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US President Tim Kalemkarian, US Senate Tim Kalemkarian, US House Tim Kalemkarian: best major candidate.

I have just spent the better part of an hour reading everyones comments,I would have to say that the very last one posted by James in TX/June2,2007 make the most sense to me. This country is being torn apart by both greedy and corrupt parties.We the middle class are paying the costly price for the travesties committed by our insane politicians on capital hill.I for one think that no one person should have the right to make being a politician a permanent career, it makes them power hungry and they lose total sight of why they went into office, two four year terms should be made into law,they are over paid under worked and take too much pay and perks for life that none of them deserve!!! Why should they get permanent paychecks/best healthcare/paid 401s etc.. geez you'd think they were illegals also demanding everything for nothing and most have probably have broken some ethical law somewhere along the way.We need a third viable party one who is actually willing to protect and serve this great country, and the legal citizens that voted in good faith to put them into office of one of the greatest countries in the world. I want America to keep it's sovereignity,I want our laws obeyed by all, not new ones, when it suits whomever. I want to know that I can keep my job at fair pay,healthcare and just be able to live decently, and just maybe someday go on a real vacation. Most of all I want my grandchildren to keep their rightful heritage, and to be proud of our great constitution and not have it changed or ignored to further some unworthy politician, or greedy party agenda! Thank you for letting me,one of the lower middle class workers, who's just trying to exist decently vent a little!! P.S. Illegal is illegal, NO earned path to anywhere or anything except back to Mexico where they can march and demand rights from their own corrupt government and it's officials. ATTRITION THROUGH ENFORCEMENT ONLY !!! That would solve the Reps. for cheap labor, and Dems for more poor uneducated voters, and last but not least the church to replenish their dpleted flocks.This is a win win for all of us, our country and our future generations!!

'Here is the Republican problem - Bush is an idiot. ...'

This thread is DEAD !!! Who give us the right to call another person IDIOT? What are these 13 years old doing here?

Bye - before I am stoned to death.

well said jones.

Here is the Republican problem - Bush is an idiot. He has sold out his party, the middle class and his country. Bush abandoned the "Contract with America" and the "Reagan Standard" to turn this country over to the greed of the multi-national corporations. Iraq is a disaster but not as bad as what has been done at home to the middle class. I say this because the returning G.I's that i have spoken to, to a man, believe "we" need to be in Iraq. So i will give them the benefit of the doubt, but it is a shame the way the "leaders" are running the war effort. The soldiers in the field deserve better.

Here is the Democrat problem - they have been in power long enough to do something about "some" of the Bush screw-ups, but so far all they have done is stand on their soapbox and scream Bush is the Devil! Well, OK then, if Bush is the Devil incarnate what have you done to turn around the evil, done to us all, by the Devil? ANSWER - NADA !!!! Have you repealed the "banking industry written" changes to the bankruptcy laws? Answer, NO, you are taking the same bribes from the industry so you'll just stand on your soapbox and scream Bush is the Devil. Have the Democrats done anything about the "gas company rape" of the American people? Answer, NO, they are taking the same bribes from the Oil Industry so the Democrats will stand on their soapbox and scream Bush is the Devil. Etc., etc., etc.

The problem for the American people - The Democrats are no better and no different from the Republicans! Both are turning our country over to the multi-national corporations who are destroying our country and will all to soon abandon American independence and turn us over to the Global Will. The only difference in the parties is on social/moral issues and on Big/Socialist Goverment vs Smaller/States Rights Goverment issues.

Sometimes i think our only hope is, if God smiles on us and the earth opens up and swallows Wasington, D.C. while Congress is in session. One can only hope and pray.

God save America, cause the "damnable" politicians are Hell bent on destroying it; both parties, Democrats and Republicans, alike.

The more bozos you throw in the mix, the better Ron Paul's chances are. You can only have so many hawks trying to grab attention from each other competing for who will commit the worst atrocities in the name of the "war on terror."

This plays into Ron Paul's hands, as he and America (and real Republicans) continue to recoil in horror.

oooh skewered once again, this time by Michael's rapier-like wit.

Folks, will you ever realize that America's enemies don't care who's in office -Rep., Dem., Ind.- they want to kill you all. They want to destroy America, and with your willing help, they are that much closer to doing so.

Oh wait, your answer to that question is: I don't care, as long as the left is in power when it happens. lol

At least coinerman doesn't stick to talking points, his lines are even too crazy for the Republicans...

rufus1133

Do you ever stop to think about what you're saying, or do you just enjoy blindly reading from the left wing talking points.

okay, your turn to attack me again. :)

That's the differance between the right and left, coinerman. The right would force everyone to be/walktalk/dress like them, clones dittoheads. The left is full of individuals from every walk of life. It's free VS slave. Like the American quilt. It's not about forcing anybody to be anything. But if you are living in a fantasy world not looking at the facts, the left HAS to point that out. We can't enter that dream world. What would that solve. That is Orwell's worst nightmare. A world full of CELL-phone camera's recording everything. lies all day by media and OUR politians. Wake-up. Get out of your cave

roflmao

You guys will not be satisfied until every person in the US has to answer the Islamic call (IN SPANISH) to prayer 6 times a day.

I hope coinerman cleaned off his keyboard after that Fred Thompson circle jerk.

Ruined by Pelosi and Kennedy? HAven't they been in politics for a few years. The last ten years( of your republican rule) has destroyed most of the good will the above have been building the last 30 years.

Bush and the right wing attack machine have destroyed not only the media in this country but done major damage in several other areas. You people traded your brothers and sisters for stupid paper with little pictures on it. GOD WILL BE YOUR JUDGE

God has nothing to do with this coinerman . You didn't get the memo. Bush used the religon of God to line his own pockets and mislead you. Nothing your movement is about has anyhing to do with my god. YOur god is $$$$$$. Facsit dittoheads

God, its great to see the democrats shaking in their boots at the thought of a Thompson bid.

They know their darlings Hillary and Osama (oops - Obama) have no hope against a man of his strengths.

Fred Thompson is what this country needs, along with true conservatives in the House and Senate. This country needs to commit itself to defeating it's enemies both internal (yes, I mean you - liberals) and external.

This is the greatest nation in the world, and it is slowly being destroyed by the likes of Kennedy, Clinton, Reid, Pelosi, and their ilk.

We live in a time of complex and serious problems. We need somone with management experience, crisis management, character, leadership, temperment, family values, eloquence, governance and competence. Fred falls short on many of these attributes. The world is different than it was during Reagan's time and demands a
president that is more than a red pickup truck and folksy. Offer a candidate that offers hope to resolving our current issues.

yOUR RIGHT ABOUT one thing h1m912009. Al Queda is here. 7,000 Iraq's granted American passage yesterday. I wonder how many of those want to do us harm. I think you are a little ignorant of the facts on immirgation. Reagan did the last blanket amnesty. He didn't secure the border, neither did bush 41 or 43. 43 now offering amnesty. You know this is a republican issue. To keep rent high and wages low. The right has sold this country out

Construction of the U.S. embassy in Iraq, set to open in September, is projected to cost $592 million, with a staff of 1,000 people and operating costs totaling $1.2 billion a year. It will be a 104-acre complex, which is the size of approximately 80 football fields. On May 10, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) criticized the ballooning size and cost of the embassy in a hearing with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

Now, having said over and over again that we don't want to be seen as an occupying force in Iraq, we're building the largest embassy that we have -- probably the largest in the world -- in Baghdad. And it just seems to grow and grow and grow. ... We agree that we should focus our aid locally not in Baghdad, but we have 1,000 Americans at the embassy in Baghdad. You add the contractors and the local staff it comes to 4,000.

The architectural firm designing the embassy, Berger Define Yaeger, has posted the designs for the colossus on its website. Some previews of the compound's planned swimming pool and tennis courts:

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/29/photos-embassy-iraq/

The complex "will include two office buildings, one of them designed for future use as a school, six apartment buildings, a gym, a pool, a food court and its own power generation and water-treatment plants."

The U.S. embassy is likely to create even greater Iraqi resentment toward the U.S. occupation. While Americans will be living in posh quarters, the citizens of Baghdad are forced to survive with just 5.6 hours of electricity a day. Baghdad was also recently rated the world's worst city in which to live.

UPDATE: The residence of the U.S. ambassador to Iraq will be 16,000 square feet. The deputy chief of mission in Iraq will have a "cozy cottage" measuring 9,500 square feet.

I think all the social conservatives have to unite behind one candidate, whether it be Thompson, Romney, or Huckabee in order to beat Guliani and McCain.

Gentlemen: The present Immigration bill presented by Bush and loved by the Democrat Party will raise your taxes just a whole lot. Welfair, healthcare, education, S.S.I. just when all these programs are in trouble money wise. H1b's from what I have seen work for about $12,000.00 less than an American and with no health benefits. The moment that the Immigration bill is signed all, repeat ALL, illegal Aliens become legal. That includes all the Muslim illegals, including those illegal members of the Ft. Dix 6!
Is Al Queada here, yes they are children. Even Mayor Koch recognizes danger when he see's it!. Mr. McCain shot himself in the foot with the immigration bill. Still looking at Romney, but will see what comes up with mr. Thompson, Fred that is.
Just got my e-mails off to the White house, and my congressmen/women will follow up with telephone calls tomorrow.
The last time one of these political phoneys were asked what their phone conversations were running the figure I heard was 9 to 1 against the immigration bill.
Gentlemen and Lady's when someone tells you that they want to kill you, and are prepairing to do so... Just what are you going to do, let them or fight back. Dear departed Adolf wrote Mein Kampf or my struggle. Which can be translated into my Jihad also. Cabish? Has anyone read the Quran, or Colditz on war? Peace is war by other means, it is alright to lie to the enemy,infadels and prepair to defeat them. China has read Colditz, tainted food stuffs may have intered the human food chain.
Lax food import inspections, which I am sorry to say started under Clinton. plus earlier. Does just one party get dibs on all the blame? No unfortunately both parties get to share the credits!
Just how do you WIN a WAR? You let the persons who's only job is the planning and execution of war do his job and have the phoney bologna politicians keep their graft grabbing noses to themselves! But then that would not create headlines, would it. You could not pander to what you think your base is, could you?
Well nighty night kids! Have a good day tomorrow! Don't be so serious life is just too short!

KoZ, you always crack me up...

"but even little somalia sent him home with a bloody nose."

After the Congress forced his hand by trying to cut off funding, led by none other than Sen John McCain (bill to cut off funding co-sponsored by him submitted to the Senate two weeks after the 3 Oct incident, talk about a defeatist...)

"this is the Dem way and what you will get if you vote for them. In bosnia, our pilots were not allowed below 10,000 feet, so they wouldn't get killed. Makes it hard to conduct a mission but that is the Dem way of warfare."

Do you even know how a JDAM works?

I think the Republican Party as a whole is the big loser. The move to draft him, or Newt, or the far out folks who actually think Condi would run (knowing her approval would go in the toilet and she'd get slaughtered in an election when her comments and actions of the past eight years were truly put under the public microscope) shows how dissatisfied they are with the current crop of candidates, and when it turns out that he's not the second coming of Reagan that so many hope and believe he will be, they will be even more put off.

Romney and McCain are both hurt because there's another anti-Guiliani in the running, Newt is hurt because there's going to be less calls for more to jump in, and Guiliani loses some financial support. Who knows, maybe it'll get so bad for them that we'll see an open convention (although I think the superdelegates will prevent that from happening by striking a deal beforehand, which may also serve to further anger their electorate).

If Mr. Thompson is elected President I won't work with him, he looks too much like my predecessor Jacques Chirac.

Au Revoir!

The reason the right likes Thompson is because he's tall and has a deep voice. It's that simple. To hell with what he actually believes and to hell with his non-work ethic. We don't want a lazy-ass in the WH, especially one who's an actor.

Here's the problem with folks like zouk. The facts are plain:
The Democrats protected this country throughout the 20th century. They whooped the mighty German Wermacht and the mighty Imperial Army of Japan.
They stared down Stalin over West Berlin and airlifted enough supplies to keep that city viable for freedom.
They stared down Kruschev over Cuba, and made him blink. They put in place the policy of containment that eventually won the Cold War. They beat back the NKoreans and held the Chinese at bay.
-
I ask you all: Who have the Republicans beaten in a war? The mighty Army of Grenada! and the mighty Panamanian Army! They DIDN'T take out Saddam when it was justifiable and doable because Bush41 had enough troops. They DID take out Saddam when they DIDN'T have enough troops, aka Bush43's debacle in Iraq.
The facts and history are simple to understand if you right wingers for once would hold your party accountable for its history. It's plain from the past that the Democrats kick ass when it's NEEDED, and we let the Republicans clean up after us.
Zouk, read a book. Study history. Then for once hold your elected Republicans accountable for the huge amount of damage they've done to this nation. The Republicans are an anti-war party, always have been. They fought the Democrats over our involvement in WWI and WWII - if they'd have been in control throughout the many times in the 20th century when our sovereignty was threatened, America wouldn't be a country today. Period. Can anybody even imagine what Bush would have done in Oct 1962????? Thank god or the gods or whomever is in charge that he and the Republicans weren't in control in 1962.
-
America has had enough of Republican control of our government. They don't do well, they're too much in the pockets of corporations, and that is the definition of fascism.
-
Zouk, live with it - or keep your head in the sand, and keep drinking that kool-aid bubba.

I have to agree with Blarg's first post. What's the attraction here? What has Thompson done that's noteworthy? He'll be a third-tier candidate by February, I predict.

Word is born. Thompson is nothing but a "follow the current conservative" model. That is the same conservative model that has put us back ten years

Word is born. Thompson is nothing but a "follow the current conservative" model. That is the same conservative model that has put us back ten years

This Moderate (R) said as President the first thing he will do is to destroy social security and medicare he said this at a speech in OC.

He is a neocon Globalist. If you are tired of the current administration and looking for some relief, Fred Thompson is NOT it.

He supports Nafta, Cafta and all the afta's. he supports trade with China.
No to Fred Thompson!

And he is. Gotta give all newcomers some form of reverance. You have to know when your comments are falling on deaf ears. The right knows Bush is a facist. A facist. Watch the signs. Read the news. Believe no one but yourself. If someone tells you something think for yourself if this is true or not. Everybody knows when they are being told the truth. They may not know when they are being lied to but they always know when the truth is being told. The truth will set us free. The conservative right is a closet facist movement. Why not man up and say what you believe? Really. LEt's get to the heart of matters. Can the right do that? Can they speack truths? They can't do that can they? The left can speack about their true goals. If the right were to talk about their real goals there would be no republican movement in this country. Zouk has to lie. Liars facists cowards

zouk is a facist

Sorry everybody else. I can't help myself :)

These Libs are hard to deal with, if they don't get what they want, the name calling is cranked up another notch. Funnyyee!!, when the Lib is a repub, no such animal is out here or there.

Mr. Zouk, your unfriendly and disrespectful response is a disappointment. I asked you a serious question, it was obviously an analogy for the situation in Iraq. In your answer, you just used the same old insults about how awful "Dems" and "Libs" are. Maybe you need me to explain the question for you?
OK - English is not my 1st language, but I will try.
The dog is the Iraq insurgency.
Your neighbor is Saddam Hussein.
The other neighbors are the Arab world, and, also, the rest of the concerned world.
You are Bush. (God help you!)
Tony is Tony Blair, the only remaining ally the U.S. has in this stupid war.
Mr. Zouk, I agree that sometimes force is the only answer. You refer to Pearl Harbor. Sir, what about Grenada? What about Panama? What about Vietnam? And what about Iraq? You accuse "Dems" of always preferring to negotiate. Some one else might accuse you of being so eager to shoot that you shoot your own leg.

Proud -

I have now read the MTP transcript. The entire context of the DOE discussion changes from your description when you see that he is answering that the Lee case kept him of the ticket in 2000 and further that the Lee documents never got to China but were found in the facility after the extensive FBI investigation.

But I will give you that he continues to appear informal, careless, and rough cut.

With Fred's entry there is only one large ominous cloud undeclared.

Fred can't be any worse than the most dangerous man in in America; the prime poisoner of the US political waters, Mr. Albert Gore Jr.

The Man on Horseback who now offers himself to prevent the unknown but fearful possible calamities of not racial but atmospheric Pollution.

The man has no scruples, just like the ambulance chaser already declared. After planting massive electoral distortion during the last week prior to the 2000 election by saying there was evidence of three convictions for DUI hidden and supposedly suppressed and about to be revealed about his opponent, but never heard about since.

It narrowed his opponent's lead, but Mr. Gore still lost. He than tried to sue his way into the Presidency, by using the best tort ambulance-chasing lawyers available. He employed them to reverse a close election loss. Employing their usual tactics, of dissembling, distortion, creating poisonous emotionalism, excluding and disallowing evidence, (their votes), and allowing only friendly evidence (his votes). It didn't work but it sure did poison the well.

He had done more to make the 2000 election appear illegitimate and initiate BDS. Like an earlier fanatic he rants of the "stab in the back" and updates it to: " Bush betrayed us." "Bush lied to us".

He has done more to sponsor the division we see in American Politics than anyone else.

Watching Leonardo DiCaprio at the Oscars, trying to worship and touch the hem of Mr. Gore's coat was like watching Lili Rafenstiel's "Triumph of Will" worship of "Der Leader" at another political rally, in another time.

Now he appoints himself as the leader not of the Red Shirts of Bolshevism; or the Black Shirts of Fascism; or the Brown Shirts of Nazism; or the No Shirts of Peronism; but the Green Shirts of environmentalism. He harnesses and co-opts the crazies of the Earth Liberation Front and their cohorts at the fringe of other "Green" organizations.

All the "Shirts" employ the same tactics; burn books, & buildings, and hurt people, shout down and disrupt civil discourse at meetings. Shut minds, appeal to emotionalism. All done, to intimidate in the name of their zealousness for their warped religion.

ignorant coward wrote: "Lili Rafenstiel's"

LOL could you possibly be more of a drooling idiot? Try Wikipedia before you post, numbnuts.

With Fred's entry there is only one large ominmous cloud undeclared.

Fred can't be any worse than the most dangerous man in in America; the prime poisoner of the US political waters, Mr. Albert Gore Jr.

The Man on Horseback who now offers himself to prevent the unknown but fearfull possible calamities of not racial but atmospheric Pollution.

The man has no scruples, just like the ambulance chaser already declared. After planting massive electoral distortion during the last week prior to the 2000 election by saying there was evidence of three convictions for DUI hidden and supposedly suppressed and about to be revealed about his opponent, but never heard about since.

It narrowed his opponent's lead, but Mr. Gore still lost. He than tried to sue his way into the Presidency, by using the best tort ambulance-chasing lawyers available. He employed them to reverse a close election loss. Employing their usual tactics, of disembling, distortion, creating poisonous emotionalism, excluding and dissallowing evidence, (thier votes), and allowing only friendly evidence (his votes). It didn't work but it sure did poison the well.

He had done more to make the 2000 election appear illegitimate and initiate BDS. Like an earlier fanatic he rants of the "stab in the back" and updates it to: " Bush betrayed us." "Bush lied to us".

He has done more to sponsor the division we see in American Politics than anyone else.

Watching Leonardo DiCaprio at the Oscars, trying to worhip and touch the hem of Mr. Gore's coat was like watching Lili Rafenstiel's "Triumph of Will" worship of "Der Leader" at another political rally, in another time.

Now he appoints himself as the leader not of the Red Shirts of Bolshevism; or the Black Shirts of Fascism; or the Brown Shirts of Naziism; or the No Shirts of Peronism; but the Green Shirts of environmentalism. He harnsesses and co-opts the crazies of the Earth Liberation Front and their cohorts at hte fringe of other "Green" organizations.

All the "Shirts" employ the same tactics; burn books, & buildings, and hurt people, shout down and disrupt civil discourse at meetings. All done, to intimidate in the name of their zealousness for their warped Gaia religion.

I seem to remember President clinton flexing his military muscle all over the planet in his day. we invaded (without congressional or UN approval, something a Bush never did) haiti, somalia, bosnia, etc...
What about talk, talk? He never bothered with Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Yemen, etc. but even little somalia sent him home with a bloody nose. this is the Dem way and what you will get if you vote for them. In bosnia, our pilots were not allowed below 10,000 feet, so they wouldn't get killed. Makes it hard to conduct a mission but that is the Dem way of warfare. Maybe we can fight a ground war in Iraq from Okinowa, but it sounds like the bosnia thing again. What a great war, no deaths.

If you support this method, vote dem, that is all I am saying. but you may want to consider the consequences, something no Dem candidate has been able to cover yet.

zouk goes comic with
"We are not considering any military action because that would violate bsimons rule, that we talk ourselves, literally, to death."

C'mon Mr Zouk, are you able to read? If you could debate people's statements instead of what you imagine they write, you'd come off a bit more credibly.

Clinton and her chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), voted against the funding bill last week in the face of strong pressure from liberal groups who wanted Democrats to use the bill to force a change of course. Clinton earlier supported a bill calling for a withdrawal timeline, which was vetoed by the president.

"I was for the war before I was against it" - some flip-flopping Liberal Senator who wants to be president.

Proud -

I will read the MTP transcript online.

And by the way - if you think the US has promoted democracy in Haiti, you had better check your sources

Proud, I was aghast at richardson's performance. I am generally sympathetic to him as a moderate Democrat. but either Russert was being particularly ruthless, or richardson was extremely ineffective. I think that interview blew any chance he had, which wasn't much. I wonder if tim will grill the others to that extent? He wasn't too hard on Edwards, but edwards still came off as unprepared. you would think they knew a question about the consequences of getting out of Iraq could be expected and they might invent some sort of answer for it, but so far - cue the crickets.

Oh come on Zouk! That last comment is just beneath you! Or are you really not as smart as you think you are?

The guy with TB got back in this country despite an APB everywhere. Another example of how easy it is for anyone to get past this so called Homeland Security. This JOKE is another example of how bad this Administration has failed.

Blarg - I said I suspected you were. I have no idea if you are or not, but you certainly sound like the ones I have run across. As for "evidence". The DOL statistocs that flat out show 20% of U.S. prgrammers unemployed ought to be sufficient evidence that the H1-B program isn't benign! The Amercian IEEE claims it is much worse and could go as high as 30% and gives a number of 4 million plus. That's evidence! If you have nothing contrary to both government and the largest group representing professional engineers, then you either accept that evidence or you just look silly.

Hey, we can all play the KOZ revisionist history game!

Dec. 8, 1941: The modern Cons at the helm. Despite being woefully unprepared, President Bush, following the advice of Secretary Rumsfeld, "goes to war with the army we have," and launches simultaneous invasions of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

After recovering from bouts of uncontrollable laughter, the Germans, Japanese, and even Italians slaughter the pathetic, undersized, unprepared US forces. Among the casualties are little known American officers Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and Halsey.

That sets the US war effort back by many years. World War II lasts until 1963. The additional worldwide dead total 16 million.

Sometimes negotiations are properly cut short.

When President Bush demanded that the Taliban turn over Bin Laden, its arrogant response called for an immediate military incursion.

When Saddam invaded Kuwait immediately after his visit with our Ambassador, the correct response was the First Gulf War.

This sort of decision-making is taught at the War Colleges as well as at the Academies and in some foreign policy graduate programs. But this is not liberal vs. conservative thought by any stretch of the imagination. Reagan made a mess in Lebanon and Carter left one in Iran. The first Gulf War was a good decision and the Yugoslavian intervention was a good decision.

The Iraq invasion of 2003 was supported by me, then, but I was w-w-wrong. I want my Pres to get these decisions right. Doesn't matter if he is a D or an R.

M in A - Not sure why you consider Richardson a foriegn policy heavyweight. Did you see him on MTP last Sunday? The guy is not prsidential material, imo. He's basically running for VP -everybody knows that. Consider the following-

His proposal of an immediate troop withdrawal this year is not being supported by anyone of consequence.

When pressed about his foriegn policy decision on Iraq, he stumbles over himself to explain his position.

TR: So you regret supporting the war initially?

RICHARDSON: Yes, I do. It was a mistake. But I was pushing intensively, at the time, for more diplomatic engagement, to go to the United Nations, to bring international support for our goals, to go to NATO, to, to get strong Security Council resolutions. I didn't push hard enough. I didn't push hard enough. But, you know, I, I didn't have the intelligence everybody else had. Incompetence, deceitfulness...

TR: But you said you knew more about the region than anybody else.

RICHARDSON: Well, yeah.

TR: So it was a mistake?

RICHARDSON: Yes, it was a mistake. It was a mistake. I, I openly state that.

On Richardson's watch at the Department of Energy, there were allegations that nuclear secrets from Los Alamos National Laboratory had turned up in China.

Richardson was roundly criticized in Congress for his handling of the alleged breach, for the botched case against Taiwan-born Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, and for lax security at the country's national labs.

His response: "Well, it's probably true. But I believe I had a good record as secretary of energy. I got.. energy efficiency in appliances. For example, air conditioning is 30 percent more energy efficient because of a--an initiative that I took."

Air conditioning?? You bring up your record of air conditioning improvements in response to a question about one of the worst national security breeches in American history?

Let's just say he withered under the relatively mild back-and-forth with Russert in less than 30 minutes time. I don't think he'd make a good VP either, for that matter, but hey...he's Hispanic so that plays.

"Diplomacy is always - always - preferred to military action"

PLO, please meet us (Israel) at the bargaining table. We wish to discuss your cessation of bombing our schools with those long range mortars. We are not considering any military action because that would violate bsimons rule, that we talk ourselves, literally, to death.

Pointing out the total lack of any "reality" to your position is just too easy.
And that Dear Cesar is why I called you Dems/Libs surrender happy.

when someone says that their goal in life is to kill you, you may want to take up an agressive posture, unless you're a Dem, in which case you offer them ice cream and hope for the best or at least they kill you last.

MikeB, you're back to claiming that I'm a manager of H1B workers? In the past, you've apologized for your ridiculous allegations about what I do for a living. Why can't you accept that people can disagree with you without being paid to do so, or having some ulterior motive?

You make allegations and have absolutely no facts to back them up. You ignore the actual employment statistics, saying they're "rigged", with no evidence to support that. You repeat that 4 million engineers have been displaced by H1B workers, ignoring the fact that the H1B program hasn't given out anywhere near 4 million visas. Basically, you're full of crap.

And that's a shame. Because I agree with you on a lot of issues. To an extent, I even agree with you on this one. But because you prefer to make up your own numbers and constantly scream about how much you hate immigrants, you have no credibility. You're actually hurting your cause by being a part of it. Talking to you is even more of a waste of time than listening to you is.

koz, your recent posts display even more ignorance than usual.

as moronic as you are on current events, when it comes to history you make the Bush/Cheney claque look like Samuel Eliot Morrison.

I wonder why Lee didn't think of that before he stormed Cemetary ridge.

that is why you Libs will lose, all talk and no action. We are Americans, not Euros.

Dec 8th, 1941 - the modern Libs at the helm. President Pelosi today demanded the diplomats from Japan return to Washington so they could sort out the misunderstanding from yesterday. Germany was asked to moderate the discussion.

'diplomacy is always preferred.' neocons don't believe in it. period. they love war, endless war. why not? they make a huge profit. just ask cheney.

As I have an inordinate amount of time on my hands this one day, I will be pestiferous and join bsimon in pointing out that diplomacy is empty without the threat of force, but the judicious use of force as the last resort when diplomacy fails is the age-old rule.

I further point out that we were negotiating with Imperial Japan the morning of Pearl Harbor. That is the tradition; not pre-emptive warfare.

I am very excited to read that Fred Thompson is going to run. I have been reading his speeches and I like what I have read. Also many political forums are supporting him. He will appeal to moderates like myself as well. Hillary watch out.

zouk writes
"bsimon, you have accidentally revealed your inconsequential Lib views."

Your petty insults mean nothing to me. My response is from the school of realism, not liberalism. Diplomacy is always - always - preferred to military action. This is what they teach in the military academies. Of course, there are times when war is unavoidable, but that doesn't change the rule: diplomacy is always preferred.

By the way, Sen. Biden has been writing me about the need for the mine resistant vehicles which he got into the interim budget authorization that Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton voted against.

Biden is going to pile on the other two and say they wanted to delay getting the mine resistant vehicles to the Army and Marines.

Frankly, I understand wanting to get our troops out of thankless deadly peacekeeping and nation building in a country rife with civil strife, and I do not buy any of the bs about Al Qaeda following us home [they will come when they will come, bastards that they are, and porous as our borders and ports remain], but Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama were greatly diminished in my eyes with this vote.

bsimon, you have accidentally revealed your inconsequential Lib views. diplomacy with certain entities is ineffective. we did not conduct diplomatic efforts with National socialist Germany or Japan. It is always a question as to whether it is stalling or actually going to work out. the Liberal assumption that diplomacy is ALWAYS better is just wrong. Negotiating with arafat was a total waste but the Dems of the time never saw it coming. they reveled in hugging that smelly old murderer.

We did indeed attempt to work things out peacefully with Saddam H, to no effect whatsoever. how many times will you fall for this gambit? will you take the N Koreans word for it again, as clinton did. will you allow the UN to run corrupt programs while we fiddle with diplomats.

Only a fool would advocate a strict military only policy, but when diplomacy is clearly not working, only a Dem would advocate more of the same. will you contine to talk, talk to Iran as it builds its bomb? what does it take to get you squishes to fight back, other than electing bush? Have you forgotten the 3000 dead civillians already? that is something we Rs prefer to avoid in the future. burying dead civillians gets old faster.

Blarg, I'm getting a little sick of this, but someone else may be paying attention to the debate, so I'm doing it for them. If you go to the Programmer Guild site and check the links, there is nothing like what you are claiming. The quote is that unemployment for Amercian programmers id 25% right now. Period. It further goes on to state that DOL stats are rigged and that the actual number of unemployed software workers may be higher than 30%. The stats for EE's and other engineering positions, it goers on to stae, are at least 20%. The actual number of U.S. software wrokrs and engineers, displaced and unemployed, directly as a result of H1-B visas is at least 4 million. That's pretty clear. Nowhere is there any citation even remotely like the one you simply invented. And, may I note, you've changed that since your first claim to it!

I figure you are either an H1-B worker or some twit that caters to them, likely a manager of some sort. The H1-B visa has done enormous harm to this country and to it's workers. Anyone working with or advocating H1-B visas is at least guilty of treason and, thank God, it has been tied to the illegal immigrant debate and will likely cause the demise of those visas and similar ones.

"They had the right idea in China, rufus. Traitors who sell out our country for profit [ war profiteers, especially] should be shot, with no mercy."

Finally the voice of reason. That's one. What wrong witht he rest of you? Is this a game? Trading human blood for paper with pictures of old presidents on it, is that the free market republicans?

Thompson will get support from the GOP's conservative base which is struggling to find an acceptable candidate in the current field. I think Thomnpson will eventually throw his support behind McCain and, if McCain gets the nomination, Thompson will be his running mate.

wow Dennis Kucinich. What is he a sixth teir candidate? He jsut wants the attention. Don't feel to great about yourslef zouk

They had the right idea in China, rufus. Traitors who sell out our country for profit [ war profiteers, especially] should be shot, with no mercy.

koz misses the point...
"It is clear they want to disengage from an offensive foreign policy and prefer diplomacy to military action."

We are in agreement that our current foreign policy is indeed offensive. And who doesn't prefer diplomacy to military action? Lets see, work out a matter peacefully, or have a bunch of kids kill each other until we get tired of watching them die and sit down to talk out a solution. Its fun to strut around, acting tough, making fun of the nancy-boys that want to sit and talk things out. But burying dead soldiers gets old after a while.

And that folks is a good representation of the stunning intellectual vaccum on the left. See the last three postings by coward, rufas and pink.

Proud -

I just received an email from the McCain Campaign that says:

The latest polls show us leading in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Your immediate contribution will help our campaign's momentum into the summer. Thank you for your support and commitment to our campaign.

Are these three states winner-take-all on the R side?

'It is clear they want to disengage from an offensive foreign policy'

Yes, it's true that republicans' foreign policy is offensive. It offends the entire world with its greed and arrogance.

The visa and immigration problems seem to be favored by employers who want to get the most bang for the buck. This is nothing new to anyone with any knowledge of the system we operate in. Money is what rules this country, always has, always will. The chance to fix any part of the system is by voting and not enough folks are willing to take the time to register and VOTE.

zouky/myrna--why are you wingeers so obssessed with celebrities? Guess it's just because of your inherent shallowness and stupidity.

eXCELLANT POINT cEASER. That's something I've been having trouble with, as a christian. What do you do with evil?

Once someone asked of a person on the left "I thought you were a tolerant people." He responded "I'm tolerant of a rabid dog until he bites me."

Great point Ceaser. I say throw everyone who sold this country out in jail for treason, FOR LIFE. Otherwise this sell-out system will continue forever

When you hear Fred Thompson speak(be still my beating heart)...you will know why he is a threat to all the current cannidates. I am hoping for a Fred and Rudy ticket after the nomination process is over...There is no need for these cannidates to move to the center on the issues...they can pull votes from the right and the left. It is the middle who decides the outcome of presidential elections. Only the idealogs of both parties are fooled by political posturing.

Kucinich Commits To Fox-Televised Debate

Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, has committed to participate in a Democratic presidential debate sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus that has proven controversial because it will be broadcast on the Fox News TV network.

http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/kucinich-commits-to-fox-televised.html

Proud - If R primary voters are as interested in foreign policy as they tell the pollsters, then McCain is the best choice for Rs in this field. He is my favorite R, as well, but I see how the nomination may elude him again, because R primary voters may be more interested in JD's list of irrelevancies, like abortion, then their polling indicates.

The Ds have a couple of foreign policy heavyweights, especially Gov. Richardson. Yes, I could vote for an R who wants to continue the Iraq peacekeeping mission AND I could vote for a D who wants our troops out soon. In either case, I would be voting for a man who believes in keeping the US engaged in and with the world.

But the D primary voters may hold Richardson's NRA support AGAINST him, and Biden's willingness to talk about what we do in the M.E. after Iraq AGAINST him, so that I may have a choice like Edwards v. Thompson, so I want to know all I can about these folks.

Cesar - I don't think I need to go into a lot of detail on what the policy prescriptions for the Dems are. It is clear they want to disengage from an offensive foreign policy and prefer diplomacy to military action. If you believe this is effective, vote D. you will essentially be reverting back to the clinton years where we never confronted the issue forcefully. If you believe it is better to attack the enemy and fight them over there, that they understand power and force and only talk to delay, then you will surmise that an R is the proper vote.

I do not believe that our enemies respect international borders and therefore will attack us wherever we happen to be. they will set up shop wherever a power vaccum exists.

We, (the US) the good guys have fought for freedom our entire history and the resulting string of democracies is a testament to our benovolance. We freed Germany, Italy, Japan, France, bosnia, Haiti, Phillipines, Panama, etc...

why would we stop now? do the Iraqis not deserve it? Are they subhuman? Is their race particularly incorrigable? Is this not in our long term interest?

since things at home are so good these days, the press has nothing bad to report so we must report any sliver of bad news out of Iraq. the truth is we can afford this, is is relatively inexpensive in lives lost in a war, and it is essential to the well being of our homeland in the years to come. this swamp has needed draining for some time. It is a shame no Democrat dare mention that a hard task is worth doing, for humanitarian, political and moral reasons. did you have something better in mind, or do you prefer to retreat to the homeland and hang around in the bomb shelter, as your candidates have proposed?

And what's the citation for that "direct" IEEE quote? As far as I can tell, it comes from a blog post by the president of the Programmer's Guild.

http://programmersguild.blogspot.com/2007/05/lies-lies-and-more-lies-about-h-1b.html

Following the link in that blog post, it's revealed that the numbers are based on a personal chat with a member of the BLS. The actual unemployment rate according to BLS was 7.1%, but the BLS guy supposedly agreed that 20% could be possible. That's some pretty weak evidence.

Why doesn't this massive unemployment rate show up in BLS statistics? Those statistics also don't show the huge salary decreases you've mentioned, anywhere from 30% to 50% over the last 10 years. Why are the real numbers so far off from the numbers you throw around?

great post Myrna. Generalize much?

"The Left." LOL

Rudy McRomney-Thompson.

Thompson is most definitely not Pro choice or on the fence. When asked the question straight up by Wallace, he said 'pro life'. Period. Not that I give a whit about this issue, but, whatever.

As for taxes, immigration, what role Gov should have in our lives, I expect we'll start to hear about that soon. There's no reason he should have tipped his cards any earlier, in fact he would have been insane to do so.

Mr. Zouk, why do you insist on characterizing the dropping of a bad and counterproductive policy as "retreat"? Suppose you had a neighbor who owned a pit bull which he kept locked in a cage and abused.

You think, "That poor pit bull. He is abused and needs love" (read: the establishment of an American-style market democracy.) So you stage an intervention, and you and your friend Tony free the dog from his cage and have the neighbor arrested for animal abuse.

But the pit bull begins to act up. Due to his upbringing, he is beyond training, or at least beyond training quickly. You try different methods, even bringing in the Dog Whisperer, but nothing works. Lately, he has seemed to get worse and worse, to the point where he represents a danger to the whole neighborhood.

Now, you obviously have made no friends among the neighbors with your lack of knowledge about dogs and how they behave, and your presence in the yard is only making the pit bull angrier and more aggressive. And he is causing such a ruckus that other neighborhood dogs are starting to come by to see if there's anything fun going on.

If you try to make nice with the neighbors so they will help you, is it "retreat"?

If you choose not to have anything to do with strange dogs again, is it "retreat"?

If you want to stop paying for tranquilizers, muzzles, etc. is it "retreat"?

If you keep coming back again and again, ignoring your other responsibilities and earning the wrath of the entire neighborhood, how is it not counterproductive?

I'm sure you see what I am saying. This is a serious question.

Bokonon says "The candidate with "hard qualications and policy positions" seems to me to be McCain..."

Yes; imo Fred is just a younger, more telegenic version of McCain. Some have called him "an empty box" into which voters can put all their fondest aspirations for a candidate.

Interestingly, Fred Thompson was one of only a few Senators who supported McCain in 2000 over GWB. Thompson also was a big supporter of campaign finance reform, although he will never pay a price for that as McCain has with the base.

not to rip on Fred too much, but zipping over to the Wash Post page on candidates, here's what we start with for Fred Dalton Thompson:

Party: Republican

Occupation: Actor and Lawyer

Current Job / Position: Actor on "Law and Order"

Following are links to the IMDB movie database, a career list that mentions a policy institute, his Senate gig & a bunch of film & tv credits. Lower on the page is a summary of his legal & political career, which is impressive, albeit somewhat distant in the past.

In all seriousness, its hard to look at that resume and start thinking "Hmmm... This guy looks Presidential."

And Blarg, I finally was able to decifer your link. THAT POST refers to **INDIAN** software workers. How dishonest of you! If you want to argue facts, that is one thing, but referencing smething this dishonest and misleading is quite something else. Your post references a recruiting drive IN INDIA of IEEE's Indian offshoot. If you can't do better than this, quit!

I agree with some of the posters here: I don't know enough about Fred tom ake a decision. As a democrat i think I would deiagree natrually with a few of his positions, but if he's go a real plan for the winding down of Iraq, and is laissez faire about social issues, I would consider him. Bush 43 has been so atrociaous I'd take another Bush 41 in a heartbeat. So I'll wait and see with him.

question - how socially conservative is Thompson? I have seen at least one quote from / about him (don't remember) which said either "pro-choice" or "on the fence."

Also, several of you have mentioned him as competing with Romney for the "social conservative" vote, which confuses me because as governor of MA, Romney was at least initially hands-off with regard to reproductive choice and same sex marriage. (his conversion tracks pretty closely with his exploration of a run for the presidency.)

And McCain - who is distrusted by some Republicans for his attempting to curtail the influence of rich people and corporations on the electoral process with McCain/Feingold - has been consistently anti-choice as well, although he downplayed it in 2000 to attract the indy vote. Is Thompson really going to be all alone as the socially conservative candidate? (NB: I know, Tancredo, Hunter, Brownback... but at this point they do not have a realistic shot.)

and JD, you say "The GOP likes hard qualications and policy positions, not necessarily charisma (Dole is the poster child for this)."

I'm not sure. Remember VP Quayle? And Romney is running almost exclusively on his hair - no foreign policy chops, and 1 term as Massachusetts governor that he's not honestly representing. (he didn't raise taxes, but did raise fees. Substantially. He signed the universal health coverage law, but only after vetoing it once. and see above in re: choice and same sex marriage.)

and Giuliani's whole platform seems, at least to me, to be 'Remember 09.11." True, he cleaned up Times Square and made New York safer and more prosperous...

The candidate with "hard qualications and policy positions" seems to me to be McCain, but I'm not Republican. Am I wrong?

Thompson's actorish qualities may be concealing a George Bush clone who with the blessing of "the man upstairs" might not hesitate to invade Iran. He's already said as much: http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/05/will-fred-thompson-bomb.html

Blarg - There is a guild of U.S. software workers now. It is *part* of IEEE. Their web site is here: http://www.programmersguild.org/

They publish and reprint releases from DOL and other sources about U.S. software workers and the huge impact that the H1-B visa has had on them. Now, this doesn't even address the situation of EE's and other engineers, where even more workeers have lost their jobs to this menace.

Thanks, bsimon - I am pretty close to your take on FThompson, but I start by giving him an open ear.

Illegal aliens will prove to be an issue too hot and too complex to handle in anybody's campaign, I fear, except for "sound bites" . I do not consider Tancredo or Hunter to be "handling" the issue. I also think a path to citizenship is at best premature at this time.

Actually, I see three distinct issues, but there may be more.

1. The impact on border communities [enormous and negative].

2. The gross impact on the nation as a whole - which is quite different than the border community problem [because some argue in favor of the cheap labor and the addition of youth to the ss pool].

3. National security - the borders and the ports and the airports are still very open.

Frankly, I would like to see no. 3 addressed first, and it appears you would, too.

If you know the southern border you know that a physical fence can only work in the urban twin cities [SD-Tijuana, EP-Juarez, Brownsville-Matamoros and the like]. Fencing the brush country and the desert might work for cattle, but not for humans. Still, there are methods if we have the will. The Canadian border presents looming security issues as well. It, too, cannot be "fenced" against humans.

I do not believe the the first two problems will be meaningfully dealt with outside of a revision of NAFTA to add labor protocols; meaning years of negotiation.

The current bill may be the "resting place" of these matters for now.

Okay, Blarg - This is a direct quote from IEEE, a current one: "The total number of IT jobs in the U.S. declined between 2001 and 2005. Combined with a record number of H-1b flooding in, in November 2005 DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics pe