George! Where have you been your whole second term?!

/'Bout damn time!

No wonder the Saudi's aren't pumping more oil. An infidel mentioned the K-word.

He is on a roll lately. Keep it up, George!

How long before someone calls his speech Islamaphobic?

about damn time

The left will just say that dubya is engaging in discussion and diplomacy - stealing ideas from the Obamessiah.

Democracy is essential for human survival and development.

Bush has been right about this all along.

/Thanks Sharansky, Sakharov, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Locke and all who paved the way to clarity on this fundamental point.

You mean all those elections where Saddam was re-elected with 99% of the vote were fraudulent?

/Who da thunk it?

Not exactly a "tear down this wall" speech but it will do. Obama would have shown up in a hijab.

Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail.

/right between the eyes

Proud of Bush.

Feels so good to say that again.

I call on all nations to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate, and trust their people to chart their future.

Wow. Where have these speeches been hiding? We needed this awhile back. This is an incredible read- I hope video of it was taken.

re: #11 Killian Bundy

Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail.

/right between the eyes

Willing to bet Hamas latches on to that line

I expect that CAIR will be seething, and the MSM will be yawning. Or blaming Bush for politicing foriegn policy.

Bravo George Bush! As usual - The corrupt left-wing media will stomp on him. How dare Bush speak the truth.

re: #14 Kragar (proud to be kafir)

Willing to bet Hamas latches on to that line

Mention something about how many black are in American prisons.

I've been wondering about this AP headline since I saw it on the wire this morning.

I wonder if there have been private talks with the area's leaders to let them know that ShortShit is gonna' get bombed this summer.

Taking your place as a center of progress and achievement requires investing in your people. Some analysts believe the Middle East and North Africa will need to create up to 100 million new jobs over the next 10 to 15 years just to keep up with population growth. The key to realizing this goal is an educated workforce.

This starts early on, with primary schools that teach basic skills, such as reading and math, rather than indoctrinating children with ideologies of hatred.

Wow. Where has this man been, and why haven't I been hearing this from him consistently?

He could give a similar speech at the DNC convention to their "super delegates":

"I call on the DNC to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate, and trust their people to chart their future."

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This is a brilliant speech mostly because he made it difficult (not impossible) for them to seethe. Though after its run through the msm filter it will be seetheworthy.

re: #19 MandyManners

I wonder if there have been private talks with the area's leaders to let them know that ShortShit is gonna' get bombed this summer.

Doubt that's gonna happen.

Countdown to Obama seething about something or other in the speech... 123...

re: #24 Attaboid

Doubt that's gonna happen.

I don't.

Underestimate President Bush at your expense.
Name any other nation leader doing 25% of Bush's effort.

(lame duck not)

Is there some way the corrupt overly biased AP can be kicked into the trash bin of history?

Of course the Left is going to whine about this. The last thing they want is to be held accountable for their actions.

But these are not considered to be "their people," as President Bush refers to those under the thumbs of Islamic rulers.
They are the rabble, the masses, the crowds.
And they are dangerous enough without giving them any feeling of hope for anything better.
Better to keep a foot on their necks.....safer.

Cue John Bolton.

Israel received effusive praise from the president while Arab nations heard a litany of U.S. criticisms mixed with some compliments

That's so unfair! We must restore the cycle of violence where everyone is equally guilty! /MSM

Some what off topic.

You gotta love this description of an article in Haaretz:

"Gov't skeptical about long-term quiet with Hamas, but hesitant
to launch wise-scale Gaza offensive."

Freudian slip by a lefty editor. He no doubt meant to write "WIDE"
scale. But the reptilian part of his fore-brain understood that an
invasion of Gaza would be 'wise'.

re: #28 FrogMarch

Is there some way the corrupt overly biased AP can be kicked into the trash bin of history?

Not without a large supply of ready capital.

Which may partly explain why Lefties whine about "surplus capital."

re: #10 HelloDare

Not exactly a "tear down this wall" speech but it will do. Obama would have shown up in a hijab.

Let's hope...

In our democracy, we would never punish a person for owning a Koran. We would never issue a death sentence to someone for converting to Islam. Democracy does not threaten Islam or any religion. Democracy is the only system of government that guarantees their protection.

That's a great testament to the US system of democracy, but it doesn't speak to how it could translate in Muslim dominated countries.

Would someone be punished for owning a bible in a Muslim country that is a democracy? Would someone be killed for attempting to convert from Islam to another religion in such a country?

That's far more plausible, and it speaks to the problem within Islam itself and how it addresses those issues, than with democracy.

Throughout the ME, you've either got strongmen, mullahcracies, or thugocracies (allowing for crossovers between types). Democracy hasn't been given a chance, and the regimes have consistently played by the Hama rules to eradicate opposition. And where they haven't eradicated the opposition, they've given 'em a message of jihad - sending them on their merry way to commit carnage elsewhere in the world.

Will democracy (little D) change things? Definitely not overnight, and maybe not at all - if indeed Islam and democracy are incompatible, but one should at least give it a chance to see whether it can be made to work. We've already seen the alternatives - and that is one status quo that no one should tolerate.

Some analysts believe the Middle East and North Africa will need to create up to 100 million new jobs over the next 10 to 15 years just to keep up with population growth. The key to realizing this goal is an educated workforce.

Honestly don't think that they really care. They seem to be shipping folks west at a pace to keep local growth basically stagnant.

re: #24 Attaboid

Doubt that's gonna happen.

W. WILL NOT leave this to the next administration..Iran and their nucular program will be dealt with as a final patriotic blow and a ribbon on the Bush Doctrine,inshalla

re: #13 Sharmuta

I call on all nations to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate, and trust their people to chart their future.

Wow. Where have these speeches been hiding? We needed this awhile back. This is an incredible read- I hope video of it was taken.

Consider for a moment that among the prisoners of conscience are the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist groups that have agitated for jihad, including in places like Egypt. There are indeed true political prisoners there as well, but if you make a blanket call like that, you're also going to include groups like the Brotherhood and jihadi groups.

Just something to keep in mind...

Spoken like a true infidel. Can we expect more?

re: #38 joecitizen

W. WILL NOT leave this to the next administration..Iran and their nucular program will be dealt with as a final patriotic blow and a ribbon on the Bush Doctrine,inshalla

We can only dream.

Obama: Stealth Socialist?

After his blowout win in North Carolina, Barack Obama crowed that it's time "to perfect this nation." What does that mean? He won't say — perhaps for good reason.

As this long primary season drags on, the presumed Democratic nominee for president still won't bring his vision for "change" into focus. He continues to speak in glittering generalities, providing few details.

The reticence, combined with Obama's radical ties, begs the question: Is he hiding an un-American agenda?

Watch carefully as this angle picks up steam.

/tip of the iceberg

A stopped clock is right twice per day, and every rare once in a while, GWB makes me proud (I don't care who wrote the speech - he gave it). This would be one of those times.

As for his effusive praise of Israel, well.....he's just waiting for his Zionist check, of course!

re: #21 Bob in Breckenridge

I think McCain gave that speech - it was on SNL...

re: #38 joecitizen

W. WILL NOT leave this to the next administration..Iran and their nucular program will be dealt with as a final patriotic blow and a ribbon on the Bush Doctrine,inshalla

I agree, but it will happen after the November election.

re: #19 MandyManners

I wonder if there have been private talks with the area's leaders to let them know that ShortShit is gonna' get bombed this summer.

And we ain't talkin' 'bout Pearl Beer, neither.

/channeling Cowboy Diplomat

For example, some say that democracy is a Western value that America seeks to impose on unwilling citizens. This is a condescending form of moral relativism.

This is simply brilliant. And I suddenly find myself wishing I could vote for him again in November.

re: #42 Killian Bundy

Stealth socialists? I think he's a full blown socialist and isn't exactly hiding it - not with his gov't grabbag of solutions for "health care" "energy profits taxes" and raising taxes to pay for government programs, and that's just the starter.

Four More Years !

re: #39 lawhawk

That's a good point, and thanks. I guess I was thinking more about apostates.

re: #44 lawhawk

I think McCain gave that speech - it was on SNL...

/I always try to miss SNL.

In our democracy, we would never punish a person for owning a Koran.

..this just in ; Obama reacted angrily to the accusation and called for an apology from Pres. Bush for accusing him of ever punishing anyone for owning a Koran, stating, "the President is accusing me of being a Hypocr...uh ..a jerk!

re: #48 lawhawk

Stealth socialists? I think he's a full blown socialist and isn't exactly hiding it - not with his gov't grabbag of solutions for "health care" "energy profits taxes" and raising taxes to pay for government programs, and that's just the starter.

Check out the links.

/people are starting to nail him down, but good

re: #34 The Other Les

Not without a large supply of ready capital.

Which may partly explain why Lefties whine about "surplus capital."

I thought they whined about the "corporate media."

re: #42 Killian Bundy

Who would Chavez vote for?

Charles,

I wonder if ABC News editors have heard of misogyny, jihad, and sharia, because if they had, they'd understand why there is much to criticize.

Instead, they're hoping to use the Bush speech today to rehash their naqba routine to criticize Israel.

re: #25 Globular Cluster

Countdown to Obama seething about something or other in the speech... 123...

Let's hope...

(doh! for some reason I quoted the wrong comment before)

re: #28 FrogMarch

Is there some way the corrupt overly biased AP can be kicked into the trash bin of history?

It has been revealed here that at least one of the major wire services actually has a separate internal processing system for the Middle Eastern news. There's news, and then there's news for Arabs. The same way Arafat used to preach peace to this side of the house and then rabble-rouse about murdering Jews to his own "people", the wire services re-write the news for Muslim consumption on the fly, behind closed doors.

In short, this isn't news at all - it's propaganda. They know it, we know it, they know we know it, we know that they know that we know it, and nobody can touch them.

re: #53 Killian Bundy

It's about damned time. I had him pegged as a socialist/marxist/leftist from the moment he opened his yapper and started talking tax policy - because everything was to increase taxes and impose government solutions for markets.

In our democracy, we would never punish a person for owning a Koran. We would never issue a death sentence to someone for converting to Islam. Democracy does not threaten Islam or any religion. Democracy is the only system of government that guarantees their protection.

However this could also be interpreted as an open invitation to continue open infiltration and subversion of our society with the goal of ultimate conquest. The President may be speaking of this as a feature but the audience may very well hear it as a description of a bug.

re: #12 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Proud of Bush.

Feels so good to say that again.

Me too.

I have a bad feeling that by January, 2009 we're going to be missing him. He's been misunderestimated by so many for so long, about so much.

.

re: #54 Who Watches the Watchmen?

They pretty much whine about everything.

re: #55 jaunte

Who would Chavez vote for?

/Chavez has already endorsed Obama, Ortega and Castro too

re: #49 ted

Four More Years !

Yes, to four more years of this. No to four more years of "pathway" to amnesty open boarders.

This is refreshing. I have little confidence that it's a sea change.

Somebody call Bruce Ramsey at the Seattle Times and have him put the speech in historic perspective for us.

Bush's lecture was a wee bit different than Osama's. Osama was calling for his minions to overthrow governments that stood in the way of jihad and destruction of Israel.

re: #63 Killian Bundy

I hope there are enough voting Americans who understand what that means.
Chavez, Ortega and Castro are not our buddies.

re: #65 HelloDare

Somebody call Bruce Ramsey at the Seattle Times and have him put the speech in historic perspective for us.

LOL!

Here is the write-up in the Scotsman about this speech.

However, there the obsession is with the comments about oil. Wonder if they noticed the rest of it?

OT:
The Great Orator Gaffes Again. Obama needs a geography check. Stat!

It's a bit late in his term to try to redeem himself, but the comments are well appreciated. I wish he would have played up the First Amendment issue even more in the context of the necessity to create governments independent of religious rule. This is the biggest impediment with Islame - because the death cult, like other cults is not only a religious hierarchy but an established legal and social system. Therein lies the contradiction, and Bush failed to highlight it.

As far as Al - Palestina goes, kiss my sorry a$$!

re: #70 lawhawk

Has he blamed anybody for his big ears yet. The delivery room nurse?

Here's how the dhimmi's at Al-NY Times spin it: [Notice how the headline refers to the POTUS as "Bush" vs. Mr. Bin Laden]

Bush Presses Arab Leaders on Reform

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Published: May 19, 2008

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt — After a showy celebration of America’s close ties with Israel, President Bush was presenting Arab leaders with a lengthy to-do list on Sunday, telling them that if Middle East peace is to become a reality, they must expand their economies, offer equal opportunity to women and embrace democracy.

Mr. Bush’s three-day stay in Jerusalem last week has drawn criticism from Arab leaders, including the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, who say he has been insensitive to the plight of Palestinians. He came to this Red Sea resort city to try to soften that impression and reassure regional leaders he is committed to their cause.

But in a speech to be delivered Sunday afternoon to the World Economic Forum on the Middle East, a gathering of world leaders, diplomats and business executives, Mr. Bush seemed to chide as much as reassure.

“Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail,” Mr. Bush said in remarks prepared for delivery and released by the White House, adding, “The time has come for nations across the Middle East to abandon these practices, and treat their people with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The speech stood in stark contrast to one Mr. Bush delivered in the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, last week, although at the end, he tried to link the two. In the Knesset speech, timed to coincide with the 60th birthday of Israel, Mr. Bush outlined his vision for the Middle East on Israel’s on its 120th birthday.

[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

re: #59 lawhawk

It's about damned time. I had him pegged as a socialist/marxist/leftist from the moment he opened his yapper and started talking tax policy - because everything was to increase taxes and impose government solutions for markets.

The links that jaunte dug up are truly jaw droppers.

/it's becoming quite obvious that Obama really is a Manchurian candidate, built from the ground up, out of nothing, by the uber radical left, he's far more dangerous than he appears

how shallow is the AP? Oh yes AP - it's all about praise and criticism - criticism and praise... nothing more.

Poor Arab states - they don't deserve so much criticism. boo hoo

And every peaceful nation in the region has an interest in opposing Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. To allow the world's leading sponsor of terror to gain the world's deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations. For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. (Applause.)

Did he just call obama an appeaser again?

re: #72 HelloDare

Has he blamed anybody for his big ears yet. The delivery room nurse?

Well, he might blame the nurse for his dislike of arugula - and bitterness.

re: #61 Dad O' Blondes

Me too.

I have a bad feeling that by January, 2009 we're going to be missing him. He's been misunderestimated by so many for so long, about so much.

.

Over the past (almost) eight years, I've had a number of opportunities to hear President Bush speak 'in person'. He is a COMPLETELY different person than the stiff, awkward, rather stumblebumpkin person he is portrayed (and often appears) to be!

He is warm, funny, self-deprecating, and sweet....

If Americans saw more of the private man, his popularity numbers would be MUCH higher.

He's still SO wrong on some key issues, though....

/ _{I still miss President Reagan...}

re: #76 Sharmuta

Did he just call obama an appeaser again?

Methinks Mandy Manners pegged the upcoming er, uh activity in Iran....

HelloDare (#10),

Not exactly a "tear down this wall" speech but it will do. Obama would have shown up in a hijab.

LOL.

re: #70 lawhawk

OT:
The Great Orator Gaffes Again. Obama needs a geography check. Stat!

Illinois is not in the middle?

re: #25 Globular Cluster

I was going to post the same thing. You know Obama Nation™ will perceive something in that speech as an insult hurled at them.

The liberal press and liberals for that matter can't seem to get it thru their thick skulls why The USA's relationship with Israel is so close, and not "equivalent" or "even handed" to it's Arab neighbors? Because even thought they have been at war for every second of their 60 year existence, they have essentially all the freedoms and liberties as we do. Democracies support Democracies !

re: #82 Mich-again

I was going to post the same thing. You know Obama Nation™ will perceive something in that speech as an insult hurled at them.

Yeah- the part about iran.

re: #74 Killian Bundy

Just in case anyone missed it the first time, here's that "Who "sent" Obama" link again: [Link: globallabor.blogspot.com...]

re: #85 jaunte

Just in case anyone missed it the first time, here's that "Who "sent" Obama" link again: [Link: globallabor.blogspot.com...]

Interesting read.

Bush has always been pretty good with his speeches - despite what you hear in the MSM about his being an oral stumblebum. His speeches back in the days just following 9/11 were pretty good, and hold up pretty well today. He never said, for instance, that Iraq had WMDs or nukes - only that the danger of it was high. And he never said Iraq was involved with planning 9/11 - only that the regime needed to go because it was friendly to terrorist types.

He's been pretty good - conceptually - with economics, too (tax cuts for the right reasons, etc.). It's in the execution that he gets it all wrong. That, and in believing the libs' hearts are - really - in the right place, and they can be appeased. (Ironic, eh?) He talks the talk, for the most part, but the walk ... more like a slither.

re: #86 MandyManners

It's getting spread around in labor circles:
[Link: theunionnews.blogspot.com...]

We’ve had our ups and downs with Dubya recently around here but this is a remarkable statement, very unlike the usual diplo-speak.

Remarkable? Remarkably stupid perhaps. To the extent stupid statements routinely find their out of the Baker-Bush admin, probably not that remarkable.

Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail.

The US supplies 2 billion a year to keep Pharaoh Mubarak in power, and several hundred million a year to keep Abbas and the slow-genocide Fatah party in power. Both entities would likely be overun by the Islamic Brotherhood and Hamas, respectively, without American guns and money.

America is deeply concerned about the plight of political prisoners in this region, as well as democratic activists who are intimidated or repressed, newspapers and civil society organizations that are shut down, and dissidents whose voices are stifled.

Who, exactly, does he believe will come to power if real elections were held? What was the net result of Bush and Rice's insistence that Hamas be allowed to participate in elections?

What was the result of Bush and Rice's insistence that Musharaf give up power first to the corrupted Bhutto, and then to Bhuttos's party and Sharif, who are in bed with Pakistani Islamists harboring Al Queda?

And who would come to power in Saudi Arabia, or Jordan, if elections were held?

The time has come for nations across the Middle East to abandon these practices, and treat their people with dignity and the respect they deserve. I call on all nations to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate, and trust their people to chart their future.

Heaven forbid!

What a maroon.

re: #70 lawhawk

OT:
The Great Orator Gaffes Again. Obama needs a geography check. Stat!

I made that exact point yesterday.

If it were Obama making that speech he would have showed up dressed like a Sultan in an onion head hat and spent the whole speech criticizing America. Then again, maybe Jeremiah would have loaned him one of those flowery muumuus and a pillbox hat.

re: #88 jaunte

It's getting spread around in labor circles:
[Link: theunionnews.blogspot.com...]

WooHoo! Nader '08! Heh!

re: #12 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Proud of Bush.

Feels so good to say that again.

Ahh.. we'll see. One can't display a stiff upper lip for for a couple days once every few years and expect my support. We'll see.

lawhawk (#70),

OT:
The Great Orator Gaffes Again. Obama needs a geography check. Stat!

Barry says:

"What it says is that I'm not very well known in that part of the country," Obama said. "Sen. Clinton, I think, is much better known, coming from a nearby state of Arkansas. So it's not surprising that she would have an advantage in some of those states in the middle."

Problem is, a quick glance at a U.S. map reveals that Illinois actually borders Kentucky

Wow. Just how dumb is this this guy?

re: #91 Mich-again

If it were Obama making that speech he would have showed up dressed like a Sultan in an onion head hat and spent the whole speech criticizing America. Then again, maybe Jeremiah would have loaned him one of those flowery muumuus and a pillbox hat.

Poor Jackie-O is spinning in her grave.

re: #94 Geepers

lawhawk (#70),

Problem is, a quick glance at a U.S. map reveals that Illinois actually borders Kentucky

Wow. Just how dumb is this this guy?

Uh, DUMB. But connected. The Manchurian candidate, to be sure.

re: #85 jaunte

Just in case anyone missed it the first time, here's that "Who "sent" Obama" link again: [Link: globallabor.blogspot.com...]

Riddle me this:

Then, in late 1994 or early 1995, Obama made what I think was probably the key move in his early career. He was named Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a $50 million grant program to funnel money into reform efforts at Chicago schools. It turns out that the architect of the Annenberg Challenge was Bill Ayers, who designed the grant proposal and sheparded it to success.

Two years out of law school?

/does not compute, lots of long range, under the table quid pro quo scheming going on here

unrealizedviewpoint (#93),

Ahh.. we'll see. One can't display a stiff upper lip for for a couple days once every few years and expect my support. We'll see.

Memo to unrealizedviewpoint: President Bush isn't running for reelection, he doesn't need your support.

Hm. Not nearly soaring enough for a song by Will.i.am. It's a mere 294 words, with applause at the very end.

Obama could have said that in at least 5,000 words, and gotten applause every three minutes.

re: #94 Geepers

lawhawk (#70),

Problem is, a quick glance at a U.S. map reveals that Illinois actually borders Kentucky

Wow. Just how dumb is this this guy?

Well let's be honest, it's not like a snub like Obama gives a rat's ass about backward,gun toting , bible thumping Kentucky. It is just another one of those hillbilly states some where between NY and CA.

re: #89 Maine's Michael

Who, exactly, does he believe will come to power if real elections were held?

You hit the nail on the head with that. If these Nations were to hold free elections right now, I agree that the main beneficiary would be the Muslim Brotherhood, and the first thing they would do with their power would be to wage war on Israel and the West.
Its not the first election that proves there is a democratic Government in place. There has to be a peaceful transition of power in a subsequent election before you can say there is a functional Democratic government in place. And once the MB holds office, they won't leave office except in a body bag.

re: #99 Geepers

unrealizedviewpoint (#93),

Memo to unrealizedviewpoint: President Bush isn't running for reelection, he doesn't need your support.

Excellent response. :)

Certainly he'd prefer I stop yelling at him every time he opens his unprepared mouth?

re: #97 Killian Bundy

That's really interesting....... Those years are often skipped over in his biographies.

Okay, we're at 100 posts, so I can go OT without p!issing anyone off too much?!

I've been pretty much absent from LGF for the past 5 days, working on a new blog of my own. I'm a complete neophyte, so it has been fun, frustrating and fascinating.

Charles, if you're 'listening', I have always admired what you do here, but trying to do a little baby version all by myself has given me an even greater appreciation for your talent and vision! It's really tough to get the damn thing to do what you want it to when you don't write code! LOL

I needed a break tonight to hang with my Lizards! Well, and have a teeny bit of wine...

Thanks for listening, and....carry on!

In our democracy, we would never punish a person for owning a Koran. We would never issue a death sentence to someone for converting to Islam. Democracy does not threaten Islam or any religion. Democracy is the only system of government that guarantees their protection.

Isn't it ironic that only secular society preserves the freedom of religion?

re: #90 JammieWearingFool

I made that exact point yesterday.

Yes, but you're not a whiny Democrat whining about Obama's fine whines. When you identify Obama's whines early, we know what's what. When the Democrats start figuring it out for themselves, well, we've got to give credit where credit's due. Took 'em long enough to start realizing what's what with Hillary, and now they're looking in the mirror and not exactly liking what they see with Obama.

re: #106 Grammy Cracker

Congratulations on the blog! Hope to read it soon : - )

Old Butch or Obama?

"John was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layer hens called 'pullets', and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs. He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, Old Butch, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed Old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. But the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, could run for cover. To John's amazement, Old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

John was so proud of Old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges. The result was the judges not only awarded Old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.

Clearly Old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

Vote carefully this year...the bells are not always audible"

You know, Obama is such a "creation" I'm beginning to wonder if he isn't a new model terminator.

Once again, "democracy" is essentially a delusional and meaningless concept without a secure and enunciated Bill of Rights, first.

Supported by an educated, tolerant electorate, who respect such universal Rights.

Or all you do is blindly pave the way for any gang of superstitious, brainwashed, swarming fanatics to take power with the hearty approval and bloodthirsty cheers (SEE: Gaza) of their illiterate, intolerant, lockstep minions, -especially if no other mindset exists in the country.

(SEE: "Muslim" lands.)

"Democracy" is not the proper concept to promote, first.

Human Rights, and a Bill of Rights guaranteeing Freedom of Thought, the Press, Education, Speech, Expression, Religion, et al, is more important that this illusion of the panacea power of the mere "popular will".

Such an unexamined will often brings Hitlers and Pol Pots into office.

First the education, then the liberation.

Otherwise you are only opening the cultural prison doors of the country and foolishly letting the strongest thugs take control.

re: #107 Killgore Trout

Isn't it ironic that only secular society preserves the freedom of religion?

Secular society has nothing to fear from religion.

re: #108 lawhawk

Yes, but you're not a whiny Democrat whining about Obama's fine whines. When you identify Obama's whines early, we know what's what. When the Democrats start figuring it out for themselves, well, we've got to give credit where credit's due. Took 'em long enough to start realizing what's what with Hillary, and now they're looking in the mirror and not exactly liking what they see with Obama.

But I can do a damn fine impersonation of a whiny Democrat.

re: #88 jaunte

It's getting spread around in labor circles:
[Link: theunionnews.blogspot.com...]

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT LINK!

This is what I have been searching for - the lost years of Obama. Why did he come to Chicago and what did he do there? Who paid him?

Bravo!

Let's see. Final year of second term. Not much in the way of coattails. I'd be taking the opportunity to tell a few people off.
Speaking a few hard truths to an audience that isn't really ready to accept them will do, too.

As for Obama, he is the clearest example yet of media bias. His geography gaffes, had he been a republican, would have been weeks' worth of front page news. Anyone remember the question Bush couldn't answer in 2000 about the name of a rather obscure head of state?

re: #89 Maine's Michael

I made a similar point above at #36 and #39. You took them much further, and are still accurate in noting that we continue supporting with our tax dollars regimes in Egypt and the PA that have no interest in democracy.

re: #116 mama winger

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT LINK!

This is what I have been searching for - the lost years of Obama. Why did he come to Chicago and what did he do there? Who paid him?

Bravo!

There's much more.

/tip . . . of . . . the . . . iceberg

re: #118 song_and_dance_man

More traction is good.

It'll happen. Just look how long it took for the Jeremiah Wright story to come to the forefront of the MSM.

re: #88 jaunte

It's getting spread around in labor circles:
[Link: theunionnews.blogspot.com...]

Saul Alinsky . . .

I have read "Rules for Radicals" and "Reveille for Radicals." Alinsky understood small group politics like few others.

The obamites are very dangerous people.

An America run by Alinsky acolytes will be a frightening place. If they are anything like Alinsky, and I am convinced that they are, they will be guided by "the ends justify the means" ethics.

Nothing will be out of bounds to these people.

re: #116 mama winger

Killian Bundy deserves the credit; I've just been propagating.

re: #114 Grammy Cracker

Secular society has nothing to fear from religion.

..except Christmas Trees & Menorah's.

re: #109 seekeroftruth

Congratulations on the blog! Hope to read it soon : - )

Thanks! I'll be ready in a day or two to unveil my first few 'rants'. LOL!

/still working on the aesthetics, like linky no worky stuff...

re: #120 Killian Bundy

There's much more.

/tip . . . of . . . the . . . iceberg

WONDERFUL stuff! Thank you! I'll won't be able to follow this story for a while as I am going up to my cabin for a while. PLEASE stay on this ! I wish you guys all the luck in the world on this story.

go get him

will see you all when I get back

Israel received effusive praise from the president while Arab nations heard a litany of U.S. criticisms mixed with some compliments.

Yeah, that's totally unfair of Dubya. I guess he simply chose to willfully ignore all of Israel's centuries old, heinous religious traditions. Such as the marrying off pre-pubescent girls to elderly pedophiles, sentencing rape victims to death for "dishonoring" their families and their faith, female genital mutilation, state sponsored execution of homosexuals, state sponsored terrorism, religious oppression and death for those who convert, fascist imperialism, their barbaric treatment of women as if they were cattle rather than humans, and that is just the tip of the iceberg as far as their medieval-minded atrocities are concerned.

Wait, what? Did I say Israel? Sorry, I misspoke.

THAT'S ALL F*CKING ISLAM!

I curse you and your whoring ways, associated press. May you reap precisely what you sow.

re: #123 jaunte

Killian Bundy deserves the credit; I've just been propagating.

I love you BOTH ! This could be the jackpot.

re: #70 lawhawk

OT:
The Great Orator Gaffes Again. Obama needs a geography check. Stat!

For the record, the drive across Kentucky on the Western Kentucky Parkway is among one of the most boring things a human can do in their entire life.

I'm no geography expert, but I certainly know Kentucky borders Illinois and does NOT border Arkansas (That would be Tennessee to the south).

Springfield, IL to Louisville, KY is 322 miles.
Little Rock, AR to Louisville, KY is 519 miles.

But we all know what Obama is trying to say: Everyone from the south are gun toting hick rednecks. Southern Illinois is the avoided bastard part of Illinois, obviously.

re: #116 mama winger

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT LINK!

This is what I have been searching for - the lost years of Obama. Why did he come to Chicago and what did he do there? Who paid him?

Bravo!

Dittos! What Mama said! Excellent work, and THANK YOU!

re: #124 unrealizedviewpoint

..except Christmas Trees & Menorah's.

Yeah, because looking at something so beautiful, that ostensibly has no deeper meaning for you, is harmful or scary somehow. *spit*

I like Charles' characterization:

"The media are almost universally giving it a negative spin..."

This is likely because it's the kids who are working the weekend shift. If the President's speech had been on a Tuesday with the regular old-timers reporting it, then:

"The media are almost universally giving it a negative spin..."

I'm just sayin'.

re: #77 lawhawk

Well, he might blame the nurse for his dislike of arugula - and bitterness.

/Who gets credit for his love of waffles and waffling?

re: #128 mama winger

I love you BOTH ! This could be the jackpot.

Please don't tell Grandpa Cracker, but....

/I think I might love you, too! LOL

re: #42 Killian Bundy

Obama: Stealth Socialist?

Watch carefully as this angle picks up steam.

From the article you linked to:

Cone says he wants to see a "new system" in America "in which people have the distribution of wealth." He adds, "I don't know how quite to do that institutionally."

What in the world is this "new system" Cone talks about? Don't "people" in America right now have the right to earn as much as they want, and spend it in any way they see fit? Doesn't that qualify as people having "the distribution of wealth"?

Cone's words are double-speak - when he says "the people", methinks he really means "the government" as run by "people" who think the way he does - the government should "distribute" the wealth as it sees fit.

This is some scary stuff.

re: #119 lawhawk

We're on the same wavelength.

When monsters have elections, they tend to elect monsters, who will likely behave monstrously.

I don't know why Bush thinks an Islamic Democracy (sounds funny, doesn't it? Kind of like imagining a fish with feathers) couldn't or wouldn't ban having copies of the Bible around? Or passing laws punishing apostasy from Islam with death? Seems like they could easily get the Islamic population to support measures like that, in most of the islamic shitholes that are causing us the real troubles . . .

re: #135 reine.de.tout

This is some scary stuff.

/and they're trying to ram it down our throats while we're not looking

re: #85 jaunte

Just in case anyone missed it the first time, here's that "Who "sent" Obama" link again: [Link: globallabor.blogspot.com...]

Thanks for pushing this. It's important - even if understanding it takes a little reading. The Sidley firm was at the heart of - and Sr. Partner Howard Treinens probably convinced Ma Bell to go along - the AT&T break-up. They've done a lot of civil rights pro bono work - a lot of it while staying largely lily white. Merged with a couple Jewish (not my characterization - large Chicago law firms, at least at that time were usually Jewish or Gentile; Sidley was the first to break the mold with their mergers) law firms (Minow came in with one of those mergers).

CHARLES- THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THIS SPEECH!

This morning I noticed that Jennifer Loven bashed Bush on his latest democratic lecture to the Arab countries. Of course, the speech was extraordinary but Loven destroyed it.

It would have been good for the Bush Administration to realize that the media has been waging war against them for 7 years. Unfortunately, the administration continues to drag these White House reporters from event to event and then wonder why their message gets filtered to the American public.
How unfortunate for Bush and for all of us.

re: #122 Syrah

An America run by Alinsky acolytes will be a frightening place. If they are anything like Alinsky, and I am convinced that they are, they will be guided by "the ends justify the means" ethics.

Hillary was a disciple of Saul Alinsky back in her days at Wellesley College. I read her thesis on the subject of using Alinsky's tactics in politics when it finally became available after being kept secret for years. If both she and Obama are fans of Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" maybe their infighting is just a big puppet show diversion.

re: #140 Mich-again

Hillary was a disciple of Saul Alinsky back in her days at Wellesley College. I read her thesis on the subject of using Alinsky's tactics in politics when it finally became available after being kept secret for years. If both she and Obama are fans of Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" maybe their infighting is just a big puppet show diversion.

I don't think its a diversion. I think it is a schism.

re: #142 ploome hineni

scary article

It's beyond scary.

/did you read the four part tip of the iceberg links?

re: #114 Grammy Cracker

Secular society has nothing to fear from religion.

Every society has something to fear from a certain religion.

A leader leads....

Thank you Mr. President for this week in the Middle East.

re: #143 Killian Bundy

It's beyond scary.

/did you read the four part tip of the iceberg links?

Cone's books are required reading at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, where Obama has worshiped for the past 20 years.

Pashaw...who needs the Bible as required reading when you have St. Cones books...oh..wait!
/

According to the theology, divine justice will come when black Jesus (Obama's church believes Christ was black) grants African-Americans the power to permanently destroy "white greed" and white institutions and replace them with their own "black value system."

Cone writes that "black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy" and all its institutions.

W.T.F.

The time has come for nations across the Middle East to abandon these practices, and treat their people with dignity and the respect they deserve. I call on all nations to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate, and trust their people to chart their future.

yeah. Like Free Kareem, for starters.

If you wake Obama up in the middle of the night and ask where he's from, I bet he says "Africa". The American part......for purposes of convenience.

re: #149 ploome hineni

no, I did not

I was losing focus..:(

Proceed at your own risk.

/they're truly jaw droppers, we're on to something here

re: #151 Killian Bundy

Proceed at your own risk.

/they're truly jaw droppers, we're on to something here

Keeripes.

It seems that his, Obama's, SDS backers mixed with 'Cone' theology mixed with Marxism mixed with the left = 'Drain whitey's pockets, then kill him.'

That's pretty much what it leads to.

Winding up a five-day trip to the region, Bush took a strikingly tougher tone with Arab nations than he did with Israel in a speech Thursday to the Knesset. Israel received effusive praise from the president while Arab nations heard a litany of U.S. criticisms mixed with some compliments.

Gosh, the unfairness of it all. As though Israel doesn't honor-murder its women, and decapitate its infidels and 'disappear' its dissidents just as much as..... uh, er, wait a sec.... Oh.

This is the program run at the Kennedy School Government at Harvard on community organizing:
[Link: www.cpn.org...]

My friend who took this course ended up voting for Obama because the program head said that Obama had the 'best legal mind' of the candidates. Harvard hearts Obama.

The only times the MSM cover Bush have been when he laid the truth bare drawing loud seething and whining. Had he done it on a monthly basis, his rating wouldn't be sooooo low!

Oh my gosh.. this is why Bush has America hated in the Muslim world.. we're not a good partner for Arabs states to make peace(s) with Israel.. it will take good Democrats to restore their trust in America. Why can't we all see their desire to come to agreement..

/should Shiites or sunniis behead us all?

This is the Israel that the Far Left vilifies while lavishing praise on those whose societies stone gay people to death:
[Link: www.jpost.com...]

re: #141 Syrah

I don't think its a diversion. I think it is a schism.

Maybe you're right there. The ongoing fight might be about who gets to carry Alinsky's torch. And each one knows that the eventual "winner" will still have the loser to contend with and if Alinsky taught anything, it was that its a lot easier to use radical tactics when you are out of power and in the minority. Its like the classic analogy of the dog who chases the car. What the hell is the next move once you actually "catch" it.

Alinsky never taught what to do once you actually defeat the enemy.

re: #72 HelloDare

Has he blamed anybody for his big ears yet. The delivery room nurse?

...the elf in the woodpile?

/

re: #140 Mich-again

Hey Mich - hope you're still around as there is a much later thread up already.
But I gotta say that I don't want Hillary or Obama, but think Hillary is much less of a threat than is Obama. I honestly don't think she has the "chip on her shoulder" attitude that Obama and Michelle have on theirs. Which is another way of saying, I guess, that I think Obama will go out of his way to find a way for the ends to justify the means. Hillary won't.
But I'm still voting for McCain.

I'm sure the lizard migration has moved upthread by now, but it is worth noting the President's stressing of the educational system. When I was but a hatcchling I brought up (based on my observations and those of my friends still deploying to the ME) that there is where the true war was being fought. I think we have given up on everyone over twelve.

re: #108 lawhawk

...When the Democrats start figuring it out for themselves, well, we've got to give credit where credit's due. Took 'em long enough to start realizing what's what with Hillary, and now they're looking in the mirror and not exactly liking what they see with Obama.

But, will the Kos Kiddies figure it out?

Democracy is the best governmental system available, but it only works for a society that is fundamentally Judeo-Christian in its foundational ideology. The moral structure provided by Judeo-Christian ethics is the basis for the ideals which drive democracy.

Islam plus democracy? Nothing but cr*p, same as always.

I have lost my computer tonite. Am on an old imac, that cannot page right or even see the intereseting links that some of you post, and with which i spend most of my time. BUT IT IS ABOUT FUCKING TIME HE TOLD THESE PIGS THAT THEY ARE ANIMALS. Savages. Barbarians. And I love the way Condi and that PR Whore he sent about to commmubicate with these sadists jumped in.////

For once, I am really proud of our President!

Wow!

I think there are two factors that will cause history to be kind to Bush.

1- He wasn't that bad. He was the President at the beginning of WW3 (or WW4 depending on who you talk to) and managed to, for the most part, knock the enemy on their ass and make them very sorry they attacked us. (Before Bush, Afghanistan and Iraq were terror supporting nations, now they're terror fighting nations)

2- The main reason for his bad image is liberals and liberal media hammering him incessantly. As soon as he leaves the Whitehouse, he will serve the left better by being used as a contrast to make the current top Republican look bad. For instance, if McCain wins, you'll start hearing things like:

"I though Bush was bad, but he was great compared to McCain."

or

"McCain is starting to make me realize Bush wasn't the worst a President could be."

Just watch. Since these guys base what they say on what sounds the most emotional as opposed to logic, Bush will become a saint compared to whatever Republican they're hating presently. He'll still be a thousand times worse than Hitler, just no where near as bad as the current Republican President.

Phtttt- he still ain't doing diddly on the illegal aliens. Just because his bro married one of the mexi's 16 ruling cast families and he has a half American nephew. Meanwhile, ANOTHER illegal went through a stop sign and wacked me again, the english as a second language program is draining the special ed courses my kids need at school, when the illegals beat up my kids and we are at the hospital they are writhing in pain waiting their turn because the room is full of illegals (with no insurance). They chased out most of the citizens round here and bought up houses and condos jamming dozens of them in small apartments, junk cars parked on lawns everywhere, they are always partying, making noise, playing their muzak (ugh) loudly. Crack down on the businesses hiring them, stop giving them welfare, medical, free schooling for their brats, illegal or anchor, stop the automatic citizenship for kids born here to illegal parents, and they will SELF-DEPORT. Get it? Why should they leave? The fence is being built too slowly on purpose, sanctuary cities by the libs are choking us, and the Prez is sitting on his hands. And with this recession we are supposedly having, they are trying to jam another bill through to give them more of our jobs! My teenager can't work at McD's, BK's, DD's or any other food chain like I did as a kid because they have taken those jobs over- which is why my orders keep getting screwed up also because they don't speak English- which is another problem- Bush won't cancel clinton's expensive exec order making all languages mandatory! The printing costs alone are crazy- prisoners are being let go because someone speaking- say Tagalong- can't be found quickly. This one little nice speech still won't fix the damage he's done.

re: #170 LEGION

"Phtttt- he still ain't doing diddly on the illegal aliens."

True.

re: #164 cookielady

Democracy is the best governmental system available, but it only works for a society that is fundamentally Judeo-Christian in its foundational ideology.

Wow...this will be news to the Japanese, not to mention Taiwan.

Unless one finds a way to aggressively "reinterpret" the Qur'an and its and the ahadith so as to say "Allah did not really mean that!" on about every page, Islam IS incompatible with western style democracy. For example, Sura 5:38:

YUSUFALI: As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power.

might be hard for western politicians to accept for obvious reasons so they might help Allah out by changing the start of this verse to "As to the thief of a believer's soul" getting their kind of larceny off the table.

Our imaginative politicians will surely be willing to help in the reinterpretation on the entire Qur'an if they could keep their heads attached long enough to do so.

In practice Islam is not changing but the west is accommodating. Islam forbids usury (so does the Torah but no one takes that seriously) so now, western schools and companies are giving seminars on Shari'a business practises. In brief, we are to adapt, not them.

Israel is a democracy for all.

Arab states are a democracy for the ruling party.

The reason Islam will never succeed in its aim of world domination is because it's a closed system in which everything was decided 1400 years ago. This is why the Middle East remains backward and barbaric. The Arab states have enormous wealth, but not a clue what to do with it.

The West, despite its present weakness in the face of Islam, is able to evolve and change with the times. Islam, rigid and ossified, will become less and less able to respond as human thought advances, and as people's desire for freedom grows. What we are seeing today is its violent death throes.

Call me a glass-is-half-empty pessimist, but I just have to figure that democracy might be a teensy bit out of step with a "religion" which demands that its followers impose their will on the entire world and murder anyone who resists. After all, what are they gonna vote on... Bombing or beheading?

re: #147 Oh no...Sand People!

W.T.F.

Hey, Cone, here's a bit of theology for you:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28

re: #112 profitsbeard

Once again, "democracy" is essentially a delusional and meaningless concept without a secure and enunciated Bill of Rights, first.

Supported by an educated, tolerant electorate, who respect such universal Rights.

Or all you do is blindly pave the way for any gang of superstitious, brainwashed, swarming fanatics to take power with the hearty approval and bloodthirsty cheers (SEE: Gaza) of their illiterate, intolerant, lockstep minions, -especially if no other mindset exists in the country.

(SEE: "Muslim" lands.)

"Democracy" is not the proper concept to promote, first.

Human Rights, and a Bill of Rights guaranteeing Freedom of Thought, the Press, Education, Speech, Expression, Religion, et al, is more important that this illusion of the panacea power of the mere "popular will".

Such an unexamined will often brings Hitlers and Pol Pots into office.

First the education, then the liberation.

Otherwise you are only opening the cultural prison doors of the country and foolishly letting the strongest thugs take control.

You got it.

Maybe everything will get magically better once there is a Democrat in the White House because the media will slant things a different way with glee.

/sigh

If only he had spoken like this consistently to us in the last five years, his numbers and the GOP's prospects would be much better. Why did he wait until he was almost gone?

It's strange that they all believe that pandering and promising a chicken in every pot is the only way to win elections. If this were his campaign speech, the last election would have been a landslide.

Great speech, Bush.

We must stand with the Palestinian people, who have suffered for decades and earned the right to be a homeland of their own -- have a homeland of their own. I strongly support a two-state solution -- a democratic Palestine based on law and justice that will live with peace and security alongside a democrat Israel. I believe that the Palestinian people will build a thriving democracy in which entrepreneurs pursue their dreams, and families own their homes in lively communities, and young people grow up with hope in the future.

Last year at Annapolis, we made a hopeful beginning toward a peace negotiation that will outline what this nation of Palestine will look like -- a contiguous state where Palestinians live in prosperity and dignity. A peace agreement is in the Palestinians' interests, it is in Israel's interests, it is in Arab states' interests, and it is in the world's interests. And I firmly believe that with leadership and courage, we can reach that peace agreement this year. (Applause.)

This is a demanding task. It requires action on all sides. Palestinians must fight terror and continue to build the institutions of a free and peaceful society. Israel must make tough sacrifices for peace and ease the restrictions on the Palestinians. Arab states, especially oil-rich nations, must seize this opportunity to invest aggressively in the Palestinian people and to move past their old resentments against Israel. And all nations in the region must stand together in confronting Hamas, which is attempting to undermine efforts at peace with acts of terror and violence.

We must stand with the people of Lebanon in their struggle to build a sovereign and independent democracy. This means opposing Hezbollah terrorists, funded by Iran, who recently revealed their true intentions by taking up arms against the Lebanese people. It is now clearer than ever that Hezbollah militias are the enemy of a free Lebanon -- and all nations, especially neighbors in the region, have an interest to help the Lebanese people prevail. (Applause.)

The part in bold is of concern tho. What restrictions would that be then?

Grr, why is it when I use the Italic option, it never 'italics' all that I have highlighted, yet gives the impression it has, it is not until its posted do you realise the darn thing tricked me.

Bush:'Israel must treat minorities better'

Yes, that is indeed the problem. If only the Israelis would treat their arab minority better.

Give them the vote. Give them full access to health care and education. Give them equal rights before the law.

Oh, wait a minute, they do.

What could President Dances-With-Saudis be talking about?

Perhaps, since Israeli minorities have full rights, he wants Israelis to LIKE their arab minority better.

An arab minority that celebrates 'Nakba' day, whose leaders travel to enemy states and forums to plot against Israel. An arab minority that moraly and sometimes materially supports palestinian terror. The ISraelis should LIKE them, please.

If that is not what the President means, then what the fuck is he talking about?

It takes some chutzpah, or stupidity, for him to come to Israel for her 60th birthday, and criticize a nation that has not been well treated by the arab majority in the region ( in fact, targeted for genocide) about how they treat their fifth column minority population - when that minority population has all rights.

It's impossibly fucked up.

i had switched over to full-disgust mode on bush, and had completey written him off, and still do, but his recent comments are incredible. as is his genuine concern and favoring of israel.

he COULD HAVE been one of our greatest presidents...

Point of clarification.

It is not democracy as such that is the point. Democracies can be, and too often have been, every bit as immoderate as any tyranny, as Plato, Montesquieu, and Tocqueville (to name ony a few) all warned. (Remember, Athens murdered Socrates.) Rather, the point is "limited government," as in 18th century Liberalism, i.e., the idea that sovereign may not regulate certain areas of human life (e.g., speech, assembly, religion) and must regulate others (e.g., the protection of life, liberty, and property).

This is the point, not democracy qua democracy.

Bush should have been tougher on Israel what with them encouraging the rocket attacks and murders. Wily Joooos. Jeez. (Sarc by the way)

I caught the "Lecture" in the headline too.

Wonder if they'll cast Obama as "Scolding" the Tennessee GOP?

Dubya need an education: democracy is about the rule of the people. The Islamists don't care about the people, the West, yours and mine. They care only Islam. Nothing but Islam. Allahu akbar, warts and all. No vote, submit or die.

To the Islamists: Bush is basically setting up democracy to fail by using it to
ramrod Sharia laws and get rid of democracy before the 22nd century.

At least Bush did his best to deliver the importance of free and fair democracy around the world. The Islamists, the leftists and the media yawned.