Well, JimD, that's the whole point of actions of "moderates" and "mavericks" in today's GOP. They grab the headlines for "standing up to the White House" but then they give everything it wants.

Tina, nice try, but if Condi Rice really had any credibility in the Middle East, she lost it over the weekend by telling al-Aribyah that mistakes were made in Iraq but that the time to talk about it would be when she goes back to Stanford so she can write a book about it. In other words, "Yeah, I screwed up, but if you want to find out how, it'll cost you." It must suck to be a total shill because of the distance required between you and reality.

Some Democrat in here was blaming Condi for each and every bad decision or questionable behavior from every member of the Bush Adminstration. That seems a bit harsh. Why would I blame Al Gore for all the corruption from the Bill Clinton Adminstration, or was he part of it? If not, then he could run again in 2008 and defeat Hillary, who could be directly blamed for illegal money flowing into the 1996 campaign. Most of the smart people who were alive during the White House coffee scandals have a vision of Hillary's fingers on those coffee cups.

More to the point, right now, Secretary Rice is picking up momentum on the Middle East relationships which will fit into place with the Iraqi Study Group. She is going to be a major influence on whatever foreign policy comes out of the White House in the next 2 years. And if it is successful, she gets FULL CREDIT for a job well done.

I think the Democrats and liberals who come into and badmouth Condi are just afraid she could compete against Hillary and Barack Obama. So by dragging down Condi, these people think they can score points for the Democrats. Guess what? You guys need to clean up your own party to make sure your side can win the majority of support to win back the White House. Character assassination against Condi based on the misbehavior of Rumsfeld or Cheney is just silly and no realistic person would blame her for anything done by those guys.

One word describes John McCain: DUPLISTIC. I don't trust him anymore than W, and the vote goes to W for being obvious about his major priority: to make the rich as rich as possible and the rest of us can eat grass. Republicans coined the phrase FLIP-FLOP and McCain has perfected it. He is nothing more or less than a political hack. At even the hint of popular position on a given mopment, he falls over himself to slobber all over an amazingly naive media and get his mug plastered all over the tube. I hope the last election is a harbinger of a voting public's at last understanding what the actual objectives of most conservative is: to keep our salaries as low as possible and their favorite people's bankrolls as obscenely fat as possible.

You know, McCain should have thought out this whole social conservative thing during the 2000 campaign. Fresh off a win in the Michigan primary, and while campaigning in Virginia prior to its primary, he inexplicably began criticizing people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Then he ended up losing Virginia by a landslide and then lost most of the Super Tuesday primaries a week later. I'm not saying that cost him the nomination in 2000, but it could not have helped. I don't think social conservatives are going to be so quick to forgive him this time around.

http://commenterry.blogs.com

Steve,

I goofed - Hagel has been criticizing the administration's handling of Iraq for so long I got the false notion that he had voted against it.

Whether he survived his term or not is not really the point. His world view is too old and his kissing up to the Bushies shows he will do anything to become President.
Hagel is another Corporationist, backing everything Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Financial, etc. wants.
As far as Iraq, well, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

JimDinFL, I have to straighten something out for you: Chuck Hagel voted for the War in Iraq. The only Republican in the Senate to vote against it was Lincoln Chafee, who lost his seat to Sheldon Whitehouse because he was unable to pull off the balancing act of appealing to the right in the primary and the decidedly liberal general electorate.

That being said, in Congress there is no such thing as a Republican moderate. The only time in the last six years that something passed that the GOP leadership opposed was McCain-Feingold. They are masters of the "catch and release" and the one-vote victory. As Barney Frank put it, "They say that they vote with Tom DeLay 70% of the time but they vote with him 100% of the time when he needs their votes."

Hagel and McCain are totally unprincipled. They make these huge gestures of outrage and concern about something Bush did (the former the war, the latter torture) to get the headlines, and then they give Bush everything they want. Either they are dupes or they are enablers. Neither is attractive, but I would say that the latter is the more accurate of the two.

As a Democrat, I personally think that the Republican nominee is going to be someone to come from nowhere a la Clinton in 1992. McCain is repellent to too many conservatives I know to win the nomination. As soon as they find out Giuliaini's stands on social issues, it's over. Romney will not win because the Religious Right will not accept a Mormon. Gingrich flamed out and don't think that people who remember Newtie's days in Congress won't dredge up his past.

On the question of which Republican scares me the most as far as chances to win in Nov., I think that would be Mike Huckabee. He is conservative on social issues but he also worked with the Arkansas Legislature for universal health care for children and increased the state minimum wage, which makes me think that he is probably the biggest threat to a Democratic victory in 2008, other than Hillary Clinton.

For those of you defending McCain's age a la Ronnie.... remember Ronnie slept through most of his second term.

Hagel will be a sleeper, he's slick. A little Hagel history:

In 1996 when Hagel first ran in Nebraska for the U.S. Senate, his company's computer-controlled voting machines showed he'd won stunning upsets in both the primaries and the general election.

According to Bev Harris of www.blackboxvoting.org, Hagel won virtually every demographic group, including many largely Black communities that had never before voted Republican. Hagel was the first Republican in 24 years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska.

Six years later Hagel ran again, and as his website said, Hagel "was re-elected to his second term in the United States Senate on November 5, 2002 with 83% of the vote. That represents the biggest political victory in the history of Nebraska."

What Hagel's website fails to disclose is that about 80 percent of those votes were counted by computer-controlled voting machines put in place by the company affiliated with Hagel.

So, does Hagel still sound attractive? I would guess he has a very good polling organization and his finger has been testing the Iraq wind, and perhaps leaning on the voting keys too.....

http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com

I didn't know that Age Discrimination was as prevalent as it seems to be from these blogs.

People who are 20 can be total idiots for 70 more years.

Others who are 90 think as young as they need to, to keep pace with today's world.

It ain't the chronological age, guys; it's the mindset.

Capeman

Chuck Hagel voted against the invasion of Iraq. It would be very interesting to see an opponent of the Iraq war get the GOP nomination. He would be a real dark horse, though.

As for life expectancy, the life expectancy of a US male who has reached 72 is 83. The 74.2 years life expectancy is calculated from birth. The older one gets, the higher one's life expectancy is.

and McCain is too old to be POTUS. Life expectancies for white males is 75.4 years, for someone who spent years in a POW camp, probably lower.
We need to get away from electing geezers to the White House. Their world view is from the Eisenhower/Goldwater era. The world has changed a bit since then.

As far as the Republicans in '08 are concerned, it is going to be the outsiders who will win. Those who were involved in hyping, starting, and running this war are going to be on the outs with the electorate this time around.
McCain realizes that the only way he (or any Republican who is in Congress or the Administration) can look like an outsider is by running to the maniacal right on the war ("More troops! More body bags! They ran the war wrong! It's not my fault!") so be prepared for that tactic.
The fact that he/they voted for this sinful war and failed to do any oversight in regards to it will damn him/them to losing the Presidency.

My first instinctive reaction to the letters about Condoleeza Rice was, Why? Ms. Rice has recently stated on Meet the Press that she, unequivocally, will not run in 2008. Then, it hit me. She is part of an administration that will lie about anything, anywhere, anytime, and, so, just because she says she won't run, probably means she will.
After all, you know how you know a Republican is lying.
Their lips are moving.

Much of the failure of the police officers in Afghanistan seems to be due to the lack of an effective field-training program. Although claiming the gist of the report is accurate, experts who have knowledge of the police force in Afghanistan criticized that the report failed to take a hard look at the role of private contractors in the training. DynCorp International has received most of the $1.1 billion the United States has spent on training in Afghanistan. As an interesting side note, the article mentions in passing that approximately twice as many police advisers have been deployed in Afghanistan than in Iraq.

JayPe

I pretty much agree with your assessment of the main Republican candidates. However, from a politics-as-sport prespective, I think the race will be fascinating for what it reveals about the competing factions within the Republican party. I have stated here that I believe that Giuliani would have a very difficult time winning the nomination, but - if the field is very fractured he might squeak by. Should that happen, there will undoubtedly be a third party challenge from the religious right.

As for the identity of a Republcan dark horse who could inspire people - I would propose Chuck Hagel.

Well see McCain is the Republican golden egg as far as war veterans goes. However, I am hoping that the newly elect party put much needed closure on this Iraq War by 2008. The man is a flip-flop with no charisma! Really him and Gulliamni are two ugly cats that I don't want to see on for four years. Heck for all we can say about Bush ugly attitude - Thank God his face doens't reflect his inner soul.

DWC,

The fact that McCain will be 72 years old is irrelevant.

If McCain would be unable to fulfil his duties properly because he is old (ie tired, exhausted) then that is relevant. Thats why the Presidents medical is released to the public (correct me if I'm wrong...)

Everyone needs to make sure they don't just say "he's too old to be POTUS", age is not the issue...

Unrepentant Liberal is totally right.

The Democrat contest is quite exciting, with a lot of diverse options (NATO Commander, controversial First Lady, couple of red governors, flamboyant Latino with lots of history, rock star black guy who's burst onto the scene, couple of Senators who dream they can win)

By contrast the Republican contest really doesn't grip me. None of them seem like POTUS material. McCain & Gingrich are past it, Guiliani is only famous because of 9/11 (when he responded in exactly the way Bush didn't to Katrina), Romney has too many questions (Mormonism, changing positions, one election win and poor RGA performance) and others (Brownback?) just don't have it.

I am longing for a Republican dark horse who has a good record, speaks well and inspires people. Where are they? Is Huckabee likely to run?

McCain 2008 - 72
Reagan 1984 - 73

Ageists are just as bad as racists.

'Kicking off this whirlwind tour of war profiteers this week is the expansion of the Blackwater USA empire to Illinois. In addition to the 7,000-acre training facility in North Carolina, Blackwater is expanding with an 80-acre facility in Mount Carroll, Ill. Coming soon: A facility in southern California and a 25-acre camp in the Philippines.

The following day, a judge ruled that the wrongful death suit against the security company may go forward, ending nearly two years of litigation.

Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens' decision means the families of the murdered contractors can start pressing Blackwater Security Services for documents and testimony about what led to the massacre shown on televisions and in newspapers around the world.

The suit was filed by the families of the four slain Americans in Fallujah in March 2004. The bodies were burned and the charred bodies dragged through the streets, torn limb from limb, and strung up on what is now referred to as "Blackwater Bridge."

America's favorite romance novelist, Kenneth Starr, was hired by Blackwater in an effort to get the Supreme Court to hear the case.

In the Los Angeles Times, the nominee to replace old man Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, is reported to have ties to -- who else -- defense contractors.

Gates' ties include:

SAIC -- briefly served on the board soon after leaving government in 1993; SAIC was under investigation by the Justice Department for, what else, "contract irregularities." (Go figure.) SAIC later settled for $2.5 million. Just four days ago, SAIC announced the signing a missile defense contract with NATO worth an estimated $95 million.

VoteHere -- served on the advisory board; an electronic voting machine firm linked to SAIC, according to the LAT

TRW -- served on the board; now part of Northrup Grumann

He also found himself on the board of Parker Drilling Company, and earned $52,000 last year and owns 12,000 shares worth over $100K.

Here's the part that you guys are going to love -- because I know I did. Parker Drilling Co. refers to Halliburton as a "significant customer" leasing equipment, the L.A. Times reports. (And we all know how Halliburton is happy-go-lucky with the leased equipment...)

... often leasing equipment for international projects. Parker has partnered with Halliburton in a major drilling project in southern Mexico and in smaller efforts, such as a rig worker training program in Russia.

And on the final stop, Halliburton's delinquent son, KBR (takes after its parent company), settled a contract dispute with the U.S. Army from the last war (Kosovo). The settlement of $8 million, however, was relatively small in comparison to the $1 billion+ in overcharges during the Iraq War. And in just six years. Alright...

At that pace, American taxpayers should recoup from this war in the year 2756.

Addendum: Caught this a couple hours before the post heads to the presses (via tubes). In The Guardian, Stuart Bowen Jr., the Republican lawyer set to be fired as Pentagon Inspector General Special Inspector General at the Pentagon in October '07, says corruption in Iraq "is the second insurgency, and I use that metaphor to underline the seriousness of this issue."

... "The deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, told Sigir this summer that it threatens the state. That speaks for itself."

An example of how incompetence hinders the ability of U.S. forces to quell the 'first' insurgency.

Corruption is a "virtual pandemic" costing the country $4 billion a year. One example from the article below:

In the Hillah region a defence department contract employee and two lieutenant colonels were found to have steered $8m in contracts to a US contractor in return for bribes. The Pentagon contract employee, Robert Stein, pleaded guilty earlier this year, admitting he and his co-conspirators received more than $1m in cash, help with laundering the funds, jewellery, cars and sex with prostitutes. Stein also admitted that they simply stole $2m from the construction fund, accounting for the money with receipts from fictitious construction companies.

KBR racked up $53 million in overhead costs (administrative expenses) between the day of the contract signing in February 2004 and actually starting work on November 19. From 2004-2006, overhead totaled more than half of KBR's $300 million in costs, according to a SIGIR review. Ah yes, smell that conservatism?

A potentially far more serious problem has been the way the US government decided to give out reconstruction contracts. It split the economy into sectors and shared them out among nine big US corporations. In most cases the contracts were distributed without competition and on a cost-plus basis. In other words the contractors were guaranteed a profit margin calculated as a percentage of their costs, so the higher the costs, the higher the profits. In the rush to get work started the contracts were signed early in 2004. In many cases work did not get under way until the year was nearly over. In the months between, the contractors racked up huge bills on wages, hotel bills and restaurants.

According to a Sigir review published in October, Kellogg, Brown and Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's former company) was awarded an oil industry repair contract in February 2004 but "direct project activity" did not begin until November 19. In that time KBR's overhead costs were nearly $53m. In fact more than half the company's $300m project costs from 2004-06 went on overheads, the audit found.

So much for that "we've got to just throw a sh!tload of money at them so we can get to work for the Iraqi people" nonsense back in 2003.

And here's what the legislation signed by President Bush, which effectively disbands SIGIR next year, will deprive the American and Iraqi people. (The provision that dissolves SIGIR was reportedly sneaked into a defense appropriations authorization bill.]

Mr Bowen's inspectors are among the few US civilian officials who still venture beyond the fortified bounds of the Green Zone in Baghdad into the rest of Iraq, to see how $18bn of American taxpayers' money is being spent. Much of the money has been wasted. Sigir officials have referred 25 cases of fraud to the justice department for criminal investigation, four of which have led to convictions, and about 90 more are under investigation. '

http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/12/02/war-profiteers-polonium-210-to-the-soul/#more-5846

Each of the potential republican presidential candidates have their problem areas: McCain saying "We need more troops," is clearly going against the national will. Rudy is too liberal for movement conservatives. Romney is Mormon and as has been stated, that is a 'problem,' for him with conservative Christian voters. Ms Rice is intelligent and poised but unfortunately has been a major part of this "crew" that has brought this country six years of disasters.
It will be interesting to see how this race plays out over the next two years.

'Before the midterm elections, GOP leaders had dismissed the Democrats' "do-nothing" label for the 109th Congress as political posturing, promising that a robust post-election session would put the accusation to rest. Instead, Republican lawmakers will have met for one week in November, devoted almost exclusively to leadership elections for next year, and one week in December, largely to pick committee assignments, move offices and pass a measure to keep the government operating through February.

That will mean this Congress will have spent the least time in session of any in at least half a century, according to Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, congressional historians and the authors of "The Broken Branch," a critical look at recent Congresses. In the time they have met, lawmakers have failed to approve a budget resolution or pass at least eight of the 11 annual spending bills.

"Harry Truman's 'do-nothing' Congress passed the Marshall Plan," Mann pointed out.

To be sure, Congress will do something this week. Lawmakers have routinely extended a number of business tax breaks every year or so, and the House has scheduled a vote on Smith's fetal-pain bill, which, among other things, would require abortion providers to inform patients of the controversial assertion that the procedure may cause pain. Providers would also have to offer anesthesia for the fetus, which the patient would have to accept or reject in writing. But GOP leaders put the measure on the fast track to passage, which means it will need the vote of two-thirds of the House. Even if the bill wins that much support, it will go nowhere in the Senate, Republicans concede.'

'President Bush and his top advisors fanned out across the troubled Middle East over the last week to showcase their diplomatic initiatives to restore strained relationships with traditional allies and forge new ones with leaders in Iraq.

But instead of flaunting stronger ties and steadfast American influence, the president's journey found friends both old and new near a state of panic. Mideast leaders expressed soaring concern over upheavals across the region that the United States helped ignite through its invasion of Iraq and push for democracy -- and fear that the Bush administration may make things worse.

President Bush's summit in Jordan with the Iraqi prime minister proved an awkward encounter that deepened doubts about the relationship. Vice President Dick Cheney's stop in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, yielded a blunt warning from the kingdom's leaders. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's swing through the West Bank and Israel, intended to build Arab support by showing a new U.S. push for peace, found little to work with.

In all, visits designed to show the American team in charge ended instead in diplomatic embarrassment and disappointment, with U.S. leaders rebuked and lectured by Arab counterparts. The trips demonstrated that U.S. allies in the region were struggling to understand what to make of the difficult relationship, and to figure whether, with a new Democratic majority taking over Congress, Bush even had control over his nation's Mideast policy.'

nor'easter -- be careful what you ask for. just one question: why does every poster for condi sound exactly the same, even though they have different names?

but to be frank with you, tina, i think it's very admirable that a woman of her background has gotten as far as she has in this country.she is as you say, very shrewd. i have not approved of much of what she has done, but like colin powell, i believe she has been used. however, she did help instigate the iraq invasion by repeating what she knew were outright lies, and a lot of people are dead because of that. she bears some responsibility for their deaths.

she also stood by while israel bombed lebanese civilians and destroyed the infrastructure of the country. now, with the government weakened, israel will be even more endangered by a lebanon controlled by hezbollah. this was not only brutal, but stupid. so if that's the kind of foreign policy you want -- incompetent, dishonest, unnecessarily bloody, by all means...

McCain's too OLD to be President.

McCain in 2008: 72
Reagan in 1980: 69

Enough about McCain's continued fake-out of Conservative Christians or Romney announcing a 50 person committee (yawn). Chicago businessman and former Cook County GOP president John Cox - the only announced camidate on the GOP side - has been on the ground there for MONTHS with all 99 counties covered. He's got staffers who are prominent in the conservative Christian camp, and he's set to open offices in Iowa, and in NH and SC.

John Cox is on the move, and is a REAL social and fiscal conservative.

McCain has always been staunchly prolife -- he's just less confrontational than some other conservatives in talking about it. No flip-flop on THIS issue for him -- although Romney used to be pro-choice...

The Fix reports that Ms. Pompa, McCain's new field operations supervisor in Iowa, "has also previously served as the head of Iowa Right to Life."

I recall McCain saying in New Hampshire in 2000 that he supports a woman's "right to conscience", i.e., choice, on the question of abortion.

Has McCain changed his position on this "critical" issue to jockey for the lead in the GOP primaries?

Robert Chapman
Lansing, NY

As reader Dan points out, McCain is very much a right-winger who has received too much media praise for some faint-hearted positions of semi-independence he has taken vis-a-vis President Bush. With a McCain presidency, we could expect a continuation of most of the horrendous policies of the Bush administration.

McCain has not worn well with me, and as a Massachusetts resident, I STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST VOTING FOR ROMNEY. he's about as authentic as those Internet appeals for financial assistance from Mrs. Sese Seko.

If you are going to be promoting some agenda, at least make it related to the original post...

And of course McCain is reaching out to conservatives. Most of the people who vote in the primaries are hard-line party-faithful Republicans. His sway with moderates isn't going to be enough to get him the nomination.

This should not be much of a suprise to anybody closely following politics. McCain has his image built around his (occasional) principled stand, but he is more conservative than his democratic supporters and republican detractors would care to admit.

I am part of a group based in OHIO promoting Condi for President. I heard The Fix is a great place to get your word out and discuss politics, and right now that is 2008.
###############################
CBS did a major interview by Katie Coric from the Middle East with Condi. She said PM Malaki was commited to his people, and taking his nation from tyranny into a functioning democracy. Condi also said much of the governing power has been transfered from all the provinces.
############################
I was impressed with Condi and her Shuttle Diplomacy. Flying from Jordan, to Jerico and then Israel. If she is successful at bringing long-term peace and stability to the region by this time next year, you can bet she will be seen as next president.
##########################
Points to remember about Condi:

1) After the assassination of former PM of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri in Feb. 2005, Condi was part of the support group helping the people of Lebanon stand up for themselves in defiance in the March Cedar Revolution. She stood up for the rights of people in one nation to push out the violent boot of the Syrian forces.

2) in July, Condi went to New York after the North Korean Kim violated the stern warning from the UN Security Council not test his nukes. After the July 4th Nuke testing by KIM, she flew to New York and strong armed the UN Security members into making a unanimous agreement against Kim, and she was there to raise her own hand on the matter.

She put it bluntly, what does the UN Security Council stand for if they can't stand against this slap in the face of the UN? My daughter was home from work that day and taped Condi at the United Nations and she was the face of power.

Her Asian Tour connected Russia, S Korea and Japan to get North Korea to come back to the 6 party talks. Only the POWER OF CONDI could have accomplished that goal in such a short time during one foreign policy tour. ( Unlike the weeks on a ship at sea for Jefferson or Monroe to settle international affairs)

3) During the Hezbollah conflict, sparked by killing Israeli soldiers and kidnapping another, she said YOU CAN NOT HAVE ONE FOOT IN POLITICS AND ONE FOOT IN TERRORISM. You must make a decision. That put pressure on Lebanon as well to defend their young representative government and accept foreign nations sending troops to the Southern region, like France and Spain and Germany.

4) Today, Shuttle Diplomacy has returned. Condi was at the Bush-Malaki breakfast meeting, and press conference, then flew to Jerico in the West Bank to meet with PM Abbas and next flew to Jersuleum for a meeting with PM Olmbert to jump start the ceasefire which began this past Sunday.

Not only should Condi be given credit for her efforts on these matters, but she is the only hope President Bush has to get a clear point of view without having to brag in front of the cameras.

Sorry to be so blunt, there is NO OTHER woman who I would trust to be in charge of our nation on matters of foreign policy or in the White House. Whether she becomes the next president or vice-president, our nation needs her at the helm of the Ship of State.
############################
Likewise, in the latest Quinnipiac poll, American voters give Condi 56% support as the most powerful woman in America. The answer to why they think that is based in part on what I have listed above.

Even Donald Trump wants Condi to be tougher, like he wants her to be a B###h in order to get more done.
I think her Margaret Thatcher style is just fine.

You will hear about ThinkCondi soon and see our group at various events across the nation.

Mea Culpa!

Did someone call me? Funny, my ears were ringing to the tune of TINA needs to help Condi.

Let's see, the Democrats and anti-war people will not be voting for Condi, so that is no surprise. They will be tied up for at least another year trying to decide which Democrat to have run in 2008.

That leaves the GOP to figure out who will be running. Condi said mistakes were made, so? Did any of you look back on D-Day and failure after failure? I am amazed the US military was able to keep going, and I think it took almost another year after D-Day to get WW2 over with in August 1945, the Japanese surrendered with military handing over their swords. Was it a mistake for US forces and Gen. MacArthur to occupy Japan for over 5 years before they handed it over to a new government under control of Japanese? What took them so long? Where was the media demanding US troops come home since the war was over? Why spend so much money to rebuild Japan? You see, we could easy demolish the US victory of WW2 by badmouthing FDR, Truman, and Eisenhower.

You all must have celebrated how Condi was given a 56% likeability rating by the Quinnipiac poll. Strange that Hillary only got 49%, which is less than her hubby at 55.8% likeable. Kerry was listed way down on Number 20, only 39.6% of the voters polled liked him. Strange since so many Dems voted for him, and he got 48% of the vote in 2004. What happened for Kerry to tank?

Finally, for those of you who could not find the other part of the Quinnipiac poll about who is the most powerful woman in the United States, I think the voters polled gave Condi 47%, Hillary at 27%, and Pelosi at 23%.

50% also said Condi is qualifed to run for president. So as I said, if you are a Democrat, liberal, or anti-war person, you probably are not going to be voting for her anyway.

You know we'v lost the war when our winger friends start philosophizing about why we lost the war:

'America's growing contingent of post-60's doves and the hope of military transformation are two sides of the same coin. The post-Vietnam rise of reflexive opposition to American military involvement has given birth to the dream of military transformation: war conducted by technology, with a "light footprint" from soldiers. So I "blame" both the administration's over-hopefulness, and the very real domestic political constraints that make almost any American military venture difficult to undertake.'

You see, Rumsfeld's 'transformation' wasn't really about privatizing the military and pouring all our resources into no-bid, no-oversight contracts he had substanial financial interests in -- no. No, it was really about how he was just to sensitive to the concerns of the 'doves' -- the same people who lost the Vietnam war for us. See how it works? This is what will become the conventional wisdom among the winger illiterati.

Well at least Rice is at Step One; admitting that she's made mistakes.

Do any of us believe that any of the others in this debacle will ever admit it?

Look how long it took McNamara to admit that he was mistaken about VietNam; and he wasn't even an ideologue such as the current group of leaders are.

Maybe Tina can help Rice get to Step Two and beyond.

'Although she is not yet ready to explain herself, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is admitting that the United States has made mistakes in Iraq.

"As to whether the United States has made mistakes: Of course, I'm sure we have," Rice told the Arabic satellite television station Al-Arabiya. However, Rice told Al-Arabiya that now is not the time to talk about U.S. mistakes in Iraq.

Once her tenure as secretary of state is over and she is back at Stanford University, she said she will reflect on the war.

"I can look back and write books about what we might have done differently," she said.'

Well isn't that nice for her? She'll go back to her cushy job. But the young americans who are dead as a result of 'mistakes'? Well they'll still be dead, won't they?

it's just the same as Nazi Germany, JimD, no different. Hitler targeted liberals before he ever got to jews, and what Coulter says is lifted, often verbatim, from his writing. What's truly tragic is that this is where the so-called conservative movement has led us. i used to wonder how the Weiimar Republic, a very enlightened era, became the Third Reich -- but now I've witnessed it firsthand. All it takes is fear and propaganda. They did it in Germany with talk radio too -- that was the model. And now there are people in this country who would love to kill you simply because you are a Democrat.

and here's yet another crony--funny how these 'conservatives' want no oversight on gov spending, isn't it?

'The new chief of the U.S. General Services Administration is trying to limit the ability of the agency's inspector general to audit contracts for fraud or waste and has said oversight efforts are intimidating the workforce, according to government documents and interviews.

GSA Administrator Lurita Alexis Doan, a Bush political appointee and former government contractor, has proposed cutting $5 million in spending on audits and shifting some responsibility for contract reviews to small, private audit contractors.

Doan also has chided Inspector General Brian D. Miller for not going along with her attempts to streamline the agency's contracting efforts. In a private staff meeting Aug. 18, Doan said Miller's effort to examine contracts had "gone too far and is eroding the health of the organization," according to notes of the meeting written by an unidentified participant from the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

The GSA is responsible for managing about $56 billion worth of contracts each year for the departments of Defense and Homeland Security and other agencies.

Doan compared Miller and his staff to terrorists, according to a copy of the notes obtained by The Washington Post.

"There are two kinds of terrorism in the US: the external kind; and, internally, the IGs have terrorized the Regional Administrators," Doan said, according to the notes.'

I love the way the reporter just swallows Doan's attempt to cut oversight by calling it 'streamlining' -- christ what happened to reporters who ask questions instead of just taking notes?

I saw a car this morning with two Bush-Cheney bumper stickers on the rear bumper, a 'W' sticker on the rear window and a hand-written sign saying "Democrats are Appeasers and USA Traitors".

It just boggles the mind that some people actually believe the drivel that Ann Coulter, Rush, et. al. spout.

Oh, My! I am Shocked, SHOCKED, that known Republican's are openly courting social conservatives! We better get to the bottom of this before things get completely out of control.

John McCain is all wrong for me. The minute he said he would send more troops to Iraq it turned me off. Another politician who wants to but in all over the world. And why not? It's not his children being blown up.

I think McCain will attract some of the more pragmatic social conservatives who see him as the most electable Republican. However, the distrust of him by many in the Republican base will be a serious obstacle. Should Giuliani get into the race, I think it will seriously complicate McCain's chances. I do not believe Romney will catch fire. I think someone like Brownback will enter the race and attract the hard core religious conservatives. I know many evangelicals who are deeply disdainful of Mormonism, regarding it as a cult. Also, a lot of Romney's moderate sounding statements on social issues uttered in Massachusetts campaigns will be aired prominently in attack ads in Republican primaries. Frankly, this is shaping up to be a fascinating race from a pure politics as sport perspective.

--they're off .. and mitt already has an albatross. plus mccain is racking up support from the neocons, including the important florida cubans:

'Miami -- The official focus at this, the annual gathering of the nation's Republican governors, may be about the initiatives and innovations taking place in state capitals from Fargo to Tallahassee, but the lobbyists, consultants, reporters, and chief executives themselves gathered here at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa are just as focused on politics as policy.

Specifically, the topic at hand is the already-intense jockeying between Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Arizona senator John McCain for a leg up on the 2008 presidential nomination. Romney is the outgoing chairman of the Republican Governor's Association (RGA) and has been the focal point of the conference. He's spent much of his time presiding over the various sessions that comprise the public schedule of the gathering, but also has held private meetings with key donors to the organization and his fellow governors. Romney is joined here by a widening circle of supporters, including his Boston-based gubernatorial and Commonwealth PAC staff, RGA officials, and a group of veteran Washington hands.

Refusing to cede the spotlight to his early rival, McCain swooped into south Florida for a full slate of his own engagements. Romney backers scoffed at the attempt to steal their thunder. "It was a cheap C.R. move," one prominent supporter of Romney sniffed, likening the senator's appearance to College Republican tactics.

Regardless of intentions, the Arizonan made the most of his time in the area. He held a series of closed-door talks at the resort with different GOP governors, seeking to build support for his potential campaign. He also met with a group of Republican state attorneys general who were at a meeting of their own in Ft. Lauderdale. McCain later held a public reception, billed as a tribute to the Republican governors, away from the Doral. Appearing with McCain on stage a few miles down the road in Miami Lakes were Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, Vermont governor Jim Douglas, Florida governor-elect Charlie Crist, and Florida congressmen Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart.

While some continue to play coy about their 2008 intentions, a few allegiances have been made clear here. Sources tell National Review Online that Pawlenty, who just narrowly won reelection, will support McCain's bid and is actively engaged in what is now the senator's exploratory committee. Additionally, Lincoln Diaz-Balart said that both he and his brother will support McCain, and that they'll be joined by the third Cuban-American member of Congress from this area, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In separate interviews, Daniels, Douglas, and Crist all had warm words for McCain, but stopped short of declaring their allegiance.'

McCain knows that in order tyo overcome the Rudy love-fest that will surely sweep America once the hero of 9/11 officially announces his camapign is to go hard-right. His new best friend Falwell will no doubt help with that.

But is Romney, McCain's only real conservative comnpetitoon (if Newt doesn't enter the race) DOA? His new illegal immigrant scandal revceals more hypocrisy. And those evangelicals still can't love a Mormon.
http://polibuzz.blogspot.com/2006/12/scandal-engulfs-romney.html

The above was meant to read: Anybody know when the Post had George Will take over the Miss Manners role?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120101205_pf.html

Anybody know when the post had George Will take over the Miss Manners column?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120101205_pf.html

- A federal immigration official pleaded guilty Thursday to receiving more than $600,000 in bribes for falsifying documents for illegal immigrants.

Robert Schofield, 57, could face 25 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in February.

He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, to issuing fraudulent documents to at least 184 illegal immigrants who falsely received U.S. citizenship.

Schofield, a former supervisor for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, was arrested in June.

He had served as a supervisory district adjudications officer at the Washington district office of agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

According to court documents, Schofield illegally helped Asian immigrants obtain U.S. citizenship in return for payments of $30,000 or more.

Can you say "Double Talk Express"?

At least McCain is playing the social conservatives better than Romney. Romney just looks like a fool sucking up so much.

I still think one of the bigger problems with McCain will be his age. Unlike in 2000, he really looks old. I remember reading somewhere that, while he is still active, he takes naps during the day. I think it is legitimate to ask whether he would have the endurance and stamina to be president. Also, don't forget about his infamous temper. If the media begins to turn sour on him, or swoon to the Democratic candidate, look for some nasty stories coming out.

The story isn't over yet.

Just got an email from winger site NEWSmax --'Give Bill O'Reilly for Christmas' --omigod. The stupid burns.

Yawn -- just another ho like GWB.