FLAIT

I was going to add this as an insert to my previous post but decided that it deserved its own posting.

Last month, Rachel Maddow had a segment that was very telling, at least in one respect. She showed that just weeks after Barack Obama took office in 2009, and continuing throughout the next four plus years, conservative talk show hosts, as well as Congressional Republicans, were calling for his impeachment. The "reasons" varied but they kept calling for it, regardless of how foolish it made them look.

Sure, it's red meat for their brainwashed and ignorant listeners, viewers, readers and voters (who would rather have "red meat" propaganda than say health care, which goes to show just how brainwashed, ignorant, and spiteful, they are). But that's not the point. What was more telling - and what Maddow didn't pick up on - is that when Democrats had legitimate reasons to not only impeach but imprison a Republican president, they never even mentioned it.

While the right was/is/always on the attack and making up "reasons" to impeach Obama rile up their moronic listeners, viewers, readers and voters, this is what George W. Bush got away with:

1. Gross negligence and mass incompetence that failed to even try and prevent the 9/11 attacks.
2. Started a war in Iraq based on lies.
3. Had no plan for the war and removed troops and resources from the justifiable war in Afghanistan, which...
4. Turned both wars into unmitigated disasters.
5. Tortured prisoners (most of whom were innocent and not terrorists at all) and basically re-wrote the laws to allow them to do so.
6. Instituted a blatantly unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping program on Americans.

If those aren't impeachable offenses, then I don't know what is. Can you imagine what Republicans would have done to Bill Clinton if he was responsible for just one of those things (oh wait, someone did)?

The Bush Administration also doctored science reports to fit their neanderthal 15th century agenda, purposely leaked the cover of a secret CIA agent (for petty, childish reasons) and failed to come to the aid of Hurricane Katrina victims. And never did.

And what did the Democrats do about all this after they took control of Congress in 2006? Nothing. Actually, more than nothing, immediately. Within hours of winning control of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi took "impeachment off the table."

So you see how things work? Republicans impeached Clinton for lying under oath in a civil deposition and call for Obama's impeachment because...well, just because. But when Democrats had a number of legitimate reasons - hell, the obligation - to impeach and imprison George Bush, they ran away from it. Typical of the afraid-of-their-own-shadow Democrats.

As far as Obama's recent "scandals" are concerned, Benghazi was made up, literally.

Also, it's funny that we didn't hear a peep out of Republicans (or Democrats!) even though there 13 "Benghazi's" while George Bush was president.

Republicans are also blasting Obama - impeach! impeach! impeach! - because he had the nerve to use the phrase "act of terror" to describe the Benghazi attack and not "terrorist attack."

This is what we're dealing with here. And that's just part of it. Republicans spend all of their waking hours demagoguing, lying, obstructing, attacking and instilling fear and paranoia in their mindless, gullible and ignorant base. And that not only increases the (manufactured) hatred the right has for Obama, Democrats and liberals (all three of 'em), but brings the legislative process to a halt. Mission accomplished as far as Republicans are concerned.

And who's responsible for allowing that, I wonder?

And then there's the IRS targeting Tea Party groups, which could very well turn out to be civil servants doing their jobs because they went after liberal groups too; and unlike the conservative groups had their tax exempt status denied. In fact, the IRS approved twice as many conservative groups for the tax exemption than liberal groups.

Oh, and by the way, the IRS office behind this "scandal" was run by a conservative Republican. (June 26 insert: And the entire "scandal" was manufactured by Republican Darrell Issa.)

But none of that matters because House Republicans will hold hearings this summer and trot out one "victimized conservative tax payer" after another. And Fox "News" will play it up big and make it look as though Obama himself ordered the IRS to target conservative groups exclusively.

This is how Republicans keep their base/Fox "News" viewers in a perpetual state of rage at Obama and Democrats (in a couple of months they'll use the debt ceiling). It's also how Republicans control the narrative, agenda and pace gridlock on Capitol Hill, which always has Obama and the Democrats on the defensive. And who allows that, I wonder?

Where the right might actually have a case is with the Department of Justice placing AP and Fox "News" reporters under surveillance. But how come nobody cared when George Bush started, and Obama continued, a warrantless wiretapping program of Americans? How come nobody cared that the government was collecting and storing billions of emails, texts, faxes and phone calls every day (this was known before the recent news about the NSA collecting the phone records of Verizon customers and gaining direct access into the internet's biggest communication data bases)? Why did it take for reporters to be put under surveillance for there to be outrage about it when New Jersey Muslims already were (even before Republican Peter King called for it)!

And if spying on news organizations is wrong because reporters were exercising their First Amendment rights by revealing information Obama didn't want made public, then why were Republicans and Fox "News" calling for the New York Times to be prosecuted for exercising their First Amendment rights when they revealed George Bush's warrantless wiretapping program?

Besides, since when do Republicans give a hoot about AP? Aren't they part of the so called "treasonous liberal media that's helping the terrorists?"

On the other hand, can you imagine what Democrats would be screaming if George Bush was doing the same thing to reporters? Yes, I can. Not a whole heck of a lot because they didn't.

So when a Democrat is President, Republicans make stuff up and turn non-scandals into "ten times bigger" than Watergate and Iran-Contra combined. And they're never called out and held accountable for such partisan vitriol.

But when Republican presidents disregard the Constitution, engage in mass criminality, including war crimes, have a record of nothing but exponential incompetence and negligence, and were responsible for allowing the biggest terrorist attack in America's history and the senseless maiming and deaths of tens of thousands of young American soldiers, there's not a peep out of Republicans. And Democrats take "impeachment off the table."

Pathetic. But that's the double standard that's been set. And who allowed that, I wonder.

Of course, the excuse from Obama and the left is that there's nothing they can do, now, because Republicans control the House.

But if Obama stood up to Republicans from his first days in office, fought back with facts and logic and called them out for what they are, and moved the country left, instead of right, maybe the Democrats A) wouldn't have lost control of the House in 2010, B) done better at the state level the same year so the GOP wouldn't have had as much power as they did when it came to redistricting House seats, and/or C) there wouldn't even be a Republican Party anymore (just like there wouldn't be a Democratic Party anymore if Bill Clinton or Barack Obama did what George Bush did. The Republican Party and the massive right-wing cult would have made sure of it. You think I'm kidding? This is what it would have looked like.).

So throwing up your hands and saying you can't do anything about the Republicans - as opposed to standing up for yourself and fighting back - is just a pitiful excuse that Democrats saps use.

Bottom line is that Republicans can't engage in facts, logic or policy; not because they have all the credibility of a three dollar bill (which they do), not because they're always wrong (which they are), but because they absolutely no intention of governing responsibly ever. They can't because governing would mean passing legislation that Democrats are for. And they won't do that out of spite. The country be damned.

Therefore, since they can't win with ideas, intellect, honest debate or governing (insert laugher here), all they have are lies, spin, propaganda, hypocrisy, ignorance, intimidation, confrontation, obstruction, fear, paranoia, conspiracies and a constant - and I mean constant - barrage of attacks, partisan vitriol and childish ridicule, all for the sole purpose of destroying Obama and tearing the Democrat's poll numbers down. And Hillary Clinton's. That's what Benghazi's about. And that's what the IRS and AP/Fox "News" "scandals" are about. Heck, that's what everything is about with these political terrorists.

Why Obama, Democrats, Americans and the "liberal media" take Republicans and the right seriously is beyond me. But when you've allowed yourself to be intimidated by these thugs and bullies, as well as the NRA, the sanctimonious religious zealots and the right-wing propaganda/attack media machine, you wind up in the fetal position, whimpering in the corner (I recommend this video clip of Ron Silver in an episode of the West Wing).

And that's why not a single Democrat even mentioned impeaching George Bush and why Nancy Pelosi took it "off the table" as fast as she did. It's also why Republicans and the right get away with calling for Obama's impeachment.

Couple more points: Democrats are like a child that keeps trying to appease an abusive parent so the beatings would stop. Don't believe me? Then how come A) George Bush didn't have to worry about getting 60 votes in the Senate to get votes on legislation procedural administration and judicial nominees everything, and B) Democrats have to appease Republicans and water bills down even more then usual, not to get the 60 votes, but 70? And the legislation still falls apart.

'Nuff said.

If you think I'm exaggerating when I say the Republican Party and right-wing movement is a cult, here's proof that the brainwashing starts at a young age.

June 21 insert:

Here's a perfect example how the right makes stuff up to keep their moronic listeners, viewers, readers and voters in a perpetual state of rage at Obama. And here's a perfect example of Republican, um, "logic."

July 6 insert:

Here's proof that the right not only goes looking for reasons to hate Obama (because they have to hate him), but A) it's petty, B) manufactured, and C) okay when Bush did the same thing (and more!).

This is what they get outraged about (again, they have to because they have to hate Obama). But when George Bush lies the country into an unnecessary war that killed and wounded thousands of young Americans, there's not a peep out of them.

It's that perpetual, blood-thirsty hatred - something different every day - that fuels the ignorance, hypocrisy, opposition, confrontation, obstruction and, ultimately, the cult itself.

And there's no one on the left angry enough (insert laughter here) that even tries to put an end to it.