OK, that' s hilarious. Though I was kind of confused by not realizing they were using actors to represent the 2000 basketball handover.

LOL

Awsome!!!

I think he should run that in every contested election!  It is great!

So funny because it's true.

a piece of slanderous trash. no wonder nothing can get done in this country when the people in charge blatantly lie over and over again.

no wonder nothing can get done in this country when the people in charge blatantly lie over and over again.

Democrats aren't in charge?

HAHAHAH.  That was funny.

It certainly is funny as a parody, but if I watched that as an actual campaign ad, I'd be inclined to distrust the person using it.

I particularly liked Kim Jong Il dunking.

piece of slanderous trash. no wonder nothing can get done in this country when the people in charge blatantly lie over and over again.

I guess we've heard from the left now.

That was hilarious. A bit over the top for a political ad, but none-the-less, very funny.

guess we've heard from the left now.

no, you've heard from an independent who holds views from many sides of the political fence. lies are lies. it's not about any bias.

the really sad thing is here is that it looks like this conflict is going to spiral right down to another "clinton vs. bush" thing for all the pundits. that is what this false advertisement is touting.

the reality is that what the clinton policy did, was the right course at the time. no it didn't go all as planned, but how much of that had to do with the japanese refusing to deliver the promised "light reactor" in 2001? these reactors were to replace the older ones and are much more easily tracked and verified in regards to weaponizing plutonium.

before that event, the bush administration was prepared to sign the agreement set up by the clinton admin. that would have furthered relations.

and remember, before even the clinton administration came around, the us did threaten to bomb north korea with nuclear weapons. from n. korea's perspective, they are defending themselves against such threats. (keep in mind, when it comes to nuclear weapons, only 1 country has ever used them. much of the rest of the world feels a need to defend themselves from that)

remember, you don't negotiate with your friends, you negotiate with your enemies. and negotiation does not equal appeasement.

on the positive bush side, the proposed policy of a "naval blockade" is a good one IF they can get the chinese and s. koreans to block on land.

people need to stop the partisan rhetoric on this one...the history around this is complex and confusing sometimes. the policy decisions go back to 1948 and neither side has a monopoly on good or bad choices. north korea is not al quaeda. their motivations and "what they want" is a far cry from the terrorists. kim jong is a son of a bitch, as was his father. but so was kruchev, stalin, and many others. generically lumping them in with al quaeda is a naive mistake.

the only piece of truth in this whole ad (and they make a huge deal out of it cause it is the only truth) is that madeline albright gave kim a basketball...big whoop! who cares? as you read here,,,this is common, esp. amongst enemies...


Gifts of State

The exchange of gifts among kings and chiefs and presidents and premiers is a centuries-old tradition. From the ancient civilizations of Rome and Egypt to the native tribes of North America, ceremonial gifts have paved the way for peaceful coexistence between peoples of different cultures. They are universal symbols in the language of diplomacy.
In 1787 a young America defied this old custom and banned the acceptance of foreign gifts by government officials. For citizens of a new democracy, gifts bore both the distasteful odor of aristocracy and the distinct scent of danger: A bribe in betrayers' hands could topple a government. In spite of the prohibition, the strong tradition of diplomatic exchange compelled foreign leaders to continue to send gifts. Refusing them proved impossible; it was at best impolite and at worst a stinging offense. Despite early ideals, Presidents often had no choice but to accept foreign gifts; indeed, every President since George Washington has received gifts of state.

Today gift-giving between heads of state is an important part of modern-day international relations. U.S. Presidents routinely meet face to face with leaders from every corner of the earth. These state visits shimmer with pomp and ceremony, including formal welcomes, elaborate dinners, and the exchange of gifts. As tokens of this ritual of diplomacy, gifts are enduring emblems of international cooperation and friendship.

Though gifts from foreign leaders bear a symbolic meaning, they also resonate with the variety and vibrancy of all the nations of the world. They range from native arts or antiques-prized pieces of a country's culture and heritage–to sparkling gold and gemstones. Other gifts are surprisingly sentimental, symbols of national or personal friendship. All enrich the relations between two countries and their leaders. And each recalls a moment in history, when two nations–often separated by oceans or ideology–briefly clasped hands.



Tea set, by David Andersen, Oslo, Norway, ca. 1930s
Gift to President Roosevelt from Olav and Märtha, the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway
Gold, enamel, tea pot: 5 3/8 x 6 3/4 x 3 inches; sugar bowl: 1 7/8 x 4 13/16 x 2 1/4 inches;
creamer: 1 5/8 x 3 7/8 x 1 15/16;
tray: 3 1/4 x 13 1/16 inches

Click to see high-resolution version (JPEG)




In April 1939 the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway visited President and Mrs. Roosevelt at the Roosevelt family home at Hyde Park, New York. Treated to tea, a recital by local Norwegian Americans, and a picnic in the rolling countryside of the Hudson River Valley, the royal couple was enchanted by their visit. They sent the Roosevelts this Art Deco-style tea set as a remembrance.



Adoration of the Three Wise Kings, ca. 1500
Gift to President Eisenhower from Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Oil on wood panel, 23 x 20 x 2 1/2 inches

Click to see high-resolution version (JPEG)



When he visited the United States in 1956, Chancellor Adenauer gave this painting by a Southeast German master to the President. The two leaders discussed the progress of rebuilding postwar West Germany.



Cloisonné liqueur set
Gift to President Nixon from Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Vermeil, enamel, pitcher: 11 1/2 x 5 x 3 inches; cups: 3 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches

Click to see high-resolution version (JPEG)



In May 1972 the two leaders of the world's most powerful countries met to sign the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) agreement. By restricting missile production in the United States and the Soviet Union, Nixon and Brezhnev hoped to reduce the threat of war between the two nations.

Cloisonné, a difficult technique of soldering and enamel painting–and a specialty of Russian craftsman–is a favorite gift of Russian leaders.



Water or wine vessel, Roman, first or second century
Gift to President Ford from Shimon Peres, Israeli Defense Minister
Glass, 6 5/8 x 5 inches

Click to see high-resolution version (JPEG)



Roman forces occupied present-day Israel from about 60 B.C. to 600 A.D. Many hundreds of years later, this remarkably preserved remnant of Israeli history became a gift to an American President.



Great Order of the Nile
Gift to President Carter from Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt
Gold, enamel, synthetic stones, 16 x 12 inches

Click to see high-resolution version (JPEG)



President Jimmy Carter helped to negotiate peace between Egypt and Israel after 31 years of war. When Carter visited Egypt in 1979, President Sadat, by then a good friend, presented Carter with this gift, Egypt's highest honor.



Saddle
Gift to President Reagan from Chadli Bendjedid, President of Algeria
Leather, velveteen, woven cord, gold thread, 19 x 27 x 23 inches

Click to see high-resolution version (JPEG)



Because of his love for riding, President Reagan received dozens of saddles from both the general public and foreign leaders. President Bendjedid presented this richly embroidered saddle during an official state visit in April 1985.



The Roman Coliseum
Gift to President Clinton from Pope John Paul II
Glass, 22 x 31 1/2 x 3

Click to see high-resolution version (JPEG)



In June 1994 President Clinton traveled to the Vatican for a private audience with the Pope. During their meeting, the leaders discussed the cause of religious freedom, world population growth, and the role of family in society. His Holiness also gave the President this intricate and unusual glass mosaic.

So...you're saying it's true now but that it's fine because gifts are normal?

A new action-oriented website has been launched at CongratulationsDemocratsNowDoYourJob.com. The focus of the website is - assuming that Democrats win the House and/or Senate in November - to hold their feet to the fire to authorize a new and REAL 9/11 investigation and take other actions for the good of the country:

\"AUTHORIZE A TRULY INDEPENDENT MASSIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE ATTACKS OF 9/11, AND ACTIONS LEADING UP TO AND FOLLOWING IT

An investigative body must include the growing number of physicists, scientists, and engineers who have researched these events, including Dr. Steven Jones (BYU Physic Department), and Kevin Ryan (formerly of Underwriter Laboratories), Dr. Robert Bowman (USAF Lt. Colonel rtd.), and the 9/11 widows (known as the Jersey Girls) who fought for the 9/11 Commission and have since condemned it as frightfully incomplete and flawed. The body must also include David Ray Griffin, and use his book on the 9/11 Commission Report as a guide to re-examining the events of 9/11/2001.

An investigative body must include the growing number of physicists, scientists, and engineers who have researched these events, including Dr. Steven Jones (BYU Physic Department), and Kevin Ryan (formerly of Underwriter Laboratories), Dr. Robert Bowman (USAF Lt. Colonel rtd.), and the 9/11 widows (known as the Jersey Girls) who fought for the 9/11 Commission and have since condemned it as frightfully incomplete and flawed. The body must also include David Ray Griffin, and use his book on the 9/11 Commission Report as a guide to re-examining the events of 9/11/2001.


interesting idea for a sight. but i take exception when anyone proclaims these people "must" be on the panel. sounds like someone is trying to shape answers around a hypothesis, which is how we got where we are in Iraq, et al...

IF the dems get control of either house of congress, their 1st duty will be to do whatever they do in a truly fair manner and not go straight to more partisan crap. there might be a lot to learn from some more investigations of the events that are shaping our world today, but the only way to do it is in a fair, non partisan manner.