I thought it was those French existentialists who were supposed to be the gloomy ones, morosely sipping their espressos at Left Bank cafés while contemplating the end of everything. But according to Agence France Presse, of all people it's Fred Thompson who wallows in the Slough of Despond.
Check out this line that AFP, which has an odd corporate status by which it is partially controlled and subsidized by the French government, slipped into the end of an article on Thompson's campaign plans:
He harbors a dark world view of looming future threats and has accused NATO allies of slumbering through a showdown with Al-Qaeda's forces of "nihilism."
For AFP, Thompson's "dark view" is all too real, while Al-Qaeda's nihilism is something to be be shrugged off in scare quotes.
Yes, why can't we be optimistic? Say, like the French in 1939, so sunnily secure against Germany behind the impregnable Maginot Line.
Note: the article focuses more on Thompson-the-actor than on his more serious, senatorial past. Note the headline, "TV star Thompson set for 2008 Iowa test-run," and the way the article twice refers to him in the first three paragraphs as a "star" and only once as a former senator.
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" The craggy former senator"
August 17, 2007 - 06:22 ET by Gary P JacksonWow, it's not hard to figure out who they are afraid might be the next President!
Republicans are always dark brooding figures, and Democrats are always "bright, clean, and articulate"!
Naw...no bias here!
Another good reason to
August 17, 2007 - 06:43 ET by Warner Todd HustonAnother good reason to support Thompson. He scares the stinkin' french!
}}---> French Olympics
August 17, 2007 - 06:57 ET by Cool ArrowSettin the bar kinda high there ain't ya Warner?
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Hmm. Kinda low ya mean? Just
August 17, 2007 - 07:27 ET by Warner Todd HustonHmm. Kinda low ya mean? Just about everything scares the fetid french,I guess.
Deodorant. Toothpaste. Work. Truth. Those scare them sumpthin' fierce.
Maybe I should re-think this thing?
LMAO! No, I think you got
August 17, 2007 - 08:43 ET by motherbeltLMAO! No, I think you got it just right...deodorant is the thing they fear the most....
Summing it up:
August 17, 2007 - 11:57 ET by mattmA long time ago, Britain and France were at war. During one battle, the French captured an English major. Taking the major to their headquarters, the French general began to question him.
The French general asked, "Why do you English officers all wear red coats? Don't you know the red material makes you easier targets for us to shoot at?"
In his bland English way, the major informed the general that the reason English officers wear red coats is so that if they are shot, the blood won't show and the men they are leading won't panic.
And that is why from that day to this, all French Army officers wear brown pants....
ROTFLMAO!!!!
August 17, 2007 - 12:04 ET by c5thenThe day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
* mattm
August 18, 2007 - 21:25 ET by rob6677That was absotively, posolutely fantastical!
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
}}---> Darth Thompson
August 17, 2007 - 06:50 ET by Cool ArrowYeah, it would be so inappropriate to harbor a "dark world view". What with a still to be identified group of bad guys (not sure yet, but maybe they allegedly follow Islam (a religion of peace ( see also suicide bombing ( or plane hijacking (though sources inside the Beltway can't be sure ( so neither can we)))))), are set on handing our babies to us in pieces.
Parenthetically speaking, it's all good.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Frankly, I think a lot of
August 17, 2007 - 08:51 ET by motherbeltFrankly, I think a lot of their fear of Thompson comes just from the way he looks. They want a cheerful, Pollyanna-looking type, not someone who looks so serious. I'll bet they think he never smiles or laughs. And that's what they want: someone to make them "feel good."
}}---> no explanation
August 17, 2007 - 08:58 ET by Cool ArrowIt doesn't explain the countenance of Little Miss Sunshine
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
LOL - America's ex-wife.
August 17, 2007 - 09:10 ET by PeskyDaneLOL - America's ex-wife.
* Good Grief Charlie Brown!
August 17, 2007 - 09:11 ET by rob6677I literally got a chill from that!
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
I think it does....she got
August 17, 2007 - 09:28 ET by motherbeltI think it does....she got more youthful looking when she started her presidential run. After all, she has to compete with the Breck girl.
No one can convince me she hasn't had "work" done...look at her neck and under her eyes in the older pictures.
Either that, or someone's wielding an air-brush attached to a Wagner paint-sprayer.
BTW, I remember when those early-senate pictures of her first came out...one of her staffers said she was taking her job seriously and not concentrating on her appearance (you know, the "serious senator" doesn't have time for the fluff). I guess now that she's running for office,and has quit that "day job") she has plenty of time to spend on her appearance.
* Liberal Fashion Faux Pas
August 17, 2007 - 09:31 ET by rob6677"she has plenty of time to spend on her appearance."
She must not have plenty of money to get a new outfit!
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
Buttock
August 17, 2007 - 09:52 ET by USA4freedomButtock injections?
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
* Glad I wasn't eating or drinking anything!
August 17, 2007 - 10:02 ET by rob6677LOL, I would think with all the KFC and McDonald's deliveries Bill receives she wouldn't need injections?
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
rob, that was in her "Lady
August 17, 2007 - 10:07 ET by motherbeltrob, that was in her "Lady Black Pantsuit" days, you know, when she wanted to be taken "seriously." Now, further into the campaign, she's into skirts and pastels and cleavage because she wants to be seen as "feminine". There is no persona she won't adopt in order to appeal to everyone.
*
August 17, 2007 - 09:27 ET by rob6677mb,
Does that make you feel sad, worried, lonely? Then fear no more, for just $50 down, $50 a week, for 50 years, my motivational tapes can make you "feel good".
The only time to feel sad and lonely is when your living in a van down by the river!
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
Of course, what we need is
August 17, 2007 - 07:00 ET by Jack BauerOf course, what we really need is an American President with a Bambi worldview.
All we need is love bombs and our words... then our enemies will turn their weapons into plowshares, and we can all live happily ever after in La La Land, somewhere at the end of the rainbow.
It's all so obvious now. Thank you AFP.
}}---> What a wonderful woild
August 17, 2007 - 07:10 ET by Cool ArrowTurn in your hymnbooks to number 45 and sing "Una Paloma Blanca"
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Of course, what we really
August 17, 2007 - 08:48 ET by motherbeltOf course, what we really need is an American President with a 'Bambi' worldview. -Jack Bauer
Or an "Obambi" (Mo Dowd's tag for BO) worldview. He's the one, according to Chrissie Matthews....he's got the right name, after all.
Hay, Maybe Osama Obama...
August 17, 2007 - 08:53 ET by HelenSMaybe Osama Hussein Obama IS the magic negro! (to quote and pay homage and give due respect to the Los Angeles Times).
He's black, but not TOO black.
He's kinda sorta Christian (with a deliciously Islamic middle name) but not TOO Christian.
Could he BE any more magical?
Doesn't seem real, in a way. Too good to be true, so to speak. A phony, one might think.
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
}}---> Helen
August 17, 2007 - 09:00 ET by Cool ArrowBut he's an honest to goodness phony, you gotta admit.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Helen, you forgot...he's
August 17, 2007 - 09:27 ET by motherbeltHelen, you forgot...he's clean and articulate too!
Oh yes! Very important,
August 17, 2007 - 10:04 ET by HelenSOh yes!
Very important, being clean!
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
Agence France Press
August 17, 2007 - 07:29 ET by SportPoliticsThe first time I became aware of AFP was in an online sight that had multiple videos showing the AFP cameraman being interviewed and ADMITTING that his propaganda film of Israeli soldiers firing on unarmed palestinians was a big phoney setup. "That's the way it's always been done" he said.
There was a famous picture of a man and his boy against a white concrete wall ducked behind a can and a rock for cover and the next shot showed the boy dead, and his father in agony.
It turned out to be a hoax, and the website showed how "the once shot and dead" actors would later be walking and running around in the next clip. The red cross islamic international ambulances were stage props. Someone got the smuggled full video, and the clipping and cutting AFP did to cover up was exposed completely.
I was quite amazed, and was thoroughly convinced, and luckily had come across the famous photo in some American news broadcasts prior to visiting the website, so it had a large and lasting impact on me.
So now anytime I hear or see AFP, I don't give it even one shred of credibility. I also realized and understand that US broadcasts are using foreign charlatans vids and pics that at any time can be completely phoney.
So, what was the propaganda lying AFP yapping about Fred Thompson ? Whatever. Since they're yapping their personal disdainful opinion it's probably the most accurate story they have ever put out.
Darth -vs- Lurch
August 17, 2007 - 08:00 ET by HelenSI'd take Darth Thompson (not sucking up to the "we used to be important" French) over John F-ing "Lurch" Kerry (droning lapdog for anything with an accent) any day.
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
Thank goodness the America
August 17, 2007 - 08:07 ET by Jack BauerThank goodness the America people has the good sense in 2004 to enforce the separation between Lurch and State!
}}---> No Hope
August 17, 2007 - 08:10 ET by Cool ArrowConservatives are right and never left in the lurch.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
* Good Morning Texas!
August 17, 2007 - 08:16 ET by rob6677Is lurch to the right or left?
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
Yes! "Cry havoc and let
August 17, 2007 - 08:18 ET by HelenSYes!
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
}}---> Lest we forget
August 17, 2007 - 08:26 ET by Cool ArrowSorry Joe but you had it coming.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
* Wow
August 17, 2007 - 08:29 ET by rob6677They are really making advances in cloning!
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
Identical twins!
August 17, 2007 - 08:24 ET by Gary P JacksonIdentical twins!
* AFP?
August 17, 2007 - 08:26 ET by rob6677I would say that AFP is the dark looming threat. Just think, if they somehow learn the workings of a gun, their stories would be the last thing to worry about!
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
Talk about a preemptive strike!
August 17, 2007 - 09:01 ET by CrashWhen the French are trashing a man who has not entered the race ... perhaps he's the one to beat.
Then again, they think Jerry Lewis is funny.
}}---> Monty Python's French Guard
August 17, 2007 - 09:08 ET by Cool ArrowIt's so tough to respect them after the Holy Grail.
I don't wanna talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
* You silly english types.
August 17, 2007 - 09:14 ET by rob6677"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
That's
August 17, 2007 - 10:05 ET by pbanks7That's "type-suh."
Ignorance is bliss. It's easier to repeat a mindless slogan than to do some actual research.
* You are correct
August 17, 2007 - 10:48 ET by rob6677I was being attacked by a banana and must have spelt it wong!
Oh look out for those raspberries........
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
attack fruit
August 17, 2007 - 20:38 ET by botgsay it don't spray it.
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
I like Fred Thompson, but...
August 17, 2007 - 09:50 ET by WiggyI like Fred Thompson, but I am getting sick and tired of him not officially announcing his candidacy for President. He needs to kick it in high gear or risk getting left behind.
I heard it opined that as
August 17, 2007 - 10:11 ET by HelenSI heard it opined that as soon as he officially announces, he has to stop his "Law & Order" role, all the re-runs that have him in them have to be taken out of the line-up, and all the actors affected by that will have their pay-checks impacted. Maybe he's filming the last of the episodes he's in. To wrap up his character's story line or something.
I don't know what the heck I'm talking about. I just repeat rumors.
It's possible that he wants to delay that as long as possible. It is also likely (or logical) that he doesn't want the official attacks to begin just yet. Let them speculate and whine but let him call the shots on his own campaign. Why should someone else decide when HE should make a move? He can figure that out all by himself.
I figure he's worth waiting for so if he's on the ballot, we vote. If he's not, we pick someone else. It's not that hard.
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
Are you kidding??
August 17, 2007 - 10:48 ET by c5thenIn a recent poll of likely Republican primary voters in Iowa (or was it Illinois?) Romney came in first and F. Thompson came in a close second.
He's running in second place without spending a cent! As soon as he announces, he leaps into first place.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
* Sweet
August 17, 2007 - 11:04 ET by rob6677I never thought of it like that, I know just by waiting he draws enough attention, but if you are second in line and aren't in it yet there must be strong support!!!
"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice." Clint Eastwood
"I like Fred Thompson, but
August 17, 2007 - 12:15 ET by ckc1227"I like Fred Thompson, but I am getting sick and tired of him not
officially announcing his candidacy for President. He needs to kick it
in high gear or risk getting left behind."
It's not Fred's fault everyone else announced way too early. Didn't some folks announce their candidacy LAST year?
He will be announcing in September. That's plenty of time.
Just sayin'
August 17, 2007 - 13:19 ET by BigBI'm thinking more along the lines of a Reagan/Iran thing might be going on here....
I think Fred projects sort of a 'Look, we're not going to put up with any more of your crap here...so give it a rest'.....
Just a thought...
P.S. I'll just bet Fred scares the living Hell outta Olberman and Mathews...(a'la Zell Miller)....
HEH!!!
Now, this might sting just a little bit.....
ROFLMAO... This says a
August 17, 2007 - 20:28 ET by bigtimerROFLMAO...
This says a lot to me if the French are worried about Thompson being the next President here...
What the heck are they gonna do...they elected a somewhat conservative in their own country and they are worried about Fred.
I absolutely love it!