" George Bush did the right thing after 9/11, that is, he went to Afghanistan and went after Osama BL, who was the mastermind behind 9/11 in the first place. He had the support of the country on that, and assumed he could ride on that backing to go after Saddam as well. Osama has sort of gotten lost in this picture, hasn't he? The Bush apologists have stated that Osama is irrelevant and doesn't really matter. How can the evil mastermind of the 9/11 plot be irrelevant, and Saddam, who had noting to do with 9/11 be relevant? I've read a lot of excuses for Bush's incompetence, but none really make any sense to me. Bush had two choices, Janet. He could have did like his dad, that is build a consensus for taking Saddam out or he could act like the bully and throw his weight around. In order to protect his legacy, he even has Karl Rove running around claiming that was his original intent. I guess we all saw which path he took. As the only remaining super power, one would think he had a responsiblity to act responsibly. In addition to being a bully, I think Bush is a coward and knows better than to attack Iran, knowing there is a possibility of nuclear involvement. Bush knew that even though Saddam had a massive army, his armament was limited to that of a conventional nature and was no match for the sophisticated military armament of the United States. Stated simply, bullies only pick fights they know they can win. And as far as a responsible foreign policy goes, I think we can forget about that as long as Bush has his favorite lap dog in the position of Secretary of State. Bush had the ideal person in the job with Colin Powell, but upon realizing that the Cheney, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld gang of thugs, and in Cheney's case, thieves, were really in control, bailed out. Going before the UN and making a complete fool out himself must have been too much for Powell. Who can blame him? After 9/11, Bush had the opportunity to be a great president, but by implementing the Cheney doctrine, he blew it. About the only thing that would slow this tyrant down would be impeachment, but I don't see that happening. The Democrats are acting like a bunch of total incompetents, and they too are out of step with the rest of the country. This country is crying out for leadership. Whoever inherits Bush job, has his work cut out. Hopefully, we will elect someone who can put his ego aside and put the county first for a change. "

" Steve Fraser — Iraq is an albatross that, all by itself, could sink the ship of state. At this point, there's no need to rehearse the polling numbers that register the no-looking-back abandonment of this colossal misadventure by most Americans. No cosmetic fix, like the "surge," can, in the end, make a difference -- because large majorities decided long ago that the invasion was a fiasco, and because the geopolitical and geo-economic objectives of the Bush administration leave no room for a genuine Iraqi nationalism which would be the only way out of this mess. The fatal impact of the President's adventure in Iraq, however, runs far deeper than that. It has undermined the politics of fear which, above all else, had sustained the Bush administration. According to the latest polls, the Democrats who rate national security a key concern has shrunk to a percentage bordering on the statistically irrelevant. Independents display a similar "been there, done that" attitude. Republicans do express significantly greater levels of alarm, but far lower than a year or two ago. In fact, the politics of fear may now be operating in reverse. The chronic belligerence of the Bush administration, especially in the last year with respect to Iran, and the cartoonish saber-rattling of Republican presidential candidates (whether genuine or because they believe themselves captives of the Bush legacy) is scary. Its only promise seems to be endless war for purposes few understand or are ready to salute. "

" """There are international treaties out there aimed at lowering the proliferation of these dangerous weapons but our government refuses to participate""".....it's the "do as i say" attitude this corrupt fascist administration has always taken with the "poor stepchildren" of this world. i some warped illogical way, i think this what cheney and bush 41 see as the last great hope for their "new world order". put the idiot son in the oval office and let him watch baseball while we get back at trying to become the rulers of the world. screw the peasant middle and lower class americans. we're nothing more that cannon fodder who don't need civil rights or liberties. "

" Early Bird and Question: You boys seem to have it all figured out (LOL) ambiguities and all. Your contributions here would be more meaningful if you would offer some realistic, positive solutions to the problems you continue to dwell upon – other than ‘replace Bush’, which is going to happen anyway in about 13 months. If you were running things, what would you do? //// By the way, after Bush, we’ll still have the War on Terror, a war he didn’t start. After Bush, we’ll still have illegal immigrants invading our nation. We’ll still have out of control spending in DC. We’ll still have a corrupt federal income tax code. We’ll still be killing a million unborn children every year. We’ll still have unmarried teens having babies. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid will still be heading towards bankruptcy. Iran will still be working on (separate) uranium enrichment programs and ballistic missile development programs. We'll still be dependent on foreign oil, and we'll still be dependent on foreign investment to fuel our economy. Wow, it's a complicated world, isn't it? Is your solution to take a step back to simpler times, to the isolationist nation of the 1930’s? "

" Gringa, if you would turn of Fox Noise and find out what's really going on, there are many answers to your questions. First, there have been MANY different ideas about Iraq. Bush won't listen to any of them other than "stay the course". Many of those ideas came from the Republicans. Second, teens have been getting pregnant since the dawn of man, sex education is the answer, then abortions won't be necessary. Third, the war on terror is a propeganda stunt that the neocons use for never ending war. You are more likely to get blugeoned to death by another American who's had a bad day. and last, 16 of the US's intelligence gathering units have ALL AGREED that Iran has no nuclear weapons program. But you want to bomb them anyway? Why? Because Fox Noise says it's the right thing to do? Think for yourself and stop listening to the war mongers. If you're so intent on war, the recruiting office has some paperwork for you. "

" gringa wrote on Dec 10, 2007 9:31 AM: " Early Bird and Question: You boys seem to have it all figured out (LOL) ambiguities and all. Your contributions here would be more meaningful if you would offer some realistic, positive solutions to the problems you continue to dwell upon – other than ‘replace Bush’, which is going to happen anyway in about 13 months. If you were running things, what would you do? //// By the way, after Bush, we’ll still have the War on Terror, a war he didn’t start. After Bush, we’ll still have illegal immigrants invading our nation. We’ll still have out of control spending in DC. We’ll still have a corrupt federal income tax code. We’ll still be killing a million unborn children every year. We’ll still have unmarried teens having babies. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid will still be heading towards bankruptcy. Iran will still be working on (separate) uranium enrichment programs and ballistic missile development programs. We'll still be dependent on foreign oil, and we'll still be dependent on foreign investment to fuel our economy. Wow, it's a complicated world, isn't it? Is your solution to take a step back to simpler times, to the isolationist nation of the 1930’s? ..........and we'll be 9 trillion in debt, with fewer personal freedoms, no credibility..thanks to one man's administration. "

" Janet - it's interesting that basically no one in the international community believes this report. In fact, there's been a collective "huh?" Event the UN has admitted the US's intelligence report contradicts what they believe to be true. Also, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, others are scratching their heads and basically saying, "are you guys insane?" Israel has stated this report is tantamount to the US looking away while know about Auschwitz all along (i.e., FDR purposely not bombing it when he knew it was a death factory). Interesting. Israel, in practically its next breath, has stated they're ready to be serious about the peace process, an about face from last week. At the same time, America and Iraq are negotiating to reduce the US troop presence in Iraq to about 50,000 by the end of Bush's term. --- It looks to me that Bush may be manipulating the intelligence. He's manipulating it to threaten Israel and Saudi Arabia, et al, with pulling all support against stopping Iran unless they form a lasting peace. The next 12 months should be really interesting, but I don't see a US strike against Iran in that time frame... an Israeli one maybe, but not US. Bush will leave that for the next President to figure out. "

" Uh, excuse me, Becky. Now, slowly close your jaws and you may notice your comprehension level rising rapidly. Gringa didn't say anything about Fox and he certainly didn't say anything about bombing Iran! Yes, everyone knows teens have been getting pregnant for a long time but it's never been the social epidemic it is today and it's never had such an economic impact on the rest of us. Come on, you already knew that, didn't you? And yes, Dorothy, er Becky, the War on Terror is all a figment of OBL's imagination, isn't it? And when he says he wants to kill you, he's just kidding, isn't he? In fact, Bush and Cheney are making those fake OBL video tapes, aren't they? //// Thanks for the tip on the recruiter's office, but you're too late. I've already been there, 41 years ago, along with both of my brothers. Two of my four kids signed up, as well as my son-in-law. But, hey, just in case we missed something, why don't you tell us all about the pride you felt serving in the military? Please, tell us your war stories. "

" "...and we'll be 9 trillion in debt, with fewer personal freedoms, no credibility ...thanks to one man's administration." Thanks, bob. Hmmm, I guess you forgot to say that the Treasury was adversely affected with a little help from 535 members of Congress. Can you imagine what the debt would have been without Bush's tax cuts? And our freedoms are actually very much alive (When was the last time your library card was subpoenaed? Did you forget the leftist scare rhetoric on that one?). The Kerry’s and Murtha’s and Biden's of the world and movies such as Michael Moore’s "Sicko" have created whatever image problems we have abroad. I’ve never heard Bush utter a word of condemnation of the USA, but I’ve heard those other jokers make plenty of un-American statements to the rest of the world. With citizens like that, who needs enemies? You forgot to mention that, right? "

" On June 5, 2006, the Muckraker Report contacted the FBI Headquarters, (202) 324-3000, to learn why Bin Laden’s Most Wanted poster did not indicate that Usama was also wanted in connection with 9/11. The Muckraker Report spoke with Rex Tomb, Chief of Investigative Publicity for the FBI. When asked why there is no mention of 9/11 on Bin Laden’s Most Wanted web page, Tomb said, “The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Usama Bin Laden’s Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11.”....FBI's own words! Bin Laden said he didn't do it and YES THE TAPES WERE FAKES! Have you ever seen one? Step away from the kool aid, have some coffee and turn OFF Fox Noise. You may wake up from your brain washing. "

" attainedage wrote on Dec 10, 2007 2:19 PM:Yes, everyone knows teens have been getting pregnant for a long time but it's never been the social epidemic it is today and it's never had such an economic impact on the rest of us. Come on, you already knew that, didn't you?.........................it's an epidemic due to the bush administration's big "abstinence" program...so far it's gone about as well as his war on terror. "

" Doh wrote on Dec 10, 2007 3:51 PM:.....I’ve never heard Bush utter a word of condemnation of the USA, but I’ve heard those other jokers make plenty of un-American statements to the rest of the world. With citizens like that, who needs enemies? You forgot to mention that, right? "......you've certainly not kept up with the current events. and no has accused monkeyboy of verbally bashing the U.S., he doesn't have to, his policies have brought this country to it's knees. "

" sorry....i meant gringa wrote on Dec 10, 2007 3:51 PM:.... "

" How has the US been brought to its knees, exactly? And which civil rights are you missing? Free speech? lol. -- Yeah, Bush is another of a long line (since FDR) of Imperial Presidents, but you have to admit, with record high energy prices, good economic growth, and record low unemployment, (even reasonably low teen pregnancy rates), all during a credit-financed war and in the post-Internet bubble and 9/11 inspired recession, things could be a lot worse. And with both liberals and conservatives bashing his "help the sub-prime mortgage/foreclosure" crisis, that tells me it's probably right down the middle of the road and the right thing to do. Not bad for a chimp. "

" forget that bush lied about the reasons for putting our sons and daughters in harm's way in iraq...and forget that he sent 140,000 troops there with bull's-eyes on their backs, then dared their attackers to bring it on. it was the height of irresponsibility to have done so in the middle of a war on al qaida, the real and proven threat to america. bush diverted those troops and other resources...including intelligence assets, translators and hundreds of billions of tax dollars from the hunt for osama other al qaida leaders along the afghan-pakistan border. that's inexcusable, and bush supporters with any intellectual honesty and concern for their own families' safety should be mad as hell about it. "

" Collatine wrote on Dec 10, 2007 4:57 PM: " How has the US been brought to its knees, exactly?....well let's see going from a budget surplus to borrowing 9 trillion from china for a bogus war built on lies. just think about what china can and will do to us...what would a fluctuation in currency mean? they OWN us. "

" Calm down, fb. You say: 'just think about what china can and will do to us...' I can't figure out if you're a scaredy cat or just a lefty trying to spread fear in our nation. Hey, aren't you trying to do what you accuse Bush of doing, you know, the fear mongering thing? //// Becky, the 'kool aid' expression beongs to our (Bill O'Reilly) side. Why are you using it? Ah-ha! You watch FNC? //// I don't understand why you lefties are so upset. Bush will be gone in 13 months, and Oprah and Osama, er, I mean, Obama will come to your rescue (Southern accents and all). Or, even better, Hill-n-Bill. Oh, I can't wait for this one. LOL! "

" fb - they own us? The Chinese GDP is 16% that of the US. We hold more power over them than they do us...our fates are linked. If they would monkey around with the debt they hold, it would surely be painful to us, but our economic retaliation would be fatal to them (can you say, "food supply"?) China's biggest fear is to grow its economy at a brisk enough pace, so as to provide adequate economic opportunities -and food - for the massive rural population that is surging to those massive cities. While a showdown with China may be inevitable in the next 20 or 30 years, especially over oil, they can hardly bring us to our knees today. In fact, to face the China of the future and its insatiable desire for oil, maybe we should have a long range plan for securing the world's oil supply in the Middle East. Oh wait, Bush has that, huh! That said, financing and fighting a war with debt - especially a war to secure our energy supply, is dangerous, I absolutely agree with you there. Our military budget is greater than the rest of the world's combined and not including the current war... somewhat excessive considering our debt, agree? (What's an Empire to do?) BUT, that hardly means Bush has eroded our civil rights or brought us to our knees. "

" Probably shouldn't expect a response from fb today, Collatine, at least not until Early Bird or Question tells him what to say. Have you noticed that even when any of them do respond, they seldom address real issues? "

" My oh my, as usual, gringa seems to be confused again. I believe it's the right wing wacko side that always talks from the same sheet of paper. Don't give us credit for something that your side has perfected. Listen to the right wing loonies on the radio, and the Faux news outfit and its the same story coming out of all of their mouths, daily. Of course people like gringa don't see it, and he probably really believes Faux news is fair and balanced. Father bob doesn't need me, or The Question, gringa, as he seems to be doing pretty well on his own. But wait, I'll bet father bob, The Question and myself have some sort of a secret code set up and are sending each other coded messages through their posts, telling each other what to say, right gringa? Should we let Becky in on the secret? Since the fall of the Soviet Union, you right wingers seem to have a new boogie man hiding under your bed, now its the Democrats. While listening to gringa's hero bloviating (sorry gringa, that one belongs to you guys too), and drug addicted felon, yesterday, one of his callers was saying that those who criticize this administration are traitors, and should be shot. What do you think, gringa? Is that how most of the rest of you wackos really think? And about that comment I made about Bush not having much concern about finding Osama BL, any thoughts? Neither Bush, or his apologists, such as gringa, want to discuss the mastermind of 9/11, why is that? I guess it's because they are too busy trying to justify the war on Iraq. The best they can do is call names and continue to push the false idea that those who oppose this fascist like administration have not offered any other solutions. In fact they have pushed this idea for so long that they believe it. Lastly, gringa, is Bush's lack of conviction and desire for tracking down Osama BL a real enough issue for you? Before you answer, remember your talking points, that is, Bush doesn't care about Osama BL because he is irrelevant in the war on terror, right? Let's hear your spin on that one. Hey father bob, jjer f778 ttoHHe m= tho7^544Her Ue6%$4c "

" Regarding the question on national debt, I have 3 questions for gringa:(1)which party has been in control for most of Bush's two terms, (2) How many spending bills has Bush vetoed? (3) whose spending record did Bush break? These seem like pretty straight forward questions, so how about some straight forward answers? And for Becky, thanks for the term Fox Noise, I like that better than Faux news, so if you don't mind, I will be using that term from now on when I mention the Republican news channel. I will be anxiously awaiting to hear gringa's answers to my my very simple questions, without a lot of spin of course, ha ha. "

" I believe Israel has better intelligence that the NIE report. Israel: Forget U.S. intel, Iran nukes at full speed Official cites 'incriminating information,' rips American report as 'politically charged' http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59120 "

" gringa wrote on Dec 10, 2007 10:16 PM: " Probably shouldn't expect a response from fb today, Collatine, at least not until Early Bird or Question tells him what to say. Have you noticed that even when any of them do respond, they seldom address real issues? ".......EB..///749^8qq2br(~ "

" All you right wingers seem to be able to do these days is attack a president who's been out of office this century. Why don't you defend your ideal Republican president, Mr. Bush? You always used to tell us how he was a great leader who was smarter than all the smart guys, and was somebody everyone would love to have a beer with, despite the fact that he's an alcoholic. Tell us how he'd have loved to have been able to demonstrate his great courage in combat in Vietnam, but they just wouldn't let him, darn it. Tell us how heroic he was as he sat paralyzed in a children's classroom when the U.S. was attacked, and when he flew around the country all that day in a panic, hiding. Tell us how every time his daddy's Saudi pals had to bail out one of his failed business ventures, it was always somebody else's fault. Tell us how the disastrous civil war caused by his stupid, immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq is always going to be somebody else's fault, too — Petraeus's now, maybe? Tell us how no American has to worry about Bush's intelligence agents spying on them, as long as they have nothing whatsoever to hide. Tell us how he always says what he means and means what he says, even when he doesn't and even when no one can understand what he's saying, because it's so astoundingly stupid. Tell us how God speaks through him. Tell us again, please. Pretty please. I just love a good fairy tale. "

" odd that the neocon rightwing moral majority have let this banana man make liars out of them all, and they think it's still appropriate to take this lunatic at his word...pretty sad. "

" i find it hilarious that with all this surge talk, very few mention the $380.00 per month the US military is paying iraqi civilians to patrol their own streets. EB&Q hui9y2%&$@vb "

" Have you heard about the latest military base being set up just 4 miles from Iran's bordor? http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=565137625348178038 "

" I have a few questions. What happens when the Surge of troops in Iraq are withdrawn? Will Iraqi’s continue to stand up against violence? Will they do it without the U.S. having to pay them money? VP Cheney predicts a "remarkable success story by 2009", does this mean our troops will be home by the end of 2008? Lastly, if this surge of an additional 30,000 troops saved as many lives as the military and the White House are now claiming – just imagine how many lives could have been saved if President Bush had sent the right amount of troops in the beginning, as his now fired General suggested, or even, if Bush had ‘changed his strategy earlier – but refused to admit the need to do so’ as the Democrats have been demanding since back in 2004? Imagine the lives that would have been lost if Democrats had adhered to the Republican Party’s view – Don’t criticize the President in a time of War. Coonsey's View: www.freewebs.com/coonsey/ "

" OK, Early Bird, I'll directly answer your questions. National debt: (1) rhetorical question. (2) How many spending bills has Bush received from the new Congress? (3) another rhetorical question, but I'll answer anyway. I'll bet you're referring to Clinton's spending record, but Presidents don't create spending bills, Congress does (and justices who insist on legislating from the bench). Also, please keep in mind that we’ve been waging a War on Terror (at great cost) since 9/11, or at least some of us have. //// If you go back and study the course of conservative posts on these threads over the last several years, you’ll discover that Bush is losing credibility with his base (except in the areas of national defense and tax policy). And if you go back to study those same posts again, you’ll discover that the Republican Congress lost almost all credibility with their base (ergo the election results in 2006). This being said, the answer for next November isn’t to vote for Democrats, unless Zell Miller would agree to run. He was one of the last of the few American Statesmen to serve in our nation’s capital. //// If you want to be taken seriously on here, EB, you have to move away from the non-thinking extreme left or right positions. I think most of the folks following these posts (I wonder how many actually do) are tired of hearing the same old tunes from the left and the right. Don't you think it's time to find some common ground and move forward? Hey, here's an example. I listen to Glen Beck on CNN. "

" Paul Craig Roberts — That Feinstein, Specter, Jon Kyl, and other US senators think it is "worth considering" for Congress to overturn habeas corpus, the greatest bulwark against tyranny, indicates how much the US constitutional tradition has been lost. The importance of the case seems to be completely over the heads of the media, who appear to be looking for a technical solution that permits people accused without evidence to be held forever. The American press apparently believes that the US government can make no mistake or behave improperly and that the detainees, actually comprise, in Senator Kyl's words, "a danger to our troops." It is a "danger" that the Bush regime has been unable to prove even with torture and secret evidence. Half of the detainees have had to be released. According to news reports, the regime has been able to create cases against only 14 of those remaining. After all the years of illegal detention, harsh treatment, and denial of access to attorneys, the Bush regime has come up with 14 cases, and they are probably fabricated. Where is the rule of law when hundreds of people can have years stolen from their lives? It is uncertain how the court will decide the case. Bush's solicitor general has told the justices that they should trust the executive branch to correctly balance "the interests of the prisoners" with the administration's ability to "prosecute the global war on terror." In other words, it is Waco all over again. The executive branch runs roughshod over the US Constitution and then demands, "trust us," which means don't take away any of the illegitimate power that the executive branch has claimed and exercised or hold anyone accountable for abusing executive power. "

" a list for bush's 'legacy'....""1. Tax cuts leading to massive, unprecedented deficits 2. Preemptive wars against non-aggressive nations 3. Sanctioning of torture 4. De-regulation of environment protections 5. Weakening of the separation of church and state 6. Exempting the gun industry from lawsuits 7. Weakening of individual privacy protections 8. Rejection of international organizations - U.N., World Court, etc. 9. Increased hatred of the U.S.A. in Islamic countries 10. Increase in terrorist attacks since 9/11 11. Neglect of poverty in the U.S.A. and abroad 12. Shifting the tax burden from wealthy corporations and individuals to wage earners 13. Reducing (hoping to abolish) estate taxes thus creating "a permanent aristocracy" in America 14. Furthering anti-intellectualism - a president who admittedly does not read and is embarrassingly inarticulate 15. Increased military spending; hostility to spending for social services 16. Increased number of Americans without health care 17. Rejection of minimum wage increases - five consecutive years 18. Applying the principle of awarding lucrative contracts to crony companies without competitive bidding 19. Attempts to privatize Social Security 20. Four consecutive years of increases in the percentage of Americans living in poverty"" "

" That's right, father bob, keep on going, going, going, ... kind of like a worn out energizer bunny. Don't you get it, realistically Bush is history? With 13 months to go, and with such low approval ratings, he's not a threat, 'bob'. As to the tax cuts leading to massive blah, blah, blah, if it hadn't been for the tax cuts, we'd really have a debt problem today. "

" gringa wrote on Dec 11, 2007 5:17 PM: " That's right, father bob, keep on going, going, going, ... kind of like a worn out energizer bunny. Don't you get it, realistically Bush is history?""".......you don't think in 13 months he can't think of more ways to undermine the country? he's like a bad 2 year old in a toystore. and sad thing is, he looks at the world in much the same way. and besides...you guys are still moaning about a BJ 8 years after the fact, so cut us lefties a bit of leeway. "

" Hey, bob, get a grip. I didn't say anything about Clinton trying to create a diversion from the Monica story by bombing the aspirin factory. But I did expect you to comment on my statement about how high the debt would be if Bush had not pushed for the tax cut when he did. By the way, just in case you don't understand the math, because Bush cut taxes, gross tax revenue took a significant increase. The only problem was that the (Republican) Congress spent the damned money (and Bush let them). PLEASE, retreat from your leftist fringe and join your fellow Americans in the main stream. You're sounding like a knee-jerk idiot. "

" Hey, father bob. Do you get the feeling gringa is trying to steer the conversation away from Bush? Wonder why that is? Did you also notice how he answered EB's questions. Or should I say, didn't answer them? Seriously fb, I still have my secret decoder ring from my Captain Marvel days, so I can I join in on the secret message game where you, Question and EB get to tell each other what to post? Here's a sample of my work: kk: Rnei *& : 88 &995h3, how's that, and do I qualify? "

" Coonsey, you might as well give up on getting any of the right wingers to visit your site. For the most part, I think they are afraid of visiting a venue where people take off the gloves and are allowed to go at it. This is a much safer venue for those spineless weenies, especially the one who goes by a feminized name. "

" Obviously gringa wimped out of your questions, EB. So I'll give it a stab. (1)The REPUBLICANS (2) NONE (and I noticed old wimpy only wanted to talk about the new congress, and not the congress that was in control for the first 4 years of Bush's reign) (3) RONALD REAGAN, certainly not Bill Clinton who ran deficits toward the end of his very successful terms. These are facts, and I'll leave the spin for gringa. "

" Aw, gheeze, Dohbaugh. Is that all you got? Name calling? Spineless weenies, feminized name? Care to join the real men now in an earnest effort to reunite our nation? You can do that, you know, right here on this local website. Do you have what it takes to provide some political commentary that doesn't dwell on disrespect for the highest office in our land? "

" Way to go Janet! Awesome letter and 100% accurate! This is already stirring up the crazies on this blog. "

" Trying to change the subject, huh? And as a reminder, I said no spin, but even with the spin your answers were pretty anemic. "

" Ooooohhhh Gringa! Disrepsect of our highest office? Let me ask you, do you really believe that after the last two idiot Presidents we should respect the office? If so, then go on with your bad self and admire the simps who pull your strings. Otherwise, ya, you go ahead and work to bring some democracy to the local level, you Founding Father you! "

" gringa wrote on Dec 11, 2007 7:58 PM: " Aw, gheeze, Dohbaugh. Is that all you got? Name calling? Spineless weenies, feminized name? Care to join the real men now in an earnest effort to reunite our nation? You can do that, you know, right here on this local website. Do you have what it takes to provide some political commentary that doesn't dwell on disrespect for the highest office in our land? "........kinda reeks of Doh....he'd always opt "for the common good" angle when out of bullets. "

" gringa wrote on Dec 11, 2007 6:04 PM:..But I did expect you to comment on my statement about how high the debt would be if Bush had not pushed for the tax cut when he did.""".......i just listen to people like Alan Greenspan....remember this little comment from september?.... The former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan has said President George W Bush pays too little attention to financial discipline. In a book to be published next week, Mr Greenspan says Mr Bush ignored his advice to veto "out-of-control" bills that sent the US deeper into deficit. And Mr Bush's Republicans deserved to lose control of Congress in last year's elections, he charges. Mr Greenspan, 81, stepped down last year after nearly 19 years in the post. In The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, Mr Greenspan - who has described himself as a "lifelong libertarian Republican" - spares no criticism of the Republican party. He writes that he advised the White House to veto some bills to curb "out-of-control" spending at the time Republicans controlled Congress. President Bush's failure to do so "was a major mistake", he said. "Little value was placed on rigorous economic policy debate or the weighing of long-term consequences," he says of the Bush administration. And he charges that Republicans in Congress "swapped principle for power" and "ended up with neither". "They deserved to lose." Mr Greenspan retired in early 2006 after serving under six US presidents - either as Federal Reserve chairman or chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. He now runs a private consulting company - and is an honorary adviser to the UK government. "

" Ernest Partridge - Although we are too close in time to realize it, last week may have marked the beginning of the downfall of Bushism - the fatal loosening of the centripetal Bushevik grip - as senior intelligence officials from sixteen federal agencies finally stood their ground and said to Bush and Cheney, and to the world, "no more! - we will no longer validate your lies and be complicit in your war crimes!" When, prior to the invasion of Iraq in March, 2003, the Bush regime was determined to "fix" the facts and intelligence to fit the pre-determined policy, the intelligence apparatus complied, suppressing the compelling evidence that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and was in no way involved in the attacks of 9/11, 2001. Then followed an illegal war and occupation in Iraq, the violation of the Nuremberg and Geneva Conventions, the looting of the U.S. Treasury, and the deaths of a million innocent Iraqis and four thousand American soldiers and still counting. An attack on Iran, equally illegal and unjustified, would possibly have even more drastic consequences. The military Joints Chiefs of Staff are reportedly opposed to the attack, along with career officials in the State Department and the CIA. But who will prevent an attack on Iran? The Bush administration owns the courts and the media. The Democratic Congress, elected to end the Iraq fiasco, refuses to do so. Neither will the Congress support a resolution to refuse funding of an attack on Iran. That leaves the intelligence agencies and their primary weapon, the plain facts and the evidence that supports them. "

" Bob, did you not read my earlier post? I said "The only problem was that the (Republican) Congress spent the damned money (and Bush let them)." Do you have some kind of personal agenda to disagree with anyone who doesn't reside on the left fringe of politics? "

" "Your contributions here would be more meaningful if you would offer some realistic, positive solutions to the problems you continue to dwell upon – other than ‘replace Bush’, which is going to happen anyway in about 13 months." ------ Man, I just love you fascists. You've spent the last seven years blaming every one of Bush's massive screw-ups and crimes on Bill Clinton, and now you say Bush's failures are all old news - even though he's STILL PRESIDENT for another year! You fascists crack me up. "

" gringa wrote on Dec 12, 2007 2:01 PM: " Bob, did you not read my earlier post? I said "The only problem was that the (Republican) Congress spent the damned money (and Bush let them)." Do you have some kind of personal agenda to disagree with anyone who doesn't reside on the left fringe of politics? ".............well gringa can't you read?.>>>>>>>>>Mr Greenspan says Mr Bush ignored his advice to veto "out-of-control" bills that sent the US deeper into deficit...and..>>>>>"Little value was placed on rigorous economic policy debate or the weighing of long-term consequences," he says of the Bush administration.....it all starts and ends with the psychotic simian. "

" Oh Gringa, it must be tough being you. "

" It looks like someone needs to stick a fork in gringa, cause he's done. "

" Gringa has straightened all of us out, so now he over on some of the other threads straightening them out now. "

" Dohbaugh, I'm sorry if I've come across as being some kind of authoritarian father figure to you. Let's just try to be friends from now on. Don't be ascared, OK? "

" OK, but only if you will define ascared for me. "

" Oh, come on, Dohbaugh, please don't tell me you never used that term as a kid. It means 'afraid', dummy. I didn't spend my early years in Mattoon. Maybe no one used 'ascared' when you were growing up. Hmmm, maybe we have a cultural difference. LOL. "

" You miskeyed and you know it. You right wingers can never admit an error, can you? You make a good Republican. "

" Looks like dohbaugh needs to tweek his meds. His obsessive-compulsive disorder is really getting out of hand lately. Can you imagine living next door to this guy. I'll bet his family has locked him up in the tool shed with his computer and his "I hate Bush/Komada" signs. "

" I like the fact that you know who has chosen to post under multiple names, because it makes it look like I have more than one groupie. Given my multiple personality disorders and all, I really need that, Thanks man. "

" Who knows, oh poster of multiple names, perhaps I am your neighbor. Better start pulling your blinds down, before you hide under your bed, you know, with your paranoia and all. "

" hmmmmm Dohbaugh posted yesterday morning using a capital D then later using a small d in his name. You need to watch that when you're logging in under different names dohbaugh. Some of the slow people in here might not have caught on to your many name changes yet. "

" Big mouth strike again. "

" HillaryHatesObama wrote on Dec 14, 2007 11:52 AM: """""Looks like dohbaugh needs to tweek his meds. His obsessive-compulsive disorder is really getting out of hand lately. Can you imagine living next door to this guy. I'll bet his family has locked him up in the tool shed with his computer and his "I hate Bush/Komada" signs. """""........and your point is what exactly? he's a closet republican? i think you need to try another tactic there HHO. "

" Father bob, this is the multi-named poster's 15 minutes of fame. "

" Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 17, 2007 6:32 PM: " Father bob, this is the multi-named poster's 15 minutes of fame. "......yeah Doh making a lame attempt at being humorous. "

" I don't think so fb, there has been a complete lack of cut and paste messages coming from him. I think this moron is new to the site. "

" Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 18, 2007 5:41 PM: " I don't think so fb, there has been a complete lack of cut and paste messages coming from him. I think this moron is new to the site. "......ah.. a new varmint. "

" More Control for the Fascist Bush Administration.....now you won't have a choice in what you hear unless this is overturned.........The Federal Communications Commission has, as expected, voted along party lines to approve the demand of Rupert Murdoch and other communications-industry moguls for a loosening of limits on media monopolies in American cities. Now, the real fight begins. There was never any doubt that FCC chair Kevin Martin, a Bush-Cheney administration appointee and acolyte, would lead the two other Republican members of the commission to a 3-2 endorsement of a move to begin dismantling the historic "newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership" ban which has long served as the only barrier to the buying by one powerful individual or corporation of newspapers, television and radio stations and other media outlets in a community. Martin's move, while very much in line with the Bush's administration's radical pro-corporate agenda, goes against every signal the FCC has gotten from Congress, which is responsible for establishing regulations regarding the ownership of the public's airwaves. "The FCC has never attempted such a brazen act of defiance against Congress," argued Adelstein, in a passionate condemnation of the commission's actions. "Like the Titanic, we are steaming at full speed despite repeated warnings of danger ahead. We should have slowed down rather than put everything at risk." The response to that risk must come from Congress. Before the vote, 26 members of the Senate -- a quarter of the chamber's members -- notified the commission that they would "immediately move legislation that will revoke and nullify the proposed rule." The senators making that promise are the key players on communications policy in the chamber, including Commerce Committee chair Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and the vice chairman of that committee, Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. So they can make the move. But they will need the full and aggressive support of Democratic leaders in the Senate and House to push back with the force necessary to counter an expected veto by President Bush. This is one fight where citizen action will matter. Key Republicans such as Stevens and Mississippi's Trent Lott, the party's number two man in the Senate, are in complete support of the move to overturn the FCC vote. It is possible to build a broad coalition. But there can be no wavering by the Democrats on this front. Indeed, they must make this a national issue. And the way to do that is by talking it up where it cannot be ignored. All four Democratic senators who are seeking the presidency signed the letter pledging to revoke and nullify the FCC decision. Now, New York's Hillary Clinton, Illinois' Barack Obama, Connecticut's Chris Dodd and Delaware's Joe Biden need to put the issue of media monopoly front and center in Iowa and New Hampshire. Of course, they can and will talk about other issues. But if they are not talking about the fundamental threat to diversity of media ownership in American communities and the country as a whole, they will be failing to use the most powerful bully pulpit in the fight against the monopoly on communication that represents the single greatest threat to the battered democratic discourse of a country where the public's right to know cannot take this hit and survive. "