Another Brick In The Wall

Digby outdoes herself:

Of course the real question is why on earth did the administration pull this cadaverous joker [Alan Simpson] out of his own cushy, federally funded retirement to head up the ill-conceived deficit commission in the first place? The only generous reason I can think of is that someone thought that he would sabotage it,

Oh no! We've been stopped by an enormous wall! Can't see through it, can't see over it, can't see under it!

but there's no evidence they want to do that.

The appointment is the evidence. Digby sees Obama sabotage his Catfood Commission, yet still can't believe he's obeying the elite who put him into office because he wants to obey them.

And in this era of batshit insane politics, counting on some right wing kook to discredit anything is a very risky thing to do --- even they must know that.

So you have to assume that Simpson's fulfilling his designated role. He will make a deal. All he asks is that the geezer parasites, current and future get it out of their heads once and for all that this society should provide some basic security for everyone.

So close, yet so far. All it takes is one teeny, tiny step to make it through that wall. One little push.

I'll help.

Obama does not care about you. You are not his friend. You are not his constituent. He does not have warm and shiny feelings for you. He does not want you to live long and prosper. He wants to make a lot of money and get a lot of respect. He wants to prove before the entire world--and by that we mean the daddy who abandoned him--that he is both Special and Fits In. And like all authoritarians, all hurt children who bury the pain, he is perfectly willing to make a few small sacrifices to get what he wants.

And we are those small sacrifices.

Digby can't see over the wall. If she did, she wouldn't be part of the liberal tribe anymore. So she stops thinking. Just like that--she comes to a screeching, rubber-burning, head-rocking stop. She doesn't let herself see the blindingly obvious.

Yes, lesser of two evils and so on and so forth. But at the very least, we should not lie to ourselves. At the very least, let us admit that we are screwed, so we can turn from the party of investment banking to the party of the poor and dispossessed. Even if we remain powerless we might finally help a few people in the process.

K-Lo Goes To Confession: The Flu Is At The Door

K-Lo: Bless me Father (cough) for I have (cough cough) sinned. It's been ten (cough) hours since my last (coughcoughcoughcough)----.

Father: Kathryn Jean, are you alright? Would you like a glass of water? Maybe you shouldn't have come to confession.

K-Lo: (Cough) I had to go to church to pray to get well anyway (cough), Father. (cough) I have the flu and my chest really hurts and I feel woozy and I keep thinking I'm seeing "Mittens" but it's just the doorman. (cough) Who really doesn't like it when you run your fingers through his hair. (cough)

Father: Kathryn Jean, you should go home right now and have your mother call the doctor. God will understand if you miss confession today.

K-Lo: I can't go to the doctor, Father. Didn't you hear?

Father: Hear what?

K-Lo: (hisses) The Obamaination.

Father: The---?

K-Lo: Obama's (cough) health care plan.

Father: But what does the health care plan have to do with going to the doctor, Kathryn Jean?

K-Lo: I can't go to the doctor because Obamacare kills people, Father. They make you wait for days at the doctor's office and then the computer tells you that it can't afford to pay for your medicine because it has to pay for illegal aliens' health care instead. (cough)

Father: Many illegal aliens are good Catholics and the future life blood of the Church, Kathryn Jean. It is both our duty and our privilege to follow Jesus' example and help the poor and suffering.

K-Lo: I thought blessed are the poor means that the poor are lucky to be poor?

Father: No, Kathryn Jean, we've had this discussion before. Poverty is bad because it makes people suffer.

K-Lo: But I thought that suffering was (cough) good because it makes you more like Jesus?

Father: Jesus died to end suffering, Kathryn Jean. He taught us to serve God by helping our fellow man, for we all all God's children. Each act of kindness is an act of worship.

K-Lo: That's what I said. People should suffer so they will be like Jesus and be good.

Father: Kathryn Jean, have you been talking to Mr. Douthat again? I'm sure he's a fine Christian man but his theology can be a little confused.

K-Lo: No, Father, (cough) I promised his wife I'd stop calling and I kept my word. I just print out his articles and post them in my scrapbook that I decorated myself. Would you like (cough) me to bring it next time? It's not as big as my (cough) "Mittens" scrapbook but I finally got to use my glow-in-the-dark (cough) Our Lady of Guadalupe stickers and they look so pretty.

Father: Kathryn Jean, I know a very nice young lady doctor who will be happy to take care of you, and I know for a fact that she's a Republican doctor, not a socialist doctor.

K-Lo: But what about abortion, Father? Obama is killing little innocent babies by (cough) forcing their mothers to have socialist abortions that we pay for.

Father: Kathryn Jean, while I have many problems with an institutional bureaucracy telling people what they can do with their bodies and making their health care decisions for them, the government is not trying to force people to have abortions.

K-Lo: It kills old people by dropping death panels on them.

Father: Kathryn Jean, does that even make sense?

K-Lo: It kills new drugs because liberals hate money and want all the drug companies to die so the (cough) government can make socialist drugs instead, that won't work because they're always on strike.

Father: I don't' think----.

K-Lo: Father, I think the statue of Mary over there winked at me.

Father: Kathryn Jean, go home at once. I'll call you a cab.

K-Lo: But---.

Father: (firmly) Now.

K-Lo: Okay, Father, but only because Mary told me to. She wants me to be able to go ice fishing with her next week. (Yelling hoarsely) I'll do it, Most Holy Mother! I'll see the doctor and he'll heal me through your Loving Grace! You betcha!

It Was A Brief Moment

Megan, 20 Jan 2009 12:04 pm:

I am rooting for Obama to succeed, and if he does, I will look back happily on this moment as a promise of better things to come. And if he doesn't, I will look back wistfully on that one moment when everything seemed all right.

Next Post 20 Jan 2009 12:23 pm

I was disappointed by the beginning of his speech, which seems to have consisted of saying: "There are no tradeoffs, and the people who tell you there are are just big fat HATERS, okay?"

Obama and Authority

Kathy G. has an interesting post up about Vincent Bugliosi's book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder." Her post inspired me to look up what Obama said about the prosecution of members of the Bush Administration. I found an Attytood post that said the opposite of what I remembered: Obama would prosecute the criminals in the White House.

The bottom line is that: Obama sent a clear signal that -- unlike impeachment, which he's ruled out and which now seems a practical impossibility -- he is at the least open to the possibility of investigating potential high crimes in the Bush White House. To many, the information that waterboarding -- which the United States has considered torture and a violation of law in the past -- was openly planned out in the seat of American government is evidence enough to at least start asking some tough questions in January 2009.

But that's not what Obama said. Once again, some liberals are listening to Obama and hearing only what they want to hear. It's what we correctly accuse the other side of doing, but it was jarring to see this happen regarding Obama.

Obama states he wouldn't want to be seen as indulging in "partisan witch-hunts." If crimes have been comitted, though, he'll have the AG look into it. If? If? We clearly know they have broken the law, over and over. It's not a suspicion, it's a fact. But Obama needs to see if it's just bad policies, not law-breaking. He'll have someone look into it.

You know, I often get questions about impeachment at town hall meetings and I've said that is not something I think would be fruitful to pursue because I think that impeachment is something that should be reserved for exceptional circumstances.

Shredding the Constitution is not an exceptional circumstance?

Now, if I found out that there were high officials who knowingly, consciously broke existing laws, engaged in coverups of those crimes with knowledge forefront, then I think a basic principle of our Constitution is nobody above the law -- and I think that's roughly how I would look at it.

That statement, along with Obama's deep belief in both religious and political authority, make it clear that Obama will not be inclined to do anything to prosecute the Bush Administration. That's dreadful, but not as bad as us deliberately refusing to deal with unhappy reality. We cannot pressure Obama to restore the rule of law if he won't admit it's been broken, but worse, we leave ourselves utterly vulnerable to the vicissitudes of circumstance if we refuse to admit Obama is like any other politician of any other time. If we insist that he is better than he is out of a need to feel better about who we are, we will be just as blind as----K-Lo.

(**Shudder**)

Beware of politicians gifting bears.

Hullabaloo is quite verklempt over some blogpost written by George Packer.

Now, as thinking people here on Hullabaloo, let's think about what Packer's
yakking about in his little throwaway. Packer says that thinking people, during
the past years, had forced on them hard trade-offs and ideological confusion.
But even five minutes of thought in 2002 would have revealed Bush/Iraq as
screaming yellow bonkers. But Packer didn't have the moral integrity to give
Bush/Iraq five minutes of thought, as so many others did around the world.
Instead, Packer let himself be unthinkingly swept away by Makiya's rhetoric -
and others'. Packer checked his brain at the door and went with his gut: LET'S
DO SOME GOOD!

Unthinkingly swept away by rhetoric? How could anyone do that? Ignoring the possibility of a disastrous war? Damn, that's feeble. How can you sit and listen to someone's words and not even hear what they are saying because of the rush of happiness that comes from belonging, being part of a group or movement, letting someone tell you what you want to hear?

I don't know who Obama has working for him on this stuff, but I hope he's
tapping into the best talent from the arts as well as politics. The right speech
in the right setting could reignite Obamamania into a roaring brushfire at just
the right moment.

Kill me now, please.

ADDED: Via Avedon Carol, IOZ speaks.

Watching vero possumus transmogrify before progressive eyes into status quo ante is less entertaining than it ought to be because it
lacks an element of suprise. Still, it's good for a grin. Barack Obama made such
fast work of it, leaping to
the defense of defenseless nuclear Israel, then proceeding to wrap himself
in an American flag, arm himself to the jowls, climb atop the Statue of Liberty,
and fire warning shots in a wild, easterly direction, lest the Hordes mistake
New York for Vienna and the twenty-first for the seventeenth century. Yeah, but
they'll show him. They're gonna vote for him, and they're gonna give him money,
but by motherfucking god, they're gonna blog about their disappointment.

Who was it who said, put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket?

There's a clue. Go get it.

Digby et al. are concerned that Congress is lying to them about FISA. The commenters, as they often do, chastise fellow liberals, saying the Supreme Court openings make voting for Obama essential.

It doesn't even occur to them that Obama might "surprise" them again.

Why wouldn't Obama vote for a conservative Supreme Court justice, or a wink-wink-nudge-nudge pseudo-liberal? His belief in the separation of church and state? His devotion to the constitution? His independence from business interests, the real constituency of the Supreme Court?

Our* biggest problem is our habit of obedience and slavish, unquestioning devotion to authority. It doesn't even occur to some liberals to question the rich and powerful.



*By "our" I mean "everyone but you and me."

(Atrocious spelling fixed)

Obama has another secret plan!

Obama on withdrawing from Iraq: maybe I will, maybe I won't.

It's not that people are stupid to believe in Obama. It's not that Obama's evil. It's just that rich people hate you.

Then and Now

Obama on FISA, 1/28/08


"I strongly oppose retroactive immunity in the FISA bill. Ever since 9/11, this Administration has put forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand.

The FISA court works. The separation of power works. We can trace, track down and take out terrorists while ensuring that our actions are subject to vigorous oversight, and do not undermine the very laws and freedom that we are fighting to defend.

No one should get a free pass to violate the basic civil liberties of the American people - not the President of the United States, and not the telecommunications companies that fell in line with his warrantless surveillance program. We have to make clear the lines that cannot be crossed.
That is why I am co-sponsoring Senator Dodd's amendment to remove the immunity provision. Secrecy must not trump accountability. We must show our citizens – and set an example to the world – that laws cannot be ignored when it is inconvenient.

A grassroots movement of Americans has pushed this issue to the forefront. You have come together across this country. You have called upon our leaders to adhere to the Constitution. You have sent a message to the halls of power that the American people will not permit the abuse of power – and demanded that we reclaim our core values by restoring the rule of law.
It's time for Washington to hear your voices, and to act. I share your commitment to this cause, and will stand with you in the fights to come. And when I am President, the American people will once again be able to trust that their government will stand for justice, and will defend the liberties that we hold so dear as vigorously as we defend our security."



Obama on FISA, 6/20/08

"Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people. There is also little doubt that the Bush Administration, with the cooperation of major telecommunications companies, has abused that authority and undermined the Constitution by intercepting the communications of innocent Americans without their knowledge or the required court orders.

"That is why last year I opposed the so-called Protect America Act, which expanded the surveillance powers of the government without sufficient independent oversight to protect the privacy and civil liberties of innocent Americans. I have also opposed the granting of retroactive immunity to those who were allegedly complicit in acts of illegal spying in the past.
"After months of negotiation, the House today passed a compromise that, while far from perfect, is a marked improvement over last year's Protect America Act.

"Under this compromise legislation, an important tool in the fight against terrorism will continue, but the President's illegal program of warrantless surveillance will be over. It restores FISA and existing criminal wiretap statutes as the exclusive means to conduct surveillance - making it clear that the President cannot circumvent the law and disregard the civil liberties of the American people. It also firmly re-establishes basic judicial oversight over all domestic surveillance in the future. It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses. But this compromise guarantees a thorough review by the Inspectors General of our national security agencies to determine what took place in the past, and ensures that there will be accountability going forward. By demanding oversight and accountability, a grassroots movement of Americans has helped yield a bill that is far better than the Protect America Act.

"It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives - and the liberty - of the American people."

Added: I think we have to assume Obama didn't want to keep the bill off the floor. He said he supports the bill, after all. He said twice that the bill was needed because we face grave and legitimate threats. Then he said he will use the program wisely as president.

Then there's what Reid said--immunity will end up staying. And we'll never know why the government was so eager to get immunity, after they simply blew off outrage over the spying. Lawsuits mean discovery and discovery means phone and e-mail records. They've gone to an awful lot of trouble to ensure one thing remains hidden--who they were spying on. Who Rove was spying on.

Father's Day

Barack Obama gave a lovely speech on Father's Day. He exhorted fathers to set a good example of achievement and hope, and society to help fathers achieve this goal.

It’s up to us – as fathers and parents – to instill this ethic of excellence
in our children. It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on
TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and
reach for those goals. It’s up to us to tell our sons, those songs on the radio
may glorify violence, but in my house we live [give?S/T] glory to achievement,
self respect, and hard work. It’s up to us to set these high expectations. And
that means meeting those expectations ourselves. That means setting examples of
excellence in our own lives. The second thing we need to do as fathers is
pass along the value of empathy to our children. Not sympathy, but empathy – the
ability to stand in somebody else’s shoes; to look at the world through their
eyes. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in “us,” that we forget about our
obligations to one another. There’s a culture in our society that says
remembering these obligations is somehow soft – that we can’t show weakness, and
so therefore we can’t show kindness.

But our young boys and girls see that. They see when you are ignoring or mistreating your wife. They see when you are inconsiderate at home; or when you are distant; or when you are thinking only of yourself. And so it’s no surprise when we see that behavior in our schools or on our streets. That’s why we pass on the values of empathy and kindness to our children by living them. We need to show our kids that you’re not strong by putting other people down –you’re strong by lifting them up.
That’s our responsibility as fathers.

We should be making it easier for fathers who make responsible choices andharder for those who avoid them. We should get rid of the financial penalties we impose on married couples right now, and start making sure that every dime of child support goes directly to helping children instead of some bureaucrat. We should reward fathers who pay that child support with job training and job opportunities and a larger Earned Income Tax Credit that can help them pay the bills. We should expand programs where registered nurses visit expectant and new mothers and help them learn how to care for themselves before the baby is born and what to do after – programs that have helped increase father involvement, women’s employment, and children’s readiness for school. We should help these new families care for their children by expanding maternity and paternity leave, and we should guarantee every worker more paid sick leave so they can stay home to take care of their child without losing their income.

It's a wonderful speech that puts the responsibility of raising black children directly on their fathers, while acknowledging that society doesn't do enough to help them.

They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And
the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.

It's not the institutional racism of America, or its economic system set up to gouge the poor and middle class. It's a matter of personal responsibility, just like with Obama's father. You see, Obama knows the difficulty of growing up without a father.

I know what it means to have an absent father, although my circumstances weren’t as tough as they are for many young people today. Even though my father left us when I was two years old, and I only knew him from the letters he wrote and the
stories that my family told, I was luckier than most.

He knows the pain of feeling rejected by one of the two people a child loves, needs and wants the most in the entire world. Raised by whites yet black himself, American yet foreign, poor but successful, it left Obama with a fierce need to prove himself.

Still, I know the toll that being a single parent took on my mother – how she struggled at times to the pay bills; to give us the things that other kids had; to play all the roles that both parents are supposed to play. And I know the
toll it took on me. So I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to
break the cycle – that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father
to my girls; that if I could give them anything, I would give them that rock –
that foundation – on which to build their lives. And that would be the greatest
gift I could offer.

See, it's incredibly important to Obama to be a steady rock for his family, to give them continuity and security. He praises the pastor of the church in which he's speaking.

Here at Apostolic, you are blessed to worship in a house that has been founded on the rock of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. But it is also built on
another rock, another foundation – and that rock is Bishop Arthur Brazier. In
forty-eight years, he has built this congregation from just a few hundred to
more than 20,000 strong – a congregation that, because of his leadership, has
braved the fierce winds and heavy rains of violence and poverty; joblessness and
hopelessness. Because of his work and his ministry, there are more graduates and
fewer gang members in the neighborhoods surrounding this church. There are more
homes and fewer homeless. There is more community and less chaos because Bishop
Brazier continued the march for justice that he began by Dr. King’s side all
those years ago. He is the reason this house has stood tall for half a century.
And on this Father’s Day, it must make him proud to know that the man now
charged with keeping its foundation strong is his son and your new pastor,
Reverend Byron Brazier.

It's too bad Obama can't stay in the church he raised his kids in, the familiar community that is so important to both black and white church congregations. But that church was hurting his election chances and he had to abandon it, to achieve his continued success. It must have hurt a great deal, but he had to be an example to his children. If someone is holding you back, leave them behind and look for something better. The point is to be a good example through achievement, after all.

Another example of Obama's fine character is his religious devotion. Like a human father, Obama looks to his Heavenly Father for guidance, help, and protection. Faith in God's love, both for us and our country above all others, shows that Obama is a true American, certain that we are uniquely favored by God and Jesus over other people, and other nations.

That is our ultimate responsibility as fathers and parents. We try. We hope. We do what we can to build our house upon the sturdiest rock. And when the winds come, and the rains fall, and they beat upon that house, we keep faith that our
Father will be there to guide us, and watch over us, and protect us, and lead
His children through the darkest of storms into light of a better day. That is
my prayer for all of us on this Father’s Day, and that is my hope for this
country in the years ahead. May God Bless you and your children. Thank you.

It's such a relief to know that if Obama is elected, the nation will change and improve. He believes so strongly in challenging society's assumptions of class, race and religion.

Kristol Goes To Lunch

William Kristol chastises Barak Obama for not calling the youth of America to fight in his personal penis-extender war. The response is so obvious that it's not necessary to state it.

Say, I wonder if McCain encourages men and women to sign up for war?

The most important weapons in the U.S. arsenal are the men and women of
American armed forces. John McCain believes we must enlarge the size of our
armed forces to meet new challenges to our security. For too long, we have asked
too much of too few - with the result that many service personnel are on their
second, third and even fourth tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. There can
be no higher defense priority than the proper compensation, training, and
equipping of our troops.

Good for you. So, where's the call for service? I'd better look again.

John McCain thinks it is especially important to increase the size of the Army
and Marine Corps to defend against the threats we face today.

Yes, yes, yes. And his call for people to join the military?

John McCain believes it is essential to be honest with the American people about
the opportunities and risks that lie ahead. The American people deserve the
truth from their leaders. They deserve a candid assessment of the progress made
in the last year, of the serious difficulties that remain, and of the grave
consequences of a reckless and irresponsible withdrawal. Many Americans have
given their lives so that America does not suffer the worst consequences of
failure in Iraq. Doing the right thing in the heat of a political campaign is
not always easy. But it is necessary.

Honesty is lovely. Now, the call to arms? Oh, this must be it.

Support a cause that is greater than your own self interest.

Yes! I'll click here.

If you take an active part in giving back with these organizations, please
submit a report of your activities so you can be rewarded through the McCain
Online Action Center.

Woops, that's just an excuse to get an e-mail address. I"ll keep looking. "Suggested causes"? No, that's charities, not military. I'm so confused.

Ah, Think Progress has the answer. McCain changed his web page. "The new page does not call for more troops and makes no mention of the “critical prerequisite” of disarming Sunni and Shiite militias. "

Hypocrisy is the neo-cons' favorite sin, and Kristol's shit-eating grin is getting really old.

Such Men Are Dangerous

Digby tut-tuts Rev. Wright, and he deserves every tut, but surely this is not unexpected. We already knew Wright was angry, unsurprisingly he's also angry at Obama. Obama had the opportunity to be another Martin Luther King, but he gave it up to be part of the power structure that considers men like him disposable. Obama refused to risk his image as a safe black man, refused to say that yes, he is angry at the treatment of black people, and he has every right to be. Just as Obama refuses to see the US as a menace in the Middle East. And just as Clinton gives little or no hint of the enormous rage she must feel at the thousands of insults and injustices women receive, especially those with brains and ambition.

However, Digby quotes something I find far more alarming than opportunism and anger.

I watched Obama today and felt very sorry for him on a human level. As Joan
Walsh pointed out in a series of sensitive posts on the subject, this is a guy who has written a book about being abandoned by his father and here comes
father figure Wright, so self-centered that he apparently couldn't accept that his own star burned less brightly than the younger man who was very
possibly on his way to becoming America's first black president.

(Emphasis is mine.)

If Obama is indeed a man searching for a father figure, that is an authority figure, such men are dangerous. He has already chosen to side with authority too many times, to protect government lawbreakers or save the world.

He will not prosecute anyone in the government. He has too much respect for its institutions. He will not get us out of the Middle East. He sees us as saviors of the world. He will not restore the rule of law. As Chris Floyd says, to do so would be to implicate those who broke it. He will support religions over secular society, out of respect for religion if not for many of those who practice it. He sees religion as an authority to succumb to, a necessary part of public, not just private, life.

"[Americans] want a sense of purpose, a narrative arc to their lives. They're looking to relieve a chronic loneliness, a feeling supported by a recent study that shows Americans have fewer close friends and confidants than ever before. And so they need an assurance that somebody out there cares about them, is listening to them - that they are not just destined to travel down that long highway towards nothingness.

And I speak with some experience on this matter.... And in time, I came to realize that something was missing as well -- that without a vessel for my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I would always remain apart, and alone."


Any Democrat is preferable over any Republican. Their time has come and gone, at least until the famously short American memory dims again and they can return to power, the next generation of Goldbergs and Podhoretzes and Bushes. But I don't think the changes we are hoping for will happen if Obama is elected. When in the course of human history did those in power willingly give up power, especially ill-gotten power that might never come again? When did people ever gain freedom except by fighting for it?

ADDED:

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Arthur Silber speaks.

Most people completely failed to grasp the breadth of Obama's commitment to
America's mythologized history in his "nuanced," "historical" speech on race, or
his unbreached determination to lie about anything and everything. They were --
and are -- incapable of understanding this issue for the simple reason that
they, too, embrace this mythology. If they are deprived of their belief in
America's, and their own, claim to being "unique" and "special" in all of
history, they will die psychologically. Our mythologized history has become a
crucial part of their own identities. Obama's condemnation of Wright today
amounts to an emphatic postscript to his earlier speech: "I meant it. I will lie
to you about anything you want. I will lie about everything."

We are not special. The United States is not moral. We are not a force for good. We built our nation on blood and theft. We do not bring freedom to the world. Blacks are not inferior to whites. Women are not inferior to men. Children don't owe their parents obedience. Blind obedience is bad. Religion is useless and harmful. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

We watch the world drowning in our lies, begging for rescue, and tell ourselves that they are waving.