The Candidates on Libby | 29 comments (29 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 3)

This is what Fred "not ready for prime-time" Thompson said:

"I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."

P.S. Yes this is a bit silly. But as everyone rushes to get a statement in we might as well have fun with them.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 04:52:49 AM EST

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 2)

Considering that US politics consistently redlines the world's WTF factor, would anyone here like to bet that Thompson won't be the next president?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 06:50:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 2)

Yes. Now how much money I'm willing to bet is another thing. But I'll give 5 to 1 odds that he won't. Bets are payable instantly, of course ;-)

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 06:54:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 3)

Well, you know, he is the Law&Order® Candidate....

But seriously, the idea fills me with fear and trembling. The Christian right doesn't like him, though, cuz he's not a ranting-and-raving pro-lifer, which is enough to make him, in their view, "pro-choice."

As the Foreign Policy Passport blog noted last week, bizarrely, Thompson has also been criticized by the right for being a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, which seems like a really strange thing to try to "smear" somebody with.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 07:41:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 3)

Granted, but the Christian right doesn't like Guiliani either, or Romney, or McCain. And neither Brownback nor Huckabee seem to be able to break out.
Obviously a lot of Thompson's support is coming from him being on TV and from not being the other guys. That may change, from what I gather his select few Deweyesque campaign appearances thus far have left mostly everyone unimpressed. Still, if it's not him, then who?

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde

by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 08:07:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 3)

Still, if it's not him, then who?

Frankly I don't see anyone in the current Republican field becoming US president. Guliani and McCain have a long shot, because people somehow "like" them. But Guliani actually botches up quite a lot on the campaign trail, and McCain is a bit too old by now. Still, if Fred Thompson gets the nomination, the Dems should be lucky.

You never know what happens, of course. But this is a very weak field of contenders for the Republican nomination, facing an already fairly strong field of Democrats.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 08:21:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 3)

That's the way it looks now, but never underestimate the Dems' ability to shoot themselves in the foot and eke out a come-from-ahead defeat for themselves.

A Dem victory might look nigh-inevitable now, but I trust they will find new and innovative ways of screwing it up.

At any rate, when Bush Senior lost to Bill Clinton in '92, it looked much the same in reverse at this stage in the pre-primary race -- only in that case it was a sitting president facing off against a passel of lightweights, and then the nominee ends up being this bubba from Arkansas who nobody had ever heard of....

Nothing is written. Not yet.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 08:34:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 2)

Clinton got a little help from Ross Perot, too.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 09:00:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 2)

But how much help? It would be interesting to know the break-down of what Perot voters would have done had he not been in the race. If a significant amount would have stayed home and/or they would have broken about evenly for Clinton or Bush, Perot might have had very little impact on the final outcome of the election.

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde

by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 09:11:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 3)

Yes, he did. Ahem.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 09:13:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 3)

I agree that the next president very likely will be a Democrat (in fact, if the nominee is Obama, I think we're looking at landslide territory).
But as far as the Republican nomination goes, Thompson might well end up being the consensus candidate.

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde

by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 08:38:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 5)

Well as long as he dosn't task Dick Cheney to advise him who should be the next vice president.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 10:22:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Candidates on Libby (4.00 / 4)

The immigration reform bill is showing the deep rift between the nationalist voters and the pro-corporate politicians who are 100% in thrall to the corporate world. It was going to happen eventually, and it's a gigantic problem for the republicans. Same goes for the alliance with religious folk who are either feeling that Bush hasn't implemented the fundie agenda well enough or (on the more liberal side) that perhaps Bush isn't exactly engaging in behavior that jesus would approve of. The right wing base is a bizarre coalition that doesn't look like it can hold together much longer.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 01:23:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

amurka's WTF Faktor (4.00 / 3)

If WTF is the operating principle, then Rudy the Jewel will be the next president, because amurka needs a manly-man mafioso president in a dress.

Of course, this lame attempt at humor obfuscates the underlying horror of the BushCo disregard for law, as evidenced (once again) by this commutation. And all this began when a smart mid-level diplomat attacked the justification for an illegal invasion.

Then Chainey decided to go after "The Wife" as well, since her group had f*cked him on the status of Iran's nuclear program.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Jul 3rd, 2007 at 07:53:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The Candidates on Libby | 29 comments (29 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Top Diaries

Energy (and Other) Events Monthly - December 2023

by gmoke - Nov 28

Clean Energy Wire's Fact Sheet on Upcoming Dutch Election

by gmoke - Nov 12
9 comments

Top Diaries

Energy (and Other) Events Monthly - December 2023

Clean Energy Wire's Fact Sheet on Upcoming Dutch Election

Recent Diaries

Ukraine: Allies Waving the White Flag

Stoltenberg: A Big Win for Ukraine

Mark Rutte: Using the Nation to Become Secretary General

December 2023

Netanyahu Tells Biden Fu*k Off

Keeping Up with COP28

A Sort-a Truce Extended 24 Hours

Energy (and Other) Events Monthly - December 2023

NeXiT the Trump Era of Dutch PM Wilders

Erasure of Palestinians the Zionist Dream

21st Century Pax Americana and Violence

Dublin Far Right Riots After Knife Attack

Clean Break From Peace to War

Woodrow Wilson's Collapse and the Peace Movement

A Children's Sing-Along Annihilate Everyone In Gaza

Xi - Joe Launch a New Communication Probe

The Israeli War Hoax of 40 Beheaded Babies

If Palestinians Are 'Animals'? What Are the Israelis?

Gaza Atrocities and the UN Fail

Clean Energy Wire's Fact Sheet on Upcoming Dutch Election

Occasional Series