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Odierno: 'sad to leave' Iraq
Politico Blogs - 3 min 13 sec ago
Many of the U.S. troops exiting Iraq as the U.S. draws down its forces there are delighted to be headed home, but that sentiment isn't shared comple
Christie for Castle
Politico Blogs - 1 hour 3 min ago
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie comes out in support of Delaware Rep. Mike Castle, one of the last in a string of moderate Republicans facing a sudde
N.Y. Times polls on the mosque
Politico Blogs - 1 hour 19 min ago
...and the paper's pollsters find what all other surveys have - that the mosque is unpopular in New York City.
Maloney's $2 million on hand
Politico Blogs - 1 hour 23 min ago
Rep.Carolyn Maloney's fundraising reports are now online, and she's got $1.99 million in cash on hand. It's not clear how much is for the primary ve
A strong start
Politico Blogs - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 10:05pm
I've spent much of the past two years quoting skeptical and dour Middle East hands, but most felt at least a glimmer of cautious hope today, a
Ann Coulter And Laura Ingraham Discuss “Save The Whale, Abort The Baby” Environmentalists
Mediaite - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 9:47pm
Ann Coulter and O’Reilly Factor guest host Laura Ingraham made some really good points tonight while discussing Discovery Channel hostage taker James Jay Lee. Coulter said that we can’t generalize fans of Al Gore just because one of them went crazy while Ingraham admonished Liberals for generalizing Conservatives whenever another tragedy happens and the shoe’s on the other foot. Of course, these good points were slightly muddied by all the comments around them about how all environmentalists want a world without humans and love earthworms more than people and so on and so forth.
Yes, one couldn’t really be blamed for getting slightly mixed messages while watching the segment. In fact, sometimes the mixed messages seemed to come side by side like in these comments from Coulter that make a hard left turn about half way through:
“I mean, there are going to be nuts who are fans of all sorts of things out there. That church killer down in Tennessee was citing Bernie Goldberg’s book. The Craigslist killer was a fan of mine. So I don’t think you can jump quickly, the way liberals always do, to this guy was a fan of a particular political point of view and then he killed someone. But, in this case, well, there are two points to be made. One is, over all, the political violence is heavily committed by Liberals. White Liberals I might add. And, secondly, the environmentalist nuts, this is their end goal. Not just the ones who pull out the guns. It is the elimination of humans.”
After watching the segment a couple of times, I think this is the moral: Generalizations are bad. All generalizations are bad. All Liberals are bad because they all make generalizations. Also, all environmentalists are crazy.
Got it?
As depressing as these seemingly schizophrenic thoughts were, they weren’t nearly as bad as the news that came at the end: Coulter will probably never be on Dancing with the Stars. Man, that’s so disappointing a person is liable to go crazy and take a TV network hostage. Gosh, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not an environmentalist.
Categories: The Media
Cuomo on the mosque 'precedent' and 'terror'
Politico Blogs - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 9:39pm
Via Liz Benjamin, Andrew Cuomo said that there is no "bona fide cause" that's been made to demonstrate the need to investigate anything in
Bill Press Challenges Glenn Beck to ‘Liberation Theology’ Debate
Mediaite - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 9:27pm
On his radio show yesterday, Glenn Beck criticized progressive radio host Bill Press over remarks Press made on Countdown that were critical of Beck’s analysis of President Obama’s religion. Press said of Beck “We don’t need a Mormon to teach Christians what the gospels are all about.” Beck then reiterated his criticism of the president’s faith, and said he would welcome a correction “if I’m wrong.”
Press, who Beck also said had apparently “(n)ever gotten anywhere near the Gospels,” studied 10 years for the priesthood, and has a degree in theology. He tells Mediaite that he’s happy to correct Beck in a one-on-one debate on liberation theology, anywhere, anytime.
The day after the “Restoring Honor” rally, Glenn Beck appeared on Fox News Sunday, where he stood by his statement that President Obama’s faith is a “perversion of the Christian gospel.”
In response, Bill Press appeared on Countdown to point out that Beck, who is a Mormon, faces similar criticism from some evangelical Christians who don’t recognize Mormons as Christians, and took a parting shot at Beck’s criticism of Obama by saying “We don’t need a Mormon to teach Christians what the gospels are all about.” (a remark to which I objected in my column.)
Beck then complained on his show about Press’ attack, before then continuing to criticize the President’s faith, which he claims is “liberation theology.” Here are some of the issues he seems to take with liberation theology, which he described to Chris Wallace as “Marxism disguised as religion.”:
You see, it’s all about victims and victim-hood; oppressors and the oppressed; reparations, not repentance; collectivism, not individual salvation.
I don’t know what that is, other than it’s not Muslim, it’s not Christian. It’s a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it.
Beck has said of his views on liberation theology, “If I’m wrong, I’ll correct it.” To that end, Press has offered to debate Beck on the subject: (via email)
As a firm believer in liberation theology, I’m sick and tired of hearing Glenn Beck, who is himself a Mormon, condemn it as a Marxist form of Christianity and a perversion of the gospels. In the same breath, Beck always adds: If I’m wrong, just tell me. OK, I accept his challenge. And, in return, I challenge him to a debate on liberation theology: anywhere, anytime, on his radio show or mine, or on his television show. Let’s settle it once and for all: Is liberation theology inspired by Jesus Christ or Karl Marx? We’ll find out if Beck is willing to debate someone who really knows what he’s talking about.
Press laid the groundwork in his column today, taking on Beck’s notion of liberation theology. The entire column goes into the origins of liberation theology, but this section sums it up well:
Just read the Gospels, Matthew 25, where Jesus tells his followers how God will separate the sheep from the goats on Judgment Day. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. … I needed clothes, and you clothed me.” When did we do all that, they asked? And, in response, these defining words: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
According to liberation theology, in other words, Christianity is not about whether you believe in this doctrine or that. It’s whether you imitate Jesus in helping “liberate” the poor from social, economic, and political hardship. That’s not a perversion of the Gospel. It IS the Gospel.
One could argue that, to the beneficiary of an uneven playing field, it’s easy to see how social justice can look like “Marxism,” just as where the mouse sees salvation, the hawk sees starvation. This is the peril of having anyone’s spiritual beliefs defined by outsiders.
Press goes on to cite his theological bona fides, before doubling down on his previous shot at Beck’s Mormonism:
…after high school, I joined the seminary. I studied 10 years for the Catholic priesthood as a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. I taught high school religion. And, as part of my training, I received a degree in theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, where I studied Scripture in Latin and Greek. So, yes, I know the Gospels.
As a Christian, however, I would never dare tell a Jew how to practice Judaism, nor a Muslim how to practice Islam. And I repeat: We don’t need a Mormon, especially one named Glenn Beck, to teach Christians what the Gospel is all about.
For the record, I’m no theological expert, but I don’t see how Bill Press has any more right to question Beck’s Christianity than Beck has to question Obama’s. Conversely, it’s unclear how Beck can object to Press’ statement, while continuing to question the authenticity of the President’s faith.
Just as Beck seeks to understand liberation theology, he and Press could help to dispel misconceptions about Beck’s faith. Everyone has the right to believe as they see fit, but in a civilized society, they also deserve to define their own beliefs, rather than have them defined by outsiders. That’s true for Glenn Beck, for Bill Press, and for Barack Obama.
Categories: The Media
Obama unlikely in N.Y.C. on 9/11
Politico Blogs - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 9:14pm
Carol Lee and Kendra Marr report that it's unlikely that President Obama will come to New York for the 9/11 anniversary ceremony, as they remain rel
Ed Schultz Fires Back At Glenn Beck’s “Demo” Comments
Mediaite - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 8:47pm
Earlier today, Ed Schultz continued his epic battle of words against Glenn Beck. Schultz had previously claimed that he could easily get his own rally with 300,000 people and Beck had responded that might want to try and get 300,000 viewers in the demo first. Today, Schultz countered that Beck can’t get that many in the demo either since all of his fans are way too old.
While showing footage of Beck’s Restoring Honor rally, Schultz had this to say:
“Let me explain to my viewers what it means by ‘the demo.’ He’s talking about the great people who watch my show between the ages of 25 and 54. Now, Beckster, let’s take a closer look at your crowd of nutjobs. You know, I don’t see too many of the demo. You know, I’ll say it again, they’re old, white, angry, McCain/Palin leftovers.”
Schultz then brought on the Huffington Post’s Roy Sekoff and the two had a good time making fun of Beck’s claims that a flying gaggle of geese over the rally was important and symbolic. However, amidst all the fun, Sekoff pointed out that it probably wasn’t a good idea for Schultz to “denigrate” Beck’s fans. Sekoff was probably right on that point but, with as much fun (and coverage) as Schultz is getting out of this fight, chances are he’s not going to stop any time soon.
Or at least until Beck stops responding.
Note: Whether or not Schultz was right about the demographic at Beck’s rally, it’s probably worth noting that Beck does fine in the main demo when it comes to TV viewers.
Categories: The Media
White House pushes back Rattner account
Politico Blogs - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 8:41pm
Former "car czar" Steve Rattner, whom the White House gave a bit of a face-saving exit as a probe of his role in New York's pension
A Deeply Ironic Post in Honor of Hopelessly Irony-Challenged Alan Simpson
The Confluence - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 8:21pm
Situational irony: an incongruity between expected or intended results and what actually happens
The system that automatically awards disability benefits to some veterans because of concerns about Agent Orange seems contrary to efforts to control federal spending, the Republican co-chairman of President Barack Obama’s deficit commission said Tuesday.
The article quotes Simpson on the subject of irony:
“The irony (is) that the veterans who saved this country are now, in a way, not helping us to save the country in this fiscal mess,” said Simpson, an Army veteran who was once chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson’s comments came a day after The Associated Press reported that diabetes has become the most frequently compensated ailment among Vietnam veterans, even though decades of research has failed to find more than a possible link between the defoliant Agent Orange and diabetes.
Simpson thinks that Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange shouldn’t be demanding disability payments when they develop serious illnesses that may be associated with Agent Orange exposure. Instead these veterans should be sacrificing their own health in order to prevent banksters and other extremely wealthy people like Alan Simpson from having to pay more taxes to “save the country from this fiscal mess.”
Barack Obama and Alan Simpson discuss what to do about the "lesser people."
No, Mr. Simpson.
Irony is when extremely rich people like you don’t want to give back to the country that enabled you to become inordinately wealthy and powerful.
Irony is when people who gave up their health and their future to fight in wars supported by people like you are expected to die in agony on the street instead of getting health care, living a little longer, and dying with dignity.
But I wouldn’t expect you to understand that. Your values are just too warped. You are too selfish and, yes, evil, to comprehend normal human feelings like compassion and empathy.
Now Veteran’s groups are demanding that President Obama fire Simpson from the cat food commission. Will veterans groups be able to melt Obama’s cold cold heart where women’s groups have so far failed? Your guess is as good as mine.
Meanwhile, at Open Left, Paul Rosenberg thinks Alan Simpson should stay on as co-chair of the cat food commission.
The last thing I want is for Alan Simpson to depart from the Catfood Commission. He is such a perfect embodiment of it’s ignorant, mean-spirited mendacity that if he didn’t exist, atheists would be praying 24/7 for his creation.
Yet, I also think that it’s great that people are calling for his ouster. It’s the best possible way to bring heat to bear on the commission itself.
Ironically, Simpson’s inability to contain his revulsion for elderly people, veterans, and women may be our last best hope of saving Social Security and Medicare.
And one final irony: perennial losing political consultant Robert Shrum explains why saving Social Security is the best issue the Democrats have for their 2010 campaigns, and why they won’t be able to use this winning issue:
House Speaker Tip O’Neill laid the foundation in 1981 when he exclaimed of GOP designs to dismantle Social Security: “It’s a rotten thing to do. It’s a despicable thing to do.”
There’s plenty of evidence to justify reprising O’Neill’s tack this fall: The Social Security-privatizing, Medicare-shredding “roadmap” of GOP Rep. Paul Ryan; the barely disguised complicity of the GOP Congressional leadership; and, in a party where extreme has become mainstream, the blatant animus of candidates who see Social Security as “socialism”—and yearn to eviscerate it.
So why not campaign all out, in O’Neill’s plainspoken way, against a GOP that is disloyal to the most successful—and most popular—social program in American history?
Because Democrats have been disarmed by the President’s deficit reduction commission [AKA cat food commission], which plainly intends to propose Social Security cuts.
Isn’t it ironic?
Filed under: 2010 Elections, Barack Obama, cat food commission, Politics Tagged: Agent Orange, Alan Simpson, Barack Obama, irony, Paul Rosenberg, Robert Shrum, Vietnam Veterans
Categories: Our Friends
Chris Matthews Advises Obama On Saving November From “Catastrophe”
Mediaite - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 7:58pm
Chris Matthews promised his viewers that his final segment tonight on Hardball would live up to the show’s name and not be softened with any “bedside manner.” However, liberals watching might not have expected it to sound like a terrifying ghost story instead. Matthews began by listing the hard facts that are facing Democrats right now and how most signs are predicting a Republican take over come January. He then, speaking about and to President Obama, gave the commander in chief some instructions on how to save the upcoming election from being a “catastrophe.”
Matthews chastened the president for appearing two “distant” and told him he needed to sell a message to the American people, a note that had been repeated throughout the broadcast by the host and a number of his guests. That message seemed to be to remind voters of the dangers Matthews predicts would come to fall if the “hawks” and “deregulators” were allowed back in office.
“The key is for the president to campaign, to be the person he was from 2004 through 2008; the inspiring, hard working, focussed Democratic hero that he was. He needs to sell his connection, as he did through all that time, with the prospect of change. He’s been working on change, creating jobs, doing health care, cleaning up Wall Street, working for a peaceful role abroad. He’s got to sell the fact that he, Barack Obama, not only gives a damn, but has been putting forth an effort to turn this country around.”
It was a stirring little monologue and one that was probably pretty hard for fans of the show to listen to. Watch the full segment below:
Categories: The Media
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell Briefs on Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
State Department Dipnote - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 7:22pm
More: Middle East Peace Negotiations | White House Blog: Forging Ahead on Middle East Peace Talks
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell held a special briefing today at the State Department on the successful re-launch of direct negotiations among the United States, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. Special Envoy Mitchell said, "In the trilateral meeting, there was a long and productive discussion on a range of issues. President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed their intent to approach these negotiations in good faith and with a seriousness of purpose. They also agreed that for these negotiations to succeed, they must be kept private and treated with the utmost sensitivity. So what I and they are able to disclose to you today and in the future will be limited, but I will now describe some of the key items that were addressed in the trilateral meeting.
"Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas condemned all forms of violence that target innocent civilians and pledged to work together to maintain security. They reiterated their common goal of two states for two peoples and to a solution to the conflict that resolves all issues, ends all claims, and establishes a viable state of Palestine alongside a secure state of Israel. President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed that these negotiations can be completed within one year and that the aim of the negotiations is to resolve all core issues.
"The parties agreed that a logical next step would be to begin working on achieving a framework agreement for permanent status. The purpose of a framework agreement will be to establish the fundamental compromises necessary to enable them to flesh out and complete a comprehensive treaty that will end the conflict and establish a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The parties agreed that in their actions and statements they will work to create an atmosphere of trust that will be conducive to reaching a final agreement.
"They agreed to meet again on September 14 and 15 in the region and roughly two weeks thereafter -- every two weeks thereafter. Of course, continued interactions at other levels between the parties and also yet others involving the United States will take place between those meetings. In fact, a preparatory trilateral meeting to plan for that second meeting in the region has already begun at another location in this building and will continue here and in the region between now and September 14th, as is necessary.
"As both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have said, the United States pledges its full support to the parties in these talks. We will be an active and sustained partner throughout. We will put our full weight behind these negotiations and will stand by the parties as they make the difficult decisions necessary to secure a better future for their citizens."
A complete transcript of the briefing is available here.
Categories: Our Government
Photo of the Week: Behind the Scenes Before Negotiations Begin
State Department Dipnote - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 7:19pm
More photos: U.S. Department of State's Flickr photostream | State@Work
When the cameras roll, they show the faces everyone knows. But for every major White House or State Department event, dozens -- sometimes hundreds -- of other people are at work out of camera range, making preparations and doing their best to ensure everything will run according to plan and to schedule. In this Photo of the Week, which comes to us from the White House, Ambassador Capricia Marshall, Chief of Protocol, waits for the arrival of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt on the South Portico of the White House. The Office of the Chief of Protocol fosters an environment for successful diplomacy by ensuring that appropriate hospitality is extended to foreign missions and their visiting leaders.
A major focus this week has been on the Middle East, with both White House and State Department meetings to relaunch direct negotiations among the United States, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority in pursuit of a final settlement and a just peace, with two states living side-by-side.
Categories: Our Government
Remainders, 9.2
Politico Blogs - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 6:50pm
Fossella organizing against the mosque
Politico Blogs - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 6:20pm
Blog: Vito Fossella is emailing a letter about a rally against the Ground Zero-area mosque this w
No escape in the airport
Politico Blogs - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 6:06pm
A spokesman for a conservative group backed by the construction industry says it has placed this ad on CNN's airport network, which will no do