Bill Maher, anyone? Pretty good so far.

[babylonsister]

Maher basically said Kerry's plan was discounted but his idea was sound.

[Dr Ron]

1. Thanks for the reminder

I totally forgot that he's on tonight. Fortunately my hard drive recorder was set to record him.

[Stardust]

2. The show was excellent! Spike Jones! Elvis Costello! Max Cleland!

Kos! Vali Nasr! (OK, I'm going a little overboard...he was good, too, but not on my must-see list, yet.) What Elvis Costello said about Americans brought tears to my eyes. Can you believer what a wanker Hitchens was???? I'm surprised he didn't yank his mic off and stomp off the set (a la Ann Coulter), although he did make a quick exit, I noticed.

Bill stuck to his guns but at the same time kept the show flowing very well. (I love it when he gets that pursed-lips look of anger/contempt/impatience.) I'm so glad he's back. Ahhhhhh, another breath of fresh air!

[TayTay]

10. Welcome to the John Kerry Group, sofedupwithbush!

It's very nice to have you here! Nice of you to drop by and talk with us. Please feel free to ask anything, say anything, etc. We love new people!

Welcome :patriot:

[sandnsea]

3. I'm just getting it now

My husband has to watch his boxing, what can I say. Do I need to mute Markos??

[_dynamicdems]

4. Okay, I'm not a lip reader, but did you catch the muted conversation

between Maher and Cleland at the end of the show?

Okay,this is just my impression based on body language and facial expressions and I am probably completely wrong, but I could have sworn (maybe it was wishful thinking) that Bill Maher was asking Max Cleland if Kerry was planning another run and Cleland responded that he was convinced Kerry would or that he hoped Kerry would. And Bill responded something on the idea of, "You think so?" Then Cleland, said something back that could have been, "Who else have we got?"

Okay, this is a huge stretch. It could have as easily have been, "How about those Sox?" Or maybe he was asking Cleland about the rally for Murtha.

Did anyone else catch this exchange? Any opinions?

[beachmom]

5. I missed it, but it will be replayed tonight

I am a bad lip reader, but I'll check that out to see. Bill Maher really trashed Dems last season, and took a few shots at Kerry, too. Hopefully, this season will be better.

I LOVE Max Cleland!! Looking forward to seeing it (thanks guys for reminding me that the new season started this week).

[Stardust]

8. I was intrigued by that interchange, too. However, I fantasized

that they were discussing Democratic propects in winning back the House and Senate: Maher wondering if we can and Cleland extremely confident that we will. IMO, I would rather Kerry not run again.

[JanusAscending]

13. Welcome to the Kerry Forum!!

Always good to see new people. I have a question for you. What is the reason you would rather not see Sen. Kerry run again? Just curious. :shrug: DC

[Stardust]

16. I'm sorry I said that--didn't realize I was in the Kerry group. I'm

usually much more circumspect. I greatly admire Kerry and always will, but I'm not sure he would win. There are just too many Repugs out there with a penchant for disliking him and I'm afraid of them, quite frankly. I guess I hate to see him berated unmercifully again. The last election was so disheartening. How about you -- do you honestly think he has a chance?

[blm]

18. What was gisheartening to you? That Kerry got won more votes than any

Democrat in history, or that the Dem party infrastructure was so weak it did not counter all the RNC vote suppression and machine fraud tactics used to keep Bush in office?

[JanusAscending]

19. Honey...don't worry, he can take it

(being berated). People have been doing it to him for YEARS!! Remember the Senate hearings regarding Nam?? He can take care of the "Republics", so have no fear on that count. We've got his back, as he has ours. Hmmm...."do I honestly think he has a chance"???? Yes, I honestly do.........he's our ONLY chance, and I feel he needs us, to see that he gets that chance he so deserves. One way is by not using talking point's heard from the mass media, and doing a little research into THE MAN and his accomplishments, and character. I think whatever the reason that you got on the Kerry forum by accident, will lead you to something very illuminating about our guy!! DC:hi:

[TayTay]

20. We don't have a litmus test in here.

There is no crime in saying, I have doubts Kerry (or anyone else) can win. (That's okay.) It's obvious that you don't hate Kerry, but you don't think he would be able to withstand another run for the White House.

Ahm, post in here again. We don't expect abslute conformity, we expect civil debate. Ahm, your comments were good ones and very civil. Please come back and post some more. (We don't want to just be preaching to the choir. It's better to be challenged, even mildly and politely, once in a while. Keeps you on your toes.)

Again: :patriot:

[_dynamicdems]

17. That's a possibility too. The exchange was something on that idea.

I don't agree with you about Senator Kerry running again though, because he's the most qualified to get us out of this mess. The decision is his, of course, and if the senator decides not to run, I'll respect that.

In all honesty, I don't see anyone else can both bring us victory in 2008 or clean up the mess in Washington like John Kerry can. We saw what the opposition was capable of in 2000 and 2004. Until you have experienced it, you just don't know how you are going to handle it. I believe both Al Gore and John Kerry are stronger because of those elections. John Kerry has recently been vetted like no candidate ever. During the election and ever since he's been under a microscope. And the result is the opposition's got squat. The man can't sneeze without it being caught on camera. Don't get me wrong: he hasn't been getting stellar media coverage for his legislation and his stands on the issues, but the conservatives have been watching like hawks for him to slip up. John Kerry is a huge threat to them. This alone is a huge testament to the viability of a Kerry 2008 candidacy: they fear him.

There has been a lot of talk about Al Gore. I love Al Gore, but I prefer Kerry because I think he is more liberal on the issues I care about and because he can handle both the domestic issues and bring us the respect we have lost in the world. He has been meeting with foreign leaders on an ongoing basis since 2004 and maintains good relations with them. This is crucial. I also believe in the concept of specialists. In medicine, there are general practitioners and there are specialists. Al Gore is a specialist. He is needed where he is. A Democrat in the White House would certainly help get VP Gore's message out.

Now we all see some interesting new kids on the block, shiny faces that look good. Hey, I like some of them too, but the question is: will they hold up? Do any of them have a skeleton in the closet? And there are some old faces in the mix too, some very appealing old faces. By older I mean, candidates who have previously run with no success. I'm less inclined to vote for anyone who can't win more than a primary or two but who becomes a perpetual candidate, so I'm on the watch for that. These candidates are a distraction.

John Kerry can do this. He's stronger than ever. Think of it as the Olympics: would you discount an athlete who brought in a silver first time out from consideration for the next competition? If you would, the US would be shy quite a few gold medals.

[globalvillage]

6. I thought parts of the show were a little slow

I guess it takes an episode or two for Bill to hit his stride.
Best parts:
Another "Kerry was right" validation moment. Bill makes the list with Will and Schultz. I need to get enough of those to put a flash video together.
Elvis Costello was wonderful.
Max has a fabulous laugh. I thought he was certainly the strongest on the panel.
Hitchen is an ass. I'm glad he was on the show, another example of bush* supporters imploding.
Kos was surprisingly good.
I have to watch the end again and see if I can catch the conversation between Max and Bill. That's interesting.
Which three people do you think would make the most fascinating Bill Maher panel?
How about Sen Kerry, Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann?

[whometense]

7. I'd tune in for that lineup!

Thanks for the review - last season Maher often dissed Kerry, and I stopped watching. To me his attitude seemed to be, well Bush is really bad, but that other guy...

Maybe I'll give him another try. Maybe he, like the liberal blogosphere, is starting to see the light.

[Stardust]

9. I'd love to see Randi Rhodes or Mike Malloy on the panel.//

[globalvillage]

11. Either would be awesome.

Who would you have on the panel with them? How about Ann Coulter or Shawn Hannity?
I'd love to see Randi or Mike make mincemeat out of both.

[beachmom]

14. Call me crazy, but . . .

I don't want to see any of the dumbass conservatives like Coulter or Hannity. I'd rather see Andrew Sullivan, John Kerry, and Christianne Ammapour. Andrew would be the pro-war Iraq guy who would really give JK a run for his money to defend his position on Iraq. Christianne would be the neutral reporter who would be giving out the facts and reports of how the world is. And JK would be our resident intellectual politician who could out-debate any of them including Maher (who would lighten up the otherwise heavier panel). I feel like with this panel I would gain a few more brain cells. Half the time on Maher's shows, there is SOO much misinformation by people who are not even close to being experts about the subjects they discuss, it is SOO frustrating. I STILL remember Andrew being one of the better guests, even if I disagreed, because he at least knew a thing or two about what was actually going on in Iraq. Other past great guests have been Wes Clark, Christianne, and Max Cleland, of course.

[Stardust]

15. Randi vs. Coulter and Malloy vs. Hannity - separate shows, of course.

[ProSense]

12. Cleland's appearance on Maher is mentioned in this press release

Cleland Vows Support for Murtha, Announces Rally and Fundraising Effort
Sat Aug 26, 12:02 AM ET

To: National Desk, Political Reporter

Contact: Ed Mitchell of Murtha for Congress, 570-826-6115 or [e-mail]

JOHNSTOWN, Pa., Aug. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Murtha for Congress Committee said that former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) announced last night he's leading a large-scale effort among his veteran brothers to support U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha (news, bio, voting record) (D-Pa.), who is coming under attack from "radical right-wing forces in the veterans' community" aimed at "swift-boating Murtha, like they did former Democratic nominee for president Sen. John Kerry."

On the Bill Maher Show on HBO, Friday, Cleland said that he'd spearhead an effort through the Murtha for Congress Committee to raise funds for Murtha to "fight back." He also announced the organization of a major rally in Murtha's home district in western Pennsylvania on Sept. 30 where veterans from across the country will gather in Johnstown, Pa. to show their "solidarity" with Murtha's "courageous stand against this unnecessary war in Iraq."

"During his 37 years serving in the United States Marine Corps, Jack Murtha led his brothers in arms with integrity and honor," Cleland said. He continued, "Semper Fi is not a slogan to Jack Murtha, it's a way of life - in uniform and in the halls of Congress where he's put the full force of his unyielding support of our military into real leadership for our troops and military families for over three decades in Washington. There's a reason why Congressman Murtha is one of our most trusted voices on national security and America's standing in the world - he speaks his mind, he speaks his heart, and he's willing to speak truth to power."

The rally will be held Saturday, Sept. 30, 2006 at 11 a.m. in Central Park in Johnstown, Pa. Cleland said he expects veterans from all over America to make the journey "to support Murtha in an unprecedented show of unity against the war."

Cleland said his efforts also would include fundraising efforts in the veterans' community to raise funds to combat the "lies and deceit of a few radical supporters of President Bush on the war."

Cleland concluded: "Let's speak out against the smears and lies against Congressman Murtha. Let's stand with our brother who has stood with us. This is our call to arms. We're a little bit older, we're a little bit grayer, but we veterans still know how to fight for our country."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20060826/pl_usnw/cleland_vows_support_for_murtha__announces_rally_and_fundraising_effort102_xml

I love Max Cleland!