Jamesaust:

The desire to become President has definitely turned Frist into a Gollem.

Mention Presidency and you can almost hear "Precious, my Precious" in the background of any interview he attends.

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He didn't really say that about HIV transmission, did he?

(I didn't see the "This Week" episode cited).

He's either a very poor doctor or .......a bald-faced liar.

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Ironically, I have run into transplant surgeons who haven't made the best decisions in the world......

Hmmm...I did catch Frist's appearance. A sad outcome to a promising public servant. At some point, this physician developed a hunger for the Presidentcy and promptly sold his soul. Unfortunately, Frist turned out to not be a leader for even the Senate let alone the Nation.

I would have thought the saddest moment of the interview was "and the law of governing FISA itself says unless there is another statute. And the statute I would argue is the constitution." Okay. I realize that its civics 101, but the constitution isn't a statutue. What's more, a constitutional provision - and an unclear one at that - does not trump a statute unless the statute is arrived at by unconstitutional means. In other words, the statute in question was passed under the express powers granted by the constitution to the Congress and was duly signed into law by the executive. The only way around that statute is either (a) the facts don't apply to the statute, or (b) the statute is unconstitutional. (Believe it or not, the President's action may not have been constitutional (directly) but still have been illegal.)

No! My favorite line was that he: "took an oath to our Constitution as a United States Senator to protect life." Really? what oath is that??????? Methinks he confuses the Hypocratic oath with his oath of office.

I believe the oath in question is to defend the constitution of the United States - something attacked directly by Congressional action in this fiasco. (It was a painful thing to watch the federal judges go all pro forma in avoiding doing anything in the case rather than refer to the Congress as a bunch of Jack-a//es.) Goodness, we execute people every year in this country who've had only 1/10th the due process done in that case.

Of course, it wasn't Frist's actions that week that doomed his ambitions. That came on a different Sunday news program with Stephanopolous, questioning a government-funded program that said that tears and sweat would spread AIDS.

George S: "Do you believe that tears and sweat can transmit HIV?"

ANSWER: ""I don't know, I can tell you."

And thus, a bald-faced liar, mesmerized by personal ambition, was documented for all the world to see.

Pilgrim:

Frist provided some tough answers? Hardly.

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He ducked the legality of the domestic wiretapping being done by Bush. His answer was that the Constitution gave Bush the right to break the law.

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He didn't answer why Bush said that FISA was "outdated", (thus implying that Bush is not complying with FISA and the Constitution).

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He denied that he had made a diagnosis of Terri Schivo's condition even though everybody witnessed him doing so on the floor of the Senate.

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The HCA insider trading scandal: Frist attempted to describe his realtionship to his stocks as a blind trust, then had to admit that he was "imprecise" and it really wasn't a blind trust like you or I think of a blind trust.

Will he go to jail like Martha Stewart for dumping stock before HCA dropped 10%? Will any of the the other 14 company officials who did the same dumping at the same time? Good question!

Or will he run for President as an insider trader?

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I could go on and on but we'll let the bloggers read the transcript for themselves.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11047820/

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Your uncritical and unwavering loyalty is admirable and useful for somebody else. Just don't let it lead you over a cliff.

If the House of Saud falls in Saudi Arabia (not out of the question), the current scuttlebutt is that oil will go to $230 / barrel.

Then you might have to knock some cobwebs out of the old brainpan. I hope the shock isn't too much.

Posted by wendt (anonymous) on January 30, 2006 at 2:03 a.m.

Pilgrim:

Did you check out Meet the Press today? Tim Russert had Bill Frist on. Raked him over the coals.

Yep. Russert asked some tough questions and got some tough answers in return. "Raked over the coals?" Hardly.

You've implied that you haven't read any of Al Franken's books.

Quite the contrary. Because I HAVE read Smalley is how I know he has nothing worthwhile to say. He tries to hide his hatred and ignorance behind his "humor" and fails miserably.

Pilgrim:

Did you check out Meet the Press today? Tim Russert had Bill Frist on. Raked him over the coals.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/

Jeez, the current Republican adminstration is corrupt beyond words.

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You've implied that you haven't read any of Al Franken's books. By chance have you read:

"House of Bush, House of Saud" by Craig Ungar "Blinded by the Right" by David Brock "Veil" by Bob Woodward

Just curious. Or do you get all of your information from Hannity / O'Reilly / Coulter / Limbaugh / Cavuto / Barnes / Snow / McClellen?

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Coulter: "Let's poison US Supreme Court Justice Stevens"

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US Troops kidnap women in Iraq to flush out insurgents.

Would RAMBO do that? HAHAHHAAHAHAAA

Arminius / Kevin:

Jamesaust is correct.

Even for you, your apparent ignorance of the "Southern Strategy" is noteworthy.

Such a blunder would make you ineligble for employment in the Republican Party. They like to have people on board who at least know where the playing field is located.

Get your carotids checked out or crack a book once in awhile.

Jamesaust:

Good post at 11:38 AM. Thank You.

Hmmm...I'm sorry. I assumed you had some idea who Arminius was. (Sort of like being named "Timothy McVeigh".)

As to the Dixiecrat incorporation into the GOP, I can't believe you are quite so ignorant of its influence. Its been remarked upon extensively for decades now. Quite the devil's bargain its proved to be. Lee Atwater? Strom Thurmond? Jesse Helms? Zell Miller? Ring any bells?

American eduation not being what it once was (sigh), I suggest Google.

Jamesaust:

Instead of issuing further asinine statements, why not try to defend your statement concerning Dixiecrat items.

And, again, it would be Harm. I'm not German.

Posted by christie (anonymous) on January 29, 2006 at 5:09 p.m.

"The speeches were good, but they're best when heard in the Original German."

So would you translate for us, please?

Posted by wendt (anonymous) on January 29, 2006 at 10:10 a.m.

"This should be fun to watch."

Just as much fun as watching Demorats try to fool the public into thinking that their various sex and ethnic quotas are really naturally occuring diversity.

I appreciate the list. These are indeed differences between Moore and some republicans. However, it is my suspicion that such variation could be found within republicans themselves.

1) Tort reform. Not an expert, but Lincoln Chafee does not support the most restrictive versions of tort reform. It is my understanding that he supports some.

2) Partial-birth abortion. Olympia Snowe voted against bans on PBA as well as on bans restricting overseas and military abortions.

3) Many moderate republicans are very close to Moore on the issue of the UN. Certainly many mods were skeptical about John Bolton.

4) Agreed. Capital gains is a difference.

5) I don't know much about this and I'm not sure what you are refering to. The seizure of property by the government for commercial development?

I still maintain that Moore is closer to moderate republican views than are right-wing republicans.

Jamesaust:

"It is the fondest hope of the radicals that if enough of these similarities can be emphasized that Moderates will ignore the extra Dixiecrat items added in the last twenty years (Abe Lincoln must be rolling in his grave)."

Wow, and you took issue with my true comment about liberal Democrats and slavery! Yours was simply a boneheaded comment.

distinguish Dennis Moore from a moderate republican? easy.

1. Moderate Republicans agree on the need for tort reform. Moore has voted against such reform.

2. Moderate Republicans support a ban on partial birth abortion. Moore opposes. Likewise, child interstate abortion limits.

3. Moderate Republicans are sceptical about the UN and agree that US taxpayer money should be used as a weapon to force reform. Moore has voted otherwise. (Indeed, Democrat attitudes to the UN seem to be a proxy for a range of positions that lead most Americans to question their trustability on security issues.)

4. Moderate Republicans believe in low capital gains taxes. Moore has voted against such reform. Indeed, while Moderates are not obsessive about further lowering taxes, I'm unsure what tax decrease Moore has voted for (lately at least).

5. Moderate Republicans take offense at recent changes that water down eminent domain protections in our constitution but when Congress recently passed legislation to limit the practical occurence of such 'revenue enhancing' action, Moore voted against it.

Now, before the radical right reposts this 5 obvious differences, it should be noted that Moderates could easily list similar differences with them.

Occasionally, on election day, Moderates get a moderate to vote for. Often in Kansas, they must attempt to measure whether the radical or the Democrat would be a more painful alternative. (The last Ryun-Boyda race must have been excruciating.) It is the fondest hope of the radicals that if enough of these similarities can be emphasized that Moderates will ignore the extra Dixiecrat items added in the last twenty years (Abe Lincoln must be rolling in his grave).

"I dare any moderate republican out there to distinguish Dennis Moore from a moderate republican. There is no difference."

True. Moore is an extreme liberal. A moderate Republican is simply a liberal.

"State GOP seeks unity".

More like "State GOP seeks uniformity".

I sympathize with moderate republicans' attempts to take back their party, but let's get real. The republican party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, heck, even Bob Dole, is gone. The party has been subsumed by the radical populist right wing, much as the democratic party was by civil rights and social progressives in the mid-20th century.

Relics exist, such as Lincoln Chafee, but they are just that, relics.

The moderate republican mantle of conservatism, reason and moderation, like it or not, has been transferred to the democratic party.

Politics should be about realism. The reality is the GOP no longer represents many who cling to it, just as the democratic party no longer represents people like Zell Miller.

I dare any moderate republican out there to distinguish Dennis Moore from a moderate republican. There is no difference.

Blind loyalty has become the republican party's threat to other republicans. A republican cannot have a differing viewpoint without the republican party having that republican possibly replaced in the next election cycle.

If you asked me that is dangerous narow thinking...anything but inclusive.