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Monday’s Mini-Report

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Today’s edition of quick hits.

* I don’t think the war’s over: “Female suicide bombers attacked crowds in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Monday morning as part of a series of four bombings that left at least 46 people dead and more than 200 wounded, security officials said. The first attacks occurred in Baghdad, as millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims walked toward the Kadhemiyah shrine a day before one of the holiest Shiite festivals.”

* Terrorism in India: “Authorities scoured a western Indian city Sunday for those behind a series of bombings that killed at least 45 people, reportedly rounding up more than two dozen residents. It was the second series of blasts in India in two days. A little-known group claimed responsibility for the attack.”

* More questions about McCain’s health: “Three-time melanoma survivor John McCain had a spot of skin removed from his right cheek early Monday that he said would undergo a biopsy as a precaution. The Republican presidential candidate told reporters he had his routine three-month check up with his dermatologist.”

* Best wishes for a speedy recovery: “Robert Novak, one of Washington’s best-known columnists for nearly half a century, announced today that he has a brain tumor. Novak, 77, said the diagnosis was made yesterday and that he was admitted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he will soon begin treatment. ‘I will be suspending my journalistic work for an indefinite but, God willing, not too lengthy period,’ he said in a statement.”

* McCain may be warming up to the Obama timeline endorsed by the Maliki government, but Gen. Petraeus isn’t on board: “Gen. David Petraeus, the Iraq commander, said in an interview with McClatchy that the situation in Iraq is too volatile to ‘project out, and to then try to plant a flag on, a particular date.'”

* On a related note, former Bush White House communications director and counselor Dan Bartlett said Maliki’s support of the Obama policy is “very close to a game-changing event.”

* Some of the details in the DoJ inspector general’s report today are real jaw-droppers.

* I’d love to hear more about this: “The Environmental Protection Agency is advising certain staff members not to talk to congressional investigators, reporters or even the agency’s inspector general, according to an internal email obtained by the Associated Press.”

* Attacking autistic children will have consequences — Michael Savage is losing advertisers at a rapid clip.

* Maybe some of MSNBC’s on-air personalities should pay closer attention to MSNBC’s actual reporting.

* Bill O’Reilly is still worked up about Scott McClellan.

* On a related note, the Fox Business Network isn’t exactly raking in the viewers. (Consider this odd tidbit: I have more readers than Fox Business has viewers.)

* I meant to mock Bill Kristol today, but ran out of time. Fortunately, Steve M. is on the case.

* Harry Reid’s new approach to Republican obstructionism: “A product of Democratic frustration with the tactics of Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and physician who has become the Dr. No of the Senate, the Tomnibus is a $10 billion collection of Coburn-blocked measures assembled by the Senate leadership in an effort to break his solitary grip on the legislative process. Engineered by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, the bill includes 35 of the most irresistible-sounding measures stuck on the docket, including the Mothers Act and the Protect Our Children Act.”

* Incredibly, Republicans don’t mind obstructing for obstructionism’s sake.

* I guess the Obamas are trend-setters.

* I’ve intentionally avoided the latest rumors about John Edwards, but Lee Stranahan has a very strong piece in the HuffPost about the story’s significance.

* And finally, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) probably ought to be more careful when he credits himself for awards he did not earn.

Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.

Comments

  • jen

    says:

    Maureen, did you mean to say so many MEN want to have sex with BO, JE and BC?

    At this point, aren’t we beyond boy-girl sex scandals? Didn’t someone in the House call from the House floor to order call girls? He just got pooh-poohed. And one presidential candidate dumped his wife when she was injured for a younger, richer replacement. No unsightly complications from that either. Only same sex scandals have weight any more. John Edwards having sex with another woman is nothing.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    Here’s proof that the media is cherry picking data for its’ poll reporting. Ain’t nuthin’ but a horserace!

    On Friday, Senate Republicans blocked a bill to rein in speculation in the oil markets. They want more drilling and nuclear power. Why is no one reporting this? Has anyone else seen it ANYWHERE (but our site, DKos and FDL?)

    Are you all on board with SCAAMD? This is the Sudden Citizen’s Action Against Media Distortion and was started by a couple of people at TPM. Check it out.

  • Dale

    says:

    More questions about McCain’s health:

    First thing I think about are all the people who can’t afford a “three month checkup” with their doctor. Or any checkup for that matter. And this asshole is against universal health care.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    Dale, I went to my doc today. Along with my $35.00 co-pay, I was informed that there were several things my insurance shorted by as little as $.59, many between $1.00 and $3.00 and fully shorting one procedure by half.

    I suppose this is the insurance companies’ ways of furthering co-pays without calling them such.

    As noted in another thread, when I was in Canada, a trip to the doc would have cost me, as a citizen from a different country, $30.00. That is less than my co-pay here. The prescription was half of what my co-pay is here.

    Yes, we have the best health care in the world – if you can afford it.

  • IludiumPhosdex

    says:

    Doesn’t it seem ironic that perhaps some of the biggest propagators of the “Divine Judgement” meme in explaining recent disasters are coming from an area as is seeing an Extreme Heat Advisory of the highest order (and hot weather actually being known to affect the mental faculties greatly)?

    En ‘n Ander Ding:

    Expect the Pseudoreligious Right to exploit the patsies of one Jim Adkisson (as in the Knoxville Church Shootings yesterday) to raise monies for a “Legal Defence Fund” as turns out being diverted for improper uses @ the last minute among participating “ministries” acting en bloc for the sake of this rather pathetic exercise in defending the Christian Faith.

  • angry young man

    says:

    novak has a brain tumor the same way mark foley had a drinking problem. it’s just an excuse for being involved in a hit and run.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    Whoops…that other thread I was talking about health care on was at TPMM. So sorry! 🙂

    To add…I had to pay an additional $69.00 over the last six months due to their shorting my doc. Not that that is a big deal, but multiply that by the millions who still manage to carry insurance and it equals tons of money – all going straight into some CEO’s pocket.

    Here’s another little gem (I happened on). an old school Conservative’s take on how the modern conservative movement has backfired and created socialism.

  • Fast Eddie

    says:

    Remember how Brother Jeb made Florida ‘more friendly’ for Republicans by disqualifying thousands upon thousands of (mostly Democratic) voters? Well, it’s happening again. And in some instances, it’s not even a case of moving the goalposts. People’s right to vote has just disappeared. You’d think that this would be a major to story to any major investigative TV program or newspaper, but apparently not. I wonder why?

    http://www.gregpalast.com/obama-doesn’t-sweat-he-should/

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    AYM @9, that is EXACTLY what I have been saying.

    I think he’s trying to play up all the sympathy that Kennedy got.

    I believe this story as much as I am certain that I can pick up and throw Novak’s penile extension Corvette.

  • Old School

    says:

    So Sen. Tom Coburn has placed a “hold” on 80 bills and Sen. Harry Reid is trying to come up with a way to overcome this problem.

    Could someone remind Sen. Reid how he overcame this issue during the FISA bill?

  • Dale

    says:

    10.
    On July 28th, 2008 at 6:11 pm, MsJoanne said:

    Whoops…that other thread I was talking about health care on was at TPMM. So sorry! 🙂

    Well include the url so we can run it up the TPM flagpole for you. 🙂

    Hey y’all Click an Ad today!

  • Dale

    says:

    Old School said:
    Could someone remind Sen. Reid how he overcame this issue during the FISA bill?

    Damn good point.

  • Rich2506

    says:

    Gotta question for y’all. I got this paragraph from correspondence with a local wingnut:

    Obama is always shown first, above McCain. When they are mentioned in an article, the heading is always “Obama and McCain …. ” when convention is to list opposing candidates alphabetically to avoid preferential treatment.

    Anyone know what “convention” he’s referring to? I know that when a local group did a voter guide, they were instructed to list candidates alphabetically for just that reason, but I’ve never heard of anyone doing that in less-formal contexts.

  • timeoutofmind

    says:

    hey .. just another day. the president is found to have committed yet more crimes via his manipulation at DOJ, the Rube Goldbergian calm in Iraq inevitably breaks apart, more of his advisors, political consultants call his ideas and decision making fucking idiotic, among other things .. the economy continues to crumble .. real people with real ideas —- or at least: real people with some recognition that there are crises to manage — meet in the idiot’s backyard to see if we can possibly bring the country back from the brink of madness and doom he’s driven us to. and it’s only monday.

  • Grumpy

    says:

    “…speedy recovery…”

    Care to rephrase that?

    Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) probably ought to be more careful when he credits himself for awards he did not earn.

    The campaign ad in which Young erroneously claims to be the hero of those who gave him the “Golden Fleece” award also attacks his GOP primary opponent for being the darling of the Club for Growth.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    RE: “THE” convention…might it be because goopers suck so bad they won’t even go to their own convention? Nah, can’t be THAT.. Maybe because it’s in Minneapolis where a bridge collapsed (and that a gooper governor decided it would be bad to raise taxes to fix bridges). Nah, can’t be that. Maybe because they can’t get enough police for the event (statewide), maybe because of the mandates that the feds gave to the states regarding terrorism – which defunded local coppers – but didn’t give them any funding? Nah, can’t be that.

    No one wants anything to do with the gooper convention. No one is excited about McCain.

    The Republican is a dying brand (oh, please let them go the way of the Whigs. No single party deserves it as much as they do).

  • Homeless pedestrian in a crosswalk

    says:

    Robert Novak … announced today that he has a brain tumor.

    There, but for the grace of God, go I.

  • Curmudgeon

    says:

    I’m going to put this as delicately as I can. Michael Savage is now and has always been a steaming pile of excrement beside whom even Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly smell as sweet as an autumn rain. I sincerely hope that the continuing fallout over his latest cowardly attack on helpless children will be the final straw that will drive that hateful monster off the airwaves once and for all.

    And you should have heard what I was going to say when I was *really* mad!! 🙁

  • Prup (aka Jim Benton)

    says:

    My cheapie-cheap portable radio is subject to ‘station drift’ so I get Michael Weiner (Savage) briefly when trying to hear the Mets pre-game (and worse, during the game). He is claiming the protests in NY today were ‘rent-a-mobs’ composed of illegal aliens, organized by a ‘left-wing conspiracy in the country’ trying to silence critics of Obama before the election.

    His evidence is, apparently, that so many of the protest signs were the same size.

    Words fail me — and are unnecessary.

  • TCG

    says:

    Here is my contribution.

    Unitarian Church targeted by Gunman due to liberal views. 2 killed 7 injured.

    Police today say that the Jim D. Adkisson entered the Church with the intention of shooting church goers until he himself was shot down by Police. Some church members speculated that the shooting was in reaction to a new sign saying “Gays Welcome.” Reports indicate that Adkinson targeted the Church because he had become offended by the whole “Liberal Movement” and other reports indicate that Adkinson was offended by the Church’s Liberal Views.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    The scariest part of what Savage said about autism is contained in this one paragraph:

    “50 percent of the children that have autism can’t speak. They can’t verbalize their needs. … We don’t need anybody, basically, you know, a bus matron, for example, taking advantage of our children and maybe trying to discipline the children on a bus, because thinking that what Michael Savage said, that’s what these kids need,” Ain said.

    Could you imagine the impact this would have? Some off-kilter person taking Savage’s words to heart (much like the shooter in Knoxville). This is the result of hate radio, hate television and hate speech.

    Ye shall reap what ye shall sow or maybe chickens coming home to roost.

  • Cmac

    says:

    I’m sorry, but the John Edwards stuff is just silliness. I also saw the ‘story’ about his being caught in the restroom at the hotel, blah, blah, blah. It came from foxnews.com, that unimpeachable source. Did you know that the security guard didn’t recognize Edwards until he got some help from the reporter? Hm. That’s not questionable in any way, is it?

    This is all a stretch. Give it a rest. It isn’t convincing, it isn’t important, and it’s only interesting to people with dirty little minds like Micky Kaus and the right wing blogosphere.

  • libra

    says:

    MsJoanne, @19,

    I don’t think Rich2506, @16, was asking about “convention” in that sense (the gathering of Repubs in Minn); I think he meant it in the sense of “tradition”.

    As to the “meat” of Rich’s question (why Obama is listed first and McCain second), I don’t know why this order is or even *whether* it is prevalent. For speech (TV and radio) purposes, it would be fairly easy to explain — “… and McCain” sounds better than “McCain and…” though, even there, the “n, n” sequence could be broken simply by inserting “Senator” before “Obama” (ie “Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama”)

    Re Edwards story: I’d feel a whole lot better about it if liberals started digging into it for facts to refute it (a la the story of the guy who, supposedly, had sex in the limo with Obama), instead of either ignoring it or just pooh-poohing it. Whitewash won’t do;’ we need lye to scrub it.

  • William

    says:

    Not certain if it’s already been said but I thought Robert Novak’s brain was a tumor!

    Oh well, I guess I just don’t have anything nice to say..

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    Jeez, libra…apparently, I need to turn the news, which plays in the background, off. And stop reading multiple blogs at the same time.

    My bad!

  • Kreniigh

    says:

    I’m having a hard time finding a list of current advertisers for Michael Savage. The pages I’ve turned up on Google are several years out of date. It’s kind of odd that Autism United, which is calling for the boycott, doesn’t have a list on their site.

    Anyone know where to find one?

  • CH

    says:

    Rich2506, @16 – In sports it is common to list the contestants in “winner and loser” form as in “Coming out of the third turn it’s Obama over McBush by a length”

  • Rich2506

    says:

    Many thanks to libra @29 and CH @34. Yes, my meaning was “Is this the convention/tradition?” rather than asking anything about the Republican Convention. What can I say, I was quoting the other guy. Yeah, I’ve been following politics pretty closely since college (Last two years of Carter, first two of Reagan) and I had never heard of any such tradition.
    I did post the link to the HuffPo story up on PhillyIMC.org as the author made a fairly convincing case (I loved the sentence “I was Googling with my wife…”) on Edwards’ misbehavior. Aww, Eddie!!!!

  • Dennis-SGMM

    says:

    My son is autistic. Despite years of patient, loving work by my wife and I, there are a lot of things that he just doesn’t get. He’s 23 and he still calls my wife “momma” and me “daddy.” He’s young like that in some ways. We spent ourselves into debt during the most productive years of our lives (At that time, outpatient psych was lucky to be reimbursed 10%) trying to get the best help we could for him. There are no words to describe the depth of Michael Savage’s ignorance. He is like those people who believe that if they talk very loudly and very slowly to someone who doesn’t speak English they’ll be able to convey their intent.
    Should I ever have the good fortune to meet Mr. Savage I will cordially punch him in the mouth. I’m a bit autistic myself.

  • William

    says:

    Thank you Dennis, I’ll do the same. What a shit, to exclaim such a thing is inconceivable. I wish you and your family the best.

  • Bruno

    says:

    MsJoanne … thanks for the post(10) and link regarding conservatives.

    I particularly like the following under “7. Ideologues preach savings, but still push spending…

    Somewhere over the past generation conservatives forget frugality. This distortion peaked in 2003 when consumers were told to spend, not sacrifice, and fuel the economy even as government spent excessively on war. That was a clear breach of every conservative leader’s position in earlier wars.
    As a result, in one brief generation, as the power of conservative ideologues grew, America’s savings rate dropped precipitously from 11% in 1980 to less than zero today.

    and in #11…11. Conservative free-market policies inflated oil 300%!

    Yep, oil inflated 300% in eight short years under the “leadership of two oil men.”

    The entire article is worth reading,… of course regular CB readers would already be familiar with those items.

  • Steven Earl Salmony

    says:

    Still ignoring one cause of the things that threaten the human community.

    Based upon what we can see now, and understand from so many discussions in the Carpetbagger Report, would it be correct to say unequivocally that an increasing food supply for the human species is the essential factor producing the recent skyrocketing increase of absolute global human population numbers?

    Until this relationship is seen (ie, food is the independent variable and human population numbers is the dependent variable), and its implications understood and accepted, the human community cannot respond ably to the global challenges that are looming ominously on the far horizon, I believe. The family of humanity will continue its necessary but insufficient projects at “symptom mitigation” of the global threats without ever taking hold of what is actually causing our difficulties and threatening our very existence. We can identify the problem. We are it.

    If the skyrocketing growth of human numbers worldwide is THE number one problem to be confronted by the human community in our time, then ideas for humanely reducing human population numbers makes good sense, I suppose.

    To have continuously denied the seminal work of Thomas Malthus and to have castigated the great scientists who have extended his thinking and improved our understanding; to have adamantly demanded that the relationship between food and human population numbers be seen conversely, will be acknowledged as the greatest failure of human perception in human history. At least to me, the implications of this potentially catastrophic perceptual error (ie, human population numbers is the independent variable and food supply the dependent variable) appear to be profound and could have something to do with the existence of the culturally derived functional insanity in the thinking of the leaders of the global political economy and their manipulation of many minions in the mass media who are mainstreaming this primary misperception and other economically expedient and politically convenient mistaken impressions to people everywhere.

    Steven Earl Salmony
    AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population,
    established 2001

  • Bruno

    says:

    Post #37 Dennis-SGMM

    I can relate to your feelings. I’ve personally volunteered at our local high school with a few kids who happen to have autism. They are anything but dumb; it’s just frustrating for them to express their feelings and what their thoughts are at times.

    I feel fortunate that, at times, I do understand them, and am able to ‘communicate’ with them without saying a word. Just being with them, without interfering is ‘communicating’ as well.

    As you mentioned ‘being a bit autistic’ yourself… I’m an Aspy myself, which happens to be on the Autism scale. In my humble opinion, having Asperger / Autism, means that learning ‘social’ skills takes a long time, but it is possible to ‘learn’ new behaviors. The level is different for each individual, but at least there is hope. I’m not going to claim that what comes out of my mouth is always ‘politically/socially correct’ but at least I’m learning from my interactions and ‘try’ to absorb ‘proper’ behavior. Unfortunately that can not be said about Savage and his like minded listeneres, who obviously learned everything in kindergarten and haven’t evolved beyond that.

    I wish you the best with your son, and I’m sure as he ages (chronologically) he’ll mature even more than he has to date. He will thank you for the selfless attention you doted on him during his school years.

  • TCG

    says:

    To have continuously denied the seminal work of Thomas Malthus and to have castigated the great scientists who have extended his thinking and improved our understanding; to have adamantly demanded that the relationship between food and human population numbers be seen conversely, will be acknowledged as the greatest failure of human perception in human history.

    This is wingnuttery.

    It has been predicted for the western world for sometime now without disastrous results.

    Do not fall for Bullshit that has been predicted for many, many, many moons. It shall be predicted for many more moons in the future. Apparently.

  • Dale

    says:

    Bush tried this but kept dozing off.

    Obama on Firewalling Time to Think | 43 Folders: “Obama on Firewalling Time to Think
    Merlin Mann | Jul 28 2008

    Obama on Vacationing and Time to Think – NYTimes.com

    I like this snippet of accidentally-captured conversation between Barack Obama and British MP, David Cameron. Cameron asks Obama if he will be taking any time off for a vacation this summer:

    Mr. Cameron: Do you have a break at all?

    Mr. Obama: I have not. I am going to take a week in August. But I agree with you that somebody, somebody who had worked in the White House who — not Clinton himself, but somebody who had been close to the process — said that should we be successful, that actually the most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking. And the biggest mistake that a lot of these folks make is just feeling as if you have to be …

    Mr. Cameron: These guys just chalk your diary up.

    Mr. Obama: Right. … In 15 minute increments and …

    Mr. Cameron: We call it the dentist waiting room. You have to scrap that because you’ve got to have time.

    This encourages and inspires me. If people as busy as these two guys (or Bill Gates, for that matter) can make time to rise above the noise, it�”

  • Dale

    says:

    Pretty shitty of John Edwards to even run for the Dem nomination with that new baby on the way…to his mistress. It could have blown up the Dems entire chance at the White House and he knew it.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    Dale, if that story is true, that’s everything in a nutshell.

    And I mean EVERYTHING!

    I hope it’s not true, but if it is, that would be the most appalling piece of trust (by all Dems) which was violated. To his wife as well, of course, but right now, we need to have anything but a Republican president.

    I wonder how much this will affect Obama. And I think Stranahan’s take is right on the money.

  • Hannah

    says:

    Dennis and Bruno, thanks for sharing your experiences. We had a recent discussion about autism on a list I’m on because one of the posters has autism (she identified herself as such in her tagline) and her only posts were repeating things back that someone else had said which irritated a couple of people (because the general rule is that if you post, you add to the discussion, not just say “me too”, etc.). The list decided it was OK, that we wanted this person to be a member because she is interested in the subject and her participation might help her. And we’re a good bunch of inclusive people.

    I’ve previously (on this blog) talked about how ADHD affected our family, esp. my younger son, who is a few years younger than Dennis’ son. My son has also been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder which contributed to a very short temper. He also exhibits some symtoms of OCD (very mild), and he has a lot of trouble with personal interaction.

    His ADHD, now that he’s a young adult, mostly seems to affect his organizational, listening and comprehension skills. Not sure if he zones out while at school or just forgets, but his grades are all over the map, and always have been. Wildly inconsistent. Emotionally he’s much younger than his biological age, not as responsible as he could be. Still, it’s nothing compared to Dennis’ situation.

    Kids with ADHD who don’t get help may end up dropping out/flunking out of school, or kicked out for misbehavior, some become criminals, drug addicts. Impulsivity (one of the biggies of ADHD) leads to action without considering the consequences. Inability to suceed in school due to short attention span (another biggie) leads to low self-esteem. When my son was small, I went to a lot of classes, read books, trying to get as much information as I could. At one class, the speaker was a parole officer. He told us that at least half of his “clients” had ADHD. This is one reason that I don’t get as freaked out about ADHD being “overdiagnosed” as some do. If we go the other direction, some kids may not get the help they need.

  • JWK

    says:

    So we find a ranking Republican croney hiring other Republicans into the DOJ based on political affiliation and not merit. I wonder about McCain’s take on this, especially after his recent flip-flop on Affirmative Action. Or maybe he’ll give the Bush Administration a pass on this since the Republicans were Affirmatively hiring Republicans?

  • Prup (aka Jim Benton)

    says:

    I want to begin this by saying I was totally unaware of the Edwards story until I read it mentioned here a few hours ago. I have no idea if it is true or false. I am merely assuming it to be true — in this post — to make a point.

    Two points, actually. The first is a minor one, but needs to be said for a third time. Of the 8 Democratic Presidents since the Civil War, 6 were adulterers. It is hardly grounds for puritantical condemnation.

    But more importantly, one thing I have learned is that it is never possible to know the dynamics of a marital relationship from a distance. (This is why I have never discussed the McCains, or the famous use of ‘cunt’ by him.)

    For example, there seems little doubt that FDR’s relationship with Lucy Mercer was known and tolerated by Eleanor — whether because she was, as is frequently rumored, a lesbian or for other reasons. I have theories about the Clintons — no, I do NOT think that Hillary is a lesbian — but since they are alive and my theories are only that, I will not discuss them.

    But I would like to ask particularly the female commenters here if the following would not be a plausible scenario, and how you would feel about it. A couple is deeply in love, and has a vigorous, active and satisfying sex life. The woman develops cancer, and because of the strain of the disease and the effects of the chemo, is unable to have sex, or must cut her sexual activites down considerably. Is it too much to imagine such a woman, rather than demanding her loved husband limit himself to masturbation for a period of years, suggesting, or even encouraging him to take a mistress? I can easily imagine such a relationship that the wife would know the mistress, would share the details with her husband, would feel not betrayed but joy that her husband was enjoying the sex she could not give him. (Yes, the echo of the Edwards’ is obvious and meant, but I will say I have known of several couples — with less ‘reason’ than cancer and chemo — who had precisely that sort of relationship. I have even known couples for whom the rule was — if you are out of town, you are free to do what you want, only when you get back, tell me all about it so I can share the stories. And no, it is not always the husband who is given the ‘freedom.’)

    So, instead of condemning them, is it not possible for you to consider that there can be a difference between ‘adultery’ and ‘cheating’? Again, the dynamics of every relationship is different.

    And let me end where I began, with the statement that this is pure speculation, that i know nothing of the Edwards’ true situation, or if this story is true or merely yet another Republican slander.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    Jim, that is exactly the visual that first popped into my mind when I first heard the story – that and watching Mrs. Edwards having to very painfully say just what you said openly and publicly to millions. That was my first thought on why the LAT buried it. It breaks my heart to think she will have to do just that. I kept thinking Lrt this woman die in peace.

    I still hope it isn’t true.

  • Bruno

    says:

    To Hannah @ 51

    Thanks for the understanding. You mentioned having done quite a bit of reading regarding your son’s symptoms. From the conditions you mentioned: ADHD, OCD, ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)… have you considered reading up on Bi-Polar? The conditions mentioned are all co-morbid for Bi-Polar. It is not uncommon for someone with Bi-Polar to be misdiagnosed as ADHD, because they are very similar, especially in adolescents.

    Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and I’m not diagnosing. Just trying to be helpful, and not pulling a “Frist” diagnosing Shiavo from a video.

  • libra

    says:

    Prup, @53

    If the story is true — and I hope it’ll turn out not to be — whether Elizabeth is or isn’t “understanding” is irrelevant. Ditto historical cases of presidential adultery. The only thing that would matter is — as Dale said, @46 — that he ran for Dem nomination while being in that “arrangement”. Elizabeth might be forgiving but Repubs wouldn’t be; they’d whip up a whirlwind which would blow away all of our chances. Given the hoo-hah over Clinton’s blow job, given that Fossella (spell? the Repub in NY) had to quit, because he had a mistress and a child in VA… There’s no way Edwards could have continued to run, once the story was out. And he should have known that. And he should have known how terribly important this year’s elections are, how high the stakes.

    Sorry, but — rightly or wrongly — a different set of rules applies to public figures, especially politicians, than to an everyday Joe Schmoe. You have to have a piece on the side, you don’t run for public office. You wanna run for public office, you either tie a knot in it for a few years, or you wank in a corner and hope nobody notices.

  • Prup (aka Jim Benton)

    says:

    libra:
    I am surprised to hear this from you. (I am NOT talking about Edwards here, or the specific circumstances that would make this questionable in this election.) But your general rule is, simply nonsense — or rather, a rule honored more in the breach than the observance. The fact is that politicians, like most public figures/celebrities, probably have — for obvious reasons — higher than average sex drives, and I would expect that more of those who run for public office have ‘bits on the side’ than average.

    But more importantly, even if this is ‘the rule’ can you defend it? Rather, can you show me how it is more rational than the rule that ‘if you are gay and run for office, stay in the closet. People will never accept a gay politician.’?

  • JS

    says:

    I am now reading that the shooter in the Tennessee church had books at his home, written by O’Reilly, Limbaugh and Hannity. Surely there is something to be done about the hate groups who are on Fox, they are influencing people who are on the edge because they have no jobs, or prospects. (They also demonise anyone who would resist giving guns to these people)

  • Maria

    says:

    For example, there seems little doubt that FDR’s relationship with Lucy Mercer [Rutherfurd] was known and tolerated by Eleanor — whether because she was, as is frequently rumored, a lesbian or for other reasons.

    The “other reasons” were that she apparently felt she couldn’t do anything about it. She hated the relationship and told FDR so on more than one occasion, even offering to give him a divorce; he refused and promised to stop seeing Rutherfurd, but continued to do so on the sly. Eleanor also was furious with her daughter, Anna, for enabling the affair. After FDR’s death, Eleanor was extremely unhappy to learn that Rutherfurd had been with him at Warm Springs when he died.

    You may call that “tolerance,” but it’s not a particularly accurate descriptor.

  • libra

    says:

    The fact is that politicians, like most public figures/celebrities, probably have — for obvious reasons — higher than average sex drives,[…] — Prup, @57

    So, is it a “fact” or “probably” and where did you get the idea anyway?

    Now as to the “rule” (or a set of them)

    For better or for worse, our culture — and even the legal system — is attuned to the “one at a time” model of family, not to the “peacock/peahen and his/her harem”. If it were otherwise, nobody would need to keep two separate establishments or take extra long breaks for lunch; we’d have family compounds the way some Mormons do, or the way the Chinese and Indians used to.

    Politicians are supposed to serve as our role models — the servants of the people. When running for office, they usually try to prove they’re better than the opponent, in every way, including the sexual morals (in fact, for some obscure reason, in US, “morals” seems to apply *only* to sexual behaviour, while everything else — like stealing and lying — falls under a separate category of “ethics”. To me, it’s BS; either you’re moral across the board, or you’re not). Because of that, they’re more likely to be scrutinized for every infraction, for every discrepancy between what they profess and what they practice. If they’re not aware of that, or if they think they’re smarter than everyone else and can get away with murder (or a love nest) without paying the penalty, then they’re deficient in the brain department and, ipso facto, unsuitable for the position they aspire to.

    […] if this is ‘the rule’ can you defend it? Rather, can you show me how it is more rational than the rule that ‘if you are gay and run for office, stay in the closet. People will never accept a gay politician.’?

    It’s no more rational. My response — to both — would be: by all means, come out of the closet, stop slinking around (it’s demeaning to you and your “secret” partner) and let the voters decide whether it matters to them or not. Barney Frank is out of the closet, and gets re-elected every two years without any trouble. If, OTOH, you think your constituents are too prudish to accept your — different from theirs — sexual morals, then you have to give up one or the other: power or other pleasures.

    Having your cake and eating it too is a dream that many of us have but…