Late Edition: Do Cornyn's Standards Mean We Should Kick Ourselves Out of the G8?
By Nicole Belle Saturday Aug 09, 2008 4:00pm
Download | play Download | play (h/t Bill W)
Bless my soul, they actually talked about the Georgian/Russian conflict on Late Edition this morning! ** Nobody can claim that CNN is not on top of the issues of the day. As Jerome a Paris, who wrote this great article, put it in an email to me:
Neocons are people that see danger everywhere and seem to crave military solutions in all cases. They endlessly blather about how we need to stand firm against bullies or other threats (Russia being near the top of the list), and protect our brave allies on the front lines, and along with them, democracy, freedom and our honor. They mock cowardly Europeans who think appeasement (read - any diplomacy) might have a chance. They fuel conflicts and perpetually tout military options.
And yet, whenever given the opportunity to stand up to their words (and sent other people to fight, of course, they don't do that themselves), the results are surprisingly poor.
Case in point, Sen John Cornyn, who had to wrestle with some serious pretzel logic on McCain's position to kick Russia out of the G8.
BLITZER: Do you agree with Sen. McCain, Sen. Cornyn, that Russia should be kicked out of the G8?
CORNYN: Well, I think, you know, we're not at that point, uh, yet. I think certainly - not over this incident, but I do think we need to recognize Russia for what it is and of course it was the Soviet Union that invaded Afghanistan back in the late 70s that has created so much hardship for the Afghan people, so much lack of stability in that area, so I think, you know, Russia is a superpower. They have the responsibilities of a superpower and they cannot claim that they are on any kind of equal basis or really legitimately threatened by Georgia from a military standpoint. But we do need to...we do need a resolution here, and lest this thing spin out of control.
Um, Sen. Cornyn? Have you heard of Iraq? I hate to be pedantic about this, but by your standards, the US should be kicked out of the G8. You really want to go down this road?
For more about the Georgian/Russian conflict, see this article: The warmongers have lost yet another war.
** Correction: I initially lambasted CNN for their coverage of the conflict, but it has been brought to my attention that they did spend a significant portion of their program on it this morning. My apologies to CNN for the incorrect characterization.
Login or Register to post comments.
Frist-a-rific!
Thesse Republicans must really hate the internets!!
Yeah , I completely forgot all those WMD's and that "smoking gun" in the form of a "mushroom cloud" that the Iraq/Saddam threat posed against us.........
So I was listening to my iPod and a Bob Dylan song came on and it just seemed a perfect characterization of the Obama Revolution. I should probably not print it here but I am anyway and you can see it at here and here.
"When the Ship Comes In"
On the albums:
The Time Are a Changing
No Direction Home
Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be a'breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
Before the hurricane begins
The hour when the ship comes in
And the sea will split
And the ship will hit
And the shoreline sands will be a'shakin'
And the tide will sound
And the waves will pound
And the morning will be breakin'
Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls will be a'smilin'
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And be buried at the bottom of the ocean
A song will lift,
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts out to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in
And the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a'touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'
Oh the foe will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
And they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And they'll know that it's for real
The hour when the ship comes in
And they'll raise their hands
Sayin' "We'll meet all your demands"
And we'll shout from the bow "Your days are numbered"
And like the pharaoh's triumph
They'll be drownded in the tide
Like Goliath they'll be conquered
You'd think CNN would have better coverage of the invasion of Georgia since they are based in Atlanta.
WOVERINES!
I think theres a difference between Georgia and Iraq. Georgia's a democracy, and an ally. Iraq was a dictatorship. Plus, were not trying to takeover Iraq, were going to leave and always intended to. Russia doesnt. I dont like Cornyn, but I think he has a point.
As MCMetal notes, the US - thanks to Prez Cheney's brilliant planning - has no standing to challenge anybody over preemptive/preventive/preverted interventions. Typically, Grandpa Levin misses the obvious opportunity to highlight the Republican hypocrisy and incoherence. Could we get a real opposition party, please?
Captain Bitter Whiner Hussein Kangaroo @ 4:
Obama's putting a ball around today on the links.
L.A. Confidential @ 8:
Sounds like a nice way to relax after so many months of charging so hard. I wish I was with him.
cynic @ 7:
That will be achieved the same way our numbness was arrived at. Slowly, very slowly. I give it 40 years.
Can anyone, ANYONE, simply point out the hypocrisy of the Republican platform. Cornyn's comment was just sitting there screaming to be called out and ripped to shreds, but no.
And its not Monday morning QB'ing. As I was watching this on the TV in the middle of Cornyn's comment I was yelling at the TV "we did the same thing, we did the same thing!"
I know Wolf's not gonna' do it. C'mon Levin (yeah I know he won't do it either).
dudes, of course American MSM is going to supress the story and overblow it with anti-Russian tones and talking points when they do give it coverage. this shit's embarrassing to the neocons.
Georgia got armed by Israel and the US, and was *this* close to becoming NATO. They attacked innocent Russians in Southern Osettia after a lot of muttering about ethnic cleansing.
Putin responded with a monstrous counterattack well inside of their borders.
Neither America, nor Israel, would dare respond to this. Russia is *THE* biggest supplier of arms to the world these days, they're a helluva lot richer than we are these days, and they have way more troops available than we do.
So whats our best option? to ignore the Georgians the same way we ignored the Kurds in both Iraq wars. we pull out in 91, let the Baathists slaughter the Kurds who gave us so much help - and MSM ignores the Kurds. we establish strong economic communities in Northern Iraq (Kurdish) cities in the more recent war, let Turkey attack them - and MS ignores the Kurds.
no different here. best thing for Wolf to do is cluck his tongue at Russia a couple times, then move on to more "important" topics like some "I told you so" shit about John Edwards.
Georgia picked a fight with someone bigger than them, assuming their big bad Western friends would have their back. looks like they assumed wrong.
burnt @ 12:
Georgia's President is a Big Boosh the Decider Fan. Perhaps not now that he's wondering "Where's Boosh?" while everything's gone to hell because of his decision to decide as he said Friday the "Future World Order".
Oooops, guess that "Future World Order" idea didn't work out to well.
I don't have cable but I'm guessing they spent more time on John Edward's affair. Am I right?
Of course the US won't do anything...those Russkies have planes, tanks, and fighting men. The US only attacks rag-tag countries with no chance of fighting back. Look no further than N. Korea, negotiation is always on the table where they are concerned (1,000,000 man army along with nukes). I hate to say it, but Americans are pussies.
What an idiot...
It wasn't the Russians that made life hard for Afghans when they invaded. Hardships in Afghanistan go much farther back in time than that.
The country now known as Afghanistan has been war torn for centuries... this guy needs to read up on history!
Eric Hussein in Ottawa @ 16:
Zbigniew Brzezinski,was instrumental in provoking Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979, which was followed by massive US military supplies to the opposition and widespread war. This gave rise to a generation of Islamic jihadists, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and more than two decades of anti-American terrorism. Asked later if he had any regrets about this policy, Brzezinski replied: "Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it?"
biff @ 14:
Now take that $60-100 you saved this month and invest it in your state Lotto, for the children...
Do Cornyn’s Standards Mean We Should Kick Ourselves Out of the G8?
"I don't practice what I preach, because I'm not the sort of man I'm preaching to."
- From some preacher on a Church Of the Sub-Genius tape I saw years ago.
I'm not one to easily defend those warmongers on the right, but Cornyn did say that they should not be kicked out of G8 over this. That was clear. So I can't make that connection with the penultimate paragraph. But the hypocricy of the right is clear, nonetheless.
L.A. Confidential @ 17:
LA you took the words from my keyboard. It should be plainly obvious that the any pain USSR caused the Afghan people was matched by the US intervention, if not exceeded in light of the nutjobs we helped put in power there. Ah well all's fair in love and continuous war.
McCain's comments about kicking Russia out the G8 ARE incredibly reckless and provide a chilling glimpse of what his presidency might entail.Cornyn's comments are absurd and arrogant.
seatech1 @ 20:
I agree. Personally, I think we should make more of McCane's opinion about kicking Russia out of the G-8.
Georgia's el Presidente was 'elected' through the help from the west.
And anyone with half a brain knows what happens when such people come to such power in countries not in the media's scope.
Such as the anti-free media law he passed in 2004.
Like we will ever hear of the pro-west candidate's election *not* being fair?
I won't hold my breath.
There was a German diplomat that reported the truth.. we know how those reports are handled in the west.
Look at the Ukraine. The 'revolution' was a farce but with enough western money you can buy any election. Plus some dioxin to play the 'victim of the anti-western movement'.
Strange when you then form a coalition with the same people who supposedly poisoned you.
Not to mention when they use a poison that could only kill you if you tripped over it and fell down the stairs.
The west wants this guy and they will whitewash anything in order to make sure this guy is their sunny boy.
Anyone reminded of Saddam here?
Or of one of the other fine people the west tried to push but turned out to be YAD (yet another dictator).
The Nation: Getting Georgia's War On
Among other things it is instructive to note Ame's characterization of Saakashvili as a "Pinochet-wannabe" .. any illusions that Georgia is a "democracy" are shattered once you read about how Saakashvili imprisoned, tortured and then shook down the opposition leader for $6 million to secure his release.
Just exactly the kind of "friends" GW and his buddies love ..
The west has no right to try and lecture anyone about things such as acting disproportunately when talking about the use of force. You have millions of dead innocent Iraqis blood on your hands. Your polititions embarass each and every one of you every time they open their mouths. Your governments made a huge gamble with Georgia, and when the shit went down, you thought Russia would blink. Bad bet. Now, Russia is doing exactly what any western nation would do in turn, if your people were being slaughtered. What the west needs to do for once, is just shut the hell up and stop trying to police the world.
Jonesy @ 6:
US is spending 100's of billions of dollars, building a fortress embassy and hardened military bases. US actions say it doesn't intend to leave and always planned on staying.
@ Nicolle Belle** Correction: I initially lambasted CNN for their coverage of the conflict, but it has been brought to my attention that they did spend a significant portion of their program on it this morning. My apologies to CNN for the incorrect characterization.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah they (CNN) spent a significant portion of their program on propaganda and spinning the facts to make it seems like Russia is the aggressor in this conflict bullying the "poor litttle" Georgia and it's President Saakhasvili. (I watched the CNN almost all day today and I really couldnt believe my ears) - It's like their drum beat prior to Iraqi invasion all over again.
Ok ok I know Georgia is American ally and all - but I think that NEWS station should not distort the facts the way CNN does just to please their allies and US governmant!
Afghanistan become unstable because of the Russian invasion??? Afghanistan has been unstable for CENTURIES. Afganistan was unstable and the Russians invaded. Warlords and Tribal warefare is the blue plate special of the day in Afghanistan. Let us remember that just a few years before the Russian invasion, Nixon tried to buy the country off by paying them not to grow the magic poppies. Foolishly believing that the friendly little flowers were causing all of the problems, we gave them the cash and went on our merry little way, never to look back.......until whoops, the Russian showed up to try and stop the Afghani crap of the day. So Ronnie and the boys gave the Afghans cash and lots of weapons and after the Russians went home, we once again turned our backs and went on our merry little way. Anyone notice a patten and practive heeya?
the russian government is just a bunch of jerk-offs just like the american government... nothing but a bunch of infantile greedy bastards...
The whole world is as PATHETIC AS IT GETS...
Kill each other and get it over with you pathetic excuse for human beings...
What the F--k?
How the hell does it happen a po-dunck news repeater like Blitzer asks my Senator this question?
BLITZER: Do you agree with Sen. McCain, Sen. Cornyn, that Russia should be kicked out of the G8?
CORNYN: Well, I think, you know, we’re not at that point, uh, yet. I think certainly - not over this incident, but I do think we need to recognize Russia for what it is and of course it was the Soviet Union that invaded Afghanistan back in the late 70s that has created so much hardship for the Afghan people, so much lack of stability in that area, so I think, you know, Russia is a superpower.
Next question - Do you think the Soviet Union gives a shit what John Cornyn thinks?
I know I don't!
Troubled
I expect a "Heckuva Job" approval by George Bush to CNN (and it's leading propagandist Wolf Blitzer) in coming hours.
DudefromPrague @ 28:
I agree with you completely, but I had to make sure that my characterization of it was correct. They spent far more than the two minutes I accused them of on the conflict. The amount of propaganda released in the time they spent is another post.
I'm glad so many readers caught on to the bogus argument that it was the Russian invasion that caused Afghanistan to be unstable. It's good to know that our readers have a much better grasp of world events and history than the politicians do.
DudefromPrague @ 28:
I'm starting to wonder if the distortions are actually accidental because they just don't KNOW any better...
I mean look at the way people talk about Afghanistan ... like war there is a relatively new phenomenon that we can fix with a little intervention. I'm glad at least a couple of commentors are aware that that place has been in chaos for a very long time, and no intervention, western or otherwise, is likely to change that reality any time soon.
Nicole Belle @ 33:
Bravo, Nicole for making the correction. It's things like this that separate "our side" from "their side". As to tolerating more than two minutes of Wolfboy--better you than me.
so what, ???
now invading small weak countries that refuse to kiss your ass is something bad ???
shouldn't we get the fuck out of Iraq before we try to make this argument
or does hypocrisy become us ???
burnt @ 12:
The USA is by far the worlds leading arms merchant. <a href=" ">Arms Sales
Russia stills sells plenty of weaponry, it's one of the few things it makes well.
The Russian economy is still many times smaller than the US's. But you're right that Georgia thought the West had its back. Putin knew the West had no military option here.
hey, look at the bright side here. 2000 Georgian soldiers get to fly home from Iraq to defend their own country
they should arrive home just in time to surrender to the Russians
thanks george ...
Saakashvili and his Western handlers are trying to rile up public opinion with inflammatory references to the old Soviet Union, hoping no doubt that folks will forget that one of the greatest monsters of that era was a Georgian.
freepatriot @ 38:
Just how many countries still represent that "Coalition of the Willing" now?
BTW people if you want to get also the other perspective on this conflict check this article in british Guardian. (this is the perspective you could never get on CNN - the official arm of US administration policies)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/08/russia.georgia1
Is pretending to be a cowboy all you have to do to get elected in the Republic of Texas?
Cornyn is just another GOP'er who takes pride in their ignorance.
Good on ya for the frank correction, C&L.
Still no correction or at least a re-calibration on the cause of Novakula's hit and run?
Do you have an editorial bias against the undead?
Widespread @ 43:
My guess would be that posting about illness or fatalities to rightwingers is not a very good idea for a blog like C&L with open commenting, as it inevitably brings out the worst sort of comments by some that are oft mined (if not actually posted by them in the first place) by rightwing blogs, Fox News, etc to try to paint the blog (and the entire left blogosphere in general) as a bunch of haters.
Nicole Belle @ 33:
I do not believe this person, DudefromPrague, actually watched the show today. CNN began Late Edition with Russia's take on it from a Russian ambassador, Alexander Darchiev, who imho was just let to give his side without a whole lot in the way of questioning him against Georgia's claims, but an hour later when they had Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili on, Wolf pretty much questioned everything he said by reiterating Russia's claims from earlier in the show, even cutting to clips from the Russian ambassador that contradicted him. If there was a bias, i'd say it was the other way around.
OK, I didn't really like defending Blitzer. I need a shower now.
Frankly, I'm not sure which side has dirtier hands in this thing, but I do find it hard to believe a peon state like Georgia picked this fight with Russia, and it's starting to look like Russia may take the entire country instead of just Ossetia. Hell, they've been bombing Georgia's capitol all day long now.
To back up my last sentence above:
Georgia offers ceasefire as Russian blitz intensifies
TBILISI (AFP) — Russia bombed an airport near Tblisi and said it had sunk a Georgian naval vessel even as Georgia said it was pulling out of breakaway South Ossetia in the face of superior Russian firepower. ...
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hUHX-dyTd_KCB0LSmhbEln-00XUg
Georgia's appeal for a ceasefire seemed to have fallen on deaf ears last night as Russian jets expanded their bombardment, targeting the capital, Tbilisi, for the first time....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/georgia-bows-to-might-of-...
Bomb the crap out of Georgia's Augusta National Golf-course
& all will be well. BTW. Georgia started the bombing of Russia
& now Russia is making them pay. Sound familiar?
Mikheil Saakashvili the President of Georgia may well be an 'ally' representing 'democracy', but he staged a sneak attack artillery barrage on the South Ossetian capital that apparently leveled the city and killed over 1 thousand people leaving the rest as refugees fleeing back to Russia.. In the middle of the freaking Olympic opening ceremony when Putin was distracted.
People have been executed as war criminals for far less than that. A 1000+ civilian death toll from a military assault on a city in the dead of night when the residents were all asleep? Thats a 9/11 scale atrocity. Putin will be out for blood, and international law is on his side regardless of the bleating from the US govt. What a disgrace. If your ally embraces terrorism then the sane thing to do is to diplomatically disconnect and throw the bastards to the wolves as they deserve. Or the bears in this case. And thats one pissed off bear..
The Georgian people should tear their idiot president to pieces, package them up, and mail them to the Kremlin.
Fox News Alert @ 42:
He probably thought G8 was a new model of Pontiac.
Jonesy @ 6:
Were not? Oh yeah, guess its just Bush, Cheney, Haliburton and Blackwater who have on intention of leaving ($$$$$$).
Thanks for clearing that up.
burnt @ 12:
You've got that backward.
The U.S. is the world's largest arms supplier (exporter).
Russia is second and Germany is third.
L.A. Confidential @ 17:
LA, that's an excellent point. Afghanis had a lot more freedoms and were more secular before the U.S. intervened. When the U.S. intervened it used religion as a battle cry to recruit as many Muslim men from all over the region to come and fight the "atheist commies" in Afghanistan. That's when Afghanistan became a melting pot of radicalism.
@ justabill -
I do not believe this person, DudefromPrague, actually watched the show today. CNN began Late Edition with Russia’s take on it from a Russian ambassador, Alexander Darchiev, who imho was just let to give his side without a whole lot in the way of questioning him against Georgia’s claims, but an hour later when they had Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili on, Wolf pretty much questioned everything he said by reiterating Russia’s claims from earlier in the show, even cutting to clips from the Russian ambassador that contradicted him. If there was a bias, i’d say it was the other way around.
OK, I didn’t really like defending Blitzer. I need a shower now.
Frankly, I’m not sure which side has dirtier hands in this thing, but I do find it hard to believe a peon state like Georgia picked this fight with Russia, and it’s starting to look like Russia maytake the entire country instead of just Ossetia. Hell, they’ve been bombing Georgia’s capitol all day long now.
-------------------------------------------------------
I have not actually only watched Blitzer's Situation Room but I was watching CNN almost whole day yesterday and their "reporting" was a big disgrace. Not once they have mentioned the capital of South Ossetia Tskhinvali which was leveled almost to the ground by Georgian army in their initial attack. But of course they have mentioned many times the city of Gori (which was targeted by Russians) and showed pictures of that one apartment in Gori which was hit.
They have showed us pictures of Georgians which are being transported to safer zones, again and again. But they haven't showed us pictures of much much more refugees from South Ossetia who had to flee into Russia for safety.
Saakhasvili was on throughout a day at least four times - and in this segments which lasted approximetly from 6 to 9 minutes - he was spouting his tirades. That demagogue Saakhasvili was allowed to spout his nonsense without anyone stopping him or arguing him. (Saakhasvili said in these propagandistic statements of his for example that " this is just like what Russians did to Czechoslovakia in 1968" or "This is not about just Georgia this is about whole europe, if Russians are not stop now they could take on any other european country, this is about freedom loving democratic country being attacked, this is about american values...." etc.
Saakashvili is a puppet of american neoconservatives - that's the reason why you can see his articles in OpEd's in Wall Street Journal so often.
And last comment no Russia was not bombig Georgian Capital Tbilisi all day (that is probably another distortion from CNN) - Russians bombed two airstrips near Tbilisi. (and it was not some heavy bombing, actually only one bomb landed on one of those airstips) And some other military target around Tbilisi.
Is the whole reason for the Russian invasion a tit for tat on Kosovo.? Look at he similarities. Russia objected to the separation of the Serbian territory on the urging and support of the US and now they are working on the separation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia.
No wonder the US has no answer to the Russian "aid and support" for the oppressed in these territories.
Just like bush has NO credibility talking about human rights in China (they basically laughed in his face and told him to STFU), these other republican cheerleaders of the Iraq invasion have no right discussing the injustice of the Georgian/Russian conflict.
They simply have no credibility. It's laughable. Yet it's tragic that America is one of the few countries that could stop this invasion had we not pissed away our standing in the world.
Cornyn is a fringe nutcase. Why would his opinion be repeated on anything that calls itself "news"?
I don't think Cornyn still sees America as a superpower with superpower responsibilities. The dollar is hardly worth a Russian rouble anyway lately. I've got a few thousand euro's on the side, I'm thinking of maybe buying Arkansas, as all the rest of the US is already sold out.
Login or Register to post comments.