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December 11, 2010 04:03 PM UTC

Weekend Open Thread

  • 89 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side.”

–Francois de la Rochefoucauld

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89 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”

  1. From Iowahawk

    Ending weeks of speculation and rumors, President-Elect Barack Obama today named Bill Clinton to join his incoming administration as President of the United States, where he will head the federal government’s executive branch.

    Obama also announced that he had accepted his own appointment of himself as an Assistant Undersecretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

    “It’s a fairly low-stress job that I’m reasonably qualified for,” said Obama. “I really can’t do much damage there, and it will give me plenty of free time for Oprah specials. Plus work on my next autobiography and re-election campaign.”

    More and more, President Obama is looking like Snoopy as the Head Beagle.  He loves the prestige of the post but he really can’t deal with the day to day mundane drudgery and responsibility that comes with the job.

    1. Consistently bitingly funny.

      On the same topic, RedState used the same topic as their open thread:

      In Season 4 of 24, acting President Logan is so incompetent and bush league that he brings back President Palmer to take charge of the situation.

      Today in Washington, Barack Obama stole that playbook and brought back Bill Clinton.

      1. He may have lied his ass off about his personal life, but he took can of this country when he was an office and left a surplus the Republican’ts promptly squandered.And Mr Bill punked the Repubs so often and so hard that The Orange Man still has nightmares about it.

        The Repubs have had a good run, but the thing that ends their streak is Clinton drawing up the plays for Obama. If he’s smart enough to ask for Mr Bill’s advice on how to mangle Republicans, then it’s gonna be a rough 112th Congress for them…..

        1. Obama asked for his help and then walked out of the middle of the press conference because Michelle was pissed at him (or so he said).  

          Obama is so blatantly trying to at least look like he’s ‘tri-angulating’ and he can’t even get that right, as his own base wants to primary him now, and the R’s are just waiting until January when they can start really jacking with him.

          This is brilliant.

          Clinton never would have had a surplus without the economic policies of H.W. Bush and the good fortune to be President during the PC boom.

          That said, I’d absolutely love to have dinner or play golf with the guy (Clinton).  

          1. ….The start of the surplus was the real bipartisan deal cut between HW and the Dem Congress that created a combo of spending cuts and tax increases.

            Mr Bill increased taxes on the wealthy, and yet somehow that Repub “Job Killing Effect” never happened. In fact, there was a boom that still hasn’t been topped by a Repub administration.

            And while Obama may have blown it in the past, he’s smart enough to call up some help. Remember how well that “gov’t shutdown” worked in the 90s? That was with Repubs that were relatively SANE – this current crop makes them look like Buddhists.  

          3. Did you mean the internet boom? Cuz those were like different things that happened about 15 years apart.

            It’s sad but cute how you think luck is responsible for everything your side did wrong and our side did right, while the other side is all skill. It’s like a 12-year-old bragging about his skills in making a basket without looking, except you crashed the fucking economy.

          4. One of the most important things I have ever learned in business in politics is the value of good advise and good advisors.

            As President Obama continues to give rope to Wormtongue and the Orangeman, Slick Willie has appeared to help them hang themselves with it.

            I love this shit!  

        1. so far into the ditch, it’ll take a lot more than Bill Clinton to fix it.

          Now watch, the American voters, in their wisdom…ahem, have put these bozo’s back into the majority.

    2. I wonder what’s in it for the working and middle class righties who are waging it against their fellow middle and working class citizens.

      That said, that was pretty funny.

              1. I’ll lose many more than I gain.

                I fear for the good people of Colorado were I to win an election to an office as awesome as CO Pols (that’s “poles” Voy’r) FPE.

                You should, too, MotR and rsb. Be fearful, that is.

        3. I love DaftPunk’s video post too!  Not only Darth Vader, but also the squirrel waving its tail between its legs in a suggestive sort of way.

          DavidT somehow seems to think that tacky pop crap is somehow more artistic if it’s produced in a foreign language.  

          If only we could find a crappy pop music translator to reproduce David Hasselhoff in Russian to better make the point.

  3. Looks like we’ll see the tax cut for billionaires pass because they loaded it up with enough pork to pull in additional votes.

    And many of the “deficit hawks” will vote for it. (Senator Udall – thank you for speaking honestly about this.)

  4. Bea Arthur, Tough Chick: Her Secret Past as a Marine

    Most people know the late Bea Arthur as the smack-talking Dorothy on The Golden Girls. But back in the 1940s, Arthur was proving her strength with the Marines.

    The actress and comic legend, who died last year at 86, had always denied serving in the military. But she did serve for 30 months, according to documents uncovered by The Smoking Gun. She enlisted in 1943, at the age of 21, under the name Bernice Frankel. She served as a typist and a truck driver, moving up the ranks from private to staff sergeant. While she was enlisted, she married Private Robert Aurthur, which led to her eventual name change to Bea Arthur.

    Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/…

  5. ..because this is not good…

    Iran is planning to place medium-range missiles on Venezuelan soil, based on western information sources[1], according to an article in the German daily, Die Welt, of November 25, 2010. According to the article, an agreement between the two countries was signed during the last visit o Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Tehran on October19, 2010. The previously undisclosed contract provides for the establishment of a jointly operated military base in Venezuela, and the joint development of ground-to-ground missiles.

    …

    According to Die Welt, Venezuela has agreed to allow Iran to establish a military base manned by Iranian missile officers, soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Venezuelan missile officers. In addition, Iran has given permission for the missiles to be used in case of an “emergency”. In return, the agreement states that Venezuela can use these facilities for “national needs” – radically increasing the threat to neighbors like Colombia. The German daily claims that according to the agreement, Iranian Shahab 3 (range 1300-1500 km), Scud-B (285-330 km) and Scud-C (300, 500 and 700 km) will be deployed in the proposed base. It says that Iran also pledged to help Venezuela in rocket technology expertise, including intensive training of officers

    Venezuela has also become the country through which Iran intends to bypass UN sanctions. Following a new round of UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic, for example, Russia decided not to sell five battalions of S-300PMU-1 air defence systems to Iran. These weapons, along with a number of other weapons, were part of a deal, signed in 2007, worth $800 million. Now that these weapons cannot be delivered to Iran, Russia is looking for new customers; according to the Russian press agency Novosti[2], it found one: Venezuela.

    Gee, I’m just so confident that the “unclenched fist” will really be able to rectify this one.

        2. Let Hugo know we can bring so much air power over his country it’ll look like an Armed Forces Day Air show.

          All these ex-Soviet bargain-basement launch platforms the Iranians use are beyond vulnerable to modern air-dropped munitions. And only the Shabab 3 has anything resembling accuracy. SCUD missiles are short and medium-range tactical missiles, and have the accuracy of a bottle rocket from a Wyoming fireworks stand.

          1. But it would have to be constant.  All of these systems work from mobile launchers, which makes them harder to keep track of.  Remember all the hunting for the SCUD launchers firing at Israel during the first Gulf War?  And if you don’t care exactly where the missile comes down, as long as it’s landing on enemy territory, they work fine as a threat to ones neighbors.

            1. …the Iraqi missile forces had years of warfare with Iran to develop their deception operations. El Presidente just got his missiles.

              Plus, we didn’t have the huge drone force we have now for recon and targeting.

        3. I’d wonder how the hell they got past all our naval vessels that are patrolling the Persian Gulf. We may not be blockading Iran’s ports but I don’t think they could easily ship missiles without being noticed by someone. Our military intelligence would REALLY have to suck to fuck up that bad.

          The reason this isn’t plausible is because only world powers can go around establishing bases in other parts of the world. Regional powers like Iran can only affect their neighbors. This would be more believable if China were the country going to Venezuela.

          BTW, did you read the way the article ended?

          “We know that Iran already has missiles that can carry an atomic warhead over Israel and over the Arabian Peninsula. Now we learn that Iran is planning to build a missile base close to the US borders. How longer do we have to wait before the Obama administration begins to understand threats?

          This is the sort of partisan non-news, propaganda dissemination that I took cologeek to task for quoting the other day. The rule is, legitimate news organizations only. (Yes, lefty blogs are BS too and inadmissible.)

          3. I can’t see President Obama ever ordering the interception of shipments between Iran and Venezuela.  And I don’t see him wanting any info on such shipments getting out either.  

            His South American foreign policy has been pretty non-existent, and there are many on the left who thinks that Hugo Chavez is the second coming of Castro.  Any moves on the Presidents part to curtail Chavez’s program of arming up with more offensive weaponry would bring howls of protest from those same leftists.

            And from the OP:

            According to Die Welt, Venezuela has agreed to allow Iran to establish a military base manned by Iranian missile officers, soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Venezuelan missile officers.

            Die Welt is hardly yellow journalism.  And a smaller power will establish bases around the world when they expect backing by a world power.  Do you remember the Cubans in Angola?  How much do the Russians want to move into the vacuum left by the U.S.?

            1. We’re talking about a hypothetical here. My comment shouldn’t be taken as my actual belief of what’s happening. Time will tell if there’s anything to this.

              As I said, regional powers stick to their own regions. This would be a first, if true, unless you’re right about Russia. (I can see North Korea trying to pull this off, but not Iran.)

              And I’m aware of Die Welt‘s reputation, but their articles are in German, which I can’t read. I don’t trust LB’s slanted source to be accurately conveying their story. (How many times have you followed a quoted link to find how much they took something out of context? I can’t check for that in this case.) If the AP picks this up, I’ll start paying attention then.

              Keep in mind, this is how they start building up support for American invasions of sovereign nations. It wasn’t true with Iraq; it’s the duty of every American to be more vigilant for this kind of thing now.

              1. Or not, says the WaPo.

                First, I’d think you’d want to acquire sophisticate, portable AA systems before you built your missile base, and the Russians are still pissed about the Stingers that turned the tide against them in Afghanistan.

                The U.N. registry did not reveal the model of the delivered weaponry. But the American commander for military forces in Latin America, Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, publicly expressed concern this year that Venezuela was purchasing as many as 2,400 of the missiles, also called the IGLA-S.

                Matt Schroeder, a missile expert at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, said the missiles are among the most sophisticated in the world and can down aircraft from 19,000 feet.

                “It’s the largest recorded transfer in the U.N. arms registry database in five years, at least. There’s no state in Latin America of greater concern regarding leakage that has purchased so many missiles,” he said, referring to reports of Venezuelan arms flowing to Colombian guerrillas.

                I’m sure we’ll just sit, and wait, and maybe even write a very sternly worded letter to Chavez, just like we’re eating popcorn and watching the craziest fuckheads in the world build an atomic weapon that they will invariably use.

                Brilliant.

                1. maybe I missed something, but there was no mention of Iran in the WaPo story.

                  There is a signicant difference between shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missles ( again, a threat to Venezuelas’ neighbors only) and ICBMs.

                  How, again, are the two related ?

                  1. Wouldn’t you want kickass AA protection if you were going to build something the U.S. would want to bomb, accurately?

                    The above link also mentioned Iran skirting sanctions by buying Russian arms through Venezuela.

                2. that America has a long history of “intervening” in South America against governments that don’t get along with us and our business interests. Personally, I believe Venezuela has every reason to want to beef up its security.

                  Now, I know it’s not patriotic or something to believe that other sovereign nations have the same right to defense as America, and the right to conduct their internal affairs as they see fit, and that even if a country is a dictatorship then it’s up to their own people to do what they can to rise up and bring about a democratic regime; but that’s where I come from. Until they do something that’s truly belligerent, it is MORALLY wrong for us to go around violating the sovereignty of these nations. I don’t care how big a bastard Chavez is to his people, so long as he isn’t engaging in genocide or warring with his neighbors, we ought to leave it alone. (Hey, if you’re really a fiscal conservative, think of the savings.)

                  BTW, you ought to read The Making of the Atomic Bomb before you assume that anyone possessing nuclear weapons will just use them. Governments are about power, and nuclear war will ensure that EVERYONE loses. Repressive dictatorships know this, and know that use of such weapons = no more power, whether it’s mutually assured destruction (something that kept the peace between the USA and the USSR, is keeping the peace between Pakistan and India, and will keep the peace between Israel and Iran should the latter become nuclear) or simply knowing that the whole world will annihilate any tiny country like North Korea that dares to use theirs.

            3. “Increased U.S. Military Presence in Colombia Could Pose Problems With Neighbors”

              http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07…

              CARACAS, Venezuela – A plan to increase the American military presence on at least three military bases in Colombia, Washington’s top ally in Latin America, is accentuating Colombia’s already tense relations with some of its neighbors.

              Venezuela, Ecuador and Nicaragua, which are members of a leftist political alliance that is led by President Hugo ChГЎvez of Venezuela and backed by his nation’s oil revenues, have all criticized the plan, saying it would broaden the military reach of the United States in the Andes and the Caribbean at a time when they are still wary of American influence in the region.

  6. Bernie Madoff’s son, Mark Madoff, was found in his SoHo apartment hung with a dog leash.

    Madoff, 46, had not yet been criminally charged in the ongoing investigation of his father’s  massive Ponzi scheme, although he was named in civil suits seeking millions in damages for victimized investors.

    Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  

    1. in the ponzi side of the enterprise. They certainly enjoyed the lifestyle created as a result of the thievery, but like many children of the welathy, they may not have had a clue.

      There’s plenty of tragedy to go around here, but IMO, the apple not falling far from the tree is unfair.

      If 150 years in a NC prison is bad, and I’m sure it is, this has to make it unbearbly heartbreaking.

      The fruits of greed are not apples, they’re tragedies. More to come, believe me.

      The protectors of greed are now in the majority.

  7. the last weekend before the big FPE elections, and still not a single one of you have offered to by my (or any of my several minions) vote.

    Where in the hell did you people learn your politics?

        1. I guarantee:

          1. Unlimited free comments on COPols.

          2. Two diaries a day for non-FPEs.

          3. Unlimited page refreshes.

          4. Even more of my insightful observations and witty repartee.

          5. Continued Friday Jams Fest rocking.

    1. Presidents with either a lack of respect for, or a fear of, their wives tend to be good to great at the job.

      Maybe a super-duper-jerk-tacular guy would’ve been a super-duper-spectacular President.

      Aaaaaand now I’m sad.  Thanks for ruining my morning, Sexy Penis.

    2. This one was boring.  Too much blah-blah-blah, not ironic or sardonic or sarcastic enough.  It was earnest, and there’s nothing duller than earnest polemic.

  10. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12…

    MINEOLA, N.Y. – Facing a huge budget deficit when he took office in January, Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano did not impose a hiring freeze. He did not stop borrowing to subsidize some of the richest school districts in the country. He did not eliminate the Police Department’s beloved mounted unit.

    Instead, Mr. Mangano, a Republican who won one of the first upsets of the Tea Party era, did what he had promised: He cut taxes, adding $40 million to the county’s deficit, which has since reached nearly $350 million.

    Now, with its bonds suddenly downgraded and a state oversight agency preparing to seize its checkbook and credit cards, Nassau is on the verge of a full-fledged fiscal crisis.

    Aristotle’s emphasis throughout. HT to SLOG.

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