I think I am giving up on DU and on sites like that in general.

[Mass]

Now McClellan is a hero.

When are people going to understand that, even when they do things that seem good, these guys do not change and would do the same thing again and again. Happy if he votes for Obama (not even sure), but that does not make him either a hero or somebody who is right! (and, coming from some of the people who bash regularly Kerry, :banghead:, my head starts to explode.

In addition, I listened to him this morning on NBC, and he is still a Bush loyalist. His point is that Bush was misled by Rove, Cheney, and co.
:nuke:

[politicasista]

1. Thanks for the much needed rant

Stayed out of GDP for a while until the day before yesterday. Looks like I will be staying in here and the Obama group for a while. :hide:

[JI7]

2. and yet these same people bash good Democrats like Kerry, Daschle

even Obama and Hillary.

i'm glad with some of the things he is saying, but he is NO HERO. a hero would have resigned and told the truth then. not when they were ready to sell a book and going promoting it.

the same with Colin Powell, Christie todd Whitman and anyone else.

[beachmom]

3. I am just enjoying the negative publicity for the Republicans.

I was thinking about these "turncoat types". Bill Clinton is certainly one from time to time. He'd come out there and praise Bush for how he was handling the Iraq War in 2004, and I am SURE there were some conservatives propping up Bill's remarks. Then Bush comes out this year and knocks Obama, and a bunch of Hillary supporters come out and say, "hey, I agree with Bush". Another one that comes to mind is Matthew Dowd, who coined the phrase "flip flop", and then later left the WH when he figured out his son was going to be sent to Iraq. He said some nice things about Kerry's plans, and a few of us (maybe me) thought that was grand.

Well, I agree with you that you have to examine who the person is, not whether what they're saying at this moment is pleasing. Same goes with the pundits. I certainly think their quotes should be used for political argument, but I 100% agree with you that people should not get carried away and think their character has somehow changed. It has not. Just the politics out there. There are, of course, a few exceptions: I honestly think Chuck Hagel means what he says on Iraq, and he literally threw away a career that could have possibly gotten him to the WH. But for the most part, grain of salt.

[JI7]

4. it depends on how far they will go

for example, Hagel didn't really change. he has never been as hawkish as McCain and he is not supporting McCain. so i admire him.

if McClellan is really going to support Obama as some think then i would think he was real. still not sure i would consider him a hero as much as someone who couldn't get over the guilt and had to come clean. a hero would have resigned then and told the truth then.

ones i don't trust are people like that Michael Brown who only decided to say things when he was in trouble for Katrina. i know others were at fault also but he seemed to be trying to take the blame off himself when he was at fault also.

i didn't know about Dowd, but in those cases such as his where his own son will be affected i tend to have sympathy. also because he isn't looking to make money .

[BlueIris]

5. It is sad that many posters on this site apparently can't distinguish between

decent, effective people, statesmen and politicians and opportunistic sociopaths.

[TayTay]

6. I don't think Scotty is a hero, but

I am glad he wrote this book. It is possible that he did take some time to reflect on the events that took place while he was in the White House. His book ads to the argument that the march to War was a propaganda triumph and that the War itself was unnecessary. That goes into the historical record. That is a big deal, albeit a sad and tragic story for so many who have suffered from this War.

I wish McClellan had spoken up while he was Press Secretary. I know he would have been promptly fired but the protest would have meant something. The book is an overall plus, but it would have been better if no books ever had to be written about the monumental, catastrophic failures of the Iraq War.

It is awful, darkly funny, tragic and maddening to see the press react to the accusation of being soft on the Bush Administration and their fake reasons for the War. The press didn't do the job that a free press should do in a democracy and question authority. They comforted the comfortable and added misery to the afflicted. They were complicit in the buildup to War. The squirming and self-righteousness that so many in the press are now spewing out to justify their non-actions is sickening. The Founders of this nation created the First Amendment and it's guarantee of a free press precisely because a free press is needed to be a check on the excesses of power. The commercial press acted like cheerleaders to Bush in the pre-war period. They failed the nation by not doing their jobs.

Scotty is no hero. But it is good to see a former spokesman for the President come out and say that we were, at best, mislead. It is very good to have this former spokesman call out the press for their many failures and for letting the Bush Administration get a free ride. That doesn't make him a hero or even someone that I admire. But it does add to the historical record. This war never should have happened. A Bush insider admits that and that is significant.

It is essential to acknowledge that the war itself was a mistake - - to say the simple words that contain more truth than pride: I was misled. I was wrong to vote for the Iraq resolution. I will fight to set a deadline to redeploy American forces. We cannot change the future unless we are honest about the past.

Senator John Kerry, June 16th, 2006

[YvonneCa]

7. I agree with EVERY LINE and sentiment of this post...

...particularly this:

"The press didn't do the job that a free press should do in a democracy and question authority. They comforted the comfortable and added misery to the afflicted. They were complicit in the buildup to War."

I am VERY glad Scotty finally told his truth. And I'm glad he did it now, instead of waiting until Bush leaves office. If ever there was a time NOT to wait until a president leaves office to write something critical, this is it...and coming from this particular insider, it may wake up still slumbering observers to watch Bush like a hawk for the next several months.

And , by the way...the Kerry quote...I cried when he said those words.:patriot:

[politicasista]

8. Some things are just baffling, if not mind boggling.

It's unfortunate that people can't see that the media bias was in place back in 04, yet would rather accept the media lies and still blame Kerry for everything that went wrong. (Like he just sat like a couch potato eating pretzels and acted nonchalant about the Swifties :sarcasm:).

I guess I am one that believes in showing some respect for Obama's surrogates, especially since Kerry only had few in 04.

[ladym55]

9. McClellan is no hero

He's still a weasel. That being said, I am glad that his book is energizing a conversation on the incredible joke that is our national mainstream media. Everytime that becomes a topic of conversation I'm a happy camper.

I've noticed some people who post at DU tend to jump on bandwagons without a lot of thought. I pick and choose what I read. There are some who post interesting, thought-provoking pieces that I read often. (Many of them belong to this group. Coincidence? I think not.) The others I just blow by.

I get less frustrated that way and still get good info.

[JI7]

10. i think his intentions are good right now

i don't view him as a hero because a hero would have resigned then and spoke out then.

but i do think he may have guilt and his reasons for talking now are for the right reasons and not profit or anything like that.

yeah, a lot on DU are bandwagon types. they usually just follow whatever is on the media at the moment.