David Kay resurfaces
 

If Condi Rice doesn't have better information than what is released to the public, she needs to go. But you are changing the subject (again). Kay's criticism of Rice was about her performance before the war. So he and she were on the same (damage-control) page after the war. By that point, it was a CYA exercise.

By all accounts, Condi Rice got her job because she's comfortable with Bush, and by all accounts she has been outmanoeuvred at every turn by Cheney and the neo-cons. It's unclear to me how much she can be blamed for this, since her weakness boils down to the problem of working for a president who is unsure of what he is doing and with a vice president who has the opposite problem.

David Kay resurfaces
 

Wrong analogy. He's like an architect who designs shit, and then berates the inspector for passing it.

I think you're reading my post as somehow defending Rice. Not so. I think she fucked up. And Key helped!

David Kay resurfaces
 

I see that Ty has picked up the baton here, so I won't repeat him. I'll just add that I'm not reading your post as defending Rice (I'd be much more vitriolic if I did). I just don't see how Kay contributed to the prewar discussion at all, so I'm wondering how his criticisms are undermined.

David Kay resurfaces
 

Are you siding with the neo-cons (e.g., Cheney, Wolfowitz, Feith) who blame their adversaries in the administration for all that has gone wrong, or do you think they also fucked up?

pension thoughts?
 

Just wondering (it doesn't personally affect me), but what is the deal with reneging on a pension obligation? Who does that leave on the hook and by how much? I understand about the taxpayer-agency bailout thingy, but do retirees or employees still take a hit while the company otherwise survives? Is some retired guy in Florida gonna get a call saying his pension check ain't coming no more?

If so, that's bad.

pension thoughts?
 

For private sector defined benefit plans, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation guarantees benefits up to a certain level if the company abandons an underfunded plan. So, people who were low-paid continue getting their full benefits but people whose benefit would be higher than whatever the maximum is will get a lower benefit. If the plan is abandoned but almost completely fully funded (which would be less usual) and the assets are sufficient to pay more than the guaranteed maximum, the people who are entitled to higher benefits under the terms of the plan will get higher benefits.

I'm not sure what the amounts are, exactly, but it's the relatively high-paid people who will get their benefits cut back, not the lower-paid people. So, like, this is an issue for the pilots plans at United or wherever but not really for the unions covering lower-paid people, because all of them fall within the level of benefits that are guaranteed.

The plans pay premiums to the PBGC -- that's how the benefits are funded.

More Divisive Tactics by Liberals
 

More Divisive Tactics by Liberals
 

Odd that liberals would make a fuss about flying flags in conformity with federal law, but I guess that if that's what we've got to do to be divisive, that's what we liberals'll do.

Kerry stuff
 

I'm sure they're mostly not partisan hacks. Like you say, its not hard to believe that they don't and didn't like Kerry. His post-service activities placed him in a reasonably close second tier to Jane Fonda in the eyes of many who served.

As to the ones who have made specific factual statements about Kerry's alleged misrepresentations or misconduct that have been discredited (i.e. just about all of them, except on the Cambodia story) -- I'm perfectly willing to believe that most of them believe what they say. Memories fade after 30 years, and people tend to remember what they want to believe.

That said, it is becoming more and more clear that the ring-leader (and author) Thurlow is an outright liar (or, maybe, just a prtisan hack). When you lie down with dogs, Bilmore . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Aug18.html

"Records Counter a Critic of Kerry
Fellow Skipper's Citation Refers To Enemy Fire"

This is the guy who said there was no enemy fire during the Rassman affair, and Kerry lied about that to get his Bronze Star. However, Thurlow also won a Bronze Star from that encounter, and Thurlow's citation refers to the boats coming under attack.

S_A_M

the change-up
 

Who said Kerry throws like a girl?

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com...1426424662.jpg

Slate fisks the Swift Vets.
 

I have to agree, Ty, this is so minor that I hate to call it a lie.

However, I am a bit unclear on how Kerry's possibly adding flavor to a war story by placing on Christmas Eve rather than on February is much more significant that Bush's incorrect statement.

S_A_M

P.S. I know, I know. Spare me another round of "BUT THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT of his Senate testimony (maybe that was Slave). I doubt it. Even if it was -- look at it this way:

If we can forgive Bush's drugging, drinking, and wastrel ways as a young man, let's forgive Kerry for exaggerations or misstatements made as a young man on one side of an intense battle over the most important domestic and foreign policy issues of the day. You don't have to like him, just don't blow it out of proportion.

More Divisive Tactics by Liberals
 

My guess is that the Mexican flag obscured the mounted plaque displaying the Ten Commandments.

Not expressly mentioned in the article, but no doubt that's what got people upset.

Kerry stuff
 

I will point out that, while lacking a scale, this map seems to show that most of Vietnam is more than 50 miles from Cambodia.
FWIW.

S_A_M

Good News!
 

All the talk hereabouts on the subject of Kerry and his so-called lying made me worried that my conservative brothers would get so bitter during this election that we wouldn't be able to come together as a nation once Kerry is elected. According to the Presidential Prayer Team, I don't need to worry about this:

• After the election, regardless of the outcome, will you continue to pray for the President?
  
  Yes 97.9%
  
  No 2.1%
  

(I voted no, but only because I haven't been praying for the President much lately -- oops!)

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.or...8x60_still.jpg

What to know more?

• The goal of The Presidential Prayer Team was to enlist 1% of the American population or 2.8 million people, to pray for the President, both this administration and future administrations. This goal was reached on May 1, 2003, just 600 days after The Presidential Prayer Team was launched. Plans are in the works to establish new goals and objectives of the Prayer Team. It is our sincere belief that this effort could radically alter the future of our country as our President and our nation are prayed for on a daily basis.
  
  ADDITIONAL LEADERS TO PRAY FOR THIS WEEK
  
  Secretary of Education—Rod Paige
  
  Secretary of Health & Human Services—Tommy Thompson
  
  Deputy Secretary of Defense—Paul Wolfowitz
  
  U.S. Trade Representative—Robert Zoellick

Slate fisks the Swift Vets.
 

I agree that they are equally significant, which is to say neither should concern us much at all. And they wouldn't except that we were discussing bilmore's refusal to countenance such untruths from his children, and so I was concerned that perhaps he was unaware that he might have to explain to his kids why such behavior was OK coming from the President but not OK from Senator Kerry. At that point, the conversation about parental hypocrisy moved over to the LWK board.