Taibbi’s done a credible job and RS ought to receive accolades for giving Ron Paul lots of ink.

The sad thing is Kucinich was never seriously considered; neither was Paul. The media and the pollsters rigged this race for Rudy and Hillary.

First Rudy drops, and then, as the tidal wave sweeps over the country, Hillary will fall. Her negatives are simply too high for national electability. The people never really bought her snake oil.

Then, after Obama gets some breathing room, he’ll judiciously pursue ending the war.

C’mon Tim, no fair connecting as a ‘commenTAtor’ to defend your own cause. Not to mention laud your rag. That’s the second time, at least, you’ve trashed HRC using this Nom de plume. Give specifics. Just what has HRC done wrong? What is her ’snake oil?’

Shaking your fist and cursing the Red Baron is feckless and futile.

Good article Matt.

My first exposure to your work was when you basically told 911 truthers to piss off. I do not believe the official story that the Bush gov’t put forward. So I thought that you Taibbi were really stupid for backing the official story when you obviously had never seen a video of a plane hitting the pentagon (How many cameras?). You are a reporter who believed Bush before you believed your own eyes and what they did not see.

So I couldn’t help to notice the last line in this article “Even Americans can’t be fooled forever.”
Are you with us yet Taibbi? Or do you still believe the gov’t account of 911 and not your eyes?

With respect and kindness.

Good article Matt.

My first exposure to your work was when you basically told 911 truthers to piss off. I do not believe the official story that the Bush gov’t put forward. So I thought that you Taibbi were really stupid for backing the official story when you obviously had never seen a video of a plane hitting the pentagon (How many cameras?). You are a reporter who believed Bush before you believed your own eyes and what they did not see.

So I couldn’t help to notice the last line in this article “Even Americans can’t be fooled forever.”
Are you with us yet Taibbi? Or do you still believe the gov’t account of 911 and not your eyes?

With respect and kindness.

Think about it people: Democrats were voted into majority in House and Senate with a mandate to end the war. Hasn’t happened. On top of that, Pelosi takes impeachment OFF THE TABLE, thereby commiting dereliction of duty. And, what do WE get for it? I will say this for them though, they DO know how to delegate investigations into sub-sub-committees……

Th ink about their excuse: Bush would be on tv every five minutes….blah, blah, blah. Who gives a krap what he says or thinks? My thinking is that Pelosi didn’t want to take responsibility for it, being the first female speaker of the house. So, based on the work of the first female speaker of the house in the United States of America, what do we think the first female president would do? This argument really backs up my argument that if Clinton gets elected, nothing will change. Nothing changed with Pelosi in charge, so who’s to believe anything would change with Clinton in charge.
And, yes, Hug the Moon, we do find it very fishy that one of the most secure buildings in the known world didn’t have footage of a 727 hitting it. The amount of cameras surrounding that building can zoom in on a caterpillar but can’t find a jetliner? Maybe that’s because it wasn’t a jetliner, it was a cruise missle.

Yeah this great liberal congress is the same as the last… Repubs promised to quit spending our money and guard the borders, I voted they lied nothing changed. Now you guys know how it feels. Hope Obama’s different but coming from Chicago I don’t see it… it may actually be the only city more sleazy than NY. Payoffs to get anything done.

This is a DLC congress, which explains its spineless caving to the gop agenda. Clinton the 1st did it and the 2nd is an integral part of it. This is why we need new leadership in the congress and and in our presidential candidate.

So to sum up this article, democrats are acting like republicans. This is exactly the kind of thing that Faux News wants to hear. Way to do their job for them dems! Say, while your at it, maybe you could hold up congress to interfere in a private family affair like they did too. Or how about changing the constitution to deny a persecuted minority group equal protection under the law also. Or better yet, just claim that God is on your side by selectively reading the bible and only looking for stuff that supports your agenda.

I mean, hell, if your going to resort to their same campaign tactics, why not go all the way and do EVERYTHING the republicans do. I bet Limbaugh and company would even start shilling for you if you paid him enough. It’s not like he has any principles anyway.

Sorta like the direction you guys are going in.

Matt, great reporting–keep it up! I heard that Cindy Sheehan is challenging Pelosi for her house seat in California, is that true? It would be good to hear about that—We need to sweep out all those DLC and DSSC members. Keep up the digging. You made some good comments on Real Time/Bill Maher, too. We need more reporters like you. You show that not all journalist have sold out to the corporate media titans.

I find it astounding that most of these responses are from people who are wacked out. Even if Obama is elected he will not pull out of Iraq. It would be like signing off on the death of over a million people. Iraq is simply a battle in a War that started in WWII when the middle east was split into separate countries. No impeachment, no inside job on 911, no pulling out of Iraq or the middle east. Grow up and face reality or continue chasing your conspiracy ghosts.

exactly OldSarg

Obama wont be able to pull us out, even if he’s elected…we pull out, Iraq disintegrates, oil prices precipitously careen out of control, and we we’re right back to where we started

from a strategic point of view, the time to get out of Iraq was several years ago…we’re going to going to be there for a loooooong time (Hello Korea!)

OldSarg Have you witnessed a plane hitting the pentagon?

OldSarg: Thanks for calling me wacked out. I had no idea. But, you’ve opened my eyes with your ever-brilliant explanation of 9/11. Hope you’re nice and cuddly in your American flag blanket.
Listen to you and Merk’s reasons for needing to stay in Iraq: It will careen into mad chaos if we leave. Funny, but it wasn’t chaotic before we bombed it.

In the future, can we leave the labeling to the FDA? Label me a wacko, and I think you’re just consoling your own fears…..that America just isn’t what you think it is. Or, better yet, that you’re okay with America being an oppressive, exploitive, capitalism-spreading machine that creates more enemies than allies. At least that’s what happens when a Repubelickan is President.

Coach

the same stuff will happen if a democrat is in office as well–the Dems and the Repubs have different ways of how to rule the world, but the end result is still american dominance…the Dems will just sugar it up with terms like “diplomacy” and whatnot

Democratic presidents start problems, and republican presidents exacerbate them…Dems got us into Vietnam, Korea, and in a small way Iraq, and the Repubs kept us there

and my point about iraq is valid…sure it was “stable” before we bombed it, but unless you have a magical way back time machine, that point is moot…in the here and now, espescially if you want to keep oil at the “cheap” price of 100 bucks a barrel (just wait until we pull out too early), the lesser of two evils, espescially if you want to keep Iraq from becoming a pirate state and threatening other oil producers(notably Kuwait and Saudi Arabia), is to stay and continue to play hardball via Petraeus

like i said, we leave now, we’ll be back in a couple of years tops, if only to protect our supply of oil

Merk, how much of our oil comes from Iraq? “OUR” oil doesn’t come from there. But, American oil companies are going to be distributing it elsewhere.
But, thanks for striking fear into us by saying telling us what you ‘think’ will ‘probably’ happen if we leave Iraq. I ‘think’ the pentagon was hit by a cruise missle, and carbon emissions are ‘probably’ contributing negatively to climate change.
Go ahead and justify our actions by reminding us that we can’t turn back the clock and keep our bombs from hitting Iraq. But, the people in charge sure can be held accountable while we clean up their mess, can’t they? That, my friend, is all I want. I want the people in charge to be put to trial for what they did. Sure, we can go ahead and clean up the mess, and try to do the best we can to make things right, but with a politicized military, how can we listen to them? You want to listen to Petraeus, but that goes against all that is ‘democratic’. ‘Vote’ on legislation, but listen to ONE man when it comes to staying or leaving a country.

Merk, can we just say that we agree to disagree on everything Iraq? I’m tired of it. At least you admit that it’s all about oil, finally.

Careful Merk,

This country was giving aid to France in Viet Nam when Ike was Prez, signing the SEATO in 1954.

And we also had a treaty with South Korea we were honor bound to uphold. It wasn’t like we taunted the North Koreans to come South or anything like that.

Dennis: well said, the point being, in both wars, D and R presidents both had views of how to runs things, but they both end with America on top…from a purely strategic point of view staying is the least odious obtainable option

Coach: sure we can agree to disagree…but to clarify, i’m not worried about Iraqi oil, but the danger of a pirate Iraqi state threating Saudi or Kuwaiti oil suppliers. And, in terms of “ifs” and “probably’s”, history has shown that in a power vacuum, chaos rains; a historical inevitability if there ever was one

as for holding the leadership accountable, i wouldnt hold my breath…the Repubs arent going to go for it, and neither are the Dems, it seems

Is the illusion of prosperity enough to $ell out your principles? There are only two candidates left who, in my opionion, are agents of harmony rather than chaos, and two opportunists waiting for their chance to hold the keys to the treasurym, not to mention the voices of reason who have been made to give up their efforts, or have been effectively PR’d out of the race as cooky.

We are at a crossroads in the history of the planet. We are faced with the elimination of our way of life as we know it… which may be a good thing. The question is, will we make the transition peacefully in harmony and prosperity, or chaoticaly, violently and with destruction and misery.
The first option makes the world prosper, humanity recognizes it’s positon in the wheelwork of nature and works to protect it’s homeword, it’s heaven.
The other option leads to famine, disease, waste and decay that will allow a ‘chosen few’ to remain in power and exert their evil will upon us.
The choice is yours, do you work to sow chaos, or help to bring about harmony? Just remember, we have the power to change our world back to the paradise it once was, or continue on the bellicose path and turn the planet into the hell that has been warned about. Just remember, your breatheren are not your true enemies, the real enemy is much harder to pinpoint. You must look deeply and use your link to spirit to find the real truth.

I hope you choose a reign of harmony rather tha a rain of chaos.

(Jed Clampett)

At least you guys are touching around the right topic here… I was doing a little reading this weekend and came upon a little observation.

America has stated that it is a christian country and believes in the Power of God to create harmony and stability in the world. Yet, in it’s desires to spread capitalism, it exports a great deal of chaos. It puts weapons in the hands of those that would use them to advance their political aims and unleash misery upon their own people. This it totally contrary to the tenets of democracy and an insult to those who truly believe in Religion and it’s mission to help the earth attaint it’s freedom.

There are some of us who hold the voice of reason here, we try to look at the issue from different perspectives and then comment on the perspective we feel is more like our own, these folks are ruled by harmony. They recognize the need for unity and justice and are willing to voice their opinion on it though the forces of chaos are allied against them.

There are also those who merely parrot the point they are espoused to regardless of how absurd or proven to be false that point may be, they curse and spit venom at others who don’t hold their views and refuse to even take a second look at their position. These folks are ruled by chaos and willingly work their ‘magic’ to produce more chaos and strife.

Those who have understanding now realize that the lie has to be dismantled. That those who stole the reigns of power with the teapot dome scandal and their decendants are alive and well in our world and their way of doing things is permeating our most valued public institutions, unfortunately, these individuals have learned that money precludes accountability and have no problem making more of it by exploiting others and stealing from their own nation at a time of war.

The president is by definition the premier Law Enforcent Officer of the land. We have seen the current administrations distaste for law enforcement, accountability or truth. We’ve also witnessed their passionate espousement of bigotry, secrecy, obfuscation, suppression and outright
‘dissasembling’ (dissembling for those of you who don’t recognize the quote), as well as an ability for destruction of the english language. One with an open mind… and eye, and the power to understand has to realize that those who use those tactics are allied with the forces of chaos rather than harmony… this is clearly evidenced in the Administration and it’s chorus of parrots in the congress who support his every whim. Why do the american people allow this?

Jed,

After sex, sorry, procreation, fear is probably the primary ‘motivator’ amongst us humanoids. Those ‘in’ have long recognized both this tenet and the ability to wield it to their benefit. Not exactly a news flash and not exactly earth shattering either. But given that most of the sweaty unwashed slept-walk through high school and quickly forgot most, if not all, the lessons they learned in school (save for how to get ahead), it’s not unseemly to address this issue herein.

As we learned to nauseating levels in the second half of the 20th Century, we’re laden with all kinds of fears and psychoses. Many of us from multiple permutations of same. You have to admit that being a leader who exploits such foibles is a lot more demanding than back in the dark ages. How do you play on one group’s fear without losing the interest of another? Dilemmas, dilemmas.

Fortunately, experience has taught that if you keep the heat on the primordial fears, the others tend to fall in line. Consequently, we never lack for an enemy at the gate. Funny, isn’t it, how when one ‘enemy’ is vanquished, another mysteriously (miraculously?) appears. You have to wonder how that is. I guess it’s like Geese knowing to fly South for the Winter. Something we don’t understand but take for granted.

Another powerful ‘motivator’ that lends itself valuably to this scenario is hunger. And it segues nicely with fear. You start getting hungry and you start getting scared all at the same time. And since in this day and aged there’s not a DAMNED thing you can do, legally, to prevent hunger without a job or assistance, you look to some’one’ or some’thing’ for help. Enter our politico friends. There really was a time when they boasted a chicken in every pot. It had validity once.

I doubt it necessary to expound further on the various fears, suffice to say we have plenty and all ripe with potential. The problem for leaders becomes one of staffing the necessary scientific types to categorize all the fears, lump them into logical associations and then develop a program to prey on those fears, ensuring, of course, that overlapping is kept to a minimum. Too wasteful.

We can only thank God (??) we’re Christian. Can you imagine what a mess of it those barbarian Muslims would make of this whole matter. Far too complex for them. God, in his infinite wisdom, has seen fit that the reins (reigns? rains?, uh-oh, we’re getting close to the edge) are held firmly in the ‘right’ hands.

(Jed Clampett)

Sorry, I have to disagree because I’ve seen and kown better. Love is the greatest motivator. Fear motivates but only because we realize we have to fight or flight… and that is the reaction they are exploiting it.

When I look at the achievements of the egyptians, the way they turned a desert into the most productive lands in north africa, it’s art is quite impressive and the science and understanding of nature that their pictorial writings revea is a testament that they were driven by harmony with nature rather than chaos, brutality and strife. Once they started espousing those tactics, it eventually led to the end of that civilization.
It is not instinct, it is resonance.
They are resonating with the destroyer rather than resonating with our source. The thing is you can choose what to give resonance to… to some extent. That is why religion says we have a choice to do good, you can choose to harmonize or thrash about wildly in a chaotic state. It’s about choice.

Jed,

About a bazillion slaves died turning Egypt into an oasis. I doubt they enjoyed the fruits of the harmony you reference.

(Jed Clampett)

I wasn’t there and I didn’t see it. I know this much about the egyptians, their concept of life and God was not much different than what we say we espouse. The balance of your actions on earth will be weighed in the afterlife and that will determine your position in the next one. To enslaven and bring misery to people might just bring you back to take their place. A pyramid was suppossed to be the cannon that shot the soul back to it’s home somewhere in ORION… at least for the last pharoe, and to put negative energy into it would have tarnished their trip through the river styx. I don’t deny that they, as other civilizations, were also stricken. If they had been a little more observant and unnaccepting of chaos and deception they may not have been hijacked as well.

Careful, you are getting a picture of me. Stop that, drive it out of your mind.

(Jed Clampett)

Well, you pointed out the egyptian thing… did all the other words fall on deaf ears?

You know better’n that. I have a perfect picture of an oil-rich Peruvian (?) Okie toolin’ into downtown Beverly Hills in a Model ‘A’.

Perhaps I should work on that image some.

PS

All you write goes in one ear. Some come out the other, but that’s ’cause they were beyond my feeble brain’s capability. But not on this thread.

(Jed Clampett)

Excellent, that’s what I wanted to hear.

Peace to you my friend.

(Jed Clampett)

BTW – it’s not the brain that gets feeble, it’s the spirit that gets overloaded because we are unable to shed bad energy.

Matt,I am truly disappointed in your piece on the “spineless Democrats” in Congress. I’ll say first that I have sung your praises over on HuffPo since you first started taking the Bush “(mal)Administration apart from the corruption of the Republicans to the Abu Ghraib travesty. But, now, I am disappointed and pissed.

I knew you were a young guy but I didn’t think you were a foolish, naive young guy. The current article displays just how ignorant you are about the workings of Washington DC.

You need to know that a handful of the Democrats are clearly on “the take” just as much as most Republicans are on “the take.” And, beginning with only the slimmest of margins to justify being called a “Democrat Congress”, the True Statesmen among the Democrats in Congress have done a credible though thankless job of putting “some skids” on the single-minded former Republican Congress. There is no other honest way to judge the current picture.

I watch C-Span every day in some way or another. Most of what the Democrats are doing, day in and day out, is NOT being reported in the MSM. I guess you don’t believe that nearly all the Big Media has been bought and paid for by the Republicans, huh? Well, they have. And, except for open minded and “non-uptight” sources such as Rolling Stone, there is nearly NO ONE to beat the Democrats drum out in the hinterland. And now You’ve turned…

What if you knew that the “Right Wing Conspiracy” has been operating feverishly since the Eisenhower Administration in preparation for this day? What if you knew how close we’ve been to True Totalitarianism with the Bush-BillClinton Dynasty. It would really help if you were more supportive of the Democrats in Congress. Remember, they are ALL WE’VE GOT to stop a Right Wing King (or Queen) from killing Democracy altogether!

I want to talk to you some more sometime, but I’m just going to say that you’re really Wrong on this issue!

Brick

Brick,

Nice input. Hope you stick around and contribute. We all have something to offer and you have insight into Congress I would like to see shared.

Jed,

So it’s Bad Energy that keeps me from taking out the trash, NOT laziness? Wait until I tell my wife.

Dennis,

Thanks, Pal. I’ll be around…

Brick

(Jed Clampett)

everything is electric and electrical waves. Perhaps it’s bad energy that keeps you from seeing that letting the garbage pile up is detrimental to your health and a sign that you’re letting yourself decay. The fact that it’s bad energy does not absolve, it just says you are unable to shed it.

brick, someone needs to let them know we are paying attention and holding them accountable as well. It was up to them to put the issue on the table and present it to the american public and let their voice decide, toss the stone into the pond and see what wave develops.

Don’t forget we are still under Bushney and anything could happen between now and Jan 20th. Don’t misunderestimate their capacity to generate chaos.

I realize that the media and a great majority of large corporations are colluding with them, but the correct action for leaders is not to roll over and play dead, particularly in a time so critical to our nation. If we don’t start speaking now, we will be left with the only option the palestinians have, strapping on a bomb and making a statement. As you can see, even that has been drowned out and dissembled, instead of a desperate act by and oppressed population it is converted into a terrorist action by a hateful being. Neat how that works, huh? It’s always about choice, you can choose to listen to the lies or trust to your eyes and instincts. There’s alot more to this than meets the eye.

(Jed Clampett)

Don’t beat yourself over it though, we are all stricken to some extent or another, just notice how far removed from spirity DWM happens to be.
Perhaps a bit more than 2/3 of the world’s population is affected by now. They are all affected by the ones who have it the worst and seem to be in control of things.

Be weary my friend, the KGB is in control of Russia and doing all the things they grew up on. Here, it seems the intelligence apparatus has found it’s calling once again and is loving having a war to show themselves to be useful. Rather sad really, they would have had much better and productive results if they had been taught how to be constructive rather than destructive, pliable, loyal and just plain evil. I hope they haven’t gone back to resorting to those tactics again, but I believe they are enjoying this time in the limelight again. IMO, they need to be neutralized soon or between them and Putins gang they are gonna send this thing global.