ihavenobias
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:05 PM
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Presidents Kill People, Especially Bush (Featured Diary At DailyKos) |
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Presidents Kill People, Especially BushBy Cenk Uygur It's a weighty job. It's no exaggeration to say that the president makes life and death decisions all the time. We were interviewing Michael Isikoff of Newsweek yesterday on The Young Turks and we discussed this part of :
As NEWSWEEK reported last summer, President Bush approved more relaxed rules of engagement for U.S. forces along the Afghan-Pakistan border. The Pentagon once required "90 percent" confidence on the part of intelligence agencies that a "high-value target" was present before approving Predator strikes inside Pakistan. Under the revised rules, U.S. officials on the ground now need only 50 to 60 percent confidence to shoot at compounds suspected of sheltering foreign fighters, according to knowledgeable U.S. sources who would speak of sensitive matters only anonymously.
Think about that. Even if you have a president with a conscience, one out of ten times someone is going to walk into the Oval Office and say, "I'm sorry Mr. President, our intelligence didn't pan out - we accidentally hit a wedding. Ten civilians killed."
That is tough. That is what Obama will have to deal with. Once you think about it that way, you almost don't want the job.
Now let's move on to a president without a conscience. George Bush. Think about the decision that Isikoff explains above. I understand hitting a target that has 90% certainty of being Al Qaeda fighters, simply because you'll almost never a hundred percent certainty. We can't have a president frozen with indecision or who never takes a shot no matter how certain his intelligence people are that we have Al Qaeda on the other end.
But I at least want the president up at night worrying about the consequences of his decisions. Every time he gives the order, people die. We just hope that we get it right most of the time (and even if you have the right guys, it should give you small amount of pause if you're human; let alone the tragedy of hitting the wrong people).
Look at what Bush does instead - lowering the bar to about 50% certainty that it's an actual enemy target. That means half the time he , or a group of kids playing in the yard, or innocent men sitting in a coffee house, or a just an average family sitting around their kitchen table. And why is he doing this? Obviously, because he wants to get Osama bin Laden or another top Al Qaeda leader before he leaves office. In other words, for his reputation.
This is why I don't like George Bush. You're not supposed to say it in polite circles, but I think he is a despicable person. Yes, I mean that on a personal level. I think he shows sick indifference to the lives of others. Maybe it's standard fare for politicians to be more concerned about their own careers than the lives of others, but there is a line. Would you take a 50% chance that you'd kill innocent civilians? Could you live with that?
And think about this - why did he lower the bar recently? We're seven years out from 9/11. It's not like the hunt for Al Qaeda has taken on some new urgency now. No, what has taken on urgency is Bush's legacy as he prepares to leave office. That's the only thing that has changed. There is an inescapable conclusion here - Bush has ordered more innocent people to their deaths so that he can try to salvage his reputation before he leaves office.
Maybe the man doesn't think Pakistani lives are worth the same as our lives. What's the big deal if you have the wrong people? They're all Muslims that live in that area anyway, right? I know some conservatives definitely feel this way. But a president should be smart enough and decent enough to understand that there are real families with real human beings who didn't do anything to us there. They didn't have it coming.
Earlier I mentioned a kitchen table. We're used to our own kitchen tables. We know how they look and it feels like home to us. It almost seems strange to think of a family sitting around a kitchen table in North Waziristan. But they do. The husband comes home from probably a back-breaking day of work. They have aspirations for their kids. They're worried about the violent jihadists that are rumored to be in the area (like we're worried about crime in our neighborhoods). The wife is making soup. The son has just come in from playing soccer. The dad is at least glad to see his only son come home. And then boom. Lights out. We just dropped a bomb on the wrong house. They're all dead...
For the closing, please .
For more Cenk, check out his XM 167 show every weekday morning, watch the 24 hour stream at www.theyoungturks.com or watch the new progressive talk show which airs every Friday with awesome guests like Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore, John Cusack, Darcy Burner, Nancy Pelosi and more. If you you can't watch live you can watch past episodes Free On Demand with the link provided.
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slackmaster
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:08 PM
Response to Original message |
1. I think it's very likely that at some point in the next four or eight years, Barack Obama will |
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Be obliged to apply military force somewhere in the world, resulting in a loss of life.
Here's to hoping he has the wisdom to do so when it it is really necessary and only then, and the discipline to use only what is needed to accomplish a well-defined objective.
:toast:
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ihavenobias
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Fri Nov-21-08 03:26 PM
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8. I'm hopeful that he has that wisdom and discipline. Also, if you want to DIGG this piece |
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Edited on Fri Nov-21-08 03:39 PM by ihavenobias
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CherylK
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:12 PM
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2. K & R!!! I would give this 1,000 recs if I could! |
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I think this is the best thing Cenk has ever written.
:applause:
:patriot:
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ihavenobias
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Fri Nov-21-08 05:14 PM
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16. I don't know about 1,000 but I'll take 100. |
AtomicKitten
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:24 PM
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3. A conscientious wisdom versus kamikaze-style foreign policy. |
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Barack has the right combination of attributes to lead.
K&R
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ihavenobias
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Fri Nov-21-08 07:18 PM
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FiveGoodMen
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:40 PM
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4. Shame on America for letting this happen! |
ihavenobias
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Fri Nov-21-08 09:16 PM
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32. Well, in 2000 it was shame on the Supreme Court but I agree. n/t |
midnight
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:46 PM
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5. Cenk always puts the situation in a context that makes it real..... |
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That has to keep you up at night if you're the person making that decision. If it doesn't, you're a monster. Now, Bush cavalierly lowers the bar and risks killing more civilians just like that family. And he does it for his own political gain. He is a terrible person.
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ihavenobias
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Fri Nov-21-08 10:03 PM
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33. I completely agree. n/t |
leftchick
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:48 PM
Response to Original message |
6. this is no surprise. 4000 americans have been killed and he still sleeps |
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the man is a fucking sociopath. He is incapable of empathy and had NO business ever running anything let alone the US.
:puke:
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Thothmes
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Fri Nov-21-08 07:31 PM
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25. So did Lyndon Johnson, except his record was 36,000 Americans |
ihavenobias
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Fri Nov-21-08 11:44 PM
Response to Reply #6 |
34. And hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. n/t |
CaliforniaPeggy
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Fri Nov-21-08 02:59 PM
Response to Original message |
7. Your sentence here says it all: |
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Bush has ordered more innocent people to their deaths so that he can try to salvage his reputation before he leaves office.
Except it won't salvage his reputation...
It will savage it.
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grannylib
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Fri Nov-21-08 03:53 PM
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9. That's exactly what I thought too, CaliforniaPeggy...he will leave |
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a legacy of death and destruction, and it will just cement his reputation as the Worst. President. Ever.
I hope one of the first things President Obama does is forbid the use of euphemisms to describe this shit. No more "friendly fire." Call it what it is: we FUCKED UP and KILLED our own people. No more "collateral damage." Call it what it is: we FUCKED UP and KILLED innocent civilians.
And the same should go for the corporate world. No more "downsizing." Call it what it is: Putting a whole shitload of people out of work so we can make the bottom line look better, and get our fat cat bonuses. No more "be a team player." Call it what it is: Suck up, kiss ass, and admit that management is always right, and you, the employee, are always wrong. No more "see the big picture." Call it what it is: See above. No more reverse euphemisms like "opportunity for monetary increase" which exists on paper only; can't call it a 'raise' because it isn't.
I'm sick of this shit.
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CaliforniaPeggy
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Fri Nov-21-08 03:59 PM
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10. You and me both, my dear grannylib... |
ihavenobias
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Sat Nov-22-08 11:48 AM
Response to Reply #7 |
38. Right. The problem is *he* thinks it will salvage it! n/t |
Seldona
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Fri Nov-21-08 04:00 PM
Response to Original message |
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Cenk nails it. I wouldn't take the job of President if it was offered up on a silver platter. It rankles the conscience enough to think that one's tax money is going to kill people like this, let alone having to live with having made the decision.
Someone has to do it. I am glad we have President Elect Obama. I think he can handle the rough road ahead better than John McCain could have.
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ihavenobias
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Sat Nov-22-08 12:56 PM
Response to Reply #11 |
39. It's the toughest job there is. |
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And I'm glad too (about Obama).
:)
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jaksavage
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Fri Nov-21-08 04:07 PM
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ejbr
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Fri Nov-21-08 04:16 PM
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BrklynLiberal
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Fri Nov-21-08 04:19 PM
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14. Yes. The man is truly mentally disturbed. A sociopath such as he is can never be |
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forgiven. He is inherently evil, and has no regard for ANYONE except himself...
"he is a despicable person. Yes, I mean that on a personal level. I think he shows sick indifference to the lives of others."
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Sophree
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Fri Nov-21-08 06:41 PM
Response to Reply #14 |
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His mocking of the woman on death row- Karla Faye Tucker, I believe?- when he was Gov. of Texas. "Please don't kill me." It says a lot about his regard for human life.
Sick, just sick. And sickening.
I almost feel sorry for him sometimes because he is a dunderhead who so out of his league (and knows it!), and then I remember stories like these...
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OhioChick
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Fri Nov-21-08 04:38 PM
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20score
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Fri Nov-21-08 05:34 PM
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17. No depth that Bush will not plumb. K&R. |
IndependentDem
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Fri Nov-21-08 05:53 PM
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always love me some Cenk. :)
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codjh9
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Fri Nov-21-08 06:11 PM
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19. Hey, he kills people right here by weakening air/water pollution laws - seriously. |
Uncle Joe
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Fri Nov-21-08 06:14 PM
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20. Kicked and recommended. |
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Thanks for the thread, ihavenobias.
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opihimoimoi
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Fri Nov-21-08 06:31 PM
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21. The man is an NPD....he is sick...a Psycho....a BULLY....an ABUSER |
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Bush is now paying the price of his hubris and arrogance...he can see, he knows, he can feel it....he is the most hated man on the Planet
He has fucked with so many lives...directly and otherwise...he goes down in History as THE Mother of ALL ASSHOLES....He will be the Satan future people will tell their children about....
and he is not done yet....even now he is fixing so many of his cronies get lifetime jobs in civil service....burdening future Presidents with a load of shitty help...you all know the type....Passive workers...there for the money and nothing else...save for a promotion...they being Peters as well
Bush does not know how bad he reall is...he is not capable of comprehending his damage....he should be taken to the nearest Blk Hole and dumped in.....
Someday he will die and his body saved for the mission of taking him to the middle of the Galaxy for that purpose...to dump his body in the BLACK HOLE....his ashes being contagious an all....its the only safe way....
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defendandprotect
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Fri Nov-21-08 07:52 PM
Response to Reply #21 |
28. The ignorance which leads to violence -- how do we stop it? |
opihimoimoi
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Fri Nov-21-08 08:49 PM
Response to Reply #28 |
31. Ya can't ignore ignorance...must confront it head on...implement an Ig Reduction System #3 |
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available at the Acme Ig Company....
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Kajsa
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Fri Nov-21-08 07:30 PM
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Again, you cut through the BS and see a situation as it really is.
:yourock:
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WillyT
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Fri Nov-21-08 07:40 PM
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defendandprotect
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Fri Nov-21-08 07:45 PM
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27. I'd make that 190% confidence ...and historically US government has been racist --!! |
matthewf
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Fri Nov-21-08 07:54 PM
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Usrename
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Fri Nov-21-08 08:41 PM
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30. I think he's doing it NOW in order to kneecap the next president. |
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This kind of behavior will only escalate the tension we are facing over there. It's a patented method for racheting up the resistance.
It would not serve him or his cronies very well to have Obama step into office and immediately pacify the area. This will make it harder. Much harder.
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Vattel
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Fri Nov-21-08 11:53 PM
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35. This underestimates Bush's cowardice |
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Even in the cases where the intelligence is correct, innocent people may well be killed as part of the collateral damage of striking the "high value target."
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mmonk
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Sat Nov-22-08 12:18 AM
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Justice desires we don't go away or tire in pursuit of what is right.
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Waiting For Everyman
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Sat Nov-22-08 12:23 AM
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37. Our real people don't matter any more than that to him either. |
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People like W are taught to believe that those who own less than him are less valuable people. They tell themselves the myth that we have a meritocracy here, that the successful people are better, in an evolutionary sense. That's the rationale for their lack of any kind of morality - why bother about us "inferior" people, let them die off, they'd say. (It's a lot like Scrooge's philosophy.) If W's clique became better humans than they are now, they'd adopt the "noblesse oblige" pov. That's upwards of where they're coming from.
Of course, the last thing we have become is a meritocracy. We most highly reward idiocy and depravity. But then, words have taken on the opposite of their meanings, I've noticed.
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