just out of curiosity... did the audience interrupt sean hannity as much as they heckled rocky anderson?

I'd be interested to read Mayor Anderson's full script including the parts that were rudely interrupted and cut short.

It's sad how the moronic BOOers often didn't seem to know what they were even BOOing at. It's like they hate freedom and justice or something or is that baseless assertion merely a shameless page out of the Right-Wing Neo-Con Chicken-Hawk playbook?

Also if Americans hate France so much, as demonstrated by the BOOs at Jacques Chirac, then perhaps they might care to give back to France one of her generous gifts "La liberté éclairant le monde". You might have seen it, it's a big copper statue of a lady symbolising freedom from oppression and the liberation from tyranny given to a fledgling nation in a generous display of solidarity from a much older and wiser one.

I'd be willing to bet that a great many Americans actually don't know too much about one of their cherished icons. Or even what she stands for.

I found it interesting that during the actual presentation of evidence, which was devastatingly convincing, even Bushbots fell silent. It was only when Rocky shoved comparisons with the Nuremberg trials and other historical monstrosities in front of the morons that they understood and howled in protest.

Outstanding job, Rocky.

I loved how the tard crowd started booing as soon as he mentioned France. Fucking morons. Murderous morons, sadly.

The telling and interesting parts of the debate were the things that the Bush supporters booed and jeered at -- such as Chirac's expression of world solidarity for Americans following 9/11, upholding the Constitution and the rule of law, Teddy Roosevelt's admonitions about the patriotic duty of citizens to hold their president accountable, our violation of international laws and treaties that we initiated, and the mention of the successful UN weapons inspections. I guess Bushies consider the inspections unsuccessful because they failed to find WMD that were never there.

I knew that a large chunck of Americans are brainwashed partisans, but I guess I'd never actually seen or heard the manifestation of the phenomenon so starkly. If Rocky had pointed out that the sun rises in the east, the Bushies would roundly boo that fact if George claimed it rises in the west.

The best presentation I've seen all year!

Rocky Anderson, America's mayor. Guiliani who?

goosebumps on top of goosebumps!!

How do people dare hiss and boo when he his talking about protecting the constitution and the values on which America was founded. These mindless followers don't understand that Rocky is 10x more patriotic than any of them because he is seeking to withhold American values. Are these morons cheering for the downfall of our freedom and our world image?

Rocky keeps saying, "Now, for the first time, the United States joins that ignoble group of nations." Is he this naive? The U.S. has a history clear to any who wish to examine it.

Sure, it feels good to hear someone say what it obvious (but unseen to the brain-dead hordes). I can take pleasure in this as much as anyone.

But I have to ask myself, do I really believe that the economic security of the most powerful men alive can be captured by a handful of boobs?

Yes, you're gonna call be a paranoid. And it will sting, honestly. Because as I have said: I like to hear others state what is obvious - but unseen by the brain-dead hordes.

However, if there be someone able to control his/her passions enough to consider further, please consider further:

• Powerful people seek to protect their power. They do this by means of rational action. To allow the levers of power to be wielded by a bunch of bumbling boobs is not reasonable -- and not likely to preserve power. It is much more likely that the decisions made concerning Iraq were made to protect influence.
• The guys who invented the zero and algebra haven't produced a single Nobel Prize? When you consider the statistics of this simple fact you come to see just how dark are the scales that can fall over human eyes. 23% of living persons profess Islam, 1.5 billion.
• A one time, non-renewable resource made food and water cheap and available. This resource has become the conditio sine qua non for International trade and the global economy. It has become almost impossible to live anywhere without gulping up huge quantities of the stuff in daily life: fertilizer, insecticides, antibiotics, harvest energy, transport, packaging, display, advertising, cooking, cleaning. Even the GM-cotton of our clothes wouldn't be possible without it. Well, it's past its peak. There's a change a-gonna come. And it's a strong wind's a-gonna blow.
• The boss never does the hit. There are always layers of those who can be sacrificed on the public alter to protect the boss. Multiple layers.

It seems plain to me that The War is part of calculated action to preserve and extend power. The real questions seem to me:

• Is there truly a threat? Sure: post-carbon collapse; global climate change; encroaching intellectual darkness.

• Was there another way? Could the coddled masses of Western Civilization be brought to action without lies and militarism? I see little reason to believe this. At least 1/4 of deaths yearly are from easily preventable causes such as malaria. We, as a group, just can't be bothered.

• Who should be making these decisions? Probably we don't want to wait for God or Tibet to save us. Democracy can never really hold the levers of power, best it can do is restrict the use of these levers. Many, I include Hitchens among them, believe we stand on the precipice of a dark, Dark Age. Perhaps action was needed. So yes, I am saying that our masters will protect us. They will protect the us lucky enough not to be over there.

Anyway, Rocky presented a beautiful public spectacle. I just can't see how it's relevant.

Seriously, mickleby - in all honesty, what are you trying to say?

I've watched only Anderson's opening statement and the first 2 minutes of Hannity's opening statement so far, and I've counted 0 personal attacks by Anderson and 2 by Hannity. The rest of this should be interesting. I'm kind of hoping that Hannity will atleast put forth something of substance, and this debate won't be a complete joke.

I think I just don't understand the process, but, if Bush is impeached, then doesn't the presidency fall to Cheney?! (Which to me would a far worse evil) I don't get it...

skOre:

Honestly, I am calling for some logical analysis before we jump off a cliff.

Let us discover and consider the reasons for The War before we dismantle it. Rocky is not merely stating the obvious, he is rallying a cry to undermine what he apparently cannot comprehend. This strikes me as unreasonable and reckless.

There has never been any credible argument respecting a direct threat from Iraq. Isn't that obvious yet? If we add to the mix the fact that it was known that the Iraq war would increase insecurity, can we rule out the Iraq threat entirely?

We are basically left to choose:

• Deliberate action in Iraq
• Bumbling Boobs

I assert that powerful men act rationally -- it is the weak who must resort to fantasy.

So the Bumbling Boobs hypothesis makes no sense.

The most powerful men on the planet brought us this war:

• For personal, short-term gain
• To counter a long-term threat

If we accept the first, brazen hypothesis: All the political organizing of the 20th century could not prevent the wanton environmental devastation of our home. We are in a very sad state -- with a very gloomy prognosis.

If we accept the second, admittedly credulous hypothesis: We have at least some hope.

Oh, and I guess there is also The Messiah hypothesis. Or is that what I have proposed to be the underlying motivation to war?