Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama claimed over and over during the primaries that they were strong leaders who could take America in a new direction. They also claimed that George W. Bush was the worst president in US history. Then, how come they have never been able to beat him in almost any legislative battles?
This week they surrendered again. This time it was about giving immunity to telecommunication companies who broke the law to placate the Bush administration. Nearly everyone involved admits they broke the law -- otherwise they wouldn't need immunity.
I didn't rob a bank, so I don't need immunity for robbery. Everyone should have their rights, and that definitely applies to the telecom companies and the Bush administration as well, so it should be very simple for them to go into a courthouse and show there was nothing wrong with what they did. Except they can't, and that's why desperately need immunity for the crimes they have committed.
This isn't about spying on terrorists. The FISA court gives out warrants like they're growing on trees. If they spied on terrorists, it's the easiest thing in the world to show. No, this is for breaking the law and spying on Americans without a court order. Do we know who they spied on? No, and now we never will. Why? The Democrats are going to give these companies -- and by extension the Bush administration -- immunity for breaking the law.
In essence, the Democrats are giving a preemptive pardon to George Bush and everyone else that authorized and participated in this illegal surveillance program.
Now, if we only had a couple of strong leaders on the Democratic side who could stop this. Oh wait a minute, I remember two people that kept telling me how strong and capable they were. One of them even claimed that change was coming. You know when it might be a good time for change? Right about now.
Instead, Hillary Clinton is on vacation somewhere doing absolutely nothing about this immunity bill. When it's not about her career, all of a sudden she's not that moved to fight for us, our laws and our constitution. Since she's not going to be president, she's taken her ball and gone home.
And what about Obama? Nothing. Worse than nothing, because he's actually thinking about voting with the Republicans on a so-called compromise, which in the words of Sen. Feingold is nothing short of a "capitulation." Leadership you can believe in!
You think I sound angry here, you should have seen me all week on the show. If you want to see what I think of pathetic Democratic weakness, watch this (not safe for work or with kids around). The Democrats make it nearly impossible to respect them. And if you want to see what I think of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama's awful record of leadership on this issue, watch this:
If you can't beat the most unpopular president of all time in a simple legislative fight like this, how can you claim to be a strong and effective leader?
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Barack Obama Has Never Beaten George Bush
Posted Jun 21st 2008 8:58PM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: George Bush, Young Turks, Democrats, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Video
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Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 7)
61. Okane
Why do you continue to argue with a person who is "off his rocker" Anyone calling themselves captain negative, lets you know where they stand. People with a need to sell theory will always be around. A belief that there is always something crooked going on with every situation, smacks of paranoia. A love for ones own words can only spell disaster. Take Obama for example.
JIM at 8:50AM on Jun 23rd 2008
62. The most unpopular president of all time? Check your history. I'll give you just one recent history lesson...Jimmy Carter, one term president who gave us long gas lines, and took America's esteem down to rock bottom. It took Ronald Regan to get us to believe in ourselves again. George Bush most unpopular of all time? Two Term President... I can go on and on. Wake Up.
ted fortenberry at 10:18AM on Jun 23rd 2008
63. Time will tell, Bobby. You certainly threw in a lot of, "conditions." So, as long as the U.S. doesn't make a "unilateral" attack, you won't be wrong. Convenient.
Okane, you never offer an argument. I don't give a rat's ass for your opinion.
I'll be waiting to see this "Obama Seal."
You should limit yourself to "Obama is an undercover Muslim."
BTW, where is that, "whitey" video?
Captain Negative at 1:04PM on Jun 23rd 2008
64. Dear Cenk,
I will give you the same advice I gave D. Williams on her blog.
Be prepared to go from this disappointment, into disillusionment, into being a little pissed off, into being downright angry into feeling used and betrayed.
This is what happens when you ditch your longterm bff at the bar for the first black dude to come along.
Good luck with that.
Davidg at 1:06PM on Jun 23rd 2008
65. longwalker asks what I would do.
I would find a different attorney. Perhaps if it was one of several charges I might consider it as part of a plea bargain.
But you said you encouraged your client to plead guilty due to the cost of mounting a defense. I would never plead guilty to a crime I did not commit due to a lack of money.
Captain Negative at 1:23PM on Jun 23rd 2008
66. Yes, that "seal" look quite ridiculous.
If Obama doesn't step up for civil liberties, I can still vote against the republicans.
I can join a lot of republicans who hate McCain in voting for Bob Barr.
Captain Negative at 1:40PM on Jun 23rd 2008
67. CN
I did not expect you put your 9/11 and WW3 with Iran delusions into words.
I said before Pelosi does not have the balls to impeach Bush, but she is a woman who would not have them anyway.
CN you do not have the balls to take your foggy delusions about 9/11 and WW3 with Iran and put them words. No surprise.
Robert OKane at 2:31PM on Jun 23rd 2008
68. Captain Negative : You and Bill Gates may have that option but, for ordinary people, that option does not exist.
For an elderly man, a small business man with a little company and three employees and limited savings for the "golden years' of himself and his wife, bankrupting himself and his company is not a viable option.
This is not a hypothetical but real life. It actually happened. You want to play Bud Abbott in that old vaudeville skit "Pay the Two Dollars" for a matter of principle but it is Lou Costello, not Bud Abbott,who is going to the electric chair.
My client had to consider what would he and his wife do if their business and life savings were lost in winning the court case. Could they live on Social Security alone? Their Social Security benefits would not even cover their rent.
longwalker at 2:41PM on Jun 23rd 2008
69. Okane, to the "regulars" who populate these blogs, my opinions on the subject are well known.
I posted them a few days ago under a different thread.
I'm not surprised that you have no grasp of the, "big picture." You've never displayed any insight. Why would I expect you to suddenly have an icrease in intelligence?
Captain Negative at 3:44PM on Jun 23rd 2008
70. longwalker, you asked what *I* would do.
I told you what I would do.
First thing is that if were facing criminal charges, I would retain a criminal defense lawyer. I wouldn't expect my family practitioner to do a heart valve repair and I wouldn't expect an attorney with a different specialty to defend me from criminal charges.
Further, if I could not afford to defend myself against criminal charges, I would use a public defender, or I would make arrangements to pay my attorney over time.
But you do raise a very good point. If you have a business owner facing criminal charges and he can't afford to mount a legal defense, imagine the average indigent person accused of a crime.
I detailed the exception. If it were part of some package plea bargain, I might do it. But I would rather have my business fail than carry around a criminal record that I did not deserve.
If I was found guilty, I'd be out of business anyway. If my attorney advised me to stand in front of a judge and LIE, (which is necessary for a court to issue a guilty plea) I would report that attorney to the State Bar and let them sort it out.
Captain Negative at 3:46PM on Jun 23rd 2008
71. 48. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjYpkvcmog0
Deadguy, I'm tempted to let you embarrass yourself further by continuing to call me a liar. But I'm too nice a guy to do that to you.
Instead, I'll just accept your apology.
You wrote....
"Actually, your just lying and hoping to pick up a few converts...dreamer.
.............................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjYpkvcmog0
------------------------------------------------
Sure C-, anyone who looks at the title on the kyron can plainly see the discussion was over Hillary's comment about Obama's getting assassinated, but the entire video runs longer than your 34 second one (3min.+) and the reference was not made in any seriousness. Liberals like you have called for Bush's assassination in blogs, posts, etc., but let it be your ox that is gored and you get all pissy about it!
Here's the entire video C-, there is no serious comment made about whacking Obama, so don't wait up at night waiting for an apology...bad taste by a commentator doesn't equal a threat or there wouldn't be a liberal left in the media.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T5eDDL1WuM&NR=1
Dedmanrisn at 9:53PM on Jun 23rd 2008
72. 46. Not really, dead guy. There were tens of millions fewer to Americans to disapprove of Truman than there are to disapprove of Governor bush.
It is beyond contradiction. Tens of millions more Americans hate bush than hated Truman.
You wingers just beat the hell out of the minutae because you have no issues to claim any pride in.
______________________________________________
Wow C-, it's amazing how you can twist (or try) numbers around to suit your agenda. Here's a news flash for you. The number of people in the US while Truman was President and the number while Bush is president doesn't matter statistically.
25% of the population then and 25% of the population now is still 25% regardless of the population size. Just to make it simple for you C-, 25 cents is 25% of a dollar no matter whether you have 1 dollar or 1000 dollars, its still the same percentage. I suppose that you will claim that 19% approval of congress now is actually less than it would have been in Truman's time because to you, fewer is more.
Your such a propagandist Goebbels would have hired you moron.
Dedmanrisn at 5:04PM on Jun 23rd 2008
73. 46. Not really, dead guy. There were tens of millions fewer to Americans to disapprove of Truman than there are to disapprove of Governor bush.
It is beyond contradiction. Tens of millions more Americans hate bush than hated Truman.
You wingers just beat the hell out of the minutae because you have no issues to claim any pride in.
Dedmanrisn at 5:09PM on Jun 23rd 2008
74. Deadguy, thanks for the opportunity to embarrass you.
So, I guess I shouldn't hold my breath, waiting for you to apologize for calling me a liar.
I mean, really, deadguy. You've just demonstrated that you have no posting skills, but surely you could follow the link to Fux Noise Bitch, Liz the Trotter, wishing for Obama's assassination. Right?
Captain Negative at 7:47PM on Jun 23rd 2008
75. It took Ronald Regan to get us to believe in ourselves again.
xxx
Ronald Reagan was an elitist and a fascist.
He looted the treasury, ran up the national debt, sold arms to the enemy, flooded our streets with cocaine, tried to destroy the small business administration, destroyed the solar incentives that would have significantly reduced our power grid demands if we'd continued, took us from being the greatest creditor nation to the greatest debtor, cut and ran from Lebanon, which is what Osama said emboldened him to perpetrate 9/11, had 32 arrest warrants served to senior admin memebers, allowed monopolies, price fixing collusion and restraint of trade to flourish despite its being illegal and drove us down from the best educated heathiest longest lived people to where we are now, looking up to Europeand and Asian countries.
We went from exporting manufactured goods to selling off our national resources.
We have slipped into fascism and callousness towards our own citizens, and it's about 80% because of that elitist flipflopping caricature of a president.
Millions of pages have been written on his perfidy, and you're about right. In this day and age, he's the best example you can point to, comrade.
Fortunately, you're about a 17 percenter this time around.
This puffed up sales pitch for that second rate B-movie ham has no more credibility today than praise for Karl Rove or Jack Abramoff.
His party is on probation, and you're about as relevant as scientologists. So much rev babymama fist jab garbage. Your party has failed at war and governing for thirty years and time's up.
See ya.
Clif Kuplen at 7:48PM on Jun 23rd 2008