BBC television presenter Jeremy Clarkson said on Saturday that while he was sorry for having made fun of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's appearance, he would not apologise for calling him an "idiot".
Clarkson, known to viewers around the world as the face of the BBC's top-rated 'Top Gear' car show, had described Brown, who lost his sight in one eye in an accident suffered while playing rugby as a teenager, as a "one-eyed Scottish idiot" during a press conference in Sydney.
Clarkson was sharply criticised for the remarks by British politicians and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, and though he issued an apology on Friday, he told The Sun tabloid that he had not "apologised for calling him an idiot".
"I very specifically apologised for making fun of his personal appearance -- very specifically," he told the newspaper from his Sydney hotel. "I have nothing against the Scottish and of course I regret making any remark that might have upset the disabled. "But the idiot bit -- there is no chance I'll apologise for that." A spokesman for Brown's Downing Street office declined to comment on Clarkson's remarks on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
He should apologize. It's not nice to poke fun at the fact that the idiot only has one eye.
#3
Clarkson is something of a Little Englander fool, but his heart's mostly in the right place. As an unabashed right-winger or sorts, who therefore attracts a lot of viewers to the BBC who otherwise wouldn't watch any of al Beeb's left wing drivel output, he's both a thorn in the side of, and a great asset to, the organisation. The clincher to his survival is his bigoted anti-Americanism (which perhaps he, and/or or his editors, accentuate to ensure his presence remains tolerated by the BBC management).
#5
Jeremy has had some clunkers on Top Gear also. I remember when there was all the hullabaloo over SUV's and their size and gas guzzling ability. He went and criticized the American SUV's like the Navigator, Explorer, Jimmy, Escalade etc. But he was sitting inside one of the biggest damn Land Rover's I have ever seen while he was talking.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
02/08/2009 14:17 Comments ||
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#4
JUST THINK. WE WE COLLECTED ALL THE MONIES THAT OUR PRESENT AND POSSIBLE LEADERS(FRANKEN) WE OULD PROBABLY WIPE OUT THE DEBT. OH WAIT A MINUTE. THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE IRS DIDNT PAY HIS TAXES EITHER. NOTHING LIKE HAVING A FRIEND IN GOVERNMENT RIGHT MR. F
#5
Bad headline, Besoeker: the linked piece clearly identifies Franken as a Democrat. In the first sentence. As does the Newsmax piece.
Credit the MSM when they get it right.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/08/2009 15:02 Comments ||
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#6
One of the few at least memorable efforts of Franken at comedy, was his creation of the "Al Franken decade", in which he overused personal pronouns.
This ties directly into what some people are now doing when the word "Democrat" is omitted in stories about Democratic scandals, that is, reinserting the word "Democrat" before each and every instance of references to their name.
For example: "Overlooked in coverage of DEMOCRAT Tim Geithner's and DEMOCRAT Tom Daschle's unpaid taxes is the $70,000 that Minnesota Democratic senatorial candidate DEMOCRAT Al Franken has admitted to owing in back taxes, interest, and penalties..."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday disavowed what she termed as Republican "personality attacks" over President Obama's stimulus bill, reiterating previous arguments that the legislation allowed for bipartisan input.
"The people who can't win on policy always resort to process and then they stoop to their personality attacks," Mrs. Pelosi told reporters here at the Kingsmill golf resort, where about 200 House Democrats gathered for a three-day retreat. "The process afforded Republicans every opportunity to put their suggestions forward and they know that."
"The bipartisanship was in defeat of the Republican proposals that were put on the House floor," said Mr. Hoyer, of Maryland.
Her defense of the House version of the stimulus package -- crafted solely by Democrats and passed without a single Republican vote -- were buoyed by House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, who said there "was a lot of bipartisanship."
"The bipartisanship was in defeat of the Republican proposals that were put on the House floor," said Mr. Hoyer, of Maryland.
House Republicans quickly hit back, arguing that the White House and House Democrats are not on the same page.
"Two months ago, President Obama never thought the biggest obstacle to delivering the 'change' he promised would be Speaker Pelosi and Steny Hoyer," said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Minority Whip Eric Cantor. "House Republicans have made creating and protecting jobs their focus and it must be extremely frightening to like minded Blue Dogs like Brad Ellsworth and Gene Taylor that their views would be disregarded so harshly by their leaders."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
If the Republicans would only vote the way we tell them to, it would be a bi-partisan bill. But those idiots insist on trying to change the bill to remove some of the pork projects we want.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/08/2009 0:37 Comments ||
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#2
IS THIS THE SAME PELOSI WHO CONTINUES TO SAY WE LOSE 500,000,000 JOBS A MONTH? WHY DID OBAMA LET THE PLEOSI GANG WRITE THE PACKAGE, HE DOESNT KNOW WHATS IN IT.
Posted by: Bill Chirt4204 ||
02/08/2009 7:39 Comments ||
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#3
I AM 65 YEARS OLD. I LOVE MY COUNTRY, BUT I AM NO LOGER PROUD OF MY COUNTRY. I VOTE FOR HE PERSON AND NOTBY PARTY. WE ARE THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE WORLD. OBAMA, PELOSI HARYY, BARNEY ETC. ANR TAKING US DOWN THE TUBES. WE ARE BECOMMING A SOCIALIST COUNTRY RUN BY MR AND MRS TZAR OAMA AND QUEEN PELOSI AND HER COURT JESTERS. WE APPOINT CABINET PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER NOT QUALIFIED ( MR. P. FOR CIA) OR PEOPLE WHO ARE ABOVE THE LAW (MR. G FOR IRS, MR. RANGEL ET AL)WHAT OUR ENEMIES HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO, WE ARE DESTROYINGOURSELFS FROM THE INSIDE. THE COURT OF MR. OBAMA IS LEAVING OUR COUNTRY OPEN TO OUR ENEMIES FOR THEIR OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY HAVE WAITED FOR AND FOR WHAT AMERICANS HAVE DIED FOR TO KEEP.MAYBE IF MR. BAMA HAD CAMPAIGNED IN 67 INSTEAD OF 57 STATES HE WOULD REALIZE THAT IN MY OPINION HE IS NOT CAPABLE.
#5
Marty, dear, your posts are clearly heartfelt, but please turn off your Caps Lock key. I know it makes it easier to read as you type, but to the reader it feels like shouting, which I'm sure was not your intention. It may make you feel better to know that Vice President Biden is already predicting that those who vote for the stimulus bill will pay for it in the 2010 election, only two years away.... which will make the rest of President Obama's time in office very interesting indeed. click link
#10
SNL tried to make fun of Pelosi last night on this general subject but IMO the script was very poor and you couldn't even tell when the writers wanted people to laugh. For some reason Politico liked it
A small group of moderate senators including Arlen Specter (R., Pa.) reached the deal that appeared to assure Senate passage of an economic stimulus bill yesterday after more than 10 hours of near-constant private meetings.
Specter was in the middle of the action, with many critical talks occurring in his private "hideaway" office on the first floor of the Capitol. Nobody involved was really happy, but there was a consensus that the group did not want to say no to the president or an anxious nation.
"Personally, I would prefer not to be on the edge of the pin, as so frequently is the case in this body," Specter said in a floor speech last night. "But I do believe we have to act, and under the circumstances, this is the best we can do."
In announcing that a tentative deal had been reached, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) credited Specter and Sens. Susan Collins (R., Maine), Ben Nelson (D., Neb.) and Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) with saving the package.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Some I don't think Arlen Specter is "the best we can do".
#5
Thank you Senator for telling your minority leader, the rest of the Republican party, and about 80% of the American people to go phuech themselves. We know YOU know what is best for us.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2009 7:55 Comments ||
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#7
If it is Toomey 2010, Arlen will proudly run as a donk, as would Collins and Snowe. And win. I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer a veto proof Senate. It would put all the responsibility on the donks and free the trunks to stop appeasing the likes of the three amigettes.
#8
This comment, and a similar one by Collins, reeks of inside the Beltway-itis.
They are totally focused on senatorial process and are blind to the fundamental issues involved in the bill itself. The "best we could do" = "what we got the Dems to agree to".
Fire them all. Every damned one of them that votes for this obsenity.
#9
Specter gives other panjandrums a bad name...why doesn't he come right out and say, "Hey, I've been lying all along, I'm a liberal democrat"
Posted by: jack salami ||
02/08/2009 9:48 Comments ||
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#10
In fairness to Specter, he hasn't been lying all along. There used to be a substantial wing of "Rockefeller Republicans" just as there were lots of KKKonservative Democrats. But both parties, instead of tolerating idological mix so that they could maintain a competitive presence in local markets, have moved to a national ideological purity that forces them to abandon certain markets.
Thus Republicans have lost Caliphornia, New York and now Pennsylvania. We are becoming a two party country made up of one party states. This is not healthy for local politics, see Illinois.
#12
Liberal Republican(?) Arlen Specter turns 79 this week. He has fought off 2 bouts of cancer during his current term. Just a hunch here, but maybe he won't be seeking a 6th term in 2010 ??
Posted by: Tom- Pa ||
02/08/2009 12:01 Comments ||
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#13
the BEST we can do?
NO, senator Spectre, you weak willed gimp. Doing the WRONG thing is NEVER the best we cna do.
"If you put a tax cut into the hands of a business or family, there's no guarantee that they're going to invest that or invest it in America. They're free to go invest anywhere that they want if they choose to invest."
#4
Yeah, right. Like he knows about investing or earning a living or creating jobs. All he knows is how to corral a widow the minute her Repubican Senator husband is cold in the ground and then go out and start spending before the will is even probated. Number two jerk in America after number one - a long list that number one is.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
02/08/2009 14:21 Comments ||
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#5
Opening dialogue from "The Prisoner":
"Where am I?"
"In the Village."
"What do you want?"
"Information."
"Whose side are you on?"
"That would be tellingÂ…. We want information. Information! INFORMATION!"
"You won't get it."
"By hook or by crook, we will."
"Who are you?"
"The new Number Two."
"Who is Number One?"
"You are Number Six."
"I am not a number — I am a free man!"
(Laughter from Number Two.)
#6
"If you put a tax cut into the hands of a business or family, there's no guarantee that they're going to invest that or invest it in America. They're free to go invest anywhere that they want if they choose to invest."
So we'll just spend it for them, the way they should have spent it under our direction.
I meant this as humor, now written it's not funny, it's true.
Posted by: Rednek Jim ||
02/08/2009 19:35 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
BBC television presenter Jeremy Clarkson said on Saturday that while he was sorry for having made fun of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's appearance, he would not apologise for calling him an "idiot".
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday disavowed what she termed as Republican "personality attacks" over President Obama's stimulus bill, reiterating previous arguments that the legislation allowed for bipartisan input. 
A small group of moderate senators including Arlen Specter (R., Pa.) reached the deal that appeared to assure Senate passage of an economic stimulus bill yesterday after more than 10 hours of near-constant private meetings.
John Kerry
