The Democratic Convention | What's Missing

Glenn Greenwald SAYS what I been thinking.
The Democrats(as usual) are far to nice and they're missing some of the worst of the Bush/Republican high crimes and misdemeanors of the last eight years.
I found it over the top myself that virtually ALL the major Democratic speech makers-Kerry(better than the rest), both Clintons and the rest just couldn't seem to resist throwing into their speeches what a great guy John McCain is, what a hero, what a friend and wonderful American. The only one really who came out firing on all cylinders was Dennis Kucinich.
Bet the bank that the Republicans won't do the same in the Twin Cities.

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What's missing from the Democratic convention?

"..First, there is almost no mention of, let alone focus on, the sheer radicalism and extremism of the last eight years. During that time, our Government has systematically tortured people using sadistic techniques ordered by the White House; illegally and secretly spied on its own citizens; broken more laws than can be counted based on the twisted theory that the President has that power; asserted the authority to arrest and detain even U.S. citizens on U.S. soil and hold them for years without charges; abolished habeas corpus; created secret prisons in Eastern Europe and a black hole of lawlessness in Guantanamo; and explicitly abandoned and destroyed virtually every political value the U.S. has long claimed to embrace...

..Even while acknowledging those realities, the Democrats, as a result of these omissions, are largely guilty of doing what they typically do: appearing listless and amorphous by standing for nothing other than safe and uncontroversial platitudes. The loudest reaction Bill Clinton provoked last night was when he proclaimed, in passing and without elaboration, that Obama is "ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." So much of the case against the Bush administration -- much of what has fueled high-level Democratic energy to remove the GOP from power -- has been driven by the GOP's radical transformation of the core political values of the country, trampling on the Constitution and overtly embracing policies that are completely anathema to how Americans perceived of their country...

..More politically damaging still is the absence of any truly stinging attacks on John McCain. Even Joe Biden's speech -- billed as the "attack dog" event -- almost completely avoided any criticisms of McCain the Person, who will emerge from the four days here as a Wonderful, Honorable, Courageous Man -- a friend to Democrats and Republicans alike -- who just happens to be wrong on some issues. The Republicans will spend the next four days mercilessly ripping Barack Obama's character to shreds, as they did to John Kerry in 2004...

..The GOP assaults on Barack Obama will be -- have already been -- even more vicious and personalized, which means by the end of their Convention next week, John McCain will be, by all accounts, an honor-bound, principled and courageous patriot (who, at worst, is wrong on some issues), while Barack Obama will be some vaguely foreign, weak, appeasing, super-ambitious, exotic, empty-headed, borderline un-American liberal extremist.."

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I've watched most of the convention. Of the speeches there's only been four that I've completely turned off. Sadly they're our major Democratic players(which might be some help in understanding why the country's in the shape it's in); Nancy "Impeachment is off the table" Pelosi, Harry "FISA" Reid, Corporate Steny 'the bottom feeder" Hoyer, and Jay "TelCom" Rockefeller.

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