Ah, beacon of hope was long lost when we have a GOVERNMENT that condones things like holding citizens without trial, and condoning torture.

Didn't our Founders and Framers tried to get away from the vices of a Monarchy??

These so-called conservatives are a disgrace to conservatism. Especially when they cry (literally with Coburn) about "judicial activism", yet willing to use the same GOVERNMENT to take away the rights he and others like him cry about by the same "judicial activism"!

Our Founders and Framers must be turning in their graves daily.

SandyK

Why has the word conservative become synonomous with hypocrisy. Coburn is a joke. I cannot understand why a doctor of all people would be against abortion. What exactly do these Republicans think we are going to do with all of these unwanted children.

Maybe they plan to cut back on aid for natural disasters. That way the next Katrina will do the job for them.

do you have specific examples of people being held w/o trial and gov't officials condoning torture, or are you simply spouting off idiotic, left-wing rhetoric. Conservatives have enough hypocritic issues to deal with w/o liberals making things up. Seriously, what gov't official has condoned torture?

Don't read much do you? It's called Abu Ghraib. It's called Guantanamo Bay. His name is Jose Padilla. The government still has not charged Padilla with any crime and he is a United States citizen.

the democratic party is no longer pro freedom,istead it is has a social agenda of gays,illegal aliens and gun control. they are vaporizing because of their radical anti freedom views. the house,senate,presidency and more to come.

Because the hypocrisy is us.

One side is fighting to kill not only fetuses and those who need custodial care, claiming it's a "right" and "mercy killing". The other side is claiming they want to save fetuses and protect those who need custodial care, when they do nothing to curb our born babies death rate [that's social spending], and cutting back on Medicaid funding that will keep those needing custodial care alive.

That's just one example of the hypocrisy in the messages and stances of BOTH parties.

SandyK

Way to go racist, homophobic, xenophobe. All the important issues of the day. Never mind that we cannot even help our own people because we continue to spend our money telling other people what to do in their countries.

Mr. Coburn's statements are well-reasoned: the court finding certain rights in the Constitution that are no where mentioned has removed legitimate questions from the political sphere to areas inaccessible to the people. Thus we are left to rage one against another with no viable outlet for both sides' anger. His use of the word "rifts" is probably not strong enough.

My heart aches for less divisiveness too. Let that start by sending anti-gay bigots like Coburn far, far away from the halls of power.

*Coburn* is saying now is the time for less divisiveness and partisianship? Crocodile tears. Crocodile tears.

And Coburn longs for less divisiveness but also believes that abortion providers should be put to death. These people make me sick.

Sen. Coburn is seriously misguided. If the mark of a judicially active court is that it continually sets aside legislation passed by the people's representativesin favor of its own preferences, the current court is the most judicially active in decades. Rehnquist, Thomas and Scalia are (were) in the forefront of judicial activism. They are everything Bush and Coburn rail against. What hypocrisy.

Another GOP con man trying to distance himself
from the problem his likes created. Before the
GOP started beating the drum of "Judicial Activism"
nobody perceived there was such a thing as this
kind of activism...

These people should be booted next year or we're
doomed.

I wonder whether Coburn even recognizes the hypocrisy in a conservative member of Congress bemoaning the "divisiveness" plaguing our country. Perhaps he'd be kind enough to identify the aspects of our lives, and the rights and privileges we cherish, that he'd like us to cast aside so that his radical conservative movement can continue unimpeded. You'd think he'd have the courtesy to at least avoid using divisive code words like "activist" while making his grandstanding speech. But again, he's only talking to his political base, not to the country as a whole. Not that that's divisive or anything.

Oh yeah, them prisons over in Iraq and that Mexican guy. I forgetted all about that stuff. I been too much busy studying back on how bad the Clintons was.

Chad,

My political philosophy is as a Moderate Traditional Conservative. Reread that again, especially the Moderate Traditional part. I'm no lemming party member, let alone a party member. I'm politically independent free to pick apart the hypocrisy of any political party/idealogy.

So go paint the Neo-Con beliefs for what it is, and stop projecting. Neo-Cons have polluted conservatism with their ideals, running roughshod against basic human rights our Founders and Framers envisioned. Don't tell us Traditionals about what Neo-Cons forgot about our HISTORY.

Padilla maybe a terrorist, but even like McVeigh, he needs to be tried like any other terrorist. He's an US citizen and that DEMANDS the rights of a US citizen. No more and no less. Not giving citizens the rights of "due process" is repeating the same sins of WWII when we denied the Constitutional rights to Japanese-Americans solely on racist ideals.

So don't try to hijack the conservative ideal, as you Neo-Cons are new to conservatism and don't know squat about it, nor by the looks of it, even the visions of our Founders and Framers.

SandyK

This is the same Tom Coburn who trashed the televising of "Schindler's List" when he was in Congress.

Ahhhh, crocodile tears. Gosh lets not be divisive lets all think my way. Golly Gee.

Chad, I just saved a bundle on car insurance by switching to GEICO.

I assume senator Coburn has condemned the former Chief Justice of Alabama who tried to convert a US courthouse into a religious shrine and I assume he has condemned the other Neo-Christian judges who have been regularly overturned by higher courts for their activist efforts to turn a democracy into a theocracy.
If he didn't then what he refers to as divisiveness is simply someone diagreeing with his viewpoint and "actvisim" is opposition to conservative Christian political positions. That's what happens in a free country.

"they are vaporizing because of their radical anti freedom views. the house,senate,presidency and more to come."

If we simply eliminated the electoral college system the republicans would never be able to get a president as conservative as bush elected again. The electoral college system means that a vote in a state like WY, NE, SD, etc carries more weight than a vote in a state like CA, NY, or even TX. It's the only system a president like bush could be elected in. LEts make a deal, eliminate the electoral college system, let the *people* decide who should be president instead of tumble weeds, desert land, and corn fields.

The tree of liberty needs refreshing with something more than Coburn's precious bodily fluids.

Aw, the tears. Guess what, the GOP has no shame.

way to go sandyk!

as for coburn, i live in his district and can say with confidence that he is no politician. geez, what politician would ever say that abortion doctors should receive the death penalty! he is a loose cannon that really makes liberals howl, because the guy makes wolfowitz look like a dove, and irks most republicans because he won't tow the party line.

so, do i like him? no way. if he got his way, there would be no federal government period.

do i believe he was sincere? yes, but you have to keep in mind that he believes that he never does anything wrong, the republicans will eventually come around, and the democrats should all be killed because they are the reason the nation is in the state that it is in.

I pray Coburn's words are headed and that we can have hearings without the hate language of either side. We should call for this or vote the hatemongers out, on either side.

i agree with you phil. the electoral college really should be eliminated.

yes, i know that means that w. would have still won the previous election.

it really is a shame that we are held hostage to such an outdated form...

j -- Without the electoral college, GWB wouldn't have won the last election because he wouldn't been running, as he would have lost the 2000 election.

A girl can dream, anyway.

Funny how the two states who have GOP doctors representing them in the Senate are ranked 40th (OK) & 48th (TN) for health care by unitedhealthfoundation.org.

J,

I won't go as far as claiming Democrats need to be all killed because they made this or that. Even in Rome (which we base our laws and society after), there was more than a Caesar party, and differences tolerated. For example, I don't personally condone abortion (not on a religious viewpoint, but because it's pointless in today's society), but I won't stand in the way of those who feel it's necessary -- not until a group is truly about ALL life and willing to fight tooth and nail to defend it. Until then we have parties full of hypocritical viewpoints on life, and I won't redden my hands on their ways and means. Either you're for defending all life, or it's cherry picking, and that's no better.

My love is for the Republic, right or wrong, good or bad.

SandyK

Quote of the day: "The tree of liberty needs refreshing with something more than Coburn's precious bodily fluids."

sandyk,

i am only stating what coburn believes. i watched the debates between he and carson, read, and spoke with fellow oklahomans.

coburn is scary.

i must say it was truly sad to listen to fine people talking about the terrible things that coburn has done or said, but when asked who they were voting for, it was always coburn. why? because he is a republican and christians MUST vote republican.

i kid you not. to attend church in oklahoma is like attending pep rallies for the republican party.

Re: "Scott,"

Way to go, skippy! Racist, homophobe and xenophobe right up front! It's so much easier to call people names than to have to come up with a cogent argument, isn't it? And you wonder why you lose elections...

Phil,

Bush isn't a true conservative. If anyone thinks he's conservative, that person has been smoking some baaaaaad sh*t.

Being a Religious Right Neo-Conservative does not equate to the political philosophy from the Federalists, Lincoln, to TR. They would balk at their views today.

Can anyone see a Republican today condoning legislation to build the first national park? Pass laws safeguarding our meat supply [woe us about BSE now]? Believing in the ERA?

Nope (but the Traditionalist TR did).

SandyK

I wonder what it would take to get people on the courts (and the legislature) who will stick to the written Constitution and the laws that conform with it? What would that country look like?

Yes, Scott, the VRWC member is entirely correct. It is perfectly fitting for the righties to refer to the Dems as n****r and f*g-loving, motherf***ing commie bastards in speeches and on countless websites, but calling them on their racist, homophobic bullcrap is the reason the Dems lose elections. Understand now?

I cannot believe Coburn has been so quick to denounce the Rehnquist Court before the late chief's body is cold. I am guessing he thinks an "activist" court is one that strikes down laws enacted by Congress as being unconstitutional, and the record shows that more laws were struck down during his tenure as chief than during any other. Talking about grave desercration.

It amuses me to hear Republicans whining about the divisiveness of our political climate, as if it just appeared overnight. Did they think there would be no repercussions from the Clinton Impeachment?

"We each have our own definition of judicial activism. Essentially, the court will not become the activist court if it adheres to its appropriate role and does not attempt to legislate or create policy. "

Like the decision on the 2000 Florida recount?

Quite simply, it's "Judicial Activism" if the result is something the Republicans DON'T like -- even if it's a standard or traditional job of the court.
On the other hand, if it benefits them, it's Nooo Problemo!

Heighth of hypocrisy, & they're in charge. God help this country.