Great post Turkana!
And on the heals of this Putin comes out with this: Putin accuses U.S. of orchestrating Georgian war
Putin told CNN his defense officials had told him it was done to benefit a presidential candidate -- Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are competing to succeed George W. Bush -- although he presented no evidence to back it up."U.S. citizens were indeed in the area in conflict," Putin said. "They were acting in implementing those orders doing as they were ordered, and the only one who can give such orders is their leader."
The "four more years of the same" mantra needs to be replaced by "John McCain is even worse than George W. Bush." They've started saying that--that even Bush has seen the light but McCain hasn't. They need to make it stick.
Posted by CG at August 28, 2008 11:32 AMHa-ha, as if on cue---exactly what I have been saying about "The Return of Russia---Murica's Biggest Challenge". They sure did fergit about Islamofascism and WWIII pretty darn quick, didn't they?
This Evildoer Russia Returns "issue" is going to be ridden to death by McStooge---it's all he's got that he hasn't already failed on. And, Gee, I wonder if the corporate press will play along with Grampy McNeocon?
This is why the Dems (hello, Joe) can't get into this bidding war on who's the bigger insane militarist. They can't outbid nutcases like McCain, Lieberturd (have we thanked you lately, CT?) and the reat of his crazed advisors, nacked by their Noise Machine.
The name of the game here is sustaining endless militarism, particularly military spending. And the best way to do that is to find actual wars to fight. We CAN get into a nuclear exchange with Russia, it's not impossible, especially with reckless authoritarian nationalist Rightists playing to jingoist pinheads running both "sides".
Well, some Dems better figure out how to get this little shitbomb into the "national discussion", and it better be in some way other than "Us, too!"
Posted by euzoius at August 28, 2008 11:44 AMThank god we have Glenn Greenwald to tell us how to think. I thought we were going to be stuck with Barack Obama telling us how to think. I like that Glenn can predict the future. Especially when he can assure us of what "might be."
Posted by Johnny at August 28, 2008 12:02 PMYou don't have to buy his pretty rhetoric. But you do have to vote for him.
(Scoff)
Really? Is that a direct order from you or from TLC?
We're also going to get much tougher on China
Obviously. I could tell when George and Laura were watching the fireworks at the opening ceremonies.
You guys are laying it on a bit thick. Is it just me or is every post about "get over it"?
"It's Obama's Party Now"
Can't wait to see how many more ways you dudes can reframe the same sentiment by the end of the week.
Posted by MaskedVigilante at August 28, 2008 12:06 PMBTW, this is a perfect example of how empires as they crumble get trapped in imperial military overstretch, as their foolish elites vainly attempt to maintain what they perceived as their "high point" in geopolitics. It's good to see that we aren't any smarter than any other doomed empire.
We currently spend one half of our federal budget on "defense" and, for the crazed conservative Rightists, it's nowhere near enough! Well, the taxes have all been cut, the worthless bonds have all been sold, the military has been largely wrecked and the mountain of debt has already been piled up. So the last stages of our imperial overstretch will have to be accomplished with our Christianist flyboys and our nuclear arsenal, I guess. Everybody ready?
Sorry, kids, I'd start living like you ain't gonna be around in, say, 2 years or so. Like, um, forget the books, and party now!
Posted by euzoius at August 28, 2008 12:06 PMRussia has oil. The GOP wants to drill on our protected lands. Connect the dots about why suddenly they are evil again.
Posted by the young Judith (tyj) at August 28, 2008 12:18 PMWith Russia feeling paranoid and encircled by gratuitous Bush administration moves, will it not be a very dangerous thing to have a mindlessly belligerent hothead calling the shots next?
Posted by bob h at August 28, 2008 12:21 PM"It's destiny, dawg. White man's gotta rule the world."
Posted by MaskedVigilante at August 28, 2008 12:25 PMAny bets that McCain shows his pick for VP tonight to try and blunt the Dem party a bit? The only real unknown in the mix of the dud VP choices is Pawlenty.
Let's see: Pawlenty used to be pro-choice, now anti-choice. He used to be pro-gay, now vehemently anti-gay. He is an ooper-duper evangelical. Sum it all up, Pawlenty is a closet homosexual who will at some time get caught toe-tapping in a bathroom...or have a TM pop-up that he sent to an under-aged boy...or be outed in a sleepover with his evangelical minister.
Good god, I so hope it's Romney. I want to see the evangelical gits go bat-shit insane over a Mormon cultist in their midst. MA ain't redstate Merca by a long shot.
Posted by phidipides at August 28, 2008 12:37 PMIt really sucks to have the worst turkey in 100 years running as the Democratic nominee.
The race should be easy. Unfortunately, the choice between McCain and Obama is not clear at all to many serious voters.
Obama is truly awful on his own.
Turkana:
Republicans and now Lieberman are doing this fear mongering because it works everytime. The American voters are so gullible that they believe this stuff. Like Putin said today, the Bush administration pushed Georgia to attack the 2 proviences with Russian ethnic majority requiring Russia to get involved. According to him this was done to get McCain elected.
After all the lies that we got from this administration in last 8 years, I am not surprised that they will do this.
During Iraq crisis, Saddam said he does not have WMDs but Bush said he does. Now we know who was telling the truth. That is why I think Putin is telling the truth.
Posted by suresh at August 28, 2008 12:43 PMThe Georgians killed civilians who were asleep in their beds, in a sneak attack on South Ossetia. Georgian peacekeepers working side by side with Russian colleagues, turned their guns on them and killed the unsuspecting men. "You shot your Russian brothers and finished them off with the bayonet."
Americans largely believe the black-is-white story of Russian aggression because they live in a protective bubble of disinformation and lies. And the lies are still being pushed by our corporate press.
Protesters in Denver have been sitting down passively in front of a sea of black police uniforms, under the blows of truncheons and volley of pepper spray. "Look who is being violent", protesters chant. But what good does it do, considering what little gets out in the alternative press?
Even an ABC producer has been roughed up and arrested, for trying to get video of the wining and dining of of Senators, at a posh hotel, by those who might be influencing them. Is anyone told about this on the floor of the Convention? No of course not.
Most of the rest of the world is watching our pols invent wonderfulness on a stage at the Denver Convention. And the same will hold true at the Republican Confab, to be held next week. But the bubble being created around the two parties and their ceremonies is intended to block any intrusion of harsh or disconcerting realities.
In the September/08 issue of Harper's Magazine, Lewis H.Lapham writes:
On television the voices of dissent can't be counted upon to match the studio drapes or serve as tasteful lead-ins to advertisements for Pantene Pro-V and the U.S. Marine Corps. What we now know as the "news media" serve at the pleasure of the corporate sponsor, their purpose not to tell truth to the powerful but to transmit lies to the powerless.
Thanks, Copeland. This is why I clenched when Biden was giving his shout out to Georgia.
I tried to pretend he was talking about Atlanta, which really does need some help.
Posted by MaskedVigilante at August 28, 2008 01:29 PMI won't touch your Georgia comments, but the rest reads well.
Posted by peter at August 28, 2008 01:53 PMThe most important thing at the moment is Obama's set design for his speech tonight. This is the great topic of commentators on TV. How is the hell do you get information out there to educate and warn people about a McCain presidency? There is no one willing to go on TV and tell the boobs the truth about the future and the agenda of a McCain presidency. It will be the ignorant and blind that will help destroy this Country one day, as the rest of us stand by and watch it happen.
Good post Turkana.
Posted by Judith at August 28, 2008 02:11 PMJudith, I dunno, maybe it'll get even more people to watch if they think it'll be a spectacle.
Posted by iamcoyote at August 28, 2008 02:16 PMIamcoyote, maybe your right. I hope so, as people are making fun of it right now and calling it a set for a coronation.
Posted by Judith at August 28, 2008 02:27 PMYeah, but that'll just make people curious. Once they hear him speak, I think he'll win over a lot of people, and that's the point.
Posted by iamcoyote at August 28, 2008 02:37 PMThe problem with your idea is they'll see Al Gore and get bored with it.
Posted by peter at August 28, 2008 02:44 PMturkana...nice passionate and reasoned commentary alongside of Glenn's. CG, you make a nice summary campaign slogan there...you think the past 8 years has been bad, the worst is still yet to come...or you ain't seen nothing yet.
One comment, perhaps it would be more effective and powerful if people heard Senator Obama and his campaign hammer home and make such passionate and contrasting arguments....just sayin...but maybe it's the post partisanship thingy that won't allow for this?
Posted by emal at August 28, 2008 03:17 PMMcCain lies about "Russian aggression."
Obama lies about "Russian aggression."
My problem with "McCain" versus "Bush" is that they are the pictures on the cereal box. They are brands. There is a presumption that they are somehow independent operators. If the Military-Industrial Complex said to invade Iran, does anyone really think that McCain or Bush would publicly say no?
The real question is whether anyone, including Obama, has the power to say no and get away with it.
Posted by Bob In Pacifica at August 29, 2008 06:26 AM