Brooks: Extremism In The Pursuit Of Moderation Is No Vice

David Brooks comes out swinging with a definition and vigorous defense of political moderation:

It occurred to me that this might be a good time to describe what being a moderate means.

First, let me describe what moderation is not. It is not just finding the midpoint between two opposing poles and opportunistically planting yourself there. Only people who know nothing about moderation think it means that.

Moderates start with a political vision, but they get it from history books, not philosophy books. That is, a moderate isn’t ultimately committed to an abstract idea. Instead, she has a deep reverence for the way people live in her country and the animating principle behind that way of life. In America, moderates revere the fact that we are a nation of immigrants dedicated to the American dream — committed to the idea that each person should be able to work hard and rise.

This animating principle doesn’t mean that all Americans think alike. It means that we have a tradition of conflict. Over the centuries, we have engaged in a series of long arguments around how to promote the American dream — arguments that pit equality against achievement, centralization against decentralization, order and community against liberty and individualism.

The moderate doesn’t try to solve those arguments. There are no ultimate solutions. The moderate tries to preserve the tradition of conflict, keeping the opposing sides balanced. She understands that most public issues involve trade-offs. In most great arguments, there are two partially true points of view, which sit in tension. The moderate tries to maintain a rough proportion between them, to keep her country along its historic trajectory.

...

The moderate creates her policy agenda by looking to her specific circumstances and seeing which things are being driven out of proportion at the current moment. This idea — that you base your agenda on your specific situation — may seem obvious, but immoderate people often know what their solutions are before they define the problems.

For a certain sort of conservative, tax cuts and smaller government are always the answer, no matter what the situation. For a certain sort of liberal, tax increases for the rich and more government programs are always the answer.

The moderate does not believe that there are policies that are permanently right. Situations matter most. Tax cuts might be right one decade but wrong the next. Tighter regulations might be right one decade, but if sclerosis sets in then deregulation might be in order.

Well, on the conservative side Brooks shortchanged stronger defense as the third leg of the timeless (or at least, Reagan-ear) stool. And the social conservatives are written out entirely (which is the second time he has done that recently, IIRC. Here, maybe?).

As to the notion that higher taxes and more regulation only appeal to a "certain type" of liberal, I am curious to learn what other type Brooks has in mind.

In any case, in a previous column Mr. Brooks exhorted us not to confuse moderation with pragmatism:

It’s important to distinguish between moderation and pragmatism. Ted Kennedy was nobody’s definition of a moderate, yet he had the ability to craft large and effective compromises on issues ranging from immigration to education and health care.

Good point. In that sense, Obama is not a pragmatist at all, since he has demonstrated no ability to sway his party or the opposition. Just offhand, Obama campaigned on promises to close Gitmo, attack global warming, and oppose an individual mandate on health care. Yet with Democratic control of both houses, how did he do?

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Thomas Collins]

No, Mr. Brooks, the most comprehensively developed description of moderation comes from a philosopher, Aristotle, not a historian. An individual with the most pedestrian understanding of Western political thought understands this. Apparently, you don't.

[Thomas Collins]

"immoderate people often know what their solutions are before they define the problems."

Well, I'll grant Mr. Brooks this: He has accurately described how most blue state credentiallled folks discuss politics.

[Captain Hate]

Thank you for that concise analysis, TC, since it enables me to skip that squish's natterings.

[steve]

Interesting that Brooks uses 'she' to describe the moderate.

While Brooks is right that being a moderate isn't blindly picking the middle of a given issue, it does mean having no principles other than not being on one side or the other of an issue.

A moderate is simply someone who doesn't care enough about an issue to make it the issue on which they live their life and vote the way they vote.

[rse]

This appears to me to be Brooksie looking at the polls NYT will not be sharing with its readers and deciding to remind RR about the need for consensus.

That reference to Balance makes me want to gag. We are dealing with collectivists and money and power thieves here and they do not get to get 40% of their desires to show some sort of fantasy "Balance."

One of the beliefs College and Career Ready seeks to foster via K-12 education going forward is that very obligation to consider the perspectives of all and reach a consensus.

The propaganda is enough to make you want to consider the benefits of temporarily being a hermit so the child can learn to keep their own company. In silence if needed.

Apparently that capacity is really missing among teens these days.

[Old Lurker]

How, how how can there not be red hot outrage of this disgusting story - LUN from Fox - of a politicized US military and Intel commanders. The hack running the Pentagon is one thing, but what happened to the leader we believed Patraeous to be at the CIA? Are ALL senior generals & admirals as pussified as these guys seem to be? Are ALL of their balls locked up in Hilary's lockbox? Simply disgusting and unbecoming of this country and our fathers.

[Jack is Back]

But are the moderate's pants creased as nicely as Mr. Brooks's?

[Sue]

Why is this moderate a feminine pronoun? Is this PC again?

[NK]

"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome Moderate!"

[Rick Ballard]

TC,

Why would anyone have reason to believe Brook's indoctrination included any study of anything written by white men who have been dead for more than 100 years (Rousseau, Comte, Marx etc. excepted, of course)?

[daddy]

Wanting to elect a guy for "the crease in his pant" is no virtue.

Paying any serious attention to a bonehead who wants to elect a guy for "the crease in his pant" is a vice.

[James D.]

To say that David Brooks is a deeply, deeply stupid man, is to insult deeply, deeply stupid men everywhere.

[NK]

For Brooks's (NO GRAMMAR!!) sake, I hope he got the money from Pinch in cash-- no strike that- physical gold before writing this Drek. Brooks hasn't merely beclowned himself, he's gone Plaid.

[narciso]

Good space balls reference, the Griffin piece, also reveals the final piece of the story

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Instead, she has a deep reverence for the way people live in her country and the animating principle behind that way of life.--

And here is the very essence of what is so awful about moderates. They are not only not lock step ideologues like leftists they aren't even moored to any coherent philosophy like the right, as the moron acknowledges, and hence, contrary to what he says about their deep roots in history, they are blown about by every passing fad and fancy like disposing of the generic pronoun "he" in favor of the feminine.
Why?
Because moderates build their lives on the drifting sand of "moderating" between the two sides of a conflict as he states. Not only is this hopeless it defies his claim that moderates don't just pick a middleground.
Brooks's problem like most moderates is he's just too damned stupid, or more likely chicken, to pick a governing philosophy and stick to it.

[Jack is Back]

I wonder if Brooks would call the founding fathers moderates for their time? Isn't it a fact, that in their time they were considered today's equivalent of extremists? IOW's people like myself, Sarah Palin and most of JOM are extremists since we have put much value in the form and rules of our constitutional republic which to King George III was not a moderate form of government especially the way we rebelled and instituted life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

[Captain Hate]

I wonder if Brooks would call the founding fathers moderates for their time? Isn't it a fact, that in their time they were considered today's equivalent of extremists?

Yes, I've stated before that support for the Revolutionaries was far from universal. Plus it was somewhat of a miracle that the Constitution got ratified.

[peter]

A crease in pants is not moderation. Those creased pants were placed in a pants press and subjected to high temperatures and extreme pressures. A wrinkled pant leg, on the other hand, is moderate. So Brooks has evolved. WHOA, to quote Joe Biden.

Blow it out your shorts,, Buckley, Brooks, Powell, and Noonan. You sold us this POS, to your everlasting detriment.

[Captain Hate]

Oh I forgot about T-Codd; how is he doing these days.

[narciso]

Ewok woke from his slumber;

http://minx.cc/?post=334269

[Captain Hate]

For some reason the Restraining Order thinks I'm on his side:

Dear CH:

We've spent years growing our grassroots citizens' movement.

Now we find ourselves in the most critical part of this campaign -- the final 11 days. And it's time we put our grassroots efforts to work where they can do the most good: On the ground in Ohio, getting out the vote.

The Ohio Democratic Party is looking for some volunteers to help. Shifts are available for this weekend, next weekend, and on Election Day. Click here to find a time that works for you.

My wife Connie and I voted early this year. And one of our most important jobs right now is to get more Ohioans to do the same.

We're all in this together. From the Presidential race, to my re-election for Senate, to Betty Sutton's race for the House -- the work on the ground will make the difference up and down the ballot.

I know you're busy, and you probably don't have tons of time. But any time you can give -- even an hour or two -- would make a huge difference.

Click here to see how you can volunteer today!

I'm sincerely grateful to have you as a part of this. Thank you for all of your activism and support.

[Porchlight]

Plus it was somewhat of a miracle that the Constitution got ratified.

The entire Founding including the war victory was a miracle if you ask me. Literally a miracle, a gift from Providence. I wish we were still as deserving of such gifts.

[centralcal]

Fox News has been all over this story and are constantly updating, adding to, and re-airing their Benghazi special.

I wonder if their recent hire - damn, I forgot his name, but narciso knows of whom I speak - is leading the charge on this investigative reporting? That is what he supposedly was hired to do.

[qrstuv]

So-called moderates think that "balance" comes from picking and choosing between progressivm and conservatism, while failing to understnad that conservatism IS balance.

The metaphor of a left-right spectrum is badly wrong and misleading.

I refer all to an excellent essay on this at philosoblog.

[Melinda Romanoff]

NumbersMuncher- ARG has iBama up 2 in OH, 49-47. Romney up 21 w/ indys. Sample is D+9(was D+5 in 08, D+1 in 2010). D+9 is just not going to happen.

[bgates]

Who is David Brooks, and why should I pay any attention to her?

Clearly the Founders were extremists in postulating that the preservation of liberty was the proper role of government, and the belief that they had a better understanding of human nature and how to construct a government suited to it is also extremist. The moderate recognizes that the Founders were right on some points, but in any great argument there is partial truth on both sides - so the Founders were partially correct, but so was King George; Lincoln was partially correct, but so was the Confederacy; the Allies were partially correct, but so were the Axis powers; there's something to be said for the people who want to live and work and go about their own business in Ms Brooks' home town, but those who want to run airplanes into their office buildings and turn the city into a hell of burning jet fuel and falling concrete have a point too.

[qrstuv]

I heart bgates.

[Rick Ballard]

Madison's moderation of the northeastern Calvinist position in The Federalist Papers won the southern and Mid-Atlantic support necessary for ratification. Witherspoon's influence is one of the more egregious examples of historian's seemingly innate ability to not only miss the forest but misidentify the trees.

Another way of looking at it is that Princeton beat Harvard in the first Big Game. Well before the complete collapse of both franchises, of course.

[Dave (in MA)]

Fox News has been all over this story and are constantly updating, adding to, and re-airing their Benghazi special.

I wonder if their recent hire - damn, I forgot his name, but narciso knows of whom I speak - is leading the charge on this investigative reporting? That is what he supposedly was hired to do.

Adam Carolla?

[maryrose]

Brooks has proven that his mind is gone and true reason evades his grasp. Living amongst the progs can do that to you.

[NK]

Bgates is like having our own in-house IowaHawk. You're just too good Bgates.

[maryrose]

But remember, according to the Left repubs are keeping Benghazi alive for political reasons. Panetta has really compromised himself on this matter. Rationalization just doesn't cut it when 4 Americans are dead because you were not up to the task. Obama and Hillary both failed the 3:00 am call , Obama by going back to sleep and not watching the live streaming and Hill for her clutching the video as her blankie when speaking at the memorial service. These people are beyond despicable. When it all comes out, each one will go into CYA mode to secure some kind of future for themselves.

[narciso]

Yes, but I think this was underway even earlier, Peter Boyer, even Lake didn't have this story,

[centralcal]

Thanks, narc - yes, Peter Boyer is the name.

[Donald]

David Brooks is a fucking pussy.

Sorry ladies.

[NK]

Donald@12:54-- well that about covers Brooks; NEXT...!

[Sue]

Stephen Hayes is saying the information is coming from Jennifer Griffin...and you can take her reporting to the bank.

[NJ Jan]

Rasmussen Poll on PA Senate race shows Casey (D) 46 and Smith (R) 45.

I have no idea what thread to post on.

[Mike Huggins]

David Brooks says what moderates say right before the panzers roll over them.

[Porchlight]

I had the same problem NJ Jan! I put it on the most recent thread.

I know I plug Battleground Watch a lot. But something Keith Backer said there over the weekend stuck with me:

These locations are never an accident. For the first debate, [Obama] prepped in suburban Nevada (his most important region in the Battlegound State). For the second debate he prepped in rural Virginia (his weakest region in the Battleground State). Now President Obama goes to Camp David? He hates Camp David. This is well known throughout Washington and in the press. But Camp David is located right on the border of rural Pennsylvania which will generate local press in a state far more competitive than the media or campaign wishes. Sounds like we have another concession from Team Obama that Pennsylvania is a Battleground State according to the campaign’s own chosen debate prep site.

[narciso]

So much for the Eid truce, eh;

http://news.yahoo.com/car-bomb-explodes-syrian-capital-despite-truce-145815461.html

[Danube of Thought on Ipad]

Daily Gallup RV horserace: Romney 51, Obama 46.

[Porchlight]

Do you mean LV, DoT?

Either way, wahoo! That's a 2 point improvement for Romney over yesterday. Someone I read yesterday suggested we might see another surge toward Romney because there was a corresponding dip for Obama approval earlier in the week.

[Jane - Mock the media]

Who is David Brooks, and why should I pay any attention to her?

Harrumph! What an insult to chicks. He is one of yours.

[narciso]

Take it up with the Times;

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=770643&gt1=28103

[sammy small]

A "moderate" is someone who accepts the liberal crap sandwich one nibble at a time so they don't gag.

[narciso]

I think this is more 'it's just a flesh wound, talk;

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/10/11m-floridians-have-voted-gop-leads-by-5-but-obama-team-says-we-are-going-to-keep-fl-blue.html

[Danube of Thought on Ipad]

Yes I do, Porch--thanks. I was so excited I screwed it up.

I'm with OL on that response to the calls for help from the consulate. I've never heard such a thing, and it's very deeply disturbing. Those two former SEALs sure as hell didn't need any intelligence--they knew their colleagues were in trouble, so they picked up their weapons and ran to the sound of the guns. That's part of the deal; it's what you sign up for.

This is very demoralizing.

[Pete]

I remember my philosophy professor saying "moderation in all things." I asked him, if we should b extremely moderate or moderately moderate, thus extreme in some things. Moderation is a poorly thought out ideal.

[Free State Paul]

Moderates start with a political vision, but they get it from history books, not philosophy books. That is, a moderate isn’t ultimately committed to an abstract idea.

In my experience, "Moderates" are deeply egocentric. They pick the position that suits their personal situation, and then call anyone who disagrees with them an ideologue.

"ObamaCare? Hmmmmm... My 25-year old son is unemployed and has epilepsy, so government meddling in the economy is a GOOD thing."

"GM bailout? Hmmmmm... I don't work in the auto industry, so government meddling in the economy is a BAD thing."

[Captain Hate]

Tammy Bruce just played the Jennifer Griffin tape and is slattering everybody about it but particularly the JEF.

[NJ Jan]

Porchlight
After you mentioned Battleground Watch, I linked to itcand bookmarked. It is proving to be a great source.

[Sue]

I was listening to Jennifer Griffin's report and crying like a baby. My SEALs ran to the gunfire knowing they weren't going to get any help.

[Frau Unterleib]

Whatever happerns, Brooks and Obama will always have Reinhold Niebuhr.

[narciso]

And here's the part we've been speculating about;

The American special operators, Woods, Doherty and at least two others were part of the Global Response Staff, a CIA element, based at the CIA annex and were protecting CIA operators who were part of a mission to track and repurchase arms in Benghazi that had proliferated in the wake of Muammar Qaddafi's fall. Part of their mission was to find the more than 20,000 missing MANPADS, or shoulder-held missiles capable of bringing down a commercial aircraft. According to a source on the ground at the time of the attack, the team inside the CIA annex had captured three Libyan attackers and was forced to hand them over to the Libyans. U.S. officials do not know what happened to those three attackers and whether they were released by the Libyan forces.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/#ixzz2AQZTon3p

[Sue]

David Burge ‏@iowahawkblog

Obama says this election "is about trust." Chris Stevens, Ty Woods, Sean Smith and Glen Doherty were not available for comment.

[Jane - Mock the media]

I'm with OL on that response to the calls for help from the consulate. I've never heard such a thing, and it's very deeply disturbing. Those two former SEALs sure as hell didn't need any intelligence--they knew their colleagues were in trouble, so they picked up their weapons and ran to the sound of the guns. That's part of the deal; it's what you sign up for.

This is very demoralizing.

Because I am a broken record:

THE WORLD SHOULD STOP!

No one should do another thing until we get a true explanation from our government about what happened - along with apologies to the families of the dead by the Pres, VP, sec of state and David Axelrod who no doubt decided this policy.

[Jim Ryan]

Zero is not bright, courageous or patriotic. He feared a military response might result in a Carteresque debacle, one that would cost him the election. Therefore, he could do nothing when he heard about the attack.

When the result came, he lied, using the movie as cover.

Then we found out that he knew. But he has the media for cover. They simply won't report the story.

[Sue]

Monica Crowley ‏@MonicaCrowley

Obama requests 4 more years. Request denied. And denied. And denied.

[NK]

Why the Obamaniacs lied for weeks is now painfully clear. But why did HILLARY! lie?

[narciso]

All this BS, about how the GOP was giving away the location of the CIA base, how Issa had put Libyan's in danger, Ansar Al Sharia knew full well, so is are all this coffee clatch of AQ affiliates.

[centralcal]

About 2 hours ago I went to the following websites: ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN - not one word on their main page about Benghazi. Headlines about polling, the storm, Mourdock, etc.

On Twitter - nothing from Tapper, or Ed Henry, or Knoller, or any other of the multitude of "reporters" who are following POTUS around. NOTHING.

I am beyond furious right now.

[NJ Jan]

Bravo Sue@1:35? Pm

This is sickening. What makes it even worse is the refusal of msm to report the story. May they rot in hell.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

If I'm getting this right, Brooks thinks good politicians should be extremely moderate?

[Jim Ryan]

They have to save Obama, cc.

[Rick Ballard]

"But why did HILLARY! lie?"

She possesses the same complete lack of character as the President. My questions run toward Petraeus and the CIA not turning on the information taps sooner. I can see a week to line up ducks but I would have expected louder quacking a bit sooner.

How do you suppose the remaining CIA field bumps in the road feel about getting up and going to work today?

[narciso]

It's in her nature, that bogus trip to Foggy Bottom, where he pretended to care about the welfare of diplomats.

http://twitchy.com/2012/10/26/unbelievable-cia-officers-requested-help-during-benghazi-attacks-told-to-stand-down/

[Porchlight]

cc, that's how you know it's all coordinated. If it weren't, you'd expect one or two of the alphabets to report it. It is sickening.

Folks on Twitter, ask Tapper, ask Knoller, ask all those guys what the hell is the problem.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Tapper's asking questions now.

[MarkO]

I guess, at this point, I want to know why anyone would even read this silliness.

Your move.

[centralcal]

Yes, Mel, Tapper finally wrote a piece on his Political Punch blog page at ABC, but his network is still in silence.

Mark Knoller is reporting on Obama and his administration (FEMA) preparedness for the storm Sandy. Barf! Yeah, yeah, Obama will save the day.

[narciso]

Well we can't expect anything from Knoller, however Atkisson was fed the lie, yesterday, so she'll likely follow up.

[derwill]

Porch, I think we need to bombard every article in the NYT, the Post, NPR all the alphabet networks, etc, where there's a comment section that's posted on line demanding they report on this latest Benghazi story. Every single story, be they hard news, or a story on food, or a movie review or a sports report. Every story. If thousands of people, even hundreds of people did that they might try to continue to ignore us but they would know that hundreds if not thousands of other people will be seeing that they are covering up something. If enough people bombard them constantly, demanding that the story be reported on, they might be forced to do something, anything, just to stop the screaming.

[BR]

Narciso, from earlier thread:
"Cecil Rhodes, doing Capoiera"
Too funny!

[narciso]

No, we see from the earlier piece, what was at stake, so logically what happened;

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/10/26/ac-130u-gunship-was-on-scene-in-benghazi-obama-admin-refused-to-let-it-fire/

[centralcal]

Jake Tapper throws down the gauntlet:

Jake Tapper ‏@jaketapper

If Romney wins, we'll see how many people demanding aggressive coverage of the admin feel the same way as of feb 2013

[Captain Hate]

Tapper is such a witless tool. LOL @ anybody that trusted him

[narciso]

He's fracking kidding right, they have let all sorts of lies, about Romney when he was a candidate.

[Captain Hate]

Listening to Rosie Perez makes my head hurt.

[PD]

A "moderate" is someone who accepts the liberal crap sandwich one nibble at a time so they don't gag.

And then turn around and produce it by the truckload.

[NK]

Tapper knows he's covering for the Bastard JEF, so he uses the lame attempt at turnaround regarding rightwingers defending a repub. Utter BS- brave men were abandoned. We demand to know why-- we can take the truth, but the truth sinks JEF so the Media cover for him. Bastards.

[Captain Hate]

Exactly NK; if GWB had hung those guys out to dry I'd be screaming for his head along with the usual lefties.

[marlene]

I've been driving around all day,doing errands and heard Mr.Woods at the end of Beck's show,also Rush talked about it.I agree with all of you,this is sickening. I think we are recoiling from the thought that not one person in this administration has enough honor to tell the truth. They are horrible people.

[boatbuilder]

"Those are my principles. If you don't like them...I have others."

Only Groucho was joking!

[narciso]

It's sort of seeping through,

http://news.yahoo.com/report-cia-requests-backup-benghazi-were-repeatedly-denied-182823880.html

[Captain Hate]

Wow narc, if yahoo is reporting it that's a major firewall breach; albeit to a minor player.

[NK]

CH-- At this point with GWB as POTUS I'd do the same thing I want now-- I'd be demanding an immediate public hearing in front of Congress w/Panetta, Petraeus, HILLARY, and Clapper answering questions to find out who did what an why. As a rightwinger I'd demand that from any admin who puts brave men in harm's way-- and something bad happens. Of course if GWB did this, the Left media would skip the hearings and be demanding impeachment.

[JM Hanes]

"The moderate tries to preserve the tradition of conflict, keeping the opposing sides balanced. She understands that most public issues involve trade-offs. In most great arguments, there are two partially true points of view, which sit in tension. The moderate tries to maintain a rough proportion between them, to keep her country along its historic trajectory."

That sounds suspiciously like "just finding the midpoint between two opposing poles and opportunistically planting yourself there." I'm not sure 'cognitive dissonance' really does this muddle justice. It's more like cognitive terra incognito. You're already in trouble, when you have to begin by describing what something is not

Sue:

"Why is this moderate a feminine pronoun?"

It's a moderate war on men.

[narciso]

That cover story, never made sense on any level, and the deeper one dug, the more the lies accumulated,

[JM Hanes]

Porchlight:

"For the second debate [Obama] prepped in rural Virginia (his weakest region in the Battleground State). "

Weak doesn't cover the half of it in this heavenly bit of rural SW Virginia. Folks think Hillary agreed to take the Benghazi fall in return for the promise of a seat on the Supreme Court. Oddly enough, I can certainly see the Bill Clinton brokering a sweet deal of some sort. He lawyered up for Hillary fast, and he's got Obama by the electoral balls.

[JM Hanes]

"If Romney wins, we'll see how many people demanding aggressive coverage of the admin feel the same way as of feb 2013."

Yeah, and let's see if the press refuses to provide it.

[Bill in AZ sez it's time for Obama/Holder murder trial in Mexico]

Tapper is, as usual, looking hard for a windsock.

[Jack is Back]

Did anyone hear the caller named "Doug" on Rush at about the 1:30 to 1:50 mark today? I was coming back from the auto shop with Frederick and this guy was from San Antonio but was somehow in the "loop" on what State, CIA, DoD and NSC were dealing with (perhaps in a past admin or even this one). Very interesting his take.

In a nutshell he blames the bedwetting and handwringing by Ham and Casey (which influenced Panetta and Obama) on Desert 1 back in 1980. They just didn't want to make a decision that if they screwed it up put them in the same boat as the Commanders after the FUBAR of Desert 1. But before he made that conclusion he talked about chain of command and how flashes and emails are handled in the Situation Room and at DoD, State and CIA.

I couldn't catch it all and will look at Rush's website for the transcript but this guy even had Rush marveling at his insights.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--If Romney wins, we'll see how many people demanding aggressive coverage of the admin feel the same way as of feb 2013

Posted by: centralcal | October 26, 2012 at 02:39 PM--

Of course we won't have to demand it because not only will they be aggressively covering Romney they'll be making shit up about him.
Is Tapper too stupid, too dishonest or both to admit the obvious?

[NK]

Continetti nails this thing we call Obama-- he covrs his political ascension and collapse in simple obvious terms:http://freebeacon.com/a-brief-history-of-obama/

[NK]

Ig-- BOTH.

[Stephanie]

You might ask Tapper why he's ok with the administration treating his fellow journalists in the middle east with the same high regard as the administration treated their own... no coverage of this event puts all journalists over there in danger and without a lifeline.

ISTM that journalists would be justifiably concerned that the same fate that Stephens met would be even greater for a mere journalist and not for 'one of my [Obama's] representatives' and that they would want to cover this to ensure their protection.

Don't they care even for their own?

[centralcal]

Posting this on all active threads:

Melissa Clouthier ‏@MelissaTweets

Internet down: RT @EyeOnPolitics: Did you notice the states include MI, OH, VA, WI, OH, PA? Very weird. http://bit.ly/VtzJFa

[centralcal]

From Blackfive:

Everyone is reporting this but they are missing a key point. From the retired Delta operator:

Having spent a good bit of time nursing a GLD (ground Laser Designator) in several garden spots around the world, something from the report jumped out at me.

One of the former SEALs was actively painting the target. That means that Specter WAS ON STATION! Probably an AC130U. A ground laser designator is not a briefing pointer laser. You do not "paint" a target until the weapons system/designator is synched; which means that the AC130 was on station.

Only two places could have called off the attack at that point; the WH situation command (based on POTUS direction) or AFRICOM commander based on information directly from the target area.

If the AC130 never left Sigonella (as Penetta says) that means that the Predator that was filming the whole thing was armed.

If that SEAL was actively "painting" a target; something was on station to engage! And the decision to stand down goes directly to POTUS!

This is far bigger than Watergate.

[derwill]

Tapper's now got the story up on ABC's page. The comments are . . . interesting. Suffice it to say we aren't the only ones sickened and furious. In some ways, I think there's more fury being directed at the MFM than Obama. It's like Obama had already reached the nadir of such disgust that nothing he could do could have made us think any less of him than we already do. But I think some were still clinging to vestiges of hope that the MFM had remnants of integrity and professionalism left in them. No longer. I think that even if Obama manages to squeak out a win, the MFM is finished. They could report that the sky is blue and half the country wouldn't believe them.

Which, when you think about it, that if Romney wins, they are going to have a lot less power to do to him what they did to Bush.