Australia’s refugee problem has attracted global attention. This from the New York Times.
Rundle08: Palin on SNL not enough to combat the Powell blow
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Television networks in the US have abandoned any notion that people watch TV on any basis other than TIVO, otherwise they wouldn’t put all the juicy stuff on the Sunday morning news shows — Meet The Press pre-eminent among them — because all the policy wonks would be sleeping through them. Instead they’re watched mid afternoon through a chardonnay hangover courtesy of the magic machine — except for the very hardcore, of course, who are up at 7am in suits and pearls, notebooks at the ready for talking points, the true pros. They had a doozy today, a framer for the penultimate week of the campaign, when General Colin Powell announced that he was throwing his support to Barack Obama , and that he would be voting for him in the next election. John McCain, an old friend of his, was he said, a good person and a maverick — arrghhhh that word — but there was need for a generational change and Obama was a smart, well-informed, leaderly type of person, and was to be preferred. And the clincher? Worse came to worst, Sarah Palin was simply not ready to be President. Man, that’s a bodyslam. Colin Powell’s a murderous little turd — “we are going to cut off this army and then we are going to kill it” — who, if there were any justice in the world, would have been in a glass box with Schwartzkopf at the Hague tried for the “turkey shoot”. That was the massacre of tens of thousands of Iraqi conscript soldiers in retreat on the Basra Road in the aftermath of the Gulf War. How many died there who would have otherwise gone back to families, to jobs, to everyday life? Between twenty thousand and forty thousand is the estimate melted by bombs and napalm into their tanks and jeeps, a crime against humanity on a par with Babi Yar, Katyn, Nanjing, My Lai, the Sandakan Death March, and and and … Fallujah, to hit all the bases. Powell was a Vietnam commander, and then worked his way up, seen as a shining symbol of African-American advancement, a strange sort of way of achieving the ideal. Give me Muhammad Ali’s “No Vietcong ever called me nigger” anyday, the free utterance of a man soaring free of all that had confined and defined him, to a plane of genuine liberation, but there you go… Powell’s endorsement of Obama will help him in the foreign policy stakes, and add to the calumny on Palin, the choice of whom now appears to have lost the election for McCain decisively. McCain replied by saying that he had the support of four secretaries of state … Kissinger, Haig, Eagleburger and I forget the fourth. No-one remembers Eagleburger, a Reagan/Bush 41 era functionary chiefly occupied with running death squads in Latin America, but Haig and Kissinger … my god what a twisted rogues’ gallery that is. Insofar as those people are remembered, they’re as creeps and weirdos, especially Kissinger, forever associated with pre-Reagan detente, his strange European accent und all. Ask Sam/Joe the unplumber what he thinks of smart jews and you might not like the answer. No Powell is still the goods, even if the Iraq crap (“these are photos of trucks therefore Iraq has WMDs”) which he’s still trying to get over, sullied him for good. And his endorsement will tamp down something. And further confine Palin’s support to the sort of twenty-thirty something male tools who paint their bodies for football games, and not much else for anyone’s liking. It’s gradually dawning on people that Palin’s base is coextensive with the Maxim subscription list, and that is not the basis for victory. Goddamit the woman can’t even do Saturday Night Live properly. Booked to go on the show, everyone expected it would be some sort of encounter like the Hillary Clinton — Amy Poehler classic, the two Hillarys firing off each other. Inevitably, it wasn’t. It was the sort of half-up show up, dithering bullsh-t the Republicans specialise in these days. Palin was in a cold opener sketch in which she and show producer Lorne Michaels discussed her appearance before Alec Baldwin turned up and presumes she was Tina Fey … anyhoo we never got what we all wanted which was a Tiny Fey-Palin double act. They simply passed each other awkwardly on set, and she later appeared in the news gag section, saying she wouldn’t do a certain act — a rap — so Amy Poehler did it, while she bopped along. It was lame-o, and the desperate unfunny way it which it was all handled suggested to this old sketch comedy producer that it was all about last minute chaos, refusals to do certain things etc etc, and desperate fix ups to put something, anything, together. Kinda like the whole campaign really. Will it play for or against? Who knows? Everyone TIVOs these days, or watches it online. But man a gutsy performance would have been good for a percent or two, and she couldn’t even step up to that. But for tomorrow, the policy wonks battling the chardonnay hangovers will have their talking points on how it was a triumph, and how it wasn’t, and we are now into attrition, sheer attrition, who can simply keep speaking the longest… |
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29 Comments
Obama is Powellin around with 4-star generals.
Thanks Guy. It’s good to read a timely reminder about the “noble” Colin Powell.
Dear Venise
I can assure you that I am NOT JamesK. Syntax or otherwise (?!) and no offense taken.
James.
James, Jeff Kennett referred to The Age as “The Spencer Street Soviet” but it is an extraordinary matter for a candidate in a presidential election to make the statement that McCain’s campaign did about a daily in NY the largest city by far in the country. That statement came out months ago and the NYT has since been ever more relentless. It is trashing its own reputation.
The irony of Sanderson railing on about vilification is that it is the NYT that is especially guilty of vilification. I note just yesterday it vilified McCain’s wife and it stoops to base methods to bolster its prejudices and those of sycophants such as Sanderson:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/10/021809.php
The best part of Powell’s speech, other than the endorsement itself, as Powell’s defense of Muslim-Americans. So far even the so-called “Liberal Media” have been afraid to tackle the point head-on. Powell did so brilliantly, and took the wind out of one of the GOP’s most slimy talking-points.
My my you guys - talk about raising the level of public debate! Seems there is more than enough kool-aid being consumed at both ends of the extreme.
As for the NY Times? Wasn’t it the paper that was the Bush administration’s loudest cheer leader on WMD? So, seems to me they just follow the leader who best suits their own craven interests. Bush then, BHO, now. Expecting newspapers NOT to run a political agenda seems a tad 50’s to me.
Daniel: That abortion thingo you did is v clever. Did you invent it; or just pass it on?
Cheers
V.
Frank Rich at the NYT explains better than anyone why McCain is not up to the job:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/opinion/19rich.html?hp
Unlike David Sanderson who clearly has delusions of grandeur, I made no “attempt to trash Powell’s reputation”, “feeble” or otherwise.
I expressed the view that he has not done himself a service even if he wished a role in an Obama administration.
I expressed the view that the manner in which he has endorsed Obama and not the fact which is sad.
I notice other commentators have attacked Powell very aggressively but dingbat Sanderson still pops his silly head over the parapet for more punishment from me…… Gee thanks David!
Interesting to see the left wing nut commentariat (always echoed monotonously, inanely and repetitively by Sanderson,) foaming at the mouth about “vilification”.
The hypocrisy is staggering. Equating McCain with Bush must be especially repugnant to McCain. The irony is laughable.
And who could forget the shameful denunciations of Palin immediately following her appointment as VP candidate and prior to her speech at the convention?
And notice now that the race is seen as done and dusted, this puerile, supercilious and patronising arrogance is back in the ascendancy amongst this nauseating crew.
At least Obama’s (and McCain’s) personal conduct in this race has been exemplary quite unlike these rabid ‘liberal’ supporters.
The media’s role in this race has been lamentably partisan and such fueling of one sided accusations of vilification is especially disgraceful.
Lastly, abortion is a real issue in US politics. Many pro choicers believe that there is simply too much of it. Many believe in it being available under limited conditions. The recent Victorian legislation would not pass the US Congress.
Powell’s VietNam days weren’t exactly covered in probity - he was one of the Hotel L’Vent officers who cleared Calley of anything untoward at My Lai. Signed his name to it which, hopefully, will come back to haunt him.
“Weimar-like rage” Sanderson? You vilification apologist and a twit to boot!
McCain’s campaign made a remarkable public statement wrt the New York Times:
“Whatever The New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard a journalistic organization. It is a pro-Obama advocacy organization that every day impugns the McCain campaign, attacks Sen. McCain, attacks Gov. Palin. … Everything that is read in The New York Times that attacks this campaign should be evaluated by the American people from that perspective.”
The postings from Dave and James reveal an unwillingness or inability to appreciate what is playing out before us in the United States, why its happening, and some important implications for public policy debate in the future. You can ‘wish’ that abortion was not an issue but it is, and is growing in importance because, at the heart of the debate, is the question of which human beings are the subject of human rights .This spills over into other questions about euthansaia, stem cell research, allocation of health budgets,
What is a human being? The United States Supreme Court has before it a case in which that very question must be settled, because two different jurisdictions in the United States have given two different answers to that question.
Keen allies in this struggle world wide, and particularly in the United States, are Christians and Muslims. In the United Nations, the Vatican, Catholic and Muslim nations have formed alliances to defeat initiatives which have tried to have abortion access defined as a right.
That is why it makes no sense to suggest that the GOP are setting out to insult American Muslims. The conservative base of the GOP has much more in common with Americam Islam and Orthodox Jews than does the Left. In fact, immediately after 9/11, President Bush moved to publicly defend Americam Muslims and emphasise that the majority of Muslims were as horrified as everyone else by what had transpired.
The really interesting phenomenon is the role of the Catholic Church. We have seen the same thing in Victoria with the passage of the Abortion Bill. Archbishop Hart has warned that Catholic hospitals cannot, and will not ,obey this pernicious piece of legislation.
Obama, in my view, is on a collison course with the Church in the United States. As exemplified by the murdered Archbishop Romero in San Salvador or the underground Church in China, the Church has a long tradition of confronting political leaders who attack genuine human rights.
Perhaps McCain will now feel obliged to point out that Powell is now palling around with a guy who pals around with terrorists. It’s enough to give a paranoid fantasist an exponentially increasing number of anxiety attacks.
Abortion? Abortion Abortion Abortion! Ab-or-tion! Abort……….ion. Aborrrrrrrrrrrrtion. ABORTION. abortion.
abortion
bortion
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Good article, references Muhammed Ali’s line about refusing to be conscripted to go to Vietnam. IMHO, that single line is the best political/human rights speech ever.
Never an original thought in David Sanderson’s comments….ever.
The best in terms of an ‘argument’ you will ever see from him is an internet address.
In this case……..surprise, surprise, surprise……..it’s Frank Rich of the New York Times ….again!
A favourite of our fatuously leftist Sanderson
Do you mean THE Frank Rich? The one who uses lines like the “violent escalation of rhetoric” and “pumped up the Weimar-like rage at McCain-Palin rallies” and says in the next paragraph that Ayers “connection to Obama is minor”. He says of Palin: “She wants to be president, she thinks she can be president, she thinks she will be president.”
And do you mean THE New York Times? Probably the pre-eminent example of what I referred to in my prior comment. Interesting that not a word of John Edward’s tawdry extra-marital affair never was mentioned in Sanderson’s beloved NYT but McCain’s supposed affair with a lobbyist was front page. One story true and the other false.
The New York Times is a disgraceful excuse for a newspaper. It is more partisan than almost any other MSM newspaper in the US.
Spare us your ‘rubbish-excuse-for-an-argument internet referrals’ David Sanderson!
Colin Powell? what a lying scoundrel he is. And “The One” says he is “beyond honour” in receiving his endorsement! was BHO being ironic? tongue in cheek? I sort of hope so. I think BHO may be in total cruise control. He has even taken to inserting into his stump speech a long-winded attempt at combining humour and an economic message by talking about his love of “pies”. One for the ages as they say.
On the Palin SNL thing? Come on Guy - lighten up. You mention talking points. Looks like you’ve been reading the ones offered by the totally humourless and oh-so-serious Huffington Post to the crazed left blogs who went absolutely FERAL over SP’s appearance. Give the woman a break. Sure, it wasn’t THE most polished performance nor was it uproariously funny - but so what? She showed great poise, a sense of fun and a capacity to poke fun at herself. Three qualities in desperately short supply in the political kingdom these days.
Can this campaign please end soon? This has been the longest media deification of a political candidate in living memory.
I really look forward to BHO having to front an actual press conference having to answer actual hard questions from the White House press core (assuming that may happen at some stage after November 4)?
Whatever one may say about the Australian political system and it’s players, thank (insert deity here) the mainstream political parties, media or community have never deemed it necessary nor appropriate to place abortion on the table. That is truly enlightened.
Buried in the public statements by Colin Powell is the real reason for Powell ‘s decision and that was his reference to the possibility that the next President will appoint possibly two judges to fill expected vacancies the US Supreme Court . Powell hints at what Ed Koch, former Democrat mayor of New York stated in an interview recently, that “ABORTION will decide this election.” Powell is pro choice.
Reuters/C-span?Zogby poll published on Sunday reports Obama’s lead slipping to 3 points with a margin of error of 2.9. Pollster John Zogby stated that “for the first time McCain is above 45%” He stated that the Arizona senator had solidified among the Republican base where 9 out of 10 now support” and also ” appeared to be gaining ground amongst the independent voters”
At the same time the US Catholic bishops are beginning to publish stronger and stronger crtiques of Obama’s postion on abortion. It is unusual to see the Catholic hierarchy “buying” into an election in this fashion.
Rundle’s criticism of Palin on SNL is shrill. Good on her for paricipating in a show sending herself up. Similarly, on the Lettermen interview, I thought McCain exhibited a great sense of humour and frankness. The audience, presumably New Yorkers, and usually Democrats, applauded warmly. This election is far from over and Palin, the sweet lady, is driving into the battleground states. God’s speed to her. The lives of many unborn hang in the balance!
I won’t go into the abortion issue because it is not central to the election and no amount of hoping and praying will change that.
It is true that, at a theological level, Christianity and Islam have things in common (especially in their more fundamentalist versions) but that is irrelevant to what ‘Muslim’ means in this election. Republicans use ‘Muslim’ a s a synonym for unAmerican, dangerously foreign and terrorist. To deny that they have been doing that is a pointless lie. Theological debates are quite absent from their thinking and similarities in thinking about abortion are utterly irrelevant. John James’ “sweet lady” especially has no interest in inter-faith dialogue. She comes from a strand of Christianity which uses its faith as a cover and justification for a xenophobia which is particularly virulent when directed at Muslims..
JamesK’s feeble attempt to trash Powell’s reputation because he dared to think for himself is answerable with a couple of points. Firstly, McCain and Powell are friendly political colleagues and not close personal friends. Powell is also entitled to believe that while he has adhered to some core values, McCain, in his desperation to become president, hasn’t. Secondly, a ‘soldier’, as JamesK describes him, with forty years service, is as entitled as anyone to put the interests of his country first. That is what Powell has done.
Colin Powell endorsing Obama is the final nail in the coffin. I await the Sean Hannity/Bill O’Reilly tagteam tonight trying to turn their hero of the W.M.D./U.N. fake out into Willie Horton (one for you Presidential history buffs.)
And I watched Sarah Palin on S.N.L. At least she looked pretty.
Haha, nice one Daniel.
Your point is??
James: Are you sure you are not JamesK in disguise? I apologize if I’m wrong. It’s just that the syntax is similar. No offense meant to either party.
comment and discussion from either point of view notwithstanding- just remember: it ain’t ovah ‘til it’s OVAH
Whatever you think of Powell he does have considerable standing generally and especially among conservatives and ‘military families’. The manner in which he gave his endorsement was very strong and effective and gave every appearance of being very carefully considered.
His ‘calling out’ of McCain and Palin and the Republican Party on the vilification of Muslims was especially resonant and shaming. It was also very realpolitik as he reminded Americans that this vilification is costing America dearly (“its killing us”) in the Muslim world. “We’ve come to save you for democracy and, by the way, we think your religion stinks.” is probably not the best propaganda path to take.
Expect to see excerpts heavily featured in Obama TV ads to good effect.
“I expressed the view that the manner in which he has endorsed Obama and not the fact which is sad.”
How was Powell’s manner even in question? Powell stated that he thought McCain was a good man, and would make a good president. However, in Powell’s eyes, Obama had handled the current economic crisis in a more mature and measured manner, and he also disapproved of the McCain campaigns dogwhistle politics concerning issues of race and religion.
This seems to me a measured and reasonable criticism. The manner in which Powell voiced both his criticism of McCain and his praise of Obama was exemplary and thoughtful.
Colin Powell is tipped in some quarters to want a role in the new administration.
If that were the case I cannot see how this Meet-The-Press interview would have helped his standing.
He was tipped as a possible VP to McCain at one stage but his pro-choice stance scuppered him.
That he endorsed Obama was not the surprise but the manner in which he has greatly undermined his supposed close friend McCain is rather sad.
In many respects this says less about McCain than it does Powell. It is very damaging though and I would have to add unnecessary even if it was his honestly held view. Not particularly ‘soldier-like’ at all.
JamesK can channel Rush Limbaugh until he is very red in the face but all he succeeds in doing is parroting the pathetic anti-intellectualism of the American populist right and their hysterical attempts to suppress critical thought and expression. Symptomatic of this hysteria is the denunciation of one of the world’s pre-eminent newspapers as a “disgraceful rag”.
Also representative of this kind of non-thinking is presenting what opponents such as Frank Rich say in a derisive manner, but without any attempt to logically disprove it. JamesK’s hysterically bombastic attempts to bully opponents into submission are a monumentally trivial example of the ugly idiocy of the populist right.