Lame Duck Indeed: Join the Live Chat
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We have breaking news from Capitol Hill, where the Senate has failed to pass a major piece of legislation. We're Keeping them Honest. Are they playing games instead of doing actual work? Plus, a new report on war on Afghanistan. Does it paint a true picture? We'll talk with Peter Bergen who just returned from the country and Sebastian Junger who who spent a year embedded with troops there.
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
Here are some of them:
1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
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That is alot of teddy bears! Good for the people of that game!
Michael Vick getting a dog?! They better not allow him to do it because he will just do the same thing he did before. It's like giving a child abuser a child! Stupid!
Lame Duck should be renamed angry old ducks. The Republican mentality is exhibited as a bunch of self-serving angry old men who have long ago outlived their usefulness. That is if they were ever useful to begin with! The American people are the very least of their concerns. Their political futures and their inflated sense of selves is what motivates their public service mandates.
The fact that Michael Vick wants to get a dog for a pet is just so unreal!! Very ridiculous.
I watch Larry King Live tonight, it was great show, I am glad panels brought suspeners to wear!!!! I will also him again..... I will forward watch his specials!
Congratulations and happy retirement to Larry. I hope CNN extends their news hour - the new workday ends much later in the day; so to come home and not have real news coverage is a handicap for my husband (and many others) who reach home sometime in the midst of Parker-Spitzer..
We always want what we can not have.
the teddy bear toss is always a big event
This is where the coverage of Julian Assange and the war converge, because making the story about Julian Assange is a distraction from the real issue, namely, WikiLeaks' indictment of the tens of thousands of deaths and other casualties: American, Iraqi, Afghan, and other coalition personnel.
That's cool...all those Teddy Bears.
Anderson thanks for the Afganistan reality check.
How painful it is. So many lives lost, and so little progress. The stories about corruption keep coming from everywhere.
Do have to keep in mind that the Afghan people for generations now never have known what democracy is. Or what it would or should look like.
@ Sue from Syracuse
Senator Ron Wyden's absence from the Senate on Monday shouldn't be a problem. He only needs to be there on Saturday, for the cloture vote. The final vote, which is expected to occur late Sunday or on Monday, will only require 51 ayes.
@Mikey in Tx: your post is spot on. Yes, it is so clear to most all of us what needs to be done with these votes. Why can't congress get it done? Just Do It. This is the lamest of the lame ducks.
@Sue- Syracuse, i heard Afganistan referred to as a "graveyard of Kingdoms".
No one has ever controlled Afganistan In known history.
@Emily, LOL, thanks for your remarks about the acrobats & the Pope.
I'm sure going to miss LKL. He has entertained so many of us for years. I hope Larry never hangs up his suspenders and wish him luck on his new adventures. Congrat's to you Larry !!
My dog was sitting by me until she heard that Michael Vick wants a dog...she's now upstairs under the bed.
@Ernie – no question about it but he's not the one backing out at the last minute or all the other blocking actions they all are doing. My comments are not about the earmarks but about the stupid games they are all playing for their sake instead of what we have told them to do.
@Mikey...Absolutely!..."If they don't really know what is in it they should be asked to resign for not doing their jobs." Wouldn't we all really like to know WHAT our representatives are doing, day after day?
@Anderson, thank you for having Peter Bergen on and having this discussion on Afganistan.
Peter is right, we will likely have American troops there for years in large numbers.
Mr. Junger makes excellent points too.
Mr. Junger is right, the Taliban has much more passion to win. Kabul is only a very, very small part of Afganistan.
Terrif & informative panel, thank you all.
Does anyone remember a word for word comparison
between George W. Bush and Barak Obama continuously quoting the progress we were making in Iraq and presently in Afghanistan?
@Heather...and a reflective disco ball!
We need more peace than war. 🙂
@Lori, This is my opinion. The solution to Afghanistan is women of other cultures (which is tough to achieve) and putting Afghan women in power.
I hope the Afgan war is somewhat successful. I don't believe there is truly a winner in any war. But we have to know and understand that our military is there for a reason and they have made many sacrifices. I just can't wait to hear that they will be coming home.
This is a great panel here.
I don't think that there are ever going to be changes in Afghanistan. The people don't want there to be changes. They have to also want it too, not just us for them.
This seems like a wasted effort on our part.
One hopes Julian Assange certainly ought to enjoy a presumption of innocence in Sweden, and if you look at the allegations by two women who willingly had sexual relations with him, it's questionable if there would even be a "crime" in most Western countries.
@Samantha, probably but this is (as i understand) the third prosecutorin Sweden. The first didn't even proceed to go firther with it.
Lot of theory's going on there.
Let's first don't believe the hype, and hear some facts. Believe the English judge is now doing that.
@Starr,
"the acrobats look a little out of place with the Pope."
I didn't think that was a 'real' video...it was very funny. 😉
Can the President really believe that we are on track to achieve our goals there? Who are we saving there? Someone remind me why we are there again. It's been so long I've forgotten.
What is the solution for Afghanistan?
@Starr, Yes, the definition of winning in Afghanistan or for that matter, any war, needs to be revised. We are in bringing some semblance of government to a place and then leaving. I hope that happens sooner than later. It is extremely difficult terrain in Afghanistan.
@Casey, I was waiting for the colored lights to start flashing and the smoke machines to start up 🙂
@Nicole The Netherlands
I've read much on the case that is against Julian Assange. It really seems to be very, very weak to me. I noticed that no one has ever been charged or convicted of what Assange has been charged with. This seems to be because of who he is. 🙁
@ Mikey in TX – Don't forget that Mitch McConnell had $107M of his own earmarks in that Bill...He and his cronies are hypocrites!
I was disappointed with the Afganistan report today.
I believe that there is no winning or even steven with this war.
There is no real government for us and the UN to partner with.
The Taliban will not go away at Any time (i watched the CNN special on the Taliban).
And, we can only expect a limited response from Pakistan who will Not take its eyes off of India as a threat.
BTW the Republicans complaining about a 2000 page bill they have never seen shows they consider us stupid. We know that they helped build it (do I hear thousands of earmarks), and have staff that has been actively involved through the whole process that has been blocked all year. If they don't really know what is in it they should be asked to resign for not doing their jobs.
I love "The Shot" the acrobats are amazing statue, When the pope watch acrobats. Awesome shot!!!!!!! Thanks Anderson!
@Nicole...you're absolutely right. Unfortunately, the media frequently picks-up on who yells the loudest and frequently that's a minority.
That Vatican scene is a little creepy.
Will Assange be extradited to Sweden afterall?
@Starr, formerly known as vincent
"Col. Lakin lost his pension and has been dismissed from the service"
I think that he REALLY brought shame to the military! It's good that he was dismissed from the service and lost his pension. When I heard that he said that they should not have been trying him, it really was surreal; the nerve.
Virtually every poll has shown Americans of all parties want the budget passed, DADT repealed, the tax package passed and the SMART treaty ratified. Who do the Republicans think they are to withdraw their already promised budget votes (as you said because their worried abt 2012), and the possibly tell the President that they will vote for only one bill the DADT or the treaty. They would hold both the security and the civil rights of our country up while failing to pass the countries budget. Beyond shameful
I know in the U.S. some people have been calling for assault on Julian Assange, I am more with a guy named Michael in this case.
Let's first have a trial and some evidence in the case he turned himself in fori England
And then have a (worldwide)discussion about Wikileaks.
Brrr,,Everytime I see the pic of the frozen Lake Erie lighthouse I'm thankful that I'm in my warm house looking at it.
Strange video from the Vatican.
Mark Jones is my favorite hero!!!!!!!! I know how he feel what have to shoot him, it is so emotion for him........ Congrats Mark!
Since when does that vatican have Chippendale style acrobats?
@BettyAnn, Nacogdoches,TX
The taxcut/budget bill is a supreme example of two extreme ends putting their chips into the game. Neither side has compromised on their chips in accepting the other's extreme end. How about letting go of your own demands a tad bit? That will help the country a lot more.
Can you replay that clip with the acrobats at least three more times before the show is over?
We all thank Mike Jones for being there right on time. May God always bless him.