So apparently Hillary Clinton was "sleep-deprived" when she forgot that she'd never dodged sniper fire while running from a plane in Tuzla. All "misspoke" theories of the case seem to me to founder on the fact that the version of the story that got her caught was only the most extreme version of a narrative of danger she's mentioned repeatedly throughout the campaign. But maybe we have an explanation of her war vote -- maybe she was sleep-deprived when she authorized the war? Maybe she's been staying up all night studying the classified National Intelligence Estimate trying to get to the bottom of things? Well, okay, she wasn't doing that, but maybe it was something. Presumably her plan is to be well-rested during her freaky 3AM phone calls.
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Sleep-Deprived
25 Mar 2008 06:20 pm
Comments (136)
SLEEP-DEPRIVED!?! Are you kidding me?!? This is their cover story?
I thought that she was reading from prepared remarks? If so, being sleep-deprived wouldn't explain the "snipers tried to pop a cap in my ass in Tuzla" crap.
Also, she repeated this same lie more than once. Was she sleep-deprived the first time she said this stupid crap?
Mayeb she should get off the phone at 3:00 AM and get some damn sleep!
She misvoted on the AUMF because the Senate was under sniper fire, maybe.
"Ready on Day 1 ... But only after a short nap."
Very comforting.
Have they given Tim K an official position with the campaign? Because this is even dumber than their usual spin.
You'd think that after all those years of going into the places that were too poor, too small, or too dangerous that she'd be able to function on very little sleep.
Facts, reality. Do we really need a president who knows the difference?
Well now that she puts it that way... Sure, who among us hasn't been a little tired and confused being greeted at the airport by a child with flowers reading a poem with dodging sniper fire. I mean, sheesh I have to dodge sniper fire at the airport so often that I sometimes misremember when it happened too.
Seriously, Hillary is becoming downright Reaganesque in her ability to manufacture memories. At least in Reagan's case he was probably well into advanced Altzhmiers and was remembering movies he'd actually seen at some point, heck he may have even been in some of them.
I certainly do remember that trip to Bosnia, and as Togo [West, former Secretary of the Army] said, there was a saying around the White House that if a place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn't go, so send the First Lady.
This quote strikes me as far stranger than any back-and-forth over sniper-fire. How would a lack of sleep produce a statement that, if it were historically accurate, is even more bizarre than if it were made up?
(And didn't Samantha Power resign after making a statement far more credibly attributable to lack of sleep?).
Jim,
Not to mention that she took Chelsea. So what she is saying is if it was too dangerious for the president they'd send his teenage daughter?
Of course she was sleep deprived. After all, she's been staying up until 3 o'clock in the morning, sitting at her desk, ready and waiting to answer those important phone calls that will keep our children from being harmed while they sleep. Sheesh - you ungrateful jerks!...
If she gets the nomination, we're the ones who'll be sleep-deprived.
Perhaps it's from sitting at her desk at 3am in a suit, waiting for the Red Phone to ring.
This just make you wonder: if she performs so poorly when sleep deprived, what is she going to say when she answers the red telephone at 3:00 a.m.?
Interesting that she wasn't "sleep-deprived" when Sinbad gave a different account. Or when others questioned her version of events. Nope, she suddenly became "sleep-deprived" when the video came out.
Sorry, but "sleep-deprived" does not cut it. It can't account for defending a bogus story for weeks and weeks. Why didn't you check the facts as soon as the story was questioned? Oh, I guess because you already knew the facts.
She's lying about her lies now, of course, but at least this one is a smaller lie than saying that she went to a war zone because it was too dangerous for anyone else, and she brought her only child (and a comedian and a guitar player). It's also a smaller lie than saying that no-one else had gone there before, when her own husband the president stepped out onto the same airfield two months previously.
Really, you'd have to be pretty darn "sleep-deprived" to believe any of the nonsense the Clinton camp has put out about the Tuzla trip.
I note that with a little dedicated effort, this new definition of "sleep-deprived" could be a fairly entertaining meme to propagate - and I say that as a fairly honest person who frequently is quite behind on their sleep.
Has she been sleep-deprived this entire campaign?
I intend to be sleep deprived when filling out my taxes this year.
Have any of you guys tried to sleep with the sound of sniper fire in the distance? Do you realize how loud C-130s are? I didn't think so!
I absolutely agree that the weirdest thing is, she issues a mea culpa that she "misspoke"...but only refers to one occasion. On an issue where she must KNOW her every statement will be shredded, why did she say something that attempts to excuse a single incident when she must remember saying this a number of times in the past few months?
I'm guessing it's a coded cry for help. She's being held hostage by the big donors, wants to drop out and is pleading with us to put her out of her misery. I honestly cannot think of any other reason why she would only refer to one "misspeaking" in her excuse when she has a number of incidents to explain away.
(Misspeaking is such an ugly word. Mendacity? Mal-locution??)
Maybe she thought it was Kadeem Hardison who went on that trip and that he could be easily "dealt with."
Let's say she's telling the full truth. How does being in a sniper-fire zone give you foreign policy experience in the first place?
Facts, reality. Do we really need a president who knows the difference?
-- Helter
I fail to see how an inability to distinguish a photo-op with small children from an armed attack by vicious separatists would lead to any diplomatic issues as president.
Sheesh Matt, what was your excuse back when you supported the war? I'd rather be guilty of lack of sleep....versus nonsense like this:
DAVID BROOKS HAS SOME SENSIBLE talk on how the anti-war Left, though pace Slate real, neither ever was nor ever will be a serious threat to anything. I would only add one quick reason why the current ideological opponents of American action will never gain much support: The nature of the cause we're opposing.
http://yglesias.blogspot.com/2002_02_10_archive.html
LFC get's it.
Her version of this story had already been debunked but she kept right on telling it.
Is her campaign clueless - they didn't know about the Sinbad jokes?
You guys are heartless. Personally, I know how painful it is to be sleep-deprived.
And I'm very, very glad that, starting around May 7th, Senator Clinton is going to be able to get all the sleep she needs.
Why doesn't anyone ask the question - How does being fired upon qualify you to make foreign policy decisions? Assume she was under sniper fire. So what? People in the inner city are in the middle of gang banger turf battles. Does that make them more informed about world events?
I was under fire during the first Gulf War. When I was under fire - or under the threat of fire - I had a great view of the ground. Sometimes I would turn my head slightly and see the guys next to me. I also did not sleep for three days. I pissed in my pants - which I did not change. It was worse for the guys who shit in their pants. Most guys in my squad soiled their pants. We had never been in combat before. You lose control of bodily functions real quick in combat. Somehow, you manage to remember your training and keep moving forward. The only qualification to run foreign policy I got out of that experience is the concept of avoiding war in all but the most extreme situations.
Maybe Hillary could prove she was under fire by showing us her soiled panties.
"Presumably her plan is to be well-rested during her freaky 3AM phone calls."
brilliant
As for being deprived of sleep,after all the nights that bill spent with monica,she surely didn't miss sleep doing her wifely duties.
Had she kept his stomach full and everything else empty he would not have strayed
They're really letting the wrong thing go, here. Exaggerating your own past bravery is forgivable. Human nature. Posing for pictures on the "front lines" of a dangerous "combat zone" with an 8 year girl is positively ghoulish.
I was about to say pretty much the same thing. The hilarious part of her semi-retraction is when she tries to explain away the meet-and-greet by saying, basically, "My intention was to take cover from the sniper fire, but it would have been rude to ignore that little girl."
Why frighten the poor darling by whisking her off to safety? Far better to keep her, along with several more innocent people, exposed on the tarmac as Olympic-caliber Serbian marksmen surveyed the scene from the hills and carefully decided whether to take aim at the American First Lady, the US president's daughter, or the president of Bosnia.
I suppose it takes a village to expose a child to sniper fire.
It's a 3 star day for the Clinton Campaign. First she misspoke because she was sleep-deprived, next she starts questioning Obama on Wright and now this from Ambinder:
The Clinton campaign is distributing an article in the American Spectator (!) about Obama foreign policy adviser Merrill McPeak and his penchant for.. well, the article accuses him of being an anti-Semite and a drunk.
They're using an article in the American Spectator to attack McPeak. The American Spectator. What's next, Bill on Rush Limbaugh? Oh yea, that's already happened.
I suppose it takes a village to expose a child to sniper fire.
Holy crap, that's too funny...
"Have any of you guys tried to sleep with the sound of sniper fire in the distance? Do you realize how loud C-130s are? I didn't think so!
Posted by socctty | March 25, 2008 6:55 PM"
Hell, I've fallen asleep in Baltimore. It feels weird for me to live in Beijing and not to fall asleep to the music of gunfire.
perhaps she was channelling Monica who actually had to deal with a Sniper's fire and took several full rounds
I'm positively cracking up here. You guys are the best.
"Hill, it's Bill. Yes I know it's 3 AM. I hope you're not sleep-deprived again, cuz you might want to sit down for this one..."
Hillary used the sniper-fire line in a major policy address a week after Sinbad said the only worry he had on the trip was where to get a bite to eat after they touched down.
It's too bad Hillary misspoke/lied/etc, but the story that uncommitted superdelegates ought to take to heart (and they're the only ones who matter right now, to ape Clinton a bit) is that Hillary's campaign is a mess. I imagine some commenters here work with or around campaigns and recognize that public speeches at any level are fact-checked line-by-line by your research department. Does Hillary have one? Do they not read the news? How in the world did they not see this coming? Did no one do a Lexis search of contemporary articles regarding the trip and see how it was portrayed at the time, request video and written transcripts of network news broadcasts mentioning the trip? This stuff is EASY to do and Hillary is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions doing it, and she's failed miserably now that some blogger juxtaposed her gaff with CBS's footage.
Hillary's sole standing selling point is competency, and she's failed the test that everyone who runs for office has to pass. At this point, she has zero claim to being able to run a more effective general election campaign than Obama -- he's personally been party to no mistakes like this, and has outorganized her at every level. So why support her if you're a superdelegate, and why let her continue to fuck up for the next month before PA instead of just ending it now?
GREAT NEWS!!!
I just like Hillary finally said today what most Americans have been thinking:
"He wouldn't have been my pastor."
That's the best you got, Tim K? Well guess what, not only did Clinton invite Wright to the White House, they got photographed there with him. And also guess what, after Wright Obama still has higher positives than Senora Sniper Fire. Not only are you a douche, you're a lame douche. What's next, you're gonna tell us to get off your lawn?
"He wouldn't have been my pastor."
Of course not. She'd go to one of those pastors who won't chide her for fibbing.
Except he was their pastor when Bill banged an intern (he was invited to the White House twice and received a personal thank-you letter from the president).
More importantly, if Mike Huckabee and John McCain can understand why Obama went to that church, I'm sure Hillary does too. She just seized the political opportunity to torch Obama (as an anonymous campaign staff member said today, they realize they have a
I just like Hillary finally said today what most Americans have been thinking: "He wouldn't have been my pastor."
Who? The president of Bosnia? The little girl in Tuzla? Sinbad?
Oh, wait, I get it -- Tim K was trying to change the subject. Sorry, Tim, I didn't realize, since you didn't even bother to put in the effort of some sort of a topic bridge or segue.
As bullets clawed the air around us and screams echoed down the rubble-strewn tarmac, I felt almost peaceful.
It was a simple mission, they had told me – get in, shake a few hands and mouth a few platitudes, get out. Simple. Yeah.
Things had started going wrong while we were still in the air and only gotten worse from there. So here we were, pinned down, choking on the acrid tang of cordite and the heady scent of human blood. The mission was even simpler now: survive. Whatever the cost, survive.
There was a grunt and a clatter of equipment as Sinbad threw himself down at my side. Sweat glistened on his bare arms, and I could see tendons contracting and relaxing as he squeezed off bursts from his M14. The motion was hypnotic, like a snake about to strike. Perhaps, when all this was over-
No. Concentrate. Focus on the mission. Survive.
A shout from my left drew my head around. Sheryl Crow, guitar still strapped to her back, had taken cover behind a haphazard pile of decaying corpses. Her hair, once lustrous, now lank and greasy, was held back from her eyes by a dirty red headband. Her slim nostrils flared in the dirt-smeared oval of her face, seeking air free of the funeral taint shrouding the airfield. Still, I saw a fierce exultation in her expression that I knew mirrored my own.
Her lithe, nimble fingers stroked the top of an M67 frag grenade, strumming a chord of impending doom. With one quick, economical movement, she plucked the pin free and sent the deadly payload sailing toward the ridge concealing our enemies. My eyes traced the arc, willing it to fly true, to rain death on-
“There!” Sinbad shouted. “The convoy!”
I wrenched my gaze in the direction he was pointing. The boom of the grenade registered only faintly, suddenly unimportant. Thirty yards dead ahead was the real target: the armored convoy, offering safety, shelter, survival. If we could reach it.
“Follow me!” Sinbad roared, levering himself to his feet. As I prepared to follow, a high-pitched whine arrowed across my eardrums and warm, sticky rain splashed my face.
I forced myself to look, already knowing what I would see. The big man lay there, crumpled, the left side of his head a nightmare maze of blood, brains and tight curls of yellowish-orange hair.
Time to mourn later. Survive.
I juked to my left, darting and weaving, somehow making it to Sheryl’s position. Her eyes were wide, shock and fear clouding their emerald depths. “Is he-”
“Gone,” I snapped. “We have to move. Now.”
For a moment I wondered if I would have to leave her behind, but then her jaw tightened and she nodded sharply. “Stay behind me,” she said with a brief squeeze of my hand, then she was up and running, moving like a deer.
I followed, matching her as best I could with the mindless insect hum of lead bees filling my ears and the cracked tarmac clutching at my heels. We ran, time stretching, flattening, the convoy impossibly distant, a cruel mirage, too far, too far . . .
And then, somehow, we were almost there. We had made it, we were going to –
A flat crack and the mournful twang of a guitar string. Sheryl fell, scarlet-splashed splinters from the shattered guitar seeming to hang in the air.
I stopped. Men were flooding out of the brush and streaming around the cars. One approached me, smirking, rifle held casually across his body, smoke still rising from the barrel.
“Every day a winding road,” he said in heavily accented English, shrugging a shoulder toward Sheryl’s body. He stepped closer, almost close enough to touch. “End of road for her today. And you.”
Still smirking, he began to raise the rifle. I lunged forward, freed the ka-bar concealed under my pantsuit, and buried it to the hilt in his chest. He grunted, stiffened, and then slid backwards, the knife making a greedy slurping sound as it pulled free.
The other rebels froze, momentarily stunned. There were a lot of them – too many, surely – but it didn’t matter. One day, I knew, I would be telling this story to rapt audiences as I made my inevitable march to the Presidency. Would this ragged group of smelly goatfuckers be the ones to stop me? Would they?
I raised the blade to my lips, licked it clean, and began to laugh.
Survive. Whatever the cost, survive.
-From The War Journals of Hillary Clinton, Vol. 1
Well, Tim K, the little that we have heard about Senator Clinton's spiritual life is, about the sort of person she would choose as her pastors, is dispiriting, according to Ehrenreich's recounting of Sharlet's reporting.
I mean, Obama's spiritual mentor has some weird and conspiratorial ideas, but he pretty clearly espouses progressive politics and is socially liberal. Clinton's spiritual guides seem to be a bunch of cultural conservatives who spend their time coming up with theological arguments to justify Pinochet.
Also, brilliant idea on The Tuzla Tussler's part further alienating the black community. It's not like she would need their votes in the general.
1) Like I said earlier, claiming to be under sniper fire when she was not was Hillary's Fib.
2) Her Big Lie was claiming to be qualified to handle a national crisis.
3) A President can ask the Pentagon to advise him and backstop him on matters in which he is inexperienced.
But NOBODY can help a President who has random disconnects from reality.
Hillary is starting to sound like someone who likes to chew on the magical mushrooms. And snorts cocaine. That would explain her strong sense of infallability, of unlimited power, and her belief that she has competence she does not have.
4) The problem again is that she's very much like George W Bush. Everything she has has been given to her by powerful men in exchange for obedience.
She will always have to act in a very aggressive way because of her haunting knowledge that she's unqualified for her job. Like George, she will be a disaster because she will be so focused on concealing her incompetence that she will be unable to focus on the job at hand.
I think tbone is sleep-deprived. tbone's masteful narrative clearly is incorrect as - although I admit that we don't hear an awful lot form them these days - I believe that both Sinbad and Sheryl Crow survived that horrible, unforgetable day.
Also, don't forget that the Clinton's only child was also along for the baptism of blood they were certain the trip would become.
tbone, that was great, but you should've included something about knocking the little girl to the ground as a bullet grazed her hair.
tbone, that's brilliant.
I just like Hillary finally said today what most Americans have been thinking:
"He wouldn't have been my pastor."
Especially not after that unfortunate incident where Rev. Wright climbed his church's bell tower and launched a sniper attack on a church picnic.
I think Clinton should incorporate snipers into all of her anecdotes and attacks:
"I think everyone knows I've lived through some big crises in my life. I still remember that terrible morning in 1998 when Bill admitted to me that he'd hired a sniper to have me assassinated. But I've forgiven him, and our marriage is stronger for it."
"I think that I have 23 confirmed kills that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain brings a lifetime of death-dealing to the White House. And Senator Obama has a low-level al Qaeda operative he wounded in 2002."
"Unlike Senator Obama, I've faced down serious opponents during my time in public life. I vividly remember diving for cover on the dais in front of the Capitol Building when Newt Gingrich opened fire at Bill's second inauguration. You can't imagine the damage a .50 caliber sniper rifle can inflict--Rehnquist's head came apart like a rotten watermelon and Newt just laughed and laughed. Fortunately I was able to subdue the Speaker in hand-to-hand combat and turn him over to the Secret Service for questioning."
This is even dumber than George Romney's "I was brainwashed about Vietnam" comment. Where's Gene McCarthy when we need him??
@ tbone: best. comment. evar.
Ripped from a thread at TNR:
Senator Clinton's pastor at Foundry United Methodist comments on Rev. Wright:
www.foundryumc.org/.../Statement%20concerning%20Rev.%20Jeremiah%20Wright.pdf
"The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence."
tbone: Too funny.
"When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap."
It all doesn't matter because as soon as Obama's gay liasons in Springfield break all the superdelegates go to Clinton. Do you really think she is sticking around with only a 10% chance?
And don't get me started about the time he spent with the space aliens!
Hillary just digs deeper and deeper into her lies. And how can we trust someone with that 3AM phone call, if by being sleep deprived, they make mistakes like this?
And these were prepared remarks uttered more than once, not just some slip of the tongue on one moment.
Also Sinbad, although a comedian, does bring out a very logical point: she claims that the First Lady was sent everywhere too dangerous for the President. But what President sends his wife, along with his daughter, along with civilian entertainers, into a danger zone? Does anyone think this is in any way realistic?
If we take Hillary at her word, which is itself laughable, then Bill is indeed a very sick human being.
So which is it, Hillary? Are you lying, or was your husband Bill the most cruel and reckless husband and father ever to sit in the Oval Office?
I think we may also want journalists to check into Hillary's repeated claims that she is the son of a millworker who worked in mills herself.
Downlow commenter: don't you realize that as soon as said gay liaisons break, a lot of Republicans are going to vote for him?
Attached is an article detailing the cowardice of Senator Obama. I am going to copy and past the entire article instead of just linking to it as it demonstrates what a phoney the Senator is.
"Barack Obama Would Let Shoaib Choudhury Die
By Richard L. Benkin
Like everyone else, I have my own political principles and beliefs; and I feel very strongly about them. But when I began fighting for anti-Islamist Muslim journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, I knew that I could not be successful if I garnered support from only one political party or philosophy. The fact is, Shoaib was in prison, being tortured, and risking his life. He still is; which is why we have not stopped fighting. Clearly this was a matter of human rights, of basic American principles, and everyone with an ounce of human decency should support us.
And, thankfully, things have turned out that way. Support for Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury on Capitol Hill has been a celebration of bi-partisan cooperation. When the Bangladeshi paramilitary force, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) kidnapped Shoaib recently, I called four members of Congress-two Republicans, two Democrats. All four lawmakers had previously been outspoken in their support for Shoaib, and they came through again. Not only did all of them call the Bangladeshis, but they also had other lawmakers do the same; leading to Shoaib's release.
Last March, Congress passed House Resolution 64, authored by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and co-sponsored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY). The vote was 409-1, Ron Paul being the lone dissenter. I was present for the debate on the Resolution. After a pantheon of Democratic and Republican lawmakers offered impassioned speeches on Shoaib's behalf-and not incidentally in praise of Rep. Kirk -- the Republican and Democratic floor leaders (Gary Ackerman of New York and John Boozman of Arkansas respectively) both commented on the bi-partisan nature and strong solidarity of the afternoon. Boozman called it a "a very bipartisan effort." Ackerman said he hoped "we might bring this kind of approach and dedication" to all issues before the Congress.
A really telling incident occurred not long before the 2006 election when I approached two senators at about the same time. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is about as far on the left as we can find. Then Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) is about as far on the right as we can find. Both men responded with identical support and public action. I later suggested to Santorum that it might have been the only time that he and Durbin agreed on anything.
In fact, I approached about 15 percent of the House and a handful of Senators: Democratic, Republican, left, right, moderate; you name it. And every one of them reacted with support; every one of them, that is, except one. Who was the one lawmaker that took a pass on saving the life of an imprisoned US ally and opponent of Islamist extremism? That's right, my own Illinois Senator Barack Obama.
I first met with his staff in April 2005 in his DC office. Keep in mind this was the same week that Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) spent hours learning about the case and then met well after "working hours" in a very difficult meeting with the Bangladeshi ambassador and me to secure Shoaib's release. I brought Obama's staff extensive documentation of the injustice, as well as other evidence of Shoaib's activities; we spoke for quite a long time, but they never called back. In fact, they ignored all my subsequent follow-up contacts. But it was, after all, soon after his election; perhaps early disorganization was to blame.
Yet, I spoke personally with Obama 13 months later at a general meeting hosted by Obama and Durbin. To my delight, when my name was mentioned, Durbin responded immediately with praise and support, saying that it was "an important human rights case," and asked to see me privately about the matter. I spoke with both him and Obama, who at his best moments looked quizzical and confused. While Durbin later sent a formal protest to the Bangladeshis, Obama never responded; nor again did he or his staff reply to my subsequent entreaties.
I spoke with Obama one other time about Shoaib's case, less than six months later. I reminded him or our last encounter, gave him an update on the case, and asked for his support in one of any number of ways. He hesitated a moment then held out his hand and said, "Well, we're sure happy for all the work you are doing." Propriety prevents me from verbalizing what I was thinking then. I offered to send him more information, which he asked me to do. And, guess what, I never heard back despite the reams of evidence I did send.
Barack Obama wants us to think that he has a special sensitivity to injustice and that his entire life has been about combating it. Yet, in this one concrete situation he faced, he failed to act. The fact that not one of the dozens of other lawmakers failed speaks volumes. The fact that support was never contingent on ideology speaks volumes. I often wondered if his refusal to act was strategic, ignorant, or simple cowardice. No matter, the impact on Shoaib Choudhury was the same, as it would be on any freedom fighter.
When speaking about this, I ask potential voters this question. If Barack Obama does not have the ability to stand up against injustice in Bangladesh, where is he going to find the moral courage to stand up to Iran, North Korea, or China?"
"I juked to my left, darting and weaving, somehow making it to Sheryl’s position"
SERPENTINE! SERPENTINE!
Damn, tbone beat me to it! Funny stuff!
Downlow commenter: don't you realize that as soon as said gay liaisons break, a lot of Republicans are going to vote for him?
From the dailykos site: If Hillary Clinton lied about snipers in Bosnia because of sleep deprivation (doubtful, given it's a lie she's said at least four times), then what will she do when she gets that call at 3 a.m.?
Is that the kind of person we want answering the Red Phone at 3 am? Someone who misspeaks when they're tired and cranky?
Maybe she should have all nighttime calls forwarded to her good buddy Senator John McCain at the Old Sailor's Home. Like many of us older Americans, his sleep-wake cycle will be out of whack because of all the daytime naps he takes. At least we know he'll be awake at 3 am and not sleep-deprived.
But then again, HillaRambo and "Bomb Iran" McCain don't seem to differ much in their views, so the net result of the phone call would probably be the same: "Nuke 'em all. Let God sort 'em out."
"It all doesn't matter because as soon as Obama's gay liasons in Springfield break all the superdelegates go to Clinton. Do you really think she is sticking around with only a 10% chance?"
Gay liaisons? Gay LIAISONS? How delicate! One might almost think that such liaisons are, oh, I don't know,..., dangerous?
Who are you, dl? Frickin' Evelyn Quince? "Ohhh! My face is crimson! [ giggles ] It appears we are having a baudy fest tonight!"
Here's something else that Benkin wrote about Obama. I can't at all imagine why Obama wouldn't be working at his side:
Obama has stated numerous times that if he becomes president, he would sit down and talk with Iranian President Ahmedinejad and every other terror supporter in the world. Likemany of his followers, Obama totally misreads the threat of international jihad. He has made it clear that he is ready to make compromises to win over these terrorists, and he does not see them as the existential threat they are.
http://www.weeklyblitz.net/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1206081683&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2
Of course, Obama (and others, such as Hillary Clinton) should help support any such people targeted for repression and attack. But it's also true that Benkin's a registered foreign lobbyist for Bangladesh; maybe that was a concern for some.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/04/10/d6041001033.htm
But a man who thinks it's communing with terrorism to consider negotiating with the leader of Iran doesn't need to lecture us on the proper officials to lead the U.S. government, as those kinds of lunatics already hold power, and they are an unmitigated failure and disaster both home and abroad.
Recently released Pentagon documents show that HRC was part of an A-Team comprised of Sinbad, Chelsea "The Face" Clinton, and Cheryl Crow. The records show that they were deployed to Bosnia for two purposes:
1. To rescue a downed US Navy pilot (and possible POTUS) shot= down behind Serbian lines.
2. To exterminate a rogue Army officer, Major Obama, a black, Muslim, high on drugs commanding a child army of insurgents waging war against both sides.
Correction: Benkin disputed the reported claim of lobbyist filing, qualifying it as a procedural task. At the time of the initial reporting (2006) it could have been at least credible enough to be believed by ambitious politicians such as Obama.
http://www.interfaithstrength.com/Aslam.htm
And of course whatever Benkin's status as lobbyist or agent or not has nothing directly to do with the rightness of his pursuit of the release of the imprisoned journalist nor his personal disappointment with Obama.
(Of course, given how many journalists, community representatives, and union organizers are weekly and routinely murdered in Colombia by government-linked narcoparamilitary death squads, and very few U.S. elected officials do much about these atrocities by such a close U.S. ally and recipient of gigantic amounts of military aid, maybe I'm somewhat numbed to politicians' lack of alacrity on such matters.)
Benkin's stance, however, that negotiating with Iran is a simple surrender or collaboration with terrorism or somehow sustains worldwide jihad by the scary and world-threatening Obama is nonsense whatever his struggle or status.
Wait, look over there...... it's Rev. Wright.
tbone,
thank you! that was AMAZING. so very funny.
Re EL Cid
Mr. El Cids' comment is totally cockeyed. Mr. Benkin has intervened on behalf of a citizen of Bangladesh who has been imprisoned by the government of that state for criticizing Islamic extremism. Mr. El Cid claims he is a lobbyist for the Bangladesh government. If he were a lobbyist for the Bangladesh government, why the hell would he be opposing that governments' imprisoning of one of its citizens? That would not seem to be in the interest of his continued employment by that government as its lobbyist.
I guess the only thing to be said by Mr. El Cids' comment is that its' all very simple, we're just stupid because we don't understand it.
In addition, what the hell does the issue of Columbia have to do with this issue. Unlike virtually all of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress, Senator apparently for some unknown reason doesn't give a shit about this individual. Just like he didn't give a shit about the employees at the Fermilab. Don't believe it, just ask them.
Turns out Wright also came from the upper middle class, just like Obama...and formed his "Goddamn America" schtick after being raised in a nice Philly neighborhood and going to a nearly all-white, elite HS.
Morton KLein - OBAMA'S PASTOR RAISED IN PRIVILEGE, NOT POVERTY
How do I know?
It happens that, as a Philadelphian, I attended Central High School – the same public school Jeremiah Wright attended from 1955 to 1959. He could have gone to an integrated neighborhood school, but he chose to go to Central, a virtually all-white school. Central is the second oldest public high school in the country, which attracts the most serious academic students in the city. The school then was about 80% Jewish and 95% white. The African-American students, like all the others, were there on merit. Generally speaking, we came from lower/middle class backgrounds. Many of our parents had not received a formal education and we tended to live in row houses. In short, economically, we were roughly on par.
I attended Central a few years after Rev. Wright, so I did not know him personally. But I knew of him and I know where he used to live – in a tree-lined neighborhood of large stone houses in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. This is a lovely neighborhood to this day. Moreover, Rev. Wright's father was a prominent pastor and his mother was a teacher and later vice-principal and disciplinarian of the Philadelphia High School for Girls, also a distinguished academic high school. Two of my acquaintances remember her as an intimidating and strict disciplinarian and excellent math teacher. In short, Rev. Wright had a comfortable upper-middle class upbringing. It was hardly the scene of poverty and indignity suggested by Senator Obama to explain what he calls Wright's anger and what I describe as his hatred.
Wow - chris ford quoting Mort Klein.
That anti-Obama alliance gets funnier every day.
Sailer, Kristol, The Corner, Tim K, Petey, and now this.
Awesome.
He is a unifier, as promised.
LOL, tbone. But after her talk about evasive landing under fire (which she CERTAINLY remembers), I envisioned that she manned an M60 door gun on the C-17 after one of the presidential Marine detachment kids got hit. Yours must be "the rest of the story" after landing.
What's rule number one when you're in a hole of your own making? Christ, Hillary, STOP DIGGING!
SLC,
What, do you really think Obama supporters really believe the guy is the messiah? I'm well aware the guy has a lot of flaws - but measure him next to Hilary or McCain (or Bush fils or Bush pere, or Bill Clinton, or Reagan, or Carter, or Ford, or Nixon - Jesus, America really has been cursed with bad leadership), and he still looks pretty good. If you're a realist you know that basically only narcissistic amoral striver types can ever reach the Presidency unaided by nepotism - and Obama does meet that description, but he's still demonstrably better than any one I've seen in that office over the last 30 years. Why on earth you think his cowardice over Bangladesh should convince anyone to turn on him is beyond me - that flaw certainly pales next to being a friend of Marc Rich.
How about a link to the Pittsburgh Trib article instead of some flaky Daily Obama diary? Is it too much to ask for a full quote in context?
The incessant braying of the Obama supporters has me considering sitting this November out. Never thought that could happen. I don't want to be associated with them.
Hey all, thanks for the kind comments on my account of Hillary's exploits at Tuzla. I'm not sure who posted it here (it was originally posted at Balloon Juice), but as I told a fellow commenter there, I'm glad other people enjoy the image of Hillary licking blood off a ka-bar after brutally murdering an insurgent as much as I do.
Everybody check out TPM. Apparently Hillary is directly allying herself with Richard Mellon Scaife in the fight against Obama: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/images/hillary-scaife-340.jpg
I'm glad other people enjoy the image of Hillary licking blood off a ka-bar after brutally murdering an insurgent as much as I do.
Keep it up dude. See how many Hillary voters you can turn off of Obama for November.
Or maybe you're a right wing troll.
SLC, you really do need to stop drinking the Obama Koolaid. We normal people realize he can't be everywhere at once and save everyone, but you seem to be taking cultist adoration to a new depth when you expect Obama to save the world all at once. Relax man, he's got Hillary whipped, and she doesn't know her Tuzla from her elbow. That's good enough for now. One evil demon dispatched per day ought to be good enough for you. He can use his superpower later - ok?
Thanks to tbone and others, this is one of the funniest threads I've read in a long time. I can't wait till TUZLA: Baptism of Blood, the first-person shooter, makes it to the shelves of a store near me.
Actually, I bet a few programming-savvy people could conjeur up such a game, playable online. I remember in '04 there were at least a few anti-Bush ones floating around. A worthy project?
That is the least coherent I've ever seen SLC on one of his rants. Is it possible that SLC is simply a corporate entity, and the dumb nightshift worker took over?
What the hell does Colombia (not Columbia) have to do with the issue?
Exactly what I said it did -- note that I didn't ask SLC's permission before writing about what the situation reminded me of.
The point being made in the original post was that Obama was insensitive to this individual's plea to help an imprisoned Bangladeshi journalist.
I noted how frequently U.S. politicians ignored the much more common attacks and killings against journalists, trade unionists, and community organizers in Colombia, a much closer ally than Bangladesh and thus much more able to be persuaded by U.S. actions.
I then noted that given that I was used to this situation, that of U.S. politicians ignoring pleas for, say, these Colombians who are just as worthy of life & liberty as an 'anti-jihadist' journalist.
And perhaps growing used to it prevented me from being shocked, shocked, that a U.S. politician planning to run for president failed to make such cases one of their priorities.
Beyond that, if you can't see the parallel, you're either simply mindless or you are bound and determined to keep coming back to the point you wish to make, that Barack Obama cannot be President because he's a pro-terrorist surrendercrat phony who loves jihad because he was a jerk to this guy crusading for an imprisoned Bangladeshi journalist.
How about a link to the Pittsburgh Trib article instead of some flaky Daily Obama diary?
Keep it up dude. See how many Hillary voters you can turn off of Obama for November.
Because you read something unkind on the internet by an Obama supporter about Hillary Clinton, you aren't going to support Barack in November??? Okay, that's stupid to begin with, but why pick on tbone? His post, while fantastically ludicrous, was legitimate satire of Hillary Clinton, Warrior First Lady. I've read much nastier stuff about all three candidates now.
Still, if you have that thin a skin for Hillary, maybe you should base your opinions of candidates on something other than the way their supporters act on line. We are not they. Of course, if you're prone to guilt-by-association smears, you probably aren't voting for Obama anyway after the Wright flap.
The incessant braying of the Obama supporters has me considering sitting this November out.
I agree, I don't mind Hillary making up war stories and praising McCain and Bill going on Rush Limbaugh, but I can't abide a candidate who has a bunch of supporters making nasty comments about other candidates on a website somewhere. You never see Republicans do that.
No, no, folks. She's trying to say that she's sleep deprived because Bill is so horny, because their marriage is so sound.
Or maybe her "personal assistant" is.
I'm going out on a limb and saying that 'Undecided' really isn't all that undecided at all.
Isn't misremembering coming under sniper fire a little like misremembering that time you went to LA and nearly got killed in a gangland shooting?
It seems like that would leave an impression.
Or, you know, not leave an impression - if it never happened.
Isn't misremembering coming under sniper fire a little like misremembering that time you went to LA and nearly got killed in a gangland shooting?
Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the hood. They had all this Obama shit. They didn't have shit on Hillary, man.
What year did "Goldeneye" come out for N64? Maybe she was playing it with Chelsea in the East Wing and since Chelsea was both their and in Tuzla with her, she mixed them up. Besides, they were flying the magic carpet both times, so it's easy to mix that up.
Posted by fp | March 26, 2008 1:13 AM
lol
I have decided I may never tire of Hillary's Bosnian war fantasy.
It is a rich trove
Did this all start because Clinton meant to say sniper cover but a)was so rigid the campaign could not send out a correction b)somehow decided sniper fire was better and than no one had video from way back in the 90s. I would have paid more to hear that conversation than to see a Sinbad and Sheryl Crow double bill.
Hasn't this officially crossed the line? Isn't it about time for someone to push her out of the race?
Hasn't this officially crossed the line? Isn't it about time for someone to push her out of the race?
Hasn't this officially crossed the line? Isn't it about time for someone to push her out of the race?
MATT: CAN YOU PLEASE POST SOMETHING ON YOUR FRONT PAGE TELLING PEOPLE TO WAIT AFTER HITTING THE "POST" BUTTON???
The problem is that no one has the power to force Clinton to lose graciously. So if she wants to take this all the way to the convention, nobody can stop her.
"The problem is that no one has the power to force Clinton to lose graciously. So if she wants to take this all the way to the convention, nobody can stop her.
Posted by DTM | March 26, 2008 7:45 AM"
Very true. Also, this campaign is probably the main reason she put up with Bill's unforgivable shit for so long. The fact that she did that and may get nothing out of it probably just is too much to accept at this stage.
Well, but can't she be kicked out of the Democratic Party at this point?
1. She's preventing the Party from winning in a year it is all but guaranteed to win. She's really just a spoiler. If she were attacking McCain and collecting her natural consituency, that's one thing, but there's a good argument that she is harming the Democratic Party with her tactics.
2. She's using the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy to harm Obama. That's sick. if Joe Lieberman loses his superdelegate status for supporting John McCain, using Richard Mellon Scaife to put out hit jobs on Obama should nullify her chances at the Party's nomination.
Just kick her out of the Democratic Party.
Well, but can't she be kicked out of the Democratic Party at this point?
1. She's preventing the Party from winning in a year it is all but guaranteed to win. She's really just a spoiler. If she were attacking McCain and collecting her natural consituency, that's one thing, but there's a good argument that she is harming the Democratic Party with her tactics.
2. She's using the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy to harm Obama. That's sick. if Joe Lieberman loses his superdelegate status for supporting John McCain, using Richard Mellon Scaife to put out hit jobs on Obama should nullify her chances at the Party's nomination.
Just kick her out of the Democratic Party.
Well, but can't she be kicked out of the Democratic Party at this point?
1. She's preventing the Party from winning in a year it is all but guaranteed to win. She's really just a spoiler. If she were attacking McCain and collecting her natural consituency, that's one thing, but there's a good argument that she is harming the Democratic Party with her tactics.
2. She's using the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy to harm Obama. That's sick. if Joe Lieberman loses his superdelegate status for supporting John McCain, using Richard Mellon Scaife to put out hit jobs on Obama should nullify her chances at the Party's nomination.
Just kick her out of the Democratic Party.
Very true. Also, this campaign is probably the main reason she put up with Bill's unforgivable shit for so long. The fact that she did that and may get nothing out of it probably just is too much to accept at this stage.
There might be some truth to this, which really is sad. I mean sad as in depressing, not just pathetic. I was actually pretty happy when she ran for senator the first time. Not just because she drove Republicans crazy, but because she was a smart woman who had given up a life of ambition for her husband, who repaid her by humiliating her in front of the nation. And the people of New York seemed to like her so hey, bully.
Man, that seems like a long time ago. All that good will just pissed away. I don't know why she didn't go for senate majority leader. She'd have been a shoo-in, and she couldn't be any worse than Reid. But the Clintons have limitless appetites which their close friends cannot curb, only enable.
tbone - damn funny, and the touch of Hillary licking Muslim Jihadi blood off her bowie K-Bar was super.
7:01 Henry. Beware. The guy is a phony vet. Another Scott Thomas Beauchamp.
In the Gulf War, it was exceedingly rare that our trained troops ever voided or pissed themselves - you are too busy, too focused, too much adrenaline going to turn into a blubbering pile of protoplasm who loses control of the situation, let alone bladder and bowels. Dry mouth, shaking from adrenaline, sinking feeling in your stomach as a scud comes in and you don't know where it will hit..But soiling oneself is very rare, usually done by a seriously wounded soldier, or most dead ones..Was that way in the Gulf War, was that way for my nephew in house to house fighting in Ramadi in this Iraq war.
Henry - Why doesn't anyone ask the question - How does being fired upon qualify you to make foreign policy decisions? Assume she was under sniper fire. So what? People in the inner city are in the middle of gang banger turf battles. Does that make them more informed about world events?
We value candidates that show they had good character and judgment under the extreme stress of combat. Upper level officers make executive decisions, and even NCOs in the appropriate circumstances. That makes for tested, valuable ability in a foreign crisis. Which is different and more relevant to political leadership than knowing a nations folk songs or number of ministries.
If you were a soldier, you would know that, and know the difference between war and cringing in a slum bath tub as gangbangers pop off some caps,,,
sweat guy, you took the words right out of my mouth. Hell, back during the New York Democratic governor's primary, I had some worries about Spitzer and was wondering aloud if it wouldn't be great to have Clinton run for governor there because he would be a shoo-in, would probably do a good job as governor, get more money for the state from DC and be able to send election money the way of Democrats who needed it more. Weird that all three of them have imploded.
I've voted for every Dem nominee for thirty years except Carter in 80 (went with Anderson). Although I wonder if he's electable, up till now I never thought I'd have a problem voting for Obama in November. I like the guy.
I'm just describng a gut reaction. All the snark in the world isn't going to convince me that Hillary is a closet Republican monster. I can't imagine I'm the only person who feels this way. Don't make it uncomfortable for like-minded people to support Obama. It would be an interesting phenomenon; rejecting a candidate because his supporters are asses.
I suggest looking ahead to November and raising the level of the rhetoric.
tbone, that was hilarious.
"We value candidates that show they had good character and judgment under the extreme stress of combat. Upper level officers make executive decisions, and even NCOs in the appropriate circumstances. That makes for tested, valuable ability in a foreign crisis. Which is different and more relevant to political leadership than knowing a nations folk songs or number of ministries."
Except she wouldn't have been the one making the decision because she wouldn't have been the one planning the logistics. It would have been pretty obvious that "run to the car" would have been the choice everyone would make even if no one yelled "car," but then again her handlers would have been more likely to know where the cars were. This is like saying that because you've seen a drive-by and ducked that you should be mayor.
I have long thought Clinton was best-suited for the judicial branch. She is smart, hard-working, and I think her heart is basically in the right place. And with no elections to worry about, she would be free to do the right thing (meaning there would be much less temptation for her to pander, bluster, lie, and so on without the need to get elected).
Unfortunately, Bill probably couldn't have gotten away with appointing her to a federal court on his way out of office. So, she has headed down what I think was never a natural path for her, meaning one that required her to move through the elected branches of government.
"Undecided",
Any significant candidate for President will have millions of supporters over whom the candidate can exert no direct control. With those millions of supporters able to act however they see fit, some of them are going to act like jerks, including on the Internet. Under such circumstances, it simply makes no sense to decide not to support a candidate because some of that candidate's supporters are jerks. Indeed, you might as well decide not to support a candidate because sometimes when that person visits a city, it rains.
You could end up right, DTM,if Obama offers her a Supreme Court nomination.
I agree that Obama supporters shouldn't be sore winners, "Undecided." But I think there were special circumstances yesterday: the Clinton camp was sinking to some pretty low tactics to try to change the subject, and the best response was humor, instead of taking the bait. MY was right to keep the issue focused on sleep deprivation.
Once Hillary stops partnering with Scaife and McCain, I think you'll find that everyone is ready to talk about reconciliation and party unity.
I suggest looking ahead to November and raising the level of the rhetoric.
Undecided, I think you're right in spirit. That's one of the reasons I've supported Obama for three months (not a long term BHO veteran, sorry). I don't think his instinct is to go for the jugular. But this is the ending of a bitter primary campaign, in which a rival who has a miniscule chance of winning will not let go. And seems to be attacking the front-runner a hell of a lot more than she's attacking McCain. The party elders don't seem to have a clue how to deal with this so a result, it's going to get a little dirty. On both sides. But it did not have to be this way, and I don't think the Obama campaign preferred it this way.
Hard to say the same about Hillary, who seemed to want either a guilded coronation or the bloodiest street fight imaginable.
I have the same problem when I'm sleep deprived, you know...I make up fantastical adventure stories, with vivid details.
Seriously, how can anyone defend her? For that matter, how can anyone vote for her?
She scares me.
Hillary is just lying when she's saying she's sleep-deprived to cover up her earlier repeated fib about Tuzla. Heck, she had her daughter with her there. It wasn't that dangerous.
you don't give a serious spot in the judiciary to someone who couldn't pass the bar in anywhere but Arkansas. even going no further than her legal credentials, she is definitely not Supreme Court material.
Once Hillary stops partnering with Scaife and McCain, I think you'll find that everyone is ready to talk about reconciliation and party unity.
Yes, but that's the problem: she's partnering with Scaife and McCain. That's not a secret. But it is not appropriate for anyone seeking the Democratic nomination, and it's worth losing your superdelegate status over. We get to set the standards of Party affiliation. If Clinton can't respect the Democratic Party's values, maybe she shouldn't be a member of the Democratic Party. It was fair game to go after Joe Lieberman for the same reason. What exactly makes HRC so different from Joe Lieberman?
The "How Stupid Does She Think We Are" file overfloweth.
Keep it up dude. See how many Hillary voters you can turn off of Obama for November.Or maybe you're a right wing troll.
I'll take full responsibility if my snark results in a McCain victory in November.
Lighten up. Yeah, I'm supporting Obama but I'll vote for Hillary if she manages to get the nomination. I just find the notion of her, Sinbad and Sheryl as a crack squad of commandos to be irresistibly hilarious.
If Obama returns from the Virgin Islands telling tales of dodging mortar fire at the St. Croix airport, I'll make fun of him too.
Any significant candidate for President will have millions of supporters over whom the candidate can exert no direct control. With those millions of supporters able to act however they see fit, some of them are going to act like jerks, including on the Internet. Under such circumstances, it simply makes no sense to decide not to support a candidate because some of that candidate's supporters are jerks.
I'm aware of this. Frankly it's unlikely Obama will not get my vote but there are all shades of supporters out there who may not be as "rational". As the prohibitive favorite, I think it's in Obama's (and Democrat's) best interest to try to cool this thing down even while Hillary throws desperation roundhouses.
Commenters will be commenters. The people I'll point the finger at if the party fractures in November are the bloggers like MY, Josh Marshall and Kos who instead of being voices for moderation threw gas on the fire.
It's all fun and games till John McCain wins the Presidency.
Tim K: just like Hillary finally said today what most Americans have been thinking: "He wouldn't have been my pastor."
I love how HRC supporters change the subject when Hillary's foot is caught in the bear trap.
I think it's in Obama's (and Democrat's) best interest to try to cool this thing down even while Hillary throws desperation roundhouses.
Yes, with this kind of logic I can see why you're still undecided.
PS - The other person I'll point the finger at is whoever came up with the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE Superdelegate concept. They were asking for a mess like this.
The people I'll point the finger at if the party fractures in November are the bloggers like MY, Josh Marshall and Kos who instead of being voices for moderation threw gas on the fire.
Yes, it's their fault, and not the fault of the Clinton campaign for staying in the race even after she clearly had no chance of winning, then subsequently spending millions of dollars in an effort to tear down her opponent, in what has amounted to a multimillion dollar gift to John McCain.
Damn you, Josh Marshall! Why don't you worship Hillary?!?!
she clearly had no chance of winning
Wrong. Until the superdelegates vote she clearly has a chance. Obama has failed to put her away numerically.
Damn you, Josh Marshall!
No ... God Damn America!! Yawn.
I won't speak for Kos. But Matt Y. and Josh stayed pretty much out of it until it became clear that HRC had no chance of winning without destroying the party. At that point, they started to say,
"Hey folks, you know, HRC has no chance of winning without destroying the party."
I appreciate that -- it was time. And over the last few days, ABC, CBS, and NBC (for starters) have started to say the same thing. So it's not just some crazy bloggers who feel that way.
Wrong. Until the superdelegates vote she clearly has a chance. Obama has failed to put her away numerically.
Right, she has no chance of winning unless a few hundred elites overturn the will of the people.
Which was not going to happen when it became clear she was so far behind.
Yawn
Right back at you, Still Disingenuous.
And it's not just the bloggers and the networks, either. The DNC has come out and said the same thing:
"Sure she has a chance of winning. The question is how can she win? Only with a Tonya Harding strategy."
When the DNC starts saying that one candidate is running a "Tonya Harding strategy," the fat lady is doing her voice exercises.
BA,
Speaking as someone who has taken (and passed) the bar, I actually think it has little to do with legal acumen. For example, lawyers actually get to use Westlaw, Lexis, treatises, and so on--you don't have to try to keep everything in your memory all at once. Also, very rarely are legal problems presented in multiple-choice format (deliberately phrased in as tricky a fashion as possible to allow for a curve). Rather, the bar just strikes me as a typical artificial barrier-to-entry, one being used to limit the labor supply in this market.
Undecided,
Obama can't stop responding aggressively to Clinton's "desperation roundhouses", because at this point they are functionally part of McCain's campaign against Obama. For the same reason, bloggers who favor Obama over McCain also have no choice but to respond aggessively to Clinton's strategy. Generally, the only one to blame for this situation is Clinton herself, because she forces everyone else with an interest in seeing the Democratic nominee win the general election to respond when she attacks Obama in ways that could just as well be coming from McCain.
I think what bothers me most about this story is the fact that Hillary refuses to ADMIT she lied.
She has a disturbing pattern of not admitting any wrong doings. Why?
I think Hillary Clinton believes "never having to say you're sorry" stregthens her reputation as a savvy, tough politician. She's witnessed the common "Another Wimpy Democrat" reputation that has destroyed the winning chances of a lot of candidates, and she won't let that happen to her.
Ironically, her efforts to prove herself as the anti-wimp instead reveal her weakness, and thus will destroy any chance of winning.
Louis Farrakhan will vote for Obama. So will thousands of other assholes. Why in god's name would that stop someone from voting for him for legitimate reasons?
Geez, if I took everything I read on the internet seriously, I'd believe that Obama hates Jews and Democrats. And that Sinbad is trained in combat warfare.
I for one am in awe of Hillary. Her memory is so good she can recall things that never even happened.
I'm guessing it's a coded cry for help. She's being held hostage by the big donors, wants to drop out and is pleading with us to put her out of her misery.
That is the same conclusion I came to last night, can't be any other explantion.
What I find confusing in the notion of not voting for Obama because some of his supporters post unpleasant things about Ms. Clinton, is the implication that all of her supporters of course only post respectful and measured comments about Obama.
We all know that is not true, so it appears Ms. Clinton's supporters either:
1) truly believe all the slanders about Obama they read, or
2) truly believe that Ms. Clinton alone should be immune from rough handling in a heated political campaign.
Neither speaks well of their acumen, but I would hate to offend them by suggesting that. An alternate explanation might be that they are huge hypocrites, but that would also be a very rude thing to propose, so in the interests of not alienating any of her supporters, I abjure that notion as well.
Perhaps it is best if, in the interest of comity and mutual respect, we just leave this tendency to ignore their own slanders unexamined, and simply characterize it as a touching foible or and endearing peculiarity on their part.
Maybe I'm the only one here who believes that good comedy is relatively independent of politics? (Not completely independent: right-wing comedy is essentially non-existent, although I think its non-existence might be a contingent fact, not a necessary one.)
Tbone's HRC War Diary is just good satire, period. It doesn't change my opinion of her one way or the other (mixed), or my likelihood of voting for her if she should magically win the Democratic nomination (very high). It's just damned funny. Thanks for it!
"Indeed, you might as well decide not to support a candidate because sometimes when that person visits a city, it rains.
Posted by DTM | March 26, 2008 8:45 AM"
Very true. Along the same lines:
"The last time that I trusted a dame was in Paris in 1940. She said she was going out to get a bottle of wine. Two hours later, the Germans marched into France." - Peter Falk, "Murder By Death"
What tanks a candidate most? Ridicule.
Did Hillary Clinton say that "If there's a person too small, or too dangerous to send the President, send the First Lady"? Is that why she was there with the little Bosnia girl?
Let's give Hillary a little slack. After all she wants to be the next president real bad.
The sleep-deprived woman was sleepwalking when she walked up to the podium in her slippers, she slipped, and then had a slip of the tongue when she said that she had come under sniper fire on landing in Tuzla in 1996.
As simple as that.
Comments closed April 08, 2008.
| 
Heads in the Sand
A quote from her campaign: "There is no question if you look at contemporaneous accounts that she was going to a potential combat zone, that she was on the front lines."
They're really letting the wrong thing go, here. Exaggerating your own past bravery is forgivable. Human nature. Posing for pictures on the "front lines" of a dangerous "combat zone" with an 8 year girl is positively ghoulish.
Posted by MoonRooster | March 25, 2008 6:32 PM