Where’s the Outrage?

I watched this evening’s Democratic Presidential debate.

From a conventional standpoint for a liberal, you can say this is a good group of candidates. Or at least they are good at saying what they feel primary and caucus voters want to hear. Or, maybe what they are saying reflects a slight shift to the left  in the country that has been discussed of late.

Still, I persist in the belief that none of the Democratic candidates have substantive answers to the issues of climate change and the global economy as it effects American workers. I feel these are the most important issues by far. Either they don’t know what to say or the solutions are so off-the-table at the moment that they can’t be politically discussed.

I’ve been a supporter of former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina to this point because of his focus on economic issues as they impact the poor and middle classes.

I have to admit that in my heart I want to move to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.

However, I’m not there yet.

Here is good column by Roger Cohen of The New York Times discussing the positive impact Senator Obama might make in other parts of the world as President of the United States. I know I very much agree with Mr. Obama’s assertion that we should talk with all nations. What does it hurt to talk?

Tags: Election 2008, Other Political Thoughts, Party Politics by Texas Liberal
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We have been down this road before.  The House and the Senate pass a bill only to have our President veto it.  Passing the latest bill with a slim margin of 218 - 203 proves that this isn’t a veto-proof bill.  Now what?  I’m not sure that I see how this is different.  The Senate will probably not be able to pass the bill since the bill needs 60 votes to stop debate.  This bill isn’t going to get 60 votes.  It will get the same 54 or 55 votes and then it will be dead in the water like the rest of the bills.  What am I missing?

The Dems packed this bill with several items that the Bush administration will not be able to stomach.  First, there is a timeline.  Second, there are guidelines on how to interrogate  prisoners.  You know George W Bush will not be told what to do.  So, I’m not sure what the strategy is here?  I’m confused.

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From USAToday:

The bill represents about a quarter of the $196 billion Bush requested for combat operations in the 2008 budget year, which began Oct 1.

It would compel an unspecified number of troops to leave Iraq within 30 days, a requirement that Bush is already on track to meet as he begins in coming weeks to reverse the 30,000 troop buildup he ordered earlier this year. It also sets a goal of ending combat by Dec. 15, 2008, and states that money included in the bill should be used to redeploy troops and “not to extend or prolong the war.”

The measure also would set government-wide standards on interrogation, effectively barring the CIA from using such harsh techniques as waterboarding, which simulates drowning.  (More…)

Tags: Bush Administration, Iraq by ecthompson
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Judith Regan filed a lawsuit a couple of days ago which will dog Rudy Giuliani for the foreseeable future.  Being associated with Bernie Kerik is tough enough for a presidential candidate to shake.  It now appears that pressure was placed on Bernie’s girlfriend to lie to the FBI. At least, that is what the lawsuit is alleging.  Judith Regan is saying that a top NewsCorp executive, Roger Ailes asked her to lie about her affair with Mr. Kerik.  Giuliani and Ailes turn out to be old buddies.

Someone get me some popcorn.  This is going to be a great show.

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From NYT:

Judith Regan, the former book publisher, says in a lawsuit filed today protesting her dismissal by the News Corporation, the media conglomerate, that a senior executive there encouraged her to lie to federal investigators about her past affair with Bernard B. Kerik after he had been nominated to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.

The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik’s mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post.

Ms. Regan makes the charge at the start of a 70-page filing that seeks $100 million in damages for what she says was a campaign to smear and discredit her by her bosses at HarperCollins and its parent company, News Corporation, after her project to publish a book with O.J. Simpson was abandoned amid a storm of protest.  (more…)

 

 Giuliani - no comment [3:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball by ecthompson
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America is my home. We have great traditions. I love my home and my traditions. One of our quaint traditions is based on Judeo-Christian heritage. It is the tradition of trying to do the right thing. The Bush Administration has changed this to - anything that we do because we are Americans is by definition the right thing.

One of those people that hate America and our traditions is Deroy Murdock. He penned an article last week for the National Review. He begged Bush to embrace waterboarding. He states that Bush should, “reinstate waterboarding, proudly and publicly, so America can get the information we need to prevent Muslim-fanatic mass murder and win the Global War on Terror.”

Earlier in the article, Deroy uses Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the 9-11 mastermind, as the example that waterboarding is a great technique and one that “every American should be proud.” He lists a number of Al Qaeda operatives that KSM turned over. Mr. Murdock doesn’t reveal that we don’t know if KSM told investigators this information before or after he was waterboarded. He also leaves out the volumes of false information that KSM spewed. A NYT article questions KSM’s claims - It is not clear how many of Mr. Mohammed’s expansive claims were legitimate. In 2005, the Sept. 11 commission said that Mr. Mohammed was noted for his extravagant ambitions, and, using his initials, described his vision as “theater, a spectacle of destruction with KSM as the self-cast star, the superterrorist.”

[Read more →]

 

 Another Murdock among the world's worst [2:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Al Qaeda, Torture by ecthompson
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