Obama is finally showing the believe-any-hype public that he’s not a messiah here to save us from Hell, DC. Rather he is — how shall I put this — a politician. What’s next? Go back on immediately pulling out the troops from… Oh.
Obama’s FISA sellout: bad law, bad politics
There’s no doubt that Barack Obama reversed his earlier position on FISA “reform” legislation when he voted for that scandalous bill. It’s equally clear I think (despite Ed Kilgore) that the sellout was a political calculation, a tactical retreat, rather than a rethinking of the rule of law or the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. As kos has remarked, it was a tactical blunder. His FISA reversal was a major leap forward in the Obama campaign’s rush this summer to undermine his image as a principled leader with the courage of his own convictions. It’s a sickening spectacle of self-inflicted damage.
His apologists tend to argue that it was a clever or even a “necessary” tactic to vote against his own position in order to blunt Republican attacks. The reverse is true. Obama has simply fueled the flip-flopper attacks while tossing away ammunition he could have used on McCain.
“Obama is finally showing the believe-any-hype public that he’s not a messiah here to save us from Hell, DC. Rather he is — how shall I put this — a politician.”
Anybody who didn’t already know this about Omama shouldn’t be voting in elections…
So now I am back to voting for the lesser of two evils instead of someone I can believe in. Wonderful. I let my enthusiasm get the better of me. I should have know better.
Obama 2008 — Yes we
canmeh!Wow you are a racist to post this!
Wink Wink
Obama is nowhere as liberal as:
1) The right wants him to be
2) As the left wishes he were
The perfect centrist and next President of the United States.
You can always vote for someone other than what the Reps/Dems have to offer. Vote for the Libertarian party. If my vote doesn’t matter anyway, I may as well give it to a party that “has no shot in Hell”. If enough of us give it to said party then they may very well have a shot in Hell. Hell, DC that is.
Add:
Obama knows the batshit crazy conspiracy theorists are only 3% of the population (although vocal) and will be punching his ticket on November 4 no matter what he does.
#5 – Bingo!
#5–Carcarius==politics should be grounded in reality. Your idea gave us Bush instead of Gore. Both typical politicians but Gore did offer a “maybe” while Bush was an obvious disaster from the get-go. Just as Obama and McBush are today. So, while it hurts to say it, there is a difference we should pay attention to.
When a third party candidate arises with a slim chance of winning, go for it. NO CHANCE of winning? Get real.
As the Brits would say…”The penny drops!”
Obama: “My view on FISA has always been that the issue with phone companies per se is not one that overrides security interests of the American people,” Obama told reporters on June 25. “It is a close call for me but I think the current legislation with exclusivity provision that says that a president — whether George Bush, myself or John McCain — can’t make up rationales for getting around FISA court, can’t suggest that somehow that there is some law that stands above the laws passed by Congress in engaging in warrantless wiretaps.”
Most congressmen don’t even read the bills being voted on. At least Obama decides on the fine points.
Can Obama really be called a flip-flopper? Doesn’t he just avoid voting in Senate? That way he can claim to have not voted for a bill when it’s convenient, or say he didn’t vote against it either.
To be a flip-flopper, he’d actually have to take a stand on an issue.
You’ve got three choices in November. One of them is not to vote. Another is McCain.
Not a real tough call. So bitch and moan and ridicule all you want. Throwing rocks is easy. Live it up. In 2012, we’ll all decide whether or not he was a phony flip-flopping whatever. My impression is that Obama’s a serious person who wants to make things better. Unlike the Current Occupant. But I don’t think he’s the messiah, and I don’t expect to agree with him on every issue.
I’m not happy with the FISA sellout in general, but the fact is that the Telcos have the law on their side in this matter, and it’s doubtful that any judge would find against them based on the facts as we know them today.
On a blog chock-full of stupidity, this post stands out.
#8
I understand your logic and have agreed with that logic for a long time now. The problem is that continuing to maintain this logic will solidify the tragic 2-party system that many Americans have grown to hate.
I try to avoid the doom-and-gloom I hear and read everyday, but at some point it is time to get one’s head out of the sand (or away from he boob-tube) and try to help influence real change. To stand up and show that we aren’t afraid to vote for a party looking to uphold the integrity of our Constitution.
Besides, I can no longer tell the difference between McCain and Obama… politically. The other difference is that one is old as death and the other not so much. 🙂
>>”Rather he is — how shall I put this — a politician.”
Hey. Guess what? All politicians are – how shall I put this – politicians.
Obie still has a long way to sink before he gets down to the level of McBush.
You’ll get more thread hits if you use the Obama Sock Monkey picture.
#14 “Obie still has a long way to sink before he gets down to the level of McBush.”
That’s true. When you have NO real track record or time in public service, people have to wait to really see how bad you are. He’s well on his way though. Fast learner I guess.
I think we need to gut off his nuts.
#12–Noam==how do t he telcoms have the law on their side? They violated the FISA law. Several telco’s did not comply with Bush’s request because of the law and they did not get contracts as a result. I’m not challenging you, asking what your rational is.
#13–Carcarius==and I share your disgust with our two party system. It is not solidifying===IT IS SOLID AS CONCRETE!!! Which is why voting for Nader or Barr is a wasted vote. Again==it gave us Bush instead of Gore.
Obama might be better than McCain, he couldn’t be worse. Hold your nose, and vote accordingly====at least require your third party candidates to be well funded and on the ballot in all 50 states?
#8, four things gave us the W: Jeb Bush’s Florida, stacked Supreme Court, Clinton unable to keep it in his pants and Gore sounding like a robot.
#18
The only thing I will say about your latest remark is that the same could be said for the ’92 election when Perot stole votes from Bush Sr. and put Clinton in office. It goes both ways.
I agree with you that it went much worse the second time around. Current Bush is a disgrace as a President who served two terms. Clinton gets impeached over a blowjob and Bush gets a free pass everywhere except for maybe Comedy Central.
#20 “Clinton gets impeached over a blowjob and Bush gets a free pass everywhere except for maybe Comedy Central.”
You need to get out more. The media has been trying to kill off Bush for YEARS.
#21
The media has no effect on his policy-making because he has been able to get just about all of his policies through without any real problem.
By the way, isn’t Comedy Central part of the media? I swear The Daily Show probably has more journalistic integrity than the Washington Post.
#22 I was responding to this patently absurd and false statement: “Bush gets a free pass everywhere”.
#21
Patently absurd, eh? It depends on the context. He has not been impeached, he gets his policies pushed through Congress, he uses his powers to liquidate our Constitution. Who cares if the media skewer him, it does NOTHING to stop him.
So, if you can’t understand the context of the statement then I guess I can understand how you can call my statement patently absurd. I am curious, are you a lawyer by trade?
Furthermore, the media covers many sets. The wildly popular (~400M contract popular) Rush Limbaugh gives him a free pass as does any right-wing nutjob. That counteracts any of the other media skewering you are referring to.
#24 “I am curious, are you a lawyer by trade?”
No, I just know the definition of “everywhere”.
You apparently have a hard time accurately expressing yourself in writing. It is not a skill that is well taught in the public education system.
By your post, I can see basic literacy has been dropped as a goal of the public school system as well.
If you don’t know the definitions of the words you use, you will have a hard time communicating…
#23 – Patrick
>>I was responding to this patently absurd and false
>>statement: “Bush gets a free pass everywhere”.
Oh, but he does. In any other era, he’d have been tarred, feathered, shackled, run out to Gitmo on a rail, and be undergoing waterboarding for treason right now.
If only the MSM had any balls. Man, has this guy ever gotten a “get out of jail” pass on every stupid thing he’s ever done.
#29–Carcarius==my comment was non-denominational and non-directional. My comment that you mostly agree with is about not wasting your vote and choosing the candidate that is least worse among those TWO candidates that have a chance of winning.
I do agree Bush has a free ride everywhere from everybody. In the sense that he has taken no damage that stops him from getting what he wants=====we are still in Iraq, Oil still rules the economy, etc ad nauseum. To that end, #23–Paddy==you can only quibble with the correctness of that statement. To say it is “patently absurd and false statement” puts your character in doubt.
OK==I can see for instance that the American Atheist Society hates Bush and so does the Daily KOS, and on and on. So, yea, “everywhere” does not support Bush. But how has Bush been hurt?===Hasn’t been hurt or prevented from doing what he wants at all. So you are left with mere quibbling on the import and clear meaning of what was said.
#26
LOL
Great, a human dictionary. Good for you. You waste your time flaming people over word definitions?
I may not be the best writer on these boards or anywhere else (does that mean the same thing as everywhere? You tell me.) a + (a + b)* is still effectively the universe right?
I think people can analyze what I write and maybe understand where I am getting at.
Get a life, dude.
Check out Mr Obama’s funding from Communications…
http://opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00009638
#28
No problem bobbo, I understood you. Just putting in my 2 cents.
Oh wait… I’m just adding my thoughts into the conversation. How’s that paddy-o?… jackass.