Pivot
We all know that if we had a president who acted in good faith then we would actively be in a dialogue with all nations that aren't considered an ally. The idea being that when 2 people sit down and crosscheck their versions of the facts then discrepancies can be reconciled and common ground can be established.
If the Democrats in Congress were better diplomats, then they'd be engaged in private chats with every Republican who is against impeaching Bush/Cheney. In those chats they would go over point by point all the clear cut evidence that Bush/Cheney has deliberately flouted the law and endangered the nation, both willfully and through negligence. And then they would remind them that even William Buckley has said that Bush/Cheney should resign.
And if the Democrats in Congress had a better grasp of how much power is in the podium then they'd find a camera somewhere and excoriate any Republican Congressperson who refused to have any such private chat. And they'd explain to the camera the point by point reasons why it's incumbent upon America to IMPEACH.
Poll 46 votes Show Results Nancy's VP should be... Wes Clark Al Gore Barack Obama Dennis Kucinich Hilllary Clinton (NOT) Bill Richardson Chris Dodd John Edwards Joe Biden Mike Gravel George Lakoff Bill Clinton Feingold 46 votes Vote Now! Nancy's VP should be... Wes Clark 11 votes Al Gore 8 votes Barack Obama 2% 1 vote Dennis Kucinich 9% 4 votes Hilllary Clinton (NOT) 0% 0 votes Bill Richardson 5 votes Chris Dodd 0% 0 votes John Edwards 2% 1 vote Joe Biden 0% 0 votes Mike Gravel 7% 3 votes George Lakoff 2% 1 vote Bill Clinton 7% 3 votes Feingold 9 votes
In William James' essay, "The Will to Believe," he states that
"if we believe in the possibility of some future event taking place, then this belief increases our power to help make the event happen when the time comes for action."
a k a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Just after the wrath of President Buzzkill's handling of Hurricane Katrina I implored Bernie Sanders and Thom Hartmann and all of Thom's listening audience to demand Bush and Cheney resign. They both scoffed at the implication that it would ever happen, as if that had any relevance to whether it was incumbent upon us to demand justice and accountability and our common security.
Tonight Mike Malloy, with more desperation than ever before, raised the question as to what it is going to take for us to gain the leverage we need to Rectify Bush/Cheney.
For starters, it'll take Mike Malloy to start voicing his right to see Bush and Cheney out of power in the immediate future through resignations. With the father of Conservatism--William Buckley--being a voice for resignations, you've got all the cover you need to deflect the Rovian media whores.
Poll 12 votes Show Results Wes Clark should be Nancy Pelosi's VP.... Yes! And I agree that she should resign upon Wes being sworn in. Yes! But she should remain commander in chief. No, Obama is more qualified than Clark, and YES, she should resign for him. No, Obama is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. No, Hillary s more qualified than Clark, and YES, Nancy should resign for her. No, Hillary is more qualified than Clark, and, no, Nancy should NOT resign for her No, Edwards is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. No, Edwards is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. No, Kucinich is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. No, Kucinich is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. No, Kucinich is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. No, Edwards is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. No, Dodd is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. No, Dodd is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. 12 votes Vote Now! Wes Clark should be Nancy Pelosi's VP.... Yes! And I agree that she should resign upon Wes being sworn in. 6 votes Yes! But she should remain commander in chief. 2 votes No, Obama is more qualified than Clark, and YES, she should resign for him. 0% 0 votes No, Obama is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. 8% 1 vote No, Hillary s more qualified than Clark, and YES, Nancy should resign for her. 0% 0 votes No, Hillary is more qualified than Clark, and, no, Nancy should NOT resign for her 0% 0 votes No, Edwards is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. 0% 0 votes No, Edwards is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. 0% 0 votes No, Kucinich is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. 0% 0 votes No, Kucinich is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. 0% 0 votes No, Kucinich is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. 0% 0 votes No, Edwards is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. 8% 1 vote No, Dodd is more qualified than Clark, and, no, she should NOT resign for him. 8% 1 vote No, Dodd is more qualified than Clark, and, YES, she should resign for him. 8% 1 vote
General Clark, sir, as someone who believes you are a miracle candidate I set the bar as high as it can go for my expectations of you. So when I read Glenn Greenwald's current Salon.com piece I had to wonder how come you hadn't taken the Democrats aside months ago in order to make it clear to them that cutting the funding was not tantamount to putting troops in harm's way. Perhaps then it would have occurred to them to use their bully pulpits to quash the myth in the bud. Instead, as usual, we are left reading lamentable pieces about how things could have been if our leaders had the clarity to be on offense instead of perpetual defense:
The idea of forcefully articulating a view in order to change public opinion -- such as explaining why de-funding is a perfectly valid option like all the others for ending the war -- never occurs to them.
Poll 52 votes Show Results I'm disappointed that the Dems didn't reject the spending bill.... and there is no good excuse. I can't for the life of me grasp how Murtha and Webb voted as they did Eric Alterman was right: if the Democrats defunded then Dems would get voted out because so much of the public believes that would endanger the troops It's hard enough to comprehend that Webb and Murtha voted "yes," but I can't believe Obama didn't vote "no" like he meant it. 52 votes Vote Now! I'm disappointed that the Dems didn't reject the spending bill.... and there is no good excuse. I can't for the life of me grasp how Murtha and Webb voted as they did 30 votes Eric Alterman was right: if the Democrats defunded then Dems would get voted out because so much of the public believes that would endanger the troops 13 votes It's hard enough to comprehend that Webb and Murtha voted "yes," but I can't believe Obama didn't vote "no" like he meant it. 9 votes
General Clark, while I was reading Rusty1776 throw down the gauntlet with the long overdue diary, Leadership on Daily Kos, I was reminded of the time on C-span when you were asked what you would do if anyone tried to color you unpatriotic. Your supporters often cite your eloquent retort as evidence of why we want and need you in the ring.
In January you reminded us of the monumental loss and harm President Pissant has wrought upon our armed forces and the grim times ahead for them while President Magoo remains at the helm. And now, as Rusty1776 reminded us of so spot on, our Democratic leaders in Congress have acquiesced to our opponents when they should have been giving the impression that Keith Olberman and Stephen Colbert are coaching them.
If we seek solace in the prinsons of the distant past Security in human systems we're told will always always last; Emotions are the sail and blind faith is the mast, Without the breath of real freedom we're getting nowhere fast.
If God is dead and the actor plays his part, His words of fear will find their way to a place in your heart. Without the voice of reason every faith is its own curse; Without freedom from the past, things can only get worse.
Sooner or later just like the world first day Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away.
The great impeachment diaries today by foxklub and Rusty1776 and especially the one by buddydharma got me to thinking about how one of our biggest obstacles is the faction on the left who thinks it's unpragmatic to go for impeachment because we don't have the votes. Buddy's point in a nutshell was: We don't have the votes, YET.
I wasn't the only one who thought that - I couldn't have said it better myself.
But just now as I sat here fuming as usual over what the Bush Regime has done and how INFUCKINGTOLERABLE it is that they're going to be in the White House for another day I felt like Ross from "Friends" when he flipped out over being asked for gift money for a man he didn't even know...."IT'S THE PRINCIPLE!!"
ya see...
Poll 2 votes Show Results I agree, it's high time we had serious discussions about President Pelosi's VP. I hope she picks... Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/9779 Wes Clark because http://youtube.com/watch?v=JKchifzp2Po Wes Clark because http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0704.clark.html Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/articles/washingtonmonthly/2004-05-01 Wes Clark because http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/28/141459/949 Wes Clark because http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=54426 Wes Clark because http://www.texasforclark.com/departure2.htm Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/9779 Wes Clark because http://wesleyclark.h1.ru/usa_attack1.htm#A%20Long,%20Tough%20Job Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/8733 Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/node/560 Wes Clark because http://www.newshounds.us/2006/07/24/fox_undercuts_wesley_clarks_sane_words.php Wes Clark because http://www.democrats.org/a/p/retired_general_wesley_clark_delivers_democratic_radio_address.html Wes Clark because http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tb9sS252XI Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/vision 2 votes Vote Now! I agree, it's high time we had serious discussions about President Pelosi's VP. I hope she picks... Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/9779 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://youtube.com/watch?v=JKchifzp2Po 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0704.clark.html 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/articles/washingtonmonthly/2004-05-01 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/28/141459/949 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=54426 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://www.texasforclark.com/departure2.htm 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/9779 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://wesleyclark.h1.ru/usa_attack1.htm#A%20Long,%20Tough%20Job 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/8733 1 vote Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/node/560 1 vote Wes Clark because http://www.newshounds.us/2006/07/24/fox_undercuts_wesley_clarks_sane_words.php 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://www.democrats.org/a/p/retired_general_wesley_clark_delivers_democratic_radio_address.html 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tb9sS252XI 0% 0 votes Wes Clark because http://securingamerica.com/vision 0% 0 votes
Dear George W. Bush,
You have at times expressed your admiration for America's first commander-in-chief, so I'm sure you already know that historians are quick to remind us that Washington had the chance to be president for a third time because he was a living legend. But of course he declined a third time because he knew that it's unwise for a nation to put its fate in any one man. Humble men know that "Grace is knowing when to leave," as one historian said of Washington's example.
It's time for you to leave, Mr. Bush. A nation's success is directly proportional to its leaders' credibility. And, as you know, your administration is all out of credibility. So help yourself and cut your losses. Fire Cheney, replace him with someone credible and then resign.
If you really want history to judge you on a par with the president that set the bar, prove to America that you understand that a leader with no credibility is not doing his people any favors by insisting he finish his term merely because it's on the schedule.
Poll 31 votes Show Results Who do you think has the most credibilty to replace President Magoo? Clark Kucinich Howard Dean John Kerry John Edwards Nancy Pelosi Al Gore Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton Bill Richardson Joe Biden Barack Obama Jim Wallis Joe Lieberman Ron Paul 31 votes Vote Now! Who do you think has the most credibilty to replace President Magoo? Clark 8 votes Kucinich 3% 1 vote Howard Dean 0% 0 votes John Kerry 3% 1 vote John Edwards 4 votes Nancy Pelosi 6% 2 votes Al Gore 7 votes Bill Clinton 0% 0 votes Hillary Clinton 3% 1 vote Bill Richardson 3 votes Joe Biden 0% 0 votes Barack Obama 3 votes Jim Wallis 0% 0 votes Joe Lieberman 0% 0 votes Ron Paul 3% 1 vote
As I watched Spiderman 3 today I fantasized about how awesome it would be to have Superman's powers. In the movies they always have to create a calamity that may even be daunting to Superman. Surely Superman wouldn't be daunted by Bush. So if there was really a Superman in the world, what would he do about George Bush? ....And if Superman could do something about him, why can't any of us?
How many have times on Daily Kos have you seen the empty rhetoric, "this must stop, NOW"? We all share that sentiment, but are ostensibly powerless to make it happen. (I actually believe there's a way to peaceably bring that sentiment to fruition, but that's another diary.) In my opinion, if Superman asked me what he should do about Bush, I'd tell him he's duty bound to enact a coup against Bush by physically taking them into custody and then simply using his unique power of the podium to force his supporters to have to confront the preponderance of clear-cut evidence; and then simply allow Pelosi to legally fill his shoes. Problem solved. (And hopefully Pelosi would pick The Greatest American Hero as her VP.)
Seriously, follow below...
Poll 15 votes Show Results a) If you had Superman's powers, would you feel it incumbent upon you to commandeer the power of the podium in order to force the MSM to acknowledge the crimes of the Bush crime faimily and use force if necessary to further expedite the rightful ascension Yes for a, T for b Yes for a, F for b No, T for b No, F for b 15 votes Vote Now! a) If you had Superman's powers, would you feel it incumbent upon you to commandeer the power of the podium in order to force the MSM to acknowledge the crimes of the Bush crime faimily and use force if necessary to further expedite the rightful ascension Yes for a, T for b 13 votes Yes for a, F for b 2 votes No, T for b 0% 0 votes No, F for b 0% 0 votes
My first choice to replace President Magoo is Wes Clark. The paramount reason is his reputation. You can dispute his real and perceived reputation as the Supreme Allied Commander, or his loyalty to the progressive worldview, but not one person on the left would hesitate to endorse Clark's eloquence and authority on why The American Way is synonymous with not torturing. End of discussion.
And besides thinking it important that all Americans be cognizant of just how and why torturing is wrong, I'd like to know how all of the candidates match up when it comes to how well they've articulated their positions on torture and what the rest of the world could expect from him.
Poll 19 votes Show Results You're right. I've never encourntered a more eloquent case for why torture is out of bounds NO MATTER WHAT. I already knew that Clark's the best in part due to his ability to explain why torture is wrong. Wow, I knew Clark was at VP material, but until now I hadn't seen it put this perfectly before. ....maybe he IS the best candidate. You're overstating how horribly our nation has been tarnished by the torture we've been complicit in. Indeed, Clark is great to listen to on everything under the sun, especially war, diplomacy and economics and jobs and healthcare and the environment and national security, but he's second tier material. This diary convinced me that Wes Clark is the best man to be the next president. 19 votes Vote Now! You're right. I've never encourntered a more eloquent case for why torture is out of bounds NO MATTER WHAT. I already knew that Clark's the best in part due to his ability to explain why torture is wrong. 12 votes Wow, I knew Clark was at VP material, but until now I hadn't seen it put this perfectly before. ....maybe he IS the best candidate. 0% 0 votes You're overstating how horribly our nation has been tarnished by the torture we've been complicit in. 0% 0 votes Indeed, Clark is great to listen to on everything under the sun, especially war, diplomacy and economics and jobs and healthcare and the environment and national security, but he's second tier material. 5% 1 vote This diary convinced me that Wes Clark is the best man to be the next president. 6 votes
"No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth." --Lucretius
I just read Kagro X's important diary Does your delegation know what inherent contempt is? about how we need to lean on our individual Congress members to enforce their authority to compel the administration to acquiesce to subpoenas. It involves obscure legal stuff along with much poking and prodding.
Not withstanding that we live in a bizarro world where the so-called president can say with a straight face that Gonzo's testimony bolstered his confidence in the man, even Rightwing bloggers are giving up on Gonzalez. Not to mention Bob Novak. Nonetheless, though, Gonzo still remains and Emperor Bush still has enough people ignoring the fact that he's naked.
However, we can brake it down for the simple-minded Bushies to a level that even they can't deny...
Poll 31 votes Show Results It's irrefutable that justice demands their resignations and/or impeachment and/or The Hague... but it's not politically expedient or practical to insist on something that won't happen, so stop being so naive and idealistic. so, yeah, the anti-Bush contingent should unite around the idea that we'll settle for nothing less than impeachment and/or resignation of Bush/Cheney; and this point with Gonzo is too simple for even Hannity to wriggle out of. none of the above [leave comment] 31 votes Vote Now! It's irrefutable that justice demands their resignations and/or impeachment and/or The Hague... but it's not politically expedient or practical to insist on something that won't happen, so stop being so naive and idealistic. 3 votes so, yeah, the anti-Bush contingent should unite around the idea that we'll settle for nothing less than impeachment and/or resignation of Bush/Cheney; and this point with Gonzo is too simple for even Hannity to wriggle out of. 25 votes none of the above [leave comment] 3 votes
Yes,his debate with John McCain was a thing of beauty, and I appreciate how much he understands the importance of remaining cordial and respectfull despite how contentious it had become. But he could have been much more forceful and been like, "Dude, how come you personally haven't shown Bush disdain for the way he tries to paint the rest of us as unpatriotic? You're an enabler and really that makes you no better than him. Shame on you." And, as of a couple of days ago, he could have even said, "Senator McCain, George Fucking McGovern said today that he expects that Bush and Cheney will have to resign. And I've got a long list in front of me of air-tight impeachable offenses that make it very clear why someone of his stature would make such a bold statement. So can you please tell us why you aren't joining people like him and myself and my audience in calling for Bush/Cheney to resign? And if not, on behalf of my child I would very much appreciate it if you would allow me 15 minutes in private to go over this list I have."
cont...
Poll 100 votes Show Results IMO, the law, justice and the Constitution demand Bush/Cheney resign, therefore it's incumbent upon all of us to demand those in the media and government to demand it as well. Dude, get a grip, just because we've caught the Bush regime red-handed 101 times and counting, you're being naive. Nobody has that kind of courage. Damn straight. It's about friggin time that we all settled for nothing less than their resignations; and anyone on our side with a podium who doesn't faciliate this message will be scorned. Dude, take your medication (And this is so preposterous that I won't even deign to give a reason or counterargument. After all, McGovern's words are irrelevant.) Calm down and stop acting like there's an urgency here. Nobody's going to die if Bush/Cheney gets to finish out the term, so stop being so histrionic. In light of how much George and Laura are suffering, we should offer them this chance to get on with their life. The problem with all of this is that they'll never resign because they know damn well that once they do they'll be prosecuted for war crimes and high treason None of the above.. [please leave comment] 100 votes Vote Now! IMO, the law, justice and the Constitution demand Bush/Cheney resign, therefore it's incumbent upon all of us to demand those in the media and government to demand it as well. Dude, get a grip, just because we've caught the Bush regime red-handed 101 times and counting, you're being naive. Nobody has that kind of courage. 9% 9 votes Damn straight. It's about friggin time that we all settled for nothing less than their resignations; and anyone on our side with a podium who doesn't faciliate this message will be scorned. 34 votes Dude, take your medication (And this is so preposterous that I won't even deign to give a reason or counterargument. After all, McGovern's words are irrelevant.) 11 votes Calm down and stop acting like there's an urgency here. Nobody's going to die if Bush/Cheney gets to finish out the term, so stop being so histrionic. 2% 2 votes In light of how much George and Laura are suffering, we should offer them this chance to get on with their life. 7% 7 votes The problem with all of this is that they'll never resign because they know damn well that once they do they'll be prosecuted for war crimes and high treason 30 votes None of the above.. [please leave comment] 7% 7 votes
A few days ago I posted a diary suggesting that Clark should turn the tables on Bush and tell him that since he couldn't find anyone qualified to accept the war czar position, he, Wes, would like to take it. My premise is that Bush can't turn him down because of his party affiliation since he's got to keep up the charade that he doesn't politicize the war.
I've heard all of the reasons why Wes shouldn't request the position. None of them were reasons I hadn't thought of myself first. I'll repeat those reasons in a minute, but first say that the reason this diary is not just a repeat is because another Clarkie told me today, as others had: "I do not want Wes to be the War Czar. And I don’t think he’d want it. He is about peace, not war." So to doubly turn the tables on Bush, when he gives notice that he'd like to take the war czar position, he'll qualify it by saying that he would only do so if the title was changed to diplomacy czar.
Half the beauty is that the law forbids him from being the secretary of defense for the time being. So Bush created the loophole for us.
not done...
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