I think you're being too logical.

Americans see there's been no repeat of 9/11 on US soil (never mind that the rest of the world has become a giant exploding minefield), so the war on terror is a success.

You say "what if liquid..." but Americans can't process conditionals.

No kaboom means Bush is protecting us. Big kaboom means we must rally behind our president.

And we've got the color scheme (purple, magenta, polka dots) to make us feel safer. Especially now that we've found WMDs in Iraq and we know that Saddam was behind 9/11.

The Democrats need to represent their constituents who are saying WE'VE HAD ENOUGH, and we're pissed!!!!! They are telling their representatives....Either step up to the plate and swing at the ball, or we'll put in another hitter. This is the big leagues and this is the biggest game of our democracy. Our freedoms are at stake. If we lose, then let's go down swinging. This is no time for subtle nuance!!!!
Stephen

Someone mentioned a third party. He/she couldn't be more mistaken. Why? Because with only four months until an important election there's no time to put together a third party, that's a dream. Instead we should work even harder to change our political landscape by doing everything possible to get every republican voted out of office, especially in the House. With a Democratic House of Representatives the political game with will change dramatically with suponea powers in the hands of Democrats.
....Stephen

I have almost convinced myself that the 2nd law of thermodynamics is playing out and at an increasingly break-neck speed the further in time the existence of the universe is from the moment prior to the Big Bang - the singularity of infinite density and no volume, a moment when the universe was in perfect order. Steadily and surely all has gone from that perfect order to disorder and most particularly evidenced in the presently accelerating degeneration of the human species. Nothing else can explain the idiocy of this age.

I don't think that people understand that most dempols agree with the republicans on this administration's approach to terrorism. They believe that invading Iraq, destabalizing the middle east and curtailing civil rights here at home is and was the right approach to this problem. Read the epistles from Al From, remember that Will Marshall signed the infamous PNAC document, that Hillary Clinton voted for this war, that she and Lieberman continued and continue to support it, in the face of utter and abject failure, that they voted for the so-called Patriot Act along with most of the other dems in congress.

The DLC supports this war, they don't shrink from criticizing Bush because they are scared, they don't criticize him because they support him. They have repeatedly characterized anyone who has opposed this war as a member of the "anti-American fringe" and as a "leftist loon", and intimidate the opposition by casting aspersions on their patriotism as if opposition itself is "anti-American."

The DLC issues dire warnings that there is some sort of coup by leftist/socialist/hippie jihadists that is evolving that will "take
over" the Democratic Party, but the reality of the situation is that the DLC is beginning to lose its stranglehold - fully 91% of democrats are opposed to the DLC's policy on this war and 60% of the American people oppose it. These people are looking for a voice, they're not looking for a candidate to support as much as they're looking for a candidate to support them.

Unfortunately for dems and the American people, what we have are privileged insiders who seem to think that elected office is a career choice in management and the rank and file are employees of Dems R Us Inc, who are supposed to put in their hours and support the management which has its eye on the bottom line - their re-election. Well maybe it's time for "CEOs" such as Will Marshall and Al From to learn that democracy isn't a "business" to be run on "business principles". It's about taking a moral stand, having ideals and honouring individuals we respect with an elected office, of which they are then answerable to the people, not the upper management of the DLC.

We have reached a critical mass not only in our party but in this country - we either take it back, or we end up punching a time clock every four years at the election booth, hoping the bosses don't decide to outsource the voters sooner rather than later.

We don't need a third party in this country, we need a second party.

It's time for a new party. Never in history have the Democrats been given more opportunity to fight the policy positions of the Republicans--and what have they done with it? No question the Republicans are a poison tree--you can judge clearly by their fruits. But what kind of tree is the modern Democratic party? Not the party of FDR, but todays party...What are it's fruits? It's a withered barren tree that only sprouts a few puny leaves. Where is the fighting spirit? Where is the passion? They are the masochists in a sado/masochistic relationship with the Marquis de Sade Republicans. The Democrats appear to have truly died with Paul Wellstone. It's time to dig a grave, and throw the dirt over it, and say a little prayer.

"If you talk about it, even the simplest thing becomes complex and incomprehensible." -Herman Hesse

It's true we need a third party - the Green Party. However, it can't get the funding to go anywhere. Here in PA Santorum's folks are financing the Green Party Senate candidate in the hope it will dilute Casey's vote. Dem lawsuits are killing other Green Party candidates in my state. We need a 4th American Political system (1- Federalists v. Democratic-Republicans 2- Whigs v. Democrats 3- Democrats v. Republicans since 1856) but the present system is rigged against it. Therefore we are stuck with two parties who represent either big right wing bucks or big liberal/moderate (but still imperialist) bucks. Not a healthy situation.

Tom

I truly believe that we have a good system - the problem is that we've allowed the pols to legalize corruption and make elected office a career choice instead of an honour. Elected office in this country was never meant to be a lifelong occupation/career with benefits, pensions and job protection. Unfortunately, people are incapable of respecting boundaries (of which Lieberman is a prime example, I won't even get into Kennedy, Byrd, Biden, Kerry and the rest of the senior citizen power hog brigade) and self-regulating themselves. If democrats are really interested in saving their country and their party, they better get serious about campaign reform, lobbying reform and some sort of term limitations because the people have lost control again, and this time it might be permanent.

Why anybody is surprised at the viciousness of the Republican “spin” about Lamont’s win and the importance of the “plot” to blow up airliners by the group in England throws me for a loop. It’s in the book; it’s in their playbook; they don’t know how else to handle things except negatively. There is no sense of reality here, only Republican “spin”. It will continue until the election and, if they prevail, we can expect it to continue unabated. So, please, don’t act surprised; and above all don’t act as if it won’t happen again and again. One more point: The Republicans have mastered one technique and use it very well: It is called “first strike.” They frame the argument and the Democrats have to respond to it. If only some smart Democrat had come forward, immediately, and said, “Expect this to happen, expect this type of campaign from the Republicans,” they might have taken the “first strike” capability away from the Republicans. And, by doing this, they might have begun to show how the Republicans are bending events to remain in power. Maybe it will give the Democrats what the Tin Man and the Lion wanted.

Does everyone recall what happened when Dems repeatedly pointed out that only 5% of containers were being examined? The media trotted out "experts" who said that would add $20 or $200 per container and U.S. capitalism as we know it would fail. Move on, there's nothing more to see there.

My feeling is that given 9-11 and our timorous population, nothing we say will help. The fact that 9-11 was on aWol's watch is never noted. Nor is the fact the he is a complete idiot.

They are very effective, aren't they.

I have to say that the passion some bloggers express for the Democrats amazes me. Only 22 Senate Dems voted against the war (yeah, ancient history!) with the others voting for it because they thought it was the safe vote. Yet, some get their noses bent out of shape by those of us who see the Dems as nothing more than the lesser of two evils.

That's nice.

 I no more trust Blair than I trust Bush

Me neither. They are like frick and frack, frat boys, covering each others butts. The Brits took the fall for the 16 words in the State of the Union, also..remember? Blair is also a member of the Carlye Group.  Just way too coincidental, that everytime Bush's cajones are in the masher, along comes Tony, to extract them.

 then set off a major explosion, is most likely a gross overstatement.  Nitroglycerin, for example, generally explodes when produced by a backyard chemist

Well that is how they foiled the" Bojinks" plot. The stuff exploded in the apt, during mixing..and a neighbor called the police, who then discovered all the laptop and Arabic instructions, etc. That is how Manila(1994) averted the bomb threat. After, Japan (1993) was not so luckily, with the trial run. They successful left the bomb under the seat, and it exploded, causing an emergency landing in Okinawa and killing a Japanese businessman.  They seemed to have 'perfected" (accdg to surveillance authorities) it now, to the folks being suiciders, vs. Japan, where the bomber plants it then gets off,  one stop, before the plane heads to it's final destination....I view this sort of 'perfected' as a matter of perspective. More than likely, the 'lead dog' doesn't need to committ suicide since he needs to train the rest of the cell.

I found it interesting that while the nephew Yousef who was responsible for the Manila snafu, is in jail, his uncle the 'mastermind' and who had the succesful Japanese trial run, is purported to only be in CIA custody, abroad. 

By the way, would you sit quietly by as your seatmate on an international flight, slowly assembles a bomb?

I think it is done in the bathroom of the plane. Also, the volatile liquid is in an ordianary contact lens solution. And a wrist watch is used for the bomb detonator. Not sure a passenger listening to their iPod or reading a book would find either of these items particluarly alarming.

The most probably explanation for all of this is the need to distract all of us from Lebanon, from Iraq, from the signs that the Republican Congress will soon be just a memory.  Until I find proof otherwise, that's my take on this.

I am cynical as well. After all the pattern of Bush's behavior everytime there is a 'major crisis or terror threat' is just too damn lacksadaiscal...he keeps reading a book in Fl.  He stays in Crawford and then goes on to a fundraiser in CA, while looking out the plane during Katrina. And now this UK thing he is again on his ranch and heads up a fundraiser the next day following the UK 'foiled plot'.   It just is all too fishy and in the month of August as well.

I'm not too busy ranting to suggest, as I  have been suggesting for a couple of years now, that we withdraw from Iraq.  This might possibly have been construed as "cutting and running" back when I first suggested it, but today the war is long over, we are the winners, and we are now engaged in an endless occupation of Iraq as the country sinks into Civil War.  We have no business whatever remaining there.

The DLC is not a "wing of the Democratic Party", that I agree to.  But, the DLC has disproportionate influence with the news media, and provides cover for timid Democrats who are afraid of being called a name.  Unfortunately that includes an awful lot of our elected Democrats.  Our party would be best served if the DLC would acknowledge that their day in the sun is over. 

Hoppy in Sacramento

You don't have a clue as to what you're talking about.

Thank you for a most civil post, Hoppy. I'd like to continue in that same spirit because ranting against rants forces me to get on my own nerves. I would say that the problem is not the DLC giving cover to certain Democrats but that certain Democrats use the organization as cover.

My personal opinion is that the media pays so much to self proclaimed "New Democrats" because those of us a little to the left keep flaming each other. On my little weblog here at the site, I've been working on some positive ideas. They may be terrible ideas but they are ideas.

So far, we internet liberals/Democrats have had trouble getting the message out when we do mostly agree. An example is how the press has pigeon-holed Lamont supporters as insurgents, etc. I believe we give them some excuse with our rhetoric toward other liberals and Democrats.

Lieberman had to go. He was the exception that proved the rule so to speak. Someone else may reach Lieberman levels of being a pet Republican but I don't think it's happened yet. Until then, I would suggest that we save our savagery for the right wing/Republicans.

Since the leadership in both the House and Senate gets to decide what measures come to a vote, we should concentrate on getting Democrats in those positions. I believe Nancy Pelosi would make an excellent Speaker of the House. I know less about Reid but he has done a fine job keeping his caucus together. As long as the elected Democrat is willing to vote with the caucus on the leadership positions and stays off Fox News (or disagrees with the hosts), I think we should tolerate him or her.

Getting a truly liberal party will take a lot of time and effort. My ideas that I mentioned earlier are along those lines. For lack of any skill at titling, I'm calling the series (of 2 at the moment) "Liberal Majority in 2026."

CF.  How Much Bush Stupidity  Can We Take? by Larry Johnson

Perhaps the New York Times missed the MSNBC edition of Scarborough Country July 19, 2004 to which Johnson referred in his post of August 10.  In it, the dangers of liquid explosives were raised.

The point is that it isn't as if people haven't been screaming about this.  Or about Richard Clarke's frantic attempts to get the Bush Administration's attention on the danger of terrorists, either--pre-9/11.

So the New York Times is a Johnny-Come-Lately here.  What else is new?  And with Republican Chairmen bottling up Senate Committee Reports, vid. Senator Pat Robertson, there are limits to the Democrat's ability to crack through the cone of silence and public inattention.  The key will be to get committee chairmanships into the hands of Democrats.  Admittedly, this is a bit of a chicken v. egg issue. 

aMike

Parenthetically, Johnson raised this point two days ago, and it probably would have been a good thing to cite him as he had first dibs on at least some elements of this story.  But things drop off the front page here at the Café so quickly perhaps Mr. Rosenberg didn't catch it.  Suspecting that some of the readers may have missed it I provided a link.

The Democratic response to Bush's radio message indicates some hope that the Democrats may be getting it.

The most effective way to counter the Republicans' attempt to exploit the attempted terrorist attack is to keep pounding away at the Bush adminstration's shortcomings in protecting the U.S. from terrorists, such as diverting funds from the areas that are the most vulnerable to attack to out of the way places, the failure to inspect cargo going into planes, having a totally inept Department of Homeland Security etc., etc.
They should even go back and remind the people that Bush's response before 9/11 to being warned that Bin Laden was planning to attack the U.S. was to clear brush on his ranch, etc.

A majority of the Democrats in the House including Nancy Pelosi voted against the war resolution.

In a world consisting of various shades of gray, supporting the lesser of two evils if it is a LOT lesser, is a wise, rational decision.