According to Hardball guest host Ron Reagan Jr., former Vice President Dick Cheney is a “war criminal” for endorsing waterboarding. On Thursday, the son of the former President attacked, “But the fact of the matter is…[Cheney's] a war criminal. Torture is a crime and this is a guy who can't travel to Europe anymore for fear of being- ending up in the Hague .” Reagan was commenting on a new interview Cheney has given to NBC in which he reiterates support for waterboarding. The liberal anchor discussed the subject with Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune. Reagan reiterated, “…Any neutral reading of, say, the U.N. Convention Against Torture makes it pretty clear that if you support waterboarding and you enact that sort of a policy, you're guilty of a war crime.” [See video below. MP3 audio here .] Page seemed to agree: “I think in real life [Cheney] probably is avoiding trips to Europe, I imagine, like Henry Kissinger and others on the lam from that branch of international justice, if you will.” Page added that the ex-VP “probably” hasn't got much to fear, in terms of criminal prosecution. Reagan also called Cheney a war criminal on CNN in January of 2011. Reagan has guest-hosted for the very liberal Chris Matthews three times this week. On Wednesday, he derided presidential candidate Rick Santorum as a “lonely, homophobic voice shrieking in the wilderness.” [Thanks to MRC intern Alex Fitzsimmons for the video.] A transcript of the August 25 exchange can be found below: 5:21 JAMIE GANGEL: Should we still be waterboarding terror suspects? DICK CHENEY: I would strongly support using it again if circumstances arose where we had a high-value detainee and that was the only way we could get him to talk. GANGEL: Even though so many people condemned it. People call it torture. You think it should still be a tool? CHENEY: Yes. RON REAGAN JR. You see, Clarence, he never backs off of that sort of thing. I guess, we don't expect him to. But the fact of the matter is, and people know my feelings about this pretty surely, he's a war criminal. Torture is a crime and this is a guy who can't travel to Europe anymore for fear of being- ending up in the Hague. Does he deal with that, do you suppose, in the book? PAGE: Well, I can't say how he deals with it in the book in detail, just from reports that have come out. I think in real life he probably is avoiding trips to Europe, I imagine, like Henry Kissinger and others on the lam from that branch of international justice, if you will. But, as far as back here in the states, he probably hasn't got much to fear. The Obama administration made it clear they want to move on. They don't want to go back to the Justice Department and go after the Bush administration on legal areas like this. But with a campaign coming along, again, you've got a polarized the electorate. Nothing he set apparently would offend Republicans. It will offend a lot of Democrats. Will it fire them up to wanted to come out and support Obama more? That's the kind of question we're asking now. REAGAN JR: Y eah. Not to hammer the point at all, but any neutral reading of say, the U.N. Convention Against Torture makes it pretty clear that if you support waterboarding and you enact that sort of a policy, you're guilty of a war crime.
Continue reading …According to Hardball guest host Ron Reagan Jr., former Vice President Dick Cheney is a “war criminal” for endorsing waterboarding. On Thursday, the son of the former President attacked, “But the fact of the matter is…[Cheney's] a war criminal. Torture is a crime and this is a guy who can't travel to Europe anymore for fear of being- ending up in the Hague .” Reagan was commenting on a new interview Cheney has given to NBC in which he reiterates support for waterboarding. The liberal anchor discussed the subject with Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune. Reagan reiterated, “…Any neutral reading of, say, the U.N. Convention Against Torture makes it pretty clear that if you support waterboarding and you enact that sort of a policy, you're guilty of a war crime.” [See video below. MP3 audio here .] Page seemed to agree: “I think in real life [Cheney] probably is avoiding trips to Europe, I imagine, like Henry Kissinger and others on the lam from that branch of international justice, if you will.” Page added that the ex-VP “probably” hasn't got much to fear, in terms of criminal prosecution. Reagan also called Cheney a war criminal on CNN in January of 2011. Reagan has guest-hosted for the very liberal Chris Matthews three times this week. On Wednesday, he derided presidential candidate Rick Santorum as a “lonely, homophobic voice shrieking in the wilderness.” [Thanks to MRC intern Alex Fitzsimmons for the video.] A transcript of the August 25 exchange can be found below: 5:21 JAMIE GANGEL: Should we still be waterboarding terror suspects? DICK CHENEY: I would strongly support using it again if circumstances arose where we had a high-value detainee and that was the only way we could get him to talk. GANGEL: Even though so many people condemned it. People call it torture. You think it should still be a tool? CHENEY: Yes. RON REAGAN JR. You see, Clarence, he never backs off of that sort of thing. I guess, we don't expect him to. But the fact of the matter is, and people know my feelings about this pretty surely, he's a war criminal. Torture is a crime and this is a guy who can't travel to Europe anymore for fear of being- ending up in the Hague. Does he deal with that, do you suppose, in the book? PAGE: Well, I can't say how he deals with it in the book in detail, just from reports that have come out. I think in real life he probably is avoiding trips to Europe, I imagine, like Henry Kissinger and others on the lam from that branch of international justice, if you will. But, as far as back here in the states, he probably hasn't got much to fear. The Obama administration made it clear they want to move on. They don't want to go back to the Justice Department and go after the Bush administration on legal areas like this. But with a campaign coming along, again, you've got a polarized the electorate. Nothing he set apparently would offend Republicans. It will offend a lot of Democrats. Will it fire them up to wanted to come out and support Obama more? That's the kind of question we're asking now. REAGAN JR: Y eah. Not to hammer the point at all, but any neutral reading of say, the U.N. Convention Against Torture makes it pretty clear that if you support waterboarding and you enact that sort of a policy, you're guilty of a war crime.
Continue reading …Warning: Reading Dick Cheney’s memoir could be fatal. Or so says Cheney: “There are gonna be heads exploding all over Washington,” he says in an interview to air on Dateline Monday. MSNBC has tidbits from In My Time , and the one generating plenty of waves is his revelation that he…
Continue reading …Hardball guest host Ron Reagan Jr. On Wednesday assailed Rick Santroum as a ” lonely, homophobic voice shrieking in the wilderness. ” The liberal MSNBC anchor attacked the Republican presidential candidate for his opposition to gay rights, wondering if Santorum wanted to return to the days husbands could beat their wives. Reagan mocked Santorum for defending “traditional” marriage, scolding, “Marriage has, in various times and places throughout history, been treated as a property arrangement with husbands, in effect, owning their wives as they would cattle. Is that the tradition Santorum seeks to revive?” The son of former President Ronald Reagan continued, “In late 19th century America, men were entitled to beat their wives, as long as they used a stick with a circumference no larger than their thumb, the so-called rule of thumb. Does Santorum harbor a yen for corporal punishment?” A transcript of Reagan's closing commentary can be found below: 08/24/11 5:58 RON REAGAN JR.: Let me finish tonight with Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. Santorum is lately taken to comparing marriage equality to a choice of paper products. According to his whimsical logic, gay people mustn't be allowed the same opportunity to wed that straight couples enjoy, because, well, a paper towel is not a napkin. If only Santorum was a lonely, homophobic voice shrieking in the wilderness. But all the other Republican candidates, whether they choose Bounty or Brawny, have likewise signed on to defend the inappropriately-named Defense of Marriage Act, a law designed to solely disenfranchise gay couples. Even leaving aside the fact that some of us have been known on occasion to employ a paper towel as a napkin, it is an odd, nonsensical comparison. Santorum's larger point seems to reflect his discomfort with so-called traditional marriage being redefined. But what tradition does he have in mind? Marriage has, in various times and places throughout history, been treated as a property arrangement with husbands, in effect, owning their wives as they would cattle. Is that the tradition Santorum seeks to revive? In late 19th century America, men were entitled to beat their wives, as long as they used a stick with a circumference no larger than their thumb, the so-called rule of thumb. Does Santorum harbor a yen for corporal punishment? Of course, Santorum and many of his anti-gay colleagues can do a lot better than paper towels. They're found of claiming that if gay people would be allowed to wed, we would have to allow polygamy, incest and bestiality. This is so absurd some people find it difficult to argue against. If you find yourself similarly flummoxed, just point out this very simple distinction. Laws against polygamy are non-exclusionary. Whether you are gay or straight, black or white, Christian or Muslim, you can't be married to more than one person at a time. Preventing gay people from exercising the same rights creates a separate, unequal class of people. It is exclusionary. That is the only meaningful distinction you need to keep in mind with- when arguing with people like Santorum. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is impossible to believe that marriage to the person of one's mutual choosing doesn't fall into one or more of those categories. Santorum and his friends might want to consider the meaning of the word unalienable.
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Guest hosting for Chris Matthews on Tuesday, MSNBC's Chris Jansing derided Rick Perry, wondering if the Republican presidential candidate is ” too far off even for the GOP ?” Jansing, who normally hosts supposedly straight news coverage for the cable network, attempted to generate controversy over statements Perry made on civil rights. A MSNBC graphic for the segment, mocked, ” I have a scheme .” According to Jansing, Perry's problem answer came in “comparing” the civil rights to cutting corporate tax rates. Here's Perry's full answer: RICK PERRY: America's gone a long way from the standpoint of civil rights and thank God we have. I mean, we've gone from a country that's made great strides in issues of civil rights. I think we all can be proud of that. And as we go forward, America needs to be about freedom. It needs to be about freedom from over taxation, freedom from over-litigation, freedom from over-regulation. And Americans, regardless of social and economic background is, they need to know that they can come to America and you got a chance to have any dream come true, because the economic climate is going to be improved An indignant Jansing huffed, “So, does Perry really believe African-Americans' struggle for civil rights is comparable to the GOP's fight for lower taxes?” Talking to Alex Wagner of the liberal Huffington Post, she slammed, “Is this ignorance?…Is this insensitivity?”
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Since Al Sharpton took over for Cenk Uygur in MSNBC's 6:00 time slot last month, he's been derided and ridiculed as a laughing stock totally unqualified to host a cable news program. Ironically, that makes him a perfect fit at this farce of a news outlet, and on Tuesday, the folks at MSNBC rewarded his incompetence by officially giving him his own show (press release via TV By The Numbers): REVEREND AL SHARPTON TO HOST “PoliticsNation” ON MSNBC Program to Air at 6 pm ET Weeknights Beginning August 29th NEW YORK – August 23, 2011 – Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist and minister, has been named host of “PoliticsNation,” a nightly program airing weeknights live at 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC. “PoliticsNation” will debut on August 29. In his new role, Sharpton will lead a lively and informed discussion of the top headlines, bringing viewers his take on events in his signature style. “I’ve known Rev. Sharpton for over a decade and have tremendous respect for him. He has always been one of our most thoughtful and entertaining guests,” said Griffin. “I’m thrilled that he’s now reached a point in his career where he’s able to devote himself to hosting a nightly show. ‘PoliticsNation’ is going to be an incredibly strong kick-off to our evening schedule.” In addition to being a frequent guest on MSNBC throughout the network’s history, Rev. Sharpton has also served as an occasional guest host on several programs, most recently on “MSNBC Live at 6PM” and “The Ed Show.” He joins the network at a time where MSNBC has experienced tremendous ratings growth, consistently topping CNN in primetime programming. “I am very happy and honored to join the MSNBC team as we collectively try to get America to ’Lean Forward,’” said Sharpton. “It is a natural extension of my life work and growth. We all learn from our pain and stand up from our stumbling and one must either learn to lean forward or fall backwards. I'm glad they have given me the opportunity to continue my forward lean.” With over 40 years of experience as a community leader, politician, minister and advocate, the Rev. Al Sharpton is one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders. Sharpton’s highly visible career began at the tender age of four when he preached his first sermon. A successful civil rights career soon followed, helping Sharpton hold such notable positions as the Youth Director of New York’s Operation Breadbasket, Director of Ministers for National Rainbow Push coalition, and founder of his own broad-based progressive civil rights organization, the National Action Network (NAN), one of the leading civil rights organizations in the world. Since its inception in 1991, NAN has expanded to encompass chapters throughout the United States and maintain important regional offices in Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; Detroit, MI; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Las Vegas, NV; and Los Angeles, CA. Sharpton was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2004. Rev. Sharpton also hosts a nationally syndicated radio show that broadcasts in 40 markets, five days a week. He resides in New York and has two daughters, Dominique and Ashley. “PoliticsNation” will air weeknights from 6:00-7:00PM ET on MSNBC. Matthew Saal is Executive Producer. Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it – especially when you take a gander at some of his recent displays of utter incompetence: Tea Partier to Sharpton: I Couldn't Listen to Any More of Your Insanity Without My Earpiece Falling Out Rev. Al Rips Paul Ryan $15 Fundraiser, Forgets Obama Raking In $38,500/Head Al Sharpton Falsely Accuses Well-Known Isolationist Pat Buchanan of Supporting Iraq War Apparent Teleprompter Failure Leaves Sharpton Flailing Tony Blankley Sarcastically Says to Rude and Dismissive Al Sharpton 'You Are a Very Polite Gentleman' Al Sharpton Rendered Inane During Tussle with GOP Congressman And that's just in the last month. As I said – he's a perfect fit. Readers are encouraged to review all of the hilarious NewsBusters pieces about Sharpton as well as videos at MRC-TV.
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Possible Major Hurricane For The SE US Coast Hurricane Tracker 20 WMV 1Mbps Hurricane Week: WMBF Hurricane Tracker KoHoSo says: RT @ TheDalyPlanet : Pretty awesome hurricane tracker if you are just coming home. You can scroll it up. http://t.co/JEpY5ff
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George Will: ‘You Couldn’t Build the Hoover Dam Today Because’ Environmentalists ‘Would Stop It’
August 21, 2011 No Comment
As government spending supporters in the media have pressed for a new, bolder stimulus plan to get the economy going, they love to refer to the Depression Era Hoover Dam as a shining moment in Keynesian economics. When this surfaced on ABC's “This Week” Sunday, George Will marvelously noted, “You couldn't build the Hoover Dam today because they'd discover a snail darter in the Colorado River and would stop it” (video follows with transcript and commentary): JAKE TAPPER, HOST: Liz, how much of the current economic woes that we're going through right now do you think are the fault of domestic politics in this country? And how much is it matters that are out of our hands? LIZ CLAMAN, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK: Well, we don't have jobs recovering, and everybody knows that, and that is a huge issue. So the speech is so highly anticipated at this point. We didn't really just get much clarity from David Axelrod on what it's going to say, but people are saying, where is our Hoover Dam moment? Moments later: TAPPER: We only have 10 seconds, George. You have a final word? GEORGE WILL: You referred to the Hoover Dam, great achievement of the '30s. You couldn't build the Hoover Dam today because they'd discover a snail darter in the Colorado River and would stop it. In fact, although MSNBC's Rachel Maddow uses the Hoover Dam in one of her “Lean Forward” commercials, she would be the first of the environmental media demanding an immediate halt to such a project if any species were found to be endangered by its construction. Isn't it marvelous how Will can so perfectly expose liberal media hypocrisy in just ten seconds? Bravo, George. Bravo!
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