Do Americans even believe in Democracy anymore??

*THIS* American does!

Why all this “coddling” of Lieberman? Why *did* 48% of the Connecticut voters still vote for Lieberman even though it’s no secret he’s as right-wing, pro-Republican as the Republicans in government these days??

Jeezus H. Christus! If change is this hard for Americans to do with merely *voting*, just think of the long, hard path to getting Americans to give up petroleum for alternative energy in the near future, even when pollution, and wars are killing Americans to “keep to their ways”.

Absolutely astonishing.

And then to read that DINO Salazar from Colorado *still* throws his support for Lieberman *after* he lost the Dem. Primary---I mean, *do* we really have a Democratic party anymore?

Lieberman lost. Ned Lamont WON. The People have spoken, and now’s the time for the Democratic party to uphold their oath to office; swearing to uphold and defend the Constitution of WE the People of these United States.

Sorry for my rant, but it’s gettin’ frustrating to see the lukewarm welcome Ned Lamont’s getting, and the feeling behind-the-scenes that the Democratic Aristocrats in Congress don’t care for him only because the People of Connecticut had the unmitigated GALL to excercise their Constitutional rights, and demanded change. God forbid.

It is especially pathetic, when a so-called Democratic candidate allies himself with a republican president; loses the primary, persists in running for office as an independent, and ultimately accepts financing from the Republican Party—-what a self-centered narcissist ego freak, Joe Lieberman is.

Of course Rove wants to help Lieberman.  Despite all the spin the Republicans are creating to try to lessen the impact of his loss, they see doom in his failure to win the primary.  It seems to me that there was something a little too smug, self-satisfied, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou about Lieberman.  This happens to many people who have been in the Senate for too long; they start to think their stuff doesn’t stink.  Don’t discount this as a factor.  Lamont looked like a fresh face, very likeable.  One additional reason for this loss was, I believe, the Iraqi War and its general dislike by the public, as shown in the polls.  This hopefully will give some muscle to additional Democrats who will feel free to criticize the War in public.  But it wasn’t a landslide loss; the election was close enough to make you think that, if Lieberman had behaved differently, he might have come out OK.  But the spin is on, the Democrats will crow about it, and maybe it will give them what the Tin Man and the Lion wanted.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060809/ap_on_bi_ge/oil _field_shutdown;_ylt=AgAScdYfnffuFWwfTrnIxKSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oD MTA3OTB1amhuBHNlYwNtdHM-

Oil field shutdown raises more questions

By ALLISON LINN, AP Business Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The shutdown of a large Alaskan oil field because of a small leak in one of the pipes is raising questions about whether there are more widespread problems in other pipelines used to transport oil throughout the United States.

For decades, some critics charge, lax government regulation combined with corporate unwillingness to make costly repairs has allowed corrosion and other wear-and-tear issues to fester.

“I think all the pipelines are in trouble regardless of who operates or who owns them,” said Dan Lawn, who previously worked for the Alaska Department of Environment Conservation and is now with the Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility, a watchdog group.

The concerns extend beyond corrosion in the pipes, said Stan Stephens, president of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council, which was formed by federal mandate after the Exxon Valdez spill to advise the industry about potential environmental problems.

Stephens also worries about general maintenance of the aging pipeline system, as well as environmental and safety issues with shipping and storage. He charges that the government has not done enough to force companies to maintain the system.

“They have a system that just fails to just really do a good job of oversight,” Stephens said. “There’s nobody like the state and federal government that’s forcing them to do the right thing.”
Earlier this week, BP PLC said it would shut down Prudhoe Bay — the biggest oil field in the nation — because of a small leak and severe pipeline corrosion. Energy officials have said the pipeline repairs are likely to take months, curtailing Alaskan production into next year.

The Prudhoe Bay oil field operated by BP accounts for 8 percent of domestic output.

Oil and gas industry officials defend their monitoring practices, although they concede that the leak discovery raises troubling questions.

“We were shocked and disappointed when we saw the results of our inspection,” said Scott Dean, spokesman with BP PLC. “Even though we believe we had a very comprehensive and rigorous inspection program, it was clearly not enough.”

Dean said BP plans to take steps to replace 16 miles of pipeline that might be affected by corrosion, although the company hopes it will be able to continue to run the oil at a lower capacity during the repairs.

Still, Dean said the company has tested other pipelines in the Prudhoe Bay network. “We believe this is a unique problem,” Dean said.

Other companies argue that they, too, have been vigilant about inspecting pipes for signs of leaks.

ConocoPhillips, which operates the Greater Kuparuk Area field about 40 miles west of Prudhoe Bay, said it is constantly reviewing its inspection program and will spend $30 million on maintenance this year. BP has allocated $72 million for its corrosion program this year.

Still, the recent issues in Prudhoe Bay have prompted heightened concerns.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which operates and maintains the trans-Alaska pipeline, began a high-tech inspection of its pipeline following a March spill, when corrosion in another BP transit line in Prudhoe Bay caused a spill of up to 267,000 gallons.

The inspection, which originally had been slated for 2007, is about 25 percent complete, said Mike Heatwole, spokesman for Alyeska. But Heatwole said it’s too early to say whether there is evidence of corrosion concerns.

Oil from the Prudhoe Bay site feeds into the 800-mile trans-Alaska system.

Alaska government regulators also have stepped up oversight since March, amid concerns that the problems are not isolated.

“I think after the March spill we did believe that there was a bigger problem,” said Lynda Giguere, spokesman for the Alaska DEC.

Other government regulators are more even critical, claiming industry officials needed to be doing more sooner.

Thomas J. Barrett, administrator of the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, said the industry didn’t do enough to care for the pipelines in the years prior to the March spill.

Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst with Oppenheimer & Co., says it’s clear that not everyone in the industry has been subjecting their pipelines to rigorous corrosion checks.

But he thinks this shutdown will serve as a wakeup call, forcing everyone to rethink and ultimately improve their practices. He likens it to the deadly car crashes that eventually prompted widespread use of seat belts.

“We are going to see more and more companies making routine exams,” he said. “Unfortunately, it took an accident to get people to pay attention.”

But in the meantime, there are still concerns about what this recent leak will mean for the short-term oil supply. Dean, the BP spokesman, said the company is working with suppliers to get replacement pipeline quickly to the site.

BP has approached the Japanese firm JFE Steel Corp. and other steel producers about buying 18-inch pipe to replace the corroded sections at Prudhoe Bay, said David Belvin, senior technology manager of sales and service at JFE’s Houston office.

Belvin said the company, a unit of JFE Holdings Inc. that is one of the top steel pipe manufacturers, is asking for deliveries in September, which will be a challenge.

Although pipeline work in Alaska is generally done in winter, when the frozen ground makes surface transpiration easier, sections of pipe measuring at least 40 feet could be flown in and welded together sooner, he said.

“Can they work there now? Yes, they can,” Belvin said.

Like other steel industry players, JFE is currently very busy, “but can we make some exceptions? I think we’re going to,” he said, adding that Nippon Steel Corp.’s land pipe operation is booked until September of next year.

“I think BP will have to pay a premium to get it sooner,” he said. “They’re going to have to break into someone’s production ... they’re going to have to pay a penalty.”

___ Associated Press Writers Rachel D’Oro in Anchorage, Steve Quinn in Dallas and Dan Lovering in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

A couple of weeks ago Lieberman tried to convince voters that he is a true republican. I wonder what would he claim next...a true independent or true republican?

How much more help does joeloser need?  He has already been using the rovian playbook very well (eg the ‘hacked’ website) and he has mehlman, coulter, hannity, et.al. saying what a wonderful Democrat he is.  They all think that it is just a shame that someone so honorable at representing the Democrats should be treated so badly.  After all, it is they, the rethuglicans who know better who should represent Democrats.

What forceful leaders the Democrats have.  reid, schumer, and dodd don’t want to tell joeloser to give it up.  I suspect that the help that they deign to give Ned Lamont will be of the rather tepid kind because they see that if the peasants can assault the manor once, they can do it again.  Therefore, the peasants must be shown that the well connected must remain well connected.  The peasants should have no voice.