Dick Durbin is responding to the President. Use this thread for discussion.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Oops. I was doing that in the other thread.
Best response the Dems have given in recent memory!
Were is Durbin’s response being aired? Not on ABC, Fox, NBC.
It’s over, I caught it on MSNBC. I think Obama is supposed to speak shortly as well.
Thanks.
Even Joe Scarborough thinks Bush is an idiot. He’s giving the Democrats credit. Wow. I’m speechless.
Well, you can not live in the dark ages forever!! Guess people are slowing starting to see the real Bush we saw from the beginning!
Sen Brown back is no fuzzy headed liberal . . . what a quote from Obama!!
What’s great about it?
I missed that statement, but I find it offensive. I’m sick to death of Democrats buying into the canard that “liberal” is a universal negative.
It was the point that Obama was pointing to the fact that Sen Brownback disagreed with Bush. I can understand the language he used offneds you but it will important to show that this is not just a liberal thing or conversative thing but an American thing!
Perspective is reality until changed and we have to work to change it! We also have to train our leaders as well!
A point he could have easily made without parroting dittohead librul bashing.
Agree and understand! I respect your opinion on this!
I consider it tragic that the superstar of the Democratic Party is reinforcing the beta dog status of Democrats and anyone else left of center. Talk about a bad frame. Democrats need to start acting and talking like equals. You can point to bipartisan agreement without using Republican agreement as validation for Democratic positions. Dems have been whipping boys for so long, they have totally forgotten how to talk like leaders.
Guess they need to learn how to lead and we will have to live with the growing pains.
I heard all these stem cells applauding brownback.
Well, I am not saying that Brownback is my favorite person in the world. We might need to learn that sometimes, people we view as bad can begin to see th light. It takes time but it is a start!
but he is forever going to be associated with the frowning and smiley faced stem cell presentation to the senate, in my mind!
Durbin looked like he had just re-swallowed his lunch after throwing it up in his mouth.
I hope it is because they are preparing to truly challenge the White House instead of passing non-binding resolutions that mean NOTHING. Make the Warmongering Bastard veto an appropriations bill that limits his ability to pay for an escalation. Make him do it and own this war once and for all.
I’m so sick of the maniacal grasp the War Machine has on this country. We throw away BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of dollars while our schools crumble, our cities drown, our medical needs go unattended due to price, yada f*cking yada, while politicians are so spooked at FINALLY holding money away from the Pentagon.
I don’t get it. And yes, it pisses me off.
Well stated! It is time for change and this speech might the venue to get the ball rolling!
Although I appreciate Scarborough’s support – I’m sick and tired of this “blame the Iraqi’s” meme that is being developed to justify a pullout. They are crafting things as if the Iraqi’s are not grateful that we came in and fucked up their lives and country. I don’t remember the Iraqis asking us to come and its not fair to soley blame them for this mess. We shouldn’t have gone in the first place!!!
So true! We started it and we failed to do it right! We need to take full responsibility and stop finding excuses!
There never was any way to ‘do it right’.
Mike Malloy is about to burst.
This is great! Everyone in the nation needs to hear this because it is so true! Thanks for the link!
Well done Mike!!
Mike is truly on fire tonight! You need to listen and enjoy!
I adore Senator Durbin, but his speech had a few of
defects:
(1) It did not even hint at the suffering that we have inflicted upon Iraq and, instead, treated Iraq as a spoiled and ungrateful child (“We have given them so much…We protected them when nobody else would…”)
(2) It did not even hint at the possibility that Congress could or would restrict the President from implementing his proposal via its power of the purse.
(3) He could have strengthened his case by citing the opposition to escalation by establishment figures such as Baker and Casey.
On the other hand, the speech was effective, especially in in its opening paragraphs, in remind the public of Bush’s very recent and phony statements about how we are winning the war.
I hope, I hope, I hope…that the public response to Bush’s call for escalation will be revulsion across the political spectrum.
Interesting points! I believe that the Dems will have to build a case in steps . . . I know we believe the case is already there but we have to deal with the politicians who have forgotten they are our representatives, so we can only hope and pray things move faster.
the things you cite. Instead of droning on with a laundry list of things people are already aware of, Durbin kept it short and sweet.
Even shorter version: “This new plan really sucks, doesn’t it folks?”
Shame on him, shame on the fucking Dems … BLAME THE VICTIMS FOR OUR CRIMES, AGAIN.
I felt like I was listening to Reagan criticize Jimmy Carter.
We destroyed their society, looted their treasure, drove off their intelligensia, dismantled their government, military and police, and it’s THEIR fault that they don’t “stand up”?!?!?!
Disgusted, beyond disgusted with our bloody imperialism and self-righteous insistance that we can’t “police the world” when WE’RE ONE OF THE CRIMINALS.
You know how fucked up it is when you’re watching on MSNBC, suffer through Tweety making a tortured analogy to cowboys trapped by Indians in a box canyon, and then listen to him and fucking Joe “what dead intern” Scarborough COMPLIMENT DURBIN’S STATEMENT.
Fuck.
and one thing that I’ve never heard brought up—we very reluctantly empowered Iraqi security forces. I remember reading long ago about the token plastic helmets issued to the Iraqi police and the lack of armored vehicles.
of course not, just more Reservation Police to fight for us, clean up our mess. We commit the same crimes, and make the same excuses, over and over again.
Yep we have done enough. We leave now. No more preemptive anarchy. Yes there will be repercussions there always are when you make terrible mistakes that get a whole lot of people killed.
exactly, say you’re sorry, admit you’re wrong, and quit trying to blame the guy you’ve killed.
We will NEVER live up to the fine words we claim to worship until we own our crimes.
Right on Madman. We can try to make this right. Stop this insanity now. Don’t be scared to do the right thing. Lets stop killing people this is not a movie.
I think I really need some time to absorb what I just witnessed. I’ve got about a quadrillion thoughts circulating in my mind. Foremost in my mind right now is the fact that the President was unable to do the advance work on this speech that would have ensured bipartisan support. With Coleman and Brownback doing preemptive rejections, he could not even hold his own party. I find this to be extremely sad, even as it is encouraging. Bush clearly did something he should have done long ago, which was to define down success, offer contrition, prepare America for the difficulties, etc. But it is just too late.
just shy of jumping out of my skin as the talking heads on MSNBC discuss Iran and its eventual emergence as a “dominant issue” in the future.
FUCK!
This was the prep for Iran and Syria! The verbiage was so clear!
Whenever the conversation starts to drift away from Iran, KO pitches another question out about it. He’s very worried. You can tell.
Fuck.
That is what Keith needs to do! There is more to come and we need to prepare for it.
and over $500B later! So True!
Watching the likes of Brownback and Coleman jump ship makes me think that before this is over, it might be that the ONLY support Bush will have in the senate will be McCain and Leiberman.
Leiberman has nothing to loose, but McCain standing strong with the escalation could be the end of his presidential hopes.
David Gregory is reporting that there is already a small but vocal group of protestors gathering outside the gates of the White House.
Bush is getting some lukewarm support from Thune – I watched on PBS. Interestingly, Brooks, of the NYTimes, was not entirely thrilled with Bush’s speech.
The Idiot in Chief even started I was outraged. The common-tater (in Idaho that’s an average potato)Charles Gibson on ABC said. . .”Tonight Pres Bush will present his proposal to send more troops to Iraq. Some of those troops arrived there today with the rest of the 84th Infantry Batalion to arrive in the next two or three weeks.”
PROPOSAL? PROPOSAL? And if I could shout it any louder I would!!! This is no proposal, this is no, “Hey this is our plan whata ya think?” This is Edict from on HIGH. Silly me thought there was just a chance that he would run it by the Congress and then go ahead and do it any way. . .but, but, but NO. . .the troops are on the way, as well as another Aircraft carrier to threaten Iran (Under orders from Cheney, the Navy is, to Nuke Iran if there is any provocation from any country in the region whether from Iran or not).
I am so angry and sick to my stomach I can’t even begin to describe it.
GET THESE MURDERERS OUT OF OFFICE NOW!
Okay, now I feel a little better. . .carry on as you will.
My podcast about the idiot’s speech
Suge, Just Another Bush Mistake