Paradox, give it up man. This BDS of yours is really bad. One of the worse cases I've ever read of. Look what happened back in December of 98 and spring of 99. Any hope Democrats have in 2008 would go down the drain with your suggested action. Polls have this Congress with a 10% tilt to the Democrats right now. They do as you request, that tilt goes the other way. No matter who's running on my side, it tilts in my favor.
You could achieve your result of displacing Cheney, but the price would be a united government in 2009 with your opposition in control. And who do you think replaces Cheney as Vice President? Do you think that won't prompt the 'new' Vice President from running for the presidency. Think of the energy your suggestion would require. How much air that would take out of everyone else's sail.
Please Paradox, wake up and smell the coffee. Drop this matter and enjoy the fresh air of California.
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 07:29 AMCheney's been flying under the radar of late.
He's busy trying to put the pieces together for a U.S. invasion of Iran. After all, the time is running out and war with Iran translates into billions more for his precious Halliburton.
Does anyone think the Democrats in the Congress would oppose such a war? And risk being labeled "soft on terrorism? Not with a presidential election just around the corner.
Posted by Christopher at September 1, 2007 07:32 AMEspecially with the French lending a hand. Everybody likes the French, they give us great cover. Gee Christopher, you're rather tunneled on Iran. You think Puttin might help out too? How about China, do they want a piece too? Iran isn't going to happen. Or, it won't happen this year, maybe, a big maybe, the end of next year if things don't get better. This Iran stuff is only a puff of smoke. There's not much else in it.
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 07:45 AMTrolls are worried. Good sign, no feeding, please.
Posted by paradox at September 1, 2007 08:06 AMHope springs eternal!
I'm with you pradox but it wont happen.
The Democrats have wasted all political momentum they had at the turn of the year.
I'm not worried. I'm smiling at the thought of such a waste of time. I'm smiling at the results you'll see if your side tries such a stunt. Go ahead Democrats(progressives), make my day. Go off that cliff. I won't try to stop ya.
I'll be standing and laughing at ya. It will be glorious! And the Liebermans of the Party will be back.
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 08:45 AMIt would be nice to see a full frontal assault on Cheney and all he represents, but it is not going to happen.
We talk about "the Democrats" as if there were an organized group operating under that name. There is no such thing.
The Democratic Party "leadership" has apparently decided to do nothing until the next president is inaugurated. The capitulations on funding the Iraq occupation, FISA and pretty much anything else that is covered in a bloody shirt demonstrate that there will be no opposition to the Bush/Cheney Junta. The Democrats will continue to cower in the corner with their eyes closed and their hands over their ears hoping the monster goes away.
Similarly, the Democratic candidates for president have decided, apparently as a group, that they will not even discuss the Bush/Cheney Junta's policies or personalities. Instead, they have agreed to accept the corporate press/media's limits of debate.
As I have said before, I know this is heresy, but I think the Democrats need to lose again before a new leadership and a new way of thinking will emerge. The 2008 campaign is featuring the same over-cautious, equivocating and soul-less style of 2002 and 2004. Well, it worked so well back then, I'm sure it will work again.
Posted by James E. Powell at September 1, 2007 08:51 AMIt would be nice for the government to write a check for a million dollars to each and every red blooded American too. Think it'll happen. How about that DC fire department station where they operated a prostitution ring? Using some paramedics as prostitutes.
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 09:10 AMparadox, I think you should expand (greatly) on the first half of your piece here. The most interesting part, to me, in this matter is that Cheney was taken on in the media over his assertions that he wasn't part of the executive branch, but that grotesque claim overwhelmed the specific issue leading up to that claim, and Cheney remains safe.
Why is it that this technique of the current regime - in so many venues and operated by so many players (Rumsfield was for a long time the unexcelled expert at it) - without anyone of clout ever challenging it for more than three minutes?
Posted by Meteor Blades at September 1, 2007 09:35 AMTrolls are worried. Good sign, no feeding, please.
I never do, Paradox. I leave the troll feeding to others.
Posted by Christopher at September 1, 2007 09:44 AMI'm not worried.
Larry Craig wasn't worried when he tapped his foot.
peter, your statements are -to say the very least- similar to those I would expect to read from someone who had the ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) machine set a couple notches too high.
Hey, you guys said nothing about troll bashing...
Posted by phidipides at September 1, 2007 09:57 AMI also find it telling that Paradox has to remind his fellow Democrats/progressives about who to feed. And he does this a lot. Are they so febble of mind to need this?
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 09:57 AMIf, if, if, if, if, if only...............
Posted by Judith at September 1, 2007 10:03 AMI also find it telling that Paradox has to remind his fellow Democrats/progressives about who to feed.
Pretty amusing coming from a guy who goose-steps to the greatest hits of the republi-con party. You'll notice para didn't do the republi-con thing by demanding lock-step compliance to some Ostdeutschland belief or value system...you know, like you guys with Rush-the-Lush and Hanoi-Hannity.
Posted by phidipides at September 1, 2007 10:04 AMIgnore Peter, we have heard it all before, and I assure you nothing he says is new. His purpose is to taunt.
Posted by Judith at September 1, 2007 10:12 AMpeter is certainly reliable (or at least, predictable). The better the argument you make (i.e. how the Democrats could rein in cheney ... if only they'd get off their sorry butts and do it), the sillier peter's attacks get.
Posted by jwrjr at September 1, 2007 11:15 AMNow you're putting down the citizens from the east. Oh well, that's Oklahoma for ya.
To our friend from the 'show me' state, how come you've been duped by Democrats so often. We've heard that so many times before. Seems a 'show me' person would make sure before being duped and maybe not be duped in the first place. But, you follow the person in front of you, led by blindness.
Let's see, Chairman Dean only has 18 months to go. Well we'll just have to suffer the time. Princess sparkle has only 15 months to go.
And then there's Norman Hsu...Wow, what a boner, very reminicient of that 1996 campaign goof. Another Asian, and with HC having a Presidential detail around her all the time. Where's the background check. Safe guards? There's still time Democrats, you can avert your up coming disaster.
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 11:27 AMI see pants pissing peter, as usual, is placing party above country. Yellow cur.
Posted by gay veteran at September 1, 2007 11:51 AM"Where's the background check. Safe guards?"
Hummm. Probably the same people that did the background check on Jeff Gannon.
Posted by ann at September 1, 2007 12:14 PMNow you're putting down the citizens from the east. Oh well, that's Oklahoma for ya.
Well, gosh, Beav, I certainly didn't mean to do that. I was only after the republi-cons. So here is a toe-tapper of a tune that will certainly have you republi-cons reaching under the stall as a sign of your obedience your great Fuhrer:
Sing in loudly, republi-cons! Remember, your government is recording your every action:
Buschland, Buschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt,
wenn es stets zu gier und bestechung
brüderlich zusammenhält.
von der Potomac bis an die Rio Grande,
von der Merced bis an den Roanoke,
Buschland, Buschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt!
Here's some more prose...
There was an old woman called Hilly.
who was married to 'Wandering Willy'
She came to DC,
Crying 'Vote for Me,
but the folks said, Don't be so silly'.
There was an old woman named Hilary.
Whose husband was locked in a pillary.
The reason it seems,
He couldn't keep up his jeans,
Because of his wandering artillery.
Raising big money is expected
To get'ol Hillary elected!
From Hsu's little house
or any old louse
No dirtbag's cash is rejected!
There once was a woman named Hil
Who married a bounder named Bill
He parted some thighs
While Hil closed her eyes
She wants to be Chief so lies still
Nice German Phid, you learned well at that schule. Did you get that little ditty from the records found there?
Did you get that little ditty from the records found there?
It's available on Limbaugh's EIB site under the Library tab. I'm surprised you don't have your copy yet.
How many republi-cons does it take to change a light bulb? None. Just leave it alone and it will change itself.
Never visit, so I wouldn't know. Nice to see you're there. Often?
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 01:57 PMParadox,
And those orbiting Cheney's bloated body and diseased head are just as insane.
Cheney’s top national security aide has been sourced by the Washington Post, saying that war with Iran is "a real possibility" this year:
Some senior administration officials still relish the notion of a direct confrontation. One ambassador in Washington said he was taken aback when John Hannah, Vice President Cheney’s national security adviser, said during a recent meeting that the administration considers 2007 "the year of Iran", and indicated that a U.S. attack was a real possibility.
Posted by Christopher at September 1, 2007 02:06 PMHave to wonder why anyone like peter would hang out here day in and day out, year after year. Oh, sure he gets a little attention now and then, but it's negative attention and mostly he is simply ignored, and how many healthy adults seek a steady diet of that. If he doesn't know by now that he's never going to change a single other TLC reader's mind by a smidgen in his direction, have to question his intelligence and/or psychological well-being (doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is neurotic). But must say that it's rare to find someone that actually repeats the same nonproductive behavior as many times in a year as peter does here in a day. Most neurotics get a clue after a dozen or so repetitions. Far more intractable in obsessive -compulsives.
So, unless peter is being paid for his services to troll TLC (if this is the best rightwingers and/or our government can come up with for agent provacatuers, maybe things aren't as bleak as they seem), he might need to know that there is medical help available for a variety of psychological conditions. And most people find that treatment reduces their pain and suffering and increases their general happiness.
With that sad, I'll return to ignoring the TLC house troll, or should I say schmoo because as a troll he's terribly ineffectual.
Posted by Marie at September 1, 2007 02:22 PMIt nice to see you believe something coming out of his office, Christopher. I hear they've tasked the Lincoln to leave SD shortly and the Reagan is already in Japan. Make the connections?
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 02:25 PMMarie,
You raise an interesting point.
Some bloggers recruit trolls to ramp up their traffic as regulars can't resist the urge to respond and engage them. It's a wierd way to increase traffic, IMHO.
For genuine trolls, negative attention is better than no attention at all. What are you going to do?
Posted by Christopher at September 1, 2007 02:54 PM"...if Al Gore had done this in 1998, what would have happened..."
I do believe he would have phrased things differently: perhaps along the lines of "no controling legal authority."
Posted by And Bagley Was A Friend Of Mine at September 1, 2007 03:44 PMA little diary on Kos that those who are concerned about Iran might want to read:
"We Are Going To Hit Iran. Bigtime"
Posted by ann at September 1, 2007 05:58 PMHas anyone here considered the possibility that Cheney is in the early to middle stages of Alzheimer's? That claim about the Vice Presidency not being part of the Executive branch was from woo-woo outer space. Seriously, how do you tell when a person moves from simple mental illness to senility? Watch, in about three years, it will be announced that he has Alzheimer's, and all of the current Congresspeople are going to look like gullible fools for having allowed a senile man to lead them all away down the road like the children of Pied Piper.
Posted by Julie at September 1, 2007 06:11 PMROFLOL, pants pissing peter follows the Pied Piper Cheney
Posted by gay veteran at September 1, 2007 07:50 PMHsu = Abramoff
Posted by peter at September 1, 2007 09:13 PMBush = Caligua
Posted by gay veteran at September 2, 2007 06:55 AMBush = Caligua
Up = uh, uh, drown...uh...down
So, unless peter is being paid for his services to troll TLC...
I hope it's a piece-rate job. If his income depends on quality he's screwed.
Posted by phidipides at September 2, 2007 10:08 AMHe whose name must not be mentioned got banned.
He whose name SHOULD not be mentioned has left enough garbage here to come to the conclusion that disruption not honest discussion is the objective.
Freedom of speech has its limits. You can't make tapping noises in a public men's room.
Posted by TIKI AL at September 2, 2007 02:00 PM"Freedom of speech has its limits."
Why, how....umm..."progressive" of you. So do tell, what authority determines the limits of free speech?
And as a bonus question -- tailored to your own limited education -- please name one mid-20th century political party which believed, as you do, that "freedom of speech has its limits."
Bonus question: name one in the early part of the 21st century.
Posted by And Bagley Was A Friend Of Mine at September 2, 2007 04:40 PM"So do tell, what authority determines the limits of free speech?"
The owner of the blog. This is not Hyde Park.
Read the commenting policy at Crooks and Liars.
You remind me of a common schoolyard bully picking on a high school educated person in such a condescending supercillious manner.