Didn't even RTFA, just wanna post it:

"Saddam Hussein [is] developing weapons of mass destruction as quickly as he can," he informed Fox News in November 2001. By February 2003, McCain had upgraded Hussein's capabilities and was warning Americans that "Hussein has the ability to ... [turn] Iraq into a weapons assembly line for Al Qaeda's network."

...

So how'd McCain do on his other Iraq-related predictions?

On the Cheney/Rumsfeld Delusional Thinking Index, McCain scores a perfect 10 out of 10. "I believe that the success will be fairly easy," he assured CNN's Larry King in September 2002.

Quagmire? Insurgency? Naah. "We're not going to get into house-to-house fighting," he scoffed to Wolf Blitzer in 2002. "We're not going to have a bloodletting." In fact, by March 2003, McCain was positively giddy with Rumsfeldian enthusiasm: "There's no doubt in my mind ... we will be welcomed as liberators."

When it came to predicting the sectarian conflicts that have wracked Iraq since we "liberated" it, McCain was equally off target. "There's not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shias," he explained confidently on MSNBC in April 2003, "so I think they can probably get along."

...In Jordan this past March, he pronounced it "common knowledge ... that Al Qaeda" - a Sunni-dominated group - "is going back into Iran" - a country led by hard-line Shiites - "and receiving training ... from Iran." Oops ... no! Joe Lieberman, McCain's new Mini-Me, whispered a correction in his ear, presumably explaining that the Iranian Shiites hate Sunni-dominated Al Qaeda and wouldn't help the group if their lives depended on it.

A slip of the tongue on McCain's part? That would be easier to buy if McCain hadn't repeated variants of the claim on multiple occasions, insisting to a Texas audience in February that Iran was aiding Al Qaeda and wondering during Senate hearings if Al Qaeda in Iraq was "an obscure sect of the Shiites overall? ... Or Sunnis or anybody else




in a just world, john mccain would be forced to have this tattooed on his face.

I would just like to congratulate subbie on his use of not one, but two - count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

It's on Crooks & Liars, so obviously all of these direct quotes and transcripts are lies.

/shamelessly hotlinked

WHO'S not WHOSE

gilgigamesh: count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

"An 18th-century Anglican bishop named Robert Lowth wrote the first popular grammar book to claim that a preposition didn't belong at the end of a sentence (as in, What was this guy up to?). Others before him had made the same claim, notably the poet John Dryden.

This affectation, like the one about not "splitting" infinitives, proved popular with Latin-educated schoolmasters, probably because Latin sentences don't end in prepositions. But the pedants were forgetting one small detail: English isn't a Latinate language, it's Germanic. And in Germanic languages, sentences routinely end in prepositions. Great English literature from Chaucer to Milton to Shakespeare to the King James version of the Bible is stuffed with these "terminal prepositions."

Probably the word "preposition," from the Latin for "position before," suggested to pedagogues that a preposition must never come last. Be that as it may, Curme and Jespersen recognized the final preposition as natural and instinctive, and Fowler went further: "The legitimacy of the prepositional ending in literary English must be uncompromisingly maintained," he wrote. Amen!"

Did a GIS for "Oh Snap" and this came up. It was innately creepy enough that I had to post it. It looks like Mike Judge tried to re-invent a teenage Hank Hill in Run DMC's image.

Obama's response was pretty tame, compared to some of the blows he can sometimes land.

"While I always appreciate hearing the news from John McCain, he should explain to the American people why almost every single promise and prediction that he has made about Iraq has turned to be catastrophically wrong, including his support for a surge that was supposed to achieve political reconciliation."

If he wanted to give an oh snap response he should have knocked McCain down on each item of criticism.

gilgigamesh: I would just like to congratulate subbie on his use of not one, but two - count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

That rule is was falsely created by language snobs to copy latin. It has no basis in the development of english and no reason it should be followed unless you want english to be more latin-like

barneyfifesbullet:

You do of course realize that picture itself was a photoshop? I am pretty sure it's been proven that the cig is edited in there.

/I can tell
//pixels and stuff

7of7: gilgigamesh: count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

"An 18th-century Anglican bishop named Robert Lowth wrote the first popular grammar book to claim that a preposition didn't belong at the end of a sentence (as in, What was this guy up to?). Others before him had made the same claim, notably the poet John Dryden.

This affectation, like the one about not "splitting" infinitives, proved popular with Latin-educated schoolmasters, probably because Latin sentences don't end in prepositions. But the pedants were forgetting one small detail: English isn't a Latinate language, it's Germanic. And in Germanic languages, sentences routinely end in prepositions. Great English literature from Chaucer to Milton to Shakespeare to the King James version of the Bible is stuffed with these "terminal prepositions."

Probably the word "preposition," from the Latin for "position before," suggested to pedagogues that a preposition must never come last. Be that as it may, Curme and Jespersen recognized the final preposition as natural and instinctive, and Fowler went further: "The legitimacy of the prepositional ending in literary English must be uncompromisingly maintained," he wrote. Amen!"

this. i love that we don't split infinitives because latin infinitives, being single words, cannot be split. talk about arbitrary.

Shadowknight: Did a GIS for "Oh Snap" and this came up. It was innately creepy enough that I had to post it. It looks like Mike Judge tried to re-invent a teenage Hank Hill in Run DMC's image.

I think if one were to add some stubble to that picture it would look kinda like a certain popular TFer

Philip J. Fry: gilgigamesh: I would just like to congratulate subbie on his use of not one, but two - count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

That rule is was falsely created by language snobs to copy latin. It has no basis in the development of english and no reason it should be followed unless you want english to be more latin-like

Wow, I think THAT qualifies as an "Oh Snap" moment.

I hate language snobs harping on about prepositions. Languages evolve. And even if the classical English didn't end sentences that way, it's been a VERY long time since that time.

7of7: gilgigamesh: count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

"An 18th-century Anglican bishop named Robert Lowth wrote the first popular grammar book to claim that a preposition didn't belong at the end of a sentence (as in, What was this guy up to?). Others before him had made the same claim, notably the poet John Dryden.

This affectation, like the one about not "splitting" infinitives, proved popular with Latin-educated schoolmasters, probably because Latin sentences don't end in prepositions. But the pedants were forgetting one small detail: English isn't a Latinate language, it's Germanic. And in Germanic languages, sentences routinely end in prepositions. Great English literature from Chaucer to Milton to Shakespeare to the King James version of the Bible is stuffed with these "terminal prepositions."

Probably the word "preposition," from the Latin for "position before," suggested to pedagogues that a preposition must never come last. Be that as it may, Curme and Jespersen recognized the final preposition as natural and instinctive, and Fowler went further: "The legitimacy of the prepositional ending in literary English must be uncompromisingly maintained," he wrote. Amen!"

I was visiting Harvard many years ago, just strolling the campus. I bumped into an English Professor, and after exchanging pleasantries, I asked "Where's the library at?" He look over his glasses at me and said, "Young man, this is Harvard, we do not end sentences with prepositions." So, I looked back and said, "Sorry, where's the library at, asshole?"

Shadowknight: You do of course realize that picture itself was a photoshop? I am pretty sure it's been proven that the cig is edited in there.

I dunno. So? The words were not originally on the picture either.

I bet you could see that also, since you're such a pixel wizard.

Philip J. Fry: That rule is was falsely created by language snobs to copy latin. It has no basis in the development of english and no reason it should be followed unless you want english to be more latin-like

I am well aware of that. It doesn't mean I have to like it. It sounds (reads) awkward to me.

dedekind_cut: Obama's response was pretty tame, compared to some of the blows he can sometimes land.

"While I always appreciate hearing the news from John McCain, he should explain to the American people why almost every single promise and prediction that he has made about Iraq has turned to be catastrophically wrong, including his support for a surge that was supposed to achieve political reconciliation."

If he wanted to give an oh snap response he should have knocked McCain down on each item of criticism.

He may be waiting for a time in the generals where it would ahev more impact

barneyfifesbullet: Shadowknight: You do of course realize that picture itself was a photoshop? I am pretty sure it's been proven that the cig is edited in there.

I dunno. So? The words were not originally on the picture either.

I bet you could see that also, since you're such a pixel wizard.

There is a certain amount of irony in you missing the joke there.

FlashHarrythis. i love that we don't split infinitives because latin infinitives, being single words, cannot be split. talk about arbitrary.

The split infinitives rule is also a myth that was never widely accepted among grammarians.

"Grammarians began challenging Alford almost immediately. By the early 20th century, the most respected authorities on English (the linguist Otto Jespersen, the lexicographer Henry Fowler, the grammarian George O. Curme, and others) were vigorously debunking the split-infinitive myth, and explaining that "splitting" is not only acceptable but often preferable. Besides, you can't really split an infinitive, since to is just a prepositional marker and not part of the infinitive itself. In fact, sometimes it's not needed at all. In sentences like "She helped him to write," or "Jack helped me to move," the to could easily be dropped."

mercator_psi

Curses! Foiled again.

So smoking it a definite no to being president for you there barney?

Hobodeluxe: So smoking it a definite no to being president for you there barney?

Not me. Burn one, friend.

Everything out of McCain's campaign is just scripted crap straight from the Rove playbook. Unfortunately for him, that playbook is out of date and even if it weren't, it's not going to help negate the fact that he's in bed with the most unpopular President in modern history, and has been categorically wrong about every facet of the Iraq War every step of the way.

McCain, I'd have voted for you 8 years ago, and did so in the Primary. But you are nothing but a doddering, pandering biatch now. Maybe Bush will give you a big old hug when you lose in November.

Hobodeluxe: So smoking it a definite no to being president for you there barney?

Is that a young McCain? He was a pretty, pretty man.

Yeah I feel this was not one of the more hard-hitting responses by Obama... but in keeping with the theme of the thread:

barneyfifesbullet: Shadowknight: You do of course realize that picture itself was a photoshop? I am pretty sure it's been proven that the cig is edited in there.

I dunno. So? The words were not originally on the picture either.

I bet you could see that also, since you're such a pixel wizard.

Wanna know how I know you're a douchebag?

Oh, Snap! (pops)

gilgigamesh: I would just like to congratulate subbie on his use of not one, but two - count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

[www.mstillsucks.com image 449x463]

If you're going to be a grammar nazi, at least find some real rules of grammar to biatch about.

/Hint: the proposition thing is a rule from Latin, I believe, that uptight old-school teachers tried to tell students was a rule in English. It's not.

quickdraw: mercator_psi

Curses! Foiled again.

Never mind, there's plenty of o to go around.

nopokerface:

I was visiting Harvard many years ago, just strolling the campus. I bumped into an English Professor, and after exchanging pleasantries, I asked "Where's the library at?" He look over his glasses at me and said, "Young man, this is Harvard, we do not end sentences with prepositions." So, I looked back and said, "Sorry, where's the library at, asshole?"


Be careful with that! It's an antique!

Why are libs so up in arms this campaign season? You can't lose.

Shadowknight: Philip J. Fry: gilgigamesh: I would just like to congratulate subbie on his use of not one, but two - count 'em TWO - prepositions at the end of his sentence:

That rule is was falsely created by language snobs to copy latin. It has no basis in the development of english and no reason it should be followed unless you want english to be more latin-like

Wow, I think THAT qualifies as an "Oh Snap" moment.

I hate language snobs harping on about prepositions. Languages evolve. And even if the classical English didn't end sentences that way, it's been a VERY long time since that time.

The fun part is, classical English did end sentences that way. This has never been a rule, and never will be. It's just a dumb.

Shadowknight: Hobodeluxe: So smoking it a definite no to being president for you there barney?

Is that a young McCain? He was a pretty, pretty man.

I dunno I get that "not so bright" vibe from looking at him back then. he did graduate at the very bottom of the class. And that's with his Dad being an admiral and all.

what_now:


Be careful with that! It's an antique!

Still a classic.

Shadowknight: There is a certain amount of irony in you missing the joke there.

barneyfifesbullet is not only a pretty poor troll, he's also fairly stupid. His missing the joke is more inevitable than it is ironic.

dedekind_cut: "While I always appreciate hearing the news from John McCain, he should explain to the American people why almost every single promise and prediction that he has made about Iraq has turned to be catastrophically wrong, including his support for a surge that was supposed to achieve political reconciliation."

If he wanted to give an oh snap response he should have knocked McCain down on each item of criticism.

The first part of that sentence was condescending as hell. The second was some pretty rough language compared to Obama's usual tack. A biting one-liner is pretty much worthy of an OH SNAP. If this is just the prelude, the actual show is gonna be great.

The real irony in this situation is that Ol' Maverick makes himself look more and more milquetoast by the day by trotting out the GOP establishment / Bush Admin talking points. If he doesn't unhitch his cart from that dead horse soon, he's completely screwed.

mercator_psi
/oh schnapps
//saw what you did there

dedekind_cut: Obama's response was pretty tame, compared to some of the blows he can sometimes land.

"While I always appreciate hearing the news from John McCain, he should explain to the American people why almost every single promise and prediction that he has made about Iraq has turned to be catastrophically wrong, including his support for a surge that was supposed to achieve political reconciliation."

If he wanted to give an oh snap response he should have knocked McCain down on each item of criticism.

He doesn't need to yet.

This is Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Don't throw your Star punches just because you can - save them till you can score a big KO.

frostus: Oh, Snap! (pops)

I'll help you out a bit.

OH SNAP!

gilgigamesh: Philip J. Fry: That rule is was falsely created by language snobs to copy latin. It has no basis in the development of english and no reason it should be followed unless you want english to be more latin-like

I am well aware of that. It doesn't mean I have to like it. It sounds (reads) awkward to me.

Then punch your teachers in the face, but don't try to tell everyone else that they should follow your made up rules.