Home > Jay Bookman > Archives > 2008 > August > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe guns of August, redux
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Russia’s decision to invade neighboring Georgia, an ally of the United States, has laid bare Russia’s renewed expansionist ambitions. Unfortunately, it has also exposed the limits of U.S. power to do much about it.
While Georgian officials plead for Western assistance, President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney issue statements of condemnation and vague warnings of repercussions. And so far, the Russians haven’t been much dissuaded.
To the contrary, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian officials privately admit that their goal is the removal of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, the country’s democratically elected leader. That is a chilling possibility. Should Russia succeed in deposing Saakashvili, it will in effect have turned Georgia from a U.S. ally into a Russian vassal state, in the process further exposing the United States as impotent.
Just as important, Russia will have sent a message to other nations in its sphere of influence, such as Ukraine, warning that their independence may depend on their willingness to toe the Russian line, and that the West can’t and won’t defend them. As Saakashvili described the stakes in an op-ed article in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, if Georgia falls, other states “will have to consider whether the price of freedom and independence are too high.”
The situation is rife with historic parallels, none encouraging. This is Hungary in 1956, when the Hungarian people revolted against Soviet control, expecting military support from the West, then dying by the thousands when that support did not come. It is also Munich in 1938, when Britain and other European powers agreed to stand by and allow Nazi Germany to seize part of Czechoslovakia. And it is Afghanistan in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and President Jimmy Carter, like Bush today, was left to bluster and threaten.
In protest of that invasion, Carter did what he could, recalling the U.S. ambassador, organizing an international boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, freezing sales of grain from American farmers to the Soviet Union and severely restricting trade. A Russian coup of Georgia’s leadership would call for a response at least as severe, but given the state of U.S. diplomatic leverage, Bush may have trouble matching Carter’s actions.
The most aggressive response to Russia’s invasion has been offered by GOP presidential candidate John McCain, who suggests that NATO renew efforts to make Georgia a full member of the alliance. Of course, if Saakashvili is ousted and replaced by a leader friendly to Russia, that option would no longer be available.
However, it’s worth noting that if McCain’s recommendation were carried out, the United States would be obligated to intervene militarily to defend Georgia against attack from Russia. That’s a very large step, and our leaders should never make commitments that they are not fully willing and able to carry out.
Even if only implied, such statements can lead to tragedy if our friends come to count on them too heavily. The people of Georgia now know that all too well.
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Comments
By @@
August 11, 2008 7:03 PM | Link to this
Even if only implied, such statements can lead to tragedy if our friends come to count on them too heavily. The people of Georgia now know that all too well.
Somewhat true, but a more strategic approach cannot be ruled out.
In observing geopolitical maneuvers, I predicted months ago that Georgia would be sacrificed. After all, Putin did have leverage. It’s disheartening to watch how far Putin will go to make his point though. It’s not as if Georgia is of great value to The Russian Bear. a A predictable turn of events however, may have already occurred.
I posted this over at Wooten’s:
According to Stratfor sources, Tusk and Kaczynski are cleaning house of anyone who stood in the way of an immediate BMD deal with the United States and are entering into fast negotiations with Washington.
But events in Georgia have just upped the ante in Eastern Europe. One option Washington has is reinforcing those forces — and moving them eastward. Poland and Romania are the most logical choices for three reasons:
1) First, their governments have already shown that they are loyal to Washington.
2) Second, Romania already hosts a U.S. logistical “lilypad” base, and Poland could soon agree to host a BMD installation. Both could be expanded in scope quickly (the Polish BMD site was already likely to be brimming with advanced air defenses in addition to its 10 interceptors).
3) Finally, Poland and Romania — the former on the northern plain of Europe and the latter on the cusp of the Central European mountain chain before reaching the heart of Europe — are two geographic key points that would create a new form of containment of Russia.
While Russia was concerned with Washington’s BMD plans in Europe, it is just the tip of the iceberg of what the United States can do — and now it seems that Washington has been properly motivated to do more.
So with Poland moving fast and furious, we have only to wait for Romania’s call.
Where is the U.N. when you need them?
Offering Russia a seat at the Security table.
By @@
August 11, 2008 7:10 PM | Link to this
Oh, and Jay.
The day that free nations live in fear of acknowledging a country’s (Kosovo’s) call for independence will be the day that we have truly succumbed to evil tyrants.
A sad day indeed.
By Carter is a Fool
August 11, 2008 7:13 PM | Link to this
Carter did what he could — he sat on his hands and wet himself.
He is a Fool.
By Carter is a Fool
August 11, 2008 7:20 PM | Link to this
English-only isn’t language of job success — Not that Cynthia Tucker would blog — NO. Even Cartoon Fool stopped blogging.
Tucker head in the sand missed the point. Immigrants need to learn English. PERIOD. No driver’s license, government documents, election ballots, etc. need be printed in anything but English. You go to France and you can’t get a license application in English. You don’t go to a store in Spain and find English Subtitles. You don’t go to a German store and find English Subtitles. Have you noticed that the signs in our stores are now in English and Spanish. We soon could be as screwed up as Quebec in Canada.
No one would argue that our children and people do not need to learn more than one language. The languages should be Chinese and Spanish. However it is STUPID not conduct business and Government in only one language - English.
Once again another of the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation has missed the point.
By WWBD
August 11, 2008 7:58 PM | Link to this
What Will Bush Do! Hopefully, Bush realizes now that he cannot go on the air and pull a Clint Eastwood with Russia because he has nothing left to back it up with. He has done used us up in Iraq. Reagan may have won round one with Russia but they may just see their opportunity to take us out behind the shed for a little payback in round two. We’ll have to see how things play out.
By WWOD?
August 11, 2008 8:44 PM | Link to this
Russian media reported Aug. 11 that foreign fighters were working with Georgia’s armed forces in the attack on South Ossetia, and one “African-American” reportedly was captured and taken to Russia’s North Ossetian city of Vladikavkaz for questioning.
By mick
August 11, 2008 8:55 PM | Link to this
Jay,
Sorry you are following the lame US media approach to this situation.
South Ossetia has never been an integral part of Georgia. During Soviet era, it was autonomous. Afterwards, it fought Georgia control. Georgia (with US and Israeli training and support) made an assault on South Ossetia. There is no way Russia would not react. Especially after 10 Russians were killed.
We demonstrated to Russia via Kosovo that might used to defend a break off a section of a country is perfectly acceptable in international affairs.
We demonstrated to Russia via Iraq that we can attack a nation we ‘feel’ is possibly a threat.
Besides not have the moral authority to condemn Russia, we should be looking at why we were arming someone who would be so dumb as to risk war with Russia for an enclave of 70,000 people that want nothing to do with Georgia.
Maybe they wanted to give them all the purple fingers of democracy by gunfire.
By RW-(the original)
August 11, 2008 10:03 PM | Link to this
And it is Afghanistan in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and President Jimmy Carter, like Bush today, was left to bluster and threaten.
Was Jimmy Carter in the midst of liberating 60 million people while saving our way of life too? Well no he wasn’t but he also had hostages being held in Iran that he could bluster about. So while not being entangled in anything except the Cold War mutually assured destruction, that thank God Russia didn’t figure out that Jimmy wouldn’t hold up the end of the bargain that they got destroyed too, Jimmy was in the exact same position Bush is today with our troops fighting two front of a war that was visited on us.
Somehow I think Jay’s equating the two is a hopelessly flawed comparison.
By Taxpayer
August 11, 2008 10:28 PM | Link to this
Hopelessly flawed sentence structure has been proven to be an effective weapon against those embarrassing moments that arise from time to time in the career of a politician as well.
By "The Corporal"
August 11, 2008 11:31 PM | Link to this
We didn’t save Hungary when they asked. We didn’t save Checkoslovakia when they asked. We didn’t even save Vietnam with 550,000 troops. We probably won’t save Iraq.
You can’t save ‘em all.
P.S. Those of you rattling your sabers out there be sure and sign up - including Colonel Bookman.
By "The Corporal"
August 11, 2008 11:40 PM | Link to this
P.S.
Let’s let Private Obama go over there and get tough with Putin! Maybe he can wear that USMC T-shirt he likes to wear when he play basketball. That would really scare them !
By Bud Wiser
August 12, 2008 6:24 AM | Link to this
The Democratic Party war machine is now swinging into action as we speak. Nancy Pelosi will no longer allow any bills sent for a vote to be put on the floor. Any Congressman with the audacity to defy her will be sent on a five week vacation as punishment.
Harry Reid will mobilize his troops as well, as soon as he locates his Alzheimer’s medicines. Babara Boxer will be sponsoring the latest anti-America parade in San Francisco, with Larry Reid crossing the aisle to help recruit his new found ‘nation’. Barney Franks is helping him there as well. Ted Kennedy, even in his weakened condition, is supplying the alcohol for the post-parade party, with John Edwards bringing ‘lady friends’ for all! Barak Obama may even make an appearance, once he or his aides figure out which one of the 57 states San Francisco is located in.
By Bud Wiser
August 12, 2008 7:25 AM | Link to this
OOps….I meant Larry Craig. There are so many scumbags in Congress that it is hard to keep track of them all. Mea Culpa.
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 7:27 AM | Link to this
In a phone interview, Chambliss, who was campaigning in South Georgia on Monday, said that while some people had been calling his office to complain about his position, far more were supportive.-Urinal/DNC
Those are the dimwitocrat seminar callers, Saxby.
Chambliss said he is explaining to constituents that to win the right to drill for more oil, Republicans will have to agree to some Democratic demands for greater support for alternative fuels.
“Once people got the real facts, they say, ‘That’s not so bad,’ ” he said.-Urinal/PMS
Just ask yourself one question, little dhimmis, if alt fuels are so promising then why do you have to raise taxes and subsidize just so you can pay for them?
You might have seen its ads on TV, such as the one where a poverty-stricken mother and child, freezing in their unheated home, is saved by Joe Kennedy and his delivery truck, bringing them oil at 40 percent off.
But why is Joe bringing them oil at all, let alone cheap oil? Shouldn’t he be bringing them solar panels or manuals on energy conservation, or perhaps a gold star for this family’s low carbon footprint? Why is he supporting their oil habit instead of helping them break it? (Ironically, given the notoriety of South American drug sources, Joe’s discount oil comes from Venezuela.)
Gosh, maybe we cannot do without oil, you reckon?
Christy wrote in the Wall Street Journal last November, “My experience as a missionary teacher in Africa opened my eyes to this simple fact. Without access to energy, life is brutal and short.”
~~~~~
Democratic National Committee and its chairman Howard Dean have whitewashed the party’s horrific and lengthy record of racism. The omission is in the section of the DNC website that describes the party’s history.
There is no reference to the number of Democratic Party platforms supporting slavery. There were 6 from 1840-1860.
There is no reference to the formation of the Ku Klux Klan, which, according to Columbia University historian Eric Foner became “a military force serving the interests of the Democratic Party.”
There is no reference that three-fourths of the opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Bill in the U.S. House came from Democrats, or that 80 percent of the nay vote on the bill in the Senate came from the Democrats. Certainly there is no reference to the fact that the opposition included future Democratic Senate Leader Robert Byrd of West Virginia (a former Klan member) and Tennessee Senator Albert Gore, Sr., father of future Vice President Al Gore.
Say hello to the KKKlintons for me, y’all.
~~~~~
Russian bombers have also hit residential and industrial areas, making a mockery of Moscow’s charge that Georgia is the party indiscriminately killing civilians. Russian claims of Georgian ethnic cleansing now look like well-rehearsed propaganda lines to justify a well-prepared invasion. Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of tanks, ships and warplanes were waiting for Mr. Putin’s command.
By hillbilly ragger
August 12, 2008 7:39 AM | Link to this
Shorter RW @ 10.03:
“Wahhh! Jay, you meaniehead, you aren’t allowed to compare Bush unfavorably to Carter! Bush is saving our way of LIFE!!!”
You know what word is curiously missing from the Comments thread? McCain.
How about that bang-up public statement, no follow-up questions from reporters, please, uttered while the President was still overseas, where McCain provided a history of Georgia some staffer cribbed from Wiki, left out all the stuff about Georgia’s own provocations, and managed to call Georgia’s president, a man he’s supposedly met with many times, “Shoshkuhveelie?”
How about that most excellent display of totally awesome foreign policy expertise, Luckotroolz? Nothing to say about that? Really? You just hanging your guy out to dry, are you?
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 7:48 AM | Link to this
This crisis illustrates, redundantly, the paralysis of the U.N. regarding major powers, hence regarding major events, and the fictitiousness of the European Union regarding foreign policy. Does this disturb Obama’s serenity about the efficacy of diplomacy? Obama’s second statement about the crisis, in which he tardily acknowledged Russia’s invasion, underscored the folly of his first, which echoed the Bush administration’s initial evenhandedness. “Now,” said Obama, “is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint.”
On ABC’s “This Week,” Richardson, auditioning to be Barack Obama’s running mate, disqualified himself. Clinging to the Obama campaign’s talking points like a drunk to a lamppost, Richardson said this crisis proves the wisdom of Obama’s zest for diplomacy, and that America should get the U.N. Security Council “to pass a strong resolution getting the Russians to show some restraint.” Apparently Richardson was ambassador to the U.N. for 19 months without noticing that Russia has a Security Council veto.
By Bud Wiser
August 12, 2008 7:51 AM | Link to this
Did you hear that Johnny Edwards has been dirty dancing with his w******* for over 2 years, and that she was being paid in excess of $15K a month for her silence?
Bill O’Reilly said on his show that Fox News had the story months ago but chose not to release it in deference to Mrs Edwards. In hindsight, that turned out to be pretty lame.
Everyone says ‘poor Elizabeth Edwards…’, and to that I say bull pucky. She knew about the affair long ago. She knew about the child last year. But, in the mold of the good Democrat’s wife, ala Hillary Clinton, she ‘stood by her man?’ She was there on the front lines while he was seeking the nomination, playing her disease for sympathy for her lying husband. She was humiliated privately, along with their children, by this lowlife, but continued to play her role.
POWER - POWER - POWER. It’s all about political power. She allowed herself to be humiliated and abused, the abuse of keeping her silence all the while knowing the truth, but not doing anything to compromise her hubby’s campaign. Throwing away her own personal pride and dignity for a lying, cheating husband, she did it for power. Sickening.
She is as despicable as he, because she was also playing her disease song on the campaign trail. The cancer must have dissolved her spine as well as her brain for not going public as soon as she found out, standing up for all women everywhere who find themselves in the awful and humiliating relationship with a cheating spouse. She could have gone public long ago, saying that this man did what he did, and deserves nothing more than what her lawyers would leave him, then walk out. But oh, no. Instead, she sucks in her lip, her pride, and her womanhood, and plays the faithful wife. What a JOKE. She willfully subjigated her own sense of self worth for a chance at political power for the very man who abused her so. She deserves no pity, and shall have none from me.
John Edwards? I guess the Attorney General job is history. He can go back to chasing ambulances and tobacco companies, and wait for his wife to die.
Elizabeth Edwards? What is left to live for? You have made a total fool of yourself before the entire nation, especially to your fellow women. May as well quit the chemo and let nature take its course.
By Taxpayer
August 12, 2008 7:51 AM | Link to this
The Bush administration and the Republican Party are going through withdrawals now that their many years of abuse of their viagra prescriptions is coming to an end.
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 7:59 AM | Link to this
McCain’s proposal from a few months ago to boot Russia from the G-8 has gone from seeming needlessly provocative to practically prescient. Together with the surge in Iraq, the Georgian crisis is the second strategic matter on which everyone else has followed the senator’s lead.
We can have idiots like King Lord High Dimwit and his court jester Richardson babbling mindlessly on behalf of America, or, we can be a strong, trustworthy and guiding force in the world.
By Taxpayer
August 12, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this
Do missile defense systems work against tanks.
By JAY BOOKMAN
August 12, 2008 8:45 AM | Link to this
So Management, in your opinion Richardson disqualified himself to be vice president when he stated that America should get the U.N. Security Council “to pass a strong resolution getting the Russians to show some restraint.” Do I have that right?
I suppose then that you have now stricken McCain from your list as well, given his own statement:
“The United States and our allies should continue efforts to bring a resolution before the UN Security Council condemning Russian aggression, noting the withdrawal of Georgian troops from South Ossetia, and calling for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territory. We should move ahead with the resolution despite Russian veto threats, and submit Russia to the court of world public opinion.”
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this
To Bookman:
All eyewash because the Russians (like the Chinese in the future) will do what they want to do. Why? They no longer fear “Us” !
Reminds me of a great line from an old movie ………. “That’s awfully bold talk for a one-eyed fat man” ! Except that “fat man” had the guts to do something. We don’t and couldn’t (due to our weak and overextended military) if we wanted to!
By hillbilly ragger
August 12, 2008 8:54 AM | Link to this
Jay @ 8.45, really, debating the Luckotrool? Why?
Is your barrel all out of fish?
You can make it all up to me, though, by doing as I’d asked earlier, and seconded recently by Gobraves @ 8.18 elsewhere, and cover John Linder (R-FairTax/No Ah Are Ess) v. Doug Heckman sometime real soon.
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 9:15 AM | Link to this
Jay: The author of the article I referenced suggested that Richardson had disqualified himself from the vice presidency, I merely called him a bozo or something of that nature.
And yes, I have called McCain a bozo on quite a few occasions.
But my major point still stands, Obama: blather, McCain: credibility and legitimate threat of force.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 9:15 AM | Link to this
Mr. Bookman 8:45
I trust I’m not butting in between you and Management, but I believe Management’s point about Richardson/was that he implied a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia was doable
[[America should get the U.N. Security Council to pass a strong resolution]]
While McCain’s statement showed he knew it would not get passed but wanted to keep the spotlight on Russia and have the world see them veto the resolution.
[[We should move ahead with the resolution despite Russian veto threats, and submit Russia to the court of world public opinion.”]]
By GodHatesTrash
August 12, 2008 9:15 AM | Link to this
Looks like Putin’s Red Army has this thing in Georgia about wrapped up.
Sort of like when Sherman sent his army through Georgia - like a hot knife through butter - watch them crumble, fold, whine, moan and groan…
(The rule, my redneck friends, is what it always was - don’t start a fight you can’t finish. And if a loudmouth drunk Texan is your only friend, you don’t have any friends.)
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
The Russians rightly expect Westerners to turn on themselves, rather than Moscow — and they won’t be disappointed. Imagine the morally equivalent fodder for liberal lament: We were unilateral in Iraq, so we can’t say Russia can’t do the same to Georgia. (As if removing a genocidal dictator is the same as attacking a democracy). We accepted Kosovo’s independence, so why not Ossetia’s? (As if the recent history of Serbia is analogous to Georgia’s.) We are still captive to neo-con fantasies about democracy, and so encouraged Georgia’s efforts that provoked the otherwise reasonable Russians (As if the problem in Ossetia is our principled support for democracy rather than appeasement of Russian dictatorship).
From what the Russians learned of the Western reaction to Iraq, they expect their best apologists will be American politicians, pundits, professors, and essayists — and once more they will not be disappointed. We are a culture, after all, that after damning Iraqi democracy as too violent, broke, and disorganized, is now damning Iraqi democracy as too conniving, rich, and self-interested — the only common denominator being whatever we do, and whomever we help, cannot be good.
If we beat on the Russians like we beat on ourselves they would flee from Georgia in terror.
Insane, isn’t it?
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
Georgia Tries out the Bush War Doctrine, Loses Badly….There are two basic facts to keep in mind about the smokin’ little war in Ossetia: 1. The Georgians started it. 2. They lost….South Ossetia is a little apple-shaped blob dangling from Russian territory down into Georgia, and most of it has been under control of South Ossetian irregulars backed by Russian “peacekeepers” for the last few years…..The Georgians bided their time, then went on the offensive, Caucasian style, by pretending to make peace and all the time planning a sneak attack on South Ossetia. They just signed a treaty granting autonomy to South Ossetia this week, and then they attacked. Georgian MLRS units barraged Tskhinvali, the capital city of South Ossetia; Georgian troops swarmed over Ossetian roadblocks; and all in all, it was a great, whiz-bang start, but like Petraeus asked about Iraq way back in 2003, what’s the ending to this story? As in: How do you invade territory that the Russians have staked out for protection without thinking about how they’ll react?….Most likely the Georgians just thought the Russians wouldn’t react. They were doing something they learned from Bush and Cheney: sticking to best-case scenarios, positive thinking…..
There is a lot of info out there….and digging through it and absorbing it takes time. Knee jerk reactions are counterproductive.
Bottom line….why in heavens name would we accept at face value anything regading this situation that comes out of the mouths of the Bush Administration and the its’ heir John McCain?
REALLY BOYS AND GIRLS…..they were wrong about Iraq and Afghanistan. What ever would lead any thinking human being to consider they might be right about Georgia and Russia?
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” —President George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this
DUH @ 9:33
Geez, man if you want to quote the New Republic - cool - but it would be nice if you’d note it!
Did McCain Plagiarize His Speech on the Georgia Crisis?….It should be noted that Wikipedia material can be freely used but always requires attribution under its terms of use. Whether a presidential candidate should base policy speeches on material from Wikipedia is another question entirely.
Ironic ain’t it?
By Paul
August 12, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this
AJC/DNC Management
Yesterday’s first hour of the Diane Rehm show on NPR was “Russian Strikes in Georgia.” The panel was:
Charles Kupchan, professor of international affairs at Georgetown University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
Andrei Sitov, Washington bureau chief for Itar-Tass
Marc Champion, reporter, Wall Street Journal
Lincoln Mitchell, assistant professor in the Practice of International Politics, Columbia University
Mr. Sitov made the following points:
“The Americans are in no position to criticize…. The American attacked Iraq under false pretenses…with hundreds of thousands of lives lost… nobody is saying anything about that…”
Pres Bush/Iraq War critics who engaged, early on, in hyperbole for political gain have provided ‘justification’ with a ‘moral equivalency’ argument for an aggressor in a radically different situation. In fact, it goes further: Russians are peacekeepers, responding to protect civilians, while the US hypocritically criticizes while in the midst of a war that was entered into by a leader who lied to his own people and killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.
Russians pick up Democratic talking points and use them to justify an invasion and thousands of civilian deaths.
Words do matter.
Link: Russian Strikes in Georgia
The remarks are at the 24-minute point.
By Taxpayer
August 12, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this
Vice President Dick Cheney says Russia’s military actions in Georgia “must not go unanswered.” So, we need to send in Cheney Force (that’s the Bush administration’s shotgun wielding version of Delta Force) under the cover of the November election to strike when Russia least expects it. Cheney should be able to take out the President of Georgia before he even realizes who got him. No one would ever expect a close friend.
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this
SNEWZE: 9:33 was the National Review, you twerp.
And quit baiting me with these mindless comparisons to Iraq, it is not even applicable.
Go play in the street.
~~~~~
Paul: Isn’t it amazing that all the same old sadomasochists come out of the word work at the exact same time?
It makes you wonder what they were stewing about before this latest opportunity arose for them.
By JAY BOOKMAN
August 12, 2008 10:37 AM | Link to this
A “legitimate threat of force” by McCain, Management?
It is only legitimate if you intend to back it up. Otherwise it is only empty barroom bluster.
So are you — and McCain — proposing a land war against Russia?
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 10:49 AM | Link to this
DUH @ 10:32
National Review, New Republic, Free Republic, Dancing on tippy toes through a Liberal mind field…..what’s the diff?
We knew it wasn’t your original thought.
Victor Davis Hanson: Moscow’s Sinister Brilliance. Who wants to die for Tbilisi? NRO ^ | August 12, 2008 | Victor Davis Hanson …..The Russians rightly expect Westerners to turn on themselves, rather than Moscow — and they won’t be disappointed……
Bait?
Isn’t that what you need when you want to catch a big mouth bass?
By Paul
August 12, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this
AJC/DNC
The world is full of coincidence?
BTW - on another favorite topic:
Link: Pelosi indicates openness to offshore drilling votes
I can only surmise her Party members didn’t wait to return from vacation to tell her the earfuls they’ve gotten from constituents. Wonder if they’ll stall it long enough to keep it from a Senate vote to protect Obama? Wait - he’s open to it, now.
Out for a while -
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
By JAY BOOKMAN August 12, 2008 10:37 AM So are you — and McCain — proposing a land war against Russia?
McCain hasn’t enumerated his statement, nor does he have to, the mere mention of it from a serious, adult presidential candidate should give Russia pause, unless, of course they have gone insane.
McCain, and Bushie, let’s not forget about him, have the opportunity to align all of the forces of the entire West, unite together the former empty institutions in a common cause, you know, make NATO or even the UN perform up to the missions they were created for.
With the awesome firepower of the U.S. being the glue for the whole cobbled together mess.
It is exactly what they are doing.
I ain’t saying this plan is perfect, yes, there is a chance for a nuclear holocaust, but I doubt it will ever come to that.
But what I do know for sure, anything Obama says can be dismissed as so much empty rhetoric.
Because it is so much empty rhetoric.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 10:58 AM | Link to this
of course Paul leaves out the rest of the story @ 10:53.
read the link.
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this
Hey Midori!
Hope all is well with you!
By GodHatesTrash
August 12, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this
Let’s get Candiduh the Curly Girl to lead a Chickenhawk KKKrusade to liberate Georgia. Put her on a donkey and shave her head, she can be the Joan of Arc of the Chickenhawk cause.
Perhaps Airman McCain will join her and get captured and tortured some more and “win” another chest full of medals.
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
Looking at the war between Russia and Georgia, which reportedly is still ongoing, from a purely political perspective, John McCain is clearly looking to use the conflict to his advantage. He’s characterizing Obama’s position as “appeasement,” and using some strikingly caustic language towards Russia. McCain is not, however, actually moving beyond bluster. The NYT noted this morning that McCain and Obama, verbal sparring notwithstanding, are largely “on the same page in dealing with the current crisis.” The Times reported, “Both said Russia had escalated the dispute beyond its catalyst, the conflict over South Ossetia; both said the United Nations Security Council should call for an end to the violence; both called for putting Georgia on a path toward membership in NATO; and both spoke of deploying an international peacekeeping force in the disputed areas that set off the fighting.”
“McCain hasn’t enumerated his statement, nor does he have to, the mere mention of it from a serious, adult presidential candidate should give Russia pause, unless, of course they have gone insane.”
**Maybe DUH meant “both” presidential candidates”
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this
As I was saying:
Bush warns Russia; Medvedev orders halt to action…
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, just arrived in Moscow carrying Western demands for a Russian pullback, welcomed the decision to halt the fighting but said Georgia’s sovereignty, integrity and security must be protected. There was no immediate comment from the United States.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 11:13 AM | Link to this
Hi, Mrs. G!!!
Always a pleasure to see you and your “truthiness” posts :)
A toon dedicated to RW and Andy
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 11:50 AM | Link to this
How in the world can anyone compare Carter’s actions with American hostages to Bush’s actions to free two countries from dictatorial powers? That is a nonsensical stretch.
Liberals seem to side with the Russians and blame their actions as copying Bush’s strong stand in the Middle East. Then liberals cry and wring their hands saying the USA is helpless. What a sad joke!
Americans do not want to go to war if it can be avoided. Thus we encourage the UN or even NATO to stand for the freedom they proclaim to defend. That was Bush’s first course of action in the Middle East. It is the first course of action NOW.
The hate of Bush has transformed liberals into support for anybody else that works against us. It is only fodder to feed the Bush haters. If it drags the country down they seem to rejoice crying grandly “Bush did it!”
Our Army and Marines are busy. Our Navy and Air Force are not as busy. To say that the USA is helpless is just a liberal detrimental delusion. WE ARE NOT HELPLESS. Bush knows it. McCain knows it. Even the Russians know it but they are emcouraged by liberal laxness and the possibility of a neophyte pusillanimous president Obama.
We await diplomacy and action by those who should be acting..the UN. In the meantime, let us support our OWN country instead of the Russians. They will be impressed that Americans STAND TOGETHER AGAINST AGGRESSION.
By Taxpayer
August 12, 2008 11:55 AM | Link to this
I’m all for funding our local Chickenhawks to lead the first wave of troops into Russia. That’s taxpayer dollars well spent. Let them put up or shut up. I’m sure Cheney will be right there beside them. They can rattle all their sabres together. We need an embedded reporter to film this momentous occasion though. After all, we have not had a “Little Big Horn” in quite a while now.
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 12:01 PM | Link to this
“They have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas,” Pelosi said. “We can do that. We can have a vote on that.”
The Repugs are winning on drilling, winning in Iraq, winning with the dollar, winning with gas prices, the Russians are fixing to cut and run, all the familiar liberal conjured up hobgoblins have crashed and burned, meanwhile the dimwitocrats are waiting to see which polls register highest with the public so that they can pander and suck like little Hoover WindTunnels.
So which side are you on?
By GodHatesTrash
August 12, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
Hasn’t been a “Little Big Horn” since Reagan in Lebanon.
Although the smartest thing that that empty-headed fool ever did was withdrawing from Lebanon.
By Taxpayer
August 12, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this
The people on the plane buckled their seat belts and all of a sudden they ran into turbulence. Proof positive, at least by Andy’s “logic” that buckling the seat belts caused the turbulence. The next thing you know, these Republicans will be telling us that when they say “drill”, the price of oil drops. The sad part of the story though is that they actually believe that trash talk. Poor things. You have to feel sorry for them.
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 12:14 PM | Link to this
Oh, I forgot one:
Waning Warming Debate- Drop In Concern For Climate Change
Bwa.
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 12:17 PM | Link to this
Dear Taxpayer, 11:55
Are you calling our troops “local chickenhawks”??
I can be assured that you would never be in any form of military action under any name. That is because that takes a strong spine and courage, two things that liberals like you have never acquired.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 12:19 PM | Link to this
and what military action have you seen, Dusty?
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this
Taxpayer: You are free to explain to all of us what else is causing the price of oil to plummet, instead of whining about me.
Do tell us.
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
Dearest Midori,
I read your flying flubs every day which takes a strong stomach and combat strength. My military action is SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT! Sorry you don’t like that. But then you are a lib.
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this
Since the United States (Republicans and Democrats) has decided to abrogate its role as the “conventional” military leader of the world, Russian and China will fill the void - it’s just that simple.
By Taxpayer
August 12, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this
Well, at least we can see a light at the end of this Bush tunnel we’ve been trapped in for nearly eight years now. We now have proof that GDP was indeed negative in Q4/07 and I expect that we’ll see more GDP numbers revised in the future to show that we are indeed already in a recession even though Bush is trying his best to conceal that little tidbit from the public. We also have rising inflation, never-ending job losses and wars, rising property taxes and dropping property values, unemployment at levels not seen since the last recession even with the increases in government payrolls, an ever expanding government intrusion into our lives, greater and greater national debt and interest payments that someone has to pay, proof from the GAO that over 68 percent of US businesses don’t even pay taxes even though the Republicans keep clamoring that businesses pay too much in taxes, false claims of lower gas prices if we drill more even though the US is number three from the top in oil producers but number one in oil importers, etc. The list just goes on and on. I simply cannot afford any more of these liberal, deceitful, put that on the taxpayer’s charge card, chicken-hawk Republicans.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this
Ok - I’m a “lib”.
now answer the question: why action have “you” seen? you’re obviously an expert on the subject.
enlighten us.
please.
By Copyleft
August 12, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this
Since the United States (Republicans and Democrats) has decided to abrogate its role as the “conventional” military leader of the world, Russian and China will fill the void - it’s just that simple.
Fine with me—we’ve got problems of our own to take care of, without wasting money intervening in everyone else’s. (Without being asked, I might add.)
By Copyleft
August 12, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this
I see Dusty is still confused.
Liberals don’t support those who work against America, Dusty—we don’t support Bush one little bit!
Now, YOU on the other hand—well, you DO support America’s enemies. And you also cheerlead for getting our soldiers killed needlessly. Calling that “support” is laughable—or would be, if it weren’t so tragic.
By GodHatesTrash
August 12, 2008 12:51 PM | Link to this
Dustbrain and Candiduh the Curly Girl - they can both be Joans of Arc - can you imagine the stirring sight of a 400 lb. woman and a 450 lb. transvestite on donkeys leading an army of chickenhawks into South Ossetia?
The Russian Army would be ROFL their AsO.
IT JUST MIGHT WORK!!!
One way tickets to Tbilisi for all these chickenhawks - we’ll pick you up when the War on Tare in over.
Godspeed, soldier girls.
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
Closing Enron Loophole Would Drop Oil Prices 25% - 50% Overnight….This is according to testimony before a Senate Committee two weeks ago by Michael Greenberger, the former director of Trading & Markets for the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), the government board that oversees commodities markets: “Yes, overnight [closing the Enron Loophole] will bring down the price of crude oil to get at least a 25 percent drop in the cost of oil and a corresponding drop in the cost of gasoline. Some people estimate 50 percent.”
AND
How Democrats made your gas cheaper
throw in a decrease in demand……
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this
“Wilbur Milktoast” Obama vs. the “Vladimir Putin’s” of the world. This should be interesting.
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 1:09 PM | Link to this
Now Now Midori,,
We all know that you served in the military during WWII so you are the best one to give military advice. I go for SUPPORT just as I did for my husband and son when they were in the military. Fire away!!
God Hates Trash,
I will go to Ossetia as Joan of Arc if you go as Miss Piggy. Get the tickets ready!!
Copyleft,
You are correct. I support George W. Bush because he is President of the USA and a good man. Have you put your PUTIN PERKS bumper sticker on yet? Better hurry. This “war” may be over before you can run from it.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
Better hurry. This “war” may be over before you can run from it.
Instant classic!
Dusty,
I may steal that one so I’ll thank you in advance.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this
Crusty: one more time.
Please let us know what military action you have seen that has made it possible for you to be an expert.
3d request.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this
Wow! I’ve seen you moonbat(ic)s® stretch before, but accusing McBushie of plagiarizing from Wikipedia just because he stated factual information about Georgia that are also stated as facts in Wiki is just loopy.
Just because The One is a dunce doesn’t mean everybody is and when somebody knows what they’re talking those items are going to appear in reference documents too.
By Taxpayer
August 12, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Yep. All the whining from Republicans about the price of oil and the Drill, Drill, Drill! mantra is holding oil prices down all right. By the way, that last sentence is called sarcasm for those out there who may be thinking that I was serious. My colleagues and I just can’t seem to get the laughs out of our systems on that one. A few of us have even gone so far as to spew a mouthful of food — quite accidentally — due to an inappropriately timed joke about these Republican’s struggles for recognition. In fact, during lunch breaks, we’ve come up with all sorts of methods that we would like the Republicans to use in order to confirm their hypothesis regarding their vociferous appeals to the voting public. The one method that we all ultimately agreed on though was one requiring complete silence from the Republicans in order to confirm that oil prices will rise back up to $140 +/- /barrel. Even though we all knew that an affirmative result from this experiment would not satisfy all naysayers without subsequently allowing the Republicans to start whining again and confirming a repeat drop in oil prices, we were in unanimous agreement that the first half of the experiment would indeed result in a most enjoyable though limited respite for the rest of us.
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this
Exxon John
THIS NEEDS TO BE EMAILED ALL OVER
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 1:37 PM | Link to this
Bravo Taxpayer!
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this
Let’s let Private Obama go to Russia and get tough with Putin over this war! Maybe he can wear that USMC T-shirt he likes to wear when he plays basketball. That would really scare them !
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 1:50 PM | Link to this
Oil Industry Leans Toward McCain, But Big Producers Favor Obama
Through June, Exxon employees have given Obama $42,100 to McCain’s $35,166. Chevron favors Obama $35,157 to $28,500, and Obama edges out McCain with BP $16,046 vs. $11,500
By Paul
August 12, 2008 1:57 PM | Link to this
Midori 10:58
[[of course Paul leaves out the rest of the story @ 10:53. read the link.]]
Do you mean, read the link I sourced? And you read it that Spkr Pelosi is still NOT open to a vote, which was her past position (no vote under any circumstances) a couple of days ago.
Link: Pelosi firm – no vote on offshore drilling
Zounds! I know why you don’t want to acknowledge she’s open for a vote. ‘Cause then she’d be a ‘flip-flopper’ just like McCain! Yowza!
Midori your 12:40 to Dusty
[[now answer the question: why action have “you” seen? you’re obviously an expert on the subject.]]
Umm, would that be about the same level as seen by Obama?
:-)
Mrs. Godzilla 12:56
So now Keith Olbermann adopts the position staked out by Bill o’Reilly months ago – that speculators drive up the price of oil! This is just too great!
Yes! Pigs fly!
Mrs. Godzilla 1:27
So the $400K Obama got from the industry doesn’t count?
By Paul
August 12, 2008 2:02 PM | Link to this
Hey Mrs. Godzilla
[[Much has been made of Barack Obama’s TV ad this week that accuses John McCain of being “in the pocket” of the oil industry, and yesterday the Democratic Party launched a website pairing McCain and Exxon Mobil as running-mates. While McCain has raised considerably more money from this unpopular industry, CRP was surprised to notice that it’s actually Obama who has received more from the pockets of employees at several of Big Oil’s biggest and most recognizable companies. Tallying contributions by employees in the industry and their families, we found that Exxon, Chevron and BP have all contributed more money to Obama than to McCain.]]
Link: Big Producers Favor Obama
Hey, this cuttin’ and pastin’ is kinda fun!
And there is a ‘rest of the story.’ But lookin’ at the world through a tube is kinda fun, too -
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
I saw a photo of the “Georgian” soldiers getting on a school bus enroute to fight the Russians. That doesn’t bode well.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this
RW-(the original)
Liked your 1:50 - didn’t see it before my last.
Humility prevents me from referencing the quote about minds that think alike…
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
Paul
Glad you’re happy about Keith and Billo….how bi-partisan of you!!
Are you equally as happy that the Enron loophole has been closed?
The Center for Responsive Politics says:
Based on CRP’s figures, McCain’s oil and gas donations account for just 92 cents out of every $100 he’s raised. Obama’s oil and gas total comes to 12 cents per $100. That’s a significant difference between the two candidates, and it’s clear that the industry is favoring McCain with its donations. Whether that puts him “in the pocket” of the industry is a judgment we’ll leave to our readers.
Then there’s that nasty old Hess/McCain thing. Isn’t he returning the money?
By RealityKing
August 12, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
It is also worth noting that NATO encompesses a lot more than just the United States. In fact, NATO effectively destroyed the USSR once before, surely, Putin has more to lose there than we do.
And as for Obama’s ideas…? Well, we’ll just have to address those when he gets back from vacation.
By RealityKing
August 12, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
Russia ordered a halt to military action in Georgia on Tuesday, shortly after McCain’s recommendation that Georgia join NATO.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this
Mrs. Godzilla 2:10
Wasn’t bipartisan so much as delicious irony - those who in the past said you couldn’t believe a thing BOR said because he’s a rightwingneoconRepublican hack and now he’s been saying something for months - and Keith picks it up!
‘Course, it seems he’s latching onto attacking McCain with the same singleminded ferocity he reserved for Pres Bush (gotta’ keep the gig going - it pays too well) but the blinders caused him to not see the implications, methinks.
As for the rest of your Enron/McCain posts - you’re seriously going to ask me that after all I’ve written about full public financing of elections? And strict, strict limits (as strict as we can have and still comply with the Court’s ruling that donations are a form of free speech (and not bribery?) - hey! In the last ruling on detainees the liberal majority tossed out the instructions they gave Congress and the Pres and said “just kidding” and proceeded with their ruling. So maybe there’s hope they’ll reverse the “donations/speech” ruling.
I find the candidates’ back and forth and fingerpointing on this a bit disingenuous -
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this
European Georgia should be careful about joining NATO. Our Georgia joined the Confederacy once and it didn’t help.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this
RealityKing 2:17
I really doubt Russia’s military and political planners are paying any attention to what a couple of American candidates are saying while awaiting an election three months off.
This operation was months in the making. I’d rather expect they took this eminently forseeable occurrence into consideration.
I think this falls under the “coincidence” umbrella discussed earlier.
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this
Reality King…
Could you get McCain to proclaim that Mrs. Godzilla should be on the list of the Richest People in the world?
If that man has magic……he really ought to share!
(It’s kinda like that “I know how to win wars statement!)
By Midori
August 12, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this
Paul,
back to something important: got a recipe for beef and noodles?
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 2:35 PM | Link to this
Presidents and Presidential candidates have “no right” to privacy in their sexual escapades outside of their marriage based on one word - extortion!
By Paul
August 12, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
Hi Midori!
That’s the spirit! Kinda reminds me of how Pres Reagan and Tip O Neal would have their duels and then go out for a couple of drinks.
(BTW - I’m Tip O Neal here)
:-)
Are you interested in a recipe such as a Beef with Burgundy (I wouldn’t use a burgundy - rather a red with no oak, preferably a blend) - cooks up in a couple of hours, stovetop or oven -
Or something lighter, like a Stroganoff (beef slices in a sour cream sauce) - in which case, ground beef or sliced beef?
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
Didn’t Georgia start this war with Russia? Don’t bite off more than you can chew!
By Midori
August 12, 2008 2:47 PM | Link to this
I’m thinking along the lines of using sirloin tips.
I don’t want to use burgundy either - prefer a light beef gravy.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
Corporal 2:35
One can be extorted only if the person, and by extension, society, finds it a situation that would result in public shame.
It’s kind of the same argument that used to be made to keep gays out of the military, FBI, or other areas requiring security clearances - because they could be blackmailed.
And we’ve almost gotten over that nonsense -
And it was Russia who initiated military action country-to-country.
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
Paul,
Georgia started it. Russia responded.
Thus the discussion about Russia’s heavy handed response.
(But yes, south ossetia is part of Georgia, that does not want to be a part of Georgia. So while Georgia began the fighting, Russia moved it across existing political borders)
“Georgian MLRS units barraged Tskhinvali, the capital city of South Ossetia; Georgian troops swarmed over Ossetian roadblocks”
By Midori
August 12, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
It’s touching how American neoconservatives who have no regard for international law when they want to invade some troublesome country have developed a sudden reverence for national sovereignty.
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
To Paul:
Weak response. Then why to they lie (even under oath) to keep it secret ? Perhaps “blackmail” is a better choice. And guess what. We haven’t gotten over it and shouldn’t. Inegrity must still mean something or it’s all over.
Russia may have done it “country to country” but Georgia started the shooting. Kind of like if Mexican military comes in to our country again. We may go “country to country” but they started it !!
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this
To Midori:
I understand where you are coming from but every country is not equal. There are rogue countries and there is good and evil. It’s similar to a police officer in this country. The police have the right to arrest bad guys but the bad guys don’t have the right to arrest the police. The world needs policing. Once we can no longer do that - it’s WWIII !
By Bud Wiser
August 12, 2008 3:23 PM | Link to this
Why Obama is in Trouble By Steven Warshawsky The American Thinker Aug 11, 2008
There is palpable anxiety, even despair, among many Republicans and conservatives over the possibility that Barack Obama will be elected president this November. This anxiety is being fueled by the mainstream media’s fawning coverage of Obama’s every word, while shamelessly downplaying John McCain’s campaign; by public opinion polls that purport to show Obama ‘leading’ the race over McCain; and by political commentators, on both sides of the aisle, who believe this is the Democrats’ ‘election to lose,’ based on historical cycles, an uneven economy, high gas prices, continuing opposition to the Iraq War, and President Bush’s dismal approval ratings. I don’t share this anxiety. For months now, I have been reassuring my right-leaning friends that Barack Obama will not be elected president. If I were a gambling man, I would buy lots of McCain stock on Intrade. Why am I so confident that John McCain is going to win the election? In short, because Barack Obama is not an acceptable choice to lead the country. Let me explain. Obama is too young and inexperienced. One of Obama’s most striking characteristics is how ‘green’ he is compared to previous presidential candidates. Obama was born on August 4, 1961. He just turned 47 years old. The average age of elected presidents since 1952 (the era of televised politics) is 56. If elected president, Obama would be the fifth youngest president in U.S. history. The only younger presidents would be Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Ulysses S. Grant, all of whom were much more accomplished than Obama. Grant, Roosevelt, and Kennedy were war heroes. (Not Clinton, notoriously.) Roosevelt and Clinton had served as state governors. Grant had been the general-in-chief of the Union Army during the Civil War. The least experienced of the four, Kennedy, had served twelve years in Congress, six in the House of Representatives and six in the Senate, and had been a serious candidate for vice-president in 1956. What has Obama accomplished to date? In truth, not very much — except to master the art of self-promotion. Obama has written two best-selling autobiographies: Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995) and The Audacity of Hope (2006). Yet he has never served in an important leadership position in government, business, or the military. His ability to perform as a chief executive officer is completely untested. Obama has prestigious degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, but no significant professional achievements to his name. No businesses or organizations he has founded or managed. No law firm partnerships. No important cases he has tried. Not a single work of legal scholarship he has authored, despite having been Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Law Review and a part-time law professor at the University of Chicago for twelve years. (This is unheard of in the elite ranks of the legal profession, and calls into question the bona fides of Obama’s professorship.) Obama’s principal occupation before entering politics was as a ‘community organizer’ in Chicago. By his own admission, these efforts achieved only ‘some success,’ and none worthy of highlighting on his campaign website. Obama then served eight unexceptional years in the Illinois Senate, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, where he is not even considered one of the Democratic Party’s legislative leaders. And this man believes he is ‘the one we have been waiting for’? Obama may be considered a ‘rock star’ by his supporters, but the kind of superficial glamour and excitement that this terminology suggests is not what most voters are looking for in a president. Heartland values, not Hollywood values, still define what most voters want in a president. Most voters want a president whom they perceive as loyal, courageous, hardworking, and fair. Someone who commands the respect of others through the strength of his character and the wisdom of his actions. Someone who is prepared to fight to protect his home and country from invaders. In other words, someone who appeals to voters, on a psychological or emotional level, as the kind of person they would want for a father, husband, boss, or comrade-in-arms. Rock stars may be fun, but they do not fit this image. Neither does Obama. His life story, while unique and interesting, bespeaks little more than an ambitious and opportunistic young man, still wet behind the ears, with an unhealthy fascination with his own ego - and potentially unreliable when the chips are down. The American people are not going to entrust the security and prosperity of the country to such an immature and unproven man. Obama is too liberal. The last Democratic presidential candidate who garnered more than 50% of the popular vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976 - and Carter received only 51% of the vote in a political environment marked by defeat in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, an energy crisis, and stagflation. There has been only one other Democratic president in the past 40 years: Bill Clinton. Despite campaigning as ‘New Democrat,’ Clinton received only 43% of the popular vote in 1992 (his victory was due to the third-party candidacy of Ross Perot) and 49% of the popular vote in 1996. Significantly, the Democratic candidate’s share of the popular vote has gone down the last two elections. Al Gore received 48.4% of the popular vote in 2000, and John Kerry received 48.3% in 2004. The Democratic Party has a terrible track record at the presidential level since the 1960s because it consistently nominates far left presidential candidates who do not represent the values, interests, and aspirations of most Americans. See McGovern, Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry. Even Gore, who was considered a ‘moderate’ Democratic (no longer), lost to the uninspiring George W. Bush in 2000. Barack Obama is no exception. In his brief tenure in the U.S. Senate, Obama has compiled a consistently liberal voting record, and was named the Most Liberal Senator for 2007 by the National Journal. This distinction does not augur well for Obama. John Kerry was named the Most Liberal Senator for 2003 — the year before he lost the 2004 presidential contest to Bush. As a U.S. Senator, Obama has voted along Democratic Party lines 97 percent of the time, almost 10 percentage points higher than the average for Senate Democrats. So much for his ‘bipartisan’ image. He opposed funding for the War on Terror that was not tied to a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. He opposed strengthening the ability of the federal government to monitor terrorist communications. He voted in favor of providing habeas corpus rights to detainees at Guantanamo Bay. He supported the failed ‘comprehensive immigration reform’ bills. He voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment. He opposed a bill that would have reduced the federal estate tax. He voted against the confirmations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. For his efforts, Obama has received ‘100’ ratings from Americans for Democratic Action, Planned Parenthood, the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Government Workers, Citizens for Tax Justice (i.e., for raising taxes on the ‘rich’), Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, the National Education Association, and the National Organization for Women. He has received ‘F’ grades from the National Taxpayers Union, the National Rifle Association, and U.S. English, a 13 rating from Citizens Against Government Waste, 7 ratings from the Club for Growth, the American Conservative Union, and the Eagle Forum, and zero ratings from the Family Research Council, the National Right to Life Committee, and Americans for Tax Reform. Obama’s voting record as a state senator reflected the same left-wing agenda: He opposed restrictions on partial birth abortion and requiring medical care for fetuses who are born alive during an abortion. He opposed requiring school officials to install pornography-blocking software on public computers accessible to minors. He opposed a $500 income tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools. He supported restrictions on gun ownership, and opposed a bill that permitted the owner of an unregistered handgun to claim self-defense if he used the gun in his own home. He consistently voted in favor of higher taxes. True to form, in his campaign for president, Obama advocates a dizzying array of hyper-liberal policies, including: ‘equal pay’ laws, expanded federal leave laws, expanded ‘hate crime’ laws, a panoply of social services for convicted criminals, increasing foreign aid spending by tens of billions of dollars with the goal of ‘cutting extreme poverty around the world in half by 2015’ (pure utopianism paid for by the American taxpayer), requiring 25 percent of U.S. electricity come from ‘renewable’ sources by 2025 (an impossible goal without drastically shrinking the economy), spending tens of billions of dollars on an FDR-style array of federal economic programs, further raising the minimum wage, and providing ‘affordable’ and ‘comprehensive’ health insurance to all Americans (aka socialized medicine). Naturally, he proposes to pay for all these programs by raising taxes on ‘the wealthiest taxpayers’ and imposing a ‘windfall profits tax’ on oil companies. With the sole (and misguided) exception of ‘universal health care,’ there is little popular demand in this country for the kind of soak-the-rich, tax-and-spend politics that Obama is offering. This is not 1932 or 1965. The American people are not interested in another round of top-down social engineering by the federal government. If anything, the nation’s political leaders need to catch up to the waves of conservative and populist impulses spreading throughout the country. See, for example, the grassroots movement to limit the eminent domain power of state and local governments and the nationwide revolt against ‘comprehensive Immigration reform.’ Obama’s dissolutely liberal politics will sink him in the general election, just as it torpedoed previous Democratic candidates. Obama is too race-conscious. Finally, we come to the ‘hot button’ issue in this election: Obama’s black racial consciousness. Contrary to what Obama and his supporters want the American people to believe, Obama is not a ‘post-racial’ politician. As abundantly demonstrated in his two autobiographies, his 20-year membership in Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s ‘unashamedly black’Trinity United Church of Christ, and his ‘intensely race-conscious approach’ to politics as an Illinois state senator (see here), Obama is deeply committed to his ‘black’ identity — despite having a white mother and being raised for much of his childhood by his white grandparents. Furthermore, Obama built his political career on promoting the interests of the black urban community. Right or wrong, fair or unfair, Obama’s black racial consciousness is going to have a negative effect on his campaign for president by undermining his appeal among white working- and middle-class voters. Let’s look at some numbers. According to the CNN exit poll, in the 2004 presidential election, the electorate was composed of 77% whites, 11% blacks, 8% Latinos, 2% Asian, and 2% other. They voted as follows: whites 58-41 for Bush; blacks 88-11 for Kerry; Latinos 53-44 for Kerry; Asians 56-44 for Kerry. I see little reason to believe that the Latino or Asian votes will change substantially in 2008. Clearly, the black vote will shift even more strongly in favor of the Democratic candidate. However, the white voting population is seven times larger than the black voting population. Consequently, a shift in the black vote of seven percentage points is roughly equivalent to a shift in the white vote of one point. Even if Obama were to receive essentially all black votes, which is unlikely, a loss of less than two percentage points of the white vote would be enough to offset these gains. So the key to the upcoming election is whether white voters will be more, less, or equally likely to vote for Obama as for Kerry. I believe the answer is less likely. Interestingly, commentators on the left tend to agree with this prediction, because they believe that many white voters are ‘racists’; commentators on the right usually ignore the race issue altogether, because they fear that any discussion of white voting preferences will support the ‘racism’ charge. I disagree that ‘racism’ is the explanation. Rather, it is Obama’s history of race-based politics and his membership in a militant black church - which places him in opposition to most white voters on such emotional issues as welfare, crime, and affirmative action, and casts doubt on his ability and commitment to represent the interests of the entire nation. To develop a profile of Obama’s electoral strengths and weaknesses, I examined the CNN entrance and exit polls for the 2008 Democratic primaries in Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These were the states in which the spread between Bush and Kerry in 2004 was three percentage points or less (in either direction). (New Hampshire also belongs on this list, but I could not find polling data for the 2008 primaries in that state.) I selected these states because they are likely to be the critical battlegrounds this fall. The polls show that, in general, Obama did especially well among black voters, younger voters (under 45), voters who earn more than $100,000 per year, voters with college and postgraduate degrees, non-religious voters, and self-described liberal voters. In other words, the core constituencies of the Democratic Party. On the other hand, he demonstrated much less appeal to white voters, older voters (ages 45 and up), voters who earn less than $50,000 per year, voters with some or no college education, Catholic voters, and self-described moderate voters. In other words, white working- and middle-class voters — so-called Reagan Democrats. These voters strongly preferred Hillary Clinton. Significantly, in the 2004 election, John Kerry performed reasonably well among this group. He won 55 percent of voters who earn less than $50,000. He won 47 percent of voters ages 45 and up. He won 47 percent of voters with no college degree. He won 47 percent of Catholic voters. He won 55 percent of self-described moderate voters. Nevertheless, Kerry lost. If only a few percent of these voters switch to McCain, as I believe they will, Obama cannot win. Yes, tens of millions of Americans (of all colors) will vote for Obama; but more will vote for McCain. Overall, I predict Obama will receive even less of the popular vote than John Kerry in 2004 (48.3%), and perhaps as little as Michael Dukakis in 1988 (45.7%). As I wrote last December, ‘[t]he pundits can talk until they are blue in the face about Obama’s charisma and eloquence and cross-racial appeal. The fact of the matter is that Obama has no chance of being elected president in 2008.’ I am more convinced of this conclusion than ever.
By AJC/DNC Management
August 12, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this
Making matters worse, Lord High Dimwit’s staff focused on a McCain aide who had served as a lobbyist for Georgia, charging it showed McCain was “ensconced in a lobbyist culture.” baby baraks’s campaign came off as injecting petty partisan politics into an international crisis. This was not a serious response on behalf a man who aspires to be the leader of the Free World. After all, what’s so bad about representing a small former Soviet republic struggling to remake itself as a Western-style democracy?
By Midori
August 12, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this
Bud Wiser,
what is that crap? how do you expect someone, ANYONE, to read that? ever hear of the “enter” key? you know, that thingie that creates page and paragraph breaks?
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this
Don’t look at these pics if your’re still a Bushbot
By Midori
August 12, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
Heh,
look at the look on Laura and Barbara’s faces
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 3:44 PM | Link to this
HEY REALITY CHECK…..
seems that McCain magic don’t work….
russian pres said stop fighting
georgians say the bombarment is continuing….
By Paul
August 12, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this
Midori
I don’t have a specific recipe for tips in a beef gravy - most of my recipes use the nice tips in something lighter - or I will use tips in place of strips in other recipes. Not traditional but I like the way it works.
Steak tips with Mushrooms and Onions
INGREDIENTS
Garlic Butter 1 lb unsalted butter, room temp ½ head garlic, minced ¼ C dry white wine (see comments below about vermouth) 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley (I always use flat-leaf – Italian – parsley, not curly parsley. A better flavor, I think, not bitter) ¼ teaspoon ground pepperCombine in bowl and mix on low speed of electric mixer until blended.
Tips
1 large onion, sliced ½ lb mushrooms, sliced 1 lb beef tips Dash of sherry
Melt 2T garlic butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Don’t let it get too high or the garlic will burn and get bitter. Add onion and sauté until golden. Add mushrooms and cook lightly. Transfer to plate – keep warm (cover bowl with towel or put in oven at 180 or lower).
Season meat with salt and pepper and a good amount of garlic butter. Melt 1 T garlic butter in skillet – add meat and sauté to your desired doneness. Add onion and mushrooms and stir to blend. Add sherry and serve topped with additional garlic butter. Freeze the rest of the garlic butter.
I haven’t tried this but it looked simple and tasty. You’ll get some juice from the meat so it’s a beef sauce. Kind of…
Beef Stroganoff – not a beef gravy but still light and rich. A very subtle dish.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces white button mushrooms , wiped clean and halved if small, quartered if medium, cut ino sixths if large. Or use crimini ‘shrooms – deeper flavor salt and ground black pepper
3/4 pound good grade beef, cut into 1/2-inch long, 1/8-inch wide strips but if I had sirloin tips I’d keep’em whole and sear them to no more than medium rare 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (if you don’t have any on hand just cut down on the salt used elsewhere 1 small onion , minced (1/2 cup) I’ve used shallots before – provides a different flavor – I’d do it again 1 teaspoon tomato paste if you want to avoid opening a can to use a little amount, get a tube of Amore tomato paste (careful you don’t get the sun-dried tomato paste. Keeps for months in the fridge) 1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine (actually, get a bottle of vermouth and use it in recipes that call for ‘white wine.’ It’s cheap, keeps for months once opened and does not need refrigeration. I prefer Noilly Prat – but Gallo extra dry works well. Don’t use Martini & Rossi – a widely available brand, as it goes off when used in sauces) 1/3 cup sour cream
8 ounces egg noodles , cooked in salted water, drained, and tossed wih 2 tablespoons butter
Sour cream can curdle if added directly to hot liquid. To prevent curdling, temper the sour cream by stirring a little of the hot liquid into it and then adding the warmed sour cream mixture to the pan. Buttered egg noodles are the classic accompaniment to this recipe. Add noodles to boiling water at the same time the onion goes into the pan in step 4, so that the noodles and stroganoff will be done at about the same time. Always cook noodles for the minimum time indicated on the box or bag – or even a minute less. Don’t want’em gummy.
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this
Hey Midori
We did it again!
May be the enquirer is right about his tippling again….
too funny!
By hillbilly ragger
August 12, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this
Paul writes: (actually, get a bottle of vermouth and use it in recipes that call for ‘white wine.’ It’s cheap, keeps for months once opened and does not need refrigeration. I prefer Noilly Prat – but Gallo extra dry works well. Don’t use Martini & Rossi – a widely available brand, as it goes off when used in sauces)
Interesting, and noted, but is there any reason not to just just keep the not-so-great, unfinished bottle of white wine tightly sealed and in the fridge for such occasions, as is my habit?
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this
Hillbilly ragger….and Paul
I like the taste the vermouth adds better than white wine…..and nobody pours themselves a glass of wermouth so it’s always there.
Chicken Tetrazini is blah without it!
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this
Well, it looks like I got back just in time.
Mrs. Godzie says that Russia did NOT invade Georgia so that is that.
Midori went to enlist because the Corporal said WWIII had started with Mexico. No more enchiladas.
Paul said he’d rather fight with Bergundy.
Midori says beef & noodles mixed in a helmet were better in WWII.
Jimmy Carter has said he will fight anyone invading Georgia to steal his peanuts. (The only liberal who ever wanted to fight!)
Mrs Godzie says McCain’s magic doesn’t work but that Obama oo la la reality woohoo and she aint no Bushbot, just a whatnot knot.
Stay tuned for further startling developments. Will GHT declare war on Bookmania???
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 4:09 PM | Link to this
did I really type “wermouth”??
ooops!
By Paul
August 12, 2008 4:16 PM | Link to this
Mrs. Godzilla 2:59
[[Georgia started it. Russia responded.]] It was an internal Georgian matter. Russians were there as “peacekeepers.” But I’m not willing to accept such justification for one country invading another and going to the extent they have. What happened to all the criticism of Pres Bush invading Iraq because they’d never attacked us? Same principle?
Still and all, keep your eye on the oil situation –
Midori 2:59
Kinda seems on this blog it is some liberals who seem to be excusing Russia’s action.
Corporal 2:59
Weak response? It was a short response – didn’t think it deserved much time. I’ve stated in the past I’m not much interested in what politicians do with their private lives. Many married couples’ sexual practicesl would be profoundly embarrassing if made public.
I think they lie for a variety of reasons - among which is the condemnation many of highly superior moral character heap upon them and somehow infer “if he’ll break a vow with his wife he’ll betray his country” -
My point earlier about gays in military/FBI/other gov’t was: the idea of blackmail was effective only if the behavior was illegal. Take away the illegality and the threat of blackmail is negated. Adultery is not illegal (one more reason to resist Sharia law….) but it’s the societal doublestandard - or an excuse for a ‘gotcha’ that makes it a career killer.
So Georgia ‘starting shooting’ within its own borders justifies a neighboring country to invade? Are you saying Georgian military attacked Russian forces?
Midori
Here’s a goulash, courtesy Wolfgang Puck. Be sure to use Hungarian paprika – stores usually keep it on the shelves under the spice rack (Schilling and such). It’s usually in a tin but the flavor is much much better. And don’t worry about the balsamic vinegar – if you don’t have any, just skip. I would not substitute regular vinegar for it. I’ve also cooked up a couple of pieces of bacon and added -
Beef Goulash
2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cups onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon sugar 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, toasted and ground 2 tablespoons sweet paprika 2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram leaves or about 2 t dry 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves or about 1/4t dry 1 bay leaf (keep’em in the freezer to preserve flavor) 3 tablespoons tomato paste (see the reference about Amore tomato paste in a tube) 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 4 cups chicken stock 2 1/2 pounds beef cut into 2-inch cubes or use your tips 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Noodles In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and sugar until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seed. Cook for 1 minute. Add the sweet and sharp paprika, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf. Saute another minute, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and the stock and add the pieces of beef shank, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
By Bosch
August 12, 2008 4:16 PM | Link to this
Good afternoon all.
Yum. Now, I know what I’m having for dinner.
I haven’t kept up with the Russia/Georgia thing too much - been too busy watching the Olympics.
I realized last night how much I miss that show that used to come on ABC, “Wide World of Sports.” I loved that show.
Anyway, so, can anyone answer me a couple of questions:
1) Why did Russia decide to invade? Was it weapons of mass destruction?
2) Who are the South Ossetian (?sp) soldiers fighting against?
Saw Bush and Putin chumming around at the Opening Cermonies. Too bad they couldn’t have got this taken care of then - you know, in the name of world peace and all that blather.
On a side note - I’ve been really disappointed in McCain showing his Obama hate ads during the Olympic coverage. I think it will come back to bit him in the butt. Nobody wants to see that crap during the Olympics.
Well, maybe Dusty, but that’s another story.
By Bosch
August 12, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
Yes, Mrs. G - you did.
I typed “bit him in the butt” - when I meant to type “bite him in the butt”
Double oops for the left.
:-)
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this
Wat’s alwight Mrs. Woodzie. We wunderstand. That wermouth will do it wevery time. Woopsie!!
By Paul
August 12, 2008 4:24 PM | Link to this
Mrs. Godzilla 4:09
[[did I really type “wermouth”??]]
Yes, you did.
So do you really expect us to believe your 4:03?
[[and nobody pours themselves a glass ]]
:-)
hillbilly ragger
I do know many people who don’t drink wine and think “oh great, I’ve got to go buy a bottle for a few ounces in a recipe.”
Even when tightly sealed, oxygen enters the bottle and that will lead to a degradation of flavor within days. There are aerosol cans that will shoot in a gas to replace the oxygen and the wine will stay fresh tasting for quite a while, but I was going for the cheap solution with little downside.
Dusty
Beats the heck out of the cable news shows, doesn’t it?
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
Paul
I haven’t seen ANYBODY here excusing Russia’s action.
Do you equate discussion of motive making excuses?
Could you point out where and who?
I agree with you about the Russian peacekeepers….
ALso, we have plenty of time to compare and contrast Putin and Bush’s actions…. but perhaps we best get the facts first.
I assume that all wise folks are watching that oil pipeline….
By Midori
August 12, 2008 4:33 PM | Link to this
Mrs. G - I know.
fun stuff.
Dusty - I served my time in the miliary. Honorably.
Yet I don’t go around trying to pass myself off as some time of military expert — unlike you.
This is my fourth time asking for your military qualifications. You can duck and weave and float and bloat all you like.
None of that will stop you from looking like the phoney baloney banshee that you truly are.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this
Midori 2:59
Kinda seems on this blog it is some liberals who seem to be excusing Russia’s action.
Paul,
what I see is people — some people — actually explaining what really happened.
There’s not excusing anything in stating the truth.
By Bosch
August 12, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this
Midori,
I love the word “banshee.” Sometimes it’s just so, oh, I don’t know……appropriate.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this
LOL, Bosch
I can hear her screeching clear across my monitor :)
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this
Well, hold the camera. Bosch boy is here. And he’s upset!! Rightly so.
The Olympics have pushed out his favorite “Wide World of Sports”. Now that is a REAL act of war.
And then there’s that lil’ ol action with Georgia..who…what??…Russians? Didn’t I see that episode on Galactica? Now who won? I forget. Who won, Paul??
But..Bosch boy knows what’s for dinner and THAT IS IMPORTANT. He is so tired after a full day of Olympic activity and watching those horrible ads where Obama bites McCain!!Ooops, sorry, it was McCain bits a bite of bungle on Obama. Well, something….
OOOOTHER Bosch, is dinner ready yet?? May I have some wermouth??
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 4:42 PM | Link to this
To Midori:
He who is convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
Take care …………
By Mrs. Godzilla
August 12, 2008 4:42 PM | Link to this
Paul…
Vermouth (wermouth for Dusty) is only for cookin’ at our house.
The ‘Zillettes (now adults) have developed an appreciation for wine.
For the most part, wine gives me heartburn. Good stuff or rotgut.
Mr. G and I prefer a Jack and Coke on the deck looking over the garden….
If I ever get heart burn from Mr. Daniels elixir…..I’m just gonna’ give up and start wearing elastic waist pants and rolled down stockins’
By Bosch
August 12, 2008 4:47 PM | Link to this
Midori,
The 4:41 post below yours - yeah, I know what you mean.
SCREEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHH!!!!
By Midori
August 12, 2008 4:51 PM | Link to this
Paul,
I’m going to cook the first recipe this weekend.
thanks.
I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Corporal,
not sure of your meaning.
is that anything like the Cat in the Hat? Yertle the Turtle? Green Eggs and Ham?
By Paul
August 12, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this
Mrs. Godzilla 4:28
[[I haven’t seen ANYBODY here excusing Russia’s action.
Do you equate discussion of motive making excuses? ]]
Nope - you should know I enjoy discussions. But I have read, today and yesterday, comments that seem to excuse or justify Russia’s actions because “Georgia started it.”
Mick at 8:55
[[Georgia (with US and Israeli training and support) made an assault on South Ossetia. There is no way Russia would not react. Especially after 10 Russians were killed.]]
Mrs. Godzilla 9:42 [[The Georgians started it]]
I realize that’s from an article to which you linked, but absent comment to the contrary, many will assume the poster agrees. Especially when followed by [[Bottom line….why in heavens name would we accept at face value anything regading this situation that comes out of the mouths of the Bush Administration and the its’ heir John McCain?]] when they take the position the Russians are the aggressors.
Corporal 2:40
[[Didn’t Georgia start this war with Russia? Don’t bite off more than you can chew!]]
First sentence a question, second sentence implies the answer.
Mrs Godzilla 2:59
[[(But yes, south ossetia is part of Georgia, that does not want to be a part of Georgia. So while Georgia began the fighting, Russia moved it across existing political borders)]]
Even tho in parens, without attribution it seems as if it’s coming from you.
Corporal 3:00
[[Georgia started the shooting.]]
So that’s what led me to believe people were excusing Russia’s action – because “Georgia started it.”
But I will try to keep in mind that even when reading your links with no comments, you are not endorsing the points made but merely throwing them out for consideration.
By Bosch
August 12, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this
Dusty,
Just so you know, the other Bosch and I, like everything else, share the cooking duties. I’m a good cook.
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this
Oh dear, more love notes from Midori. Something must be done to make her happy.
Let’s see… I know.
I hereby declare myself Military Expert Excellente’ as certified by the Omnipotent Strativarus Society of Strategems. But all is secret.
I may have worked with Valerie Plame but that is not to be discussed as we do not know that Valerie Plame was a real SPY, a phony SKY or Spy in the Sky. And I will certainly never tell.
So raise your glasses of Wermouth, dear postnotes. Here’s to our war in Mexico. That’s right, isn’t it, Paul?
By Paul
August 12, 2008 4:59 PM | Link to this
Midori 4:36
Yes, and the “getting the facts straight from the outset” as Mrs. Godzilla so rightfully advocated can be darn tricky. I can see differences of opinion on motives or intent, but as far as the action, it ought to be pretty clear who attacked whom.
And stating some Russian troops stationed in S Ossetia were killed is a far cry from “Georgia attacked Russia.”
As Bosch pointed out a few days ago, aggressors usually want something to point to to justify their actions, such as Germany staging a cross-border incident with Poland in 1939.
Hey Bosch
Terminator, season one, began running Monday night, 9ET on Fox. Getting ready for the new season.
By Midori
August 12, 2008 5:03 PM | Link to this
Dusty,
sometimes it’s best not to say anything rather than something so mind boggling stupid and infantile.
Paul: for arguments sake, let’s just go with the facts
By Paul
August 12, 2008 5:15 PM | Link to this
Midori
Thanks, good link. That’s pretty much how I see it. S Ossetia was part of Georgia. Russian “peacekeepers’ were present. Georgia move in military units. Russia used it as a pretext to attack - and not just “keep the peace” by establishing a buffer - but by moving forces throughout Georgia.
The article several times referenced Russia invading Georgia and using military force to expand its influence and challenge the West. Other Republics in the region - especially those with petroleum or gas reserves - should be nervous.
By Dusty
August 12, 2008 5:29 PM | Link to this
Yes, Midori ..I certainly agree with your 5:03. So when are you going to stop your stupid and infantile remarks? Just wondering…and sticking to the facts, mam.
Well, BOSCH, sounds like a good arrangement to me. The other Bosch works all day and you help with dinner. Now, don’t wear yourself out in the kitchen. Might ruin your blogging.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 5:32 PM | Link to this
Bud Wiser 3:23,
Wouldn’t this have been easier?
With the added benefit that you can read it without going blind.
Paul,
I haven’t caught up reading the comments yet so I don’t how much grief you caught for that really long recipe, but one thing you can do to avoid much (I started to say any, but that won’t work here) is post something like that on an older thread and then link to your comment there over here
By Paul
August 12, 2008 5:37 PM | Link to this
RW-(the original) 5:32
Thanks - that’s an excellent suggestion. Thankfully, there was only a small cadre present so I didn’t get any grief. Maybe because it’s getting late and people are hungry. But before posting I did think “oh, oh, if there ever was a time Mr. Bookman was going to delete one of my comments or ban me, this’ll be it.”
By Paul
August 12, 2008 5:45 PM | Link to this
RW-(the original)
your link to Bud Wiser
I’ve been considering the idea that as instability increases, McCain’s chances increase, because during uncertain times people will default to a known entity.
By Bosch
August 12, 2008 5:51 PM | Link to this
Paul,
Monday, 9pm, Fox. Check. Although, I will be still watching the Olympics. Can’t get enough.
But afterwards. Check.
As I asked before, who are the Ossetian fighters fighting against? Georgian forces? And do we know exactly WHY Russian invaded? I read earlier where there was something about Russia granting passports to Ossetians, so they justify it by protecting their citizens, but protecting from what exactly? I figure this is a ploy to get rid of their U.S. friendly President.
Sounds all too familiar to me. Invading to get rid of a particular leader who is interfering with certain country’s agenda.
I’ll check back later.
Dusty,
I know you probably don’t believe this, but I work too. Although I wish I was independently wealthy or a lottery winner, sigh, I am not. My work hours are sometimes untraditional. The other Bosch doesn’ t help me with dinner when I cook, and I don’t help vice versa. We both clean though. Makes it nicer that way. Speaking of, gotta go work now.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
Paul,
The Democrats are trying to extend the ban on off shore drilling by attaching it to a continuing resolution and then try to blame Republicans for shutting down government when they won’t go for it.
Basically they’re going to prove to the voters that they haven’t been doing their on appropriation and use trickery to slide through something a large majority is against. By November it might not just be The Dunce that’s in trouble.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 6:10 PM | Link to this
Bosch
Here’s an okay recap. It’s BBC - has a bit of a slant. But key parts are, S Ossetia is part of Georgia; those who said they were independent never mention it’s never been recognized by any other country; those “Russian” are Georgians of Russian ancestry;
oh, and did I mention there’s oil involved?
Link: Georgia
RW-(the original)
If this is the best Dems can govern with control of Congress, this ought to be case sufficient against both a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 6:14 PM | Link to this
What’s up with The Messiah stealing lines from Reagan and McBushie stealing them from JFK?
By Paul
August 12, 2008 6:22 PM | Link to this
RW-(the original)
It’s not “stealing.” If it’s done by a Messiah, it’s “resurrection.”
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 6:23 PM | Link to this
Paul,
The Dems will argue that they can’t do their jobs because of Republican opposition until their ranks swell above 99 in the Senate and 434 in the House. There comes a point where people won’t buy that and the the line starts way before 99/434.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 6:32 PM | Link to this
RW-(the original)
I’ve heard the “we can’t govern because there’s a minority party” line before.
Isn’t this the way the Founding Fathers designed the system? To make it a bit tough?
What it reduces to, Spkr Pelosi and Sen Reid would rather practice the role of Opposition Leader rather than Leader.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 6:35 PM | Link to this
Paul,
Good point, I should have stayed used one of Obambi’s other names for that one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary Landrieu has a bus too and the first one under it is The Dunce himself.
It appears that Landrieu considers Obama an albatross in her re-election bid. One wonders whether more Congressional Democrats in competitive races might not be reaching the same conclusion
By Paul
August 12, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this
RW-(the original) 6:35
Oh… my… gosh…
You’ve just made an Obama-Bush connection!
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 6:43 PM | Link to this
Paul,
While it would be pretty scary if the Democrats got 60 Senators it would be pretty funny (as long as it was McBushie in the White House) to see them go from crowing about they had a filibuster proof majority to saying they couldn’t govern because they didn’t have a veto override guaranteed majority.
By Paul
August 12, 2008 6:48 PM | Link to this
RW-(the original)
I’ve often said, when a person doesn’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.
In this case, it appears “doesn’t want to do” and “can’t” are interchangeable.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 7:01 PM | Link to this
The libs around here really love polls so I thought I might help them out with some reading material.
The majority of Americans (59%) regard Russia’s ongoing invasion of neighboring Georgia as a threat to U.S. national security, but less than a third (31%) believe the United States should take any diplomatic action against Russia.
59% is a pretty big number to people that understand that automatically 41% an opposite view.
Just over half (51%) also believe that John McCain is the best equipped of the two major presidential candidates to handle a similar crisis in the future, while 36% believe Barack Obama is the better of the two to deal with this kind of situation. The two men are locked in a close race as measured by the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll
See!
By @@
August 12, 2008 7:03 PM | Link to this
For those that keep insisting that Georgia started the conflict unprovoked, it’s important to note that there had been a great deal of shelling by the South Ossetians of Georgian villages for the previous three nights.
Maybe Georgia was unable to exercise the same restraint that Israel does.
Last night V-Dog mentioned Iran’s financial support of Syria. In case he stops by:
Iran supports Hezbollah which was created by, and to this day, continues to receive their financial support making it possible for Hezbollah, as a political organization to influence the population through social welfare programs. It now serves as an extension of Iran’s strategic expansion into the Mediterranean.
Hezbollah does the same thing in Lebanon. They’re notorious for not paying their electric bills. The burden of cost then falls to the government. Don’t know if that applies to Syria too.
This is a lengthy, but interesting read on the history of the Iranian/Syrian alliance.
A lot of what is touted as a close alliance is propoganda to boost two weakened and isolated players. Two heads are better than one so to speak.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 7:05 PM | Link to this
59% is a pretty big number to people that understand that doesn’t automatically mean 41% hold an opposite view.
That might a record for me in the words left out of a sentence department.
By RW-(the original)
August 12, 2008 7:16 PM | Link to this
“Senator Hagel has no intention of getting involved in any of the campaigns and is not planning to endorse either candidate,” Stark said in a statement to USA TODAY.
I wonder what made him go from glowing praise for Obama and even the very strong rumors of a prime time speech accepting the VP nod?
Oh, there is this.
Last month, Hagel accompanied Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan, along with Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who is also a vocal opponent of the Bush policy in Iraq.
I bet that happens to a lot of people that see The Dunce in action.
By @@
August 12, 2008 7:46 PM | Link to this
The Obama team picked a fight, attacking McCain senior foreign-policy adviser Randy Scheunemann because he represented Georgia in Washington.
Soooooooo?
Does Obama see Georgia as the aggressor.
Go sit in the corner идиот!
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 10:36 PM | Link to this
To Midori:
It “means” there is no hope for you (or Paul).
By "The Corporal"
August 12, 2008 11:16 PM | Link to this
Russia must be punished - no more Russian Salad Dressing !