The first is that, for some reason, the American public has usually not paid much attention to foreign policy. I am inclined to believe Glenn's diagnosis of the press' enjoyment of its cozy relationship to power, and I'm also hopeful that blogs like this one can help change this back to a more adversarial relationship,

Domestically, however, I think the disconnect between policy and public opinion stems from our corrupt system of campaign finance. Politicians spend more time talking with people who pay the campaign bills than with their average constituent. The solution to this problem is optional full public campaign funding, as in Arizona, Maine, and elsewhere. Bills instituing this system have been recently introduced in the Senate (Durbin, Specter) and soon in the House (Tierney, Grijalva, Platts). More info at:

Public Campaign

http://ga3.org/campaign/fairelectionsnow/w3ukxgn2ywjmn5e?

California Clean Money Campaign

http://www.caclean.org

This small but powerful group, early on, stacked the deck in their own favor by appropriating the term "war" and applying it to what is not historical a war of any sort but an invasion and subsequent occupation by a very large, wealthy and well armed state of a small, badly armed and primitive state. Historically, this sort of thing might give rise to "battles" but would never be called a "war." But that word "war" is so useful. It has so much historical resonance and monosyllabic punch. Wars are fought over big issues and people write lots of books about them. Wartime is a time for blind patriotism, for concentrating power in an executive, for giving up personal freedoms for the greater good of the community, etc. None of these things are particularly called for during a "elective police action halfway around the world," or "a forced regime change and subsequent messy occupation." No, "war" is a great term and it's still being used by everyone, on both sides, though its use benefits only the war-makers. Since there will never be, in this conflict, a moment when one side surrenders to the other on the deck of a battleship, since swords will not be turned over and articles of surrender signed, the war-mongers can keep saying that we haven't lost (which we haven't, technically, if we're talking about a "war" in the classical sense) and -- here comes the magic -- they can pull out of their hat that victory is still a possibility. It's twisted logic that only sells because it's attached to the word "war" and not a word or phrase that accurately describes what's going on.

Alert: the British government has decided to stop using the term "war on terror," because "...we can’t win by military means alone, and because this isn’t us against one organized enemy with a clear identity and a coherent set of objectives.” We should all follow their example, and include "the war in Iraq" simply because it is not a war.

"assured access to energy resources" ? These are not our resources. They are the resources of the countries of the middle east and they ought to have the final say in who sells and buys their oil and which currency (probably not dollars) is used. The American people (or at least more than 60% of them) want us to leave and take all our troops out of there now. The Iraqis want us to to leave. The Saudis want us to leave. The Pope wants us to leave! Only the Israelis and the Americal military industrial oil banking cartel want us to stay. All Americans should get out and all American bases should be closed, abandoned, turned over to the Iraqis NOW. We will just have to think of other ways to fuel our planes and cars and houses and plastics makers. Enough Iraqis have been killed. Enough Americans have been killed or incapacitated forever. Enough of this stupid, ill-advised war. Out now.

Inter the Republican party and pi$$ on its grave.

Cheers,

-- Arne Langsetmo

You know I love that kind of talk, but if this whole mess has taught us anything, it's that regime change is not to be undertaken likely. Suppose the Constitution Party (Peroutka, who thinks that the constitution is just an addendum to the Bible) takes their place. And we are stuck with this two party system, (see Duverger's Law), and probaly the polarization. I would rather we try to get them to move back to the center. We need to realign this country politically. It's way off balance. Or make it possible for third parties to become viable. If we were a washing machine, the whole house would be shaking.

Likely? Lightly, or was that... nevermind

That's one of the best posts I've ever read among the many storied and great ones that have found dissemination here.

I'd encourage everyone to go back and read Diana's post again. Diana, thank you.

No kings,

Robert

Paul Dirks to shooter:

Everything you believe about Valerie Plame and Global Warming is factually incorrect. Every time you bring either subject up you automatically become the idiot the others here accuse you of being.

Long ago, I realized that while virtually all politicians lie, they lie for very different reasons, and in very different ways. Richard Nixon lied very strategically, with carefully-crafted tactical lies in service to his strategy as well. Ronald Reagan, OTOH, lied through a sheer inability to tell the truth--or lack of interest, take your pick. It was the contrast between these two that first got me thinking about the topic, sometime in the midst of Reagan's first term.

With Shooter, we have something else--someone who lies repeatedly in an environment where nobody's going to buy it. So, what sort of person repeatedly tells transparent lies?

Well, little children tell such lies rather frequently. I don't know what happened to the cookies. (Crumbs on my face? What crumbs?) The dog ate my homework. etc.

Brainwashed people also tell such lies. They've come to believe in the lies themselves, and so they have no problem repeating them over and over again, ignoring all the evidence to the contrary.

Common psychopaths tell such lies, because they simply don't care. Whatever moves them in the moment is what they go with.

And, of course, as Bush/Cheney Inc. so frequently demonstrate, some folks lie simply to demonstrate that they can. It's a display of power: we can piss on your leg and tell you it's raining, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.

Shooter seems to fit into the brianwashed category. But sometimes he just seems like a little kid, with crumbs on his face, right on top of the egg.