Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Quite so. What is the sacrifice and suffering of a single individual, or many individuals, compared with the reward of an Efficient Market (praise be upon its name) in all things forever, world without end amen.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

That was the real objection to death panels--if some old person wants to spend our money extending a bed-ridden, semi-conscious existence for a few more weeks, the market says they should be allowed to.

for Hank
 

The obvious constitutionality of health care reform.

Re: for Hank
 

Are law review articles deemed more or less reliable than blogs? They do have editorial oversight (good), but it is done by law students (bad). Hmm.

Re: for Hank
 

I read the whole first sentence before realizing there was no need to read further.

Re: for Hank
 

I'll take that as a "more", since you read the first sentence. Who gets to count that one?

Re: for Hank
 

Law students don't usually make law review articles worse, except in the sense that they make them longer.

Re: for Hank
 

I didn't think you would engage, but it could have been interesting.

Re: for Hank
 

It did work out nicely, tho, don't you think?

Early line is the 4th Cir overturns the Va district court decision 3-0, right?

Re: for Hank
 

Really? It could?

Sexually suggestive images of men removed from that photo.
 

Si Se Puede
 

He won't win shit with it in 2012, but there's something interesting at the thought of Obama playing the long game in Texas.

Re: Si Se Puede
 

RT: How do you feel about Sanchez? Real chance, or empty hat?

Re: Si Se Puede
 

Dems have to gain traction in Texas. Redistricting there will, once again, screw us. And if it's not in play, the Rs get an extra 25 million to spend in California.

Re: Si Se Puede
 

No real feel for the guy. Everyone assumes Dewhurst will go for the R side, and probably win, but it's too early to really get a sense of the Senate yet. There's a group out there trying to recruit Tommy Lee Jones to run, and he's made some political noise for the first time I can remember. I don't know if that was just someone calling in a favor to draw attention to the rainy day fund or if that was a toe in the political waters.

The voter ID bill will hurt Dems here for the next few cycles, but the population demographics and the R's really stupid stance on immigration will eventually turn the tide towards D. I figure it'll be 2015, 2020 before that happens, though.

It is a piss poor Dem infrastructure here, though. No statewide office holder in a decade (which is to our favor in this budget mess), and no real campagin strategy put together.

Re: Si Se Puede
 

Few people here remember it that well, but Dukakis was preceded by two Republican governors, and the Kennedys had systematically taken apart the party infrastructure before that (many of the party regulars had staunchly opposed first JFK and then Teddy). Dukakis spent the five years before his election recruiting town and ward chairs all over the state and rebuilding the party brick by brick.

So consider this an opportunity. Go out there and start building them up, Senator RT.

Re: Si Se Puede
 

"We need a governor, not a King."

Re: Si Se Puede
 

That was round 2.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Good for McCain.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

"the facts came from a detainee held in another country"= electro-shock to genitals.

McCain's an idiot.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

For all his faults and disappointments, McCain is still an inspiring leader on this issue.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

So, Mukasey knows the real truth, and McCain is being taken in by the lies of the staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the CIA, Panetta, Petraeus and perhaps others? Are you suspecting a *conspiracy* to cover up torture?

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Senate Reports can be entertaining if you're willing to scroll through them. On John Ensign:

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Once you become committed to the idea that torture is great, it becomes easy to attributes successes to torture and shortcomings to the notion that we just didn't torture enough. Congrats on that.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

what other countries held detainees? what are their positions on torture?

at best what McCain read says "we don't know if torture helped." In fact if it was one of the countries I suspect, torture may have had a much bigger role than our rosy-hued water boarding.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

we didn't torture the guy that gave it up, but maybe someone did. You do understand there are people in the world that believe in torture besides Chaney, right?

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Actually, what McCain said says at least, "our torture didn't help, and in fact hurt."

But you're right, that it leaves open the question of whether someone else's torture worked, and I had the same reaction to that part of McCain's statement.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

I think he's only in favor of torturing Calipari:
http://images.usatoday.com/sports/co...ide-chaney.jpg

As for whether other's "believe in" torture, well, few if any say they do. But certainly others do in fact torture.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

I don't know of a comprehensive list and I don't believe that you do either.

Many of them use it as a form of punishment and to extract "confessions". No idea whether their position is that torture results in genuine actionable intelligence, or just an excuse to round up more people who may have been vaguely critical of the government.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

not to pull rank but I once held a quasi-judicial position in the US government. I've seen things that would curl your hair and I know tons.

Like a bizarro ggg
 

Saw glen beck today for the first time. fucker is nuts

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

For purposes of lists of states detaining terror suspects, I'm from Missouri.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Oh, Joy -- Ron Paul is running for Prez. Because we all need a fresh dose of crazy.

Honest crazy, but still.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

You really think he was the craziest on the stage at that debate? Nevermind in the field of potentials ( I would define as anyone with an InTrade market).

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

No, but I think that with all the Tea Party attention he gets he is the most significant crazy.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Better than them allying behind someone with actual potential to win, isn't it?

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Paul is the more frustrating kind of crazy. The one you agree with on a fair number of things, and thus can't completely write off as batshit. Until he starts talking about economics, or worse, money and monetary policy.

Stated differently, I'm with him on hookers and blow, and I think foreign wars, but that's about it.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

More a magnet to crazy than crazy himself. I don't see anything crazy about pulling out of Iraq or legalizing prostitution. The mainstream Rs have some much loonier positions.

But, boy, wherever he goes, he'll hit 20 bona fide lunatics with every swing of a dead cat.

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Gold standard? Disband the Fed? You agree with that, and all the stuff in his newsletter, too?

Re: My God, you are an idiot.
 

Disbanding the fed is a bit odd - it may be one of the most functional organizations of its size, government or corporate. Gold standard, well, kinda cute and quaint. I'd take either position over some of the lunacy that is mainstream republicanism today.

But I will grant you - he is crazier than, say, Huckabee, even if he is not crazy on the scale of Trump, Gingrich, or Sarah bear.