Joe Biden Does Something Heroic
Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) was in the news recently for saying some things that he wished he hadn't said. Presumably intending to compliment Barack Obama, Biden made some remarks that were patronizing, at best. I salute him.
Why? Do I approve of making thoughtless remarks about African-Americans? Of course not. Do I think he should have thought before he spoke? You bet. But I admire him for what he didn't do. After saying something stupid and embarrassing and potentially harmful to his career, he didn't run off to a rehab center.
Biden took responsibility for his actions, didn't blame them on anything that happened in his childhood, and apologized. That kind of heroic behavior is very rare today.
When Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, admitted to and apologized for having an affair with his best friend's wife, he didn't mention therapy or rehab either. So, two politicians in the same week didn't hide behind the counseling card. It seemed too good to be true.
It was. Newsom held out for only five days before he announced that he would be seeking treatment for "alcohol use." His office also said that this "treatment" will not take him away from any time as mayor or as a candidate for re-election. Sounds like pretty serious therapy to me.
I have great respect for alcoholics and other addicts, people with eating disorders, and those with depression and other medical problems who go into rehab or counseling and try to get help. I'm sure it takes great courage to confront these problems. However, in recent years, the "rehab center" has provided a sanctuary for famous people who have messed up. We hear too much about rehab and not enough about responsibility.
Today, people go into rehab or therapy to supposedly help them after they have spewed vile anti-Semitic, racist, or anti-gay remarks. And they go for flirting with minors over the Internet. Then after their 30 days of rehab is up, I guess we're all supposed to forgive them or forget about whatever they did.
This "quick fix" approach is particularly annoying. I'm sure that some of these people could really use psychiatric help. But let them apologize first, take responsibility for what they've done, and then recognize that they may need to be in therapy for a lot longer than a month. When they go into counseling for less time than most of their TV series last, I tend to doubt their sincerity.
Often these stays in rehab or on a psychiatrist's couch are combined with claims of alcoholism or of being mistreated as a child. Again, these are serious things for a person to deal with, but I don't see how, for example, Mel Gibson's being treated for alcoholism could help get rid of his anti-Semitism. The booze didn't put those thoughts in his head. I'm sure we all know people who've gotten drunk who don't suddenly start blaming Jews for all the wars in the world.
In this age of specialization, soon there will probably be separate rehab centers for different "conditions." There will be The Rehab Center for People Who Say Hateful Things, The Rehab Center for People Who Say They Are Addicted To Performing Sexual Acts They Wish They Didn't Do, and, of course, The Rehab Center for Celebrities Who Haven't Had Their Names in the Papers Lately.
As these places proliferate, there will be centers for "regular people," not just celebrities. So, look for people to say things like, "I know I should rinse off my own dishes, but I have a real problem. So, I'm going into rehab for 30 days." Similarly, we may be asked to forgive people who check themselves into places such as, The Rehab Center for People Who Promise to Call Back But Don't, and The Rehab Center for People Who Never Pick Up The Check.
In other words, I have the feeling that running off to rehab is just going to get worse.
I won't be surprised if President Bush and his buddies end up going the rehab route. It just might be his way out of the Iraq mess. In fact, it's perfect for him. Like so many other people these days, he won't really have to apologize or admit he's been wrong. All he and his colleagues will have to do is say they have a problem. Then they'll check into The Rehab Center for Public Officials Who Are Addicted To Exaggerating Dangers to Convince Us To Go to War.
After 30 days, he'll come out, people will forgive him, and he can start in on Iran.
Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from "Sesame Street" to "Family Ties" to "Frasier." He has also read many books, and makes no apologies that some of them were in hardcover.
By Lloyd Garver
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. Why? Do I approve of making thoughtless remarks about African-Americans? Of course not. Do I think he should have thought before he spoke? You bet. But I admire him for what he didn't do. After saying something stupid and embarrassing and potentially harmful to his career, he didn't run off to a rehab center.
When Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, admitted to and apologized for having an affair with his best friend's wife, he didn't mention therapy or rehab either. So, two politicians in the same week didn't hide behind the counseling card. It seemed too good to be true.
It was. Newsom held out for only five days before he announced that he would be seeking treatment for "alcohol use." His office also said that this "treatment" will not take him away from any time as mayor or as a candidate for re-election. Sounds like pretty serious therapy to me.
I have great respect for alcoholics and other addicts, people with eating disorders, and those with depression and other medical problems who go into rehab or counseling and try to get help. I'm sure it takes great courage to confront these problems. However, in recent years, the "rehab center" has provided a sanctuary for famous people who have messed up. We hear too much about rehab and not enough about responsibility.
Today, people go into rehab or therapy to supposedly help them after they have spewed vile anti-Semitic, racist, or anti-gay remarks. And they go for flirting with minors over the Internet. Then after their 30 days of rehab is up, I guess we're all supposed to forgive them or forget about whatever they did.
This "quick fix" approach is particularly annoying. I'm sure that some of these people could really use psychiatric help. But let them apologize first, take responsibility for what they've done, and then recognize that they may need to be in therapy for a lot longer than a month. When they go into counseling for less time than most of their TV series last, I tend to doubt their sincerity.
Often these stays in rehab or on a psychiatrist's couch are combined with claims of alcoholism or of being mistreated as a child. Again, these are serious things for a person to deal with, but I don't see how, for example, Mel Gibson's being treated for alcoholism could help get rid of his anti-Semitism. The booze didn't put those thoughts in his head. I'm sure we all know people who've gotten drunk who don't suddenly start blaming Jews for all the wars in the world.
In this age of specialization, soon there will probably be separate rehab centers for different "conditions." There will be The Rehab Center for People Who Say Hateful Things, The Rehab Center for People Who Say They Are Addicted To Performing Sexual Acts They Wish They Didn't Do, and, of course, The Rehab Center for Celebrities Who Haven't Had Their Names in the Papers Lately.
As these places proliferate, there will be centers for "regular people," not just celebrities. So, look for people to say things like, "I know I should rinse off my own dishes, but I have a real problem. So, I'm going into rehab for 30 days." Similarly, we may be asked to forgive people who check themselves into places such as, The Rehab Center for People Who Promise to Call Back But Don't, and The Rehab Center for People Who Never Pick Up The Check.
In other words, I have the feeling that running off to rehab is just going to get worse.
I won't be surprised if President Bush and his buddies end up going the rehab route. It just might be his way out of the Iraq mess. In fact, it's perfect for him. Like so many other people these days, he won't really have to apologize or admit he's been wrong. All he and his colleagues will have to do is say they have a problem. Then they'll check into The Rehab Center for Public Officials Who Are Addicted To Exaggerating Dangers to Convince Us To Go to War.
After 30 days, he'll come out, people will forgive him, and he can start in on Iran.
Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from "Sesame Street" to "Family Ties" to "Frasier." He has also read many books, and makes no apologies that some of them were in hardcover.
By Lloyd Garver
Posted by Dontbasucka
You're comparing a verbal gaffe to child molesters. Typical of you neocon morons.
Examples? Compare this to what Sen. Trent Lott said at Strom Thurmond's Birhtday party & that Senator Lott stepped down from his position. Congressman (R) Mark Foley & his flirtatious emails to a 17 year old male page vs. Congressman (D) Gerry Eastman Studds who actually had *** with a 17 year old male page. Only one actually stepped down. The Democrat continued on, proud to have slept with a boy, someone's son. Studds was elected 6 more times.
Republicans are scandalous but Democraps are heroic. Rep. William Jefferson, (D)La is under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an F.B.I. informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded. He hid the money in his freezer. That's where they found it. Don't we all put that kind of money in our freezer? He was the same one who had the National Guard take him to his residence in a boat after flooding from Katrina. What about the thousands and thousands who had no boats?? Who couldn't check on their property?
It's the OJ Simpson phenomenon. No matter what your ilk does we will continue to support it. That is why most blacks cheered after the not guilty verdict in the murder trial and most whites felt OJ Simpson got away with murder. Only one side is right. Both can't be.
Noone in the US government claimed that they actually knew where those weapons were. The maximum you could get was a vague statement from Rumsfeld: "they are in the Tikrit area". Well, that's a pretty big place for a few hundred mustard gas shells.
Given that noone in the US government explained how exactly they want to find those weapons before a cornered Saddam could either use them or share them with terrorists why did you think that by invading Iraq you could prevent terrorists from getting those weapons either from Saddam himself or by simply stealing them in a country where the central authority would be gone or where lower level officals would now act on their own believing that Saddam would be gone soon?
Remember the looting? 150,000 troops or not you couldn't do anything against it. You didn't know what was happening at most fascilities in Iraq, you didn't know what was looted, who was looting and where the looted stuff ended up.
Imagine if Iraq had not been disarmed in the 90s. What do you think would have happened with those weapons after the invasion started, while major combat operations were still going on and in the days and weeks after Baghdad fell?
You cannot disarm Iraq without knowing where the weapons are. And knowing where the weapons are is not the same as invading Iraq.
1. How did any intel you saw prove or at least suggest that Iraq still have deployable chemical weapons?
2. Other than chemical weapons did you see any evidence showing the presence of biological weapons and/or and active nuclear program?
Those two were main pillars of Bush's argument as to why we had to invade Iraq. He didn't just talk about chemical weapons.
3. Why did you think that the mere presence of chemical weapons made a full scale land invasion of Iraq in 2003 necessary?
Iraq was believed to have those weapons for years before 2002. Still, there were very few people (mostly neocons) who wanted Clinton to invade Iraq.
What exactly made Iraq in 2002 such an imminent threat that a decision had to be made about an invasion in early 2003?
You want a HERO???
STAND UP FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE _____ WAY!!!
I love how the left and "newly converted left" (see Hillary Clinton and John Edwards - both exceptionally moderate and hawkish when it suits their political needs)have to assert they were lied to or exaggerated to, rather than just stating the truth; that if we were home as winners now, none of them would be commenting on how we got there or whether it was right to go in - they'd just be enjoying the victory as most Americans would (if we had won; Bush's approval rating would be in the 60s and 70's would be saying they agreed with the war and our decision to go in) Wise up lefties - Americans don't agree with your pacifist ways or passive approach to fighting terrorists or rogue states; they just don't like losing - Americans aren't all the sudden morally against the war they supported by 75%+, they're against the fact that we're losing. I find it exceptionally interesting in Hillary's case since it was her husband's administration and his CIA director (George Tenet, who said WMD were a "slam dunk" was a Clinton appointee by the way) that collected the majority of the intel we relied upon to presume Saddam was still harboring WMD...just further proof she will say ANYTHING, hold ANY position, mold to ANY audience to get the Lincoln bedroom back.
"I'm voting for a Democrat, any Democrat!"
I never thought I would say that, but now I am.
The parties might not have had much difference in the past but right now they most certainly do.
Democrats all the way!
So we have a war in Iraq so Americans can have oil?
Important "neo-con" note:
The United States Industrial complex can compete better with the world if we continue to have cheap oil for our citizens. Forget trying to figure out new methods of creating and storing energy, because it will not be as profitable because the most likely substitutes for oil would be a RENEWABLE energy source.
Anybody checked the price of gas in England or Europe lately? We got way cheaper prices here in the US. Of course in Europe they have universal medical care almost everywhere, but then again why would Corporations want that for Americans?