Of course he did.
They have been stinking up the transition too. He can't even leave graciously. At least Nixon knew when to resign. . .

To Hilzoy,

I praised you for your commentary, and info on Palestine & Pakistan over the weekend.

Worldfocus.org, I see that the Armenian community is blasting CNN's Christianne Amanpour for her documentary "Scream Bloody Murder," and apparently the Turks sent a threatening letter to CNN - there's also youtube videos.

**there's a link to globalvoices.org, apparently, a Mr. Ghalibaf will be a replacement to Ahmadinejad,

**there was a blog section titled, "Cuba: Gov't Officials Tell Bloggers to Cancel Planned Meeting," but it was blank - so maybe it's just not available for the U.S.

**Iraqis in Egypt, and some Egyptians want to commemorate Saddam Hussein...

**China factories are not closing as being told in the U.S.

There's a lot of interesting world news there.

Again, thanks

This plays right into the hand of why president elect has such high ratings. People are just flat out starved for common sense again.

The Republican Party IS "the nation". Understand that and it all makes sense.

Remind me again why Obama is a terrorist because he served on an education board with Bill Ayres?

I guess he can remove the taint by offering Ayres a Medal of Freedom

Well, Kissinger has a Peace Prize, so this shouldn't be too shocking.

And people wonder why I believe that "the only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies."

I think I need to go down to Yorba Linda and piss on Nixon's grave (again).

How nice of Fuckwit George to do this as the nation starts thinking of all this again because of "Frost/Nixon."

Not only is this group immune to irony, they don't care whose eye they spit in.

Nice bunch of folks.

Sort of innoculates the idiot Marc Rich immunity crassness.

OK, Chuck Colson is a creep, a Nixon political hit man, and he shouldn't be allowed near a Citizens Medal no less his grandmother. But a little context here? The guy started Prison Fellowship, the org that provides kids of prisoners Christmas gifts each year. He's done a hell of a lot of good for families with a loved one in jail. It's exemplary and commendable work, even if it only helps atone for sins past. So come on Professor Bok- he's been doing more than angrily writing Paul Newman's name in the dirt for the last 30 years.

It's a sop to the Christianist base. One more indication that Palin is the new leader of the party. And that they are finished, for a generation or so.

Hilzoy,

I was seven years old when Watergate broke, and the Scholastic Reader was not up to being The Washington Post for children--your idealism, however, which does leak out of your posts, or maybe it is naivety--just doesn't seem to square in today's environment. Maybe it's me--but do you and Steve ever take a look at systems, or laws, or anything else about why people like me are just about scraping dirt off bedrock?

I am an issue journalist, I know, but you and TNR are just becoming too personality driven. So Colson and Ayers are flip sides of the culture wars gone bonzo. Great. Why doesn't the ADA work? Once the Big Three go belly up and US manufacturing suffers further decline, what do we do to fix it?

I am not up to onerous shudders everytime someone fails your moral litmus test. He may not express remorse the way you want him too, but Ayers now is not the stupid hot-blooded kid who wasn't thinking things through then, and in that context I can understand Colson's passions without vilifying him for it. It is nearly 2009. I am tired of being screwed by the state of Pennsylvania because it is primarily geriatric and the federal government has long been screwing it.

Do any of you on the national level write about anything useful to real flat-foots who are punished by the system regularly because the US think Friedman shit gold?

I have been torn about giving you guys a subscription. I like some of the work gone in to some of your feature articles, though your pay rate is atrocious--but I don't know anymore. Every day we get to grovel at the latest morality play which you either praise or dish.

See you round.

Colson's activities since he got out of jail have arguably been worse than those prior to his sentence. Brainwashing convicts so they hate other religions and dominate women in order to please the Great Sky Fairy (and lying to obtain federal money to do it) doesn't add much value to society.

Two quotes from Colson when he was working for Tricky Dick.

"I'd walk over my own grandmother to re-elect Richard Nixon."

"When you got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow."

And the very Gonzo wish of Hunter S Thompson during Watergate: That he could put a rope around Colson's balls, tie the rope to the bumper of a Caddy convertible and have a high speed run around Washington, cutting him loose so he would roll up the steps of the White House. Illustrated by Ralph Steadman.

Colson later went to prison, came out somewhat changed by religion, but more recently he has been active in anti-gay politics and worked for the 2004 Bush campaign. Colson led the attempts to screw John Kerry when Kerry was leading Vietnam Veterans Against the War by hiring John O'Neill, the same guy who in 2004 was a major player in the Swiftboat attacks.

I'd like to echo Jozanny.

What did Colson do post Watergate, what was he supposedly awarded the medal for, was it deserved, what are the politics behind it?

If you're going to have a five minute hate, have the full five minutes. This is only a two minute hate. I feel gypped.

Is "good work, Brownie" next on the list for this award?

From Cheney to Rumsfeld to Colson, George W. doesn't seem to have good judgement about people.

jozanny and inkadu. Are you fucking kidding? Maybe you should go back to playing video games so that the part of your mind that's used to actually think isn't put in any jeopardy of overusage. Did you even read the post by Hilzoy? Listen up-THE GUY WAS A SCUMBAG. The smallest amount of research shows that he didn't turn into mother Teresa here.

Colson is recognized for his charitable work with the prisoners, but even that is right-wing Christianism. Furthermore, Colson has not kept out of GOP dirty tricksterism since then.

Of course, Jeb Magruder, who has similarly devoted his life to God and pastoral duties, is not considered for any sort of reward from Bush.

Everything they do makes it utterly unambiguously crystal clear exactly what to expect if these brownshirts ever take power again.

Ah, but you left out the part about his finding Jesus and being born again. You know that washes away all prior indiscretions.