Think Progress at Brave New Films

McCain Out of Touch on Gas Prices

2008-08-21T20:46:39Z

During an interview with the OC Register, John McCain acknowledges that he does not pump his own gas and seems to suggest he doesn't know the price of gas.

Via Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/28/mccain-gas-prices-unaware/

"McCain's cluelessness about gas prices is compounded by the fact that he is clueless about what to do about it. He is promoting a gas tax holiday for drivers because he claims to understand 'Americans are hurting.' It will provide 'a little psychological boost,' McCain said of his plan.

In reality, his gas tax holiday would be worth a mere 60 cents a day for Americans and would be a boon for oil companies and foreign oil-producing nations. It would drive up the deficit. Moreover, the proposal would rob $1.4 billion from 'public transportation and severely restrict the industry's ability to add and improve transit services for a growing number of Americans.'"

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FOX News Falsely Claims Iranian Missiles Could Hit U.S.

2008-07-09T12:01:47Z

FOX News is beating the drums of war so loudly I can even hear them when I turn off my TV. Their latest warmongering comes courtesy of FOX anchor Gregg Jarrett, who wrongly suggested that a Iran's Shahab missile could hit military installations in the United States with a nuclear warhead.

Notice former UN ambassador (and current warmonger) John Bolton say "absolutely" before making it clear that only U.S. military installations near Iran could be threatened. As Think Progress points out, Iran's Shahab missile has a range of only 1,200 miles. And just in case FOX can't do the math, Tehran and Washington D.C. are 6,340 miles apart.

Shame on you FOX for pushing us into war with Iran! Wasn't it enough that you helped push for an unnecessary war with Iraq? And hasn't the massive death toll and $3 trillion price tag from our current war been enough for you?

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Engel: America is 1 and 4 in Iraq

2008-06-20T14:40:25Z

From Amanda Terkel:

The Bush administration and its allies have repeatedly tried to claim that because of the surge, the United States is winning the war in Iraq. In February, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said on The Tonight Show, “And by golly, they are winning, my friends. They are winning. They are winning.” Just this week, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) claimed that Iraqi opposition to a long-term security agreement with the United States is a sign of “success.”

McCain has visited Iraq eight times since the U.S. invasion in 2003, a fact that he likes to tout as evidence of his national security credentials. NBC correspondent Richard Engel, however, has logged more time there than almost every other tv correspondent over the past few years, surviving bombings and kidnapping attempts.

On the Daily Show, he sharply disputed the right-wing claim that the United States is winning in Iraq:

STEWART: What’s our record in these five wars? […]
ENGEL: Maybe we’re 1-4.

STEWART: We’re 1-4 now. What are the five wars?
ENGEL: The shock and awe — the invasion. Then the nation-building phase, which had mixed results, dissolving the Iraqi army. Then an insurgency, then a civil war, then the surge, where violence has gone down dramatically. We’re about to face a sixth war — the exit strategy — and we have to figure out how to make that one a success.

This morning on MSNBC, Engel said that while, tactically, the surge has had some success, “the larger strategic question of stability in Iraq is one that is still unresolved.” Watch his Daily Show and MSNBC appearances:

Part of the right wing’s arguments about why the United States should stay in Iraq is that if troops redeploy, Iran will gain influence. But as Engel said on MSNBC, Iran’s influence in Iraq is already “huge” because of the U.S. invasion, a point that has been underlined by Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen as well.

Transcript: Read the rest of this entry

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McCain's Vet Hypocrisy Continues

2008-06-17T03:32:40Z

We've known for a while now that McCain's opposition to Jim Webb's GI Bill for the 21st century is a blatant hypocrisy since this bi-partisan legislation would award our troops the educational benefits they rightly deserve. But yesterday, when many Republicans broke ranks with McCain and Bush to pass the bill in the Senate 75-22, McCain didn't even have the courtesy to show up and vote. Instead of doing his duty in Congress, McCain attended a football fundraiser in California.

Of course, the fact that McCain skipped yesterday's vote is nothing new. He's missed a whopping 60% of the votes in this session, which is more than even Sen. Tim Johnson who suffered a brain hemorrhage and has spent several months recovering.

But what is particularly galling here is that McCain had the nerve to attack Obama yesterday, when Obama criticized him for opposing the GI Bill. McCain said he has received "the highest award from literally every veteran's organization in America." As Think Progress reveals, that ain't the truth:

In fact, his stance against the GI bill not only places him squarely in the minority of the Senate, but puts him in opposition to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the American Legion, and the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The recognition McCain has received from veterans groups is not “high awards” but failing grades:

— Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave McCain a grade of D for his record of voting against veterans. (By contrast, Obama got a B+.)

– Disabled Veterans of America noted McCain’s dismal 20 percent voting record on veterans’ issues. (Obama had an 80 percent.)

– In a list of “Key Votes,” Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) notes McCain “Voted Against Us” 15 times and “Voted For Us” only 8. (Obama voted for VVA 12 times, and against only once.)

McCain frequently cites his own experience as a POW in Vietnam as the ultimate evidence of his dedication to his fellow veterans. Unfortunately, his record belies his rhetoric.

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Bush Would Be First President to Veto Vet Benefits

2008-06-12T21:30:41Z

From Think Progress:

On NBC’s “Meet the Press” yesterday morning, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) discussed his 21st Century GI Bill, which would dramatically expand educational benefits for returning veterans. President Bush, however, has vowed to veto the bill. Webb blasted Bush for this unprecedented action:

No president in history has vetoed a benefits bill for those who served. … The Republican party is on the block here, to clearly demonstrate that they value military service or suffer the consequences of losing the support of people who’ve served. … The president has a choice here to show how much he values military service.

McCain Doesn't Repudiate Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments

2008-07-09T18:31:31Z

When Bill O'Reilly brings up Hagee's comments against gays and Catholics, McCain only rejects the comments about Catholics.

(To which Your Correspondent adds: Aren't you forgetting about your associations with the equally-weird-and-unwholesome Rev. Rod Parsley? And what's your explanation for not disassociating with these specimens of Elmer Gantry religiopolitical travesty and perversion?)

Giuliani: New York City Survived 9/11 Attacks Because Of Me

2008-03-22T21:54:51Z

Actually, no, you see your boneheaded moves actually cost some New Yorkers their lives. See our most recent video, and go to Think Progress who has Rudy's unbelieveable quotes on this. They were nice enough to re-post our video on Rudy's near-criminal negligence in not replacing radios for firefighters he knew wouldn't work in a chaotic situation...

The Simplistic Right Wing Mind

2008-07-09T14:22:33Z

Bill Kristol posits, as many on the right have, that our invasion of Iraq is what caused Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program.

Let me count the ways this is stupid. First of all, if anything, Iran would have determined, as North Korea did at the time, that nukes were necessary to defend themselves and beefed up their program instead of drawing down.

Not having WMD worked out just swell for Iraq, right?

Second, diplomacy, that thing that Bill Clinton and yes George H.W. Bush practiced, is what brought North Korea back to the table and eventually convinced Libya to give up their weapons program. Not the fear of our attacking them and failing as miserably as The Decider has in Iraq.

Here is Think Progress on this silly right-wing notion:

Libya did not give up its nuclear weapons program in 2003 because of the Iraq war. As Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Joseph Cirincione noted, negotiations with Libya stretched "over three administrations," resulting in a deal that "cost little, caused no deaths, and was 100 percent effective." At the time, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair called the news a "victory for diplomacy."

Conservatives think they're entitled to their own opinions and facts. It is why this administration and six years of a Republican Congress failed at literally everything.

Well, except increasing the demand for hookers and raising gas prices while whoring themselves out to Big Oil.....

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Conservative Front Group Names Media Matters "Most Dangerous Organization in America"

2008-07-09T18:39:00Z

Man, I wish Brave New Films and Fox Attacks were on this list.

Conservative front group Family Security Matters released its list of “The Ten Most Dangerous Organizations in America”. They are:

10) ThinkProgress
9) Muslim Student Association
8) CodePINK
7) American Civil Liberties Union, National
6) Family Research Council
5) Center for American Progress
4) League of the South
3) MoveOn.org
2) Universities and Colleges
1) Media Matters for America

So are we to assume that the mafia, gangs, the KKK, NAMBLA, drug cartels, and Al Qaeda are perfectly safe?

If only the liberal media would report all of the people who have been murdered at the hands of Media Matters and the Universities and Colleges of America. So parents, hold your children tight. Media Matters might get them.

h/t ThinkProgress

Fineman: 3 Intelligence Reports on Iran Coming Soon

2008-06-15T21:30:33Z

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Bob Novak: Republican Senators KNEW About Larry Craig

2008-06-16T03:31:43Z

Via Think Progress, I found this gem:

I have talked to several of my sources in the Senate, and this came as a surprise to me...They knew about it. They knew that he had this problem, and it was in the closet. And it was not just a homosexual relationship. It was this weird conduct. They didn't do anything about it.

So if Novak is right, the GOP knew about his strange behavior (and no I don't mean the homosexuality, but whether heterosexual or homosexual, I consider picking up paramours in bathroom stalls to be somewhat "strange," to be kind) and did nothing. Much like with former Rep. Mark Foley.

They can legislate how we behave, but as always, when they do pretty much anything (See Oral Roberts for the most recent case), it's A-O-K.

The modern GOP at your disposal.

Oh, and as an aside, I didn't know the old gang, The Capital Gang that is, had gotten back together on Bloomberg TV. Thank Jehovah for that one, as there are not enough shows out there spouting conventional wisdom 24/7.

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Gates Says Bush Should Veto Troop Relief Bill

2008-06-16T21:29:51Z

Well, looks like another back-stabbing assault on US troops by those they trust to look out for them. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday he is against a Senate proposal to give battle-weary US troops in Iraq more rest between tours of duty. Gates also said that he would recommend that Bush veto the proposal if passed. Incredible!

Watch Gates hesitate and stumble his way through Chris Wallace's softballs and then watch Joe Biden clearly and articulately lay waste to Gates's position.

When are those Republicans who claim to care for and support the troops so much going to wake-up and realize that no one supports the troops less than this administration! Inadequate body armor and Humvees, atrocious conditions for the wounded at Walter Reed and contaminated drinking water supplied by Halliburton's KBR subsidiary for 60 million dollars, demonstrate the contempt that the White House has had all along for our military in Iraq. Not to mention sending them to die for an immoral, unjustifiable war based on lies, oil and the enrichment of Bush and Cheney's war profiteer buddies.

This is just another reprehensible example of the same.

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Melody Barnes - CSPAN Q&A

2008-06-08T03:30:21Z

Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for Policy Melody Barnes interviewed by CSPAN's Brian Lamb for Q&A CSPAN's program profiling influential figures in Washington.

www.AMERICANPROGRESS.org

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Melody Barnes Profile - CSPAN Q&A Part 2

2008-06-08T03:30:21Z

Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for Policy Melody Barnes interviewed by CSPAN's Brian Lamb for Q&A CSPAN's program profiling influential figures in Washington.

www.AMERICANPROGRESS.org

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Melody Barnes Profile - CSPAN Q&A Part 4

2008-06-08T03:30:24Z

Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for Policy Melody Barnes interviewed by CSPAN's Brian Lamb for Q&A CSPAN's program profiling influential figures in Washington.

www.AMERICANPROGRESS.org

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Ideas fuel progress. The Center for American Progress

2008-06-08T03:31:08Z

The Center for American Progress is a progressive think tank working on issues across the policy spectrum. From climate change to Constitutional questions, from stem cells to schools, from technology to transportation, from non-proliferation to politics, from medicare to the mideast, from national security to social security, from Darfur to development, from taxes to terrorism, from race to religion, from bioethics to the budget.

Who is thinking about the lives of everyday Americans?
WE ARE.
www.AMERICANPROGRESS.org

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