River Valley Blogs

To Harsch wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:52 PM:

" Yes, that's what reminds me of John McCain! "

Palin wrote on Aug 30, 2008 6:17 PM:

" makes Obama look like an elder statesman. "

Harsch wrote on Aug 30, 2008 3:39 PM:

" Does anyone else out there see POW and think pist off whitey every time? "

Michael Welch One Little Once Of Gold On A Sweet Lil Chickies Hand... wrote on Aug 30, 2008 12:34 PM:

" 'You just can't trust women -- no matter how honest they act they all want to be wives*!' complains John Wayne to Fabian in the lively 1960 Henry Hathaway sex comedy 'North to Alaska.' Just become a state, the movie introduced Alaska as 'Nome' looking like northern California (where it was filmed) sans snow and cold and also without (many) women -- 'It's still a FREE country' the misogynistic Wayne character, 'Sam McCord,' proclaims. Well Sam'd be spinning today but Palin 'descends' from the big dipper state, the great oil welfare state, without affecting ideology but offering instead hefty symbology. Her veneer may wear off but those white Catholic (anti-abortion) voters Obama needs to win will be attracted; so Palin for prez in '16? (OR -- heavens forfend! -- '12?) Big Sam McCord -- what would ya say to that!...
* Or 'president'?... "

Michael Welch Way Up North -- Goin North To Alaska -- NORTH... wrote on Aug 30, 2008 12:03 PM:

" Palin is of course the Obama equivalent of the soon to be McCain-Palin ticket as Biden is the Mac of Obama-Biden. The tickets are in fact flipped mirror images of the best loved 'American story' -- folks who 'overcome' (some day!) prejudice and lower middle classness and with brains and verve 'rise' to the foam. Palin is really the return to the Nixon era imagery described by erstwhile Repub strategist (now bitter anti-Bushite) Kevin Phillips. Palin is the lower-middle-'working class' suburbanite who a la Chicago GOPpers struggles against entrenched corruption (REPUBLICAN corruption, ironically, in Alaska) to sort of 'win.' But the BIG winners of the moment are Ted Stevens, the Murkowskis and Don Young; they'll ALL be working hard to send Sarah to -- Washington!... "

Michael Welch Constructing Sarah -- Part One... wrote on Aug 30, 2008 11:51 AM:

" I rather agree that the Palin choice is 'inspired'; obviously the McCain campaign has been assiduously seeking to exploit the deep bitterness of the 'valkyrie' contingent of 'feminists for Hillary' -- can you imagine: REPUBS 'praising' the witch of Endor, Lady Hills, to the skies er to the 'ceiling' AS WELL AS Geraldine Ferraro whom Bar Bush once characterized as 'rhymes with rich'! (Pure projection on her part by the way.) Talk about pandering! But pandering is a small price to pay for victory -- and didn't I tell you: Big Jawn is FAR MORE ambitious than even Obama... "

John Sidney McCain wrote on Aug 29, 2008 10:14 PM:

" may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes but were the ones that will pay for his flip flops. "

Its Important wrote on Aug 29, 2008 10:11 PM:

" to have a Vice President that's eaten a mooseburger! "

To the real Macoy wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:56 PM:

" She's not qualified to be President if something happened to McCain and you know it. Come to think of it I'm not sure McCain is even capable of being President. One things for sure. McCain's health is so bad that he won't make it through one term before he bites the dust. I didn't think the American people could sink any farther than when they voted for Bush. If they vote McCain in I'll be wrong once again. "

To Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 4:51 PM:

" Thank you. The French need to be put in their place-in cages like so many monkeys. "

harsch wrote on Aug 29, 2008 4:39 PM:

" When you have undergone enhanced interrogation techniques you will understand the importance of euphemism. But in your case, too much thought may result in collateral damage and I advise against it. "

The real Macoy wrote on Aug 29, 2008 3:10 PM:

" You know McCains choice of Palin has scored a direct hit on the Obama boat. For one, on the last day of the week, on the day after the Dem convention, all the news is talking about is McCain and Palin. The weekend news cycle will carry this over and lost in the shuffle will be the news that barry someone was nominated as the Democratic Presidential nominee. Two, McCain has shown that he is actually more open to change and having a women as a VP. Barry's choice was the old, old path of an old insider white establishment guy. Three, an old military addage is that if you are taking heavy fire then you must have struck an important base. By Mr. Bowers posts you can tell that McCain scored a direct hit. "

Genes favorite blog wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:39 PM:

" This one, simply due to Harsch's 8/28 9:37pm post. I will reference this post whenever a need arises to inject humor into other discussions. A course on "euphemism" indeed! Can you imagine people who work for a living being asked by their kids to shell out money for a course at the "Euro-Meditteranean University" on "Euphemism"? I can't stand it! Then this Gem "None owned a single house. Not one of them. Not one house." He then throws in that he himself doesn't own a house either. "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:26 PM:

" Not only did the French president kiss W's butt, but the thousands of ordinary French citizens I spoke with wished they could also pucker-up to Bush's posterior. The general feeling was one of repentence at their sin of doubting what was truly a charitable act-taking action to bring democracy to Iraq. And you know what? This is a growing phenomenon all around the world. In fact, it can honestly be said that no one abroad hates America anymore. Of course, the Democrats still do. "

To Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:00 PM:

" Well, Lee, I actually agree with your posts today. I am now a disgruntled FORMER Republican. Thanks to McCains idiotic choice, I will now be voting Libertarian. Having said that, your pro-French posts on the other blog is very disturbing. I would like your take on the incident whereby the French President literally kissed W's butt, as recounted on the movie blog. "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 12:51 PM:

" Historical poor choices (in no particular order): Lincoln going to the theater; Japan attacking America; Buying an Edsel; Selling your Honus Wagner baseball card for a buck; vacationing in New Orleans during Katrina; getting rid of Brett Favre; buying a house next to Mrs. O'Leary's; McCain picking Sarah "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 12:38 PM:

" The logical reaction to Sarah Palin by rational people-both Democrat and Republican-would be "WHAT WAS HE THINKING". But the pertinent observation is that HE WASN'T THINKING. The most important decision in his campaign and he put no thought into it. John McCain, a mean-spirited, tempermental senile old man. Go Obama! "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:58 AM:

" Ya gotta feel sorry for Fox News; they're going to have to work overtime trying to defend the choice of Sarah. And I thought Dan Quayle was a poor pick. "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:54 AM:

" Again, my profuse apologies for criticizing Sarah. I understand she knows how many homes she owns. So she may be more intelligent than McCain. "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:52 AM:

" I'd like to apologize for criticizing John McCain's choice of a running mate. After all, Sarah was mayor of a town of 9,000 people. Yep, that qualifies her all right. A heartbeat away from the presidency. You go girl! "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:32 AM:

" Janet who? "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:20 AM:

" Could McCain's choice for his running mate have been any worse? Only if he'd picked Tommy Thompson. "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 29, 2008 11:18 AM:

" I see John McCain has picked a woman with less than two years experience as governor of Alaska as his running mate. I just hope he doesn't forget her name when he introduces her today. "

Doc Nelson wrote on Aug 29, 2008 10:03 AM:

" The Constitution of the United States of America assures us, "life, liberty and property." Mr. Hussein Obama is anti-life (infanticide [of the developmentally disabled), anti-liberty (his campaign has consistently fought the 1st Amendment [WLS-AM radio this week] and 2nd Amendment) and anti-property (criticises John and Cindy McCain's ownership of properties). I can see why Harshie and his non-Americans love America-hating Obama. "

Ronnie to Harsch wrote on Aug 29, 2008 9:03 AM:

" Thanks for clarifying. Since you and your students don't own homes, nor live in the US, you are more qualified than our leaders to determine our foreign policy. Got it. "

Re Harsch wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:45 AM:

" Please tell me Harschs 9:37pm post is either : a) satire or b)a post by someone using Harschs name attempting to make him appear to be a buffoon. "

Hey real Macoy wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:31 AM:

" It isn't "some other person" who doesn't believe Obama had a Marxist-Muslim upbringing. It is every reasonable person. "

Doc Nelson wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:39 AM:

" Jimmy, how did you like the modified Roman salute that the crowd did during Obama's speech last night? "

The real Macoy wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:00 AM:

" Funny stuff on these web logs. Mr. Harsch thinks he has escaped a war zone to find the safety of a small European country. Mr. Harsch also thinks that his foreign students want to bring about peaceful change. Some other person thinks that Obama doesn't have a Muslim-Marxist upbringing. I suppose this person just ignores all of Barack Hussein Obama's current Muslim-Marxists loving friends too. This stuff would be hilarious if it wasn't so dangerously stupid. Apparently all the enemies of freedom need to do is find enough gullible free people to believe their lies to destroy freedom. I suppose that's because the enemies of freedom are too weak to fight real patriots face to face. "

John Sidney McCain wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:57 PM:

" has never had an Alzheimer's test, even though he has six of the ten warning signs, including his inability to remember recent facts like the number of homes he owns, the million dollar lawsuit he filed in 1990, or the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. While Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama were at the convention in Denver, McCain made his 13th appearance on Leno to joke about his age. McCain's age is no joke. He will turn 72 on Friday and would be halfway to 73 if elected and sworn in on Jan 20. That would make him the oldest first term president ever, two year's older than Reagan. He's had FOUR skin cancers including one that was stage 2a. John Sidney McCain owes America a thorough test for Alzheimer's and cognitive impairment long before election day. "

Harsch...JImmy Tell me you are not an afficando wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:37 PM:

" I am safely out of America, and yesterday again taught at the Euro-Mediterranean University, where two of my students, the best two, were Palestinian, one was an Israeli Arab, one was Slovak, one Slovene, two Romanian, one Lebanese, One Ukrainian. All opposed the current regime and hope for CHANGE. None cared at all about McCain's experiences in Vietnam--an horrific war with no basis in realpolitik nor 'law' (several students are studying international law), and none owned a single house: not one of them, not one house. Give it some thought. (I don't own property either). "

To two thirty seven pm poster wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:30 PM:

" Ronald Reagan's dead pal. He was a traitor just like Lieberman. "

To Doc Nelson wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:26 PM:

" Muslim upbringing? You are a fruitcake man. "

Doc Nelson wrote on Aug 28, 2008 3:28 PM:

" Hey Jimmy, I can't wait for you analysis of the Der Obama's Hollywood-produced nighttime rally/coronation at Invesco and the closing scene from Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will" (Triumph des Willens.) As a film afficando and Jew, you have a keen eye to subtle messages that lay underneath the spoken word or conveyed image. Given that not an anti-Semitic word is heard in "Triumph," we know that what the Obama overt message (given his radical Muslim-Marxist upbringing) and covert intent might be quite stunning. Top off your vodka and tighten your seat belt Jimmy, this could be a bumpy night! "

re re Starfish wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:52 PM:

" I feel terrible for this formerly intelligent Democrat. He obviously suffered brain damage before his conversion. "

Re Starfish wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:37 PM:

" I once knew an intelligent Democrat, but he has since become a Republican. "

Starfish wrote on Aug 28, 2008 1:44 PM:

" Clearly, there is no intelligent case to be made for the Republican party as currently configured. It's kind of sad, actually. I've known an intelligent conservative or two (surely no more!) and even they are expressing disappointment. As for the folks on board here speaking of the GOP's great successes. . .wow. . .I'm speechless. I just can't talk with these people. "

Mikeys Former Neighbor wrote on Aug 28, 2008 1:17 PM:

" More bad news for the Demoncrats, as Jobless Claims continue to free-fall in recent numbers. With Algore speaking tonight, maybe they can bring back, "Global Warming" as an issue...wait, scratch that since 2008 is going down as a record cold summer AND Senator Josef "Neil Kinnock" Biden's declaration of the coldest winter in the history of mankind. "

I see wrote on Aug 28, 2008 1:15 PM:

" Michael is spewing his negative fear mongering in hopes that people will vote for the hope of change. The actual economic numbers tell realistic people that the economy is actually good. Only the left wing fear mongerers see the world as gloom and doom.

My life this year is as good as the last 4 years. In some ways better. That's because I worked smarted and harder, not because the government is my savior. Those hoping for the government to make them better are nothing more than slaves to the hopemisters. "

Agreed wrote on Aug 28, 2008 1:10 PM:

" that Obama couldn't handle a day without even a telepromter let alone a day as a prisoner of war. I disagree that Obama is currently more then silly putty. All Obama is is an empty suit that spouts other people's crafty speeches. "

Michael Welch No Ford In Your Future... wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:57 AM:

" The US economy in the spring quarter was primarily boosted by exports, cheaper because of the weakening US dollar; I doubt that unless say you work for Boeing or Lockheed that weak dollars will do you much good in purchasing for example those uh 'Chinese imports' you get at Wal-Mart. Also you have already played out that checkie weckie sent to augment your falling income due to higher prices but you've spent it on said imports and gas and it's poof! Your house of course is NOT now worth what you paid for it and moreover lending institutions are as paranoid as right wingers and starving business expansion. THAT is also your 'future,' for the time ahead at least; it even has a retro '70s name: stagflation... "

Bowers to Stay the Course wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:50 AM:

" The economy is so rosy that food banks are no longer needed and Salvation Army shelters are empty. Vote McCain. Bush's approval rating is nearly 100%. Vote McCain. Cheney is more beloved than Jesus. Vote McCain. Our kids "is learnin'" so well that they're all getting straight A's. Vote McCain. Americans are so doggone happy, the makers of Prozac have gone out of business. Vote McCain. "

Starfish wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:46 AM:

" When your country and its "Security Apparatus" spends as much money as the next 10 or 20 countries combined on weaponry, the tools define the job. We really don't need another Warrior King. The cynical calculus that has had our next would-be Warrior King (McCain) obstruct improvements on our veteran aid packages hinge on one sad truth: if you give a young soldier another path forward--eg a meaningful GI bill for college--you lose him as cannon fodder. "Support our Troops". . .yeah, right. . . "

Michael Welch ITS ALIVE ITS ALIVE... wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:43 AM:

" That 'future' is turned on oil access as the conglomerates will do whatever they can to block any alternative energy efforts THEY DO NOT YET CONTROL. Hence off shore drilling -- it offers the faux attractive aspect of 'doing something' presumably 'now' albeit what would actually happen would result in a number of years of preparation until any real oil was pumped for market. In the meantime this INCREASES dependency both on oil AND -- more importantly -- on the oil companies. This will be McCain's only 'positive' campaign -- FOR drilling; the bulk of the campaign will be as you see below, smearing Obama and suggesting he is a crypto Muslim and a (talk about 'laughing out loud!') a 'socialist.' You've seen it here for months folks; it 'lives' like Frankenstein's monster... "

Bowers to Stay the Course wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:35 AM:

" You forgot some stuff: We have so many high paying jobs available, there is no unemployment problem. Vote McCain. We are so beloved by the other nations of the world that Americans abroad are greeted with flowers and free hotel/dining accomodations. Vote McCain. Our rivers and streams are so unpolluted, you can drink right from them. Vote McCain. We all have so many homes that we, too, forget how many we have. Vote McCain. "

Michael Welch The Real Wars Are The Oil Wars... wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:28 AM:

" The Georgian war that we've SO quickly forgotten -- cheap silly campaigning is FAR more fun eh -- indicates the future: substantial oil and gas moves through Georgia via pipeline and through its Black sea ports. Georgia sought to consolidate its territory and hoped to provoke a NATOish confrontation with Russia; the Bush admin had of course NO stomach for it (AND no available forces other than ships and bombers) so the Russians basically seized their opportunity to challenge the nascent US oil empire. The future war is not a 'war on terrorism' but oil warS, to which of course BOTH candidates are pledged... "

Michael Welch Campaign Mode... wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:19 AM:

" Well we're back into the usual cheerleading vs booing mode; I guess it's unrealistic to expect more from the righties of this crowd. We got right wing comments yesterday that were abysmally ignorant, clinically paranoid, conscious lying or all three -- so I KNOW the fall campaign has begun! Absolutely NO ONE is parsing the 'shift' from the Iraq war to a renewed Afghan one, promised by BOTH candidates; I think that's remarkably telling. It means the silly smeary partisan shots won't fit and one may actually HAVE to contemplate REAL LIFE and REAL policies that will affect 'US' all. That's too much for the righties here to bother with eh... "

Froto wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:34 AM:

" It is absolutley mind boggling how simplistickly minded the public is. Nothing much has changed since the old days when as the saying goes, a chicken in every pot, and the public lapped it like hungry hogs. the difference now is that the chicken keeps getting bigger and scare tactics get worse yet the people line up at the trough on both sides. It would be really funny if it were not such a pathetic situation. Always looking for a savior and then blindly following. Always black and white issues no grey, always demonising one another in ignorance. Neither side gives a damn about you, only if it can help them gain more power,and money, and control over you. So many minds, so ignorant, so many sheep and hogs wallowing in the muck of political ignorance. "

Mikeys Former Neighbor wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:12 AM:

" Somedays it doesn't pay to be a Demoncrat. Just today comes news that, "The economy shifted to a higher gear in the spring, growing at its fastest pace in nearly a year as foreign buyers snapped up U.S. exports and tax rebates spurred shoppers at home.
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that gross domestic product, or GDP, increased at a 3.3 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter. The revised reading was much better than the government's initial estimate of a 1.9 percent pace and exceeded economists' expectations for a 2.7 percent growth rate." Meanwhile, oil prices have steadily decline, save for a current plateau due to tropical storm Gustav and the Iraq campaign continues to be a stirring success. I can see why Jimmy plays the anti-POW card, thereby showing his Vietnam-era hatred of the armed forces...of which I proudly served in. "

Question wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:04 AM:

" Who posting here honestly thinks Barack Huseein Obama could go through what McCain did and even survive? After 2 days of POW treatment, Obama would be reduced to silly putty. "

BHO wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:03 AM:

" All we need to do is embrace the hope of change. Just do this and I will tax you into properity. My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. Please join with me as we try to change it. "

To David Linse wrote on Aug 28, 2008 7:10 AM:

" I think my Dad honestly thought that when you woke up you tried to kill whatever enemy was there in front of you. You kept trying until they killed you. It was by far the harshest thing I ever heard him say and he felt it deeply. He may have felt so strongly because he thought the Nazis wee evil incarnate, maybe he would have given a Vietnam-era pilot like McCain a pass, but I don't think so. "

To eight pm poster wrote on Aug 28, 2008 6:55 AM:

" You must be a troll because you can't possibly believe all that Rush Limbaugh drivel in your post. "

TO HARSH FROM J.M.M. wrote on Aug 28, 2008 5:14 AM:

" I was spaking to the author of the article. On another point, you wrote "How impressed should someone be with time spent in military during a war.....? What a selfish question. You should be highly impressed. It is because of these brave men that you can sit in your safe, warm home and express your opinon in the way that you do. It sickens me to see what is happening to this country. "

Harsch....Stay the Cliche in Cliches harmful way wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:12 AM:

" In other words (since my early posts went virtually unanswered), if the same McCain were wandering the streets of La Crosse muttering what he says into microphones as a presidential hopeful, people would fear him and try to steer him to the V.A. "

No Way wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:38 PM:

" No How, No McCain!!! "

To eight pm poster wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:36 PM:

" Is your name Rush? "

To eight pm poster wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:34 PM:

" Your post would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. Let me see. You want a gut that doesn't know how many homes he has and doesn't even know how to use a computer? Your points are so bogus I wanted to throw up. But your last comment made me want to laugh. You'll see just how Obama deals with the big bears once he's in office. That is, if you Republicans don't kill him like you did the other Democrats. I was going to say maybe it's time the Democrats return the favor but McCain won't live through one term anyway. "

Stay the course with McCain wrote on Aug 27, 2008 8:00 PM:

" Re: Bush bashers and resident Marxists, let us examine the record of the past seven years in an objective way. First, gas was $2.11 per gallon on the day the Democrats took over Congress; it is $3.79 now. Bush did a superb job with the economy up until the smog blew the Democrats in; Bush turned the corner even though we were attacked by Clinton's unfinished business, al Qaeda. Mortgage crisis: after the Dems were back. Katrina: local officials were all Dems. Opposition to the victory surge in Iraq: all from the Dems. Higher crime rates: after the Dems. Stock market drop: after the Dems. Deficit spending: all on Dem programs. Russia acting up: because Dems too weak to act. Can you imagine skinny little Obama at the table with big Russian bears? "

davidinlse wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:01 PM:

" RE: Thank you Tomo wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:56 AM: That's an absurd thing to say. When your airplane is shot down, you sort of have a tendency to go down also. How's that quitting? "

davidinlse wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:57 PM:

" RE: Stay the course with McCain wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:55 PM: Per your posting, thanks. I havent had such a good laugh since before shrubbie the smirking chimp was appointed president. Keep it up. "

davidinlse wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:55 PM:

" More liberal bias from the Tribune wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:50 AM:, Referencing YOUR POSTING, George W. Bush NEVER saw any combat. As a matter of fact, during the (missing years) of his service, the only record found that he even showed for any duty was a dental record. What a hero. Mayby he got a medal for flossing. Quit making stuff up to try to justify your point. P.S. I'm a 21 year veteran, flew as a flight engineer on choppers, then c130's for 17 years, all over the world, I'm proud of my service, and proud that I'm supporting Obama. "

harsch wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:47 PM:

" Karzai has called for a halt to US (NATO?) bombing because of innumerable civilian deaths. In Iraq, my writer friend who was there has explained to me that the surge allows better policing of intensely secured zones that are but a tiny minority of the space in Iraq. The reduction of violence is largely due to the accomplished segregations in the city. The war against the US is far from over and almost no one want them there. "

To Stay the course ... wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:06 PM:

" I almost started to respond, but this is just satire like the first post, right? Because everything you say in your post is wrong. (Although the surge is showing progress.) If you truly believe everything in your post then you have just won the gold medal for ignorance of actual facts. "

To Stay the course wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:03 PM:

" You are absolutely wrong and incorrect in everyone of your assertions. We have not yet achieved victory in Iraq, as even Bush has stated. We're losing in Afghanistan and desperately need more troops there, as even Secretary Gates has confirmed. Federal spending is way up, as even Republicans have complained. We're no where near energy independence and we import more oil than ever before. And neither our health care system or school rankings are #1 in the world. "

To Michael Welch wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:01 PM:

" I hope you are corrct and that the first poster was trying to be satirical. Otherwise it is the single dumbest post ever written. I know that is saying something, but man, that post (if genuine) is incredible ignorant. "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:59 PM:

" Obama will not be elected. He'll either be assassinated or McCain will win another fixed election. Obama's position on Iraq is not that of the empire's and therefore he is unacceptable. "

Stay the course with McCain wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:55 PM:

" Okay, so you are sick of the POW thing, let us go back to basics during this back-to-school season.
The surge has brought complete victory in Iraq: McCain will stay the course. We've won in Afghanistan: McCain will stay the course. We've cut federal spending and have entered a new era of fiscal responsibility: McCain will stay the course. We've moved toward full energy independence: McCain will stay the course. We've the best health care system in the world: McCain will stay the course. We've the best school system in the world: McCain will stay the course! Vote McCain and stay the course! "

Michael Welch Jokesters All -- Or What... wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:32 PM:

" By the way that first commenter was wrong -- Truman was an artillery officer in World War I; Kennedy of course had experienced some actual heroics as a PT boat ('109') commander in the south Pacific in WWII; Johnson served (briefly) in the navy in WWII before being 'called back' to Washington as a member of congress. Carter was a post-WWII submarine officer. I can only assume the comment was as per 'Barack Hussein Obama' and 'ACLU' et. al., meant to be satirical? I mean considering the W 'record' of assiduous avoidance of combat plus Cheney and so on... "

Hey Avet ... wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:16 PM:

" First, what makes you think I am a liberal? You have absolutely no idea who I am. Second, I didn't say it, my Dad did and he was a conservative. He had more to say on the subject of POWs, but I'll let it go. Before you react to a post, you might actually want to read it. "

Michael Welch Has Got To Learb To Speel -- Or Proof It Better... wrote on Aug 27, 2008 1:06 PM:

" I did a little 'Brian Smithing' below -- funny it LOOKED okay when I clicked but I just didn't proof it well enough it seems. 'The more fervent ONE is for' a candidate and of course it's Russ FeiNgold not 'Feibgold' as in Welch put your teeth back in when you talk! Anyway you got the picture I guess and re: Harsch I too was somewhat bemused by the 'disgusted' comment -- who's 'JMM' and who's 'disgusting' or could it just be a generic sort of disgust we all feel oft time?... "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:33 PM:

" Well, glad I could provide some giggles. But, hey, check out the "Rolling Stone" article by Robert Kennedy Jr. from an edition that ran either in June, July or August of 2006. The election of 2004 was stolen, just as Bush stole it in 2000. The guy has never been elected. So have a pretzel and enjoy the campaign. "

harsch to J.M.M. wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:27 PM:

" What is more disgusting than a post that says 'You disgust me' without identify 'you' and without explaining. Are you talking to the first poster? "

Michael Welch The Old Deal... wrote on Aug 27, 2008 11:36 AM:

" As for coverage of candydandydates I've ALWAYS found that the more fervent was is for or conversely the more fearful one is against, the more sensitive you are about any perceived 'slight' or nuance. The 'system' I keep trying to tell you finds BOTH candidates 'acceptable' OR neither would be where he is. No Russ Feibgolds, boys and girls, should apply! Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney -- all 'unacceptable' and consigned to the neverneverland of NO PRIME TIME REPORTING but as a 'novelty' piece profiled on PBS or NPR say. The 'race' -- such as it is -- is a 'dead heat,' emphasis on 'dead'; i. e. it no longer matters as BOTH have embraced the empire AND the oil wars; BOTH have struck 'the deal'... "

Michael Welch Home Is The Hunter Home From The Hell --... wrote on Aug 27, 2008 11:27 AM:

" Mac was a p.o.w. but after all he WAS dropping bombs on men, women and children who happened to be north Vietnamese. They treated him badly sure but then they were a little 'upset.' I did spend a year in south Vietnam as Harsch notes, mostly at Lai Khe base camp of the 1st Infantry Division; I was in Company D of the 1st Medical Battalion which ran a 'clearing station' for casualties direct from 'the field.' I was in VN from January 1, 1968 to December 31, 1968 which included the famous (infamous?) 'Tet offensive' at the end of Jan '68, lasting roughly through the end of Feb. Vietnam -- what I saw of it north and west of Saigon -- was the greenest place in the land of those who just wanted to be 'free' of all of 'US.' Mac -- and I -- should have stayed home... "

Avet wrote on Aug 27, 2008 11:26 AM:

" to the 10:56 poster...The idea that a POW is a quiter is complete BS!

Not surprising that a liberal democrat has no concept of what life in the military is about or what a POW's life is all about.

Thank you for showing your true ignorance. It's just another example of the type of people Obama surrounds himself with...idiots. "

Just us wrote on Aug 27, 2008 11:05 AM:

" Ha ha ha ha. Lee you are a riot! Keep posting your tin foil hat paranoia. It's some of the best humor on the Tribunes website. "Steal the elections just like Bush"....that one gets funnier every time you tell it. "

Thank you Tomo wrote on Aug 27, 2008 10:56 AM:

" You beat me to it. By the way, my father was a WWII veteran (European theater). We noticed a guy driving around with POW plates one day and he said he wouldn't admit to being a POW like that. I asked why and he said, and I quote, "Because it meant that you quit." "

Tomo wrote on Aug 27, 2008 9:10 AM:

" To "More liberal bias from the Tribune." Your ignorance of the facts are breath taking. You contend Dems never serve, but Repubs do. On the Dem side, Harry Truman was a field artillery Captain, as was I. John Kennedy was a WWII war hero. Jimmy Carter was a naval submarine officer. On the Repub side, neither Nixon nor Reagan served, and although G.W. Bush served, he never saw major, or even minor, combat experience. I served in the military for 24 years, and I am voting for Obama. Take your fascist Neo Con dribble and peddle it to your Little Brain friends, and don't attempt to portray that you have some valuable insight. "

Yo wrote on Aug 27, 2008 8:26 AM:

" Hope and change, change like senators who arrived in Washington when Nixon was in the whitehouse(Biden). Hope, like associating with known terrorists who tried to blow up the Capitol(Obama + Weather Underground). Don';t forget Rezko - and Obama's questionable home loan. Don't allow drilling(Pelosi) but have a potential president say will cut our dependance on Foreign oil - without drilling our own, allowing coal gasification, or expansion of Nuclear.(Obama) Higher taxes, a constriction policy over what we own - Get ready - Jimmy Carter is making a comback with an Illinois suit on(Obama). "

Lee Bowers wrote on Aug 27, 2008 7:33 AM:

" Again, a good topic, Jimmy. The George Mason University study fits with my perception, and I think the media will continue that trend right up to the election. McCain's strategy is just to keep it close in the polls, and then steal it the same way Bush did in 2004, with manipulation of the electronic voting machines. The media will help McCain stay close by its standard techniques of omission and emphasis. You see this is why I don't invest much time or interest in presidential elections. "

I think wrote on Aug 27, 2008 7:05 AM:

" It's because McCain doesn't bring anything new to the table. The only thing "new" he can even think of is drilling in ANWAR and that's not going to happen anytime soon, if ever. This guy doesn't know how to use a computer and doesn't remember how many homes he has. I don't want a President with Ronald Reagan like memory. "

anonymous wrote on Aug 27, 2008 6:14 AM:

" To anyone who wasn't in the military or combat or a POW, there is no way you can possibly understand that those years of stress and pain shape your whole life afterwards. It may be tiring for you to hear, but imagine having to face the world everyday with the memories of torture? McCain earned the right or priviledge to talk about his POW days whenever he wants. In fact, he paid with his life, your right to whine about his POW responces. "

J. M. M. wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:51 AM:

" You disgust me. You have had some bad posts, but this takes the cake. "

Harsch wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:46 AM:

" By the way, given Michael Welch's service to his country during the Vietnam war I think that many of his critics should pay closer attention to what he says, and if they have a high regard for McCain's 'service' they should have a great deal more respect for former private Michael Welch. "

Harsch wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:44 AM:

" Today I am going to teach a five hour course at the EuroMiditerranean University on euphemism. One silly phrase I will discuss is the euphemistic cliche 'In harm's way', which has come to be used by just about all media personnel, from liberal to Limbaugh. What does it mean? Well, that you are in a position wherein it is likely enough you will be injured or dead. For instance, if you drive a car (a Vietnam's worth die on your highways every YEAR). But for a soldier it means nothing if you are involved in a war. It means you are involved in a war. Of course it is used for all military personnel, even though some are safely living day to day within giant utterly safe compounds and others fly at such heights that they are no more 'In harm's way' than commercial pilots. "

Harsch wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:39 AM:

" Then there is the question of McCain's makeup, precisely because of his POW time. He returned to the US a changed man, it is said, often to forgive his dumping his unfortunate wife, and very possibly accounts for his erratic nature, his quick and violent temper. Quite possibly, the public should be more concerned that he is a post traumatic stress victim than impressed by his 'service'. Is he a safe choice as president? I would only vote for a POW who has clearly demonstrated that there have no lasting effects from his confinement. "

Harsch wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:35 AM:

" I believe, or hope, that the praise of military service is very often made as a safe play. How impressed should someone be with time spent in the military during a war, especially given the innate tendency to fear death? I mean, no one in their right mind wants to fight a war, wants to kill or die. And of course McCain's particular war was one of the ugliest of the 20th century, a superpower denying freedom to a tiny country half-way around the globe, killing literally millions, untold civilians, creating concentration camps, breaking international laws, defoliating, making illegal incursions into neighboring states--none of which is McCain's fault, yet none of which has he seemed to learn from. "

BrianGSmith wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:09 AM:

" McCain, like Bush, was a failure in school and only got into the Naval Academy 'cause of his Daddy (just as Bush got into Yale because of Daddy). McCain then proceeded to graduate at the BOTOM of his class. He's divorced, has had numerous affairs and married a rich chick to foot his political ambitions(the same stuff Repug's eviscerated Kerry for doing). Obama is an achiever....finsihing at the top of his class in Harvard....faithfully married to the same woman.....Obama is ELITE.......we need elite and briliat folks like him in office. McCain's continual POW allusions are losing him Veterans support and the suport of many others. It's disgusting and he should be called out on it. "

More liberal bias from the Tribune wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:50 AM:

" If War Hero John McCain always highlights his POW experience, it is because his POW experience is always a highlight. Republicans have always stood up to answer the call while liberal Democrats have always taken the midnight express to Canada. Look at every major Republican leader during the last fifty years or so, from Eisenhower to George W. Bush; each one has major combat service. Look at every Democrat from Truman to Clinton; not one has answered the call. Most of our soldiers today are of a Republican conservative mindset. Republican leaders are most likely to send their kids to Iraq while Democratic leaders tell their kids to avoid serving their country. McCain's POW status highlights the proven fact that we conservatives are the only ones who defend this country. "

Comments »

Post a comment (150 word limit) »