Crooks and Liars does it again:
Remember the Kiss?
John McCain on Imus this morning: “Your and my dear friend Joe Lieberman, just came back from a trip there and wrote a piece in the WSJ, where he was very optimistic. I may not be as optimistic as Joe, but I do think we’re making progress…”
It certainly seems likes Joe is bucking for Rummy’s job. He out McCain’s-McCain.
Here’s the video of President Bush planting a wet one on Joe. …(Image grabbed from Rising Hegemon blog.)
Update [2005-12-7 14:47:24 by susanhu]: If you have news on a federal air marshal who apparently shot a passenger while in flight, please post here. I’ve been on the phone and missed some of the reports. CNN: It’s an American Airlines flight from Colombia stopping in Miami. Thanks!
Then there’s President Bush’s ode to Joe this morning (read it below the fold). OPEN THREAD!
From Bush’s speech this morning:
… One of those who has seen that progress is Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman. Senator Lieberman has traveled to Iraq four times in the past 17 months, and the article he wrote when he returned from his most recent trip provides a clear description of the situation on the ground. Here’s what Senator Lieberman wrote — Senator Lieberman wrote about the Iraq he saw: “Progress is visible and practical. There are many more cars on the streets, satellite television dishes on the roofs, and literally millions more cell phones in Iraq hands than before.” He describes an Iraqi poll showing that, “two-thirds [of Iraqis] say they are better off than they were under Saddam Hussein.”
Senator Lieberman goes on, “Does America have a good plan for doing this, a strategy for victory in Iraq? Yes, we do. And it’s important to make clear to the American people that the plan has not remained stubbornly still, but has changed over the years.” The Senator says that mistakes have been made. But he goes on to say that he is worried about a bigger mistake. He writes, “What a colossal mistake it would be for America’s bipartisan political leadership to choose this moment in history to lose its will and, in the famous phrase, to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory.” Senator Lieberman is right.
If I can count correctly, Bush mentioned LIEBERMAN’s name six times.
marks the 64th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
It’s an event without much fanfare except on the major anniversaries. It made me wonder if 9/11 will be the same way in 60 years.
What do you think?
Probably … sigh .. Although yesterday our local paper ran this as a front-page story:
I hope some of them do. Otherwise, what happens when all the WWII veterans are gone, and all we have to remind us is a cheesy Ben Affleck flick?
(Susan – Sorry for going off-topic, but I just wanted to quietly tiptoe in to let you know how very much I appreciate you. Thanks for keeping everything afloat during Martin’s absence. You’ve succeeded in simultaneously contributing your essays, participating in diaries, maintaining the site, fielding e-mails and phone calls amidst sometimes unpleasant surroundings – while managing the complexities of your personal life. I sincerely hope you’re doing well. Love and hugs, A)
What Anom said.
Any word of BooMan? He is still cable-free?
I talked to BooMan just an hour ago. He’s waiting for them to fix a username issue with his Comcast account … it’s very annoying for him. As you can easily imagine.
Poor guy …
But an “angel” just called me and may have a laptop to loan him. Which would work because he’s near a Starbucks with WiFi. “Angel” is calling Boo right now with the offer.
I remember what it was like getting internet service set up when I first moved to my current location – we’re a small town, and the local co-op which has a monopoly tends to take its own leisurely time getting anything done. Being without the internets was rather frustrating during that time. Hopefully Boo’s situation gets resolved quickly.
Thank you. Your words mean more than I can possibly convey. Amazing but true: FPers are human and can get sad and worried for the site just like all of our wonderful members. I was so tired and depressed last night that I conked out at 9pm. Which was good … I needed the sleep / haven’t had much lately.
Luckily, a lot of great people are stepping up to the plate and helping. Thank you ALL!
For any interested parties . . .CSPAN2 is currently running a repeat of a Tuesday airing of Lieberman speaking about Iraq policies. He’s in the process of being introduced as I type. Wouldn’t want anyone to miss a chance to hear him speak ;^).
Gee, thanks. I think … :):)
(I don’t want to listen … I’m so upset with him for letting himself be used as a tool by Bush. Dumb ass.)
Kinda makes you wonder what kind of The Kiss they had in mind.
Perhaps This one.
A tool you say? (Screwdriver comes to mind)
How about this little quote from Joe’s speaking engagement:
Joe, “We undermine the president’s credibility at the nation’s peril”
Did he ever say anything like that to Ken Star on behalf of Clinton?
Just wondering – who are Joe’s buddies in DC? I simply don’t know what the heck to make of that guy.
And again – he mentions that we can’t leave Iraq until we finish “the job”. Yet, I still don’t know what the “job” is – or what “victory” means in their eyes. (“Their” meaning Joe and all the other neocons)
I, too, don’t know what to make of Lieberman. While I can understand his support of Israel, I wonder if that support is coloring his views on the war in Iraq. Let’s face it, what’s good for Israel isn’t necessarily good for the United States. And just because they like the fact that we have 150,000 troops in the vicinity doesn’t mean it’s a worthwhile cause to have them there.
Is Lieberman more interested in Israel’s welfare than that of the United States? I think it’s a valid question.
He would hardly support its current state as a glorified Amrikan weapons depot haven for gunrunners and thugs.
Ughh, Susan, I just ate and the thought of “the kiss”, I’m going to be sick. < runs off to bathroom >
Lieberman is very appreciative of bush’s sucking up to Isreal. He knows which side his bread is buttered on. Since Isreal is the only country that has seen any benefit from bush’s Iraq war. The war cut off Iraqi support to the palestinian freedom fighters. It also gave legitimacy to Isreal’s aggressive foreign policy since we adopted its tone.
Lieberman is just another zealot in a suit.
I thought I had a strong stomach. Then Lieberman and Bush did the the kissy. Susan, you have a warped sense of humor to do this and watch all of get sick.
It figures though … I love South Park too. Speaking of which, there’s a new episode tonight! Must remember. Often forget. Because it’s on at 7pm here, and that’s not a time when I’m tuned in to the TV.
My cat’s on my lap watching my fingers go…. so cute.
From Countdown’s newsletter — sounds like fun, per usual:
A shooting on an airplane? A stretcher? It’s on CNN.
This from USA Today:
A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed shots were fired from the marshal’s gun. The airline said the confrontation was on a jetway.
A second federal law enforcement official, who also spoke only on condition of anonymity because the investigation still was unfolding, said the incident followed a threatening comment made by a passenger.
The passenger was wounded by at least one shot from an air marshal’s weapon, the official said.
It was unclear whether the shot was fired during the course of a struggle between the marshal and the passenger or the marshal had fired the weapon to stop the passenger.
Nerdified link
Read the rest here.
Here’s my stupid question:
Um, if they shoot at the guy, and he’s carrying a bomb, might not the bullets ignite the bomb?
One hopes the Air Marshals are good shots – if the point is to stop an explosion they’d have to aim for the head. There’s less likelyhood of a trigger device being concealed on an exposed area of the body, and less likely hood of hitting the carry bag.
Unfortunately, a lot of people who want to die, but can’t pull the trigger themselves, claim to be dangerous (“I have a gun, bomb, etc.”) so that the police will do the “job” for them. It’s known as “suicide by Police Officer.”
Without knowing more detail than the above report, it sounds to me like the Air Marshals actually did the right thing. The man claimed to have a bomb, was heading towards a crowded airport, and reached into the case where he said the bomb was located. The only way of stopping a potential huge catastophy was to shoot him – dead.
The murder of Brazilian, Jean Charles de Menezes, in a London Subway was not anything like this situation. But, for most of us, every shooting incident will be tinged by that attrocity.
I feel sorry for the Air Marshals. Knowing that the man was most likely crazy, as opposed to dangerous, will not make their decision an easy one.
He was an American citizen. He did not have a bomb.
This is what an insanely overhypped “War on Terror” leads to … killing innocent people.
It’s very hard to blame the marshals… they’re doing what they were trained to do. But it’s such an overreaction because Bushco has made it so.
But while de Menezes was clearly a victim of Bushco, I’m not so sure about this lattest case.
Anyone who threatens to kill other people, especially masses of them, and appears to have the means, is hardly innocent.
That he didn’t (have the means) is something that can only be ascertained after-the-fact. Bushco’s hype, ratcheted up the Air Marshal’s reaction level, true – but this fellow appears to have been playing on that. For whatever reason.
I think that what most of us fear, is that the more the shoot-to-kill policy gets “vindicated,” the more people will accept it.
It is fair to assume that she “pleaded.”
Fox is calling it an unfortunate situation like Amadou Djiallo.
Oh that’s so sad. His wife was there? Pleading with the air marshals?
Oh dear. CNN just showed his photo. Very handsome man.
Tragedy all around, then.
I lived for seven years in New Mexico, and unfortunately the police in Albuquerque were involved in these sorts of shootings a lot. One year was really bad, with at least three people killed by threatening family members or police with guns or knives.
It was the year Thelma and Louise premiered. I remember, near the end, when the police have the two women trapped at the edge of the cliff, saying very loudly in the Theater, “look, it’s the Albuquerque Police Suicide Prevention Squad.”
In the after-the-incident round-ups, it was pretty clear that they all wanted to die. Not that I think the police were entirely blameless in all instances. They had limted options, being police. It did, however, lead to more police training on how to deal with people who appear, or are even known to be, mentally unstable.
Well, come on, Ducky.
He had a Hispanic name and probably looked Hispanic. You know …
I’m sorry, who had a hispanic name?
(Btw, New Mexicans, frequently, but not always, of purely Spanish descent [and often “whiter” than I am] prefer to be called Hispanos – to distinguish themselves from the nasty Mexican “wet-backs”, against whom they are openly racist.)
OH dear…. i didn’t know all that.
The name of the passenger who was shot dead by the air marshals.
Ah, I hadn’t read the man’s name anywhere, or any indication that he was hispanic.
And no, I wouldn’t be surprised if that “influenced” the officers’ judgement.
I wonder if the Bush family has holdings in the Clairol company…
Meet the 22 new members of the family.
Just below this story, I’ve updated the Murtha press conference … Crooks and Liars has the video + I found a copy of the transcript.
I called Murtha’s press office, but they were so swamped that I was on hold for like forever … so I went hunting while I was on hold and found the transcript at the WaPo.
It’s worth a careful read.
Actually, the Murtha story is just above this story now. It’s so important.
Latest from CNN on the airport shootout. From the sounds of it it looks like a possible suicide by cop scenario.
Joe, it hurts. Please stop the pain.
It looked like a Mafia kissy too. Grabbed his whole head in his hands and kissed him…..ewwwwwww!