Okay… I’ll take the “yam” side… 
Are you sure about that vroom? - I think Bush calls them yams.
Sweet potato, damn it! =-)
BB, we’re close, but…
Rainjack
Hey, were going to play the guitar and sing koombaya(sp?) by the campfire while getting in touch with our feminine side this weekend! We’ve gotta place by the fire for you! You too BB!
Elk - book it, dude…I am so there!!!
BB said
“BTW, I would love for someone to come up with some sort of data for all the claims that the Bush administration is raising non-cooperation with reporters to “unprecedented” levels, or that the Washington press corps is now the most cowed in history. Big, flowery claims don’t mean much if they can’t be verfied.”
The Nixon administration was known for being the most secretive in modern history. Nixon only held something like 35 press conferences during his time in the White House.
Clinton held over 100.
The first George Bush held something like 72 press confrences during his years in the White House.
Dubya has held 3 press conferences so far, and his time in office will be up in 6 months.
They say ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant.’
The current issue is not one of “criticizing the president”, as that has been done for ages and continues to be done. The real issue arises when “criticism” turns to providing succor to the enemy. If your criticism is providing aid to the enemy’s cause, then you’re becoming unpatriotic and even bordering on treason.
There was an anti-war rally in the early days where the protestors tried to prevent Navy ships from loading supplies. Is that “criticism” of the war, or is that downright treason? (I vote treason.)
The trouble is, I don’t know where you cross the line from legitimate criticism to providing succor. At the very least, anti-war protests are going to increase morale among the enemy. If that’s what you want, then you’re unpatriotic at the very least.
As for the FBI looking at the anti-war protestors, there’s a factor many people forget. If you think a protest can actually affect government policies, then you can be sure that most of the protests are going to have enemy agents provocateur among the attendees. In fact, some of the overseas protests were organized by Iraqi front organizations. Doesn’t it just make sense for the FBI to check on the people here who organize protests to make sure they aren’t infiltrators?
Yorik, between you and BB a dissenting politician cannot win.
Either they are cowards for holding their tongues or they are treasonous for aiding the cause of the enemy.
Such a circular viewpoint is silly. Actions such as blocking the loading of weapons are not “criticisms”, they are direct interference.
Let people criticise, even during war, because it is the right of the people to have opinions on their representatives actions. Does this make it harder to wage ware under a democracy? Yes it does.