Nevertheless, I'm trying to decide which of these truly insulting remarks is more odious. It's a tough call.

Neither.

These remarks represent the mainstream norm for about half of the nation. If it didn't then anyone who made such comments would be personally and professionally ruined.

As it is, both of these guys will see increased success because of their remarks.

As Don King would say, "Only in Amerikkka."

I also believe this is dividing the nation ... to where the nation sees him react so rapidly on Haiti and yet he couldn't react rapidly on Afghanistan. He couldn't react rapidly on Ft. Hood. He couldn't react rapidly on our own airplanes with an underwear bomber ... it doesn't make sense. [...]

I hardly ever comment about Beck. He's a fucking pig. But this is so beyond stupid, on every level and in every dimension -- even Time Cube -- that it repels rationality away from Earth.

Haiti = Massive Natural Disaster.

Options: Do nothing and let people die, do something.

Difficulty of decision: None

Problems associated with the speed with which the decision is made: None, so long as its fast.

Afghanistan = Massive Manmade Disaster.

Options: Weigh national, international and factional interests, assess operational strengths and weaknesses of past 8 years of occupation, game plan potential outcomes for any final decision being made, riddle out least awful "solution" out of lists of bad ones.

Difficulty of decision: Should be high.

Problems associated with the speed with which the decision is made: Minimal, as until a decision is made, it's the STATUS QUO in Afghanistan.

Ft. Hood = Manmade Mass Murder.

Options: Let the Army finish its investigation, express sympathy toward victims and their families, grandstand on ethnicity of assailant.

Difficulty of decision: What was Obama supposed to decide?

Problems associated with the speed with which the decision is made: N/A

Botched Bombing Attempt = Foreign security slip up, and, um, not much else.

Options: Express concern, implement more stringent safeguards, overreact to a failed attempt, hyperventilate, hide under bed.

Problems associated with the speed with which the decision is made: None, unless you're a cheap political hack.

I really hate these people.

Difficulty of decision: None.

Their comments are heartless and racist. Do you imagine if Great Britain had a natural disaster that Rush and Glenn would actually complain about a rapid response?

Winkandanod is correct based on what I am hearing today in the heartland. What is so strange is that the same people who spout this venom all claim to be great Christians. Have they ever read the Gospels?!

'Never let a crisis go to waste,'" Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said

Curses! Our Master Plan has been exposed!

-Republicanpointofview

Have they ever read the Gospels?!

Please. American Christianity has absolutely nothing to do with Christ.

they are just racist blow-pops. if the republican party was a blanket, they'll soon be all fringe and no blankie...

Rush is easily the worst. The others, for all their depravity, at least weren't saying we shouldn't help.

Self promotion is their business. Their names are back in the news. That's all they're interested in. Publicity and advertising rates.

Ignore them.

And to follow up on yesterday's Pat Robertson item:

As for the politics, I can only assume that Robertson has disgraced himself once again in the eyes of the American mainstream, but conservatives and Republicans won't care.

Robertson is still an invited guest at Bob McDonnell's inauguration as Virginia governor tomorrow. But Bob "disagrees with the comments," so it's all okay. Not even so much as saying Robertson shouldn't have said it, just "I don't agree."

Same crap he got away with all through the campaign -- something appalling would surface that he'd written in the past, or someone associated with him would have done something appalling, and he'd just say "well, I don't believe that now" and it would be completely dropped.

Midwest Yahoo asks: "Have they ever read the gospels?"

MY, have you ever read Psalm 137? Believe me, the response is *very* biblical.

It's a tough call, but my vote goes to Steve King for scummiest of the scum.

That said, wtf: I also believe this is dividing the nation ... to where the nation sees him react so rapidly on Haiti and yet he couldn't react rapidly on Afghanistan. He couldn't react rapidly on Ft. Hood. He couldn't react rapidly on our own airplanes with an underwear bomber ... it doesn't make sense

No, Beck doesn't make sense. What the hell was Obama supposed to do, fly to Fort Hood and subdue the shooter himself? After the shooter had already been subdued? As far as the underpants bomber, he caused exactly zero deaths.

I'm beginning to really hate right-wingers.

Every time that Glenn Beck starts spewing about Obama "trying to divide the country", the proper thing to do is perform the flip test ... and conclude that it is actually GLENN BECK sees an opportunity to divide the country in some current event, and profit from the manufactured controversy, so ol' Glenn is gonna do it.

Projection, anyone?

Same thing when Limbaugh claims that with Obama, "everything is political," or that Obama seeks to "politicize" everything. No - that's you, Rush. Politicizing everything, and poisoning the national discourse. Including our nation's response to the Haiti earthquake ... and trying to capitalize on it as a moment to stir up anti-tax sentiments. Bastard.

The thing that I find most disheartening is that so many people - including close friends and family members - listens to this spewage daily, and now parrot this stuff back like they've been brainwashed.

I hate it.

The real problem is that anyone pays attention to these self-promoting blowhards.

Oddly, I completely understand the idea that Obama is dividing the nation on this, as they reflexively oppose everything he does. So if he takes a stance on Haiti, it forces them to take the opposite position, which goes against what everyone else is doing. Thus, a divided nation.

And sadly, I'm not being the least bit jokey about that. They placed their bets on being anti-Obamas and now they're stuck with it. Obama keeps making the right decisions and so they're stuck making the wrong ones. Sure, it's actually jerks like Limbaugh and Beck who are doing the dividing, but because they set their auto-pilot on an anti-Obama strategy, everything is out of their control and it's all on Obama. And had Obama said nothing about Haiti, then the nation wouldn't be divided, as they'd agree with the dittoheads that Obama should have said something. So it's all Obama's fault.

Jay B: It didn't need to be articulated, we are all thinking the same thing. But THANK YOU for doing so.

Jim: You are right, but Robertson only goes old school Old Testament when it serves is political and financial purposes.

I dislike having hate in my heart, but I truly hope that man rots.

Regarding the suffering in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere:
The complaining Republicans seem unkind, and specifically *uncaring.* Their statements, indeed, are bizarre, if not mean-spirited, as well as pathological. The increasing paranoia these slighted Republicans feel about a potential for world wide compliments to President Obama is affecting their judgment, as they speak quickly, without consultation, as these bizarre remarks become part of the news cycle>> In my opinion, their biggest fear is that the president may gain ground on them. As such, it may become a dysfunctional fear, that sense of impending loss, and, may I say, as a person who provides cognitive behavioral therapy for self-defeating, dysfunctional thinking such as this, it's really bizarre.

This is the worst--these fear-mongering Republican talk show hosts, who are never censured by Republican senators or Republican representatives, or Fox's Karl Rove, or even the former Republican presidents. I would like a comment from GW Bush, who is to take a role in Haiti relief efforts, on these statements by his fellow Republicans.
From thinkprogress.org:
Right wing radio talker Rush Limbaugh has received considerable criticism for politicizing the earthquake in Haiti this week with a series of inflammatory remarks attacking President Obama. Limbaugh said the White House thinks it can use the disaster to boost its credibility with the “light-skinned and dark-skinned black community” in the U.S.."

Someone should tell these blowhards and racists that if we don't help the Haitians down there, they'll invariably wash up on our shores. Do they really want a million or so impoverished black people showing up here?

To reiterate and summarize what a lot of us are getting: the right-wing commentators are saying as the subliminal cadence:
Look, Obama the black President cares more about his own kind than about "us", and it's about time "we took our country back."

"I think personally that it deepens the divide to see him react this rapidly to Haiti."

Yep. All he could possibly mean is Obama is sticking up for his "kind" and alienating *real*, I mean *white* people.

He's not colossally stupid, so I don't think Beck believes this. But pandering to oppressed Angry White Man pays very well. He's a piece of shit for pushing those buttons.

"so many people - including close friends and family members - listen to this spewage daily, and now parrot this stuff back like they've been brainwashed."

It is a bummer. I heard a lot of it over the holidays. From some previously apolitical people, young and old. Talking about Acorn and the census, like either pose a threat to a small Southern town.

We have a rather stark choice here, one which we can make with humanity, grace, and wisdom, or with the casual banality of evil ignorance.

Haiti was a poor, impoverished state, barely hanging on before the earthquake. Now, it is on the knife edge of becoming a "failed state". "Failed state", that should ring some alarm bells. Afghanistan, that's a "failed state". Do we want an Afghanistan just south of our borders?

Haiti is our neighbor, one which needs our help. One which is our friend, an ally. How can we, this professed nation of "God fearing Christians", not extend a generous helping hand? Is it not best to defend our own freedom by offering the hand of friendship to those in need? Cannot our military, those who are our so often called to defend our nation, be our ambassadors of friendship, good will, and aid?

The other option is dark - ignore this natural disaster and let a country teetering on the edge, fall off, into chaos.

America did not become a world leader by throwing our military around like a great club. We did not have large standing armies for WWI or WWII. We, instead, were pulled unwillingly into defending free nations fighting evil and darkness. Let's reaffirm that tradition by sending our military to fight the evil of disaster, hurt, and hunger, and in so doing, provide aid for those in need, and prevent the spread of chaos and darkness.

Is this so hard to see?

King is just envious - the republiscum had numerous grade-A crises, not even counting the ones they caused directly, and they wasted every one of them.

I wonder if anyone is doing a timing survey on how much time fox is even spending on haiti-- from just flipping the dial it seems that anytime you turn to cnn or msnbc they are doing a haiti report, but on fox there's much less reporting being done (well, I don't know this for sure, but my husband, who rotates through the channels while he's on the treadmill says that's what it seems like.
At the same time, it's strange -- lots of christian colleges and even highschools send groups to haiti to do missionary and charitable work; some have even died there this week. You'd think that would be a natural connection for some on the right.

You missed this one, http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2010/1/14/83843/9451

Steven D on Booman.

this is not a left/right issue; it's about saving lives. i dare say most conservatives believe that obama is taking appropriate steps in haiti. that trash like beck and limbaugh et al see this in political terms demonstrates how depraved they really are.

Limbaugh and Beck have the morality consistent with the same elasticity as bilge-rot! -Kevo

Steve King = Strom Thurmond with no charisma.

He may even actually have negative charisma if that's possible.

When contemplating his past statements a cynical person might allege he has some issues with black people.

A CPA persona with a David Duke id.

@ elisabeth I have all the stations on a bank of monitors at the gym. It is blatantly obvious that Fux Nooze is not covering the crisis in Haiti with the same intensity as the other networks. NBC expanded their coverage to an hour 3 nights running with all the big guns on the ground there. Faux- Nooze not so much - basically creaming their shorts at the Mass poll numbers.

re: Doctor Biobrain @ 7:39 PM 15 Jan 2010:

Just like all those z-grade movies-for-TV where the villain/ess whines: "Why did you make me hurt you?".
About as believable, too.

Thanks a lot for the article !