Every sentient American ought to be made aware of the significance of Blackwater's operations in Iraq and their unique standing with the Bush Administration. This interference with the law is emblematic of the Bush Administration. That's why some of us are beginning to believe we no longer live in a land of laws. Where's the outrage in Congress? Why isn't this more important than Barry Bonds? Why isn't it more important than an advertisement placed by MoveOn.org (who is at least trying to do something to save our nation). I am preparing to kiss democracy good-bye.

Political Pariahs. How did the most powerful [so called] moderate [EXTREME] group in the country get shunted aside? The ACTIVISTS took over.

Monday, August 13, 2007, Page 25, Excerpts from Joe Klein's Commentary, TIME magazine:

"Some people say we've lost our standing," former Representative Harold Ford, Jr. of Tennessee, Chairman of the [supposed] moderate [actually EXTREME Republican] Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), lamented at his organization's annual meeting in Nashville on July 30. The DLC, which helped provide the intellectual ballast and political strategy for Bill Clinton's presidency, seems to have fallen on hard times, at least in the elite precincts of the national political cacophony. A New York Times Op-Ed piece declared the group "radioactive" within the Democratic Party. None of the Democratic presidential candidates --not even Hillary Clinton, a prominent member of the DLC -- deigned to come to Nashville in a year when the contenders are courting every imaginable interest group in the party, including the left-liberal bloggers gathering in Chicago this weekend for the YearlyKos Convention. "As much as we wanted you here," said Ford, addressing the candidates in absentia, "we're ready to receive you when you're ready to come home."

It is curious and noteworthy that the most powerful [supposed] moderate [actually EXTREME Republican] organization in either party has become a pariah.

At the center of the controversy is a gentleman named Al From, a former Senate aide who helped found the DLC ... and now serves as its CEO. From is a [supposed] moderate [actually EXTREME Republican] who acts like an extremist. Early on, he [From] gleefully picked fights with various crumbling pillars of post-Vietnam liberalism--trade unions, antiwar activists and ethnic pleaders.

Shortly after the 2000 election, he [From] lambasted Al Gore -- who was the most faithful advocate of DLC views in the Clinton White House -- for running with a "populist rather than a New Democrat message. In 2003, From took on Howard Dean for opposing the Iraq war. "It used to be that you could kick around liberals and not get a reaction," says Ed Kilgore, a former DLC spokesman turned moderate blogger. "Dean changed that. The liberal blogosphere kicked back."

That fight reached a climax in 2006, when From, [supposedly] independent of the DLC, supported his friend Senator Joe Lieberman, who was facing a primary challenge in Connecticut from Ned Lamont, a blogger backed anti-war candidate. The Lamont primary victory followed by the Lieberman general election victory (as an independent) infuriated the party's activists. They argued that From, like Lieberman, seemed to see liberals as a greater threat than the singularly awful presidency of George W. Bush. Indeed, the activists became positively [un] Fromian: they decided to drum him [From] and his DLC out of the party -- and with their cybermegaphone plus the ability to raise money for favored politicians, they have intimidated the [DLC] Democratic presidential candidates...[supposedly ONLY] for the moment.

It is ironic that an organization best known among liberals for its position on Iraq spent practically no time talking about the war at its annual meeting [NOT CONCERNED]. Not one of the DLC's 20 issue symposiums was about foreign policy. The emphasis was on state governance, issues like health care and alternative energy development [which will NEVER be handled as long as all the peoples money is spent warring in IRAQ].

The current DLC stars are Governors of crucial states -- Arizona, Colorado, Arkansas, Tennessee -- that could switch from red to blue in 2008. Any Democratic nominee would want to court them. [Also, New Mexico.]

As for From, ... he scoffs at antiwar Democrats: ......

******************************************************************************************************

The above article was in TIME magazine August 13, 2007, trumpeting the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) as an organization that has a necessary and meaningful role in the Democratic Party that will eventually of necessity find its place. The DLC has NO NECESSARY AND MEANINGFUL ROLE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, other than a vichy role and will NEVER FIND ITS PLACE, because NO ROLE EXISTS FOR THE DLC IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. The only role that the DLC has is a Vichy duopolistic role in the Democratic Party as cooperators with the REPUBLICAN PARTY, much the same as the Vichy French government had under Nazi occupation of France, a role that the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION of the United States is diligently trying to eliminate from the Democratic Party.

Joe Klein is right about the DLC being "radioactive" and, if the DLC is not eliminated, I can see the roentgen strength of DLC "radioactivity" getting stronger and stronger in the Democratic Party until the Democratic Party is destroyed. The DLC needs to join the REPUBLICAN PARTY that it serves, because the DLC serves NO ROLE in the Democratic Party, other than as REPUBLICAN PARTY cooperators. DLC SERVICES ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY and have NEVER been required. The DLC needs to quit hanging around the Democratic Party, trying to pretend that the BASE of the Democratic Party, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION, wants or needs their worthless and harmful help as REPUBLICAN PARTY cooperators.

DLC, Democratic Leadership Council [of Republican-Democrats] http://www.ndol.org

NDN, New Democrat Network [of Republican-Democrats] http://www.ndn.org

NDC, New Democrat Coalition [of Republican-Democrats] http://www.house.gov/tauscher/ndc/membership.shtml

Above links are ALL DLC sites.

tylinCA -
Don't you think you are over reacting just a bit.
Exactly what laws have been broken?
As I recall, there are at least two separate investigations going on. There are also two completely different versions of what happened.

Just because Rep Waxman wants to grandstand with yet another usless waste of time "investigation" that goes nowhere and proves nothing at great expense doesn't mean somebody has broken any laws when they deny him his fifteen seconds of fame.

tylinCA is not over reacting.
Blackwater has a very bad, very much earned reputation. They even seem to take a perverse pride in their reputation.
They hire mercenaries not just from the US but from eastern Europe and South America who are former members of armies linked with oppressive regimes.
This is not the first time I've heard of Blackwater operatives being spirited out of country because of their actions.
If "ipayforit" is really paying for it, meaning he's actually paying taxes, and not some rich slimeball who is too rich to pay taxes,he'd better check up on how much they pay these jerks to off civilians. The total amount should make him a believer!
An investigation is imperative, particularly into the reason that these operatives have "get out of jail free" cards when it comes to murdering civilians, and how much Blackwater is getting paid for doing jobs that the US military is supposed to be doing, with more discipline, and accountability.
The White House is telling Blackwater to not cooperate for the same reason the White House has told everyone else under investigation not to cooperate. They are stonewalling to keep the slime trail back to the White House and Bush/Cheney hidden so the public outcry won't get them frog marched out of the White House and shipped to Leavenworth!
Well, an impeachment IS an investigation into the accusation of high crimes and misdemeanors.
IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY NOW!!!
We demand our country back!

MarthaA: This isn't quite the right thread for this, and you do tend to be long winded, but YES!
The Democrat Losership Committee needs to go!

Butte:

My post was elements of an editorial comment by Joe Klein of TIME Magazine. My only comments are below the dotted line.

Maybe you have noticed, there is never a thread for keeping informed on the Democratic Losership Council, which isn't a committee, but a council; that has morphed into the New Democrat Network and the New Democrat Coalition.

Why do you suppose this democratic blog doesn't keep a thread on the Democratic Losership Council? Could it be that we are suppose to post according to the existing threads, as you suggest, and not address the issues of the Democratic Losership Council that still controls the Democratic Party? As long as there is any kind of a thread, I can't allow the Democratic Losership Council to continue unopposed, just because a thread on this topic is not provided.

So the White House has the right to deny anyone from appearing in front of Congress. What country do we belong to? The last time I checked it was not The Republic Of Democratic Socialist Corporate United States.

So Congress does the White House have powers beyond Nixon's Watergate, who "At Will" can break the law creating their Guantanamo's and secret prisons, and its own White House unchecked armies of plummer security break in cowboys. These vigilantes who can kill without remorse, or accountability.

So Congress you have the purse strings, how is the White House paying them, how are they hiding it in the budget?

It is strange the White House can demand money for Blackwater but will deny American Children health care. It is another Katrina moment.

Hillary you are a leader start showing it find out about the secret armies, or you going to have your own fashion statement army?

Congress needs a line veto power on the White House budget for overspending and abuse reasons that the earmarks Bush is giving out are like bridges going to nowhere. I say the White House cannot shift money around to circumvent Congress look at what they did with New Orleans levy money, diverting it to Halliburton instead.

The State Department contracting official tells Blackwater to stay quiet. The Department of Defense says contractors must speak out. The military and Petraius say that contractors like Blackwater must be controlled by them. Who in the hell does Blackwater work for and why are they not under Petraius when the White House put Iraq under Petraius banner? Is Cheney running the show in Iraq? Bush? Who?

It seems there were two surges in Iraq, a military visible one, and corporate army invisible one. It seems the draft is by the White House buying its private army.

Bush who is in charge in Iraq? Bush are you trying the betray the American public?

Does anyone remember the 400 civilians Blackwater operated helos rescued in New Orleans after Katrina? Or how about the augmentation of the New Orleans PD to stem the rise in the crime rate? How about the countless American lives Blackwater "mercs" have saved in Iraq so that those Soldiers and Marines can go home to their families? I've been to Iraq. I've met these men and I know that if we didn't have them, and other security contractors just like them, we wouldn't be able to conduct a quarter of the missions we have slated. There is more to having these people in Iraq than you know. Sure they get paid much more than me and my men. And when you put guns in the hands of men in a foreign country, there will be screw ups that will take it in the wrong direction. We have had regular Army and Marines killing civilians. So, where is the outrage there like it is here? The majority of these men are professional Spec Ops and SEALS guys. They know exactly what they are doing. The American people are not getting the full story from the liberal press, and only Blackwater is getting singled out. Why? There are over 50 contracts for private security firms in Iraq alone and some contracts are European in origin and have people working for them that are more questionable then a Chinese nuclear technician working in Los Alamos. Dig deeper.

rushbabies,i thought neocons are "pro life" sworn to protect innocent life,yet they support hired killers that kill innocent citizens.talk about hypocrisy.

uhhhmmmmm, Martha A,

does it not occur to you that the reason the DNC does not have a thread about or to bitch about the DLC group, is because those members of DLC are ALSO DEMOCRATS and part of the DNC?? Whether you like them or not, they belong to the DNC. They must be supported by the DNC. They cannot be condemned by the DNC.

We of the left wing do not like DLC members, but there are a lot of people out in America who believe that those Centrists are the only way that Democrats can win in deep South, midwest, etc. Is it better to have a partial Democrat who votes with Democrats part of the time, or a Lock Step Republican who votes with Dems none of the time? You should read the book, "Crashing the Gate". Maybe then you would understand what politics and having to endure DLC are all about.

Private mercenary armies should NEVER be used in any concflict that the U.S. participates in. Using these private armies is the fastest way for an empire to collapse as happened with Rome. If we can't find enough U.S. citizens to participate in a war then we don't need to be in that war.

Contracting services out, whether it's armies, laundry service, food service, what have you, is just a way to enrich the corporate buddies of this failed administration.

And in case one isn't aware, when the pictures were broadcast from New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina showing what appeared to be military personnel helping, those were ALL hired mercenaries Blackwater USA. ALL of them. They were not the National Guard as was assumed by many.

When a company is in the business of fighting wars, they will make sure that there is constant war so that they can maintain their profits and return dividends to their shareholders.

Blackwater USA = All War, All the Time = stolen taxpayer dollars = empire collapse

This is a repost of a post Posted by HowlingWolf on September 18, 2007 at 06:36 PM

Rushbabies:

Hitler was kind and had many good works. It appears you are suggesting that Blackwater is similar to Hitler, because that is what it sounds like? Hitler set up orphanages to help take care of little children and saved countless lives, never the less, Hitler was a tyrant, just like Blackwater. Blackwater is looking out after their constituents, just like Hitler did.

Rushbabies:

Hitler was kind and had many good works. It appears you are suggesting that Blackwater is similar to Hitler, because that is what it sounds like? Hitler set up orphanages to help take care of little children and saved countless lives, never the less, Hitler was a tyrant, just like Blackwater. Blackwater is looking out after their constituents, just like Hitler did.

When groups like this are under the White House without Congressional oversight it is Constitutionally wrong. Since when can the White House demand who can go in front of Congress especially when they are not in the Executive branch but hired by them. This would mean that by Cheney hiring Chevron as a consultant that the company is immune to Congressional oversight. You cannot have Rice or any White House leader demand on their own who Congress can call before them. I think Rice needs to be called in front of Congress.

This Blackwater issue makes us look like a bunch of thugs. Eventually President Bush is going to over-reach when it comes to stalling investigations, etc. and become vulnerable to action by Congress. I hope Speaker Pelosi and others are prepared and have a plan of action to somehow neutralize this incredibly dangerous administration. The 1st thing they should do is to balk at passing spending bills......I think John Edwards is correct there. And I believe Senator Clinton has also announced that she can no longer vote "yes" on Iraq War spending bills.

Mamie:

Your argument is that because the DLC are members of the Democratic Party (DNC) that all Democrats are forced to accept the behavior of the DLC because the DLC are members of the Democratic Party (DNC); your argument is a specious argument.

Contrary to what you say, the DLC MUST NOT BE SUPPORTED by the DNC, and the DLC MUST BE CONDEMNED by the DNC because the DLC has chosen to represents themselves separately as a "NEW CLASS", a 20% minority professional middle class, APART from the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION "BASE" of the Democratic Party. You need to read Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Fear of Falling, The Inner Life of the Middle Class" for a basis of understanding, and then read Randall Rothenberg's book, "The NEO-LIBERALS, Creating the New American Politics" if you really want to understand why the Democratic Party MUST GET RID OF THE DLC. There are tolerable levels of acceptance of bad behavior of family members, and the DLC has gone past the tolerable level of acceptance of their bad behavior by supporting the REPUBLICAN PARTY to the EXCLUSION of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION "BASE" of the Democratic Party. Members of the DLC are NOT loyal family members of the Democratic Party.

The DLC, as family of the DNC, is likened to rabid family members who bite other family members. If one or more of your family members took to biting your other family members, like a rabid dog, would you not condemn and remove the family members that are biting the other family members, or would you accept yourself and other family members being constantly bitten and having Rabies because the ones doing the biting are family members??? Again, your argument is a specious argument.

Peaceman - Such a loaded question...You take that whole thing out of proportion. Sure, alot of people are pro-life. But, that does not mean that we are to let our enemies run all over us and trample on us. the whole pro-life thing is taken way out of context by the left. If you want to get right down to it, King David killed many and took over many lands and people when he reigned after the Bathsheba incident. He smote the Philistines it says. He was a man after God's own heart. You can believe what you want, but we are to defend ourselves and kill when required to save ourselves. The Jews in Babylon led a surprise attack and slaughtered many of those who sought to harm them. They killed 500 in Shushan the palace alone. (Esther 9:1-32) So you tell me...How do you know the Iraqis that were fired upon were totally innocent? How do you know they didn't have weapons? Were you there to witness the event, or did you see it on CNN? Have you ever been in the sandbox? Do you know what it is like there? Are you going to take an Iraqi's word over the word of one of your own? How do we really know what happened? All I know is that many of these men have made alot of sacrifices and the ones I met are of the utmost integrity and honor. And I'll take another Soldier's word over the word of an Iraqi or any other foreigner for that matter until I see something to prove otherwise.

MarthaA - Your comparison to Hitler and Blackwater is like a comparison between apples and bananas. Hitler ruled an entire country with a fascist government, Blackwater does nothing of the sort. While I don't agree with hiring these men to do the jobs Soldiers and Marines should be doing, many of them are playing a critical role in Iraqi operations. Without them, there is a huge military gap that needs to be filled. They are just convenient, I guess. And like I said, there are thousands of contractors all from multiple companies, not just Blackwater. So, either throw them all out of Iraq or let the all stay. Whether you like it or not, private military men are playing a huge role in the country at this point.

Blackwater only pulled 400 people out of the water because they were paid to do it.
This is not well-meaning outfit. They went into NO like the Third Reich storming Warsaw with weapons locked and loaded, and proceeded to step all over peoples' civil rights.
Shoving old and disabled people around with weapons locked and loaded is NOT altruism.
Blackwater's actions in the Gulf Coast especially NO is another area of their activities that needs to be investigated.
It'll either clear up a lot of the rumors about Blackwater, or punish the miscreants.
Why would anyone oppose such an investigation?

Mamie:
The Democrat Losership Committee may be an adjunct of the DNC, but as such, they can be, and need to be, fired, disbanded or whatever.
They are responsible for the perception among many voters that there is little difference between Democrats and Republicans.
They are driven by Republi-lite sell-outs who spout phony "centrism", which is another word for kissing up to Big Business and their K-street minions at the expense of the American voters.
There are a lot of people in the so-called "red" states who are fed up with the status quo and who are looking for a viable alternative.
"Centrism" will only convince those voters to either keep the Republican incumbents because going Democratic wouldn't change anything, go third party which will help the Republicans, or not voting at all.
Democrats need to stand up and be strong on issues which affect the American people and which poll after poll have shown them to consider priorities.
Kissing up to K-street and wimping out on issues is not going to do it.
The DNC needs to loose the DLC, like yesterday!

I think the reason everyone is having a problem with this. Right now there are no rules of engagement for private contractors in other countries. We need private contracters, but we also need a system to hold them accountable for what they have done wrong. Without that, chaos will most likely happen.

First of all, Blackwater can still operate so long as they are willing to make their personnel accountable for their actions, and liable to the families/individuals they wrong.
If Blackwater employees were subjected to a crackdown on unneccessary violence, I think both the Iraqi and American people would be more comfortable with them as an organization.

If they continue to get away with shooting civilians in the back as they run away, they will act as a counter to political and military progress, and serve as a detriment to the mission in Iraq.

For the DLC issue,
MarthaA:

It's clear you're not from the South.

It's clear you have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA of how things work around here.

Quote your 70% common population bulls**t all you want, but come down here and act like everyone wants a truly liberal agenda and see if you can get ANYWHERE.

In my experience, and I have a pretty good deal of it with politics in Arkansas, if you come out with the agenda that some of us true liberals espouse, you're gonna get Republicans winning elections.

If, on the other hand, you bow to a few social issues you can push real economic reform, mitigate the impact of the 77% COMMON POPULATION in Arkansas that voted to ban homosexual marriage, and deal with substantive issues that affect people's daily lives.

Give me a link to the 70% common population being behind a true liberal/progressive agenda and I might take your comments a little more seriously.

As a side note, I totally agree with a progressive, pro-homosexual marriage, pro-choice, anti-war in Iraq, anti-war in Iran, progressive taxation, emphasis on social programs, pro-education, pro-immigration agenda.

However, as a realist and political scientist, I don't see the majority of the population believing as I do.

Mamie:

Why do you think the Democratic Party can't condemn the DLC? Why would the Democratic Party have to go along with the DLC that is also the NDN and NDC, that have been traitors to the 70% majority population "base" of the Democratic Party?

The conservative REPUBLICAN led MEDIA support DLC-Republicans on the Democrat side to try and insure that REPUBLICANS are getting the Republican led DLC into power, as a DLC Democrat is a good RIGHT WING REPUBLICAN, as opposed to Bush who, as Alan Greenspan has told us, is a bad REPUBLICAN; either way, BOTH are REPUBLICANS -- NOT DEMOCRATS and NOT of the LEFT.

The DLC, cloaked as a Democrat, is of and supported by the RIGHT WING. The Democratic Party is NOT the RIGHT WING. The Democratic Party IS the LEFT WING and MUST support only LEFT WING DEMOCRATS. The only LEFT WING DEMOCRATS are Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich. The Democratic Party must not allow itself to be controlled by DLC RIGHT WING corporations. Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich are NOT DLC and are the only LEFT WING presidential candidates for nomination by the Democratic Party.

Winning with a RIGHT WING DLC-DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE that doesn't represent 70% of the people of the United States is not the people winning at all. NO DLC member greedily following their leader AL FROM will ever represent the Democratic Party's BASE, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.

MarthaA:
sorry to be a troll here, but I really want to know how you think that Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel represent the viewpoint of 70% of the population.
I certainly think they're looking out for them, but they really aren't representing their views.

JKAR:

How do you think RIGHT WING DLC candidates whose constituents are only 20% of the population that suck up to corporatists, capitalists and elitists for their own benefit will be looking out for or representing the views of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION?

Neither Dennis Kucinich nor Mike Gravel are members of the RIGHT WING DLC, which says that they have character enough to represent the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION. DLC members have no character what so ever.

RushBabies:

I say throw ALL the mercenaries out of Iraq immediately. Nothing a mercenary militia can do for a country could be critical. If the threat to our country isn't dire enough to call for a draft, the threat isn't dire; therefore, the U.S. Government using the publics money to pay private mercenary wages is unconscionable, and if it was not for the Republican DLC-Democrats who only represent 20% of the population having so much control in Congress, public money would never be used to pay private mercenary militias for corporations at the expense of health care, Social Security, etc. for the majority population.

Mamie:

Why do you think the Democratic Party can't condemn the DLC? Why would the Democratic Party have to go along with the DLC that is also the NDN and NDC, that have been traitors to the 70% majority population "base" of the Democratic Party?

The conservative REPUBLICAN led MEDIA support DLC-Republicans on the Democrat side to try and insure that REPUBLICANS are getting the Republican led DLC into power, as a DLC Democrat is a good RIGHT WING REPUBLICAN, as opposed to Bush who, as Alan Greenspan has told us, is a bad REPUBLICAN; either way, BOTH are REPUBLICANS -- NOT DEMOCRATS and NOT of the LEFT.

The DLC, cloaked as a Democrat, is of and supported by the RIGHT WING. The Democratic Party is NOT the RIGHT WING. The Democratic Party IS the LEFT WING and MUST support only LEFT WING DEMOCRATS. The only LEFT WING DEMOCRATS are Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich. The Democratic Party must not allow itself to be controlled by DLC RIGHT WING corporations. Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich are NOT DLC and are the only LEFT WING presidential candidates for nomination by the Democratic Party.

Winning with a RIGHT WING DLC-DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE that doesn't represent 70% of the people of the United States is not the people winning at all. NO DLC member greedily following their leader AL FROM will ever represent the Democratic Party's BASE, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.

Mamie:

Why do you think the Democratic Party can't condemn the DLC? Why would the Democratic Party have to go along with the DLC that is also the NDN and NDC, that have been traitors to the 70% majority population "base" of the Democratic Party?

The conservative REPUBLICAN led MEDIA support DLC-Republicans on the Democrat side to try and insuWre that they are getting the Republican led DLC in power, as a DLC Democrat is a good RIGHT WING REPUBLICAN, as opposed to Bush who, as Alan Greenspan has told us, is a bad REPUBLICAN; either way, BOTH are REPUBLICANS -- NOT DEMOCRATS and NOT of the LEFT.

The DLC, cloaked as a Democrat, is of and supported by the RIGHT WING. The Democratic Party is NOT the RIGHT WING. The Democratic Party IS the LEFT WING and MUST support only LEFT WING DEMOCRATS. The only LEFT WING DEMOCRATS are Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich. The Democratic Party must not allow itself to be controlled by DLC RIGHT WING corporations. Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich are NOT DLC and are the only LEFT WING presidential candidates for nomination by the Democratic Party.

Winning with a RIGHT WING DLC-DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE that doesn't represent 70% of the people of the United States is not the people winning at all. NO DLC member greedily following their leader AL FROM will ever represent the Democratic Party's BASE, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.

MarthaA - How do you know the problem isn't critical enough to warrant having contracted security personnel in country to provide additional support to the regular military? Is there any information you've been privy to that I haven't? All that is needed is a bit more oversight from the regular forces and an adjustment of the contracts to have them operate in a more professional manner. Would that make you feel better? I cannot say for sure but, if the contractors were not there, there may well be a draft. So...you tell me.