AP :
For the second presidential debate in a row, Hillary Rodham Clinton can expect to be everyone's punching bag. This time she'll be on the stage to defend herself.
Republicans ganged up on the New York senator during their debate last week in Florida, knowing that was a good way to energize the GOP base. Democrats are criticizing Clinton because she's the candidate to beat in their own primary.
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It might be a good time to get rid of the Executive Branch altogether.
Make the president a purely ceremonial role.
Maybe the Senate as well.
Term limits for SCOTUS say 10 years.
I have volunteered for the role of Queen several times now.
It being Halloween and all, I am forced to don my usual regalia- a witch :)
Sorceress much more fun.
;)
We need to be very careful of what we wish for.
Apparently, the group of wealthy businessmen of which Prescott Bush was a part in the 1930s felt that the president's position should be merely ceremonial and that the real policy decisions be made by a group like themselves in conjunction with a privately run army like Blackwater. They actually were on their way to staging a coup and installing a fascist state before they were turned in by the man they tried use as chief recruitment tool for that army, retired general Smedley Butler.
Explains alot, doesn't it?
Oh the Bilderberger Hotel meeting.
Snore.
She didn't "trip": Hillary got caught in a flat-out lie
I'm ready to give in.
Let's meet our new boss, pretty much the same as the old boss.
DO NOT give in! Don't let it be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
DO NOT give in! Don't let it be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Edwards was right when he said you have to ask yourself if you are really going to look your children in the eye and pass this mess on to them and their children to fix. And thank God for Dodd reminding all of us we MUST elect a Democratic President. We can't afford to nominate someone with almost half of the country saying they will NEVER vote for her. Can we afford to take the risk? Absolutely not. Hillary is a great Senator and Bill isn't going anywhere. Vote for Edwards.
What have any of those rich people done to help the poor in this country? I don't mean raising the minimum wage either, though that was a start. The middle class are becoming the newly poor while the really rich are becoming the obscenely rich and our politicians are becoming life time politicians without a clue as to what goes on in the country.
I don't see much of a difference between the so called *top tier* candidates of both parties. Put a mask on them and ask them a question and you wouldn't know who was who.
As far as I'm concerned when it comes to a leader the amount of money they can raise is a problem. Without public financed campaigns we're stuck with only the richest running for president and those people do not live in my world. How can I vote for someone who doesn't listen to the people and I suspect really doesn't give a damn about what matters to me?
In other words, I won't vote for one of the *top tier* candidates. I see no benefit from it.
Even if they promised that they'll take money from the greedy capialists and give you lots of free stuff?
Finally, Hillary wasn't allowed to talk around issues, change her position, and evade answering important questions and she bombed.
I saw a slippery, dishonest politician unable to run and hide and I hope other Americans finally saw what they've been blindly supporting.
Yup. When asked if she would allow her conversations between herself and Bill to be open to scrutiny, she evaded time and again even though she insists they are the basis for her "experience." All she said was that it is not her prerogative and those at the archives dept. are going as fast as they can.
Uh, huh.
Of course, we all know that the Bush clan will NEVER release anything connected to either president Bush, so their secrets will remain secrets forever.
There is a court case involving grandpa Prescott Bush that still remains open to the public in the archives, though. Seems he was of part of a plan to stage a coup and install a fascist state in the early 1930s. Imagine that!
"she declined to pledge whether she would stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon..."
So "reports" Nedra Pickler of the Assholiated Press.
Clinton answered Russert's neo-con question by saying, and repeating, that she would pledge to do all she could to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. What is she supposed to say? "Sure, Timmy pop-eyed boy, I guarantee it. I"ll bomb 'em 'fore breakfast".?
Kucinich pointed out that the question presumes the neocon premise that the Iranians are pursuing a nuclear weapon. This is something denied by the Iranians. No one asked or was asked what proof they had of this fact besides what they may have been told by the same misfits that gave us all the misinformation leading to the war in Iraq.
But - how can the Associated Press get away with this kind of sloppy reporting?
Whatever one thinks of Clinton - the press seems so corrupt.
Russert and Williams - is that the best we can do?
Two dumbbells. And they had to waste everybody's time talking about aliens from outer space. That's because they don't feel anything that deeply about how much the American people are suffering under this regime. They, Russert and Williams, are doing just fine and are obviously very very well fed.
Hillary pledged to do everthing she could to prevent Iran from getting neuclear bombs as did the others.
Debate was all about punching Hillary, but they went a little too far. What was with Russett, he looked awful, has gained another 100 pounds and instead of asking questions, also used Hillary as his punching bag. He was a joke. Did he think he was up there ? Dream on Russett. Brian Williams could have done it alone without changing it into a circus. Where was Keith ?
Also, if any one else was the front runner would they be able to stand on to the ground ?
Come all boys tell us what all of you are about.
Biden was clearly the winner in this one.
It was difficult to pick a winner last night but the loser was Tim Russert. He was out of control! His body language, his constant attacks, giving Hillary so much airtime, and the way he was sweating when talking to Hillary clearly showed he was given talking points from the Repubs to go on the attack on Hillary. The questions at the Republican debates are mostly irrelevant and fluff-like. The Democrats get some tough and confrontational questions. Also, why did Russert bring up Education the last 2 minutes and demand a thirty second response? That topic should have come up sooner with more time devoted to it. If our Educational System does not improve, this country will continue to select more idiots like Bush!
One of the biggest complaints about Clinton is that she's been allowed to evade answering questions by talking around stuff and because she's a woman everyone has just let it slide.
Now she's the front runner and FINALLY the press is going to make her clarify her positions, take a stand in what she ACTUALLY believes and she's being treated unfairly?
PALEASE!!!
If the questioners had been posing real and serious questions to every frontrunner from the beginning we would surely be left with the best candidate standing. She's gotten an easy ride up until last night. And all of a sudden she looked like the slippery dishonest politicians that she is.
I garnered the same view as Hillary was basically exposed as someone who was simply attempting to go through the motion of a primary election, believing she had already wrapped it up. This debate shows how extremely powerful the media is as well as it is fickled, as it picked her as the 'front-runner.'
All objective data points to the meaningless nature of 'national polls' yet it was the media which kept stating and restating these polls as a solid indicator that Hillary was the one to beat. Little analysis and a horde of republican leaning pundits pushed the viability of Hillary, while carefully avoiding the issue of Bill Clinton's sealed Whitehouse records which Hillary was using as her claim to overwhelming experience.
I don't blame Hillary's opponents who have been put on the defensive by a media crowning her, but the media itself which seems to operate not as a agent to 'dig' for the truth, but instead seems to promote themes and an agenda of sensationalism. The MSM could have exposed the candidacy of Hillary Clinton from Day 1 but they seemed more interested in 'cashing their chips' on the prospects of Bill Clinton coming back into the spotlight.
This was never about Hillary Clinton this was and is about the 'aura' of Bill, which friends and enemies alike seem never to get enough of.
"If our Educational System does not improve, this country will continue to select more idiots like Bush!"
Exactly why this administration has done everything in its power to destroy education and make it harder for people to afford college. A dumbed-down populace can be fooled by Fox News and the likes of Limbaugh, and young people without the option of college make easy cannon fodder.
No Child Left Behind is Bush's attempt to destroy public education. At the Values Voters summit attendees were captured on film saying they would eliminate public education altogether if they could. Destroying education is one of the big items on the neocon agenda - they just don't say it out loud much.
When answering Education questions, always talk about the disappearance of Civic in the classroom, hence the erosion of our constitutional rights.
If you've never heard of the 4th amendment to the Constitution, how will you ever know when it disappears?
Civics can also be a way to study English and Math and in this way you kill three birds with one stone.
Russert's soul cavity is completely empty. In fact, it is a burned out, scabby hollow that once held a real man's drive, convictions, and pride in a job well done. How sad.
Boy do I agree with your pointing out the education question. It is such a terribly important issue that needs to be addressed and to wait till the end to have the candidates address it was just plain wrong. Education should be at the very top of the agenda items along with Iraq, Health Care and our economy.
Why are journalist missing the most important lie Hillary Clinton told last night. Hillary claims to be running on her RECORD OF EXPERIENCE IN THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION. If she is, why then wouldn’t she release her records, everywhere you turn, College and politics, her records are locked. I ask you how are we to judge her on her record when she won’t release any of them.
Hillary Rodham was a Republican, along came Bill Clinton and she hitched her wagon to him and became a Democrat. Now with the way she is voting and supporting George Bush, some may see this as her greatest flip-flop, she is becoming a Republican again. She seems not to pay much attention to the Democratic primary, but rather she is more focused of the Republican primary. I TELL YOU, HILLARY IS CONFLICTED.
Tim Russet ask her about releasing her records and she responded by saying that the Clinton Library is doing their very best to release them. Then Russet called her on it saying the Bill Clinton requested that Hillary Clinton’s records not be released until 2012, a letter which Hillary was clearly aware of and one that she probably drafter herself.
This is a deliberate lie people, she is fully aware of the letter and tried to mislead us into thinking that the library was working on the release of her records. THIS MY FRIENDS IS THE MOST DELIBERATE LIE HILLARY CLINTON TOLD LAST NIGHT.
Forget about the drivers license, Barack, focus on this one big lie.
"Hillary was a Republican.."
I don't think you can say she was a Republican with the way she went after the health care industry day she moved into the White House with Bill.
Kucnich is my candidate. The only one who has the right position on every issue. Someone with the courage and wisdom to impeach Bush and Cheney deserves to lead this country out of the Dark Ages the neocons have ushered in. I'm going to vote for Kucinich no matter how electable he seems. He is gaining ground as people listen to him, and becoming more electable every day. If Kucinich had a vote for every time someone said "I wish but he's not..." he would win the nomination.
Assuming Guliani is the Republican front runner he clearly is the beneficiary of last night's debate,
regardless of Biden's well rehearsed jabs.
Hillary was severely damaged but she will of course be the nominee. She was shown to be the pandering position-less windsock that we all know her to be.
none of the other candidates have enough substance or electability factors between them to defeat her.
Vogons,
Just as Dean was the nominee this time in 2004.
Voters are what count, not polls that have been notoriously wrong many times in the past
Ditto.
Well, I wouldn't call Hillary a punching bag.
A bag, definitely, but not a punching bag.
Time to elect Ralph Nader.
Democrats are gonna bash each other out of a general election "win".
Also, if only Tim Russert and the rest of the traitorous media would've grilled the giggling murderer in the White House the same way they are grilling Hillary and the rest of the Dem nominees.
They need to bash more because here in america we do NOT have heir apperants. We are not as monarchy.
bush, clinton, bush, clinton, jeb bush, chelsea clinton, some bush grandkid, chelsea's child,etc
Stop the madness now. This is america, not a revolving door monarchy
My take on the recent Repug debate and last nights Dem debate.
There was no debate. Just noise.
They all have bats in the belfry, and quite frankly the thought of any of them running something more important than a burger franchise worries me.
Its actually like watching a marketing dept in action, deciding what colour handle to put on the oven door and asking if the colour will affect the perceived performance.
Now what I want to know is; who is really running the company?
The Best and brightest?
Gawd help us all.
boo
Happy Halloween Femi.
I don't want any of those clowns in charge of anywhere I may eat. Keep them in Washington. Just reduce the power of the federal government to the point where they can't do much damage. Put them in charge very important discussion groups so they can all talk at each other incessantly.
I agree, except you are a right wing facist bullying nasty libertarian and I am a gentle kind bleeding heart left wing socio-libertarian.
;)
I'm not sure I would want any of them in charge of the preparation of my hamburger.
You have an excellent point.
There was no debate. 17 minutes in, Kucinich and Richardson still had not gotten a single question or a chance to speak.
This was a Bash Hillary Fest ordered by the neocons.
I agree olivia.
It really felt organized and sanctioned by a bunch of goons.
I don't know why people (including the candidates on stage) tolerate the virtual exclusion of Kucinich and Richardson from this joint appearance.
Nobody cares about democracy.
That's obvious.
The royal elitist press corps - led by bloated pop-eyed Tim Russert - is a disgrace to any concept of democracy.
We live in a kingdom at this point. The press consists of folks who have been granted "knighthood" with attendant privileges and tracts of land.
I am absolutely sickened by this spectacle.
As long as the party hack leading candidates, of both the dominance parties, continue to support our terrorist enemies by supporting the war on drugs I will refuse to vote for any of the leading Democrat or Republican candidates.
Support for the war on drugs is an act of treason against the United States of America.
Editorial: Enough Already -- Stop Funding the Taliban Through Opium Prohibition
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/507/stop_funding_the_taliban_through_opium_prohibition
U.S. national security "creating chaos and instability"
http://aleftindependent.blogspot.com/2007/08/us-national-security-creating-chaos-and.html
Does anyone want to know what the U.S. is really up to? We must allow Sibel Edmonds to speak:
"(Sibel Edmonds) has met with, and told her story to, U.S. senators including Republican Charles Grassley and Democrat Patrick Leahy, both of the Senate Judiciary Committee, both who found her extremely credible. 60 Minutes producers may remember when Grassley told them, "Absolutely, she's credible...And the reason I feel she's very credible is because people within the FBI have corroborated a lot of her story."
In fact, the FBI itself has done so. Their Inspector General found her allegations, as described in the unclassified version of his report, to be "credible," "serious," and "warrant[ing] a thorough and careful review by the FBI."
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5197#more-5197
Ah, she knows the secret, huh? She has the scoop on everything the U.S. is up to?
Oh, I see.
When you don't read the article, you tend to make stupid assumptions.
Sibel Edmonds was hired by the FBI because she speaks several languages and worked in the translation department deciphering wire taps, etc.
Did get your curiosity up enough to actually care what she found out?
TLV: Thank you. This woman needs to be listened to.
No one was a "punching bag"...that's just spin. When a candidate is called on what they say and where they stand on issues....that's simply being in the race.
If they can't stand scrutiny....they should get out.
exactly William.
It seems the hillary cultists are getting the vapors and need smelling salts because their candidate was called out on her bs
Hillary is no wilting violet. She is tough. Why do her cult members faint away so easily though? Toughen up kids, the game has just begun
Exactly. The simplistic manner in which even this story begins implies without facts why Hillary's opponents were questioning her position. The MSM has set-up Hillary as this 'illusionary' front-runner on one hand, and then strangely steps back to exclaim, that the other candidates are attacking her because of it.
The bottomline is that it is Bill Clinton who has a record, Hillary is being given a 'free' ride by the MSM, although she consistently avoids discussing any issues and stating what exactly are her policy plans. An excellent strategy, for sure, for a candidate who does not want to give the opposition party any 'red meat' to attack her position, but a losing position for the primary voters who are not hearing what a Hillary presidency would represent.
Until last evening debate, the moderators had basically kept her 'illusionary' qualifications in tact, speaking to her as if she was already the nominee, however, specifically Russert opened up some doors about her viability and governance. The other candidates are right to question those assumptions painted by the MSM of 'hitting the ground' running. Obama was on track when at one point he questioned the logic and wisdom of Hillary using the Clinton administration as the basis of her 'experience,' and at the same time hiding behind Bill's control of presidential documents yet released.
As normal, it was Hillary who did not answer Obama's query, instead chosing to hid behind excuses. It is not that the others are attacking Hillary as much as they are exposing the 'straw-women' facade built up by a media salivating over the chance to have Bill Clinton back in the limelight.
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First Posted: 10-30-07 07:41 PM | Updated: 03-28-08 02:45 AM