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1. 

   scottfreitas said, 7 days ago

   Meet the new boss, same as the old boss?

   The charge of “gay-bashing” is pretty funny, though. This, in reference to a President who told the entire world with a straight face that he lives for the day when NO ONE thinks of same-sex couples as being any different from, well, actual COUPLES? You know, actual combinations of the two sexes whose bodies are “somehow” perfectly designed to fit together, as opposed to those combinations which either make payments on proctologist’s Mercedes-Benzes, or else can only be joined together using cylindrical pieces of plastic?

   The only way Osama could be any more “gay-friendly” would be to dump Michelle in favor of making Ron Emanuel his new boyfriend!

   Sometimes Ted is so far to the left you can’t even see him… I mean, he just disappears completely offscreen! :/ Off in the margins somewhere… where Michael Moore hangs out at in between meals.

2. 

   comYics said, 7 days ago

   See, Republicans and Democrats can be friends.

3. 

   toasteroven said, 7 days ago

   “Apologism leaves an awful taste”.

   Yeah, it does. It’d be nice to see more people realize that.

4. 

   churchillwasright said, 6 days ago

   Not to follow Scott’s lead and turn this into a “Gay Rights” toon, but:

   Obama specifically said during the debates that he did not support Gay marriage. But to label him a gay basher because of that view is disingenous.

   But hey! We’re going to try war criminals and terrorists in civilian courts so the left has something they can be happy about!

5. 

   4uk4ata said, 6 days ago

   I think he did say he wants to end the DADT policy in the military, though. Yeah, I wouldn’t call it gay-bashing, per se, but I guess gays can find something to gripe about.

   But hey, some people dislike Obama for being too much like Bush, some people dislike Obama for being too little like Bush (or what Bush should have been). Can’t please them all.

6. 

   babka said, 6 days ago

   he’s a child of divorce. we just want those warring parties to be reconciled and get along.

7. 

   Bruce4671 said, 6 days ago

   IDEA! Maybe, just maybe, ALL politicians are egotistical, self-serving, corrupt, lying dirt bags looking for a big payday collected from your wallet. And they think the party will never end. Republican, democrate? Let’s get rid of ALL the incumbents and tell the new guys the previous place holder’s business plan was faulty. I’m just saying…

8. 

   olfart said, 6 days ago

   Bruce, you are absolutely right. Term limits would be a good start.

9. 

   hoyacougar said, 6 days ago

   Bruce’s idea is a good one.

   term limits imposed by legislation, however, are bad. they create lame ducks. virginia has a lame duck governor the minute he’s elected. bad.

   term limits imposed by voters are good.

   voters that surrender their rights and responsibilities to gov’t legislation are bad.

   today’s comic strip is right on. politicians don’t have the ability to deliver on most of their promises, and we should mostly be grateful for that.

10. 

    d_legendary1 said, 6 days ago

    Hate to say it but Rall is right. Along with things he’s done right he’s also done stupid things like following War Bush ideological thinking. He needs to purge his house starting with the Bush/Clinton hold overs and putting some real progressives in place.

    He needs to be ripped a new one by his constituents.

11. 

    citynights said, 6 days ago

    and we are already apologizing for him before the end of his first year.

12. 

    johndh123 said, 6 days ago

    ah….thank GOD!

    d_legendary1 said, about 8 hours ago

    “Hate to say it but Rall is right. Along with things he’s done right he’s also done stupid things like following War Bush ideological thinking. He needs to purge his house starting with the Bush/Clinton hold overs and putting some real progressives in place….He needs to be ripped a new one by his constituents…”

    Just when I was starting to squirm with all this gush and love, d legendary reminded us to get back and man the ramparts against those terrible political adversaries of ours!

13. 

    believecommonsense said, 6 days ago

    Mr. Rall, with all due respect, I think you’re a bit over the top on this one. Torture under Obama? Assassinations under Obama? Extraordinary renditions under Obama? Tax cuts under Obama? Ignoring katrina victims under Obama? Sure about all that?

    and re Gitmo, Obama won’t make his original planned date of closing Gitmo, but I see plenty of evidence he’s making progress. A little hard to convince other countries to take some of the Gitmo people when our own Congress has said “not on our soil.”

    I think you’re being less than honest with this toon. Just my two cents

14. 

    4uk4ata said, 6 days ago

    Assassinations sure - that’s essentially, part of what the predator drone strikes do (though it tends to produce a bit too many bystander deaths for a proper assassination). ER and the Katrina victims I’m not sure on, but I have not seen anything indicating either of these has been fixed for good. As far as tax cuts, Bush’s are still on (until 2010) and he has some of his own iirc, though for lower-income people.

    To be honest, I don’t think he could have fixed ALL those and handled healthcare, Afghanistan and everything else by now, but does need to take care of his promises by the time his first term is up.

15. 

    Bill_Clay said, 5 days ago

    This is a “gay-friendly” editorial cartoon? Sounds like someone is projecting their insecurities onto Ted.

16. 

    Ted Rall said, 5 days ago

    @believecommonsense:

    “Mr. Rall, with all due respect, I think you’re a bit over the top on this one. Torture under Obama? Assassinations under Obama? Extraordinary renditions under Obama? Tax cuts under Obama? Ignoring katrina victims under Obama? Sure about all that?

    and re Gitmo, Obama won’t make his original planned date of closing Gitmo, but I see plenty of evidence he’s making progress. A little hard to convince other countries to take some of the Gitmo people when our own Congress has said “not on our soil.””

    Congress never approved Gitmo in the first place. Obama could sign an executive order issuing $1 million checks and formal apologies to each inmate and putting them up in Manhattan penthouses if he wanted to. And he should–but that would involve taking political risk, something he’s allergic to. This makes Gitmo HIS problem, not some leftover Bush hangover.

    As for Katrina, Obama finally visited there recently and was booed by angry Katrina victims who are still waiting for help four years after the hurricane hit.

    Obama has promised to extend the Bush tax cuts, which are due to expire. He also signed an executive order renewing extraordinary renditions. And, as a previous poster noted, what are Predator drone strikes if not political assassinations? We’re not at war, you know.

17. 

    audieholland said, 5 days ago

    Give or take a few points, Ted’s observation about Obama is spot on.

    Illegal detention at KZ Guantanamo has been replaced by outsourced detention centers.

    Torture continued under Obama, it never ended.

18. 

    rikoshayrabbit said, 5 days ago

    For eight years we sat horrified as a stumbling, stuttering, illiterate moron did exactly as he was told. Now we’ve got this eloquent and reserved academic who is doing exactly as he’s told. Who’s telling him?? As George Carlin used to say… “The Owners” of this planet! It’s a very small club, and “YOU’RE NOT IN IT!!” Presidents have nothing to do with anything. As long as the Owners are making money keeping the world reeling in perpetual war, and purchasing our politicians, then it matters not one stinking iota what occurs in the news or where you “think” this country is headed. I agree with Ted, and the follow-up by Audie… torturing will continue, the “Owners” will continue to loot our wallets, and the folks in New Orleans can go #&%! themselves.

19. 

    believecommonsense said, 5 days ago

    Ted, audie and rkrabbit, I have my own disappointments in Obama, probably somewhat similar to yours. But it is important to separate hyperbole from facts. While in general I agree that Obama has followed Bush doctrine in areas of national security, can you cite examples of the following:

    Have any extraordinary renditions occurred since Jan 09?

    Has torture occurred since Jan 09? (My understanding is that Obama and Sec Def Gates almost immediately changed policies to ensure torture does NOT occur again and made it clear the U.S. abides by all international treaties banning torture. I believe they made it clear they follow the Army’s existing field manual which also bans torture, the very field manual Bush/Rummy ignored.)

    We can disagree on assassinations, I don’t believe use of drones is equivalent to assassinations. But I agree with you that civilians killed by drones is unacceptable and counterproductive to whatever our goal we’re trying to achieve in Afghanistan.

    Obama has made real progress on relocating Gitmo detainees and from all news accounts, it is not easy. Bush himself said in 2006 he wanted to close Gitmo and he made no progress. We disagree that Obama should give each detainee $1 million and set them up in Manhattan. I don’t think so and I don’t understand why you would recommend that. I see plenty of evidence that Obama and his administration are working to clean up the Bush problem of Gitmo.

    Can you provide a source for your claim that Obama will continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy? (I haven’t read a news account of that.)

    Re Katrina victims: I admit I’m not as knowledgeable about this as other things. I don’t know exactly what the disaster victims are still waiting for … I know lots of funds have been expended. Please don’t get me wrong … what happened to thousands of people during/after Katrina is unconscionable. I still have an image in my head of all the people in the hospital who were left to linger in heat, humidity, stench, with no electricity for six days, primarily because they were poor and powerless. Heads should have rolled over that.

    What do you think Obama should be doing now for folks in News Orleans displaced by katrina.

    Ted. I’m not being disrespectful nor cavalier with my questions. I really would like more info and pointers to sources to read.*

20. 

    ahab said, 5 days ago

    Imagine moving back in and cleaning you house and yard after a biker gang lived in it for 8 years. I suspect it would take a while to get the gorilla smell out of the carpet, the roaches out of the cabinets, and the belly-button lint out of the clogged drains!

21. 

    EnglishTeacher said, 5 days ago

    ahab: You use metaphor superbly.

22. 

    Cpt. Jay said, 5 days ago

    believecommonsense is a sycophant @ the office.

23. 

    meowdam said, 5 days ago

    Wasn’t that the point ? The overreach of the fickle public’s plunging opinion.
    I’m a bit more patient than that , I love Barny Franks attaching the DADT issue to the congressional military mandate. Quite sure the President’s hand was in there somewhere.
    Also the non-prosecute policy allowing States to regulate marijuana , basically taking the feds out of your stash box is a sensible approach.
    Gitmo now has a vacancy sign up and I hear they are painting a for sale sign on it. Maybe KBR or whomever will buy it back for 10 cents on the million or charge the taxpayers a billion to tear it down.
    Torture ? I suppose the rise of right wing nut jobs profiles has been torturous to many. Ten more minutes of Glen Beck and I’ll confess to the Lindbergh Kidnapping
    Rendition and assassination are often in such a black realm that only intelligence agents are aware of them. But they are in-fact the most effective tools for disabling diabolical mechanizations.
    Drones make us appear cowardly to the locals. A net loss I believe.
    Taxes and bail outs and cronyism all out off control does any one know which way this ship is headed? One thing’s for sure the economy is in a mess and middle class America is taking it on the chin. It is like turning around a speeding freight train.

24. 

    fennec said, 5 days ago

    The real world is not perfect and never will be…especially since one person’s idea of perfect is different from the next person. But I ask you, are we now better off than we were two years ago?

25. 

    believecommonsense said, 5 days ago

    capt.jay: believecommonsense is a sycophant @ the office.

    gee, that’s kinda harsh. I’m a sycophant to whom exactly. I’d like to meet that person; quite sure I’d like him or her.