[Dialogue] Beret Griffith sent you an article from startribune.com

Sun Jan 20 00:33:45 EST 2008

Thanks for the exchanges about the election process and content, folks.  I often forward various items, and items from AlterNet, to friends who are interested.  It adds the details and nuances that we tend not to get in the Australian press.

I'm reminded of an old sentence or two from the early 70s.  Something like "more people are affected by who becomes US president than actually get to vote for him/her", although the "her" was probably not included then.  It was probably said in respect of "All the decisons belong to all of the people".

A couple of my friends are wondering "What about a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket?"

Cheers

Frank Bremner
>From Down Under where the Indian cricket team have just won a test match, stopping Australia's 16-wins-in-a-row record from going to 17.  The Aussies were getting a bit too cocky and arrogant, anyway.

From: abatica at hotmail.comTo: dialogue at wedgeblade.netDate: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:00:44 -0600Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Beret Griffith sent you an article from startribune.com

Charles,The problem with "Bushie pro's" is that they think the rest of the U.S. thinks of Chavez the same way their Boss does.  I don't think many Americans, especially those who benefit from his energy assistance to the tune of a "low" $25 million (only, ha, ha, ha!) for heating oil think of Chavez the same way Bushie does.  I wonder if some of us need any reminding at all, that CITGO is owned by the Venezuelan government, and many of their gas stations are located in the poorer neighborhoods, simply because the more "established" companies like BP. ShellOil, etc. consider these poor neighborhoods to be high risks.  I could be wrong, I haven't heard of the better-known oil companies providing energy assistance to low-income households.  So, perhaps Krauthammer should simply paint Edwards a la Chavez and the guy could just surprise us all with an improved standing in the polls.  Between a guy who bombs and occupies another country in search of oil, and one who doles it out to those who really need it...I'll choose the latter anytime.Addi> Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 08:53:01 -0800> From: cdhahn at flash.net> To: dialogue at wedgeblade.net> Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Beret Griffith sent you an article from startribune.com> > Sorry Beret, in re-reading my quick note I see that I> made an error. In reading between the lines it> appears to me that under cover of trying to bring to> light democratic slurs, this guy is really a Bushite> war pro who is afraid of any of the three being> elected. He cuts at all three of them too> hard---especially Edwards. The Chavez comparison is> just a little too revealing.> Charles Hahn> --- Beret Griffith <beretgriffith at charter.net> wrote:> > > ---------------------------------> Beret Griffith wrote these comments: I found this> editorial in the Minneapolis Star Trubune thought> provoking.> > This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent> to you by BeretGriffith.> *Please note, the sender's identity has not been> verified.> > The full Article, with any associated images and> links can be viewed here.> Charles Krauthammer: Are we through swooning?> Good. Let's scrutinize Obama> Charles Krauthammer, Star Tribune> > > WASHINGTON - Was it the tears in the New Hampshire> coffee shop? Whenever there is a political upset,> everyone looks for the unscripted incident, the> I-paid-for-this-microphone moment that can account for> it. Hillary Clinton's improbable victory in New> Hampshire is being widely attributed to her rare> display of emotion when asked how she was holding up.> This "Hillary cried, Obama died" story line is> satisfying, but it overlooks an earlier moment played> to a national television audience of 9 million that> was even more revealing.> > It showed a side of Barack Obama not seen before or> since. And it wasn't pretty. Asked in the Saturday> Democratic debate about her dearth of "likability,"> Clinton offered an answer both artful and sweet --> first, demurely saying her feelings were hurt and> mock-heroically adding that she would try to carry on> regardless, then generously conceding that Obama is> very likable and "I don't think I'm that bad."> > At which point, Obama, yielding to some inexplicable> impulse, gave the other memorable unscripted moment of> the New Hampshire campaign -- the gratuitous> self-indicting aside: "You're likable enough,> Hillary." He said it looking down and with not a smile> but a smirk.> > Rising rock star puts down struggling diva -- an> unkind cut, deeply ungracious, almost cruel, from a> candidate who had the country in a swoon over his> campaign of grace and uplift. The media gave that> moment little play, but millions saw it live, and I> could surely not have been the only one who found it> jarring.> > It is fitting that New Hampshire should have turned on> a tear or an aside. The Democratic primary campaign> has been breathtakingly empty. What passes for> substance is an absurd contest of hopeful change> (Obama) vs. experienced change (Clinton) vs. angry> change (John Edwards playing Hugo Chavez in English).> > One does not have to be sympathetic to the Clintons to> understand their bewilderment at Obama's pre-New> Hampshire canonization. The man comes from nowhere> with a track record as thin as Chauncey Gardiner's.> Yet, as Bill Clinton correctly, if clumsily,> complained, Obama gets a free pass from the press.> > It's not just that NBC admitted that "it's hard to> stay objective covering this guy." Or that Newsweek> had a cover article so adoring that one wonders what> is left for coverage of the Second Coming. Or that> Obama's media acolytes wax poetic that his soaring> rhetoric and personal biography will abolish the> ideological divide of the 1960s -- as if the division> between left and right, between free markets and the> welfare state, between unilateralism and> internationalism, between social libertarianism and> moral traditionalism are residues of Sgt. Pepper and> the March on Washington. The baby boomers in their> endless solipsism now think they invented left and> right -- the post-Enlightenment contest of ideologies> that dates back to the seating arrangements of the> Estates-General in 1789.> > The freest of all passes to Obama is the general> neglect of the obvious central contradiction of his> candidacy -- the bipartisan uniter who would bring us> together by transcending ideology is at every turn on> every policy an unwavering, down-the-line,> unreconstructed, uninteresting, liberal Democrat.> > He doesn't even offer a modest deviation from> orthodoxy. When the Gang of 14, seven Republican and> seven Democratic senators, agreed to restore order and> a modicum of bipartisanship to the judicial selection> process, Obama refused to join lest he anger the> liberal base.> > Special interests? Obama is a champion of the> Davis-Bacon Act, an egregious gift to Big Labor that> makes every federal public-works project more costly.> He not only vows to defend it, but proposes extending> it to artificially raise wages for any guest worker> program.> > > On Iraq, of course he denigrates the surge. That's> required of Democratic candidates. But he further> claims that the Sunnis turned against Al-Qaida and> joined us -- get this -- because of the Democratic> victory in the 2006 midterm elections.> > Obama has yet to have it pointed out to him by a> mainstream interviewer that the Anbar Salvation> Council was founded by Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha> two months earlier. Obama has yet to be asked why any> Sunni would choose to join up with the American> invaders at precisely the time when Democrats would> have them leaving -- and be left like the pro-American> Vietnamese or the pro-French Algerians to be hunted> and killed when their patrons were gone. That's> suicide.> > Even if you believe that a Clinton restoration would> be a disaster, you should still be grateful for New> Hampshire. National swoons, like national hysterias,> obliterate thought. The New Hampshire surprise has at> least temporarily broken the spell. Maybe now someone> will lift the curtain and subject our newest man from> hope to the scrutiny that every candidate deserves.> > Charles Krauthammer's column is distributed by the> Washington Post Writers Group.> > > _______________________________________________> > Dialogue mailing list> > Dialogue at wedgeblade.net> >> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net> > > > > _______________________________________________> Dialogue mailing list> Dialogue at wedgeblade.net> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net

Climb to the top of the charts! Play the word scramble challenge with star power. Play now! 
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