48 Comments

• 1. Bill Eischeidt  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 am

  CNN is reporting that in the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll that 71% of the American people disapprove of how George W Bush is handling his job. Now certainly that’s a direct reflection of tough economic times in the US. The results of that poll make him the wrost president, based on negatives, in modern American history.

• 2. Zach  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 8:57 am

  Anyone care to comment on the O’Reilly/Clinton interview.

  I certainly enjoyed it.

  Anyone else?

• 3. Kahn  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:07 am

  Bill,

  Yah.

  Well it’s a good thing the nation put a Democrat Congress in last time because of this. Thats why we’re out of Iraq, Al-Queda is destroyed, Social Security is fixed, oil prices are low (because after reading basic economics we opened many US areas to drilling thus affecting supply), earmarks are few and public. Yep, good thing.

  Now, you know that the president signs laws and executes the laws, right? So - with no laws to sign. With no actual change in direction, just what the heck?

  Meanwhile - confidence is slowly returning. The election is still just over six months away. If the economy is in recovery then…

• 4. Bill Eischeidt  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:19 am

  3. Kahn | May 2nd, 2008 at 9:07 am

  If the economy is in recovery then…

  The GOP losses in the House and ther Senate won’t be as dramatic as if the US economy is actually in an official recession. Still, as long as consumer prices continue to rise the average Joe will not care about macroeconomics but their own personal economics. And the last time the average Joe had it really good Bill Clinton was President.

  Kahn, it’s hard for everyday people to fight those sorts of flights to quality. We both know there’s no way to turn off the war in Iraq in two years with Bush in the White House that would be political suicide both in Washington and in Baghdad. America is stuck with that occupation for some time to come. The new mantra will be “if there is an occupation there is no victory.” And that one will stick especially when the Democratic president reminds the American people that this was never her war in the first place.

• 5. Bigfoot  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:23 am

  Speaking of polls and Congress, what’s Congress’s approval rating these days?

• 6. neocon  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:26 am

  Bill,

  Pelosi and Reid promised a new direction in Iraq in 2006, meaning timelines and exit strategies. Certainly, you remember that and yet you make excuses.

  Hillary was a staunch advocate of removing Saddam, in fact her husband signed into law the Iraqi Regime Change act, and she gave one of the most compelling speeches on the reasons to remove Saddam, yet you make excuses.

  The Dow climbed over 13,000 yesterday, the dollar gained strength, oil prices dropped, earnings reports were strong and optimism on Wall Street was noticeable, yet you make excuses and false assumptions.

  You are definitely a journalist!!!!!!!

• 7. Danish Artist  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:39 am

  Bill is a “journalist” at the DAILY PITCHFORK!! One in many whackos from that website that post here. Take a look at their website, explains a hell of alot!

  ’nuff said

• 8. Zach  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 am

  Whats very interesting is that there alot of contributors from that blog that blog here as well.

  No wonder they all sound the same.

• 9. SEW  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 am

  “The results of that poll make him the wrost president, based on negatives, in modern American history” Bill

  Very profound, Bill. Deep, man, deep. Peace, Hope, Change.

• 10. Jeremiah  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 10:25 am

  Happy allergy season everybody!

• 11. Bill Eischeidt  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 10:43 am

  6. neocon | May 2nd, 2008 at 9:26 am

  What we are discussing is politics in America and the goal in that game isn’t about change no matter what is promised to the American people, but getting in power and staying there this is true for both the Republicans and the Democrats. In a two party power struggle across three playing fields, the House, the Senate and the White House there can only be the majority and the minority. The White House is a privileged winner take all prize that allows a political party to set the agenda even if that party is out of power in Congress.

  Given what they know now, I would be willing to wager that few members of the GOP would have voted to go to war against Saddam Hussein and I would also go out on a very strong limb that Saddam Hussein would not have attacked the United States of America or even its interests in the Middle East, Europe or Asia by this time. He had neither the capacity nor the political inclination to do so.

  Political gotcha works just as well as a good gameplan in football. The NY Giants knowing they couldn’t win the Super Bowl by marching down the field and exchanging touchdowns with the Patriots held the ball for the majority of the first quarter and took the Pats out of their game plan. The Democrats in Congress campaigned on the idea in 2006 that they would do more for the American people in the long term if control of Congress was taken away from the GOP. The American people conservatives and liberals alike are sick of their government, but when elect only elites of all stripes what can you expect? Imagine what the NFL would look like if only the top twenty five academic schools were allowed to submit players to the draft for the next ten seasons. I think that would be a product that even the most diehard NFL fan could turn off. Moreso, make NASCAR allow drivers who owned luxury automobiles that cost more than 75 000 dollars. You would have more crashes which might increase interest in the short term but in the long term it’s driving skill that draws fans to NASCAR races not crashes.

  This is a question I’ve asked for years but the pathology of partisanship on both sides has drowned out my shouts for sure. Why can’t someone who’s not a doctor or a lawyer or a millionaire business man or business woman or otherwise connected to the rich and powerful in a particular state stand up and say I’m going to be a candidate for the people and get elected.

  The short answer is the same reason country club republicans and limousine liberals don’t want you at their parties and by you I mean any middle class shmuck who is reading this blog comment. If you are far enough down the food chain that what you read on a blog reinforcres your values rather than allows you to realize there are other ways of doing things, well brother they’ve paid for your Soul already and your hide was gone a long time ago.

  None of the who is in control of what in DC matters when the price of eggs are up and the price of milk is up and the price of bread is up. Let’s not even talk about steak, or pork chops or the DJI because last time I checked no one was boiling their stock portfolio for dinner. Go out from your jobs today at lunch and tell the first person you see that “Hey the economy is doing fine because of the Dow, the dollar is up 4 points against the Yen and a barrel of oil is down to 113 bucks,” and get ready to duck a haymaker.

• 12. kjstrouble  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 am

  Wow Bob - getting long-winded there. Try being a bit more concise - makes it easier to read and either agree or disagree.

• 13. Bill Eischeidt  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am

  12. kjstrouble | May 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 am

  LOL

  Well that’s all I’ve got for today. There’s too much football (the real champions league kind) to enjoy writing up to fool with this nonsense any longer.

• 14. js  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am

  in reality, when we place our mindset to argue the parameters of some utopian standard, we normally miss the big picture, and that picture is that the economy would have taken a dump no matter who was in power, the war on terror would have happened no matter who was in power, and the problems in iraq would have never occurred if the democrat president preceding bush had done his job, which would have prevented 9-11 and the war on terror to start with..so shuckin an jivin’ just to make liars look honorable doesnt mean anything more than the liars are speaking again, doing what they normally do….lying….

• 15. js  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 am

  when we put forward out best efforts to uphold the standard that our forefathers represented in our constitution, we find the socialism and big government does not belong in america….maybe ron paul had a few points right on about abolishing that problem, and certainly fred thompson reflected on some of the same issues…smaller government..the bottom line is…democrats want the government to grow..more taxes…more government agencies…big brother is watching…..while most americans are opposed to that concept….which has been erroding for the last 50 years…

  we really need to get rid of the DNC…they have been infiltrated by socialists…that was thier biggest fear after WWII, and its come to pass…we dont have the convenience of trial and error here…obama is a devoted socialist….his history shouts that loud and clear…his belief system and his effective responsibility for his own actions are whacked…nobody goes to a church for 20 years and does not know what it represents…and the corruption of the clintonian era is well established…only a fool could believe that hillary and billary deserve another term as POTUS…

• 16. OhioOrrin  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 12:00 pm

  js - John Kenneth Galbraith stated that the only acceptable socialism in america is 4 the wealthy.

  I would add corporate and medical.

  also, if one were to add the combined fed, state, local taxes - including taxes built into prices (4 which ur taxed again upon purchase) -what would be the total; 40, 50, 60% taxes?

  what’s the threshold for socialism?

  want tax reform?

  make the politicans tax the dollar ONCE - upon earning ONLY - all taxes, no exemptions, no deductions.

  the wailing n gnashing of teeth would be breathtaking.

  the tax revolution would then start!

• 17. js  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 12:40 pm

  first they need to learn that they can not spend money that they dont have….the federal budget is running on tomorrows taxes…meaning the magnification of the tax burden to our children…which is the greatest misdeed would could allow….

• 18. js  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm

  feds cowtow to banks and money institutions…instead of protecting the people of these united states….they give tax beaks for borrowing money…and charge you for saving it…they tax you when you make money….and they tax you when you spend it…after they tax the manufacturer for making it…if they taxed each dollar 1 time…it would certainly be a revolution…and the democrat party would crash…and die…and states would regain lost power…that they are supposed to have…

• 19. OhioOrrin  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm

  js - taxing each earned dollar only ONCE w no other taxes allowed is the flat tax we should be talking about.

  the politicians would stand naked before the people.

  but it would take a citizens’ convention, which is in the constitution, to force this tax change…cause it would change our society!

• 20. Bill Eischeidt  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 2:30 pm

  14. js | May 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am

  Well if you really want to blame someone js for the iraq thing Saddam Hussein really got well when the United States opened the aid floodgates back when he and Iran had their little ten year spat.

  I still think Iraq had little to do with “bombing America terrorism” and definitely less to do with it than say Syria, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. Honestly, I think if Clinton had removed Hussein in 1998 the pundits on the right would have sworn that he did it to tamp down the Lewinsky sex scandal.

  And as far as getting rid of the Democratic National Committee is concerned well that’s just about settles it for me. What the political right since it married the religious right has alwats wanted was minority rule. There aren’t enough gun clinging religious people in America to make a majority and there never will be. The centrists will always throw you out when 1) the economy tanks 2) their civil liberties are restricted beyond rtheir ability to tolerate and 3) when both 1 and 2 happen at the same time.

  If McCain wins and things get worse in America who are you guys going to blame then? I guess you lot are the same kinds of people that get mad when your credit card collectors call too. Oh and whose fault is that that you owe 10 or 20 thousand to Capitol One? I guess Liberals are to blame for that too.

• 21. Diana Powe  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm

  A nice encapsulation of the Bush Administration approach to environmental concerns, i.e., let the polluters regulate themselves, and an echo of the ongoing United States Attorney scandal, i.e., fire people who don’t go along with political considerations ahead of say…public health:
  

  SAGINAW, Mich. - The battle over dioxin contamination in this economically stressed region had been raging for years when a top Bush administration official turned up the pressure on Dow Chemical to clean it up.

  On Thursday, following months of internal bickering over Mary Gade’s interactions with Dow, the administration forced her to quit as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Midwest office, based in Chicago.
  —–
  Gade, appointed by President Bush as regional EPA administrator in September 2006, invoked emergency powers last summer to order the company to remove three hotspots of dioxin near its Midland headquarters.

  She demanded more dredging in November, when it was revealed that dioxin levels along a park in Saginaw were 1.6 million parts per trillion, the highest amount ever found in the U.S.
  —–
  Regional EPA administrators typically have wide latitude to enforce environmental laws, but in April Gade drew fire from officials in Washington after she sent contractors to test soil in a Saginaw neighborhood where Dow had found high dioxin levels. The levels in one Saginaw yard were nearly six times higher than the federal cleanup standard, and 65 times higher than what Michigan considers acceptable.
  —–
  At the center of the latest dispute was Gade, who as a corporate attorney had represented big companies like Dow against environmental regulators. Her aggressive action against Dow surprised the company, local activists and her Washington bosses. But she still won high marks from EPA officials during her last performance evaluation.
  —–
  The steps Gade took were influenced in part by her experience as an EPA staffer during the early 1980s, when the agency’s top official in Washington was forced to resign after he allowed Dow to censor an EPA study documenting dioxin’s dangers.

  “We have a responsibility to make sure people are living in a healthy and safe environment,” Gade said. “This problem has been out there for more than 30 years, and it’s unconscionable that action hasn’t been taken.”

  “We know Dow is responsible,” said Ralph Dollhopf, associate director of the EPA’s regional Superfund office. “The question now is when something will finally be done about it.”
  ____________
  Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-epa-official-resigns_webmay02,0,4655733.story?page=2

  Well, we can easily predict that something won’t “finally be done about it” within the next 8 months. Imagine the nerve of that woman. Working for the Environmental Protection Agency and trying to protect the environment. No wonder she was fired.

• 22. OhioOrrin  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 3:13 pm

  Bill Eischeidt - Clinton had the opportunity to intercept the commercial flight bin Laden took when he was expelled from the Sudan.

  The sudanese trying to curry favor, informed Washington.

  In not seizing the moment to capture a known enemy of our people, Gore sputtered there was “no controlling legal authority”.

  This was worse than Tora Bora…which itself, was bad enough.

• 23. BetterOff  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:05 pm

  Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe–deciding that it’s best to not support the troops–has withdrawn his sponsorship of the Webb-Hagel GI Bill. Inhofe did this on the same day that veterans’ groups from across the country rallied on Capitol Hill in support of the bill.

  Support the Troops my ass!

• 24. Danish Artist  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm

  OOOOOPPPPPPPSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  What’s up with this:

  The nation’s top Democrats are suddenly rushing to appear on the Fox News Channel, which they once had shunned as enemy territory as the nemesis of liberal bloggers.

  The détente with Fox has provoked a backlash from progressive bloggers, who contend the party’s leaders are turning their backs on the base — and lending credibility and legitimacy to the network liberals love to hate — in a quest for a few swing votes.

  In a span of eight days, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY.) and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean are all taking their seats with the network that calls itself “fair and balanced” but is widely viewed as skewing conservative.

  With the party’s presidential contest reduced to hand-to-hand combat, Democrats are turning to the ratings leader among cable news channels in a clear rebuff to the liberal activists.

  ——————

  I thought FOX NEWS was not a legitimate news source, nor is it “fair and balanced”, then why are the top liberals appearing on their shows?

  I heard someone comment - when you want to talk to the press and the far left go to the liberal media. When you want to talk to the moderate American people go to FOX NEWS!

  Hmmmmmm. How true! How true!

• 25. Yoyoma  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm

  Fox News = Faux News

  You whine when they don’t appear on Fixed News, you whine when they do.

  Hmmmmmm.

• 26. Danish Artist  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm

  Still waiting for Pelosi’s “Common Sense Approach to lowering Gasoline Prices”…..

  How long has it been now???

  You lib fools bought her BS and political pandering.

  Her attempt at making the Capital “Green” will have a 40+ year payoff when she’s finished. For the simple minded, that means it will take 40+ years of savings to pay for all the modifications she is proposing.

  And we want to trust these fools with our healt care?

• 27. Bill Eischeidt  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm

  23. Danish Artist | May 2nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm

  When you consider some of the hardest hit folk in America are the ones who regularly watch Fox News I guess the Democratic candidates wanted to let the people that would vote for them get a good look at their new potential president.

• 28. Danish Artist  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:38 pm

  yoyo,

  who’s whinning? In reality, it’s the left wing kook bloggers that are in snit! You, obviously, didn’t get your daily talking point fax - Fox News is good if Hillary, Obama and Dean are appearing on it. Keep up with the program!

  Picthfork Bill,

  how is this possible? When Fox News is biased? According to you liberals, a Democrat can’t get a fair shake on FOX? Why would they appear if they believe their message would be distorted?

  Remember Bill, consistency! Consistency!

  You libs are so laughably predictable!

• 29. Yoyoma  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:46 pm

  “who’s whinning? In reality, it’s the left wing kook bloggers that are in snit! You, obviously, didn’t get your daily talking point fax - Fox News is good if Hillary, Obama and Dean are appearing on it. Keep up with the program!”

  It appears you definitely got your talking points fax this morning.

• 30. David B. Schmidt  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 4:48 pm

  Actually, I would share the blame for the GWOT among quite a few presidents. Pres. Carter for such a failure (Somalia) when it could have been nipped in the bud. Pres. Regan for withdrawing after the Beruit bombing where I lost quite a few good friends in the Corps.

  Right on up to the present. Pres. Bush (41) never got the authority to go into Baghdad. Under Clinton we got silos with agencies when they should have been talking. Of course, the “no controlling legal authority” after Bin Laden had declared war with the US. And some wag the dog.

  I was hoping Pres. Bush (43) never finished what 41 started but the worldwide intelligence and the fact the the first war was never stopped (just paused)–let him go in.

  Overall, it gives them (the Iraq people w/ our help) a chance to change the ME which would be good for the entire world; however, it comes at great cost. The tide is turning after 5 years–but then again it took us between 8 and 10 years after WWII to rout out the Shinto followers and the Nazis. Those still in country anyway.

  Each one in there own way showed the US as a “paper tiger”.

• 31. Danish Artist  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 6:29 pm

  keep dreaming and tokin’ yoyo.

• 32. Oceanbreeze  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 7:11 pm

  Finally a Repug has told the truth. McCain today in a camagin stop said he wants an energy policy so that our troops will never again have to fight in the middle east for oil.

  With over 4000 dead it is not with glee we say we told you so, this war in Iraq was not about terror, but about oil.

  Once again the cons who were part of the con by the neocons.

• 33. phnx  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 7:33 pm

  Ocean

  So I guess you are in favor of his plan to drill in Anwar. Finally you are coming around.

• 34. William Teach  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 pm

  Once again, a liberal, in the form of oceanbreeze, completely fails to understand what a Republican is saying. Figures.

• 35. Jeremiah  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 pm

  Why do Democrats have to spread so much donkey manure?

  Here a pile, there a pile, everywhere a pile, pile.

  Everywhere ya look…….Geez!!!

• 36. phnx  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm

  The British Labor Party has suffered a MASSIVE loss of 300 seats in local elections. IN addition, the voters have finally thrown out the rabidly far left mayor of London Ken Livingstone. Seems the Brits are getting a bit weary of socialism and open borders.

  I’m sure we” hear a different spin from all the professional leftist devils on the Daily Pitchfork.

  Let’s see, first Germany, then France, then Italy and now England all shifting to the RIGHT of center. Do any of you lefties detect a pattern here?

• 37. Oceanbreeze  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 pm

  34. William Teach | May 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 pm

  McCain’s comment appears to be in English, but I will give Willy the benefit of the doubt that somehow McCain must be speaking in tongues. Will, please interrupt the following quote with emphasis on what the word “AGAIN” means in republican lingo.

  “My friends, I will have an energy policy which will eliminate our dependence on oil from Middle East that will then prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East.”

• 38. Jeremiah  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 11:09 pm

  I spoke briefly with a fellow today, a registered Republican (as I am also) about this year’s election prospects- Here’s what I asked him, and what he said…

  “What do you think about this year’s election and the candidates running, doesn’t look very good does it?”

  He said, “Well, out of the three, McCain is way ahead of the other two….he’s served the United States well, he endured five years in prison, plus, he’s got a very good education to his credit.”

  And then proceeded with, I said, “It’s a good thing we found out what kind of people Obama was associated with when we did, because he almost had the people fooled don’t you think?”

  And he said, “I know, but I don’t think it’s going to help any. I think the people have already made their minds up, and he’s going to be our next President….and it’s going to get pretty tough.”

  Of course, I disagreed with, but I didn’t want to let him know that…then again, maybe he’s right, let’s just hope not… who knows? Time will tell within six short months span, and the people will decide.

  Any way you look at it though, and as I’ve always said, ‘You get what you pay for.’ Some times, however, you get more than you bargained for, paying the piper more than his fair share…in which case, would be…picking a Democrat.

  It’s up to you…

• 39. congressive  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 1:35 am

  The people will elect Obama, but don’t forget Alberto Gonzales’ goon squad is still in place. All the honorable attorneys who he forced to resign are still “resigned” and all the Republican cronies he installed in their places are still there.

  All they have to do is make it look like a close election. The Gonzales attorneys will do the rest.

  You guys still have a shot.

• 40. Mark Noonan  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 3:15 am

  congressive,

  Please tell me that you’re attempting a sad, little joke…you don’t really believe the paranoid theories about the GOP stealing elections, do you?

• 41. Danish Artist  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 6:26 am

  conregressive is already making excuses for November.

  Looks like they will try another 2000 loss and justify their obstruction.

  Pathetic little trolls.

• 42. OperationChaos  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 6:41 am

  We both know there’s no way to turn off the war in Iraq in two years…

  I didn’t realize there was an on-off switch for the war, Bill.

  Idiot…

• 43. OperationChaos  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 am

  You are definitely a journalist!!!!!!!

  No, he’s a “joournalist,” as Danish Artist stated, for a nutjob website. The “journalists” from that website infest this blog because noone visits their’s. It completely bedevils me why noone goes there; it’s a “hell” of a website…

• 44. Nate  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 am

  “The nation’s top Democrats are suddenly rushing to appear on the Fox News Channel, which they once had shunned as enemy territory as the nemesis of liberal bloggers.”

  because they know that mcCain is another term of bush and they know that a lot of people look to fox for their news and they need votes, so, why not try to grab some from that set of viewers? especially billary (mccain lite)

• 45. Bill Eischeidt  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 11:47 am

  42. OperationChaos | May 3rd, 2008 at 6:41 am

  Well I see civility is dead. But as a sportswriter by trade I guess it does make me less smart than a commneter at a Right Wing blog.

  As far as my friends and colleagues contributing to a “nutjob website” what can I say in a forum that doesn’t allow dissent except, “you are exactly right good sir. Indeed. You are exactly right. The war in Iraq is just and necessary and America is winning and always will win and can never be vanquished because any such thought along those lines would be treasonous.”

  Operation Chaos you are a better man than I because you have shown me the path toward true enlightenment. For this I am forever in your debt.

• 46. LNC  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 6:10 pm

  Oceanbreeze, re: #37

  If we are less dependent on foreign oil, and even better, the whole world is less dependent on oil, the middle east countries who sponsor terrorism won’t have the money coming in to continue sponsoring them.

  That does NOT mean we went to war over oil. It simply means it’s better for everyone if the people who now own the lions’ share of oil in this world were cut off from as many future sales as possible, so they can create less mayhem.

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