What's the problem? ...

Whatever else is true, the American Right is now openly siding with a foreign government against their own, and bitterly Blaming America for these problems. They're protecting this foreign government's actions even though our top Generals say those actions undermine our war effort and directly endanger American troops. They're advocating policies -- such as the Israeli bombing of Iran -- which America's Joint Chiefs Chairman has gravely warned will seriously impede our wars and lead to the deaths of our soldiers. They're demeaning the top American General with command responsibility for two theaters of war. And, in a Time of War, they're attacking the President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief -- and relentlessly depicting him as weak and inept -- all because he's prioritizing American interests over those of a foreign country. All of that seems to severely breach the standards of Patriotism they have long advocated and which have long prevailed, to put that rather mildly.

It's always OK when the reThugs (Republicans, Conservatives, far right, Lieberman) do it ...

Love letter to the US Senate. It could be worse? ...

After the knifing abuse of Joe Lieberman, US Senate, no one wants anything to do with you. After the sickening insider dealing of Max Baucus, US Senate, everyone thinks the entire body should sign up for work at the nearest landfill. After the ridiculous, utterly debasing pandering to Olympia Snowe, US Senate, no one still wants to admit how screamingly the Founders fucked up when they created you. After the gross insider deal to Ben Nelson, US Senate, all desperately search for medication or handy recreational drug to blot out the howling fucking nightmare as soon possible, God, get a clue to how loathed and clownish y’all are.

It gets better?

Obtuse, ego-besotted, clownishly bought and politically fat with six year terms, the flabby, groaning body of the Senate nonetheless still has outdated, glacial political instincts that occasionally flicker through the old corpse, the upcoming in-trouble nomination of Ben Bernanke being one of these rare times. Usually the elite-enabling, genial denier Republican would of course been given a pass for any accountability to his job and confirmed automatically, but even Senators are starting to realize they’ve gone too far recently and should do the right thing for once by barfing Bernanke to keep up appearances.

Sadly Krugman, who once seemed to stand solidy for truth or something close to it seems to have been brought low in defending certain parties in our exponentially corrupt system:

I felt bad for Paul Krugman this morning, who basically said yes, Bernanke missed the finance bubble and will do nothing for the unemployed (Lord am I sick of inflation weenies with the unions busted, get a clue) but he’s a nice man who hired me once, please confirm him. Sorry, Paul, understandable loyalty to your boss doesn’t work when confirming the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, not hardly.

Really, as if Obama would even try to find "a good Democratic responsible populist" rather than a failure of a Republican [what are you thinking paradox]:

Reject Bernanke, yes, instantly because he’s a Republican, of course, all they know how to do is obnoxiously screw up. Then reject him precisely because he really screwed up and also has the nuclear gall to ignore the little people. Then hope the Obama Administration finds a good Democratic responsible populist to be Fed Chairman, I find it hard to believe Krugman could be wrong again today, it can’t be that hard, there must be one credible name out there to do the job. Oh that’s right, Paul, there’s you at right near the top.

At one time I thought Obama was an intelligent worth while human being who was able to process information and understand it.

First I was abused of any idea that he might be a worth while human. During his campaign he didn't just make a few promises he couldn't keep, instead he out right lied about everything. Just like a Republican Thug.

Next he undermines his own story line that he listens to all by striking secret deals with the very corrupt 'health care' industries that need fixing and then pretends to listen to 'others' later. So much for his intellectual honesty.

But the worst of all is his fetish with putting failed Republicans in important political positions.

Barack Obama has been as effective as the Supreme Court in negating a significant Democratic victory. Obama appears to think he was elected as President of these United States in order to finalize the turning over of the country to corporate, fat cat, Robber Baron power.

Obama and the Supreme Court. Working in tandem.

Today's quote ...

Watching Sherrod Brown, Ron Wyden and Harry Reid try to explain why the Senate’s emasculated health reform bill was still worth voting for was painful. These men know they’ve been defeated and humiliated by an unprincipled extortionist fronting for what amounts to a deadly protection racket.

Whatever Joe Lieberman’s motives, the reality is that he just performed a moral crime on national television. He’s essentially said that if Democrats want to provide even poor health insurance to 30 million uninsured Americans, the federal government and those citizens will have to pay blood money to an industry protection racket that will have the economic and political power to set the terms of that protection, shield itself from oversight and competition, and raise prices at will.

-- This Isn’t Health Reform; It’s Extortion for a Protection Racket by Scarecrow, firedoglake.com

Obama, Reid, Lieberman. So are they evil or just plain stupid? ...

Who knows for sure? The only thing that is apparent to me is that Obama is no more fit to be President of the United States of America than was Bush the Lesser.

From TBogg at firedoglake.com:

So all I really wanted for Christmas was a Karl Rove of our own who would make all of our Obama wishes come true, even if he had to kick Evan Bayh’s mushy skull in to accomplish them. Someone who, I had hoped, would make Joe Lieberman’s life something akin to a hemorrhoidectomy gone horribly terribly wrong.

Such is not the case:

The White House wants Reid to hand Joe Lieberman the farm.

An aide briefed on discussions with the White House says that there would be no story if Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel hadn’t interceded. The aide confirmed an account, reported by Huffington Post, that Emanuel visited Reid personally, telling him to cut a deal with Lieberman.

Then the aide provided more detail.

Emanuel didn’t just leave it to Reid to find a solution. Emanuel specifically suggested Reid give Lieberman the concessions he seeks on issues like the Medicare buy-in and triggers.

“It was all about ‘do what you’ve got to do to get it done. Drop whatever you’ve got to drop to get it done,” the aide said. All of Emanuel’s prescriptions, the source said, were aimed at appeasing Lieberman–not twisting his arm.

If Rahm Emmanuel is all he was supposed to be, we can safely assume that the Obama White House either never gave a shit about health care reform, or they managed health care reform so horrifically and incompetently that they are now willing to settle for a “win”, no matter how meager.

I hope they enjoy their Pyrrhic victory because they just burned the base.

Only if you think 'coddling Lieberman' isn't the plan ...

Jane Hamsher: Sane people have long ago realized that coddling Lieberman is what got us here and needs to be stopped.

Though Reid may have not been in on all the turns in the labyrinth, and has been selected by Obama and his administration as the fall guy for Obama's failing to deliver anything on health care other than what Obama's corporate masters desire, Reid still participated, quite willingly, in the deception and scamming of the public on all important matters.

Jane Hamsher writes:

Sorry, Harry Reid, you’re the one that takes the hit for this. If you let Lieberman lead you and the country around by the nose, it doesn’t matter who asked you to do it. Slipping in “annual limits” on coverage, manipulating procedure only when there’s something you really want, and then shrugging your shoulders and calling yourself a prisoner of the Senate parlimentarian when you want to facilitate some massively unpopular clause in the interest of the insurance industry — it’s all going to come to rest on you. Personally. I promise.

I would just like to add that Reid and Lieberman are not the only villains here. The worst one is turning out to be the one in the White House. The more I see, the less I believe there is much material difference between Obama and his predecessor.

Synopsis of Obama's Democratic Party and, particularly, its leadership ...

Sign anything? Check.
Incompetent Democrats? Check.

If this happens, we'll have a Republican bill that won't work, which no Republicans will vote for and which they will run against for the next decade at least.

It's Newtie's wet dream.

Though Obama is not someone that I had expected much from, I thought he would get a few of the right things accomplished because

1. he was a Democrat, and
2. he was intelligent.

Boy was I wrong on both counts!

Really, could McCain have been worse. I think the only thing really different between what McCain promised and what Obama has delivered is Palin. Think about it ...

Whose really responsible for Lieberman ...

In my opinion both Obama and Reid are responsible for the train wreck that is Lieberman. Either Obama and Reid approve of what Lieberman is doing or they both are such craven cowards that they are afraid to do anything that will stop or limit Lieberman's hare-brained and demented behavior.

Perhaps it's a little of both.

So LIE-berman is set to destroy any Public Option ...

Does Reid know just how much of a fool Lieberman makes him look. Or is it all done with Reid's cooperation? That is, is it an in-joke and Reid actually likes to look the fool?

Harry Reid has never really needed 60 votes to pass health care reform with a public option, or the public option in a stand alone bill. Fifty senators plus the Vice President can do anything in the Senate if they really want to. While it would be more difficult and would step on a lot of precious Senate egos, Reid can get a public option using reconciliation, or even the “nuclear option.”

Well, we're going to find out are we not ...

Lieberman makes Obama the fool also. Even if Lieberman is doing something Obama and Reid want done, given that Lieberman repeatedly undermines what both Obama and Reid claim they are working for or believe in and both Obama and Reid actually reward Lieberman each time he acts against them makes for a very sick relationship and/or a very corrupt relationship and/or a deliberately deceptive relationship.

For the hypocritical Dems who insist Obama 'has a clever plan' ...

(UPDATE Below)

Could this be Obama's oh so clever plan?

Lieberman Demands Public Option Be Taken “Off The Table” Completely

Did Obama (and Reid) save LIEberman just for this kind of contingency. After all if Obama is just so clever and plans for the future so well then by definition Obama knew any real healthcare possibilities would come down to the wire. And here's ol' spiteful and malicious lying Joe Lieberman popping up right on cue ...

I have to handed to all of you who knew how clever Obama was, working with his n dimensional chess game and all. He really called it. Between his Blue Curs (Blue Dogs Win Huge Victory For The Health Insurance Industry) and his favorite monkey-wrench, ol lying Joe, Obama continues to show his disdain for all Americans, except a few obscenely rich guys.



But remember: "If 50 Senators Really Want A Public Option, They Can Get It With Reconciliation."

So if Americans do not get decent health care choices, at the minimum a ROBUST public option, the one that the Blue Curs just removed, it will be because OUR REPRESENTATIVES in the House and the Senate DO NOT WANT to provide what the people need and what a very significant majority want. And, if this plays out the way Obama has engineered, we must thank Obama, Reid and the blue curs, not to mention the ReThugs, for all the misery they will cause.

UPDATE Oct 30, 2009

Obama Meeting With Progressives And Caucus Leaders Focused On Triggers And Opt-Out

The article doesn't directly say that Obama's goal is to break down the support for the Public Option but it certainly doesn't seem that Obama was offering any support to Public Option supporters, does it?