Pat Buchanan: "I don't know of any."

[FlyingSquirrel]

When asked if he thought there were anti-American members of Congress, Buchanan replied: "No, I don't know of any."

That's not exactly the same as saying "No, I don't think so." or just plain "No."

It's like (and I'm not trying to dredge up old stuff, just can't think of a better example) responding to the question of whether Barack Obama is a Muslim by saying, "Not as far as I know."

-------

Just my opinion... I think Pat Buchanan has sunk to a new low.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. It's another swipe at Hillary.

Remember when she said "as far as I know"? (http://www.wikiality.com/As_Far_As_I_Know)

[FlyingSquirrel]

3. I'm not really wanting to bring her into this... I just couldn't think of

a better example. Hopefully the thread can stay focused on Pat Buchanan

:crazy:

[ColbertWatcher]

4. But, the GOP have been pushing this myth that Hillary believes the way they do.

They have been pushing this shit even before the convention.

Hell, they even pushed it until the day of Obama's acceptance speech.

Buchanan is a tool, he'll say whatever the GOP Party machine tells him to.

It was no mistake that he said what he did.

[JVS]

7. Do you remember the Eliza program?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA

If we could make a politician version of it, the phrases "as far as I know" and "in what respect, charlie" would have to be part of its vocabulary.

[tblue]

2. Yeah, he's lower than a snake.

This 'anti-American' crap really, really needs to be attacked head-on.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. Pat Buchanan whines like a little school girl that got her ponytail

pulled by the bully behind her in first grade.

His sister acts more like a man than he does!

[KharmaTrain]

6. These Assholes Really Believe It...

It's the constant mantra of hate radio. All Democrats are "Un-Amurican"...it's been their "hot hit" for over a decade. It's no suurprise to hear the stuff coming out of the right wing these days since it's been spoken among themselves for so many years. For many years, they covered up the real hate with codewords or came up with strawmen or equivelent games to mask this meme, but it was never far from the surface on almost every and any topic brought up on the venomous AM band.

IMHO, even Buchanan was blown away by the shit flowing from Bachmann's pie hole. He was in very much reactive mode...and that says a lot when someone can out "pitchfork" him.

Be prepared, Bachmann's tirade won't be the last we have to endure in the next couple weeks...these animals are getting frantic as they see their fears of a complete Democratic sweep as a possibility. We just won't see a kitchen sink thrown...we'll see the damn inventory of Home Depot tossed.

[bean fidhleir]

8. Funny, that might be how I'd answer, too

Because it would refer to my state of knowledge, which is what that question asked about.

If I just said "no", I would be saying that there aren't and that I *know* that there aren't.

"I don't think so" also subtly implies more certainty than a simple "I don't know": if you don't think so, then what DO you think.

Saying some variation on "I don't know" ("beats me", "no clue", "haven't the foggiest", "no idea", "don't know anything about it") is the most honest possible answer.

[FlyingSquirrel]

9. Well, the finer points of this answer have been exhaustively debated

during the primaries already so I won't try and change your mind. To me, it's Buchanan trying to act all innocent to one side, and still put a little bit of doubt into as many minds as he can, while the Republican base hears his dogwhistle and knows he's not capitulating.

[greyl]

13. I know you are correct. nt

[Bluenorthwest]

10. Sunk to a new low?!?

He's been feeding at the bottom for a long time, this is nothing for Pat. Lest his current status as media darlin' allow us to forget:

With 80,000 dead of AIDS, our promiscuous homosexuals appear literally hell-bent on Satanism and suicide.
-- Pat Buchanan, in his syndicated column, October 17, 1990

For President Nixon to visit King's widow on the anniversary of King's assassination would outrage many, many people who believe Dr. King was a fraud and a demagogue and perhaps worse.... Others consider him the Devil incarnate. Dr. King is one of the most divisive men in contemporary history.
-- Pat Buchanan, while working as a White House adviser to Nixon, reported in the New York Daily News, October 1, 1990

Rail as they will about "discrimination," women are simply not endowed by nature with the same measures of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed in the fiercely competitive world of Western capitalism.
-- Pat Buchanan, November 22, 1983

This is the guy MSNBC pays for his opinions.

[hfojvt]

11. that seems like a leap

are you looking for reasons to find him despicable? If so, then some of the quotes above are more blatant.

Heck, Pat gave a pretty tolerable answer there, maybe better than I would have given. After all, is it anti-American to put your party, or your corporate or wealthy donors ahead of your country or your district? Is it anti-American to support the Bush tax cuts which benefit a wealthy few and do more harm than good for a majority of us. Is it anti-American to lie to the American people about tax cuts and about WMD? Take Senator Pat Roberts (please) who said at one point "we have found some WMD in Iraq but I cannot give details because it is classified" and then a year or so later admitted "there never were any WMD". Doesn't that make the first statement a blatant lie? Isn't it anti-American to lie to the American people? So, I am not prepared to say that some members of Congress aren't anti-American.

[bean fidhleir]

12. Well said. That describes the situation nicely

I would certainly term quite a few people in Congress "anti-American". MOST of them, in fact, beginning with Pelosi and Reid and working down.

But many DUers doubtless disagree with my definition.