"do you think it should be the level of effort involved to be deserving, or of value created? what if picasso took 2 minutes to make a google logo?" - Adrian Bye
".. and I've never been treated worse entering ANY country compared to my trip to Canada. I go to the US every 3-4 months, and DHS is always without exception extremely courteous and helpful. Canadian border patrol really sucks and you should be ashamed." - Adrian Bye
"I've been treated this exact way when entering (and leaving) Canada. The level of questioning and hassle from Canadian border patrols I got was astonishing. I was so unimpressed that I haven't gone back. Over that same timeframe that I haven't returned to Canada, during about 20 trips to the USA, DHS has almost always been extremely courteous and helpful." - Adrian Bye
"A top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported." - Dave Winer
via Bookmarklet
thi is awesome. i love our crazy ass foreign policy. so EXCITING - Baratunde Thurston
via twhirl
You give Bush way way too much credit. He's a deer caught in the headlights. He was enjoying being a lame duck, hanging out at the Olympics, drinking a few beers, getting ready to go down to the ranch in Crawford, planning his retirement with his buddies who looted the US Treasury. Too bad he has to deal with something that requires a President, not the first time in his Presidency, but this time the stakes are much bigger than just New Orleans or New York City. - Dave Winer
Baratunde, if you like excitement, this is a great time to be alive. Excitement like this hasn't happened since the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. - Dave Winer
BTW, read my piece if you think it's partisan. I'd call in Bush I and Brent Scowcroft right now, to try to sort this one out. They are Republicans. - Dave Winer
this is really getting big. Hope it doesn't go back to the cold war era situation. - Rahul Das
I think he's "provoking" this in the sense that his administration is prepared to put a missile shield of dubious effectiveness or necessity in a place that *clearly* offends Russia. They've made their concerns known about this for over a year, but Bush steams ahead. - Chris Baskind
Bush was stupid enough to invade a country based on false evidence... - Tad, better than boredom
I think Russia will pull out, get a minor slap on the wrist, and more or less get away with what they did in Georgia. Putin flexed his muscle. - David Risley
Well, there goes the country of my family heritage. - Michael Forian
it is going straight on in to 2012, obama isn't going to be able to do much, the entire psychic energy of america has to get enlivened for transformation, and we are way short of that - Gregory Lent
a smart guy would have invited russia to join nato a few years ago, but they have more value as an enemy for some - Gregory Lent
@Dave - This is sort of the Cuban Missile Crises in reverse. - Victor Ryden
With Russia acting so aggressively, it's little wonder that nations such as the Czech Rep. and Poland are signing such agreements with the US. It wouldn't surprise me either if certain states come to the conclusion that nuclear weapons might be the only way to ensure that their sovereignty is respected. - Paul Grav
Of course. I would't allow such thing on my door,too. Like Cuba other way around - Ryo
I'm not sure the Cuban analogy holds. The missile defense rockets aren't nuclear. Could they even do real damage? Don't they go dead if they don't hit a target and are headed for ground? Would we have been scared of a system like this? - Christopher Galtenberg
va bene che abbiamo il Governo e l'Opposizione in ferie, ma nella blogosfera leggo ti auguri per il ferragosto, pero' non mi pare che ci sia la dovuta attenzione a certe notize... - Gino Tocchetti
@gino tocchetti Se vai sul corriere però scoprirai che Gigi D'Alessio ha salvato 7 naufraghi - Ester "hoshimem" Memoli
Very frightening issue. Just hope this will get resolved in a diplomatic manner. - Thomas Frütel
Putin has the money, has the gas for Europe, has the force - we have lost all and have no hand to play. This feels like 1936. What's new is stupidity. The Missile Shield is sheer provocation as was the Georgian Adventure - we don't have a moral card to play either. I don't think we have any cards. If i was a Pole or Ukrainian I would be scared - Rob Paterson
I find it interesting that no one views this as a European problem. Where are France, Germany, and Britain? Why is this a mess *we* have to solve? Why, 60 years after WWII ended, are these countries not able to wipe their own diplomatic noses yet? - Chuck Shotton
"Push out a bayonet. If it strikes fat, push deeper. If it strikes iron, pull back for another day." V.I. Lenin, May 1922 This approach is a time proven component of the Russian psyche. They must be called out on their shit. - Jay Tannenbaum
It's not a European problem for some because they can find a way to blame Bush. If it was a president they liked in office it would be all Russian aggression and European issues. For some folks anything that can be Bush's fault is, no matter how far the stretch.As for the shield? Build it. Increasing your ability to defend yourself is never a bad idea no matter how much the bully tries to tell you it is. - Soulhuntre
On the issue itself - I don't think aggression by a nuke capable country is a continental issue. We must react. Invasion won't be a good idea and putting boots on the ground there (even with all the troops from Iraq) would be futile. The technical projection of force works against Russia because they are a infrastructure heavy society Missile defenses, carrier task groups, air recon, cruise strikes if it comes to that. These things will work if needed. - Soulhuntre
Chuck. You're right. I'm European and I'm extremely disappointed with the response from 'old europe'. Sarkozy has said very little, and Brown has said even less. - Paul Grav
McCain should stfu indeed...I'm a supporter of his for president, but he is way wrong on this one. - David Mercer
Chuck, you make a really excellent point. - Adrian Bye
I thought Sarkozy negotiated the peace plan currently being considered. - Christopher Galtenberg
A friend of mine who visited Georgia a couple of years ago says the Russians are doing just that -- rebuilding. But they think WE are imperialists.http://blog.stealthmode.com/20... - Francine Hardaway
Reads like an unfunny sequel to Dr. Strangelove. - Helen Sventitsky
There must be something in it for Bush if he's talking like this. He barely said anything when the Chinese were battering the Tibetans recently. - Tom Burgess
Tom, I don't think Tibet is a prospective NATO member... - Chuck Shotton
Sometimes, I think about the future of our country and I feel scared. - Mohit
While this is forgivable in a person -- if I were as tired and stressed as he is, I'd probably do this kind of thing every single time I had to field two questions in a row -- this is just not tolerable in a candidate for president, who will, if elected (unless he's Reagan or Shrub), presumably have far more stressful moments on the job, and will need the mental stamina to stay with it. - Tegan Dowling
McCain is freakin' me out.... how can this guy be a Presidential candidate...wow! - Susan Beebe
This seems mean-spirited to me. I'm an Obama supporter and this just seems to be picking on the old guy. He's taking questions that aren't planted and he has to think about his answers. Give him a break. - Patrick
It's not a senior moment. That's the Straight Talk Express coming off the rails again. - Chris Baskind
i dont get the multiple camera angles. Was he taking a dump in his shorts while trying to answer the question? - Rodfather
Patrick: You're a gentleman, and your point is well-taken. But he's a pro, and should be able to handle that. - Chris Baskind
Patrick: I'm a republican - the fact that the guy can't answer the question about his campaign claiming Obama plays the race card is a joke. The fact that he can't speak articulately to his work to promote racially equality across his career with ease is either shameful or truly sad - take your pick. Every day I get closer to crossing party lines. I just want someone I can believe in - is that too much to ask? - Morgan
Yeah, everyone has a moment like that. I'm 38 and that happens to me all the time. I blank out. Imagine answering questions all the time, all day long. This is just dumb to pile on this one video, and I'm an Obama supporter. - Jim Kukral
poor guy. like others on this thread i don't take this against McCain. i'd be out of words myself if i'm in McCain's (or Obama's) shoes. i can't imagine the stress that these two candidates are subjected to 24/7. that said, there's a op-ed on NYTimes by Bob Herbert reminding people that John McCain as a maverick is just a myth. see http://bit.ly/3UGRPz - ~C4Chaos
And Saturday, and Sunday, and Monday...and everyday. - Jim Stanger
It'd be one thing if this was an isolated instance. How about the one where they ask about Carly's stand on birth control? Also, it's okay to have this happen but it's what you do that is crucial. Lose your place, don't ah, um, hem - that's not going to cut it as President. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that question?" would do nicely, cover any mental lapses and give time to process. - AJ Kohn
I like obama and i don't like this video. Those were non trivial questions asked in intelligent language spoken quickly in a row. I'm 36 and I could easily have gotten mixed up too. Posting this is no better than running brittney and paris in a video with obama as a "dog whistle". C'mon dave, you can do better. - Adrian Bye
Nobody is going to post a video of McCain here unless it shows him in a bad light. McCain is as articulate as most politicians but all you will see here are videos like the one shown. - Michael Tefft
Adrian, then you shouldn't be president either. - Dave Winer
I just posted 3 Obama gaff videos out of a number available on YouTube. Nobody, not even Obama, is perfect. - Michael Tefft
True nobody is perfect, it's just that McSame is worse than Bush at gaffing himself. - JMac of Earth
The President might as well be called the Public Speaker in Chief. This stuff IS important. At least 2/3 of the job is about eloquently passing along a message that someone else has created - Nicholas Molnar
I think it's a shame that so much attention is played to such moments - on both sides. No one is perfect for sure, but these two both stand for more of the same - big government, high spending, way too much interfering in our lives, a slide toward a European style nanny state. - Ian May
ugh. when isn't he having a senior moment? - edythe
That's right, Obama is not perfect. But he's fit and 46, and McCain has had cancer and is 71. Big difference, health-wise. You may not like it, but it's true. - Dave Winer
Another thing to look into -- I don't think McCain was all that smart, even when he was younger and in better health. We need to find out more about that. - Dave Winer
Eh - I was a big fan of McCain back in 2000. If it was McCain in 2000 vs Obama today I'd have a lot of thinking to do. - Tad, better than boredom
It's not McCain's senior moments that worry me, it's his lack of knowledge of foreign affairs, geography, etc. AND his temper. I also think he obsessed with military defeat due to his past trauma. - Rod Bauer
via twhirl
I hate his hypocrisy. He makes a big deal about how he's always put his country first, and then he runs that fucked up ad that makes the presidency about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. He'll fuck the country just so he can win an election. That's the Republican Party. They should just disband they're such sad fucks. - Dave Winer
don't like mccain, but this just seems like human error. which everyone does in some way. not so good to attack for this. better to attack for substance. also think we do need younger president. things too intense right now. not sure about obama either. think we are in a huge mess. - terra210
Dave, I like your insightful commentary. I'll bet you were on the debate team in college. - Michael Tefft
Thats just sad. Look at Crist's face. He must be thinking what have I done? I bailed on blocking offshore drilling for this guy???? - Brad Nickel
For the apologists, there is no excuse for this. If you want to be President you have to always be on. The entire friggin world expects it and acts upon your every word and facial expression. This is worse than Reagen in his 2nd term. Once I would say he was thinking about something else, but this happens everytime he faces a tough question about his record! - Brad Nickel
Interesting that something as stupid and insignificant as this gets 30 comments, while a story of real substance and meaning such as the Antrax investigation gets not one bit of discussion. I think some conclusions can be made about that. - Christopher Dickens
@Christopher Dickens. Yes, I guess it means you are a genius and all us others are mere mortals. Is there an alter I can worship you at? - Michael Tefft
Like Napoleon's army after the defeat in Moscow, straggling west, fleeing the hideous frozen hell, we are moving into the (for me, at least) unknown... - Dave LaFontaine
Ok, trying FF as well. Still like twitter and will be sad if I have to leave it - Lide Winburn
Ive been following you for awhile but I dont think youve been following me because Ive replied back and you never answered and it said you wasnt following... :) but im still following you!!!!! - Christopher
It seems to me this is kind of a moot point. You draw those who follow you into your convesation and if someone makes a comment that continually intriques you all you have to do is simply subscribe to their ff. No need to wage a big dick contest with numbers of followers here. Its all about the conversation. Just an observation at this point.. I'm just now starting the migration from twitter to FF myself;-) - Curtis "Winer" Cross
via twhirl
Just subscribed to you, feel free to follow back! - KyleM
Hi Jason, thanks in advance for the follow. - Larry Kless
Yes please - it is a challenge how to parallelize your twitter connections on FriendFeed. They really need a good import interface with automatic notifications via DM back to twitter followers. - Jed White
