But, hey...

[Yonivore]

...if ChumpDumper wants to talk about Presidential dishonesty, we need look no further than this morning and President Obama's speech on national security.

First of all, why did he find it necessary to run to the National Archives and deliver a previously unscheduled speech in national security? Couldn't be that he was trying to deflate or, somehow, lessen the smackdown he was about to get from former vice president Cheney in his speech to the American Enterprise Ins ute....nah.

Anyway, to the speech...

He spends the first part of his speech spewing pla udes such as, "no interest in spending all of our time relitigating the policies of the last eight years," and decrying the "politicization" of national security issues, and the need to "focus on the future." He also criticized politicians that "spend our time pointing fingers at one another."

He then devoted much of the rest of his speech doing just that, relitigating (not literally dumbasses) the last eight years, politicizing national security issues, focusing on the past, and pointing fingers at the Bush administration. And, all in a manner that was unfair when not out right false.

Let's go to the transcript...

[O]ur government made a series of hasty decisions....all too often our government made decisions based on fear rather than foresight.... All too often, our government trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions....Instead of strategically applying our power and power principles, too often, we set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford.... we went off course....the decisions that were made over the last eight years established an ad hoc legal approach for fighting terrorism that was neither effective nor sustainable; a framework that failed to rely on our legal traditions and time-tested ins utions and that failed to use our values as a compass.... our government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law....over 525 detainees were released from Guantanamo under -- not my administration -- under the previous administration. Let me repeat that. Two-thirds of the detainees were released before I took office and ordered the closure of Guantanamo....[Guantanamo] is quite simply a mess, a misguided experiment that has left in its wake a flood of legal challenges that my administration is forced to deal with on a constantly, almost daily, basis and that consumes the time of government officials whose time should be spent on better protecting our country.... the court ordered the release of 17 Uighurs -- 17 Uighur detainees took place last fall when George Bush was president....the problem of what to do with Guantanamo detainees was not caused by my decision to close the facility. The problem exists because of the decision to open Guantanamo in the first place.... we are acutely aware that, under the last administration, detainees were released and, in some cases, returned to the battle field. That's why we are doing away with the poorly planned, haphazard approach that led those detainees go in the past.... Instead of using the flawed commissions of the last seven years, my administration is bringing our commissions in line with the rule of law.... whether it was the run-up to the Iraq war or the revelation of secret programs, Americans often felt like part of the story had been unnecessarily withheld from them.... Now, in all the areas that I've discussed today, the policies that I propose represent a new direction for the last eight years.... on the other end of the spectrum, there are those who embrace a view that can be summarized in two words -- anything goes. Their arguments suggest that the ends of fighting terrorism can be used to justify any means and that the president should have blanket authority to do whatever he wants provided it is a president with whom they agree....we will vigorously protect our people while forge a strong and durable framework that allows us to fight terrorism while abiding by the rule of law. Make no mistake. If we fail to turn the page on the approach that was taken over the past several years, then I will not be able to say that as president.

Then, after all that, he has the audacity to end his speech on this note:

We will not be safe if we see national security as a wedge that divides America. It can and must be a cause that unites us as one people and as one nation.

Right...

[ChumpDumper]

The more Cheney whines, the worse things get for Republicans.

They have openly expressed their desire for to shut up.

[Yonivore]

The more Cheney whines, the worse things get for Republicans.

They have openly expressed their desire for to shut up.

Well, if the current administration persists in trying to criminalize the policy decisions of the Bush administration, I would expect vice president Cheney is going to continue to defend thier record.

Vice President Cheney has got the liberal pundits absolutely apoplectic...and, that's always fun.

I say he should keep it up.

[ChumpDumper]

If you want to hurt Republicans, then by all means you should want Cheney to continue.

[Yonivore]

If you want to hurt Republicans, then by all means you should want Cheney to continue.

You seem pretty exercised about it. Why do you care?

Frankly, I don't buy the argument.

As you say...prove it!

[Yonivore]

Poll: Favorable opinions of Cheney rise

[ChumpDumper]

Wow, 37%!

Celebrate!

[Yonivore]

Wow, 37%!

Celebrate!

The point is, it's up. If he were harming the Republican Party, I don't think his numbers would be up.

[ChumpDumper]

That just means he's got a couple of Republicans back in the fold because he and Limbaugh are their only discernible leaders.

[PixelPusher]

Poll: Favorable opinions of Cheney rise

He keeps it up and those lines are liable to cross.

I seem to recall you mentioning once that you didn't believe in polls anyway. Probably just as well you stick to that, because boy, do you suck at grokking them.

[Yonivore]

That just means he's got a couple of Republicans back in the fold because he and Limbaugh are their only discernible leaders.

Whatever helps you sleep.

[ChumpDumper]

Whatever helps you sleep.

I don't need help sleeping.

[PixelPusher]

I don't need help sleeping.

You should listen to Yoni - he's always been money when it comes to understanding the mood of the American electorate.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...ht=poll&page=8

For all the problems besetting the Republican Party at present, there is one thing the Left needs to recognize and deal with:

1) Those pissed off Republicans are never going to vote for a Democrat for President nor are they going to allow the House to be turned over to Democrats.

2) No one (except the extreme wingnut Left) in the country wants Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House because of her promise to spend the last two years of the Bush presidency investigating and trying to impeach the President. Not even most Democrats.

3) Howard Dean is chasing people from the Democratic Party. , he just pissed of the entire Gay community this week. So much so they sent back their DNC donation.

4) Everything the public and the Right are pissed about with this Congress and this administration are is exactly what the Democrats would be doing if they were in power.

And this just in:

Bush Still More Popular Than Kerry and Gore -- two potential Democrat Presidential candidates.

The New York Times reports some surprising news from new polling data:


You might say some Democrats have their work cut out for them.

[louie1674]

That "Presidential Approval Index" chart needs to be updated...

[Marcus Bryant]

The more Cheney whines, the worse things get for Republicans.

Essentially. At least some in the GOP are figuring out that it's best to 'let it go' and figure out what conservatism is actually about.

[FaithInOne]

Obama's cute words are mostly bull .

He does that a lot. Sets up the defense then completely goes against what he just said in the previous statement.

Sadly, cute words are enough to sway the plethora of americants.