The Democratic Congress once again puts on their “tough” faces and bends over for the failed Bush administration
The stupid ass Democrats Will. Not. Learn.
There is no vast yearning in America to allow the President the power to eavesdrop on our conversations with no warrants or oversight. There is no powerful political movement in the heartland demanding unlimited executive power. The notion is patently false that it is politically fatal to insist that eavesdropping be conducted only with warrants, or that we abide by minimal norms of civilization in how we interrogate people, or that we grants basic due process rights to people before we detain them for life.
I don’t blame the Bush administration at all for this FISA bill passing. Because what the Democratic congress has done is to say "Don’t bother to punch me in the face. I’ll hit myself, and as an added bonus I’ll stick a fork in my groin, it’s no problem."
The only thing worse than Republicans are stupid-ass Democrats doing Republican things because they’re scared Rush Limbaugh and Tim Russert might call them wusses. All this time and the Democratic leadership still refuses to grow a pair. They are so lucky that next year is a presidential election, because otherwise it would frankly be a good time to throw a lot of them out. Why vote Democratic if they’re just going to keep voting Republican?
Dude, this isn’t domestic spying, it is for calls tat go out or come in to the country and for calls that just come in on equipment in the US & go out to another caller. If somebody calls Osama from Iran to Crapistan and the satellite call uses equipment here in the US now we can listen without a warrant.
Is it because they’re scared, or because they’ll enjoy the same snooping privs when they run the White House?
Like it or not, the master for most politicians, regardless of party, is the almighty dollar. Civil liberties aren’t a big voting draw.
Well no matter what, its ultimately the Republicans fault. Those Democrats are good but weak and Rush Limbaugh and fascists like Tim Russert and THEIR ILK made ‘em do it. Poor babies. Little Candides in the state of nature.
How does Obama expect to get “actionable intelligence” so he can proceed with his Pakistan Invasion if Democratics refuse to … you know … gather intelligence?
Idiots.
Once again, they’ve allowed people like SaveFarris and Dugg to set the terms of the deabte.
For the poor ignoramus “dude” above,
FISA ALREADY ALLOWS INTERCEPTS WITHOUT A WARRANT.
The part that had Cheney’s (Not Bush, it’s gotta be Cheney who’s behind this) silk panties in a twist is the indignity of having to actually ASK a FISA judge for a warrant, even if it was 3 DAYS after the intercept was done.
We lost the media battle here: The Limbaughs, the Hannities, the Scarboroughs, the Humes, the Mark Levins all pushed the “It’s not an illegal search without a warrant, it’s America protecting you from terra” lie, KNOWING it to be a lie, but also KNOWING that if America is made scared, it gives the GOP a shot.
And OUR side never got rolling, never educated, never came up with the truth in strong enough terms.
This was not about Dem cowardice or Rethug strategy, it was a simple media and message failure.
And we have to win these battles.
Since we’re here at Redskin Central, let me put it in football terms:
Media battles are the line of scrimmage. Either our offensive line defends the line, and organizes a push forward to allow our running backs, our Dem Congress critters, to run with the ball, either it holds off the Defensive linemen from the Right long enough to get our strategists, our Reids and Pelosis the time they need to decipher the backfield defense and throw the right pass, or they don’t.
This was a sack. We have to get up off our butts, get mad, get strong, and wait for the next snap.
We can play this game. We have been on offense for a couple years now, and we’ve made some great plays for big scores.
Let’s get behind our leaders, let’s protect against the blindside blitz, let’s call some screens and traps and let’s keep making first downs and moving the markers down the field.
But our offensive line has to get better. We keep getting beat off the snap, we keep jumping offsides, we keep falling for stunts and allowing the backers to slice through and hurt our leaders.
And the reason is we lost the drafts. We have allowed people like Joe Klein, like Michael O’Hanlon, like other so-called “Liberal” media figures to continue to be part of our starting offensive line.
And they can’t do the job. They allowed swift-boating, they allowed this “The GOP is the only party who cares about your security”, they continue to carry water to the Right, continue to echo Right talking points, continue to repeat lines like “Defeatocrat” and “Cut-and-Run Democrat”.
That is our problem.
Joe Gibson knew that whoever finds the guts and will to control the line of scrimmage, whoever finds a surge forward, and pushes and beats the enemy to the next spot wins.
We have the strength. We have the will. Now we need to back the players who want to win.
Write the columnists. Write in the blogs, they all read them. Write the papers, the TV shows, the editors, the COngress critters.
The Right-wing does.
These are the trenches, people. Let’s fight, and win..
Idiots.
Once again, they’ve allowed people like SaveFarris and Dugg to set the terms of the deabte.
For the poor ignoramus “dude” above,
FISA ALREADY ALLOWS INTERCEPTS WITHOUT A WARRANT.
The part that had Cheney’s (Not Bush, it’s gotta be Cheney who’s behind this) silk panties in a twist is the indignity of having to actually ASK a FISA judge for a warrant, even if it was 3 DAYS after the intercept was done.
We lost the media battle here: The Limbaughs, the Hannities, the Scarboroughs, the Humes, the Mark Levins all pushed the “It’s not an illegal search without a warrant, it’s America protecting you from terra” lie, KNOWING it to be a lie, but also KNOWING that if America is made scared, it gives the GOP a shot.
And OUR side never got rolling, never educated, never came up with the truth in strong enough terms.
This was not about Dem cowardice or Rethug strategy, it was a simple media and message failure.
And we have to win these battles.
Since we’re here at Redskin Central, let me put it in football terms:
Media battles are the line of scrimmage. Either our offensive line defends the line, and organizes a push forward to allow our running backs, our Dem Congress critters, to run with the ball, either it holds off the Defensive linemen from the Right long enough to get our strategists, our Reids and Pelosis the time they need to decipher the backfield defense and throw the right pass, or they don’t.
This was a sack. We have to get up off our butts, get mad, get strong, and wait for the next snap.
We can play this game. We have been on offense for a couple years now, and we’ve made some great plays for big scores.
Let’s get behind our leaders, let’s protect against the blindside blitz, let’s call some screens and traps and let’s keep making first downs and moving the markers down the field.
But our offensive line has to get better. We keep getting beat off the snap, we keep jumping offsides, we keep falling for stunts and allowing the backers to slice through and hurt our leaders.
And the reason is we lost the drafts. We have allowed people like Joe Klein, like Michael O’Hanlon, like other so-called “Liberal” media figures to continue to be part of our starting offensive line.
And they can’t do the job. They allowed swift-boating, they allowed this “The GOP is the only party who cares about your security”, they continue to carry water to the Right, continue to echo Right talking points, continue to repeat lines like “Defeatocrat” and “Cut-and-Run Democrat”.
That is our problem.
Joe Gibson knew that whoever finds the guts and will to control the line of scrimmage, whoever finds a surge forward, and pushes and beats the enemy to the next spot wins.
We have the strength. We have the will. Now we need to back the players who want to win.
Write the columnists. Write in the blogs, they all read them. Write the papers, the TV shows, the editors, the COngress critters.
The Right-wing does.
These are the trenches, people. Let’s fight, and win..
I don’t think you’re going to win over the hearts and minds of Redskins fans with your talk of “Joe Gibson”. But who knows: good luck to you anyway!
Until the Democrats learn to just say “No” they are in serious danger of losing their fragile majority in Congress and may yet snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the 2008 run for the White House. I have never voted for a Republican, but I did not vote for Carter in 1980 or Clinton in 1996 because of things they did. I will not vote for a Democrat in 2008 who does not defend the Constitution of the United States and who does not have the courage to stand up to Dumbya and his henchmen. If they are too afraid to stand up to Dumbya the pundits are right–Democrats are wusses.
I’m ready, Coach! Put me in!
I’m so disappointed in Harry Mitchell. First he voted for Bush’s blank check in May, and now this.
Trying to think of what to say to him. Maybe if I send a handwritten letter and actually manage to express my disappointment eloquently rather than follow my urge just to write “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING” several dozen times someone might actually pass it on to him.
I’ve voted for the guy for some office or another in pretty much every election since I turned 18. I was, briefly, proud of my district when he beat Hayworth back in November, and even proud to be a Democrat. But now…jeez. I mean, I know Arizona’s about as red a state as they come, but…like you say, this is just nuts, politically and on general principle.
I can never tell who supposedly owns the media battle. It seems when Democrats get their tails kicked on an issue, the left immediately resorts to blaming O’Reilly, Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Joe Scarborough.
Yet, when things go your way, the same people triumphantly discuss how the right supposedly no longer ‘controls’ the media.
You cannot have it both ways and choose which way the media control wind is blowing when it suits you.
As Greenwald suggests, there may have been Democrats who voted for it because they actually support it.
That however, would be more difficult to deal with so instead you resurrect the tired notion of a conservative stranglehold on the media that emanates from the Fox News Channel, Clear Channel Broadcasting and MSNBC.
Having donated money to Democratic candidates in 2006, I get calls almost daily for more money, and I jump all over those poor volunteers. The only way to get someone’s attention is to stop paying spineless people. Now. Instantly. Every member of congress who caved to Preznit Lameduck30% should get notheing but vitriol from his/her constituents. We gave and we can take away. They work for us.
It’s important to remember that a lot of Congressional Democrats believe in President Bush’s approach, on this in particular as well as in general. That’s why we see votes like this one, and the AUMF. Sure, some Dems are afraid of looking soft on terra, but I think even more of them really do support widespread government eavesdropping.
As long as it’s done on “them”.
People don’t trust actual freedom.