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   Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gnter Grass still thinks reunification was a bad idea.
 Forty years of writing from Taylor Branch, James Fallows, Katherine Boo, Marjorie Williams, Joshua Micah Marshall, and more.
 With help from Washington, the for-profit college industry is loading up millions of low-income students with debt they'll never pay off.
 The best recent memoir from republican Washington is a hoax. That should tell you something.
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November 2, 2009
SELECTIVE DITHERING.... When it comes to health care policy, congressional Republicans believe it's critically important to slow down, think things through, and put off a final decision indefinitely. Rushing into a reform plan is the worst possible approach, they say. The same goes for energy and climate change policy. Dems are ready to move forward on a modest, bipartisan bill, and Senate Republicans want to hit the brakes. "Why are we trying to jam down this legislation now?" Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) asked during a hearing last week. "Wouldn't it be smarter to take our time and do it right?" The same is also true on financial regulation, where Republicans believe it's imperative to ... you guessed it ... slow down. "The more time we [take], the more intelligent regulatory process we'll have," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said, "and I hope we'll take until the first quarter of 2010 to actually put something into law." Tim Fernholz responded, "What in the world does he want to talk about? It's not like Corker is pushing some specific agenda or has offered any major ideas, at least publicly. These issues have been at the forefront of the policy debate for a year now, and certainly have been bubbling underneath for a long time. If he doesn't have any specific concerns, it's hard to conceive of this as anything but a delaying tactic that simply substitutes vague delays for substantive engagement." This has broad applicability. Republicans want to slow the health care reform process down, not to achieve some specific goal or to wait for some relevant information, but because more time means more chances to kill the bill. They want to slow climate legislation for the same reason. But God forbid the Commander in Chief takes a few weeks to settle on a U.S. policy/strategy for the future of Afghanistan.
A couple of angles to consider here. First, George W. Bush took months to ponder the "surge" policy in Iraq. I don't recall leading Republicans demanding immediate decisions at the time. Second, how do GOP leaders, with a straight face, demand thoughtful, endless deliberations on domestic policies they've already decided to oppose, but insist on war escalation decisions based on an arbitrary timetable of their own making? —Steve Benen 4:20 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (12)Comments
Second, how do GOP leaders, with a straight face, demand Let's see, take your time when it comes to the health of your fellow citizens. Easy does it. Settle down. Sending soldiers off to their death - move move move! Chop chop let's go! Republicans - have you no shame. Posted by: Paranoid Floyd on November 2, 2009 at 4:35 PM | PERMALINKThe leadership of republican party Big Lied the United States into unleashing war in 2003, and were never called to account for their treason. They've naturally drawn the very sensible conclusion that they can say or do anything with near total impunity. Posted by: JW on November 2, 2009 at 4:37 PM | PERMALINKThe current Republican leadership seems to be scratching the walls of political relevance - oh the property damage they've caused! -Kevo Posted by: kevo on November 2, 2009 at 4:37 PM | PERMALINK"First, George W. Bush took months to ponder the "surge" policy in Iraq." Also, it took him 3-1/2 YEARS before he even considered acknowledging that his strategy was an utter catastrophe. Posted by: TT on November 2, 2009 at 4:44 PM | PERMALINKJust as bad as the dithering line is this talking point from the right that the commander in chief should do as he is told by his commanders on the ground. My bookshelf groans under the weight of works such as Fiasco, Cobra II, Bob Woodwards Iraq series, Assassins Gate whose central theme is how the Bush White House ignored the advice on war planning and execution that it got from the top brass. Guess they think Obama has better generals. Posted by: Ted Frier on November 2, 2009 at 4:49 PM | PERMALINKThe only agenda Republicans have beyond hating gays and hating abortion is to attack Barack Obama. We could flip a coin, and Republicans would attack him for choosing heads instead of tails or tails instead of heads. They're simply not interested in governing. Posted by: Master Mahan on November 2, 2009 at 4:51 PM | PERMALINKhow do GOP leaders, with a straight face, demand thoughtful, endless deliberations on domestic policies they've already decided to oppose, but insist on war escalation decisions based on an arbitrary timetable of their own making? Because Republicans are convinced that the only things government never gets wrong are those activities that involve killing: sending soldiers to wars is always something to do first then think about policy later; every person on death row is there because they're guilty and should be executed forthwith. Ask government to do something to actually help people and that has to be delayed for "serious thinking." But killing people, buying the tools to kill people with, funding the organizations that kill people, that's no problem whatsoever because killing is always right. It's the Republican Way. Posted by: TCinLA on November 2, 2009 at 5:02 PM | PERMALINKA few months ago I erroneously thought my Republican party could be up to debating health care policy with a few contributions to make. At first I thought, "The Republicans have got to have something." Then, in early July I thought, " I hope the Republicans have anything." And now I know the Republicans have nothing! Man, the party I've been affiliated with for the past 30+ years is a sad excuse of a national party. With the insurgence of far-right extremists, a lowly old libertarian such as myself can't even rely on the Grand Old Party to keep things staid here in America! What a bunch of drunken sailors these Palinista uber-Americans are! -Kevo Posted by: kevo on November 2, 2009 at 5:56 PM | PERMALINKThese jokers can whine all they want about Afghan but the simple fact is it doesn't matter whether the pres makes a decision immediately or not. We simply don't have the troops to send. After the media and Pentagon has campaigned vigoursly for 40,000 troops and a decision, there was an article at CBS news.com on 10/30 about McChrystal stating that the troops that could be sent in Jan was a brigade (4,000). After that, he would need about 3 months to build housing for the next brigade. This would repeat itself until 2011 when he would have the full 40000. This shocked me. All media has made it sound like the prez. was allowing soldiers be killed and maimed because he wasn't shipping troops immediately. Stunning when one thinks about it. Posted by: cat on November 3, 2009 at 1:27 PM | PERMALINKPost a comment
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