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Never Look Back: Dick Cheney
Most of you know that occasionally I am asked to analyze the movement behavior of public figures for the mainstream media. I use something called Laban Movement Analysis. It is a nonjudgemental approach to analysis, although obviously interpretive conclusions can be drawn, mostly about how to improve communicative style or performance abilities.
So when Casey called me and asked me to take a look at Vice-President Dick Cheney on Larry King Live the other day, I was concerned about my abilities to overlook my judgments about his behavior and simply look at how he communicates.
I decided to watch the video with as little prejudice as I could muster; to really attempt to see what Mr. Cheney does as he communicates and reveals his personal style. I hesitated to write about what I saw because this is a nonpartisan site and I do not want my observations to indicate anything other than that they are my observations. In the end, I am sharing them in the interest of education and because I believe in dialogues.
What follows are my notes:
The first thing I noticed was Mr. Cheney's occasional head flop--he lets his head drop to one side or the other. It may be a way of listening, although most people turn their heads so the ear faces the speaker. He looked to me as if he was tipping his ear upwards.
I looked to see if his torso was supporting that movement (postural support)or if it appeared to be a gesture of the head. That's when it got interesting. For a long time (several minutes and exchanges with Larry King), there was NO postural support for what he said or did.
And yet, I did not see his head as disconnected from his torso. Quite the contrary. His head seems to emanate from a stolid held torso; it's as if the source for all those facial gestures and head movements is grounded deep, deep in his lower pelvis.
Ahhh. That's the power source. Remembering the rumors about Cheney's secret hideaway, said to be deep in the Allegheny mountains somewhere, I thought, he doesn't need a mountain. He can hide out in that lower part of his body and reveal...nothing. If he so chooses.
So what IS he revealing, I wondered? IN LMA we observe what a person is doing as contrasted with trying to diagnose or classify someone by what they do NOT do. It was then that I noticed the tray table.
The tray table is invisible, but Mr. Cheney makes it visible through his use of the space in front of him. One can see him accessing a horizontal space about three feet wide and with no height much of the time. At one point, 3:43 in on this video, he actually uses the table at hand in a way that seems entirely natural and typical.
The use of that space reminded me a little of a hostess bending over and offering a selection of hors d'oeuvres, a choice array of small possibilities.
That is a small and detailed little world there. I began to search to see if he used any other part of his personal space, particularly the upper part of the space or the back part of the space.
(To contrast and in order to visualize the difference, think about former V.P. Al Gore's use of space, which has had an tendency to be about the back-high part of his space as he retreats and rises and turns his head slightly. Al Gore can appear to be avoidant.)
No. Dick Cheney does not acknowledge the space behind him at all. No looking backwards for him. It is all about narrowing his perspective and advancing the cause.
Can we even picture his body twisting in a way that would allow him to look back? He seems completely physically organized for forward movement only.
I did see several moments of what we call "integrated movement" (when the posture and gestures match or arise out of each other), when he was talking about Scooter Libby. He was not integrated when he was talking about Karl Rove appearing (or not) before Congress. It's not difficult to tell when he is comfortable saying what he is saying, and when he is less so. But what is striking, to me, is the clarity of the delivery of message, no matter how he feels about what he is saying.
I came away with a sense of awe that someone can live so deeply in such a narrow view of the world, and the thought that such a person is a primary decision-maker for the world is troubling. I believe that Dick Cheney believes a good deal of what he is saying, and believes it deeply. But he is not going to explore other options; he appears to move from conviction to message delivery without pause, from intention to conveyance of intention without much consideration.
And he never, never looks back.
Another good way is to turn the sound off. the only communication is body language, and since it is the only form, there is a lot more that comes across.
Cheney is fixated on what he is discussing, he could care less what anyone else believes, and in fact your opinion is an obstacle.
if you watch the Cheney interview with the sounds off, sprinkle valium in the popcorn.
Ok I just wrote this, but I still quit writing.
It's complicated.
Why Pelosi and Reid Must Resign. Or Be Impeached.
My fellow countrymen,
For seven long years now, the people of the United States of America has endured the strangest and most confusing of times. We have been lied into a war with no end and no reason. We have been subjugated to daily propoganda and the betrayal of our press to simply do their jobs and report the facts. This had the effects of completely crippling any dissent and blinding us to what was happening right before our eyes as we decended into the madness of torture and the tyranny of laws being openly violated at the highest levels.
Almost a million people have been killed. Lesser nations lay in ashes before us. Brutal truths are hidden from us every day. Danger is an excuse that has led to unspeakable acts.
For these seven long years, our people have died, with no explaination, and no relief in sight. Our infasctructure has crumbled around us in surprising and even deadly ways. All while we have cried helplessly into the face of monsters who lie to us on a daily basis. The greatest questions of our lifetimes, hang in our throats, unanswered. All that we held dear is broken, shattered and unrecognizable as what once was the greatest empire the world has ever seen. All that we were is gone, and what we are now, none of us wanted to become.
But, for all the vile acts of George W. Bush and his selection of torture enablers and war profiteers, the day has come when we must accept it was not entirely all his fault. Bush, and his cronies never could have done what they have done had it not been for open abetting by both branches of Congress and the Supreme Court.
In essence, the government of the United States, all three branches, (four if you count cheney), every single branch of Our government, has either completely turned on us, or has abandoned us to the whims of tyranny. The Constitution we all hold dear and accept as Our governance, is now being treated like toilet paper by every entity sworn to uphold it.
If I believe George W. Bush is the problem, why am I not calling for his resignation or impeachment?
The short answer is 'I have. Why don't you step up and try it ?'. Maybe you are special and Bush will listen to you. But even if you are special, do not be surprised when he does not just up and resign. Not for the good of the nation, nor anything else. No one breaks that many laws, kills that many people, to attain that much power, just to give it all back to the ones he killed to take it from. And do not expect Alberto Gonzales to resign either. No matter how many times he gets caught openly committing perjury to congress.
Nancy Pelosi could impeach them both, but has explicitly stated she will not do so, no matter how much it is warranted. The evidence alone should compell her, yet, she has refused to uphold the US Constitution.
Harry Reid is busy, busy in the Senate, making sure to help gut FISA and give even MORE POWER to Bush. Apparently law breaking is not a problem when you can just rewrite the law, itself. Him, too, he calls for resignations, but somehow never quite gets around to insisting upon it.
What amazes me is how anyone, democrat, republican, or even casual bystander, how could anyone call these two people Bushes opposition ? On its' face it is laughable. On deeper reflection it is insulting to every patriot of the United States Constitution. They could be the champions of it, but so far, half measures and sophisticated talking points is all they can muster.
As a registered democrat, I must say that I personally like Reid, and I like Pelosi as well. They honestly seem like nice people. But, their failure to actually stop George W. Bush has rendered them impotent and that impotence is going to destroy our very way of life.
As a democrat myself, calling for their resignation is the only thing left I can do that might matter.
As I said, the evidence alone should have compelled Pelosi to impeach, as is her Constitutional role and duty. There are so many high officials openly committing crimes, even war crimes, that our nation of laws is certainly in danger of collapsing, and still she hesitates. Reid accomadates to the point of literally being neutured, no more than a puppet left in place to give the false illusion of opposition.
The body count increses by the hour. Unabated.
If Reid and Pelosi can not do their jobs, then they should, for the good of the nation, resign. If they refuse, then they also should face being impeached. If they make it to reelection, they will have nothing more to show than their unwillingness to do their jobs. They will each be remembered as those who could have actually stopped a tyrant, but they chose instead to have other priorities. They could have fought for We the People. They chose instead to accommadate a monster.
The multiple layers of Constitutional Crisis that we now have before us could have been stopped. It can still be stopped.
But it can only be stopped by those willing to do so. Both Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi has failed to do so. That failure is theirs alone to live with and be remembered for. They should both resign, if for no other reason than to firmly establish they are no longer enabling a tyrant. Their public services are now completely moot, and they have no one to blame but themselves.
We no longer need them. We need a miracle to help contain the mess they are incapable of controlling. May God forgive them for that failure, because I doubt the American people will any time soon.
PS, Karen...
Chinatool is right, watch it with the sound turned off.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/3/94837/13686
Bush Nominee Blocked After He Pushes $30B Tax Break for Wal-Mart
From embedded link in the diary. I think you will appreciate the video:
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=279887
Live video & video clips:
http://ustream.tv/channel/yearlykos-convention-2007
Oh, and if you want to see the clips of Dean last night and Clark this morning, scroll down slightly on the ustreaming video squares and the clip pops up for the title of it. I listened to Dean last night and am listening to the Clark clip now....
When you go to the home page, you get the live stream as it's happening.
Watch Jason Alexander in this Youtube video compliments of Campaign for America's Future - all about obstructing progress, with a Hogwarts twist!
http://ws.collactive.com/points/point?id=6RzkyP4Myp3C
Posted by Karen at August 3, 2007 11:16 AM
Cheney does believe what he's saying, which is why he keeps repeating himself, repeating the lies we've heard for seven years. He knows he's the real "leader" behind the scenes; it's been his objective since his days in the Nixon administration and then while working for Bush 41.
I think he's a smarter adult version of Bush... i.e., I personally believe Cheney is also a psychopath. He just has enough smarts to hide his temper better... except when he momentarily loses his temper and tells a senator 'go [Cheney] yourself.' Cheney is better at hiding behind his mask of sanity, whereas the frat boy will always act like a spoiled toddler.
The Mask of Sanity by Hervey Cleckley is about psychopaths - he's the one who coined the term.
Oh, Wow...!
Wes Clark was on fire this morning!
Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney sat on boards of companies that supported bush, those companies now receive billions of dollars per year in defense contracts. The Bush family is set for generations from the spillover of defense and security contracts..
The list of Executive branch officials reads like a who's who in the defense Industry, ALL of them owning stock in defense and security and petroleum companies.
Dick Cheney seems more like the grinch than psychopath...he wants what is his and yours also.
maybe we should elect people that own stocks in toy companies, might be a whole lot better off.
maybe we should elect people that own stocks in toy companies, might be a whole lot better off.
Posted by: chinatool at August 3, 2007 01:21 PM
Let's repeat that, please?
At least toys don't kill (usually) - petroleum and weapons do.
SENATOR SPECTER SAYS THAT ALBERTO GONZALES SHOULD BE REMOVED:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.c-span.org/videoarchives.asp?
CatCodePairs=Current_Event,Congress&ArchiveDays=30
The Senate Judiciary Cmte. continues its hearings into the firing of U.S. Attorneys. Witness Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, has claimed immunity from Congressional subpoenas & is not expected to appear. J. Scott Jennings, Spec. Asst. to the President, is also scheduled to testify. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) chairs the hearing.
8/2/2007: WASHINGTON, DC:
Karen
Fascinating analysis of Cheney!
NonnyO
Thanks for the link to Clark. He was phenomenal.
We are seeing alot of great stuff here.
Went to a talk about MSM/blog relationship where bloggers asked hard questions of the media representatives.
Went to one on science that touched on everything from Global warming/hurricanes to Dark matter to Intelligent design & schoolboards.
Nice to finally check DCP and email. News would be good too.
Thanks for recent links, people. YearlyKos is a world all its own.
Now on to the Candidate's Forum, which is where the aspiring ply bloggers with strong drinks and make promises.
I heard from a good source that this event next year will not be Kos-specific but a convention for progressive bloggers in general.
Saw the-woman-formerly-known-as-Wonkette in her new incarnation ahving something to do with TIME magazine, I was told.
Also heard it's not true that Hillary Clinton refused to participate in the breakout groups after the candidates' appearance, to not be photographed with bloggers. She actually had a schedule conflict and now is going to come. She passed up a fundraiser. I was given some Bush/Clinton and No Clinton Dynasty buttons.
I still am undecided, which is fine. It is early. Would love to see people work more on issues in their local communities. I have seen some people who are running for office against heavy odds. It takes courage and organization.
I am sitting right now with someone from the tall Senator's office.
New Info:
First, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign has confirmed that Sen. Clinton will attend a breakout session for the Presidential Leadership Forum. Appropriate wristbands will be required for the event.
I HAVE THE WRISTBAND. ANY QUESTIONS?
Reid, Pelosi cannot attend Ask The Leaders Forum
DAMN I WAS INTENDING TO GIVE THEM YOUR LETTER CHRISTY
Hey everyone,
Great reporting, nmp! I look forward to your assessment of the Ask the Candidates forum!
On the Cheney analysis, I always look with the sound off. I turn the sound back on to find out what they were saying at particularly integrated moments.
Christy/NMP:
No single member of the House of Representatives, such as Pelosi, can impeach a President, such as Bush. It takes a majority of the House to do so, and it takes two-thirds of the Senate (if my memory serves) to convict. Barring some new major development or revelation, that simply will not happen. I don't understand why anyone would single out Pelosi or Reid or certainly Democrats in Congress on this one. The American people had plenty of information on the current President when they elected him in 2004. If anyone is to blame, we are. Secondly, the Republicans have controlled the House for something like twelve out of the last thirteen years, and the Senate for something like ten out of the last thirteen years, and during the first six years of the current President's tenure, when they were in control, not only did not carry out any oversight of the Executive at all, but actually went out of their way to attack anyone who even dared suggest that such oversight was warranted. Now in the minority, they will continue to protect Bush because they have more than one-third.
So, if I want to blame someone, I blame (1) my fellow Americans, (2)President Bush, (3) the leadership of the GOP and the most influential lobbies and private circles that support them, and (4)Republicans in Congress. Next on my list comes Ralph Nader. Next Joe Leiberman.
Respectfully Yours,
Chuck in Houston
Christy:
Also, though I'll have to go back and review the Constitution on this one, I don't think members of the Legislative can be impeached. Let me check on that....
NMP:
Also, on the "Dynasty" thing, I don't get that. I mean there were the Adamses, I think the Harrisons were Grandfather/Grandson. Eleanor Roosevelt was Teddy's neice, I think, and Franklin was a distant cousin as well. Then there were the Kennedy's. I think Bobby and Ted both would have made fine Presidents, and that Ted is a fine Senator. Likewise I think Bill CLinton was a great President and his wife is a good Senator and would make a fine President. The Bush family I do not like, but not becasue they are a dynasty. I don't like them because of the way they conduct themselves and the policies they champion and the interests they represent.
Chuck in Houston
Chuck in Houston
Christy:
Article I Section 5 of the Constitution deals with the expulsion of a Representative or Senator:
"Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member."
So Pelosi and Reid can't be impeached, but they can be expelled by a two-thirds vote of the respective House. I doubt that the leader of the majority party in either house would be expelled while they are still leaders (de facto meaning they have the support of at least 25% plus one vote). Also, even if the Democrats changed leaders, and barring some shocking new development or revelation,I can't imagine that Pelosi or Reid would be expelled.
Chuck in Houston
Karen:
Sorry to be off topic on the above....
Anyway, that whole deal about Cheney's inner self and how it comes across reminds me of a lot of discussions some of us use to follow on the John Kerry for President blog in the last US Presidential election cycle, and it had to do with that Laskof (??) stuff about "framing," etc., and the "stern parent" model that highly corresponded to Bush voters. At the same time, DiAnne and I used to compare notes about this German child psychologist (Alice Miller?) and some work she had done on Victorian era child-rearing practices and the rise of Hitler.
Not sure how that relates but I think it does. Personnally, I find the body-language of Bush and Cheney very disturbing. I also read somewhere that Cheney is one of those types that speaks very softly in meetings. I always hated that in people. I think it is a passive-aggressive power-trip. A lot of people have pulled that on me in my professional life, and I always just say, loudly -- "I am sorry, but I can't hear a word you are saying. Please speak up." I just won't play that game. Any promotions I might have got out of it would not have been worth the price I would have had to pay in self-esteem.
Chuck in Houston
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/08/03/daily-show-the-rummy-returns/
Daily Show: The Rummy Returns
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/08/03/daily-show-i-now-pronounce-you-dick-larry/
Daily Show: I Now Pronounce You Dick & Larry
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/08/03/say-it-aint-so-dianne/
Say it aint so, Dianne!
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/08/03/countdown-worst-person-in-the-world/
Countdown: Worst Person in the World
Karen:
I'm watching the video, and, boy, can Larry King kiss hinnie or what? Larry King is a real good boy at that!
Chuck in Houston
Karen:
What does your Laban training say about Larry King in all this?????
By the way, you have the patience of Job to try and dispassionately analyze this.
Chuck in Houston
Elizabeth de la Vega | Winning a Game or Losing a Dogfight?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080307R.shtml
Truthout guest contributor Elizabeth de la Vega writes: "Gonzales's lies are merely a subset of the shameless, and shameful, course of deception that has been carried out by the White House with regard to their warrantless domestic wiretapping, and so many other areas of their governance, over the past six years." De la Vega goes on to say, "This is a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game the Republicans are playing, but if the Democrats remain dogged enough, it is a game the Republicans should not win. Gonzales's statements may be ambiguous, but the law is not."
Ohio Bill Would Make Abortion Illegal Without Paternal Consent
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/080307WA.shtml
The Feminist Daily News Wire reports that a bill has been submitted in Ohio that would ban a woman from obtaining an abortion without consent from the man who impregnated her.
Marc Ash | Law or Lawlesness
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080307J.shtml
Truthout's Executive Director Marc Ash writes: "Mounting a serious legal challenge to the executive branch is a daunting task for Congress under any circumstances. However, as the breadth and scope of this White House's transgressions are totally unprecedented, so too is the challenge Congress faces. Never in its history has America been confronted with an executive branch so determined to break every law designed to regulate its conduct."
Gonzales Issue Snarls Surveillance Law
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080307K.shtml
The Associated Press writes, "Congress struggled Thursday over giving the government more power to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists, bogged down by concerns about the man who would oversee the plan - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales."
{{{What's more "troubling" to me is that the Dems quoted actually sound like they would be in favor of this law if they could just get a verbal statement that Bush, Cheney, Gonzo, et al., wouldn't break the law - AGAIN! - and want yet another law to retroactively legalize the illegal things they're already doing. Are they DAFT?!?}}}
Move to Amend FISA Sparked by Judge's Ruling
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080307L.shtml
Carol D. Leonnig and Ellen Nakashima report for The Washington Post: "A federal intelligence court judge earlier this year secretly declared a key element of the Bush administration's wiretapping efforts illegal, according to a lawmaker and government sources, providing a previously unstated rationale for fevered efforts by Congressional lawmakers this week to expand the president's spying powers."
Bush Freezes Assets of Those Tied to Lebanon Violence
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080307P.shtml
Matt Spetalnick reports for Reuters that Bush has ordered a freeze on the US assets of anyone Washington deems to be undermining Lebanon's pro-Western government. The targets were not identified, but Bush's executive order targets anyone considered to be fueling violence in Lebanon or contributing to what it called "Syrian interference" in the country.
{{{Hmmm... I thought that executive order would first be used against people DimWit declared unlawfully aiding anyone in Iraq who was not the US. Seems he intends that particular executive order to mean more....}}}
Edwards Assails Rivals Over News Corp.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080307M.shtml
John Edwards criticized Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday for taking more than $20,000 in donations from News Corp. (NWS) officials, arguing that the company's Fox News Channel has a right-wing bias and Democrats should avoid the company.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/be-a-part-of-huffposts-o_b_58859.html
Be a Part of HuffPost's Online-Only Presidential Candidate Mashup
Posted by: Christy at August 3, 2007 11:53 AM
Despite Chuck's reasoning about the place for Pelosi and Reid, the thing that really bugs me is that she took impeachment off the table. And now she's hell-bent on saying, "that takes and wastes a lot of time and we've achieved so much."
If that's her reasoning, they haven't achieved any of the things she set out to achieve. Bush loves to veto. He has already said he'll veto Congress on the funding of health care for all children. That would not be fair to the insurers, he said. So, it's not as if a whole lot has been achieved.
I was a special education teacher. One day a child moved her eyes and seemed to hold eye contact with her teacher for maybe 10 seconds. It took 6 months of visual and verbal and aural stimulation to get her to this point. It was with great excitement that this was recorded as a major achievement over the 6 months.
Congress needs way more than 6 months to make eye contact with each other and agree on one point - and supposedly they don't have the severe disabilities of the young 12 year old mentioned above.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070804/ap_on_go_co/senate_rollcall_terrorism_1
Senate Roll Call: Terrorism Surveillance
The 60-28 roll call by which the Senate voted to temporarily give President Bush expanded authority to eavesdrop on foreign terrorists without court warrants.
On this vote, a "yes" vote was a vote to give Bush that authority and a "no" vote was a vote to deny him that authority.
Voting "yes" were 16 Democrats, 43 Republicans and 1 independent.
Voting "no" were 27 Democrats, 0 Republicans and 1 independent.
{{{You WILL want to click on the link and check out the roll call vote, and I already know some of you won't be happy with what you see. Wow! A Lamestream Media outlet actually recorded all the votes for each senator in each state (some didn't vote)! My chin hit the keyboard when I saw this online! I'm going to have a fit of the vapors because of my shock... and then I'm writing my Dem senator and asking her if she's lost her mind...! I know she's a junior senator and all, but she's also a former prosecuting attorney, and I thought she was smarter than to vote for crap like this.}}}
I read song lyrics and poems here and find each of them has a real connection with life. For days now, the last two lines of a poem written by my sister, Robyn Torrens in 1982, has been running through my head. It's called Look Around
Look around.
Are you proud?
This life we humans live?
Each one for himself -
Himself he will not give.
Why sever nature's strings?
Is it life we're making best?
Are we stronger,
Each one who lives,
Stronger than the rest?
We're cutting.
Yes, we're cutting
All the ties that in us are.
Don't you find this world
A little bit bizarre?
Murder
Wanton
Murder
They murder who they will.
Perhaps it's Armageddon
And peace is what they kill.
Posted by: NonnyO at August 3, 2007 11:54 PM
NonnyO; I wouldn't know the people so I didn't look for the names, but I find this absolutely astounding. How could so many - seemingly rational - people give Bush even more spying without authorisation, powers? It's hard to know where the good guys are. I might look it up and see where the few I do know stand on the issue.
Woz:
That's my point exactly: Bush will veto it and there are enough Republicans in the Senate to make sure that the veto will stick -- as long as the Republicans think they can get away with it.
Chuck in Houston
I don't understand why some senators chose not to vote on that issue. What's to gain by not voting? Elections might have a group of bad candidates and even if voting wasn't compulsory, I'd still make the best choice I could.
Posted by: Chuck at August 4, 2007 12:11 AM
Yeah - it makes a real nonevent of the working congress, doesn't it?
Woz:
It means that you have to achieve a critical mass of public opinions around key principles to make them work -- otherwise either side can stop the process. In the American system, if one party has both the Executive and the Legislative -- as the Republicans have for 2002-2006 (and the Democrats last had for two years in 1992-1994), then a party can push something through. Without that, then there has to be a viable bi-partisan middle for something to work. So congress in not a "non-event" -- it is a piece of a larger picture.
Chuck in Houston
Yes, but it is frustrating, nonetheless.
Woz:
It's very frustrating. I think it was designed to be that way. To look at the bright side, it's like ballast in a ship -- it keeps it from tipping over during a storm. On the other hand, it makes it harder to manuever fast. On balance, I prefer the conservative "ballast" approach. Look at civil rights in America -- for so long, we did not have a consensus about the rights of Americans who were slaves alnd later the descendents of slaves. Over the last forty years, against great social pressure, the right course is becoming the norm. In part that is because at different times one of our three branches -- judicial, legistaltive and executive (and even the legislative is split between a volatile House of Reprentatives and a more stable Senate) -- has taken the right course and over time the balance of public opinion came along. So rather than complain about the inertia of that ballast, I think we should always think about how to use that mass to our benefit. In turn, that means let's not focus on the surface phenomena but rather constalntly keep in mind the deeper currents.
Ugly metaphors, I know; but what do you want from an oil and gas procurement and logistics guy?
Chuck in Houston
Now, I haven't read this article. The headline was enough. Of all the people to lead a group on Climate Change, it certainly isn't GWBush or John Huff'n'Puff Howard! They can't really comprehend that there is such a thing. They're like spoilt children - rather than modelling good practice for developing countries to aspire to; the plan is to bully the newly developing economies to get moving first and fast on climate change practice. While America and Australia continue to lag.
Bush calls climate conference
August 4, 2007 - 1:48PM
US President George W Bush has invited the world's major polluters, including Australia, to a September 27-28 conference to set long-term goals on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bush-calls-climate-conference/2007/08/04/1185648192689.html
Or as I think it was Winston Churchill that said something to the effect that "you can always trust the American people to do the right thing, after having thoroughly explored every other possible alternative."
Chuck in Houston
Woz:
By the way, I think you put your finger on it with the word "bully." That's what we have to work on. That is the thing we are really doing wrong and that undercuts all the good things people in the US and Australia and other places strive for. We have to be better than that. There is a meaningful statement struggling to get out of me on this but I just can't find it! Help! I speaks to this threader header as well I think.
Chuck in Houston
Chuck - yes - I've always liked that quote, but for some reason I thought it was Mark Twain. You're right - it was Churchill.
Bush W has taken bullying to a whole new level. His bullying of sectors within individual nations is really bad. Hamas - elected by the people, is bullied and starved and aid withdrawn. Installation of an US chosen Iraqi president. Even I'd come out fighting over that one. Hizbollah in Lebanon. The #1 in Iran. And the religious leader in Iran also, whose name escapes me. Bush seems hell bent on riling the most volatile of all the earth's people. Korea.
Posted by: NonnyO at August 3, 2007 11:54 PM
This vote reflects the last-minute nature of the past three days and the fact that we MUST hound Congressmembers over the next three weeks as they travel home or on vacation.
Posted by: woz at August 4, 2007 12:08 AM
Chertoff's fart waiting to happen, his "gut" rumbling, says there's going to be a 'ter'rist attack' at some time (no intelligence report to back that up, mind you, just his "gut"), and as soon as that happened, Lamestream Media went all bonkers and reported 'ter'ra, ter'ra, ter'ra' - or so the news teasers implied (I gave up watching most Lamestream Media on purpose years ago, but I do hear the teasers for the news), and headlines on web "news" stories screamed the same headlines.
So, the moment that happened, Georgie and Dickie went all kommando, did speeches about 'ter'ra' and mentioned al Qaida umpteen dozen times... all of which set off the Pavlovian response in our Congress Critters that whatever Georgie wants to cover his sorry ass for crimes he's already committed and/or wants to commit, they make it "legal" by passing legislation giving him all these extra dictatorial powers.
It's all so pathetically predictable...! Our Congress Critters are a bunch of whiney-ass titty babies who wet themselves every time Georgie or Dickie say the word 'ter'ra!' and they go hide under their beds.
There's a "sunset clause" for six months on that one bill, apparently, and there were two versions of the bill that went through the Senate, but I don't care... whatever powers they want, they get, and to hell with time limits. One would think by the track record of broken laws already, years and years of broken laws, that our Congress Critters would have learned something about the modus operandi of Georgie and Dickie and their criminal cabal by now. But, no-o-o-o-o-o....
Pfft!
I fired off a note to my Dem senator who should know better (she used to be a prosecuting attorney before she became a senator) and expressed my profound disappointment. I really wanted to curse her out, but decided to be diplomatic....
This morning the House is considering the same bill that was so hastily passed by the Senate last night.
AND THE GOOD NEWS IS:
According to the tail end of the Bill Moyers Journal last night, next week they will RE-run the show they did about IMPEACHMENT.
I'm notifying my senators and representative and politely demanding they watch it....
Posted by: karen at August 4, 2007 07:19 AM
Oh, yeah...! I got the phone numbers and the email addresses of my Congress Critters.
And I'm still demanding impeachment.
It's tragically "amusing" that whenever a Congress Critter posts a diary at dKos the whole thing is taken over with people demanding impeachment....
http://www.democrats.com/yearlykos-bans-impeachment
YearlyKos Bans Impeachment
{{{DiAnne - You're at YKos... Is this true???}}}
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x45270
Countdown, Aug. 12, 2007; warrantless wirtetaps....
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/08/03/countdown-fisa-and-fear-mongering/
Countdown: FISA and Fear Mongering
I think this is a longer version of the above link....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070804/ap_on_go_co/terrorism_surveillance
House to consider terrorism spy bill
Excerpt:
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., angrily chastised his colleagues for bending to the administration's will.
"The day we start deferring to someone who's not a member of this body ... is a sad day for the U.S. Senate," Feingold said.
{{{DiAnne - You're at YKos... Is this true???}}}
Posted by: NonnyO at August 4, 2007 07:36 AM
NonnyO: The YearlyKos planners decided a long time ago tat impeachment was off the table as far as invited sessions and panels went. There are a number of impeachment leaders such as Fertik there, and lots of other issues being presented informally, in the halls, hotel rooms, bars. etc.
Bob Fertik is right that the planners really wanted to get the mainstream Dems there and therefore chose topics to address that would get them there (rescheduling fundraisers and other camapign events). The other attraction for the candidates and Congressional leaders is the sheer number of activists there.
I am looking forward to hearing about the forums today from all the DCPers who are there!
Summer drinks. new thread...
Excellent and educational post Karen. No doubt about it, Cheney is delusional. Thanks.