Fundamentally, it's about Competence, Stupid!

The McCain Campaign was not even competent enough to use the correct photograph during their shameless attempt to fake an image of supporting our disabled troops. How can we now believe that their competence will miraculously morph upwards should they ever gain full responsibility for caring for these same disabled veterans??

The fact-based community wants to know even if the faith-based community doesn't care about these veterans.

Posted at September 5, 2008 5:22 PM in response to School Raps McCain For Using Image As Speech Backdrop Without Permission

This is what some denominate the "What's-The-Big-Deal?" defense. All parents of juveniles know it well. And we often hear it from our "values" people in the Republican Party (it's not like it was sex or liberal or anything significantly evil).

Posted at August 6, 2008 7:01 PM in response to Stevens Calls Charges Against Him "Not Some Extreme Felony"

Well, I am absolutely no fan of Fox News. BUT, if I were to dream up a political candidate whose primary character is aimed to "bring us togther," then I would expect that this fantasy candidate would do pretty much exactly what Obama is reported to have done in the Fox interview. He waited a good long time and accepted the interview on HIS schedule, and then defended himself effectively without nakedly attacking Fox.

So we are disappointed in him because he didn't explicate the obvious fact that Fox News is part of the Axis of Evil?? I'm not disappointed in Obama.

Posted at April 27, 2008 6:42 PM in response to Obama Doesn't "Take Fox On," After All

But I thought IOKIYAR? Looks like solid GOP performance to me, endemic in the Bush Loot-ocracy.

Seriously, perhaps this is yet another leaf of hope blowin' in the winds of change. I was a life-long Republican and I'm still in mourning, but I can still dream.

Posted at March 13, 2008 3:37 PM in response to NRCC Audit: Aide May Have Stolen "Hundreds of Thousands"

Sounds vaguely pathological; like Muchausen's or something. Or a plea for help.

But such an adventure is more likely to gain pity than respect; and our representitives are already pitiable enough, thank you.

Posted at February 20, 2008 9:58 PM in response to NH Dem Fender Bender Faker Convicted

From early rumors, I've long understood that Michael Ledeen and his associates were directly responsible for these forgeries. But who set him on the path to the Italian forgeries and the Iranian Manucher Ghorbanifar machinations recently confirmed by Tenent?

Like a filthy combinations of cockroaches and termites; disgusting neocons.

Posted at May 1, 2007 12:33 PM in response to TPMtv Guide: Tuesday, May 1

"It's sort of an interesting legal question, since it's the Administration's position that they have not broken the law. They're simply following the Yoo Doctrine, under which the President has unlimited powers during wartime."

An interesting point, except the US is not legally at war (there is no Congressional declaration of War as required by the Constitution and has not been since 1941). A simple WH spin to the effect that "we are at war" does not seem to me to meet the Constituional requirements contemplated by the Yoo Doctrine.

Posted at December 16, 2005 6:55 PM in response to Spying on Americans and John Bolton

This divorce from reality is a completely usual sort of behavior among the tin-foil hat crowd (you know, the black-helicopter, kidnapped by aliens, tripartite commission goupies). Actually, the opprobrium is perhaps better directed at those of us who ever took any of those wackos seriously.

Posted at November 2, 2005 6:33 PM in response to Is Max Boot Using Oxycontin?

"Young Republican children years from now will be scared in campground campfires by stories about Bill Owens - the tax-cutting Republican who magically turned into a tax-increase bad guy...and they will not be able to sleep all night."

--Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform--

Perhaps; but I plan on my children having something a bit more comfortable to live in than a campground.

Posted at November 2, 2005 6:20 PM in response to Big Loss For Norquist and the GOP Coalition

"So, in an incredibly brief period of time, the White House has gone from trying to avoid a SCOTUS Armageddon to insisting on one."

Right! And so why is this, do you suppose? One thought is that this is Bush's (childishly temperamental) payback to those WingNuts who shot down Meiers.

I've "assumed" that Bush's attempt to avoid Armageddon was a thoughtful and intelligent attempt to succeed in gaining approval for his nomination. So I am now convinced that he will lose more than 5 Moderate Republican Senators on this "raw meat" thrown to the WingNuts; thereby castrating any chance for the "nuclear option" itself (not to mention eliminating any chance for avoiding a Democratic filibuster). And I believe Karl at least is smart enough to predict this.

So it looks to me like a slap-down from Bush to the WingNuts, disguised as a capitulation (can we all spell Machiavelli?).

Posted at October 31, 2005 12:57 PM in response to Slouching Towards Armageddon