For Whom?!?

The NY Times misdirects its empathy with this headline:

Accepting Peace Prize Will Be a Test for Obama

Please - the acceptance ceremony will test everyone's ability to keep a straight face.  Thank heaven the botox tax hasn't kicked in yet.

This ceremony actually holds out the possibility of yet another diplomatic debacle:

“There is one very pregnant question,” said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama. “How do you reconcile your role as a commander in chief with your aspirations to promote a more peaceful world at a time of war? That’s a question that he’s going to explore in some detail.”

Since Obama was the bright light who wanted to announce the July 2011 withdrawal deadline, a notion the Administration promptly and vigorously kicked to the curb, one can only hope a similar inspiration does not overtake his speechwriters in Oslo.

Comments

[peter]

Hamlet.

[matt]

War is Peace.

[sylvia]

You know I think there might be something to the deadline idea. If you tell the Taliban you'll leave in a few years, they might hang back and wait around under the plan that they will kick in gear once the US leaves.

However, what they don't realize is that during that time, the US will create more stability and succeed in draining off some recruits with money, and when it is time to fight again, many of them won't feel like it anymore. So some reverse psychology type thing there. It's a possibility.

[Eric Lindholm]

I have a theory: during the Presidential campaign, one of the most hurtful attacks was that Obama was a celebrity, but not much of a leader. The visual of "the One" in a tuxedo giving a speech for a prize he didn't deserve is going to rub a lot of Americans the wrong way. Watch the poll numbers slide some more.

[clarice]

Could be. In the meantime, the Norwegians are offended by what they view as his "snubs"--He's skipping most of the events including a meeting with the King of Norway.

[Jane]

My guess is he will reiterate his July 2011 withdrawal and give a shout-out to cap and tax.

[narciso]

Really, they are going to cooperate with us, considering their necks will be on the line

[matt]

sylvia;

The Taliban are murderous drug running scum who have no intention of giving up.There is no reverse psychology.

Afghanistan is perhaps the most complex challenge any country or coalition has ever faced. It is Pashtun vs Uzbek vs Hazara vs. Tadjik overlaid with Wahabbism, clan warfare, incredible corruption, a FARC like narco state, and a safe haven in Pakistan.

There is no sunny side of the street and to actually achieve success would take 20 years. You see, if we don't, the average Afghan knows that he will still eventually have to deal with the Taliban and will make his choice accordingly.

[Mike Myers]

Hey the Nobel Prize is about the New Messiah; he can't be bothered with simple human beings such as meeting the King of Norway. On the other hand, he'll mail the King a CD containing The Won's Greatest Speeches Evah.

[clarice]

OT:
D.C. Jihadis caught in Pakistan (File under the better there than here category)
"ISLAMABAD – Pakistani police on Wednesday arrested five American men believed to have gone missing from the Washington, D.C. area last month, officials from both countries said.

The men were picked up in a raid on a house in Sarghoda in the eastern province of Punjab, police officer Tahir Gujjar said, adding that three of the men are of Pakistani descent, one is of Egyptian descent and the other is of Yemeni heritage.

Regional police chief Mian Javed Islam told The Associated Press that the men were between the ages of 18 and 20 and had spent the past few days in the city, which is near an air base about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of the capital, Islamabad.

He said they were being questioned and it was premature to discuss the reason for the detentions.

But two U.S. officials familiar with the case said the five are believed to be young men from the Washington area who went missing at the end of November.

The FBI has been searching for the men since their families reported them missing and expressed fears they may have gone to Pakistan, according to the two U.S. officials. The two are familiar with the case and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

One of the men was a dental student at Howard University, according to the officials.

The officials said one of the group — they did not say which one — left behind what investigators believe was a farewell video message, in which he talks about defending Muslims and shows images of U.S. casualties."

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Matt, Afghanistan is only a complex challenge if what you're looking for is making it into a federal democracy. Our real goal is more limited: to convince the various warlords that it's more in their interest to keep the Talibs out and on our good side.

You may be right that it'll take 20 years or more, but then we invested a good bit more than 20 years in Japan, Korea, and Germany. Would you rather we leave too soon, and let Afghanistan once again become a base for people who want to come to the US and blow shit up?

[Captain Hate]

What are the chances that during his Nobel acceptance speech, Il Douche will tell everybody how the most arrogant politician evar is "humbled" by the prize? I say 100%.

[Jane]

This is good news:

Senate Democrats threaten to clip Obama’s credit card

Centrist Democratic senators are threatening to block an effort to raise the federal debt limit unless Congress commits to a deficit-reduction task force.

At least 10 senators, led by Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), say they will torpedo the must-pass legislation, which would give the Obama administration more than $1.5 trillion in loans that officials say they need to get through 2010, unless leaders agree to the bipartisan fiscal task force. The task force would have authority to force congressional votes to cut soaring federal deficits.

[Captain Hate]

One of the men was a dental student at Howard University, according to the officials.

I didn't know Howard had a dental school and, according to Wiki, it's the 5th oldest in the country.

[Sue]

The task force would have authority to force congressional votes to cut soaring federal deficits.

What? Maybe I don't understand what they are saying but how can a congressperson be "forced" to vote?

[Old Lurker]

Don't fall for it, Jane.

Of course they will increase the debt limit because they must if they want to continue spending. Assuming of course that the laws and constitution mean anything.

And boy o boy, a Deficit Reduction Task Force is the answer. Oh wait. It's been done. How many times can the pols play that game?

[Jane]

I know - more silly money OL to go to the President's pals. I completely agree.

But I like the fact that they are at least hearing how fed up we are.

[Extraneus]

Administration Warns of 'Command-and-Control' Regulation Over Emissions

It's all about how the EPA will do it if Congress doesn't, but there's this at the end:

Former Vice President Al Gore, a leader in the movement on man-caused climate change, told CNN on Wednesday that the e-mails in questions were 10 years old and taken "out of context."

Fox News' Major Garrett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Does anyone here tweet with Major and can tell him that there are multiple emails from November of this year, hundreds from 2009, etc.

[Extraneus]

I vote for 4,000,000, OL. They can get away with 4,000,000 more task forces, commissions with blue ribbons, etc. Maybe more, but that's my vote.

[The Unbeliever]

Isn't it curious how today's political figures stumble over questions that were answered by the great political minds 250+ years ago?

“How do you reconcile your role as a commander in chief with your aspirations to promote a more peaceful world at a time of war?”

Hmm, tough one. Let me dig out my 6th grade history textbook:

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Thomas Jefferson

It's not a proven axiom that more liberty equals more peace... but it is one of the most fundamental ideas underlying our country's creation. It's also one of the few Bushisms that Obama has yet to renounce.

Axelrod is asking the wrong question. Call me a wide-eyed idealist, but maybe--just MAYBE--we should be aiming to promote liberty instead of trying to win $1,000,000 off the Europeans.

[centralcal]

Extraneus - MayBee tweets with Major, too (not just Tapper and Rove, grin). Major is on a plane right now on his way to Oslo.

[Jane]

And where I ask is Maybee.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[bgates]

It's also one of the few Bushisms that Obama has yet to renounce.

Are you nuts? He's waged a jihad against liberty for years. He hates the John Wayne, self-sufficient, cowboy aspect of America, and he's been pretty explicit about it:

In America, we have this strong bias toward individual action. You know, we idolize the John Wayne hero who comes in to correct things with both guns blazing. But individual actions, individual dreams, are not sufficient. We must unite in collective action, build collective institutions and organizations.

[Neo]

Apparently Obama cannot seem to find time to meet King Harald V of Norway when Obama collects his Nobel Peace Prize and the 10 million Swedish Krono ($1.4 million) that goes with it — pissing off the Norwegians.

Exactly how does this buffoon repair America’s image aboard when he seems to find new ways to offend nearly everybody he comes in contact with ?
Perhaps he will leave a set of DVDs for the King.

[narciso]

I guess in this context, this doesn'tsurprise,
in the LUN I guess a pardon for Walter Myers
won't be out of the question

[Neo]

The Norwegians are pissed LUN

[Neo]

Does this have anything to do with this ?

[matt]

Charlie;

My concern is exactly that we will not give it enough time.In addition, in discussions with players both past and present, it is the worlds biggest cluster.

Iran, Russia, India, China, and Pakistan all want a destabilized Afghanistan for their own reasons. Most of them would just as soon we keep on spending billions and our military's lives and then have it all fall back into chaos. When all of their neighbors are doing their best to see them fail, the odds increase exponentially.

The narcotics trade is massive and funds the chaos. What to do there? Kandahar is the size of West Virginia, and if we eradicate the poppy fields or labs there they will simply move elsewhere. They have to go after the traffickers, which includes a lot of high ups in Pakistan and Iran.The dope then moves through the Gulf States. All of it to corrupt the West a la the British in China. Just another Jihadi tactic.

It is an all in proposition. Either we go in and do it right or we have to think of limiting the blowback. It means embracing the suck big time.

[Steve C.]

Axelrod sets the bar so low an ant with rheumatism could jump it.

History is chock full of statesmen who managed to straddle the peacemaker/warmaker divide. He might refer to one of our most bellicose Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt; soldier, statesman and Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Maybe the President will quote a famous British Prime Minister and declare he has achieved peace in our time.

[Joseph Brown]

You mean the little boy, as Rush refers to him, is not going to bow and scrape and lick the shoes, or whatever he's doing down there,of a king. Why not? He hasn't missed a chance yet.

[clarice]

narciso, that doesn't appear to be like Holder's whiffing the New Black Panthers ' conviction--here one appellate court had rued the sentences were too stiff.

I understand the Myerses are going to plead guilty and all this time has been taken up on sentence negotiations.

[narciso]

No, that would be more significant, I guess my dissapointment with the 11th Circuit, goes
back about 9 1/2 years

[Ranger]

What? Maybe I don't understand what they are saying but how can a congressperson be "forced" to vote?

Posted by: Sue | December 09, 2009 at 02:05 PM

They want a commission to decide what gets cut and what doesn't, just like the Base Closing commission was set up. Then congress only gets to vote yes or no. No log rolling to save pet projects. Its a blame shifting technique. BTW, take a look at the 10 Dems. They seem to be in "safe seats" but from red states. This is their effort to claw back some popularity at home after voting for porkulus. I doubt it will help though when all those adds about how they voted to cut half a trillion from Medicare start running.

[JM Hanes]

"Wartime president" would be considerably more accurate than "wartime leader." Obama's speeches are like the rhetorical incarnation of his search for the phrase that will echo down through history -- with Obama's name along for the ride. Unfortunately, his most memorable lines are the ones he quotes.

As for Axelrod's challenging reconciliation, "Our cause is just," works for me, but I think the pregnant question is how you synthesize Mandela, King & Wiesel with Rev. Wright. I'm going to take a flyer here and guess we're going to hear a whole lot about Obama's symbolic importance to the world -- not to mention a whole lot of drinking words.

"He's skipping most of the events including a meeting with the King of Norway."

Sheesh. All that time in front of the metaphorical mirror and the guy can't get a clue.

[JM Hanes]

Hey Elliott!

I'm thinking about liveblogging Obama's Nobel in the wee hours, so to speak, of the morning, if I can just figure out which hours those are going to be.

[Old Lurker]

Agreed, Ranger. It is way too broken for the fig leaf of a commission to cover it up.

[JohnFLob]

How to make enemies and lose friends.
Obama does it again!
No bow this time

[Don]

Is it likely Al Gore cancelled his Dec. 16 attendance to Copenhagen in order not to weaken the spotlight on Obama the next day?

[JM Hanes]

Don:

I think it's more likely that he doesn't want to share the spotlight with Obama. OTOH, Obama doesn't have to worry about engaging naysayers, so perhaps he really is Gore's best bet for keeping the dream alive. I do wonder if Gore is starting to hear the skeptical drums. In addition to the downward trajectory of the polls, some very vocal protesters have been showing up at his public appearances; I suspect we'll be hearing fewer speeches, and more one-on-interviews with the friendlies. That may change too, if the questions about Climategate keep coming and interrupt the flow of talking points.

In other news: After 6 weeks, Going Rogue is still #1 at Amazon. After 4 weeks, Our Choice clocks in at #206. Gore also put out a Young Reader Edition -- currently ranked at #18,263.

[clarice]

"currently ranked at #18,263".
HEH..Maybe bad kids will find the Young Reader Edition in their stockings instead of that nasty coal.

[ManBearPig]

Polar bears drowning
Hurricanes, flooding, melting
Green tech investments

[Porchlight]

JohnFlob, that link re: Obama effing up protocol in Oslo is awesome. He really hasn't the foggiest idea what he is doing, does he?

Smart diplomacy strikes again!

[Rick Ballard]

"He really hasn't the foggiest idea what he is doing, does he?"

Porchlight,

Sure he does. Consider the traits common to QEII and King Harald compared to those of the monarchs whose asses he kneels to kiss. It's as subtle as his use of the finger.

You can take trash out of the gutter but you'll never get the gutter out of trash (vide Clinton, William Jefferson).

[Porchlight]

Rick,

Yeah, thinking about his treatment of Britain in general, perhaps you're right about all of this being deliberate.

The comments at that article are funny - mostly Obama supporters saying "he doesn't have to conform to what Europeans want him to do!" This from the same folks who kvetched endlessly that Bush and his "cowboy diplomacy" were offending the diplomatic sensibilities of our European betters, and the same people who insisted that the Saudi and Japanese bows were merely polite adherence to protocol.

Looks like "protocol" and "diplomacy" depends entirely on the country in question. Remember the mile wide smile he flashed Chavez when they finally met up? No snub there.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

GOING ROGUE has sold 2.7 million copies in its first two weeks according to a publishing insider mag.

[Extraneus]

Imagine if some blood-smelling shark of a Democrat senator came out against Obama one of these days? Somebody with a semblance of credibility like Evan Bayh, with a hedging statement hinting at a possible primary run against The One?

"I'm a Democrat, not a socialist."

The person would become the most powerful person in the country.

It's gotta be pretty tempting, considering the Gallup poll, for example.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

These guys in the WH are completely tone deaf. Can you believe how in your face this is? ACORN shaped cookies for the WH Christmas party, good Lord.

White House’s Acorn Cookies Surprises Republican Lawmaker

[Tom Maguire]

You mean the little boy, as Rush refers to him, is not going to bow and scrape and lick the shoes, or whatever he's doing down there,of a king. Why not? He hasn't missed a chance yet.

I think the bowing requires a King of color.

[Porchlight]

Interesting thought, Extraneus. Bayh's got a bright future if he continues to hew to the centrist Dem path (and votes like he means it).

[PaulL]

Sarah's continuing Facebook statements are great. Has she ever not won the argument at hand? She's made mincemeat out of Algore twice now. She is fast with her responses, witty, and shows a good sense of humor. I gotta say, she's making the rest of the Republican politicians look so yestercentury.

[centralcal]

PaulL:

Megadittoes!

[centralcal]

Sara: I saw those acorn cookies earlier today (Politico?) and all I could think is what a bunch of *ssholes we have running the country.

So typical of B.O. and his lovely Bride, who love our country, yadda, yadda, yadda.

[Captain Hate]

Sarah's continuing Facebook statements are great. Has she ever not won the argument at hand?

You know she wins the argument because all the lefties sputter "Somebody's writing that for her". LOL @ them. One thing's for sure: Nobody but ManBearPig wrote that godawful doggerel at the end of his newest Scientology book that the Vanity Fair mooks have been making fools of themselves by praising.

[Ann]

Stephanie tweets:

Palin responds to Gore: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=193694168434

You go girl! Palin bagged an ass for her trophy room with that!

LOL!!!

[Frau Argwohn]

Am I the first to say, "Uff da"?

[centralcal]

Ann, wasn't that a great and appropriate comment from Stephanie?

You go, girl!

[Neo]

A federal law that makes it a crime to deprive the public or one's employer of "honest services" is a favorite of prosecutors on the hunt for corrupt politicians and self-dealing corporate honchos.
But it found few admirers Tuesday at the Supreme Court.
From one end of the mahogany bench to the other, and across the court's notable ideological divide, justices took turns criticizing the 1988 law that makes it a crime to "deprive another of the intangible right of honest services." The most frequent complaint was that it is so vague that it is impossible for the average person to know what is being made illegal.
"Perhaps there are 150 million workers in the United States," Justice Stephen G. Breyer told the government lawyer defending the statute. "I think possibly 140 [million] of them would flunk your test."

[Ann]

cc:

Loved it!!!

We need more Stephanie less you know who(s). :)

[Jane]

What is Stephanie's tweet name? I wanna follow her! And Ann, you too, and centralcal too.

[Jane]

Nevermind I already have all three of you. I thought Stephanie was Sue.

[Ann]

Jane:

I hope your show does move to 11am. You think it is funny you are up against RUSH but it is the truth. You know I listen to your pod casts and RUSH, so you know I would listen live if you weren't against RUSH. So there!

And if you had your own show, I guarantee the audience would double. lol :)

[centralcal]

lol, Jane. Sue will bop you! Stephanie is Megabeotch or something like that.

[Elliott]

Sounds fun, JMH. I think the ceremony starts at 7 a.m. EST.

[Stephanie]

Hola All. Thanks for the warm praises. I just call em as I see em... and it is Megabeeotch on twitter. Not that I twit much...

BTW, megabeeotch was my son's response to a rude SOB at a restaurant one night. Said SOB took offense when I appropriated a chair he had vacated and for refusing to relinquish it back. He was gone for about 15 minutes... so he calls me a bitch and my son (about twice his size) says "Sir you are mistaken. She's a megabeeotch and you better be careful who you're messing with." He then smiled broadly daring the guy to do anything. Name stuck...

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Stephanie: I have a .wav file that says: If you are going to call me a bitch, then spell it in all caps.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

The Copenhagen Conference Prayer

Heh!

[Stephanie]

Sara... LOL. love it!

[AL]

“Iran, Russia, India, China, and Pakistan all want a destabilized Afghanistan for their own reasons.”

Sure. Google, for example, “ China Afganistan mine”

[JM Hanes]

Well, I hope some of our early birds show up, because once the Prez starts speaking, I suspect I'm going to have a lot of trouble keeping my eyes open. If he loads the biographics on the front end, I'm a goner.

The AP sez he will be "explaining what it means to wage war" which I guess he's picked up from the seminars. In fact, it sounds like we may get the workshop play by play, because we're told he will "use his speech to discuss what goes into the decision to expand a war." Apparently, Gibbs didn't tell him that's yesterday's news.

The writer who is helping Obama write "much of the speech himself" says:

It's the company that you keep as a Nobel laureate that I think makes the deepest impression upon him. That kind of adds an extra obligation to essentially extend the legacy.

Extend the legacy? That sounds suspiciously like bending the arc of history -- which, unfortunately, Obama bends out of shape all the time. It would be nice if he didn't blow it, per usual, when he explains the history of the Nobel Prize to the Nobel Prize Committee.

Speaking of shape shifting, "He has been reading the Nobel speeches by past winners to help shape his thinking." Better that than outright plagiarism I suppose. Coming up with ideas of your own is tough, if you were AWOL when they passed out the originality gene.

So, here's my big question: Will he "outline his vision of American leadership" before or after he talks about the mess he inherited?

[JM Hanes]

I like Candy Crowley; maybe she'll make up for Christianne Ahmanpour, whose name I won't bother to check for spelling. My cable box has decided to take Fox News offline, for some reason, which is no loss if they're leaving the coverage to the usual morning show idiots.

[JM Hanes]

Oh lordy. He won't actually be getting the Prize for another half hour. He enters somewhere to the sound of trumpets. It's the Kings Guards doing the brasswork! CNN has the embargoed copy of his remarks! They're not sharing.

[JM Hanes]

Wake up! Wake up, you slackers! There's going to be singing! There's a Scandanavian blonde trilling away. Too bad the reporter standing out in the cold is talking over the performance, holding up street posters, yada yada.

[JM Hanes]

Ch. Amananana says Obama really has done something significant. He has brought 8 years of international contempt to an end! She does a whole apologia for the war time Prez. She would love to have written this speech for him.

Oh gag me with a Gergen. President is genuinely humbled by the award. Since WWII the Nobel has been an aspirational, not an achievement, prize.

Thank you Candy, for your sensible comments.

The irony of a wartime Prez getting a peace prize is going to be an unremitting disturbance in the force. And I'm afraid that's as good as it's going to get.

Obama looks dreadful! Air chin on chicken neck more pronounced than ever, with that downturned mouth that seems to be a gender free Obama trademark.

[JM Hanes]

We've got your ironic juxtaposition right here. Barbara Starr, reporting live from Afghanistan, in between the Nobel coverage.

[JM Hanes]

Should have switched to C-Span 2 sooner, for the explanation of why Obama got the prize. Very gracious of the guy to try to give his intro in English.

[JM Hanes]

Hey, the Nobel Committee Chair is defending the (multilateral) effort in Afghanistan!

[JM Hanes]

Hagland: No country has polluted more than the United States, no country will pollute more than China.

Cites FDR, JFK, Reagan -- quotes Reagan, now there's a surprise. 20 years from now they'll be quoting Bush in Oslo.

[JM Hanes]

Woodrow Wilson was a hero to the world, but oh no, not in the United States!

What's Obama going to do when Hagland keeps taking the words out of his mouth? Mr. President, Martin Luther King's dream has come true in you!

[peter]

I thought I actually heard him say something complimentary about Reagan. Hard to tell with the Tim Conway--Mr. Tudball accent.

[JM Hanes]

Maybe I'll stop liveblogging, right when Obama starts speaking. Hah, that'll show ya.

Obama is having trouble keeping his eyes open too!

[peter]

Is that Lang Lang? Great pianist, although a shill for his native country's regime; his histrionics while playing are the source of much mockery among piano afficianados

[JM Hanes]

Hagland is doing the whole bio! The audacity to hope, the tenacity to meet global challenges! I think I'll switch back to CNN. No wait. The hagiographer stands down.

Piano music. Sloooow Chopin played slooowly. OK he's picking it up a bit, too much, a blizzard! Extremist Chopin.

[JM Hanes]

The pianist is EMOTING! He IS the music. Too bad he's not Chopin.

[JM Hanes]

We will pause, to experience the Big Moment.

[JM Hanes]

Standing ovation. More music. Thank heaven for small mercies. Woman in red playing bass and singing, guy at piano, with a weird top knot on his head. Drummer in a suit. I'm sure that all those tiger lilies on their little platform are real, but it's hard to tell. I'm sure she's singing on key too, but it's hard to tell.

[peter]

Ok, this singer's name is Hope. Her song is called, Hope, and waddayaknow, she's playing for Hope. Very hopeful. Hopefully finishing.

[peter]

Slamming the greatest generation here, and boosting the collection of thugs known as the UN

[JM Hanes]

highest aspirations, not prisoners of fate in cold cruel world.

We can bend history in the direction of justice! So there, I've won my prize, and can retire from the field any time. In fact, get yourselves a transcript! I just don't think I can type platitudes fast enough.

Midst of two wars, one going up, the other going up. We're into the weeds of just war and proportionality. Major kitchen sink of history, now with decisiveness & passion.

He's talking about good stuff America has done! A legacy of which my own country can be proud. But...

[JM Hanes]

peter! AbFab! The history of modern civilization is just more than one typist can handle.

[JM Hanes]

We're mindful of MLK received this award 30 years ago [insert quote]
Obama is living proof of force of non-violence! I face the world as it is... Make no mistake evil exists.

A non-violent force could not have halted Hitler. So there.

Ignoring a little slippage into the "I's," he's actually doing pretty well, on America's behalf. I'm going to hit post before he mucks it up.

[peter]

Veiled slam against Bush and Cheney here.

[peter]

Put your money where your mouth is , and help the dissidents in Iran, you windbag.

[JM Hanes]

Afghanistan is a good war. Gulf War I was a good war. War was good in the Balkans.

[peter]

Gitmo is still open, zero

[peter]

If you are going to mention repression, why not mention Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea? what a punk.

[Jane]

I think the word "bend" should be retired from the dictionary.

I will substitute "get bent O" in my mind every time I hear it.

[JM Hanes]

Must keep up our standards, even when fighting enemies who don't. Torture, Gitmo yada, yada. First applause of the speech.

He's going to get rave reviews for this speech. 3 ways to build a just and lasting peace. Tough alternatives to violence. World as one. Non-proliferation. Says there must be consequences for a long list of human rights abuses that he's ignored. We're into, strawmen, false choices..... He actually holds up protesters in the streets of Iran up as an example of people's aspirations!!

We're into the lefty mix and match campaign speak now.

What we need is... the continued expansion of our moral imagination. Chisel that on his memorial.

[peter (Lenten Sunday dispensation)]

Egads, he actually mentioned Iran.

[JM Hanes]

Good morning, Jane! Just in time for the inspirational sermon section. Faith, love, north stars....

[JM Hanes]

"Isness" and "oughtness" We're gonna have to go to the transcript for this bit, because you just can't write this stuff down.