Massive use of chemical weapons in Syria, 1,429 killed including 426 children

[DGuller]

I still shudder when I think that we almost had this piece of trash as a vice president.  I mean, seriously.

It's not like the post of Vice-President has always been covered with glory.  For every great statesman like Nixon, Johnson, Ford or Bush, you have dismal villains like Burr, Andrew Johnson, Wallace, Agnew or Jefferson, or mediocrities like Dan Quayle or Al Gore.  At least Palin wouldn't kill any members of cabinet.

We had some mediocrities in the VP seat, but we didn't have people utterly unfit for the office.  IMO, McCain canceled out whatever patriotism credentials he had from spending time in a POW camp by putting his country into a very remote, but very real danger like that.  Our system is robust enough to function with less than gifted people on top, but some minimum competency is required there.

[Neil]

I wish the Iowas were still in service. They would be the perfect weapon for this. Rundning up and down the coast lobbying 16in shells at the Syrian army and shooting cruise missiles at targets further inland. They could stay there for as long as they wanted to and the risk of own casualties would be practically nil.

But hey, the fancy, new Littoral Combat Ships don't even meet the Navy's survivability testing standards.  Swell.

http://blog.usni.org/2011/01/02/the-lcs-is-not-expected-to-be-survivable-in-a-hostile-combat-environment

A navy without battleships is vulnerable.  But still more useful than the USAF.

[Neil]

I still shudder when I think that we almost had this piece of trash as a vice president.  I mean, seriously.

It's not like the post of Vice-President has always been covered with glory.  For every great statesman like Nixon, Johnson, Ford or Bush, you have dismal villains like Burr, Andrew Johnson, Wallace, Agnew or Jefferson, or mediocrities like Dan Quayle or Al Gore.  At least Palin wouldn't kill any members of cabinet.

We had some mediocrities in the VP seat, but we didn't have people utterly unfit for the office.  IMO, McCain canceled out whatever patriotism credentials he had from spending time in a POW camp by putting his country into a very remote, but very real danger like that.  Our system is robust enough to function with less than gifted people on top, but some minimum competency is required there.

Alaska didn't fall into the ocean or invade Japan.  She can't be that bad.

[Eddie Teach]

Alaska didn't fall into the ocean or invade Japan.  She can't be that bad.

In spite of the fact that Godzilla makes his home there. /Brain

[Razgovory]

I still shudder when I think that we almost had this piece of trash as a vice president.  I mean, seriously.

It's not like the post of Vice-President has always been covered with glory.  For every great statesman like Nixon, Johnson, Ford or Bush, you have dismal villains like Burr, Andrew Johnson, Wallace, Agnew or Jefferson, or mediocrities like Dan Quayle or Al Gore.  At least Palin wouldn't kill any members of cabinet.

We had some mediocrities in the VP seat, but we didn't have people utterly unfit for the office.  IMO, McCain canceled out whatever patriotism credentials he had from spending time in a POW camp by putting his country into a very remote, but very real danger like that.  Our system is robust enough to function with less than gifted people on top, but some minimum competency is required there.

On the plus side, she probably would have just gotten bored and quit after a few months.

[dps]

I don't think he joined up to fight for Hezbollah, either. But hey.

He joined up to follow orders.  You don't get to pick who you fight.

    "President Obama commands and we obey
    Over the hills and far away."

Agree.

[DGuller]

Syria is mocking US for backing down:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/02/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE97K0EL20130902.

I'm not sure how wise it is to mock United States and question its resolve.    


  Just kidding, what are we going to do about it, seriously?

[CountDeMoney]

We're going to allow the American people to determine a course of action through their elected officials, who will ensure that any action against Syria is aligned with the expressed will of the American electorate; namely, the use of force against Syria will be contingent upon the repeal of Obamacare, the freezing of the debt ceiling and impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States.  All in one, big explosion of democracy. 

[Admiral Yi]

Does the House have to OK a WPA authorization?  I wikied but the article was inconclusive.  I thought for GWII Bush only got a vote from the Senate.

And that's leaving aside the issue that WPA still lets Obama blow up people for 60 days free of charge.

[DGuller]

And that's leaving aside the issue that WPA still lets Obama blow up people for 60 days free of charge.

And that's why I think Obama is punting.  He either doesn't really want to do it, and wants to use the "I talked to my manager, and he says I can't" card, or he cares so little about doing it that he doesn't mind playing a round or two of political games with it.

[CountDeMoney]

IIRC, the Congressional Blessing needs to be a joint resolution or joint bill for the "statutory authorization" part of the WPA.  And yeah, it's 60 days free, but Congress can tack on 30 days or extend it to a certain limit.

Hell, Reagan didn't bother going to Congress about Lebanon, and they wound up passing a bill capping the deployment at 18 months.

[Neil]

Well I can sort of understand.  There is a legitimate argument that intervening in Syria is a bad idea.  It's just a shame that the Republicans won't be caring about it, and that they'll obstruct because they hate the President and are evil.  Sort of like the Democrats did with Nixon in the 70s.

[Viking]

The idea that Viking was ever on the side of a party whose supporters are largely religious strikes me as funny.

I am a classical liberal. McCain was the best man for a classical liberal. He is also a honourable, decent and capable man who identified the agents of intolerance and actively opposed them. He was specifically and explicitly against the "largely religious" nutjobs that have no taken over the party and turned it into a joke. By picking her he shamed himself and compromised his own values.

[DGuller]

The idea that Viking was ever on the side of a party whose supporters are largely religious strikes me as funny.

I am a classical liberal. McCain was the best man for a classical liberal. He is also a honourable, decent and capable man who identified the agents of intolerance and actively opposed them. He was specifically and explicitly against the "largely religious" nutjobs that have no taken over the party and turned it into a joke. By picking her he shamed himself and compromised his own values.

I beg to differ.  McCain is not the typical GOP nutcase, but he is a nutcase in his own unique way.  Even without Sarah Palin as a VP pick he would've been a terrifying and horrible president. 

We have to be careful not to split the world into the fascist/theocratic wing of the GOP, and everyone else.  There is more than one flavor of dangerous nuttery.  McCain is far too reckless, and picking Palin was just a symptom of his poor impulse control and decision-making ability.

[CountDeMoney]

MCain never got over the treachery of 2000, and went a lil' mental.