Current Events

Listen to how this MSM guy named Dan tries to make an issue out of General Clark’s remarks! It’s a theatre of the absurd! This MSM guy Dan won’t give up trying to extract a story out of this, trying to prove that General Clark attacked MSM darling John McCain’s war record. What lengths won’t the MSM go to to pitch Repuglican talking points! Absurd! I is pissed again. HAHAHA

Down here in front of my computer I watched the entire debate last night at the U. of Texas between Hillary and Barack. Cynthia didn’t want to watch it on TV upstairs because she wouldn’t be able to stand it, she said. She’s strongly for Clinton. So she stayed upstairs and read.

I’m liking Obama more and more, not only because I think he has a better chance of beating McCain, but because he’s proving himself presidential more and more, like he did in the debate last night. Hillary did well in the debate, too, and her closing remarks were nothing short of magnificent. I’m not one of those who subscribes to Hillary’s public persona as rigid and fake. I’ve read that in private she’s likable and outgoing, and I believe she probably is.

But of course, she’s a politician, just like Obama. Politicians have to be actors on the public stage. And they get interpreted and stereotyped by the media and the talking heads. That’s why I turned the debate right off at the end rather than listen to the talking heads discuss it, but I did scan their opinions this morning.

Most say it was a draw and I agree. The negatives were the bit about plagiarism, which, with Obama, I agree is just silly, and the bit about the Obama speeches being Xerox copies, which is also ridiculous. The rest of the debate, the large majority of it in fact, was very civil and stuck to discussion of issues.

On the health care issues, although I see the point many make about mandates, Obama may be right in that mandates are not all they’re cracked up to be (witness Massachusetts) plus getting them through congress will be daunting even if a Democratic majority gets elected. Obama’s approach, being more flexible, might actually get something passed in the way of significant health care reform.

So, to conclude, I thought they were both great, that the debate was civil for the most part, and that it was probably a draw. Actually, Hillary may pick up a few points because of her Eureka moment at the end. We’ll see.

That hyperactive blowhard, Chris Matthews, mercilessly drilled a Texas State Senator about Obama’s legislative accomplishments, and the Senator, Kirk Watson, blanked out. The poor guy couldn’t think of a single legislative accomplishment of Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate. See this interview:

Later Kirk Watson posted a statement on his website, including this paragraph:
My most unfortunate gaffe is not, in any way, a comment on Senator Obama, his substantial record, or the great opportunity we all share to elect him President of the United States. …
So how about Obama’s substantial record? Kirk couldn’t think of it but here is some of it:

During his first two years in the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama sponsored 152 bills and resolutions, and cosponsored 427 more.

He is on the senate committees for foreign relations; homeland security; veterans affairs; health, education, labor and pensions.

For a lot of further information on his legislative activities in the U. S. Senate, and before that in the Illinois State Senate, see An overview of Barack Obama’s 10 years as a state and U.S. senator.

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo again. This time he finds some pretty good raunch in Chris Matthews’ leg, Roger Clemens’ seedy lawyers, and Mike Huckabee’s squirrels. Pretty funny in a disgusting sort of way.

Guess who? It’s not me.

This is a fun interview. Good for John Edwards. Some pretty amusing moments:

How about them speedboats? Sure, how about them? They tried to blow up our ships in the Persian Gulf — NOT! Looks like this is another Bush fantasy in his hoped for war with Iran.

Take a look at US Video of Iran Speedboats Flawed this morning from Juan Cole, and also see Iran Gunboats from Think Progress.

Was this timed to give McCain a boost in New Hampshire?

A friend of Josh Marshall points out that another good moment for Hillary in the Saturday night pre-NH debate came when the moderator asked her about her likability, or lack of it. Josh suggests it was her best moment and Obama’s worst.

I agree it was a good moment for her. Obama’s “You’re likable enough.” response may have been just a tad condescending? Although maybe not?

Amazing how you have to have it all to win an election in this day and age of intrusive media.

I chanced upon an extended interview of Denis Kucinich, including this great paragraph:

Kucinich: Well, Iowa is a couple of factors that came into play. The American people—I never looked at it as being about me—I mean the American people are entitled to the fullness of the debate. It’s not democratic to try and shut one point of view out. And since it’s very obvious to anyone watching that my point of view is profoundly different from any other point of view being offered inside the party, what they’re actually doing is unwittingly contributing to the destruction of the Democratic Party itself by saying that “these are the only points of view that we will deem acceptable within the Democratic Party.” And those points of view are generally reinforcing the corporate mentality inside the party. And that’s very destructive of the democracy. It actually contributes to the undermining of the hope for legitimate debate within a democratic society. And one of the major issues that I feel is somehow somewhat linked to what’s going on in Iowa, is the issue of health care. I’m the only one in this race who’s talked about the necessity of a single-payer, not-for-profit health-care system, Medicare for all. Now this plan would bring health care to those 46 million Americans who don’t have any health insurance and the tens of millions of American who are underinsured, who would no longer have to worry about their economic position being undermined by the insurance companies. Insurance companies make money by not providing health care—we all understand that. When you consider that half the bankruptcies in this country are linked directly to people not being able to pay their medical bills, when we consider that the bankruptcy laws were changed so that people would be locked into a sort of debtors’ prison for a good part of their lives, you come to understand the imperative of HR 676, the bill that I coauthored, as being the path toward economic self-sufficiency. Many homes in this country are finding that their budgets are totally undermined by their health-care costs. And so my solution is apart from any other candidates. It’s very interesting how little, despite a real effort, how little coverage the not-for-profit health-care system receives, how little coverage this proposal receives.

Of course, it means we’d all have to pay more taxes, a no no. Well, tough! We all here in America ought to pay more taxes, and if we bring the troops home NOW as Denis Kucinich and Bill Richardson suggest, the taxes we’d have to pay would be far less.

Ha! Ha! How impractical can I get? Am I forgetting that Corporate America would not allow this? By gosh, I did forget that!

Here’s Barack Obama’s victory speech in Iowa last night.

Nothing like a good speech.

Charles Pierce admits it was a good speech, but…

As to Obama, well, I’m still waiting. He gives a good speech and he plainly can get people off the parliamentary side of their arse. However, after seven years of God Told Me To Screw This Up, and people telling me that it’s the president’s job to “protect” me and my family — Give me a break. I wouldn’t hire the incumbent to park my car — I am very wary of messianic appeals to the better angels of my nature. I don’t want reconciliation with this party full of vandals until we have truth first. Does the current frontrunner have an opinion on what should happen to the people who stonewalled the 9/11 commission? Is that something we have to “get beyond” so as to march together into bipartisan Shangri-La? Well, f**k that. How’s the damage get repaired that way? If it’s OK, I’m not kneeling at the grotto just yet.

Good point, Charles.

But here’s a counter to Charlie I just found:

Charlie’s going to continue to be disappointed in Obama if he thinks the candidate must come forward and say he’s going to prosecute the Bush administration. I’m not saying I wouldn’t relish that announcement, but it’s completely counter to the narrative Obama’s weaving. Frankly, I think that’s a good thing because despite how much I want to see the incumbents criminally charged, tried, convicted, and sentenced, singing that tune won’t get anyone elected.

Should Obama be elected, there’s nothing to prevent the Attorney General whom he appoints from naming a special prosecutor to look into all of the corruption of the last 7+ years. As a constitutional scholar, Obama would owe the country that much in order to restore the constitutional integrity of the government. I think he’s up to it, and I’m willing to listen to speeches about hope and healing for the next year in order to get there.