Agitprop: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Propaganda

So How's All That Hope and Change Going??

Our first goal has got to be 100% Democratic appointees on the Supreme Court, unanimous control of the House and Senate, majority control of every state legislature, a majority lock on at least 2/3 of county council and executive seats nationwide, the mayoralties of all American cities with populations exceeding 50,000, and a congressional seat for the District of Columbia. Once accomplished, we can turn our eyes on the change we need.

- IOZ

Say it with me..."That's not change we can believe in"

Attack of the Drones

The inevitability of this was evident back during the election. We weren't going to have George Bush to kick around anymore. In today's world, what's an anti-imperialist, economic disestablishmentarian supposed to say to his friends and extended family of liberal Democrats?

Liberal Democrats who like to talk politics at family functions. [Italics are me.]

"We were traveling in Canada recently, and you know what impresses the people up there most about Obama? He hasn't said one bad thing about Bush. He's just came in and got down to business."

"I didn't think Obama was going to win. I thought a bunch of racists were going to come out and vote against him."

Many yeah's, and much head nodding around the table as consensus is reached.

"Of course he was going to win. The Rethuglicans weren't even trying. McCain and Palin?! Come on!"

More yeah's, and head nodding, and a few chuckles.

"Waht it was, is the Republicans didn't want to be stuck holding the bag on the economy."

"You know what I like about Obama? That you don't have to hold your breath every time he strings together more than four sentences."

"Yeah, Bush was awful! I cringed every time he opened his mouth!"

"Wait. Seriously?"

...

What I had planned on asking, before the above conversation broke my will to utter the words, (guess I'm not so hardcore after all,) was this: "What do you make of all the unmanned drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan killing civilians and militants at a rate of 50 to 1?"



To tie it in with a favorite progressive trope of the Bush years that I hadn't been able to disabuse one particular cousin of, I thought I might add, (again, turns out I'm not hardcore at all!) "Think we would be doing that if Gore was president?"

[I follow Maine Owl's incessant drone coverage. Why are you trying to ruin my family dinners, The Owl? Well it didn't work this time, you scoundrel!]

What Kind of Clownshit* Is This?

Remember a couple of weeks ago when Dear Barry said, "The publication of these photos would not add any additional benefit to our understanding of what was carried out...," and, "In fact, the most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion..."

Looks as though one of those statements probably had some truth in it:

[US Army] Maj Gen Taguba, who retired in January 2007, said he supported the President's decision, adding: "These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency.

"I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them..." [Telegraph (Emphasis added.)]

I'm sure the detainees had signs around their necks that said 'lay on top of me and keep me physically active or I'll die.'


*See The Culture Ghost for "clownshit."

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss

Bombs of hope are audaciously dropping in our occupied territories. Military tribunals have made a quick return. Obama and his proggels are turning out to be quite astute at managing the empire. As the Dark Wraith puts it - it's authoritarianism without the incompetence.

Today Der Krauthammer describes how the Bush national security agenda is being adopted by the new Democratic government. The Progs be illin' while you be chillin'.

Which reminds me of something Arthur Silber let loose a few days ago:

The ongoing, sickening disregard exhibited by many lib-progs for the criminal murder of large numbers of innocent people has thus been a constant feature of our repellent political discourse for some time. And I will note that, despite the Shirley Temple metaphysics that undergirds my analysis, a few of us have regularly pointed out the gaping, bloody hole where their souls ought to be for several years.

And what IOZ wrote back in December 2007:

To cast a vote for any Democrat at the national level is to cast a vote directly for the torture of other human beings. It is not acquiescence or acceptance; it's endorsement. If you call yourself a Democrat, you're a torturer.

Now some of the faithful are on their knees praying that they won't get fooled again. Via Steve Bates - who has removed the word "Democrat" from his blog name - comes Rachel Maddow with a nice take-down of Obama's Thursday doublespeak.

Can we have both the rule of law and preventative detention? Yes We Can!

Like BDR said a couple days ago, I too am not surprised one bit how the Obama presidency is unfolding. But had you asked me a year ago about 2009, I would have told you McCain would be president. I guess I don't deserve a pint after all.

Obama Doesn't Seem Interested in Taking Torture "Off the Table"

Not pictured: approximately 100 deaths by interrogation.

Dennis Perrin on the president's White House Correspondents Dinner bit:

The former vice president was busy, President Barack Obama joked, working on his memoir "tentatively titled, How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People, or Setting The Table For The Next President."

Obama's First 100 Days

 

Just ridin' the waves. Upon dolphins.

After all, playing it cool is his style, no?

Arbitrary measurements aside, what do you - not THEM - think about the Obama Administration so far?

Me - I'm still waiting for my personal bailout check. And I bet Mr. Fundamental is disappointed that he didn't get his pony.