A Truly Great Loss to America

The death of Howard Zinn yesterday marks an important point in American history. Howard was not only one of the few honest truth tellers American's could rely on, but a shining example of a true American patriot. He will be missed.


I will leave you with his last op-ed from The Nation (HT Drudge Retort):

"I' ve been searching hard for a highlight. The only thing that comes close is some of Obama's rhetoric; I don't see any kind of a highlight in his actions and policies.

As far as disappointments, I wasn't terribly disappointed because I didn't expect that much. I expected him to be a traditional Democratic president. On foreign policy, that's hardly any different from a Republican--as nationalist, expansionist, imperial and warlike. So in that sense, there's no expectation and no disappointment. On domestic policy, traditionally Democratic presidents are more reformist, closer to the labor movement, more willing to pass legislation on behalf of ordinary people--and that's been true of Obama. But Democratic reforms have also been limited, cautious. Obama's no exception. On healthcare, for example, he starts out with a compromise, and when you start out with a compromise, you end with a compromise of a compromise, which is where we are now.

I thought that in the area of constitutional rights he would be better than he has been. That's the greatest disappointment, because Obama went to Harvard Law School and is presumably dedicated to constitutional rights. But he becomes president, and he's not making any significant step away from Bush policies. Sure, he keeps talking about closing Guantánamo, but he still treats the prisoners there as "suspected terrorists." They have not been tried and have not been found guilty. So when Obama proposes taking people out of Guantánamo and putting them into other prisons, he's not advancing the cause of constitutional rights very far. And then he's gone into court arguing for preventive detention, and he's continued the policy of sending suspects to countries where they very well may be tortured.

I think people are dazzled by Obama's rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president--which means, in our time, a dangerous president--unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction."

Hi, my name is:

Chris Matthews:

Evan Bayh Imparting Wisdom.....

"If you lose Massachusetts and that's not a wake-up call, there's no hope of waking up."--Bayh Warns "Catastrophe" If Dems Ignore Massachusetts Senate Race Lessons

HT--Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

Jim Cramer Correct? Hell Must Be Getting Chilly

"The market rallied on Tuesday, with the Dow up about 100 points and the Nasdaq and S&P 500 climbing over 1% each. The move seemed to anticipate a Republican win in Massachusetts’ special Senate election, which would kill the Democrats’ filibuster-proof majority in the upper chamber and pause what Wall Street sees as an anti-business agenda."--Cramer: ‘Brown Better Win’ MA Senate Seat

This should not be a surprise to anyone. Obama and Rahm "I sell votes" Emanuel have been running this moderate "change we can believe in" campaign since the inauguration. The White House is not too concerned with what the American people think.....for they can resell this dog feces to the American public again in 2012. Dont believe it?

Michael Steele and Karl Rove are giddy with excitement.....

Michael Steele's Job is Safe

Look at his track record. He is winning elections. It speaks volumes for the Democrats complete inability to deliver the goods they promised to the American public.

There is only enough room for one Rush Limbaugh.....the Democrats are the equivalent of Ann Coulter. Nobody cares.

Yaaaaawwnnnn

I have not posted for some time. I feel like waking up and stretching my arms.

Iraqi PM Says "We're Good"

"Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki assured visiting US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday that his country’s security will be unaffected by the planned American troop withdrawal from Iraqi cities.

“We don’t need big numbers of (US) military forces inside the cities after we get control of them,” Maliki said in a statement after talks with the top US lawmaker, who arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit.

“The responsible withdrawal (of US troops) will not affect the security situation,” Maliki added.

A fierce critic of the 2003-US invasion ordered by former president George W. Bush, Pelosi’s one-day visit came as US troops prepare to withdraw from Iraq’s urban areas by the end of next month despite a spike in violence.

The withdrawal is a key part of a military accord signed by Baghdad and Washington last November that will also see US troops leave the country by the end of 2011.

Maliki said Iraq’s military efforts were now concentrated on improving its intelligence services.

The US Congress, for its part, should try to develop bilateral relations focused on the scientific and economic agreements signed by the two countries, he said.

“Under stability, we are seeking to develop our economy, especially the oil industry, after multinationals have already come to work and invest in the sector,” he said.

Pelosi said that Washington would stick to its part of the agreement on troop withdrawals."--Iraqi PM tells Pelosi: We don’t need US troops in our cities - The Raw Story


Seems it would make sense to have the UN provide some police activity and training for the Iraqis. At the same time the US should be working on ensuring Iraqi economic stability so as to prevent blowback. We saw what the Reagan did to Afghanistan and we are still living with his failures today.