George Staphylococcus (oops Stephanopolous) (This week)

[LittleApple81]

Feinstein/Trott:
Of course they disagree. Trott new meme: Congress also approved so everybody guilty.
Hmmmmm - he is right: they surrendered their responsibility and authority!!!!

[Kahuna]

1. Bullcrap! They gave him the authority to do it. They did not tell...

him to do it.

[HFishbine]

2. No

That's really lame. I want Bush out as much as you, but we're going to have to do better unless we are willing to call the decision to go to war a draw.

"For more than 20 years, Saddam has obsessively sought weapons of mass destruction through every possible means. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons today, that he has used them in the past, and that he is doing everything he can to build more. Every day he gets closer to his longtime goal of nuclear capability. We must not allow him to get nuclear weapons." -- John Edwards

We can't selectively say Bush lied while ignoring the lies told by dems. There has to be a better strategy.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Beware Of The Strawman

There's a big difference between believing that Iraq had the capacity for WMD and creating havoc in the region, and advocating sending the military in and doing what we did.

I'm one who did, and will say I still harbor beliefs that Hussein hid secret weapons programs or other activities that could, if unchecked, be built up (like in the 80's) to threaten the region (translation: oil supply) again.

Looking from the December, 2002 vote, there still were a lot of us who couldn't dismiss the possibility that WMDs and other programs existed as there hadn't been a real inspection in that country since '98. Also, the reports up to that point, while pointing to indications that Hussein's programs were destroyed, it wasn't with certainty...meaning the U.N. never signed off that Saddam was in compliance or had even come close.

This was the hammer the Chickenhawks used to bully the votes and forced Kerry, Edwards and others to hedge votes that now will be used against them. The question wasn't if he had weapons or programs prior to the invasion...or the authorization of action to be taken (and that's what the vote was...not for military force, it was predicated on U.N. actions that weren't allowed to be completed...Hans Blix).

[HFishbine]

11. Like I said

That's going nowhere. You're dismissing Edwards continued insistance that we were right to go to war. He doesn't make the claims you do. He doesn't draw a distinction between the authorization to go to war and actually going. We went, and we were right to do so, says Edwards.

Edwards and Kerry voted to authorize Bush to go to war. Make the argument that they were bullied or mislead if you want, but that doesn't speak too well of their leadership abilities.

[KharmaTrain]

13. I Couldn't Agree With Their Votes Then And Don't Now

I'm just playing the "gotcha" game that the media does here...and how to refute what is obviously a major abdication of Constitution responsibility that many Democrats did for political expediency over true national interest. I fully supported the position taken by my Senator, Dick Durbin, on this issue (he voted No) as I knew that this was a sure vote to go to war, which it ended up in being.

Yes, Edwards more pro-war stance does bother me, however, I look at the overall party position and the reality of what we're currently dealing with in how one has to view those past votes. Sure, it'd be great if the candidates were anti-war, but right now the objective has to be in evicting a regime that is full bore intent on continuing this war (and others) indefinitely, as opposed to going for the international solution that will enable us to start toward an exit strategy from this mess.

Yes, I know this is heavily nuananced and doesn't fit into the news spin cycle. To dismiss the war outright is easily construed as dismissing those who fought it...a real fine line to cross here. We want to draw attention to those who got us into this mess without shooting ourselves in the process in setting up our own litmus tests.

[HFishbine]

14. Oh, I agree

I'm not going to get what I want on this issue. I'm simply pointing out that with the candidates we have, it's going to be nearly impossible to make the case that going to war was wrong. (I mean, "we" can still make that case, but it won't be the position of the ticket.) You're right however that there is much more to consider.

[bullimiami]

16. ...strawman. I agree.

"""here's a big difference between believing that Iraq had the capacity for WMD and creating havoc in the region, and advocating sending the military in and doing what we did."""


"Thinking" he had banned weapons is one thing. Thats what the Intel services are for to take you from suspicion to fact. They twisted the whole system up in a knot full of lies for personal gain and deserve to be jailed for treason. The whole lot of them.

[KharmaTrain]

20. That's Also Where The U.N. Falls Asleep

What is it going to take for the World Court to look into what's gone on here. How many more scandals need come out to indicate that this war was one of adventurism and profit, not one of justified national defense from an "imminent threat".

Yes, there are big war crimes that have taken place here, but I have little faith in our politicians...including Democrats...to have the stones to really move this into the realm of war crimes. The best place...the proper place (also for Saddam Hussein) is the world court. But I doubt our spineless media could assist in this necessary justice.

[LittleApple81]

3. I watched Mario Cuomo last night with Russert. He said they

HAD ABDICATED their responsibility because it was the "easier" thing to do. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DECLARE WAR and they ceded that responsibility.

[LittleApple81]

4. Lindsay Graham wants the NY TAPE. ASSHOLE. and Landriu

stays there without saying anything.
She should use all the arguments we have seen in DU... especially F*CK YOU. sorry

[Hamlette]

19. I thought Landriu hit the exact right note

instead of distancing the dems from the event she said (basically) "people in America are pissed all our money is gong to Iraq and we now know it was bunk".

Her line was the same as Elizabeth Edwards which everyone was praising a couple of days ago.

[Sweetpea]

5. The discussion on this show was too polite for me

There should be outrage/ screaming...hangings...well, maybe not hangings...but politcal hangings..

[bullimiami]

18. I am against the death penalty so no hangings.

But to let murderers and war criminals just wait around in club fed for a political pardon makes me question the viability of life imprisonment.

[LittleApple81]

6. WE HAVE TO SHOUT WE ARE LIBERAL. L. Graham saying he

can PROUDLY say he is a conservative but nobody wants to admit he/she is a LIBERAL. I think this is going to be a meme.

[gauguin57]

9. lindsey can go cheney himself

He wants the tape. Well, I want to see the picture of President Bush flipping the bird at a protester in Lancaster, PA, on Friday. I want that picture, along with the tape of Cheney saying F yourself to a U.S. Senator, in the SENATE CHAMBER THAT BELONGS TO ALL OF US ... to show how these crude people hide behind moral self-righteousness!

http://www.livejournal.com/users/jiveturky/185733.html

(the flippee)

[Peachhead22]

8. What branch is the CIA under?

What branch of the government is the CIA under? The executive.

So the executive branch lied to the legislative branch and the legislative branch is "just as guilty" because they took their word for it?

Remember where the buck stops. Despite all the kicking and screaming the Bushies do, the American people rightly believe the buck--for anything that happens in the executive, especially something of this gravity--ultimately stops in the oval office. Whether he screwed up (or lied) or some of his subordinate did, it's Bush's responsibility! It sure as hell isn't the Congress or the Dems partial responsibility!

The Dems should start hammering with commercials that show Bush pointing fingers (Clinton believed it, SOTU uranium from Niger, Congress believed it, other contries believed it, the CIA got it wrong on WMDs, no one foresaw planes as weapons, etc.) and say: "The buck stops...uh, where?"

[CatWoman]

10. LOL -- Did you see the focus group

discussing Dick Cheney??

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Not one of them considers Cheney as a competent VP.

[NightOwwl]

12. Lindsey...

How about we give you the tape if Cheney gives us the details of his meetings with Enron regarding the energy policy.

Didn't think so.

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. How does Mary Landrieu get away with calling herself a Democrat

..when she votes lock step with the BCE agenda??

I am so fucking tired of traitorous cowards in this party.

[Blue Wally]

17. If we didn't have Landrieu.........

we would have an even more conservative Republican as senator from Louisiana. Quit voting Democrats off of the island or it will become pretty lonely there.