you need to be nervous, Jeff. Moving on to Thompson. Giving him credit for half a brain (full brains not welcome in GOP) maybe he's waiting for the Petraeus script to be read before making his Iraq policy up..makes sense to me. See which way the wind is blowing before opening the fly. Of course, it's always possible that he's got a bit of the George W. in him, i.e. a politically lazy guy who really doesn't want the stress involved with the presidency, but is being pushed into it by forces beyond him. One thing that seems clear, if the GOP hierarchy didn't want him around, they'd have shot his trial balloon down by now. So maybe the real question is, what do they intend to do with Rudy when/if Big Boy jumps in?
Posted by T2 at August 17, 2007 01:02 PMJeff:
Here you go again Democrat. Why you guys are so intimidated by the dirty tricks of Republicans? Could'nt you guys come up with some of your own against them? This tiimidity shown by Democrats for standing up against Republican swift boaters is so depressing that many independant voters would take this as weak against defence, terrorism if you cannot even handle Rove and the dirty machine.
Posted by suresh at August 17, 2007 01:03 PMThe Family Values group are sure anything but. What happened to plain old adultry?
Suresh, I've been sayng the same thing for at least two years. You don't go into battle with baseball bats when they have machine guns.
I will say it again. What Rove has in store for Hillary might be enough to derail any hope of the WH. The GOP will go after any Democrat, but their hatred for Bill and Hillary will be a driving force in getting the vote out to defeat her Presidency.
Posted by Judith at August 17, 2007 01:42 PMI don't understand your Hillary comment. This blog has been arguing that Dems should be more aggressive in pushing back at White House attacks. What has changed. What basis do you have for your judgment except, maybe, maybe ?
Posted by marc sobel at August 17, 2007 01:56 PMhillary has been to hell and back..she is one tough cookie..she has been publicly humiliated by bill..took it and endured..she isn't about to take any shit from the likes of karl rove and company..the clintons have been investigated through and through like no one ever has....every check they ever wrote has been looked at...every hole peered into..what did they find? .i suspect they will swift boat her into being a lesbian..but it won't work... she is a tough as nails and has the greatest politician who ever lived as her closest advisor...don't bet against her
Posted by dennis at August 17, 2007 01:58 PMwell Dennis, alot of what you say is true, the Clinton's are old hands at deflecting the GOP hate machine. But the target of that machine won't be them, it will be the voter. And the voter isn't so adept at fending off round-the-clock Media spin (evidenced by the existence of the Bush Administration).
Thompson has released a statement today that can only be characterized as "gobble-te-gook". He makes Bush sound like a scholar.
I have to agree with the above posters regarding your parroting the GOP line about how we and Hillary should all be afraid of the GOP.
Instead of acting like Chris Matthews and being an echo chamber of conventional wisdom, why don't you act like a journalist and hit back against the GOP machine with facts and a well-constructed argument.
For example, there are polls that came out today that show how strong Hillary is against the entire GOP field in Arkansas, Michigan, etc. There are reports about how Rove is making factually inaccurate statements with regards to Hillary's numbers and they support the fact that her numbers are actually better than Bill's were prior to his election.
GROW SOME BALLS AND DO YOUR JOB!
Posted by at August 17, 2007 02:34 PMMichigan seems to be moving their primary up to Jan 15th. Where's NH to go? January 8th? Then what's Iowa to do? And Florida, December, 2007? See what jerking around with the primaries is doing for any chance of a progressive presidential candidate. This thing will be over by February 5th. HC will be forced upon you. No building momentum like Bill did in 1992. She's going to be exposed from February on. That's a long time, has she peaked too soon?
Another one falls this one from the 'blue' state of Washington:
"U.S. Rep. Brian Baird said Thursday that his recent trip to Iraq convinced him the military needs more time in the region, and that a hasty pullout would cause chaos that helps Iran and harms U.S. security.
"I believe that the decision to invade Iraq and the post-invasion management of that country were among the largest foreign-policy mistakes in the history of our nation. I voted against them, and I still think they were the right votes," Baird said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C.
"But we're on the ground now. We have a responsibility to the Iraqi people and a strategic interest in making this work."
Baird, a five-term Democrat, voted against President Bush ordering the Iraq invasion — at a time when he was in a minority in Congress and at risk of alienating voters. He returned late Tuesday from a trip that included stops in Israel, Jordan and Iraq, where he met troops, U.S. advisers and Iraqis, whose stories have convinced him that U.S. troops must stay longer." Brad Shannon The Olympian
With support like this Democrat, not an endangered one on MM's Daily Kos list, progressives need to start worrying. And how soon till the Democrats running for president start changing their tune? America likes winners, these people are starting to smell a winner. They are being attracted to it. The "wait until September" crowd is going to let y'all down again. The "Blue Dogs" will be able to withstand ALL that pressure from the likes of Kos and Moveon.
Posted by peter at August 17, 2007 03:36 PMPeter, how long do you think this Occupation should continue, just out of curosity? What is your benchmark for withdrawal?
By-the-way Peter, great bunch of guys your Party is running.
Posted by Judith at August 17, 2007 03:52 PM
Fred Thompson...fred thompson...
Isn't he the one with cancer?
Lymphoma.
Posted by hancock at August 17, 2007 06:05 PMBenchmark...no benchmarks from this person. I want to see the job done and the peace assured. I expect us to be there as long as we're in Kosovo, and we're still there even thought Pres. Clinton declared a victory in 98/99. I believe the opposition hasn't helped us very much here. And we've made some mistakes, many mistakes. A change in direction was needed and confirmed by this Congress when General Petraeus was put in charge of the new direction by this senate's 81 to 0 confirmation. Our president, our military will determine the numbers needed there and the missions being tasked.
We need the people of Iraq to feel as normal as possible, as secure as possible. They need to develop a normalcy or comfort zone. Get used to being free from where they were. To know what they they can have if they work together to get it. Believe me, I'm not for pressing American life styles here, our way doesn't work for everybody. Germany and Japan, our two most successful democracies after being torn by war are not American. The locals patterned according to locals wants or needs.
With the Iraqi security forces developing their craft more, our involvement will go elsewhere. After a while I could see us being there with about a 50,000 troops in several bases out of the way of locals. A force that doesn't make itself known unless the Iraqi's request them. Then one by one turn those bases over to the Iraqis. We were in the Philippines for quite a while after WWII. We did close up shop there at the locals request.
Look things don't have to be perfect there, but they do need to be better. Better than they are now. Some sort of basic civil rights. A military that is duty bound to the country not a specific leader. I'd like to see a police force better than New Orleans, but it doesn't have to be as good as NYC.
Posted by peter at August 17, 2007 09:05 PMThey need to develop a normalcy or comfort zone. Get used to being free from where they were.
You are talking about American destruction of their society, correct? American imprisonment and torture of their brothers and sisters, correct? American killing of their brothers and sister and mother and fathers and children, correct?
Your lack of inquisitiveness about the facts of the American occupation of Iraq is simply appalling, yet par for the course for a republic-on. You've got rhetoric, yet not a single fact.
Look things don't have to be perfect there, but they do need to be better.
And you guys keep making it worse there. A real conundrum you people aren't able to deal with. It's the fact of the situation. You people have proven to be nothing but incompetent.
Posted by phidipides at August 18, 2007 01:19 PMSeems I need to go to Der Spiegel to find more facts on the ground than most US media are providing. Funny how they're able to walk around much of the time without body armor to report on what they encounter. Since we still occupy Okinawa to the chagrin of the locals, I believe the Iraqis want us there right now. They want us there more than the Japanese want us in Okinawa. Where's the post to end that one? Seems that Rep Murtha wanted to redeploy more of our military there. I can see the locals saying "not more".
Phid, since the only "you guys" there are our military and contractors trying to rebuild what's been left. I guess you're referring to our brave all volunteer force. That they keep making it worse. I don't think so. I'm proud of the job they're doing. So proud I've gone to welcome them home. Pat them on the back, shake their hands anytime I see the uniform. I'm surely not going to treat our heroes like those coming home from Vietnam were treated. Not by far, I'm proud of the uniform and what it represents. I welcome seeing it anywhere I go.
Proud American!
Benchmark...no benchmarks from this person. I want to see the job done and the peace assured.
peter, you are such an asshole, and it's obvious you have never served.
Posted by tempus at August 19, 2007 09:51 AM