Post #286,827
6/11/07 11:32:28 PM
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boy-howdy, talk about focus!
Abu Gonzales clings to his talking points [link|http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/06/11/gonzales4/index.html|like grim death!] As Tim Grieve points out, even though the questions are inaudible, it doesn't matter, because each and every answer is manifestly a canned non-response: Question: (Off-mike)
Gonzales: You know, I'm focused on protecting our kids. I just left a conference in Miami earlier today where we were talking about the threat of nuclear terrorism. That is something that really concerns me. I was in Mexico the end of last week meeting with my counterparts from Mexico, Central America and Colombia. We were there to talk about violent crime and gangs and guns. That concerns me. That's what I'm focused on. I think that's what the American people expect [from] the attorney general of the United States, \ufffd to be focused on making sure our country is safe from terrorism, making sure our kids are safe from predators, making sure that the public trust is being upheld. And that's why we go after public corruption -- making sure our neighborhoods are safe from violent crime, from gangs, from guns, from drugs. That's what I'm focused on.
Question: (Off-mike)
Gonzales: Again, I'm going to focus on what I think is important for the American people.
Question: (Off-mike)
Gonzales: Pardon me?
Question: (Off-mike)
Gonzales: You know what? I am focused on the next 18 months. And I've talked to the folks at the Department of Justice and I've told them that I'm going to be looking at the next 18 months and spring to the finish line. I don't expect the department to crawl or to walk slowly to the finish line. I expect us to sprint to the finish line. We've got a lot of important issues, like protecting our kids, like working with these good people here. That's what the American people expect. And that's what I'll be focused on for the next 18 months.
Question: (Off-mike)
Gonzales: Pardon me?
Question: (Off-mike)
Gonzales: I think -- obviously, it's been a distraction. But I've got to remain disciplined and focused on what I think is important for the American people. And when I talk to employees at the Department of Justice, when I talk to our U.S. attorneys, I really encourage them to make sure that they keep their eye on the ball, to talk to their people in the districts, and make sure [they know] that I expect them to do their job and that I don't want any prosecution, any investigation, affected in any way by what's going on in Washington. That's what the American people deserve. And the US Senate fell seven votes shy of cloture on a non-binding vote of no-confidence (thanks Obama, and thanks, Biden, for skipping that vote, and fuck you very much, Joe Lieberman, for sticking around to vote agin it). cordially,
Die Welt ist alles, was der Fall ist.
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Post #286,851
6/12/07 8:50:21 AM
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This vote is a prime example of how bad Congress is
The inability of the Democrats to pass a non-binding symbolic vote is a prime example of just how bad Congress has become.
An intersection of two problem that are compounding each other is creating a major national problem.
First, the Democrats lack of real leadership. The party still lacks leadership the combines a strong hand in congress with a vision of what they want to achieve. Too many of the ones in positions of power are afraid of coming across badly in the press that they end up afraid to do anything.
Second, rewriting of the procedures of Congress in a way that encourages exactly the wrong behavior. In particular the way the filibuster rules where rewritten a few years ago makes it far to easy to filibuster. Essentially making Congress require a super majority to pass significant bills, increasing the deadlock factor.
Jay
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Post #286,874
6/12/07 4:17:49 PM
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Perspective -
{{ Imagine it's a high-school debating class }} (back a few decades, natch, when there were such things)
A similar construct is extemporaneously spewed, the speaker obviously vamping for distraction from the Fact of his utter unpreparedness.
Hoots! Hollers! {{ CLASS! - Silence!! }} as the patient instructor parses the doggerel, (may even have read.. or taught! from "The Tyranny of Words" - these very same tykes) - explains that unilluminating dependent clauses are both gauche and obviously non-responsive.
Teacher may be a bit easy on the unfortunate tyke, lest he become a butt (even more, next) of the usual teen taunts.
Imagine {{ and THIS is hard! }} telling this now ancient teacher, "Remember 'ol Perozoso Pedro? He just used that same speech -- he's now 'Attorney General of the US of A.'"
Imagine teach's response, once revived. If.. revived.
Only WE are the butts of the cream of THIS jest, and there is no appeal. No next absurd utterance could galvanize action by the collected-wimps. I, We, They: Impotents all. The recordisstuckinthegroove.
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Post #286,920
6/12/07 11:05:10 PM
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Amateur.
He needs to be sat down with a tape of that and have it carefully explained just how much he looks like a tool of his speech-writers.
Wade.
Is it enough to love Is it enough to breathe Somebody rip my heart out And leave me here to bleed
| | Is it enough to die Somebody save my life I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary Please
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-- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. | · my · · [link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] · · [link|http://yceran.org/|website] · |
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Post #286,954
6/13/07 9:42:35 AM
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The ONLY problem with that approach is...
..that he just doesn't fucking care! He's doing his Fuerher's* bidding, and that's all that matters.
(* That would be Cheney, of course...)
jb4 "It's hard for me, you know, living in this beautiful White House, to give you a firsthand assessment." — George W. Bush, when asked if he believed Iraq was in a state of civil war (Newsweek, 26 Feb 07)
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Post #286,998
6/13/07 9:57:20 PM
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Yabbut.
The Court of Public Opinion will ride against him sooner or later.
When a politician does such a bad job in a press conference in Au, some parts of the media do their best to make him look like an idiot. We don't usually hear from said politician for a while; either he smarts under the criticism or his superiors give him a lecture about it. Even if he doesn't care, he quickly gets taught that he has to care.
Mind you, we seem much more ready to pillory our politicians than you 'mericans are...
Wade.
Is it enough to love Is it enough to breathe Somebody rip my heart out And leave me here to bleed
| | Is it enough to die Somebody save my life I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary Please
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-- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. | · my · · [link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] · · [link|http://yceran.org/|website] · |
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Post #287,003
6/14/07 6:03:09 AM
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He will never care about Public Opionion while he is in
office. This is just my opinion, but he seems to be strengthened in his opinion when it doesn't math the public thinks. No amount of criticism will change his behavior, when he believes he is right, it doesn't matter we the people think.
Seamus
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Post #287,018
6/14/07 5:58:40 PM
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He said it all: "My Government"___We still let him think so
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