I miss Al Franken's radio show, and I especially miss when Joe Conason was his guest every Friday. Those were good times. Anyway, I like that someone finally had the courage to call the House Republicans stupid. It's been so garingly obvious for so long, but no one says anything. You know who else is stupid? The American people. They elected Bush twice - that's stupid.

Conason is dead on. Up until 2004 the rest of the world hated George W Bush and his policies. They would generally qualify their anti-american sentiments by saying that they 'liked the American people', and they assumed that the American people had been duped to a certain extent. But after we elected W in 2004, after he had started a war of agression based on lies, after we had seen disgusting photos of torture at Abu Graib, after we knew he was breaking constitutional and statutory privacy laws, and we elected him anyway - that excuse for the 'american people' vanished. Now the rest of the world hates the American people as well (at least the majority). And they have every right to. If we do not do a 180, change course completely, repudiate this administration's policies, and ask for forgiveness from the rest of the world, We will lose forever our greatest national asset and the single strongest pillar of our national security, and that is the goodwill of the rest of the world. All the wealth and military might don't mean jack if every one hates you righteously. Guiliani is a perfect storm waiting to happen.

A shrill polemic is the only appropriate, even the only responsible approach if one is commenting on any aspect of this administration. Giving their ideas too much credence, and not condemning thier failures strongly and loudly enough was a serious factor which got us into this mess. Even with their deft manipulation and thier breathtaking ability to lie, they could not have acheived the catastrophes they did without the timid press and the polite academics playing along.

I'm not so concerned about Krugman's tone as I am about whether he's right or wrong (and not about Kansas). If the dude from Stanford would care to comment on....... well, actually I don't even care what he has to say about Krugman's accuracy. I've read Krugman all along, and he's always been right. And why would I trust a guy from Stanford who doesn't even know the right questions to ask.

Keep givng us the facts Krugman. Keep giving us a thorough analysis of the facts. And kick up the shrillness of your tone to an appropriate righteous level.

Conservatism is just a polite name for the pack mentality that dictates the behaviour of dogs. You can also call it tribalism, and you can see it in National Socialism. It's essence is that the only important thing is the survival of the pack, or the tribe, or the race. Everything else is subordinate; justice, knowledge, reason,compassion, beauty, joy. If you understand this, then you can see the common link between the Bush administration and Traditional Conservatism, and how, regardless of Bush's radicalism and his overwhelming failures, Conservatism will persist.

Really?!?!? you ask? The hallmarks of Traditionl Conservatives have always been:

-Government soley to provide law and order and national defense - no higher aspirations such as care for the poor

-Adherence to laws based on tradition not rational debate - they have always given more creedence to the bible and social mores than to the logic of the constitution (except in the case of the second amendment) and the courts, and they continually deride lawyers and activist judges.

-Hostiltiy to foreigners and global institutions. Conservatives are always the ones who fear immigration the most - illegal or not. They want out of the UN and trade agreements.

-Fear of foreign entities. Conservatives are always the first to perceive a threat. Whether it's Iraq or the Soviet Union. Ironiclly they did not see a threat in Hitler.

Patriotism - an irrational love for and allegiance to ones Country regardless of whether the leaders, the people, the policies and the institutions are good or bad.

-Contempt for dissent. Any questioning of authority is suspect, regardless of how questionable that authority is.

-Fear of new information.

-Fear of change.

-Fiscal conservatism - nothing wrong with that.

These are hallmarks not just of traditional conservatives, but hallmarks of the most backward tribes in Baluchastan and Waziristan - the people we are fighting/liberating/teaching about democracy. They are also extrapolations of the instincts of pack dogs, and they are also hallmarks of the Bush administration. And they will persist. Nature progresses on all fronts. Evolution tries every path without judgement. The authoritarians, the pack animals, have a winning formula. They keep their eyes on the prize - Survival. But they will always be somewhat stupid.

is anyobe seriously looking at the possiblity of jail time for any of these neocon men? Cheney? Gonzo? Rummy? is it at all feasible? if not, why?

This story is beneath us.

Let the American Spectator and Matt Drudge get worked up in a frenzy over these non-stories. McCain did nothing wrong. In fact, I thought he handled it fairly well.... and I'm a Clinton supporter.

another outrageous, treasonous, malicious, deadly, self-serving lie told by Bush and Cheney to the American people. It's just one among many. It's just a drop in the bucket.

What a sad display. A pathetic slate of xenophobic, homophobic, racist, superstitious, hate-filled old white men panderering to an even more xenophobic, racist, homophobic, superstitious, hate-filled crowd. If the Democrats don't trounce these nut-jobs in the coming election, I'll give serious consideration to moving to Canada, Australia, or Europe.

He even lies about the little things, like how he feels. What a pathetic little man.

Bush, you are a pathetic, petulent, incompetent, arrogant, evil little bastard. You should do yourself and the world a favor and put a bullet in your head.