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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alighieri who wrote (611824)	5/18/2011 12:43:19 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577593

May 18, 2011 12:30 PM Republicans ‘depressed’ by 2012 options By Steve Benen The political story of the day appears to be this piece from Mike Allen, noting that “top Republicans are increasingly convinced that President Barack Obama will be easily reelected if stronger GOP contenders do not emerge.” Feeling desperate, the party is turning a “bland, wonkish” governor, Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, “for an adrenaline boost.” As a rule, political parties — especially ones that rely on a radical, hysterical base to win elections — do not get adrenaline boosts from bland wonks. [I]nterviews this week with longtime party activists and strategists made clear that many in the Republican establishment are unnerved by a field led by Mitt Romney, who could have trouble confronting Obama on health reform; Tim Pawlenty, who has yet to ignite excitement; Jon Huntsman, who may be too moderate to get the nomination; and Newt Gingrich, weighed down by personal baggage and a sense that he is a polarizing figure from the 1990s. Despairing Republican lobbyists say their colleagues don’t ask, “Who do you like?” but instead, “Who do we back?” “It’s not that they’re up in arms,” said a central player in the GOP money machine. “It’s just that they’re depressed.” The Republicans’ malaise isn’t just fodder for pundits; it carries real-world consequences. Major donors, activists, and staffers, for example, are waiting on the sidelines, hoping that more compelling candidates will come along. Allen added, “[I]nstead of solidifying against the overwhelming force being amassed by Obama’s reelection campaign, the GOP is indulging in an embarrassingly public — and probably futile — search for a more compelling standard-bearer.” Party officials are pleading with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who has foresworn the possibility. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is the subject of a new round of scuttlebutt, but as of yesterday, he’s not running. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is apparently eyeing 2016. Sarah Palin hasn’t ruled out the race, but by all appearances, the party establishment would much prefer she stay out of it. (Allen said D.C. Republicans are “terrified” that she or a similar insurgent candidate, such as Bachmann, will make matters worse.) And that leaves Daniels — the former Bush official largely responsible for creating a fiscally irresponsible snowball — to play the role of the rescuing hero. Some of this seems to the result of affection for Daniels, and some is the result of panic-stricken Republicans surveying the current GOP field. Obviously, we’ll see soon enough, and making confident predictions about this is a fool’s errand, but I wouldn’t be surprised if (a) Daniels struggles to impress anyone outside the political establishment that adores him; (b) Perry reconsiders, unless there’s a secret reason he’s afraid of national scrutiny; and (c) Pawlenty starts to take on the role of Kerry in ‘04, becoming the least objectionable alternative who more or less satisfies all of the party’s factions.

To: Alighieri who wrote (611824)	5/18/2011 12:51:03 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1577593

Al, I think this is really mean of you to do this to Dave. Here he was thinking that Volt was an utter failure and you post an article suggesting otherwise. You know.....you absolutely know that saving GM was a HUGE mistake and will cost Obama the presidency. So please.......STOP!

To: Alighieri who wrote (611824)	5/18/2011 12:54:19 PM
From: bentway	Respond to of 1577593

I'm looking forward to my Volt test drive! Not that I'll BUY one. A used car is the greenest thing you can buy. Currently looking for a 50 mpg Honda CRX HF..

To: Alighieri who wrote (611824)	5/18/2011 1:01:19 PM
From: i-node	5 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1577593

You've come back here month after month with this nonsense that GM is "limiting" production and/or sales of the Volt. What a total crock of shit. What's limiting sales is that NOBODY WANTS THIS POS.

To: Alighieri who wrote (611824)	5/18/2011 1:36:10 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577593

US slaps sanctions on Syria's Assad for abuses 8 minutes ago By MATTHEW LEE and BEN FELLER Associated Press (AP:WASHINGTON) The United States slapped sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad and six senior Syrian officials for human rights abuses over their brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, for the first time personally penalizing the Syrian leader for actions of his security forces. The White House announced the sanctions Wednesday, a day before President Barack Obama delivers a major speech on the uprisings throughout the Arab world with prominent mentions of Syria. The Obama administration had pinned hopes on Assad, seen until recent months as a pragmatist and potential reformer who could buck Iranian influence and help broker an eventual Arab peace deal with Israel. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Assad's increasingly brutal crackdown left U.S. officials little choice but to abandon the effort to woo Assad, and to stop exempting him from the same sort of sanctions already applied to Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. The sanctions will freeze any assets Assad and others have in U.S. jurisdiction and make it illegal for Americans to do business with them. The U.S. had imposed similar sanctions on two of Assad's relatives and another top Syrian official last month but had thus far refrained from going after Assad himself. The move comes as Assad said earlier Wednesday that his security forces had made mistakes during the two-month uprising and blamed poorly trained police at least in part for the crackdown that has killed more than 850 people. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she was increasingly alarmed by developments in Syria and called out Assad and his allies for failing to follow through on earlier pledges of reform. "They have embraced the worst tactics of their Iranian ally, and they have refused to honor the legitimate aspirations of their own people in Syria," Clinton told reporters. "President Assad talks about reform, but his heavy-handed, brutal crackdown shows his true intentions." Clinton's pointed accusation about Assad bearing personal responsibility for the repression came as the White House ramped up its criticism of his rule. White House press secretary Jay Carney said democratic change had to come to Syria. "The recent events in Syria we believe prove that the country cannot go back to the status quo ante," he said. "Syria's future will only be secured by a government that reflects the popular will of its people." Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.