Thanks to the posters who linked to Juan Cole's blog. It's amazing to think that in America "land of the free", more people were arrested protesting the GOP convention, then in Iran. Iran which is a theocratic police state btw. Of course most people have no idea how oppressive the police in St. Paul were last year. Unless you viewed the videos posted online, our state run media never showed any of it. Sorry I mean corporate media. So hard to tell the difference anymore. The only news organization to cover it was Democracy Now. A interesting experiment would be to show people footage of the Iranian police beating protesters, and St. Paul police beating protestors. See if people can accurate pick which are the Iranians and which are the Americans. Or just show footage side by side, so Americans can see how "free" we are.

While I'm glad that Obama answered that question very deftly. I'm tired of hearing this BS about free markets when it comes to health care. There is no free market in health care. The AMA limits the number of doctors that can be produced each year. The states require a license to practice medicine. You can't just go open a clinic and start treating people. You'd be arrested. A free market means anyone can join in and compete. That's not the case when it comes to health care. Another thing I hate is those who say let the free market solve the health care problem. The free market's solution was 47 million Americans without insurance and no access to medical care. That was the free market's answer to the health care problem, millions without access to it. Since it was the free market that caused the problem, why is the free market going to fix the problem? It's illogical.

Bill Maher was on Wolf Blitzer a few days ago and said something rarely mentioned in the media. There are no voices from the left allowed on tv. We got to hear the ravings of extreme righties like Newt and Cheney. They get invited to all the news shows. Yet lefties are never allowed on tv. People like Ralph Nader and Dennis Kucinch, true liberals, are held up for laughter and ridicule. They never get invited on MSM shows. No Lefties allowed in the liberal media.

Go back to school grad student, you are a moron. Did the republicans try to build consensus when they were in charge? NO, they rammed their stuff through. They didn't give a fuck what the dems said. They were going to pass what they wanted passed, and they fucking did it. The problem is the democrats are a bunch of fucking pussies. With "leaders" like Harry Reid, it's no wonder nothing gets accomplished. Harry could play hardball and force the repugs do to an actual filibusters, but he won't. He's scared of offending them. He's scared of what the media might say. So he allows them to obstruct everything.

Since single-payer is not on the table, the best we can hope for is the public option. I had hope when Obama came out at the AMA for the public option. His Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelluis had been hitting the news shows advocating for the public option. Then less then 2 days later after the AMA speech, Sebelluis was no longer talking about a public option. She was preaching about the COOPs, Sen. Kent Conrad's compromise. So in a matter of 2 days, Obama had already changed his position. He went from supporting the public option to the coop idea. The COOPs won't do anything to lower the cost of insurance or get more people insured. It's a total freaking joke. We aren't going to get any health care reform in this country. Whatever passes will be just a sop to the insurance companies. Nothing can ever be allowed to threaten their profits. The Corporatracy rules supreme, fuck the people.

We aren't going to be "wrapping up" Afghanistan anytime soon. If anything we are going to be expanding it. I'm 32 years old, If I make it to 50, I bet we'll still be fighting there. When you think about it, we've been fighting wars in Afghanistan for 30 years. From funding the insurgents against the Russians to taking on the Taliban. What strategic purpose does Afghanistan hold? Anyone know, because it don't seem worth it from my perspective. What are wasting blood and treasure over, for a 3rd world ass backwards country?

I want to know where that loyalty will be when they try to pass health care reform. How many blue dogs will vote against it, despite Obama's appeals? I think it's a convenient excuse for those changing their votes on this war bill. "We are doing it to support the president." But when it comes time to pass health care reform with a public option, that loyalty is going to be gone.

The crux of your argument is that Obama is privy to information that we aren't. So since we can't see what he sees, then we should trust Obama when he says certain people need to be detained without due process. The problem with that argument is it assumes the secret information is accurate. Considering the track record of the CIA and other government agencies, that's not a reasonable assumption. The government is made up of people, people make mistakes. That's why we have courts of law, to allow the accused their day in court. That Obama is calling for preventive detention but with reviews every year or so is absurd. We already have a system to determine guilt and innocence, our courts. Why is he trying to reinvent the wheel? I gather these review panels will consider evidence that wouldn't be allowed in court. Hearsay evidence, evidence from torture etc. It's a mockery of justice. Hopefully enough members of Congress will grow a pair and say no.