Ex-Gitmo Detainee, Al-Shihri, Joins Al Qaeda In Yemen

This ex-detainee is now unambiguously a known terrorist, and can be dealt with as such, swiftly. If there wasn't enough evidence to hold him at Gitmo then it was correct to release him. Anyone is a potential criminal, ask any law enforcement agent and they will agree, but there needs to be solid proof. We may never know if this individual's treatment at Guantanamo drove him to Al Qaeda or if he had an allegiance with the group before hand. We send petty offenders to prison in the US everyday and when they eventually get out many wind up being worse criminals than they were at first.



The choices are simple, we could line up all of the Gitmo detainees, guilty or innocent, and execute them for the sake of expedience. We could dutifully use measures of our legal system to determine guilt or innocence individually and risk some detainees becoming an issue upon release ... Parole Boards deal with that situation daily. One path is risky, one is sure. One path represents American Values, the other doesn't.



Before people say we are in undiscovered territory in dealing with freelance terrorists I would cite the example of Ramzi Yousef. Yousef, nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, was one of the planners of the 1993 attack on the WTC. Yousef was apprehended, tried and is serving a life sentence at Supermax Prison ADX Florence. So, to our credit, we have processed terrorists successfully through our judicial system before.
About Guantánamo Bay
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kirsten Gillibrand: New York's Next Senator

So who's running against Patterson for Governor? I want to place my Intrade bet early.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gone-tanamo Bay: the Right Decision

Congressman Murtha, I have read a large number of books on the Imperial Japanese Invasion of the Philippines and the brutality of the Bataan Death March. The Imperial Japanese had absolutely no compassion for our garrison captured in the Philippines and viewed our soldiers that surrendered as the lowest creatures on earth. Our captured soldiers were beaten, starved, deprived medical treatment, humiliated, and beheaded for sport. When the war was over, Japanese Military Officers who were guilty of this brutality were tried and hanged.



In 1945 the United States Government made a statement to the world that the murder, mistreatment, torment, and torture of prisoners was a crime punishable by death.



Closing Guantanamo is a good first start, but what was allowed to transpire there was inline with what the Japanese where convinced they could rightfully do to our prisoners at places like Camp O'Donnell and Cabanatuan.



In "Cheney's Law" a post by David Bromwich I found this quote:



"When the tortures at Abu Ghraib were brought to light, John McCain said unforgettably: "We should never simply fight evil with evil." And again: "This isn't about who they are, this is about who we are.""



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-bromwich/cheneys-law_b_69239.html



Who are we Congressman Murtha? Are we the Americans that viewed ill treatment of helpless POWs during WWII in the Philippines to be so vile it was worthy of execution? Or have we become the guards of Camp O'Donnell ourselves?
About Obama's First 100 Days
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Can Progressives Grow Up? (President Obama Needs the Left to Change Its Ways)

Mr Schaeffer, perhaps the Left can refine its methods of expression, but it must never compromise on principle. I will (and do) applaud Obama for actions I find inline with my outlook and let my opinion be known if I disagree. I did, indeed, say "my outlook" because we are all individuals here. There is no Archetype Liberal, or Progressive, or Leftist ... as a group we aren't into forming up in lines and engaging in synchronized thought, that is the Right's approach to politics. So there will be times we agree with Obama and times we won't. President Obama's election wasn't the end of the story, but the beginning.



I don't believe the Left needs to change its ways. I believe each Liberal, Progressive, Leftist person should take a stand for what they believe in and express their love for their country through active engagement and speaking from their heart.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Credit Card Breach: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Customers Vulnerable

I believe the Credit Card companies must have a contract with Heartland Systems which allows Heartland to access Card Association systems in order to perform transactions. If that were the case, one would think that the Credit Card companies would perform some degree of due diligence to insure their customer data though the processor was secure.



If it was a fraud that took place at a store or business that was breached that would be one thing, and the business would be culpable, but a known Payment Processor, which would be an intermediary for debit and credit card transactions between the Credit Card companies and the Merchants would put the Card Associations and Heartland Systems on the hook for the losses, I would think.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Bush Booed At Inauguration (VIDEO)

So George got booed ... he spent so much of his Presidency in micromanaged events with preselected crowds this was probably one of the rare occasions he interacted with the American rabble. I would imagine he was actually hurt by the experience having been so insulated from reality.



All in all, however, getting booed by a million people is better then what the million Iraqis who didn't survive the rescue from Saddam that was orchestrated by Bush got.



So let's keep things in context.
About Obama's Inauguration
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Limbaugh: "I Hope Obama Fails"

Just a note to Rush's "ditto heads" ...



Folks, Rush made his money. Whether Obama succeeds or fails Rush is insulated from the economic crisis. Rush can happily cheer every foreclosure and layoff while pointing his accusatory finger at Obama with a chuckle, but it won't be his job lost, it won't be his house foreclosed on, it won't be his pension or 401k evaporating. Rush is emancipated from hardship. So as Rush plays cheerleader to Obama miscues or setbacks, and rejoices in an increase in the American misery quotient, the pom poms he uses will be derived from the shredded lives of his beloved "ditto heads".



If that isn't love I don't know what is.
About President Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Is It Time for Protectionism?

"Yet I noticed that the Philippines last week was continuing in its confidential deal with Thailand to secure a portion of Thai rice production as a reaction to last year's crisis, which hit Filipinos very hard. It is significant that such a market-fixing deal is going ahead; it is also significant that it is a "secret" deal."



I don't know if using the Philippines as an example of status quo economic reality really supports your argument. Next to Myammar the Philippines is one of the most poorly run nations in Southeast Asia. The reason that the Philippines was engaging in a secret deal on rice with Thailand likely was to head off competition from other regional rice dependent countries. The Philippines does not have the capacity to meet its domestic rice needs due to conversion of vast tracks of agricultural land for residential purposes and an agriculture policy so ill conceived and corrupt it leaves thousands of rice farms fallow during the dry season due to lack of adequate irrigation and inflated farming costs. This secret deal with Thailand for rice was likely a political move to avoid famine in certain regions of the Philippines and take negative focus off the Administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that is trying to wrangle a change in the Philippine Constitution that would allow her to extend her term.
About Auto Bailout
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The First 100 Hours Of Obama's Presidency

As we all know the Federal Reserve has extended over a trillion dollars to the Financial Sector outside of the Tarp Money that was allocated by Congress. The reason for this is the Executive Branch has the capacity to perform some unilateral acts in relation to the monetary system through the Treasury due to the Banking sector's relationship with the Treasury and the Federal Reserve which is crucial to Banking's ability to operate.



That relationship allows the President some latitude in affecting Banking practices.



The point being, President Obama would have the ability, through Executive Order, to impose a moratorium on foreclosures for an indefinite period of time while forcing Banks to renegotiate Mortgage terms with homeowners at risk of default. President Obama would also have the capacity to insist on Interest Rates on Mortgages being uniformly dropped to whatever percentage rate was required to stabilize the housing market. These were Executive Powers that President Bush chose not to utilize in addressing the housing crisis.



Within the First 100 Hours I would hope to see President Obama issue such an Executive Order to form a bottom for the housing crisis that is one of the major causes of our economic free fall.
About President Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Note to a Poop Stirrer

Mr Modine, Ann Coulter isn't into legitimate discourse, or accurate evaluation of the American experience. The purpose of Coulter's work is to keep the low information American trapped in their intellectual cave reacting to shadows. You have to give Coulter credit though, she has done a great job as a foot soldier in the divide and conquer political approach of America's Right Wing ... her potency is waning however due to over-exposure, Coulter's own outlandishness, and a resetting of American priorities.



A number of years ago a coworker of mine who was from Italy and spent his youth involved political movements in the Calabria region shared a bit of wisdom he picked up from a leftist Italian politician. The politician said simply:



"The people will accept anything you tell them as long as it amuses them and their stomachs are full."



The problem for individuals like Coulter is her amusement value has dissipated and Americans now find themselves hungry.
About Celebs Talk Politics
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Paul Krugman Letter To Obama In <i>Rolling Stone</i>

Actually, what Krugman describes is very good news for President Obama (gee I like the sound of that) in terms of the economy despite the current mayhem. Since the Fed is now flaccid, and thirty years worth of economic "Experts" of the Friedman sect are on the last train to palukaville, the President essentially has a tabula rasa, in terms of the economy, to work with.



President Obama needs to be bold and not get bogged down in preexisting economic terminologies which would be red meat to the opposition. The need is ACTION not description. The President has a tremendous opportunity to do right by the American people economically, and as has been shown by individuals like Paul Krugman (who was less than supportive of Obama throughout the primaries) there are many passionate, learned individuals willing to roll up their sleeves and aid the incoming Administration in getting America back on track.



Despite the challenges facing the United States presently, if we all pitch in and take ownership of our responsibility as citizens, and with President Obama and the minds around him on the bridge of our Ship of State, we may all have a the voyage of a lifetime before us ... icebergs or not.
About Paul Krugman
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Bin Laden's Message in the Era of Obama

Congressman Roemer, I think many Americans, like myself, are anxious for a thorough investigation of the events that led to and occurred on September 11th, 2001. I believe it still awaits to be determined whether Bin Laden and Al Qeada were the masterminds of the terrorist attacks or merely hired hands that carried out the hit on the United States.



There are, after all, about 3000 murder victims, and their families, awaiting justice ... and though it may be enjoyable to torture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to the point of madness for his participation in the crime, it is difficult to believe he is the Alpha and Omega of the treachery that occurred 9/11/2001.
About Palestinian Territories
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Questions for Those Who Think I'm Going to Hell

Mr Smith, Hell is a product of Mythology, as is Valhalla. I recently heard that the common view of Hell has nothing to do with Bible interpretation at all and was actually described in Dante's Divine Comedy - Inferno. You have to give the author credit, there is something for everyone in Hell from his perspective:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Comedy



Frankly, I'd have more concern about going to Heaven if I were into Judeo-Christian Mythology ... it seems like such a tedious place. Seems like an eternity of elevator music while all the interesting people would be in Hell.



Anyway, let me leave you with a lyrics from some of my favorite Bards on the subject of Hell



"Highway to Hell" AC/DC



Living easy, living free

Season ticket on a one-way ride

Asking nothing, leave me be

Taking everything in my stride

Don't need reason, don't need rhyme

Ain't nothing I would rather do

Going down, party time

My friends are gonna be there too



I'm on the highway to hell



No stop signs, speed limit

Nobody's gonna slow me down

Like a wheel, gonna spin it

Nobody's gonna mess me round

Hey Satan, payed my dues

Playing in a rocking band

Hey Momma, look at me

I'm on my way to the promised land



I'm on the highway to hell

(Don't stop me)



And I'm going down, all the way down

I'm on the highway to hell



(1979 Young, Young, Scott)
About Gay Marriage
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gitmo Prosecutions May Be Impossible Because Evidence Is In Chaos, Says Ex-Prosecutor

I'm wondering the real reason an ad hoc group of Afghans were rounded up and held incommunicado in Guantanamo for so long? It is known many of those apprehended were ratted out by neighbors with grudges or because of rewards given by the United States. It almost seems to me that these prisoners are little more than props used to maintain the notion of a dangerous world in the minds of Americans, allowing the Bush Administration to push forward with its goals.



On the other hand, many of today's Taliban, Al Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf terrorists began as Ronald Reagan's Mujahideen "Freedom Fighters" ... funded, trained, and armed by US Intelligence in the late 70's early 80's. Now, "Charlie Wilson's War" gave the impression that the US just abandoned Afghanistan ... but the CIA never leaves a base of operations, it may go dormant, but it maintains a presence and continues to cultivate resources. For instance, the US Military Bases in the Philippines closed in 1992, but the CIA never left.



Remember that CIA agent who was guarding captured Taliban forces and was killed? What if some of those prisoners were some of his assets? What if CIA was unsure of what they knew or were involved with? What if they could place Al Qaeda elements in proximity to US Intel personnel prior to 9/11? That would be one reason you would want to round up anyone remotely involved with the situation and make sure they don't talk freely. Just a
About Terrorism
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Myth of Bush As The Hero of 9/11

"Unfortunately, Bush is left in a catch-22. The attacks were unexpected, to say the least."



I'm not sure I agree with you.



"A report from the Philippines to the United States on January 20, 1995 stated, "What the subject has in his mind is that he will board any American commercial aircraft pretending to be an ordinary passenger. Then he will hijack said aircraft, control its cockpit and dive it at the CIA headquarters."



Another plot the men were cooking up would have involved hijacking of more airplanes. The Sears Tower (Chicago, Illinois), The Pentagon (Arlington County, Virginia), the United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.), the White House (Washington, DC), the Transamerica Tower (San Francisco, California), and the World Trade Center (New York, New York) would be the likely targets."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bojinka_plot



"The Men" mentioned in the quote included Ramzi Yousef, planner of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and his uncle Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks.



United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines



26 October 1993 - 05 August 1996 John Negroponte



Wasn't Negroponte made Bush's Intelligence Czar?
About George Bush
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gonzales Blames "Rough Economy" For His Unemployment

You know, Mike Rowe on "Dirty Jobs" might be looking for a sidekick ...



There are only a handful of people I can think of that would have the perfect Curriculum Vitae for the position ... Gonzo being one of them. Can't you just seem him splashing in the sewer with rats leaping about him or in a big rubber suit, parsing the entrails of a rotting, beached right whale from the inside?



I'm even providing Gonzo with a link to the "How Dirty are You?" self test so he can confirm for himself what the rest of us already know:



http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/games/dirtymeter/dirtymeter.html



(NOTE: If "Dirty Jobs" actually lands Gonzo I feel it's only fair that I get the Headhunter's fee)
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Exclamation Point at the End of the Story

Even in college history the entirety of the United States relationship with the Philippines can be summed up in "You may fire when ready, Gridley" and "I shall return." Nowhere is it discussed the deceit with which the Philippines were acquired by McKinley. Nowhere is it discussed how a million Filipino civilians died during the course of Philippine pacification by the United States. Nowhere is it discussed the mismanagement of resources and collapse of Philippine industries and Banks due to such notables as Governor General Henry Stimson. Nowhere is it discussed that, despite citation by military experts like General Patreaus, the counterinsurgency in the Philippines failed with the US ceding the Provinces to Warlords and merely maintaining control of Manila and a few port towns ... exactly as the Spanish had prior to their collapse in the Islands ... leaving the US Commonwealth authorities as dubious of Filipino loyalty on the eve of WWII in 1941 as they were when they first arrived in 1899. Nowhere is it discussed how FDR was convinced to abandon the US Commonwealth of the Philippines, its garrison, its American community, and its American Nationals of Philippine descent ... in essence the US's own territory in favor of defending England.



Nowhere is the US Philippine Colonial experience commonly celebrated for its success or analyzed for its failure ... likely because it would have put doubts in the minds of the American people when it came to other Imperial endeavors ... Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
About George Bush
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Israeli ground troops invade Gaza to halt rockets

"My father said to me at the end: "Slaughter isnt easy and it isnt short.""



I was a sponsor of my brother-in-laws wedding in the Philippines. Six pigs were slaughtered in less than an hour ... one thrust to the throat each. Let's hope the Israelis are better butchers than your father.
About Israel
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Dixie Chicks National Anthem

Something to think about Obama crew ... this is pure beauty.

GOP Will Filibuster Early Seating Of Al Franken

I think the GOP has become comfortable with filibustering of late because that aren't required to actually FILIBUSTER anymore ... it's like this ...



DEMS: We want to vote on this ...



REPS: FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS: Wha ..? Again!?!



REPS: FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS:You can't be serious!!!!



REPS:FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS: NO!!! PLEASE!!!



REPS:FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS: Oh HECK!!!!! nevermind ...



REPS: heh heh heh FILIBUSTER heh heh heh ...



For my money Filibuster should mean you stand there for twenty hours without a break ... no yielding the floor to a compatriot to allow a trip to the restroom ... The Republican wants to Filibuster? Let him do so until he drops. A couple of those instances and the Republicans will rethink the strategy.
About Al Franken
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Chris Matthews Eviscerates Neocon Frank Gaffney: "4,000 People Are Dead Because Of The Way You Feel" (VIDEO)

"January 26, 1998



The Honorable William J. Clinton

President of the United States

Washington, DC



Dear Mr. President:



We are writing you because we are convinced that current American policy toward Iraq is not succeeding, and that we may soon face a threat in the Middle East more serious than any we have known since the end of the Cold War. In your upcoming State of the Union Address, you have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course for meeting this threat. We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world. That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein"s regime from power. We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor."



-SNIP-



"Sincerely,



Elliott Abrams Richard L. Armitage William J. Bennett



Jeffrey Bergner John Bolton Paula Dobriansky



Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad



William Kristol Richard Perle Peter W. Rodman



Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber



Paul Wolfowitz R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick"



http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm



Please ... Enough!
About Video On HuffPost
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Iraqi Throws Shoes At Bush During Press Conference (VIDEO)(SLIDESHOW)

A lot of Chicago in the air these days ... Blago ... Obama ... and now, ala the Blues Brothers, Bush gets a chance at being "Sole Man"!
About Slideshows
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Modern-Day Pyramids

But we are thinking small here ... what about Mortgages for everyone with an ID card and the ability to make an "X" on a document? There is a lot of money for the Pyramid there! And if we encourage flipping of real estate and irrational appraisals to insanely inflate the property values, the sky's them limit for CMOs we can generate from that! Brilliant! Factor in home owners tapping into the equity of their over valued homes with loans and there is another CDO opportunity!



It is an AMAZING plan, Mr Franken ,,, and as long as the credit markets don't freeze causing the inflated securities' values to collapse (silly thought) we will be living high on the hog!



Are we good or what? Let's give it a shot!
About Economy
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Modern-Day Pyramids

Agreed, Mr. Franken.



How about this idea? A Pyramid scheme based on taking debt and turning it into securities that are then sliced into derivatives, inflated in value, and pumped into the perpetual motion machines of the World Float Market?



But how to sustain such a money making mechanism? Well first of all ... duh ... you have to get rid of all the regulations you can and compromise the regulatory agencies that remain, not a problem.



Then there is the issue of fresh money coming into the Pyramid at the bottom ... how to do that? Ah hah! Easy credit! Credit Cards for EVERYONE! That'll do it! Who cares if the card holders amass access to credit they could never pay in six lifetimes were they to use it all? it's the CDOs from their debt we want as octane for the Pyramid ... besides, draconian bankruptcy laws will keep them in line, as long as they don't all default at once, but that would require a Crash. No way!



cont ...
About Economy
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Lessons from Bernie

Mr. Solin, I am very weary of the narrative that is developing about Madoff being the "Lone Nut" of Money Managers. Of course someone with such a huge cloud of suspicion becomes a titan of his industry. Everyday, shiesters are accepted into the bosom of their community and are celebrated.



When the ENRON collapse took place everyone was dumbfounded by the irresponsible accounting practices that Arthur Anderson was engaged in ... Shocking! At the time of the scandal I was talking with a colleague whose brother was employed with one of the other "Big Five" Accounting firms at the time. His brother told him that everything that Arthur Anderson was being attacked over was standard operating procedure in the Accounting Industry ... they just suffered from have one of their clients collapse because of it. So Arthur Anderson took a bullet for the Accounting Industry and whether or not the remaining "Big Five" learned the errors of their ways will become more apparent as the economy continues to disintegrate.



I have no doubt that Madoff is a criminal and a scoundrel, but I am not ready to buy there is anything unique about him in terms of his industry.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Unexpurgated Blago: Barack Obama is a "Motherf**ker" and More

Fast forward to January 19, 2017 ...



Phone rings in the White House ...



ring ... ring ... ring ... ring ...



"Hello, this is President Obama ... Sorry I missed your call, but I am in New Orleans accepting the key to the reconstructed City from Mayor Shearer ... please leave a message of any length and I will get back to you as soon as I can."



BEEEEEEP!!!!!



"Yo President Obama ... this is Blago. I left youse quite a number of messages about the ... you know ... pardon deal. I tink I got about as much rehabilitation as I can from this Prison Establishment ting and I'm ready to do ... ah ... some a dem selfless good works ... I ah ... hears people talking about. I mean, eh, I am very sorry for trying to hock your Senate seat. I mean. dat Fitz is quite a sonofa ... I mean. He's good, very good ... how's da basta .. ah .. gentlemen enjoying being your AG? I new da guy woulda find a way into da slot ... da worm. And, about the past ... it's the past. You know? I mean, so I called you a mutha fuc ... I mean, come on it's Chicago for crissake ... people have been called worser! Listen, the guards giving me the eye ... just get back to me about the pardon ... the hair gel is crap here! ... You der? I tink YOU THERE!!
About Rod Blagojevich
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Saving the Big 3 for You and Me

Mr Moore, I bought my first car used for $1000 with over 100k miles on it, a 1970 Oldsmobile Delta 88. I drove it like Steve McQueen through the Streets of San Francisco. I'd get airborne cresting some of our hills and, with dead shocks and springs, bottom out righteously with a monstrous scrape and a plume of sparks ... it was heaven. I beat it up, rarely changed the oil and lasted far longer than I would have expected. It was a Great American Car.



Years later I got what I thought was a deal when my great aunt sold me her 1992 Mercury Sable LS, with only 16k of miles on it for $7000. The car was only driven from my relatives' home to a supermarket a couple of blocks away. The car was luxurious, with every bell and whistle you could wish for, and was an unadulterated piece of cr#p. I put almost as much money into fixing it as I did buying it. When crossing the Bay Bridge the car's engine would lose compression and cause the thing to shake like a beast was trapped within it. My terrified wife would actually pray the rosary. The Sable cured me of American cars. I haven't owned one since.



My guess is the high quality of UAW labor hasn't changed from 1970 to 1992, but the management philosophy sure did, A government buyout of the Big Three would be the answer, for Corporate Management has failed this industry.
About The Bailouts
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Homeland Security Department In Total Disarray

First thing that is necessary is a renaming of the department. "Homeland Security"? Since when did the United States of America become the "Homeland"?



"My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From every mountainside

Let freedom ring!"



Where does it say "Homeland" in that stanza? How about we dispense with the Richard Wagnerization fo the US Government and rename DHS the Department of Domestic Security? We have a precedent ... The War Department became the Department of Defense.



I hear Homeland Security and the Darth Vader theme comes to mind.
About President Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The <em>New Yorker</em> "Vets" Obama

I mean, it's bad enough to have the President-Elect sitting on the commode talking to a dog, but why in the world is Axelrod in the CR with him? Is this some sort of subliminal LBJ reference?



(Actually I'm kidding, but it does strike me as though the drawing represents the Presidential Throne on Air Force One for some reason.)
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Paul Krugman: Why We Didn't See The Economic Crisis Coming

In a previous employment incarnation I worked in a high security cash handling unit for a major financial institution. The environment had guards, team custody, double custody, pocket-less uniforms and full coverage surveillance via banks of videotaping cameras. In short, security was intense ... and yet, employees continued to attempt defalcation. Stealing. I saw cash handlers, managers, and even guards caught for ripping off the bank. And each one of them knew that every move they made was being watched.



Now look at the current mayhem in our economy ... what caused it? Why didn't the experts see the crisis coming? Well, let's see. The banks were allowed to merge their commercial and investment sides for the first time since the Great Depression in 1999 with the vacating of Glass-Steagall. Then the Banks were deregulated, and the Hedge Funds were deregulated, and Commodities Trading was deregulated ...



Hmm, if human beings are willing to engage in theft of money when they KNOW they are under surveillance, how would they behave with none?



All of these great economic minds are pulling their hair out trying to determine how this mess snuck up on them, but the one overriding factor at the heart of the matter is not to be found in any of their graphs, charts, or spreadsheets. ...



Human Nature.
About Economy
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Fox News Shut Out At Obama's Pressers

Fox News has had its back rubbed and feet massaged by the Bush/Cheney Administration for the last 8 years. Talk about access, when one of your anchors becomes White House Press Secretary ... well, you don't get much more insider than that.



Had Fox News actually lived up to their slogan "Fair and Balanced" instead of making it an obvious punchline ... maybe the incoming Administration would treat the organization as credible.



Here's an idea, why doesn't Fox News send one of its less compromised talents to cover the White House? ... or better yet, hire someone new without all the propaganda baggage .. then when a Fox News representative raises a hand someone may take actually notice.
About President Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama's Treasury Secretary A Cursing, Skateboarding "Hipster-Wonk"

"In temperament he seems similar to Mr Obama: he is suspicious of ideology, questions received wisdom, likes a competition of ideas and is keenly aware of how uncertain the world is."



In short, he, like Obama, is a member of Generation Jones ... the generation at the end of the Baby Boom who have quietly played cleanup for their highly publicized predecessors.



Where as the theme song for the Baby Boomers may have been "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow", Generation Jones tacks more for "Don't Fear the Reaper"... or "Bat Out of Hell"



" ... I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram



On a silver black phantom bike



When the metal is hot and the engine is hungry



And we're all about to see the light



Nothing ever grows in this rotten old hole



Everything is stunted and lost



And nothing really rocks



And nothing really rolls



And nothing's ever worth the cost



And I know that I'm damned if I never get out



And maybe I'm damned if I do



But with every other beat I got left in my heart



You know I'd rather be damned with you"



(Gotta love Jim Steinman)
About Obama Transition
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kinsley Warns Of Coming Blogopocalypse

Well that puts a cloud over my plans for a ZiraGlam Blog. I was thinking a site that was devoted to my Zira Planet of the Apes action figure posing in knockoffs from Project Runway would be a certain hit generator.



Zira does have an remarkable figure for a 6 inch plastic toy.



Oh well, another dream shattered,



(Oh, that would be the Original Zira poseable action figure, not the more recent "re-imagined" Zira from Tim Burton's massacre. Even Versace himself couldn't dress that Zira successfully.)
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Study: "Center-Right Nation" Narrative Spiked Immediately After Election Day

Many Americans are very much like the old man in whorehouse from Catch 22:



"Capt. Nately: Don't you have any principles?

Old man in whorehouse: Of course not!

Capt. Nately: No morality?

Old man in whorehouse: I'm a very moral man, and Italy is a very moral country. That's why we will certainly come out on top again if we succeed in being defeated.

Capt. Nately: You talk like a madman.

Old man in whorehouse: But I live like a sane one. I was a fascist when Mussolini was on top. Now that he has been deposed, I am anti-fascist. When the Germans were here, I was fanatically pro-German. Now I'm fanatically pro-American. You'll find no more loyal partisan in all of Italy than myself.

Capt. Nately: You're a shameful opportunist! What you don't understand is that it's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.

Old man in whorehouse: You have it backwards. It's better to live on your feet than to die on your knees. I know.

Capt. Nately: How do you know?

Old man in whorehouse: Because I am 107-years-old. How old are you?

Capt. Nately: I'll be 20 in January.

Old man in whorehouse: If you live."



Many Americans will be fanatically center-right until they're not.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

O'Reilly, Ingraham Stoke Fairness Doctrine Paranoia

Reinstating the Fairness Doctrine would be a good thing. Anything that dilutes the right wing rhetoric that has been allowed to brainwash vast regions of the United States for the last 20 years is of benefit to a nation that aspires to move forward and not backward. I do not see the reason to retreat from reinstatement of balanced exchange of ideas on the Nation's Airwaves.



And a bit of trivia on the murder of the Fairness Doctrine in the first place. Our friends on the Right were so thrilled with the success of the killing of the FD that they rewarded the Judges that rendered the judgment that hastened its demise with a shot at the Supreme Court.



"In 1986, Judges Robert Bork and Antonin Scalia of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that the Fairness Doctrine did apply to teletext but that the FCC was not required to apply it."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine
About Video On HuffPost
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Stocks tumble for second day; Treasurys surge

The possible collapse of the auto industry is a tangential reason for what is occurring on Wall Street. None of the fat cats are going to mouth these words:



"We spent the last 9, unregulated, avarice driven, years creating a monstrous financial pyramid scheme, designed to produce massive short term quarterly profits at the expense of long term economic stability and solvency, and that pyramid has sucked in capital from throughout the world economy, and that pyramid is in the process of rapid collapse, and we have no strategy, tools, or ability to stop it."



You won't hear those words from anyone of authority in Business or Government ... but that doesn't mean they aren't thinking it every day.
About Financial Crisis
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

World Leaders Don't Shake Bush's Hand At G20 Summit (VIDEO)

I think we are misinterpreting what we are seeing here. I would love to kick Bush while he's down as much as anyone else here, but I think I would be missing the true, important message of this snub.



These are highly choreographed events. These are World Leaders representing 20 key Nations on earth. These aren't low level Foreign Ministers.



What we have here is a repudiation of the United States of America's economic leadership. Bush just happens to be the current President. The US strong armed the World into severe market liberalization at the cost of domestic economies and hardship for the citizens of these nations. The United States promised a pot of gold at the end of Milton Friedman's Rainbow, and the pot of gold turned out to be a chamberpot of dross.



There isn't a World Leader on that stage who isn't suffering tremendous political damage at home for the state of the World Economy ... and the US, in cahoots with the World Bank and the IMF, led the world to this misery.



So we shouldn't get too giddy about Bush being dissed ... the message sent, loud and clear, to the entire World was ... "the United States did this to us."



And that doesn't make Obama's job any easier.
About George Bush
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Dow 8000: Markets Plummet Again

Oh, this is nothing ... the Markets are going to head south Big Time. We haven't experienced the crash yet. We have been bumping along the rapids on the way to the falls, but we aren't to the falls yet.



This is what people have to remember ... this is key. We are where we are because the Banks were allowed to consolidate their commercial and investment wings thanks to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999. Then on top of that all banking was deregulated, the SEC was de-fanged, Hedge Funds were deregulated and Wall Street was allowed to do pretty much anything they wanted, as irresponsibly as was possible in a highly competitive way,



So what was done was massive fraud and manipulation of float and leveraging to the tune of trillions upon trillions upon trillions upon trillions upon trillions. Now the cute thing about this fraudulently generated wealth is it is intermingled with REAL wealth. So, as this massive fraudulent wealth bubble collapses it evaporates the real capital with the fake. Oh, and just for giggles, lets remember since every bank in America became an investment Bank, every depositor became an investor ... so when you look at the corporation's predicament today ... it is due to the bulk of their wealth being tied up in the collapsing bubble too ... The Corporations have invested all of their savings and are watching it go up in smoke.



Some say Dow 5000? I say DOW 1900 ... it's over.
About Financial Crisis
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

WTF? Lieberman? Clinton? That's EXACTLY The Obama I Voted For

Mr Stranahan, I will limit my criticism until I see what concrete results the Obama Administration delivers. Currently there is a grace period, but I'm not one to make excuses for Obama if he starts screwing up. Whether or not Obama is a transformational candidate in anyway other than diversity awaits to be seen.



I will say this, however, if the Democratic Party wants to use The Left to win power and then marginalize The Left once it attains it, then l think The Left needs to develop an alternative to to the current two party dynamic in order to get its needs met. If the Democrats take The Left for granted they should be made to pay for it. It wasn't the centrists that drove this last election cycle dynamic. I'm all for Netroots using the tools of the Internet to develop a vibrant Left coalition that can then leverage the power of its voting block to get its way. I would use the Iglesia Ni Cristo voting block model in the Philippines (sans the religion), for in a predominantly Catholic Country like the Philippines the Politicians know if they don't get the support of the independent Christian InC, they will likely lose the election. That's the true political power The Left needs to develop, Obama or not.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama Advisers: Torture Prosecutions Not Likely

It would go a long way to rehabilitate the image of the United States if the Obama Administration were to prosecute domestically or aid in the prosecution, in an International Forum, the Americans guilty of crimes against humanity. Most Americans are so poorly educated they can't comprehend how far America's star has fallen in the eyes of the world. and contrary to domestically cultivated hubris, there are many areas of the world that would be more than happy to go about their business without being in the hammerlock of American influence.



Prosecuting villains from the Bush Administration would be a patriotic act that would aid the United States in recovering some of its lost credibility.
About President Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Hank to Homeowners: Drop Dead!

Representative Harman, pity poor Hank Paulson. He's completely over his head and doesn't know which way is up. Remember, Paulson got rich off the very financial mysticism that is in the process of transforming itself from Prince Charming back to into a wart covered toad.



Of course stabilizing the mortgages is the way to address the problem of collapsing leveraged mortgage securities, but Paulson and Co are straitjacketed by their economic ideology. They see helping mortgage holders as some sort of socialist handout, where in actually it would be an act of capitalistic self preservation. Paulson, and Bernanke are trapped in the contracting box of Milton Friedman's failing economic model and they can't imagine a way out ... they're doomed.



But we aren't ... all it requires is a reevaluation of the current economic reality. If you look at the trillions upon trillions of leveraged CDS and derivatives as what it truly is ... fraudulent wealth ... we can use all manner of unique approaches to solve the problem. In the case of the collapsing CDS contracts due to counter party failures, how about this? Create Virtual counter party banks to replace the collapsing ones. In essence, pretend the banks didn't fail and use virtual banks as a stalling mechanism to buy time to reasonably unravel the contaminated contracts over a prolonged period of time at lesser impact to the greater economy. Remember, this is fraudulent wealth so why pretend we have to address its deflation?



The businessmen failed, lets
About Henry Paulson
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama's Team of Rivals

Excellent observations Jacob. We have to remember that Secretary of State is, by far, the most important Cabinet position at this time in our history. With all the damage the Bush Administration has done to the United State's international image and the ineptitude displayed by Rice, due in part to Cheney's interference, Obama can not afford to turn the office of Secretary of State into a Ceremonial position. I have no problem with the "Team of Rivals" dynamic, but they need to be Highly Qualified Rivals.



Also, I don't think the DLC should be allowed a return to power in the Obama Administration, for many of the reasons you point out, but also because the Clinton Administration ( that gets credit for a booming economy that was based on the DotCom fraud and the Sunbeam model) with the DLC at the helm, wasn't a departure from the Reagan-Bush41 agenda but, in very real terms, a "New Democrat" version of the same agenda.



We need to navigate our current troubles with both eyes open and dispel the myth that Bush43 is responsible for all ill. The DLC, despite its entrenched infrastructure, is not the solution, it's part of the problem. Putting the DLC in back in power would be like following the authoritarian Doctor to the submerged bow of the capsized Poseidon. Obama needs to be careful.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

While Paulson Waffles, the White House Dawdles, and Congress Dithers, the Economy Continues to Burn.

Arianna, CNBC had a heartwarming article on their site earlier today:



"Consumers Teetering on 14 Trillion Dollar Debt Pile"

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27716231



(They changed the title of the post to a less inflammatory "US Consumers Hit by Credit Crisis, And Everybody Pays")



14 Trillion is probably just the tip of the iceberg if the Wizards of Wall Street sliced and diced and securitized, and resold, and leveraged credit card and auto loan debt as they did mortgages. The thing is, Wall Street had nearly a decade of unregulated play at our, and by extension, the world economy's expense. The American version of Columbia's recent "Dinero Rapido Facil Efectivo" disaster.



I don't have a clue what the way out of this is because it seems America's Golden Goose has been cooked, but I am fairly confident that the 700 billion bailout, coupled with the trillion of dollars the Fed has offered up behind the scenes will have little effect on the Frankenstein's Monster of Float Fraud that Wall Street and its Washington enablers have created.
About Financial Crisis
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Palin Keeps Attacking Obama: "No Present Button"

Since Palin is relying on oldies but goodies I wanted to offer some up for her repertoire ...



Getting on a plane, I told the ticket lady, "Send one of my bags to New York, send one to Los Angeles, and send one to Miami." She said, "We can't do that!" I told her, "You did it last week!"



or ...



If my mother knew I did this for a living, she'd kill me. She thinks I'm selling dope.



or maybe ...



A priest is sent to Alaska. A bishop goes up to visit one year later. The bishop asks, "How do you like it up here?" The priest says, "If it wasn't for my Rosary, and 2 martinis a day, I'd be lost. Bishop, would you like a martini?" "Yes." "Rosary, get the bishop a martini!"



No charge, Sarah (gotta love Henny Youngman!)
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Which Obamanomics?

Dr. Atkinson, I think Obama needs to consider a Neo-Keynesian approach in order to stabilize the economy then the Innovation Economics approach can be explored. I don't feel that Rubinomics has a place in the current economic dynamic, it is much better suited for when there is economic expansion taking place, not contraction.



I think for the self preservation of the US Economy the Government needs to be the economic referee. I don't think we ever get comfortable results when business is left to its own devices, for there is an inherent arrogance cultivated within the business psyche which, when combined with willful blindness and lack of self scrutiny, robs the private sector of the required tools of responsible economic stewardship.



I also don't think that the form of Government oversight needs to be necessarily draconian ... Government regulation should be more like a condom, allowing for economic intercourse between willing partners, but preventing unwanted byproducts and contamination that may spread detrimentally throughout the greater economy.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

I Was Wrong

"Fortunately, Obama and his Davids knew better. They knew there were plenty of rabid lunatics like me blogging away out there, desperate for the candidate to give voice to our indignation and revulsion. And they knew they didn't have to waste a nanosecond worrying about keeping us happy, because what were we going to do, vote for Nader? They knew that what people were starving for after the past decade was not more rage."



Um, I respectfully disagree, Paul. Obama's Campaign didn't have to climb into the mud because the blogosphere was doing it for them, and providing plausible deniability. For certain the withering attacks coming from the net to McCain's Campaign had an impact ... do you really think that McCain's Campaign wasn't trolling HuffPo, TPM, DailyKOS, etc, for what was being said? Come on, these campaigns are always in a paranoid state ... look how the bittergate post by Fowler, here on HuffPo, knocked the Obama campaign off center for a good period of time.



McCain himself said "I hate bloggers" ... because if you are a man with a lot of uncomfortable secrets a multitude of internet fanatics trying to sink your campaign are a very real threat. So the Obama campaign could keep its skirts clean while the blogs kept the McCain Campaign off balance, and fending off mirages. Anyway, that's my take on it ... the 4.7 million independent hits that HuffPo received in Sept is proof positive that blogs are drawing eyes and having
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

California Gay Marriage Banned As Proposition 8 Passes

This disgusts me.



Two Religions, one that condones polygamy and child brides the other that provides safe haven for pedophile priests is operating under the misconception that they occupy some moral high ground from which they can attack the choice of consenting adults in the State of California.



In addition to yanking the nonprofit status of the churches involved (which should be the focus of a future California Proposition) for engaging in politics, these esteemed organizations should meditate upon the concept of addressing the moral plank in their own eye before worrying about a spec of sawdust in the eyes of others.



This isn't over ... not by a long shot.
About Gay Marriage
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama Wins: How He Did It

I wanted to invoke the name of a forgotten hero of the Civil Rights Movement ... Assistant Attorney General of the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations ... Norbert Schlei.



From Schlei's April 21, 2003 Obit in the LA Times:



"Schlei was the principal draftsman of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Immigration Reform Act of 1967.



"I felt I was lucky," Schlei told the New York Times in 1995, "because I was able to turn what ability I had to something important."



Schlei had barely moved into his quarters in August 1962 as head of the office of legal counsel just vacated by Katzenbach, when he was put to work. The University of Mississippi had refused to allow James Meredith, a black student, to enroll that fall, and Kennedy sent Schlei to Oxford, Miss., to get Meredith into the school."



There were many heroes that paved the way for Obama's (and America's) Victory tonight ... Norbert Schlei should be remembered for his role.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama Wins: Why All Americans Have a Reason to Celebrate

Ah ... sweet, sweet VICTORY!!!



Thank you Arianna for creating a platform here for ideas to be argued and shared, and most importantly, for providing a place where millions could overcome the fear and isolation of the Bush years and rediscover their voice.



NOW ... the fun begins!
About Election Reaction
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

MSNBC Live Feed

Murdoch: China, India Will Reshape The World

Let's see how China and India weathers the the current financial maelstrom ... both nations are resource nations to the western economies and are therefore are very sensitive to their partners economic health. In addition, both India and China are susceptible to internal instability. India recently had bombings with many fatalities and also India, which is not widely known, has a larger muslim population than Pakistan. If fundamentalist islam has an upswing within India then being happy capitalists will be the least of India's concern. Pakistan's instability doesn't help India either. In terms of China, not all chinese are enjoying the benefits of the country's new found economic muscle. There is still a vast peasantry in China that is in no better shape now than they have been in the last thousand years. The Three Gorges Dam project has dislocated millions of Chinese and thrown them into the ghettos of newly built cities, completely divorced from their traditional lifestyles. Not a recipe for stability either.



In short, rich men like Murdoch, often think that success in one area of life grants them some super human perception of reality generally. Thinking that India and China will reshape the world is wishful thinking on the part of a Mega Capitalist who is watching his traditional markets shrink. There is as much evidence that India and China will retreat from a world role in order to address internal issues is there is of those nations taking a lead in international events at all.
About China
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Barack Obama's America

Come into the light, Lady Rothschild, don't be fearful ... you're loved! Together we can build a better tomorrow, we shouldn't react to shadows on the cave wall, we are meant embrace the light of day!



(Lady R, I must admit, there was a time I carried an umlaut in my name too, but I have released myself of the burden and now stride amongst the great unwashed with a new found joy ... yours sincerely, the former FögBelter)
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama Girl Robocalls

Whenever Obama Girl appears the Fog begins to lift so posting this is environmentally dangerous for me ... but, what the Hell?

Rove On McCain: "Very Steep Hill To Climb"

Also, I got some sadistic pleasure reading Frum's piece (it's obvious he is still smarting from his encounter with Maddow) but his advice to the GOP is a cowardly act of surrender. If the GOP were to redirect their funds to Senatorial races this late in the game they wouldn't have the time to develop a cohesive strategy before the clock runs out November 4th. The only way Republicans can sell the dangers of single party rule is to say "Look how bad WE did!" ... is that a winning strategy?



Frum has revealed he is as lost as the rest of his Party.
About John McCain
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Rove On McCain: "Very Steep Hill To Climb"

Rove's observations of individuals within the McCain Campaign being "undisciplined people who do not have the loyalty that they ought to have to the candidate whom they're serving", in addition to the revelations that Palin has gone off the Reservation and is not taking direction demonstrates a key weakness in the Candidate, John McCain ... he is simply NOT a leader. He may have been a Maverick during his flying days (possibly to his own detriment on a few occasions) but anyone familiar with the Military realizes that not all personnel are suited for leadership roles despite their rank.



You can't blame the McCain Campaign for lacking a rudder until you verify there is someone issuing appropriate orders from the bridge. McCain, despite his sterling biography, is not a leader, he is and has always been a follower ... anyone who looks at the state of his campaign can see a similarity to the fate that befell Hillary. Bottom line, if the candidate can't control and direct the strong personalities tasked with running the race, how can they command the ship of state?
About John McCain
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Sunday Roundup

Arianna, I hate to be a wet blanket but I have a major concern as it relates to California. I know the polls show Obama way up in the Golden State, but this Prop 8 measure, and more importantly the enthusiasm I am witnessing by Prop 8 proponents is underreported.



I went out to Tanforan Shopping center recently, which is south of San Francisco, and I was shocked to see a large number of Yes on Prop 8 supporters demonstrating with signs along El Camino and cars honking in support of them. This Anti-Gay Marriage Proposition, that is being advertised with a sound bite of Mayor Newsom's taunting "the door is wide open now!", should not be underestimated for its benefit to McCain/Palin come November 4th.



Remember, a lot of California is DEEP RED, and this Anti-Gay stuff is like blood in the water for them.



If I were the Obama Campaign, I would really spend a bit more time talking with California Supporters and telling them that things look good in the State, but it's not in the win column unless they show up to the Polls and vote on November 4th.



I may just be paranoid, but stealing California from Obama would be just the stealth maneuver, the Hail Mary pass, I would expect from the Rove Team ... let's not be complacent so we can avoid later regrets. This Prop 8 deal is poison.
About Video On HuffPost
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wassup 2008

Ah, everything old is new again! ... but better.

Ashley Todd Story Pushed By McCain Campaign Aide, Say Reporters

Waterloo.



Had the McCain Palin Campaign not been so desperate for this story to be true, and had they waited for law enforcement to do its job and determine the legitimacy of Todd's claim, then maybe they could have brushed this off as the tragic story of a deranged person ... no foul.



But no, they rush to this woman's support without having the full story. Both McCain and Palin personally call this woman, who is now found to only be superficially involved with the campaign, to lend their moral support. PERSONALLY, not a representative.



You can see what attracted McCain/Palin to this story like a moth to a flame. A large Black man, assaults and robs a white woman ... scars her ... molests her ... terrorizes her ... in the name of Barack Obama. The McCain Campaign must have thought it was Christmas ... Then, on top of it, a McCain Campaign aide, embellishes the story to increase its incendiary nature. The McCain Campaign has no separation on this ... they tried to exploit this sad, sad story for their own selfish purposes and it backfired ... Even Michelle Malkin smelled a rat ...



This is BAD, very, very BAD ... even if they had a month they couldn't walk this back, but they only have 12 days,



The McCain Palin Campaign felt they had completed on a Hail Mary, but discovered it to be a Susan Smith.



Like I said, Waterloo.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Ron Howard's Call to Action

Al-Qaeda Supporters Endorse McCain

In Ron Suskind's book "The Way of the World" he describes the game plan Al Qaeda has adopted to topple the US, from the point of view of an Al Qaeda affiliate in the UK, and it requires an American President who will respond with a massive attack against the Muslim World for any terrorist action against the US. The goal being to further drive a wedge between the Islamic moderates and the West and allow for the radicals, like Al Qaeda, to expand their influence in the Muslim world, while causing more of the curtailing of civil rights, driven by paranoia, within the United States. The assumption being that ultimately Americans will react harshly against the US Government's abridgment of civil rights, resulting in a further destabilizing of American society which would cause the Government to become more domestically focused in order to deal with the unrest, and less likely to be involved in foreign engagements.



So, I wouldn't view this endorsement of McCain by Al Qaeda supporters as an case of reverse psychology, I think they have reasoned that McCain, as erratic and hawkish as he is, would play right into their hands, and aid them in furthering their goals.



I would take this McCain endorsement as credible under the circumstances.
About War Wire
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Olbermann "Special Comment" On 'Real America,' Palin, Bachmann

Bravo, Mr. Olbermann ... on target as always.



It's funny how as the Right become more desperate they become more stupid ... if that even seems possible. Watching them scurry about as they do with their vitriol reminds me of the flight of the cockroaches that occurs when you turn on the bathroom light in a flea bag motel. These people have exposed themselves. What these McCain surrogates are spouting is being viewed worldwide, and once this campaign is over, though they may not recognize it now, they will find they have made themselves toxic within the very circles of influence they so crave to be a part of.*



*see Katherine Harris
About Keith Olbermann
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Racist Obama Effigy Hung In Ohio (VIDEO)

People need to recognize that if they don't evolve beyond their racism the United States will not be able to compete in a World that is multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-religious. The United States is not needed by the rest of the World, and after the way Washington and Wall Street have botched their stewardship of the US, and by extension the World, economies, there will be far fewer nations on Earth willing to cut the US a break for its primitive, back-water ways.



If people aren't willing to surrender their affection for racism for moral reasons, they should instead think in terms of their bottom line, should the rest of the world decide to go about their business with less inclusion of our small minded population.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

If you can't take the heat "Joe the Plumber" ...

Countdown: Republicans Attack 12 Year Old Boy

Obama Rally In St. Louis Draws 100,000

Whoa ... if this is not an example of supporting a candidate I don't know what is.



Reminder: Be sure to vote.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kristol: McCain Needs To "Fire His Campaign"

Who do you want to replace them, Kristol? Penn? Ickes? Wolfson?



Maybe McCain should just be a "Maverick" and adopt some hybrid Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski style of campaigning ... free from and semi psychotic ...



McCain should appear at a campaign event nude, smeared in strawberry jam, and ranch dressing, wearing a tricorne hat, and recite the Gettysburg Address in pig latin.



That'll get it done.
About Bill Kristol
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Manila Building Collapse - A Metaphor

Whether a visual representation of the McCain Campaign, the World Economy, or the Republican Party in General ...

This video covers the situation quite nicely!

Watch the W. Extended Trailer. In Theaters Friday.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Christmas comes early this year!!!

Investors: Morgan Stanley Won't Be Another Lehman Brothers

click ... click ... click ... click ... click ... the dominoes fall.



Iceland .... click ... click ... click ...



Say, Hedge Funds have been very quiet. Then again, they would be, being that they are unregulated as well ... click ... click ... click ...



Then there are Sovereign Wealth Funds ... click ... click ... click ...



Is there any uncontaminated wealth left on earth? click ... click ... click ...



68 trillion in Credit Default Swaps .... click ... click ... click ...



Notational value of outstanding derivatives = $1.144 Quadrillion? ("Derivatives typically have a large notional value. As such, there is the danger that their use could result in losses that the investor would be unable to compensate for.") ... click ... click ... click ...



... and the Scarecrow sings "If I only had a brain ..."



click ... click ... click ...
About Lehman Brothers
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Begala Previews Potential Obama Ayers Counterattack

"Normally," Singlaub said, "I would not have been interested in buried-treasure schemes, but the Nippon Star group were not naïve beachcombers. And I knew from past experience that stories of buried Japanese gold in the Philippines were legitimate." He added: "Marcos's $12-billion fortune actually came from [this] treasure, not skimmed-off U.S. aid. But Marcos had only managed to rake off a dozen or so of the biggest sites. That left well over a hundred untouched." Singlaub would be the security advisor, in return for Nippon Star giving a percentage of the take to his U.S. Council for World Freedom.



Loose Cannons p204 - "Gold Warriors" Seagrave
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Palin Misquotes Albright: "Place In Hell Reserved For Women Who Don't Support Other Women"

"The statement came after Palin had recounted a "providential" moment she experienced on Saturday: "I'm reading on my Starbucks mocha cup, ok? The quote of the day... It was Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State [crowd boos] and UN ambassador. ... Now she said it, I didn't. She said, 'There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't support other women.'"



Governor Palin misquoting a 14 word quote off a disposable coffee cup is quite an achievement. I wonder how she does with fortune cookies?



(A note to Governor Palin's handlers, if you observe her jotting down notes from the wall of a Denny's restroom for her next speech you might want verify she captured the information accurately)
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka on Racism and Obama

This is an example of America at its finest.

David Letterman-Brian Williams-1of2-Oct-3rd-2008

Had John McCain slapped an invalid, wheelchair bound child on national television he would have done less damage to his campaign than bailing on Lettterman. HUGE Mistake.

Harrison Ford: George Lucas In "Think Mode" About Indiana Jones 5

Hey George, how about this story idea?



Indiana Jones comes upon a plot by which Right Wing American Neo-Fascists, in business and military, intend on using a vast hoard of gold they discovered in the Philippines, that was plundered from the whole of WWII occupied Asia and SEA by the Imperial Japanese and hidden there in elaborately protected vaults, to fund the overthrowing of the United States government in order to establish a New World Order based on elitist, white supremacist messianic principles.



You could call it "Indiana Jones and the Broken Trust" .... sound farfetched?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Campbell Brown Shifts Towards Commentary

"As journalists, and certainly for me over the last few years, we"ve gotten overly obsessed with parity, especially when we"re covering politics," Ms. Brown said. "We kept making sure each candidate got equal time " to the point that it got ridiculous in a way."



The Right eliminated the Fairness Doctrine in order to do away with parity in the media, and for years they benefited from that by pushing partisan propagandists on television and radio from their side while attacking the MSM's "Liberal Bias".



Now we have Olbermann and other Journalists on the left recognizing that turn about is fair play and the Right is livid that the Left has caught on. Brown is absolutely correct, one doesn't need to necessarily be a partisan in media to push back against artificial and illogical attempts at balancing issues that have an obvious Right and Wrong side. Pushing artificial parity actually undermines fairness, as opposed to promoting it.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost