tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post6773252181142310543..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: The Fun of Nixon/Obama ComparisonsJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-88716271181161493292013-08-18T00:56:48.015-05:002013-08-18T00:56:48.015-05:00anon613 i appreciate seeing more conservative pers...anon613 i appreciate seeing more conservative perspectives like yours in the comments section. your party of the shiftless line is grating and against the etiquette we all try to follow.jasonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-75957362206612780622013-08-17T07:54:14.906-05:002013-08-17T07:54:14.906-05:00It's good to keep in mind that the first repor...It's good to keep in mind that the first reports about something tend to be the most hysterical, any many people never get past the headline. There are some issues here, but most of it seems to be errors, oversights, and things misplaced, and that apparently amounts to a fraction of a percent of the overall activities. The incident that Gellman calls the most serious infraction consists of putting data in the wrong storage tank, and the FISC put a stop to it. There's no suggestion so far that any of it was intentional or that any of the inappropriately collected data was subjected to any scrutiny or used in any investigation. Now, remember the sort of infractions that induced Congress to pass the FISA law in the first place. J. Edgar Hoover, for instance, used to conduct illegal investigations of public figures and then use the results to blackmail and intimidate the ones he didn't like--or the ones who thought he should retire. If anything like that is going on, then it's a problem, but the charge hasn't even been raised.Scott Monjenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-41516381508725827902013-08-16T14:32:58.563-05:002013-08-16T14:32:58.563-05:00Yes, it's funny how when someone starts acting...Yes, it's funny how when someone starts acting lawlessly, people accuse them of lawlessness.<br /><br />Similarly, "murder" is the latest talking point buzzword for Hernandez-haters.<br /><br />http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=aaron+hernandez+murderAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-14126791396130838512013-08-16T14:00:19.212-05:002013-08-16T14:00:19.212-05:00"Lawlessness" is the latest talking poin..."Lawlessness" is the latest talking point buzzword for Obama-haters.<br /> <br />https://www.google.com/search?q=lawlessness+obamapurushanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-13329148069495097362013-08-16T12:11:00.148-05:002013-08-16T12:11:00.148-05:00Re: impoundments. While Presidents had been refusi...Re: impoundments. While Presidents had been refusing to spend money before, Nixon as usual took something which had been in the Presidential toolkit and pushed it to extremes. If memory serves among his impoundments was an entire program in USDA. He was challenged in court and lost. So it's probably wrong to say he "illegally refused"; would be better to say his attempt to cut programs was rebuffed by the courts.Bill Harshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02094598931693185805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-38395970311141007672013-08-16T09:36:43.736-05:002013-08-16T09:36:43.736-05:00Of course Obama could have just instructed the Jus...Of course Obama could have just instructed the Justice Department to grant immunity from prosecution for anybody who failed to implement the employer mandate this year and would have been unquestionably within the Executive Branch's prosecutorial discretion which has been upheld as constitutional.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-71484154842491579052013-08-16T09:29:43.514-05:002013-08-16T09:29:43.514-05:00Or a day early. See WaPo front page.Or a day early. See WaPo front page.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-71487534307062401792013-08-16T05:19:23.114-05:002013-08-16T05:19:23.114-05:00Frankly, you're with Won't.Frankly, you're with Won't.Trevornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-61696035639363204712013-08-15T23:00:54.078-05:002013-08-15T23:00:54.078-05:00http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21768668
I bel...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21768668<br /><br />I believe that the stories about 1980 have been found to be false, or at least no evidence has been found that they were true. Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-83625325304603009312013-08-15T22:20:04.073-05:002013-08-15T22:20:04.073-05:00Didn't know about Nixon spiking peace talks.
...Didn't know about Nixon spiking peace talks.<br /><br />Any truth to the stories about Reagan's minions making sure the hostages didn't get released early?Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301230860904555513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-88076336332048389622013-08-15T22:05:09.791-05:002013-08-15T22:05:09.791-05:00You honestly think that delaying major legislative...You honestly think that delaying major legislative and regulatory mandates isn't absolutely routine in the modern administrative state? Before you go reaching back into the 17th century for comparisons, why not educate yourself about history over the last few decades?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-69250576736186979902013-08-15T18:13:54.682-05:002013-08-15T18:13:54.682-05:00Frankly, I'm with Will.
I'm not going to ...Frankly, I'm with Will.<br /><br />I'm not going to defend Nixon, although you greatly exaggerate the case against him. Some of your charges - such as his use of impoundment - refer to Presidential prerogatives that had been uncontroversial for almost 2 centuries before the Party of the Shiftless decided to try and bring down the duly elected President. Nor is there any law against "spiking" peace talks. But let's grant that some of Nixon's actions were illegal and worthy of condemnation.<br /><br />Obama, on the other hand, is engaging in lawlessness on a much grander scale than a few illegal operations. Claiming a general power to suspend and dispense the laws is of a different order of magnitude; you have to go a hundred years before the revolution to find a king who asserted that kind of authority. Nixon was a President who broke the law. Obama is a President attempting to become above the law. It is these actions - and his enablement by the lickspittle Democrat faithful - that make him far worse than Nixon, or even Wilson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-61558358125642420872013-08-15T15:57:12.632-05:002013-08-15T15:57:12.632-05:00On the NSA, Snowden and Greenwald have presented d...On the NSA, Snowden and Greenwald have presented documentation of vast capabilities, but they really haven't presented any proof that the capabilities have been abused. As far as we know to date, the FISC and the Congress have been kept informed and the programs have been conducted within the law as it exists. People can disagree with the law, as Wyden certainly does, but I don't believe Wyden has accused the adminstration of breaking it. (He has accused them of making broad interpretations of the law that have been kept from the public.) Congress can change the law if it wants, or require the FISC to publish its interpetations, but that is a different issue. I think it's doubtful that the progams will be shut down. Of course, I've been wrong before.Scott Monjenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-10465709308698103442013-08-15T15:15:08.137-05:002013-08-15T15:15:08.137-05:00I don't think that George Will is all that int...I don't think that George Will is all that interested in your facts, Jonathan. Clicks keep food on the table, and holding the party line keeps his place for him.<br /><br />It's like the old Man of La Mancha quote: "Facts? Facts are the enemy of Truth!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-54347431395156962832013-08-15T14:59:20.449-05:002013-08-15T14:59:20.449-05:00I was thinking about trying to fit that in -- or t...I was thinking about trying to fit that in -- or the plan to have a self-funded intelligence/military out of the reach of Congress, as Reagan's administration tried to do.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-70120110163212815702013-08-15T14:52:28.112-05:002013-08-15T14:52:28.112-05:00Did Will write similar columns about the Bush admi...Did Will write similar columns about the Bush administration's notorious signing statements, which declared that there were parts of duly passed laws they intended not to follow? TNnoreply@blogger.com