snuffbox

I wonder if she even realizes how blatantly obvious she is being that the only reason she's finally saying any of this is because of '08. If she does, she doesn't care in the least. She couldn't bring herself to oppose or apologize when Kerry ran (not that Kerry did much to help himself anyway) but now that she has a real personal stake in the Presidency, she speaks out. Just like Bush, Hillary's entire opinion of the war, a situation that is costing thousands of American lives & billions of American dollars, is based ENTIRELY on politics.

A little improvement.

When I hear 'conservative' it doesn't bother me...I think 'Barry Goldwater' and small govt and low taxes and personal freedoms. I dont hold weirdo shit like homophobia and big fences against 'conservatism'. Unfortunately, to hardcore Dem Party folks it is a dirty word. When I hear 'liberal' it doesnt bother me...to me it implies a large govt with its function being to help the people that need it. Not really my thing in most cases, but not something evil either. Unfortunately, for Republican Party toadies it is a 'dirty' term. And when I hear 'progressive' I think Bob La Follette and moving forward to make a better country, world, culture, society. But then we have to have mindless twits like O Reilly using it as a derogatory term, and his retarded following swallow it like sugared medicine. No matter what, I cant figure out this kind of thinking. Using terms that simply describe the political philosophies of people, none of which imply anything evil at their real roots, as dirty words is really bizarre. It's as thoughtlessly bad as labeling George McGovern a hippie or George Bush Sr a wimp.

Obviously the weekly threads are gaining little if any interest 'round here. Maybe we should just contain it to one thread. Hopefully there's more people here watching these games.

Do any of these thousands of guests perusing the forum ever make it to the main site?

Maybe.

Teddy probably won't be alive in 10 years. Biden's getting up there too, and '08 is definitly his last stab at national office. The new breed is guys like Webb & Tester. There are still small govt people on the Republican side, and the toadies may or may not have learned a lesson via DeWine last November, but the overall picture, of both Parties, is beginning to shift. If it is a permanent shift, it will take several more election cycles with old-guard dropping out and new people coming in for it to really take full form. And, if there is a Really Fucking Big Govt, it is the current Administration. People can use the dirty word 'liberal' all they want but the Clinton Admin didn't spend or expand nearly as much as Bush Jr. Not even close.

This was Fox's response to CNN finding, rather simply, the facts behind the Obama/madrasa 'story'... “Yet another cry for attention by the Paris Hilton of television news, Anderson Cooper.”

That's boring compared to a Snitsky-Masters match or a HHH sleeperhold.

Is that Heineken in a can? Putrid.

McCain's latching onto Bush since 2000 may be one of the saddest stories written in American politics. Beyond the disturbing aspects of bending over for a guy who did so much to him in the primary season that year he has absolutely destroyed his own chances of becoming President. Really the only thread he is hanging on to at this moment is the continued gibberish of the media proclaiming him 'celebrity' and such other nonsense. As of now, and not much different than my first analysis of a couple months ago, the top three real prospects for the GOP in '08 are Huckabee, Thompson, & in a new inclusion Chuck Hagel.

Obviously only time can tell whether this will be a full turn of the political philosophies. The last full turn took place at the beginning of the last century, over a span of about three decades, and even that time period wasn't enough to fully envelop the switch. What we are seeing now, and over the past five years, is one of the sharpest turns ever seen in America's history. How far around this turn will go, and how long it will last, can't be grasped right now. I do wonder how much of the Democratic move towards small govt is due to changing philosophy of its leaders/members or whether much of it is them being forced to move that way in the intertia of the GOP's (led by this Administartion's policy of the biggest govt possibly ever seen in American history) massive shift.

What 'bout Mama Eastman?

Why?

Opposing the Iraq War, the biggest source of massive govt spending in recent times, is also fiscally responsible. Spending money on programs to actually help people (though I tend to disagree with most all of them) is alot different then spending even more money on something like nation building. Now with this pension bill being pushed through, among many other things, we are seeing further turning of the big/small govt political compass. At this point the people who consider themselves small govt conservatives (such as myself) will either have to completely distance themselves from the GOP (aligning themselves with indies/libertarians or certain Dems; I like a Jim Webb type Dem or those with strong anti-Iraq views that can overshadow other big govt aspects of their philosophy like Feingold) or be left as utter toadies to a mere political party with little to no backbone of thought.

Chuck Hagel might end up being the only DC Republican with a real chance next year.

Mike Huckabee seems like the type that would come out swinging if anyone tried to Willie Horton him. Or at least not completely melt at the accusation. It will definitly be something he will have to adress at some point. Looks like he'll be making an announcement of his candidacy sometime this week.

This thread is getting pretty funny.

Yes. Everyone that goes to college is an idiot.

The sad thing is, much like with Clinton's 'wag', Bush is actually hitting terrorists this time.

Wag the dog.

Bosnia & Kosovo are nothing comparable to the current Iraq situation re: nation building. And besides, if Clinton had in fact set a policy of nation building it would have been in step with the longstanding philosophy of the Democratic Party being liberal/big govt. Now, with the Bush Administration actually doing this, the most 'big govt' thing a country can do, it shows the switch that is taking place. Really, the closest comparable Administration to the current would probably be Lyndon Johnson's...nation building, massive spending, civil liberty/personal rights erosion, & a credibility gap. And, in an unrelated bit, I'm still waiting for the Liberal Media to mention a certain three words in regards to the recent bombings of Somalia. I'm not saying I disagree with the bombings, I dont, but a little fairness would be nice.

Sadly, Pearl Jam wont be at Bonnaroo after all.

Looks like we're all a bunch of browntongues.

The gay stuff DOES fit into the big/small govt switch. Trying to pass legislation banning gay marriage equates to new laws and more govt power. The usage of it as a wedge political issue might not fit, but the attempts at new laws does. It is an example of the Republican Party, in this case being steered by their hardcore religious constituency, moving towards bigger govt. The abortion stuff...Republicans, again at the behest of religious folk, are trying to create new laws that would strip power of American people & put with the Govt. If Roe/Wade ever were to be reversed, it would then see the same type of things happening as the federal agents raiding medical marijuana clinics right now. That medical marijuana stuff is another big example of the big/small govt switch. Guys like Duncan Hunter & Tom Tancredo pushing hard for big fences around the country is a glaring example of a move towards big govt. Of course, theyre much more supportive when jobs go overseas (or over the border). That policy is also representative of big govt, by expanding the tax breaks beyond our country and into factories in other lands. But, of course, beyond all of these things mentioned here...beyond the rampant spending of the recent GOP controlled Congress...beyond the Patriot Act/surveillance/etc stuff...the biggest example of the big/small govt switch we are seeing right now is the Bush Administration policy of, and the GOP backing of, nation building. I cant think of anything that exemplifies big govt any more than nation building.