Update on Bush and the war

[yendi]

Thanks to a movie, gaming night (Settlers of the Stone Age is awesome!), and Emory's power outage, I'm way behind on comments to this post. But since a few people felt that a former member of Bush's cabinet wasn't a good enough source (funny, no one had any problem with any of the "sources" used against the Clintons), let's visit our good friends at Project Censored. For those not in the know, Project Censored tracks the major stories that are, time and again, overlooked by the "liberal" corporate-owned (and corporate-protective) press.

Today's story is on the think tank set up by Cheney and his cronies during the Clinton Administration for the purpose of creating a viable rationale for war on Iraq. It's called PNAC, likely because they need to create (or take advantage of) a national panic to accomplish their needs.

Yeah, what a shock.

Comments

[pinballsorceror.livejournal.com]

When that story broke I was really surprised it got much press at all. I mean it's credible and all that, but it still comes down to the fact that it's just one guys book. I mean if there were audio recordings of George W. saying something haphazard about invading Iraq that would be one thing, but this is something else entirely. The printed assertions of one man aren't going to be that effective, although they are now more straws added to the bale on the camel's back. I wish the democratic party would get its act together and get smart about this situation though. Dean isn't really a vote-winner, Clark really is the candidate to pick if your primary goal is to oust Bush.

[mfree.livejournal.com]

"Dean really isn't a vote-winner"

He seems to be doing just fine so far. The media seems to miss something on the NH points chart, that Clark and Kerry's ratings are on an inverse erlationship.

[pinballsorceror.livejournal.com]

The problem with Dean in my opinion is that he is too left to win any new votes. I like him, but he really preaches to the faithfull. Perot had similar numbers during his earlier stages too, a lot of the things I see from the Dean camp are a little too early for me to feel that I have a valid impression. But I don't think I like where this is going. I do know that Clark bests Bush in most every way on Bush's own terms; he was a veteran, he earned his education. There is no claim that Bush can make that Clark can't really trump him on. I think Dean is a risky gamble, and I think in this situation there is too much at stake because if we lose this we lose it all really.

[mfree.livejournal.com]

You've been listening to the media too much.

Are you aware that when you look at campaign positions on *their own* sites that Clark is actually running left of Dean?

Clark has several things in his past also that are rather politically dangerous, including his being fired by Clinton, and the plaintive order he gave to fire upon a Russian contingent in the Balkans (IIRC).

[pinballsorceror.livejournal.com]

Dean is seen as an abortion Doctor by most, public perception can't put you much further left than that. Really I like what he has to say, but I think the voting environment heavily favors a centrist candidate, that was basically what garnished Bush the substantial presence the got last election(though he didn't win). There is a big question mark as to what America thinks of George Bush. He's said things to me that make him clearly far right, but I don't think others see things that way.

[mfree.livejournal.com]

Dean seen as an abortion doctor.... while Clark called for abortion until *birth*.

There's a difference here, one is perception, the other is an honest-to-goodness campaign stance.

[pinballsorceror.livejournal.com]

I agree, and I'm with you on these two people. But in this situation perception is important, I'll take whatever tool works best to oust the current administration. You can't put a candidate up and expect the majority, or even a really substantial portion of the public to do research on them. And truthfully while I'm all for being informed but many people are a little too busy to devote extensive time to differentiating between mythology of the candidate and the reality. Moreover perception wise it's one thing to support abortion, there is another to actually doing it.

[mfree.livejournal.com]

Which, by the way, Dean didn't do.

So, what you're saying is, you'd gladly vote for a shell of a man who successfully puts up the facade that he's the best thing for the country?

Isn't that what happened with Bush? I don't think a patch is really going to plug the hole this time, we need to get the real thing (Dean) in there, and fix it for good.

[pinballsorceror.livejournal.com]

I know he didn't, but I hear "abortion doctor" alot in reference to him. So much so that I did think he did initially. Moreover I am saying nothing of the kind about voting for a fake. I don't think Clark is misrepresenting himself at all, I think he's being smart and reserved on a few issues until election time. He's made clear opposition statements about Iraq, but he hasn't been antagonistic about simply because being aggressive about these things now is foolhardy. The situation in Iraq could be different, or made to look different in 8 months time easily. Obviously if Dean is the on the ticket I'd vote for him with a clear conscience, but I think he brings an element of risk to the situation that doesn't need to be there.
Furthermore I don't buy at all the notion that Clark would be in any way more of the same. You cannot tell me that he is some kind of ad-hock solution or 'patch', the problem is clearly that the men currently in power have a small set of interests that they have proven consistently that they will sell anyone down the river to achieve. It's kind of a crisis, most certainly criminal.

[d2leddy.livejournal.com]

Fair is also an excellent source of this kind of information.

http://www.fair.org/

Their main goal, however, is uncovering media bias, aas well as deliberate media manipulation of the public. Sadly for politicians, corporate leaders, and others, this usually means exposing them.

Fair produces "Counter Spin", an NPR funded program. This does not stop "Counter Spin" from exposing NPR news bias and misleadings.

[amokk]

But for votes, it's media perception that weighs out over the real campaign stance.


I think Dean will win the nomination, but lose to Bush in the election.