Countdown: Cenk Uygur - 'I Was Completely Unconvinced...'

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 07:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpWQCaZbqpQ   Posted on YouTube: December 02, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: December 02, 2009 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 4568

 
MSNBC Countdown w/ KEITH OLBERMANN - 1 December 2009: Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks and Karen Finney, former communications director of the DNC, discuss the President's speech and plan.

UYGUR: "Well, he laid out three prongs - military strategy, civilian strategy, and, of course, our approach to Pakistan. On the first two, I was completely unconvinced. What are we going to do militarily with 30,000 troops that we couldn't already do. In fact, we'd probably need about 300,000 troops, or maybe even more, if we really needed to tamp down popular insurgency. He says there is no popular insurgency. I was unconvinced by that.

He says on prong No. 2 - the civilian strategy - we're going to go after the guys who are corrupt. I'm sorry, I would love to believe that, but I don't, because the guy who's most corrupt is the president of Afghanistan, and we just let him become President again, knowing full well that his brother is one of the biggest drug lords in the world, at this point. So I'm not convinced on the first two prongs.

The third prong is really interesting, Pakistan, but he didn't really lay out a case of what to do about Pakistan and what our troops in Afghanistan would be doing about the fight against al Qaeda in Pakistan."

- snip -

FINNEY: "Yeah, well, obviously I disagree and I think the President made a pretty strong case for why these are the three sort of pillars of the strategy and what it is we hope to accomplish. And, look, one of the things I was most encouraged by is I thought he gave a pretty frank, open and honest assessment on each of those three pillars, which is something we've not had on Afghanistan. I think that's very important going forward. So, obviously I support the President. I would like to hear more details. I do think we have to go in with the belief that, you know, again, the generals have told us we need more troops, we've gotta give them the resources they ask for. I like the idea that it is being coupled with the need for a civilian surge, as the President talked about, because I think too often, we've only heard about the civilian side of things.

- snip -

No sloganeering, none of that usual B.S., if you will, that we've had in the last few years. I thought it was a very straightforward speech."

OLBERMANN: "Cenk, was it indeed a straightforward speech, and did we benefit from the fact that there was, and I'll echo the term, no B.S.ing in this one?"

UYGUR: "Well, yes and no..."

MORE

[jgraz]

1. Damn, Cenk's movin up!

:applause:

[bitchkitty]

4. He was great! A natural. n/t

[ihavenobias]

2. Here is the DU version of Cenk's article that was featured atop the HuffPo homepage on Afghanistan

http://tinyurl.com/yjtvxqz

[bjobotts]

15. You've always been a Cenk cheerleader but he's sledom insightful on his show

[bjobotts]

16. and really comnes across as just a good guy to drink a beer with but

[bjobotts]

17. I must admit he came across really good tonight. but "get OBL?" who's been dead for years now-really

[bjobotts]

18. Only 100 al qaeda in Afghanistan and this "get al qaeda and the taliban and the terorists" is

[bjobotts]

19. just an excuse for eternal war.Why are they so afraid.Remeber the cold war nukes-

[bjobotts]

20. The war machine is turning our nation into a corporatocracy. Over what-a terrorist-Boo

[bjobotts]

21. I don't care what Obama campaigned on, as a progressive I expect an end to this war machine

[bjobotts]

22. He also campaigned on "No one is above the law" apparently He,Bush and Cheney are

[jgraz]

23. At

[jgraz]

24. least

[jgraz]

25. he

[jgraz]

26. knows

[jgraz]

27. how

[jgraz]

28. to

[jgraz]

29. use

[jgraz]

30. the

[jgraz]

31. fucking

[jgraz]

32. internet

[jgraz]

33. .

:eyes:

[1badjedi]

37. LOL!

I feel the same way watching that person post a single sentence post after post. Guess that's how you get to 1000+ eh. :evilgrin:

[ihavenobias]

58. Amen. n/t

[spiritual_gunfighter]

45. absolutely n/t

[DWilliamsamh]

56. :-) LOL

[CherylK]

49. LOL!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :patriot:

[DWilliamsamh]

55. OBL Dead? According to whom? Attribution? (N/T)

[Enthusiast]

41. Really? Most of here on DU

find Cenk very insightful. Also, he is somewhat of a forceful communicator. The progressives need a forceful speaker more than ever.

[jennied]

3. I've seen Cenk on MSN other times, and I have to say

that I like Cenk this way. He comes off the way he does on his show. Very light, informative and not too serious. Other times that I've seen him on there he seemed a bit tense and way too serious. Glad he's lightening up some.

[Wetzelbill]

5. Hell yeah TYT!

[izquierdista]

6. Giving generals what they want

How come no one ever tells them "fuck you up the ass with a piece of broken glass"? When you ask someone whose knowledge is limited to blowing shit up, all you are going to get are destructive solutions. It's time to evict the Department of 'Defense' completely and bring in the Department of Peace. Oops, that doesn't exist yet, since President Kucinich hasn't been inaugurated yet.

One of the lessons of World War II was supposed to have been that the technology of war has outstripped man's ability to rebuild, so force should give way to diplomacy. That lesson was completely lost on those who think that war is still an option for dealing with political disputes. The best way to overcome political differences in Afghanistan is by showing ALL factions how to develop and helping them to feed, clothe, house, and educate their people, and provide for their medical care. And whenever you run across a thief trying to line his own pockets,

feed him to the wolves.

[bjobotts]

8. Agreed.McCrystal lied about Tillman.Was a torture king in Iraq and proud of it. Can't trust him

[bjobotts]

10. Obama's been listening to Rahm too much.When last time a General said retreat

[bjobotts]

11. War profiteers will make millions so of course they push for escalation knowing it is a civil war

[bjobotts]

12. A nation of tribes.It wasn't the surge that worked in Iraq.It was paying the Sunnis to shoot al qaed

[bjobotts]

13. Obama could drop millions of dollars on each community and it would be cheaper and more effective

[bjobotts]

14. $1 mil a soldier per yr =30,000 men for 2yrs= $60 thousand million to drop on them and no deaths

[Rhiannon12866]

7. Thank you so much! K&R!

I missed KO tonight, today of all days, so this is great! :woohoo:

[K8-EEE]

9. Sexy Cenk!!

Damn don't you just want to hug Cenk??? I don't know if I agree with him or not on this mind-boggling question of what to do with Afghanistan however I find him generally MOST persuasive! :loveya:

[MedfordTim]

34. Much more at ease this time

I guess gettin' hitched tamed that wild bronc....

[Nikki Stone1]

35. Karen Finney is a clear tool. She talks without real substance, though it sounds "good"

I found myself wanting to shake her.

[jgraz]

36. My thoughts exactly. Did she actually *say* anything?

To me, it was all "Blah blah blah Ginger blah blah blah"

[Nikki Stone1]

38. LOL! That's what she gets paid for.

Make noises and string together words. Hope the audience buys your certainty.

[mmonk]

43. As a former communications director, double speak was her job.

That is their purpose in politics. That is how politicians and their handlers can speak of escalation and withdrawal in the same breath.

[budkin]

39. Loves me some Cenk!

[t0dd]

40. Wow, Obama was honest and frank about sending more troops!

What sincerity! I guess it does make sense to wage this war then! :eyes: Finney said absolutely nothing at all. She should have just had duck tape over her mouth and waved her arms. It would have produced the same effect.

[DWilliamsamh]

57. I think you meant "duct" tape....unless you were referring to the specific brand that is. NT

But I agree. She might as well have had duct tape over her mouth, since she didn't actually say anything.

[mmonk]

42. Recommended for Cenk.

[autorank]

44. Cenk was a true gentleman k*r

He refrained from hurling as she spoke

[ihavenobias]

53. Ha, ha...

Well, there's that.

[autorank]

54. ok

so he's a true man, gentle or not;)

[20score]

46. K&R

[theFrankFactor]

47. Excellent Representation fromCenk! K&R!

Hi everyone, I posted a new episode to my podcast, The Frank Factor | Liberal and Proud!.

Please click the link below to view it.
http://thefrankfactor.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-11-30T16_37_38-08_00

Join actual Liberals and unconventional Democrats.
http://TheFrankFactor.com
See you there!

- TheFrankFactor

[ihavenobias]

52. Thanks for the links Frank. n/t

[matthewf]

48. k&r

[snake in the grass]

50. k/r

[pleah]

51. K&R I saw it and Cenk was great.

Watching again. :)