ThinkFast: July 30, 2008
ThinkFast: July 30, 2008
Bush administration officials “reassured Israel’s defense minister this week that the United States has not abandoned all possibility of a military attack on Iran.” At the same time, the Israelis are “emphasizing the possibility of a military response out of concern that Tehran may soon have the know-how for building a nuclear bomb.”
According to icasualties.org, “nearly twice as many U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq so far this month.” If the July statistics hold, “they’ll mark the lowest American military death toll in Iraq, and the second highest toll in Afghanistan, after June, when 27 U.S. troops were killed there” and 29 were killed in Iraq.
The Bush administration’s agreement to “a general time horizon” for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq has accelerated negotiations over a long-term security pact between Washington and Baghdad, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though the Iraqis “are pushing for a 2010 withdrawal,” officials familiar with the talks say “a compromise could be a year or two after that.”
Yesterday, a coalition of liberal advocacy groups – including Brave New Films, CREW, Campaign for America’s Future, and The Nation – hand-delivered a petition to Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) containing more than 127,000 signatures “calling for former White House adviser Karl Rove to be held in contempt of Congress and jailed.”
On the trail today: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), accompanied by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), will be headlining public events in Springfield, Rolla, and Union, MO. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will also be in Missouri, attending a private fundraising event tonight in downtown Kansas City.
“For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.”
A new report by the Black AIDS Institute finds that “if black America were a country, it would rank 16th in the world in the number of people living with the AIDS virus.” According to the report, “nearly 600,000 African-Americans are living with H.I.V” while “up to 30,000 are becoming infected each year.”
Massachusetts took a step closer toward allowing all out-of-state gay couples to marry there, when the state House voted yesterday to repeal a 1913 ban on “marrying out-of-state couples if their marriages would not be legal in their home states.” The state Senate has already passed the repeal, and Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has said he will sign the bill.
“Pacific Gas and Electric Co., California’s largest investor-owned utility, has contributed $250,000 to defeat a ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in the state.” The contribution will be paid for using “shareholder-funded political accounts,” not by the utility’s revenue from customers.
And finally: Dan Quayle may join “Dancing With The Stars.” Extra reports that the former vice president “is ‘on the short list’ of potential stars for the upcoming season” of the popular dance contest television show.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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Must see TV –> http://www.maniacworld.com/commander-in-chief-test.html
July 30th, 2008 at 9:01 amDan Quayle may join “Dancing With The Stars.”
I know Fred Astaire. Fred Astaire is a friend of mine. And, Mr. Quayle, you are no Fred Astaire.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:03 amDan Quayle may join “Dancing With The Stars.”
Will he do the tango or the tangoe?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:05 amNice one, Tom! I’m more glad than ever I don’t watch crap like that on the tv.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:07 amWhat sort of a firm was Indymac?
Apparently, a perfect storm of corruption and incompetence.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:08 amGreat idea to bomb Iran.
They’ll just shoot all their missiles at the Saudi Oil Fields.
The Christians will get their armegeddon in the form of a global financial disaster.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:08 amDumb_Hussein_Fox Says:
Dan Quayle may join “Dancing With The Stars.”
Will he do the tango or the tangoe?
LOL
July 30th, 2008 at 9:09 amMore than likely the fauxtrot.
Massachusetts took a step closer toward allowing all out-of-state gay couples to marry there, when the state House voted yesterday to repeal a 1913 ban on “marrying out-of-state couples if their marriages would not be legal in their home states.” The state Senate has already passed the repeal, and Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has said he will sign the bill.
One more reason to love Massachusetts (I live here)
July 30th, 2008 at 9:09 amIt looks like a busy day for the Judiciary Committees of both the House and Senate:
The Committee on the Judiciary is to consider: A resolution and report finding Karl Rove in contempt for failure to appear pursuant to subpoena and recommending to the House of Representatives that Mr. Rove becited for contempt of Congress.
http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/caltoday.html
Meanwhile, the Senare Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing about “Politicized Hiring at the Department of Justice” with DOJ IG Glenn Fine as a witness
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3516
July 30th, 2008 at 9:09 amYesterday, a coalition of liberal advocacy groups…hand-delivered a petition to Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) containing more than 127,000 signatures “calling for former White House adviser Karl Rove to be held in contempt of Congress and jailed.”
Meanwhile, McCain’s campaign is wearing all the hallmarks of a KKKarl Rove operation. I thought Americans were the ‘whiners’, but McCain can now lay claim to the ‘ultimate whiner’. They’re spewing lies, fabrications and distorting facts while McNothing continues to hold ‘private’ fundraisers or town hall meetings that are by invitation only.
Johnny Boy, you’ve got KKKarl Stink all over you. That fails to impress many voters, particularly when petitions for his arrest are arriving at your congressional doorstep.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:11 amAll together now . . on three . .
July 30th, 2008 at 9:13 amone . . two . . three
Jail Karl Rove!
Jail Karl Rove!
Jail Karl Rove!
And finally: Dan Quayle may join “Dancing With The Stars.” Extra reports that the former vice president “is ‘on the short list’ of potential stars for the upcoming season” of the popular dance contest television show.
____________________________________________________________
This would be worth a look. I wonder if he would be the season’s Tucker Carlson (blown out of the water after only one dance) or take on the role of the older gentleman that everybody votes to keep on for awhile, like George Hamilton or Jerry Springer. Except that Hamilton and Springer were actually entertaining, even though they couldn’t dance.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:14 amAll together now . . on three . .
July 30th, 2008 at 9:16 amone . . two . . three
Jail Bush!
Jail Cheney!
Jail Rove!
Jail Rumsfeld!
Jail Wolfowitz!
Jail Rice!
Jail Powell!
…and all the rest of the Bush Krime Killing Machine!
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will also be in Missouri, attending a private fundraising event tonight in downtown Kansas City.
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McCain attends an awful lot of fundraisers. And when he’s not shmoozing for cash, he’s conducting townhall meetings — more and more of which are “invitation only” so he can preach to the choir.
Meanwhile, Obama has his fundraising machinery in place, which liberates him from spending all of his time raising money and thus enables him to spend more time actually campaigning.
I predict that after this election, the GOP is going to take a long hard look at the 20th century way they run campaigns and realize it has become obsolete.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:20 amCaption: “Really, the perch was this big. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
July 30th, 2008 at 9:23 amCaption: “Don’t tell me “My Pet Goat II” has been delayed…”
July 30th, 2008 at 9:25 amCaption:
“I drank this much booze last night”
July 30th, 2008 at 9:26 amWhy isn’t John McCain out visiting the wounded soldiers in hospitals or welcoming back returning soldiers? Is he afraid of them?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:28 amOf course the U.S. and Israel are aligned against Iran. Even IDF officials see U.S. diplomacy as a head fake:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1215331116435
July 30th, 2008 at 9:28 amAt the same time, the Israelis are “emphasizing the possibility of a military response out of concern that Tehran may soon have the know-how for building a nuclear bomb.”
___________________________________________________________
Does Israel have actual intelligence that says Iran is working on nuclear weapons? Working on nuclear weapons is very different from nuclear energy, so it shouldn’t be difficult for their spies to make that distinction. And if they have this intelligence, are they sharing it with the U.S.? Do they know something we don’t?
If their sole rationale for “they must be working on nuclear weapons” is “why would they work on developing nuclear energy when they’re sitting on a pool of oil?”, they should realize that Iran could just be forward-thinking. Unlike the United States, which has adopted the idea that there’s no need to think about alternative energy as long as there’s a drop of oil left on the planet, Iran could be aware that even a large pool of oil can run out some day.
I won’t even get into the obvious point that even if Iran had a nuke, they’d never be able to use it without their country being nuked into a sheet of glass.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:28 amAt the same time, the Israelis are “emphasizing the possibility of a military response out of concern that Tehran may soon have the know-how for building a nuclear bomb.”
There’s a really big difference between having the “know-how” for building a bomb and actually building it. What I don’t understand is why the MSM has conveniently forgotten that most experts think it will be 10 years before Iran could build a bomb. So, WHAT’S THE F UCKING RUSH? I also don’t understand why people, other than those on liberal blogs, aren’t getting very concerned about the possibility that Bush or Israel is about to start WWIII.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:30 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
I predict that after this election, the GOP is going to take a long hard look at the 20th century way they run campaigns and realize it has become obsolete.
_______________
Heard a bit on Air America late last week that McShame is actually a little short of cash in some states. The speaker went on to say that in the McShame ‘08 Presidential campaign is little more than a letterhead and an answering machine in some places.
Ya beat me to it Wayne…
It’s sad, and painful,, to think Bush’s 2 biggest thrills as POTUS were 1) lying about that fish, and 2) getting his picture taken w/ the Aussie PM in that ridiculous Harry Potter outfit.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:31 am“For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.”
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This is par for the course with the McCain campaign. They have completely given up on trying to convince the voters that their guy is worth voting for, so they now have to clutch at whatever straws they can to convince voters that the other guy is worth voting against. The truth only gets in the way, so they don’t concern themselves with it all that much.
That said, if McCain thinks that visiting wounded soldiers is such a big freaking hairy deal, why isn’t HE spending his time doing that instead of his endless townhall meetings and fundraisers?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:33 amThough the Iraqis “are pushing for a 2010 withdrawal,” officials familiar with the talks say “a compromise could be a year or two after that.”
Ok, perhaps one of our resident trolls can tell us why it is so important to the Bushies to stay as long as possible in Iraq. If the Iraqi government wants us out and thinks that they can handle the situation, then what justification do we have to stay? Are we going to assert that we know best what is good for Iraq? We are an occupying force in their country and they want us out. It’s pretty simple. If we refuse to leave, I’m willing to bet the farm that our military once again will become a target of the insurgents.
BTW, I read the other day that one of the reasons why our casualties have gone down is that we are keeping our men on base and no longer sending them out to patrol the roads where they were being killed by roadside bombs. As usual, the Bush Admin has gamed the system to prove that we are “winning” by having our military casualties going down.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:34 amceltic cynic Says:
Why isn’t John McCain out visiting the wounded soldiers in hospitals or welcoming back returning soldiers? Is he afraid of them?
But, but, but… those type of people can’t afford to attend his “private funraising Townhall meetings”.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:35 am“For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.”
And, the MSM that is so in love with Obama has parroted these accusations without pointing out that they are totally untrue. When Obama visited troops in Baghdad and elsewhere on his tour, he did not take reporters with him. He had no plans to take them with him when he was going to visit troops in Germany either.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:36 amWhy are Iraqis defending their own Country ‘insurgents’?
Aren’t they opposing ‘invaders’?
If America was occupied & we fought back, would we be insurgents?
Were our proud Revolutionary War heroes ‘insurgents’?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:42 amWhat I see in Bush’s face in this picture is:
unrelenting fear of being caught for all the Federal Crimes comitted.
unrelenting fear of being caught for Causing 9/11 thus putting into motion a “phony war on terror”, a Military Economy eclipsing our Civilian Economy and hence, making us the most hated country in the world.
I see unrelenting fear in this man’s face — and the entire Krime Kabal will caught, tried and found guilty of Crimes Against Humanity and Treason.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:44 amBTW, I read the other day that one of the reasons why our casualties have gone down is that we are keeping our men on base and no longer sending them out to patrol the roads where they were being killed by roadside bombs. As usual, the Bush Admin has gamed the system to prove that we are “winning” by having our military casualties going down.
This is what the repugs call a reverse “surge.”
July 30th, 2008 at 9:48 am“For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.”
seems like TP could’ve done more about this than a blurb
on the ThinkFast thread…
me thinks you’re not trying hard enough to “unify the party”
July 30th, 2008 at 9:48 ambehind the Democratic nominee… “presumed” is stoopid talk…
Barack Obama IS the Democratic Presidential nominee…
Far be it from me to suggest that USA Today is an important news source, but it does have a large readership. So it was good to see this, which in turn sources the Washington Post.
However, the Times reports on how the media has given McCain a free ride, broadcasting the ad as though it was news and getting tons of free airtime.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:48 amIn the picture Bush is talking with Israel’s version of Ted Stevens.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:01 amyep, gummich -
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30ads.html?ref=politics
With Commercial, McCain Gets Much More Than His Money’s Worth
By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: July 30, 2008
WASHINGTON — The number of times Senator John McCain’s new advertisement attacking Senator Barack Obama for canceling a visit with wounded troops in Germany last week has been shown fully or partly on local, national and cable newscasts: well into the hundreds.
The number of times that spot actually, truly ran as a paid commercial: roughly a dozen.
Result for Mr. McCain: a public relations coup that allowed him to show his toughest campaign advertisement of the year — one widely panned as misleading — to millions of people, largely free, through television news media hungry for political news with arresting visual imagery.
[...]
in other words, “priceless”.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:02 amMcWhine better fire up the BBQ again; he’s losing favorite Son status with the media rapidly.
Of course, making shit up & blaming the media doesn’t help much…
July 30th, 2008 at 10:04 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
“As usual, the Bush Admin has gamed the system to prove that we are “winning” by having our military casualties going down.”
Like their previous tactic of switching to a predominance of airpower in lieu of troops on the ground in which we saw that as American casualties dropped off a bit, Iraqi citizen casualties began to skyrocket. This has now become the strategy in Afghanistan and we are seeing an alarming rise in civilian casualties. must be part of that whole “winning over hearts and minds” thing that Bush talks about.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:05 amWhat progressive news is there about Obama? For all his talk of ‘change’ many of his stances are to the right of most of the people on this board.
While the rightards like to compare him to a socialist, I like to compare him to Republican-lite, like Bill Clinton.
Don’t get me wrong, he definitely has the chops to fix this country (like Bill did), but if you know something progressive blogworthy re: news about Obama PLEASE share it with the class.
After all the line after the joke item is always ‘What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.’
July 30th, 2008 at 10:06 ami’m off to chicagoland, kids… me and the grand-puppy…
he misses his people (been here a week+), and i’m tired of picking up poop!
at least babies have diapers! … but i loves him!
MAMA MIA tonight!
take care… play fair…
July 30th, 2008 at 10:06 amhappy falafel day everyone!
from eschaton:
Line 78, in which the falafel appears.
“Well, if I took you down there then I’d want to take a shower with you right away, that would be the first thing I’d do … yeah, we’d check into the room, and we would order up some room service and uh and you’d definitely get two wines into you as quickly as I could get into you I would get ‘em into you … maybe intravenously get those glasses of wine into you…
You would basically be in the shower and then I would come in and I’d join you and you would have your back to me and I would take that little loofa thing and kinda’ soap up your back … rub it all over you, get you to relax, hot water …. and um … you know, you’d feel the tension drain out of you and uh you still would be with your back to me then I would kinda’ put my arm — it’s one of those mitts those loofa mitts you know, so I got my hands in it … and I would put it around front, kinda’ rub your tummy a little bit with it, and then with my other hand I would start to massage your boobs, get your nipples really hard … ‘cuz I like that and you have really spectacular boobs….
So anyway I’d be rubbing your big boobs and getting your nipples really hard, kinda’ kissing your neck from behind … and then I would take the other hand with the falafel (sic) thing and I’d put it on your pussy but you’d have to do it really light, just kind of a tease business…”
billy, we hardly knew ye.
:)
July 30th, 2008 at 10:07 amPlease ignore #36. It may have come off more jerkish than intended. Apologies. I’m tired and the rest of my department is in training.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:08 amdo i add you to my list of whiners&wimps, deebaser?
sounds like it…
g’day, all…
July 30th, 2008 at 10:10 am“crossed in the mail”, deebaser…
good to know… yea, kinda jerky…
July 30th, 2008 at 10:11 amapology accepted… and i’ll erase that name on my list…
In an effort to pressure Congress, Bush gathers his cabinet to highlight energy legislation. The time frame is short, given Exxon’s earnings release tomorrow and Chevron’s on Friday.
BP $9.5 billion (up 27% in 3 short months)
July 30th, 2008 at 10:15 amConocoPhillips $5.4 billion (31% higher than last quarter)
BP $9.5 billion (up 27% in 3 short months)
ConocoPhillips $5.4 billion (31% higher than last quarter)
Drill Now. Drill Here. Drill everywhere.
What a joke. But…the joke’s on all of US.
Yesterday, an Exxon / Mobil exec said their was no oil in the Bakken Oil Field. He was trying to divert attention to the Republic’s new ‘drill’ mantra, which would allow them numerous new leases, (holds), on offshore sites.
Not ONE major oil producer is in the Bakken field. Not ONE.
The Bakken field has more oil than the entire North Slope or Alaska, with estimates between 3-4 billion barrels.
Why isn’t big oil there? Because it would cost more to pipe it out of there, & the crude needs additional processing.
So, to sum up, big oil only wants access to supplies that have the larges profit margin.
They’re all lying to you, America. Republics & big oil share the same motto: Lie to the People often enough and enough people will believe your lies.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:29 amSorry, SP…
But given the Bush Crime Family’s penchant for making up facts, distorting, and well, simply flat out lying… (CO2 from cars is DIFFERENT!!!)… I think I’ll keep that little factoid at arms’ length for the time being. For all we know, it’s just KKKarl using Teh Math™ again.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:34 amhappy falafel day, sp!
:)
July 30th, 2008 at 10:41 amthe gop and
strip clubs?
they’re really celebrating
falafel day!
link.
#
good luck.
!
July 30th, 2008 at 10:44 amLet’s Give ‘Blue Dogs’ the Boot
Pushing conservative Democrats out of Congress could help the party stand up to the GOP.
In American politics, exceedingly few positions generate overwhelming agreement across the ideological spectrum. Even propositions that ought to be uncontroversial — such as whether there is scientific evidence for evolution or whether Saddam Hussein personally planned the 9/11 attacks — produce sizable portions of the citizenry lined up on each side. One notable exception to this rule is the issue of whether the current U.S. Congress is doing a poor job. That question produces a remarkable consensus that is close to unanimous.
Earlier this month, Rasmussen Reports announced the humiliating finding that “the percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits [9 percent] for the first time in Rasmussen Reports tracking history.” That extremely negative view of Congress cuts across partisan and ideological lines, as only small percentages of Democrats (13 percent), Republicans (8 percent) and independents (3 percent) believe that Congress is doing an “excellent” or even a “good” job. One would be hard-pressed to find a time in modern American history, if such a time exists at all, when a Congress was more unpopular among the party that controls it than among voters from the opposition party.
Since the American people gave them control of Congress, the Democrats in Congress have given the country the following:
Unlimited and unconditional funding for the Iraq war. Vast new warrantless eavesdropping powers and retroactive amnesty for their telecom donors — measures the administration tried, but failed, to obtain from the GOP Congress. The ability to ignore congressional subpoenas with utter impunity. A resolution formally decreeing parts of the Iranian government to be a “terrorist organization.” A failure to outlaw waterboarding, to apply the torture ban to the CIA, to restore the habeas corpus rights abolished by the Military Commissions Act of 2006, to impose the requirement of congressional approval before President Bush can attack Iran. Confirmation of highly controversial Bush nominees, including Michael Mukasey as attorney general even after he embraced the most radical Bush theories of executive power and repeatedly refused to say that waterboarding was torture.
With those depressing facts assembled, the only question worth asking among those who are so dissatisfied with congressional Democrats is this: What can be done to change this conduct? As proved by the 2006 midterm elections — which the Democrats dominated in a historically lopsided manner — mindlessly electing more Democrats to Congress will not improve anything. Such uncritical support for the party is actually likely to have the opposite effect.
If simply voting for more Democrats will achieve nothing in the way of meaningful change, what, if anything, will? At minimum, two steps are required to begin to influence Democratic leaders to change course: 1) Impose a real political price that they must pay when they capitulate to — or actively embrace — the right’s agenda and ignore the political values of their base, and 2) decrease the power and influence of the conservative “Blue Dog” contingent within the Democratic caucus, who have proved excessively willing to accommodate the excesses of the Bush administration, by selecting their members for defeat and removing them from office. And that means running progressive challengers against them in primaries, or targeting them with critical ads, even if doing so, in isolated cases, risks the loss of a Democratic seat in Congress.
Those goals are the basis of the recent campaign that I helped launch — along with progressive bloggers such as Jane Hamsher and the Blue America PAC — to target selected Democratic members of Congress who have been responsible for some of the worst acts of complicity and capitulation. The campaign we launched, which raised over $350,000 in a very short time largely from dissatisfied progressives, has run multimedia ads criticizing the likes of Blue Dog Rep. Chris Carney and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, despite the fact that neither has a primary challenger and despite the fact that Carney is quite vulnerable in his reelection effort this year.
As foolish as it is, this intense aversion to jeopardizing any Democratic incumbents might be considered rational if doing so carried the risk of restoring Republican control of Congress. But there is no such risk, and there will be none for the foreseeable future. No matter what happens, the Democrats, by all accounts, are going to control both houses of Congress after the 2008 election.
Because the principal concern of Democratic leaders is to maintain and increase their own power, they will always do what they perceive is most effective in achieving that goal, which right now means moving their caucus to the right to protect their Blue Dogs and elect new ones.
That is precisely what has happened over the past two years. It is why a functional right-wing majority has dominated the House notwithstanding the change of party control — and the change in direction — that American voters thought they were mandating in 2006. As progressive activist Matt Stoller put it, “Blue Dogs are the swing voting block in the House, they are self-described conservatives, and they are perfectly willing to use their status on every action considered by the House.” The more the Democratic leadership accommodates the Blue Dog caucus — the more their power relies upon expanding their numbers through the increase of Blue Dog seats — the less relevant will be the question of which party controls Congress.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/29/10675/
The GOP and the Blue Dog Dems have almost the same agenda. To conclude otherwise, would be to close yourself off from what they have accomplished this year. To look the other way for their disdain for the rule of law and the constitution. Their unwillingness to condemn torture and unlawful detainment. They have allowed corporations that have won government contracts to have offshore headquarters to avoid paying taxes. We now have watch lists with over a million names.
It’s time to give them the boot before they completely ruin this great nation that was founded for the very freedoms they keep taking away or trampling all over in the name of “National Security”.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:51 amAre restaurants the canary in the economic coal mine? Bennigans and Steak & Ale shuttered their doors.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/taste/stories/073008dnmetbennigans.140b9e44.html
July 30th, 2008 at 11:00 amSoundProgress, women already are paid less than men for similar work. It appears the reparations for the apple bite have already been paid. Also, some Christians believe labor pains are part of said reparations.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:02 amBut, but, but… those type of people can’t afford to attend his “private funraising Townhall meetings”.
Two good points Wayne. One, his “base” is made up of rich white folk who don’t care about the troops. Two, this whole “Townhall Meeting” meme is a bunch of crap. Mccain doesn’t hold townhall meetings. In real townhall meetings, everyone can come, dissenting points of view are welcomed, and those in power have to defend their ideas. Real townhall meetings are market places of ideas. republican townhall meetings are scripted, tightly controlled, photo-ops and should be labeled as such. We should start calling them what they are: phoney townhall meetings every-time we talk about them. We should push this until the MSM acknowledges this fact and picks up on it.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:03 amSound Progress Says:
On behalf of men everywhere, I am still waiting for an official apology from Congress for Eve having taken that tragic bite out of the forbidden fruit. Reparations would be nice too.
racism.
the key to the
southern strategy.
*
happy falafel day, sp!
here, celebrate.
:)
good luck.
@
July 30th, 2008 at 11:06 amMany dispute the idea that the “fruit” in that story was an apple unless of course that imaginary garden was at a latitude conducive to apple tree growth.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:07 amThe United States has not abandoned all possibility of a military attack on Iran.
My mother, rest her soul, used to say that the war of all wars would be fought in the Middle East because the Bible told her so. Einstein said, “I don’t know what weapons World War III will be fought with, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
July 30th, 2008 at 11:14 amI suppose this means you’re going to grab your gun and go shoot up a church while the children are performing on stage. It s*cks to be you.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:51 amSound Progress
There goes you theory, you littl b*tch. We didn’t have to drill a for a drop of oil in order to see prices fall. And guess what? I’m sure that the threat of increasingly viable anti-speculation legislation contributed, along with improved conservation. Truth is, with that legislation passing, and with an era of highly-efficient vehicles ushered into the mainstream, you and the oil companies will be left to cry on each other’s shoulders.
Oh no, Exxon, you’ll be forced below the windfall profit margin like most other American companies! NOOOO!!!!
July 30th, 2008 at 11:54 amHi Zimzone,
Even drugbaugh gave into a caller a few weeks back that oil companies weren’t in the business to survey consumer needs religiously. A couple of years ago on the Today show, Rex Tillerson (great name, huh?) simply stated “we’re in business to make money.” No substance to his answer, and he was smug in his demeanor.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:59 amChuck the oil fompanies! Here’s what they’re doing with all that money:
The five biggest international oil companies plowed about 55 percent of the cash they made from their businesses into stock buybacks and dividends last year, up from 30 percent in 2000 and just 1 percent in 1993, according to Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.
The percentage they spend to find new deposits of fossil fuels has remained flat for years, in the mid-single digits.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1498100~AP_IMPACT__Big_Oil_profits_steered_to_investors.html?cid=
July 30th, 2008 at 12:04 pmWell, hey, John McStoopid blamed the gas prices on Obama.
Gas prices have FALLEN by how much, SP…?
Dayum. Our guy’s pretty good! And he’s not even Prez yet!!
July 30th, 2008 at 12:30 pmAnd I thought it was about supply & demand. While drivers drove 1.8% less in April and then 3.7% fewer miles in May, gas rose from $3.30 a gallon to nearly $4.00.
http://stateofthedivision.blogspot.com/2008/07/state-of-market-forces-demand-down.html
One might expect sophisticated oil companies monitoring demand to adjust pricing accordingly. 40 billion fewer miles turned into record prices at the pump.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:40 pmBush has 48 hours to make political hay on drilling and I’m sure he’s cursing the timing of Exxon’s and Chevron’s earnings reports.
Recall the percent big oil spent on exploration remained flat for years, in the mid single digits. It seems they like having an old oil man in the Executive Office.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:44 pmStocks extended their rally? Seriosly if you want to use that lipstick you should get lots more of it.
Did you observe that the 100 point rise in the dow brought us up to almost where it was in 2001 or did that little fact evade you or not fit in with your cheerful outlook?
8 years and the dow has not gained 1000 points? It is in fact possible under the guidance of the republicans that the dow will fall to pre-2000 levels before bush can make his escape.
So judging your other posts from your warping of facts on this one I can safely assume that you don’t know what the hell you are talking about.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:48 pmSound Progress Says:
flagged for spamming
July 30th, 2008 at 12:58 pmMcCain continues his “issues oriented” campaigning. And the 527’s haven’t started up yet. Things should get real ugly.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:00 pm@ #50,
July 30th, 2008 at 1:08 pmExcellent post Freedom Rebel. I read that one earlier this morning, too. Good food for thought. Also, #5, Dumb Hussein Fox, great insiders read on the corruption in the housing industry.
I’m curious how McCain gets the news stations to run his ads for free in their political segments. Does he have to commit to a certain media buy for CNN & co. to feature his ads as news?
July 30th, 2008 at 1:08 pmNo, all we had to do is make progress towards more domestic drilling to see prices start their fall. Now just imagine what real drilling will do!
Troll, WTF are you mumbling about? Investment in oil exploration has been FLAT.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:09 pmSound Progress
You’re only one more alias in addition to the 10+ that were flushed by TP admin. Last time you were probably hate_america. You carry the same baggage and deserve no attention.
GFY.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:16 pm#69 Bluedahlia Says:
@ #50,
Excellent post Freedom Rebel. I read that one earlier this morning, too. Good food for thought.
Good Morning Bluedahlia :) Thanks. I have two Blue Dog Dems in the Southern Part of Ohio. They need to get kicked to the curb. Taking up perfectly good seats that we need some Real Progressives in.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:21 pmThis bears repeating —
The oil companies don’t care about surveying consumer needs. Any drilling location, any investment decision, must compute into their profit model. Relief may be provided to the consumer, it may not, but that isn’t on the minds of those behind the scenes.
They don’t care to foresee a crisis. And once a crisis hits, their PR lackeys are sent to congress to rewrite history and put on the victim act. Rinse, lather, repeat.
We regulate electricity companies. Everytime they opt to raise rates, they must make their case to the state.
Control of the earth’s natural resources must come under control of the people. The federal government is the central voice of the people.
Even if we never came around to inventing a single renewawable energy resource, there’s a great case and a great cause for humanity to NATIONALIZE THE OIL COMPANIES. Because oil companies fumbling with our natural resources is not within their right to own a business.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:30 pmIt’s the TP picture curse:
Olmert to Resign After September Vote
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/world/middleeast/31mideast.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
July 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pm