BIDEN: We shouldn’t be there, Chris. We should not be there now. We’ve got to get out of there.
Look, Chris, on my way back, I was supposed to fly out this last Friday on a C-130. And on that flight, they placed what they call-and this is heart-wrenching-they refer to every one of those bodies as a “fallen angel.” They put six fallen angels on that aircraft. And you know, Chris, what do you say? Why did they fall? What do you say? What do you say to their parents? What do you say to those troops?
And you know what? They’re incredible, Chris. I’m not one of these guys that gets on every time and talks been about, Oh, I love the military, and the rest. But let me tell you something, Chris. I’ve been over there eight times. These kids are brave. They get in these vehicles every damn day, and they ride out on those roads, some of them having been hit already, knowing that their chance of getting blown away is overwhelming, and they do it every day.
And what are we doing now? We are not telling the American people the truth about the failure in Iraq, and we are not having the courage to have a fundamental change in policy withdraw, change the dynamic, eliminate the footprint, move outside the cities, get out of this civil war, insist on a federal system, bring in the international community.
Heck yeah. We need this. Each of us had their “dream VP” and some here don’t even like Biden. Irrespective of where you stand on this pick, I think we can all agree Biden’s blunt and direct criticisms of GOP policy is a strength we’ve all craved from the Dems for a long time.
Even if you can’t stand the player, you gotta respect this part of his game. I wish I saw more action from Biden to support this rhetoric, but seeing more of this Joe Biden in the next 73 days will help make up for it.
Biden is outspoken enough to make the GOP squirm magnificently – I can’t wait to see him debate Mittens, or whatever other hapless Republican stooge gets the nod as McCain’s VP.
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p>This clip from “The Daily Show” about torture is one of my personal favorite Biden moments. The whole clip is worth watching – Biden’s bit begins around 4:30…
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At 5:30, when Biden explains why torture is bad, is his very best moment in his political career. That moment balances out a lot of concerns I could have…a good choice all in all for Obama.
My favorite Biden moments are the following- spoken with conviction and honesty
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p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
…with that ad. When the fleas come home to roost after he makes his pick, he’ll regret having brought that up. Please McSame, pick Mittens for VP, oh please, oh please…
You wish Obama had audio and video like that
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p>Powerful ad
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p>Do you have a Republican VP candidate on tape saying how John McCain should be the next President?
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p>This ad will run non stop until the election.
especially if McCain picks Romney. We’ll see what happens when he makes his pick…
Voted for “A joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.” in October, 2002. Now wants out. Voted for the Patriot Act and extention. Seems to agree with conscription. Can’t see where he is for torture. Claims to be a Zionist. At 30% absentee this session, he shows up for work more often than Senators McCain, Obama, Clinton. Who could want more?
Joe Biden is an outstanding choice and it demonstrates Barack can handle having someone with strong views in the room with him!
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p>Watch out though, it is just a matter of time before Michelle has a blow out with Joe.
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p>We are not electing Michelle POTUS and she does not tell everyone else what to do and how to think!
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p>I support Barack and Joe 100%!
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Today’s rollout and my own personal examination of Biden’s career and other Biden moments have won me over. America needs a leader willing to compromise, willing to see the other side, willing to get things done and unite the country behind his efforts. That leader is Barack Obama.
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p>Our party and country also needs a leader that is a fighter, that is willing to attack those people that seek to continue the failed policies of the last eight years, attack them for being wrong. While also fighting for the values that we know are right. That leader is clearly Joe Biden.
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p>Obama/Biden 08: Ticket to Victory!
I was pulling for him.
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p>What makes me even happier is how happy the punditry seems to be. Chris Matthews is already in full man crush mode. David Brooks wanted Biden on Thursday. If Cokie’s on board tomorrow, it will be a clean sweep. (Fox News already received the RNC talking points so they’re all set).
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p>What makes me even happier is not having to look at Evan Bayh’s hair for the next few months.
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p>And can you picture Biden debating Romney or Pawlenty?
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p>Mark
I have been fretting the Obama-Hillary ticket for a few months now and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. SHE was Obama’s chance at POTUS and Michelle has vetted Hillary and the Presidency away.
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p>I like Biden, for the most part, but I still believe the VP doesn’t sway too many voters (except in Hillary’s case). Biden has many of the same issues Dems accuse McCain of so there should be some interesting discussions (not on the main stream media of course since they are sooooo in the tank for Obama).
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p>I hope Chris Matthews has a box of diapers to handle his wetting his pants with excitement all week. BTW, Keith Oberman has been in overdrive these last few days spewing at FOX and McCain and is a total disgrace to the “Journalism” community… or do people believe he is “fair and balanced”? Watch him and decide for yourself.
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p>Go McCain and “anyone” else.
Olbermann hammers the right and often espouses left-wing views? I, for one, am shcocked! What’s next? Are you’re going to tell me Glenn Beck has a right wing bias?
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p>It’s no secret Olbermann’s show has a slant, but unlike his Fox competitors, there is no pretense of “fair and balanced” neutrality. Everyone knows Keith’s op-ed position and he doesn’t hit viewers over the head with “fair and balanced” lies.
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p>There is a lot of editorializing on the show, but it’s also filled with quality journalism.
And while I am not a frequent viewer of his show I have NEVER heard him espouse the show as having any slant at all. However, maybe I am wrong and I will be listening to hear either Keith or Chris “espouse” to the world that they are biased or have a Democratic slant before they try to pass themselves off as journalists.
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p>FOX certainly has a bias but at least they have some point/counter-point discussions with Hannity AND Colms.
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p>PS I don’t blame you for avoiding talk about Biden and addressing the sub-topic of Blabberman and St Matthews.
He was chosen not because he’s a great debater – his role on that show is to provide weak-kneed responses and make liberal viewpoints look silly. You’re being played for a fool John, and you’re filling the role admirably.
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p>My new favorite bumper sticker:
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p>Which kind of Republican are you, John?
pro-life social conservatives…not all people vote republican because of the tax breaks…
…they’re suckers. Pro-life folks have been suckered into supporting the GOP with promises of ovewrturning Roe v Wade – yet with control of all three branches of government for 6 years from 2000 through 2006, they failed to do so. Why? Because if they did overturn it, they’d lose it as a wedge issue. The GOP is no more interested in overturning Roe v Wade than I am, and anyone who believes otherwise is a sucker.
I also believe the GOP has ZERO interest in overturning Roe. I keep trying to tell Dems this who are using it as a stick against Republicans, trying to scare women that McCain will overturn it and it is simply not true.
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p>I also believe the remark about being either a millionaire or a sucker is bogus, but fools should continue to try this charade question game. BTW, isn’t Obama the candidate getting most of the “rich” vote? Whatever your type of Republican (or crossover Democrat or Intelligent Independent)… go to bed tonight with the good feeling that Obama (the Elitist, racist, socialist, liberal hypocrite) is done, the polls will show this in another 30 days. McCain and ? will win the Presidency and the Dems will blow yet another great opportunity due to their splintered party and pathetic cast of nominees. Unfortunately the suckers as you call us are the American people for electing the God awful cast of misfits and undesirable called the Congress. THEY are pathetic to the point of disgrace and that includes our time-tested pukes including Teddy, Johnny K, Barney Frank and others. They SUCK and we (you people) keep reelecting them.
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p>Hillary was the straw and Obama just smoked it. Thanks BO and thanks to all the video clips we will be seeing over the next few months. Let’s all look at his face again in the clip of Biden saying Obama isn’t ready to be President… I love that face. Wish I could have seen Kerry’s face when he got word in 2004 that he lost the race… priceless.
That rambling response you just gave qualifies for a line from the movie Blazing Saddles:
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p>While the GOP has no true desire to overturn Roe, they continue to dangle it in front of the anti-abortion crowd, and the danger that they may do so someday is reason enough to keep them away from the levers of power.
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p>As to your characterization of Obama, nothing could be further from the truth – and I’ll definitely be watching the polls the next few weeks, but your fever dreams are not what we’ll be seeing.
And all I could muster was a minor in incoherency, as well as bigotry, homophobia and of course misogyny.
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p>Being a proud Republican I for one can attest that I have no delusions of Roe being overturned nor do my other “Millionaire and sucker” Republican friends. Any dangling from the Republicans is probably no different than the “dangling” of serious controversial issues that the Dems do (Obama “shifting”…) to their peeps.
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p>I’d propose we have a gentleman’s bet on Obama. I proudly wear my “NObama” stickers on all my cars and even in MASS get honks, cheers and “Where did you get that?” requests. Obama is going down and I am now more convinced. If I’m wrong, so be it and I will hope for the best, but I certainly feel better with Hillary NOT on the ticket.
… Al Franken referred to the the show in one of his books with the “Colmes” in very small typeface in his text. Can’t recreate it here on Soapblox I’m pretty sure.
NOBODY! There is nobody to rebut the swill coming out of his trap or the blabbing of Mr. shivering legs (Matthews). Alan Colmes may be a light weight compared to Hannity but at least he’s there to fight the fight. Olberman doesn’t have the balls to have anyone sitting there giving it back to him. He’s gutless plus he’s too busy poking fun at Bill O’Rielly every night as the ratings blast him out of the water.
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p>And you are right that KO never said he was “fair and balanced” but I think HIS phrase of “”correct” and “neutral” is a joke.
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p>Speaking of losers… how’s Al Franken’s radio show doing?
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p>O’Reilly kicks Olberman’s ass…
EVERY conservative talk show host kicks Franken’s ass…
Now, McCain will kick Obama’s ass.
Game.
Sean Hannity is playing you for a fool – Alan Colmes is scripted to say the moronic things he says, that whole act is just that, an act. Would it make you happy if KO employed a token conservative to “argue” with him? I doubt it – and I know that I wouldn’t watch a show like that. As to KO spewing swill, you’d have to provide some specifics and show where he’s wrong – and the ratings in the real world tell a different story than what you’re spewing there. As to bias, he’s biased towards the truth – it’s too bad you wouldn’t know the truth if it busted you in the chops.
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p>The Republicans and their media mouthpieces are playing you for a fool, and you’re eating it up like it’s candy – open your damned eyes, will you?
I read your comments as I always do John. I just don’t agree with you, ok?
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p>Talk about playing a fool… listen to you. Anyone disagreeing with you is wrong, anyone having a different opinion is a fool, Fox has tokens, Keith Pukerman having an opposing view to keep him semi-honest would be shrill… Why not consider you could be wrong… hey I could be wrong.
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p>I know Fox has a bias towards the right and thank God they do since every other moronic lock-step faux journalist/reporter is in the tank for the left. If you have s ingle unbiased bone left in your body, try to objectively listen tot he media this week during the convention. They will be slobbering all over themselves when the left anoints BO and speeches from the random Kennedys and other “establishment” liberals give Matthews an erection. But just wait until the Republicans have their convention and the announcers go stale. They will criticize the Republicans endlessly.
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p>The race is very close right now which makes it very interesting. Unfortunately niave elitist like yourself conclude half the country are a bunch of fools for believing in their candidate. Were all the people who voted for Hillary or Biden or Richardson fools during the primary for not voting for Obama? Grow up and be a little more tolerant of people with differing political views.
The media being in the tank for the left. They give Obama a way harder time than McCain, imagine if Obama had half of McCain’s dirt..
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p>This morning the headline on CNN is all about how the democrats have to make a case for themselves at their convention, like, hello? Which party was it that ran the country into the ground over the last 8 years? Do they have to make a case for themselves too? Or will we get articles about how they’re reaching out to the ‘heartland’ or some BS
Let’s watch the media reports and the reporting this week from the convention. We can throw FOX out since they will be critical but Keith, Chris, Andrea Mitchell and the paper media will be gooing and gaaing (IMO). If I’m wrong then I will be a grown up an admit it. If not, I would hope some other grownups here will step up.
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p>With the polls showing things tight of course the Dems have to do “something” to break the logjam. “make a case” might be a good way for a reporter to phrase it. The GOp did not run the country into the ground either. When the REP convention starts I’m sure they will say similar things about “making their case…”.
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p>I’m from the northeast and always have been but some people tell me that heartland folks and others do think differently than I/we do so maybe that strategy has merit. Just a thought.
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They’re spectators and that’s what spectators do. But they hold Obama to a much higher standard and every minor flaw of his goes under the microscope, while huge disasters by McCain get swept away.
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p>Imagine if Obama had offered to have his wife strip for a bunch of bikers? If he had confused Sunni and Shi’a repeatedly on camera? How do you think the coverage would look?
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p>Meanwhile McCain does all this and more, promises explicitly nothing beyond a continuation of Bush policies, and it’s “oh Obama has to prove himself” from the media. Prove what?
Obama said his grandmother was a typical white person regarding her fear of blacks and the press barely mentioned it. McCain saying this of black people would have needed his bid. Sunni Shia is right up there with 57 states… they make mistakes, it happens. Those are different than Joe Biden saying you had to speak Indian to get a coffee at a 7/11. That’s not a verbal mistake, that’s an ethnic stereotypic slur. Picture McCain going to the predominantly black area and commenting how he’s been looking forward to some good fried chicken places. He would be sunk, but not Joe Biden.
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p>McCain didn’t offer his wife as a stripper… he didn’t know what the pageant was about and probably assumed it was a beauty pageant, c’mon.
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p>The bias in the media is more about momentum. Obama would win a state in the primaries by 4 points and he “pulverized” Hillary. She would “eek” out a victory winning by 6 points. Check the Globe for headlines back then. Obama would attract 15,000 people for one of his speeches while the sub headline would be Hillary wins state. If it weren’t for Edwards the adulterer Hillary would be the nominee. The press just WANTS Obama to win and they will spin it every chance they get to make him the news. His European trip was another example where they pulled out all the stops. Their excuse is they are just “covering” the news but in truth they are help “making” the news.
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p>The whole “prove himself” thing is because he has no Senate record to speak of. Plus with his waffling over the last 3-4 months, even his supporters are trying to figure him out. Many BO supporters on this site have been very unhappy with his “shifts” on issues like FISA, offshore drilling… Not enough to make them not vote for him but clearly he has confused some.
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p>Be they good or bad at least McCain (and Biden) have records which you can dissect. Obama has none so he must prove himself.
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p>Anyway, that’s my opinion which could be wrong.
But I think the point still stands that McCain gets off the hook with far too much regularity. This is the guy who’s supposed to be the expert, he flubs basic ‘intro to the middle east’ stuff regularly, it happened like 4-5 times. But the “narrative” is still all about “does obama have the foreign policy gravitas he needs” Come on here.
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p>I’m holding that McCain has yet to be skewered by the media, fairly or unfairly, over anything while Obama’s in a position where the slightest slip and they’re gonna pounce all over him. I don’t think it’s ideological, it’s a consequence of them wanting a good matchup, plus everyone likes to see a “celebrity” get taken down a notch. Meanwhile McCain’s the one who lives like a rock star while Obama actually has a normal home life. All I’m saying is McCain supporters can’t complain.
Let’s see how the week plays out and then resume this thread next week. I am not above admitting being wrong but this is a strong visceral feeling. We’ll see and thanks for the back and forth.
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p>McCain the Rock Star??? Are you serious? Did you see Obama’s World tour 2008? WHo’s having his speech at Denver Stadium?
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p>Go McCain 🙂
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Hannity and Colmes
Like our boy said – stick a fork in Obama – he’s done
What Obama did is win Biden over.
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p>What Obama did is show that, like Lincoln, he not only can handle criticism, but critics.
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p>Not only is Obama NOT NOT NOT done, Obama impressed me by not being afraid of strength, and able to manage rivals and make them allies!
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p>Way to go, Obama.
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p>So run that bit of past histrionics, Republicans and waste your war chest on it. You will only fool the suckers who aren’t paying attention to current events.
You guys would celebrate the VP choice no matter who it was. Some morons were even thinking Caroline Kennedy would be a good choice (Hey, how many houses do the Kennedy’s own?)
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p>Then there are the people who support somebody so blindly that they take the “ya, I know it sounds stupid but this was actually genius” approach. I worked at a company where a “well connected” manager is Customer Service was selected to head sales which shocked us sales people. The spin was “this is a superb choice since this guy has never been in sales and hasn’t been soiled”. He failed miserably within 6 months and was gone.
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p>And again, funny how a guy goes from being a possibility with all sorts of reasons why NOT to pick him… to “The best pick possible” when he finally gets picked. You guys would say this about ANYONE who was picked.
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p>Go drink your Kool-Aid AmberPaw. Your boy is going down.