When Are People Going to Stop Taking Broder the Fool Seriously?

I am convinced that our political pundits and commentators are, as a group, among the very worst on the planet. There are the obvious right wing sociopaths, of course--Limbaugh, Hannity, Malkin, Coulter, O'Beirne, Boortz, Savage, Stossel, O'Reilly, and all the other bottom feeders, trolls, and chronic liars. Then there are the less obvious but even more dangerous "political experts"--Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, and especially David Broder. They're more dangerous because they seem superficially reasonable, and yet they stick the knife in the backs of Democrats just about any chance they get, while playing softball with the right wing criminals that are killing America. Broder stands out as the most dangerous of all because of his high status as the "Dean" of American political reporters. MediaMatters, however, has the Dean's number--and his record. Here is a generous sample:

In 1998, Broder suggested President Clinton should resign, apparently because he "he may well have lied to a federal grand jury." Read that again: Broder wasn't even sure if he thought Clinton lied to a federal grand jury, but thought he should resign. Because maybe he lied. About an affair.

But in 2006, Broder wrote that President Bush "has proved to be lawless and reckless. He started a war he cannot finish, drove the government into debt and repeatedly defied the Constitution." Did he think this "lawless and reckless" president who "repeatedly defied the Constitution" should resign? If he thought so, he did not tell us. Broder believes his president is a lawless man who repeatedly defies the Constitution -- yet this superman, this titan, this great and influential man will not say it is time for the president to step down. Now, if Bush "may well have lied" about sex ... then, perhaps this titan would be stirred to speak out a little more boldly.

Broder has repeatedly and disingenuously defended his window-peering coverage of the Clintons' marriage, despite having previously denounced such journalism. He hasn't entirely abandoned his earlier stance, though: when asked if he would write a similar article about Republican candidates, Broder replied: "Why would I write such an article? I know of no occasion for that." He is, however, "the most objective and respected reporter" Tim Russert knows.

In 2002, when Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a prominent leader in the Republican Party, was forced to step down from his leadership position after suggesting the country would have been better off had we elected a segregationist president in 1948, David Broder explained that the "losers" in the matter were ... Democrats, because four years earlier, they hadn't impeached President Clinton.

In 2005, Broder blamed Democrats -- who were in the minority in both the House and the Senate -- for Congress' failure to conduct oversight hearings. Which, of course, they didn't have the power to do, being in the minority and all. Then, in March 2007 -- just two months into Democratic control of Congress -- Broder complained that the House had "slowed to a crawl," doing little other than "filling time with investigations." Later that month, Broder claimed "Democrats find it easier to investigate than to legislate. ... Accountability is certainly important, but Democrats must know that people were really voting for action on Iraq, health care, immigration, energy and a few other problems. Investigations are useful, but only legislation on big issues changes lives." In yet another March column, Broder warned, "It seems doubtful that Democrats can help themselves ... with more investigations ... At some point, Democrats have to give people something to vote for. People already know what they're against -- the Republicans."

So, when Democrats didn't control Congress, David Broder thought that oversight hearings were good, and blamed Democrats -- who lacked the authority to conduct such hearings -- for their absence. Now that Democrats control Congress, Broder warns Democrats not to conduct oversight investigations.

In 2005, Broder actually touted President Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina. 'Nuff said.

In December 2006, Broder praised Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld as "stalwarts of economic and national security policy." No, really.

And this Bush-Cheney apologist is the "best of the best" as he has been called? He thinks Bush did a good job in handling Katrina?!? He thinks Clinton should have resigned for lying about having affair but thinks Bush should stay in office even though Broder has called Bush lawless and blamed him for starting the war?!? What in the hell kind of "logic" is that?!?

Yes, friends, this is the true state of political commentary in America. Whatever happens, according to the pundits, is basically bad for Democrats. All blame rests on the Democrats, even for events over which they had no control. Democrats are "inauthentic" and "elitist". The narrative is simple: People like Cheney are the "serious adults" while Democrats are "shrill". It is this crackbrained cheerleading for the Right that has dragged this country to the brink of catastrophe. Yes, Broder has criticized Bush, but his real fire has been reserved for Bush's enemies--the people trying to save America. Broder has been consistently wrong in his judgments. It is time for him to suffer the ultimate fate of all those who wrongly imagine themselves to be deep thinking and insightful:

To be ignored.

Keith Olbermann (Verbally) Caves Giuliani's Head In

It's a thing of beauty, and it's right here.

Oh baby.

Broder's Boy Bounces All the Way Down to 28%

Aging knucklehead David Broder recently speculated that President Dimwit might be in for a "surge" of support, a "bounce", if you will.

Oh, too bad, Davey. Your hero is down to 28% approval--the lowest of his rotten, miserable excuse for a presidency.

Retire, Broder. Stop embarrassing yourself.

Tom Tomorrow Exposes the Right Wing Idiots

Step Right Up, Folks!

Get your Republican Chickenhawk cards right here! My faves:

The Truth About Mass Murderers

And it sure as hell ain't what the pathetic, fat assed, hated-by-women, drug addict, draft dodger says it is.

No. As in HELL NO

Republicans are floating the name Ted Olson as a possible replacement for disgraced and politically crippled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Olson was the head of the so-called "Arkansas Project" in the 1990s, a project organized to "get" Bill Clinton and lay the basis for the hideous farce of his impeachment. Olson is one of the most corrupt people in our country, a complete and total political hack of the worst kind. Pensito Review has the story:

Now there is word that Republican officials in D.C. are seriously proposing Ted Olson to replace Gonzo. Digby asks, “Is this some kind of a joke?”

Knowing Ted Olson’s history, the answer is sadly no.

During the 1990s, the GOP ran a stealth disinformation campaign against the Clintons, the prototype for Swiftboating, out of the offices of the American Spectator, a rightwing magazine. Internally, the operation was called the Arkansas Project. Hillary famously referred to it as a “vast rightwing conspiracy.” It was funded by Richard Mellon Scaife and its CEO was Ted Olson,
At the same time, Olson’s wife, Barbara, was one of a cadre of wingnut blondes — the others were Ann Coulter, Kellyann Fitzpatrick and Laura Ingraham — who were given untold hours of face time on cable news to bash the Clintons with rumors and innuendos, much of which was processed through the Arkansas Project. Barbara, the author of a bizarrely nasty screed titled “Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton,” died on the plane that hit the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

In late 2000, Ted Olson argued for the Bush/Cheney campaign in the Bush v. Gore. For this, he was rewarded with the position of solicitor general, a job once held by his friend Ken Starr, the Whitewater special investigator who spent $60 million of the taxpayers’ money to smear the Clintons with allegations, much of which were generated by the Arkansas Project, but came up emptyhanded except for an unrelated sex lie and stained blue dress.

And the Republicans want THIS son of a bitch to be the head of the Justice Department??? If Olson is nominated and the Democrats help confirm him, then I'm out of the Democratic Party. Period.

If You Want to Know ...

Why Bush and his thugs were allowed to pull off the coup d'etat in 2000 that stole the presidency from its rightful winner, Al Gore...

Why the major media ignored Bush's utter corruption, lies, and complete lack of qualifications...

Why the major media failed in their job of questioning the basis on which the Iraq War was started, and why they have dismissed or ignored the lies that led to the war...

Why the major media have been Bush's good little lapdogs...

Check this out:




And then, decide to do something about it.

Bill Maher on the Rampage Again

Beautiful. Just simply beautiful.

You know, if you played a drinking game where you did a shot every time Rush Limbaugh attacked someone for being elite, you'd almost be as wasted as Rush Limbaugh.

I - I don't get it. In other fields outside of government, "elite" is a good thing, like an "elite" fighting force; Tiger Woods is an "elite" golfer. If I need brain surgery, I'd like an "elite" doctor. But, in politics, "elite" is bad. The "elite" aren't down to earth and accessible like you and me and President Sh*t-for-brains.

Which is fine, except that whenever there's a Bush Administration scandal, it always traces back to some incompetent political hack appointment, and you think to yourself, where are they getting these screw-ups from?

Well, now we know. From Pat Robertson. I'm not kidding. Take Monica Goodling, who, before she resigned last week, because she's smack in the middle of the U.S. Attorneys scandal, was the third-ranking official in the Justice Department of the United States. She's 33 years old. And though she never even worked as a prosecutor, she was tasked with overseeing the job performance of all 93 U.S. Attorneys.

How do you get to the top that fast? Harvard? Princeton? No, Goodling did her undergraduate work at Messiah College... And then went on to attend Pat Robertson's law school. Yes, Pat Robertson, the man who said that the presence of gay people at Disney World would cause earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor, has a law school.

And what kid wouldn't want to attend? It's three years, and you only have to read one book. U.S. News & World Report, which does the definitive ranking of colleges, lists Regent as a Tier Four school, which is the lowest score it gives. It's not a hard school to get into. You have to renounce Satan and draw a pirate on a matchbook.

Ha! Gawd, I love it!

Ah, Is There Hope for the Future?

What in the Hell is He Talking About??

Is he drinking again? Is he off his meds? Take a look at this and tell me he's operating with a full deck.

Want to Reduce Abortion, Teen Pregnancy, and STDs?

In light of the controversial Supreme Court decision upholding the ban on the procedure that is commonly (and misleadingly called) "partial birth abortion", I thought it might be interesting to look at some ways we can reduce the incidence of abortion and other sexually-related problems. And it turns out the answer is a "radical" one:

TALK TO KIDS ABOUT HUMAN SEXUALITY OPENLY AND HONESTLY, AND GIVE THEM COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION ABOUT REPRODUCTION AND BIRTH CONTROL.

I swear to God, the attitudes about sex in this country are so utterly screwed up that it sometimes drives me to despair. "Cultural conservatives" have done epic damage to this country in many ways, but none worse than in the pervasive hypocrisy about sex that plagues our culture. (And I'm not just talking about conservatives who spew a line of self-righteous crap and then roll around in bed with male hookers while high on meth.) A lot of people seem to think--idiotically--that if we preach "abstinence only" to our kids that we'll magically convince them not to engage in sexual activity. If it weren't for the human tragedies that result from this nonsense, "abstinence only" sex education would be funny. Folks, let's face it--kids are going to be interested in masturbation, oral sex, and intercourse no matter how much we tell them not to be. The results of our kids' sexual ignorance have grown too serious to ignore. We need a better way, and I think I've found it:

Follow the Dutch and German examples.

This article here lays it out beyond dispute: Sex education and sexual attitudes in Europe have a lot to teach us in this country. To wit:

Pregnancy

In the United States, the teen pregnancy rate is more than nine times higher than that in the Netherlands, nearly four times higher than the rate in France, and nearly five times higher than that in Germany.

Birth

In the United States, the teen birth rate is nearly 11 times higher than that of the Netherlands, nearly five times higher than the rate in France, and nearly four times higher than that in Germany.

Abortion

In the United States, the teen abortion rate is nearly eight times higher than the rate in Germany, nearly seven times higher than that in the Netherlands, and nearly three times higher than the rate in France.

HIV in Young Women and Men

In the United States, the estimated HIV prevalence rate in young men ages 15 to 24 is over five times higher than the rate in Germany, nearly three times higher than the rate in the Netherlands, and about 1 ½ times higher than that in France.

In the United States, the estimated HIV prevalence rate in young women ages 15 to 24 is six times higher than the rate in Germany, nearly three times higher than the rate in the Netherlands, and is the same as that in France.

Syphilis

In the United States, the teen syphilis rate is over six times higher than that of the Netherlands, over five times higher than the rate in former West Germany, and nearly three times higher than that in former East Germany. Data are not available for France.

Gonorrhea

In the United States, the teen gonorrhea rate is over 74 times higher than that in the Netherlands and France, over 66 times higher than the rate in former West Germany, and over 38 times higher than that in former East Germany.

Chlamydia

In the United States, the teen chlamydia rate is over 20 times higher than that in France. Data are not available for Germany or the Netherlands.

Despite what George Bush and his fanatical right-wing idiot supporters believe, it is KNOWLEDGE that fights the very things they are supposedly most opposed to, not the SUPPRESSION of knowledge. Don't want your kid to get pregnant, get someone pregnant, have an abortion, or get an STD? Then TELL THEM THE TRUTH--and show the boys how to strap on a condom and explain the pill to girls. Tell the kids something else as well--that they don't need to have sex to prove themselves adults, and they don't have to have sex to live up to other people's expectations. But above all, acknowledge their sexual natures--and show them how to handle their sexuality like real adults do--openly, candidly, and honestly.

The Myth of a Celibate and "Virtuous" Past

It's fascinating how the Internet can lead you into all sorts of tangents. I saw an item on Sullivan linking to an item on Reason that linked to a study on sexual behavior in the United States (and the utter failure of "abstinence only" sex education). I saw the following astonishing information:

By the way, a new report, Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954-2003, finds that most Americans have been enjoying premarital sex for a long time. To wit:

Contrary to the public perception that premarital sex is much more common now than in the past, the study shows that even among women who were born in the 1940s, nearly nine in 10 had sex before marriage.

The new study uses data from several rounds of the federal National Survey of Family Growth to examine sexual behavior before marriage, and how it has changed over time. According to the analysis, by age 44, 99% of respondents had had sex, and 95% had done so before marriage. Even among those who abstained from sex until age 20 or older, 81% had had premarital sex by age 44.

Well, well, well. Wouldya lookee there. Looks like most people in this country have a premarital roll in the hay despite any religious or parental warnings not to. Maybe we should gear our country's sex ed policies to the way life really is, rather than fantasies based on a world that never existed--namely, the fantasy of the celibate-before-marriage past.

Why do you think so many of our parents and grandparents are kind of "hazy" about the circumstances that caused them to get married so young?

The Sewer of Right Wing Hate Radio

MediaMatters has a tremendous post here that makes an excellent point: the cleaning up of American radio cannot logically end with the elimination of Don Imus. In fact, for years the (Republican) elephant in the media room has been the astonishing outpouring of the most vile bigotry and slander by the radical right on the nation's airwaves.

The phrase "liberal media" has always been a fiction, but no more so than in regard to radio. (Paul Harvey has been spewing out tiresome conservative platitudes since the 1940s, but at least he has been generally civil.) The real right wing nutcases began to appear on the airwaves in much of the country in the 1950s. Beginning with conservative loudmouths Joe Pyne (nationally) and Howard Miller (in the Chicago area), the right's ugliness proliferated. Morton Downey, Jr. kept the ball rolling nicely (he was Limbaugh's immediate predecessor) and then the floodgates were opened: the Fairness Doctrine was repealed under Ronald Reagan. After that, the Right's dominance spread even faster. Rational dialogue? Reasoned arguments? An examination of all sides of a controversy? Who needs that crap? It proved to be much more profitable to appeal to hatred, anger, prejudice, and the hunger for brainless, simplistic "answers" to every complex problem. (Can there be a more repulsive example of "discussion" than a knuckle dragging Limbaugh listener from the 90s shouting, "Ditto!"?)

In many parts of the country, the far right viewpoint is the ONLY one which is EVER heard. I've been told that to drive through the Deep South during the Clinton presidency and listen to the radio was to be exposed to an unceasing flood of mindless hatred and preposterous lies. And the cancer of the Fox "News" personalities has only exacerbated an already awful situation. (Really, how can there be a just God when people like Sean Hannity are allowed anywhere near a job that doesn't involve the serving of fast food?) Right wing hate radio has been the chief engine of Republican electoral success and a key instrument in the conservative "culture war" (i.e., the war against the rest of America). It has also pandered to the worst instincts of its audience. Here's a lovely example of radical right wing Republican trash that MediaMatters didn't cite--Bob Grant, who was ultimately fired:

One of Grant's favorite words for African-Americans is "savages": The U.S., he said (1/6/92), has "millions of sub-humanoids, savages, who really would feel more at home careening along the sands of the Kalahari or the dry deserts of eastern Kenya--people who, for whatever reason, have not become civilized." He declared (10/15/93) that "if they didn't observe Martin King Day, there would be trouble from the savages." Apologists for Grant say that he only uses "savages" to refer to rioters and criminals (as if applying racial stereotypes to criminals was not racist).

But it isn't true: Grant has referred to black churchgoers as "screaming savages" (4/30/93); he's said (7/15/93) that black fraternity members represent "the savage mind, the primitive, primordial mentality." After overcrowding at a charity event led to deaths, Grant referred to the crowd (1/6/92) as "the 3,000 to 5,000 savages who showed up for the rap stars' basketball game."

Read the MediaMatters article and then add your own observations. To me, the solution to this is obvious: a Democratic president, an increased Democratic majority in the House, and a filibuster-proof Democratic majority in the Senate to allow the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine--and a crushing blow to the Right Wing Noise Machine that has so poisoned and sickened political discussion in our country.

This is Why Don Imus Deserves to Be Fired

He's a foul-mouthed, pinheaded bigot. I'm sick of these pricks like Imus and Limbaugh getting a free pass (or else simply being slapped on the wrist) and then returned to their places of media prominence. To hell with them. And no, don't give me this "you're just a Politically Correct fanatic" bullshit. People who say that simply want to make the public expression of raving ethnic and gender hatred respectable. You can say whatever you want, but you're not entitled to a national radio and TV show on which to say it.

Here, by the way, is collection of Donny Boy's "witticisms". See if you can keep your sides from splitting.

A Disgusting Phenomenon

The people who pull this crap deserve to have the book thrown at them.

Henry Kissinger: War Criminal

Can there really be any doubt, in light of recent revelations, that Henry Kissinger is the most remorseless and unprincipled war criminal in American history? This outstanding article is a summary of Kissinger's appalling career. It was Kissinger that goaded Richard Nixon into prolonging the Vietnam War for purely political reasons from 1969 to 1972. It was Kissinger who helped push Cambodia into disaster in 1969 and 1970 through a campaign of illegal and massively excessive bombing. It was Kissinger who "tilted" U.S. foreign policy toward Pakistan at a time when the people of East Pakistan were being slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands in 1971. It was Kissinger who aided the overthrow of Chile's government in 1973. It was Kissinger who gave U.S. approval to Indonesia's extermination of the East Timorese that began in 1975. It was Kissinger that Bush tried to put in charge of the 9/11 "investigation" (in order to bury it). And it was Henry Kissinger who flattered our shockingly unfit "president" into believing that invading Iraq would be a good idea and that he, Bush, would be considered a courageous figure for prosecuting the war.

Through all this Kissinger has maintained a brutal, callous indifference to human suffering, sacrificing all considerations to realpolitik. He has repeatedly sneered at those who raised human rights concerns. And he has been perfectly willing to look the other way as governments of which he approved committed the most egregious crimes. From Human Rights Watch, discussing Argentina's brutal government in the 1970s:

Recently declassified U.S. government documents reveal the strong support given by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to the Argentine military junta in 1976, at a time when the junta was responsible for massive human rights abuses. According to a record of a conversation between Kissinger and Argentina’s then-Foreign Minister, Adm. César Augusto Guzzetti, Kissinger told Guzzetti: “[I]f there are things that have to be done, you should do them quickly. [Emphasis added.] But you should get back quickly to normal procedures.” The documents show how Kissinger undermined efforts by the U.S. Congress and the U.S. ambassador in Argentina to press the Argentine military to stop the abuses.

In other words, beat, torture, and murder whomever you need to and then get back to normal.

Henry Kissinger, Republican, has been a cancer on our nation's foreign policy for more than 30 years. He is utterly amoral and willing to countenance any barbarism in the name of his perverted sense of "national interest". He's old now, but I want him to end his life in prison. I know it won't happen, of course.

But in a truly just universe, it would.

Fun With Optical Illusions

or delusions.

Cheney is Insane and Must Be Removed From Office

He continues to insist on a link between Saddam and Al Qaeda (and by implication a link between Saddam and 9/11) despite ALL EVIDENCE, including a statement from Bush himself. He is living in a "reality" that exists entirely in his own mind--clear evidence of delusion.

...a declassified Pentagon report released Thursday said that interrogations of the deposed Iraqi leader and two of his former aides as well as seized Iraqi documents confirmed that the terrorist organization and the Saddam government were not working together before the invasion.

The Sept. 11 Commission's 2004 report also found no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Saddam and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network during that period.

Cheney is mentally incompetent. The lunatic Neocon dreamworld that he lives in has become a mortal threat to our nation's survival. We all realize that Cheney is evil. Now we have to recognize an additional fact:

This son of a bitch is crazy.

Well, Well, Well. Look Who's in the Lead

And he's an actual living, breathing Democrat.

Bravo, John Edwards!

He pulls out of the proposed Fox-sponsored Congressional Black Caucus debate on 23 September and issues the following statement:

"We just called the CBC to let them know that we're looking forward to their January debate with CNN but we're not going to participate in the proposed debate with Fox. The CBC champions critical issues that matter enormously to the future of our country, and we look forward to discussing them throughout this campaign and at their debate in January. But we believe there's just no reason for Democrats to give Fox a platform to advance the right-wing agenda while pretending they're objective. If there was any uncertainty as to Fox's objectivity, it was put to rest when they attacked Democratic candidates, Democratic constituency groups, and the Nevada Democratic party when their last proposed debate was cancelled for lack of support."

Outstanding! Fox is not a legitimate news organization. It's a refuge for right wing hacks, liars, and character assassins. Way to go, John! Screw 'em!

America Stands With Nancy Pelosi

And it stands against the insane, radical right wing agenda of Bush, Cheney, Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, Malkin, Kristol, and all of the other conservative criminals who are killing this country with their lies, their malice, and their almost unbelievable incompetence. Aiding and abetting these criminals are many in the so-called "mainstream media" who have been stupidly and irresponsibly attacking Pelosi. Glenn Greenwald lays down a crushing smackdown of these idiots here.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The "liberal media" phrase is a lie, a myth, utter BS. The so-called MSM are virulently anti-Democratic Party and they kowtow to every right wing fruitcake and nutjob in America. Russert, Matthews, and all of their enablers try to give the appearance of being "fair" but the only thing we Democrats, independents, progressives, liberals, and moderates ever get from them isn't an an even hand--it's the back of it.

He Still Refuses to Withdraw!

Click here for the full story!

The "Recovery": A Farce

And the right wingers are STILL lying through their teeth about the "great economy".

BTW, note the strong increase in corporate profits--the only "positive" sign.

A weak "recovery"+flat or dropping wages+record government debt+a collapsing housing market+foreign policy catastrophe=disaster for the Republicans in 2008.

An Interesting Quote by Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh actually said this several years ago, but I thought it would be appropriate to post it today, the 39th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King:

"You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray. We miss you, James. Godspeed."

Ray was the confessed murderer of Dr. King.

Great Moments in Conservative History: 1980

Ronald Reagan speaks at the Neshoba County, Mississippi fair as part of his 1980 campaign. His use of the phrase "I believe in states rights" sends a clear message to the huge white crowd gathered to see him. Neshoba County was where three young civil rights workers had been killed in 1964. There was in 1980 as yet no conviction for these crimes. An account of Reagan's visit and its connection to the "Southern Strategy" of the Republican Party can be found here.
(And yes, I voted for Reagan in 1980, but I'm not sure I would have in light of this.)

This has been another...GREAT MOMENT IN CONSERVATIVE HISTORY!

Great Moments in Conservative History: 1921

The Tulsa, Oklahoma race riot that may have killed more than 300 African-Americans. Read about it here.

This has been another...GREAT MOMENT IN CONSERVATIVE HISTORY!

Pathological Liars or Complete Idiots?

You decide.

Hatch and Limbaugh: made for each other.

The Real Power Watches From a Distance

And in a spectacular display, Cheney's mouth didn't move once while Bush was "speaking".

Are You Surprised? I Wish I Were

Transcripts from secret recordings of Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon during Nixon's presidency. (From Robert Dallek in this month's Vanity Fair):

Using language that has a painfully contemporary echo, Kissinger and Nixon very quickly came to private conclusions about Vietnam that they never revealed publicly and denied entertaining. "In Saigon the tendency is to fight the war to victory," Nixon told Kissinger, according to the transcript of a 1969 phone conversation. "But you and I know it won't happen—it is impossible." Even so, according to Haldeman's unpublished diaries, Nixon later urged that Democratic critics making this same point should be labeled "the party of surrender." When someone told Kissinger that Nixon could not be re-elected, because of Vietnam, he disputed it and added, according to a memo of a conversation, that "anytime we want to get out of Vietnam we can," and that "we will get out of Vietnam before the [1972] election." Nixon wanted to plan the removal of all U.S. troops by the end of 1971, but Kissinger cautioned that, if North Vietnam then de-stabilized Saigon during the following year, events could have an adverse effect on the president's campaign. According to Haldeman's diaries, Kissinger advocated a pullout in the fall of 1972, "so that if any bad results follow they will be too late to affect the election." He apparently had nothing to say about the American lives that would be lost by deliberately prolonging the war. Just before a peace treaty was signed, Kissinger in a phone conversation advised Nixon against stating that this was a "lasting peace or guaranteed peace because this thing is almost certain to blow up sooner or later."

I'm old enough to remember the way Vietnam fractured this nation. I'm also not shocked to see the ugly cynicism and calculation by Nixon and Kissinger. And I'm not surprised in the least to see the Republicans using the same filthy tactics against critics of a war that should never have been fought.

Remember this story if you're ever standing in front of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington.

Simply Beautiful

This is so freaking cool. (I would suggest going full screen on this, by the way.)

Conservative Heroes: Jesse Helms

Savor the profundity of these wonderful quotes!

"To rob the Negro of his reputation of thinking through a problem in his own fashion is about the same as trying to pretend that he doesn't have a natural instinct for rhythm and for singing and dancing."

"The Negro cannot count forever on the kind of restraint that's thus far left him free to clog the streets, disrupt traffic, and interfere with other men's rights." (Commenting on civil rights demonstrations.)

When a caller to CNN's Larry King Live show praised guest Jesse Helms for "everything you've done to help keep down the niggers," Helms' response was to salute the camera and say, "Well, thank you, I think." (Wilmington Star-News, 9/16/95)

There's more. Check 'em all out!

Jesse Helms...CONSERVATIVE HERO!

Great Moments in Conservative History: 1964

Angered by President Lyndon Johnson's embrace of civil rights for all Americans, conservative Strom Thurmond switches from Democrat to Republican and warmly supports Barry Goldwater for president. Goldwater had voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Thurmond's switch is a harbinger of things to come, as the Republican party openly solicits support from southern white racist conservatives, the "Southern Strategy" that transforms the South into the Republican heartland.

This has been another...GREAT MOMENT IN CONSERVATIVE HISTORY!