I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
First?
this better be airing as part of a Kerry or DNC ad by Monday...
How many appointees are wondering who he was talking about today?
Oh, Condiiii! Can you come for a moment?....
Well, there was that whole "taking the oath of office" thing.
History will look back on a small man who didn't recognize his own failings. Worst president ever.
1. He's a conservative
2. He's a christian
3. He's a Texan
That's a recipe for egotistical disaster!
MYOB'
.
Paul Bremer
Christie Whitman
Richard Clarke
John Dilulio
OT: Sinclair to Broadcast anti-Kerry show in primetime
http://tinyurl.com/5p35s
Mr. President, are you saying it wasn't a mistake to not send more troops to Iraq?
Are you saying it was not a mistake to ignore the warnings in the PDB of August 6, 2001?
Are you saying it was not a mistake to allow looting in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein?
Ladies and gentlemen, President Bush couldn't think of a single mistake he's made during his term in office. I just gave you the three you asked for.
If President Bush can't think of a single mistake he's made, that means another four years of George W. Bush, will be four years of more of the same.
GWB: Miserable Failure
What a dumb, illiterate shit.
Pure nonsense.
"I did the right decisions."
What a retard.
From The Simpsons ("Bart Gets Famous"), KBBL's "wacky" DJs discuss the "I Didn't Do It" Kid:
Marty: Say, speaking of one-trick ponies, whatever happened to that "I didn't do it" kid?
Bill: Boy, did THAT get old fast. Whoa! You know, if you want to last in this business, you've gotta stay fresh! [a slide-whistle and clown horn play]
It's pathological.
Captioning Debate Blogwhore that will save trees and preserve the President's Wood
That was the end for GWB...he STILL cannot accept responsibility for anything he's done.
And for him to say that one mistake is appointing people is classic transference.
That and yelling at Charlie Gibson was the end for him. He needed a decicive win last night and was unable to pull it off.
Debate Score:
K/E: 2.5
B/C: 0
SHORTER BUSH: HISTORY WILL SAY I MADE MISTAKES.....I WILL NOT.
Attaturk, you shameless blogwhore!
Bush will save America from evil Canadian killer medicine!
It's hard to know where to begin.
This man's been corrupted by sin,
Behind every smirk
Lies a poisonous dirk,
Aimed at our flag lapel pin.
1) Ignore the warning of President Clinton in the handover - terrorism will be the central issue of your presidency.
2) Ignore Dick Clarke and others who were actually engaged in the real work of security.
3) Blow Clinton's surplus.
4) Ignore the August 6th PDB.
5) Take the enormous support for this country on Sept. 12 and turn it in a matter of months into hatred.
6) Listen to Wolfowitz.
7) Get into bed with Sharon.
Make a disaster of the world.
Just a short list that perhaps the idiot can write on the back of his hand for the next debate.
I thought Kerry was fantastic throughout the debate but wish he would have stepped up to the plate and admitted a couple of mistakes that he had made. In naming a couple and explaining how he had corrected the mistake he would have showed himself to be very human and much more connected to reality than Bush.
The question was ..."Please give three instances in which you came to realize you had made a wrong decision and what you did to correct it."
Seems to me that his answer was three of his decisions that "other" people consider to be wrong, not him. He used the question to justify his decisions and avoid publicly having to admit to having made errors in judgement...that's not a honest answer.
regards from the edge of the point of no return
.
I don't like the yelling. I'm not a fan of the yelling.....
We didn't get to see the debate on TV, but we did watch it on stream later last night. This comment really struck me:
"And in a war there's a lot of - there's a lot of tactical decisions that historians will look back and say, he shouldn't have done that, he shouldn't have made that decision."
Bush is admitting making TACTICAL decisions?
No fucking wonder Iraq is a bloody mess.
I have no idea how the happy face guy got into my last post, but it was my fault.
Gee, thanks Attaturk!
It wasn't my fault. Let me finish.
I've always wondered what is the rationale for people to say someone is bad because they torture their "own people" rather than just they're bad because they torture people.
Is this really a distinction in some people's minds? And what the hell does it mean to say someone's "own people" in this context? I'm sure the people being tortured did not consider Hussein to be one of them, so by what rights do we make the distinction that this is somehow a punishable offense while torturing others outside of one's "own people" is open to discussion?
I'll stand by those decisions because I think they're right. It's really what your - when they ask about the mistakes, that's what they're talking about.
"They"? Aha! I knew those so-called "townspeople" last night didn't really come up with those questions.
Now you ask what mistakes. I've made some mistakes in appointing people, but I'm not going to name them. I don't want to hurt their feelings on national TV.
THIS is what it all boils down to. This is the "Shorter George W. Bush": It's all the fault of his subordinates. The buck stops with THEM.
Dredd Scott? Well at least we know Bush came out firmly against slavery last night....
Did Bush answer a single question without getting snappish?
"It's really what your - when they ask about the mistakes, that's what they're talking about. They're trying to say, did you make a mistake going into Iraq?"
I love the way he refuses to admit any mistakes, but after that little hissy fit he touches upon three distinct subjects - Iraq, tax cuts and appointments.
I also happen to think that those are at the top of the list. What a coincidence.
What's most annoying about his answer is that he's right on the Saddam most likely waiting for sanctions to end so he could restart his programs.
But that isn't what's annoying.
What's annoying is that we already knew nations like Iran, North Korea, and probably others already have or had nuclear weapons making programs, and were far more likely to place them in the hands of third party agents who would work on their behalf, aka 'Terrorists'.
But did we invade them?
During the 90's I recall plenty of experts who stated that Saddam was not likely to employ terrorists other than those of his own making. More like special forces saboteurs. But fundamentalist muslim terrorists? Not likely.
Saddam they said, was too paranoid. He was a control freak. He was too prone to uprooting his own support structure on bogus treason charges. He would never allow an extremist muslim terrorist group to operate in his country cause he knew that they would someday target him. His secular rule was a sore spot for many terrorist groups. Hamas mentioned this, and so did Al Queda(sp?). He would never allow these groups to operate in Iraq without his being allowed to control their actions and I doubt Hamas and AQ would allow this. Osama would never allow it either.
But this was all ignored. Bush figures they were all 'making it up'.
So the question goes back to why Iraq?
Why the urgency?
We already know why.
Oil, Election issue, Haliburton, Saudi, and the Assasination attempt on daddy.
MYOB'
.
I just remembered something about AA rehab. In order to face the fact you have a problem, you first have to admit you have a problem. One can't beat alcholism if one isn't willing to first admit they have a problem in the first place.
Seems that Bush needs to take a remedial AA rehab conditioning training all over again to admit there are problems he has created.
Otherwise, he'll be in self-denial.
regards from the edge of the point of no return
.
Phredd - I didn't like all the yelling, either. Bush got louder every time he stood up and started to answer. If the answer isn't right, yelling isn't going to to make it right.
miserable little martinet.
Bush admits only to mistaken trust in certain people he appointed who betrayed his trust. Paul O'Neill is the big one. I am sure there are others who 'betrayed' him.
Give Chimpy credit for a pretty good Captain Queeg impression. Instead of strawberries, though, he seems to have this unhealthy fixation with weapons of mass destruction. Given the opportunity, he would have even played with the metal balls, but Karen Hughes said she needed them for the evening.
"I am sure there are others who 'betrayed' him."
-Scott
He'll find a few on November 2nd.
I am sure there are others who 'betrayed' him.
John DiIulio, who talked about the "Mayberry Machiavellis" before he was forced to take it all back.
"But history will look back and I'm fully prepared to accept any mistakes that history judges to my administration."
Hi, Shrub? History here. Looking back, let me just tell you the problem you have now, so that maybe you can, um, correct it before you're dead and everything. You don't study, do you? You never actually read anything? Well, that's a mistake, a big one. Let me tell you why....
s/ Clio
(ps: yes, there are a whole lot o' historians making lists this morning. )
Man, for a president that guy seems very very angry and unstable.
MYOB sez:..."What's most annoying about his answer is that he's right on the Saddam most likely waiting for sanctions to end so he could restart his programs."
While it may be true, Lybia was much farther along than Bush ever suspected. So too was Iran and North Korea. Iraq was contained and could be watched. The others were the real loose cannons. That the possibility that Iraq may have restarted their NBC program after sanctions were lifted is a moot point...they were too far down the ladder to be considered a viable threat to anyone, let alone the US.
It's nothing more than ear-candy for the faithful to have some kinda hope to cling-on-to. There really aren't any facts availble to substantial that Iraq would have gone full bore into manufacturing NBC agents for world-wide terrorist distribution...only speculation.
regards from the edge of the point of no return
.
Damn HaloScan cut off my "d"
whether kerry wins the preznitcy or not, we still are left with a nation of overweight half-wits who believe in an invisible cloud being and the righteousness of the republican party. i am not optimistic that kerry can accomplish anything under these circumstances.
Moad-Dib - you and RealPlayer? If you go to:
http://service.real.com/realplayer/ down_in/?p_sid=BWXLNwnh
(take out the space between / and down_in) you should be able to download the free version of RP 10. Not that they make it easy, but that should do it.
Bush's comment..."But history will look back and I'm fully prepared to accept any mistakes that history judges to my administration."
He's willing to accept blame later, not now. If Kerry wins, and the Democrats can swing it and regain control of the House and Senate, maybe they can give Bush a history lesson he'll never forget.
regards from the edge of the point of no return
.
Run and Hide.
Kerry Should thank the president for this gift. He should him hard with the following:
This is a President that not only runs from all his mistakes, but also hides behind the people that he has appointed by blaming them for the mistakes.
In this administration, people are ostracized, berated, vilified, and destroyed if they point out a mistake. I could go on listing name after name…
He is a shining example to our soldiers. A Commander in Chief who has perfected the art of run and hide. When there are mistakes in the war, blame others, blame your appointees, and run, run and hide.
And if that doesn’t work then bully, run and hide.
Slightly OT, but check out this week's Dykes to Watch Out For (tinyurl.com/4ryld). Alison Bechdel has come up with one of her best phrases ever: "right-wing ice age."
THIS is what it all boils down to. This is the "Shorter George W. Bush": It's all the fault of his subordinates. The buck stops with THEM.
Alex - and you have to remember this is from the "CEO President". No wonder his CEO friends have been people like Ken Lay.
And did you notice Baghdad Bush's response to Kerry on the "nuances" of respecting a mother's life and real-life "nuanced" moments like a father raping a daughter? Like a petulant brat, he fired back about there only being yes or no, fer us or agin us, the 3 year old "you can run but you can't hide" and then sticking his fingers in his ears and saying I can't hear you, I can't hear you... nah nah nah.
Captain Queeg may be an apt comparison, but Bush also reminds me of Ahab with Saddam being the white whale, and al Qaeda the sperm whales he's supposed to be hunting. In the end Bush will go down figuratively tied to Saddam.
GWPDA...Thanks!
I'll give it a try. It's hell trying to decypher web pages in different languages...keep getting redirects to foriegn site due to my location.
regards
1st Mistake: Running for president
2nd Mistake: Stealing the presidency
3rd Mistake: Imagining that he had a mandate
Anonymous, I agree with you. Rational thought is only sometimes used in politics and policy. Many people have a belief system based on religious beliefs not logic. We can them the majority. However, I will still take a leader that has the ability to reason whenever we can get away with it.
origins of "it's not my fault"...this is a core characteristic seen in drug addicts/alcoholics. it is ALWAYS somebody else's fault. There is denial, inability to accept responsibility for their actions and most importantly....the consequences of their actions. and sometimes, they "replace" one addiction with another...the basis of 12 step programs. Hence the "higher power" syndrome. bush is such a classic profile of this that i am amazed i have never read anything about him in this light.
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Most people who hear Bush say that Saddam was trying to get rid of sanctions just to restart his nuclear weapons program will say to themselves, "well, just keep up the sanctions, then." A lame non-starter if there ever was one.
susan - that is also the trait that binds felons together. It is never their fault. It is the system, their parents, the other guy they were with, the drugs, the alcohol, on and on and on. Never ever their fault.
I hope Kerry mentions Bushs anger at the next debate... when a person is really angry, when someone tells them they're angry, it makes them even more angry... his veins will pop!
the boy in the bubble... I'll bet Rove wishes he had at least taken him for a walk in a park (but not without the leash)
Bush's demeanor seemed to improve toward the latter part of the debate--seemed to speak more than yell.
Either he recognized he was over the top or he got some sobering advice through the-ta da!-earpiece.
Anyone see a lump on his back?
Also, re: polls: I've never been able to find the "unscientific" poll on ABC--do they actually have one? Finally found CBS's through a link someone posted. Cldn't find polls on several of the sites. What did I do wrong?
Bush is admitting making TACTICAL decisions? No fucking wonder Iraq is a bloody mess.
jac
Yeah, at that point I was screaming at the TV and rending my garments...
And I really like that "shallowest recession" thing. Wheee.
Anyone read Brooks' column today? Isn't it true that the US could have vetoed any attempt at lifting the sanctions on Iraq?
And what about the "you can run but you can't hide"? It sounded childish every time he said it, like a 13-year-old discovering an obnoxious turn of phrase for the first time-- a tittering teenager saying "Female Body Inspector," or some such.
Come to think of it, that's the problem with what passes for country music on the commercial stations-- the "musicians" point at their own cleverness with just a wee bit too much glee.
Around these parts-- central Arkansas-- there's a fast food chain called Sonic Drive-Thru that has an ad campaign that basically tries to appeals to morons. Much of the same, I suppose.
Is Bush actively courting the non-clever? Ah, I already know the answer to that....
transmission picked up during last night's debate:
"Stay calm. You're my little pet goat. You're my favorite pet goat. Mommie loves you. You're my little pet goat. You're my favorite pet goat. Mommie loves you. You're my little pet goat. You're my favorite pet goat. Mommie loves you. You're my little pet goat. You're my favorite pet goat. Mommie loves you. You're my little pet goat. You're my favorite pet goat. Mommie loves you. etc."
I'm still in shock that anyone, anywhere in this day and age would try and use the Dred Scott decision to support their argument. Putting aside the fact it wasn't even appropriate for the case he was trying to make, that decision is probably the worst ever put out by any judicial body in the history of mankind. Not only was it wrong, the consequences of it were horrific for the nation. (Civil War)
Bush should never be given the chance to come remotely close to making any judicial appointments of any kind.
I'm human
Christ, where are the fact-checkers?
I'm still in shock that anyone, anywhere in this day and age would try and use the Dred Scott decision to support their argument. Putting aside the fact it wasn't even appropriate for the case he was trying to make, that decision is probably the worst ever put out by any judicial body in the history of mankind. Not only was it wrong, the consequences of it were horrific for the nation. (Civil War)
Bush should never be given the chance to come remotely close to making any judicial appointments of any kind.
"On the tax cut, it's a big decision. I did the right decision. Our recession was one of the shallowest in modern history."--GWB
I don't get the "shallowest in modern history" description of "our recession."
Were other recessions heavy and profound? Discerning and penetrating?
What did he mean and when did he mean it?
1. He's a conservative
2. He's a christian
3. He's a Texan
That's a recipe for egotistical disaster!
Hey, hey, hey!
Can't we agree it's the first of these three that's damning?
Since two out of three apply to yours truly.....
I know it sounds all tinfoil hat-ty, but after last night, I'm now convinced Bush does have some kind of earpiece through which he is getting help. He started to answer almost every time very slowly and haltingly, then all at once an entire stream of shit would come out of his mouth. I'm completely convinced now that something is going on there.
- there's a lot of tactical decisions that historians will look back and say
Presidents shouldnt be making tactical decisions.
The military wont like that sound of that, at all.
Sean, the French and the Russians tried for years to modify and lift the sanctions on Iraq because they were too damn harsh. At one point, the Americans weren't even letting in any vaccinations for children because they claimed that Saddam Hussein could make bioweapons from them (it wasn't true). The USA and the Brits turned the screws on the Iraqis for years - even cutting the number of people at the UN who reviewed the stuff that could get in, in order to screw Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein might have been trying to get the sanctions overturned, but his primary concern wasn't WMD, it was to get the stuff needed to run the country properly, like chlorine for treating the water supply, or he would have faced more and more discontent at home.
Yes, the US effectively ran the sanctions program and had a veto on any effort to lift them. They also bombed the no-fly zones in the north and south of Iraq for years.
My view:
Kerry hit it out the ballpark. He is going to move from 52/48 to 55/45 next week. No amount of negative campaigning - Sinclair, October Surprise, ??? - is going to change that. Potentially a 60/40 victory.
Why? Because Kerry was infinitely better in this debate rather than the first. In the first, we only saw Bush's antics, we did not hear Kerry's policies. In this one, he clearly articulated policies and positions (and Bush helped him by shouting). As a partisan, I never really listened to either candidate until this debate. I listened to Kerry. I believe that this is going to be a president greater than Clinton, maybe JFK, because he is a leader with a clear vision of where he wants to take us. Believe me, the race is over.
In my adult life, I have watched (I'm from India) the crumbling of a dictatorship up close. In 1976, Indira Gandhi had the "emergency" (Patriot Act), had cowed all the media into sycophantic babble (CNN, MSNBC), had a cabinet of yes-men (Delay) (all cabinet members have to be elected house members) and was projected to win 70/30. The elections were held with several opposition leaders in jail. The results were stunning: every yes-man was defeated, every opposition leader in jail was elected, she LOST 70/30. There's something about democracy that hates dictatorships.
Based on this experience, I believe the Democrats will have not just the Presidency, but the Senate, and the House: an real opportunity to repair the damage to our institutions.
Once the election is over, Kossacks should focus on keeping the Democrats on that track...
We here in Missouri plan to use our newly-discovered military power as a force for good. Plans are already underway to invade Kansas next month to get rid of their weapons of mass sunflowers.
"Anybody read Brooks column today..."
You mean the one where he states "Saddam was on the verge of greatness."
Brooks is a moron. He's a genial moron who's able to keep up an intellectual pretense throughout an entire relatively pointless book if he is so disposed. But anybody who would write the closing sentences on his column today is just plain fucking stupid.
(I can't come up with any verdict on Brooks more complicated than that which wouldn't be as disingenuous and evasive of reality as he is. )
I just like the fact that he refuses to admit a mistake. Ever. As JMM says, clearly the "mistakes" Bush had in mind, his appointments, cover Paul O'Neill and others (Bremer?), who have had less than sparkling things to say about what this Administration has done.
As the frantic spin of Bush/Cheney makes clear, loyalty is everything. Those who clap loudest earn Bush's praise for meritorious conduct. Those who speak plainly about the "facts on the ground," are banished to the outer darkness, where Bush presumes there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.
That hubris was on display in full force last night. It will be Shrub's undoing.
As Molly Ivins says, we tried to tell you what Texas was like under Shrub. But y'all had to find out for yourselves. I think even the media has learned that lesson by now....
What the Fig does it mean "to take responsibility"?
English is the only language I speak. I'm goddamn near eloquent when I'm not angry; I do not know what he means when he says this.
No one (say Harvey Pitt at the SEC) has been fired for poor performance.
Osama, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Intelligence, Jobs, Economy, Environment, and on and on and on have had screw-up after screw-up.
What the Fig?!
I assume some wag said this last night, but, when will the Missouri Coalition partner pull out?
A great moment on the CSPAN replay, when on the Question: What will Sen. Kerry do to stop the nuclear (nucular) threat from Iran?, Bush gets up and says that Kerry's answer "almost made me scowl."
Then, Bush says "Remember, he's the person who is accusing me of not acting multi-laterally?" At that moment, he crosses cameras, and is on BOTH sides of the split, looking in different directions!
A classic moment. Bush has been having bilateral 'relations' with himself for a long time. It's called schizophrenia. He's a 'split-screen' kinda guy.
--
I think even the media has learned that lesson by now....
If only...
I was at the Kerry rally at America's Center in downtown St. Louis last night watching the debate with 12,000 of my friends. I was struck by how many people commented that it seems like someone is feeding Bush the answers through keywords.
It was very apparent if you watched carefully.
By the way, the rally was very inspiring. Wde have to do this friends. There is no alternative.
Tena--
I'm beginning to agree. And combined with his refusal to take a physical, I'm beginning to think he's on some kind of drugs to maintain his composure in public. Maybe not cocaine or anything illicit, as has been hinted at here...but who knows?
Why no physical? I can only reach one conclusion, and his behavior leads me in that direction....
"I'll give it a try. It's hell trying to decypher web pages in different languages"
That's because you're using the wrong internet.
I believe using the Dred Scott case was code to the militant antiabortion contingent. They often use that case in their rhetoric about overturning Roe v Wade. They would have understood what he meant by that, and the rest of us are left scratching our heads.
Also, did you notice how he linked the unborn victims of violence act to abortion?
"internets"
I'm completely convinced now that something is going on there.
Tena, if Bush was being fed answers, why didn't he make any sense most of the time?
This *mistake* one, for instance, jerked and sputtered and rambled. He was incoherent and gave non-answers.
oh and good morning everybody!
"As the frantic spin of Bush/Cheney makes clear, loyalty is everything. Those who clap loudest earn Bush's praise for meritorious conduct. Those who speak plainly about the "facts on the ground," are banished to the outer darkness, where Bush presumes there is wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Well, that's pretty much (apparently) the way he was reared. I agree with you RMJ, but in every case, Shrub seems to repeat the unwholesome behavior patterns of his rather unpleasant family. The refusal to recognise that actions have consequences, even -his- actions; the immediate antagonism toward anyone perceived as not liking him that is never mitigated by any subsequent conduct or re-evaluation - this clown has never grown up. The bellering last night was the manifestation of it - children yell and think that makes their argument valid. Adults do not.
Easy here .........Bush was talking about the apointments of the people who double crossed hma and went off the reservation. This man is vindicative and small minded. His answer to this question was so telling of what goes on in his White House.......Its trully scary............No one is wrong ever!!!!!!!
On anothert note watching the deabte now on CSpan being rebroadcasted ...They did alot of split screen shots ...Bush was still winking and smug....Man ,If Hate were people I would be CHINA!!!!
Brooks should read the Duelfer Report which clearly states that Saddam was no where near greatness. and in fact had given up on and had no apparent detention to get them back. (other than increasing funding to universities or failing to execute all Iraqi bio-scientists who'd ever had knowledge of a WMD experiment or how to generate pesiticides)
OT but...
Hubris Sonic & Moad Dib - So how'd you guys get through the typhoon? Everything cool?
Is that supposed to be a transcript? It's incomplete. I distincly remember Kerry talking about how a mother shouldn't have to die in childbirth when her baby is going to die anyway. This was during the partial-birth abortion question.
FOUL!
- So how'd you guys get through the typhoon? Everything cool?
holey crap! what a crazy time. We started the day with 32 showing up for the debate watch, Incredible numbers for 9am Saturday morning during a typhoon!
and then the typhoon really hit, while we went to see tuvan throat singers all the way across town. I'm still soaked.
children yell and think that makes their argument valid. Adults do not.
Which is, I think, the interpretation of this debate that is making the rounds now.
Reports last night were that even FoxNews commentators gave this one to Kerry. Maybe by Sunday morning the Tim Russerts will have moved that back to Bush, just to appear "balanced." But I'm not so sure.
Even Wolf Blitzer, just after the debate, cornered the Bush campaign manager on the Canadian drug issue, asking why it had taken Bush 4 years to fail to approve Canadian drugs. (answer: Clinton couldn't do it in 8. Was this even an issue for Clinton?).
Blitzer had a much calmer discussion with the Kerry campaign manager.
I think the pundit-tide is shifting in Kerry's favor. It does, after all, follow the perceived winner.
The transcript needs one correction: "It's really what your -" was actually "It's really what you're -"
A woman stood in front of GWB and asked him a question. And right in mid-sentence, he vanished her and pointed the finger at his shadowy enemies, who hide in caves. "It's really what you're - when they ask about the mistakes, that's what they're talking about. They're trying to say, did you make a mistake going into Iraq?"
Creepy.
OT - Is it too early to suggest zingers for the next debate? Because I think at some point Kerry should go through Bush's craptacular job creation record and then say:
"You can't hide from that record. You can't even run."
Is that supposed to be a transcript? It's incomplete. I distincly remember Kerry talking about how a mother shouldn't have to die in childbirth when her baby is going to die anyway. This was during the partial-birth abortion question.
FOUL!
"It was very apparent if you watched carefully."
-Toes
I could have sworn he was reading from a teleprompter. He kept looking out in left field and his performance was on par with his scripted speeches (much better than the first debate).
Robert M Jeffers - No offense, but you are just now coming around to thinking Bush is on performance controlling drugs? Man, the whole administration is on drugs and they've not even tried to hide that fact. It's just insane - there is a "war on drugs" run by the government and the government is run by people who are all taking drugs.
America is seriously fucked up on this chemical shit and is so fucked up it can't even see it. There are chemicals for every damned thing these days - I'm betting they have Bush on Ritalin, among other things.
Bush was still winking and smug.
And in front of a live audience who was asking questions, and knowing the cameras would broadcast it!
Amazing! I knew he couldn't repress his natural behavior!
Bush is, indeed, powdered toast!
You can't hide from that record. You can't even run."
Doc Ock
nice, can I use that too?
Eep, sorry about the double-post. With a misspelling, no less.
Fan, thank you.
Brucds, well aware that Brooks is a moron. I usually steer clear of his shit unless I want to get riled up, but I got caught off guard by the title. I couldn't believe he was trying to spin the Duelfer report.
I've read the transcript of the debate and I still don't get the Dred Scott reference. It seems Bush is saying that he is at least capable of appointing judges that don't think like Tanney or any other 1850s judges. So we're to vote for someone who is just reaching recognition of what happened 150 years ago?
"this clown has never grown up."
--GWPDA
My thoughts exactly. Bush reminds me of a pampered adolescent bully who never learned his manners.
My suggestions for new Kerry slogans:
"John Kerry. A president, not an embarrassment."
"John Kerry. Because America needs grownups."
Bush wanted to come off as Teddy"Bull Moose" passionate. Instead he came off as the
Bull-Headed President
Robert M Jeffers - No offense, but you are just now coming around to thinking Bush is on performance controlling drugs? Man, the whole administration is on drugs and they've not even tried to hide that fact. It's just insane - there is a "war on drugs" run by the government and the government is run by people who are all taking drugs.
No offense taken, Tena. (Frankly, you couldn't offend me. I respect you too much. And BTW, reduce the moniker to "Jeffers" or "Rmj" or something shorter, will ya? You make me sound more pedantic than I already sound myself. Gracias.)
Bush being on drugs just sounds like one of those weird internet "black helicopter" type theories, to me. How do you hide that from the Secret Service, for example? Those guys work for Treasury, after all. They're in law enforcement.
Call that naive too, if you like (no, really; it's okay). I take these allegations with a grain of salt. Knowing nothing, for example, about the behavior patterns of cocaine users, I can't judge the veracity of claims here about such behavior.
Despite all that, I'm beginning to wonder.....
(Just consider me the "JMM" of these boards, if you like....)
Dred Scott is wignut code - they consider Roe v. Wade to be the Dred Scott of the 20th century.
You guys have got to go upthread and click on attaturks BLOGWHORE link. It is not to be missed. The pictures and captioning will make you cry laughing.
mmmmmm..... powdered toast....
How many appointees are wondering who he was talking about today?
.
Oh, Condiiii! Can you come for a moment?....
nah. Condi he would do all over again (ew...). Even though she knows nothing about the Middle East.
Paul O'Neill is clearly on that list. As is Dick Clarke. As of last week, Jerry Bremer, David Kay, and Charles Duelfer no doubt figure prominently.
George Bush cannot admit to making any mistakes, takes no responsibility for mistakes, and places blame on everyone else. Bush comes across as stubborn spoiled child in a man's suit and sounded like he was lecturing a class of 5th graders who had misbehaved and had dared to question the teacher. Bush’s empty verbal assaults, name calling, and hysterical attacks showed his lack of credibility and simplistic comprehension of the issues. I wonder if Bush talks to foreign leaders in the harsh, lecturing, condescending tones he employed this evening in order to look strong and manly.
There can be no doubt after watching and hearing the arrogant and immature tirades of George Bush that he is unfit to keep his job. Bush also gave no vision for the future but more of the same.
John Kerry was intelligent, sincere, honest, presidential and his debate performance is going to resonate with undecided voters. He showed deep knowledge and comprehension of the issues and spoke to the audience in a respectful way. Kerry also showed a good sense of humor by laughing during Bush's environmental speech which was atrocious. Kerry is prepared, competent, forthright and deserves to lead our country the next four years. Kerry has a plan for change which is sorely needed for this country.
Presenile dementia - The clinical picture is characterized by insidious onset and progressive decline in episodic memory without spatial impairment or dyspraxia, followed by changes in personality and behaviour, with signs of disinhibition, irritability, impulsivity and loss of social awareness
sounds like someone we know......
Where was Bush's Regranesque zinger Fat Tim promised me? I never heard it? What will I tell the children?
Where was Bush's Regranesque zinger Fat Tim promised
Tim Russert is the Father Coughlin of NBC news
Larry Lindsay, who said the war would cost 200 billion dollars.
Does he mean he will burn in Hell? It seems he's only willing, as president, to take the responsibility in past tense.
No, Mr. President, you have to take responsibility NOW, not later.
Thank you for not answering the question. God, I'll be glad when Kerry is president and this nonsense is over.
Up until that last question, you could have described me as a reluctant Kerry voter. Yeah, I was going to vote for him because he's the only alternative to Bush. At one time, I was even considering not voting at all in this election. But, George Bush's inability to respond to the question in a meaningful way showed me that his inflexibility is downright dangerous for the country. John Kerry is much more measured, reasonable, and ADAPTABLE. If a situation changes, he can make adjustments and move on. Bush can't. I am now a committed Kerry supporter. Not only will I vote, I will also volunteer and send money.
Hubris Sonic,
What is Japans relation to GMT +8 or +9
hours. and would our appropriate reply to your good morning be good evening?
Kerry/Edwards In A LANDSLIDE!!
And in front of a live audience who was asking questions, and knowing the cameras would broadcast it!
Amazing! I knew he couldn't repress his natural behavior!
RMJ, You are correct, sir. Knowing that he had been coached to control himself, we were stunned to see how out of control he was. And what about that creepy sniff and self satisfied head jerk after his answers. Whewww.
when Kerry is president and this nonsense is over.
Yes, except it won't be over. They'll go after Kerry as they went after Clinton.
And Carter. In the 70s I wasn't paying much attention to politics, and in 1980 all I knew about Carter was scandals and hostages.
Is marmalade good on powdered toast?
See, the weekly therapy sessions do seem to be working. Our beloved president now appears to be ALMOST capable of admitting the tiniest of errors. ...Perhaps with another four years?
his 3 biggest mistakes:
1. ignoring pre 9-11 warnings.
2. invading Iraq.
3. marrying Laura.
why it had taken Bush 4 years to fail to approve Canadian drugs. (answer: Clinton couldn't do it in 8. Was this even an issue for Clinton?).
It's remarkable how little influence Bush seems to have with the congress and Senate controlled by his own party. They expect Clinton, you remember the man they impeached on trumped up charges, to have more influence with the Republicans than George W. Bush.
Apparently the Republicans believe that Clinton had super-human powers that aren't available to the Right Hand of Mammon.
msnbc online debate poll --
Kerry 64, Bush 36 !!!
And this is the poll that had Cheney winning his debate ~65-35, when everyone else had it tied...
Either Atrios, et al have done a great job getting us to 'vote,' or Bush is really fucked
I TiVo'd the debate (on CSPAN) so that I could follow the threads with Bruce Springsteen playing in the background -- very, very inspiring when given the comments I was reading. I then watched the debate and agree almost 100% with the assessment of Kerry. Very, very presidential. It was a good night for him.
I must take issue, however, with what appeared to be the the overall assessment of Bush. I was expecting/hoping to see a bloodbath and it wasn't. Then again, when there is no expectations (much less low ones) of W, this is not saying much. He was much better than the week before and importantly for him gave his supporters (both in the campaign and in the media looking for a comeback story) hope.
I wanted JK to win over those soft Bush supporters/"undecideds" that are not enthusiastic of another 4 years of Bush. Kerry did that in spades last week and reinforced it last night. BUT, we must all understand that this is far from over. I want Kerry and his supporters to be realists. I'm always concerned when I see my team prematurely celebrating after a touchdown. Last night was a good night for Kerry, but also a good one for Bush. I'll take that heading into next week with the news of jobs/WMDs/Afghan election fraud. There is still much work to be done . . . . . .
PS: Beware the spin of Australia's elections. Howard looks like he'll win big, but he's presided over a very strong economy. Iraq (and the 900 Aussie troops) was almost a non-issue. Of course, CNN is saying this is a big boost to Bush.
Suzanne Hayes,
Welcome to the party Suzanne, good for you.
Kerry/Edwards In A LANDSLIDE!!
History? who the fuck cares about history? by then we'll all be dead.
Also, read Olbermann's debate scoring.
Funny, and 16-6 for Kerry!
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/
Yes, except it won't be over. They'll go after Kerry as they went after Clinton.
emd
Like clock work. Mara Liasson will become NPR's Whitehouse correspondent and Donny G. can go straight to full time work with FOX.
Brian Lamb had Nader on this morning. Seems to hint at a suspicion that Bush wouldn't do well and they needed to push the spoiler to hit Kerry.
Nader said nothing important. He did talke about "winning the agenda" whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.
Let's see, enviornment, labor policy, trade policy, foreign policy, fiscal policy, product safety, .... No, I can't find it.
Ralph, please tell us what agenda you won last time when you won a much larger percentage of the vote than you will now? Why haven't you exercised the enormous influence your big showing got you?
A vote for Nader vs. a vote for Bush. Not a dimes worth of real difference.
Is marmalade good on powdered toast?
mmmmmmm..... Canadian prescriptions....
How do you hide that from the Secret Service, for example? Those guys work for Treasury, after all. They're in law enforcement.
Robert Jeffers,
I, too, try to avoid wearing my silvery chapeau too often, but it wouldn't be the first time that some doctor was blackmailed into writing a prescription. Thus, it wouldn't look illegal to the SS. Bush is taking the medicine prescribed for him by "his" doctor, so why would they question it?
In the end, it's the blinking, even last night, that makes me think there's something weird. Who blinks rapid-fire like that?
That, coupled with his refusal to let the docs at Walter Reed give him his regular annual physical (where a blood test would reveal the meds?), should give our press something to investigate. If they weren't more interested in gotcha and listening to themselves bloviate.
Any doctors on the board who can weigh in?
GWPDA,
I'm at work and have had nothing but a cup of coffee this morning -- you're making me crazy!
Hecate, it's RMJ's fault, him with his twisted references to toast and all.... (dodging out of taking responsibility of any kind.)
And hey, you wanted to hear from physicians right? As a PhD-doctor, all I can do is recommend you take two books and give me an analysis in the morning.
Hecate--
Good point. You're right about the "prescriptions," that would be easy, and given it's the President, wouldn't even require blackmail.
Not all doctors are scrupulously ethical, after all.
And I agree with you: I'm not buying excuses for the lack of a physical; I'm deeply suspicious. Bush is clearly not a person who responds well to pressure. Just living up to Poppy's rep has been too much for him much of his life. Trying to be President would tax most mortals.
I'm beginning to believe, even naive and skeptical of conspiracies me, that Bush is receiving massive chemical aids to conduct this campaign. I don't think his brittleness is entirely natural.
Hard to know which is a scarier thought, even: that is isn't natural. Or that it is.
I don't understand the animosity towards Nader. He actually did say some interesting things this morning on cspan. He pointed out that third parties in the late 19th and 20th centuries may have never won the white house. But they were out front for issues such as unions and women's vote. He also pointed out that the FAA folded on his attempt to get hardened cockpit doors in the 1970s. In terms of good progressive behavior Bush is -1,000,000,000, and Kerry is say +100. No problem with that. But Nader is the one who will be remembered by history for his progressive honesty and integrity.
In the end, it's the blinking, even last night, that makes me think there's something weird. Who blinks rapid-fire like that?
A pathalogical liar.
From Olbermann. Best quote yet:
The scorer's table reproaches President Bush for not knowing when he has wood.
Inasmuch as he was famously caught up on this question at a press conference earlier this year, you would think president Bubblehead would have had an answer ready. But no, he is too lazy and disengaged even to come up with an acceptable answer to a question he had already botched.
Did someone say Powdered Toast, man?
dignity and honor - nice catch on the Howard election in Australia. Hinged on internal policy like fears of increased taxes.
And local news here in HK is reporting that 14 of the 18 candidates in Afghanistan asked for the elections to be halted due to voting irregularities.
Of course expect Baghdad Bush, the CEO preznit, to take credit for a foreign country's robust economy as proof of the success of his coalition building and refuse to accept credit for holding elections (after so many postponements) in an atmosphere of political intimidation and violence.
Hecate, it's RMJ's fault, him with his twisted references to toast and all.... (dodging out of taking responsibility of any kind.)
Not just toast, but powdered toast!
(I need woot here to train me in image-linking. Googled several, but can't do it like the Master.)
pie - I agree that he sputtered, but if you really watched and listened, it was weird. He literally sputtered for long seconds at the beginning of many of his answers and then just took off. Words would start coming out of his mouth so fast that he could barely keep up with his own answers.
RJM - I know what it sounds like. I do. But there is too much about all of this that just looks very suspicious. Really. As far as drugs go, the administration has never tried to cover up what Powell, for example, said: "We're all on Halcyon..." (I think it was, or Ambien.)
The Pentagon has the military on drugs. They have the pilots on uppers and downers. Everyone knows it. So why is it such a black helicopter thing to say that that extends to the president? Tell me they all haven't done it, since at least Kennedy - you know and I know that that is the truth.
Someone find me a better explanation for the way Bush performed last night. Someone explain to me why it was that he would start, stop, sputter and then just deliver and unbroken stream of talking points? Really.
Thanks, CS.
You are obviously a better person than I.
I want the SS to do us all a favor and hogtie that tyrant, throw him in a closet for and hour and yell, "poppy poppypoppy" He will never be seen in public again. He can put his pResidential seal up in his rubber room.
Thanks, Tena. You've given me information I didn't have, and convinced me of the truth of the suspicions.
"Someone explain to me why it was that he would start, stop, sputter and then just deliver and unbroken stream of talking points?"
Generally it means that either the spark plugs or the carburetor need to be cleaned.
an - cat kept me up all night.
You are obviously a better person than I.
Nah, Google Images is my friend.
I want the SS to do us all a favor and hogtie that tyrant, throw him in a closet for and hour and yell, "poppy poppypoppy" He will never be seen in public again. He can put his pResidential seal up in his rubber room.
Or just change his SS nickname to "Poppy."
That'd do it, too.
Generally it means that either the spark plugs or the carburetor need to be cleaned.
Hmmm...is powdered toast good for that?
Or powdered toast with marmalade?
God I am exhausted. But I have to go work at the voter protection PAC offices. I'll talk to y'all later.
Damn cat - got shut in the closet and cried all night. I didn't know he was in there until this morning - I just thought he was crying because I've blocked off the old dog door that he finally discovered he could use to get outside. I shoved my earplugs in at about 4:30 and finally got some sleep - about 2 and half hours worth. Ugh.
In regards to nuclear weapons:
While it may be true, Lybia was much farther along than Bush ever suspected. So too was Iran and North Korea. Iraq was contained and could be watched.
Libya's nuclear weapons program was NOWHERE. So when they supposedly agreed to give it up, it was no big sacrifice. The only significance of it was as a PR tool for Bush.
Nah - all that produces is this.....
As I said on another thread, blinking is a sign of anxiety, not lying. It could also be a sign of dry eyes regardless of one's emotional state.
But I'm glad that the question about mistakes was the last question of the evening. That way it's more likely to be remembered.
Poor Tena.
Try to get a nap in after work. 2 hrs. sleep is gut wrenching. Feel for ya.
Robert,
You seem to be a fan of Powdered Toast Man, so I present to you
Powdered Toast Man! (the Bush version).
For RMJ:
This is on a new thread above.
Anyone else waiting with baited breath for him to say, "Make my day,"?
Don't take the bait, RMJ!
bigvic
Nah - all that produces is this.....
Mmmmmm....sticky valves......
Don't take the bait, RMJ!
bigvic
No fear.
My breath baiting days are over.
Don't like the taste of raw fish.....
Bush being on drugs just sounds like one of those weird internet "black helicopter" type theories, to me. How do you hide that from the Secret Service, for example?
You can be plenty stoned on perfectly legal prescription medication. Among certain segments of the population with adequate health insurance, a Prozac prescription is nearly as much a standard accessory of suburban life as a Chevy Suburban.
And if the Secret Service had a spine of their own, they wouldn't be arresting people for wearing Kerry t-shirts. Although the overt founding purpose of the Secret Service was to combat counterfeit currency (which is why they were placed in Treasury), the precipitating event was the foiling by Allan Pinkerton in 1861 of an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln.
Although Congress asked the Secret Service to begin its current primary mission of protecting the President in 1901 after the McKinley assassination, that mission was not formally authorized until 1913, by which time the founding core of the FBI had been transferred to the Justice Department.
Today the Secret Service has two missions: protection of the President (which by extension includes the President's family; the Vice President and his family, candidates for the executive branch, ex-Presidents, and visiting foreign dignitaries, as well as the White House, the Treasury building, and foreign diplomatic missions), and their original overt mission of investigation of counterfeiting and financial fraud.
There is nothing in the Secret Service's own description of its mission that implies a responsibility for enforcing the law against the President, except perhaps to the extent that the President might engage in counterfeiting or bank fraud.
It looks to me like the Secret Service has always been more or less the President's personal goon squad, going all the way back to Lincoln, although they were more or less in the closet about it for the first half-century.
I wouldn't expect them to be making any cocaine possession arrests at Camp David, or Oxycontin busts on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The mannerisms I was seeing (or projecting) onto Bush last night were consistent with Dilantin-induced panic attacks. It has been reported that Nixon used to eat Dilantin like candy.
Magnum--
Good stuff. I salute you.
The mannerisms I was seeing (or projecting) onto Bush last night were consistent with Dilantin-induced panic attacks. It has been reported that Nixon used to eat Dilantin like candy.
Last time I expose my naivete around here.....
...sheesh. Just when you think it can't be any worse, you're proven wrong again.
It would be nice if the Democrats could use footage from the debates in their ads, but that's prohibited by the debate rules.
shorter Bush: I'm fully prepared to accept responsibility for any mistakes I have made... after I'm dead.
History? who the fuck cares about history? by then we'll all be dead.
GWB= "Got Wood, Bubba?"
It would be nice if the Democrats could use footage from the debates in their ads, but that's prohibited by the debate rules.
After the 3rd debate, what's to stop 'em?
Considering his temper, something that was rumored at for years, we can now safely say why those incredibly fascist 'free speach zones' were created around those places where Bush was to appear.
Rumors abounded that the secret service had ordered those zones, not to coral protestors, but that they were afraid of what would happen should Bush step out of his bullet proof limo and see dozens or hundreds of people verbally attacking him from across the street. The idea was that Bush is such an egotistical bastard that he might have started screaming at them, or even get violent.
Of course nobody ever gave these rumors much credit, but I think it's safe to say he has an ego-based temper that he can only barely control it.
MYOB'
.
Powdered toast? This is an actual substance? Oh, OK, I know, if I want to put some toast in a bag, and back my tractor over it a few dozen times, then, yeah, I'll have me some powdered toast. But....why?
Don't know why Bush's denial of who put up the 'Mission accomplished" banner isn't brought up?
Along with his denial of his relationship with Ken Lay. Famously said, Ken Lay supported his opponent (Ann Richards).
Also could point to the lie on WH offical bio, on the website, had Bush as being in Air Force. Ties into lies in his autobiography, written with Karen Hughes.
Lies, lies, lies.
but that's prohibited by the
debate rules.
That's what Edwards' cheesy grin and goofy laugh "Shucks, I broke the rule again didn't I?" is for.
I think even liberals have to agree that the President is right here when he says: "Because the president makes the decisions, the president has to take the responsibility."
I believe using the Dred Scott case was code to the militant antiabortion contingent. They often use that case in their rhetoric about overturning Roe v Wade. They would have understood what he meant by that, and the rest of us are left scratching our heads.
I think you have to look at the two cases he cited: Dred Scott and the Pledge of Allegiance case. He was trying to suggest that courts enforcing separation of church and state were morally equivalent to courts enforcing slavery.
Or at least, that was the intended message to most of the public. I agree that there was also a coded appeal to the pro-life brigade in there, although you gotta wonder how many of the less sophisticated people in that faction he lost with the sequence on stem cell research, where he said back-to-back with nothing in between:
1. Embryonic stem cell research destroys life.
2. I am the first president to provide funding for embryonic stemm cell research.
It would be nice if the Democrats could use footage from the debates in their ads, but that's prohibited by the debate rules.
So, we need some 527s to do that.
Since they aren't parties to the rules, they aren't subject to them.
Saddam near greatness - PUHLEEZE! Anyone with half a brain knew he was a thug similar to Stalin. Before all hell broke loose the guy tried to endear himself to his Muslim brethren
by having the Koran printed with his own blood. That's like Bush having a likeness of the Crucifixon with him as Jesus! It was another ploy to buy time from the radicals within his own country - forget inviting terrorist groups in. Brooks/Way-off.
The sorry record has all been laid out,
But still the Chimp's not afflicted by doubt;
He takes fuck-ups in stride,
'Cause they pale along side,
Chimp Senior's in not pulling out.
..
Will the news type people report on BushiePoo's "wood business"? It's these after the debate facts that have added to the decline of the BushiePoo and Mighty Cheneystein image of straightshootin'. Hell BushiePoo probably never seen his taxes being done since he became an adult (physically anyway) " I got wood up my ass and that ain't good!"
President Bush last night didn't admit to making any mistakes.
He meant to fall off the Segway®.
He meant to crash his bicycle (twice).
He meant to choke on the pretzel.
He meant to drop his dog.
He meant to stumble backwards into his limo.
Well, Bush did admit to making mistakes in appointing certain people to particular positions.
and can someone enlighten me please.....why do we buy our flu vaccine from the UK while the FDA and bush tell us we could die from drugs purchased in Canada...and this comes to light only because the manufacturer of the flu vax in UK just got closed down for quality/safety issues!!!!!!!!
"On the tax cut, it's a big decision. I did the right decision. Our recession was one of the shallowest in modern history."
Did anyone read this article back in July from Reuters?
>>US 2001 Slump May Not Have Been Recession at All
Jul 30, 8:46 AM (ET)
By Tim Ahmann
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Not only was the U.S. recession in 2001 the shallowest on record, it may not have been one at all -- at least in the classic sense of two straight quarterly declines, new government data show.
In annual revisions to U.S. gross domestic product numbers released on Friday that could fuel a politically charged debate, the Commerce Department rewrote the history of the recent downturn by revising away a decline in the second quarter of 2001.
The new figures, which reflect more complete source data, show economic activity peaked in the second quarter of 2001, not the fourth quarter of 2000.
Measured from the new peak, the economy shrank just 0.4 percent, keeping the recession as measured by GDP the mildest on record. The 1969-1970 recessionary period, in which the economy contracted 0.6 percent, comes in a close second.
The National Bureau of Economic Research, the unofficial but accepted arbiter of U.S. recessions, has said the downturn began in March 2001 and ended in November of that year.
However, the White House has argued that the economy peaked earlier and has contended President Bush inherited the recession from his predecessor, President Bill Clinton.
Now, some might argue there was no recession at all.
"If I were describing this, I'd say it's essentially a flat period," said Brent Moulton, who is in charge of compiling the GDP data at the department's Bureau of Economic Analysis.
WHAT A HEADACHE!
The revisions left intact a drop in GDP in the third quarter of 2000 and a rise in the final months of that year. In addition, the data still show a slight contraction in the first quarter of 2001 and a deeper one in the third quarter.
But in what one official called "probably the most noteworthy" of the revisions, the economy now appears to have expanded at a 1.2 percent annual rate in the second quarter, as opposed to the 0.6 percent decline shown in earlier data.
The revision, which reflected a larger buildup in business inventories than previously thought amid fewer imports, left the economy with a zig-zag pattern as GDP slipped in three quarters out of five, but not in two consecutive ones.
"Exactly dating where the peak in the business cycle is is very difficult now given the sort of saw-toothed pattern that we now see," Moulton said.
BEA Director Steve Landefeld steered clear of offering reporters any further guidance. "These things are so charged," he said. "This is part of the reason we don't do business-cycle dating, the NBER does it."
The NBER's recession-dating panel, a group of top-flight academic economists, examines a wider range of indicators of the economy's health than jus
here's the rest of the Reuters article:
>The NBER's recession-dating panel, a group of top-flight academic economists, examines a wider range of indicators of the economy's health than just GDP, in part because the GDP data are often revised.
While the latest revisions, which updated information going back to the fourth quarter of 2000, changed the complexion of the 2001 recession, officials characterized the changes overall as quite modest.
Over the 2000-2003 period, the U.S. economy advanced at a sluggish annual rate of 1.9 percent, the same as in the unrevised data.>
So, do you think Bush knew he might have been tellling the truth when he referred to it as "our recession", instead of the inherited "Clinton" recession?
Can't we just fumigate Texas and end the suffering?
Remember when Reagan said "Mistakes were made"? W will be remembered for "Mistakes were not made."
When Kerry is president, I hope we are all prepared for the AEI et. al. assault on Kerry's promise not to raise taxes on the middle class.
I firmly believe Kerry will not raise taxes on the middle class - and yes, the rollback on the top bracket will pay for a fuckuva lot that Kerry wants to do, forget the Rethug spin - but it will be the mission of the right wing think tanks to "prove" that Kerry has broken his promise.
Given the complexity of any given tax plan, they will be able to massage the data with their smoke and mirrors to "show" to a gullible section of the population that Kerry has raised taxes.
We must be vigilant and commit resources to fighting this soon-to-appear slander.
On this front, our overwhelming victory in the post-debate Internet polls is encouraging. We've reduced Drudge, Instafuckwit, the Freepers and their ilk to crankish obscurity in one realm of the media battle.
Let's keep it up during the Kerry presidency!
I agree with Chimpy that some of his appointments were his biggest mistakes...Cheney, Rumsfeld, Condi, ...whoops, I just realized I could continue naming names for quite a while and so actually MOST of his appointments were mistakes, and so I don't agree with Bush afterall..thank goodness!
P.S. Did anyone notice that Gibson said specifically that neither side was provided the FINAL list of questions in advance of the debate but did not state whether or not Kerry/Bush received a list of the POOL of questions from which he selected the FINAL ones to be used? I wonder how many were in the POOL of Q's.
One more comment. I'm actually a believer in the earpiece theory but I actually thought that Bush sounded "pre-earpiece era" for significant portions of the debate. (Maybe they wanted to try to dispel the "myth"? They showed good views of his back [on purpose?]with no transmitter bulge but of course it could have been on his front-side))Of course he could have still been receiving general instructions for those portions like: do this one in your own words but just be sure to stress _____(fill in the blank). I think when Bush says long sentences or puts multiple sentences into a stream of verbage, he is usually mostly on his own. When there is a partial sentence , then a pause, and then the rest of the sentence, especially when he has that "listening expression", he is being fed specific words to say. I think his handlers let him loose a few times since he has not been coming across well listening to the earpiece. I also think they had a look at the pool of questions in advance, although they weren't told the final ones selected from the pool.
my tin-ny 2 cents
They showed good views of his back [on purpose?]with no transmitter bulge but of course it could have been on his front-side
Notice how he kept sticking his hand into his jacket at about belt level to adjust something? It happened at least three times.
Haven't read the entire thread yet, but I picked up on one glaring contradiction in last night's debate that deserves some attention, IMHO--
In rebuttal to Kerry's response to a question about his (Kerry's) plan for Iraq, Bush said, "My opponent says he has a plan. It sounds familiar because it's called the Bush plan." At another point, Bush says of Kerry, "I don't think he can succeed in Iraq."
Hmmm... Bush claims to be succeeding in Iraq. Kerry's plan is Bush's plan. Kerry can't succeed in Iraq. Flip-flop? Mixed message? Or a rare, unwitting peek into Bush's true feelings about his chances for success in Iraq?
G. Goober - think in terms of powdered sugar -on- toast - eg, French toast....
Or a whole lotta crumbs, one or the other.
i have to admit i didn't read every single comment, so i'm sorry if somebody already said this, but kerry really missed an opportunity to slam bush on the "3 mistakes" question. kerry should have stood right up and said "ma'am, we both know why the president refused to answer your question" and then he should have just started naming names of dead soldiers in iraq. or maybe not (yes, that's a bit overdramatic, i know), but he could have done better than he did. it was probably the most perfect opportunity to go for the jugular that kerry is going to get.
rasher, don't try to use logic, your head will explode. i've long thought that there somehow seemed to be a contradiction in the one-two team bush attack of "flip flopper" and "most liberal senator in the history of the universe times twelve." i mean if somebody is always changing his mind and taking different stands on issues, how does he end up being "more liberal than ted kennedy"? i agree that you'd wish that somebody would point these things out on TV, but it's not going to happen and you are just going to drive yourself crazy.
Let's see, Howard Dean lets out and exhuberant "YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEAH!" at a rally for his supporters, and the media whores labeled him "unstable", thus destroying his campaign. Chimpy, at what could arguably be called the most important public appearance of his (hopefully short)political career, treats viewers to a spectacle which features him stomping around on stage, smirking, shrieking, going almost totally apeshit at the moderator of the debate, and yet he is called "forceful" and "persuasive". I don't get it; I must be missing something. Bush looked like an absolute psychopath last night, and if any of the "undecided" voters (undecided? At this stage of the game? What a fucking joke!) still think that Bush might possible be a better leader of this nation - well - there's just no hope for them. What I watched last night was absolutely fucking scary; God help us if this wackjob gets re-selected!
I just looked at the replay of that debate, and Bush didn't give one straight answer.
All he did was talk in circles and try to trash Big John.
Bush is such an asshole, and anyone who votes for him is an even bigger asshole.
"I did the right decision."
This dick can't even speak proper English.
WHY would people WANT him leading the country?
I've always wondered what is the rationale for people to say someone is bad because they torture their "own people" rather than just they're bad because they torture people.
Torture is fine with the Bush administration as long as "our own people" aren't the ones we're torturing. The lack of any real punishment for either the torturers-in-charge at Abu Ghraib or those higher-ups -- like Rumsfeld and Feith -- who almost certainly ordered the torture shows what these people really think about torture: Evil when "they" do it; justified when we do it.
The undecideds remind me of an old Jack Benny joke. A mugger comes up to him with a gun drawn and says, "Your money or your life!" He just stands there and does nothing. The mugger says, "You heard me, your money or your life!" Benny says, "I'm thinking!, I'm thinking!"
The "mistakes" who did not drink fully of the Bush Kool-Aid:
Colin Powell
Christine Todd Whitman
Paul O'Neill
John Dilulio
How do you hide that from the Secret Service, for example? Those guys work for Treasury, after all. They're in law enforcement.
Secret Service is now part of Homeland Security. That may answer your question.
"the president has to take the responsibility."
but not while he is still president, apparently. the responsibility comes decades or centuries later.
Didn;t Bart Simpson say "I didn't do it" and gain fame? Bart Bush.
Clearly a reference to Bremer...holy cow...so funny...
Bush misheard the question,thought he was asked for three things he did right.
Three Mistakes:
1) 1st Debate
2) 2nd Debate
3) 3rd Debate
Gore Lawsuit Challenges Australian Election Results
(2004-10-09) -- Just hours after the polls closed across Australia, and Prime Minister John Howard headed for his fourth term, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore filed a lawsuit in international court at the Hague alleging "irregularities" in the balloting.
The election was seen by many as a referendum on Australia's participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the subsequent efforts to bring democracy to Iraq. Mr. Howard's opponent, Mark Latham, had promised to withdraw Australian troops from the Coalition.
"Somebody was disenfranchised or coerced down under," said Mr. Gore, now an itinerant professor. "John Howard betrayed his country. He played on their fears. There's no way they could have re-elected him legally. We'll fight this result all the way to the U.N. Security Council if need be."
Democrat presidential contender John Forbes Kerry expressed displeasure at the Australian election outcome.
"This is the wrong election result, in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr. Kerry said. "Think of the precedent this sets."
A movie theater next to an Afghan restaurant in the Little Kabul area of Fremont, Calif., displays a sign thanking President Bush for the elections in Afghanistan.
Well, hey, let's not forget the Prezdent's brilliant follow-up:
"The truth of that matter is, if you listen carefully, Saddam would still be in power if he [John Kerry] were the president of the United States, 'And the world would be a lot better off.'"
Amen!!
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