The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: November 19, 2008

By Beau Friedlander
The good (Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services):

The bad (Ayman al-Zawahiri calls Obama names):

And the ugly (Mitt Romney said the auto industry should not get a bailout; the problem: he said the opposite not too long ago: move play bar to 1:24):

Comments

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God closed a door

that even a Palin plow couldn't get through today.

Stevens lost in Alaska.

I think we have seen the last of Palin in the national scene when it comes to any political office.

She will take her several million up front for her book deal and when she is defeated in the next Alaskan gubatorial election, will be able to parade around in her pentecostal short shorts drinking her 6 packs of pentecostal beer while doing things pitbulls do while wearing lipstick. Cha-ching!

By Antillectual November 19, 2008 - 4:53pm

Stevens lost in Alaska.
-----------------------
NO! NO! NO! No! No! No!

Make sure you remember the jelly, Ted...
____________________
"Would you prefer syrup instead?" --Ted Stevens

Mitt Romeny on the Auto Industry

What do you expect from someone who is responsible for sending over a quarter million American jobs away?

"Oh, no! Not Again!!" --Ted Stevens

And today, the right wing arguement:

my prediction from whenever of the DOW revealing its true value of 7000-8000 came true. But I may have been wrong. The artificial values could have been even higher than previously thought. It might keep dropping even lower.... So the rights arguement seems to be:

If you believed the right wing pundits like Mitt boy here, you'd be trying to agrue that it's not workers who need a bailout... it's big banks and ker-billionairs who need it. See, Steve Fossette's remains were recently unearthed, so he's dead. And since the arguement is the rich stimulate the economy more than millions of people spending to supply their daily consumption needs (Didn't know ultra-rich people ate that much, but hey I hear bulimia is commen among the upper class....) ...

See the super high upper-chedder class, by somehow hording wealth, with an occasional flaunt of a multi-million dollar Greek themed wedding, or 20000$ golden toilets stimulate the economy more than 200 million Americans worth of shoppers, so the flighty-righty claim Mitt and his cronies would be trying to convince us of must be, that when Fossett got killed his stimulation stopped and killed the economy. So Mitt and the other rich-twits are just saying what to them seems logical, tax cuts for the uber-wealthy so they can create another ker-billionair or two to replace the one we just lost in the last year. Made it a hard year.

Going to work. later.

it's big banks and ker-billionairs who need it.

George HW Bush was correct when he described Ronald Reagan's "Trickle-Down" policy as "Voodoo Economics." Yet where did Bonzo's co-star get his theory? He started having to pay more taxes as a rich person, and he turned to the Chicago School of Economics (Milton Freidman) as his savior. Like Reagan, Friedman is now dead and cannot see the definition of "success" of his economic model. Like Chile in the 1970s wasn't enough.

Henry Ford had it right. If you pay workers a decent wage, they will buy your product. Pay them squat, and mortgages will begin to foreclose, retail store chains will begin to shut down, banks will topple, etc. Whyizzit that every time there is a crisis (2000 and again in 2007) the Trickle-Downers try a little "trickle up" to stimulate the economy from the bottom again?

Okay, here's the plan:

Take what's left of the $750 billion and give $25 billion to the auto industry--with strings attached. No corporate officer may have a salary over $250,000 (or maybe more than X times greater than the least-paid employee. ). Set serious terms for repayment of the $25B that requre serious trimming of middle and upper management.

Notify the banks that received some of the bailout money that they will be nationalized if they do not start loaning that money again. Give them tax incentives to sit down with homeowners and re-negotiate ARMs and Balloon mortgages to terms that homeowners can pay. Set up a fund to help homeowners in foreclosure get back into good graces with their lenders. If it doesn't make sense (someone making $40,000 a year living in a $1M house with no equity) find a way to move those homeowners into an ownership situation that they can afford. Maybe a "Craig's List" or "eBay" approach where homeowners over their heads can offer up their properties to pre-qualified individuals or families that can assume the loans.

Start public works projects as in the 1930s. Two years ago a bridge in Minneapolis fell down for lack of proper maintenence. Let's let federal construction contracts across the country to upgrade our existing infrastructure. How to pay for it? Well, it will have to be a deficit model for now, but if we get the economy back on track the revenues will flow in again to pay for it.

Yess, folks, it's time for the New-New Deal. And along with that must come strong regulations that keep the predators from taking advantage of those who spend their lives trying to pay their bills and don't have advanced degrees in finance and economics enough to know that a balloon mortgage is a bad idea (a pox on balloons--make them illegal!).

Also, while we're at it, make a few of those at the top who did things illegally take a perp-walk in handcuffs. That act by the government will go a long way toward restoring Americans' confidence in our economic system, if we know that the robber-barons will be held accountable.

And another thing...the CEOs of the Big Three must fly commercial from now on. Okay, they can fly First Class, but hey, it'll help the airline industry when they and their entourages climb aboard a Northworst Airline flight from Detroit to DC.

bebe is missing

Let's hope he spouted out some of his typical racist crap in the wrong company and got his butt kicked.

Bailing out the auto industry is a crock

and I don't care what Romney's position on anything is. But I am having a hard time concluding that his comments in the video mean he was supporting a bailout. He was referring to Michigan in general and only mentioned the auto industry in passing.

Weren't the Republicans

Weren't the Republicans saying that Al-Qaeda wants Obama to win (even though they made it clear before that Bush's goals and their goals coincided?)
There were plenty of idiots like these on this blog:
http://genuinegopmom.blogspot.com/2008/11/al-qaeda-definitely-wants-obam...

What idiots. They make up crap and then they believe it just because it comes out of their own arses.

Michtou

You've misunderstood something. There is nothing in this Al-Zawahiri rant that is inconsistent with any Republicans who said Al-Qaeda wanted Obama to win. The Republican claim was that Obama is a wimp and now Al-Qaeda is taunting him.

By richaduNovember 19, 2008 - 11:18pm

Right.

Go ahead and fool yourself. It's a shame that you cannot acknowledge the election of Barack Hussein Obama has seriously hurt the recruiting efforts of AQ.

Stop denying the truth because you dislike Obama.

What are you talking about?

The election was only two weeks ago and already you know AQ recruiting is down? Let me get this straight, according to you Al-Zawahiri knows recruiting is down and he is bluffing right?
Did you READ what Michtou wrote then what I said?
Regardless of who won AQ would be taunting. I was merely wondering why Michtou seems not to realize that.

hey witchapoo

Your logic ties you up and rapes you.

How could you possibly see Obama as weak, when he's not even in office yet, and he's already got Binky shaking in his shoes.

Obama is more destructive to them than Bush, as Obama has captured the hearts of the Middle East people.
Bin Laden is obviously envious to the mat.

This is where the great hero of the Soviet/Muha wars in Afghanistan got sidetracked with stupidity...He could have been a role model for the West and the Middle East, like Obama...instead of a holed up and hiding outcast.
The guy should fire his PR manager.

Noone said Al-Qaeda

recruitment is down in the last 2 weeks to my knowledge. In case you didn't realize it, we still have the same criminal moron and criminal regime at the helm.

Our intelligence agencies have told us Al-Qaeda had grown since 9-11. It's easy to do if noone is trying to prevent that, or even more, if their growth suits your political agenda.

I will predict Al-Qaeda recruitment will drop off drastically within the first year of the Obama presidency.

What do you make of Iran taunting Bush for the last 8 years? Is that because he is a wimp too?

Auntie

Do you read f u bush2's post? HE not I said AQ recruiting was down since the election.

Why is it you people can't read? I merely asked Michtou how it is that she can conclude that a tape taunting Obama means those who claimed AQ wanted Obama to win the election were wrong.
Do I have to spell it out anymore than that?
OK let me try this. Suppose the tape had said, "We surrender." Then it would make sense to say that those who claim AQ wanted Obama to win were wrong. Understand?

Al-Qaeda

is whining, because they know Obama actually intends to go after them instead of exploiting them to create fear so Republicans can win elections.

They knew they would be fine and be able to grow and become more powerful under the Bush regime, because they knew Bush needed them to win elections for a party that has nothing productive to offer the nation.

Al-Qaeda has grown since 9-11, thanks to Bushes desire to expoit a catastrophe to steal middle east oil for Halliburton and Exxon.

They are saying these things about Obama because they are shaking in their boots at the prospect of a president that actually intends to go after who Bush told us was responsible for 9-11.

They realize how the worldwide population views Obama, as opposed to Bush, and nothing threatens their ability to grow more than their ability to win hearts and minds to support to claimed plight. They are scared of Obama's worldwide influence, and concerned that once an American president shows his intent to do right by the world, that there will be no need for young Muslims to allow these kooks to convince them to blow themselves up.

They are trying to defame Obama by trivializing his election to the presidency by claiming it was an appointment, instead of a mandate via electoral landslide, and demonstration by the American people that we are through with criminal rogue regimes controlling our government and ruining our moral standing in the world.

The wimp is the one that couldn't get the job done.

Talk about cutting off one's nose to spite one's face...

News flash to Al Qaeda: There are billions of black Muslims in Africa. If you want their support, you can't go around hurling racial epithets at the first Black president of the United States. Guess they're proving that they, like Hitler before them, are nothing but Racial Superiorists.

Richadu!... What are you, dense or something?


Al Qaeda is SHITTING THEIR PANTS because of the global acceptance of, no, the NAKED ENTHUSIASM for Barak Obama.

A child could see it.

Indeed

It would be easy to convince a child that what you said is true.

Well then...

I assume you can show me something in the news media (NOT conservative blogs or talk radio) that supports your viewpoint? The statement was that al-Qaeda is not happy with the electoral landslide and popular mandate won by President-elect Obama. So you can show me instead why the terrists are rejoicing right now?

Please cite any statements that you make. APA format is acceptable.

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.
---Ray Bradbury

Don't tax his mind by requiring APA format.

MLA will do just fine.

If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith

"AQ is not happy"

They don't believe in elections anyway, it doesn't matter who won or by how much.
The tape taunts Obama. From the conservative bloggers at CNN.com:

Al Qaeda leader mocks Obama in Web posting
(CNN) -- Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader is heard in a Web posting Wednesday warning President-elect Barack Obama that "a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits" him.

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri mocked President-elect Barack Obama in an Internet message.

In the message, purportedly from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the speaker criticized Obama's foreign policy positions on Afghanistan and Israel and ridiculed the president-elect's worldview.

The speaker also said Obama was the "direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X, the fiery African-American Muslim activist from the 1950s and 1960s.

The posting, an 11 minute and 23 second audio message in Arabic with subtitles in English, appeared on the Web on Wednesday. Its authenticity cannot yet be confirmed.

It shows a graphic with the words "The departure of Bush and the arrival of Obama." That graphic also contains a still image of Malcolm X on a Muslim prayer rug in a mosque; images of Obama, wearing a Jewish skullcap, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem; and a picture of al-Zawahiri.

There are also archival videos in the message, including clips of speeches from Malcolm X.

"You have reached the position of president, and a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits you. A failure in Iraq to which you have admitted and a failure in Afghanistan to which the commanders of your army have admitted," the message said.

The speaker also said Obama's plan to pull troops from Iraq and send them to Afghanistan "is a policy which was destined for failure before it was born."

"If you still want to be stubborn about America's failure in Afghanistan, then remember the fate of Bush and Pervez Musharraf, and the fate of the Soviets and British before them," the message said. "And be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them."

The message said Obama appears "to be captive to the same criminal American mentality towards the world and towards the Muslims." The speaker cited Muslims' ire toward Obama's support of Israel.

The speaker also said Obama, former and current Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, and "your likes" fit Malcolm X's description of "house slaves."

An English translation of the message used the term "house Negroes," Malcolm X's term for blacks who were subservient to whites.

Laura Mansfield, a terrorism analyst, said this wouldn't be the first time al-Zawahiri used the Arabic term "abayd al bayt," which literally translates as slaves or servants of the house.

She said that in a May 2007 interview with al Qaeda's media production center, As Sahab, al-Zawahiri included old video footage of Malcolm X saying, "You have to read the history of slavery to understand this. There were two kinds of Negroes: there was that old house Negro, and [there was] the field Negro."

The message also made reference to Obama's Muslim father and his Christian religion.

"You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America. And so you promised to back Israel, and you threatened to strike the tribal regions in Pakistan, and to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, in order for the crimes of the American crusade in it to continue," the message said.

The speaker praised Malcolm X for his "fraternity with the Muslims," his condemnation of the West's treatment of oppressed peoples and his backing of resistance movements. iReport.com: Will Obama react?

"That's why it wasn't strange that Malik al-Shabazz (may Allah have mercy on him) was killed, while you have climbed the rungs of the presidency to take over the leadership of the greatest criminal force in the history of mankind and the leadership of the most violent crusade ever against the Muslims," the speaker said.

The speaker was referring to Malcolm X's Muslim name and his assassination in 1965.

The message reiterated the call to fight against Western powers in the Middle East and urged jihadi fighters to be "firm and resolute."

"Your enemy's stagger has begun, so don't stop hitting him," the speaker said.

The speaker also singled out Islamic militants in Somalia and told them to keep fighting pro-Western forces there.

On the subject of Iraq, the message said that although "evidence of America's defeat in Iraq appeared years ago, Bush and his administration continued to be stubborn and deny the brilliant midday sun."

"If Bush has achieved anything, it is in his transfer of America's disaster and predicament to his successor," the speaker said. "But the American people, by electing Obama, declared its anxiety and apprehension about the future towards which the policy of the likes of Bush is leading it, and so it decided to support someone calling for withdrawal from Iraq."

The speaker reminded Americans that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden told them to leave Muslim lands.

Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are believed to be living in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

"So choose for yourself whatever you like," the speaker warns. "And bear the consequences of your choice, and as you judge, you will be judged."

Reacting to the message, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement condemning terrorism and the video's "threatening rhetoric and racial slurs."

The group also said al-Zawahiri "doesn't speak for Muslims in this country or worldwide."

"As Muslims and as Americans, we will never let terrorist groups or terror leaders falsely claim to represent us or our faith," the council said. "The legitimate grievances of Muslims in many areas of the world can never serve as an excuse or a justification for attacks on civilian populations.

"We once again repudiate al Qaeda's actions, rhetoric and worldview and re-state our condemnation of all forms of terrorism and religious extremism."

Back to my original question. How does this prove the people who claim AQ wanted Obama to win were wrong?

Because AQ endorsed McCain

that's how.

And when

did that happen?

By richaduNovember 20, 2008 - 7:10pm

richadu richadu richadu

you need to stop getting your news from Rush.

1. Al-Qaeda-Linked Site Endorses John McCain

2. McCain Holds Conference Call To Address Al Qaeda Endorsement

I love it

I asked Fluffy but I get Prof (AQ recruitment down) fu bush2 deflecting attention from the original question.

Prof, you need to read this stuff before you link to it.

"The comments were attributed to Muhammad Haafid, who has no known affiliation with Al-Qaeda."

I couldn't get the second link to work.

Do you remember the original question? Michtou claimed that the AQ tape a couple of days ago showed that the Republicans who said AQ favored Obama (ostensibly because AQ thinks Obama is a wimp) were wrong. I merely asked how, by looking at the video, do you come to that conclusion? But every comebacker you people have presented tries to argue the point that Obama isn't a wimp. I haven't been arguing whether he is or isn't although I do think he is. (Was Biden thinking out loud?)
Obviously AQ never published a bulletin endorsing Obama . To do so would tacitly endorse the idea of elections which the goons in AQ aren't about to do. But it is not beyond the realm of possibilities that they secretly preferred someone. The Republicans Michtou mentioned could be accused of filling in blanks they knew nothing about. I merely asked her how can you be so sure they were wrong from looking at that recent tape?
This link you provided doesn't address the comments made about Obama in the recent video wherein they are clearly taunting him. Your link is an example of taunting McCain and as I have said over and over it doesn't matter who won AQ, in this case some soul brother, is going to taunt.

No,that's not what I

No,that's not what I claimed.

Michtou

On the other thread about the stem cells I left you a message and I truly mean it.

Meanwhile could you "phrase par phrase" explain what you meant here?
"Weren't the Republicans saying that Al-Qaeda wants Obama to win (even though they made it clear before that Bush's goals and their goals coincided?)
There were plenty of idiots like these on this blog:
http://genuinegopmom.blogspot.com/2008/11/al-qaeda-definitely-wants-obam...

What idiots. They make up crap and then they believe it just because it comes out of their own arses."

Given that you posted this comment in connection with the recent AQ video, what am I supposed to think you meant?

How you got from my

How you got from my statement to this "Michtou claimed that the AQ tape a couple of days ago showed that the Republicans who said AQ favored Obama (ostensibly because AQ thinks Obama is a wimp) were wrong." is beyond me.

I never said any such thing about theAQ tape a couple of days ago. Ever since the last Al Qaeda tape, not this one, where they said that Al Qaeda's goals coincide with Bush's, the Republicans have been claiming that Al Qaeda supports Democrats, IN DIRECT CONTRADICTION to what Al Qaeda itself said. And their blogs, as I showed, prove this.
Yet this new tape again contradicts what they say. Does it change their minds? Of course not.

Excellent

You were referring to other posts I hadn't seen. All I was asking for was some background.

By richaduNovember 20, 2008 - 10:31pm

You are still having problems dealing with the fact that electing Obama kills so many of AQ's talking points. Too bad for you.

Don't worry. We'll protect you.

The second link talks about McCain having a meeting to deal with the AQ endorsement of his campaign.

Prof

Is it passed your bedtime?
You are attacking me. You haven't addressed a single one of Al-Zawahiri's "talking points" in the video. Did you read the CNN article I swiped? If you don't like their version of reality attack them.

By richaduNovember 20, 2008 - 11:20pm

No it's not passed [sic] my bed time.

By richaduNovember 20, 2008 - 10:31pm

LMAO

Richadu is now splitting hairs over AQ and AQ supporters, We are talking about AQ recruitment you idiot. If AQ supporters are endorsing McCain and Obama wins, that means... Oh screw it. You are too dense to talk to.

I find it extremely funny that you are quibbling over who is AQ and who isn't but you have no problem with Bush attacking Iraq after 9/11 when AQ had no presence in that nation and absolutely NOTHING to do with 9/11.

Prof

It is passed your bedtime. Aside from the fact that this discussion has never mentioned Iraq until YOU did, you have just declared that "..AQ had no presence in that nation and absolutely NOTHING to do with 9/11."
There you have it folks. Prof fu bush 2 just said Obama is full off s**t for saying the US should go into Pakistan if necessary to get Bin Laden. AQ had absolutely NOTHING to do with 9/11.
Prof, you need to READ (that includes thinking) stuff before you post it.

By richaduNovember 20, 2008 - 11:25pm

What an insane little man you are.

Keep trying. someday you will say something that makes sense.

Even though it's obviously past my bedtime too

AQ had nothing to do with 9/11 and you still don't can't explain away why AQ's recent video taunts Obama.

AQ had nothing to do with 9/11

What weed are you smoking?

By blogbobNovember 22, 2008 - 10:34am

He's commenting on my poorly constructed sentence a few posts earlier. I was making a point that Bush attacked Iraq but Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 nor was AQ in Iraq before the attack. My poor sentence reads as though AQ was not in Iraq and had nothing to do with 9/11.

Given the context of what has been going on the last few years, it should be obvious what I was trying to say. Especially as we all have been saying it over and over for years now.

But of course richadu has shown us he isn't too bright.

By richaduNovember 20, 2008 - 11:27pm

  obama

Criminal Govt. Operatives and their handlers love Air America

All the stars in the dope show commenting on this blog think "al queda" as the "enemy" and our lying govt. along with the "messiah" or "camelot" as the "protector".

You all are either falling for the continued classical conditioning our murdering govt. has been instilling in us since birth or you all are working for those propogandists.

al queda was created by ours and select foreign intelligence aagencies to have a boogie man to "fight" after the cold war eneded and to derail our constitutional-rights in this phony "war on terror".

al queda's bin laden is not even wanted by the FBI for the false-flag, domestic terror, psychological operation otherwise known as 9/11.

The Basic Laws of Physics alone proves we have been lied to about 9/11 - take three minutes to learn what your corporate-owned, govt.-regulated media dare not reveal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isTGuaaln9A

YAWN!.... ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.......



catching z's Pictures, Images and Photos

al queda was created by ours and select foreign intelligence aag

Cite evidence please...and not some tin-foil hat website. Thanks.

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