Politics: A new beginning - Page 208

Not Me · 12-15-2003, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bilmore
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/

But why does he think it is a depressing site? Is it because it is too conservative? It doesn't seem much different from many of the other weblogs I have seen.

Hank Chinaski · 12-15-2003, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Not Me
But why does he think it is a depressing site? Is it because it is too conservative? It doesn't seem much different from many of the other weblogs I have seen.

it is single issue- that Islamic extremists are only bent on killing, and that the bulk of the world is simply continuing to compromise for them. I could ignore it as the ravings of a nut, like say SAM, but lgf always cites to seemingly legitimate news articles to support the posts. So then I get depressed worrying there is no answer to the issue.

Atticus Grinch · 12-15-2003, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sgtclub
I'm pleased to see this is your response. After waking up this morning and seeing the news, I was fearful that the response of many on this board would be "this is great news, but . . ." (see also, Howard Dean''s response).

Oh, no, you misunderestimate us. This is unmitigated good news. The recovery of SH from his retreat center is the first step on the long, difficult road toward returning him to power in Iraq, and the withdrawal of interloper American troops from Iraq's sovereign soil. I look forward to a peaceful and orderly transition to the status quo ante.

I'm glad to see they started the process by giving him a shave.

Tyrone Slothrop · 12-15-2003, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Oh, no, you misunderestimate us. This is unmitigated good news. The recovery of SH from his retreat center is the first step on the long, difficult road toward returning him to power in Iraq, and the withdrawal of interloper American troops from Iraq's sovereign soil. I look forward to a peaceful and orderly transition to the status quo ante.

I'm glad to see they started the process by giving him a shave.

And he resurfaced so soon after Hillary visited!

Tyrone Slothrop · 12-15-2003, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Not Me
I was recommending the review.

OK. Why? I've read it now and, um, so? I guess if you're going to write a negative review, it's always better to let the target hang himself with his own words. The author doesn't really do that, leaving me with the impression that he doesn't care much for Chomsky. Neither do I, but I was sure I had plenty of company.

For the heck of it, here is a truly fun negative review

sgtclub · 12-15-2003, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Oh, no, you misunderestimate us. This is unmitigated good news. The recovery of SH from his retreat center is the first step on the long, difficult road toward returning him to power in Iraq, and the withdrawal of interloper American troops from Iraq's sovereign soil. I look forward to a peaceful and orderly transition to the status quo ante.

I'm glad to see they started the process by giving him a shave.

You tease, but give it a couple of days and this will essentially be the response of the far left. I've already seen some posts from a few admittedly far left posts which are unhappy because they believe this strengthens Bush's chances in '04.

Tyrone Slothrop · 12-15-2003, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sgtclub
You tease, but give it a couple of days and this will essentially be the response of the far left. I've already seen some posts from a few admittedly far left posts which are unhappy because they believe this strengthens Bush's chances in '04.

Maybe we can get together and lock the far left and the far right up in a sub-basement, or Paraguay, or somewhere else that we don't have to listen to them.

bilmore · 12-15-2003, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sgtclub
You tease, but give it a couple of days and this will essentially be the response of the far left. I've already seen some posts from a few admittedly far left posts which are unhappy because they believe this strengthens Bush's chances in '04.

I was reading DU last night.

It's quite fun.

Every once in a while, someone will post something like "hey, guys, the PRESS reads this thread sometime, so dial it back, 'kay?"

Tyrone Slothrop · 12-15-2003, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bilmore
I was reading DU last night.

It's quite fun.

Every once in a while, someone will post something like "hey, guys, the PRESS reads this thread sometime, so dial it back, 'kay?"

What's a DU? I'm thinking Paraguay won't work, since they probably have the internet there. So maybe a sub-basement, without internet access. But, on second thought, you guys seem to enjoy having the far left around to tilt at, so maybe as a Xmas present to you we can let them roam free for a while longer.

We would be having the same kind of fun with Ashcroft, except that someone put made him Attorney General.

Hank Chinaski · 12-15-2003, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
What's a DU? I'm thinking Paraguay won't work, since they probably have the internet there. So maybe a sub-basement, without internet access.

Docents Baghdad Museum?

Greedy,Greedy,Greedy · 12-15-2003, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sgtclub
You tease, but give it a couple of days and this will essentially be the response of the far left. I've already seen some posts from a few admittedly far left posts which are unhappy because they believe this strengthens Bush's chances in '04.

Rest assured, in a few days, if one guy on the left says something, it will be repeated 10,000 times by the guys on the right. Come on -- castigated the left for thing you think they probably will say sometime in the future is quite a rhetorical leap.

Of course capturing Saddam strengthens Bush for '04 (and it should -- it is related to job performance), but what is going to be much more important is how Bush deals with Saddam now, in captivity. It's not going to be as easy as people may think now, and Bush will have some difficult decisions to make. The first decision, to treat Saddam as a POW, I agree with, but it also makes an important point: so why aren't we giving Geneva Convention protection to those people in Guatanamo? He's going to have decisions about things like death penalties and level of US versus Iraqi involvement in the trial (by the way, I believe that the answer of an international court as there was for the Balkans (among others) seems to be out of the question due to Bush's prior diplomatic stances). On every issue whatever decision he makes will exclude or alienate some constituencies.

If Bush can get through that still looking Presidential, he will greatly improve his chances in '04; if he doesn't, he will lessen his chances in '04. And since all of it is job performance related, that seems like the way it should be.

bilmore · 12-15-2003, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
What's a DU? I'm thinking Paraguay won't work . . .

I don't think we want to do that to our relations with Paraguay.

(The discussion threads at democraticunderground.com )

Tyrone Slothrop · 12-15-2003, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
Of course capturing Saddam strengthens Bush for '04 (and it should -- it is related to job performance), but what is going to be much more important is how Bush deals with Saddam now, in captivity.

I disagree. The $64,000 question now is, can we (a) tame Iraq, and (b) make it democratic? Hussein now is almost as irrelevant as Noriega. Unless the chance to put him on trial can be handled in a way that confers legitimacy on the Iraqi Governing Council, though that seems hard to believe right now.

It would be nice to think that the fighting there will stop now that Hussein is in custody, but that really seems unlikely.

Hank Chinaski · 12-15-2003, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
What's a DU?

its where they keep stuff like this:
http://www.naderexplore04.org/survey/survey_start.php

Survey of whether you'd like to see Nader run....

and talk like this

http://www.democraticunderground.com...=913525#913599

Forum topics like why is Bush dodging dEan's charge that he knew about 9/11........

bilmore · 12-15-2003, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
It would be nice to think that the fighting there will stop now that Hussein is in custody, but that really seems unlikely.

I can't see this affecting the level or longevity of fighting much at all.

Where it will matter will be the embracing, by many Iraqis who maybe weren't sold yet, of the US's role there. After the infamous bugout of GWI, (yes, yes, we'll support you, go get him!, oh, well, we gotta go now . . . ) I suspect that a postwar Iraq with a viable Saddam wandering about was not the safest-feeling place in the world to be openly advocating for democracy. Maybe this will loosen up those who were still afraid (with justification) that we'd just bug out again.