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By Open Thread
11/07/2005 01:57:55 PM EST

Regarding the investigation into the handling of pre-war intelligence, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-KA) said they "interviewed over 250 analysts and we specifically asked them: 'Was there any political manipulation or pressure?' Answer: 'No!'".

Well, that's it. Case Closed. Right?

Consider this an open thread. The very first here at the Cortex (sniff!) Make it good;)


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< Seven Deadly Sins of a Right-Wing Moralizer | Hope Revisited >
 Display:
Open Thread | 24 comments (24 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Wow! (none / 0)
Finally the first one on an open thread!!

Woo hoo!

by Open Thread on 11/07/2005 02:06:31 PM EST

Okay, Serious now (none / 0)
...the questions these bozos should be asking are not, "Was there any political manipulation or pressure?" but rather (as a DU poster noted):

  • Was there any political manipulation or pressure?

  • Did they IGNORE or DOWNPLAY data contrary to their case (that Iraq had WMDs)?

  • Did they INVENT or CONCOCT "data" of their own to support their case?

And the answers to these questions are gaining more clarity each day!

by Open Thread on 11/07/2005 02:10:06 PM EST

the right question (none / 1)
They know what the question means. They're just trying to find a way not to answer it. And how outraged were these bastards when Clinton said, "it depends on what the definition of IS is."

Like Bush saying, "we don't torture." Depends on what the meaning of 'torture' is.

Ohhh, it makes me so angry. I'm going to start ranting if I don't post this.

by astraea on 11/07/2005 02:39:44 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Aha! So that's their strategy. (none / 0)
Drive the opposition insane with rage.

clever.

Political Cortex -- Brain Food for the Body Politic

by Tom Ball on 11/07/2005 02:57:18 PM EST

[ Parent ]
5 more US soldiers accused of abuse (none / 1)
According to new post from BBC, the US military has said

The [unnamed] soldiers are accused of punching and kicking detainees who were awaiting transfer to prison on 7 September.

We don't "torture," we just "interrogate," "punch," and "kick" people. And we "spray people with white phosphorous and napalm." But we don't torture people. There are some lines we will not cross, to badly paraphrase the Big Lebowski.

by astraea on 11/07/2005 03:55:31 PM EST

I know that (none / 0)
most wingers (and perhaps even I) don't beleive that if we set a humane standard, then other nations will follow.

But is that the issue? Hardly.

So the question to be answered is this, "Why should the US treat foreign prisoners humanely? We certainly have no confidnece they will be humane to us in the same situation."

Not saying I agree with that -- just posing the question.

Political Cortex -- Brain Food for the Body Politic

by Tom Ball on 11/07/2005 04:20:00 PM EST

[ Parent ]
The right thing to do (none / 1)
It might be quite nice to have some winger make an argument like that, "they'd never treat us humanely," just for the chance to say, "it's just the right thing to do, regardless of how they treat us."

Wingers tend to like moralizing when it helps their cause. I'd like to see one try to argue that we shouldn't do what is morally right.

No. Cancel that. They might try to argue that we should do the immoral thing, and then I'd start sputtering with anger.

by astraea on 11/07/2005 04:33:33 PM EST

[ Parent ]
On the matter of same-sex marriage (none / 1)
Just for fun and to help the first Cortex Open Thread thrives.

Posted this as a comment someplace over at Kos, thought it might entertain people here too.

Those who are against gay marriage often say it's about protecting the family. This unit of father and mother and children they say is the basis of human civilization. But in some cultures, marriage was primarily about legitimacy of children. In ancient Athens, Demosthenes said in a court speech (59.122).

"We have courtesans for pleasure, concubines to take care of our day-to-day bodily needs, and wives to bear us legitimate children and to be the loyal guardians of our households."

It might be a wildly overblown thing to say (I make not promise that this is a coherent argument), but is that we want marriage to be about? Legitimate children? We're beyond that. Lots of straight people marry who can't have kids because of age or infertility. Many get married who don't WANT kids. No one questions that (expect perhaps the parents of the non-parents who really want grandkids). These days marriage is about two people who love each other. It has expanded quite happily from the legitimate children business to what it is now. High time for it to expand further.

I'd be interested in making this a more coherent argument, so point out all the uncoherentness you find.

by astraea on 11/07/2005 04:10:02 PM EST

IMO, any monogamous, (none / 0)
loving life-time commitment can only be beneficial to the concept of "Family" -- unless that concept is defined by child bearing.

As for the ancient Greek thing, Repugs familiar with what you described largely dismiss the civilization as the seedling of eternal debauchery.

Just saying.

Political Cortex -- Brain Food for the Body Politic

by Tom Ball on 11/07/2005 04:26:48 PM EST

[ Parent ]
5s for you (none / 0)
for helping to make the first OT a success:)

Political Cortex -- Brain Food for the Body Politic

by Tom Ball on 11/07/2005 04:28:51 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Well, hell (none / 0)
To heck with tax breaks...I definitely want gay marriage to be approved if I can get me some courtesans and concubines out of the deal.  

by PatsBard on 11/07/2005 05:04:10 PM EST

[ Parent ]
What's an open thread... (none / 0)
Without blogwhoring?

http://www.politicalcortex. com/story/2005/11/7/15433/9 975

hehehehehehehe

The Albany Project. The best damned blog about New York State politics.

by NYBri on 11/07/2005 04:44:05 PM EST

ON another note... (none / 0)
...is it me, or does everyone feel a bit exhausted?  We've been on a sprint since Cindy Sheehan and the post indictment have left me drained a bit.

I know we are just beginning to do the work of exposing the lies and corruption, but I'm feeling a bit drained....

THoughts?

The Albany Project. The best damned blog about New York State politics.

by NYBri on 11/07/2005 04:46:09 PM EST

yep (none / 0)
i need a new body. and a new brian.

My blog is pretty.

by Georgia10 on 11/07/2005 05:52:35 PM EST

[ Parent ]
lol (none / 0)

damn typos.

I need a new brain.   

see??  SEE?? 

My blog is pretty.

by Georgia10 on 11/07/2005 05:53:22 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I... (none / 0)
...am the one who needs a new Brian.

The Albany Project. The best damned blog about New York State politics.

by NYBri on 11/07/2005 06:09:13 PM EST

[ Parent ]
New def for torture (none / 0)
Apparently we've been going at this torture nonsense with the wrong definition! On CNN's Situation Room, the definition came out as when injuries are sustained as to cause death, or when the injuries cause major organs to fail leading to death. Well, gosh! BushCo is in the clear as long as no one actually dies!!

Who knew?

by PatsBard on 11/07/2005 05:00:49 PM EST

er.... (none / 0)
...i think they have died...?

The Albany Project. The best damned blog about New York State politics.

by NYBri on 11/07/2005 05:37:22 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Shhh.... (none / 0)
That was an unfortunate complication due to the horrendous conditions (which we are striving to improve through God's War). The deaths weren't caused by our interrogation techniques...they were caused by infections and such-like. No torture here, nosirree bob.

by PatsBard on 11/07/2005 05:45:31 PM EST

[ Parent ]
oh,right.... (none / 0)
...sorry....

The Albany Project. The best damned blog about New York State politics.

by NYBri on 11/07/2005 05:46:57 PM EST

[ Parent ]
"We don't torture." (none / 0)
said President McFlightsuit.

Then what's this?

The Albany Project. The best damned blog about New York State politics.

by NYBri on 11/07/2005 05:39:14 PM EST

Recently (none / 0)
I heard the argument that is was not really torture, just staged torture, so those who may follow would be intimidated.  Right.....

by dansk47 on 11/07/2005 05:46:45 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Halloween costume! (none / 0)
<panting> Sheesh, this Bush-speak is tough to come up with off the cuff. How do those guys do it day in and day out? It's exhausting!

by PatsBard on 11/07/2005 05:48:13 PM EST

[ Parent ]
The Crusades (none / 0)
a special on PBS, which is really quite good, continues tonight at 9.

Maybe BushCo should watch.

It's been painfully apparent that no one in the Administration or his circle of cronies has even had one course in Middle East history, culture, or religion.

Sad.

And so preventable, if we had a President who was more than a C- student (of anything).

Dubya, Cheney, and Rummy all walked right into the the whole "holy war" cycle of death.

Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle. FDR

by btyarbro on 11/07/2005 06:38:54 PM EST

Open Thread | 24 comments (24 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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