If any of these GOP slaves would bother to look in a fuckin' dictionary, they'd see their party HATES their values, HATES their worldview, and is doing all it can to consolidate as much power into the federal government as it can.

When you look at the history of the GOP it has always been the party of national consolidation and power centralization. From the "progressive" era GOPERS who sought "Reform" as a means for large corporate interests to out price their moderate and smaller sized competitors out of entire markets- who sought to use the fed gov military as their personal merc armies to protect their foreign "investments" (economic rape and pillage of entire countries and the reduction of their populations to landless serfs)- to the nationalization of large swaths of land (the feds own 30 percent of this country) -then they dole out concessions to the largest and wealthiest of corporations for mining, water, and timber rights while no one else gets squat.

American "Conservatives" who normally have rather trenchant critical views of the federal government and government power in general- have one fatal flaw however that has been consistently exploited by our DC oligarchy . . .

. . . They are incredible pussies. They seem to have an almost genetic need to have enemies- multiple enemies even. Their entire political outlook is indeed- enemy driven. They are always under assault by someone somewhere. Collectively- they are clinically paranoid. Is this something endemic to the American character? I don't know. Is "American" identity - so lacking in anything real or grounded- that the ever present "threat" and "enemy" is the only thing that defines us?

Whatever the reason- this need for an enemy has been exploited over and over and over throughout American history by various elites.

But Frankly- this fear of "Islam" that "Conservatives" are currently selling out every one of their principles to see an idiotic war waged against? Has got to be the dumbest most inane bogeyman chimera "enemy" yet.

I don't get it. I don't get how a grown man can go on and on and on on a website about "Islam" and how peoples and cultures that he literally knew nothing about and indeed called allies only ten years earlier when he was then wetting his bed over Russians- are coming to get him? How does a "man" do that? Are they really afraid that some comic book Bugs Bunny Arab with a cartoon dagger is coming to kill him while he sleeps? What sort of intelligent man spends more time worrying about "islam" coming to convert him than about his own government spying on him? Could one of them explain to me how "Islam" is going to make my mommy wear a Burka and make me grow a beard? One actually reads this sort of talk on "conservative" websites. They actually fear that they will be forced to convert to Islam. Are they insane? Under what sort of any plausible scenerio could that EVER come to pass? Anyone? Please- tell me. What am I missing here?

I am at a loss to explain this. Are GOPERS just cowards? How does one actually feel comfortable even admitting to these imbecile fears in public much less embrace them as the backbone of a political party?

I actually read them in reverse order - the takedown first, then the WATB op-ed. Yoo ranks right up there with, I don't know, Addington maybe? for the "Assh*le who's done the most damage to the Country by convincing GWB/Cheny they can get away with it" award.

And I'm not sure about you, but I DEFINITELY need to get out more.

8')

Projection..

That is what they do when they have the upper hand, force everyone to be like them.

I've spent enough time posting on right wing boards to know that they stop responding as soon as you make some points that they just have no answer for.

Kind of reminds me of something, I'm sure I'll put my finger on it soon.

This, apparently, is what the Democrats fear and/or respect:

Four video clips of Cheney's speech:

http://www.heritage.org/video/Cheney08Video.cfm

Heritage Video > Cheney Visits Heritage 2008

Vice President Cheney Visits The Heritage Foundation
Vice President Cheney spoke at The Heritage Foundation on January 23, 2008. He discussed the terrorist threat posed by Islamic Extremists and how America should confront the threat.

1. Cheney on terrorist threat after 9/11

2. Cheney on the need to update FISA

3. Cheney on liability protection for telecom companies

4. Cheney on American heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan

Transcript of Cheney's speech:

http://blog.heritage.org/2008/01/23/cheney-calls-on-congress-to-update-fisa/

Cheney Calls on Congress to Update FISA
January 23, 2008 5:33 pm

[...] I want to thank Ed and the entire staff at Heritage for hosting me today. Heritage, of course, is one of the great centers of scholarship, policy insight, and creativity [...]

[...] Next Monday night the President will report to the House and the Senate on the State of the Union, and lay out a program for security and prosperity [...]

[...] Today I’d like to explain why it is so urgent that Congress update the FISA law effective immediately and permanently.

[...] The United States of America has not experienced a catastrophic attack since the morning of September 11th, 2001. In the days following 9/11, we had to assume that another attack was imminent. We proceeded on that basis, mobilizing against the danger, and using every legitimate tool at our command to protect the American people against another attack. It is a fact, as well, that the danger to our country remains very real, and that the terrorists are still determined to hit us. They are fanatical in their hatred.

[...] The terrorists waging war against this country don’t fight according to the rules of warfare, or international law, or moral standards, or basic humanity. And we have to be clear-eyed about the character and objective of these adversaries. They have a strategic goal to recreate the old seventh-century caliphate [...]

[...] The unfortunate aspect of the Protect America Act is a sunset provision, which makes the law expire on the first of February –- just 10 days from now. That leaves Congress only nine days in which to act to keep the intelligence gap closed. And with the day of reckoning so close at hand, we’re reminding Congress that they must act now to modernize FISA.

[...] Second, the law should uphold an important principle: that those who assist the government in tracking terrorists should not be punished with lawsuits. We’re asking Congress to update FISA and especially to extend this protection to communications providers alleged to have given such assistance any time after September 11th, 2001. This is an important consideration, because some providers are facing dozens of lawsuits right now. Why? Because they are believed to have aided the U.S. government in the effort to intercept international communications of al Qaeda-related individuals.

We’re dealing here with matters of the utmost sensitivity. It’s not even proper to confirm whether any given company provided assistance. But we can speak in general terms. The fact is, the intelligence community doesn’t have the facilities to carry out the kind of international surveillance needed to defend this country since 9/11. In some situations there is no alternative to seeking assistance from the private sector. This is entirely appropriate. Indeed, the Protect America Act and other laws allow directives to be issued to private parties for intelligence-gathering purposes.

As Attorney General Mukasey has said, “Even if you believe the lawsuits will ultimately be dismissed, as we do, the prospect of having to defend against these massive claims is an enormous burden; the companies also may suffer significant business and reputational harm” from allegations they cannot even respond to publicly. One might even suppose that without liability protection for past activities to aid the government, the private sector might be extremely reluctant to comply with future requests from the government –- even though the requests are necessary to protect American lives. That risk is unacceptable to the President. It should be unacceptable to the United States Congress. Liability protection, retroactive to 9/11, is the right thing to do. It’s the right way to help us prevent another 9/11 down the road.

[...] Most of us understand the war is real, that we need to stay on the offensive, and that we have to proceed on many fronts at the same time. And if any of us ever lacks for inspiration, we need only look to the men and women doing the toughest work of all, 6,000 or more miles from home. Virtually every day I am briefed on the progress that our troops are making in Iraq and Afghanistan. And there’s never a day that I’m not very, very proud of them.

[...] We will do our part to keep this nation safe. We will press on despite any difficulty. And we will prevail.

Thank you very much.

- - Vice President Dick Cheney

Talking Points at the RNC web site:

http://gop.com/news/NewsRead.aspx?Guid=e081a3a7-8aba-4c30-beea-c693aa4991d7

Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Congress [Has] Only Nine Days … To Keep The Intelligence Gap Closed

"[...] Fighting the war on terror is a long-term enterprise that requires long-term, institutional changes [...]"
– – Vice President Dick Cheney, 1/23/08