Captain Howard Dean, the 21st Century Edward John Smith
By Larry Johnson
Email: larry_johnson@earthlink.net
Site: http://NoQuarterUSA.net
About: Larry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who moved subsequently in 1989 to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years as the deputy director for transportation security, antiterrorism assistance training, and special operations in the State Department's Office of Counterterrorism. He left government service in October 1993 and set up a consulting business. He currently is the co-owner and CEO of BERG Associates, LLC (Business Exposure Reduction Group) and is an expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, and crisis and risk management, and money laundering investigations. Johnson is the founder and main author of No Quarter, a weblog that addresses issues of terrorism and intelligence and politics. NoQuarterUSA was nominated as Best Political Blog of 2008.[1] He has worked as a private consultant on issues of international terrorism and security for the U.S. Government and private companies. Johnson has appeared as a consultant and commentator in many major newspapers and news programs.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Views
2.1 1996
2.2 1998
2.3 1999
2.4 2000
2.5 2001
2.6 2003
2.6.1 Plame affair
2.7 2008
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links
[edit]Background
Larry Johnson moved to Washington, D.C. in 1979 to begin work on a Ph.D. at the American University. Although he completed successfully all coursework and comprehensive exams, he did not write a dissertation. In 1978 and in 1983-85 he worked in Latin America on community development projects as a community organizer. Returning to the United States in 1985 he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, thanks in part to a letter of recommendation from Republican Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that helped to "open doors" for him at the Agency.[3] Johnson entered on duty at the CIA in September 1985 and was a classmate of Valerie Plame. Every member of that class was undercover. After a year in the Career Trainee program, which included a stint with the Afghan Task Force, Johnson was assigned as an analyst in the Middle America Caribbean Division in the Latin American Affairs Office of the Directorate of Intelligence. He received two Exceptional Performance awards and was promoted ultimately to Senior Regional Analyst for Central America.
Johnson remained undercover in the CIA until October 1989, when he resigned from the CIA and started a new job in the Office of Counter Terrorism at the Department of State. Johnson played an instrumental role in launching the Terrorism Rewards program international advertising campaign (working with Diplomatic Security officers Brad Smith and Michael Parks). [4] Johnson also was involved in a variety of crisis management response operations, including the release of hostages from Lebanon and liaison with the Pan Am 103 families. He left government service in October 1993 and started his own business as a consultant.
After leaving government service, Johnson became a frequent guest on many major television news shows when a question of terrorism came up. He was first interviewed by CNN following the capture of Carlos the Jackal. Johnson subsequently appeared on CNN, ABC's Nightline, CBS, the BBC, MSNBC, the Jim Lehrer News Hour, NBC, and NPR. In December of 1999, for example, Johnson was hired by NBC to serve as its terrorist expert for the Y2000 and was in Time Square with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric ("a lot of fun and the best way to see in the New Year"). Johnson also was hired in January 2002 as a Fox News Analyst and remained under contract until February 2003.
Since 1994 a significant focus of Johnson's consulting work has been with the U.S. military special operations forces in scripting and conducting military counter terrorism exercises. He traveled under orders from the U.S. military to Iraq in May 2006 to work on a short term project.
A registered Republican who supported President Bush in 2000, Johnson became a strong critic of the Bush administration in May 2003 for its conduct of the war in Iraq and, a few months later, for its role in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame.[5] He was also featured in the 2004 political documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism. Since Robert Novak's controversial disclosure of Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in July 2003, Johnson has contributed to public discourse on intelligence matters, often sparking further controversy. He has been interviewed by both the mass media and the alternative media and published commentaries on a variety of issues, including the Plame affair, the controversy concerning Mary McCarthy, and the resignation of Porter Goss as Director of Central Intelligence.
[edit]Views
This article or section may contain an inappropriate mixture of prose and timeline.
Please help convert this timeline into prose or, if necessary, a list.
[edit]1996
In 1996, Johnson noted that terrorism worldwide was on the decline. "Terrorist incidents [both internationally and in the US] have fallen to levels not seen since the 1970s. Whether measured by the number of incidents, the number of fatalities, or the number of groups, raw statistics demonstrate that the level of terrorist violence has declined since the mid-1980s. In fact, the evidence suggests terrorism was more widespread and deadly 10 years ago."[6]
He also wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times suggesting that the newer and more deadly terrorist threat to the U.S. was embodied by "networks of terrorists, mostly foreign, working within its borders." Exemplifying this threat was Ramzi Yousef, one of the masterminds behind the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. In the article, Johnson suggests that enhanced cooperation between intelligence agencies, particularly the FBI and CIA, is mandatory to meet the growing threat of terror networks.[7]
[edit]1998
In 1998, Johnson argued that while overall terrorism was declining, the threat from bin Laden and al-Qaeda should be the focus of American counterterrorism policy:
The nature of the threat posed by Bin Ladin is highlighted by my final chart, number 7. Osama Bin Ladin and individuals associated with him have killed and wounded more Americans than any other group. This chart also illustrates that groups such as Hamas and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) prior to 1998 have killed more foreigners in the anti-US terrorist attacks. If we take into account the bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Osama's status as the most lethal terrorist is certain.[8]
In addition, he told USA Today that bin Laden had participated in "virtually every major attack of terrorism against the United States" in the 1990s. Johnson underlined the threat posed by bin Laden, saying that he was possessed by "hatred and craziness." If left unanswered, "he would continue to terrorize Americans around the world. He has no compunction about killing women and children. He's a complete egalitarian in his murderous attitude."[9]
[edit]1999
In an interview with PBS's Frontline for its 1999 program, Hunting bin Laden, Johnson discussed Osama bin Laden.[10] According to Johnson, Americans had "tended to make Osama bin Laden sort of a superman in Muslim garb." "Actually," he continues, "Osama bin Laden, in my view, represents more of a symptom of a problem, and the problem is this: the Saudi Arabian government, not just Osama bin Laden but many people in Saudi Arabia, have been sending money to radical Islamic groups for years." Johnson continued:
When you look at who's killed Americans in the last 10 years, the individuals he's supported and backed--I'm basing that upon the initial information that's been released in the indictments and conversations with others in the intelligence communities--Osama bin Laden has been the one killing Americans. No other terrorist group in the world has been out killing Americans except for Osama bin Laden.... Osama bin Laden remains out there as the one really targeting us. So, we recognize that he's the threat. He's serious about wanting to kill Americans, but as long as he's in Afghanistan, as long as he doesn't have access to a cell phone, as long as he can't just hop on a plane and travel wherever he wants without fear of being arrested, his ability to plan and conduct terrorist operations is extremely limited. We have to recognize [that] he would like to do a lot of damage. He would like to kill Americans, but wanting to is different from being able to, having the full capabilities in place.[11]
In the interview, Johnson doubted the ability of members of bin Laden's organization to plan and put their lives on the line:
There's not another Ali or Mustafa out there at this point and Osama bin Laden in my view has not been a very effective organizer or leader. He talks a great game and puts out terrific threats as far as stirring the passions in the United States and maybe firing up the imaginations of some young Muslims throughout the world. But when push comes to shove, can he get a group of people who are together who will say: we are going to plan an operation, we're going to put our lives on the line, we're going to go out and try and kill people and we don't care what the consequence is? It hasn't happened.[12]
Frontline asked:
[Is it] ... fair to say what you're saying is that the president of the United States, his national security advisor, his deputy national security advisor for counter-terrorism, are basically blowing smoke [about the danger posed by bin Laden] and his followers]?
Johnson responded:
They're grossly exaggerating the problem. They are hyping it. They shouldn't be talking about rising terrorism. Instead of saying "terrorism's rising," it's not. "Terrorism is spreading," it's not. "More people are dying from terrorism," not the case. But what they should be saying is, "There's one individual out there that really doesn't like us, and he's made it his mission in life to kill Americans, and we've gotta deal with him." But we need to have a voice of reason in that process instead of putting ourselves out crying wolf, because this is essentially what's taking place right now. They call it the administration that cries wolf.[12]
[edit]2000
Johnson co-authored an article in 2000 with Milt Bearden which focused on the threat posed by al-Qaeda specifically, rather than terrorism trends in general. Beardon and Johnson note that new information emerging about the bombings at Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 points to the threat posed by Imad Mugniyah and Osama Bin Laden will require "a coordinated policy that will employ a full range of covert, clandestine, diplomatic, and military operations," concluding:
The Clinton Administration has shot its bolt on the terrorist problem with small effect, and no last minute show of force will change the record. A new administration can start afresh with a more sharply defined set of terrorism goals – Mughniyeh and bin Laden and their protectors for starters – and bring the full, coordinated force of American diplomatic, military, and intelligence capabilities to bear on the problem.[13]
[edit]2001
After Johnson's testimony to the special forum at the U.S. Senate, Gary J. Schmitt, executive director and CEO of the Project for the New American Century, refers in the Daily Standard (blog) to an op-ed piece Johnson wrote two months prior to the 9/11 attacks, claiming that Johnson argued that the US had little to fear from terrorism.[14]
In an editorial entitled "The Declining Terrorist Threat," published in the New York Times on 10 July 2001, Johnson says:
Judging from news reports and the portrayal of villains in our popular entertainment, Americans are bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism. They seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal. They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism.... None of these beliefs are based in fact.... While terrorism is not vanquished, in a world where thousands of nuclear warheads are still aimed across the continents, terrorism is not the biggest security challenge confronting the United States, and it should not be portrayed that way.[15]
Ten days after the 9/11 attacks, after quoting the above passage, Timothy Noah concludes a post in his "Chatterbox" feature at Slate: "Johnson's analysis, we now see, was bold, persuasive, and 100 percent wrong."[16] Johnson defended himself against such attacks:
The rightwing is resurrecting an op-ed I wrote in July 2001. I stand by the full article. It is still relevant today. I am accused, incorrectly, of ignoring the threat of terrorism. In fact, I correctly noted that the real threat emanated from Bin Laden and Islamic extremism. President Bush, for his part, ignored the CIA warning in August 2001 that Al Qaeda was posed to strike inside the United States.[17]
After September 11, Johnson appeared several times on FOX News to address the question of military action against terrorism. On 14 November, he defended the FBI's proposal to interview 5,000 students in the U.S. suspected of having information relevant to the September 11 investigations:
I think they should talk to everyone that they feel they have a need to talk to. I mean, look, this is war. This is not a legal proceeding. This isn't the O.J. Simpson trial. The folks that attacked us -- they murdered Americans. And we've got to recognize that in wartime, we should do things differently.[18]
[edit]2003
In January 2003, Johnson wrote an analysis of the relationship between the upcoming U.S. invasion of Iraq and the threat of transnational terrorism. According to Johnson, Bremer's response was to tell him that "it didn't matter what Saddam did or didn't do, we were going to war."[19] The paper warned that an invasion would "do little to destroy the infrastructure of radical Islamic terrorism responsible for the 9-11 attacks." Noting that Saddam Hussein's regime has been a longtime supporter of regional terrorist organizations such as the PLO, Johnson examines contacts between Saddam Hussein and transnational terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda:
There is no doubt that Iraq is a state sponsor of terrorism—i.e., a country that provides financial support, safe haven, training, or weapons and explosives to groups or individuals that carry out terrorist attacks. . . . According to Central Intelligence Agency data, there is no credible evidence implicating Iraq in any mass casualty terrorist attacks since 1991. . . .
Johnson notes that the period immediately leading up to 2003 saw a rise of activity surrounding terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, suggesting that "Iraq is willing to help a movement that it would otherwise oppose on ideological grounds. Nonetheless," Johnson concludes, "it is important to understand that Iraqi entreaties to Al Qaeda, are most likely intended as a tactic to bolster Iraq’s ability to fight off a U.S. invasion rather than a deep-seated theological and ideological commitment to the terrorist agenda of Bin Laden.[20]
In that analysis Johnson also warns that the U.S.-led invasion was likely to backfire:
In fact there is a serious risk that a U.S. led war against Iraq may crystallize the diffused anger in the Arab and Muslim world — a heretofore unattained goal of bin Laden and his followers — and persuade more Muslim youths to take up the terrorist banner against America and her citizens.... If we decide to invade Iraq we must be prepared for the contingency that our attack will inspire young Muslims to pursue jihad against the West in general and the United States in particular. Just as the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan rallied many Muslims, especially young adults to the cause of jihad, a U.S. attack may enable Islamic extremists to attract new followers.[20]
Johnson also gave interviews on the topic of what to do with captured al-Qaeda leaders; while he did not condone torture, he suggested that a "sleep deprivation and reward system" might be useful for getting information from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed:
I don't see a constitutional right to have eight hours of sleep. You shouldn't subject someone to freezing but they don't get to wear mink coats, either.[21]
In May 2003, Johnson joined members of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) in condemning the manipulation of intelligence for political purposes:
It is a misuse and abuse of intelligence. The president was being misled. He was ill served by the folks who are supposed to protect him on this. Whether this was witting or unwitting, I don't know, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.[22]
[edit]Plame affair
After Robert Novak wrote a column identifying the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson as a CIA officer, the media invited Johnson to comment on the ensuing scandal because he had been a member of the same Career Trainee class with Valerie Plame Wilson. For example, in October 2003, he appeared on Democracy Now to discuss the Plame affair. He told interviewer Amy Goodman that Valerie Wilson's cover should have been respected whether she was an "analyst" or a "cleaning lady": "if she's undercover she's undercover, period. If the media allows themselves to get distracted with those kinds of curve balls, they ignore the issue."[23]
He told a Senate Democratic Policy Committee in October 2003, "My classmates and I have been betrayed. Together, we have kept the secrets of each other's identities a secret for 18 years. Each and every one of us have kept that secret, whether we were in the CIA, in other government service or in the private sector. But this issue is not just about a blown cover. It is about the destruction of the very essence, the core of human intelligence collection activities: plausible deniability, apparently, for partisan domestic political reasons."[24]
Johnson testified at a special joint hearing of Congressional and Senate Democrats on 22 July 2005 about the consequences arising from the Plame affair.[25]
[edit]2008
In 2008, Johnson emerged as a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton and a strong critic of Barack Obama. Larry Johnson's blog, NoQuarterUSA, became a rally point for Clinton supporters wary of Barack Obama's qualifications to be president. Supporters of Barack Obama insist that a story that first appeared on Johnson's blog--a report that Republican operatives have a tape of Michelle Obama making racially insenstive comments about caucasians--has been "refuted" Barack Obama's Fight the Smears website.[26]. However, Johnson never claimed to have the tape and reported that the Republican operatives controlling it intended to release the tape sometime after the Democratic Convention in August 2008. On October 21, however, he asserted that the operative in possession of the tape had been instructed by the McCain campaign not to release it.[27]
[edit]Notes
^ http://2008.weblogawards.org/polls/best-political-coverage/
^ Larry C. Johnson, "About Me," No Quarter (personal blog).
^ "Former CIA Official Larry Johnson Delivers Democratic Radio Address," transcript posted on official Democratic National Committee's website for The Democratic Party, July 23, 2005], accessed November 21, 2006.
^ Interview with Larry Johnson, confirmed by his supervisor
^ "Ex-CIA official Blasts Bush on Leak of Operative's Name: Democrats' Radio Address Focuses on White House Aides' Role," CNN July 23, 2005, accessed November 21, 2006.
^ Gail Russell Chaddock, "Why Terrorists Pick On the French," Christian Science Monitor (5 December 1996) p. 1.
^ Larry Johnson, "Terrorists Among Us," New York Times (20 August 1996) p. A19.
^ Terrorism Today
^ Lee Michael Katz, "The Hunt for Bin Laden," USA Today (21 August 1998) p. 1A.
^ See Transcript of original interview with Larry C. Johnson, as broadcast on Frontline in 1999. Cf. "Interview: Larry C. Johnson," for Hunting bin Laden, transcript of interview broadcast on Frontline subsequently on 13 April 2001. See also dedicated PBS webpages for media links: Iraq and the War on Terror, Frontline PBS, online featured programs, accessed 19 November 2006.
^ frontline: hunting bin laden: interviews: larry c. johnson | PBS
^ a b [1].
^ As posted in [2].
^ Gary Schmitt, [ 07/25/2005 "Meet Larry Johnson: The CIA official Turned Democratic Spokesman Has a Pre-9/11 Mindset," Daily Standard (blog), July 25, 2005, accessed November 20, 2006.
^ *Larry C. Johnson, "The Declining Terrorist Threat," The New York Times 10 July 2001: A19.
^ Timothy Noah, "(Not Exactly a) Whopper of the Week: Larry C. Johnson," Chatterbox: Gossip, speculation, and scuttlebutt about politics (blog), hosted by Slate September 21, 2001, accessed November 20, 2006. Note the full context of this quotation:
It is, to be sure, a little bit cheap (and slightly at odds with the usual parameters of this feature) to criticize someone for making an erroneous prediction, particularly after a tragedy. Chatterbox is especially reluctant to tag Johnson because Johnson's op-ed was argued forcefully, backed up meticulously with factual data, and bravely at odds with conventional wisdom at the time of its publication. Add in that Johnson now makes his living as a consultant to corporations about terrorism, and therefore had everything to gain by exaggerating the dangers terrorism poses, and the guy practically looks like a hero. Chatterbox, who two decades ago was an editor for the New York Times op-ed page, would have published Johnson's piece had he still been an editor there this past July. In his capacity at Slate, Chatterbox might well have written up Johnson's prediction, and perhaps even endorsed it.
But boy, is he glad he didn't! Johnson's analysis, we now see, was bold, persuasive, and 100 percent wrong. Sadly, a mistake this embarrassing cannot be ignored. As a fellow skeptic, Chatterbox in all sincerity wishes Johnson better luck next time.
^ Larry C. Johnson, "Johnson vs. President Bush," re-posted and updated by SusanHu at DailyKos (blog) July 25, 2005.
^ FOX News Interview with John Garrett (14 November 2001) Transcript #111405cb.260.
^ [3].
^ a b Larry C. Johnson, "Setting the Record Straight on Iraqi Terrorism," posted in Booman Tribune: A Progressive Community (personal blog) 27 January 2003. accessed 19 November 2006.
^ Qtd. in Toby Harnden, "CIA 'pressure' on al-Qa'eda chief," The London Telegraph 5 March 2003: 16.
^ Qtd. in Nicolas D. Kristof, "Save Our Spooks," The New York Times 30 May 2003:A6.
^ Democracy Now (3 October 2003)[4]
^ U.S. Senate, Democratic Policy Committee Meeting on the CIA Operative Leak, (24 October 2003).
^ Letter to the Senate.[Needs full source citation; see "References" section.]
^ Tumulty, Karen (2008-06-12). "Will Obama's Anti-Rumor Plan Work?", Time Magazine. Retrieved on 20 June 2008.:"a story that apparently first made a big splash on the Internet in late May in a post by pro-Hillary Clinton blogger Larry Johnson"
^ Whitey Tape, API, Phil Berg, and Andy MartinSee Authors Posts (1090) on August 7, 2008 at 7:33 PM in Current Affairs
Nope. Sorry. That’s not fair to Captain Edward John Smith. Who, you may ask, is Captain Smith? He commanded the ill-fated Titanic on its first and last voyage. Dean, like Smith, is charging full speed ahead through turbulent political waters with nary a care for what lies over the horizon. Smith, warned about the risk of icebergs, ordered the Titanic to run full tilt. I suspect he wanted to have a do-over on that choice as he sank beneath the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
So what about Captain Dean? The warning signs are everywhere. Barky Obama has no sense of humor, prickly thin skin, an ego the size of an artic iceberg, and is getting no traction in the pulls. In fact, the more folks learn about him the less they like him. And this without the Republicans mounting a significant, comprehensive ad campaign to introduce the Chicago Messiah. Anybody out there buying the notion that the Republicans will give Obama a pass come 1 September? Didn’t think so.
Howard Dean, unlike the Titanic’s Smith, can see the danger ahead. At least Smith’s crew tried to steer clear of the iceberg once they spotted the threat. But Dean’s crew? Hell no. Full speed ahead. These clowns are going to sunder the Democratic party in the name of a symbolic gesture. Hopefully they will enjoy the same happy legacy that accompanies the mention of Captain Edward John Smith. We can total the damages and loss of life that accompanied the sinking of the Titanic. The sum remains to be run on the cost of Dean’s folly in backing Obama. But I think it will be huge.
(small, medium and large sizes; for both dogs and cats)
+ 
The deck chairs have begun the slide.
Ludacris has to stay til the end singing “99 problems and the Bitch ain’t one “
Oh yes Larry, I remember well how they all believed that she was incapable of sinking.
History repeats itself once again.
And like an iceberg, there is way more under the water than the “few bitter” old women on the surface. And it’s the huge underwater part that’s going to tear right through the hull. Good analogy Larry.
Yes…and there’s Barky, standing on the top rung at the bow howling “I’m King of the World!!”
and we all know how this story ends. The rich and well connected stay comfy and cozy in their underfilled lifeboats, while we, the ’steerage’ (formerly known as the core Democratic base) are left behind to fend for ourselves.
Hilarious! Yes - Ludacris going down with the ship!
You guys need to be more informed and watch the evening news. By all measurements, the consensus is a slam dunk by Obama in November.
We all know the evening mews is the last to have the REAL STORY.
PS mews was no typo…………
PUMA
Is this guy playing George Tenet in the sitcom?
Slam Dunk?
Speaking of the CIA, how much you want to bet the Obama assassin discovery in Florida was just another ploy to keep his numbers from falling in the ditch by the time of the convention? The old white guilt card has worked so well, no need to quit now. And Florida must be the Bermuda Triangle for American democracy. That’s where the 9/11 hijackers trained and where they first found the Anthrax. (Suicide???)
Back to the topic, don’t be giving Dean so much credit for sinking the Dem Party. He organized DFA and bussed all those kids to 12 caucuses so they could vote. Exemplary performance there. The sign-in documents vanished. The thousands of complaints never investigated. Got the press to ignore the fact that the superdelegates were “voting” three months early when Florida was sanctioned for letting people vote one week early. And all that whining for three months about Clinton not conceding the race. Got away with that, too. And Donna Brazile did everything else. (Click on my screen name if you haven’t heard that story.)
Only at troll training. Everyone else knows the truth. Obama is going to take a bigger fall than Dukakis.
The super delegates are so worried about the AA backlash in Denver that they fail to see the backlash if Obama loses in the biggest landslide in history. What we will see is a complete breakdown in race relations as the AA will be embarrassed by such a loss and then blame it on racism.
of course they’ll blame it on racism. They blame every wrong on that. It can’t possibly be THEIR FAULT.
The second he was appointed nominee, Obama tossed all of the “values” that made him the young progressive hero.
He basically says all dems have to vote for him because he’s an AA.
The evening news? You cannot be serious. They are always days late in coming forward with anything of value.
ABC News did an amazing story on HRC tonight.
always a day late and a dollar short?
Hey it is the dumb fighter again! He has been dropping like a rock since his presidential (gag,choke) tour through Europe. Get a grip oh desprite one.
How is Middle east today? Hot, sandy and dry?
Really? What about this? http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/08/07/a_tough_call_for_presidential_pollsters/
hahaha
Globe editors trying to get ahead of the BO landslide loss
Just like NY gov in speech to NAACP preparing the crowd for BO loss due to - what else? - racism
A slam dunk like the invasion of Iraq, just in and out to seize those weapons of mass destruction, with the Iraqis footing the bill? That is what the corporate media was telling us then. How about what they said about George Bush - a great guy to have beer with.
Coward Dean brings us a nominee who says this..
“America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.”
Somebody wake me up!
This can’t be happening!
How can an Anti-American racist become president?
Moss it frightens me.
obama doesn’t think that we’re a Christian nation anymore.
Obama thinks are daily routines should be controlled and monitored by foreign governments.
This election looks like a slow motion terrorist attack on the very soul and culture of the United States.
Thought 911 was bad?
How about having your whole way of life and all the generations before swept away by an outside force.
Instead of happening somewhere else, it’s now happening here.
The rise of American Nationalism is the only way to stop it.
I think the terrorists have already attacked; they sprayed stupid gas over Obama Nation.
Why can’t we have our own Hugo Chavez?
According to a July article in World Net Daily the US Government is buying up canned foods from survival food sites. Wonder what is going on?
This comment alone should condemn Obama to political and historical obscurity. Ridicule, if he’s lucky. At least people will remember him just to get a laugh.
There’s no way he can win that way. The great presidents talk about how great this country is; first and fundamentally, this is a great nation, and we’re called on to continue being great. Obama is not doing that. He fits the repub screen, “America is at fault” for everything.
Horrible, horrible. Hillary would never talk that way about this country.
Oh please tell us Obama, to which great generation of Americans are you referring? When was America great? Which era in our history are you trying to revive?
Probably just messin wit cha
17 more days for the DNC and Dean to swallow their pride and kick Gumby to the curb. Do I think they are going to do it? I’m with Larry - we are seeing the ship sinking and the occupants are drinking champagne and saying “it’s all good”.
The upside you ask? The Democratic Party will be completely dead in November and something glorious will rise from the ashes if PUMA has anything to do with it! All these lemmings for Obama will be done - no more careers - they will be nuclear toxic waste.
PUMA!
Just Say No Deal!
I shall enjoy watching the entire thing from shore.
A bonfire with smores would be nice Uppity.
Can I bring the popcorn?
I’ll bring the chips and dip!
Mmmm smores… Bring lots!
I shall so enjoy watching this.
Hopefully the captain will allow me to have a glance in the periscope, before we dive and return home.
PUMA!
I hope there are enough lifeboats for PUMAs!!!!
Actually, PUMAS don’t need lifeboats - we refused to get on the sinking ship in the first place!
I guess Dean didn’t get humiliated enough when trying a run for President in 04, he came back to make an ass of himself as the head of the DNC.
To think that this person was licensed as a physician is just mind boggling.
I think if he’d ever treated me I’d be looking into legal action about now!
Oh please! How much of a shitty doctor would Dean have to be to quit practicing medicine?
Think waaaaay bad.
Remember the moron politician doc who diagnosed the brain-dead girl from a videotape?! “She’ll be tap dancing any day now!”
THEY’RE IDIOTS!!
I still want to know which eye he sees with. He’s so frigging cross-eyed. And does he have a neck? Or is that one continuous head all the way down to his shoulders.
I have to say that I’m enjoying The Precious’ slide. The McCain campaign is skillfully defining b0 in the public’s mind, painting him as an empty-headed lightweight who can’t be trusted on the issues. The way they coopted the footage of the Big 0’s Berlin blitz was stunning. Not only did the McCain folks manage to spoil that “triumphal” footage so the Obots can’t use it in their ads, but they turned what seemed like a plus into a huge minus. That is why the Obots were on cable whining about nonexistent racism and giant penises. They knew exactly how much damage that ad did to the One.
(By the way: If that footage of the speech before the “giant phallus” appears in b0’s ads later on, will Bob Herbert start shrieking about huge dicks again?)
B-Zero needs to go on vacation because McCain has him on the run now. He and his people just keep making mistakes, so it’s better for them to get the hell out of Dodge before they do any more damage. Of course, he looks lame as hell taking time off while his 70-something opponent keeps on campaigning. Go, barky, go! Maybe if you run far enough you’ll be able to escape your greatest enemy: yourself.
I have a poem for Obama:
How oft from self
I wish to flee,
But where ever I go,
There’s always me!
That’s no punishment for a narcissist.
Exactly, brilliant move by McCain camp. Obama basically spent a boatload of money to get 200, 000 Germans drunk and full of brats for nothing. Now he can’t even use the footage!
And that, my friends, is the political kiss of death.
Well Dean Howard will not beable to run ever.If he does well he won’t get paass the first stage.
Talk about re-enactment syndrome!
In Titanic, Jack Dawson: I’m the king of the world.
In Germany, Barack Ombama: I’m A citizen of the world
Ya Obama’s gonna win. Haven’t you all heard he’s ahead by 1 point!!!
The only way to see Obama in the white house is on the cover of The New Yorker.
Don’t forget Harpers Bazaar…that serious political pollster…
He’ll be back on the pipe, cruising in limos and looking for favors.
Stay the Course, Howard!
Hillary / Elizabeth
~ ~ ~ ~
***** January 20th, 2009 *****
So let’s drown them out:
U S A ! U S A ! U S A ! Drown Them Out! U S A ! U S A !
** August** Denver** And Anytown & Everywhere USA **!
P U M Action
courage,
power,
one.
I said it months ago. The DNC was committed to sailing on the S.S. 0bama/Titanic.
I only have one thing to say:
Bon Voyage!
What I have to say is…
Win without me.
PUMA
Nice timing BO for a vacation.
Are you afraid the Olympics will upstage your invasion on our TV sets?
Earth to Obama, we don’t care if you even come back from vacation.
How many of us “working class” can even afford a vacation, little own a vacation to Hawaii?
BO is a wimpy snob…
I read that McCain has bought more air time than Obama during the Olympics!
NBC is apparently very ready to take McCain’s money, not just Obama’s…
Mr. Johnson, I have to say that BO can’t afford to wait to long for the Icebergs! They and him are melting fast.
Good Post Larry. I agree with you and I think the damage to the Party will take a long time to repair. After the Teapot Dome scandal it was an extraordinary individual that helped the country recover and regain faith in government. Teddy Roosevelt helped a country heal. When people reel from pervasive corruption it takes an extraordinary person or persons who can step up to do the right thing for the country. This country has been through the political ringer since 2000.
I think that the Democratic Party has been devastated by both a cowed congress, money and a profound interfactional fight that has become an exercise in LUNACY. We have been here before but not this bad or ugly….And the stakes are higher. It really does feel like pissin in a hurricane sometimes….or screamin Ice Berg and no one hears….
It is a sad day for the party built by FDR and my only hope is that perhaps Commissar Donna Brazeal gets an unexpected surprise….She said she would be willing to destroy the party if she had to….Well maybe we discarded Democrats will regain and restore the Party built by FDR and it won’t include her or Dean or the rest of those Self Centered Frightened and Deceptive Party leaders. And maybe our Teddy Roosevelt will be Hillary Clinton.
[...] Johnson was doing some comparing of Howard Dean to the ill-fated Titanic captain on his No Quarters blog today. He had an apt summary of His Messiahship, which echoes my thoughts that the convention may result [...]
The Obama Nation’s Dr Jerri Corsi on a blog talk radio show:
Friday 8/8/08 9PM (est)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/HeadingRight/ASKShow/2008/08/09/The-Obama-Nation-with-Dr-Jerry-Corsi
Jerry not “Jerri”….Jerome is a guy, lol–sorry.
BTW, Larry, good analogy: Obama’s campaign vs. Titanic. Howard Dean/ Capt. Smith.
Good work Larry!
Sadly I agree…I want the”O” defeated…but I mourn for my former party!
[...] Captain Howard Dean, the 21st Century Edward John Smith (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter) The warning signs are everywhere. Barky Obama has no sense of humor, prickly thin skin, an ego the size of an artic iceberg, and is getting no traction in the [polls]. In fact, the more folks learn about him the less they like him. And this without the Republicans mounting a significant, comprehensive ad campaign to introduce the Chicago Messiah. Anybody out there buying the notion that the Republicans will give Obama a pass come 1 September? Didn’t think so. Howard Dean, unlike the Titanic’s [Captain Edward John] Smith, can see the danger ahead. At least Smith’s crew tried to steer clear of the iceberg once they spotted the threat. But Dean’s crew? Hell no. Full speed ahead. These clowns are going to sunder the Democratic party in the name of a symbolic gesture. [...]
My complements, Johnson. Damned good analogy.
“without the Republicans mounting a significant, comprehensive ad campaign to introduce the Chicago Messiah.”
He can’t afford a media extravaganza. He has only 35 million cash on hand to Obama’s 71 million.
What to do? He (or his publicist) has discovered how to use jujitsu in media. He paid to run his last batch of adds only 12 or so times each. The media, though, ran them HUNDREDS of times because they were so “controversial”. It’s the difference between working hard and working smart.
Too bad he’s a goddamn Republican. So it goes.