Comments Posted By ed
Displaying 31 To 40 Of 205 Comments
BLOOMBERG BOLTS GOP - PREPARES FOR VANITY PRESIDENTIAL RUN
If a mayor of New York City running for President is a vanity run, does that include Rudy's run as well?
While agreeing that making robber baron money is not a prequisite for being an effective politician, it is surely as valuable as not completely tripping over yourself in a time of serious crisis, per Mayor Nagin. That is Rudy's national claim to fame.
Comment Posted By ed On 20.06.2007 @ 15:29
DO THEY STILL TEACH PATRIOTIC SONGS TO KIDS?
Thank you for these great song memories. Those of us of a "certain age" remember these being played in school on a regular basis, and feeling pride in our country. On this Flag Day, I wonder if school kids routinely recite the Pledge of Allegiance? Going against the grain of my usual comments, educators are far too liberal to help our kids find solid values and patriotism.
Comment Posted By ed On 14.06.2007 @ 12:37
Whether we are at war or not depends on the definition of war. If war means one nation declaring hostilities on another nation with the intention of conquering that nation, then we are not at war. If war means an effort using all means possible to defeat an ideology and it's ideologues that have damaged our nation and continue to threaten the safety and well being of our nation, then we are at war.
It would appear that the only logical conclusion from examining the facts is that the second definition is in play and we are it that type of war. We can argue about the conduct of this war, but only a fool or a politician (redundant?) could not see that this is a real war America is involved in.
Comment Posted By ed On 12.06.2007 @ 10:11
HBO'S "BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE" A KEEPER
Darn. Just when I was finally ready to write you off, you write something like this. Simply brilliant. It really IS possible to be a compassionate conservative. As you may know, Jared Diamond also wrote "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed." This is a wonderful treatise of both modern and ancient societial failures and successes and explanations for them. Must reading for any informed person.
Comment Posted By ed On 6.06.2007 @ 16:18
I am unaware of ever saying the terrorists and insurgents match up in any way with the U.S. military. I would be glad to explain the elephant/gnats analogy if you do not understand it. The inability to control these folks is the bitch slapping I was referring to, and it is not the fault of the U.S. military, it is the fault of George Bush.
Tell you what. I'll accept the ignorant label for the trucks comment if you will do the same for this gem, "The performance of our troops has nothing to do with Bush." If civilian leadership does not impact troop performance, then perhaps the whole concept of Commander-in-Chief was a stupid idea by our Founding Fathers.
Since you know about me, you also know I admire your writing and thinking. Your only flaw is that you cannot deal with arguments that do not derive from the premises you use. When a different premise arises, you resort to name calling. The conservative world view is not the only legitimate one.
Comment Posted By ed On 4.06.2007 @ 13:03
Well, thank you Rick for the personal insults, something you claim to never do.
The United States military has been unable to control the insurgency; it continues to disrupt life in Iraq severely. The Toyota truck reference is an acknowledgement that we are NOT fighting an organized army, but guerillas who use minimal weaponry, including transportation, to keep American forces off guard and unable to quell their activities over these many years. (The news footage of these folks driving around in little pickups is not hard to find, by the way.) As to our massive victories in Iraq, if an elephant destroys many gnats, but the gnats keep the elephant from going where it wants to go and exercises other considerable control over the elephant's behavior, would you say the gnats or the elephant has the upper hand?
If you do not see a connection between Bush's poor conceptualization, planning and execution of American activities in Iraq and the current mess we face there, then you are absolutely blind to reality. Yes, the American military performs marvelously, as it always has. But the solution to Iraq is ultimately political, not military. The warring Iraqi factions must settle their own battles, then join together to stop Al Queda's activities in their country.
Insurgents do not need to win battles to win a war, just needle and nip and drain the superior forces until they give up. Perhaps you remember Vietnam and the French, or Vietnam and the Americans? Even the American Revolution and the superior British forces-the Revolutionaries refused to fight with standard tactics of the day, more resembling guerilla tactics of the 18th Century.
The politics of America in Iraq have been atrocious, as even you have acknowledged, Mr. Moran. You call my comments ignorant, but you know we have not won the Iraq war and you know why. Do all the right wing posturing you want, but the facts expose you as the fool whenever you try to put lipstick on the Iraq War pig.
Comment Posted By ed On 3.06.2007 @ 14:34
Well, let's see now. The President is planning on pulling half troops out of Iraq in time for the 2008 election. The Middle East is in turmoil. Terrorists threaten our nation. The White House does not wish to deal with people sneaking across our border, except to make them legal. What happened to securing ourselves against terrorists, who can easily slip in with the coyotes bringing in aliens. How much longer before >$3.00 gas brings about a recession? Government spending is at an all time high. You fear a Democratic administration? Why? What the hell could be worse than this mess?
The President has "morphed into a pathological, ego-centric belief that since he is always right, his critics are not only wrong but evil to boot." Friend, this has been true since day one of his administration. No liberal lickspittles can take credit for Bush's pathologies. If you chose to ignore this part of his person until now, that is on you.
And lastly, I would like to nominate Bowden's remark, "Bush has done a respectable job on defense" as the best laugh of the day. A four year bitch slapping by rag tag Middle Easterners in Toyota trucks falls a bit short of respectable on defense.
Comment Posted By ed On 1.06.2007 @ 16:20
IS THE "SURGE" AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY?
General Petreaus will make a public pronouncement after the September timeline in place for the surge. With major presidential primaries moving to the first quarter of '08, and politics front and center in the nation's awareness, any Republican's move away from Bush at that time will simply look like Sen. Clinton trying to run away from her Iraq war funding vote. It ain't gonna fly. That dog won't hunt.
And it is not just the netnuts advocating getting out of the Iraq mess. The number of credible people still favoring sticking it out in Iraq has dwindled down to just a few.
The time to move away from Bush is past. He will sink the Republicans in '08 like a rock.
Comment Posted By ed On 29.05.2007 @ 09:28
OBAMANIA! IS HE THE LIBERAL REAGAN?
George Bush had concrete ideas and programs. All in all, I'd rather take a flyer with Obama's rhetoric, decency and charisma than chance another conservative.
What's the worse he could do? Increase government spending wildly? Allow porous borders and illegal immigration? Start a war that he can't win or figure a way out of? Cause gas prices to go up? Cut inspection of food and make a lot of people sick with contaminated vegetables? Create a convoluted, costly new entitlement program for senior? Oh, sorry. That's seven years worth of conservative policies and programs.
Comment Posted By ed On 25.05.2007 @ 12:05
Spot on. I think the Bush White House is a disaster on all counts, but the amount of leaking in the CIA points to loose cannons with their own political agendas. They are not elected, nor are they appointed to have a political agenda. Such disloyalty amounts to treason and perpetrators should be treated accordingly.
Comment Posted By ed On 23.05.2007 @ 09:39
