Howdy there Missy.

Did you see that the GAO just came out and confirmed that the government may prioritize debt payment over current government spending.

Very importnat stuff, right Missy? So you think the dems will stop with their silly argument that if the debt ceiling is not raised, the world will end?

Yeah, me either. They are such a silly bunch.

Boy Howdy.

Missy..........shhh...

Y' gonna stir up the righties again, and then the posts will all go to hell quickle! Hide and watch!

Gosh, and here I was thinking you were better than that. No doubt Missy can't poosibly formulate a response, but et, tu DBO?

But don't you worry DBO, I'm thinking this topic just might come up one or twice in the coming days.

Good times my man, good times.

....you mean you guys actually remember what you say to each other day-to-day? o_o

The debt ceiling will be raised. If not, you can say good buy to the GOP. They want even be elected to dog catcher.

Job1. No matter what happens, the republicans have an uphill climb with Ryan's budget hanging around their neck.

Hi Pat,

So True.

"No doubt Missy can't poosibly formulate a response"

I didn't know that. Suppose you tell us what you know about Missy, and how well she can or cannot formulate a response? You know her? You two go to different junior-highs together??

Now now Spritzer. I've told you before that I cannot hang on every click of your keyboard awaiting your unanticipated yet predictable barrage of questioning responses.

I can't formulate an answer? How antiseptic and somehow disturbingly manipulative to "formulate" answers. That would indicate overthinking to me but knock yourself out. Nice insertion of a bit of Latin there too, to brandish those educational creds you like to wave in our face here. We all be edumacated here, Shrank! You don't have to talk down such a sharp incline to make your point.

As for the debt ceiling. It's a loser for everyone if they don't raise it (ALA BUSH AND COMPANY numerous times to pay for unfunded mandates and off the book wars). In the end, IF the GOP/TP forces it NOT to be raised even you, Springer, will know what it means to live in a nation without a GOP/TP because it will sink them like the cinderblocks around Jimmy Hoffa's feet.

How's that for formulatin'! YOU BETCHA!

Why as a matter of fact - Obama was right back in '07. He said it would be irresponsible to raise it. and now the GAO says there is no need to raise it - no problem paying off the existing debt with existing revenue. No default if it is not raised.

That's great news right gang?

So I ask you my dear Missy [and the Latin was simply a quote from an English play] since we don't have to raise the debt ceiling, why would we even consider it?

And man, how wrong are all the people that assert that it would cause an automatic default? Pretty wrong, right Missy? Right DBO?

Job1 why exactly will a failure to raise it lead to the end of the GOP? Beside we all know the GOP ceased to exist in 1/09 - 40 years of democrat rule and all. I love James Carville, he's really funny.

Again, good times these are. :)

Whatever you say, Spankie. Now, about what all you know about Missy......YOU said it, now YOU defend it.

He knows Nada DBO. His MO never changes. The Call-Out-Kid is like the boy who cried wolf; in the end NO one pay him much mind, 'cept to get a giggle in now and then. BUT if he knew me, he'd like me. LOTS! Right Sprinkler?

I only know what I get here at First read. Missy is a lot like Feisty - all bark and no bite.

But hey, maybe someday she will actually say something substantive. You just never know.

And that'd be a whole bunch Missy.

I am sure Missy appreciates the complement.

He's an AMERICAN who puts AMERICA first. A keeper by anyone's standard. If he is good enough for OBAMA he is good enough for me.

Judge Joe:

But, he was appointed by GWB. How in God's name can he be any good!!!!!!!

Excuse me for interrupting your whine, your honor, but maybe it's because Democrats aren't the total partisan hacks that Republicans usually are, and we're willing to acknowledge it when people do a good job.

That doesn't seem to be a concept you're terribly familiar with.

But it's also why maybe you should try listening to us when we say that someone ISN'T doing a good job, like ... say ... Donald Rumsfeld. Or John Boehner. Or Paul Ryan.

That would require using logic AM and we know that skill set is just not there with the GOP/TP. They don't do well with conceptualization either. Always interpreting, reinterpreting and misinterpreting to the point of propagandizing the issue, ANY issue, at hand.

And what about that Powell guy?

AM, You say he did a good job and I agree. But this is the same man all of you libbies accused of dropping the ball on Bin laden when working under Bush. So did he do a good job or did he drop the ball? Or did the "he dropped the ball" talking point from last week change to doing a good job this week because Obama said so?

I feel for Powell because he was duped into the weapons of mass destruction claim. Talk about somebody being thrown under the Bus.

So he went from the back of the bus to being run over by the bus.

That was no bus - it was a space station.

But this is the same man all of you libbies accused of dropping the ball on Bin laden when working under Bush. So did he do a good job or did he drop the ball?

I didn't say that. I don't think international terrorists fall specifically under the FBI's jurisdiction.

If you're talking about George Tenet at the CIA, the man who sold out Iraq for a Medal of Freedom, then yes, he dropped the ball.

They say it's a combination of factors -- no real standout choice for successor and a desire to avoid a partisan battle over his successor with an election looming.

________________________________________

AM: Talk about being damned by faint praise.

And it sure does seem like being driven by a desire to not interrurt the Barry's election campaign IS partisan hackery.

I don't think international terrorists fall specifically under the FBI's jurisdiction.

_______________________________________

From the FBI website FAQs:

What are the primary investigative functions of the FBI?

The FBI's investigative authority is the broadest of all federal law enforcement agencies. The FBI has divided its investigations into a number of programs, such as domestic and international terrorism,

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/faqs

The MOAR you know~

AM, Didn't mean to imply you said it. But Obama did say he turned the FBI into the pre-eminent couterterrorism agency. This on the heals of all the libbies saying Bush dropped the ball on Bin laden. Now how did Bush drop the ball on Bin Laden when Obama says he turned the FBI into the pre-eminent counterterroism agency under Bush's direction. The only change from last week to this week is Obama's blessing.

Joe:

The FBI's investigative authority is the broadest of all federal law enforcement agencies. The FBI has divided its investigations into a number of programs, such as domestic and international terrorism

Okay, then what's your point? Are you saying that the FBI international terrorism unit didn't do its job, and what's your evidence for that? I've never heard any, and I can't believe that's YOUR position. I do know that Tenet himself created the Osama bin Laden unit at the CIA, but he didn't find bin Laden, either, notwithstanding that he had supposedly been trying to do just that since the 1990's.

But I've never specifically criticized Tenet for that specific thing. It was George W. Bush that shut that bin Laden unit down at the end of 2005 because he said bin Laden had been marginalized and was no longer a priority. I only blame Tenet for allowing Bush to get away with starting the Iraq war. By the way, I also blame Colin Powell for that, and for that alone, I believe Powell is not qualified to be President.

And, by the way, I blame all the democrats in Congress who voted for it, and voted to fund it, which is the principal reason I didn't support Hillary Clinton in 2008.

Rocco:

This on the heals of all the libbies saying Bush dropped the ball on Bin laden. Now how did Bush drop the ball on Bin Laden when Obama says he turned the FBI into the pre-eminent counterterroism agency under Bush's direction. The only change from last week to this week is Obama's blessing.

Sigh. Read my post above, and I've said this before. Bush dropped the ball both before and after September 11. He dropped it before September 11 by not heeding the specific warning given to him by both Bill Clinton and Richard Clarke that he needed to concentrate on bin Laden. Instead, he decided to concentrate on re-kindling the cold war, claiming he didn't "swat at flies." Flies with great big aero-planes, as it turned out.

Bush dropped the ball after September 11 by invading Iraq, by letting bin Laden go at Tora Bora, and in 2005, shutting down the CIA's bin Laden unit because, as he explained it, bin Laden had been marginalized and was no longer an Al Qaeda leader. Where he got that info is hard to say, but it clearly turned out not to be true. For the remainder of his term, he didn't even maintain the appearance of trying to find bin Laden. He either dropped the ball by trusting Musharraf in Pakistan, or by ignoring the information that Musharraf claims in his book that he knew an important Al Qaeda official was living in a safe-house in Abbottabad.

Need I go on?

AM: Talk about being damned by faint praise.

And it sure does seem like being driven by a desire to not interrurt the Barry's election campaign IS partisan hackery.

LoL That's a matter of interpretation, your honor. One person's desire not to politicize something can also be interpreted by another person as partisan political hackery.

And vice versa.

All governance is, by that definition, politcal hackery. But certainly this is no worse than Congress thanking George W. Bush for his role in finding bin Laden while ignoring the Navy Seals.

Well done, Republicans. Well done, indeed.

p.s. As for damning with faith praise, that was my first reaction, too. ;-)

AM, This from the New York Times in 2006. I don't see anywhere where they refer to the comments you accuse Bush of making that Bin Laden had been marginalized. The New York Times reported this and we know that the New York Times is never wrong.

"Agency officials said that tracking Mr. bin Laden and his deputies remained a high priority, and that the decision to disband the unit was not a sign that the effort had slackened. Instead, the officials said, it reflects a belief that the agency can better deal with high-level threats by focusing on regional trends rather than on specific organizations or individuals.

"The efforts to find Osama bin Laden are as strong as ever," said Jennifer Millerwise Dyck, a C.I.A. spokeswoman. "This is an agile agency, and the decision was made to ensure greater reach and focus."

Salt Grass:

So he went from the back of the bus to being run over by the bus.

Indeed, but he suspected it was wrong at the time, so by inference he also knew he was being used as the dupe. He had a choice to fall on his sword and refuse to go along, just like Admiral Fallon later refused to go along with Bush's plan to invade Iran, told him so, went public, and got fired, which no one remembers anymore. This is the best article about that:

http://www.esquire.com/features/fox-fallon

By going along, Powell kept his job but became complicit; meanwhile Fallon may have lost his job, but Bush never invaded Iran.

@ Rocco -- I've seen that article myself, and I know it's from early in 2006, when Bush had just closed down the unit and was trying to explain it. Later in 2006, when questioned about the seeming lack of concentration on finding bin Laden, Bush made the famous remarks about how bin Laden had been marginalized, and how he no longer had a leadership role in Al Qaeda.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PGmnz5Ow-o

Now, this gives you two further choices. Either Bush was lying, or Bush was clueless. Because those things were categorically false, as recent events have proven. And I'm guessing clueless because for all their alleged continued looking, Bush never found bin Laden. He never found him notwithstanding that boots were on the ground in Abbottabad in 2008 a few blocks from bin Laden and apparently never noticed that million-dollar villa, eight times the size of the average dwelling. He never found him notwithstanding that former Pakistani President Musharraf has said they knew that an important Al Qaeda official was living in a safehouse in Abbottabad.

If you want me to say that Mueller failed, as well as Tenant, and that Obama is wrong to keep Mueller where he is, then okay, maybe, just like I think Obama is wrong to send General Petraeus to the DoD. I already agreed with Joe that President Obama's praise for Mueller was lukewarm, at best.

But then, either way, it doesn't reflect especially well on George W. Bush, either, does it?

In a major victory for the White House, the Senate early Friday voted 77-23 to authorize President Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction as required by U.N. resolutions.

Hours earlier, the House approved an identical resolution, 296-133.

The president praised the congressional action, declaring "America speaks with one voice."

"The Congress has spoken clearly to the international community and the United Nations Security Council," Bush said in a statement. "Saddam Hussein and his outlaw regime pose a grave threat to the region, the world and the United States. Inaction is not an option, disarmament is a must."

All duped?

Okay, then what's your point? .............................

_____________________________________

Calm down, AM. My point was very simple: I was correcting your statement:

I don't think international terrorists fall specifically under the FBI's jurisdiction.

Remember, one of a judge's prime responsibilities is to make sure lawyers have their facts straight. Remember that famous Joe Friday line "Just the facts, ma'am."

BTW, keeping myself honest, Joe Friday never actually said that on Dragnet. It's all an urban myth.

AM, It has been quite amusing watching you try to defend liberal hypocrisy. Bottom line, the libbies last week were all about Bush dropping the ball and this week, Obama reappoints Bush's Bin Laden ball dropper. Because of the reappointmant of Bush's Bin Laden ball dropper, Obama is praised for his leadership. On a positive note, my local grocery just started selling Racine Kringles. YUM :)

Feisty, How could you have been collapsed for your last post? don't always agree but I would like to actually read what other people have to say.

Feisty, How could you have been collapsed for your last post?

Seems it's acceptable to call me a 'nasty' redhead but, I'm not allowed to return the favor to the idiot from Albany!

Thanks for the shout out! Are you back from MX? Is so, where's my pool boy? lol

Feisty, Yes I'm back from Mexico returned to N.J. yesterday. Your pool boy says you have to come down and get him in person. He's a very spoiled pool boy.

Rocco:

AM, It has been quite amusing watching you try to defend liberal hypocrisy.

To be honest, I'm not. If Mueller messed up, then Mueller should not be retained. I say the same thing about Tim Geithner all the time. I'm still waiting for the evidence of Mueller messing up, by the way. I do think the point is still valid that democrats can and do give republicans credit when credit is due, but most republicans -- not all, of course -- do not give democrats any credit for anything.

Joe:

Calm down, AM. My point was very simple: I was correcting your statement:

Actually, I wasn't upset, Joe. It was my bemused "what's your point?" I really didn't know, but I did appreciate the correction. That still doesn't tell me whether Mueller should or should not be retained, however, and so far no one has enlightened me on that.

And I didn't know that about Joe Friday, either. Thanks for the clarification. ;-)

Whew, I'm glad to know there are no PARTISAN HACKS in the Democrat party.

To be a receptacle of that inspirational message just gives a person a tingle up thier leg..........shake, shake, shake.

Now that is GRAVITAS...............isn't that the Liberals favorite word?

Yes Anna, thank God there are no partisan hacks in the democratic party. All of them are clean as a whistle.

Read again, carefully this time. I never said that. But methinks I do hear another partisan hack talking.

FYI -- as people out here will surely tell you, I've done my own share of criticizing President Obama and democratic members of Congress, just to name a few. So you're barking up the wrong tree there.

And thanks, ITM, for providing that little bit of crude, misogynist levity that I always expect from you. You never disappoint.

As for gravitas being liberals' favorite word, once again another partisan hack speaking in stereotypes.

Thanks to both of you for making my point for me.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Oh Anna. Accusing me of being a partisan hack when you know nothing about me. Tsk, tsk.

Just for the record, I voted for Obama, more because I couldn't stand McCain, and I blame BOTH parties for the state of the union. How about you? Any dems you blame, or just the repubs?

I know you said there were dems to blame, but you don't seem to include them in your posts lately.

Anna:

Just to piggyback on Kirby......I didn't vote for McCain, I can't stand him nor his daughter, but I ddin't vote for Obama either. I just skipped that block.

BOTH parties are to blame for EVERYTHNG that is wrong in the government. They all work behind closed doors to cover each other's pet projects. In public they ridicule each other but behind the curtain they all laugh at the American people.

@ Kirby -- Seriously?! I've blamed President Obama for many things, but admittedly not much lately, since he seems to have relocated his spine. I have never been a fan of either Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid, and have regularly said so. I think Tim Kaine did a mediocre job at the DNC, and there are many others that I've criticized over the years, if you've really been reading out here. The Blue Dog democrats certainly come to mind. My criticism is usually that they are not true to democratic principles or they haven't behaved with the integrity I personally expect from politicians, but very rarely see. Like John Edwards, whom I initially supported, but now wouldn't support in an election for dog catcher. Even dogs behave better than he did.

Now, if you think it's important that I know something about you, then it's your turn. What republicans have YOU criticized or are you willing to criticize? And be specific, please.

@ITM -- that's nothing but a cop-out answer that may allow you to take potshots, but doesn't require you to analyze issues or actually take a position on anything. While I tend to agree with you, it doesn't answer the immediate question. By the way, I don't like John McCain, either, but Megan McCain is about the best thing going in Republican politics right now, at least among "pundits."

Anna:

Megan McCain is one of the best things going to you Liberals only because she is constantly dissing Conservatives. She is more Liberal than Conservative. You guys LOVE any Republican that will criticize and ridicule the party they claim to belong to. All she is accomplishing is giving fodder to Liberals as to they can say "Even Republicans don't like Republicans". This is the very reason she hangs out on MSNBC and Bill Maher.

Okay Anna, fair is fair. What repubs have I criticized? First and foremaost John McCain. I lived in AZ for 20 plus years and he represents a lot of what is wrong with congress. Can't stand him.

The list is close to endless, but McConnell is bad, a true political hack, GWB was a poor prez, and of course Ensign for his lack of ethics. I have little respect for any of them.

Just as a matter of fact, with all the problems we face in this country, I can't think of anyone from either party who puts the USA in front of party and power.

Anyway, point taken.

Kirby ~ Thank you. Point given. I might have said Russ Feingold for the last point, but he's no longer in any official position. Bernie Sanders also comes to mind, and Dennis Kucinich. They are both all about conscience, even when it is unpopular, as conscience so often is these days.

ITM ~ exactly what I would expect from you because you're not really "in the middle," as you like to claim. In fact, that's the patented Rush Limbaugh response whenever someone from the right breaks ranks -- label them a traitor and destroy them personally rather than ever admitting the possibility that they may be making a legitimate point. It happened with Richard Clarke, Colin Powell, one or two of Bush's former press secretaries, most notably Scott McClellan, and several others who have dared to disagree with the Bush/Cheney/Limbaugh mantra. John McCain, having been conditioned by Bush/Rove in 2000, may have sold his soul to that devil, but surprisingly, at least to you maybe, not everyone does.

In the spirit of family togetherness, DBO, I hate you and want you to die. 8D

DBO -

You don't mind if we have an election before giving Obama another 4 years do you?

As long as the repubs have 1/2 of the legislative branch no one will get to do everything they want to. And that suits me just fine.

ed3891,

Spoken just like a true Republican-Tea Bagger. Oh yes, and President Obama wins again in 2012.

Kirby. Yes we should have an election, but at this point it will be just a formality.

See, now- ain't this fun?

Keep smillin', libbies. Drives the whack-o crowd scatter-boo!

DBO. Is scatter-boo a southern term?

Patrick -

Somewhat partisan? Please.

And right now I would have to agree that Obama would win against any of the current repubs. But if the economy isn't better than it is now, he will have a rough time.

@Job1:

Are you kidding? Seriously?!! How on EARTH could you have taken my comment as anything other than a joke referencing DBO's quip about being made fun of?

Are emoticons NOT enough? Do I need to add an actual disclaimer pointing out WHEN I'm joking and WHEN I'm not, or is a custom info-graphic the only solution here? XD

Patrick- It took me a minute, but when the light finally went on, I could see the laughter quite nicely!

(actually, though, I saw Dennis the Menace use the term while describing Mr Wilson in a comic book a long, long, long time ago)

Parsing the microfiche, I see.

If you are referring to me, I lived in the middle of Texas at one time and I have never said I was in the middle of politics.

Just shows your rookie status in here......

ITM. Sorry,but the world does not revolve around you. I was referring to an "Independent" I had a heated discussion with some days ago in this venue, and others who pretend to be independent. Get over your self.

ITM. Sorry,but the world does not revolve around you

LMAO!

@ITM - They refer to people like you, narcissists with good reason!

I lived in AZ in 2000 Ira and that was also the year he said that without illegal aliens to pick the crops, lettuce would be $50 a head. He has never been anything but an egoist and power grabber.

Fewer illegals coming, more being sent back, under this administration.

kirby in idaho

His conduct over the last half dozen years or so has done nothing except reinforce your comments, This, however, is almost a complete break with the GOP.

Ira -

McCain is nothing more than a power hungry hack (see posts above) who all of the sudden became more conservative to get re elected last year and has now gone back to being whatever he really is. I have no respect for him

Even Harry Reid didn't change his stripes to get re elected. Although he probably would have if he hadn't been running against a nut bag.

s1wdetroit..

to replace him, just might lead to a new FBI investigation of 911 and obama would not want that on his watch

..........................................................

Why not? Why would another independant investigation of 911 bother Obama. According to the conspiracy theorists I've read here, it's Bush and Cheney that would be at risk.

Wait...you saying he wouldn't want it cause he's a Muslim?

he is a supporter of the same agenda NWO, a pretender that bin laden actually had something to do with 911, what a joke both the democrats and Republican controlled by the same people, a few rich nuts

Hey Rodney...

How many of Obama's nominations are still pending congressional approval over 2 years into his presidency. Held up by the GOP...not even a hearing.

Why would he want to replace the FBI Director. Doing a great job. If it's not broke, don't fix it.

And what was his excuse when the Dems controlled both houses?

Ira, Quit with the childish blame game that you Democrats always engage in! For the first two years of Obamas presidency, he had supermajorities in the House and Senate. The Republicans couldn't stop anything unless there were a bunch of Democrats who felt the same way - that's called bipartianship. And, in Obamas case, the primary place that you see any bipartianship is in OPPOSITION to anything Obama is doing. The reason to replace the FBI director is this little thing called "the law'. I know that you Democrats like to ignore it when it suits your purpose. Hell, if Barry gets his way with this, he will demand a second term after he loses the 2012 election. He's just testing the waters.