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- LaceKing, on 09/27/2008, -7/+113And Pakistan borders Iraq, remember?
No more C-student presidents! - sohailstyle, on 09/27/2008, -11/+84A failed state..which somehow managed to develop nuclear technology. Uhhh?
- 10snut, on 09/27/2008, -10/+77To McSame, a failed state is any state that he doesn't own a house in!
- inactive, on 09/27/2008, -9/+73McStain is a failed candidate.
- JenniferInMO, on 09/27/2008, -9/+51It was a volitile state, but it still is.
- AmericanElitist, on 09/27/2008, -8/+47Obama presented ideas and his views. McCain attacked Obama and repeated untruths.
- ProfessorSYM, on 09/27/2008, -7/+46C'mon guys, what is really important is that McCain taught us all that North Koreans are three inches shorter than South Koreans.
USA! USA! USA! - greatgran1, on 09/27/2008, -8/+42C'mon,ths is not Palin.I cannot give John a pass on this.One is indisputable on foreign affairs or not. Or not.
- thebradmiskell, on 09/27/2008, -8/+31With all due respect to Chomsky and doctorfungi, comparing Pakistan to Somalia is like comparing Mexico to Haiti.
- Hillsfar, on 09/27/2008, -5/+26If McCain had wanted to have diplomacy with Pakistan and maintain good relations and cooperation - because he wants to be able to go after Al Qaeda in the Waziristan region - he shouldn't have said something so stupid and so insulting to the people of Pakistan.
- draculthemad, on 09/27/2008, -2/+18To reiterate:
A failed state is one without the rule of law, a militairy junta led by a despot is not a failed state.
They have secret police and a pervasive oppressive central government.
Somalia is a failed state.
You have no authority that can claim to be governing it, pitched battles on the streets between different militias in broad daylight, and pirates operating out of their ports. Open air gun markets where you can buy everything from squad-manned machine guns to rpgs. Shop-keepers having to openly equip themselves with assault weapons and pay bribes to protect their merchandise. Like something out of a mad-max movie. Only its deadly real. - 16x9, on 09/27/2008, -2/+17Not that I'm recommending it or anything but I think even a C-student who earned their grade honestly would be a big step up over the "slidin' through life on daddy's money" guy we've got now.
- thebradmiskell, on 09/27/2008, -4/+16But McCain has been there...probably. He's been everywhere else. He can pronounce Saakashvili. Obama just doesn't understand. Besides, McCain isn't running for Miss Congeniality...though he does like to say it.
- LaceKing, on 09/27/2008, -3/+15As a democrat, even I agree. I would vote for Paul loooonnnnnngggggg before I would ever vote for McCain. If it were between Clinton and Paul, I'd probably vote for Paul if it weren't for his pro-life views. And additionally, the media's shutout of Paul when he was running was absolute *****~corporate media for you.
- somaddict, on 09/27/2008, -0/+10Mccain is a "slidin' through pilot school and crashing 5 planes cos his daddy and grandaddy were famous Admirals" guy.
- mshtml, on 09/27/2008, -8/+17The biggest republican gaffe was putting this stooge up as their nominee and hiding Ron Paul from the public.
- Batfishy, on 09/27/2008, -1/+10It all depends on priorities. There is always money for something.
- aookay, on 09/27/2008, -0/+9the fundamentals of his candidacy are strong
- thenekkidtruth, on 09/27/2008, -2/+11Why Barack won:
1 The undecided American public only needed to see whether or not Barack is a reasonable, rational, and knowledgeable statesman. He left them no doubt.
2 Barack was more consistently correct on the issues as Americans see it - specifically, right on Iraq, Afghanistan and Russia.
3 A small point, but it needs to be a bigger one - McCain made dozens of mistakes on the issues, big and small. He thought pre-Musharraf Pakistan was a "failed state", for instance - it wasn't. It was a fully-functional state taken over through force by a military general turned autocrat.
4 The best McCain can claim today is that Barack fundamentally agrees with him on most issues. That's not good enough for him - McCain needed to prove significant superiority on his Foreign Policy knowledge and experience - his self-admitted core competency - and he was unable to do that.
5 The big one is demeanor. Barack was poised, reasonable, confident, addressed the host by name and looked McCain in the eye. McCain came off as snide, smirky and condescending - it looked for all the world like he has a hidden, seething agenda. Personally, I think he does, but that's another day. The net result is that he likely disenfranchised the female vote, especially, who tend to prefer someone who's more reasonable, rational, and open to discussion.
A whole LOT OF UNDECIDED voters wanted to know that Barack Obama has the demeanor to be President, and he not only delivered - he sprinted past McCain in this regard. Expect a significant uptick in Obama's polling numbers as a direct result of this solid performance. - professorchaos1, on 09/27/2008, -2/+11Well, Pakistan has been ruled by military dictators for much of its existence. If that doesn't constitute a failed state, then I don't know what does. Stable countries don't have armies eager to seize power from democratically elected governments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan
"The Pakistani military has played an influential role in mainstream politics throughout Pakistan's history, with military presidents ruling from 1958–71, 1977–88 and from 1999 onwards." - doctorfungi, on 09/27/2008, -17/+26"I am afraid to say Pakistan is the paradigm example of a failed state and *has been for a long time*. It has had military rule, violence and oppression." - Noam Chomsky (Emphasis mine).
Violence and military coups are indicative of a failed state. I'm seriously bewildered that you're all digging this up. It reads like it was written in four seconds by a tenth grader and doesn't present any kind of strong argument.
Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, Somalia, the Solomon Islands and others, have long been considered failed states by the academics of geopolitical studies.
Get over this partisan ***** for once. - Sfenton, on 09/27/2008, -2/+11North Korea?
- inactive, on 09/27/2008, -3/+11Holy sh*t I heard that, too. What the heck was that comment about??
- inactive, on 09/27/2008, -1/+9It's one of the three signs of malnutrition that the WHO looks for in a population.
- iremain187, on 09/27/2008, -2/+9"Thats not true." - interjection from Obama
- MrErr, on 09/27/2008, -3/+10Chomsky called it a failed state because of military rule. McCain called it a failed state to justify us working with a military ruler and calling for democracy.
When will people stop thinking in sound bites? - JLSN, on 09/27/2008, -0/+7Obviously McSame's brain is failing. He can't even remember the facts and he was there. Remember that Reagan was suffering from full blown Alzheimers in his last term. Can we afford to turn the country over to Caribou Barbie, or Cindy McCain - the Bud Ice Queen?
NO. - magus_melchior, on 09/27/2008, -2/+9Much as I like the HuffPo reporting/posting stories critical of the Republican regime, I'm a little unnerved that they poured out this much stuff in a matter of hours.
Just a little.
That's journalism for you.
On second thought, McCain is practically giving them their material. - pintomp3, on 09/27/2008, -5/+11pakistan has been a US lapdog since it's inception. the US even backed pakistan when it was committing genocide against bangladesh (east pakistan at the time).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Bangladesh_atroc ... - anachronaut, on 09/27/2008, -1/+7That tactic is part of his strategy. Strategy. Strategy. POW. Obama doesn't understand. Strategy.
I laughed out loud quite a few times during the debate, and it was always when McCain was speaking. At least he didn't stick his bottom dentures out and wink like he did in an interview I watched the other day, though... that was both creepy and gross. - draculthemad, on 09/27/2008, -0/+6A failed state is one without the rule of law, a militairy junta led by a despot is not a failed state.
They have secret police and a pervasive oppressive central government.
Somalia is a failed state.
You have no authority that can claim to be governing it, pitched battles on the streets between different militias in broad daylight, and pirates operating out of their ports. Open air gun markets where you can buy everything from squad-manned machine guns to rpgs. Shop-keepers having to openly equip themselves with assault weapons and pay bribes to protect their guards. Like something out of a mad-max movie. Only its deadly real. - BishkekBuddy, on 09/27/2008, -0/+6Yes, sadly... the hypocrisy of the righturds is shameful.....
- londubh, on 09/27/2008, -0/+6I almost agree with McCain. Pakistan is a failing state.
- webwatch, on 09/27/2008, -0/+5 Not to mention that Pakistan sold nuclear secrets to North Korea and other rogue nations under Musharraf's watch. The senior scientist responsible for this was under house arrest for a while and recently released. If Iran had done something like that, both Israel and US forces would have been in that country by now.
- Infidelcastr0, on 09/27/2008, -0/+5America really is the land of opportunity, to think someone like McCain has a legitimate shot at being president, in the face of all logic and sense. If he can do it, anyone can!
- brishchik, on 09/27/2008, -0/+5You've surprised me. Not too many Americans are aware of how evil Pakistan has always been. Bangladesh is not the only place they have committed genocides, they've done it in their own country as well. But hey, all Pakistani dictators have been puppets for CIA, so why bother with democracy or genocide.
In fact, the roots of almost the whole of Muslim terrorism are the Saudis and Pakistanis. Americans have always kept Pakistan as their pet dog. And Obama pointed out very precisely that the idea that to keep autocrats in power in other countries just because they are your puppets is not the right approach, while invading other countries for the sake of democracy and in the name of God.
BTW, who created the talibans and whose regular army fought alongside the talibans? Another funny thing is Musharraf is one of the biggest bigots in Pakistan, he started Kargil war with India, he was instrumental in helping talibans through ISI and army. The guy was just forced to behave a little bit after 911. - magplad, on 09/27/2008, -0/+5omg I think you might be onto something! Could that be the basis of McSame's foreign policy?! lolz
- inactive, on 09/27/2008, -1/+6So at this point there exists a quandary for the Right Wing Shills: to dispute Bergmann they have to agree with the far Left Socialist Chomsky.
No wonder they're not touching that one. - magus_melchior, on 09/27/2008, -0/+5I'm pretty sure Chomsky wouldn't agree that military action is therefore a solution in dealing with Pakistan. One of the things he consistently argues against is our tendency to use force to impose our interests on foreign regions.
- jbcomeau, on 09/27/2008, -1/+6Actually if you listened to the debate this is what McCain said:
"Fundamental...Pork Barrel...Fundamental...Pork Barrel...Name Drop...Talk like the American people are stupid...Earmarks...Fundamental...Russia...Fundamental...Story about bracelet...Ear Marks...Maverick...Pork Barrel...Name Drop...Earmarks...Lie...Lie...Lie...Smurk...Smurk...Smurk...George Bush Chuckle...Wave with your hands way below your shoulders so you look like Frankenstein. - ldkronos, on 09/27/2008, -0/+5He didn't say he would declare war against Pakistan. He said that we are being attacked by groups that then run back and hide behind the border of Pakistan, and if Pakistan won't do something about it, we have to take matters into our own hands. If Pakistan knows that people withing their border are attacking us and don't care to do a thing about it, then you could make the case that they are approving of those attacks, and thus they've declared war on us. But even then, we aren't talking about going in and bombing Pakistan's cities and obliterating their army. We are talking about going in after the people causing us problems.
On the other hand, I thought McCain's stance on this was very curious. He had NO problem with going into a country that was NOT attacking us, but hesitates to go into a country that IS attacking us. The only way that even remotely makes sense is when you look at it from a nuclear (or should that be nucular) standpoint. We're more than willing to go in and attack country's that don't yet have nuclear capability (Iraq, Iran), but once they get nuclear capability they are off limits (Pakistan). Doesn't that just encourage countries to try to get nuclear capabilities before we wipe them out? - adss07, on 09/27/2008, -0/+4Haha. In all honesty, I knew what he was getting at - malnutrition - but the way he said it made me go WTF?!
- ParaSwarm, on 09/27/2008, -0/+4I'm glad I wasn't the only one who rolled his eyes the 10th time McCain said "Obama doesn't understand."
- IKORKYI, on 09/27/2008, -1/+5McCain will say that his definition of a failed state is one that, on a more serious note, did you know he was a POW without a house, or a toilet, or a couch, and that he was given a braclet from the mother of a soldier KIA?
- CatsAreGods, on 09/27/2008, -0/+4Well it sure ain't no lapdog now! If they're even cooperating with us it's because of that $10 billion. The political force over there is seriously Muslim and much closer to Bin Laden politically than to us.
- webwatch, on 09/27/2008, -1/+5That was either a glaring error or a delibrate lie .... Pakistan was a democracy before General Musharraf over threw the elected prime-minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup. Pakistan interestingly is more of a failed state now than it was back then.
- inactive, on 09/27/2008, -0/+4careful you may actually educate some people here
- havemysay, on 09/27/2008, -0/+4so true....
- pintomp3, on 09/27/2008, -0/+3the roots of the terrorist movement go back to egypt. it's no accident that egypt, saudi arabia, and pakistan the largest recipients of US foreign aid after israel.
- LaceKing, on 09/27/2008, -0/+3Touche!!!
LOL -
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