| 31st January 2008 09:14 AM |
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| CrissCrossMind |
"I think Obama purposely jumped on the first hint of racial issue, and ran with it to motivate black voters. I think it was shortsighted and stupid of him to do so"
once the Elephants go after his record without the kiddy gloves on ... it wont be pretty ... a very well respected Afro American stated ... "Obama is about as black as Bill Clinton!" ... Obama's mom is white ... and Clinton's dad was black (fiction) ... Obama was educated at Harvard? ... no wonder the old school money of Teddy Kennedy is behind him ... just watch out Chappa- quit it ... CCM |
| 31st January 2008 09:19 AM |
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| Riffhard |
quote:
sirmoonie wrote:
You said that Clinton injected race into the campaign to marginalize Obama. I took that to mean you thought Clinton was trying to get votes by pointing out to white people that they better not be voting for a black guy, which I assume is a racist thing to do.
I think its clearly the opposite. I think Obama purposely jumped on the first hint of racial issue, and ran with it to motivate black voters. I think it was shortsighted and stupid of him to do so because, like I said, he needs whitey.
Bullfuckingshit!!!!
Not that I give two shits about Barrack and his vapid message of "change", but if you didn't see the Hillary camp clearly play the race card then you are blind. The minute that Obama won in SC Bubba was out there basically calling the SC electorate the "black candidate's" natural base, and that Jackson won there to.
Why would he do that? Because Bill and Hill, being the political animals they are, know that they can pull the strings of the whites that may be fearful of a black president. It was blatant. It was obvious, and every single talking head, liberal and conservative alike, agreed that it was a pathetic thing to do.
I can't believe that a "real" conservative like yourself could be so blind to the pure ambition of the Clinton camp! Of course, as a "real" conservative, I find it hard to jibe your support of a man that struck down the 1st amendment with McCain/Feingold, and voted against every single tax cut that Bush proposed. Not to mention his absolute limpwristed stance on the border fence and illegal immigration.
I guess I just don't understand your "realness" when it comes to conservatism! ROTFLMMFAO!!!!!!!
Riffy |
| 31st January 2008 09:23 AM |
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| LadyJane |
Is there a choice on the ballot for "none of the above. Please start over"?
There should be, imo.
Am I the only lib Democrat who is very very wary of Obama?
What has he done?? Someone PLEASE give me a link or a brief education on what this man stands for other than "change".
LJ.
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| 31st January 2008 09:29 AM |
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| Fiji Joe |
There are only a select few "real" conservatives here...although there are many who throw the term around when it's beneficial to do so...you can tell the fake ones from the real ones by checking the label on the sole of their shoes...
Fake
Real
[Edited by Fiji Joe] |
| 31st January 2008 09:31 AM |
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| Riffhard |
quote:
LadyJane wrote:
Is there a choice on the ballot for "none of the above. Please start over"?
There should be, imo.
Am I the only lib Democrat who is very very wary of Obama?
What has he done?? Someone PLEASE give me a link or a brief education on what this man stands for other than "change".
LJ.
I quite agree. There is not one candidate that I am happy with. Though I will take any of them over Hillary.
The media wants a Dem so they will play along for a while. Then they will all go gangbusters on Barrack about his Rezko connection that Hillary so bitchily interjected into the debate last week. The media has known about this for months now and are just waiting until they play out their Barrack story for a bit longer. Then they will all turn on him at once and get behind Hillary one hundred percent. Just watch, and remember, you heard it here first.
Remember, the media does not have a liberal bias! LOL!!
Riffy |
| 31st January 2008 09:31 AM |
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| glencar |
His positions are remarkably similar to the She-devil's. There's some stuff about universal health care (pony up!) and then that "Change..." mantra. Vagueness defines this election. |
| 31st January 2008 09:44 AM |
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| Fiji Joe |
McCain has nazi backing...and he's a hell of alot closer to catholic than the mormon...I'm just sayin'
--------
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain on Thursday, giving a certain boost to the Republican presidential front-runner six days before California's high-prize primary.
The two will appear at a news conference after touring a Los Angeles-based solar energy company and the governor will make his endorsement official, his senior aides confirmed Wednesday.
Schwarzenegger's endorsement is yet another setback for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who saw Florida slip from his grasp Tuesday after McCain rolled up the support of that state's two top elected Republicans, Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez.
His strategy in tatters, Romney plans to offer himself as the conservative alternative to McCain as he pushes ahead in hopes of winning enough delegates to topple the Arizona senator when 21 states vote in the Republican contest on Tuesday.
Schwarzenegger's move comes as McCain plows ahead toward the nomination, the only Republican candidate to have won three hotly contested primaries since voting began earlier this month.
"Governor Schwarzenegger is an exceptional governor and we are honored that he has decided to endorse Senator McCain, and look forward to the event tomorrow," said Steve Schmidt, a senior McCain adviser who managed Schwarzenegger's 2006 campaign.
The four-term senator is running strongly ahead of his competitors in California, which offers a whopping 170 delegates to the Republican nominating convention. Candidates secure three delegates for each of the state's 53 congressional districts they win in the primary, in which only Republicans can vote.
The ultimate effect of Schwarzenegger's endorsement is unclear. The celebrity governor and former actor is universally known in the state, and his political network certainly will be helpful to McCain, who has virtually no organized effort in California after his candidacy nearly collapsed. The actor-turned-governor also is a prolific fundraiser.
But Schwarzenegger has a strained relationship with some conservatives in his own party and McCain, himself, is fighting to convince GOP rank-and-file that he's committed to conservative values. Schwarzenegger's nod could exacerbate concerns about McCain among the party establishment.
Schwarzenegger also is taking heat from state Republicans who argue he's been too willing to bend to the wishes of the Democratic-controlled Legislature. At the same time, California faces a $14.5 billion budget deficit over the next year-and-half, and the governor has rankled the state's powerful education lobby with his proposal to cut spending by 10 percent from state agencies to deal with the financial crisis.
McCain and Schwarzenegger have been friends for years, and the two share a bond over their work on global warming issues as well as their similar independent streaks. Aides say Schwarzenegger long has respected McCain's push to eliminate wasteful spending in Washington, protect the environment and fix a broken immigration system.
The governor offered high praise of McCain throughout the campaign, calling him a "great senator" and "very good friend," and the two appeared together at the Port of Los Angeles last year. "We share common philosophy and goals for this country," McCain said at the time.
But Schwarzenegger always has stopped short of endorsing McCain, given that another friend, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, also was in the race.
Earlier this month, Schwarzenegger told reporters he would not make an endorsement in the GOP primary, saying then: "It doesn't help me, and it doesn't help the state of California." But senior advisers say Giuliani's departure from the race Wednesday changed the dynamics of the decision for Schwarzenegger, and he decided to go ahead with the endorsement as it was clear that Giuliani's candidacy was over. |
| 31st January 2008 10:04 AM |
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| wasted |
quote:
Brainbell Jangler wrote:
I also don't believe that Hill and Bill are, at heart, the corporate shills they often appear to be in practice.
I agree with your comments about Obama. Good observation. However, the Clintons, when it comes to money, have always been what they appear to be.
This from the Wall Street Journal.
Bill Clinton May Get Payout of $20 Million
By JOHN R. EMSHWILLER
January 22, 2008; Page A1
Former President Clinton stands to reap around $20 million -- and will sever a politically sensitive partnership tie to Dubai -- by ending his high-profile business relationship with the investment firm of billionaire friend Ron Burkle.
Mr. Clinton is negotiating to end his relationship with Mr. Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. as part of a broader effort to protect the presidential campaign of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, from potential conflicts of interest. Details of Mr. Clinton's involvement in Yucaipa and his efforts to unwind it come from documents and interviews with people familiar with the matter.
The former president has had links to Yucaipa since early 2002, when Mr. Burkle -- a longtime friend and political contributor -- offered him a role there.
HERE IS ANOTHER ARTICLE WITH ANOTHER STORY FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Upon landing on the first stop of a three-country philanthropic tour, the two men were whisked off to share a sumptuous midnight banquet with Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent
Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader’s bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy. Mr. Clinton’s public declaration undercut both American foreign policy and sharp criticism of Kazakhstan’s poor human rights record by, among others, Mr. Clinton’s wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
Within two days, corporate records show that Mr. Giustra also came up a winner when his company signed preliminary agreements giving it the right to buy into three uranium projects controlled by Kazakhstan’s state-owned uranium agency, Kazatomprom.
The monster deal stunned the mining industry, turning an unknown shell company into one of the world’s largest uranium producers in a transaction ultimately worth tens of millions of dollars to Mr. Giustra, analysts said.
Just months after the Kazakh pact was finalized, Mr. Clinton’s charitable foundation received its own windfall: a $31.3 million donation from Mr. Giustra that had remained a secret until he acknowledged it last month. The gift, combined with Mr. Giustra’s more recent and public pledge to give the William J. Clinton Foundation an additional $100 million, secured Mr. Giustra a place in Mr. Clinton’s inner circle, an exclusive club of wealthy entrepreneurs in which friendship with the former president has its priviledges.......
[Edited by wasted]
[Edited by wasted] |
| 31st January 2008 10:46 AM |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
quote:
LadyJane wrote:
Is there a choice on the ballot for "none of the above. Please start over"?
There should be, imo.
Am I the only lib Democrat who is very very wary of Obama?
What has he done?? Someone PLEASE give me a link or a brief education on what this man stands for other than "change".
LJ.
The old pols like Harry Truman said the same things about JFK. Is it possible that your hesitance to trust Barack's inspirational leadership is cynicism born of years of disappointment with leaders who were either dishonest (Clinton), inept (Carter), or both (Bush 2)? Can you consider the possibility that a once-in-a-generation leader has arrived just when we need one most? Caroline Kennedy can. I know some here have hearts which are dead to hope (you know who you are), but not you, LJ. |
| 31st January 2008 10:54 AM |
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| Fiji Joe |
quote:
Brainbell Jangler wrote:
The old pols like Harry Truman said the same things about JFK. Is it possible that your hesitance to trust Barack's inspirational leadership is cynicism born of years of disappointment with leaders who were either dishonest (Clinton), inept (Carter), or both (Bush 2)? Can you consider the possibility that a once-in-a-generation leader has arrived just when we need one most? Caroline Kennedy can. I know some here have hearts which are dead to hope (you know who you are), but not you, LJ.
Or...you could just answer her question
Your blind faith in Obama is every bit as worthy of ridicule as the blind faith in God and religion which you so freely mock...At least the bible thumpers have a well-proven playbook...and a few miracles to point to in the way of a track record...what's Obama got? |
| 31st January 2008 11:20 AM |
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| Fiji Joe |
Shoot..Obama ain't even original...Dude stole his message from a children's book
I think I can
Yes we can
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| 31st January 2008 11:50 AM |
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| LadyJane |
quote:
Brainbell Jangler wrote:
The old pols like Harry Truman said the same things about JFK. Is it possible that your hesitance to trust Barack's inspirational leadership is cynicism born of years of disappointment with leaders who were either dishonest (Clinton), inept (Carter), or both (Bush 2)? Can you consider the possibility that a once-in-a-generation leader has arrived just when we need one most? Caroline Kennedy can. I know some here have hearts which are dead to hope (you know who you are), but not you, LJ.
Thank you for the compliment. 
Normally I jump on the Kennedy bandwagon, especially Caroline.
I have talked to some of his Illinois constituents, however, and frankly they aren't too enthused.
JFK had much more Congressional experience under his belt also.
I am very cynical. Who wouldn't be???
glencar said it well. "Vagueness defines this election."
LJ.
LJ. |
| 31st January 2008 12:19 PM |
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| Nellcote |
Every fiber of my being is hoping beyond hope that the former President will continue to assist his wife in losing this election. There will not be a finer moment politically yet this century. In his words, "go baby go"... |
| 31st January 2008 12:26 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
Fiji Joe wrote:
Shoot..Obama
 |
| 31st January 2008 12:30 PM |
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| Fiji Joe |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
LOL...you just pulled a Bill Clinton on me
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| 31st January 2008 12:36 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Leadership?
The only leadership we're going to get out of this current crop of politicians is a leading down further in debt. |
| 31st January 2008 12:37 PM |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
quote:
Fiji Joe wrote:
Or...you could just answer her question
Your blind faith in Obama is every bit as worthy of ridicule as the blind faith in God and religion which you so freely mock...At least the bible thumpers have a well-proven playbook...and a few miracles to point to in the way of a track record...what's Obama got?
You believe in miracles? You sexy thang! Seriously, though, so-called "miracles" are either lies, superstitious delusions or mass hallucinations. And despite sincere (though misguided) belief to the contrary, no one has ever met "God," as no such being exists. By contrast, I have met Barack Obama, and while I don't know him well, many people I do know well know him equally well. The people to whom I refer have not only the finest minds I have been blessed to know, but also the most sterling characters. Those friends hold Barack in the highest esteem for his intellect, character and judgment. That direct knowledge, and intimate knowledge at one degree of separation, is closer than you are to any candidate. I stand by my trust in Barack. |
| 31st January 2008 12:45 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
>no one has ever met "God," as no such being exists.<
That's quite a statement. Can you prove it?
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| 31st January 2008 12:45 PM |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
quote:
Fiji Joe wrote:
Shoot..Obama ain't even original...Dude stole his message from a children's book
I think I can
There is as much wisdom in that little book as in the entire Bible--without the child murder (Jephthah the Gileadite), incest (Lot and his daughters) and genocide (Jericho). |
| 31st January 2008 12:50 PM |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
>no one has ever met "God," as no such being exists.<
That's quite a statement. Can you prove it?
Obviously, one can never absolutely prove a negative. Richard Dawkins gets about as close as you can, though, in "The God Delusion." I recommend that book to all of you. |
| 31st January 2008 12:52 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
>There is as much wisdom in that little book as in the entire Bible--without the child murder (Jephthah the Gileadite), incest (Lot and his daughters) and genocide (Jericho).<
So? These stories relate the history of Earth. It says alot more about the charachter of human beings than God.
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| 31st January 2008 01:00 PM |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
>There is as much wisdom in that little book as in the entire Bible--without the child murder (Jephthah the Gileadite), incest (Lot and his daughters) and genocide (Jericho).<
So? These stories relate the history of Earth. It says alot more about the charachter of human beings than God.
Except that in each instance, it is God who reportedly ordered the atrocity. And the historical accuracy of the Bible is highly suspect, at best. Do read Dawkins. |
| 31st January 2008 01:05 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
"This is not to say there are no atheists who are rational, that there are none who are true to their godless Without God, there is only the left-hand path of the philosopher. It leads invariably to Hell, by way of the guillotine, the gulag and the gas chamber. The atheist is irrational because he has no other choice – because the rational consequences of his non-belief are simply too terrible to bear." Vox Day
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35640
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| 31st January 2008 01:37 PM |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
"This is not to say there are no atheists who are rational, that there are none who are true to their godless Without God, there is only the left-hand path of the philosopher. It leads invariably to Hell, by way of the guillotine, the gulag and the gas chamber. The atheist is irrational because he has no other choice – because the rational consequences of his non-belief are simply too terrible to bear." Vox Day
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35640
Dawkins deals handily with the assumptions implicit in that statement. More people have been killed throughout history in the name of God than in the name of atheism, even to this day. And the idea that morality derives from God or religion, ratherr than the reverse, is without merit. Dawkins demonstrates clearly the evolutionary source and function of morality.
[Edited by Brainbell Jangler] |
| 31st January 2008 01:40 PM |
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| sirmoonie |
quote:
Riffhard wrote:
......but if you didn't see the Hillary camp clearly play the race card then you are blind. The minute that Obama won in SC Bubba was out there basically calling the SC electorate the "black candidate's" natural base, and that Jackson won there to. Why would he do that? Because Bill and Hill, being the political animals they are, know that they can pull the strings of the whites that may be fearful of a black president. It was blatant.
Your latent/blatent political correctableness is beginning to show - what kind of country has this become when a white man can't mention, by way of comparison, a historical fact about a black politician's win years ago, without being branded a racist? Shades of John Bull. Shades of RP's Freedom Report. Shades of Imuscle.
Jesus H. fucking Falwell Christ, you act like the guy said he admired Hitler or something like that. Now THAT would be problematic. At least it would be for real American conservatives.
quote:
It was obvious, and every single talking head, liberal and conservative alike, agreed that it was a pathetic thing to do.
You just cited a large collection of unidentified TV personalities as authority for your position. That makes little or no sense. At least to me it doesn't.
Plus Riffy, I don't think it was every one of them. I was flipping channels one night, and I saw Bill O'Reily say Obama was playing up the race issue with respect to Clinton. I swear I did, and I wasn't even intoxicated.
I agree with O'Reilly. I'm really surprised you don't, it seems like you are blind to race baiting issues when it suits your politically corrected ways.
quote:
I can't believe that a "real" conservative like yourself could be so blind to the pure ambition of the Clinton camp! Of course, as a "real" conservative, I find it hard to jibe your support of a man that struck down the 1st amendment with McCain/Feingold, and voted against every single tax cut that Bush proposed.
You know, or should know, but probably don't, that the whole tax cut issue has been and continues to be framed as if 5 year olds were deciding it. Under your misguided misunderstanding of supply side economics, George Walker Bush III is a tax-assed liberal because he didn't cut the rate down to 1%, so we could all go home and frolic as millionaires. Hell, I'm a liberal now because I didn't propose a 0.01% tax rate in the preceeding sentence.
Despite the Bush Geeks best attempts, they were never able to quite divorce federal revenue from federal spending in real conservatives' minds - although its very clear why they would want to since the Bush Geek's core philosophy of big government, big spending, big bureaucracy, big debt is not popular with real conservatives.
You know damn well, or you should know damn well, what McCain was saying. It was big in the 90s, like balanced budgets, troop funding, war financing, and other Newtonian stuff.
quote:
Scotthard wrote: Not to mention his absolute limpwristed stance on the border fence and illegal immigration.
That man risked his life, damn near lost his life, fighting for your freedom. And as you can see, decent hard-working family-oriented Americans in the great state of Florida have resoundly rejected your skewed world view, and voted to protect our Judeo-Christian heritage. For you to come in here and question John McCain's patriotism just to advance your pro-Mormon, pro-Bush agenda is quite frankly sickening.
All kidding aside Riffy, here is something I'll post that you could probably take a legitimate shot at me for, as arguing your bizarre Obama-is-not-playing-race-politics bit shows you really want to do:
Illegal immigration is the non-issue du jour of the "right" as global warming is of the "left." Both are political and media created blow ups about matters of limited impact. Thats my relative opinion, but I do understand some of the differences with it, and could even be persuaded I am wrong on the importance of one or both. |
| 31st January 2008 01:47 PM |
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| Fiji Joe |
quote:
Brainbell Jangler wrote:
You believe in miracles? You sexy thang! Seriously, though, so-called "miracles" are either lies, superstitious delusions or mass hallucinations. And despite sincere (though misguided) belief to the contrary, no one has ever met "God," as no such being exists. By contrast, I have met Barack Obama, and while I don't know him well, many people I do know well know him equally well. The people to whom I refer have not only the finest minds I have been blessed to know, but also the most sterling characters. Those friends hold Barack in the highest esteem for his intellect, character and judgment. That direct knowledge, and intimate knowledge at one degree of separation, is closer than you are to any candidate. I stand by my trust in Barack.
Man...you can't enumerate the "change" he plans to bring about and how he's going to do it...that's every bit a kooky as your hatred for all things Jesus...and every bit a blind as it relates to his ability to do it...You know...Jesus gave one hell of a speech...everyone says so...and charisma...dang...it's been more than 2000 years since he died and people are still campaigning for him...Obama will never get that kinda cred...not even with hippies |
| 31st January 2008 01:50 PM |
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| Fiji Joe |
McCain plays the racist card....
-----
McCain Criticized for Slur
He says he'll keep using term for ex-captors in Vietnam
C.W. Nevius, Marc Sandalow, John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writers
View Text Chart(02-18) 04:00 PST Greenville, S.C. -- Arizona Sen. John McCain refused to apologize yesterday for his use of a racial slur to condemn the North Vietnamese prison guards who tortured and held him captive during the war.
``I hate the gooks,'' McCain said yesterday in response to a question from reporters aboard his campaign bus. ``I will hate them as long as I live.''
McCain, a former Navy pilot who spent five years in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp, was questioned about the language because of a story last month in the Nation magazine reporting his continued use of the slur.
Since then, reports of McCain's language have been circulating on Internet chat sites and e-mails among Asian Americans, many of whom find the the term offensive and inappropriate for an elected official.
McCain's appeal to voters has been as a wartime hero and a feisty politician who speaks his mind and damns the consequences. But his comments on the eve of the key South Carolina primary show the candidate's vaunted `'straight talk'' in another light.
``The use of a racist slur can't be acceptable for any national leader, regardless of his background,'' said Diane Chin, executive director of the San Francisco-based Chinese for Affirmative Action. ``For someone running for president not to recognize the power of words is a problem.''
While McCain's words may have little effect in conservative South Carolina, where few Asian Americans live, they could come back to haunt him in other states.
``Historically, straight talkers who say things off the top of their heads eventually hang themselves with those sorts of remarks,'' said Bruce Cain, a political scientist at the University of California at Berkeley.
``While it might not hurt him now, Democrats are not going to have any hesitation about using this stuff to string him up later.''
TERM FOR HIS CAPTORS
McCain made no apologies yesterday.
``I was referring to my prison guards,'' McCain said, ``and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend some people because of the beating and torture of my friends.''
McCain made it clear that his anger extends only toward his captors. As a senator, he was one of the leaders of the postwar effort to normalize U.S. relations with Vietnam.
Campaign officials do not expect the controversy to hurt McCain, either in tomorrow's South Carolina primary or later in the campaign.
``If people understood the context, they wouldn't be upset,'' Mike Murphy, a senior adviser to the campaign, said last night.
But the racial slur used by the senator has a long, painful history that is felt by many Asian Americans.
The word ``gook'' was first used in 1899 by American soldiers fighting Filipino insurgents. During the Korean War, the term was aimed at Koreans and Chinese. It was directed at the Vietnamese when Americans were fighting in Vietnam. It is now used as a slur toward any Asian or Pacific Islander.
The Arizona senator prides himself on running an open campaign. He is surrounded by reporters, television cameras and tape recorders perhaps more than any presidential candidate in history. Reporters are given full access to the candidate between each campaign stop on a customized bus purposefully dubbed the ``Straight Talk Express.''
The bus, which also carries his top staff and often his wife, Cindy, is crammed with network anchors and local newspaper reporters, who endlessly engage McCain in what amounts to a news conference on wheels.
The comments are usually recorded and always on the record.
Sometimes the questions are pointed and serious. Sometimes they are not.
McCain has declared on his bus, ``I hate the French.'' He often begins meetings with Californians joking, ``I hate Californians,'' noting that they steal Arizona's water and lure his constituents away in the summer.
MCCAIN'S IMPRISONMENT
But those comments are clearly in jest. Yesterday's were not.
McCain was captured after his A-4 Skyhawk was shot down over Hanoi on Oct. 26, 1967. During the time he was held, he was brutally tortured by his captors, finally reaching the point where he was unable to resist signing a ``confession.''
McCain and his fellow prisoners suffered terribly in the prison camp. In the crowd at yesterday's rally in Greenville was retired Adm. Robert Fuller, who was in prison with McCain at the infamous ``Hanoi Hilton.''
Fuller, who lives in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., spoke informally of the despair of living in single cells, where the only form of contact was by an ingenious code devised by the prisoners. Fuller said prisoners were sometimes tortured for as many as six days. When they returned, he said, the others would send messages of support by tapping on the wall.
``They would be put in ropes for six days, and they would confess,'' Fuller said. ``When they came back to their cell, guys would tap on the wall, `We love you. I wish we could give you a hug.' ''
The horrors of the past cannot be an excuse for hurting people in the present, said Guy Aoki, president of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, an anti-defamation group.
``If Sen. McCain had been captured by Nigerians, could he call those people `niggers' and think he wasn't going to offend everyone who is black?'' Akoi asked. ``We can all feel for what he went through, but if that's his level of sensitivity, I'm very disappointed.''
McCain usually treats his experience as a prisoner of war as a terrible time in his life, but a period he has moved beyond. At times, he even uses it as a punch line for jokes.
At a pancake breakfast recently, he said he had gone with his daughter to the MTV Music Awards, ``and that was the greatest assault on my senses since I was in prison.''
Yesterday's comments made it clear that McCain had neither forgotten, nor forgiven, his captors.
``I will call right now, my interrogator that tortured me, a gook,'' McCain said. ``(I can't believe that) anybody doesn't believe these interrogators and prison guards were cruel and sadistic people who deserve the worst appellations possible.''
McCain said he does not consider the comment an epithet.
``Gook,'' he said, ``is the kindest appellation I can give.'' |
| 31st January 2008 01:51 PM |
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| LadyJane |
quote:
Brainbell Jangler wrote:
You believe in miracles? You sexy thang! Seriously, though, so-called "miracles" are either lies, superstitious delusions or mass hallucinations. And despite sincere (though misguided) belief to the contrary, no one has ever met "God," as no such being exists. By contrast, I have met Barack Obama, and while I don't know him well, many people I do know well know him equally well. The people to whom I refer have not only the finest minds I have been blessed to know, but also the most sterling characters. Those friends hold Barack in the highest esteem for his intellect, character and judgment. That direct knowledge, and intimate knowledge at one degree of separation, is closer than you are to any candidate. I stand by my trust in Barack.
With all due respect, BJ, you have just provided me with another example of a NON specific reason to support this man for POTUS.
He has charmed you and your associates.
Hitler was pretty damned charismatic too.
I remain very very skeptical.
Facts...show me facts.
LJ. |
| 31st January 2008 01:56 PM |
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| Starbuck |
quote:
I remain very very skeptical.
Facts...show me facts.
LJ.
LJ...you have to admit....
would an untried black man with a funny name be worse than the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave?
I don't know why you all are saying this election has such a dearth of leadership and solid candidates. i would take mccain, obama and hillary over the 2004 nominees from each party. actually, there hasn't been a really solid amazingly good candidate in my lifetime.
why not give barack a ry? |
| 31st January 2008 01:56 PM |
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| Fiji Joe |
quote:
LadyJane wrote:
With all due respect, BJ, you have just provided me with another example of a NON specific reason to support this man for POTUS.
He has charmed you and your associates.
Hitler was pretty damned charismatic too.
I remain very very skeptical.
Facts...show me facts.
LJ.
And Jesus...why is no one talking about Jesus?...He fed a whole buncha people with just a little fish...and created a movement that is still moving today...and brought "change"...real change...and not once did he play the race card...Jesus is far superior to Obama |
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