Letters to the Editor
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As Will Rogers once said...
"I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."
Bush was right in observing that the perception of firm beliefs (and we can debate for a long time about what has been firm, versus what's been Bush "flip-flopping") has a lot going for it -- you can't beat something with nothing, as another old saying goes.
The rule of law, checks-and-balances, basic human rights, and so forth seem like bedrock American values that can certainly be the basis on which a loyal opposition can prove its worth, indeed the necessity to elect its candidates to office. Just throw your minds back to all the stuff we learned, and presumably believe, after government & civics classes in high school -- how much of current Washington behavior gibes with THAT? Not much, I'm afraid.
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why is every post this week by Glen Greenwald?
Greenwald is a good writer, and some of his posts are excellent, but the constant criticism of the Democrats is getting a little old.
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Greenwald Is Spot On
The Republicans are so venal and corrupt that they will use EVERY vote on this and related issues as a way of demonstrating that Democrats are weak and vascillating on national security.
It doesn't matter how the Democrats vote, the Republicons are going to use the issue anyway. So why not do the strong and principled thing? Follow Bill Clinton's lead, refuse to do impressions of invertebrates and stand up to these lying and unprincipled bastards.
Filibuster this bill! The bill is not a compromise, but rather a capitulation to BushCo. In essence, here is the "agreement":
The Senate agrees not to change the language of Common Article III of the Geneva Conventions, and the White House agrees to continue violating them.
And because McCain has designs on the White House in 2008, perhaps with Lindsey Graham as VP, he'll do anything, including sacrificing his principles, to ensure that that happens.
Lord Acton put it best: "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely."
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my vote
If either of my Senators (Durbin, Obama) vote for this bill I will not vote for them in the future for ANY office.
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Disgusted
I can't even begin to articulate how disgusted I am with the democrats. They KNOW the Republican's "compromise" is wrong, and completely opposed to American Values. Yet they don't have the courage to defy the White House and mount a unified opposition. The far right is destroying our country, and yet the democrats don't have the courage to offer a reasonable alternative. Where does this leave the voters? How can the Dems mobilize their base if they can't demonstrate that they are worthy of being elected? Our government has now essentially admitted that the Bush Administration has been commiting war crimes (torture/rendition) and yet the Dems are still willing to capitulate? All I feel now is shame as an American and shame as a registered Democrat, my party has failed me.
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Hold their marshmallows to the fire Glenn
No more of all this anti-Dem ranting Glenn. Why can't we hear all the good stuff they have done this week, like where they courageously watched the television as Bill Clinton went on the attack. With all your criticism it starts to sound like you are ranting, having a melt down, or uncontrollably exploding in front of a national audience.
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It's getting old AND they deserve it
I am so frustrated reading this article. I was amazed the Republicans were going for this latest plan of Bush's. But the Democrats, too?
I will NOT be a "Good German." I will keep expressing my outrage at the crimes being done to humanity BY MY GOVERNMENT! Every day I wake up and read something worse "we've" decided to inflict on the world.
To underscore the point, Reid said this about the bill: " We want to do this. And we want to do it in compliance with the direction from the Supreme Court. We want to do it in compliance with the Constitution."
We want to do this??? OK, as long as it's in compliance with the direction from the Supreme Court, and the Constitution, who gives a flying fuck if it obliterates the Geneva Convention. What do we care that the Dems are falling into Rove's trap again? The show "24"'s popularity is practically a referendum on allowing torture (as some commentators would have you believe).
Unilaterally we stand - destroyed we will fall.
Oh yeah, don't forget the plans to attack Iran before the election! That will be a real ratings grabber!
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Possible new technique?
The situation with the wiretapping bill shows a possible new technique for a minority party to use. (At least, it seems new to me.)
It's a method similar to "denial of service" (DOS) attacks known in the internet world. If there's a deadline (such as this Friday) approaching, simply introduce many different versions of a bill, in order to tie up the Congress with overhead processes.
This would (or would have been) a way for the Dems to effectively defeat the torture bill, while at the same time preventing any easy "soft on terror" attacks that they are so (pathetically) afraid of.
But it sounds like this lesson is not being learned by the Dems, either.
*sigh*
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Painful that Democrats STILL can't figure this out
Your enemy will not cooperate with you. They will devide you than beat you up. That's all they ever do. Why can't Democrats understand?? I personally think it would be better for the Democratic party to risk all and fillibuster that bill. AT LEAST we could get the country to finally examine itself and ask itself what it REALLY believes in. What is freedom? What is democracy? You get the public asking those kinds of questions and the Democrats can't lose.
Instead, thanks to these pathetic beltway democrat strategists, the question this November will be (yet again) "Are Democrats weak on Terror?" Do Democrats actually think that by supporting this bill, the Republicans will suddenly endorse them? The Democrats do this shit, and they play right into the Republicans hand! And they fall for it over and over and over and over again!!!!
Clinton did not allow the debate to be controlled by spun urban myths, and he refused to be silent when he received ridicule from the attackers. He fought. This bill is doing everything it was designed to do, detsroy the chances of a Democratic Congress during the last 2 years of Bush's Presidency, and completely turn America into everything it used to hate.