But this is all self-evidently true. Having one’s plane shot down does not make one a statesman. Sitting in Vietnamese prison does not teach one how to create and execute policy. How could it? If you doubt me, consider: John McCain’s foreign policy is identical to the failed foreign policy we have followed for the past eight years, a policy crafted by a guy who steadfastly avoided service in Vietnam (or, for that matter, Texas.) One can’t be a great statesman and policy guru AND crib everything from the worst, most unpopular president in American history. You can’t be a great foreign policy mind AND an idiot. You would have to be an idiot to think otherwise. You would have to be a respected pundit.
Further, being a prisoner of war does not necessarily give one political courage. John McCain has changed his position on every issue you can think of, all in the name of political expediency. McCain’s fellow Arizona Republicans know he has “no core, [and] his only principle is winning the presidency.” Even official Bush Court Jester ROFLMAO Cohen knows McCain has no convictions, sees it with his “keen eye”, and yet finds it less telling than Barak Obama’s decision to change campaign tactics, because John McCain soul was purified in a POW camp. But this makes no sense. You can’t be steady and fearless and true AND shamelessly change your position on every substantive issue there is. Something can’t be both true AND contradicted by every piece of verifiable evidence. You would have to be an idiot to think otherwise. You would have to be a respected pundit.
To be fair, though, I believe Michael Moore is still fat.
June 30, 2008 at 2:22 pm
And yet Obama throws Clark under the bus. Our man Obama sure does know how to keep us DFH all excited about his campaign doesn’t he? Maybe he can get all those centrists he’s attracting right now to pound on doors and lick envelopes. As Sifu Tweety said in his FISA post a few days ago, us DFHs don’t have any other choice but Obama, but it doesn’t mean we have like this crap.
June 30, 2008 at 2:31 pm
have ‘to’ like this crap
June 30, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Oy.
Why would anyone even listen to what Obama says at this point? What do you hope to hear from him?
“I think ‘Progressive’ is too tame a word. ‘Liberal’ doesn’t quite cut it. I’m thinking ‘Radical’ is more what I have in store for America”
Wait until he becomes President to be disappointed in him.
After all, Bush was a humble, honest, compassionate conservative at a comparable point in his first campaign [PSSSST...He said those things in order to get elected!].
It’s how these things go.
June 30, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Come sweet November, come quickly.
June 30, 2008 at 4:05 pm
FISA, Clark, hell he even took time to dis MoveOn.org…Obama is better than McSame, and i’ll prolly hold my nose and vote for him, but I just told the campaign to take me off their donor list–at the rate he’s moving ‘center’, he clearly doesn’t want my money or my vote anyway.
June 30, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Why is Bob Schieffer able to walk around in public without being spat upon? Why is David Gregory not dressed in a big animal costume and handing out coupons at Six Flags Over Georgia?
I want to see these fucks breaking rocks in some prison hell or pulling sailors so they can afford to drink themselves to death with fortified wine.
Bush’s motherfucking golf buddies telling us how to interpret the news. Fuck them.
June 30, 2008 at 5:08 pm
The Editors wrote: “You can’t be steady and fearless and true AND shamelessly change your position on every substantive issue there is.”
Granted, I am an idiot to contradict you (for I am no pundit), but one simple parallel to this paradoxical phenomenon can be found in the meaning of the word sanction. It is both one thing and its complete opposite, depending entirely, of course, on the context.
Anyway, I assumed such an aspiration was a prerequisite for any self-respecting politician, and, when such alchemy is achieved, to be lauded as political genius by the respected punditry (Tweety comes to mind).
I guess the more general point was, assuming The Editors to be as jaded as I, how strange it is that so many with loud voices still think JM’s magic is working. On this (and your point about MM) I wholeheartedly agree.
June 30, 2008 at 5:30 pm
We
are
so
fucked.
June 30, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Well, yes, we are. We have the choice of voting for Mr. Four More Years, or a man who gives us every hope of another term in the Clinton administration. Which I’ve always said was the best Republican one of the 20th century.
Or we can not vote, and take pot luck. I forgot about that. Or we can move to another country. I forgot about that one, too, and frankly, it’s beginning to look a lot more attractive. But we should all consider moving, soon, since the US Dollar is in freefall.
June 30, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Why hold your nose and vote when you could vote for Bob Barr, who has it right on FISA, on exiting Iraq, and on foreign policy in general?
June 30, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Indeed. Why hold your nose when you could cut it off?
June 30, 2008 at 9:28 pm
C’mon, y’all: at this point in the election cycle, hypocritical pandering is the ONLY thing a viable candidate can do.
It’s all over but the shouting.
We know the positions the candidates proclaimed to get to where they are. We know what their respective voting records and backgrounds are.
If you have to hold your nose to go into a voting booth and vote for Obama, well then you’re just another snooty big-nosed hebrephile.
Or something.
And Michael Moore is doing very weill with jenny Craig, thank you.
June 30, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I’ll never vote for a presidential candidate that I’m completely happy with, because it’s impossible. But I think Barack Obama will be a good president.
June 30, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Yeah, I can understand the Clark thing, but what about FISA? Maybe 5% of the population knows what the fuck telecom immunity is and they’re virtually all opposed, or need the immunity to avoid prosecution.
He scores no generic Heartland votes with that one. That’s fucking the base just to fuck the base. Sketchy…
And I drink a LOT of Koolaid. Like, a lot. But I’m beginning to think this campaign’s driving down the Al From “Ow! Don’t Hit Me!” Memorial Highway.
June 30, 2008 at 11:02 pm
My bad, I meant Bob Shrum. Monosyllabic, generic, ending in “um.” But you get my point.
July 1, 2008 at 1:55 am
The 95% that don’t know what telecom immunity is, will be told that FISA is about “defending America”, and anyone who votes against it is a traitor. It’s that simple.
July 1, 2008 at 6:30 am
I dunno, is McSquirrel Nutkin for torture this week or against it? Cuz if it is such a character building thing why, then, do we want to give our enemies such a powerful Presidency-enabling character building experience?
And speaking of being a POW, I thought that in real, you know, Spartan like, warrior societies, a hero would never be taken alive to become a POW in the first place, or
at the very least, would escape. When did that change? Being caught and punked doth not heroism consist.
July 1, 2008 at 6:33 am
Yeah, but Scythia, ‘fucking the base just to fuck the base’ generates mondo experience points from the Tim Russert monster…. ummm…ooooops!
July 1, 2008 at 6:52 am
That should be “IN being caught doth…
July 1, 2008 at 12:40 pm
[...] Let us add our voice to the chorus: Having one’s plane shot down does not make one a statesman. Sitting in Vietnamese prison does not teach one how to create and execute policy. How could it? If you doubt me, consider: John McCain’s foreign policy is identical to the failed foreign policy we have followed for the past eight years, a policy crafted by a guy who steadfastly avoided service in Vietnam (or, for that matter, Texas.) One can’t be a great statesman and policy guru AND crib everything from the worst, most unpopular president in American history. You can’t be a great foreign policy mind AND an idiot. You would have to be an idiot to think otherwise. You would have to be a respected pundit. [...]
July 1, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Great post. Too bad it will fall on too many deaf (and dumb) ears.
July 1, 2008 at 9:58 pm
[...] rats ain’t gonna fuck themselves Posted by The Editors under Uncategorized Well, somebody struck a [...]
July 2, 2008 at 10:15 am
When I’m good and ready. You may as well lie back and enjoy it.
July 4, 2008 at 8:21 pm
My cat shd be Preznit coz hes bn prisner all his lif.
July 8, 2008 at 11:04 pm
[...] Poor Man’s Institute explains, again, VERY SLOWLY, why Clark’s comments are, indeed, true, and really actually quite easy to understand: [...]
July 30, 2008 at 4:28 pm
[...] Posted by The Editors under Uncategorized I mean, that’s what this is, right? Like Mr. Bush, Mr. McCain confuses opposition to an unnecessary war with a lack of spine and an [...]
August 21, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Rulial Says:
I’ll never vote for a presidential candidate that I’m completely happy with, because it’s impossible. But I think Barack Obama will be a good president.
That’s the most sane blog comment I’ve ever read.
September 3, 2008 at 10:01 am
[...] Bob Scheiffer must be mortified. [...]