My prediction had been for the GOP to hold on and perhaps even gain a few seats this November - now I'm predicting a Democratic meltdown.

I'd like to think you're right, Mark, but I'm very skeptical. I'm afraid that Iraq--a major battle in the war on terror--and the lack of a true conservative leader, has left our side increasingly vulnerable this time. We're poised for a loss this November--that's my prediction.

Thank you, John McCain. War

Mark,

Didn't you also predict that the Iraq War would be quick and easy? Haven't you repeatedly predicted that the fall of Baghdad, the capture of Saddam, the killing of his sons, several elections, and the killing of Zarqawi were all turning points that would cause the violence to quickly die down? Didn't you predict that the Cedar Revolution would lead to a blossoming of peace and democracy in Lebanon? Didn't you predict that the Iraq War would weaken Iran? Haven't you been wrong about every one of those predictions?

Keefer, didn't you predict JUST YESTERDAY that Lieberman would win?

Maybe you guys should admit that your previous predictions were hopelessly wrong before making new ones.

Absolutely - the BIGGEST election in August - everyone knows about it - and the line has been drawn. If I was running and I got 1/2 the democratic votes; plus about 75% of independents; plus 50% of republicans; I would be very happy. The republican contender is nothing great and I believe he will come out with very little of the vote - with that being said if I was a Republican in CT and I had the choice of someone who has no chance of winning; someone like looney-Lamont, or Joe Libermann, Joe would get my vote for sure! The democrats are so stupid - WE ARE AT WAR and the majority of the American people know this and we can't run away, Iran would become a much bigger country!

Mark, there is a reason you will never amount to much in the political pundit world; your bias prevents you from using any real logic when assessing situations.

First, the War on Terrorism is not the central issue. Rather the Iraq War is the central issue for many, but not all Democrats.

Second, most of the people voting for Lieberman are not happy with the Iraq War, they just have other issues and concerns that outweighed that one issue. Just because you may vote on one issue does not mean everyone else in the country does.

Do the math! If 90% of conservatives are happy with the Iraq war as you say, how could 50% of the Democrats be happy with it? That would mean almost 75% of Americans are happy with the war. Every poll shows us that maybe 30 to 40% of people are happy with the war. Just use a little logic for once before you go spouting off.

Third, you have stated in the past that it is healthy for a party not to all have the same exact view on every issue. Conservatives are all over the board on immigration and you tell us that is a sign of strength. Which is it? Both opinions of yours cannot be true.

Fact of the matter is 5 incumbent republican senators are behind in polls three months out. As you would say: No matter how you slice it, the Republicans are looking worse and worse everyday.

Here is the text from Rasmussen Reports about the 5 senators:

Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill (D) has moved ahead of Senator Jim Talent (R) in the latest Rasmussen Reports election survey to lead the incumbent 45% to 42% (see crosstabs). The candidates were tied at 42% in our survey last month.

While a 3-point lead for the challenger is well within the survey’s margin of sampling error, it is a concern for any incumbent to be so far below the 50% level of support at this point in the campaign. Four other Republican incumbents are in similar or even more difficult circumstances (Santorum in Pennsylvania, Burns in Montana, Chafee in Rhode Island, and DeWine in Ohio).

Mark,

I went back and reread your post--I didn't realize that was Michail MooreOn. And 52/48 is now a resounding defeat? How come when Bush won by almost the same margin in '04, it wasn't resounding?

Anyway, I'm sitting here listening to El Rushbo analyze all of this, and it makes sense--Liberalism, or neo-liberalism, cannot win. These people are kooks, and the majority of America will not side with kooks. This is not to say that we won't lose one or both houses of Congress this fall, but this country will not roll over and accept accept the neo-liberal mentality. War

can someone tell the fat man that lieberman can still be senator and lamont may not be senator? i know he's a complete idiot but come on. what happens in november when lieberman wins the senate seat again?

mark, i wish you would have put his whole letter up. the ending was extremely funny to me. if any didn't bother to read the rest please do.

By the way, the IslamoLiberal Facists sabotaged Joe Lieberman's Web Page yesterday, on election day! If that is not a felony I do not know what is. Check it out: http://www.joe2006.com/

It still is down, I bet they leveled a DNS attack on it, scum bags that they are.

"God Bless America, land that I love!!!" Unlike you goon libs.

Capt. Hammerhead USAF Active location unavailable and loving it protecting you idiots!

Rather the Iraq War is the central issue for many, but not all Democrats.

Well, Brokedick, the war in Iraq, to us Republicans, is a battle in the war on terror, you dumbarse!!!

If we withdraw prematurely from Iraq, Iran will probably gain complete control of Iraq. Iran already virtually controls Syria and Lebanon. Iran has threatened to "burn the roots of the Anglo-Saxon race," "death to Israel," "death to America." and "we shall wipe Israel off the map." Also, Amadinejad has stated that he does not shy away from stating that Islam is ready to rule the world. From the context, he means his version of Islam. If Iran could add Iraq to its holdings, they would be a postion where they would be able to make good on their threats to America. Michael Moore hates America and Israel, so it is unlikely he has thought through the ramifications of his position.

Also, the American military is likely the only thing standing between Iraq and a complete meltdown. In the event of a premature American withdrawl, the resulting blood bath would be far worse than is currently being experienced. Michael Moore has likely not thought this through either. For him and his kind, it is all about trying to make America suffer a defeat.

The Bush Administration has done a poor job of explaining the stakes. Unfortunately mismanagement on the part of the Administration may have made an already bad situation worse. In explaining the stakes, it will require people to admit the mistakes they have made. Its up to the voters to put pressure on the politicians to place Aemrican security ahead of partisian politics.

speaking of payback...Darth Blackwell's making 'em actually show ID to vote! Imagine that, having to show ID same as buying a 40.

Hammerhead,

"If that is not a felony I do not know what is."

--Running a phone-jamming scam, then getting caught making dozens of calls to the whitehouse at the same time.

I have a dog, I don't need you to protect me from anything but your ilk, keep it real, and stay black!

Well, Brokedick, the war in Iraq, to us Republicans, is a battle in the war on terror, you dumbarse!!!

Is that all you got keef? To some the Iraq War is considered part of the WOT. To others, because of no connection prior to our invasion with Iraq and Al Qaeda, they do not consider Iraq part of the WOT. Either way, even if you consider Iraq part of the WOT that does not make these two statements equal:

Central issue is WOT.

Central issue is Iraq War.

You see, the Iraq War is part of something larger in your opinion. If people have a problem with the part, that does not mean they have a problem with the larger concept, only a specific part of the larger concept. The first statement is a misrepresentation on Noonan's part trying to paint liberals as being pro-terrorist or whatever he stupidly believes.

Here is another way to put it. One might say they have a problem with Republicans. Republicans are part of a larger group, human beings. This does not mean the individual has a problem with human beings, only the subset Republicans. One could go further and say they have a problem with useless, name calling Republicans, but not with Republicans. That is a valid view as well.

Do I need to present any more examples? I can send you some diagrams if you are more of a visual learner.

"the war in Iraq, to us Republicans, is a battle in the war on terror, you dumbarse!!!"

o.k. keefer, let's do this one more time.....

The attack on America on 9/11 was not perpetrated by terrorists from Iraq.

The invasion & occupation of Iraq by the U.S. has created a bloody mess that is spreading across the middle east.

Due to the Bush method of handling the war on terror, we are all less safe. Thanks a heap!

TEO: Your dog is probably adequate protection against common criminals. Unfortunately Al Qaeda and its Marxists allies are not common criminals. To defeat Islamic terrorists and their Marxists allies will require a vigorous military response abroad, militarizing the border, and preferably both. Assuming Hammerhead is who he says he is, the appropiate response form you is "thank you."

Hammerhead: I'm assming you are who you say you are. Thank you for your service with the USAF.

Hammerhead,

No matter what B. poster says, I really don't care, your job is no more important than the school teachers I work with, so when you give me a thank-you for the folks who gave you the tools so you could pass your ASVAB, then i'll give you some props, till then, remember that I pay your salary, eat well!

Analysts said that the majority of Lamont's support came from the [allegedly] educated elitist left. That is consistent with the reports on the decline in America's education system. The longer a person remains in the liberal controlled public schools, the less they know. (Those who make it through college apparently lose all common sense!)

From John Stossel's 'Stupid in America', Jan. 13, 2006 — "'Stupid in America' is a nasty title for a program about public education, but some nasty things are going on in America's public schools and it's about time we face up to it."

"... we gave parts of an international test to some high school students in Belgium and in New Jersey. Belgian kids cleaned the American kids' clocks, and called them 'stupid.'
"The Belgian students didn't perform better because they're smarter than American students. They performed better because their schools are better. At age 10, American students take an international test and score well above the international average. But by age 15, when students from 40 countries are tested, the Americans place 25th."

From another article... "In a 2003 study conducted by UNICEF that took the averages from five different international education studies, the researchers ranked the United States No. 18 out of 24 nations in terms of the relative effectiveness of its educational system."

"Another prominent 2003 study, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, shows a steady decline in the performance of American students from grades 4 to 12 in comparison to their peers in other countries."

“'In fourth grade, American kids do above average internationally. By eighth grade, they slip a bit, and by 12th-grade, they’ve slipped a lot,' Marsh said. 'We’re the only country that slides down that much from fourth to 12th grade.'"

Those who are subjected to the liberal indoctrination and brainwashing from our liberal controlled colleges and universities have apparently been educated into incompetence.

Eliminate the breeding, seeding. and feeding grounds of Liberalism! Get our children out of the liberal "education" system!

AAR

CO

"The attack on 9/11 was not perpatrated by terrorists from Ira." No one ever said Iraq was directly involved in 9/11. Iraq did provide active support for international terrorism. This included Al Qaeda. It is best to think of groups like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, and Syria as one and the same. These groups are backed up by Russia and China. Iraq under the baathists was a part of this nexus. As such, it becomes a legitmate target in the GWOT. We judge leaders by what they achieve rather than what they attempt to achieve. With this in mind we need a good plan. I think course corrections need to be made.

"The invasion and occupation of Iraq by the U.S. has created a blood mess that is spreading accross the middle east." The issues we face right now are due to three primary mistakes. We did not go in hard enough at the beginning, we did not commit enough troops, and we allowed Islamic extremists parties to enter the politcal process. With that said the baathist regimes killed people at a more prolific rate than the sectarian violence has. The "bloody mess" under Saddam was far greater on a daily basis than the sectarian violence. The difference is the former was done quitely and the latter is done as part of made for tv propaganda to weaken western resolve.

"Due to the Bush method of handling the war on terror we are all less safe. Thanks a heap!" If we leave Iraq to the tender mercies of Iran, there is no question we will be less safe. Given that Canada did not send troops to Iraq, this should have no bearing on Canada's security.

The nations who particpated in Iraqi Freedom thought the war plan was adequate. That said, we can become more safe by commiting more troops and resources to the GWOT.

AAR,

I think you have outdone yourself on the stupi-o-meter today.

Do liberals somehow teach Math and Science differently that conservatives?

Do Liberals work on a different number scale than you, do they have a different periodic table than you?

Don't be an idiot. If you didn't notice, the most liberal of countries [Netherlands] are teaching their children better than we are, so that kinda blows your theory out of the water.

"When I woke up this morning - political animal that I am - what was literally the first thought to cross my mind was, "this morning, Israel is fighting for it's life against Islamo-fascist terrorists while last night the Democrats kicked out a Jew who supports fighting Islamo-fascist terrorists"

Boy, the hamsters were moving this morning, eh?

"My prediction had been for the GOP to hold on and perhaps even gain a few seats this November - now I'm predicting a Democratic meltdown."

Personally, I would love to see that prediction come true. I don't think I can be as confident about it as you seem to be. However I am confident that the majority of the Democratic party is now solidly in control of liberal extremists which will sacrifice their own if they don't fall exactly in lockstep. The extreme leftist do not want Democrats who wish to think for themselves, they want Democrat Borgs (think Star Trek: The Next Generation) who will do and say whatever they tell them to no questions asked. I am also confident that the extreme leftist will (and are) doing whatever it takes, both fair and foul, to drive out any and all moderate and conservative democrats from the Party. In their mad, desperate attempts to regain control in the House and Senate, they will merely tear down rather than rebuild. And when some within their party will lose (and they will...no one bats 1.000) the liberal extremists will, like Cynthia McKinney, blame everyone but themselves for the loss.

Overall, regardless whether they regain control in November or not (and I don't think they will make a complete takeover as Howard Dean insanely predicts) the rise of the liberal extremists within the Democratic party will ultimately weaken the party and in the worse-case scenario (at least for Democrats)lay the foundation for an effective third-party to be created. If such a third-party (hello Joe Leiberman?) is created due to extremism in the Democratic party, it will benefit the Republican party greatly and keep them in control for decades.

TEO, you nailed that one. All the European countries that smoke us on these tests are extremely liberal. The fact that some of our students are not learning these basic elements of education has nothing to do with liberals. Of course, AAR and people of that ilk believe that if there was prayer in school students would all of a sudden be able to find their country on a map.

Those who make it through college apparently lose all common sense!

If I were to judge the truthiness of this statement on W alone this could be true, but when involving other people it turns out to be a statement that funny enough -- contains no common sense itself. Be honest AAR, how far did you make it along in the education system?

Other countries also spend far less on public education than the US does. Yet the US apparently has a poor eductation system. Its not a matter of how much is spent. It is a matter of how wisely the money is spent.

Lamont WILL NOT be Senator you know it, and I certainly know it ( Unless Joe doesn't go the Independent route )

How many Republicans will vote for him maybe 12, but they would have to be stoned How many Independents? what? maybe 1 out of 5?

enjoy the moment, as that is all you have.

Carl,

"majority of the Democratic party is now solidly in control of liberal extremists which will sacrifice their own if they don't fall exactly in lockstep."

--I find this to be an interesting concept, since more often than not, we hear about the fractured nature of the Democratic party, where they at any given point can't agree on war policy, or immigration, or any number of other hot-button issues; So I wonder just how you can claim there is some sort of single-issue litmus test for the Donks.

"the liberal extremists will, like Cynthia McKinney, blame everyone but themselves for the loss."

--I believe that everyone, including Kos was backing her rival...well everyone except the Congressional Black Caucus.

"and I don't think they will make a complete takeover as Howard Dean insanely predicts"

--Nah, expect the house to change hands, the Senate is a pipe dream this time around, but a solid 3 seat pick-up will even out the power-pie quite nicely.

"lay the foundation for an effective third-party to be created. If such a third-party"

--There would be nothing more gratifying than a solid third party...heck how about 4-more new parties, the less power concentrated in voting blocs, the better the outcome for the American people, i would love to see the American system morph into a western European style unity system, where there are very nebulous parties, who have to come to concessions and agreements to move along certain ideological principles...perhaps even allowing the government to be shrunk back down to a workable size, and put more power back into the state's hands.

I've been to Europe, Brokedick; in fact, I was stationed in England for almost eight years, back in the 80's and early 90's. They're as dumb as rocks. So, I guess you might say that they're on your level. War

Brokeback,

You are making a horrendous mistake if you think that dissatisfaction with the course of events translates into support for candidates who want to withdraw from Iraq. It just doesn't work that way - people were dissatisfied with the Vietnam War by 1972, yet the candidate promising an quick withdrawal was crushed at the polls.

You really need to get out more - meet Americans outside what must be a fairly uniformly liberal circle you run in. The people want VICTORY, Brokeback.

Half of Iraq is now under the control of Iraqi military forces...by October, things will be looking mighty different over there, and then the people will be satisfied with Iraq because they will see victory.

You just go on and campaign on a platform of "Iraq is a failure/Impeach President Bush"...we're going to clobber you this November. I haven't felt this good about politics in a long time.

Tom,

The thing I use for a brain some times does work...and this morning it was working overtime.

SteveGA,

I made none of those predictions. I've always said that we're engaged in a long, difficult process.

Iran, though, is in a relatively weak position...which is why the lit a fire 1,000 miles away from their border...they are desperate to get us involved as far away from them as possible.

Lamont defeats Lieberman by 52% to 48% of the vote, garnering 142,000 votes!

Ohhh Moonbats...that amounts to 7% of all registered voters and ONLY 11.6% of those who actually voted in previous Senate election in CT.

In 200 Lieberman pulled in 27% of the Republican votes (121,000) and 65% of the Independent votes (546,000). Independents are by far and away the largest voting block in Ct.

Lieberman is likely to pull in more republicans this time. Even if Lamont were to get 52% of the democrat vote in the genreal election (unlikely) and 52% of the independent vote (highly unlikely), he still loses to Lieberman who will get 25 to 33% of the Republican vote.

So enjoy you Pyrrhic victory.

"You really need to get out more - meet Americans outside what must be a fairly uniformly liberal circle you run in. The people want VICTORY, Brokeback."

Mark Noonan, man of the people.

Amazingly, no one has commented on the biggest loser in the Connecticut primary -- i.e., the POLLS! Do we all casually now forget about the 10 to 13 point lead Lamont held only a week ago; even the 6 point lead at the last minute is almost twice the 3.5 lead by which he actually won.

The so-called "swings" against Republican senate seats do not boast a 13 point lead; the two to four point swing this month tells us just about what the 13-point Lamont lead does: Polls can be and certainly often are off more than just by margin of error.

You are making a horrendous mistake if you think that dissatisfaction with the course of events translates into support for candidates who want to withdraw from Iraq. It just doesn't work that way - people were dissatisfied with the Vietnam War by 1972, yet the candidate promising an quick withdrawal was crushed at the polls.

First, I never made such a claim. I merely pointed out the lack of logic you used in your original post which you of course cannot comment on.

Second, you are going to use one other election in history to try and make a prediction on this one. That election was during a presidential election year in a war you claim is nothing like the current one. Are you sure this is the comparison you want to make?

Third, how did that whole 72 election work out for you Republicans...oh yeah, kind of bad in the end huh? And what happened a few months after the election of 72? Oh yeah, unilateral withdrawl of US troops just like McGovern wanted. Hmmm...maybe it was not just the war stance that caused McGovern problems.

Your stretching here Mark. Or should I call you the Black Knight. Or Iraqi Information Minister. They all fit.

Voter,

We are talking about primary polls, which are about as accurate as straw polls, the thing that is quite interesting is just how motivated the Dem base was, despite it being summer.

Your stretching here Mark. Or should I call you the Black Knight. Or Iraqi Information Minister. They all fit.

Should I call you illiterate, stupid, or ignorant? Based on your writing skills, and common sense, they all fit. War

"I was stationed in England for almost eight years, back in the 80's and early 90's. They're as dumb as rocks."

Keefer

Well, yes, they did vote for Tony Blair. The only thing dumber, I guess, are those Americans who voted for GW Bush.

The jury is still out for those Canadians who voted for Stephen Harper.

*Chuckles*

It's always funny when I agree with TEO on anything. We have so much fun disagreeing! :)

Though I don't believe in most polling but TEO is right, primary polling is normally really bad. As I say time and again, beware of polls. Those who live by the polls, die by the polls. ;)

A quick comment on our education system. I fully believe one of the major reasons why our kids are failing in school is not that they're not getting enough money (the teachers aren't though) but because fewer and fewer people are involved with the children's education. Be it parents, siblings, or other students, the students really aren't being aided in learning as much as they once were.

More and more now a days we just give an assignment, send them home with the book and say "have at it." Sure there's a lecture and some Q&A but not much. (At least in all the schooling I had) Most classes are not engaging and we don't have too many teachers finding ways to make their subjects interesting to more of the kids. Too many fall into old paterns and dry lectures.

On top of this, the internet has allowed a huge ability to cheat your way through school. With answer keys, essay repositories and the like who needs to actually work? With no parents or siblings around to keep them "honest" more and more are going down this path. It's too easy to get good grades with no work.

On top of all of this, when these kids get out of school and have to do work for themselves their totally lost. We've had several folks not make it through their 90 day periods here even though they had degrees and education. They just couldn't do the work and honestly my job is not that hard.

More and more I wish I school systems were a bit more like Japans. At the same time I fully realize that system can't work here in America because of liability, lack of personal responsibility, and the desire to see kids compete. Oh no! Can't have kids competing! Especially on school work. That would be bad. :p

Note how the dumb Canadian troll fails to remember that, during the 1980's, the Conservative Party was in power in England. Margaret Thatcher was the PM, then John Major. Tony Blair didn't get elected until long after I was gone.

Dumb as rocks, these foreigners. War

Brokeback,

Could you point out explicitly where I'm speaking illogically in my post: I don't see it. What I assert in that post is that the Democrats are divided on the crowning issue for 2006. What is meant by that is that the Democrats hopes for a Congressional majority are based upon the Democrats ability to nationalise the election - the only issue of burning NATIONAL importance is the war...what the CT results show is Democrats divided on it; divided in the sense that some want to surrender (the Lamont supporters) because they don't even think there is a real war going on, and those who want to fight it out (the Lieberman supporters) even though they think President Bush isn't conducting the war properly.

You really should think about "disapprove" as it is used in polls - if 60% disapprove of the President, it doesn't necessarily mean that 60% are opposed to the President's policies...a very large chunk of that disapproval - and often a majority of it - is people who disapprove of the way the policy is being conducted, while the underlying policy is strongly supported. Probably half of the GOP wants MORE troops in Iraq, plus an immediate bombing campaign against Syria and Iran...a good portion of these will say "disapprove" when asked by a pollster if they approve, or disapprove of the President...but because they don't like the way the war is being fought, it doesn't mean they are going to hang themselves with a Speaker Pelosi or Majority Leader Reid.

When push comes to shove, Brokeback, there is a broad, national consensus that there is a war being fought between us, our allies, and the Islamo-fascist terrorists...this is why your Democrats, for the most part, hem and haw about it...and whey, when its time to vote in Congress, staying the course rolls up massive majorities. Victory is what is wanted now, victory was what was wanted in 1972 - and any political Party which ignores this absolute reality is going to get creamed at the polls.

Republicans are toast. The Sheeple have finally awoken and they ain't happy. "This will not stand!" See you in November.

Hammerhead,
Let me assure you that the troll aka TEO is not speaking for those of us interested in intelligent conversation on this blog. I think it would be easy to sum up his life rather quickly. He lives at home with mom and/or dad, has become a profeesional student so that he doesn't have to face the realities of being on his own. He frequents the DNC blog to obtain his talking points then vomits them here. He has been spoiled and obviously raised as an ungrateful POS because he is of the entitlement mindset that has so infected this generation. He doesn't care that his folks may never retire, because of the continued drain on their finances supporting his failed endeavors. He can't keep friends, because of his obvious personality flaws, so he spends most of his time here. Making enemies!

Nicely put Mary!

B Poster wrote:
"Iraq did provide active support for international terrorism. This included Al Qaeda."
This statement is just plain wrong, incorrect, not true. I'd really love to know where you came upon that info(??)
Religious fanatic Bin Laden and his ilk hated the secular Sadam.
The truth is that George W took his eye off the ball and missed the opportunity to get bin Laden at Tora Bora. He invaded Iraq cause it was a great business opportunity for his neocon backers and of course their death cult leader, Cheney.
HIS twins will never be risked but he expects others(ya know, poor folks) to risk theirs.
Hammerhead, sorry but you've been duped. If you make the ultimate sacrifice for your country your next of kin will get what?-a whopping $12,000?
I wish you the best, and I would thank you if I thought you really were protecting me, and my American interests rather than protecting corporate interests like, big oil/Halliburton, weapons manufacturers, etc.

I believe Mark is right.

If the Democrats follow the plan as dictated by Moore, then they will forever be in the minority. In fact they could very well become the smallest of a 3 party system.

If we simply divided all Democrats into 3 relatively even groups we'd have, those who oppose the war, those who support it and those who don’t know or flip-flop back-n-forth. Moore’s position is to expel all those who support the war and anyone who did at one time or another. That suggest they want to rid themselves of 2/3 of their own party - So much for diversity and open mindedness. This political party is so divided and lacking in direction, they are doomed to failure. The only question is how long it will take and how ugly will it be.

Since the 2/3’s that get booted (kind of hard to get booted when you're in the majority of your own party but the radical left is rabid and bent on making it happen) will still want to be politically active they will either join the opposition or start their own party. Since the opposition is not likely to embrace this group due to political differences, they will start their own party (being independent only works for a short while and always ensures you are not in any majority and therefore not on major sub committees). This new group will probably get the attention of a few RINO’s and be much larger than the group they left (the extreme left). I believe it will take some time for them to make any significant splash in the bigger sense. Only when they can obtain some coherence and direction will they get anywhere.

The ball has already been put in motion with Lieberman. This snowball will become an avalanche and those who will be crushed are the ones poking holes in their own party.

Why anyone would care what Mikey Moore thinks about anything, other than where the best buffet might be, is beyond me. I tore his last "film" to shreds in about 3 hours of research time. He's a joke. And a bad one at that.

It is best to think of groups like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, and Syria as one and the same. These groups are backed up by Russia and China.

You forgot the illuminati. They must belong in there somewhere.

On election nite, or the next day. all I want is for our resident trolls to come back and reply to all of their posts...and no excuses..
this is going to be fun!!!!!!!! a LOT of fun!!!

Gozer,

It does kinda take all the fun out of the banter when we agree, doesn't it? LOL

Well, how about a second helping?

I completely agree with your view about students today. Parents are working two jobs or 60+ hours, both parents are wage-earners, and latch-key kids are now google-savy, so anything from reports on Shakespear, to Math problems can be found in a minute worth of search time...all the while we are homogenizing teachers, and the un-spoken word is that anything mildly offensive [read: fun/funny] is a ticket to a lawsuit and expulsion from one's job...so what do we do? We teach tests.

I think the easiest solution to the problem, is to tax the parents of chronically underachieving students more in school-levy taxes, if they are going to waste our teacher's time, then they should have to pay for it.

Or I always thought it might be funny to broadcast the faces of the chronically underachieving parents, like some localities have started doing with 'Johns'...nothing like getting laughed at to make you take a little more time with your kids and their school-work.

"You sound like you're hitting on me...that's sweet, but I don't date the chronically stupid, nor validate their wishful thinking"

wow! you should not say that so loud, your left hand ain't gonna like you talking like that.

TEO,

Have you thought of just making school non-compulsory?

Do that - make it a privilege rather than an entitlement - and you can then simply expel the kids who don't wish to be there...I understand that this is often the fault of the parents, but I've never understood why all the children should suffer because some of them have lousy parents. We could set up special schools for delinquent kids - a sort of "last chance" education for those who's parents are either not there, or manifestly incompetant...but, meanwhile, the kids who have reasonably decent parents aren't having to put up with the kids of bad parents who (a) usually cause all the violence in school and (b) lower the overall education level.

Hey third eye, dropped a couple of big ones on your twoel head allies this AM, felt gooooood!

"God Bless America, land that I love...."

USAF MAANG Capt. Hammerhead Flying over your sad ass!

Black Knight/IIM/Noonan/Queefer, not sure why I should even post when you obviously don't read my original post. Please go back and read my first post. I never mentioned the president's approval rating. I mentioned percentages regarding peoples' opinions of the Iraq War. Please address one issue I brought up as you have failed to so far.

The democratic party really is not divided on the Iraq War issue. Look at the numbers, do some math and there is only one conclusion. With 60-70% of people not happy with the Iraq War the majority of the democrats are therefore not happy with the war. 33% of americans are republicans. Most republicans are happy with the war (you state 90%). Therefore, almost all independents and democrats are not happy with it.

Once again, just because you may vote for someone based on one issue, does not mean everyone else does. People who voted for Lieberman are not necessarily voting for him because of the war issue. Some were, but a lot of voters feel more comfortable with his experience vs. Lamont's experience and his ability to work with both parties. As well, when have you ever seen an incumbent even lose a primary election? That almost never happens in modern politics. It is hard for an incumbent not to get 50% of the vote in a primary even if some of his views are not liked by most people in their party.

You claim to read so much history but you fail to recognize these basic points.

Mark,

We have a "last chance" system already, kids who don't progress are put into adult-ed, or flunk-out anyways. Once you start singling kids out, then you are staring at a program which will just reinforce the feelings that 'no one cares' or 'what's the point' at school.

I think most reasonable people agree that problem kids, and chronic underachievers are products of their enviroment, so the question is how you motivate parents to give a hoot, I think it comes down to the most basic of principles, hit them in their wallet, I mean you can't really deny a child an education, and you can't ignore them, so make it the financial responsibility of the parents; And as a bonus, we can tie-in social services to the mix, for instance reduce welfare benefits for chronically underachieving, delinquent, and violent kids.

JWL: The information on Iraq's active support for Al Qaeda is from statements that were made by the Clinton Administration prior to 911 and by Senator Clinton in the run up to the Iraq war. Also, some of the captured documents and other reports provide more insight on this. The question was not did Iraq pose a threat. the question was about the magnitude of the threat.

The strategy being used to go after Ben Laden at Tora Bora can be questioned. General Tommie Franks has said resources were not diverted. I would be inclined to take his word over that of a media pundit. In any event, I don't think it is good strategy to spend all of your resources to go after one man when the enemy is far bigger than that. Neutralizing Bin Laden is sufficient.

Whether GW Bush's daughters join the military is a personal decision. We do not have compulsory service. John McCain's son has made the decision to join. Whether Conservative bloggers like it or not, he will likely be the GOP nominee for 2008.

I think it is you who is being duped. All one needs to do is to take the threats this enemy makes literally in their entirety and look at who is backing them. There major backers are Russia and China.

If this really were about big oil, weapons manufacterers or Haliburton, 30 countries would not have assisted us in any way and Jordan and Kuwait would not have allowed their countries to be used as bases for operation. In any event if the US launched a war for Haliburton or any other corporation it would have kicked out of the WTO, the UN, and other world bodies.

Much of the intellegence that we had before the war was wrong. As we face an existential threat, it is imperative that we correct the flaws. Such conspiratorial diatribes are unhelpful.

TEO,

RE: "Do liberals somehow teach Math and Science differently that conservatives?"

Well actually they do. Liberals use the schools to spread their liberal agenda and anti-Americanism. They use the schools to destroy our culture. They fail to teach the basics of history, government, English, science... and the Constitution. The liberal schools are creating a nation of "educated illiterates"!

As to do the European schools teach differently than the liberal controlled schools here in America, well apparently they do according to the following quote from the article:

“'The United States focuses more on procedure, and we try to teach many topics fast. Other countries tend to break topics up and go much more in-depth. They work on the concept, not just the procedure,' Marsh said. 'Countries that did well in rankings focused on teaching the ideas and taught a few topics a year. Kids will learn what a fraction really is, not just how to add or subtract them.'”

Parents must have the right to remove their students from the liberal education system which does not provide a quality education and which is nothing more than a liberal propaganda mill!

We need those school vouchers -- a better education at a reduced cost!

AAR

AAR

If we get school vouchers, the competition that the government owned monoply of the public education system would have would increase the quality of education in the public schools, as well. It is a winning situation for everyone who is concerned about education.

AAR,

You still haven't adressed the issue, the people setting agendas are voted on by YOU, not appointed by elected officials, so blame your bad voting for the state your schools are in...also, don't forget that you have had 12 years of control in congress, why haven't you addressed the issues to fix the problems?

TEO,

More liberal brain-candy -- it sounds so very simple. The schools, school administrators, school planners, and school boards are controlled by liberals -- protected by activist liberal courts! Get a grasp on reality. Attend some of the school board meetings and try to change the minds of the liberals who control the agenda!

Heard anything about filibusters and RINOs? Having a majority means absolutely nothing as long as Dimocrats can block the efforts with their filibusters and with the support of Republicans In Name Only (RINO) who are basically liberal Dimocrats in sheep's clothing, e.g., Sen. Specter. We need to clean those out of the Republican party, and if Republicans lose the majority, that will be the time to start cleaning them out!

But you are right about one thing... Republicans and Conservatives have not been pushing the issue -- that's the really irritating issue. Republicans are to blame for that, as are the parents who don't demand vouchers to get their children out of the liberal brainwashing institutions and into quality schools which teach the values and morals their parents want, expect, and are entitled to receive!

AAR

I remember standing in line in a British market, behind a woman who had chosen two items that were marked four for a pound. (To those of you who are products of our educational system, a pound is based on the decimal system----100 pence to a pound.) When she got to the checkout clerk, the clerk saw the two items and pulled out a calculator. The woman said "That would be fifty pence, dear" but the clerk went through her laborious work on the calculator. When it finally told her that half of 100 was 50, she looked up at the woman with amazement and said "How did you do that?" (But to be fair, she may have gotten stuck on 2/4 being the same as one half...)

A young clerk, mind you, brought up in liberal England. And an older woman, educated before the libs got their mitts on the schools.

Expenditure has nothing to do with education. Washington DC spends more per student than any other district, and has the worst scores. The state with the lowest expenditure and the highest scores is Utah. The main difference is, Utah has PARENTS.

The schools are run by liberals, and their unions. Look at the ratio of administratitve costs to teaching costs if you want to understand the lure of education for unions. It has nothing to do with teaching.

And yes, libs DO teach things like math differently----remember New Math? I had a teacher enamored of New Geometry. I was lucky enough to move that year, and it still took me most of the year to get caught up, after a disasterous quarter with a teacher who managed to "teach" geometry without ever dealing with angles. Teachers quit doing those boring spelling and phonics drills in favor of teaching kids to just memorize the way words look---and grammar? Give me a break. All you have to do is look on this blog and note the number of (mostly) Libs who cannot control the Rogue Apostrophe. If I had the time, I would make you a li'st.

I am a book junkie, and am disgusted by the number of books written, and then published. by relative illiterates. When a book has a "paragraph" which has not one verb or subject, both the author and the so-called editor are obviously products of our liberal educational system. They think that a paragraph is just a grouping of words---yep, that looks long enough, time for a break.

Students are not only not taught to read, write, spell, add, or subtract, they are not taught how to think. Look at steveGA. He quotes things that were never said. He was TOLD they were said, but they weren't----and he will no doubt continue claiming they were said because he lacks the mental discipline to process information. He "thinks" what he is told to think.

Similarly, third graders in a nearby city were told by their teachers to make anti-Bush, anti-war posters to hang in their classroom windows. Note that they were not told to make posters which illustrated their beliefs---they were told what to say. Indoctrination---Education. They sound close enough to libs, I guess.

The brown eye spurts...

"don't forget that you have had 12 years of control in congress, why haven't you addressed the issues to fix the problems?"

Well, though the Feds have gotten sucked into education to some degree, it is still primarily a local issue. As it should be, by the way. But unless a given school district has been controlled by Republicans, for 12 years. your comment is silly.

And what is so interesting is that in school districts which are controlled by conservatives,such as most of those in Utah, the shcools ARE better. In cities, which tend to be more liberal, charter schools which are back-to-basics schools have waiting lists of years. Rural schools have never given up on basics, and home-schooled children tend to do better on tests and achievement than most public-school children.

When someone who has chosen the name "Brokeback" offers to illustrate any point with diagrams, I will just say "no thanks"......