Didn’t see that coming! That’s the way it’s supposed to work, so good move, Mr. President. What do y’all think?
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by Betty Cracker| 280 Comments
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Didn’t see that coming! That’s the way it’s supposed to work, so good move, Mr. President. What do y’all think?
Comments are closed.
boyscout
I think it’s stupid to begin with. Bordering on the absurd.
Botsplainer
Not strong or resolute enough to take action on his own. Didn’t do it early enough. Is unsure about the proof so it will all be a lie.
Clearly, he should be impeached.
Highway Rob
I am temporarily relieved. Then I realize that I have to put my faith in this Congress to do the right thing, whatever that is.
… I am no longer relieved.
Mary G
As Sully says, “Meep, meep!”
Now they have to own it rather than sitting around sniping at him whatever he does.
Good for him.
Tom Levenson
What you said, Betty. Right thing to do and brilliant politics in what looked like a worse than no-win situation. Now the panjandarums of Capitol Hill must actually go on record.
Like this.
pseudonymous in nc
Next week’s business in the House: a resolution to approve military force on condition that the ACA budget is diverted to pay for it.
lol
No matter how an individual member votes, Pelosi needs to make sure the Dems vote last and not tell Boehner what her whip count is. Put the fuckers on the spot and don’t let them figure out what way the wind is blowing.
the Conster
He handed Congress some hoop pants and rubber noses, so let the clown parade begin!
lol
Speaking of completely predictable reactions:
Dolly Llama
For once — I’m talking ONE GOD DAMN TIME — the fact that Congress would vote against Motherhood if Obama backed it may actually work in this country’s favor.
Whatever it takes to stay the fuck out of that shit is good for me. And if that includes a dickheaded do-nothing Congress, OK. And I can’t believe I just typed that shit.
max
That’s the way it’s supposed to work, so good move, Mr. President. What do y’all think?
Looks like he bowed to the inevitable. But good on him for doing so. Now I’m going to root/support voting the motion down.
max
[‘Odds look good.’]
terraformer
Glad to see he’s following procedure, as it were, but I think I know what the outcome will be. Britain’s Parliament did the right thing, but our “representatives” will certainly vote in support. As Pierce says, “Nothing good can come from this. Nothing.”
Scotty
It puts both Republicans and Dems between a rock and a hard place because there is no good answer to the crisis. So everybody wins and everybody loses.
PaulW
@Mary G:
You beat me to it!
jo6pac
This is good news, now 0 can say congresscritters made me do it one of his favorite lines. Then apic is reminding all of the brought congresscritters how to vote. Works for everyone except the citizens of Syria.
PaulW
You do realize he did this right in the middle of College Gameday Saturday, when most of the nation won’t even notice.
different-church-lady
The only downside is that we now have to witness another 1-3 weeks of people saying the stupidest fucking shit that enters their minds.
Botsplainer
@lol:
Every time that mook speaks, I’m tempted to fly to wherever he is so I can curb stomp him.
I get the same urge about Griftwald.
YellowJournalism
This is the political equivalent of pushing up your glasses with your middle finger in front of a person you can’t stand. Looks innocent and necessary.
But can’t take too much pride when the situation is as much of a hellish mess as it is. I want to laugh at the GOP, but there’s too many innocent lives involved here.
hildebrand
It threads the needle nicely – Syria knows they are on the clock, Congress will not be allowed to kvetch from the side-lines, our Allies will have to decide whether they plan on actually helping with what sure looks like an international problem, the UN can finish their examination of the evidence, and the constitutional scholars among us get a big, fat precedent that reintroduces the notion that the President can’t just do this kind of stuff on his/her own.
Of course, Cole will still find something to whine about – likely harrumphing about peace prizes, being all hopey-changey , and whatever else sort of emo-prog knavery needs to be uttered at this point.
raven
I think there are some fucker here that are full of shit with their “dick waving” and “Nobel Prize” horseshit.
Smiling Mortician
@different-church-lady: Was there a plan for something else in the next 1-3 weeks?
lamh36
@Botsplainer: Booman has a post up saying basically it’s a good thing but it does make him look bad.
Dream On
Oh good. That should take Congress’ attention away from any spying programs.
Frankensteinbeck
I saw it coming. When the Arab League stopped supporting US intervention, I knew that was dead in the water, and dumping this on congress is a great way to ensure we don’t have to intervene. Boehner has already said he won’t consider a vote before the 9th, and the GOP talking points are already out. They’re saying ‘Nuh-uh, it’s that lazy Obama’s job!’
EDIT – The news coverage is infuriating. What bothered me most was a commentator saying the Arab League was ‘taking away Obama’s cover’ to intervene. The assumption that this is all a political game and Obama can’t possibly actually care what the Arab League thinks is bad enough, but the refusal to even consider that the Arab League’s opinion might be important by itself is the height of US-centric chickenhawk arrogance.
Randy P
IMPEACH! IMPEACH!
I haven’t heard the speech yet, but this is quite an interesting turn of events. It sets a precedent. I’m no legal scholar but I think that there has always been this tension between the President’s powers as Commander in Chief and the fact that the Constitution does not give the President the power to declare war. The War Powers Act was an attempt to clarify the issues, but I don’t think the Supreme Court has ever had a chance to define the boundaries, have they?
I think that the fact that we have been at war nearly continuously since WWII but haven’t declared a war is ludicrous and hypocritical.
So bravo to Obama for backing off on the Imperial President model. I’ll bet somebody will manage to call this action “dictatorial” anyway.
lamh36
approximately 2 hours ago Coryn said this: Sen. John Cornyn To Obama: Call Congress For A Vote On Syria
bet he’s eatin crow now
catperson
I think the question is what’s going to happen if Congress says no or doesn’t take it up.
hildebrand
@lamh36: Booman should be happy, then, because the good people at Free Republic agree with him. They are lamenting the end of the American Empire in Freeper land because this shows the President to be a giant al-Qaeda loving wimp who won’t do the right thing.
wmd
Drop packets with Atropine and arabic media on how to treat Sarin victims. Help the civilians deal with the horror of chemical weapons. Win some hearts and minds in the Arab street.
Stopping the many thousands of civilian deaths from mortar and small arms fire is a tougher problem. But we can lower the causality rate for chemical attack with a non violent intervention RIGHT NOW.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
ETA: Deleted because I think I misread somebody’s post
@lamh36: to the talking heads I suppose that’s true, but I don’t think most people give a shit about “red lines” and what John McCain says. More time to explain what’s actually happening in Syria and what we can/might/will do cannot be a bad thing, I think.
And David SIrota is an embarrassment.
Linnaeus
It’s definitely better for the president to bring Congress into this than not.
Mnemosyne
I like it. Make Congress own all of their tough talk and see how serious people like Rand Paul are about their isolationism.
I’m still hoping we can stay out of it since I don’t see how unilateral action can improve the ongoing clusterfuck, but I’ll be curious to see if Boehner can keep his caucus together or if it all falls apart again.
bemused
@lamh36:
Do they ever eat crow? I’ve been searching my memory box and haven’t come up with an instance yet.
Keith G
In the previous thread I mentioned that this was not Obama’s Plan A. If Cameron had won, the missiles would be being armed as we speak. This needs to be done sooner rather than later and the President knows it. He is making applesauce out of squishy apples.
Congress will approve since even hating the Prez will not counter (for most) the evidence and the story (with horrible visuals no less) describing what happened and happened again and again. Then there is the Putin angle, and then there is the Iran angle and even the North Korea complication. Just think of the selling point: Doing nothing in the face of a horrific war crime against children will be giving Vlad Putin a big, big victory as well as sending an explicit message to Tehran and Pyongyang.
I think the speech was an hour late as the Obama team and others were finding out what they needed to know (down to the wire) to be as certain as they could be that this speech was not going to cause a later problem – as some of his earlier comments have done. Part of it is/was working out who are the sure votes so that others can have their chance to loudly vote “no” to please the yokels.
The Dangerman
@different-church-lady:
I took a peak at Fox News and they already have the President as weak, indecisive, etc; ya know, the predictable stuff.
FlipYrWhig
Good politics. Who knows how much it helps innocent people in Syria, though of course the cold truth may be that nothing will.
obliterati
How long until someone suggests that the only reason Literally Hitler did this was to distract Congress from the NSA stuff?
Oh look, it already happened, what a surprise.
Botsplainer
@catperson:
The video of the bodies and the expansion of the use of chemical munitions will look great on fundraising commercials voiced over by Sally Struthers (accompanied musically by Sarah McLachlan). Peaceful emoprogs can wring their hands but feel pride in their upholding of principles of peace, and Teatards can chortle along with Netanyahu over the expanding religious carnage among browns.
trollhattan
Presidents McCain and Cantor have totally got this.
Yeah, good move, correct move.
FlipYrWhig
@hildebrand: But isn’t their other point that the Syrian opposition includes Al Qaeda, so the US _shouldn’t_ try to help? How is NOT acting a gift to Al Qaeda? Brane pain.
Jeremy
Obama is a pragmatist. His foreign policy bears similarities to Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush. The guy is no dummy and I suspected that he would ask Congress for support.
People also need to realize that any strike if it were to happen would only last a few days and would not lead to some open ended war.
Sly
@obliterati:
And the only thing Congress would be distracted from is its Summer recess. They’re not officially scheduled to go back to work until Sept. 9th.
Legislative sessions, how do they work?
Corner Stone
@Keith G: I responded to that in the previous thread but since this is more attuned, I’ll let fly again. Apologies to all.
While I’m willing to be persuaded by the argument that Obama would never have said these things unless he felt solid about the outcome, I believe the rest of your contention falls flat.
The right does not give one shit about gassed babies in Syria. Or babies anywhere else outside the womb, not even three blocks away from them. You could show them war pr0n and ask them to stand up so you could check for their tiny little boners poking into their zippers.
Putin will always be Putin and they love a good Russky to hate on. The belief that we would give Obama the Go sign to somehow humiliate or infuriate Putin just doesn’t register far enough up the scale for me.
IMO, I feel you are drastically overweighting actions you hope might be taken and conflating them with a rationale to support them.
I’ll just say that, IMO, the right wants nothing more than to humiliate Obama. There will be every underhanded damn dirty political trick in the book attached to any vote. It will give the R’s cover to vote however they need to to not get primaried while at the same time give them plenty of soundbites.
We’re about to see the mother of all lame-duck arguments coming to peak. He’s a lame-duck on the economy and national concerns and now he’ll be a lame-duck on foreign policy issues as well.
That will be the effort they want to get stamped into the MSM’s brain.
AxelFoley
@different-church-lady:
How is that different from any other day? ;)
West of the Cascades
Brilliant. Hoping here enough congresscritters object and vote it down (the right because they hate the President, enough Democrats because it should be voted down) — albeit not holding out a lot of hope — then the President can pivot to a humanitarian intervention. And if Congress votes for it, they own it. Laughing my ass off at the Republicans in Congress in particular that they didn’t see this coming. Idiots, assuming President Obama would do just what Shrub would have.
MattF
It’s an option somewheres between worst best and best worst, I guess. But what would be a positive outcome? Flat tire on the clown car?
FlipYrWhig
@obliterati: Personally, I feel like the whole thing is an attempt to distract the public from addressing the scourge of twerking. Obama is blatantly pro-butt-jiggle. Why do you think he’s so often around Beyoncé? And now we can’t have that important national conversation. For shame.
Chris
@lol:
I agree. Politically, it’s exactly what Obama needed to do. I’ve been seeing kvetching for days about how Obama would be a tyrant for not asking for Congress’ approval. Well, now he has. And let’s make fucking sure the Republicans need to take a stand. They’ve been getting by ever since the Arab Spring started by alternately supporting and opposing it and in all cases agreeing on nothing except that Obama’s management of it sucked. Well, free ride’s over.
As for whether this will make much difference in Syria? I doubt it. If we “intervene,” it’ll have as little an impact on the ultimate course of the war as our sending the Marines to Lebanon did back during their civil war.
Corner Stone
@FlipYrWhig: And don’t forget that time Obama was totes busted checking out that young lady’s derriere.
Obviously objectively pro-jiggle.
Culture of Truth
That’s got to be a parody.
wmd
I really don’t get why we aren’t helping the victims of chemical attacks – there isn’t a lot of atropine available in Damascus and we’ve got it on our ships. Get the antidotes out to the people that are in harms way. Here’s a chance for our military to do something positive without violent action.
It may even be possible to do it without manned aircraft.
Keith G
@Corner Stone: We will see, amigo.
Care to put a margarita (real or digital) where your mouth is (or fingers are)?
West of the Cascades
@wmd: use beer drones! http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/drone-drops-beers-bombs-south-africa-article-1.1422617
Keith G
@wmd: This is only partly about Syria. Maybe even only tangentially.
hildebrand
@FlipYrWhig: Yep, cognitive dissonance is their natural state of consciousness. I loved reading some of the comments as they tried to show that (if I am translating correctly from Freeper think): 1. Obama looks weak because he won’t attack Assad. 2. This actually helps Al Qaeda because 3. Assad won’t be removed, which leads to 4. Since he is still in power Al Qaeda looks sympathetic and can act like the savior of the Syrian people.
Yep, I really do wonder how they get dressed by themselves each day.
KG
@Randy P: I’m not entirely sure that the War Powers Act has actually ever been challenged. I’m not sure who would have standing to challenge it or what the context would be…
That’s not to say its a bad law, but just one that is more or less necessary since we are a post industrial super power being governed by a preindustrial constitution written for a country that was barely a regional power at the time
Chris
@Randy P:
It’s really not too different from our situation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when we kept sending the military into various countries in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific for operations of dubious value, which were also never declared wars (except the Spanish-American War). Not that that wasn’t ludicrous and hypocritical too, of course.
Botsplainer
Tammy Duckworth is an evil warmonger.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/30/1235064/-Tammy-Duckworth-on-Syria
wmd
@Keith G:
Helping victims of chemical attacks is a win in any case. it’s a no brainer – make the US Navy look like a global force for good like in their ads.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Culture of Truth: David Sirota is a parody, he just doesn’t know it.
OT, a bet I would have lost
I woulda bet Mary would strangle her wife with her own entrails in the cause of vindicating The Progenitor. (I originally types “daddy” but I think the Cheneys are more evil-rage-fused than emotionally bonded)
JW
Syrian problems are none of our business. Don’t we have enough problems here?
Culture of Truth
It’s worth noting that this is not standard procedure. Saint Reagan invaded Geneda without even consulting, and likewise bombed Libya.
Another Botsplainer
This is pretty funny. I’m sure the radical right didn’t see this coming. BTW, where’s that CoolFreshStool troll to tell us Obama is all suxor?
Corner Stone
@Keith G: I’ll be happy to. But let’s be clear.
I’m arguing the majority of R House members will vote against.
The outcome of the vote is less clear because if Pelosi told the president today she has her caucus then that may be enough to get to Yes with a handful or MIC/neocon R votes.
So do you want to bet on the eventual outcome of the vote, if there is one, or are you betting against my argument that the R’s will en masse vote No?
Culture of Truth
@KG: John Conyers tried use the WPA to use over the invasion of Grenada, but it was declared moot since troops left the island by the time the case got to court.
Baud
I’m glad Obama asked Congress to act. There are so many post offices in Damascus in need of new names.
Culture of Truth
@FlipYrWhig: I thought twerking was to distract from bombing Syria.
Culture of Truth
@Baud: Good one.
Keith G
@wmd: So you are thinking we could catapult meds and syringes into discrete neighborhoods where there has been a gas attack?
We actually are providing as much assistance as we can through Jordan and Turkey, but even there the supply line are quite tenuous.
Jeremy
LOL ! NBC reported that after the announcement President Obama and Vice President Biden went out for a few rounds of golf.
Robert Sneddon
@wmd: Atropine will sicken and kill people not trained to use it — from what I understand it only works as a sarin antagonist if the person has really been exposed to sarin or other nerve agents, and even then it’s not a magic cure, it will kill a number of people anyway but those losses are accepted in a battlefield situation. Just dropping self-administration syringe packs of the sort issued to military personnel trained to use them under direction will kill a lot of civilians and the West will probably end up being blamed for doing it deliberately.
Protective clothing for rescuers, doctors and nurses would help a lot more if there are more chemical attacks, basic medical supplies for treating victims too (wipes, disposable gloves, facemasks etc.). Leaflets on self-treatment might be a good idea too.
wmd
@Keith G: preferably get auto injectors widely dispersed before there are additional attacks.
IM
@pseudonymous in nc:
Exactly my first reaction. It thought of a repeal of the VRA as condition.
Sly
@KG:
The Court treats War Powers as a quasi-political question, and has since forever; i.e. something that they will not intervene in when there are clear ways for the process to resolve itself without their intervention.
So let’s say the President orders a military action, and some Senators/Representatives object. They go to the Court, and the Court tells them “If you don’t like it, pass legislation to end the action or defund it. If you don’t have the votes to do that, tough shit.”
Villago Delenda Est
@lol:
This.
Put the vile Rethuglican scum on the spot.
Also, good move by Obama in the first place.
Keith G
@Corner Stone: My contention is that the authorisation will pass both houses. That is the only stat that I care about.
Redshift
@Frankensteinbeck: Speaking of infuriating news coverage, I’m really annoyed that in discussing the effect of Iraq on this whole business, newscasters are constantly referring to the intelligence on Iraq as “mistaken.” Is there any sane person who actually believes, despite all evidence, that the Bush Administration asked the intelligence services for their honest assessment, and the intelligence services were the ones who got it wrong, and the administration honestly reported the results?
Pressuring your intelligence services to give you the answers you want and then cherry-picking from the results, isn’t “mistaken” intelligence, it’s cooked intelligence and propaganda.
wmd
@Robert Sneddon: Absolutely we should provide aid to medical responders. And Arabic language media on how and when to use Atropine as well as the auto injectors we provide to our personnel.
Jeremy
@Redshift: True ! It’s been documented and reported that the Bush administration fabricated and outright lied about intelligence findings.
chopper
@Tom Levenson:
in terms of obama’s image tho, the media (and the WH itself) sure made it look like obama wanted to bomb. so congress may axe it just to make obama look weak.
OTOH, maybe obama wants an out and he knows this.
otherwise, here’s hoping congress does axe the idea, given that bombing would probably do all of jack and shit.
maye
Numerous times, Congress has upheld the anti-chemical weapons convention. Last time was 1997 (I think). It is proper and fitting to ask Congress to put up or shut up. Obama can’t make people care about civilians getting gassed. It has been too many years since WWI and WWII, and god knows no one knows any history.
Pat Lang is pushing a theory that Prince Bandar is behind the chemical attack in Syria via the rebels S.A is supporting. I used to believe Lang had some foreign affairs/defense credibility, but he really has descended into crazyville.
Villago Delenda Est
@Redshift:
“Mistaken” in this case means “an outright lie perpetrated to justify an utterly illegal and immoral war of aggression”.
chopper
@raven:
“yeah, but the fact that i felt that way is just proof that i had a point!”
Villago Delenda Est
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
The entire Cheney clan represents the most pure manifestation of evil in this country. Even the Bush Crime family envies them.
TAPX486
Just because a majority of our congress critters vote to stay on board the Titanic, doesn’t mean that the ship isn’t going to sink. But at least they can all whistle ‘Nearer my FSM to thee’ together (sigh)
Baud
My prediction. It’ll pass the Senate, but it won’t pass the House. The House GOP doesn’t want people to start thinking that they can pass things if they want to.
chopper
@Frankensteinbeck:
lol, what a mickey mouse operation. that GOP, you can always count on them to see an emergent situation and sit on their fuckin’ hands.
cleek
i hope it fails.
but, this does squash that sound bite of candidates Obama and Biden saying that it’s illegal for the Pres to use military force without consulting Congress first.
IM
@Baud:
There will it start? Is there any rule or precedent about that?
rikyrah
I’m not understanding the hysteria.
I’m an non-interventionist by nature. I feel bad for other folks, but there is little that would make me think that American troops should be sent anywhere.
The President is asking Congress to do their jobs.
Villago Delenda Est
@Frankensteinbeck:
What Obama should do is order cruise missile strikes on the Village, followed up by sending the 101st Airborne in on search and destroy missions to make sure that no one survived the cruise missile strikes.
Frankensteinbeck
@Keith G:
I don’t think it will even get a vote, much less pass. The Teatards will view authorization as doing something slightly vaguely kinda resembling good for Obama, and dig in their heels. The traditional GOP hacks will do what they are already (and he just gave the announcement!) doing, pitch a fit that it’s Obama’s responsibility. They really, really do not want to be the ones who have either ‘yea’ or ‘nae’ on their records. If congress never acts, they can blame everything on Obama. Just to round things off, all the doves are on the Dem side, and an authorization for war can’t be relied on there, either.
There are a couple of old-schoolers like McCain who would give Obama a medal if that’s what it took to get us into glorious battle. Not many. They’re not ideologues anymore, just whiny children.
IM
@Villago Delenda Est:
And salt the ground.
chopper
@Baud:
heh. ‘we’ll get on that right after we vote to end obamacare for the 45th time’.
and then we all die a little inside.
Baud
@IM:
I don’t know. Revenue bills have to start in the House, but I’ve never heard of war authorizations also having to start there. I think Reid is going to bring the Senate back to vote earlier than Boehnor will.
Hal
As I said in another thread, the Media needs to hand in their psychic cards because they pretty much assured us Obama was going to strike any day now. He had to. He said there was a line in the sand so just you wait.
I think this is the right thing to do, and kind of hilarious to show just how useless the MSM can be. Obama should have just release a video about going to war with Syria, and when you click play, Rick Astley pops up.
gogol's wife
@Jeremy:
How dare you introduce rationality into this discussion?
Wag
Via TPM
If you have to eat a shit sandwich, at least you should enjoy preparing it.
Corner Stone
@Keith G: Ok. I’ll take the bet that if a vote even happens, it will be defeated in the House. To be clear, if a vote with some measure included authorizing limited (I’ll be generous and say anything remotely hostile is included) military action in Syria is approved I will lose the bet.
Now, sir, what are your terms? $10 to a charity? $25, $50?
Baud
@gogol’s wife:
I know! Quick, someone say something about Greenwald before we lose Balloon Juice forever.
some guy
this actually makes the most logical sense. and excuse me ahead of time, but any SIGINT provided to the US by Israeli intelligence sources is always false until proven otherwise by reputable sources.
but hey, if America wants to supply an Air Force for Al Qaeda then best be sure Congress votes to approve supplying Al Qaeda with an Air Force.
gogol's wife
@Redshift:
Good point. That one makes me angry too.
Bobby Thomson
Still a clear violation of international law.
MomSense
@hildebrand:
I have been reliably assured here at b-j that Presidents nevah evah give up any powers voluntarily so it will be interesting to see what they say about this.
Waiting to hear what Cole thinks about the latest on Miranda and the UK intel he was carrying on his person also,too.
/irrational Obot
Redshift
@gogol’s wife:
It’s annoying but unsurprising that NPR does it, but BBC was doing it, too, and I expect better from them.
PopeRatzo
There’s one good thing that comes out of this: I don’t think any of us really know what the President wants in this situation. I’m not convinced he wants to shoot off some missiles and leave it at that, and I don’t think he wants another war and I’m not sure he really wants to do anything in Syria.
So now we have the Republican congress having to wonder what it is that Obama really wants so they can do the opposite, but you can’t do the opposite unless you really know what he wants.
It should be an interesting week. But dammit, this better be wrapped up before the start of the NFL season. I paid for the full package of games and Red Zone and I do not want to be clicking over to the war every few minutes to see the score.
I also saw that some of the groups of really bad actors who have heavy weapons and forces in Syria supporting Assad have moved them across the border into Lebanon, etc. Also, the Syrian moderates like the Free Syrian Army are taking advantage of the confusion to start cleaning up some of those jihadists that came down when the civil war kicked off. Things are so fucked up over there. I hope those people are going to be all right. And I hope Assad and the jihadis kill each other.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Obama sure is disappointing…
everyone who expected him to launch a strike on Syria on his own.
Someone needs to hand out paper bags to those who have been hyperventilating over their fevered dreams.
Just One More Canuck
@Redshift: also called “lying”
Emma
@Jeremy: Now really. You’re being rational again.
You know, I remember the discussion — was it only yesterday — where everybody was convinced that Obama the warmonger was going to strike ANY MINUTE NOW because he had made the political calculation, etc. etc. Maybe now someone will accept the real fact that OBAMA THINKS ABOUT THINGS. This is why I trust him. I may not agree with him, but I believe that his decisions are made with the best possible outcome in mind.
Corner Stone
@MomSense:
Hopefully he will read the article instead of rubbing one out to what LGF has to tweet about what the author’s talking points are.
raven
@Emma: Not “everybody”.
Corner Stone
@PopeRatzo:
Poor bastard. Paid for a Red Zone but all you got was this sad Red Line.
? Martin
I think too many progressives for some reason want to believe the worst in Obama.
Liberty60
I’ve just been swimming in the delicision pools of wingnut blogs alternately cursing Obama for weakness, and condemning him for warmongering and above all, screeching in pain at being played for chumps.
Well, done, Mr. President. Well done indeed.
Baud
Wasn’t France really gung ho about bombing? Maybe they can do it while Congress dawdles and save us the trouble.
? Martin
@Liberty60:
You’d think at some point they’d realize that if they were honest brokers in all of this, that could never happen. But no…
raven
Pre-game Gumbo fixins!
AxelFoley
@? Martin:
There IS some reason for that, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
chopper
@? Martin:
shrug. ‘internet progressives’ are the jewish mothers of left-wing politics.
raven
@AxelFoley: Gitchy gitchy ya ya. . .
different-church-lady
@chopper: That’s stupid: jewish mothers actually do have your well being at heart.
MomSense
@Corner Stone:
Not sure what LGF has to do with this, but whatever. There are plenty of articles to choose from. The FT ran a no-nonsense piece on the subject yesterday.
SRW1
Prolly more consultation than the congressional letter writers bargained for.
the Conster
@PopeRatzo:
Aren’t you constantly telling us that Obama was the tool of the MIC because all of you emoprogs know that’s what he really wants, including not wanting to implement the ACA, and he can change everything but he doesn’t because he doesn’t want to and he’s weak and can’t lead? Fuck off.
karen
I think this is brilliant because it should deepen the schism in the GOP between the Tea Party nationalists and the neo cons. As a result NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.
Woodrowfan
I am concerned what Russia might do,
Jeremy
@Emma: Thank you ! I find some of the commentary from some about the President’s moves condescending and borderline racist. It’s like some act like the guy is weak and doesn’t think things out.
If anyone bother to read his books and actually listen to what the man says instead of twisting things they would realize that Obama is a pragmatist. The guy has liberal beliefs but he takes a pragmatic moderate approach when it comes to big issues domestically and foreign policy wise. That’s why I think the President he is most similar to is Eisenhower.
IM
@SRW1:
Called their bluff.
It is the right thing, though.
Keith G
@Corner Stone: I was shooting for a margarita or a pint at some worthy purveyor of adult beverages, redeemable anytime convenient.
IM
@Woodrowfan:
Bomb congress?
karen
@chopper:
I resent that comparison, from my own experience as a child raised by a Jewish mother. Jewish mothers want to protect you, they’re smothering but they truly believe it’s for your own good.
Emo Progs only want to protect who they deem one of them. Everyone else can go fuck themselves. Especially PUMAs.
Baud
@Woodrowfan:
The CIA should start a whisper campaign that Assad is gay. Let Russia take him out.
rdldot
Good for him. I don’t think Obama wants to do this alone because he never has before. With Libya, we had everybody in the world backing us up. Here, we can’t even get Britain. If Congress okays it, he’ll go in. Otherwise, he won’t. That’s another thing – he’s used to be in Congress and thinks they should be doing their job. I don’t like the idea only because you never know what the next step from Syria will be. I am really happy he is doing this – I’m not even sure he wants to do this – the American public doesn’t support it and he needs at least Congress to back him up.
taylormattd
@lol: omfg. *rolls eyes*
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@the Conster: Unusual to want to respond to a ‘bagger “Are you on your meds today?”, isn’t it.
karen
@Jeremy:
I think that in this Congress, that’s the best he can do.
raven
@Jeremy: Fuckin A right it was. All the sudden he was waving his dick and looking for another undeserved Nobel. If it quacks. . .
Wyatt Derp
Good move. One of three things happens:
1 congress says ok and shares the blame for the coming disaster.
2 congress says no and Obama doesn’t do it. No campaign issues and no claiming he doesn’t listen to them and no attack.
3 congress says no and Obama does it anyway. It’s all on Obama and probably the worst move of his presidency.
Hopefully he’s not dumb enough for option 3.
Villago Delenda Est
Newsmax headline: “Obama caves, agrees to Congressional Vote”
Wow, never saw THAT reaction coming!
Of course, it’s always a total surprise to me when Snoopy comes down Broadway on Thanksgiving Day…
Baud
@raven:
Yeah, the obsession with Obama’s dick over the last few days has been a little creepy.
Corner Stone
@karen:
There she is!
Baud
@Villago Delenda Est:
That film has really gotten under their skin.
different-church-lady
@karen:
That’s one leaky faucet that shouldn’t both you anymore.
MomSense
@Emma:
@Jeremy:
It has been a wild ride the last few months. We have a thoughtful President but you only know that if you listen to what he actually says.
? Martin
@chopper:
Yeah, that’s a fair read. I shouldn’t nutpick our own team either…
taylormattd
@Hal:
Fixed that for you.
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud:
No shit. I’m pretty sure the publicity team for “The Butler” is grateful for the assclowns of Newsmax doing their job for them, for free.
Emma
@raven: You’re right. The usual suspects? The people who give me a pain under the pinny?
Jeremy
@? Martin: Jon Chait had an article about certain Progressives always looking for betrayals and always being disappointed when it comes to Democratic Presidents. FDR’s New Deal was attacked for being too weak, too compromised, and they blamed him for rescuing the capitalistic system instead of weakening it or dismantling it They attack Truman for being weak and not standing up for true progressive ideals, then the same for JFK, LBJ, Carter, Clinton (though some of his compromises were not good), and now Obama.
It’s a never ending tail and once the Democratic President either leaves office or dies. The same people complaining about them revise history and term them into perfect saints. Wait till Hillary becomes President many will be clamoring for Obama’s leadership.
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud:
It’s the only measuring stick the Rethugs have. So of course it’s a bit creepy.
raven
@Emma: They know who they are.
jamick6000
good on him. I roll my eyes so fcking hard when I hear people say that we need to bomb Syria NOW NOW NOW … the war there has been going on for years & it’s a stalemate.
Cacti
I don’t know.
What does Glenn Greenwald say I should think?
Baud
@Villago Delenda Est:
Not just Rethugs in this case, unfortunately.
taylormattd
@karen: Amen.
Hal
@Villago Delenda Est:
Yesterday one of the headlines was about how Obama could be impeached for striking at Syria.
Also, Newsmax sure is deeply invested in The Butler.
taylormattd
@Cacti: This is a distraction from the police state Obama has personally installed inside of our computers??
Cacti
@taylormattd:
I’ve actually seen posts like that over at DU(mb).
Baud
McCain and Graham
gnomedad
@Villago Delenda Est: \
Tyrant!
Also: Obama Hands Congress Its Balls Back
Also, too: Congress is the dog that caught the car
trollhattan
@jamick6000:
If you look at our inventory, a crapton of our bombs and missiles are past their “blow-up-by” dates and need to be used pronto, or we’ll have to throw them out.
Can’t have that.
lol
@Liberty60:
But enough about DailyKos.
jamick6000
@Cacti: What are the racists and islamophobes over at Little Green Footballs telling you to think??
Sly
@Woodrowfan:
Complain loudly and hamper diplomatic efforts. In other words, the same as they’ve been doing for years.
Russia supports Syria because Syria is their last access point into the Mediterranean via the naval base at Tartus. Without that base, Russian military ships have to travel to the Black Sea for repairs, rearmament, etc. It’s not something over which they’d blow shit up, at least not literally. If they were, they would have openly backed Assad militarily the way they backed the South Ossetian separatists against Georgia in 2008.
jamick6000
@trollhattan: haha
taylormattd
@Baud: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Omg, that’s how they will play this: Obama is a total puss, his aerial bombing run isn’t enough, therefore we will vote “no”. Wow, amazing.
Cacti
@jamick6000:
Is “let them get gassed” the Islamophile position these days?
trollhattan
@Baud:
“…changing momentum on the battlefield” sounds like a very, very different thing from smacking Assad for using chemical weapons. But hey they’re the experts, right?
raven
“Rep. Peter King, however, said Obama was abdicating his role as commander-in-chief. King, R-N.Y., suggested the president was undermining the authorities of future presidents and seeking a political shield for himself by going through Congress.”
Cacti
@raven:
In other words: War powers? What the hell are you talking about? That would make us accountable for something!
trollhattan
@raven:
Jesus. That man is thick.
raven
And this should kill him in the primary:
taylormattd
@trollhattan: He’s the guy in junior high science class you could convince to stick a fork into the electrical socket.
karen
@raven:
Didn’t those very same Republicans in Congress say that Obama had to go through Congress and that only Congress could declare war? They’ve forgotten how the government works? Probably because they weren’t put there to govern.
Corner Stone
@raven:
He went on to add, “But I’ll be double-dipped in chocolate sauce and staked naked to an anthill before we agree with that SOB just once.”
raven
@karen: Yea but Obama is a war monger and wants another Nobel Prize.
Baud
Where’s Rand Paul? I have a #standwithrand tweet all ready to go!
raven
@Corner Stone: Well, my Hokies are fixin to be stuffed turkey.
trollhattan
@taylormattd:
:-) Find myself wondering how New York can give us Kirsten Gillibrand AND Peter King then remember–oops, we send Nancy Pelosi and Darrel Issa.
Let’s call it a draw.
IM
God, McCain and Graham are really a pair of moral bankrupts.
Lady Bug
@rdldot:
True. Although there is support from France(!), Australia, and Turkey for strikes so it’s not as if there is absolutely no support from the international community, and I imagine there is probably more support from other countries who just haven’t vocalized their support yet.
Anyways, not intervening, limited intervention, giving indirect military support to non Al-Queda linked Syrian rebels, or whatever the options might be, there really are absolutely no good or easy options in this case. Without dissolving into unnecessary hyperbole, has there ever been in recent history, a more complex and no good options foreign policy issue than Syria? I mean we have a regime that is responsible it appears for the majority of the deaths so far in the conflict, including gassing children with chemical weapons on the one hand, and behind door number two we have the possibility that if the rebels win, the strongest rebels (those backed by Al Queda) will turn Syria into a jihadist state, and would probably commit genocide against the Alawite population in the country.
Like I said, intervening, not intervening, IMO, just absolutely no good options in this case.
AxelFoley
@Villago Delenda Est:
Some of the worst comments re: the President’s genitals have come from the Left. Hell, some from this site.
And they wonder why Obots give them the side eye.
trollhattan
@Corner Stone:
AGAIN with the chocolate sauce, Turtle?
Gravenstone
@Baud: War mongers are gonna monger.
lojasmo
Stealth move by Obama to defund the ACA.
Thanks a lot, Obama.
Seriously
1) constitutional scholar
2) Knows Congress will veto
3) knows it will last two years.
AxelFoley
@raven:
According to Cole he is.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@raven:
At least John’s track record on guessing what he will do is intact!
tybee
@different-church-lady: The only downside is that we now have to witness another 1-3 weeks of people saying the stupidest fucking shit that enters their minds.
Go Dawgs?
raven
@Odie Hugh Manatee: I mean I wasn’t happy with the idea of the attack either but I was willing to give the man a little credit.
taylormattd
@raven: Heh.
The Thin Black Duke
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned “11th-dimensional chess” yet.
Hal
McCain and Graham need to get married already. Ginsburg officiating.
taylormattd
@tybee: GO DAWGS.
BillinGlendaleCA
@trollhattan: Yup, McCain’s been there. Talked to their leaders. Did you know he was a POW, he doesn’t like to talk about it though.
raven
@taylormattd: Woof!
lojasmo
Cue our progressive betters expressing ire that Obama is weak, and that he can bomb the shit out of browns for less than two years without congressional approval.
Also, the republicans are good at communicating message.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Oh my god. Just turned on MSNBC and they are (still) concern trolling the shit out of this from every angle. We look weak and indecisive! The only thing worse than not going forward would have been going forward! Or vice versa. Jesus fucking christ
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
At some point they decided that their ratings were too high.
I wonder if Comcast’s purchase of NBC is finally affecting MSNBC in some way.
trollhattan
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Getthef#@kout! You’d think I’d know more about the man–the legend– after all this time. Why, oh why didn’t he use his own story to gain the White House?
I sometimes simply can’t understand the humble.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: You forgot the couple of rounds of golf POTUS and Crazy Uncle Joe played.
Hal
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I think every anchor on MSNBC was saying we were going in any day now, so they have to make up for being colossally wrong. I think many of the folks on MSNBC had their outrage ready to go and now they don’t know what to do. I am interested in what Rachel Maddow has to say though. She’s been saying Obama should go to Congress and questioning the effectiveness of military action for the past week.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Now Andrea Mitchell is Concerned about the effect of this decision on The Troops, “in terms of rotation”. How far through the fucking looking glass have we fallen?
Odie Hugh Manatee
@raven:
Same here, I just thought the whole blowup on John’s part was stupid and a waste of effort.
tybee
@Baud:
you win.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I saw her on Karen Finney’s show, she was talking about the cost of having those destroyers being deployed.
raven
@Hal: Rachel:
trollhattan
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Sweet romping Ronny Reagan on a runaway Roomba–how many “troops” does it take to launch a few dozen Tomahawks? I suppose the answer hinges on whether they do it before or after dinner.
jamick6000
@Cacti: You’ve been excited all week because we were about to launch what at the Syrians again?? Butterflies and candy?
lojasmo
@lojasmo: @The Thin Black Duke:
If you extrapolate my numbers to eleven, ending with number one, you’ll get the full spectrum.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@raven:
Rachel is being too reasonable and going easy on Obama. She’s obviously a cheese-eating surrender liberal.
Old Dan and Little Ann
I have seen a link a few times in the comments here to a short youtube video showing a Republican or Tea Party butt hurt meter. I would like to use it on FB. My google fu is failing me and I can’t find it. If anyone knows what I am talking about I would much appreciate seeing the link again. If not, I will blame Obama.
raven
@Odie Hugh Manatee: surrender monkey.
? Martin
@Jeremy: It’s no different than the problem on the Right, except that on the right, they’ve mainstreamed those voices and the policies that the public doesn’t support where on the left we haven’t. (And in some areas, the public is even to the left of the Democratic party)
IM
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
beef-eating. Try to stay current with all memes.
Odie Hugh Manatee
I just listened to what Obama said and boy is this going to disappoint the emoprogs and dudebros who expected the worst from him.
Guess what? He’s not “just like Bush”. Suck it you so-called liberals.
@raven:
Is she French? ;)
@IM:
She’s British?
hildebrand
@Odie Hugh Manatee: It was Steve Benen.
Jay C
Amazing: for once, President Obama is doing exactly what I wanted him to do, and what I thought/think he should do. I’m just sorry I didn’t get my
wild-ass guessprediction written down in the proper venue (i.e. the BJ comment threads) so I can look like a genius…..Pretty much a win-win on the political level: if Congress rejects the authorization, it’s on their heads: Barry can’t say he didn’t try, and all the “right” democratic forms will have been (ostentatiously) followed. If they approve the authorization? It will kick a big prop out from under the GOP, who will lose just one more excuse to vent their ODS…
Of course, there’s not much “win” in any deal for the Syrians: but then, that commodity has been in very short supply over there for quite a while…
raven
@IM: An official says a passenger train in eastern Czech Republic smashed into a herd of cattle, killing 17 of them. No people were injured.
Keith G
@raven: I guess “cow catcher” is just a figure of speech. On tonight’s menu, Czech steak. And on..and on
raven
Damn, Hokies makin a game of it!
Odie Hugh Manatee
@hildebrand:
Even worse!! Oh Heavens! ;)
Chuck Butcher
I actually read threads like this one with a pretty fair amount of amusement, beyond the deliberate silliness a few known offenders offer up, for the intramural squabbling in which both sides seem to things about completely out of proportion.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Oh man, extreme bummer! It was reported on MSNBC that Obama will not strike without Congressional approval.
Poor emoprogs, what are they going to wail about now? I guess it’s back to the boring old NSA for them.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Chuck Butcher:
annnd there we go with the “boths sides do it meme”. ;)
How ya doing Chuck? I hope all is well for you and yours.
raven
Well lah-dee fucking dah.
Anya
@Baud: This obsession is long standing. It’s the delusional left’s teleprompter.
Keith G
@Chuck Butcher: What? You don’t see the value in replacing substantive conversation with the casual mocking and deriding of others? To call someone a name is to validify one’s place in the cosmos. Or maybe it’s just the way this internet thingy works.
gnomedad
Peter King in translation: Obama is so dishonest! He knows we’ll oppose anything he sends us! He needs to take decisive action so we can impeach him!
Belafon
@Odie Hugh Manatee: Oh, that’s easy:
1. He’s not really going to listen to Congress.
2. All the Democrats that vote for him are just sellouts to the military industrial complex.
3. He announced this on the weekend so that no one would hear it.
Chuck Butcher
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Hey Odie…ity
I got hit on my Harley in a freaking gas station a couple weeks ago, summbitch half way ran over me – broke hell out of my right leg – otherwise it’s been just “peachy” here in N MI… well beyond the frothing at the mouth over the political condition of the Great Lakes States after living in Oregon for a quarter century…
different-church-lady
@Odie Hugh Manatee: Dude… duuuude….
fuckwit
Pretty awesome. Indeed, it’s the job of Congress to declare war, and they have either abdicated this or had it stolen from them ever since the Cold War.
Also, wtf is going on
http://31.media.tumblr.com/7f868f5ed5a36bf88b997508a83b3715/tumblr_mhz0guTFX41refo9bo1_r1_400.gif
http://24.media.tumblr.com/f2151b94f4aeceec521066f660826628/tumblr_mjh6t7CyaM1rmeuq6o1_400.gif
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_md33zsc6BT1rtxt6x.gif
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/3725317/best-twerk-ever-o.gif
Stupidest meme ever, stupidest idea ever, stupidest NAME for it ever.
There’s nothing really even new about this. I saw Fela Kuti in LA just a few years before he died (he had one of his sons touring with him), and he had an army of African dancers doing pretty much exactly this move, plus a lot of more interesting ones, the whole show. It felt totally pornographic to a Western sensibility, but also, astoundingly real and sincere, and it worked perfectly with the music. The show was amazing…. because of the music, not because of the ass.
raven
@Chuck Butcher: Godamn man, did they pin it? Don’t heal as fast as we used to.
Chuck Butcher
@Keith G:
You are just yanking my unbroken leg aren’t you? This IS Balloonjuice….
If it is the other one you’re yanking – let go before I hurt you bad.
different-church-lady
@Chuck Butcher: Threads like this one? Hell, it’s practically the only reason remaining for a person to squeeze their way into the left-leaning political intertubes any more.
taylormattd
@different-church-lady: Those people are dumber than a sack of hammers.
different-church-lady
@taylormattd: And you can’t even drive a decent nail with one of them.
Hey, at least there was some pushback from the sanity dead-enders.
Chuck Butcher
@raven:
We’ll have that discussion next Fri, this is the second cast since 8/20 and there is talk about screws. The side is blown out of the tibia at the ball socket and the fibula broken half way up, along with a foot that still looks as though it’s been beaten with a sledgehammer and still feels as though someone is standing on it and grinding their heel – a nice garnet sorta color.
Send me a FB Friend if you like.
As hard as I ride that scooter (70K since 5/09) I get it in a freaking gas station at 5 mph…
raven
@Chuck Butcher: Damn, I trying through your blog but can’t seem to connect.
Chuck Butcher
@different-church-lady:
Left leaning???
hmmm
OK. If you say… I’d call this place just a bit left of centrist – but then… I’m old.
realbtl
@Chuck Butcher:
Hang in there Chuck. It sounds painful but given the option I’d rather be hit at 5 mph than 70.
Mandalay
I think John Kerry is pulling a Gary Hart, and hoping that our indolent MSM don’t check up on him. Yesterday he delivered a tirade against Assad to justify US intervention, but it was oh-so-carefully worded. Nowhere did he claim that we know with certainty the Assad regime was responsible for the chemical weapons attack…he just kept hinting it very strongly…
Weasel words from a warmonger. Kerry is full of bluster, but somehow forgot to mention the conclusion of the report he is urging us all to read:
Pretty weak sauce as a basis for intervention.
different-church-lady
@Chuck Butcher: I plead loose terminology.
Chuck Butcher
that’s not working to link, hmmm
raven
@Mandalay:never mind, I’d rather pie you
Chuck Butcher
@different-church-lady:
‘Tis OK
different-church-lady
@Mandalay:
Because lord knows careful use of words is the last quality you want in a Secretary of State making a statement of international importance.
Chuck Butcher
@raven:
that damn FB page is public so you should be able to just look me up Chuck Butcher.
Chuck Butcher
@raven:
that damn FB page is public so you should be able to just look me up Chuck Butcher.
RobertDSC-iPhone 4
I’m glad.
Now turn him down flat. No missiles fly.
realbtl
@Chuck Butcher:
You’re right it’s on FB but you have to look a bit.
AxelFoley
@Mandalay:
Your concern is duly noted.
Randy P
@Mandalay: You realize that Kerry is our head diplomat, right? Do you have any idea what diplomats do?
What do you think his job is?
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Belafon:
You missed the obvious one; he will negotiate with Republicans to kill Obamacare in trade for the ability to wage war on Syria.
Win-Win!
@different-church-lady:
Yup, even better than I thought! It’s a diversion!! lo-fucking-L.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Chuck Butcher:
Wow man, sorry to hear about the accident. Getting hit in a gas station by a cager is the last place I thought one would see. I hope you can nail his ass to the wall for it. It amazes me how many wrecks happen where the driver says ‘I didn’t see him!’. No, you weren’t aware of the situation around you and you fucking made someone else pay for it.
Take care of yourself and heal well guy! Good luck with the political situation in your new abode (adobe? ;) )
Mnemosyne
@Chuck Butcher:
Ouch! I don’t know if it’s something they use on a broken limb, but after my knee surgery, they gave me a device that kept ice water constantly swirling around my knee so the swelling would stay down. (Basically, it was a 24/7 ice pack.)
The sound of the motor drove me nuts after a while, but it really helped the pain and swelling.
the Conster
@Randy P:
Forget about what the diplomat’s job is – it doesn’t matter, when the emoprog’s job is to bitch and whine that it wasn’t exactly how they’d say it, or do it, or if it is how they’d do it, it wasn’t done at the exact time they would do it, or in the proper tone of voice, or that they didn’t mean it, or if they did mean it, it wan’t forceful enough, etc. etc. etc.
Chuck Butcher
@Chuck Butcher:
I guess that second one is for anyone else that wants to… just be aware that there is everyone from major political figures to scooter trash there.
Villago Delenda Est
@Randy P:
He’s supposed to ride the first Tomahawk into Damascus ala Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove.
Mandalay
@Randy P:
Is it to pretend that our intelligence says we are certain that Assad is responsible for the chemical weapons attack even though it doesn’t? If so, he’s doing a great job.
It sure seems that being honest and direct with the American people isn’t part of his job description.
Chuck Butcher
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
The sun was in his eyes… yeah, he hit the brakes after he hit me – no shit, while on top of my leg and that big ass Harley.
@Mnemosyne:
Don’t know about that one… the bruised foot is the most swollen – nasty looking.
Chuck Butcher
cripes I must have a twitch to account for all this double posting.
karen
@Corner Stone:
Thank you for making me want to bleach my brain CS.
Chuck Butcher
@Mandalay:
C’mon folks, the Prez said he wants the US to do ‘something’ about Syria and Kerry backs him up. I can only think of one thing that would get Assad’s attention and that would be to hit every govt building and residence at one time and that sure doesn’t seem to be on the table. Not to mention I don’t like blowing things up and killing people anyhow and especially without real good reasons and a real clear end point.
Since I don’t see anything but lose/lose in Syria I’m for the least killing/dollars spent and that’s none.
Chuck Butcher
@karen:
I love it, that’s vintage CS… no shit I keep coming around for that stuff as well as … oh say, Tim F and JC and multiple name guy… Dougsomething.
Steeplejack
@Old Dan and Little Ann:
Don’t know specifically what you’re looking for, but these might fit. This guy has five short videos for levels of butthurt: “safe,” “smarting,” “butthurt,” “throbbing,” “massive.”
“Butthurt Level: Throbbing.”
feebog
This is not going to pass in the House. You have at least 150 wingnuts who will vote no just because it is Obama’s idea. I think they will be joined by 80-100 liberal democrats who see no good coming from any military action. If it does get blocked In the House, Obama just got handed his “get out of jail” card free and clear.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Chuck Butcher:
You would think that ‘sun in the eyes’ would give the driver a hint that they should not assume the path ahead is clear. Sheesh!
On the FB, I don’t engage in it because I still value my privacy…lol! Now get off of my lawn! ;)
FlipYrWhig
@Mandalay: I honestly don’t get why you think that sounds weak. It says “substantial” and “implicates.” How often does an official report say anything like “there is no doubt” or “the evidence is clear”? There’s a reason why the word “diplomatic” is a synonym for “inoffensive.” How does the rhetoric of that document compare to that of the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, Blix and that crew? I don’t know the answer, but I’d be curious to know whether it were any more strongly worded than that.
Mandalay
@FlipYrWhig:
It’s not that it (the intelligence) sounds weak at all. It’s Kerry’s biased framing of the evidence that I find offensive. Britain’s Prime Minister Cameron might be an incompetent warmonger, but even he had the honesty and integrity to admit
But Kerry can’t afford to tell that truth – it might result in a more honest evaluation of the situation. Instead he tells everyone to go look at Syrian children on YouTube. It’s one thing to strongly make your case, but Kerry is manipulative and deceptive.
The stakes are really, really high. I expect a bit more integrity from our SoS than Kerry’s performance.
fuckwit
@feebog: That’s great, and then we get to split the teabaggers from the neocons, thus helping fracture that part of the diabolical coalition that keeps the Rethugs in power. And more importantly, we slow or stop the media-military complex’s rush to war.
Chuck Butcher
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
I don’t have any… the price of deep political engagement
Chuck Butcher
@fuckwit:
I don’t know about all that, but it sure is fun to see them all at sea trying to deal with Obama hatred, isolationism, and corporate/military buttlicking and love of blowing up brown people…
LadyBug
For those who remember, what was the reaction to Clinton’s decision to strike Iraq in 1993 due to an assassination attempt in 1993 or strike in Sudan (I believe) after the embassy bombings in 1998? IIRC, the strikes after the 1998 embassy bombings were criticized later on as being ineffective, but what was the reaction at the time?
Chuck Butcher
The GOPer one was a movie reference, tail wagging the dog.
Chris
@LadyBug:
I remember a lot of people bitching that he’d only done it to draw attention from the Lewinsky scandal at the time.
celiadexter
Inasmuch as half the Republicans in Congress have been talking for the last month or so about impeaching Obama despite no legal basis for impeachment, he probably figured out it wasn’t a good idea to hand them that basis on a silver platter. Also, since the main reason for the attack was to show he’s “credible” rather than to accomplish anything useful, if (hopefully) Congress doesn’t authorize it he’ll be off the hook. I’d like to believe this is win-win but I don’t trust any of these people.
LAC
Mighty nice of you to notice, Betty…
jaysus the man was a constitutional law professor. Why do you all continue to act surprised?
@Mandalay; You going to spend another damn day overstating Camreron’s comments? First of all, Cameron and his party are not in the position of strength they used to be, so that is very much a political decision. Secomd, nothing is 100%, but what of it? No one was 100% sure of what the Nazis were doing to jews, but the American soldiers who went through those horrible internment camps found out.
LAC
@different-church-lady: I think Kerry must have cut in line in front of Mandalay because it has been a non-stop “Teh Kerry sucks!” campaign with him.