So- a couple good points, but I believe overstated.

Bingo

The Internet has revealed much more than the diry linen in Washingto. It has revealed the dirty linen of the people who elect those in Washington.
Maybe Washington reflects the will of the people only too well.

How is blog commenting behavior any better than the political fights in Washington?
Insults, the assignment of imagined evil motivations to those not in persoanl favor, and wild assertions to enhance the animosity is what often domiates.
.
Are these the people who will clean up Washington?

In some ways, Washington is just a handy scape goat used to avoid looking at our own behavior and asking the fatal question: am I helping civil society or helping to drag it into the mud. by letting my own hatreds fly wild into the world of the Internet?

While your comment and sentiment has merits it is also riddled with a huge flaw.

This president and this congress is not less inept or power hungry than any other president and congress in the history of the USA.

The huge difference with this president and this congress is that the internet has exposed lies, hippocracy and double talk practically before it comes out of their mouth.

In times past the good ole boy network of the All powerful press was the watchdog of the Government for the people. The problem was that to even get close enough to smell a story they had to butter up to those they were sent to spy on and report on. The news was less then glowing but it was nothing short of mundane stuff that passed the gossip rounds of DC.

The Press was at the mercy of the politicians because if you as a reporter rocked the boat your editor got a phone call, you were off and someone else was there in your place. Right Shaun?

So enter the internet. A million bloggers from the DC area, digging into everything and anything. Taking each others tidbits of information and processing it at the speed of light. Now we have an entirely new reporting process that has caught Washington DC and this PRESIDENT totally by surprise. They have been extremely slow to react to the power of the internet and a billion reporters.

That will change. I feel that for the first time in history our government will be forced to clean itself up and that will result in

GRIDLOCK beyond imagination because the people sent to do our bidding will be afraid to FART for fear it will be on UTube in 5 minutes.

The internet is the 666 the bible has been talking about for 2000 years. The all knowing, all seeing, ever aware grandmaster D. Able to track you down, to know what your thinking, to tell what your buying, to spy on you and plant listening devices on your mouthpiece to the world.

The filth and scum have always been there Stockboy, it is just now, today the internet has revealed that filth and scum in such a glaring light that we are all repulsed by the NORM that is Washington DC.

I would agree with this until the Oberfuhrer, American Taliban, Heir and Facist slimebag name calling begins….then all bets are off.

There has never been so much hatred by one group of people in all the years I have been alive on this planet. Oh and lest you call me batshit dumb……that also applies to the Far Right. If…IF the far right was here screaming their meme I would be calling them out as well on their stupidity.

Your “hatred” meme is so tiresome. I haven’t “hated” a politician since Nixon and I had gotten over that before his death.

Shaun my meme is to condemn those who are wallowing in the hate pool. That is a meme someone needs to play. I get so excited of late when I see Doma trying to emerge from her far left stances to strike a moderate approach. She gives me hope.

The days of principles were pronounced dead in 2002.

Actually I think they were pronounced dead around 1996.

Not so for this president, who has many in his own party angry at him. I really think the reason he backed off of Iran is that the military would have gone into full revolt if ordered to attack.

Reagan knew the limitations of US force- Bush does not, but has been consistently dishonest with the American public about it.

Cronyism adds new meaning to “government-business partnerships,” the Clinton-GoreBush phrase.

Atleast the Clinton crony’s had a some competence. Please explain Brownie and the KID at NASA rewrite scientists white and technical papers. The PUNK didn’t even have a degree.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html

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.

Small government at it’s best…
Please show an example of Clenis cronyism at this pathetic level.

Small government – when it suits them and by shifitng manpower to contractors, without savings on the bottom line.

Cronyism adds new meaning to “government-business partnerships,” the Clinton-Gore phrase.

Bush could never be impeached,, because today’s Right is all about portecting thieir own, no matter what. The days of principles were pronounced dead in 2002.

Not that principles are much in style in either party, but at least the Dems always have contingents who have the guts to go agianst their own leadership when they feel it’s justified, regardless of political cost.

The Repubs don’t give a hoot about the Constituion, or the rule of law, when one of their own is in the WH. They’ll help him all they can to fence himself
off from public scrutiny.

That’s another major way the GOP has changed.
I miss the old GOP more with every day.
The new GOP only has empty slogans.
Fiscal responsibility – when it suits them and achieved it by enabling a caste system.economic stratisfication.
Samll government – when it suits them and by shifitng manpower to contractors, without savings on the bottom line.

the state of our democracy was none to strong at the end of Clinton’s term, its on life support in 2007

1. Grossly overstated, to say the least.

2. Hillary Clinton is more vicious than Nixon and more obscessed with secrecy and power than Cheney. Are you ready for the coming “change”?

Floor yielded.

Look at them now — in addition to the attack-dog routine, they are sending bad bills they know will be, and deserve to be, vetoed. How positive!

The 2002 election strategy was simple- paint the dems as weak on defence, the GOP as strong and win as many extra seats as possible.

This strategy was used successfully in 2002 and 2004, including the re-election of Bush (did that ever make the lefties seethe!). It failed in 2006.

you can hate a politician’s actions and not hate him personally

I know, K. But what’s aimed at Bush is like that which was aimed at Reagan, though worse, I believe. Many lefties hated “Ronnie Raygun” (and pathologically were against US armament, though not the USSR’s, and against our response to Soviet aggression, but not to the aggression) and they hate Bush now and have since Inauguration 2001.

Once W’s safe at Crawford clearing brush or out “refilling the coffers”, I won’t give him a second thought.

Not surprisingly, I agree, and that’s how Reagan was treated (other than a few cheap shots, which I doubt Bush will be seen as meriting). Any thoughts of him, or reactions to others’ mentioning his name, I have guessed already will be met with “frowns and yawns” (may have said it the other way earlier).

Before that, whether he will or will not endorse GOP candidates and appear with them next year, that is, whether he will be sought or avoided, remains of interest.

When I see the reacton consist of wild speculations, presented as absolutely known truth, regarding party strategies and plots to frame the President,,then or now, our chances appear to be approaching zero.
If hit with a nuclear bomb I suspect the last survivors would be playing the blame game and spiinning paranoid theories about party strategiws.

From what we actually know, stripped of imaginary embroidery, no one involved should be anything but ashamed of their roles in proposing, practising or condoning torture.
What we really need, but won’t get, is for everyone involved to come clean instead of making excuses(Pelosi) and making ‘we do not torture’ speeches (Bush).

If they were to do that, I would allow a dose of mitigaing circumstances into the mix. The whole country was a scared mob in the aftermath of 9/11 and our leaders failed to dampen the hysteria, Instead, choosing to fan the flames.

Okay. Here we are today we’ve had some years to cool off and to start thinking rationally again.
We’ve had time to consider what really is the best strategy to survive terrorism without becoming a copy of the terrorists.

Let’s find out the FACTS about the past, hold everyone responsible for their roles, and then proceed to dealing with the here and now.

By playing these imaginary politcal games where we just KNOW,what those we don’t like are thinking and plotting, we are falling right into the trap of people like AlQaeda and Iran. They understand perfectly well how social dysfnvtion can be used for their advantage and how it enlarges our disadvantages.

We;re making their work easy, by tearing each other to shreds. And we’re doing that by taking whatever we can imagine to be the truth.

I haven’t “hated” a politician since Nixon and I had gotten over that before his death.

You’re awfully ugly toward Bush on this site.

As to others’ behavior, the word “hatred” is correct.

Your “hatred” meme is so tiresome. I haven’t “hated” a politician since Nixon and I had gotten over that before his death.

Well at least its obvious the hatred for him started Before 911. What does this even have to do with the OPs story?

Secondly now the far left looney toons are having to regroup as its coming to light that Bush may not have been in this alone.

The stategy? Go back to the same tired arguments only SHOUT them even louder and with more vehemence to cover up any suggestion that darling lefties in congress mighta been in on this at the beginning as well.

Hah. Im laughing at you guys now as you fume and scream and foam at the mouth trying to regroup from 4 years of LIES.