While they dither in Senate and hide in their cloakrooms, I wonder if the Dems realize that their cowardice has the real potential to rip the party apart? Without some kind of strong position on the Middle East to run on there are only two things holding the party together:  (1) Fear of the neo-cons; and (2) lack of a viable alternative.  If, by some bizarre twist of fate, Giuliani were to be nominated by the GOP(or even try the 3rd party route) I'm not sure there's a democrat who would be able to stand up to him because they are presently standing for nothing.  He already appears to be somewhat to the left of Clinton on social issues and I doubt he could out-pander any of the Dems with regard to Israel/Iran, etc.  Without George Bush to run against this time and with some serious splits within both parties, by the time November '08 rolls around everything may be up for grabs.

What are the idiots afraid of?  MoveOn's virtual march yesterday yielded more than a million phone calls to senators to stop the escalation.

When was the last time the Senate received a million calls in one day about a specific issue?  Oh yeah, it was probably following the great Super Bowl boob caper.

If you want things to get better, be prepared to deal with change.

My impression is that he is also very exceptionally smart and well-spoken, worth at least three Bidens.

Clinton and Edwards were very strongly on opposite sides of the fence on this issue at the DNC meeting today. Edwards called for Congress to use its power, and denigrated a non-binding resolution "that this President will just ignore", while Hillary called a non-binding resolution the  "first time that the Congress says no" and the start of reversing the policy in Iraq.

So Edwards was on the outside calling for the whole Congress to use its power to do what the American people want, while Clinton was on the inside defending a meaningless resolution as the incremental first step toward maybe getting something more meaningful down the track ... and oh, by the way, if she is elected President and the Iraq war is still going on, she will start stopping it then.


Energize America: Energy Security by 2020

I'm glad to see that at least two know what they are there for, but disturbed to see so many that don't.  And this was the very issue that brought so many new faces to DC.  How soon they forget.  

Fear will keep the local systems in line. -Grand Moff Tarkin Survivor Left Blogistan

As I look at Iraq, I recall the words of former general and soon-to-be President Dwight Eisenhower during the dark days of the Korean War, which had fallen into a bloody stalemate. "When comes the end?" asked the General who had commanded our forces in Europe during World War Two. And as soon as he became President, he brought the Korean War to an end.

These Presidents took the right kind of action, for the benefit of the American people and for the health of our relations around the world.

Tonight we are calling on this President to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way.

I have never trusted Dodd, for a couple of reasons.

His father, Thomas Dodd, came back from his prosecutorial role at Nuremburg a changed man. He had gone off a liberal, and came back a neo-nazi himself. He was one of the worst Dems ever to sit on the hill, and was ultimately censured by his colleagues for using campaign funds for egregious personal expenses. His own staff worked with the media to oust him because of Dodd's literally dancing for joy the day Kennedy was assassinated. Dodd hated Kennedy.

The son was not much better on the matter of Kennedy. When the House Select Committee on Assassinations was closing fast on the CIA's role in the assassination of President Kennedy, the CIA assets in the media went after the two leaders of the committee - Richard Sprague and Rep. Henry Gonzales and got both removed. Chris Dodd then brought in the cover-up man: G. Robert Blakey. Dutifully, Blakey quietly and efficiently pulled people off the productive CIA leads and pointed them in other directions. Blakey wrote that after his years with the CIA, he was certain they wouldn't lie to him. When in 2005 it became clear the CIA had lied to him (the guy overseeing their requests for CIA records may himself have been involved, peripherally, in the assassination story) Blakey still couldn't bring himself to imagine the CIA's role there. Blakey tried to get a report confirming the results of the Warren Commission, but at the last minute, acoustical evidence surfaced, tested in separate trials by two different firms, which proved that at least four shots had been fired, requiring at least two shooters and hence a conspiracy, and that one of the shots very likely came from the Grassy Knoll. So Blakey conceded a "probable" conspiracy and then wrote a mob-did-it book. Chris Dodd's pick. Doesn't say much for Dodd's judgment.

I also have a vague memory of Dodd's involvement, behind the scenes, in subtly sabotaging the Iran-Contra investigation. I'll have to go in search of that if he becomes a serious candidate.

Nope. He'll never get my vote.

"If you look for the social economic motive, you will not have to wait for history to tell you what was propaganda and what was truth." - George Seldes

I'm sorry Boo, but why are you even surprised? Except for a few lone voices in the House and the Senate we the people have dun been sold out long ago. On this issue of war and Iran it is going to be business as usual by Congress...oh they will have a few nay saying voices to make it 'look' like there was some debate but as far as doing anything..forget it. And certainly why I think we need a honest to god revolution in this country to sweep out everyone in Congress(and the media) and start over.

'Poverty is the worst form of violence'--Gandhi

....and what should we have suspected? Did anyone seriously think that we would get anything other than what we are getting. Levin simply has no balls. Warner is just full of shit. And that stalwart from Pa is probably such a piece of shit that I won't ever mention his name ever again.Lets see how long this is going to be tolerated. As  I am writing this the tube is showing PBS brooks and Shielkds- what a effing joke. The only chance at this point lies in the house. Lets see what that is all about. All I know is that pelosis' 5 day work wek hasn't happened yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!