Let the astroturf begin on the UAE port deal.

[Cleita]

I was just listening to Thom Hartmann and a caller identified himself as having spent the last ten years in the UAE working for some sheik taking care of his horses. He said it would be a bad idea to piss the UAE off because they are our friends. He uses the freeper although it scares me, but “we” should more or less do what Bush wants because “we” would be making a big mistake otherwise, because “we” don’t understand the situation there like he does.

I swear that this is the same guy whom Randi Rhodes handed his ass to last Friday. She told him he should be ashamed to have worked for them for the good money and looked the other way when he observed human rights abuses. He admitted seeing two and three year old boys racing camels.

She said to him, “You sir are a good German.”

So, I think this guy is a PR operative for the Bush administration who might be coming our way. Keep your eyes peeled for him and others. You know how they operate, pretending to be one of us, but try to make us believe that we are wrong, unpatriotic and in the minority.

[FARAFIELD]

1. ASTROTURF INDEED

My hobby is to look for the GOP astroturf (letters to the editor) that people can simply submit from the GOP website. THEN when i find one (by googling key phrases )I write a letter to that paper about the asrtoturf (of course i have to be original in each bloody letter!) anyhoo, ill be looking day to day to the GOP site to see if they have a "form letter to the editor" on the subject and then keep track. About 80% of my letters get published, because even conservative opinion page editors hate people that break their rules. Ill keep you posted. But its too prevalent i might ask people to help.

[Cleita]

6. Thanks and I'll help if you need it.

I've been battling these guys for years about universal health care.

[Jane Austin]

2. It WAS the same guy.

I heard him on Hartman's and Randi's shows.

He says he spent ten years living in UAE, working for the top sheik's horse-racing division.

[Junkdrawer]

3. "Flame me if you want, but we Democrats make ourselves look bad by..."...

Coming to DU in 5...4...3...2...

[Fridays Child]

4. We're being asked to swallow an appeasement argument.

If we don't make nice with the UAE, who knows what they might do? Didn't we invade Iraq because the bushistas told us that appeasement never works?

[Cleita]

7. Is that what it's called?

The appeasement argument? We should list all these tactics so that we are prepared for them. I am sometimes at a loss how to describe what I know is happening. Having a universal label that everyone understands helps.

[Fridays Child]

8. I think it's fair to frame it this way. "Appeasement is bad" was a big...

...meme for the Republicans, in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. I guess the idea was that trying to negotiate with Saddam was just playing into his hands.

Now, we have B*sh basically telling the country that, if we don't let the UAE deal go through, they could withdraw from their partnership with us--such as it is--in the War on Terror™. We give them the ports and they play nice, if you're willing to overlook their human rights abuses, continued recognition of the Taliban, and rejection of Israel's right to exist. We take the ports away and they quit playing nice. That means they withhold intelligence (like we're sure they're not doing that, anyway), kick our navy out of their deep water ports, and resume the practice of (openly) funneling money to al Qaeda.

In my opinion, what we're doing with them is just another form of appeasement. B*sh can call them our allies but what they really are is a perfect example of the maxim that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer--just like Pakistan.

[FreedomAngel82]

5. I wouldn't doubt it

Especially if they're calling all these progressive shows.