Glenn Reynolds noticed something at the State of the Union; people – the President, in this case – are seriously talking pork:
His actions aren’t as bold as I’d like, but still — back in 2005 when PorkBusters started, nobody in Washington cared and members of Congress were bragging about pork. Now the State of the Union leads of with an attack on earmarks, to thundering applause.
Thundering applause – from the pork ranchers themselves? Isn’t that sorta like Major Renault’s “I’m shocked – shocked“ line in Casablanca?
Yeah, a lot of it’s a sham. But hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue, and this kind of hypocrisy indicates that the anti-earmark momentum is growing.
One of these years…
After six years spent feeding on more pork than every man, woman and child in Arkansas combined, Shrub suddenly notices it’s a problem. Democratic Congress now, dontcha know.
Shrub suddenly notices it’s a problem. Democratic Congress now, dontcha know.
Sorta like the Dems rediscovered homelessness in February of 2001.
Too true AC.
Mitch – perhaps once Bush gets done paying KBR and Blackwater, or maybe after he gets done paying for that bridge in Alaska, he’ll have some money left over for the 12th carrier air wing or the 43rd combat brigade. Lord knows we need more combat brigades and carrier air wings.
Licken economics, give massive tax subsidies to Oil and the wealthiest, spend like you’re using someone else’s credit card – and then crow about being ‘serious’ about restraining pork.
He got applause because the Democratic members of the House and Senate were SUPPOSED to put a stop to ear-marks. Obviously, they didn’t. One of the strange things though Mitch is, I and other non-neo-nutzies can actually bring myself to condemn them for it. The closest you come to it is commending a President who lathered himself in pork lard for 6 years for finally coming to the realization that he’s bankrupted the country. A comment that he made only as part of a pure political theatre aimed at fall elections in an effort to re-engage ‘conservatives’ about smaller government. That smaller government has never happened during a Con president – good thing you guys stand for integrity, it might REALLY be bad if you didn’t.
BTW Mitch – nice name ‘Tic”, is that more of your “Conservatives don’t do PC” balloney?
Yeah Mitch, because prior to 2001, the Dems never spent on homelessness, while the Republicans did. That contrast in NO WAY is either valid or similar.
BTW – just to clarify for those following along at home. The POINT about 12 carrier wings or 43 combat brigades is that, and I’m SURE Mitch knew this, given that he’s an expert on all things military, is that we’ve maintained a premise within the Pentagon for 60 years or so, specifically, that we wanted to be able to fight 2 to 2.5 major engagements at any point in time. However, Iraq has strained our military to the breaking point – which was part of the reason for a request for 4-5 more combat brigades. But here’s the thing, please FIND where we have any massive enemy like WarPac? Please note which country we still need “41 for Freedom” to offer a significant retaliatory threat. It isn’t there, yet we still have a navy (and an army) maintained at near Cold War levels. THAT is pork of the highest order. If we hadn’t stupidly engaged ourselves in Iraq, there wouldn’t be a real need for 5 more combat brigades. You neo-cons don’t perceive your sacred cow, but you most assuredly do have one, a $450 Billion dollar per year one (not including spending on Iraq). We don’t need 12 or 11 or even 8 carrier groups, we don’t need 45 combat brigades. The ability of our military to respond to massive threats should grow and ebb with the – oh I don’t know – size of the actual threats. Islamic extremism is a low-intensity guerilla warfare style threat fought exceedingly poorly with mechanized forces. So PLEASE, PUHHHHHLLEEEEEEZZZEEE, get real, you love pork just fine, even if every other entitlement were gone, you’d still LOVE that pork. Partly because some of you are military-o-philes, party because some of you just hate ‘feriners’ and think we need to make sure we ‘can blow the sheet outta em’, and partly because it lines the pockets of your pet industiries and buys votes, but you love pork just fine, yessireebob. There is NO naval threat in the world that justifies the navy we currently maintain, none. Prior to WWII and the WarPac/Cold War years, our expenditures on our army and navy were far smaller than today’s proportion of our budget pays. It was nearly a catastrophe that we weren’t prepared for WWII, but lets remember it was Republicans and folks like Prescott Bush who stood in the way of preparing (all in the name of isolation and opposing spending) – there were sufficient warning signs to allow us to build-up, and we did, even over the objection of the isolationist. There is just no need for this military of this size, and the dirty little secret is, everyone in the Pentagon is FULLY aware that we can’t meet the two war mission any longer, but we pretend we can – and why? So that we can continue to spend like whores with someone else’s credit card. So when, Mitch, you call for cutting the military, I’ll believe you’re serious about cutting pork.
BTW Mitch – nice name ‘Tic”,
pb, if you would, you know, read the blog, instead of using it for your own personal pontification and BDS relief space, you might be up to speed there. Particularly on a comment by Mitch where he doesn’t even use Tic, but instead the older Dem.
Peev,
Count up how many times you go “you think…” and “You (do)…” and so forth and so on, followed by some grand dissection of something I supposedly believe…
…which is inevitably – as in, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, either wrong or a really, really dumb oversimplification of what I (and people like me) think.
Now, I’m going to be fair, here; you are the one that constantly barbers about wanting a “discussion”. Here’s a little bit of etiquette for you; in a “dialog”, you don’t get to “argue” boths ides simultaneously. That’s not “dialog”, that’s “rhetorical masturbation”.
I’ll await the inevitable “You point the rhetorical masturbation finger at me, but there are 4.6×10^14 fingers pointing back at YOU” response.
Five…four…three…two…
OK. With that out of the way, let’s move along.
Too true AC.
Careful, Peev. Sucking up to AC eventually becomes its own punishment.
Wasn’t Louis a captain? I think the kraut, Strasser, was the major.
Casablanca: chick flick.
Yeah, I think you’re right. Blah.
To clarify: Blofeld was right.
As to the Clown…:
Casablanca: chick flick.
Casablanca: Ingrid Bergman.
’nuff said.
Democratic Congress now, dontcha know.
And a highly motivated and productive one at that. Yes sir, they’re really getting that Democrat agenda pushed through.
Can’t get much done with Repubics filibustering every 10 minutes. And anything the Commander in Chimp would sign into law can’t be worth much.
I’m hereby bestowing a kindergarten diploma on AC for his successful completion of the kindergarten-level writing requirements. Now, as a first-grade level writer, AC, you’ll be required to think a little more and snark a little less, with the occasional use of logic and reasoning. Congratulations on this most auspicious achievement.
As for me, I’m in journalism, so I can continue to write about poop and farts.
AC considers Casablanca a “chick flick”???
Consider the source. The guy’s on The List.
Can’t get much done with Repubics filibustering every 10 minutes.
Whiner.
Or is it Whinger? No wait, that’s Doug.
“Can’t get much done with Repubics filibustering every 10 minutes.”
Oh, if only. Keep a good thought.
“Shrub suddenly notices it’s a problem. Democratic Congress now, dontcha know.”
Yeah. So, never been to W.Virgina huh. Damn Republicans.