Three weeks later, and we're still talking about the fucking ad -- that's not, imho, something to be PROUD of.

Let's leave cheap name calling for the other side ... they're already so practiced.

IMHO, yes, the name-calling was DUMB and diminished the AD -- this was NOT unforgivable, it was NOT earthshaking -- it was childish and dumb and is now "hopefully not to be repeated" ... but with MoveOn you never know.

unless there exists within the command structure some magical as-yet-untapped person to take his place ... and he appears to be a damned sight smarter and more prepared that the people who came before him ...

YMMV

a "contempt of congress" or whatever is invoked when someone deliberately lies not-under-oath ...

that the real motivation/incentive is to gradually "relieve" the business sector of the terrible burden of providing health coverage and place it onto the taxpayers whose backs are endlessly broad ...

The out-of-pocket costs for workers have been rising steadily for years -- between monthly "contributions" and co-pays and un-covered portions.

Took me a couple of years to realize that I was actually paying more out of pocker for coverage than my dental plan "paid out" for reasonable and customary charges annually... and this was with a major 2000+ employee local employer.

Yes, the walls of the corridor containing acceptable discourse are high enough most people have lost sight of the possibility of actual security ... that social contract between business and labor is all but forgotten.

my suspicion is that they are trying to recreate the fury seen when Calley et.al. were prosecuted by My Lai ... since they seem to be constantly recycling old "outrages" as in -- everything old is new again.

I found myself wondering exactly whose kid was in the slammer THIS time... since the actual convictions achieve after a slew of trials have been shockingly few (and many charges dismissed early on with NO trial) and sentences generally very light to actually shocking.

So, Fox is contending it's not the war crimes and atrocities which are the problem, but the higher up supervisors who they view as advancing their careers by not sweeping such things under the proverbial rug (and I guess compounding the insult to our troops by foisting the "burden" on the courts, which then wag fingers and slap wrists). Gosh, so many promising careers ruined!!!

Given the Petraeus "controversy," the timing is very odd -- gotta wonder if somebody has a book coming out or if there's some "anniversary" trip wire to be crossed for the "Calley was scapegoated" crowd.

Alice in Wonderland

I would not be suprised if they have been generally "antiprosecution" on general principles ... before and including Abu Ghraib ... which surprising numbers of people of their political persuasion considered not only business as usual ... but part of a justified "mission" ... no "bad apples" for this crowd, everyone's a hero.

They can't blame Bush... and they aren't going to blame the children of their viewers ... that leaves "management"

my only point, is that this likely is not some sort of "change of heart" for Fox News and armchair patriots ... the soldiers who cooperated with the prosecution of Calley and the soldier who turned in the Abu Ghraib disk were menaced and threatened and ostracised by their former peers in SERIOUS fashion as traitors and worse. I gather the Haditha prosecution is considered by them to be unfair.

their contention is that ambitious generals are using prosecutions to get ahead, while they are standing up for the "little guy" (standard M.O.) ...

They'd love a chance to explain to the country how these prosecutions -- as they say, like EVERYTHING ELSE -- are PURELY POLITICAL and not based in "truth, justice, and the American way."

Do your homework and tread cautiously ... these are people steeped in the "extremism in defense of [whatever cause d'jour] is no vice."

In the context of the Petraeus ad/"scandal," it's hypocritical ...so what else is new???

But -- they'll be happy to explain at length -- how they're defending the little guy ... while MoveOn was just taking an cheap shot ... or something similar.

I've been really surprised by the lack of news coming from Iraq ... Juan Cole's daily compilation suggests violence continues, may be growing ... thing are bad ...

The progression of cholera from the north ... reaching Baghdad was the last news I heard on that front ...

Maliki and the rest of the politicians reject the Senate endorsement of "soft partitions" ... upstart ingrates!! who do they think they are?

Are they going to stick with "the surge" strategy until next spring or are they busy formulating some new "post-surge strategy"? I lose track.

war? what war?

two wrongs don't make a right ... the Senate MoveOn resolution was WRONG-WRONG-WRONG ... and unnecssary and stupid ...

The prospect of endless tit-for-tat "condemnation proclamations" threatens to trivialize and make an utter farce of our congress (which has low enough approval ratings already, thank you very much)... just say no ... please, let this wear itself out naturally ...

Anyone joining the occupation in Washington DC this month?

firedoglake's proposal seems the best I've heard ...

for those who itch to cause the Democratic Party as much pain as possible and whose heart beats faster with the opening chords of "street fighting man", there's always

url: http://www.recreate68.org/album1_dnc_001.htm

preparing for the DNC convention in Denver --

FWIW: I've been told that my impression that the Denver Police are trigger happy is wrong and that there were just a series of atypical "unfortunate incidents" ... true, they did involve unarmed civilians; but, personally, I live outside of denver and the prospect fills me with anxiety ... whatever

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on a lighter note: there is a large nationwide mobilization scheduled for the end of next month -- mark your calendars.

may loose patience with an ineffectual CONGRESS using official time to play meaningless GAMES ... for and against special interest groups ... particularly given Congress' inability to do much that is MEANINGFUL on dozens of issues ... busy work.