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 7 of 7)
91. deadguy...
"I did that once for your choosing to use deception to prove a point over a joke.."
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You are full of shit! You could look at a dozen video clips to see Liz Trotta wish for Obama's assassination. You could Google it for yourself.
Any one of those would have shown you exactly the same thing.
You aren't just malignant. You are too intellectually lazy to check anything out for yourself. Don't you even know how to google? IS that it?
Every time you accuse me of inventing something out of thin air, I give you a link so you can check it out for yourself.
You are a write off.
Captain Negative at 3:26AM on Jun 24th 2008
92. Captain Negative and Clif Kulpen : My client's income and assets meant no public defender. "Pro bono" sounds good but this was not the type of case that would attract publicity.
Most "pro bono" cases involve either a limited time commitment or sufficient publicity to attract additional clients. This case would comsume a great deal of the litigant's time but would not generate much publicity.
As I said this was a technical violation of a Federal regulation involving a small industry that few people either knew or cared about. I have done my share of "pro bono" cases and I was competent to try and win this case if it had gone to trial.
I knew that the Federal prosecutor was counting on the cost of the trial influencing my client to accept a deal. He did not want to have to try the case but, if he did, it would be on government money not his own.
This often happens in civil suits also. As a law student, you would learn about nuisance suits and how to handle them. In many cases, you make a settlement offer even if you would prevail at trial because the settlement is cheaper.
BTW, sorry for the delay in replying but I have other activities.
longwalker at 7:34AM on Jun 24th 2008
93. This case would comsume a great deal of the litigant's time but would not generate much publicity.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When Jerry Spence, for example takes a case, he generates his own publicity. If your PR skills are lacking, and that's no impeachment of a good nutz and boltz guy, that's a good reason not to represent a man who needs more than you could offer him.
I've interceded with Jerry, incidentally as a plaintiff against my client. No, I'm not an attorney, but I managed litigation for my client,and the attorney we retained tendered a legal opinion that persuaded him to drop the case.
He has good judgment on which fight to take up, which is why he's never lost a case.
But this issue was about law, not publicity. Statutorily, he could not have prevailed.
If you're saying you saw no compelling reason to promote this man solely in the interest of justice, perhaps a colleague could give your erstwhile client a better assessment.
I have known a lot of constitutional and defense attorneys in beards and pony tails, as it were, and they're usually very gifted litigators and not particularly dollar motivated.
Without the attorney I had retained, for example, my client could have become another Jerry Spence statistic.
If you had ever been personally accused of a crime you didn't commit, you'd have a very different perspective on plea bargaining. In my case I squelched it before such a step could be contemplated, but it's very difficult to reward a prosecutor for ineptness by tendering a pound or more of personal flesh.
Clif Kuplen at 11:25AM on Jun 24th 2008
94. longwalker, I have no doubt about your good intent.
I've always worked around courts. I've seen several people plead guilty. In each case they stood before the judge and admitted to the elements of the crime.
I was minimally involved (as a defense investigator) in a murder trial in California. Noted attorney, Tony Serra, handled the defense. The trial lasted for months and months. The client had long since run out of money. Nobody walked away from it. Attorney's get stuck in these situations all the time.
Defense attorney's are a special breed. Bless 'em.
Captain Negative at 2:09PM on Jun 24th 2008
95. Clif Kulpen and Captain Negative : My client and long time friend chose the option of paying a fine. His actual plea was "Nolo Contendere," the same plea Spiro Agnew made in his federal trial. No admission of guilt was necessary and he and his company went on as before. He lived another fifteen years as a well respected member of his business community and, when he died, he left his widow and children well provided. If he had fought and won, he would have lost his business and most of his savings and, if lucky, would have had to work for one of his competitors. They would have been glad to hire him because he was an acknowledged expert in his field but, as a salaried employee, he would not do as well as he had as an independent entrepreneur. It was his choice and, if it had been me, it would have been my choice.
longwalker at 5:56PM on Jun 24th 2008
96. "His actual plea was "Nolo Contendere,..."
That makes all the difference.
I know that the indigent are faced with these situations all the time. Prosecutors over-charge defendants, compelling them to plea bargain, often against their own intersts.
Captain Negative at 7:11PM on Jun 24th 2008
97. It was his choice and, if it had been me, it would have been my choice.
xx
given the facts as presented, I wouldn't argue - it was only money and not enough to destabilize his life.
Clif Kuplen at 10:27PM on Jun 24th 2008
98. You are full of shit! You could look at a dozen video clips to see Liz Trotta wish for Obama's assassination. You could Google it for yourself.
Any one of those would have shown you exactly the same thing.
You aren't just malignant. You are too intellectually lazy to check anything out for yourself. Don't you even know how to google? IS that it?
Every time you accuse me of inventing something out of thin air, I give you a link so you can check it out for yourself.
You are a write off.
Captain Negative at 3:26AM on Jun 24th 2008
----------------------------------------------------
Well lickbone, I can see that you consider a 30 second cut from a 3 minute+ video as proving your point. Your ASSumptions are that everyone watches Fox just like you do. Furthermore, you ASSume more by thinking (for the sake of your rant) that joking, and I told you it was a joke in bad taste, is equivalent to deliberately saying that they would like to see his head blown off. Its not. But your just like some bitch that's pissed off in an arguement and just won't give up or shut up until she gets her way.
In my opinion, you are a malicious, arrogant lickbone with all the inherent traits of a two-year old whining over something you can't get or because you filled your diapers and no one cares at the moment. You don't educate, you berate and belittle, then when that doesn't work, you piss and moan over the opposition's supposed shortcomings. When its time to slop the hogs C-, I'll make sure you get your share.
Dedmanrisn at 10:42PM on Jun 24th 2008
99. Deadpunk, I'll explain this to you one more time.
I mentioned the Fux Noise Bitch wishing for Obama's assassination.
You claimed that I was lying.
I googled relevant terms and listed the FIRST LINK to the video so you could see it for yourself.
It's too bad that you are TOO FUCKING STUPID to Google something.
You are a fucking moron. Don't waste my time you Christo-fascist piece of shit!
Captain Negative at 12:35AM on Jun 25th 2008
100. I don't watch the babymama channel very often, but I did see footage where there was an offhand inclusion of Obama to be assasinated when she meant Osama. She was trying to be clever. Given the level of literacy from their announcers it was more of an impeachment of the fistjab channel as being ridiculous than being al jizeera. I don't regard the babymama channel in any serious light anyway, and it's not likely too many people do. The party they were created to propagandize for is only 28% of the registered voters. There's this pervasive rumor that Murdoch has seen the writing on the wall and may go liberal.
That would be interesting but I still wouldn't watch them. They'd be just as bad whatever direction they took, I'd guess.
Clif Kuplen at 3:02PM on Jun 25th 2008
101. Fux Noise and the radio-haters like Rush and G. Gordon Liddy and the rest of the rats always do better when they can be in attack mode.
Those poor bastards have been stuck with having to defend the bush-cheney Junta. That's a losing proposition.
President Obama will be good for them.
Captain Negative at 3:09PM on Jun 25th 2008
102. Fux Noise and the radio-haters like Rush and G. Gordon Liddy and the rest of the rats always do better when they can be in attack mode.
xx
no mystery. Most of what they stand for is indefensible.
Clif Kuplen at 3:15PM on Jun 25th 2008