Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

In my day, never was longer.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Let there be snark.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

The choice is between normal and crazy.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

The lights are all blinking red.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / Black Jimmy Carter / I Guess We Sit Back and Watch Now

I Guess We Sit Back and Watch Now

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Maybe if the President suggested raising taxes to pay for this we could get Congress to vote on the issue.

Reader Interactions

110Comments

  2. 2.

    lamh36

    @hilts: I missed it. Did Carney give pushback? He was way better than Gibbs was…

    @Charmed86 1m
    Jay looking at McCain like “this mofo is cray and I’m going to try and be nice to his old senile ass”

    Oh and McCain and Romney hated the speech given by the who beat him mercilessly…shocker

  3. 3.

    LAC

    There should be a tales of the crypt episode where Tim Russert drags that pudgy kid of his into the grave, never to return.

  7. 7.

    samiam

    Wtf are you whining about now Mr armchair quarterback? Just stfu and let the adults handle it.

    I know as soon as you hear Dronezzzzz and ISIS releases a video of supposed innocent children hit in a school or something you and your hero Griftwald will start defending ISIS.

  9. 9.

    lamh36

    Serious question, is Richard Engel, the ONLY war correspondent MSNBC has, just wondering.

    Anyway, he tweeted:

    @RichardEngel
    Was this really the strategy for syria thats been three years in the making?

    Josh Marshall at TPM response to Engel :

    @joshtpm 7m
    Incredibly knowledgable guy, incredibly silly statement >

  13. 13.

    dmsilev

    Maybe we should threaten to drop Luke Russert over Syria. I’m sure that would get the militants to start behaving themselves.

    And if that doesn’t work, we escalate. Chuck Todd.

  14. 14.

    lamh36

    So from what I gather, basically this —>

    @ZandarVTS
    Evvvvvvverybody hates this speech, this strategy, this President right now.

    ETA: Le sigh…

    @jonathanalter 10m
    Obama tonight gave up his ten year dream to be the president remembered by history for ending two wars.

  17. 17.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Dear Little Lord Luckysperm–
    I’m perplexed at how you think yourself qualified to comment on public policy

  19. 19.

    KG

    Didn’t see the speech. Catching up on it, wondering what the ISIL threat to the US actually is. I mean, I see potential threats to allies, but direct threat to us?

  20. 20.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @KG: I see potential threats to allies, but direct threat to us?

    Don’t hav ea transcript, but Obama said pretty specifically there is no direct threat to the US at this time, to allies, interests and personnel in the region.

  21. 21.

    WaterGirl

    @KG: Maybe the relevant part is where the president said there are apparently europeans and americans who are training with ISIL right now who may be planning to come back to the united states to perform terrorist activities.

    ISIL determined to attack in the united states?

  23. 23.

    Dog On Porch

    A blogger enters Monty Python’s ‘Mr & Mrs Cheaplaugh’ territory citing Little Luke Russert’s deep thoughts about fuck all. Good for you, Cole.

  25. 25.

    lamh36

    If John McCain is the only person the GOP has got to speak after Obama, then I’m just shocked that they do so well with voters, unless of course it’s just the idiots…

    @TheObamaDiary 2m
    President Obama should threaten ISIL with having to listen to John McCain on a loop, they’d come out with flowers in their hair.

  28. 28.

    Gravenstone

    I’m perplexed why Luke Russert has a position in the public sphere whereby his inane dribblings can get anywhere near the public consciousness.

  29. 29.

    Howard Beale IV

    Anyone in Congress who says we should start bombing IS(IL/IS) should be put on the spot as to how the fuck we’re gonna pay for it.

    For as crazy as Jesse Ventura is, he made a pretty damn good point when he pointed out that when it came to military interventions the Dems were cash and carry as opposed to the GOP who put the whole Iraq exercise on the Feds’s credit cards.

    Quite frankly, I think we need a few field test to make sure our deployed W88’s are still functioning.

  32. 32.

    piratedan

    @dmsilev: the thing is, we have ample resources of idiot punditry to employ… we could even escalate and send Pat Buchanan, although Putin may see that as a final escalation….like tanks crossing the Volga

  33. 33.

    beth

    @WaterGirl: Well President McCain said theres been lots of chatter on Facebook and Twiitter about attacking the US. We all know that all successful terrorist operations are planned out on social media.

  34. 34.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @Howard Beale IV:

    Quite frankly, I think we need a few field test to make sure our deployed W88’s are still functioning.

    And who do you suggest as targets?

  36. 36.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @WaterGirl: When I was on the 9th ID staff back in the mid-80’s, the Chief of Staff used to use eff to avoid using the eff word, but he was conveying the same meaning in the same tone so there was no mistaking what was being communicated.

  37. 37.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    I haven’t the slightest idea what any of those tweets mean. His or yours.

    Not saying that they’re confusing or incomprehensible, it’s entirely possible that it’s just me, out of the loop on some set of codes or inside jokes, but just saying.

  38. 38.

    srv

    The Saudi’s are scared of the monster they created.

    As (I think) John said, “What’s the Battle Hymn of the Saudi Army?”

    Onward, Christian Soldiers.

  42. 42.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @Villago Delenda Est: What a polite person. At my levels, artillery battalion and then brigade staff, the word fuck was used – except in the presence of the CO’s secretary.

  43. 43.

    danielx

    I’m perplexed on pivot to the economy and domestic cheerleading in that speech–confusing to people, different kind of USA exceptionalism

    The derp is strong with this one.

  44. 44.

    Southern Beale

    According to my Twitter feed, John McCain just repeated that line about a porous border meaning ISIS will come to the US.

    I’m wondering when these assholes will be telling us to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting.

  48. 48.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Southern Beale: This is one of the few things I’ve read that made sense on this topic. In the sense of reflecting what actually seems to be happening, instead of the almost universal succumbing to hysteria.

    This country was played like a cheap banjo, and it’s amazing how close it often comes to being played again.

  49. 49.

    WaterGirl

    @John Cole +0: That’s just wrong! They are bastards.

    I have had some luck with talking to grocery store management when they discontinue something I like. At least half the time they say they will bring it back. Maybe worth a try?

  50. 50.

    KG

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ah, the article I read said something about ISIL being a threat to the US and that seemed strange.

    @WaterGirl: ok, I can understand that. So, I guess the question is, can we figure out who those people are and track them when they leave/enter different countries?

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    Public service announcement: If your DVR is set to record any shows at 10ET on ABC, NBC or CBS and you haven’t already set them to record longer than the usual end time, you might want to do so. My shows started about 18 minutes after the hour.

    But you guys are smart so you probably already thought about this too. Never mind.

  61. 61.

    Gus

    @hilts: Yes. I give Carney a lot of credit for not saying, “just shut the fuck up you senile old warmonger!” That’s what I was screaming at my screen.

  62. 62.

    lamh36

    Observations on the Plan for Iraq and Syria
    by BooMan
    Wed Sep 10th, 2014 at 09:55:20 PM EST

    This afternoon I spent an hour and fifteen minutes on a conference call with three “senior administration officials” who gave me a preview of Obama’s speech and strategy. I spent most of the time on the call pulling my hair out.

    I am very concerned about the decision to escalate and in particular to get involved in Syria. Very concerned.

    But, first, let me give you the good news. The good news is that this policy has been set by some very, very smart well-intentioned people who are not bullshitting to deceive the country into supporting their plan. They have been deliberate and methodical, and the steps they have taken so far have made a lot of sense and have saved a lot of lives.

    Here’s what they are getting right…
    Now, the bad news. It may be difficult to get the Iraqi army and the Kurds’ peshmerga to become an effective fighting force even with American air power. We saw how effective this kind of arrangement can be when the Northern Alliance routed the Taliban, so don’t totally discount it, but the Northern Alliance was a more united armed force that was able to hold things together for a time after victory. The Iraqi and Kurdish forces are as likely to fight each other as ISIS.

    Next there is the problem with Assad. The civil war will not end until Assad is gone. The administration doesn’t want to talk about a post-Assad Syria. They don’t have a plan for what to do with Syria anymore than Bush had a plan for what to do with Iraq…

    More over at Booman.

  64. 64.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    @lamh36: Is his son in the Army or the Guard? Is his family going to get its hands dirty? No, I thought not. Fuck off, creep.

  66. 66.

    jon

    I haven’t had it explained to me why I should have a new sort of freakout to the same old status quo Obama has had from the start of his Administration: bomb some radical Muslims as efficiently as possible, occasionally use Special Forces, and talk nice about why it’s necessary.

    While I roll my eyes at the “OMG Drones!” contingent of the left, I’m far less tolerant of the vague Mitt Romney strength-by-whiteness-expressed-vocally suggestion or the less vague McCain strength-by-conventional-megaton proposals.

    Obama has always beaten “Compared to what?” in a popularity contest.

  67. 67.

    trollhattan

    @JPL:

    I actually think sober Cole is funnier.

    He’s two, two, two bloggers in one.

    (Bonus quatloos for all who get the reference.)

  68. 68.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @lamh36: So, to sum up: shitty situation, doing as well as possible under the circs. Isn’t that the story of most of Obama’s presidency?

  70. 70.

    lamh36

    @Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): basically. But still after seeing McCain all over the place tonight, I’ve never been happier with Obama.

    McCain seems to barely remember what he previously said and did last year…bah.

    Thank God him and the grifter never made it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

  72. 72.

    mai naem

    @John Cole +0: I’m sure Hola Fruta is good and all but have you tried some other sherbets? I think Nancy’s makes some stuff that’s pretty similar. Also too, I’m always surprised when I go to Fry’s here(its a Kroeger store) and see how much natural kind of foods they have – stuff I would expect only places like Trader Joes and Whole Foods to have.

  73. 73.

    piratedan

    wish I understood the freakout better, when has this President not given a measured, appropriate response? Then again, that’s precisely what the GOP hates. he’s made no long term game plan that could be stood on it’s head depending upon the success and response from the other side regarding what type of commitment he’s made.

  74. 74.

    srv

    @lamh36:

    We can train and equip so-called moderate opponents of Assad, but we’re going to run into problems with our relations with both Russia and Iran if we try to send them into Damascus.

    Not only will we find unicorns, we’ll find unicorns that do our bidding.

    Time to make Jordan the 51st State, we’re going to need a lot more airbases.

  75. 75.

    mai naem

    Kind of OT since y’all are talking about drones. Is there some kind of reason drones can’t be used to drop off medical equipment to Liberia. I keep on hearing about how they aren’t getting equipment because none of the airlines are going there. If we can bomb a house with a drone, can’t we at least deliver non-fragile stuff like personal protective equipment like gowns and gloves to the airport or stadium?

  76. 76.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @lamh36: This will make you feel better, if only for a few minutes.

    @piratedan: The measured response instead of “Let’s charge the fuck in there and shoot some motherfuckers” is the problem. People should remember that Custer was brave as hell, but he was also last in his class at West Point.

  78. 78.

    Tokyokie

    I didn’t watch the speech, but I wish he’s have said that ISIS is deliberately engaging in outrageous acts of barbarianism in hopes of provoking an overreaction from the United States that will unify and legitimize their movement. And that any politician demanding the U.S. resort to use of overwhelming force is acting on their behalf.

  79. 79.

    El Caganer

    I don’t have a teevee, so I didn’t catch the President’s speech. He actually said the US will make air strikes in Syria? Isn’t that an act of war?

  80. 80.

    srv

    @mai naem: An interesting idea, but I assume WHO aircraft, USAF/USN and NATO aircraft can get into these airports with supplies and we could base helicopters there for wider deployment.

    CDC and others have go teams that charter their own a/c or use those supplied by international forces.

  81. 81.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    James Fallows @ JamesFallows · 50m
    CNN right now: ‘American people are afraid of ISIS.’ Our past 3 days of interviews in Ohio: word ‘ISIS’ never once came up.

  82. 82.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @El Caganer: Not necessarily. If Assad doesn’t control a particular region and attacks are coming from it, strikes into that region would not be an act of war.*

    *Grossly simplified.

  83. 83.

    Hobbes

    Seeing this is an open thread, has anyone got any idea how debt gets apportioned if Scotland becomes independent?

  84. 84.

    Cervantes

    @Howard Beale IV:

    Anyone in Congress who says we should start bombing IS(IL/IS) should be put on the spot as to how the fuck we’re gonna pay for it.

    As explained above, we Chuck Todd and Bill Kristol.

  87. 87.

    askew

    @piratedan:

    Yeah, I am not seeing the need for the freakout. GOS is losing its damn mind and acting like there are boots on the ground already.

    We have seen Obama in action over the past 6 years. He”s not going to get drawn into a boots on the ground war. He resisted all calls for it in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Iraq and Ukraine so far. I think he’ll do the same here.

  88. 88.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @askew: Well, pretty much, no shit. No offense. It should be obvious to sane observers that this is the end result.

  89. 89.

    jl

    What the hell is Russert trying to say? Damned if I know.

    One thing you gotta say about 140 characters, is sure makes the total lack of sense and content stand out.

    Edit: Dismissive tone stands out, but over what, I can’t tell. Well, I guess Luke is 100 percent a medium is the message type a guy, so who gives a shit?

  91. 91.

    Irony Abounds

    The thing that is so frustrating is that none of Obama’s critics are proposing solutions, other than fucking nutjobs like McCain and Cheney who want more and more young men and women to die in combat. Ok Richard Engel, you self-important prick, what the fuck is your solution? The fact is there is no good solution. Only different shades of shitty.

  93. 93.

    jl

    @askew: And, whatever Obama said, he didn’t say it right, didn’t set the right tone, wasn’t presidential enough, or he was a blah man being presidential, which skeered all the piss out of them. You learn so much about what is going on in the world from the corporate media news these days.

  95. 95.

    eemom

    @Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):

    doing as well as possible under the circs. Isn’t that the story of most of Obama’s presidency?

    The story of his presidency is that he’s done way the fuck better than most humans could ever dream of doing, given the shit hand he was dealt on all fronts from the get go, the disgusting racism, disrespect to his office and obstructionism unprecedented against any president in American history, the worse than useless excuse for a “press” to reveal any kind of truth, and the knives at his throat 24/7 from all sides, including his own.

    I thought he looked exhausted and strained to the max, and I don’t blame him. If I were him, I’d be counting the days to whatever the fuck comes after he’s out of there, and not giving a shit what that is.

  96. 96.

    joel hanes

    @eemom:

    The story of his presidency is that he’s done way the fuck better than most humans could ever dream of doing, given the shit hand he was dealt on all fronts from the get go, the disgusting racism, disrespect to his office and obstructionism unprecedented against any president in American history, the worse than useless excuse for a “press” to reveal any kind of truth, and the knives at his throat 24/7 from all sides, including his own.

    Sometimes I disagree with eemom about some things.

    Not about this.

    Thanks for writing it; I could not have said it as well.

  97. 97.

    joel hanes

    @WaterGirl:

    EFF

    The Electronic Frontier Foundation, good guys who use real lawyers in real courts to defend the freedoms of fair use of copyrighted material and net neutrality, among other issues on which the public needs representation.

    https://www.eff.org/

    Mike Godwin, who coined Godwin’s Law, was their first staff counsel.
    Now they have many.

    They deserve your support.

  98. 98.

    Carolinus

    @joel hanes:

    They deserve your support.

    I used to give them money, but stopped when they hopped on the Snowden-as-hero bandwagon. It would be one thing for them to use relevant reporting from his leaks to inform their advocacy, it’s another for them to fund-raise off his cult of personality and praise his character & criminal actions. Hell, EFF’s JP Barlow even shares a Board of Directors with Ed.

  99. 99.

    Mike J

    @askew:

    GOS is losing its damn mind and acting like there are boots on the ground already.

    Posters here, many on the front page, all always happy to jump on that bandwagon.

  103. 103.

    2liberal

    @WaterGirl:

    Didn’t know what “EFF” referred to, so I googled. All it told me is that it’s a euphemism for “fuck”.

    Cindy Cohn is the Legal Director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation

  104. 104.

    bemused

    @lamh36:

    Booman also said to make the very difficult plan to work, if any plan could work, would require the american people to be very patient. Heaven help us. Between americans who always think the solution is to bomb them to the stone age whoever “them” is at the moment and our media’s customary practice of muddying the waters no matter what the issue, it’s the same old incoherence.

  107. 107.

    David in NY

    May we start calling all this the “Chicken-Little syndrome in American politics”? How about starting a tag? And just repeating it every day.

  108. 108.

    Jado

    @Gravenstone:

    Cause his daddy’s paymasters watched him grow up into a shill prodigy. They knew they had something special in little Lukey, and just like a Hall of Fame athlete, little Lukey is doing a great job of hitting those approved talking points right out of the park.

    He might just give David Brooks a run for the Shill-For-Hire batting title this year.

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