Bush endorses teaching "intelligent design."

normdoering said:
Or your sources of political news told you that they did and you believed them without question.
I have to agree with rik on this one. The DNC tried to take the high-road at their convention by avoiding the personal attacks and the RNC just hands-down clobbered them. And Kerry was far too slow to respond to things like the Swift Boat guys.

Basically the Republicans set the rules and the Democrats didn't catch on in time to play the game.
 
manny said:
Not half as tough as my religious advisor's job will be.

"will be" ??? Boy are you an optimist. Do you think you'd have a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected once you've used the term sky pixie?

"Well, of course President manny has the deepest respect for all religious traditions. When he used the term 'sky pixie' he meant it in the most inclusive possible way."

But would you have dealt in blatant hypocrisy like this:
“I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought,” Bush said. “You’re asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes.”

Do you really believe Bush endorses people being exposed to different ideas? I guess it is also okay to teach birth control and the other school of thought on alternative life-styles? Different schools of thought -- really?

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/07/27/64850

Wisconsin has passed a bill entitled UW Birth Control Ban-AB 343. This bill prohibits University of Wisconsin campuses from prescribing, dispensing and advertising all forms of birth control and emergency contraceptives.
 
Upchurch said:
I have to agree with rik on this one. The DNC tried to take the high-road at their convention by avoiding the personal attacks and the RNC just hands-down clobbered them. And Kerry was far too slow to respond to things like the Swift Boat guys.

Basically the Republicans set the rules and the Democrats didn't catch on in time to play the game.

So, you're against taking the high road? You think the low raod is better?

And how would you have responded to the Swift Boat guys if you were Kerry?

Do you think O'Reilly on Fox news is smarter in defending Bush than Kerry's guys were?

While praising Bush for his opinion that Intelligent Design should be taught at schools, O'Reilly stated:
The National Academy of Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science both reject Intelligent Design and don't want to mention it in science classes. That, in my opinion, is fascism...

All beliefs should be respected. But the science folks say the intelligent design doesn't belong in schools.
 
normdoering said:
So, you're against taking the high road? You think the low raod is better?

And how would you have responded to the Swift Boat guys if you were Kerry?
Scorched Earth Baby!

Hire a team of private investigators to look into exactly where every single dollar the Swifties make is coming from. Take out full-page ads in every major paper publishing the results. Go over every single statement they make with a fine-tooth comb and if any factual inaccuracies are found, go on national television to announce a massive libel suit against them. Try to get any many of them under oath as possible and question them thoroughly about their backers.
Demand that Bush clearly and distinctly denounce the actions of the Swifties. State that if he does not, you will be forced to assume that any and all statements they make are made at the express request of the Bush administration.
Release every shred of documentation regarding the events to the public and let them decide for themselves. Then go on national television and challenge Bush to do the same. Clearly and distinctly say something like, “So are you going to release all of your documentation, or are you a coward?”
Look into the personal lives of every public figure associated with the Swifties. Any juicy nuggets would be posted on the official campaign website. Supporters would be given flyers with this information to put on cars around their neighborhoods. Etc, etc…

Of course, since the GOP was gearing up a separate smear campaign on each candidate for the Democratic nomination, I would make clear to the GOP beforehand that any sort of McCain-type smear campaign would be met with something like this in the event of my nomination.

And this is why I will never hold political office...:D
 
normdoering said:
So, you're against taking the high road? You think the low raod is better?
Not at all. I would prefer that our politicians stuck to issues (or, better, important issues) rather than resorting to dirty tricks and name calling. Unfortunately, that only works if everyone does it. The first person who hits below the belt, metaphorically speaking, has a distinct stratigic advantage from the fact that their opponent is immediately on the defensive.
[fquote]And how would you have responded to the Swift Boat guys if you were Kerry?[/fquote]I wouldn't have ignored them for so long, but instead would have immediately gone into that none of the Swift Boat guys had actually worked directly with Kerry. Then I would have quickly followed that with the connections between the Swift Boat guys and the Bush campaign.

eta: What Random said above.
[fquote]Do you think O'Reilly on Fox news is smarter in defending Bush than Kerry's guys were?[/fquote]Absolutely. Hannity and Limbaugh were even better in terms of pure pro-Bush/anti-Kerry propoganda. Hannity still plays the the Kerry "voted for it before I voted against it" clip from time to time.

Note that I'm not saying O'Reilly, et al, were necessarily correct in everything they said. I'm saying that they were much, much better at getting to the masses.
[fquote]While praising Bush for his opinion that Intelligent Design should be taught at schools, O'Reilly stated: [/fquote]
Well, O'Reilly is a complete hypocrite. He says that all beliefs should be respected, but he also thinks that it is wrong to present homosexuality as a naturally occuring orientation. (or something to that effect. his actual wording escapes me at the moment.)
 
Random said:
Scorched Earth Baby!

The problem was, or the genius of the Swift Boaters was, that a scorched earth response was so out of character for Kerry. The proper response was a non-Kerry response.

He needed a Jesse Ventra response, or something like Paul Hackett's response last week when they tried to Swift Boat him in the Ohio race.

Paraphrased: "Well, I've delt with tougher situations than this. The Marines aren't exactly Aunt Fanny's finishing school for girls."

He also called the president an SOB, and other stuff. A fightin' Demmycrat!

Rush Limbaugh called him "Staff Puke" because he was a civil affairs officer. Notably, not to his face.

BTW, Hackett WAS a civil affairs officer. In FALLUJAH. He saw combat. Limbaugh better hope that Hackett never sees him face to face. The fat, drug-addicted, former welfare-recieving draft-dodger deserves a Buzz Aldrin across his multiple chins.
 
Allegedly from Bill O'Reilly
The National Academy of Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science both reject Intelligent Design and don't want to mention it in science classes. That, in my opinion, is fascism...

All beliefs should be respected. But the science folks say the intelligent design doesn't belong in schools.
Say, Bill, do you need a refill on your prescription for Tool pills?

Oh, and how do you feel about teaching proper loofah techniques in school? Why, you could even call it The Science of Loofah.
 
Silicon said:
...[Paul Hackett] called the president an SOB, and other stuff. A fightin' Demmycrat!

Rush Limbaugh called him "Staff Puke" because he was a civil affairs officer. Notably, not to his face.

BTW, Hackett WAS a civil affairs officer. In FALLUJAH. He saw combat. Limbaugh better hope that Hackett never sees him face to face. The fat, drug-addicted, former welfare-recieving draft-dodger deserves a Buzz Aldrin across his multiple chins.
That last sentence is comedy gold!
 
Silicon said:
Rush Limbaugh called him "Staff Puke" because he was a civil affairs officer.

That's pretty outragous. Do you have a citation?



Silicon said:
Notably, not to his face.

I'd pay $800 for a front row seat to that event.
 
We've already mentioned that the president harbors a dislike for the news media, even though he doesn't bother reading what much of the media writes. According to some sources, the President of the United States recently "gave the finger" to the news media.

Jay Leno ran the video of the president's gesture. You can see the video here. There is no question that the president made some sort of gesture, and that he made it as reporters were asking him questions, which Mr. Bush preferred not to answer.

It is also quite clear that the presidential gesture was made with a stacatto stabbing in the air motion.

But did the president "flip the bird" at reporters?

The official story is that the president gave a "thumbs up," but that gesture is ordinarily not given with a sudden stabbing motion. Nor is it ordinarily given in this context: as one walks away from people one is choosing to ignore.

(FWIW, it looks to me like a "thumbs up" gesture, badly given and of questionable propriety under the circumstances. Also, I would be surprised if the president were mindful of the fact that the "thumbs up" gesture is deemed by some to be insulting, indicating "up yours.")
 
DavidJames said:
I voted from him twice, the second time, even though the country was not doing well. I couldn't stomach the thought of Reagan, you know, the Reagan from liberal Hollywood, who was the antithesis of all the good qualities Carter possessed. I look at that election as the turning point when we went from electing intellectual, introspective and humble leaders to those who say whatever it takes to appeal to "their constituency" to get elected. Surely fodder for another thread.
Perhaps but ... I think the turning-point was identified by normdoering, in the 50's. Reagan's election was more the point when the swell broke surface and became a tsunami. Ike had to appease what became the Moral Majority, then the Religious Right, because his position was pretty tenuous. Nixon learned from his first defeat, when he tried to play modernist against JFK, and was fervently (to the right audiences) White Southern Baptist when he succeeded. That was the era of Uncle Karl Rove's nativity, of course. Bush Minor marks the latest high-water mark.

The intervening Democratic presidents have spent their time repairing the damage done by the Republicans, and then being blamed for the necessary sacrifices.
 
Regnad Kcin said:
That last sentence is comedy gold!

I guess I should stipulate that Rush Limbaugh is no longer obese. Perhaps he lost the weight by taking uppers.
 
Silicon said:
The fat, drug-addicted, former welfare-recieving draft-dodger deserves a Buzz Aldrin across his multiple chins.
A "Buzz Aldrin" most certainly should become an eponym. I'm joining you in this righteous task from today.

For instance, "The UN-sponsored twatting of the Taliban after 9/11 was a Buzz Aldrin" needs no further elaboration.
 
My preferred definition would be "a richly deserved punch to the jaw, preferably taking teeth with it."
 
Random said:
Scorched Earth Baby!

Hire a team of private investigators to look into exactly where every single dollar the Swifties make is coming from. Take out full-page ads in every major paper publishing the results. Go over every single statement they make with a fine-tooth comb and if any factual inaccuracies are found, go on national television to announce a massive libel suit against them. Try to get any many of them under oath as possible and question them thoroughly about their backers.
Spot-on, except for the hiring thing : get somebody else to do the hiring for you. Fire with fire. Preempt by getting dirt on the media whores. Get Swift-Boat Liars for Bush out there quickly. Don't make an issue of your service in the first place ...
 
Silicon said:
My preferred definition would be "a richly deserved punch to the jaw, preferably taking teeth with it."
Don't we all project that personal - even if vicarious - satisfaction onto the wider stage? That's how people are manipulated into war by politicians, even when a Buzz Aldrin isn't justified. The division of conflicts into Buzz Aldrins and otherwise-confecteds is useful, IMO.
 
Upchurch said:
Basically the Republicans set the rules and the Democrats didn't catch on in time to play the game.

Is that a game anyone wants to play, much less win? Dishonoring veterans is a low I hope American politics doesn't sink to again anytime soon.
 
delphi_ote said:
Is that a game anyone wants to play, much less win? Dishonoring veterans is a low I hope American politics doesn't sink to again anytime soon.
Heck, happened to "crazy from the POW camps" McCain in the 2000 primaries and "wimpy" Bush Sr. in 1988. I don't remember anything from the '92 or '96 elections. Maybe it's something that comes and goes in waves?
 

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