Froomkin Speaks

From today's White House Briefing:

Today's Senate vote on President Bush's detainee legislation, after House approval yesterday, marks a defining moment for this nation.

How far from our historic and Constitutional values are we willing to stray? How mercilessly are we willing to treat those we suspect to be our enemies? How much raw, unchecked power are we willing to hand over to the executive?

The legislation before the Senate today would ban torture, but let Bush define it; would allow the president to imprison indefinitely anyone he decides falls under a wide-ranging new definition of unlawful combatant; would suspend the Great Writ of habeas corpus; would immunize retroactively those who may have engaged in torture. And that's just for starters.

It's a red-letter day for the country. It's also a telling day for our political system.

The people have lost confidence in their president. Despite that small recent uptick in the polls, Bush remains deeply unpopular with the American public, mistrusted by a majority, widely considered out of touch with the nation's real priorities.

But he's still got Congress wrapped around his little finger.

Today's vote will show more clearly than ever before that, when push comes to shove, the Republicans who control Congress are in lock step behind the president, and the Democrats -- who could block him, if they chose to do so -- are too afraid to put up a real fight.

The kind of emotionless, he-said-she-said news coverage, lacking analysis and obsessed with incremental developments and political posturing -- in short, much of modern political journalism -- just doesn't do this story justice.

Detainee Court Access Amendment Voted Down

In a narrow victory, more notable for the fact that Republican defections outnumbered Democratic, the Senate voted down the Specter-Leahy amendment that would have allowed detainees the right to challenge their incarceration in court.

The Senate today narrowly rejected a measure that would have allowed suspected terrorists to challenge their detention in federal court, as the body moved closer to passing a White House-backed bill to authorize special military tribunals for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.

In a key vote on an amendment sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the Senate voted 51 to 48 against deleting from the bill a provision that rules out habeas corpus petitions for foreigners held in the war on terrorism. The writ of habeas corpus, which is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, allows people to challenge in court the legality of their detention, essentially meaning that they cannot be held indefinitely without charge or trial.

In the vote on the Specter-Leahy amendment, 43 Democrats and one independent were joined by four Republicans in the unsuccessful effort to include the provision. Fifty Republicans and one Democrat voted against the amendment, and one Republican did not cast a vote.

The four Republican senators voting for the measure were Lincoln D. Chafee of Rhode Island, Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, John E. Sununu of New Hampshire and Specter. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska was the lone Democrat to vote against it. Not voting was Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Me.).

This bill is an abomination. This amendment, while only a bit of lace and silk piled on Frankenstein's monster, was at least a baby step in the right direction. Every Senator who voted for this has abrogated his duties to 'protect and defend' and forfeited his right to BE a Senator. Find out if your Senator voted against the amendment and vote him, if you have to wait another four years for the opportunity. This is treason.

Cenk Strikes Again

Cenk Uygur, at HuffPo, has a great rant about the Detainee Bill (why don't we call it what it is, the End of America as We Know It Bill?) He sums it all up pretty well.

I can understand if the average citizen doesn't comprehend the idea of habeas corpus, but a United States senator? It is the foundation of western government. An accused must be allowed to see a judge. If the executive branch has the sole authority to hold people indefinitely without ever charging them, we cease to be a civilized country. That is nearly the textbook definition of tyranny. What is left of America?!

What have you let Al Qaeda do to us? You let them win by destroying who we are.

No more excuses. Any Republican who votes for this tomorrow can never be called anything but radical. Any journalist that calls any of them moderate again should be fired on the spot. Any Democrat who votes for this is the worst kind of coward. I am tired of giving them one more chance. Stand up, you spineless weaklings. You have the right to filibuster to protect all of us against this very thing. Use it!!!

There's also a link to the very powerful NYT editorial blasting the bill, the Congress, and the Admin.

NIE Release Causes Ruckus

Keep lying and getting caught at it long enough, and even the Gang of 500 may start to question your veracity. Wapo on the NIE release:

In announcing yesterday that he would release the key judgments of a controversial National Intelligence Estimate, President Bush said he agreed with the document's conclusion "that because of our successes against the leadership of al-Qaeda, the enemy is becoming more diffuse and independent."

But the estimate itself posits no such cause and effect. Instead, while it notes that counterterrorism efforts have seriously damaged and disrupted al-Qaeda's leadership, it describes the spreading "global jihadist movement" as fueled largely by forces that al-Qaeda exploits but is not actively directing. They include Iraq, corrupt and unjust governments in Muslim-majority countries, and "pervasive anti-U.S. sentiment among most Muslims."

...

In describing Iraq as "the 'cause celebre' for jihadists," the document judges that real and perceived insurgent successes there will "inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere," while losses would have the opposite effect. It predicts that the elimination of al-Qaeda leaders, particularly Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed after the estimate was completed in April, would probably leave that organization splintered into disparate groups that "for at least a time, pose a less serious threat to U.S. interests" than the current al-Qaeda structure.

John at AmericaBlog has a wrap-up of media response.

Larry Johnson on the NIE

At TPM, Larry Johnson analyzes and explains a lot about the NIE; the hows, whys, and wherefores. Good Stuff, with some useful links as well.

The NIE That Wasn't...

..er isn't ... er, whatever. Hot on the news that Shrub will release the Iraq NIE that has everyone's panties in a wad (although scrubbed to non-existence, I'm sure), comes the news that there's ANOTHER Iraq NIE, only apparently, it's so bad that Bu$hCo decided NOT to call it an NIE, cuz those have to be shared with the boys on the Hill, and you can't trust them not to air you undies, particularly if they're slightly soiled.

Bolton Nomination Dead?

Looks like they've finally driven a stake through this puppy.

WTF?

The FBI has apparently started talking about the anthrax attacks again. You remember. As the dust of 9/11 settled, five people were killed by anthrax which was sent through the mail, some of it to Capitol Hill. A lot of sound and fury at the time, then nothing, absolute silence for five years. And now, there's 'word' that the FBI is 'widening' its investigation (really? NOW?) It also appears that a lot of what we were told about the anthrax in 2001 was (gasp!) incorrect (and not in the 'erring on the side of caution' sense!) So, now, five years later, with massively lowered rhetoric, the FBI makes announcements about it. If this weren't election related, why announce anything now? It's not like the public is clamoring for updates on on-going investigation. In lower profile cases like this, is it usual for the FBI to announce anything but an arrest (they don't like to look incompetent and anything short of an arrest appears incompetent.) Is it just an attempt to rile the electorate and add additional 'you're all going to DIE!!!!! if you don't re-elect us Repugs!' factor to the election? Booman sums it up best (not just for THIS, but for any subject discussed by the Govt): Here's a piece of advice: Believe nothing this administration tells you. Nothing. Either they were lying then or they are lying now. Booman has a good then and now comparison of FBI statements that highlights the hypocrisy. And in this administration, if you can highlight an hypocrisy, you've got good aim.....

What's Wrong with the MSM......

... in four easy pictures.

It's Official

The War in Iraq is crippling the War on Terror and making the whole situation worse.

Wanna Scare Yourself Shitless?

Read Gary Hart's little ditty (at HuffPo) on the possible (probable?) run up to trashing Iran. The really scary part is that every word makes sense, and that should scare the shit out of you if nothing else.

The steps will be these: Air Force tankers will be deployed to fuel B-2 bombers, Navy cruise missile ships will be positioned at strategic points in the northern Indian Ocean and perhaps the Persian Gulf, unmanned drones will collect target data, and commando teams will refine those data. The latter two steps are already being taken.

Then the president will speak on national television. He will say this: Iran is determined to develop nuclear weapons; if this happens, the entire region will go nuclear; our diplomatic efforts to prevent this have failed; Iran is offering a haven to known al Qaeda leaders; the fate of our ally Israel is at stake; Iran persists in supporting terrorism, including in Iraq; and sanctions will have no affect (and besides they are for sissies). He will not say: ...and besides, we need the oil.

...

In more rational times, including at the height of the Cold War, bizarre actions such as unilateral, unprovoked, preventive war are dismissed by thoughtful, seasoned, experienced men and women as mad. But those qualities do not characterize our current leadership.

For a divinely guided president who imagines himself to be a latter day Winston Churchill (albeit lacking the ability to formulate intelligent sentences), and who professedly does not care about public opinion at home or abroad, anything is possible, and dwindling days in power may be seen as making the most apocalyptic actions necessary.

Clinton Slays Anti-Christ!!!

Film at ThinkProgress!

It's always amazed me that the able, useful, brilliant Mike begat the useless, pointless, sack o'shit Chris. Well, young Mr Wallace bit off a trifle more than he could chew when he tried to ambush Big Bill on Faux News the other day (for broadcast this morning.) The transcripts have been all over the blogosphere this week, and were great reading; the clips are finally hitting the net, and are even better watching. Go watch a master bitchslap a lying cunt of a Fauxnews operative and enjoy the sport of it all. And pretend ANYONE in the Dem Party today could do the same with the same panache.

(Transcript also available at the link above)

Broder-ific

I link to the Washington Post a lot for news, but not much for commentary (except Dan Froomkin's White House Briefing, which is indispensable reading), and today's column from 'the Dean', David Broder, shows why.

Broder has been almost desperate in his heaping of praise on the 'Independents' (the three torture compromisers and Joementum, primarily) and seeking bipartisanship more desperately than Diogenes looked for a non-Repug. It's been almost funny, but today's column is just over the top. I think Broder must have vacationed in some sunny clime without a hat.

All Torture, All the Time....

Nathan Hammersmith at dKos has a great summation of the quality of McCain, et al, in Rebels? Mavericks? Assholes, More Like. Great read.

So, to the media, I say this: If spineless wretches like John McCain, John Warner and Lindsey Graham are rebels and mavericks, then what the holy fuck are Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Jesus, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, Marcus Garvey or John/Robert Kennedy, say, now that "rebel" and "maverick" mean "dickless bastard with a seriously damaged moral compass who'd happily give the thumbs-up to whatever a depravity-addled child of privilege desires"? I'll tell you what they are: mavericks and rebels. As for McCain, Warner and Graham, they're partisan shitfucks who put their country's welfare - and its citizens - dead last.

Again, to the media: fuck you very much.

Nathan needs to learn to let go and say what he feels.

Bin Laden Dead.....Again.....

I want to see a body. Habeas Corpus, baby! Till I see a body, I ain't givin' up my duct tape!

Why electing Dems matters

mcjoan at dKos has a great post on the torture debacle and ends with the following, which pretty much sums it all up neatly:

The New York Times and the Washington Post have now both laid bare the truth about the would-be maverick GOP rebels. It comes down to this: the only way the Bush administration will be held accountable is with a Democratic Congress. The only opposition this administration will ever have is from Democrats.

That has to start now. The Democrats have been absent from this debate for too long. Going to the mattresses on this legislation is not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do. The American people, the media, the Democratic base have to know that finally, there is a line over which this administration and it's enablers like McCain and all his Rubberstamp colleagues can't go. That's the line that further diminishes our moral standing in the world, that endangers our own men and women in uniform, that is one more step toward the coronation of the worst president in our history as king.

Oh Jeez

Well, we all pretty much knew it would happen, but sorta hoped, somehow, the Rebel Repugs would grow a set and actually stand up to the Preznit. But, wishes not being fishes, they didn't and we're all fucked. The not-so-big three, Warner, Graham, and McCain, basically caved in to the Presidiot's demands and gave him most of what he wanted.

This is going to shred what's left of our reputation in world circles, inflame the Muslim 'street', and put our troops, in Iraq and anywhere there's conflict, in more danger. TPM reader JC spells this out pretty bleakly.

Wapo:

THE GOOD NEWS about the agreement reached yesterday between the Bush administration and Republican senators on the detention, interrogation and trial of accused terrorists is that Congress will not -- as President Bush had demanded -- pass legislation that formally reinterprets U.S. compliance with the Geneva Conventions. Nor will the Senate explicitly endorse the administration's use of interrogation techniques that most of the world regards as cruel and inhumane, if not as outright torture. Trials of accused terrorists will be fairer than the commission system outlawed in June by the Supreme Court.

The bad news is that Mr. Bush, as he made clear yesterday, intends to continue using the CIA to secretly detain and abuse certain terrorist suspects. He will do so by issuing his own interpretation of the Geneva Conventions in an executive order and by relying on questionable Justice Department opinions that authorize such practices as exposing prisoners to hypothermia and prolonged sleep deprivation. Under the compromise agreed to yesterday, Congress would recognize his authority to take these steps and prevent prisoners from appealing them to U.S. courts. The bill would also immunize CIA personnel from prosecution for all but the most serious abuses and protect those who in the past violated U.S. law against war crimes.

In short, it's hard to credit the statement by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) yesterday that "there's no doubt that the integrity and letter and spirit of the Geneva Conventions have been preserved." In effect, the agreement means that U.S. violations of international human rights law can continue as long as Mr. Bush is president, with Congress's tacit assent. If they do, America's standing in the world will continue to suffer, as will the fight against terrorism.

Update: Wapo has a compelling column by Vladimir Bukovsky, who knows whereof he speaks, when he talks about the slippery slope this will be for us if we go the “torture is okay” route.

One nasty morning Comrade Stalin discovered that his favorite pipe was missing. Naturally, he called in his henchman, Lavrenti Beria, and instructed him to find the pipe. A few hours later, Stalin found it in his desk and called off the search. "But, Comrade Stalin," stammered Beria, "five suspects have already confessed to stealing it."

Also out of the Wapo family, Dan Froomkin’s White House Briefing starts out perfectly:

Pay no attention to the news stories suggesting that the White House caved in yesterday.

On the central issue of whether the CIA should continue using interrogation methods on suspected terrorists that many say constitute torture, the White House got its way, winning agreement from the "maverick" Republican senators who had refused to go along with an overt undoing of the Geneva Conventions.

The "compromise"? The Republican senators essentially agreed to look the other way.

Once again (see Monday's column ) there was so much disingenuousness flying through the airwaves that straight news reporting simply wasn't up to the task of conveying the real meaning of the day.

Interestinger and Interestinger

Senate Judiciary commitee defeats WH torture bill. I don't know if this is just Spector trying to get in on the 'Bush Free' vibe the GOPers are trying to develop, or if it was indeed an act of conscience (bet you know which way I lean on that one!), but it is another blow to the WH in their vile conspiracy to innoculate themselves against past misdeeds and allow future misdeeds. Tentative thumbs up to the Juds.

Great Idea

One of my pet peeves is the whole electronic voting debacle. It's wrong on so many levels, not the least of which is the idealogical bias of the guys that own and run the companies in charge of it all.

Brad Friedman, at HuffPo, has a great post for remedying the situation, at least for this election cycle.

Frist IS a Moron.....

...and Reid is SOOO kewl.

Billy Boy went on a rampage Monday, in the Senate, blaming the Dems for the do-nothing Congress. Reid counter-attacked, then Reid and Durban went Abbott and Costello on his ass, on the floor of the Senate. Rich Stuff! Bob Geiger at Huff Po reports.

Treading Water

Eric Boehlert, at Media Matters, has a long post today on the press's continuing fascination with the non-existent Bush Bounce. Shrub is mired in longest, lowest approval rating miasma of any President ever (it may not be true, but in Presidential Poll report, accuracy is for suckers) and yet. with every poll, some if not all of our Fourth Estaters are trying, desperately, longingly, to show that THIS is indeed the long predicted Bush Bounce.

Is it just the desire not to be proven wrong (looking over the last few years of reportage, has that really been a problem for anyone but HRH Judy Miller?) or what? I don't understand it at all. Bu$hCo treats the press like something to scraped off their shoe and these guys fall all over themselves to fellate the Regal Appendage.

He also discussed Shrub's poll results and their place within historic context; how this is the worst performance by any modern President. And the fact that this is never, ever, under any circumstance mentioned, except to lie that it isn't all that bad in comparison. But it is:

Here then, is some much-needed historical perspective to put Bush's standing in context:

• According to Gallup, on the eve of President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination, he was suffering the worst job-approval ratings of his presidency -- 58 percent.
• In 1968, when the war in Vietnam was claiming hundreds of U.S. casualties each week, President Lyndon Johnson was considered so unpopular that he didn't even run for re-election. Johnson's average Gallup approval rating for that year was 43 percent.
• When Reagan's second term was rocked by the Iran-Contra scandal, his ratings plummeted, all the way down to 43 percent.
• This year, according to the Gallup numbers, Bush has averaged an approval rating of 37 percent.

Bush's dismal ratings put him well within range of the country's recent failed presidencies, like the one of his father, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon. That's the historical company Bush keeps, although you'd never know that from journalists who refuse to connect the dots and refuse to treat Bush's second term as the failure that a majority of Americans say it is.

Well, I Feel Better Now

In today's Wapo, Gen Abizaid is quoted, when asked whether we're winning in Iraq:

"Asked point-blank whether the United States is winning in Iraq, Abizaid replied: 'Given unlimited time and unlimited support, we're winning the war.'"

By Their Words.....

In his speech yesterday, Preznit Numbnuts called on Muslims to abandon extremism and listen to 'voices of moderation' amongst them. There's a psychological phenomenon in which the crazy (technical term, sorry!) person sees the things he hates most in himself in other he hates or fears; I've forgotten the term, so sue me! It seems this is, as in much of Shrub's expository excesses, true in the War on Terrah.

He calls for 'the enemy' to listen to voices of moderation when he's muzzled, fired, or ridiculed the same amongst his own people. He appeals to the UN to follow the UN's own Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while it prohibits torture and calls for access to 'a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.' The very things he's trying to eliminate in his kabuki drama with McCain and Huckleberry.

See to that plank in your own eye, Mr President, and let the rest of us worry about the motes in ours.

Do You Feel Safer?

Daily, if not hourly, Preznit Chimp tells us HE has made us safer from terrah by swing his big manly, Texas (via Connecticut/New Hampshire/Maine, all well known Texas counties) dick at whoever raised his ire at that moment. So a moment of contemplation.

Five years ago today (and everyone sing Happy Birthday, cuz they ARE watching) the Department of Homeland Security was formed. Five years of making America safer. Savor the safetyness!

In that five years, the Terror Alert Level (ooooo) has been at YELLOW ("Be sorta/kinda afraid, and vote for US or die!") Level with a few sorties into the Orange ("Be pretty much paranoid, turn in those pesky brownskinned folks, and vote for US or DIE!") Level. You'd think, given the STERLING (not a level but what they're stealing in DHS contracts) job they've done protecting us, that we might have dropped into BLUE ("Relax a LITTLE and vote for US or maybe get a cold!") level for at least ONE 24 hour period, wouldn't ya? Just asking. I'm not asking for Green, just a delightful day of Blue.

Torture

I dont know how much of this is real and how much is smoke and mirrors (and with McCain and Graham in the mix, there's bound to be a LOT of smoke and mirrors), but the very fact that the US Fucking Senate is debating how much torture we should allow in order to win hearts and minds is just sickening. The Framers must be SOOOO proud. But what can you expect from folks who wake every morning and remind themselves, "Who Would Jesus Torture?"

Coup News

Well, it appears Thailand threw a coup and no one came. In what appears to be a completely bloodless (at least Thaksin gets home!) coup, the Thai armed forced overthrew the TRT govt and made the usual noises about elections down the road (in Thailand, amazingly enough, that almost always happens!) No reports of any deaths or injuries, and only two arrests: Thaksin's deputy PM and the coup-ers boss, the defense minister (maybe it was just a big job grievance?)

Bill in Portland Maine, at dKos, has the best summary:

HMM... to a strange little coup. In Thailand yesterday, tanks surrounded government offices and the army seized control of the media. They then declared a holiday, arrested the vice president and defense secretary, and vowed to keep the government's corrupt, power-abusing leader out of the country. Hey, can you guys come over and do the same thing for us??

Bangkok Blues?

Apparently (per CNN 'broken' news), there's a coup of some sort underway in Thailand. Tanks etc rolling into Bangkok, while Thaksin is in NYC at the UN. Could be interesting days in the Land of Smiles.

Sigh! There goes the bolthole I'd planned to escape to when Bush cancels the '08 elections! :)

Powell Fights Back

Bu$hco punching bag, Colin Powell, has struck back , seeking the remnants of his dignity. He lambasted the proposed 'clarifying' of the Gen Con statutes and questioned the results of the attempt on whatever's left of the US's reputation (moral high ground...what's that?) And he's starting to show some regrets for that whole messy Iraq thing he helped foment and just generally smacking back at Bu$hco. Way to grow a pair, Colin!

Powell, elaborating on a position first expressed last week in a letter to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), also argued that the administration's plan to "clarify" U.S. obligations under the Geneva Conventions would set a precedent for other nations that would endanger U.S. troops.

...

Powell has said he regrets that the Iraq invasion was launched on the basis of false intelligence about Saddam Hussein's weapons programs and Hussein's relationship with al-Qaeda, information that he vouched for in an address before a hostile United Nations. He has also said that he believes the administration should have sent more troops to invade Iraq and provided a better postwar plan.

Powell also allowed his name to be identified among those opposed to Bush's nomination of his former State Department subordinate, John R. Bolton, as Washington's U.N. ambassador.

Torture R Us

I've said it before, I'll say it again: torture, unless you're Jack Bauer, does not work. AJ at Americablog has a great post on this today.

Torture is a great technique for making people say what you want. Looking to convert people to your religion? Torture is a quick way to do it (or to at least have people declare their conversion, more specifically). Want to have citizens declare allegiance to your autocratic state? Again, torture is the way to go. Need a confession, and not too concerned whether or not it's true? Yea for torture! Torture frequently elicits lies, specifically lies designed to satisfy the torturer and therefore end the pain -- and believe me, people will say anything to end the kind of pain and terror that comes from torture, even as a result of methods that don't leave physical scars, such as waterboarding. The information that comes from torture is of such questionable reliability that it is often hard to take seriously, and there are great risks of being diverted from accurate information through chasing down fake leads from people who lie to escape the pain.

Orianna Fallaci Dies

Orianna Fallaci, the incendiary Italian journalist, died yesterday of cancer in Florence, Italy. She was one of the most influential and divisive figures in journalism in recent (well, since the Viet Nam era) times. She managed to interview most of the major figures of the day from Qaddafi to Kissinger to Khomeni (is there a K-sound thing going on here?), generally elicited from them a) a brilliant interview and b) a sense of relief when she departed.

In recent years, her star was dimmed by her militant anti-Islamicism (she was on trial in Italy for defaming Islam.... like OSB hasn't done enough on that front?) As someone who fears fundamentalism in ALL religions, I can understand her fears, if not her solitary focus on Islam.

I hope, in the long run, she will be remembered for her stellar brilliance, and not her recent obsessions.

Prop 89

If I were designing a campaign finance reform law, California's Proposition 89, which those of us blessed/cursed to live in the Golden State will get to vote on in November, would just about match it line for line. It's a good combination of public financing without prohibiting private financing (just making it irrelevant.)

George Skelton, in the LA Times wrote a column the other day, in which he basically cried for the need for Prop 89, then set up a bunch of straw men to bash it. Kevin at Washington Monthly takes him to task well in his post yesterday.

This may be the most important domestic issue of our lifetimes. The only way to get control of government back from the corporate interests, and to get government to consider any ramifications of legislation other than how it affects (big) business, is to get the money out of the election process. As long as elected officials are dependent on big donors to get elected, and have to spend, by most estimates, at least HALF their time in office, shilling for bucks for the next election (and yes, I'm unalterably opposed to artificial term limits), we are doomed to pols sucking at the corporate tit and shitting on the rest of us.

VOTE YES on PROP 89!

I'm also pro Prop 87 and anti 88 (only cuz I smoke cigars and Rob Reiner's proposition is already bleeding me to death!) ;)

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Is it just coincidence or is the first President not to understand Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions also the stupidest President we've ever produced (and we've produced a couple of doozies.....)?

It's pretty simple, Preznit Bozo. If you're worried about CIA junior officers not understanding the intricacies of Article 3, just issue a Presidential Directive:

If, at any point, now or in the future, some person, somewhere, might, in any way, consider the actions to be undertaken as some form of torture, don't undertake them.

Short, simple, understandable, even by Republicans.

Ney to Plead?

From the Plain-Dealer, via TPM:

Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney has agreed with the Justice Department to plead guilty to at least one criminal charge in a deal that could be announced as early as Friday, Capitol Hill sources said Thursday....

Capitol Hill sources close to Ney said the plea agreement was ready to be publicized on Thursday, but an announcement was delayed to avoid influencing a special election in Ney’s congressional district.

Adieu Ann

Growing up in Texas, my favorite governor, and probably my favorite person in politics, was Ann Richards. She was smart, funny, clever, and good, in the soul sense. Her loss to W for the Guv's office almost turned me off politics (it was all of our first exposure to the wonder that is Rove!)

There are a variety of memorials and stories of her on line today. The two best are from her long time bud, Molly Ivins, and dKos poster, wmtriallawyer.

Bye Ann. Go with God.

Deja Boom

I opened the day at Talking Points and the first post is:

U.N. Inspectors dispute U.S. intel report on Iran nuclear capability.

I mean word for word (with an exchange of ONE letter), we could have had the same headline in 2001-2-3.

Who we gonna believe this time? The Nobel Prize winners or the war criminals?

Olbermann Strikes Again!

KO finished tonight's show with another commentary, this time blasting Bush for politicizing 9/11 and doing nothing constructive, period. As good or better than the two earlier ones.

Lessons of 9/11

From John at Americanblog:

The lessons of September 11
by John in DC - 9/11/2006 01:31:00 PM

• The Constitution only applies when the going gets easy.
• War is the answer, even when you forget the question.
• The truth is for sissies.
• America has never faced an enemy as dangerous and as intent on killing us as King George, the Civil War, World War I, the Germans, the Japanese, a nuclear Soviet Union Al Qaeda.
• The real September 11 story was badly in need of editing.
• Just because they say it makes it so.
• We have always been at war with Oceania.
• A fool is born every election day.
  
• Due process is for the innocent.
• Patriotism means never having to say you're sorry.
• It's all Sandy Berger's fault.

These Guys are Scared Shitless!!!

From Josh at TPM this morning

Are you a Republican political operative with experience in dirty tricks and campaign-related criminal conduct? It may be time to dust off your resume.

You may have noticed the article in Sunday's Washington Postwhich explains that Republicans now believe that their only hope for avoiding electoral catastrophe in November is to put all their resources into hardball personal attacks against Democratic candidates around the country.

And who have they chosen to head up the effort?

According to the Post, that man is none other Terry Nelson.

Check out the article to find out who/what Terry Nelson is (hint: the words 'unindicted co-conspirator' figure prominently!)

Oh, Babeeeee... Bring on the Barristers!

According to a number of blogospheric sources, Path to 9/11 aired UNEDITED on Aussie and Kiwi TV tonight (this morning, whatever, damned International Date Line!!). AND will be broadcast, unedited, in Britain, tonight.

I don't know about Australia and New Zealand, but in Britain, the libel laws all but encourage the wounded party to sue for libel/defamation. And the penalties can be horrendous. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see one or more of the troika of CLinton, Albright, and Berger sue the bejeesus out of whichever network in the UK shows this excremental extravaganza, and makes me wonder if they can rope in ABC over there as well. It wouldnt be as easy here, tougher hurdles to jump, but it sounds to me as if this situation could clear most of the initial hurdles and get into court in the US. This will be fun to watch.

As someone (John @ Americablog?- I didnt make notes) said yesterday... ABC could soon stand for Albright,Berger,Carter.

ABC's 'Path to 9/11'Still On Sched

Has Bob Iger replaced Doug Feith as the 'fucking stupidest man on the planet'?

Happy Birthday, Capt Kirk

I didnt know this, but Bill in Portland, Maine at dKos clues us in (as he does so often and so well) that today is the fortieth anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek (the original series, you young whippersnappers!)

I can remember waiting for it to show up, as a 12yo scifi fan, and just being in love with the series (no matter how cheesy and corny it sometimes seems in retrospect, it was LIGHTYEARS AHEAD (pun intended) of anything else on TV back in the olden days), and actually crying when I heard it had been cancelled. So track down an episode tonight, fry up some tribbles for light snacking, and celebrate with Capt. James Tiberius Kirk. If that doesn't work, track down the Comedy Central roast of Shatner..... the comedians are mostly worthless on it (WTF is Andy Dick doing there?), but the clips of the Shat from his heyday are PRICELESS!!!!

Bolton Nomination Dead

From TPM:

Several well-placed sources close to the Bolton nomination process have reported to me that the Bolton confirmation process is now dead.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is "highly unlikely" to reconsider Bolton's confirmation again as things now stand.

One insider reported, as far as the Committee is concerned, "we consider the confirmation over. It's dead."

Well, Good!

For reasons unknown, Sen. Lugar has pulled the vote on UN Amb (interim) Bolton from Thursday's committee mtg.

From Forbes:

Lugar said he removed the nomination from the agenda of Thursday's committee meeting after conferring with several senators.

Maybe they can't even get him out of committee?

Follow the Money

In all the flap about Path to 9/11 coming up (maybe) on ABC, I had missed the little fact that it's being presented commercial free. Which brings up the interesting question: who is paying for this piece of crap to be shown? Disney isn't going to show this out of the goodness of their heart (insert your own punchline here). Therefore, someone is 'sponsoring' it, even if surreptiously. Who?

Find that out and we may know a lot more about why this thing made it to air with the mistakes and falsehoods intact. Maybe it was the same people that wanted Mel (Are You a Jew?) Gibson in charge of a Holocaust miniseries?

Random Quote

The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.

Henry Kissinger (1923 - ), New York Times, Oct. 28, 1973

courtesy Random Quotes

Olbermann Splats Rumsfeld

Keith closed out tonight by taking Rummy's dyspeptic rhetoric and not only defanging it, but hurling the fangs back into Rummy's face. He closes with an 'apologetic' quote of Murrow; he has nothing to apologize for- after an interesting (to say the least) career, he may be developing as this generation's Murrow.

That, about which Mr. Rumsfeld is confused is simply this: This is a Democracy. Still. Sometimes just barely.

And, as such, all voices count — not just his.

Had he or his president perhaps proven any of their prior claims of omniscience — about Osama Bin Laden’s plans five years ago, about Saddam Hussein’s weapons four years ago, about Hurricane Katrina’s impact one year ago — we all might be able to swallow hard, and accept their “omniscience” as a bearable, even useful recipe, of fact, plus ego.

But, to date, this government has proved little besides its own arrogance, and its own hubris.

Mr. Rumsfeld is also personally confused, morally or intellectually, about his own standing in this matter. From Iraq to Katrina, to the entire “Fog of Fear” which continues to envelop this nation, he, Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney, and their cronies have — inadvertently or intentionally — profited and benefited, both personally, and politically.

And yet he can stand up, in public, and question the morality and the intellect of those of us who dare ask just for the receipt for the Emporer’s New Clothes?

In what country was Mr. Rumsfeld raised? As a child, of whose heroism did he read? On what side of the battle for freedom did he dream one day to fight? With what country has he confused the United States of America?

The rest is, amazingly, as good or better!

Intelligent Take on Iran

(Is that allowed these days?)

Well, legal or not, Matt at TPM, has a thoughtful piece on how overblown (quelle surprise!) the Bushies' rhetoric on Iran is, and how the MSM/CW on it all is maybe just a wee little bit of a skosh off the mark. Take a deep breath and smell the clarity! :)

Justice Triumphs?

New T-shirt for John Mark Karr: My Prosecutor went to Bangkok and All I Got was this Lousy Plane Ride"

Apparently, despite the fact that he was a pretty obvious loon, and most probably nowhere near Denver when JonBenet Ramsey died, and the fact that they did almost no prelim work, the Colorado authorities have decided not to prosecute JMK after all. If I lived in Boulder, I'd be pretty pissed about the incredible expenditure (wasted) to send everyone over to BKK then bring JMK back to the US (starched white linen, anyone?) Wouldn't a preliminary DNA test, BEFORE the entire DA staff headed to Sin City, might have made a little sense? I mean, the guy's a nutcase, but if we start flying every nutcase to Boulder, Washington will be empty and Beauprez might have a chance! :)

So Long Pluto

Pluto is downgraded ...... school children everywhere in mourning!

Bad Intel

havent we been to this picture show before?


Washingtonmonthly.com has an UPDATE, bashing the House report as more of the same as 2002/03 biased, stupid, uninformed, prejudicial blather.

Katrina Fraud

No, not Halliburton, et al, but Bu$hCo, with the connivance, or at the least, blind acquiescence, of the media.

If you were touched by Bush's meeting with the Katrina survivor yesterday, and the effusive outpouring of gratitude by this shattered private citizen, think again, and grab your Tums.

Read this, and just contemplate the unmitigated gall of the Repugs, and the snivelling inconsequentiality of our lapdog, lazy-ass, Republic-threatening media.

Yeesh!

ABC7 News here in SoCal just had a lovely news piece on Angelides and the Ahnuld, sparring over immlgration; Angelides is basically middle of the road, is bending to the whackjob right that IS the California Repug party, and is militaristically anti-immigrant (insert your own irony here.)

It just cracks me up that he can stand there, with a straight face, and rail against illegal immigrants, when, in his early days, he WAS one- overstaying his visa, working without a permit, etc etc. Who says Repugs don't have a sense of humor?

AmericaBlog Smashes Bush

I know, queele surprise!

Someone give George Bush a God damn fucking civics lesson
by John in DC - 8/18/2006 12:48:00 PM

I've had it with this idiot.

We've got the president of the fucking United States of America lecturing a US court of law that it's supposed to reach decisions NOT based on the rule of law, but on "the nature of the world we live in."

You God damn stupid fuck.

You have the nerve to claim Osama and the terrorists hate our democracy? They got nothing on you and your fellow "Republicans." Do you people even believe in freedom? Do you believe in the Bill of Rights? Do you believe in our Constitution? Do you fucking believe in anything other than your absolute power to do whatever the fuck you want like some two-bit communist dictator rather than the president of the greatest country on earth?

We live in a democracy, you incompetent ass - one that is quickly eroding because half the people of this country elected a moron to the presidency (twice) and now are so embarrassed by their vote that they refuse to stand up and demand an end to your idiotic reign of terror.

These are judges you're demeaning. American jurists. The people in charge of our laws. And you speak of them like they're nothing more than crap. You and your party have contempt for our entire system of jurisprudence, the entire system of checks and balances our democracy is based on, because you can't get your way 100% of the time. Well boo-fucking-hoo. We are a country of laws, you stupid stupid man.

The world in which we live is one in which the town drunk thinks he's the king of the fucking world.

Osama bin Laden is a danger to be sure. But the greatest threat to our democracy is from George Bush and his genuflecting Republicans.

Interesting.....

China, Abramoff, and the Republicans? New Scandal du jour?

Boom Goes the Plot

I haven't commented on the British arrests of the 'terrorist plotters' mostly because if rude people break wind, the best thing to do is just ignore it. I haven't mentioned the convenient timing, the 'spontaneous' rise in anti-terror/anti-Lamont (and aren't they truly the same thing, these days?) for the Repug windmachine and Cheney (and aren't they truly the same thing, these days?)

The whole thing reminded me of the Miami case of seriously dangerous Chicago bombers. Over-reaction over-hyped as hyper-vigilance. But I didn't have any real grasp of the science behind the 'planned' bombs, other than the vague knowledge that Ramzi Youssef was planning to use the same things to blow up planes in the Pacific back in the 90's.

Kevin, at Washingtonmonthly, has a good post on the science today. It really puts everything in perspective. We really didn't have much to worry about from these guys.

NSA Spying Not Only Illegal, It's Unconstitutional!

Judge to Bu$hCo: GET A WARRANT, BITCHES!

In a sweeping ruling today, the NSA spying program was squashed by a federal judge. The un-Constitutional part is important; even if Congress wanted to act to 'legalize' it, they can NOT, by statute, make something un-Constitutional legal- that takes amending the thing. Major victory for the forces of right and light!!!

Read Glenn Greenwald's comprehensive analysis for more detail!

Line of the Week

Like I've said before, I'm all for the war on terror. When does it start?

from John in DC, at AmericaBlog

Know Thine Enemy

ThatBritGuy, at dKos, as a great post, GOP for Dummies. Excellent, and pretty funny.

Goals
1. Power
2. Money
3. Er - that's it.

Fear Itself

Molly has a great column today about how the spiraling insanity in the Middle East may be our October Surprise. Read it!

From the first day of 24/7 coverage, you could tell this was big. By the time Chapter 9,271 of the conflicts in the Middle East had gotten its own logo, everyone knew it was HUGE. I mean, like, bigger than Natalee Holloway. Then anchormen began to arrive in the Middle East and people like Anderson Cooper and Tucker Carlson - - real experts and then Newt Gingrich -- and who would know better than Newt? -- declared it was World War III. Let's ratchet up the fear here -- probably good for Republican campaigning.

By then, of course, you couldn't find a television story about the back corridors of diplomacy and what was, or more importantly, what was not going on there. Between Anderson Cooper and Tucker Carlson, it was obviously World War III, and besides, there were a bunch of American refugees in Lebanon who couldn't get out, and so, elements of the Katrina story appeared, Thank God Anderson was there.

Meanwhile, people who should have known better were all in a World III SNIT over Chapter 9,271. Actually, they all knew better, but it was a better story if you overplayed it -- sort of like watching a horror movie that you know will turn out OK in the end, but meanwhile you get to enjoy this delicious chill of horror up your spine. What if it really was The End? I mean, any fool could see it could easily careen out of control, and when George W. Bush is all you've got for rational, fair-minded grown-ups, well, there it is.

If I may raise a nasty political possibility. One good reason for the Bush administration to leave Chapter 9,271 to burn out of control is that this administration thrives on fear. Fear has been the text and the subtext of every Republican campaign since 9/11. Endless replay of the footage from 9/11 has graced every Republican campaign since. Could it be that 9/11 is beginning to pall, to feel as overplayed as Natalee Holloway? Fear is actually more dangerous than war in the Middle East. For those who spin dizzily toward World War III, the Apocalypse, the Rapture -- always with that delicious frisson of terror -- the slow, patient negotiations needed to get it back under control are Not News.

All we have to fear, said FDR, is fear itself. And when we are afraid, we do damage to both ourselves and to the Constitution. Our history is rank with these fits of fear. We get so afraid of some dreadful menace, so afraid of anarchists, Reds, crime or drugs or communism or illegal aliens or terrorists that we think we can make ourselves safer by making ourselves less free. We damage the Constitution because we're so afraid. We engage in torture and worse because we're afraid. We damage our standing in the world, our own finest principles, out of fear. And television enjoys scaring us. One could say cynically, "It's good for their ratings," but in truth, I think television people enjoy scary movies, too. And besides, it makes it all a bigger story for them.

CT- Sen Imbroglio

I haven't covered the Liebermann-Lamont primary brouhaha mostly because I don't know enough about CT politics or Lamont to have much of an opinion. That said, I mostly loathe Liebermann for his penchant for acting like a Repug or at the least giving them protective cover from the 'left'.

mcjoan at dKos, has a long column today about the Liebermann side trying to twist Liebermann's attacks on Clinton in l'affaire Lewinsky as a positive for Clinton and the Dems. What hogwash (the argument, not mcjoan's column). I highly recommend the posting.

Her summary says it all:

Well, that is certainly true, for this president, anyway. The next time Lieberman scolds President Bush will be the first. But Lieberman was not always so shy about scolding Presidents:

... (excerpt from the Liebermanners...)

Scolding Presidents does not always go against the grain for Lieberman. But he sees no reason to scold President Bush's performance as "the steward of our freedoms and our values."

President Clinton betrayed his wife. President Bush betrays the Constitution. Lieberman "scolds" the former. He can not be bothered with the latter. Just another reason why Lieberman should be defeated on August 8.

Well, Why Would You?

SusanG, at DKos, has a great post, the intro to which is below. Read the whole thing here.

Would you hire a babysitter who hates children and thinks they should be eliminated? Or who declares for years in your hearing that children are irritants who should be starved to be small, unseen and mute?

Would you hire cops who think laws are stupid and useless and should be abolished?

Would you hire a conductor for your orchestra who believes music itself an abomination?

Then why would you hire - and you did hire them, America; they are your employees, after all, not your rulers, despite their grandiose pretensions - members of a political party who think government is useless, ineffective, bloated and untrustworthy?

Reed Goes DOWN

Ralph Reed, exhead of the so-called Christian Coalition, and current scuzbucket associate of Abramoff and ripper-off extraordinaire of Indian tribes, was squashed in his attempt to gain the Repug nomination for GA Lt Gov. It wasn't quite 2-1 (at least in the early returns I saw) but it was close enough to qualify as a landslide. And a landslide couldnt land on a nicer target!

Lebanon/Then and Now

From TalkingPointsMemo:

If Rip Van Winkle had fallen asleep under a cedar tree in Lebanon in 1982 and awoke today, you could hardly blame him for thinking he had snoozed for only a few minutes.

Israel is still in Lebanon. Iran is America's great nemesis. Russia-U.S. relations remain tense. An imperial power (Britain/U.S.) is conducting a military campaign in a farflung locale (Falkland Islands/Iraq) in what is maybe its last gasp of imperialism. There is a gathering threat in the East (Japanese economy/North Korea). The news even includes mention of the death of a popular princess (Grace Kelly/Diana) in a car accident.

The only things missing are Survivor, Toto, and Air Supply.

When critics of the Iraq War suggested it would set back progress in the Middle East for a generation, I didn't take it to mean we would revert to a generation ago.

-- TPM Reader DK

Gotta Love 'Radioactive Slime'

Ann Coulter apparently headlined a fundraiser for Colorado Bob Beauprez. How much did she raise for him? Let's just say, not even Beauprez showed up!

I'd have paid just to see that! :)

Bush Drift

Kevin, at Political Animal, got me thinking about Shrub this morning:

But that's really just a single piece of a broader, and even more remarkable turn of events: the Bush administration literally seems to have no foreign policy at all anymore. They have no serious plan for Iraq, no plan for Iran, no plan for North Korea, no plan for democracy promotion, no plan for anything. With the neocons on the outs, Condoleezza Rice at the State Department, and Dick Cheney continuing to drift into an alternate universe at the OVP, the Bush administration seems completely at sea. There's virtually no ideological coherency to their foreign policy that I can discern, and no credible followup on what little coherency is left.

As near as I can tell, George Bush has learned that "There's evil in the world and we're going to stand up to it" isn't really adequate as a foreign policy for a superpower but is unable to figure out anything better to replace it with. So he spins his wheels, waiting for 2009. Unfortunately, the rest of us are left spinning with him.

Bush's life has basically been a series of bailouts/buyouts. Tired of flying planes and possibly getting your ass shipped of to Viet Nam? Bail out! Tired of diddling around drilling for oil? Run for Congress! Tired of drilling dry holes and bankrupting your friends? Get another friend to buy you out! (Repeat as needed) Tired of being a waste-of-space Preznit and fucking the world of over? Well, let's see how he bails out of this one!

Texas Repugs MUST Keep DeLay on Ballot

Like everyone born and raised in Texas, I will always be a Texan, regardless of where of I've escaped to. Therefore, I tend to follow the shenanigans of Texas politics, even from afar.

In a case that ultimately has no real consequences outside of Sugarland, a judge has ruled that Tom Delay (R-soon-to-be-Leavenworth) must remain on the ballot as the Republican candidate in the TX-22 Congressional race. The judge essentially ruled that Delay withdrew and that, as such, he can NOT be replaced on the ballot. This should give this formerly Repug seat to the Dems.

Wanna bet they redistrict his ass whenever the the biennial Texas Lege manages to meet again?

Ken Lay Dies

Kenny-Boy croaked today in his temporary exile in Aspen (while awaiting sentencing in the Enron debacle.) I wish I could care. He totaled a company and virtually everyone who worked for it, crippled the state pension programs in FL and CA (at the least), bankrupted much of CA, it's municipalities and electric providers, and generally shat on everybody's rug.

What does perk my interest is the White House trying to downplay the relationship between Kenny Boy (Bush's largest contributer, campaign plane loaner, transition team member, energy policy advisor, etc etc etc) as merely an 'acquaintance'. Check out the film 'Smartest Guys in the Room' to see how fallacious that story really is.

And just between you and me, is Tony Snow the biggest jerkoff around? He combines the moronic qualities of Scott McClellan with the smarmy assholier-than-thou attitude of Ari Fleischer to create moronic assholiness. Of course, he was pretty much a moronic asshole on FNC, so I shouldnt be surprised.

Final thought..... the coroner ruled he died of a heart attack (wasnt that quick, conspiracy theorists?) Who'd have thought he had one?

EDIT:

SmokingGun blows the BEJESUS out of the 'acquaintances' story!!!

Thoughts on Korea

So lil Georgie had his bluff called yesterday. North Korea fired (depending on reports) between five and ten missiles, basically into the Sea of Japan. Apparently, all the missiles were failures, the dreaded Taepondong-2 missile fizzled after 42 seconds and crashed into the ocean (sorry, fishies...); the rest were apparently already known entities, but either crashed, or were crashed, shortly after takeoff. Kim Jong Il didnt have to prove anything; he was just thumbing his nose at lil Georgie.

We had spent weeks blustering about how horrible the consequences would be for Kim if he launched his little air-mada (actually, the multiple launch was a bit of a surprise, at least to the public- we just expected the TpD-2). And he did. And we didnt shoot them down. We didnt blow them up on the launchsite. We didnt do shit. And Kim knew this. And thus, Georgie gets his Korean nose-thumb.

And lil Georgie has no one to blame but his own damn self, as we say in Texas. He's stretched our military to the point that it can really only sit in place in Iraq and get shot at. He's removed us so far from the mainstream of diplomacy that we couldnt organize a escape in a Turkish prison. And he's spent our asses into such a hole, that even if we could pull something off, we couldnt pay for it.

So, when Iran does something egregious, or Somalia lobs a rocket at something of ours in the Persian Gulf, or some 'state' somewhere does something against our best interests, remember this Fourth of July. It's the day the rest of the world declared it's independence from American influence.

Bush Closes Bin Laden Search Unit

Mr War on Terrah himself closed down a CIA operation, started by Mr Bill Appease the Terrorists Clinton to find Bin Laden. Way to go, Shrub!

Who Are These Guys?

Did someone sneak in and replace the Supremes with actual sentient beings? The Hamdan ruling is startling in it's rectitude and sweeping rejection of everything BushCo has been doing and the legal underpinings thereof.

SCOTUSblog has great coverage (here and here) and notes that POTUS etal could be guilty of warcrimes. Very tasty.

WaPo coverage here.

SWIFT-ly FLOW THE LIES.....

There's been a lot of coverage of the fact that most of what the NYT, LATimes, and WSJ 'revealed' in their coverage of the SWIFT operation to track terrorist money transfers has been previously touted in speeches by Shrub et alia. Dan Froomkin, in WaPo, (more here) has a good overview/commentary. Also, at no additional charge, is some thinking on Shrub's signing statement idiocy.

Insert Your Own Punchline

From CBS Palm Beach: Rush busted at Palm Beach with prescription drugs not his own :)

(CBS4 News) WEST PALM BEACH Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was detained at Palm Beach International Airport for the possible possession of illegal prescription drugs Monday evening.

Limbaugh was returning on a flight from the Dominican Republic when customs officials found a Viagra prescription that did not bear his name. Instead, the bottle of pills had the names of two doctors on it according to the Palm Beach Sheriff�s Office.

...

Limbaugh was detained for about three hours and was let go after cooperating with officials. He could be facing a second-degree misdemeanor violation if the State Attorney�s office presses charges.

Limbaugh entered a plea deal back in April in a previous case where his charge of fraud to conceal information to obtain prescriptions was dropped under the condition he continue undergoing treatment for addiction.

...

Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, issued the following statement:

"While going through routine Customs inspection of luggage at Palm Beach International Airport upon his return from an international trip, Rush Limbaugh was detained by customs agents after they noticed a non-narcotic prescription drug, which had been prescribed by Mr. Limbaugh's treating physician but labeled as being issued to the physician rather than Mr. Limbaugh. After a brief interview, Mr. Limbaugh was permitted to continue on his journey."

Now I Understand....

Okay, I know, given the realities of geopolitics and insurgencies and invading forces in undeveloped countries, that we can't really 'win' in Iraq. But after the news today, I finally understand how people might have thought we could win. Saddam is just nuts.

As everyone probably heard, this morning, AFTER breakfast, Saddam announced he was going on a hunger strike since his lawyer had been killed in an ambush by ummmm.... someone (third lawyer, so far.) Anyway, tonight (Baghdad time), he announces he's made his point and the hunger strike is over.

If Gandhi and Bobby Sands had had that type of sheer determination, Britain's empire would have crumbled long ago!

Now I Understand....

Okay, I know, given the realities of geopolitics and insurgencies and invading forces in undeveloped countries, that we can't really 'win' in Iraq. But after the news today, I finally understand how people might have thought we could win. Saddam is just nuts.

As everyone probably heard, this morning, AFTER breakfast, Saddam announced he was going on a hunger strike since his lawyer had been killed in an ambush by ummmm.... someone (third lawyer, so far.) Anyway, tonight (Baghdad time), he announces he's made his point and the hunger strike is over.

If Gandhi and Bobby Sands had had that type of sheer determination, Britain's empire would have crumbled long ago!

Pentagon Shoots Down Santorum

Gee. What a shock! Apparently, despite Lil Ricky's lies... er claims yesterday, there haven't been any WMD found in Iraq. And, didn't he violate the law by showing around that supposedly classified document on Fox? Just curious?

Net Neutrality Revisited

I dont like, he says again, to post entire blog entries from elsewhere, but this (from dKos) is important!

Net Neutrality Action

by mcjoan

Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 09:59:02 AM PDT

The Senate Commerce Committee is starting mark-up on the telecommunications bill today. On the table is a so-called "compromise" on net neutrality by Ted Stevens:

Sen. Ted. Stevens, R-AK, who authored the Senate telecom overhaul, recently amended his own bill to establish a way for consumers to complain about alleged violations of net neutrality. But Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-HI, the committee's ranking democrat said those changes "utterly fail to protect consumers and preserve an open Internet."

Word is that we are as close as one vote away from killing this amendment in committee. The committee vote is likely to be on Tuesday, giving us five days to convince our Senators to vote against the Stevens proposal, and support the Snowe/Dorgan bill (S. 2917) without amendment.

Calls coming from the home state carry more weight than others, but don't let that stop you from being heard. Here's the list of Senators on the Committee that are our focus as being persuadable on this. (You can also call toll free at 1-888-355-3588 to the Capitol switchboard, and they will transfer you to any Senate or House office.)

John McCain (AZ): (202) 224-2235; Fax: (202) 228-2862

Trent Lott (MS): (202) 224-6253; Fax: (202) 224-2262

Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX): 202-224-5922; 202-224-0776 (FAX)

Olympia J. Snowe (ME): (202) 224-5344; FAX (202) 224-1946

Gordon H. Smith (OR): 202.224.3753; Fax: 202.228.3997

George Allen (VA): (202) 224-4024; Fax: (202) 224-5432

Bill Nelson (FL): 202-224-5274; Fax: 202-228-2183

Maria Cantwell (WA): 202-224-3441; 202-228-0514 - FAX

Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ): (202) 224-3224; Fax: (202) 228-4054

E. Benjamin Nelson (NE): Tel: (202) 224-6551; Fax: (202) 228-0012

Mark Pryor (AR): (202) 224-2353; Fax: (202) 228-0908

Here is a list of the full committee membership, phone and fax numbers (thanks, FDL!). While the list above are the people supposedly on the bubble for us, it can't hurt for the entire committee to hear from us.

Hagel Barks at Repugs

WOW!!!

Congress fails in its duty when we do not probe, when we fail, we do not ask tough questions, and we fail when we do not debate the gate issues of our day. There is no issue more important than war. The war in Iraq is the defining issue on which this Congress and the administration will be judged. The American people want to see serious debate about serious issues from serious leaders. They deserve more than a political debate. This debate should transcend cynical attempts to turn public frustration with the war in Iraq into an electoral advantage. It should be taken more seriously than to simply retreat into focus-group tested buzz words and phrases like “cut and run,” catchy political slogans that debase the seriousness of war. War’s not a partisan issue, Mr. President. It should not be held hostage to political agendas. War should not be drug down into the political muck. America deserves better. Our men and women fighting and dying deserve better.

Arianna on Tony Snow

From Huff Po:

I've known Tony Snow for a long time -- and there's no question that he's a very bright and articulate guy.

But he's showing himself to be an honors graduate of the Shit Happens School of Politics. The new poster child for the Bush administration's brand of Callous Conservatism.

It's worth noting that Snow is arriving on the scene just as Michael Gerson, the conscience of the administration and the intellectual architect of the Bush White House's never-made-it-off-the-drawing-board compassionate conservatism, is heading out the door.

According to Josh Bolten, Gerson "reflected the president's heart." So if Karl Rove is Bush's Brain, and Gerson reflected his heart... what part of the president does Snow embody?

So far, I'd say it's located below the waist and to the rear.

From Americablog

AJ needs to open up and say what he feels:

This is the really infuriating part. This administration has systematically misprioritized the war against terrorists, starting when they shifted focus from al Qa'ida in Afghanistan to pursue a miserable strategy in Iraq and continuing through foolish North Korea policy, irrational Iran policy, stunted intelligence reform, resistance to establishing a Department of Homeland Security, and an unprecedented alienation of foreign allies (and potential allies). The administration has taken its eye off the ball, and we're less safe because of it. Normally you keep your eye on the ball so you can smack it, but as Jean Schmidt memorably revealed, "We have to keep our eye on the ball or the ball will come back to harm us." Actually, in this case, she may be right.

Another One Bites the Dust

Safavian guilty on four of five charges!

Your Tax Dollars At Work?

Feel safe with the gigabucks being spent on Homeland Security (the department.... not to be confused with homeland security, the condition?) This will make you feel SOOOOOO much better.

Terrorist in a Bootleg T-Shirt

Durst Alert

Will Durst, one of my favorite comedians, has a new column up. It's one of the those good new/bad news lists, and some of it is funny as hell.

The good news is failure is not an option.

The bad news is it's a factory installed standard feature.

Zarqawi Docs

My gut reaction when the Zarqawi docs were made public was 'BOGUS!'

Apparently, I am not alone.

...well, how can I put this?

Let's just say that were I a strategist for a military which had just killed an insurgency leader such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and seized a bunch of documents full of actionable intelligence, I might not choose to, you know, release them to the media. On the other hand, had I just killed an insurgency leader such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and I wanted to follow up on that operational success by sowing confusion and disarray among his followers (and maybe even scoring some points with the domestic public opinion which my Secretary of Defense has identified as a principle theater of conflict), I might very well release a bunch of "documents" showing that the recently deceased was highly pessimistic about his prospects and that his movement was on the run. (I might also announce that said movement had just declared some random character as its new leader, just to sow more confusion.)

Very Clever

Another one where I'm posting an entire blog entry. A brilliant play on Niemoller's poem, with links and examples.....

Bill of No More Rights

by horsewithnoname

Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 12:24:09 PM PDT

They came for the tenth amendment in the name of expansive federal powers. I didn't speak up because I am not a terrorist. Also, I don't grow wheat. Or weed.

They came for the ninth amendment in the name of expansive federal and state powers of law enforcement. I didn't speak up because I am not a criminal.

They came for the eighth amendment in the name of extracting information from terrorists by any means necessary. I didn't speak up because I am not a terrorist.

They came for the seventh amendment in the name of binding arbitration. I didn't speak up because I don't sue people.

They came for the sixth amendment in the name of protecting us from terrorists. I didn't speak up because I am not a terrorist.

They came for the fifth amendment in the name of protecting us from criminals and terrorists. I didn't speak up because I am neither a criminal not a terrorist.

They came for the fourth amendment in the name of catching criminals and terrorists. I didn't speak up because I am neither a criminal nor a terrorist.

They came for the third amendment in the name of preserving order. I didn't speak up because I am not a criminal.

They came for the second amendment in the name of stopping gang violence in the streets. I didn't speak up because I don't own a machine gun.

They came for the first amendment in the name of supporting national unity and protecting national secrets. I didn't speak up because I no longer may.

Ten Years and 2500 Dead Too Late

After showing up and peeing all over the planet for the last 10 years, inspiring W to depths of mediocrity, and shoving us face first into the war in Iraq, the Project for the New American Century is shutting it's doors, according to WaPo. Allow us to slam the doors on your heads first, guys! Please?!?!?!

The doors may be closing shortly on the nine-year-old Project for a New American Century, the neoconservative think tank headed by William Kristol , former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle and now editor of the Weekly Standard, which is must reading for neocon cogitators and agitators.

The PNAC was short on staff -- having perhaps a half-dozen employees -- but very long on heavy hitters.

...

The goal was to continue the Reaganite, muscular approach to projecting American power and "moral clarity" in a post-Cold War world, the group's manifesto said. The targets were liberal drift and conservative isolationism.

PNAC and its supporters dominated the Bush administration's foreign policy apparatus and championed a policy to get rid of Saddam Hussein long before Sept. 11, 2001.

In its famous 1998 letter to President Bill Clinton , PNAC said "removing Saddam Hussein and his regime . . . now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy."

...

Despite the happy chatter before the Iraq invasion about cheering crowds and bouquets and cakewalks and how the war was going to pay for itself, the signatories wrote that "we are fully aware of the dangers of implementing this policy."

There had been debate about PNAC's future, but the feeling, a source said, was of "goal accomplished" and it looks to be heading toward closing.

OHMIGOD!!!

I dont know if this is true, but I cant see Markos making it up!

Bush opens mouth, inserts foot

by kos

Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 10:24:13 AM PDT

Today, at a presser, this exchange happened with Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times:

Bush: You gonna ask your question with shades on?

Wallsten: Yes...

Bush: But there's no sun out here.

Wallsten: It depends on your perspective.

Bush: Touché.

Wallsten is blind.

Zarqawi Dead?

I havent found confirmation yet on the net, but ABC News is announcing (pretty emphatically... they interrupted NIGHTLINE) that the US has killed Zarqawi in a raid in Baghdad. Maybe there CAN be good news out of Iraq after all!

Republican Revelations

No, not a reference to tomorrow (6/6/06).....

The Dallas Morning News has an article covering the opening of the Texas Repug Convention this weekend. It was a hoot. These guys are whackjobs that make the regular Repug nutjobs look palatable.

Steve Benen, subbing for Kevin at WashingtonMonthly.com offers the best analysis:

BY ALL MEANS, MESS WITH TEXAS....It's going back a few years, but in 2000, the reality-based community got a good look at what grassroots conservative activists wanted in the way of government action when the Texas Republican Party published a party platform. Among other things, it called for a return to the gold standard; the abolishment of the Federal Reserve, Social Security, the minimum wage, and the federal income tax; a wholesale rejection of the separation of church and state, an enthusiastic embrace for creationism in science classes, and the criminalization of all abortions and gay sex.

That was then. How's the Texas GOP holding up now? As wacky as ever.

Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell offered a greeting to delegates to the Republican convention. "It's great to be back in the holy land," the Fort Worth native said to the cheers of the party faithful. For the 4,500 delegates at last week's biennial gathering, it was both an expression of conservative philosophy and religious faith, a melding of church and state.

At Saturday morning's prayer meeting, party leader Tina Benkiser assured them that God was watching over the two-day confab.

"He is the chairman of this party," she said against a backdrop of flags and a GOP seal with its red, white and blue logo.

It kind of gives "holier than thou" a whole new meaning, doesn't it?

The activists also adopted a revised party platform that declares, among other things, that "America is a Christian nation"; the official language is "American English"; the Bush should "build a physical barrier" along the entire Mexican border; and voters should have to re-register every four years as well as show a government-issued photo ID in order to participate in an election.

What do Republican activists want? This is what they want.

Good Posts

One of the things I really like about Daily Kos is their daily roundup of excellent posts on the site. There are a bunch of good ones tonight in their roundup.

The ones that struck me the most were:

Republican Masochism....

The Day Bobby Died....

and most especially

I believe that good will overcome evil.

I've long believed that the most important day in the politics of the 20th Century was the day Bobby was assassinated. That was the day the liberals went into hiding, if not outright exile. From that day to the point Reagan was elected was sort of a stasis, then the long plunge into the undoing of a century's worth of progressive reforms. The Day Bobby Died... isnt so much an analysis of the effects as a reflection on the day, but it struck me to the heart.

I believe... is a sort of manifest for liberal/progressives, almost a creed. Very good.

Quote of the Week

Although I no longer subscribe, I still read the Economist when I stumble across it anywhere. While I don't always agree with it, it is almost always well written and well thought out. So, the fact that their article this week on the dwindling of Bush-Blair alliance is very good is no surprise; the surprise comes in the snarky title to the piece: "Axis of Feeble"

(Thanks to Molly Ivins for pointing this piece out)