After making what could be termed an almost comical Freudian slip, Sen. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig welcomed those attending his news conference yesterday by saying he was glad they "all came out," and then went on.... "Idaho Senator Asserts: 'I Never Have Been Gay'. " (WaPo)
Craig just doesn't get it.
His "crime" isn't that he may be gay, or the hypocrisy of his ultra-conservative senate gay-bashing career..... no, his crime is that he was arrested for lewd behavior in a public men's restroom, and.... if the article in The Idaho Statesman is correct.... it wasn't the first time he sought gay sex in a public restroom.
And, it's more than just investigative reporting about past incidents in his home state newspaper. The video replayed last night on MSNBC's Chris Matthews Hard Ball of Craig in 1999 calling then President Clinton a "nasty bad naughty boy" is more than creepy. His inflections and demeanor are, well.... salacious.
Craig has already pleaded "guilty" to the Minnesota ugliness. Now, we need "Wide Stance".... his explanation for his foot wandering into the stall of the undercover cop.... to give the U.S. Senate a wide berth and resign.
Showing posts with label MSNBC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSNBC. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
And They're Off.....
"I see a bunch of winners," was Delaware's Sen. Joe Biden's description of his fellow Democratic presidential candidates at the end of their ninety-minute appearance on MSNBC.
But, the format.... it was disappointing. Every candidate was not asked the same question, thus taking it out of the realm of "debate" and into the realm of "show and tell." Moderator Brian Williams was so determined to get through his laundry list of queries that he even resorted to a non-informative show of hands at times.
The evening's winner in my opinion was Biden. He also gets the evening's gold star for having and intelligently articulating the most detailed strategy for Iraq. He also receives the Ipana Smile Award.... you almost expect that little ping of light when he flashes his big grin. I was impressed with his presentation and am definitely going to give him a fresh look... "Yes."
The loser in my opinion was Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. He was missing the "fire in the belly" and didn't live up to his advance billing as a likable communicator. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I thought he left his personality at home.
And, in his rambling and panderingly-incoherent answer regarding the poor job performance of Attorney General Gonzales, he admitted he tried to cut Gonzales slack because he was a friend and Hispanic. We don't need another "friends of George" president. Richardson seemed out of shape, mentally and physically.
The award for best trophy wife definitely goes to anti-war Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. That tall red-headed beauty on the stage after the debate is his Mrs. However, he lost his verbal bomb-throwing standing to former senator Mike Gravel of Alaska.
The bomb Gravel was throwing last night was atomic, asking a too-scripted Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.... "Tell me, Barack, who do you want to nuke?" Gravel's bull-in-the-china-shop antics, while at times comic, detracted from the already squeezed time frame allotted for discussion.
Hillary wasn't Shrillary Clinton. New York's senator delivered a solid performance, showing to best effect her wonky tendencies. She remains a formidable candidate.
Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut isn't the president, but he could play one on TV. He speaks well, but on the issues he is Biden light. In the contest for the same voters, Biden wins.
That leaves just former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, the husband of the widely admired Elizabeth. He was strangely subdued. Perhaps trying to damp down his lawyer-like delivery. He didn't lose, and he didn't win. He showed up.
And there you have it, my take on last night's proceedings.
Next week we'll see ten Republicans in the same format. A "stubborn" Bush was the focus of a united front of opposition from the Democrats to his Iraq misadventure. Will the GOP rush to The Decider's defense? Or, will it be "George who?" Stay tuned....
But, the format.... it was disappointing. Every candidate was not asked the same question, thus taking it out of the realm of "debate" and into the realm of "show and tell." Moderator Brian Williams was so determined to get through his laundry list of queries that he even resorted to a non-informative show of hands at times.
The evening's winner in my opinion was Biden. He also gets the evening's gold star for having and intelligently articulating the most detailed strategy for Iraq. He also receives the Ipana Smile Award.... you almost expect that little ping of light when he flashes his big grin. I was impressed with his presentation and am definitely going to give him a fresh look... "Yes."
The loser in my opinion was Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. He was missing the "fire in the belly" and didn't live up to his advance billing as a likable communicator. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I thought he left his personality at home.
And, in his rambling and panderingly-incoherent answer regarding the poor job performance of Attorney General Gonzales, he admitted he tried to cut Gonzales slack because he was a friend and Hispanic. We don't need another "friends of George" president. Richardson seemed out of shape, mentally and physically.
The award for best trophy wife definitely goes to anti-war Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. That tall red-headed beauty on the stage after the debate is his Mrs. However, he lost his verbal bomb-throwing standing to former senator Mike Gravel of Alaska.
The bomb Gravel was throwing last night was atomic, asking a too-scripted Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.... "Tell me, Barack, who do you want to nuke?" Gravel's bull-in-the-china-shop antics, while at times comic, detracted from the already squeezed time frame allotted for discussion.
Hillary wasn't Shrillary Clinton. New York's senator delivered a solid performance, showing to best effect her wonky tendencies. She remains a formidable candidate.
Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut isn't the president, but he could play one on TV. He speaks well, but on the issues he is Biden light. In the contest for the same voters, Biden wins.
That leaves just former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, the husband of the widely admired Elizabeth. He was strangely subdued. Perhaps trying to damp down his lawyer-like delivery. He didn't lose, and he didn't win. He showed up.
And there you have it, my take on last night's proceedings.
Next week we'll see ten Republicans in the same format. A "stubborn" Bush was the focus of a united front of opposition from the Democrats to his Iraq misadventure. Will the GOP rush to The Decider's defense? Or, will it be "George who?" Stay tuned....
Friday, April 13, 2007
"What Doesn't Belong and Why?" Imus
The media-shaking potty-mouth comment about the Rutgers University's women basketball players by MSNBC morning talk show host, Don Imus, has brought "posturing" to a new high, or low. First and foremost is poser Imus himself.
Did he immediately recognize his repugnant remarks and apologize? No.
Although he did apologize a day or so later, he didn't go into full grovel until after the weekend following when the call to fire him had picked up volume and mass. What followed on his part was embarrassingly over-the-top self-flagellation in a last ditch effort to save his job... and his reputation.
Many didn't buy it, starting with MSNBC and NBC who dropped his show after initially slapping him on the wrist with a two-week suspension.... something he surely viewed as a welcome vacation and a chance to dodge the misogynist-racist spotlight.
MSNBC said the reason they were severing their relationship with Imus was because of the outcry from their employees and the requirement to uphold NBC's reputation.... more first-class posturing. Their "reputation" wasn't bothered after previous countless outrageous comments by Imus.
The tipping point for MSNBC surely was when Imus advertisers started deserting his showboat....Proctor & Gamble, Staples, General Motors, American Express, Ameritrade, GlaxoSmithKline, Sprint Nextel, Ditech.com, Bigelow Tea.... along with the outcry from fed-up folks everywhere.
Last, but almost worse, is the pose of outrage from black "leaders" who themselves have made nasty, racially charged comments like Jesse Jackson's referring to New York as "Hymietown," or really shameless, the profit-motive excusing of abhorrent rap lyrics as "art" by the black entertainment community.
I admit that I watched Imus in the morning, looking forward to his political interviews. But, with increasing regularity I had started switching away from his program as his brand of humor.... mainly sophomoric ridicule.... or his obsessive talking about himself, made his show increasingly crass or just plain boring.
I had cringed when he berated his wife during her live appearances with him, or when he continually referred to his sportscaster (and countless others) as "fat," dissing him ad nauseam because his new wife kept her name after their recent marriage, or, pulling his guests through knotholes when he felt moody. This isn't entertainment. This is a power-bloated bully.
So, now it's up to CBS, where Imus still has his morning radio show, to decide whether or not to continue enabling him to continue on the public airways after a two-week cooling-off period.
Imus prided himself on being powerful.... through his puzzling hold on his pet powerful whom he kept on a short leash.... and untouchable as he held court and passed judgments.
Now it's up to CBS to stop the "monitoring the situation closely" posturing. "What doesn't belong and why?" Imus!
Did he immediately recognize his repugnant remarks and apologize? No.
Although he did apologize a day or so later, he didn't go into full grovel until after the weekend following when the call to fire him had picked up volume and mass. What followed on his part was embarrassingly over-the-top self-flagellation in a last ditch effort to save his job... and his reputation.
Many didn't buy it, starting with MSNBC and NBC who dropped his show after initially slapping him on the wrist with a two-week suspension.... something he surely viewed as a welcome vacation and a chance to dodge the misogynist-racist spotlight.
MSNBC said the reason they were severing their relationship with Imus was because of the outcry from their employees and the requirement to uphold NBC's reputation.... more first-class posturing. Their "reputation" wasn't bothered after previous countless outrageous comments by Imus.
The tipping point for MSNBC surely was when Imus advertisers started deserting his showboat....Proctor & Gamble, Staples, General Motors, American Express, Ameritrade, GlaxoSmithKline, Sprint Nextel, Ditech.com, Bigelow Tea.... along with the outcry from fed-up folks everywhere.
Last, but almost worse, is the pose of outrage from black "leaders" who themselves have made nasty, racially charged comments like Jesse Jackson's referring to New York as "Hymietown," or really shameless, the profit-motive excusing of abhorrent rap lyrics as "art" by the black entertainment community.
I admit that I watched Imus in the morning, looking forward to his political interviews. But, with increasing regularity I had started switching away from his program as his brand of humor.... mainly sophomoric ridicule.... or his obsessive talking about himself, made his show increasingly crass or just plain boring.
I had cringed when he berated his wife during her live appearances with him, or when he continually referred to his sportscaster (and countless others) as "fat," dissing him ad nauseam because his new wife kept her name after their recent marriage, or, pulling his guests through knotholes when he felt moody. This isn't entertainment. This is a power-bloated bully.
So, now it's up to CBS, where Imus still has his morning radio show, to decide whether or not to continue enabling him to continue on the public airways after a two-week cooling-off period.
Imus prided himself on being powerful.... through his puzzling hold on his pet powerful whom he kept on a short leash.... and untouchable as he held court and passed judgments.
Now it's up to CBS to stop the "monitoring the situation closely" posturing. "What doesn't belong and why?" Imus!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Step Up Congress
Four years after the invasion of Iraq, our nation is much more at risk than before 9/11.... our military reduced to the debris left from Bush's war of choice .
"Military is Ill-Prepared For Other Conflicts," is the chilling headline. Military officials say that "it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover" from the over-rotation that has consumed 40 percent of the total gear, "wearied troops and left no time to train to fight anything other than the insurgencies now at hand."
In other words, our military has been gutted. Our treasury has been gutted. Our troops have been used like fodder for the ambitions of our careless and arrogant Demander-In-Chief.
The longer our troops are in Iraq, the more at risk they are. As Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker testified last week, sustaining the troop increase in Iraq beyond August would be "a challenge."
Equipment is also lacking among Army units in the United States, the vast majority of which are rated "not ready."
Our nation is at the crossroads. The White House and Congress have a choice.... put our nation first by starting to end our active military involvement in Iraq.... or, continue risking all on what has been termed our "death spiral" in Iraq.
As Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Adviser, told Tim Russert today on MSNBC, he's afraid nothing will change with the current administration because it is "too committed to its vast errors."
It's up to Congress.... the time for debate is over. Our national security is hanging by a thread.
"Military is Ill-Prepared For Other Conflicts," is the chilling headline. Military officials say that "it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover" from the over-rotation that has consumed 40 percent of the total gear, "wearied troops and left no time to train to fight anything other than the insurgencies now at hand."
In other words, our military has been gutted. Our treasury has been gutted. Our troops have been used like fodder for the ambitions of our careless and arrogant Demander-In-Chief.
The longer our troops are in Iraq, the more at risk they are. As Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker testified last week, sustaining the troop increase in Iraq beyond August would be "a challenge."
Equipment is also lacking among Army units in the United States, the vast majority of which are rated "not ready."
Our nation is at the crossroads. The White House and Congress have a choice.... put our nation first by starting to end our active military involvement in Iraq.... or, continue risking all on what has been termed our "death spiral" in Iraq.
As Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Adviser, told Tim Russert today on MSNBC, he's afraid nothing will change with the current administration because it is "too committed to its vast errors."
It's up to Congress.... the time for debate is over. Our national security is hanging by a thread.
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