So THIS Is Why I Never Got That Rice Interview

June 21st, 2009, 9:53 PM EDT

Doonesbury


Posted in Liberaland by Alan

Responses to this post...

  1. As I’ve always said, torture is never, ever, ever the right thing to do to anyone for any reason, EVER. Except maybe for cylons.

    average james Reply:
    June 21st, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    Total 100% agreement.

    Cylons are people too…….sort of.

    Daddio Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 6:35 am

    How about Klingons?

    Daddio Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 6:36 am

    I know I didn’t spell that right. Oh well.

    average james Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 10:54 am

    You spelled it right, I think.

    No torture for Klingons either. Firm.
    Cylons are machines, except for the human clone cylons, no torture for them. Firm again.

    DJ Dalek Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 9:27 pm

    Hey, just because they look like us and have feelings, that doesn’t make them human. They are still responsible for the death of… wait, I’m starting to sound like a righty here…

    Kregg Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 10:28 pm

    Moral discernment shows your awakening as a Conservative. Welcome… ;-)

    average james Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:11 am

    Moral discernment shows your awakening as a liberal.

    But you already knew that DJ.

    Kregg Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 am

    James said: Moral discernment shows your awakening as a liberal.

    K: ;-)

    average james Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:31 am

    Kregg,

    ;-)

    Posted by DJ Dalek
    June 21st, 2009 at 10:16 pm

  2. torture is never, ever, ever the right thing to do to anyone for any reason, EVER

    Every-single-body agrees with you.

    To be clear, and so the left doesn’t take sole possession of the “High Road”, we ALL think that torture is wrong. We would never approve of torture for any reason.

    DJ Dalek Reply:
    June 21st, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    Yeah, just wait. The right-wingnuts on this board are about to prove that yes, they support torture. Just wait…

    average james Reply:
    June 21st, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    It shouldn’t take too long.

    Posted by pino
    June 21st, 2009 at 10:25 pm

  3. It shouldn’t take too long.

    Now now now…..

    Not one of us Right Wing “nuts” supports torture. I am pretty sure that we have ALL said that.

    jasperjava Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 1:32 am

    You just continue to support politicians who authorize torture. You listen to radio hosts who gleefully support torture. You oppose the investigation and prosecution those who engage in torture.

    In other words, you’re lying hypocrites.

    Daddio Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 6:42 am

    Listen up Jasper. If you can find one politician who you agree with 100 percent of the time, then I applaud you. If you can find one radio host you agree with 100 percent of the time, then I’ll pat you on the back.

    The thing is, there isn’t a person alive that I am in total agreement with 100 percent of the time.

    I don’t support torture. I truly believe that Pres. Bush doesn’t support torture. We will just disagree on this one.

    This name calling is getting out of hand. Let’s have an open and honest dabate with respect for each others points of view. We don’t have to agree.

    What say you?

    GuidoVanHorn Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:05 am

    If you can find one politician who you agree with 100 percent of the time, then I applaud you.
    —-

    I wouldn’t applaud that…i’d say “get a brain of your own”

    The only people that you agree with 100% of the time are people that are controlling you.

    TDro319 Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    “I don’t support torture. I truly believe that Pres. Bush doesn’t support torture. We will just disagree on this one.”

    I also don’t think Bush supports torture – but Dick (5 – count ‘em 5 – Vietnam deferments) Cheney sure does!

    JFA Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:45 am

    Humm, then why did the dems stop, or not do their so called truth commision or whatever it was to find out all the details of EIT’s??
    Remember pelsoi and the CIA? What happened to that investagation? Who decided no to go forth with it?

    Daddio Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:47 am

    You know JRA, you bring up a very good point. When the fire got to close to Pelosi, one of their own, all the “truth commission” talk came to a screeching halt.

    average james Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 10:59 am

    Politicians are politicians.
    I still hope for a truth comission. A real one, after real truth regardless of party affiliation.

    Wrong is wrong. The golden rule did not stop being valid in the 21st century.

    EricG Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    “Remember Pelosi and the CIA? What happened to that investigation?”

    It’s funny you phrase it that way because Pelosi was not in charge of creating and enacting these illegal tactics now called EITs which are better understood as communist-torture tactics.

    When the investigation happens (not if — when) they will not be focusing on a single person in Congress as the right wingers want them to. They will focus the administration and leaders who violated the US Constitution and a great many other laws in their ‘crusade’ against terrorism.

    It shocks me to the bone that so many Americans still think these practices are anything but counter-productive to our military efforts.

    If people want to define all that our government does based off of narrow and fearful definitions and not the US Law … then they should be in a jail cell.

    You know who is sitting in that cell? It’s not Pelosi. Try again.

    Daddio Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:02 pm

    Eric, in case you didn’t know, Congressmen/women take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. So if the administration violated the US Constitution, then all those in the briefings were culpable as well, since they were informed of the EIT’s.

    TDro319 Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 3:40 pm

    “Eric, in case you didn’t know, Congressmen/women take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.”

    First of all, so what if Pelosi knew anything? She’s wasn’t calling the shots. And as for the constitution, you really should’ve schooled Bush and Cheney about upholding and defending the constitution instead of defending their every move.

    EricG Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    “Not one of us Right Wing “nuts” supports torture.”

    Waterboarding is torture. Every right wing nut in the country thinks communist water torture aka “waterboarding” is the greatest thing to do if you want information from a detainee. I just listened to a bunch of Republicans trying to make the case that EITs are not only Constitutional but necessary.

    Such arguments must be analyzed closely. And the more I do it only proves to me that some people in the Republican Party truely hate the freedoms granted by the Constitution and if they had their way they would literally rip that document up and declare the Torture Memos the New Constitution.

    —

    It’s all offensive to any real American who knows his country better than a stupid bumper sticker and a campaign slogan.

    Barack Obama has been slandered and questioned on his integrity by men who show to all who care to listen that they think rights don’t apply to those who deserve them, show that they hate the other party and not just disagree, show that they are invested fully in playing partisan politics and never telling the truth of our nation and lastly they show that they cannot be trusted to protect the nation from economic failure due to fact that they still remain in the foolish position of the ‘free marketeer.’

    If we are trying to become broke communists without any scrap of credibility or sovereignty, then all we have to do is continue to listen to conservatives and elect them into office.

    It will be the end of freedom and the end of America.

    TDro319 Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    Now, Pino, wasn’t it you that said we should define torture because your idea and my idea of torture may differ? If so, I believe waterboarding IS torture. And I dont’ believe the right’s view of “its not torture, it’s just a little water in the face”.

    Posted by pino
    June 21st, 2009 at 11:47 pm

  4. Ah ha!

    This is why I can’t get Cheney on the horn!

    And Rice! She left he hanging at the coffee shop, twice now!

    It all makes sense. They don’t hate me! They hate my opinions!

    Posted by EricG
    June 21st, 2009 at 11:59 pm

  5. Condi the Incompetent WAS expert in Cold War Star Wars, shoe shopping and piano playing.

    No one stays expert for long.

    Posted by 4moreyears
    June 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 am

  6. I couldn’t make out all the words from the cartoon. They were kinda broken up some.

    Posted by Daddio
    June 22nd, 2009 at 6:50 am

  7. “I don’t support torture. I truly believe that Pres. Bush doesn’t support torture.”

    Ya sure. Except you could force people to eat their own genitals and the radical right wouldn’t call that torture. They’d say it’s “justice.”

    Posted by Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler
    June 22nd, 2009 at 9:44 am

  8. Rocky;
    Go ahead if you want – eat your own genitals.

    Let’s see, there are all these posts by, “right wing nuts” who say they don’t approve of torture.

    Let’s try again for you.
    all most all peepel dont likit wen peepel r torcherd

    Posted by Helipilot
    June 22nd, 2009 at 10:33 am

  9. Alan said: So THIS Is Why I Never Got That Rice Interview

    K: Pretty much… You’ve forgotten that the show is not about you and your views but about informing the viewer of the interviewEE’s positions. THATS called news, Alan.

    EricG Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    “You’ve forgotten that the show is not about you and your views”

    LOL!

    Have you ever once said such a thing to Sean Hannity?

    I’m curious.

    Posted by Kregg
    June 22nd, 2009 at 12:50 pm

  10. The Eric said: Have you ever once said such a thing to Sean Hannity? I’m curious.

    K: Yup. Hannity is too full of his own opinion to actually let his guests speak…

    average james Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    Kregg,

    It does me good to hear you say that, seriously.

    Perhaps there is hope that reasonable dialogue can win out.

    For the first time in my adult life, I am proud to be an ………kidding, kidding.

    average james Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    Really though Kregg, that’s cool that you see it.

    We have got to recognize the lunies among us, on both ends, and discern truth.

    I’m stoked Kregg.

    Daddio Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 6:55 pm

    I don’t watch Hannity much anymore. I agree with Kregg here. I won’t go as far as James and call Hannity a lunie, but he is very partisan. But I still actually like the guy. He has done a lot for the families of fallen soldiers.

    Kregg Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:22 pm

    James said: Really though Kregg, that’s cool that you see it. We have got to recognize the lunies among us, on both ends, and discern truth.

    K: Gee, you’re easy to please… ;-)

    K: Hannity isn’t a looney, and neither is Alan. But anyone who makes an interview show about themselves isn’t an interviewer. Hannity asks too many “Don’t you agree with me that…” questions and it lowers the quality of his show. I don’t care whether Hannity OR Colmes is partisan, I just want them both to act intelligent.

    Posted by Kregg
    June 22nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm

  11. Hannity is too full of his own opinion to actually let his guests speak…

    Truth be told, I haven’t heard one single conservative poster on alan.com defend rush, hannity, levin or savage. We know that these guys are entertainers bent on building ratings. They are at best cheerleaders and at worst, well, entertainers.

    Kregg Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 pm

    Well, as entertainers – just as with comedians – we should allow them to ’step over the line’ with impunity just as is demanded for David Littleman…

    OldLefty Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    And Jay Leno, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson and SNL.

    Kregg Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    I’d agree. Limbaugh, Hannity, etal should be given just as much freedom to say what they wish because they are entertainers just like those on your list. So, why does no one cut them the slack they should rightfully be receiving?

    OldLefty Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:51 pm

    They get all the slack they want, millions of dollars of slack.

    I’m not so sure everyone knows they are just entertainers though.

    OldLefty Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    Oh, and by the way, when you say, “impunity just as is demanded for David Littleman…”

    To me, the “demanding” was from those who wanted him fired, not those who didn’t care.

    Kregg Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    Lefty said: They get all the slack they want, millions of dollars of slack.

    K: So does David Littleman, yet a good number of people on this board whined and sniffled in DL’s ‘defense’ when he made the overtly tasteless joke about Palin and her daughter. So, what gives, that its ok to bash Limbaugh but protect Littleman?

    L: I’m not so sure everyone knows they are just entertainers though.

    K: Oh, come on. Who doesn’t know that Limbaugh is anything other than an entertainer?

    Kregg Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    Lefty said: To me, the “demanding” was from those who wanted him fired, not those who didn’t care.

    K: Yeah, over the voices of those who ‘didn’t care’ but spew all over Limbaugh and his kind. Come on, Lefty, there shouldn’t be any double standard when judging people who are NOT spokesmen for their parties – but are simply entertainers.

    OldLefty Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    “yet a good number of people on this board whined and sniffled in DL’s ‘defense’ when he made the overtly tasteless joke about Palin and her daughter.”

    I think the defense came in response to those who acted like he was any worse then any of the others including SNL, even though she went on later as a guest, and the Chelsea Clinton jokes, and were calling for him to be fired.

    ” Come on, Lefty, there shouldn’t be any double standard…” I would say the same should apply to Olberman and Michael Moore, etc.

    And I know people, (even a few on this site,,. {watch for them}. who use Limbaugh’s words, and talking points, who think of him as a “pundit.”

    Kregg Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    Lefty said: And I know people, (even a few on this site,,. {watch for them}. who use Limbaugh’s words, and talking points, who think of him as a “pundit.”

    K: Why would it change the leeway we should give a person whether they were a ‘pundit’ or a ‘comedian’? Both are entertainers and so OUGHT to be given a large amount of leeway when they ‘go over the line’ but you have to admit that it ain’t so.

    OldLefty Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    Kregg,

    It has nothing to do with leeway, the comment was in response to …”Oh, come on. Who doesn’t know that Limbaugh is anything other than an entertainer?”

    I think that Leno, Conan, Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, SNL, Limbaugh, and Savage ALL got more leeway than Letterman and Imus. Of course Imus got fired, (I didn’t agree),but there is ONE thing that distinqushed him from the others:

    All of THEIR humor could be considered appropriate for the venue, but Imus was on a morning ,semi news show that families may watch while getting ready for school or work. (I still didn’t think he should have been fired), but, if my kid was a teen and heard Letterman, the message COULD still be, ’see how they treat you if you get pregnant?’, as opposed to the Chelsea and Rutgers comments, where the message was ’see how you are treated if guys don’t think you are pretty or small?’

    average james Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:29 am

    One big difference would be that Rush has published two books that I know of. Books that lay out political aims and strategies of how to get there. Rush has followers that hang on his every word, who wait to see what Rush has to say about it. Rush has politicians apologizing for disagreeing with him in public. Rush is a demigogue.

    Letterman is a comedian.

    Kregg Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:35 am

    James said: Rush has politicians apologizing for disagreeing with him in public. Rush is a demigogue.

    K: James, you DO know that those politicians are not afraid of Limbaugh, himself, don’t you? They are afraid of the tremendous number of people who agree with Limbaugh and it is THEY who these guys are trying to stay on the good side of.

    K: I would not characterize any of the Rush listeners that I know personally as anything other than thinking people who agree with what Rush says and none of them ‘hang on his every word…’ I suspect that Libs like to characterize Rush’s listeners as incapable of independent thought in an effort to ignore the fact that so many thinking people might simply agree with him.

    Kregg Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 am

    Lefty, I don’t think Letterman should be fired but I think he deserves every bit of the backlash he got. He spoke his mind – the protesters spoke theirs. He gave a half-assed apology (which isn’t an apology at all) and he got another backlash – again well deserved.

    I’d like to see ANY public figure who impugns the morals of a non-public person get every bit of what Letterman got – and more. A public person gets a VERY large microphone with which to spread his personal opinions while private individuals have none. Letterman ought to have respected the tremendous privilege he has and should not have abused that privilege for the sake of cheap laughs.

    Posted by pino
    June 22nd, 2009 at 2:31 pm

  12. It’s so hard to find “fair and balanced” news from tv radio or even the newspaper that tells the whole story without a slant either way. CNN NBC ABC ect all left leaning Fox right leaning. Talk radio is even worse Rush and Sean and other right leaners and Alan and his left leaning attitude makes me just turn the dial or pop in a cd. I can’t believe that Sean can’t find one thing that Obama is doing right and Alan can’t find anything in the Bush administration to say something good about. Both politcal parties are at each others throat some much its a wonder they do anything benificial for the country. Alot of things Bush did I didn’t agree with and some things Obama is doing I completly agree with. If the country could just find some common ground build on it bring the two parties closer together the future of this country would be alot brighter.

    Daddio Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    You said it very well Goliath43. Congressmen/women and our presidents should put all the back-biting away and get down to business of doing what is best for America. Both sides should debate every policy and ACTUALLY READ every bill before voting. There should be no bill ram-rodded through with gazillion earmarks. Every bill should be a clean bill.

    A little off the point there but the jist is, we are all Americans and we are all in the same boat.

    goliath43 Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    Thanks

    libpatriot Reply:
    June 24th, 2009 at 11:07 pm

    I agree with Daddio here: well said, Goliath43!

    OldLefty Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    Hmmph, I always thought that with so little coverage of PNAC, the McClatchy reports on the unlikelihood of wmd, very little coverage of Bush saying on March 13, 2002, about bin Ladin, “I don’t know where he is, I really don’t think much about him”, Or letting him escape at Tora Bora.

    Then, firing Phil Donahue, (even though he had the highest rated show on MSNBC), the Swiftboat shows before the 04 election, and the “Path to 9/11” that ABC had to admit was not accurate, Sumner Redstone saying Republicans are better for his industry, 70% believing a Saddam, 9-11 link, in 2003…..that most of the media was NOT left leaning.

    goliath43 Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    Oldlefty
    You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.

    Again with the blame theme I wasn’t saying one side was worse than the other both are equal in blame. throwing out some bullet points doesn’t mean anything one way or the other. All i’m trying to say is this country is a mess, the economy is in the tank, in the middle of two wars, north korea trying to get nuclear materials,Iran with election and protest.

    Posted by goliath43
    June 22nd, 2009 at 6:48 pm

  13. Daddio, you know you are correct about reading these massive spending bills before they pass them. I don’t believe that ONE of them on eirther side even the pres. read the last 6000+ page stimulus bill. I really doubt that any one of them will read the health care bill either. They’ll just sign it for the votes because they know they will not be part of their solution to the problem.

    Posted by JFA
    June 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm

  14. $timulu$, HA. ‘The mother of all boondoggles’.

    The $timulu$ did what for us again?

    JFA Reply:
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:40 pm

    RDM, well, I’m not aware of anything that it’s done for us yet. Uh, oh except we owe a lot of money to China. is that a good thing obama? I think not.

    TDro319 Reply:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm

    Now don’t forget that money owed to China includes funding for these two unnecessary wars.

    libpatriot Reply:
    June 24th, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    True, TD, that’s definitely part of it.

    Posted by RDM
    June 22nd, 2009 at 8:34 pm