Haley Barbour Calls Rick Perry’s Conservative Critics Part of The ‘Liberal Media League’ Out To Get Christians
August 20, 2011 No CommentMississippi Governor Haley Barbour, who has the highest unemployment rate in the country tried to pull the usual conservative victim card on Andrea Mitchell. She questioned him about Rick Perry’s over the top rhetoric. Immediately Barbour played the librul media card. See, you all, he’s a right wing Christian conservative so the liberal media will pick apart every single word he says. He needs to be more careful and get used to that treacherous treatment and uncalled for scrutiny, the poor man. Andrea Mitchell corrected him and said it wasn’t the liberal media attacking him, but Karl Rove and other conservatives, he didn’t bat an eye. MITCHELL: Do you think that Rick Perry has to clean up his language? Karl Rove said that what he said about Ben Bernanke is not presidential. Others and also Bob McDonnell, who succeeded Rick Perry as head of the Republican Governors Association, was on with me this week and he doesn`t agree that President Obama may not love his country. He said that he thinks that President Obama is a patriot. What about Rick Perry refusing to say that he believes President Obama loves the country? BARBOUR: I think Rick Perry has to get prepared for the fact that he`s going to be nitpicked by the liberal media league for everything that he says and that he has to be very careful because anything that he says that can be taken out of context will be taken out of context. When you are a conservative, Christian, southerner Republican, you have to expect that. MITCHELL: Governor, with all due respect, it isn`t the liberal media that`s taken on Rick Perry. We`re talking about Karl Rove, we`re talking about Bob McDonnell, we`re talking about a lot of mainstream and conservative Republicans, John Podhoretz, who say that what he said about the Fed and Ben Bernanke and the president`s patriotism was not appropriate, was not presidential. BARBOUR: But as a candidate for president, my point is that Rick Perry is a candidate for president or Haley Barbour if I had run or Mike Huckabee if he had run, every one of us has to be prepared to be nitpicked by the mainstream media, and so you`ve got to run your campaign learning to avoid that. He’s a cagey one, but came up short on this exchange. His point is that everybody who criticizes religious Conservatives are a bunch of nitpicking yahoos and if they didn’t know it yet, Rove, Podhoretz and McDonnell are all just mainstream media types now. Right wingers are now considered part of their own backlash politics philosophy that Thomas Frank explained in his book The Wrecking Crew. Liberals and the MSM can’t seem to get a handle of this kind of politics. Here’s a more condensed definition: The hallmark of a “backlash conservative” is that he or she approaches politics not as a defender of the existing order or as a genteel aristocrat but as an average working person offended by the arrogance of the (liberal) upper class. In our current environment, all forms of right wing extremism is to whitewashed into nothingness. MITCHELL: Does Rick Perry have to change his language if he wants to become a viable Republican standard bearer if he gets the nomination? BARBOUR: Well, I don`t — I don`t take it as offensive to say that we would not treat you nice. Now, Andrea, when you come to Mississippi, we treat you nice cause we like you and we`re proud to have you down here. But that isn`t exactly threatening language to most people.But he has to understand, in a position he`s in, as I talked about a minute ago, that`s going to be nitpicked. It could be a good lesson. I thought President Obama made a very good point when he was asked about this. He says when you start off running for president you have lessons to learn. This is a lesson that has to be learned, that you`re going to be nitpicked. MITCHELL: I`m not — no, I`m not debating the policy — I`m just talking about language. Talking about a capital crime, treason, in the context of debating monetary policy. BARBOUR: He is right on the policy. I would not have used that terminology, and I don`t think it`s the right terminology. But he is right about the policy. To Haley Barbour, the joke is on us and what is said really isn’t offensive in his great state and shouldn’t be taken seriously. MITCHELL: What about the whole question of secession when he said he actually proposed in his last campaign talking about seceding from the nation. He joked about it today.Do you think that that is an issue that might follow him around, and is that appropriate for someone who`s running to be president to have United States? BARBOUR: If somebody thought he was saying that seriously a couple years ago, that would be one thing, but everybody knew then he was joking about it.My comment when I was asked about it, we already tried that once, didn`t work. We`re not going to try that again.Rick Perry no more meant that at a serious vein the man on the moon (ph). However, he`s going to get nitpicked because he`s the governor of Texas, because the liberal media elite dislike George Bush so much and he reminds them of him. And as I say, conservative, Christian, Republican southerner he needs to understand he doesn`t have the liberty to say things loosely that somebody else might. See, being a Christian, Republican southerner is at the heart of backlash politics. If Perry says he’ll shoot the first person who defends the concept of evolution, that’s only being hyped because he believes in Jesus.
Continue reading …Tea Partier Tells Sharpton ‘I Don’t Think I Could Listen to Any More of Your Insanity Without My Earpiece Falling Out’
August 20, 2011 No Comment
Dallas Tea Party founder Phillip Dennis turned a wardrobe malfunction on Friday's “MSNBC Live” into possibly the best line of the week. When his earbud dislodged during a heated discussion with Al Sharpton, Dennis marvelously quipped, “I don’t think I could listen to any more of your insanity there without my earpiece falling out” (video follows with transcript and commentary, vulgarity warning): AL SHARPTON, HOST: The issues — look at the issues that the Tea Party represents and how unpopular they are to the American people. Protect . PHILLIP DENNIS, FOUNDER DALLAS TEA PARTY: Which American people, Reverend Al? SHARPTON: (INAUDIBLE) the people — the American people that you claim brought in these 63 Congressional people, remember them? All of a sudden, when you win elections then the American people, when people are saying that those peoples have turned against you all of a sudden you don’t know who they are? I mean, the American people have clearly said that they don’t have the same view of you. I showed you the poll and before the mid- term election last year you had 18% disapproval and now it’s up to 40%. That doesn’t concern you? DENNIS: S–t. SHARPTON: I think you’ve got to put your earpiece back on if you want to hear me. DENNIS: (INAUDIBLE) I’m sorry, I lost my ear piece. I lost my ear piece there. SHARPTON: That shows that you’re not listening to the American people. That’s kind of symbolic. That’s what I’ve been trying to say. But, go ahead Dennis. DENNIS: I don’t think I could listen to any more of your insanity there without my earpiece falling out. That was a poll that was done by the New York Times. If the New York Times said to me, “Good Morning,” I would duck in fear. We don’t trust what comes out of the New York Times and the mainstream media. With the way Sharpton treats his conservative guests, it's surprising more earpieces don't fall out. That said, nice recovery, Phillip. Bravo!
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• Hammer F5 or click on auto-refresh for all the latest action • Ping your emails towards scott.murray@guardian.co.uk • Keep up to date with our Live Scores service Welcome to what, if recent history is any guide, should be a shoo-in for Chelsea. They’ve won all ten of their Premier League games against today’s opponents West Bromwich Albion, scoring 29 goals and conceding only three in the process. Albion’s last league victory at Stamford Bridge was a 3-1 triumph in September 1978 , Tony Brown, Cyrille Regis and John Wile getting the goals. The old First Division. That’s a long time waiting. West Brom lost 6-0 here last season on the opening day of the season. But they’re much improved since then, thanks to manager/coach Roy Hodgson, who has shored up that rickety old defence. Not only that, he’s sharpened them up at the front with the purchase of Shane Long, who already has 0.5 of a goal to his name for the Baggies after that joint effort with David De Gea last weekend. They’ll go into this match with a little hope, if not much in the way of expectation. Thank you, my Premier League! Kick off: 5.30pm. Early team news, whipped straight from the wires, and there’s no shame in that: Hilario was given the nod in goal and there was a recall for Nicolas Anelka for Andre Villas-Boas’ first home game as Chelsea boss. Portuguese veteran Hilario replaced the injured Petr Cech and Anelka came in for Florent Malouda, with Fernando Torres once again preferred to Didier Drogba in attack. The Baggies named an unchanged side from last week’s defeat to Manchester United, with Peter Odemwingie fit enough to be named on the substitutes’ bench. Chelsea: Hilario, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Lampard, Anelka, Torres, Kalou. Subs: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Benayoun, Drogba, Malouda, Ferreira, McEachran. West Brom: Foster, Reid, Tamas, Olsson, Shorey, Scharner, Mulumbu, Brunt, Morrison, Long, Tchoyi. Subs: Fulop, Cech, Dorrans, Jara Reyes, McAuley, Odemwingie, Cox. Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire) Premier League 2011-12 Premier League Chelsea West Brom Scott Murray guardian.co.uk
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• Turn on our auto-refresh tool for the latest updates • Email jacob.steinberg.casual@guardian.co.uk for a chat • Follow Jacob on Twitter if that’s your thing • All today’s scores and scorers in one handy place Back in 15 minutes. “I predict a very, very bad season for Everton this campaign,” says Sean Moore. “No money, no investment, the banks holding us to ransom, no new players, no new ground, or, indeed, grounds for optimism. Somebody, somewhere – please put some capital in the club, and fast, before it’s too late. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and the premier league will be the poorer for it.” If it’s any consolation, Liverpool aren’t winning. Half time: Swansea 0-0 Wigan. Swansea have been brilliant but they don’t lead. Half time: Aston Villa 2-0 Blackburn. It’s not Steve Kean’s week. Half time: Everton 0-1 QPR. Well. 3.45pm: “I don’t think any discussion on Goldfinger is complete without this piece of genuis from Peter Serafinowicz,” says Terry Cooper. “As one of the commenters on Youtube said I don’t think i can take Ringo seriously anymore of viewing that!” When did they take him 3.43pm: Port Vale are 4-0 up against Accrington. Dear me. “She’s on a roll today,” says Andrew Dean. “My girlfriend asks, ‘What’s so funny about a Clockwatch reader having a girlfriend? Nerds have sex too’” Really ? GOAL! Burnley 1-1 Cardiff (Earnshaw, 40 min): We’re on an ad break, so no details of the goal. But what’s important is that Cardiff are level and Robert Earnshaw’s done a somersault. 3.40pm: Everton appeal for a penalty as Cahill goes down in the area, but the referee says no. The attack continues, the ball’s flung back into the area and Cahill somehow heads wide from six yards out. Remarkably he hasn’t scored a goal for Everton in 2011. 3.39pm: Which one was the gold finger? 3.37pm: “Maybe it’s just Malcolm In the Middle because it always him at the center of every episode trying to sort his family out, he’s the problem solver, therefore in the middle of everything,” says Joseph Ward. 3.36pm: Over on ITV, James Bond is wearing a dinner jacket. And something’s just gone BANG. 3.34pm: “In response to Niall Mullen’s false advertising claim, my girlfriend says, ‘not in people’s hearts it didn’t’,” parps Andrew Dean. STOP PRESS! ANDREW DEAN’S GOT A GIRLFRIEND! A CLOCKWATCH READER HAS A GIRLFRIEND! 3.33pm: Swansea sound like Arsenal Lite. Plenty of dominance, possession and chances but nothing to show for it yet. GOAL! Everton 0-1 QPR (Smith, 31 min): Tommy Smith curls the ball past Tim Howard from the edge of the area and QPR have their first goal in the Premier League since 1996! Who saw this one coming? 3.30pm: This may be an Oldie but is Goldfinger the greatest Bond Theme of all time?” asks Billy Murphy. I beg to differ . GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Blackpool (Mackail-Smith, 29 min): A header from Mackail-Smith gives the hosts the lead. Brighton in the Premier League? They couldn’t, could they? GOAL! Reading 0-1 Barnsley (Foster, 28 min): “Well done Barnsley!” says Sky Commentating Man, because that’s not at all patronising. GOAL! Aston Villa 2-0 Blackburn (Heskey, 25 min): You know you’re in trouble when dep’t. Apparently a fantastic goal. This time Agbonlahor is the provider, holding off Salgado, before rolling it across to Heskey, who beats Robinson in clincal fashion. I know! 3.24pm: An ad break on Soccer Saturday. Goldfinger’s nearly on though. “Malcolm was the 3rd of 5 children (Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, Jamie) and many of his problems stemmed from being the overlooked middle child,” says Niall Mullen. “Of more concern is the flagrant false advertising of the film “The Never Ending Story”. Running time 102 minutes.” But Jamie wasn’t around at the start of the series. GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-2 Leicester (Fernandes, 21 min): Oh Schteve! Forest’s defending is a hot disgrace. 3.22pm: Fantasy Football’s Leighton Baines hits the underside of the bar with a free-kick! QPR are hanging on. GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Millwall (Guly do Prado, 18 min): This Southampton lot aren’t half bad, are they? It’s like the days of Marian Parhars never ended. GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Leicester (Nugent, 18 min): David Nugent scores against the team managed by the genius who gave him his England bow . There’s gratitude for you. GOAL! Hull 0-1 Crystal Palace (Jermaine Easter, 15 min): At Deepdale, Phil Brown chuckles. 3.16pm: “Don’t want to point out the obvious but Malcolm was the main character, so while Reese was also ‘in the middle’ he wasn’t the main character so naming it ‘Reese in the middle’ wouldn’t be appropriate unless it was about Reese,” says Etienne Michelet. Yes, but then what’s so significant about him being in the middle? At Villa Park, David Dunn has aimed a sly kick at Luke Young, who was presumably casting aspersions about his acting skills. 3.15pm: “Nice and smooth football,” says Charlie Nicholas, who’s watching Swansea v Wigan. No goals though. No goals. 3.13pm: “Every Saturday it is the same,” says a melancholy Richard Woods. “I settle down to listen to the game (Macclesfleld vs the Mighty Gas, since you ask) on the club page, while following the bigger clubs on Clockwatch and every Saturday the commentary “isn’t available”, presumably because worldwide hordes of other football famms who can’t get to the game regulalrly have subscribed to their team’s live commentary and got there first. Through dogged perseverance, I usuallly get some of the game, but it’s really annoying having to go through this lot every single week. Am I the only one or are there others out there suffering? And if you are reading, Bristol Rovers FC, sort it out!” GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Blackburn (Agbonlahor, 12 min): Steve Kean pours himself a stiff drink as Agbonlahor holds off several weak Blackburn challenges, cuts in from the left and scores his first goal since April. Blackburn are so going down. 3.09pm: Goldfinger’s on ITV in 20 minutes! Will he win? Find out soon. 3.08pm: At Goodison Park, Everton feel they should have a penalty after Connolly barged into Rodwell in the area. No dice. GOAL! Derby 1-0 Doncaster (Zinedine Kilbane, 6 min): Doncaster’s terrible start to the season continues as Kilbane heads in from a corner. “Maybe ‘Malcolm, Along With the Other Members of His Family, Gets in the Middle of Several Unfortunate but Predictable Scenarios’ was deemed a bit long,” says Eamonn Maloney. GOAL! Burnley 1-0 Cardiff (Austin, 2 min): Charlie Austin bullets a header in to give Burnley the lead and Cardiff’s early momentum has rather disappeared. 3.02pm: To my left, Barry Glendenning is leaning back, both feet plonked on his desk. It’s that sort of day in here. At the Liberty Stadium, Swansea have started very well, but Graham has missed a very presentable chance to put them ahead, snatching at a cross from Routledge. 3.01pm: Not that we’d know on Sky Sports News. They’re still on an ad break. Does football happen when they’re showing an advert? “Apparently QPR’s squad was decimated by a virus,” says Andrew Kelly. “Campbell & Bothroyd out, Connolly & Taarabt start but are ill. Expect Everton to get a cricket score.” Is Kieron Dyer ok? 3pm: Peep! Peep Peep Peep! We’re off. “Is Malcolm not at least the middle child of those that still live at home?” asks Ade Cooper. “Or perhaps it’s a metaphorical middle, where Malcolm acts as the ego, caught between the id of the other children and the super-ego of the parents?” Well yes, but that doesn’t make him the middle child. I’m not having it. Your other explanation is more plausible though. Bob Mortimer’s being interviewed on Soccer Saturday. Nah. “Toon went and won, Arsenal are having their implosion early this year (cunning plan so they can be safe in knowledge it won’t happen as a title challenge is mounting perhaps?) and now the rest of the games…are less interesting, oh dear, might switch over to goldfinger at half past,” says Oliver Lewis. Goldfinger, you say… So Liverpool are about to win at Arsenal for the first time since 2000. Do you remember who got the goal? Malcolm in the Middle chat here. “To the point,” says Tom Jenkins, getting straight to it. Malcolm in the Middle. He’s not the youngest kid. He’s not the oldest kid. He’s in the middle.” Yes, but that applies to Reese as well. Today’s team news. All for you. Aston Villa v Blackburn Aston Villa (4-4-2): Given; Young, Dunne, Collins, Warnock; N’Zogbia, Delph, Petrov, Agbonlahor; Bent, Heskey. Subs: Guzan, Ireland, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Makoun, Clark, Bannan. Blackburn (4-4-2): Robinson; Salgado, Nelsen, Hanley, Olsson; Hoilett, Dunn, Nzonzi, Pedersen; Goodwillie, Roberts. Subs: Bunn, Formica, Petrovic, Rochina, Blackman, Ribeiro, Lowe. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire) Everton v QPR Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard; Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines;, Barkley, Heitinga, Rodwell, Osman; Cahill; Beckford. Subs: Mucha, Hibbert, Saha, Arteta, Fellaini, Vellios, Anichebe. QPR (4-4-1-1): Kenny; Orr, Hall, Gabbidon, Connolly; Buzsaky, Derry, Faurlin, Smith; Taarabt; Agyemang. Subs: Murphy, Bothroyd, Gorkss, Perone, Moen, Ephraim, Andrade. Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire) Swansea v Wigan Swansea (4-2-3-1): Vorm; Rangel, Caulker, Williams, Taylor; Agustien, Britton; Routledge, Dyer, Sinclair; Graham. Subs: Moreira, Tate, Dobbie, Lita, Moore, Allen, Gower. Wigan (4-5-1): Al Habsi; Boyce, Caldwell, Alcaraz; Figueroa, Diame, Watson, Gomez, McCarthy, Moses; Di Santo. Subs: Pollitt, Thomas, McArthur, Sammon, Jones, Rodallega, Stam. Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) Take what we can get dep’t: “Newcastle are top of the league,” says a rather desperate Ben Monk. “Can we follow the Fiver’s lead and STOP FOOTBALL now please, and give us the trophy?” An email! “My commiserations on the wasps, I’m sure this tale of my childhood will cheer you up/fill you with horror,” offers Andrew Booth. “I was about 10 and staying in a small country hotel in the south of England with my family. I awoke to a wasps sting on my hand about 6 in the morning, and another as I tried to move my hand from under the blankets. I pulled back the blanket a bit to see what was happening to find the sheets filled with wasps. There was a nest under the bed and they’d joined me in the night. I nearly went mad, but managed to get my hand out without any further stings and ring my parents room. In the end the hotel’s housekeeper had to hoover the wasps out from the sheets before I could get out of bed. I think I was stung about 10 times. I still wake up sometimes in the night with phantom stings. On the football front, I’m watching the arse/pool game in Spanish on the internets. Every time the ball comes to Frimpong the commentator sings his name. It’s quite joyous to listen to.” Well that’s my sleep ruined tonight. We’ve got a big bumper set of games today for you. Oh yes. Three whole matches start in the Premier League at 3pm! Why, Richard Scudamore, you spoil us. So welcome to the Premier League, QPR and Swansea. This is your future Is it all you hoped and dreamed it would be? Maybe not. Both of them lost 4-0 in their opening games last week, although Swansea had more of an excuse, seeing as they were Sergio Agueroed, while QPR were Muambad. It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it? I mentioned last week that QPR are my local team – though not my team – so I had a quick look at tickets for a game in the near future. £50 (Fifty pounds!)! To watch Shaun Derry. And DJ Campbell. And Jay Bothroyd. £50! But things are starting to look up for QPR, what with Tony Fernandes having become their new owner. The preposterous pair of Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore are out. Neil Warnock’s backed. Kieron Dyer’s still injured though. Fernandes is rich, he isn’t a miracle worker. What Everton would give for one of those though. Or just a new signing really. Bring your boots to Goodison Park, you may get a game. So QPR lost 4-0 at home to Bolton, and Swansea suffered the same fate at Manchester City. Perhaps it’s merely an echo of Sunderland’s 4-0 defeat at Chelsea on the opening day in 1999, and they went on to finish 7th, Kevin Phillips helping himself to 30 goals. Swansea won’t be emulating Peter Reid’s side and Danny Graham won’t be emulating Phillips, but there was enough in their opening 30 minutes at City to suggest they have enough to stay up. Which will become an achievable target if they win games like Wigan at home. This should be an attractive one, featuring two sides who want to get the ball down and play. Roberto Martinez returns to the Liberty Stadium as well, having initially laid the foundations for Brendan Rodgers to succeed. At Villa Park, it’s meh v meh Aston Villa v Blackburn. Let’s hope no one spikes Steve Kean’s water bottle before he names his team. We’ll also be keeping an eye on the Championship. At the City Ground, Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson can debate who’s more unpopular in this country while Nottingham Forest and Leicester, who have both had underwhelming starts, take each other on, while Southampton and Brighton are both looking to maintain their 100% starts. It’s Millwall and Blackpool for them respectively. I’ve had a terrible week by the way. A wasps nest outside my room, you see. Stung on the leg at 5am. Stung on the foot at 8am. It’s been a little bit like this. Why did they call it Malcolm in the Middle? It could just as easily have been Reese in the Middle. Maybe it should have been called Malcolm’s Musings. There, that’s the burning issues of the day all covered in full for you. My headphones today have a microphone in them as well, which means I look a bit like PB . Not that there’s anything wrong with looking like that perma-tanned Mourinho tribute act. Premier League Championship League One League Two Jacob Steinberg guardian.co.uk
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Both men were arrested in July 2009 after they crossed into Iran from Iraq An Iranian court has sentenced two Americans accused of spying to eight years in jail, Iran’s state-run television has reported. Sources from Iran’s judiciary told the news channel IRINN that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, have each received three years for illegally entering Iran and further five years each for espionage for the US intelligence services. The channel said they have 20 days to appeal the verdict. Fattal and Shane Bauer were arrested in July 2009 after they crossed into Iran from Iraq. Sarah Shourd, who was detained with them but returned to the US after being freed on bail last year, has said the trio were innocent hikers who traversed an unmarked border into Iran by mistake. The case has further aggravated tensions between Iran and the US already strained over Iran’s nuclear programme. The US accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran says it is enriching uranium for electricity only. United States Iran Middle East Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Both men were arrested in July 2009 after they crossed into Iran from Iraq An Iranian court has sentenced two Americans accused of spying to eight years in jail, Iran’s state-run television has reported. Sources from Iran’s judiciary told the news channel IRINN that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, have each received three years for illegally entering Iran and further five years each for espionage for the US intelligence services. The channel said they have 20 days to appeal the verdict. Fattal and Shane Bauer were arrested in July 2009 after they crossed into Iran from Iraq. Sarah Shourd, who was detained with them but returned to the US after being freed on bail last year, has said the trio were innocent hikers who traversed an unmarked border into Iran by mistake. The case has further aggravated tensions between Iran and the US already strained over Iran’s nuclear programme. The US accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran says it is enriching uranium for electricity only. United States Iran Middle East Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk
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Libyan rebels claim regime is crumbling following flight of third senior official Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime appeared to be crumbling from within with the third defection of a senior member of his regime within days, which emerged as rebels pressed their advantage on the battlefield. According to Tunisia’s official news agency Abdel-Salam Jalloud – who helped propel Gaddafi to power in 1969 but had more recently fallen out with him – flew out of Djerba airport early yesterday. Rebels attempting to oust Gaddafi claimed Jalloud has defected.Jalloud’s flight follows the reported defection earlier this week of oil minister Omrane Boukraa and senior security official Nasser al-Mabrouk Abdullah, who fled to Cairo from Tunisia on Monday with his family. The latest defection – which was reported amid a swirl of rumours concerning the intentions of Gaddafi and his family – came as rebel forces continued operations on three fronts to cut off the capital Tripoli. In Zliten, a town formerly loyal to Gaddafi which was captured on Friday, rebels continued with street-to-street searches. The insurgents have also claimed the final capture of Brega, a town that has changed hands on a number of occasions. In Zawiya, the city 30 miles from Tripoli that earlier this year endured a long and bloody siege, Gaddafi’s forces were reported as cleared from most of the town, but still holding out in an eastern suburb along the main highway to the capital. Despite rebels securing the main square, the city centre was hit by rockets or mortars, demonstrating the threat still posed by forces loyal to the regime who have available to them both modern tanks and missile launchers. Libya Middle East Africa Muammar Gaddafi Peter Beaumont Luke Harding guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Libyan rebels claim regime is crumbling following flight of third senior official Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime appeared to be crumbling from within with the third defection of a senior member of his regime within days, which emerged as rebels pressed their advantage on the battlefield. According to Tunisia’s official news agency Abdel-Salam Jalloud – who helped propel Gaddafi to power in 1969 but had more recently fallen out with him – flew out of Djerba airport early yesterday. Rebels attempting to oust Gaddafi claimed Jalloud has defected.Jalloud’s flight follows the reported defection earlier this week of oil minister Omrane Boukraa and senior security official Nasser al-Mabrouk Abdullah, who fled to Cairo from Tunisia on Monday with his family. The latest defection – which was reported amid a swirl of rumours concerning the intentions of Gaddafi and his family – came as rebel forces continued operations on three fronts to cut off the capital Tripoli. In Zliten, a town formerly loyal to Gaddafi which was captured on Friday, rebels continued with street-to-street searches. The insurgents have also claimed the final capture of Brega, a town that has changed hands on a number of occasions. In Zawiya, the city 30 miles from Tripoli that earlier this year endured a long and bloody siege, Gaddafi’s forces were reported as cleared from most of the town, but still holding out in an eastern suburb along the main highway to the capital. Despite rebels securing the main square, the city centre was hit by rockets or mortars, demonstrating the threat still posed by forces loyal to the regime who have available to them both modern tanks and missile launchers. Libya Middle East Africa Muammar Gaddafi Peter Beaumont Luke Harding guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Keith Olbermann Makes Coburn Worst Person for Talk of Bringing a Gun to the Senate Floor – Says He Should Resign
August 20, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Keith Olbermann didn’t parse any words during his Worst Persons segment on Countdown this Thursday and went after Sen. Tom Coburn for his eliminationist rhetoric where he said that “It’s just a good thing I can’t pack a gun on the Senate floor.” And then as John already noted , proceeded to attack President Obama as an affirmative action recipient and claimed the country was better off before we had Medicare in place. Keith called for Coburn to resign and I agree with him. Not that he’s going to care what anyone thinks since he’s not running for reelection anyway. OLBERMANN: But when he moved from health care and casual racism to the debt ceiling deal, Sen. Coburn took a step down from the simply mean spirited, out of touch, whiny elitism which has marked his political career and moved towards ineligibility for the office which he holds. He called his colleagues “cowards” and then added “It’s just a good thing I can’t pack a gun on the Senate floor.” Yes it is, but apparently that’s insufficient protection for the rest of us. For a sitting U.S. Senator to say in public that he even daydreams or jokes about the prospect of shooting other Senators is not just to ignore the supposed lessons of the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and the other victims of Tuscon. It is not just to ignore the years before the Civil War when Congressman Preston Brooks of Georgia went up to Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts in the Senate chamber and beat him into unconsciousness with a cane and kept him out of office for a year. It is to pull at the threads of non-violent Democracy. It is unacceptable. It implies that other members of the U.S. Senate merit being shot, because they disagree with Sen. Coburn. And if that is indeed how he thinks, and he’s not disavowed, nor apologized for, nor even addressed this remark, he is not just a personal danger to his colleagues, but more realistically he is the kind of dangerous inspiration to those of his supporters or constituents, or just anybody who hears his comments, who might be unstable enough to act on them. As Sen. Coburn admits, it just a good thing he can’t pack a gun on the Senate floor. But it would be a better thing still if he were not on the Senate floor. If that’s who you are Senator… resign.
Continue reading …Nina Totenberg: Obama Can Save Economy With ‘A Lot of Very Populist Rhetoric’
August 20, 2011 No Comment
Stock markets around the world are once again imploding in fear of a global double-dip recession. Appearing on PBS's “Inside Washington” Friday, NPR's Nina Totenberg said Barack Obama can cure what ails us with “a lot of very populist rhetoric” (video follows with transcript and commentary): NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: The fact is that the economy does not get better from its illness unless there are in fact more jobs, because nobody is spending, there aren't, people don't have jobs to, who don't have jobs don't have income to spend. And, I mean, I, I think really the only choice Obama has right now is to, to, is a lot of very populist rhetoric to try and get a real budget that has real tax increases and real cuts and real job creation possibilities. Yeah. Heck with putting forth an actual plan on paper that legislators, the Congressional Budget Office, and the American people can fully examine and analyze. What we need right now is more populist rhetoric from the Populist Rhetorician-in-Chief. This has worked so well for the nation and the economy the past 30-plus months. Oh, and by the way, with a double-dip recession looming, what we really need right now are “real tax increases” to surely push the economy over the edge. Yeah – that's the ticket. Between Obama's rhetoric and some “real tax increases,” the economy will be booming in no time.
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