New Developments III

[Sonic Youth]

Staunch conservative and former Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan bashes Bush.

Former neo-con and Criddic reference point Fareed Zakaria bashes Bush.

Stalwart neo-con and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol bashes Bush.

---------------------


Noonan: "Bush the younger came forward, presented himself as a conservative, garnered all the frustrated hopes of his party, turned them into victory, and not nine months later was handed a historical trauma that left his country rallied around him, lifting him, and his party bonded to him. He was disciplined and often daring, but in time he sundered the party that rallied to him, and broke his coalition into pieces. He threw away his inheritance. I do not understand such squandering."

Zakaria: "How does a Leninist dictatorship come across more sympathetically than the oldest constitutional democracy in the world?"

Kristol: "So much for loyalty, or decency, or courage. For President Bush, loyalty is apparently a one-way street; decency is something he's for as long as he doesn't have to take any risks in its behalf; and courage--well, that's nowhere to be seen. Many of us used to respect President Bush. Can one respect him still?"

[Big Magilla]

Geez, you guys. You cannot know how glad we are that we don't live in the US. For thirty years, we have owned a vacation home in Washington State. Although the clerks in stores are very helpful( they all like Canadian money), we had eggs and epithets thrown at the house when we were there after 9-11. Kids went by on the road saying; " CANADIANS live there." We did not put up an American flag at that time( why would we have?), and we were targetted, even out in the country. Our neighbours include a woman of 76. She carries a little gun in her purse. Another neighbour not only repairs hand guns BY MAIL(US post), but will be the last diehard Bushie. Another neighbour gets drunk and shoots guns up in the air. I know of no one personally who even HAS a gun in our part of Canada, except hunters. No hand guns. (Gangs do, but we do not run into them.)

Geez, Cam, this must be unique to rural Washdington. I have family that lives in Lockport, N.Y., the next town over from Niagara. The flow of traffic across the Falls and from Buffalo into Toronto and vice versa has always been convivial on both sides.

I have a friend whose brother is a retired border patrol guard, a job he took up after he retired as a Navy Seal. From the stories he tells, it's the non-Candaians who slip across the border that they are concerned about.

I also have friends who emigated from Canada years ago and occasionally go back to visit family and have never had a problem.

Rural Washingtonians have been known to shoot Californians, too, so it must be more of a "if you ain't local - keep out" kind of thing.

[Sonic Youth]

Incredible dissertation by Keith Olberman on how the Bush administration manipulates all these terror alerts and arrests... most of which are overblown to the max - if not phony - anyway... for their own political ends.

Nothing we didn't already know, but at least it's so nicely organized.

[Sonic Youth]

Fox News: All black Democrats look alike to us! From the same network that identified Mark Foley as a (D).

Here's their laughable 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' apology.

[Damien]

A new Pew poll puts Bush's approval at 29% (61% disapprove). Harris Interactive, CBS and Newsweek have previously put him below 30, but they are considered low-readers in general. Pew doesn't fall into that category, so this is a signal of even greater erosion.

I'm visiting my Mom in Connecticut. When the Supreme Court established Bush's coup d'état in 2000, my Mom put a black sash on her front porch, a mourning symbol which used to be employed by grieving families in the first part of the last century.

We were sitting on the porch this afternoon having gin and tonics, when one of my Mom's best friends dropped by. She is a wonderful woman, loving, caring, very active in charity work, but with the distressing chracater flaw that she is a Republican. She noted the black sash and said, "I'm going to get one for our house too. I hate that bastard." Then she smiled shyly and said, "Some of us are slow learners."

By the same token, it was fascinating how little the Repugnant candidates in the debate tonight wanted to be associated with Worst President Ever, a far cry from how the Democrats embraced Bill Clinton the other night.

{MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - President Bush drew sporadic, startling criticism Tuesday night from Republican White House hopefuls unhappy with his handling of the Iraq war, his diplomatic style and his approach to immigration.

"I would certainly not send him to the United Nations" to represent the United States, said Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor and one-time member of Bush's Cabinet, midway through a spirited campaign debate.

Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized the administration for its handling of the Iraq War, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said, "I think we were underprepared and underplanned for what came after we knocked down Saddam Hussein."

Rep. Duncan Hunter of California said the current administration "has the slows" when it comes to building a security fence along the border with Mexico.

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado recalled that White House aide Karl Rove had once told him "never darken the door of the White House." The congressman said he'd tell George W. Bush the same thing.

The criticism of Bush was more in keeping of the type of rhetoric that could be expected when Democratic presidential contenders debate.

Its prominence at the GOP event - while Bush was traveling overseas - was a reflection of his poor poll ratings and the need of even members of his own party to campaign on platforms of change. . . .

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee added his voice to those criticizing the war effort. He added that the Bush administration "lost credibility" with its response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Thompson's answer was the most startling, coming from a man who had once served in the president's Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.}

[Mister Tee]

A new Pew poll puts Bush's approval at 29% (61% disapprove). Harris Interactive, CBS and Newsweek have previously put him below 30, but they are considered low-readers in general. Pew doesn't fall into that category, so this is a signal of even greater erosion.

Something Democrats might recall next time there's a vote on Iraq funding.

[99-1100896887]

In this mysthical non-border state where you live you say you only heard people re a discussion on Canada( not that this happens very much--we don't care to most of the US) "complain" about the health system and "same-sex unions"( although he has admitted he is gay, but I guess he doesn't have many "unions")
First of all: Complain about the Canadian Health System? I have never heard any Canadians or many intelligent Americans " complain" about it ; if they are American they tend to wish they had our system in the US.

And I haven't any less reason to believe now that criddic is our chief hypocrite. Does he carry a banner for Gay Rights or he is in denial?
Aw shit, it's not worth trying to learn.

[OscarGuy]

We were Canadian, so by GWB definition "terr'ists."

-- cam

So, I guess that whole Freedom Fries debacle in DC was a figment of our imaginations. Good to know. I would hate to think anyone harbored ill feelings towards any other nationality...

-- Oscarguy

This was exactly my point. First of all, GWB never said anything about Canadians being terrorists that I recall. Second, the Freedom Fries thing is part of what I had in mind with reference to France at the time. I never heard anyone talk ill of Canada after 9/11 for terrorism. In fact the only things I've heard people complain about Canada are its Health Care and Same-sex Unions. Not terrorism. Then again, I don't live in a border state. I am from New York.

Wow...sarcasm is completely lost on you. The whole point was if the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT was going to be so ludicrous in its decision to rename French Fries (which originated in Belgium) to Freedom Fries as protest for the French objection to war in Iraq, then why wouldn't the rest of the country suffer a great deal of xenophobia after their homeland was attacked.

It doesn't matter WHERE you're from, a Xenophobe just needs an excuse to make his personal opinions about "foreigners" known and is thus given umbrage by those who are sheep and tend to follow the popular tend towards discrimination.

That our government can't adequately defend the rights and responsibilities of gay couples in their own country, I shouldn't be surprised that discrimination is so prevelant.

[Sonic Youth]

Sure. why not? I live on an island called Long Island, and in this place I never heard anyone accuse Canadians of being "terrorists in hiding" as cam claims.

I've now diagnosed your mental health problem. It's pathological insularity.

Obviously, in your mind Long Island is to New York state as the U.S. is to the rest of the world.

But thanks for your permission.

[Greg]

criddic, in case you didn't get the joke, part of upstate New York, including Buffalo, borders on Ontario.

[criddic3]

Sure. why not? I live on an island called Long Island, and in this place I never heard anyone accuse Canadians of being "terrorists in hiding" as cam claims.

[Sonic Youth]

Then again, I don't live in a border state. I am from New York.

Oh good lord...

Can I use this as my signature?

[criddic3]

We were Canadian, so by GWB definition "terr'ists."

-- cam

So, I guess that whole Freedom Fries debacle in DC was a figment of our imaginations. Good to know. I would hate to think anyone harbored ill feelings towards any other nationality...

-- Oscarguy

This was exactly my point. First of all, GWB never said anything about Canadians being terrorists that I recall. Second, the Freedom Fries thing is part of what I had in mind with reference to France at the time. I never heard anyone talk ill of Canada after 9/11 for terrorism. In fact the only things I've heard people complain about Canada are its Health Care and Same-sex Unions. Not terrorism. Then again, I don't live in a border state. I am from New York.

[Akash]

Good to see we're "winning" the "war on terror."

BBC NEWS
June 5th, 2007
Most of Baghdad 'not controlled'


US and Iraqi forces control fewer than one-third of Baghdad's neighbourhoods, according to a review of a security crackdown in the city since February.

An interim US military assessment says sectarian violence has diminished in some areas, but is particularly serious in Sunni-Shia areas of west Baghdad.

More than 20,000 US reinforcements are being deployed as part of the campaign.

Details of the report came as police said they had shot a suspected female suicide bomber in east Baghdad.

An interior ministry spokesman said the woman in traditional Muslim dress, walked towards a police recruiting centre and ignored calls to stop.

Three police recruits received minor wounds from the explosion. The woman died at the scene of the attack.

"Some elements of the mechanised brigade saw a suspicious woman and ordered her to stop, but she didn't respond and approached the recruits, so they opened fire on her and she exploded," a police spokesman said.

Although suicide bombings are a frequent occurrence in Iraq, female bombers are relatively rare.

'Iraqi failures'

A US military spokesman said it would not be possible to judge the success of the Baghdad security plan until all the extra units had been put in place.

"It's going to get harder before it gets easier," Lt-Col Christopher Garver said. "We know it's going to be a tough fight over the summer."

Details of the interim assessment included information that US and Iraq forces were in control of just 146 of Baghdad's 457 districts.

The report highlighted a failure of Iraqi police and army units to provide all the forces promised to carry out basic security tasks including manning checkpoints and conducting patrols.

May had the third highest death toll of American soldiers, 127, since the US-led invasion to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein in March 2003.

Thousands of Iraqis have been killed since February.

Correspondents say there was a significant reduction in the number of sectarian killings early on in crackdown, but numbers have now risen again, with dozens of bodies being found in Baghdad almost every day.

President George W Bush won a tough battle with opposition-controlled Congress to fund the crackdown and is under pressure to show progress or start bringing troops home.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6721689.stm

[OscarGuy]

So, I guess that whole Freedom Fries debacle in DC was a figment of our imaginations. Good to know. I would hate to think anyone harbored ill feelings towards any other nationality...