One thing going through President Obama's mind

[HankMorgan]

There is one thing certain to go through Barack Obama's mind during the inauguration: at one point or another, while glancing at George W. Bush, he will consider the treatment that Bush got as president and hope to God he suffers nothing even vaguely similar.

J.R. Dunn as posted at RealClearPolitics:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/01/bush_and_the_bushhaters.html

Hello to all at Che-Lives (long may it prosper)

[GPDP]

That is likely why he will never ever prosecute Bush's crimes, even disregarding the fact that they are of the same class and represent the same interests: should he ever attempt any of the same crap Bush did, he will have already set a precedent for his own prosecution.

That is why the crimes of the ruling class are rarely prosecuted. It basically sends the statement that what others before them did was wrong, and thus should never be done, at least not openly. No president wants such a restriction on their power.

[Conquer or Die]

No, Bush got about what he deserved for being a murderous and cowardly ****. If Obama is any kind of human being he's certainly not going to make the same illogical and selfish mistakes that his predecessor did in order to appease his own ego.

The article, by the by oh so intelligent "rev"lefters, happens to be a whitewash of Bush and other Republican criminals. (while being hilariously inaccurate and ideologically vapid at the same time)

Please read not what you want - but what you should in order to make comments.

[Bud Struggle]

I give Bush a "B" as President. Iraq was wrong, Afganistan was right. The economy was great for 7 out of 8 years.

All in all he did OK by me and by America.

Barak's no idiot--he's not going after Bush and his successor isn't going after him.

Gentleman's agreement. ;)

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Obama isn't going to be after Bush because it'd be a waste of time that would divide the country, which is the last thing Obama wants to deal with.

[Kassad]

I give Bush a "B" as President. Iraq was wrong, Afganistan was right. The economy was great for 7 out of 8 years.

All in all he did OK by me and by America.

Barak's no idiot--he's not going after Bush and his successor isn't going after him.

Gentleman's agreement. ;)

Oh wow. Afghanistan sure went well, what, with most of the Taliban escaping and resurfacing as of late? Not to mention the fact that Bush just used 9/11 as a pretext for massive military mobilization. Why don't we observe the reasoning behind 9/11 and Al Qaeda and realize that US militarization and occupation was the prime reason for the attacks?

Here's to a great seven years of worker manipulation, militarization and debt increases. I love how people say Bush failed sometimes. He didn't fail. He came in and did exactly what he wanted to do and that was get tax cuts for his rich bourgeoisie buddies while making a pretty penny through oil and arms investments. He was very successful in doing what he came in to do.

[synthesis]

Jesus Christ, that article in the first post is truly a piece of shit. Practically every statement is a complete reversal of the truth.



There is one thing certain to go through Barack Obama's mind during the inauguration: at one point or another, while glancing at George W. Bush, he will consider the treatment that Bush got as president and hope to God he suffers nothing even vaguely similar.


I wouldn't mind "suffering" through massive profit margins of corporations to which I am intimately connected.


The author makes it sound like Bush was a victim of Katrina himself.



It can be stated without fear of serious argument that no previous president has been treated as brutally, viciously, and unfairly as George W. Bush.


Unfair? He was criticized for his actions. That is not unfair.


In any case, it couldn't be any more brutal, vicious, and unfair than what he did to McCain in the South Carolina primaries way back in 2000.



His detractors were willing to risk the country's safety, its economic health, and the very balance of the democratic system of government in order to get at him. They were out to bring him down at all costs, or at the very least destroy his personal and presidential reputation. At this they have been half successful, at a high price for the country and its government.


This entire article merely proves that center-right rhetoricians are as capable of hijacking leftist lines of criticism as they have always been.

[Feslin]

Bush was average in every sense of the word.

Obama is likely going to be near Wilson on the Scale of Horrible Presidents.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Libertarians are hilarious.

They're America's version of the Marxist! :lol::lol::lol:

[IcarusAngel]

Unlike American Libertarians Marxists and socialists have had an impact on the social sciencies and had quite a bit of influence on American politics as well back in the earth 1900s. There have been quite a few famous intellectuals who've advocated true freedom and progress as well.

Unfortunately, there are indeed some Marxists who are as dogmatic as Libertarians, although not as simplistic.

[JimmyJazz]

That is likely why he will never ever prosecute Bush's crimes, even disregarding the fact that they are of the same class and represent the same interests: should he ever attempt any of the same crap Bush did, he will have already set a precedent for his own prosecution.

That is why the crimes of the ruling class are rarely prosecuted. It basically sends the statement that what others before them did was wrong, and thus should never be done, at least not openly. No president wants such a restriction on their power.

Obvious solution: send Bush to Guantanamo.


Libertarians are hilarious.

Counterpoint: Penn Jillette is a libertarian

[Bud Struggle]

Unfortunately, there are indeed some Marxists who are as dogmatic as Libertarians

There were literally billions of them.

[Feslin]

Libertarians are hilarious.

We can be when we want, yes.


They're America's version of the Marxist!

Actually I believe Marxists are America's version of Marxists.

Other than that, excellent point.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Yeah no offense dude just a joke.

I know a lot of intelligent libertarians, many more than I know communists. I don't even know a self declared communist.

[HankMorgan]

I'd like to see someone in a clown suit stand on the corner of a busy intersection waving a sign that equated Obama to Hitler. It would really put things in the proper perspective.

[DaughterJones]

Jesus Christ, that article in the first post is truly a piece of shit. Practically every statement is a complete reversal of the truth.




I wouldn't mind "suffering" through massive profit margins of corporations to which I am intimately connected.


The author makes it sound like Bush was a victim of Katrina himself.





Unfair? He was criticized for his actions. That is not unfair.


In any case, it couldn't be any more brutal, vicious, and unfair than what he did to McCain in the South Carolina primaries way back in 2000.





This entire article merely proves that center-right rhetoricians are as capable of hijacking leftist lines of criticism as they have always been.
I am glad you mentioned Katrina. Bush went on faux news the day before he left office Brit Hulme threw him some easy questions and when it came to Katrina in an attempt to rewrite history Bush said his response was timely and that he did a great job. Mr. Hulme failed to ask a follow up like perhaps " Why is it that Fema trailors are making people sick?, Why is New Orleans being regentrified? , Why did the people of New Orleans have to pack into a crowded stadium in filthy conditions with rotting bodies laying in the streets?, and most importantly how is it that you go fishing while people drown and you think thats a timely and appropriate handling of a national emergency? !

As for the criticism being unfair you are absolutely right what we have been told to believe from the first civics class is that the president works for the American people. If you have an employee who continually and royally fails at his job he should not only be criticized he should be fired.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Counterpoint: Penn Jillette is a libertarian

Man there's no response to that one :(

:lol::lol::lol:

God that show sucks.

[Kassad]

Noam Chomsky is a libertarian. Only in America does the term 'libertarian' mean laissez-faire, pro-globalization advocate. But who am I kidding? To people in the United States, the only countries that exist are the United States, Mexico, Canada and Iraq.

[GPDP]

Noam Chomsky is a libertarian. Only in America does the term 'libertarian' mean laissez-faire, pro-globalization advocate. But who am I kidding? To people in the United States, the only countries that exist are the United States, Mexico, Canada and Iraq.

It's not nice to generalize like that.

You forgot Poland.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

You're right. We don't care to learn their names.

After all, they merely exist to base US troops :lol:

Anyway, the Libertarian term we're using is clearly meant to those in the US.

[Kassad]

You're right. We don't care to learn their names.

After all, they merely exist to base US troops :lol:

Anyway, the Libertarian term we're using is clearly meant to those in the US.

Sometimes I think the laissez-faire libertarians in the United States are just joking around when they advocate free trade and market economics. I can't fathom how anyone can be that malinformed.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Funny, they say the same of Marxists. As well as everyone else, really.

[Kassad]

Funny, they say the same of Marxists. As well as everyone else, really.

Well, let's take the issue I mentioned. Fair trade is the management of commerce to confirm that the rights of all people are being met in the process, including fair wages, benefits and working condititions. It also observes the social and economic status of the nation or community manufacturing and transporting the goods, making sure that the commerce benefits the community and not a small group of wealthy people.

On the other hand, free trade is the destruction of trade barriers which allows for corporations and the wealthy elite to manipulate trade and profit, due to deregulation. This allows for the manipulation of resources and the economic and political destruction of multitudes of third world and underdeveloped nations. Free trade has promoted some of the most horrendous trade agreements, such as NAFTA and WTO, which disregard workers rights and the community's privilege to use the resources for their own gain, not for the gain of a trans-national corporation.

But I know. We're the malinformed ones, right?

[ZeroNowhere]

Sometimes I think the laissez-faire libertarians in the United States are just joking around when they advocate free trade and market economics. I can't fathom how anyone can be that malinformed.
Eh, neoliberalism is based solely upon the myth of free will. There also tends to be a little bit of a superiority complex (based, of course, upon 'free will'), but I don't feel like generalizing. Now, it's quite a common myth, it's fairly natural (like the impression that the world is flat), and it's been spread by politicians, especially since and during the rise of neoliberalism. It's also a very helpful myth. It teaches one to despise those under one, and revere those above one, which is really rather bloody helpful when it comes to dividing the working class through competition. It also justifies neoliberalism, since, after all, those who 'fail' under it deserve it for being a bad uncaused cause. Of course, the fact that it also breeds being judgmental helps a lot with the above, as well as with justifying bullcrap like war and the death penalty, which, as Clarence Darrow pointed out, would be senseless if the myth of free will was eradicated from reasoning. It's also used by adherents of xianity to justify crap that would otherwise render the whole 'God is good' thing as simply bullshit. Of course, xianity actually admits to belief in the soul, while neoliberals, especially Randroids, like to claim that they are atheistic, and Randroids like to even go so far as to say that they are "opposed to supernaturalism", which is contradicted by then claiming that they also uphold 'free will'.
So yes, that was somewhat rambling. Deal with it.


fair wages
That would be an oxymoron.

[Kassad]

That would be an oxymoron.

I understand, but you can't expect the world to embrace a proletariat revolution without some transition. Since I don't see a massive overthrow of the system happening before the night is over, I'd like to see fair trade and living wages given to all workers before that time comes. It doesn't make me a reformer or anything for not wanting people to starve. Still, organizing the proletariat into a movement is imperative and we all realize that. That doesn't mean people should make cents an hour until the revolution comes.