Will Diplomacy in Iran Work?
 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ar_agency_iran

Letting them hang themselves, but also trying to fix what it can.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Right- the Reps played on fear- "Bush lied- people died"- Farenheit 9/11 was the highest grossing doc. ever- but you guys are smart!

that you guys think that, is why your party will have less than 40 Senators by 2009- that attitude plus Howard Dean. Maybe you can get Pelosi more involved. I think she understands people.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

We're dealing with a President who can't think of any mistakes he's ever made. The North Koreans just announced they have the bomb.

I asked if the Rs take ANY responsibility, not all the responsibility.

It sounds like the answer is no, they take no responsibility.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

do you really think that means anything. you realize the question was an unfair attempt for a political hatchet job, don't you? He is leading the country, he's supposed to go around apologizing every few months. I cannot remember a similar question being asked of any sitting president.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

A. Not my party; I basically voted against conservative social values - or better yet, having those values forced down my throat. Crazy evangelical Christians scare the shit out of me. I don't like unnecessary wars. I've said it before, had I been able to vote for a true Republican, I probably would have. Your party is trying to force its social values on the entire country, and that should scare you. I don't vote for anyone who thinks that his country has god's blessing. I wouldn't vote for my mom if she believed that.

B. Never saw F 9/11, but I don't think it was produced by the DNC.


I agree that if the democrats stick with Dean, Hillary and Pelosi, they are royally screwed.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I don't think there is any responsibility to claim. Short of going to war (which you would have opposed), what were they to do? And if you say "bilateral talks" I'm going to put you on ignore for a week.

We all knew that this was a forgone conclusion once it was determined that Clinton's horsetrading didn't work like we thought. I'm not really interested in blaming Clinton for this today, though I did disagree with the policy at the time.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

A 40 year DEM political operative (and editorialist for the Seatle Intelligencia) makes this same point today in the WSJ.

Bilmore's dream campaign
 

Hoo, boy.

• WASHINGTON - Just one day after U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton decided not to run for a second term, comedian Al Franken may be throwing his hat into the ring.
  
  Last year, Franken said he wanted to run for the Senate in 2008. But last night he told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that he is now considering his candidacy for next year.

On the positive side, this will give us all ample comedic material for the next 18 months or so. Downside -- I expect that the beautiful conversations to come will be without bilmore, whose subsequent commitment to GOP Senate campaign fundraising for pretty much any breathing biped that the MN GOP nominates may preclude any kayaking or posting whatsoever.

I shall miss him. [*sniff*]

Someone tells me that Al Franken is going to run for Senate in Minnesota, to replace Dayton.

eta: That someone could be Gatti, apparently.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

You forget -- Bush was busy dealing with the obvious al-Qaeda threat that Clinton had blithely ignored. Remember all the activity towards that end in the first eight months of Bush's presidency?

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I want to object to including Hillary in such company. If the Dems front Hil in '08, they may indeed be screwing themselves, but it would be because her name inspires unthinking blind rage in a significant segment of the population, not because she's on a par with Dean or, god forbid, Pelosi in her politics. She's actually done a great job as Senator, and she remains consistently moderate (not in itself a virtue, but as practiced by her it generally is) and sensible every time I've heard her open her mouth on policy issues, domestic or foreign.

I'd vote for her in a flash. And I think the Dems need lots more like her.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

by remains do you mean "has become"? Her record includes things before she became the junior senator from NY.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

i'm being picky- but......

"We need to eliminate the concept of the electoral college"

Hillary Clinton 12/00

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Dean is moderate, too. Ask club.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

"The Iraqi regime has violated all of those obligations. It possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons."

. . .

"We agree that the Iraqi dictator must not be permitted to threaten America and the world with horrible poisons and diseases and gases and atomic weapons."

. . .

" If we know Saddam Hussein has dangerous weapons today -- and we do -- does it make any sense for the world to wait to confront him as he grows even stronger and develops even more dangerous weapons?"

. . .

"We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas."

. . .

"And surveillance photos reveal that the regime is rebuilding facilities that it had used to produce chemical and biological weapons. Every chemical and biological weapon that Iraq has or makes is a direct violation of the truce that ended the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Yet, Saddam Hussein has chosen to build and keep these weapons despite international sanctions, U.N. demands, and isolation from the civilized world."

. . .

"We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas."

. . .

"We've learned that Iraq has trained al Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases."

. . .

"Iraq could decide on any given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist group or individual terrorists."

. . .

"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his "nuclear mujahideen" -- his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons."

. . .

"Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud."

. . .

"After eleven years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. And he is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon. "

-- W


This never gets old.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I'm just glad he got his priorities straight.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

OK: "has been as a senator". I don't remember her being particularly whack-a-doo before, either, but I haven't exactly made a study of it.
Like I said, moderate and sensible. There are lots of moderate and sensible ideas that not all moderate and sensible people agree with.

Not to denigrate you by implying you are either, of course.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

And she has quietly been moving to the center in preparation for 08. Got on the Armed Services Committee and staked out a very strident position on borders/immigration. If she runs, is it possible that she is not far enough left to win the nomination? I don't think so, and a Hillary presidency scares the shit out of me -

Of course, there is the little problem of her fundraising activities in the 2000 campaign.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Invariably, a Hillary 2008 presidential campaign will have little to do with her positions as of '08, or her performance as a Senator. We will be treated to the Nineties Redux.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Sure. We'll know for sure that she's running when she puts out a cookbook.

Mmmm, cookies.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Couldn't agree more. Doesn't change the fact that she'd get trounced. She is eternally fucked perception-wise.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Do you think CBS will fake billing records?

God fucking damnit.

I'm going to have to start saving my bloody tampons again.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Do you truly believe that the GOP did not seek to use our various "wars" -- terror, Iraq, Afghanistan -- and their plans to protect the nation from threat to their political advantage in the 2004 elections?

Do you truly believe that part of that pitch was _not_ "There are many grave threats to our nation. We will keep you safe better than would the Democrats." {because they are spineless, limp-dicked civil libertarians}

S_A_M

You can send them to Prince Charles. He and Camilla have a record of being into that sort of thing.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

You were asleep from 1996-2000, I see.

S_A_M

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

People asking "Would you name some mistakes you made on major national security issues?" Cite please.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I was responding to Cold-brain's claim that the people who voted Rep. were dumb and led by hype, and the implicit claim that he and you et al were smart and not led by hype. You guys made the biggest bunch of nonsense the highest grossing "documentary" ever made, and now none of you will admit seeing it.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I really didn't see F 9/11.

And I really believe that a great deal of people were caused to be scared by the Bush administration's exaggerated claims of terrorism. C'mon Hank, you have to admit there was some fearmongering.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I saw the movie. I posted soon after that I didn't particularly care for it. Ty has stated on many occasions that he does not care for Michael Moore or his movies.

Now that you've heard our "lib-on-lib" criticisms of someone you feel is in a position of authority within the Democratic Party, let's hear your criticisms of W.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I have before- and I'll do this as summary and then your brain trust will argue and then I'll have to answer- see RT this sort-

1- tax cuts stupid
2- spending stupid
3- social neaderthal shit scary

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

I saw it twice.

Edited to clarify that the second time was with a family member that I don't see that often, and I'd agreed to do whatever she wanted to do that day.

I thought that the 9/11 sequence was very well done.

Who's afraid of Hank Chinaski?
 

This is why Hank keeps bringing Moore back up. It's part of his "lovable asshole" schtick.

Who's afraid of Hank Chinaski?
 

Blow me. All I said was you guys have dumb people too. I didn't say you were one of them- I bet Coltrane is though, and I know SS is.

Who's afraid of Hank Chinaski?
 

I will retract the entire post, but for the title, which was my little homage to your FB efforts, if you will withdraw your request that I blow you.

Love the avatar, dude.

Who's afraid of Hank Chinaski?
 

I may be dumb, but I'm not one the dem's people.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

It's easy to win the arguments if you get to make things up. That wasn't the question Bush was asked.

Agree it is mostly a b.s question, but Bush didn't handle it well.

S_A_M

P.S. BTW -- The biased liberal media asked Clinton much harder questions -- perhaps because they had access to him. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky."

Who's afraid of Hank Chinaski?
 

I'm both.

We'll try to stay serene and calm
 

Coltrane said that Bush ran on fear in the 2004 elections. You seem to read a lot into that -- a bit insecure?

S_A_M

Who's afraid of Hank Chinaski?
 

I'm a dumb, anti-gun, pro-environment, socially liberal (issues, not programs), economically conservative jack ass who doesn't want god creating or enforcing law.