It actually works the same way with African Americans, they remain tokens, symbols, and heaven forbid they ever have an independent moment.

they’re morally bankrupt .. n’ then some .. and i truly believe the larger majority of the american electorate has finally caught on ..

hell’s a-ridin’ boyz and gals .. and they all know it ..

waay beyond the pale … imo

After 8 years of Loyalty – following Bush without question – passing through the Morally Depraved Realms of Torture, Systematic Lying to Profit an Agenda, Spying on Citizens, Constantly Pulling-the-Rug out from under Justice, Defeating Regulation, Closing the Door to Transparency and Evading Accountability – the Republicans Can No Longer Tell Right From Wrong.

Todd can Lie, and McCain can’t call her on it – the simplest way to explain that would be that they share Loyalty to an Agenda – which, for them, Trumps any claims to Reason, Common Sense or Care for Others.

So, of course, Todd can charge into the Media wearing a Riff-on-an-Urban-Myth-Suicide-Vest! And, of course, McCain will Signal his Passive Approval. It’s the ‘Wink-and-Nod’ – IOKIYAR – that’s become the Trademark Socio-Political Behavior of the Republicans.

Todd and McCain, imvho, are symptomatic of the Rot that runs from Bottom to Top in the Republican Party.

Where there should be Ethical Character, there is, instead, an Ends-Justify-the-Means/But-Don’t-Get-Caught ‘understanding’ between Co-Conspirators to an Agenda of ‘Insider Advancement’ – self interest – that runs on Demonstrations of Loyalty.

IOW, in the Bush/McCain Republican system, Members ‘Win’ and are Rewarded for Loyalty over Doing the Right Thing.

Imvho, when Principles – such as those to which the first Republican President, Lincoln, adhered in order to Preserve the Union – Harden into an Agenda that demands Loyalty over Character – such as the Bush/Cheney Model to exclusively benefit the Loyal Bushies – the Cost – the Lying, Cheating, and Stealing – of Going Down that Path is Loss of Honor.

Todd is young, and possibly unstable. McCain is old and crafty. Neither of them appear to have any Ethical Character, No Honor.

They’re just two peas in a Loyalty-to-the-Agenda Pod.

Greenwald disagrees to some extent, pointing out that every time the economic crisis seems to moderate, the MSM runs to horserace chatter and Drudge-like items. He points out that the MSM still worships Drudge because when he links to them, they generate a ton of hits. He and Boehlert point to a loathsome article by Chris Cilliza in the WaPo:

One article that you pointed to, that I found one of the most repellent articles written in the last couple of months, and that was by Chris Cillizza, who wrote a just definitely worshipful item about the influence of Matt Drudge several weeks ago, and essentially defended Drudge from claims that he’s nothing more than a right-wing hack and a partisan, and depicted him as this sort of Everyman fighting against the awful liberal bias in the media, and that his attempt to launch pro-McCain anti-Obama story lines is nothing more than a desire to battle against the inherent bias in the mainstream press, and not any right-wing agenda. Just absolutely backwards and absurd in ingratiating himself to Drudge, whom he acknowledged he actually studies and reveres.

I’m with Greenwald. I think the MSM are stupid about financial matters, and are desperate to return to what they do best, gotcha stuff. Years ago, I was securities commissioner when a big bank failed. I got several calls from newspaper business writers, asking me why we weren’t dealing with it, and many other questions indicating a total ignorance of regulatory structures and banking practice.

There are business writers who are competent, but the politics writers know nothing.

McCain’s campaign shouldn’t have confirmed any details of the attack. McCain himself should have made a strong statement condemning Todd’s actions (which he has yet to do). But more importantly, it all goes back to John Lewis’ more important point–that we have to get beyond the climate that fosters this kind of behavior. McCain’s refusal to take real steps to do so remains his biggest error here.

Excellent points, but John McCain hasn’t focused on the bigger picture up to now and most likely never will. However, there is yet time for his campaign to own up, in this particular case. Sufficient time hasn’t elapsed yet, but we should know something fairly definitive within the next day or so. But don’t hold your breath.

One little tidbit of info that I picked up during my obsession with the Cunningham scandal is that Joel Combs, Brent Wilkes nephew who testified against Wilkes at his trial, was the leader of the San Diego County Young Republicans circa 1997. I’m not sure if the Young Republicans were the same group as the College Republicans or perhaps some sort of spin off. Combs posted meeting notices in the paper. During this time, Cunningham was whipping the crowds into an anti-gay, religious right frenzy.

So do students join College Republicans because they seek advantages for themselves by frenzying the wingnuts or do they learn that after they join?

EW, I’m reading about Mary Pinchot Meyer, a woman who allegedly had a near two year affair with John Kennedy. She ended up murdered a short while after the assassination.

Much to my surprise was the following quote from Post #20.

QUOTE
The Rockefeller Commission issues its final report on CIA abuses, and coverage of the report in the Washington Post mentions an Army scientist who had jumped from a New York hotel room in 1953, days after being slipped LSD . Eric Olson believes this refers to his deceased father Frank. Eric’s family contends that in the final days of his life, Frank Olson became morally distraught over his work and had decided to quit. Personnel records show that Agency officials were concerned that he had become a security risk. Eric Olson begins a crusade to uncover the truth.
The CIA admits that- as part of an experiment- it had slipped LSD into Frank Olson’s drink at a 1953 private conference, several days before his death. On July 21, President Ford personally apologizes to Frank Olson’s family for an ‘experiment gone awry,’ and promises that the government will reveal everything about the case. Three days later, CIA Director William Colby hands the family previously classified documents. A year later Congress provides the Olsons with a financial settlement of $750,000.
[NOTE: The Ford administration continues to conceal information about Frank Olson, particularly his role in some of the CIA’s most controversial research of the Cold War: anthrax, Ebola and other biological weapons. White House memos show that two of the key officials involved in squelching information about the Olson affair are White House aide Richard Cheney and Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld.

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The parallels with the current anthrax investigation stunned me.