I realize speaker's powers have been lessened and lessened, but Pelosi is a pretty weak Speaker.

Kudos to the US House for passing a surveillance bill that does NOT grant immunity to the telecoms. Glad to see they are willing to stick to their guns on something, instead of caving to a weak President. This was the right thing to do. Bush will veto of course, meaning that some of the tools the country needs to protect itself won't be available - Bush yet again weakening the country's defenses.

 

2009 cannot come soon enough.

 

good thing the dems are paying off all those bribes the trial lawyers gave them. USA! USA!

 

 

too bad the Senate voted to keep pork spending going

 

atleast Obama, Clinton, and McCain voted anti-pork. which is encouraging.

 

 

at least Obama, Clinton, and McCain voted anti-pork. which is encouraging.

 

To bad all 100 Senators aren't currently running for President.

 

On the teleco immunity issue, I think the House bill is an entirely reasonable compromise even though its very unlikely to get past the Senate much less signed by the president. Allowing a judge to confidentially review evidence would allow the telecos to defend themselves and would also protect the necessary secrecy of the surveillance programs. imo, only the certainty of the administration that they indeed asked the telecos to do illegal acts would keep them from signing the bill.

 

This guy has an interesting take on reforming the primary calendar for future elections.

 

 

ehhh, i still like the lottery idea. with primaries being held in 1 state, each Tues, Thurs and Saturday every week.

all states would have voted in 17 weeks (4 1/2 months) starting in mid January and ending in the first week of June. This system would allow candidates to stay in the races longer (time wise) and insure that each state no matter of size, voting history, demographics, location or media markets and costs have an equal and fair opportunity to play an important role in the process.

 

Heck, imagine if either Hawaii or Alaska led off.

 

the sad thing with the current system, is that Iowa and New Hampshire are small media markets with cheap ad buys... which is why second-tier candidates this year liked the system. If you started at say NY or CA, you better have some big $ in the bank to pay for ads or you are dead in the water early.

Oopsie.

Sen. John McCain, traveling in the Middle East to promote his foreign policy expertise, misidentified in remarks Tuesday which broad category of Iraqi extremists are allegedly receiving support from Iran.

 

He said several times that Iran, a predominately Shiite country, was supplying the mostly Sunni militant group, al-Qaeda. In fact, officials have said they believe Iran is helping Shiite extremists in Iraq.

 

Speaking to reporters in Amman, the Jordanian capital, McCain said he and two Senate colleagues traveling with him continue to be concerned about Iranian operatives "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back."

 

Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate." A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, standing just behind McCain, stepped forward and whispered in the presidential candidate's ear. McCain then said: "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda."

Oopsie.

This will bite him in the butt. He doesnt even know who is who over there! How are we to trust him to know how to deal with them?

This will bite him in the butt. He doesnt even know who is who over there! How are we to trust him to know how to deal with them?

It won't bite him in the butt. He could keep making that mistake for the next 6 months and no one would call him on it unless he did it during one of the debates in October. Or at least no one other than those evil liberal bloggers.

It won't bite him in the butt. He could keep making that mistake for the next 6 months and no one would call him on it unless he did it during one of the debates in October. Or at least no one other than those evil liberal bloggers.

 

Actually, it was one of the lead stories on CNN.

 

edit: it was just on CNN again.

Edited March 18, 200818 yr by mr_genius

This will bite him in the butt. He doesnt even know who is who over there! How are we to trust him to know how to deal with them?

 

it's just a slight campaign gaffe. who doesn't say something wrong on accident at times? and he had his buddy Lieberman there to let him know he slipped up a little.

it's just a slight campaign gaffe. who doesn't say something wrong on accident at times? and he had his buddy Lieberman there to let him know he slipped up a little.

It's a significant gaff. it's a fundamental thing. you CANT make major mistakes like that.

Edited March 18, 200818 yr by Athomeboy_2000

It's a MAJOR gaff. It's like me going out and saying those French exterminated the Jew, they tried to dominate Europe, they had a strong dictator. Then have someone whisper... "umm... that was Germany"

 

 

WOW, now THAT is a stretch.

 

He knows what is going on there, he just used the wrong word. So what? That type of things happens all the time.

It's a MAJOR gaff. It's like me going out and saying those French exterminated the Jew, they tried to dominate Europe, they had a strong dictator. Then have someone whisper... "umm... that was Germany"

Edit: Ok, that is a bit extreme on my part. but you get the point. it's a fundamental thing. you CANT make major mistakes like that.

Dude...you're calling this a major gaffe...in the age of George W. Bush. In the age of George W. Bush, I don't even think what you mention there would count as anything but another calendar entry.

 

If he keeps making it, ok. It's a gaffe. People can misspeak. If he keeps making it, then that tells you more about his thinking and that he really might not have the simple details straight in his head.

Dude...you're calling this a major gaffe...in the age of George W. Bush. In the age of George W. Bush, I don't even think what you mention there would count as anything but another calendar entry.

 

If he keeps making it, ok. It's a gaffe. People can misspeak. If he keeps making it, then that tells you more about his thinking and that he really might not have the simple details straight in his head.

ok, not a major gaff. But it is significant and telling. Like I said, I overstated it. i need to tone that down a bit. I need a bette example.

ok, not a major gaff. But it is significant and telling. Like I said, I overstated it. i need to tone that down a bit. I need a bette example.

FWIW, even to answer my own demand there, it turns out he made the same gaffe a day before on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. Which does kinda make me wonder if he really hasn't been paying enough attention.

FWIW, even to answer my own demand there, it turns out he made the same gaffe a day before on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. Which does kinda make me wonder if he really hasn't been paying enough attention.

Oh this would look mighty nice in a 527 ad say... in September

MoveOn.org

it's just a slight campaign gaffe. who doesn't say something wrong on accident at times? and he had his buddy Lieberman there to let him know he slipped up a little.

^^^^^^

Its not a huge deal, its just a sort of funny little quip. Heck, even though CNN is showing it as a story, its under the title of "Dems seize on McCain's gaffe". Clearly, its nothing much more than campaign mudslinging fodder.

 

If you say something enough, people will believe it, right?

If you say something enough, people will believe it, right?

seemed to work for bush. now McCain is up to it.

seemed to work for bush. now McCain is up to it.

Dude, come on. He misspoke, one of his buddies corrected him, and he corrected it. Let's not make it into policy or anything.

 

If you say something enough, people will believe it, right?

 

Kinda like the 100 year war "myth"?

Dude, come on. He misspoke, one of his buddies corrected him, and he corrected it. Let's not make it into policy or anything.

he misspoke THREE times. THat is a lack of knowledge from a person who says he know how to protect America. As Olbermann said last night... we'll be in Iraq fro 100 years because it'll take McCain that long to figure out what is going on there!

he misspoke THREE times. THat is a lack of knowledge from a person who says he know how to protect America. As Olbermann said last night... we'll be in Iraq fro 100 years because it'll take McCain that long to figure out what is going on there!

Seems to me like his campaign did the same thing today in a 5 year war statement.

Today in Iraq, America and our allies stand on the precipice of winning a major victory against radical Islamic extremism. The security gains over the past year have been dramatic and undeniable. Al Qaeda and Shia extremists -- with support from external powers such as Iran -- are on the run but not defeated. Tough fighting remains ahead, especially in places like Mosul. Important political gains have also been made, but far more must be done in coming months to cement the gains made in huge cost in American blood and treasure.

Seems to me like his campaign did the same thing today in a 5 year war statement.

Doesn't seem that way to me. They said AQ and Shia, with support from places like Iran, not that AQ is Shia and Iran is supporting them.

 

The unstated link is there, of course (like Saddam-9/11), but I wouldn't call this a gaffe.

Edited March 19, 200818 yr by StrangeSox

Doesn't seem that way to me. They said AQ and Shia, with support from places like Iran, not that AQ is Shia and Iran is supporting them.

 

The unstated link is there, of course (like Saddam-9/11), but I wouldn't call this a gaffe.

I wouldn't either...but this is becoming a pattern. Very similar to the 9/11 and Saddam connection building that was done back in 02.

From the Obama campaign's Bill Burton, in an email to journalists:

 

We wish the McCain campaign well as they try to figure out the difference between Iran and al Qaeda.