally favorable views of Christianity. Now, that number stands at just 16%. When asked specifically about Evangelicals, the number are even worse: only 3% of non-Christian Millennials have positive associations with Evangelicals. Among the Boomers, it's eight times higher.
More HERE
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Sad but true. Most of the Kkkristians are homophobic. The young folks see the hate and are repelled. Who wouldn’t be. It is like racism from back in the ‘60's and ‘70's, hate just plain sucks.
capt
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