The Republicans, Climate Change and the Rhetoric Tool

The Climate Change Problem:

An Antartic ice shelf has disappeared: scientist

Reuters

April 4, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – One Antarctic ice shelf has quickly vanished, another is disappearing and glaciers are melting faster than anyone thought due to climate change, U.S. and British government researchers reported on Friday.

They said the Wordie Ice Shelf, which had been disintegrating since the 1960s, is gone and the northern part of the Larsen Ice Shelf no longer exists. More than 3,200 square miles (8,300 square km) have broken off from the Larsen shelf since 1986. …

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5332BU20090404

Artic ice getting thinner, fading fast

David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor

April 7, 2009

Ice in the ocean surrounding the Arctic is thinner than it’s been in 30 years, and there’s much less of it, say scientists who are monitoring the effects of climate change.

At the same time, another team of climate scientists is predicting from earlier data that the Arctic’s ice cover has been melting so rapidly over the past few years that much of it could be gone within another three decades.

“Ice extent is an important measure of the health of the Arctic,” said Walter Meier of the University of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice Data Center. “It is critical for animals that live on the ice and for the humans who use its resources for subsistence.”

The 31st annual end-of-winter survey of Arctic sea ice conditions was reported Monday during a teleconference by researchers from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, who monitor the ice continuously by satellite. Their assessment was not reassuring. …

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/06/MNF416TNTP.DTL

Large ice shelf expected to break from Antarctica

CNN.com /technology

April 3, 2009

(CNN) — A large ice shelf is “imminently” close to breaking away from part of the Antarctic Peninsula, scientists said Friday.

Satellite images released by the European Space Agency on Friday show new cracks in the Wilkins Ice Shelf where it connects to Charcot Island, a piece of land considered part of the peninsula.

The cracks are quickly expanding, the ESA said.

Scientists are investigating the causes for the breakups and whether it is linked to global climate change. …

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/04/03/antarctica.ice.shelf/index.html

Smog May Cause Lifelong Lung Deficits

University of Southern California

USC News

09/08/04

A long-term USC study following the pulmonary health of children in polluted L.A. areas signals likely health problems in adulthood.

By Alicia Di Rado

By age 18, the lungs of many children who grow up in smoggy areas are underdeveloped and will likely never recover, according to a study in this week’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research is part of the Children’s Health Study, the longest investigation ever into air pollution and kids’ health.
Between 1993 and 2001, study scientists from the Keck School of Medicine of USC tracked levels of major pollutants in 12 Southern California communities while following the pulmonary health of 1,759 children as they progressed from 4th grade to 12th grade.

The 12 communities included some of the most polluted areas in the greater Los Angeles basin, as well as several low-pollution sites outside the area.

Keck School researchers previously found that children who were exposed to more air pollution scored more poorly on respiratory tests. In this latest study, researchers analyzed the same children’s respiratory health at age 18, when lungs are almost completely mature.

“Teenagers in smoggy communities were nearly five times as likely to have clinically low lung function, compared to teens living in low-pollution communities,” said W. James Gauderman, associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School and lead author of the study. …

http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/10495.html

The Democrat’s Solution:

Rhetoric/Performance Combination:

Obama drives up miles-per-gallon requirements

USA TODAY

May 20, 2009

By James R. Healey

The Obama administration announced Tuesday what amounts to a sweeping revision to auto-emission and fuel-economy standards, putting them in the same package for the first time.

The plan would require cars and trucks to average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, President Obama said at a ceremony with legislators, regulators, executives of 10 car companies and the United Auto Workers union. The plan would increase the standard and accelerate the requirement from 35 mpg in 2020 set by the 2007 Energy Act.

OPEN ROAD: Obama plan could spell doom for these gas guzzlers

“The status quo is no longer acceptable,” Obama said. “We have done little to increase fuel efficiency of America’s cars and trucks for decades.”…

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-05-18-auto-emissions_N.htm

The Republican’s Solution:

Rhetoric:

The GOP Says Democrats’ Climate Proposal Does Little

The above link points to an article by Republicans who are now busy “contributing” to world climate safety via rhetoric.

The Republicans are pointing out that China and India do not have to follow America’s lead in the fight against climate change. Rhetorically speaking, attempting to respond to climate change would take jobs away from America. They don’t seem to have sensed that VOODOO economics already beat climate change to the punch.

The Republicans are now in rhetoric mode. Republicans have been in performance mode for some twenty-four of America’s last twenty-eight years of political life and yet, you rarely hear of Republicans touting their performance. Why is that?

And neocon performance is something that you can’t hardly MAKE the neocons talk about.

Their performance on climate change was NOT a total disaster – likely because they made no positive attempts against what scientists saw as a possible  approaching climate problem.

Performance:

The Republicans(neocons) have been responding to the scientists’ warnings about climate change for quite some time. Early on, a Bush administration employee, working at NASA, attempted to interact with a NASA weather scientist. That strategy, at least for neocons,  might have been the equivalent of attacking a problem at its source.

And attacking the weather change problem at its source may have contributed to this:

via NYTimes:

A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Published: February 8, 2006

George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters’ access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word “theory” at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said.

Mr. Deutsch’s resignation came on the same day that officials at Texas A&M University confirmed that he did not graduate from there, as his résumé on file at the agency asserted.

Officials at NASA headquarters declined to discuss the reason for the resignation.

“Under NASA policy, it is inappropriate to discuss personnel matters,” said Dean Acosta, the deputy assistant administrator for public affairs and Mr. Deutsch’s boss. …

http://firstpulseprojects.net/Strange-Weather-mt/2006/02/bush_appointee_resigns_post_at_1.html

The neocons are not selling their performance, although they have had twenty-four years at America’s leadership helm.

Neocons are ignoring their past performance while focusing on the efforts of the Obama administration to fill the gigantic hole dug by the neocons. And the neocons’ attempt to plant the thought that America will be able to fill that enormous hole “free of charge” is ludicrous.

“Credit” the Republicans for having some remarkably simplistic approaches to solving extremely difficult problems. A basic theme that seems to run through some of their problem solutions seems to be: “what the public doesn’t know can’t hurt it”. And toward that end, came a move to persuade the revealers to stop revealing.

Muzzling weather scientists could remove fears of oncoming catastrophic climate conditions until well after the neocons get another chance at “managing” America’s government.

Right-wing money buying up influential bricks and mortar news sources might, sooner or later, influence media content. But bloggers and the Internet are problems with no simplistic solution. As an initial “shot across the bow”  of bloggers, the “copyright tool” seems to be the tool of choice.

Silencing or otherwise decreasing the influence of the “liberal press”  has also been mentioned by neocons – for a long time. Even Sesame Street was targeted.

Technorati Tags: republicans,climate change,rhetoric,performance,artic ice,health of the artic,global climate change,neocons,smog,china,india,obama,nasa,scientist

Eyeing a Possible Middle East Policy Shift?

An abc News article by SIMON MCGREGOR-WOOD questions a possible policy shift between Israel and its closest ally – America. The full article can be read at:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7694664&page=1

The neocons were busy in the Middle East just as they were busy in America, Iraq and Afghanistan. And, by and large, the problems that got the focus of the neocons rarely got better with their solution/s. Iraq could fit in this category.

What category does Israel fit into? Could the category be Peace? Could the category be war? Could the category be other? Is there really a need to revisit the OLD Middle East policy?

Israel recently told America to “do something about Iran or it would”. Was this command a product of the OLD policy? If so, the old policy needs looking at. Perhaps, a change from the old policy to a new policy is needed.

Under the OLD policy Israel decided to attack a facility in Syria. It seems the Syrians were building or thought to be building something that the Zionist State did not like. The Zionist State likely used approved weapons(non-Iranian) to put the Syrian targets out of commission. And, apparently – under the OLD policy the UN did not do much of anything.

There is a small “gated community” in the Middle East. It is a “container” for many Palestinians who used to have a home in their native land of Palestine. Not only did the Palestinians loose their native home to the Zionist State – they are forbidden to have a new state named Palestine.

And when the Palestinian’s testosterone driven urges prompted them to fire “low tech” rockets at sparsely settled land in Israel, high tech F16’s(non-Iranian made) responded.

The Middle East is, and has been a problem for a long time. Ex-President Nixon showed concern – Ex-President George W. Bush’s administration appeared to wear Middle East bias on shirt-sleeves. That bias, so blatant during  the rein of the latter-day neocons, should be removed – if a Middle East solution other than genocide is desired.

The Middle East is in dire need of a policy shift if genocide is not the FINAL SOLUTION. The old policy has not worked for anyone but the Zionist State. The old policy made “neo-con driven America” look like an accomplice to activities that are un-American.

Under the OLD POLICY, Hamas won a democratically held West Bank election. But, for some reason, that election appeared to have been nullified or rolled back or something.  Neither the Bush team nor the Zionist State made a fuss over the DEMOCRATICALLY held election that for some reason “did not take”. The citizens voted, but the election “did not take”.

The OLD POLICY saw a very turbulent Middle East with most of the “downside” falling on Hamas. Hamas lost Palestine to Jewish terrorists who sorta faded into politics. Hamas’s chance at politics in the West Bank failed – for some reason.

And do not, for one moment, believe that the Arab world was not aware of the bias of the OLD POLICY. But the latter-day neocons made that bias blatant. It is time to revisit the OLD POLICY. Stop the genocide.

Technorati Tags: middle east policy shift,neocons,israel,peace,war,zionist state,old policy,syrian targets,gated community,palestinians,palestine,genocide,final solution,hamas

Detention Centers ‘Sometimes’ Fail to Rehabilitate

America is being reminded again of instances of released Guantanamo inmates attacking U.S. troops. In that respect, it seems that the Guantanamo prison facility’s ‘rehabilitation program’ failed. It is likely that “nobody don’t know” of a prison that ranks high in the rehabilitation of inmates – real inmates – not HIGH RANKING POLITICIAN inmates.

It would be a surprise if GITMO, brain-child of the neocons, did display ‘socially redeeming values’.  Perhaps, if the far right wing of the Republican party(neocons) can show socially redeeming values in water-boarding, GITMO’s standing as a contribution to the civilized world might improve.

Technorati Tags: guantanamo,rehabilitate,imates,neocons,gitmo,socially redeeming values

Germany bans cola after drug test

 

BBC NEWS

May 26 2009

The authorities in six German states have ordered retailers to stop selling Red Bull Cola energy drinks after traces of cocaine were found in it.

The recall came after a sample analysis conducted in North-Rhine Westphalia found one litre of the drink contained 0.4 micrograms of the banned substance.

Officials said the cocaine levels were too low to pose a health threat but were not permitted in foodstuffs.

Red Bull said its cola was "harmless and marketable" in both the US and EU.

The company said coca leaf extracts were used worldwide as a natural flavouring, and that its own tests had found no traces of cocaine. …

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8067970.stm

Technorati Tags: red bull cola,cocaine,banned substance,harmless and marketable,us,eu

Sonia Sotomayor is Obama’s Supreme Court Pick to Replace David Souter

abc NEWS Politics

By JAKE TAPPER and REYNOLDS HOLDING

May 26, 2009

President Obama will make a historic pick for his Supreme Court nominee Tuesday: U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic to be named to the court, if confirmed.

“Over a distinguished career that spans three decades, Judge Sotomayor has worked at almost every level of our judicial system, providing her with a depth of experience and a breadth of perspective that will be invaluable as a Supreme Court justice,” Obama said today at White House press conference announcing the nomination.

Appointed a U.S. district court judge in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush and to the Court of Appeals in 1998 by President Bill Clinton,

“It’s a measure of her qualities and

her qualifications that Judge Sotomayor was nominated to the U.S. District Court by a Republican president, George H.W. Bush, and promoted to the Federal Court of Appeals by a Democrat, Bill Clinton,” Obama said.

Sotomayor, who turns 55 next month, was born in the Bronx, and her parents were from Puerto Rico. She took a moment at the press conference to thank her mother for being her life’s aspiration, and said she was honored by the nomination.

“For as long as I can remember, I have been inspired by the achievement of our founding fathers. They set forth principles that have endured for than more two centuries. Those principles are as meaningful and relevant in each generation as the generation before,” she said today. “It would be a profound privilege for me to play a role in applying those principles to the questions and controversies we face today. …

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/SCOTUS/story?id=7541897&page=1

And Judge Sotomayor said,

“For as long as I can remember, I have been inspired by the achievement of our founding fathers. They set forth principles that have endured for[more] than more two centuries. Those principles are as meaningful and relevant in each generation as the generation before,” she said today. “It would be a profound privilege for me to play a role in applying those principles to the questions and controversies we face today.

Will the latter day neocons find unacceptable a judge who was appointed a U.S. District Judge by George H.W. Bush? Will the latter day neocons deny Republican credentials to George H.W. Bush?

Technorati Tags: sonia sotomayor,supreme court pick,historic pick,founding fathers,president obama

Breaking Down Barriers to Human Torture

It is incredible that an American political party might be in the forefront of re-establishing human torture as an acceptable tool for a civilized country.

The world had made significant progress toward an acceptable statement against human torture and was well on the way to taking a stand against animal torture.

One would be ill-advised to put a misbehaving  dog through water boarding on the streets of America.

The World Court, the Geneva Conventions and to some extent, I suppose, even the United Nations ought to be keeping a close eye on the world and human torture.

If human torture is a “NO BRAINER”, then perhaps that is the condition needed for water torture to be acceptable as  a civilized tool of civilized countries. If the brains of America’s leadership can’t do it right, the leadership should be called to task before that leadership wrecks structures that took many years to build.

Why would America’s leadership jail hundreds of people with no idea of how that will play out in an American system of justice? Why would a rational leadership bring hundreds of people into an American system of justice while only satisfying their own “personal” conditions for confinement.

The neocons dug a deep hole for America.

Perhaps this deep hole, dug by the neocons,  may provide an obstacle to President Obama’s attempt to bring America back to its sensible days.

At least one neocon is hoping for Obama’s  failure.

Guantanamo, the solution, turned into Guantanamo the problem. A smart 5th grader would likely have advised against the Guantanamo solution.

The neocons had a real problem trying to hand Guantanamo off to the next level in the U.S. government – prosecutors. What satisfied the minds of the neocons was, apparently, scary to American prosecutors. The prosecutors declined hundreds of the Bush team’s cases – due to LACK OF EVIDENCE.

Having some 400 human beings in a state of incarcerated limbo magnified the problem that the neocons thought was a solution. All 400 or so human beings may well have been terrorists. But somehow the idea of proving the accusation of  terrorism in a court of law must have failed to make an impression on the extreme right wing of the Republican party.

The neocons had painted themselves into a corner. Now the neocons “needed for the candidate terrorists to talk”.  And water-boarding seemed like the tool of choice to make them talk.

Technorati Tags: human torture,american political party,animal torture,world court,geneva conventions,united nations,no brainer,incarcerated limbo,right wing political party

Perhaps the ‘Neocons’ Have Met the Enemy…

Perhaps the neocons met the enemy when:

Creative means were developed to finance the Iran-Contra affair.

Creative means were developed to start the Iraq war.

Outer space was claimed for America

Voodoo economics was applied in earnest

Valerie Plame’s CIA identity was revealed

Global warming was down-played

The medieval torture method of water-boarding was put to use

America’s Great Recession was held IN-DENIAL for a year

Neocons claimed the Republican mantle for their own

Iraq war protestors were labeled “fascist sympathizers”

The chickens have finally come home to roost. The neocons’ day in the sun is over. Do they accept responsibility for the wrecking of America? No! It might be easier to teach a bear to fly than to get neocons to accept responsibility for any of their “creations”.

* Check Colin Powell’s Republican credentials

* Check What Nancy Pelosi “HEARD” about neocons’ water-boarding

* And after that you might want to recheck those “less qualified minorities”

Perhaps the neocons have met the enemy … but what comes after the word “enemy”?

Technorati Tags: neocons,met the enemy,iran-contra affair,iraq war,voodoo economics,cia,valerie plame,global warming,water-boarding,great recession,republican mantle,fascist sympathizers,colin powell,nancy pelosi,less qualified minorities

Mr. Cheney Can Go Home Now – “please”

Apparently “water-boarding” has been a hard sell to the Americans and indeed the world. But that does not keep America’s ex-Vice President from continuing to try the hard sell even after leaving office.

Why couldn’t Mr. Cheney, as a private citizen, just start his own blog? Having continued access to the “TELL AMERICA” press makes it look like he retains his status as Vice President. He is no longer America’s Vice President. He is free to go home now. America opted for a different administration. If he wants to do personal blogging – let him.

Is it possible that Mr. Cheney’s idea that water-boarding is a NO BRAINER – impacts others the same way? Are there followers of his leadership example? Sure there are. Leaders have followers.  Even Adolph Hitler had followers.

But the “Bell Curve canopy” has likely moved Mr. Cheney and his water-boarding idea away from its “high canopy” to the low part of its canopy on its extreme right side. A very SELECT group of Republicans(neocons) are entrenched on the far right side.

And Mr. Cheney is likely correct when his comments resolve to: “ Colin Powell is not with him on the Republican’s EXTREME RIGHT SIDE”. It is doubtful that even the “father” of Reagan’s 1980 neo-conservatism would want to “STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER” with the latter-day neocons. Perhaps William Buckley is not a Republican?

There are a “ton” of past Republicans who were Republicans without the need to have their  “credentials” certified by other Republicans in the mix. But the neocons have been very, very different from any and all of America’s recent managers.

A quick glance at the GDP  graph shows how different the neocons were. The neocons’ performance on the economy  differs from EVERYBODY else. They are – in a class by themselves.

Is this similar to something someone might say or said in the past?

If nominated I will not run

If elected I will not serve

If defeated I will not leave

Technorati Tags: cheney,go home now,water-boarding,tell america,blogging,leaders,bell curve,neocons,gdp graph

Intel experts: Dick Cheney was wrong about Bush administration moves

By Jonathan S. Landay And Warren P. Strobel / McClatchy Newspapers

May 24, 2009

WASHINGTON – Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s high-profile speech Thursday defending the Bush administration’s policies for interrogating suspected terrorists contained omissions, exaggerations and misstatements, according to intelligence officals and the historical record, including:

Cheney said waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques produced information that “prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people.” He also quoted Director of National Intelligence Adm. Dennis Blair as saying the information gave U.S. officials a “deeper understanding of the al-Qaeda organization.

In his statement April 21, however, Blair said “these techniques hurt our image around the world, the damage they have done to our interests far outweighed whatever benefit they gave us and they are not essential to our national security.” A 2004 CIA inspector general’s investigation found no conclusive proof that the information helped thwart any “specific imminent attacks,” according to one of four secret Bush-era memos released last month. And FBI Director Robert Muller said in December that he didn’t think that the techniques disrupted any attacks.

Cheney said his administration “moved decisively against the terrorists in their hideouts and their sanctuaries, and committed to using every asset to take down their networks.” In fact, the Bush administration began diverting U.S. forces, intelligence assets, time and money to planning an invasion of Iraq before it finished the war in Afghanistan, leaving Osama bin Laden and his chief lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, at large nearly eight years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

There are now 49,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan fighting to contain the bloodiest surge in Taliban violence since 2001, and extremists have launched a concerted attack on nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Cheney accused Obama of “the selective release” of documents on Bush administration detainee policies, charging Obama withheld records that Cheney claimed prove information gained from the harsh interrogation methods prevented terrorist attacks.

In fact, the decision to withhold the documents was announced by the CIA, which said it was obliged to do so by a 2003 executive order issued by former President George W. Bush prohibiting release of materials that are subject of lawsuits.

Cheney said only “ruthless enemies of this country” were detained by U.S. operatives overseas and taken to secret U.S. prisons.

A 2008 McClatchy investigation, however, found that the vast majority of Guantanamo detainees captured in 2001 and 2002 in Afghanistan and Pakistan were innocent citizens or low-level fighters of little intelligence value who were turned over to American officials for money or because of personal or political rivalries.

Cheney denied there was any link between the Bush administration’s interrogation policies and the abuse of detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib jail, which he blamed on “a few sadistic guards.” But a bipartisan Senate Armed Services report in December traced the abuses at Abu Ghraib to approval of the techniques by senior Bush officials, including former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. …

News story can be read at this link

Technorati Tags: dick cheney,speech,waterboarding,terrorists,historical record,dennis blair,hurt our interest,cia,fbi director

Is It Analysis OR Is It Opinion?

An Associated Press news story defined an article as analysis that could easily pass as opinion – in my opinion. The title and link to the news story is:

“Analysis: Obama debating Cheney is a plus for GOP”.

That debating event would certainly give the GOP additional news exposure and that could indeed be considered a plus. Such exposure however, is not likely to shed new light on the Republican’s approach to managing their Guantanamo fiasco.

The story’s author, Walter R. Mears,  continued his news story by saying:

“In political debate, the side that keeps its arguments simple and repeats them again and again is likely to gain the advantage”.  “It is an easier sale, especially when the topic is as scary as terrorism”.

The neocons have certainly taken advantage of the “scare” tactic. Fear seemed to be a driving force of the neocons’ persuasion techniques. It is mind-boggling to compare Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s message to America with the neocons’ message to America.

When a hostile country’s military was headed toward America, FDR told America:

You have nothing to fear but fear itself.

While the neocons could best be described as telling America something like this:

Be Afraid!! – Be Very Afraid!!!!

The scare tactic was, at times, a prelude to asking for “MO” money to fight WORLD terrorists from their bogged down positions in Iraq.

And the author’s comment:

“In political debate, the side that keeps its arguments simple and repeats them again and again is likely to gain the advantage”.

seems to ignore the political atmosphere in which the neocons were working.

The neocons started a war based upon WMDs in Iraq. And “nobody didn’t know” where the WMDs were in 2003 and “nobody still don’t know today” where the WMDs are. But, the Iraq war went on.

And to “kick dirt” in the face of those who gave their money and the lives of their children – the HIGH RANKING Republican politicians never gave America an explanation for the CAUSE of the Iraq war. They delegated down – and that performance was typical neocon quality.

So, America was left to figure out why it went to war with Iraq.

…

On the neocons watch, the wife of an ex-ambassador to Niger, Valerie Plame, seemingly inherited the “sins of her husband” who returned from Niger with yellowcake information that did not enhance a war effort against Iraq. Valerie Plame, CIA operative, was outed. This is another mystery that happened on the watch of the latter-day neocons. At this time, foreign agents – hostile to America, are not believed to have participated in the identity exposure of a CIA operative. Ain’t that strange?

The neocons spied, illegally, on Americans.

And perhaps ignoring “political settings” of this latter-day neocon administration the author said:

“In political debate, the side that keeps its arguments simple and repeats them again and again is likely to gain the advantage”.

If America forgets the latter-day neocons’ history and allows the worst presidential leadership in recent American memory to get a “pass”, then America will likely be wounded. America may have exceeded its elasticity limit.  The next extreme right wing administration could possibly “shoot the moon” with their behavior while the president of that administration acts as KING.

…

What is the definition of analysis?

Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle, though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis

What is the definition of opinion?

An opinion is a belief that may or may not be backed up with evidence, but which cannot be proved with that evidence. An opinion is neither right nor wrong. It is normally a subjective statement and may be the result of an emotion or an interpretation of facts; people may draw opposing opinions from the same facts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion

One might need to be an evangelist for the neoncon cause  to treat the latter-day neocons’ administration as typical Americana. The neocons are in a class  by themselves. Their administration was anything but typical. And news articles that suggest the extreme right wing of the Republican part is typical ought to be read with the “critical reading” latch turned on.

Technorati Tags: obama,cheney,gop,scare tactics,neocons,analysis,opinion