2
POPSHave We Already Tipped Over The Edge? By 2012, it will be more than half on the dole, and this will be an electorate where the majority of the electorate will be able to vote itself more lollipops from the minority of their compatriots still dumb enough to prioritize self-reliance, dynamism and innovation over the sedating cocoon of the Nanny State. That is the death of the American idea – which, after all, began as an economic argument: "No taxation without representation" is a great rallying cry. "No representation without taxation" has less mass appeal. For how do you tell an electorate living high off the entitlement hog that it's unsustainable, and you've got to give some of it back?
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POPSCrushed by the Elephant This is probably the best explaination for the totally confused campaign that McCain is so unfortunately emersed in.....he truely seems to "rather not be there" when he appears with Palin on television news interviews. The idea that he had something going in the 2004 election, but got defeated by not being down and dirty enough......and then wanting another chance at the top job.....and then caving into the divisive politics of the right wingnuts.....is very plausible, and very convincing. He may really have had a better chance if he came back to his 2004 version of "The Maverick"! The selection of Sarah Palin was his biggest mistake! Frank
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POPSMcCain and Palin Can No Longer Be Excused That’s right – evil. Not just wrong. Not just bad. Not just politics. Exploiting otherwise decent people and using their fears, pain and frustration to unleash them on others with different names or different skin colors or different religious beliefs is evil. That’s not what American politicians do. That’s what Adolf Hitler did. And he did it when people were afraid and angry and losing their jobs and their life savings.
6
POPSDavid Brooks: Bush shows why Palin unqualified This part of the populist strain of American conservatism disdains knowledge and prudence, favoring instinct, and compensates for lack of experience with brashness. They're great at rallying cries, but inept at the complex, historically contextual discipline of governance. She's not familiar enough with US history, for instance, to understand the significance of what she does. His government demonstrates the failure of her approach.
1
POPSWhich Hindsight Is 20-20? Hindsight isn't always 20-20, particularly in wartime, when early expectations of an easy rout can give way to an unexpectedly long and bloody grind - and when victory has so often been achieved only after persevering through strategic debacles, intelligence failures, and wrenching battlefield losses.
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POPSEx-Soviet States, Poland Rally for Georgia Joining NATO Like Georgia, Ukraine and the Baltic states were Soviet republics, gaining their independence around the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Poland spent more than 40 years as a Soviet satellite after World War II, overthrowing the communist regime in 1989 and joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 10 years later. All the countries involved have sought NATO membership as a bulwark against Russia, with which they have a common border. According to Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich, the current conflict is ample proof that the alliance must admit Georgia and Ukraine quickly. ``No country neighboring Georgia would have taken such a confrontational stance had it been threatened with a joint operation from the entire Atlantic alliance,'' Klich told daily Rzeczpospolita in an interview published today. ``The moral is simple: NATO should offer Georgia and Ukraine plans to gain membership as soon as possible.''
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POPSBig Mac Attack "I'll take foods I haven't eaten for over a decade, Alex." Sounds good, though. These sorts of stocks have been rallying a bit because traders look for "safe harbors" during rough economic times.
11
POPSGorilla 'mother lode' found in Congo I can't help thinking that they are there, because we didn't know about them, but there are other species that have been downgraded from critically endangered to endangered due to conservation efforts. However the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found that 48% of the 634 known species and sub-species of primates, humankind's closest relatives such as chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons and lemurs, are at risk of extinction. Primates are suffering most in Asia, with 71% of all species at risk, against 37% in Africa.
5
POPSBloggers Pushing Wes Clark Back to the Forefront What Clark said - that McCain has no experience in national security decision-making - is absolutely true, and it's a point that needs emphasis repeatedly and effectively by someone who can deliver it. Clark has a 34 year service record, has won a war, commanded troops all over the world, and nearly died of his injuries in Vietnam. He has run for President and been a surrogate for hundreds of Democrats all over the country, including Ned Lamont. He was against the war in Iraq, and knows the military bureaucracy inside and out. This is someone who would make an insanely good Vice President, and someone who has deep connections to the newly formed progressive communities that emerged from 2002-2006. Senator Obama would do well to choose Clark as his running mate.
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POPSTape Recording Reveals Vile Rants Of British Mullah Now Choudary —who once called for the Pope to be executed and described the September 11 hijackers as "magnificent martyrs" — could face arrest under anti-terror laws for his evil ranting on the tape, which was passed to the News of the World. Terrorism expert and author Neil Doyle said: "There is no doubt whatever this a rallying cry to would-be British terrorists. "And this is the evidence from his own mouth. There's no doubt that the message he's preaching will eventually convince some impressionable people they should start planning 7/7-type atrocities. "He's certainly becoming the most high-profile cheerleader for al-Qaeda in the UK." When we spoke to Choudary he refused to discuss our recording but admitted he WAS on a recruitment drive. He ranted: "I would like to recruit enough to turn the whole country into an Islamic state within a month...by tomorrow. "You can put that down. I'm trying to recruit 5,000 a week."