Brownback: "Excellent military progress"; won't run in 2010

Senator Brownback sat with the Topeka Capital-Journal's editorial board on Thursday and proved over and over again that he's one big bowl of crazy.  Join me below for some funtastic quotes.

"Praise the troops and the president for hanging in there," said Brownback, a U.S. senator from Kansas seeking the 2008 GOP nomination for president. "Excellent military progress. Zero to no political progress."

Yes, praise the president for hanging in there.  Bush has personally sacrificed so much in this war.  And excellent military progress?  If excellent progress means unwillable quagmire, then yes, we've made excellent progress.

"The key is getting your death loss down. We've got to stop losing our troops."

He's a genius. 'Nuff said.

The next president's top priority will be an international war against Islamic militants, Brownback said.

"We're going to be in a global war with militant Islamists for a generation," he said.

Replace war with crusade and we're right back in the middle ages.  Based on his
views, he probably would have enjoyed pre-Renaissance Europe.  No pesky wall between church and state to deal with.

There was one bright ray of sunshine among the dark clouds.

On other matters, Brownback said if his presidential bid fell short he had no intention of running for re-election to the Senate in 2010.

Hello Senator Sebelius!

•  Tips for a Brownbackless Kansas.

  by clonecone on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 07:50:16 AM PDT

•  These guys are, if nothing, consistant with their

  craziness.  War, it's whats for dinner.

  by funluvn1 on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 07:56:18 AM PDT

•  I wonder........

  Did he get a prize for signing his Kansas Republican Party Loyalty Pledge early?  Wonder if he won a double helping of the kool-aid?

  by Fuzzy5150 on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 07:57:51 AM PDT

•  What a joker!

  Brownback has been an embarrassment to the state since he set foot in Washington.  This is off-topic from Brownback, but this is my letter to the editor that the Capital-Journal printed last Saturday:

  Not protecting us

  I don't know whether the Aug. 15 editorial on the troop surge was disingenuous or simply lazy reporting, but it was certainly irresponsible. It was nothing but cheerleading for the Bush/Cheney administration, and everything presented was a half-truth, at best.

  The editorial reports that large, al-Qaida-style attacks are down in the aftermath of the buildup (March to July) but neglects to mention that has been the case for every year of this war — and this was by far the bloodiest July for U.S. troops. A general is quoted as saying that the tribes are fighting against al-Qaida networks (who weren't there before we invaded), but there is no mention that the Shiites and Sunnis still haven't reconciled their differences and any decline in bloodshed between them will most likely return to previous levels as soon as the surge is over.

  You say that you'll await more news before you draw conclusions, but if you're waiting for Gen. David Petraeus' September report, you're fooling yourselves. Although Petraeus and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq will present their recommendations on Capitol Hill, legislation passed by Congress leaves it to the president to decide how to interpret the report's data. I think that we can all guess how this president will interpret that report.

  The part of the editorial that most angered me, though, was the assertion that U.S. troops are in Iraq to protect this country's freedom. It should be obvious to anyone who's paid attention to what's happened during the past four years that the war in Iraq has had nothing to do with America's national security, and that Mr. Bush and Congress are the only ones taking away our freedom.

  --I've already posted this in another thread, but I felt that it was appropriate to re-post it here.

  by KansasLiberal on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:06:26 AM PDT

  •  Not off topic at all

    Brownback bashing is always welcome.

    by clonecone on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:07:19 AM PDT

    •  As is Bush bashing.

      by clonecone on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:08:00 AM PDT

•  Timing

  There's a tide ...

  And it looks like the tide is still gonna be running with us in 2008, from the White House to the Capitol. Democrats who desire higher office should go with the flow.

  Those who sit and wait may find themselves battling a rip tide, the historic tendency for the party in power to lose seats in off-year elections.

  Gov Sibelius should seize the moment and run next year against Sen. Roberts. If she waits until the easier target of an open seat, she could have a more difficult struggle against a powerful trend.

  by Woody on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:09:14 AM PDT

  •  From what I hear

    she's committed to finishing her term.  I'm hoping a decent candidate appears soon.  Roberts might be popular but he could be vulnerable in a big Dem year.

    by clonecone on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:13:45 AM PDT

•  who would've thought

  that the Republican dominance of Kansas, which survived the New Deal and Watergate, among other things, would finally get brought down by the Christianists?  Led by Brownback, the archetypal midwestern Creepy Church Guy if there ever was one.  Woo-hoo for a blue Kansas!

  by mcfly on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:12:34 AM PDT

•  Props to Brownback

  Although I totally 100 % disagree with this batshit crazy wacko, at least he has some meaning of character.  He said he wouldn't rerun years ago, and he's sticking to it.  So many of these guys (D's and R's) say crap like that, then say something to the effect that their country needs their service.

  by egarratt on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:18:45 AM PDT

•  zero to no?

  when you go rhetorically from something to something, shouldn't there be an actual journey?

  by dday on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 08:41:00 AM PDT

•  As a former Kansan,

  I look forward to the day when once again we can say, "There is nothing the matter with Kansas". Thanks for the diary.

  by realalaskan on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 10:03:56 AM PDT

•  It seems Sebelius will be fine

  By all accounts her claim to fame is competence not ideology.  So serving out her full Governorship then gunning for a Senate seat should be doable for her.  If see wants to move to DC.  I really wonder how diferent she is to pre 92 Kassenbaum or Dole who were actually perfectly respectable on most social issues.

  I actually have Sebelius, Rendell and Napolitano pencilled in as 2010 pickups.  I remeber last fall a couple of R consultants admitting that if the Senate fell in 06 they didn't have a chance of picking it back up til 2012 because they overacheived in 02/04 with many reed thin victories.  I wish Pajama Pete was up in 2010 instead of 08 so Richardson could join the club.  (Although maybe he'll be indicte dor declared senile in time for a '10 election.)

  by robroy on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 10:26:46 AM PDT

•  Ugh. Brownback really is awful.

  I'm thankful at least that most people (even among Republicans) are able to see his crazy for what it is. I mean honestly, it would almost be great to have him win the nomination because it would be so easy to beat him, but then I imagine the consequences if things were to go wrong some how...and I rethink that.

  The crusade talk is always helpful for international relations...is there really no Dem there in Kansas that can step up to run this time and at least knock out Roberts?

  by Elise on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 11:02:16 AM PDT

  •  We're waiting on an annoucement

    from the Kansas Democratic Party.  Hopefully some good news will unfold.

    by clonecone on Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 11:24:59 AM PDT