So did the terrorists win? Is it all over?

Without having read all the letters, I am hopeful that I am not the first to notice the mistake over Bond's sidearm of choice. It, of course is the Walther PPK, not a Baretta.

Heavens!

Why does every mention of torture need to contain the caveat that "it does not work" ? What if it did "work"? Would it be ok then? I can imagine cases where torture would work just fine. What if the information could be checked quickly and prisoner treatment could be adjusted immediately in near-real time? Whether torture works or not is not the question. The question is: Have we become what we (claim to) hate the most?

Wrong on Iraq.

Wrong on Iran.

Refuses to speak with Raul Castro.

Obama right all three times.

Does judgment count for anything?

Isn't Basra Arabic for Tet?

Is Basra Arabic for Tet?

Call me when they get these criminals on the dock. Preferably at The Hague. This is not news, just political grandstanding by Conyers.

Impeachment means he can go home and cut brush to a ripe old age.

The dock in The Hague is where he belongs.

Too little, too late, Denny. Barely better than nothing.

Let's not forget that that, come January, someone other tham GWB will be tapping our phones. Possibly even a Democrat, they tell me.

And where is the conservative "get-the-government-out-of-our-lives crowd"? Could they possibly be more hypocritical than Democrats? Apparantly.

Could be an interesting Winter (of my discontent.)

If the Republican agenda is implemented even with Democrats in the majority what is the point of supporting the Dems? Because he or she wears a Red Sox cap? If both of our next likely presidents (I should say "all three". I won't discount Hillary until after Denver) are in favor of this piece of crap what hope is there? We're just trying to delay the inevitable until 2009.

Welcome to Italy, circa 1933.

Please tell me I'm wrong, and present some evidence.

I understand that with immunity we will never know the extent of Bush's spying program, but I would be willing to give the telecoms immunity for crimes committed 9/11/01 to 6/25/08 in exchange for a strict interpretation of the 4th ammendment going forward. We know it's a criminal regime. There is plenty of evidence of crimes i.e. wars of agression, torture, abrogation of habeus. We could lock them up for life. Ipso facto, baby.

Such is the depth of my desperation.

If telecom amnesty were removed from HR6304, and that was the only change, would it then be acceptable?

Not to me, it wouldn't. Not for a second.

I needed that.

Has anyone seen the cover story on MSNBC on how B. O. supports death for child rapists? That's off-topic, sorry.

It will be refreshing to have a president who speaks English, anyway.

I think when he said he "doesn't do cowering" he must have meant he doesn't cower before the will of the unkempt masses.

In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "What's cooking Doc? Oh, it's me."

Thank you Burnunit for your thoughtful and well written post.

Gun control advocates - many of them my friends - need to rid themselves of this visceral fear of guns if they are to become effective. Go to the range. Learn to shoot safely. It won't make you a raving lunatic. It will give you the ability to sound like you know what you are talking about. Learn the difference between automatic, semi-automatic and revolver. Learn the difference between a rifle and a shotgun. And for God's sake don't confuse laser sights with laser guidance. Don't use the word "clip" when you mean "magazine". Clip is a slang term.

The main reason the "Assault Weapons Ban" was failed is bacause it was, like most gun control laws, poorly written and poorly thought out, therefore nearly impossible to defend when the time came.

I preffered Obama because his stated position on Iraq was better than Clintin's.

His stated position on Iran was better than Clinton's.

His stated position on preffering diplomacy in general - talking to Raul Castro and all that - was preferable to Clinton's.

His clear opposition to FISA II was more clear than Clinton's.

He did lie. I have been had.

And you're an asshole.

It looks like this thing could play out sooner rather than later. When it does we'll learn a lot about what Obama meant when he said he prefers diplomacy to military confrontation. (Who doesn't? Even W. says that.)

Anyone care to start a pool on how soon he will utter those magic words, "Support the Troops"?

...but I usually use the Bialetti on weekday mornings when I'm in a hurry. I do worry about the aluminum. I may get a stainless steel one.

Freshness is key. Mediocre beans within three or four days of roasting are superior to exotic beans that have sat around for weeks.

And if you're not listening to Orchestra Baobab you're not doing it right.

So what was Obama's proposal?

You can call me Larry. The UPS guy calls me Scooter, but he's a wiseass.

My mistake. I'm at work. Mea culpa. I'll be more diligent in the future about using up bandwidth and time.

Bystander / Adnoto,

Since you brought it up:

I ditched AT&T for Credo when I became aware of AT&T's cooperation w/ Bushco's illegal spying. Of course the gov't has the resources to listen to anyone anytime. The issue for me is did they invite them in? I haven't said anything up to now, because I really don't know. I haven't heard anything concrete either way, so I can't recommend for them or against them. They seem like nice "progressive" (whatever that means) people and all, but one never knows, do one? Maybe someone reading this knows.

BTW, they do cover your termination fee up to $200.00.