three things that don't matter this election

[Brian]

Things that mattered in 2004 that don't in 2008*:

Military service - in 2004, serving in Vietnam qualified one to be president. In 2008, it doesn't.

Iraq - in 2004, Iraq was the next Vietnam. In 2008, Iraqis now control 13 of 18 provinces.

Global Warming - while the MSM gleefully blathered on about how global warming was going to doom us, people like Barney Frank were telling us that everything is OK with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while their infrastructure was crumbling. Now, this credit mess is going to doom us. This would not have happened if we had Democrats controlling congress for the past 1 1/2 years because they surely would have nipped this problem in the bud. Oh wait, nm.


Bonus tidbit ('06 vs. '08 election):

Mark Foley - in 2006, the personal affairs of Mark Foley were all over the news and of supreme importance to be reported to the American people (NYTimes archive search: 222 stories about Mark Foley from Oct. 1 to Nov. 6, 2006). In 2008, it's Tim who? (NYtimes archive search: 5 stories about Tim Mahoney from Oct. 1 through Oct. 29, 2008). 222 to 5? No media bias, right.


*That is, if you believe the unbiased (sic) media

[greggh]

Things that mattered in 2004 that don't in 2008*:

...

Iraq - in 2004, Iraq was the next Vietnam. In 2008, Iraqis now control 13 of 18 provinces.

...

Are you saying that you think that the issue of the Iraq war is not effecting the way people will vote in this election?

[Brian]

...just an analysis of media coverage. Since the surge worked and things have improved dramatically, the MSM reports very little from Iraq and has started rooting for Afghanistan to fall into chaos.

[walter_mellon]

The Mark Foley story deserved the amount of coverage it got. While Mahoney is guilty of infidelity, it was with consenting adult women. Foley was buttsurfing underage boys who were working in the US Capital, while serving as Chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. While he was sponsoring legislation like the "Child Modeling Exploitation prevention Act of 2002", his hobby was trolling the halls of Congress looking for fresh meat.

I'll grant you, recent years have produced so many stories of corrupt, hypocritical, fudge-packing Republican sex offenders that it almost isn't news anymore. What really made this newsworthy is that it was happening with the full knowledge of the Republican House leadership, who not only failed to curb this perv's activities, but covered up and lied about it when confronted with the evidence. The stink was so bad that even the Moonie Washington Times called for the removal of Dennis Hastert.

I am not defending Mahoney's infidelities, nor his payment of hush money to his mistresses, but your implication of some kind of moral equivalence between Foley and Mahoney is disgusting. When Mahoney's activities cause the resignation of the House Speaker, I'll buy your claim of bias.

[Brian]

Foley was never charged with a crime. Immoral, yes, but so is adultery. So, then, why discrepancy is coverage?

[walter_mellon]

Foley was never charged with a crime. Immoral, yes, but so is adultery. So, then, why discrepancy is coverage?

Wow. The fact that Foley skated away without being charged does not make pedophilia any less a crime. Again, your equation of Foley and Mahoney is breathtakingly immoral. I only hope for your sake that you are just being a troll by being so degenenerate. Your moral and intellectual bankruptcy speak volumes about the current political fortunes of the Republican party.

[greggh]

Foley was never charged with a crime. Immoral, yes, but so is adultery. So, then, why discrepancy is coverage?

Wow. The fact that Foley skated away without being charged does not make pedophilia any less a crime.

Wow. The use of the term pedophilia to describe what Foley was accused of is insane. I've seen this done many times. Seeking to engage in a sexual relationship with an 18 year old former page is not pedophilia. If you are going to throw around the P word you really should make sure it applies to the person you're aiming it at.