I guess this is sort of a loser’s relay race, because Gore apparently has agreed to pass the baton to Dean.
Cool.
Also, will someone please tell Dean to drop it with this 9/11 consipiracy theory nonsense. I wrote about it the other day, and yesterday, Dean once again babbled about it. This time it was on Fox News, and to be fair, he was not the one who brought it up, but his answer was not confidence inspiring:
WALLACE: The most interesting theory is that the president was warned ahead of time by the Saudis. Why would you say that, Go who believe that. We don’t know what happened in 9/11. Tom Kean is trying to get some information from the president…
WALLACE: Do you believe that?
DEAN: … which doesn’t — no, I don’t believe that. I can’t imagine the president of the United States doing that. But we don’t know, and it’d be a nice thing to know.
WALLACE: I’m just curious why you would call that the most interesting theory.
DEAN: Because it’s a pretty odd theory.
What we do believe is that there was a lot of chatter that somehow was missed by the CIA and the FBI about this, and that for some reason we were unable to decide and get clear indications of what the attacks what were going to be. Because the president…
WALLACE: I guess…
DEAN: Because the president won’t give the information to the Kean commission we really don’t know what the explanation is.
Dean- the only acceptable answer is ‘Anyone who thinks the President knew about the attacks prior to 9/11 is mentally unbalanced.’ The Governor keeps trying to have his cake and eat it too. If you can not ‘imagine’ the President knowing about the attack in demand, why do you keep insisting that there are documents that would cleare this up that Bush refuses to give to the Kean commission. The reason is because you are being a weasel. Dean knows damned well that the only documents not being turned over to the Kean commission are several classified security briefings, and while they are not being formally turned over, some commission members are allowed to peruse the documents.
This guy is arrogant, hot-headed, condescending, dishonest, and has the wrong ideas regarding foreign policy and fiscal policy. I am going to love the general election. A long time friend (and former McCain supporter) the other day noted that he had sent $100 bucks to the Dean campaign, because “he is thoroughly unelectable.”
PNAC
So the sighing one passed the torch to the frawning one.
Cool
Kimmitt
Um, “because it’s a pretty odd theory” pretty much covers Dean’s lack of adherence to it.
“Dean knows damned well that the only documents not being turned over to the Kean commission are several classified security briefings,”
This is not my understanding.
Kimmitt
And thank you to your friend — contributions like his are what make this people-powered campaign possible. With his help, we will reinvigorate American democracy and take our country back from the incompetents, fools, and corrupt bastards who currently hold the reins of power.
Gary Farber
Phrasing and meaning are important here, actually. If someone, anyone, is suggesting “Bush knew that on that date, or that during that week, or in some specific time frame, al Queda operatives were going to fly hijacked planes into the WTC,” yes, not only is there no evidence of that, it makes no sense to suggest it, and it’s a crazed conspiracy theory.
On the other hand, it has come out that there were specific intelligence reports that al Queda had plans to use hijacked airplanes to fly into targets, it was known that the WTC was an al Queda target, and there were specific intelligence warnings about an al Queda attack during that week or two’s time frame.
We do know that. We don’t know further detail of what someone wisely referred to as “known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns.”
How much or little one wants to make of any of that is something that should be left to rational and calm analysis, not partisan bickering on any side. Myself, I don’t make too much at this point, because hindsight is always 20/20 and in a universe of a jillion points of intelligence, finding what’s relevant in advance, and connecting it all is difficult to make happen.
But talking about position a is as worthy of condemnation as you engage in, while talking about position b is not at all, and I don’t think there’s much evidence in what Dean said that he was talking about position a rather than something along the lines of position b.
John Cole
Gary- That is reasonable and fair, but the charge is that Bush had Saudi friends who told him in advance of the attacks, which is just barking moonbat nonsense.
Dean should condemn it, and quit pretending that unrelated documents that the Kean commission may or may not want will ‘clear this up.’
Kimmitt
It’s also kind of weird to me to view Gore as a loser. This is a guy who has had a long and successful career as a legislator and Vice President, who missed becoming President himself by less than a dozen electoral votes in a race that was so close that it had to be decided by the Supreme Court.
I mean, if that’s loserdom, I hate to think of what scorn a random economics professor will enjoy in thirty years. Maybe I should change careers or something.
Dean
Ya know, the Boston Red Sox were THIS close in 1986. But for one slight fumble by one of the players (Bill Buckner, by name), the team coulda, woulda won.
Is it really fair to remember them as LOSERS, since they defeated a whole lot of other teams (this being before wild cards) and making it to the very end of a long and arduous process?
John Cole
Kimmitt- I meant loser of the last election, loser of the next election, not ‘Al Gore is a loser.’
Although the w3ay he has behaved in the last two years…
Meezer
Kimmett-
He didn’t win his *own* state. The people who knew him best did not want him for president. GW managed to take Texas and Clinton had no trouble with Arkansas.
John Cole
Well- Considering Gore grew up in a hotel in DC (when he was not plowing, planting, and picking tobacoo or attending private school), so in a way he did win one of his home states…
HH
After Zell’s endorsement, I said the Dems lost Georgia. If Dean is the nominee, the Dems have now lost Tennessee.
rachelrachel
But Bush didn’t win Connecticut. It depends on what the meaning of “home state” is.
HH
Well, let’s see… Bush lost CT and it all came down to FL… polls now show him comfortably leading in FL… somehow CT doesn’t seem all that important.
Andrew Lazarus
It’s hard to tell if yo’re serious, but Gore really did fo back to the farm summers. What he planted, I don’t know.
Bloodengine
When can we all stop collectively pretending that the election will be anything but complete victory for Bush?
CadillaqJaq
“And thank you to your friend — contributions like his are what make this people-powered campaign possible. With his help, we will reinvigorate American democracy and take our country back from the incompetents, fools, and corrupt bastards who currently hold the reins of power.”
Kimmet, are you refering to Terry McAuliffe and the DNC?
As far as putting Al Gore in the loser category: with all of the advantages that 8 years as VP gave him, he should have “whupped up” on GWB unmercifully… instead, he couldn’t carry his home state.
When it came down to cases, especially in the post election Florida ‘hanging chad’ fiasco, Gore showed his true colors.
IMO, he is a loser and we’re all the better off for it.
HH
First he calls Bush to “take back” his concession, then he refuses to call Joe. Not good with phones, this guy.
HH
Bingo.