Yeah, yeah, another stupid open thread.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
The Next War
What Josh says.
...Yglesias adds:
...Yglesias adds:
Politically, defining the terms of the debate is important. A certain number of people are going to want to hold a nuanced, sophisticated middle-ground position on the Iran question. That's fine, that's the way the world works. The important question becomes what counts as nuanced and sophisticated. I took it as a good sign that in the latest New Republic Peter Beinart's column on Iran refers to my own column as "Not exactly subtle" and the main liberal take on the issue "too glib" while ultimately having much harsher words for Iran hawks. If that's the way things are going to play out, then I say so much the better for unsubtly and glibness on the part of those of us who'd prefer not to see another disastrous war.
Politicians in the mix, meanwhile, need to disabuse themselves of any illusions about the administration acting in good faith. It's clear that a certain faction on the right is determined to have a war. It's not clear whether that faction will ultimately drive policy, but it is clear that if there is a war the war will be a result of the hawks' ascendancy. At the same time, there's a school of thought in the GOP that thinks a war will be politically beneficial. Put it together and what you most certainly don't have are a group of people who are merely keeping all options "on the table" as they try to play a game of patient diplomacy.
The Best of Colbert
My choices:
Unsurprisingly the media is doing it's best to ignore the unpleasantness.
Mrs. Smith, ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Mr. President and first lady, my name is Stephen Colbert and it's my privilege tonight to celebrate our president. He's not so different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the factinista. We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say I did look it up, and that's not true. That's [right?], but you looked it up in a book.
Next time, look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works. Every night on my show, the Colbert Report, I speak straight from the gut, OK? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the "No Fact Zone." Fox News, I own the copyright on that term.
...
I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be it Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe [there are] infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
...
I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." The president is Rocky and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world. It's the tenth round. He's bloodied, his corner man, Mick, who in this case would be the vice president, and he's yelling cut me, Dick, cut me, and every time he falls [Dick says?] stay down! Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky he gets back up and in the end he -- actually, he loses in the first movie.
OK. It doesn't matter. The point is the heart warming story of a man who was repeatedly bunched in the face -- punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it.
I haven't. I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he has stood on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.
...
But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on NSA wiretapping or secret prisons in eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason: they're super depressing. And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew.
But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction.
Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write, "They're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This ship's not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.
...
Justice Scalia's here. May I be the first to say, "Welcome, sir. You look fantastic. How are you?" [After each sentence, Colbert makes a hand gesture, an allusion to Scalia's recent use of an obscene Sicilian hand gesture in speaking to a reporter about Scalia's critics. Scalia is seen laughing hysterically.] Just using my Sicilian.
John McCain is here. John McCain, John McCain, what a maverick. Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you it wasn't a salad fork. He could have used a spoon! There's no predicting him. So wonderful to see you coming back into the Republican fold. I have a summer house in South Carolina; look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light.
Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city. Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I would like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., The chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a Mallomar is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie.
...
And we can't forget the new man of the hour, new press secretary, Tony Snow. Secret Service name "Snow Job." What a hero, took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq.
Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children. Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision so quickly, sir.
I was vying for the job. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference.
Unsurprisingly the media is doing it's best to ignore the unpleasantness.
Your Liberal Media
From Boehlert's Lapdogs:
Thank you Howell Raines for thinking that appeasing your conservative critics who, of course, led the mob which forced you to step down from the Times anyway, was more important than holding the administration accountable and bringing truth to your readers.
Executive editor Howell Raines wanted to show his right-wing critics wrong. "According to half a dozen sources within the Times, Raines wanted to prove once and for all that he wasn't editing the paper in a way that betrayed his liberal beliefs," wrote Seth Mnookin in his 2004 Times expose, Hard News. Mnookin quoted Doug Frantz, the former investigative editor of the Times, who recalled how "Howell Raines was eager to have articles that supported the war-mongering out of Washington. He discouraged pieces that were at odds with the administration's position on Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction and the alleged links of Al Qaeda."
Thank you Howell Raines for thinking that appeasing your conservative critics who, of course, led the mob which forced you to step down from the Times anyway, was more important than holding the administration accountable and bringing truth to your readers.
Dictator
The Bush administration has declared clearly and openly that it is, in fact, a dictatorship, and no one seems to care. Those cocktail weenies sure must be tasty.
Why Did We Go to War With Iraq?
The taped bit with Colbert and Helen Thomas went on a bit long, but it served to highlight the fundamental question for which we still have no answer - why did we go to war with Iraq?
The other day when when Kristol was on Colbert, he muttered something about not tolerating dictators who kill their own people. I certainly don't like such people, and there are plenty of them in the world, but notice that human rights concerns weren't actually a part of Bill Kristol's desire to go war in Iraq back in the PNAC day. Not a single mention.
The other day when when Kristol was on Colbert, he muttered something about not tolerating dictators who kill their own people. I certainly don't like such people, and there are plenty of them in the world, but notice that human rights concerns weren't actually a part of Bill Kristol's desire to go war in Iraq back in the PNAC day. Not a single mention.
Colbert
You can watch the humorless administration and press corpse here.
(...transcript here, link thanks to QuentinCompson)
(...transcript here, link thanks to QuentinCompson)
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Lord High Pissypants
E&P:
As he walked from the podium the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling, and left.
Options
Press Secretary Stephen Colbert considers which button to push to deal with an unruly press corps: Eject, Gannon, or Volume.
The Wild Duck
Henley writes about the narcissism of the "decent left." Cowardice would be another word which comes to mind.
The War on Straw
P O'Neill reminds us of Clinton's 1997 SOTU:
And then Peter Beinart decided that going to war with Iraq was a good idea.
Every dollar we devote to preventing conflicts, to promoting democracy, to stopping the spread of disease and starvation brings a sure return in security and savings.
Yet international affairs spending today is just 1 percent of the federal budget -- a small fraction of what America invested in diplomacy to choose leadership over escapism at the start of the Cold War. If America is to continue to lead the world, we here who lead America simply must find the will to pay our way.
A farsighted America moved the world to a better place over these last 50 years. And so it can be for another 50 years. But a shortsighted America will soon find its words falling on deaf ears all around the world.
Almost exactly 50 years ago, in the first winter of the Cold War, President Harry Truman stood before a Republican Congress and called upon our country to meet its responsibilities of leadership. This was his warning.
He said, "If we falter, we may endanger the peace of the world -- and we shall surely endanger the welfare of this nation."
That Congress, led by Republicans like Senator Arthur Vandenberg, answered President Truman's call. Together they made the commitments that strengthened our country for 50 years. Now let us do the same. Let us do what it takes to remain the indispensable nation -- to keep America strong, secure and prosperous for another 50 years.
In the end, more than anything else, our world leadership grows out of the power of our example here at home, out of our ability to remain strong as one America.
And then Peter Beinart decided that going to war with Iraq was a good idea.
Past Results Are No Guarantee Of Future Performance
There are times when things arise which are so obviously idiotic that I have to wonder if maybe I'm the mad one. Proving your identity does not prove that you aren't planning to hijack a plane. Identity verification is the least important of airline security measures. These "fast pass" plans, based entirely on identity verification, are utterly inane.
Saturday Evening Soundtrack
You of course have already listened to the Neil Young CD.
If you need a break from that, local band Illumina is streaming in full their quality CD Nightlight here.
If you need a break from that, local band Illumina is streaming in full their quality CD Nightlight here.
Struggle and Sacrifice
I wonder if cheeto rations are being cut for the warriors at home:
I wonder if the fact that our country is run by delusional lunatics will ever quite penetrate the skulls of our elite pundit class.
WASHINGTON - President Bush warned Saturday of tough fighting to come and "more days of sacrifice and struggle" in Iraq as April drew to a close as the deadliest month for American forces this year.
"The enemy is resorting to desperate acts of violence because they know the establishment of democracy in Iraq will be a double defeat for them," Bush said in his weekly radio address as he saluted the emergence of a permanent government.
"There will be more tough fighting ahead in Iraq and more days of sacrifice and struggle," he cautioned. "Yet, the enemies of freedom have suffered a real blow in recent days, and we have taken great strides on the march to victory."
I wonder if the fact that our country is run by delusional lunatics will ever quite penetrate the skulls of our elite pundit class.
Big Pharma
Christy tells us what Limbaugh's in for if he isn't given special treatment. Doesn't sound like all that much fun, though the special treatment if is a big if. Let's hope the local media in Florida make a little effort at some point to figure out if Limbaugh is in fact being treated like everyone else in his situation.
Swifties
Boehlert's chapter on the Swift Boat Liars and the mainstream media who enabled them made me want to shoot even more people in the face.
The presidential candidates who will get my support in 2008 will be the ones who understand that the elite media Is Not Their Friend.
The presidential candidates who will get my support in 2008 will be the ones who understand that the elite media Is Not Their Friend.
Wrong
Belle Waring:
Indeed. At the time they believed they were "serious," that they shouldered heavy intellectual burdens about the world that mere mortals could not understand, that the world was a scary dangerous place in ways dirty fucking hippies like me couldn't understand, that anyone who wasn't on board their little dream was totally unserious and idiotic. They mocked and disparaged critics, marginalized them from the debate, and helped ensure that their noble vision was doomed to be a colossal clusterfuck as they did the same even after the war started (had they not clung to the McCarthy-Tinkerbell Strategy, some more useful contemporaneous criticism about the handling of Iraq after statue day might have improved things a bit.) They didn't just side with the Bush administration with the war, they sided with the Bush administration against all of its critics.
(via uo)
Don't you sometimes wonder what I was thinking way back when when I thought it was a good idea to invade Iraq? I sure do. My apologia from September 2004: Why I Was So Totally Wrong About Iraq. I ain't feeling a whole lot righter, I'll tell you that. It still seems to me, even now, that war supporters on the left, even those who now basically agree that the whole thing was a bad idea, still cling to some weird sense of moral superiority [cough, Euston manifesto, cough]. Like, "at least I wasn't some big hippie who didn't seriously grapple with the issues." The thing is, those people, hippies or not, were completely right, and many of them were right because they had seriously considered the issue and decided (correctly, mind you) that it was a bad idea.
...
Still, there seems to be some sense floating around the pundit class that those on the left who were wrong about invading Iraq were wrong in an interesting, morally meaningful way; wrong in the manner of a wrong Winston Churchill, or something. But one who turned out to be totally wrong, as I may have mentioned. That's just total bullshit and any of these people who is now going on to advocate war with Iran should be roundly ignored. No, they should be laughed at, and then ignored.
Indeed. At the time they believed they were "serious," that they shouldered heavy intellectual burdens about the world that mere mortals could not understand, that the world was a scary dangerous place in ways dirty fucking hippies like me couldn't understand, that anyone who wasn't on board their little dream was totally unserious and idiotic. They mocked and disparaged critics, marginalized them from the debate, and helped ensure that their noble vision was doomed to be a colossal clusterfuck as they did the same even after the war started (had they not clung to the McCarthy-Tinkerbell Strategy, some more useful contemporaneous criticism about the handling of Iraq after statue day might have improved things a bit.) They didn't just side with the Bush administration with the war, they sided with the Bush administration against all of its critics.
(via uo)
More Possible Criminals
And the great and glorious Bush age continues:
WASHINGTON, April 28 — Dr. Lester M. Crawford, the former commissioner of food and drugs, is under criminal investigation by a federal grand jury over accusations of financial improprieties and false statements to Congress, his lawyer said Friday.
The lawyer, Barbara Van Gelder, would not discuss the accusations further. In a court hearing held by telephone on Thursday, she told a federal magistrate that she would instruct Dr. Crawford to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination if ordered to answer questions this week about his actions as head of the Food and Drug Administration, according to a transcript of the hearing.
...
Dr. Crawford resigned in September, fewer than three months after the Senate confirmed him. He said then that it was time for someone else to lead the agency.
The next month, financial disclosure forms released by the Department of Health and Human Services showed that in 2004 either Dr. Crawford or his wife, Catherine, had sold shares in companies regulated by the agency when he was its deputy commissioner and acting commissioner. He has since joined a Washington lobbying firm, Policy Directions Inc.
Unspinning Black
Okay, I think I've finally figured out this Limbaugh deal.
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk-radio host, was charged yesterday with prescription drug fraud and turned himself in to Florida authorities as part of a deal to resolve a lengthy inquiry into whether he improperly obtained painkillers.
Mr. Limbaugh, who is one of the nation's most popular radio personalities and is heard on nearly 600 stations, turned himself in yesterday afternoon to the Palm Beach County sheriff on a warrant for fraud to conceal information to obtain a prescription. He was released about an hour later on $3,000 bail, the authorities said.
Mr. Limbaugh's lawyer, Roy Black, said his client and prosecutors in Palm Beach County had reached asettlementplea-bargain deal in which Mr. Limbaugh would be charged with a single count in connection with allegations that he illegally obtained multiple prescriptions for a drug from more than one doctor.
As part of the agreement, which Mr. Black said would be filed with the court on Monday, the charge would be dropped in 18 months if Mr. Limbaugh continued to undergo treatment for drug addiction.
Mr. Limbaugh is also required to refrain from breaking the law during the 18-month period, pay$30,000 to Florida officials to offset the cost of the investigationa $30,000 fine and pay $30 a month for the cost of supervision, Mr. Black said.
Losers
While many of the 101st may be unable to serve in our fine military for a variety of reasons - poor conditioning, age, anal cysts, low intelligence, incontinence, anxiety disorders, other priorities, cocaine addiction - there are still numerous civilian opportunities available to them in Iraq.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Confused
Anyway, I'm gonna leave before this mystery is solved but I don't get how Limbaugh came to an agreement on "a single count of doctor shopping" but was arrested for an entirely separate charge, unless there were in effect two charges, one of which has been rendered mostly meaningless.
...anyway, this could just be me being an idiot in which case ignore me.
...anyway, this could just be me being an idiot in which case ignore me.
Rover
Uh-oh, our pal Karl has problems:
Someone should tell Harwood.
Rove testified to the grand jury that when he told Cooper that Plame worked at the agency, he was only passing along unverified gossip, according to people familiar with his testimony.
In contrast, Cooper has testified that Rove told him in a phone conversation on July 11, 2003, that Plame worked for the CIA and played a role in having the agency select her husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, to make a fact-finding trip to Niger in 2002.
Cooper has also testified that Rove, as well as a second source — I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, then-chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney — portrayed the information about Plame as accurate and authoritative.
Someone should tell Harwood.
IOKIYAR
Big Pharma gets sweetheart deal:
...wait, I'm not quite sure I'm getting this 'cause all we have is Black's spin.
...ah, ok, Black is spinning here I think. There are two charges (one settled) I think. They reached a settlement on what I assume is the more serious doctor shoppping charge, but the fraud charge is still there.
WEST PALM BEACH — Rush Limbaugh was arrested Friday on prescription drug charges, law enforcement officials said.
Limbaugh turned himself in to authorities on a warrant issued by the State Attorney's Office, said Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the State Attorney's Office.
The conservative radio commentator came into the jail at about 4 p.m. with his attorney Roy Black and bonded out an hour later on a $3,000 bail, Barbera said.
The warrant was for fraud to conceal information to obtain prescription, Barbera said.
Black said his client and authorities reached a settlement on a single count charge of doctor shopping filed Friday by the State Attorney will be dismissed in 18 months.
...wait, I'm not quite sure I'm getting this 'cause all we have is Black's spin.
...ah, ok, Black is spinning here I think. There are two charges (one settled) I think. They reached a settlement on what I assume is the more serious doctor shoppping charge, but the fraud charge is still there.
Lapdogs
I've finished 90 or so pages of Boehlert's book Lapdogs, which Amazon is apparently shipping in advance of its release date. It's pretty good so far, though the chapter on the Note made me want to shoot a lot of people in the face.
...Boehler should consider this quote for a blurb for the paperback version, "Lapdogs made me want to shoot a lot of people in the face. -Atrios"
...Boehler should consider this quote for a blurb for the paperback version, "Lapdogs made me want to shoot a lot of people in the face. -Atrios"
Fork it Over
Consider doing your part to help by donating to one of these fine candidates or any that you happen to personally favor.
People always talk about money in politics, but the truth is for most House races not all that much is spent. The big bucks go to statewide Senate races, and a couple of big ticket close House races in expensive media markets, but otherwise not all that much is spent.
Consider: In 2004, Lois Murphy spent about $1.9 million. That sounds like a lot, but consider a campaign lasts about a year. You need at least some paid staff, and office, all the printed materials (lawn signs, bumper stickers, etc...), and of course some paid media in an expensive media market. There are in the neighborhood of 750,000 people in the district (I pulled that number somewhat out of my, er, hat), so that comes to less than $3/person. This was one of the more expensive races.
People always talk about money in politics, but the truth is for most House races not all that much is spent. The big bucks go to statewide Senate races, and a couple of big ticket close House races in expensive media markets, but otherwise not all that much is spent.
Consider: In 2004, Lois Murphy spent about $1.9 million. That sounds like a lot, but consider a campaign lasts about a year. You need at least some paid staff, and office, all the printed materials (lawn signs, bumper stickers, etc...), and of course some paid media in an expensive media market. There are in the neighborhood of 750,000 people in the district (I pulled that number somewhat out of my, er, hat), so that comes to less than $3/person. This was one of the more expensive races.
Gas
While I understand that high gas prices do in fact cause economic pain to people and I'm also generally happy for people to blame George Bush and Republicans for their woes, the media coverage of the gas issue is really getting silly.
Instability
Duh:
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - With oil prices above $70 a barrel fouling the world economy, dismay is focusing on Iraq, whose exports have slipped to their lowest levels since the 2003 invasion.
"Iraq could be making a tremendous difference," said Dalton Garis, an economist at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. Instead, its shortfall is "a significant contributing factor to the high price of oil," he said.
Iraq, a founding member of OPEC, sits atop the world's third-highest proven reserves. Its estimated 115 billion barrels is more than any other OPEC member except for Saudi Arabia and
Iran.
But contrary to optimistic expectations, Iraq's oil production has slipped further and further since the U.S.-led invasion, to an average of 2 million barrels a day. It has never regained even the reduced production levels that prevailed in the 1990s, when Iraq was under tough U.N. sanctions.
Morons
Aside from the dishonesty of it, does anyone really care of Dennis Hastert rides in a hydrogen car?
Billions and Billions
In a sane universe this, and not hookers, would be the looming and overarching scandal.
Still, I'll settle for hookers.
Still, I'll settle for hookers.
Kristol
Everyone should take the opportunity to catch one of the repeats of Bill Kristol on last night's Colbert report.
Hookergate
There's little chance that whatever deity who runs this universe likes me enough to let this be true.
But, like The Editors, I be prayin'.
Georgia10, who has a nice little profile here, has much much more.
But, like The Editors, I be prayin'.
Georgia10, who has a nice little profile here, has much much more.
Meritocracy
I managed to avoid the subject of the Harvard student accused of plagiarism until I saw this:
$20,000 for a college counselor?
(since there's some confusion in comments I took this to mean a college admissions consultant, one who you pay to help you with the college applications process.)
“Opalgate” seems to have spun more accusations of envy than those of plagiarism. Many on campus and beyond have said— “Let’s face it: we are all jealous of her success”.
I speak on behalf of another “we”: those of us who—believe it or not— were impressed by Viswanathan’s achievements, just as I am impressed by the incredible work I see my friends produce everyday. If there is any envy, it stems from the fact that, because Viswanathan comes from a wealthy family, she was able to pay $20,000 for a college counselor who put her into contact with a publisher. In short, she was lucky enough to be able to pay for connections.
I wish, for the sake of literature in general, that every gifted writer had the clout required to get his or her work out there like Viswanathan did. So my reaction of disgust to the entire affair is not premised on jealousy, but injustice. The disillusionment comes not from plagiarism but from the blatant (mis)use of social power.
—Emma M. Lind ’09, a Crimson editorial editor, lives in Grays Hall.
$20,000 for a college counselor?
(since there's some confusion in comments I took this to mean a college admissions consultant, one who you pay to help you with the college applications process.)
Time for the Apology
Yep, Wired magazine owes Al an apology.
...Noah Shactman writes in to say that Boehlert is a little off here because Wired News was to blame for the Gore stuff, not Wired Magazine, and they are separate entities despite the fact that Wired News republishes a lot of the content from the magazine. There's a point there, though it's a bit like separating "Washington Post" and "Washingtonpost.com."
...Noah Shactman writes in to say that Boehlert is a little off here because Wired News was to blame for the Gore stuff, not Wired Magazine, and they are separate entities despite the fact that Wired News republishes a lot of the content from the magazine. There's a point there, though it's a bit like separating "Washington Post" and "Washingtonpost.com."
Rover
It'll happen or it won't, but clearly the Rovers are backing down from "nothing to see here" to "uh, maybe there's something to see here." My guess is they put indictment odds at 70%+ to switch PR stratgies in this fashion.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
An Inconvenient Truth
It's hard spending 90 minutes with Gore-on-film, and then another half hour or so with Gore Live In Person, and not feel a great deal of sadness for what could have been. Without spinning out elaborate alternative history scenarios, I can just return to the fundamental reasons why I hoped that Gore would be elected in 2000: that a few more years of relatively responsible and sensible use of our nation's resources could put our country on a sustainable path to long term prosperity.
But An Inconvenient Truth isn't about what might have been, it's about what needs to be. I'm always a bit wary of Chicken Littles. I've written before about the tendency of many people of all ideologies to have an unhealthy obsession with their own personal belief in an inevitable impending End Times. Whether your favorite bringer of doom is the Rapture, environmental catastrophe, nuclear war, a cataclysmic economic event, plague, general breakdown of civil society, etc... depends in large part on your ideology. But whatever that ideology is, many people seem to have a strikingly sharp belief that the End Is Nigh unless people Understand The Truth They're Preaching.
So, what is The Inconvenient Truth? That global warming is real and serious. That human activity is causing it. That potential catastrophe is near term. That while potential catastrophe is near term, it is not too late to solve the problem.
Gore makes the case compellingly in a surprisingly entertaining movie. It's 1 part Gore's need to make the perfect presentation, the convincing presentation, the one that makes people understand just what it is he's so concerned about in a way which makes them concerned about it too. It's 3 parts a version of that presentation. And, finally, it's one part a personal story of Gore's path through life.
They've done as good a job as probably could be done creating an involving and entertaining movie about global warming, and I don't mean to damn it with faint praise. It is an involving and entertaining movie about global warming. It is a movie you should convince people to go see.
And, while it wasn't its purpose, it's also a movie about what might have been.
But An Inconvenient Truth isn't about what might have been, it's about what needs to be. I'm always a bit wary of Chicken Littles. I've written before about the tendency of many people of all ideologies to have an unhealthy obsession with their own personal belief in an inevitable impending End Times. Whether your favorite bringer of doom is the Rapture, environmental catastrophe, nuclear war, a cataclysmic economic event, plague, general breakdown of civil society, etc... depends in large part on your ideology. But whatever that ideology is, many people seem to have a strikingly sharp belief that the End Is Nigh unless people Understand The Truth They're Preaching.
So, what is The Inconvenient Truth? That global warming is real and serious. That human activity is causing it. That potential catastrophe is near term. That while potential catastrophe is near term, it is not too late to solve the problem.
Gore makes the case compellingly in a surprisingly entertaining movie. It's 1 part Gore's need to make the perfect presentation, the convincing presentation, the one that makes people understand just what it is he's so concerned about in a way which makes them concerned about it too. It's 3 parts a version of that presentation. And, finally, it's one part a personal story of Gore's path through life.
They've done as good a job as probably could be done creating an involving and entertaining movie about global warming, and I don't mean to damn it with faint praise. It is an involving and entertaining movie about global warming. It is a movie you should convince people to go see.
And, while it wasn't its purpose, it's also a movie about what might have been.
Rover
It may be time to make a trip to the champagne store:
WHILE HIS SUPPORTERS CONTINUE TO PUT ON A GOOD FACE, SOURCES CLOSE TO KARL ROVE SAY THE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR IS NOW MORE WORRIED, NOT LESS, THAT HE IS GOING TO GET INDICTED. THE SOURCES SAY ROVE WAS SURPRISED BY SOME OF THE QUESTIONS HE WAS ASKED AND BY THE FACT THE SESSION STRETCHED ON FOR THREE AND A HALF HOURS.
MINUTES AFTER ROVE LEFT THE GRAND JURY, HIS LEGAL TEAM ISSUED A WRITTEN STATEMENT SAYING PROSECUTORS HAD, QUOTE, "WANTED TO EXPLORE A MATTER RAISED SINCE MR. ROVE'S LAST APPEARANCE IN OCTOBER 2005."
BUT THE GRAND JURY, ACCORDING TO SOURCES, ALSO PRESSED ROVE ABOUT HIS TESTIMONY IN 2004 WHEN HE FAILED TO REVEAL HE SPOKE TO TIME MAGAZINE'S MATT COOPER ABOUT VALERIE PLAME -- THE FORMER CIA OPERATIVE AT THE HEART OF THE INVESTIGATION.
Books
Roger Simon:
Reality:
And, yes, Bookscan doesn't tell the full story and neither do Amazon rankings, but if Simon has any evidence for his claims he's free to provide it.
The point here is not a pissing contest about books sales; I don't give a shit and I doubt Markos or Glenn do either. The point is the wholesale embrace of manufactured horseshit to desperately prop up their collapsing worldview.
Although it underscores what we already knew - that Glenn Reynolds (whose book is selling much better) has remarkable respect in the blogosphere for his integrity and intelligence - I must say I am surprised at the relatively pathetic sales figures for Markos Zuniga's book "Crashing the Gates.
Reality:
As of this morning, for Reynolds’ An Army of Davids (February 2006), Bookscan reports 1716 retail sales and 2609 “discount” sales, for a total of 4325.
As of this morning, for Armstrong and Kos’s Crashing the Gate (March 2006), Bookscan reports 2598 retail sales and 1804 “discount” sales, for a total of 4402.
In other words, despite the fact that it’s been available for four fewer weeks, Kos and Armstrong’s book has now clocked Bookscan sales in excess of Reynolds’. Notably, several hundred more full-price sales. This is leaving aside the fact that Kos and Armstrong’s book is currently at #40 on Amazon, whereas Reynolds’ is at #801.
And, yes, Bookscan doesn't tell the full story and neither do Amazon rankings, but if Simon has any evidence for his claims he's free to provide it.
The point here is not a pissing contest about books sales; I don't give a shit and I doubt Markos or Glenn do either. The point is the wholesale embrace of manufactured horseshit to desperately prop up their collapsing worldview.
Speaking of Wingnuttery
Book sales, Iraq, the Dixie Chicks:
Haha. Has-beens.
The Chicks are back at it again with a new CD available to the world of country music. This just a few weeks after announcing that they were giving up on the genre and branching out to other forms of music.
Will their new music be played? Of course the tunes will go out over the airwaves because the powers in Nashville and New York that drive the music industry today will never be part of an unsuccessful album release and will make sure the Chick’s receive air play.
The Dixie Chicks have every right to speak their mind in public. Many Americans died to give them that right and I support their freedom of expression.
But, we do not have to listen to their music, buy their products or attend their concerts.
We have the right to call or write the advertisers who pay for the music to be played on the radio and refuse to do business with them as long as they support the Chicks. We have the right to ignore the Dixie Chicks until they are “has-beens” in the music industry and they are forced to sell their mansions on the hill.
Haha. Has-beens.
The Self-Similarity of the Wingnut Function
Professor the Editors once gave a sage lecture on the self-similarity of the wingnut function, and Glenn Greenwald (whose book is still #1) picks up where he left off. Their defective mind processes work the same way, whether it's Iraq or book sales.
Don't they have somewhere lurking in their brain any critical faculties at all? For the sake of one's own integrity and reputation if nothing else, who would read an undocumented assertion on Drudge -- no matter how much of an emotional need they feel for it to be true -- and then run around reflexively reciting it as truth, writing whole posts celebrating it and analyzing it, without bothering to spend a second of time or a molecule of mental energy trying to figure out if it's really true?
This intellectually corrupt syndrome goes back a long way and has been festering for a long time. Nuggets of deceitful, fact-free fantasy get planted in some cesspool like Drudge and then mindless followers who want to believe it start repeating it as fact, and then it gets ossified forever as conventional wisdom and can never be dislodged from their minds. That's how Al Gore came to "claim that he invented the Internet," how Howard Dean became a far left radical pacifist, how Jessica Lynch had a heroic shoot-out with Al Qaeda and was then rescued by gun-blazing Marines, how Moveon.org produced commercials saying that Bush was Hitler, how Saddam funded Al Qaeda and personally participated in the planning of 9/11. It's even how the lesbian, Hillary, killed Vince Foster in order to ensure that their affair (or whitewater crimes or drug-running landing strip) would be kept quiet and, to this day, it's how Bill Clinton was a wildly unpopular president.
Soon after 9/11, the Bush movement became driven by much more than a set of political beliefs. It provides its adherents with much more than just a vehicle for political activism. It gives them purpose and a feeling of strength and power that they otherwise lack. In that sense, it is not dissimilar to a religion, and it is therefore unsurprising -- but nontheless ugly and destructive -- that their beliefs and convictions are not grounded in facts and reality but in a resolute faith that cannot be shaken by facts. Every event is interpreted so as to bolster the faith, facts are disregarded which undermine the faith and fact-free assertions are embraced which confirm the faith.
The way in which it became an instantaneous certainty that CTG is a failure (and Glenn Reynolds's book is a grand success) -- a "fact" that will endure in those circles forever, literally -- reflects a process that repeats itself over and over, with a whole range of issues. That is the process that led us into Iraq and not only kept us there, but ensured that we remained immoveably wedded to policies which were so plainly producing nothing but horrendous failure. Being able to pick and choose what facts you want to believe based upon which ones feel good or vindicate your desires can be emotionally satisfying, but there is no more destructive and dangerous mental approach than this for determing how the world's sole superpower will be governed.
More Frank on Klein
I hadn't realized the HuffPo excerpt was in fact an excerpt. Rick Perlstein writes in to point me to the best bit:
Now, I know it’s customary in D.C. journalism to understand Harry Truman the way Joe Klein does: as a symbol, as a lovable, plain-spoken guy from the “heartland” largely unconnected to actual politics (sort of the way the folkies regarded Woody Guthrie, come to think of it). So maybe it’s a little unfair of me to call attention to what Truman actually said. But Mr. Klein’s repetitive invocation of Truman, plus a little regional pride in the man, compelled me to look up the Turnip Day speech. Having listened to a recording of it, I think Mr. Klein is right in insisting that it be regarded as a model for Democratic candidates. I can also report that what Truman said in the speech is in almost every particular the precise opposite of what Joe Klein advises contemporary Democrats to say.
Harry Truman was no centrist, and neither was he a radical. Still, listening to his ferocious ad-libs back in 1948 (which was, incidentally, not during the Great Depression), his audience could have had few doubts about what the Democratic Party stood for. Truman was explicit: “[T]he Democratic Party is the people’s party, and the Republican Party is the party of special interest, and it always has been and always will be.” He reveled in what Mr. Klein would call “class war,” calling a Republican tax cut a “rich man’s tax bill” that “helps the rich and sticks a knife into the back of the poor” and describing politics as a contest between the “common everyday man” and the “favored classes,” the “privileged few.” Even more astonishingly, Truman went on to talk policy in some detail, with special emphasis on Mr. Klein’s hated “jobs, health-care, and blah-blah-blah”: He called for the construction of public housing, an increase in the minimum wage, expansion of Social Security, a national health-care program and the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act. And this sort of high-octane oratory propelled Truman on to win the election in a historic upset.
Joe Klein is not the only one to moan about the polarized age in which we are supposedly living these days, with all the power having gravitated to “the extremes of both left and right,” to use the standard deploring formula. Everyone in pundit-land moans this way, and they can be fairly confident that their buddy the CNN host won’t contradict them when they so moan. But someone needs to rub their faces in the fact that, compared to today’s “polarized” Democratic Party, their lovable old Harry Truman sounds like a fire-breathing anarchist, defending positions so far to the left that we have forgotten that one of the two major parties ever held them. Maybe what ails us isn’t a deficit of authenticity or the pull of the poles; maybe it’s something Truman would have grasped in a Kansas City minute: the power of money, the push of the right. Maybe squishy centrism is the problem, not the solution. And maybe we could use a little more polarization of the Turnip Day variety.
Smart Posturing
What Yglesias says. Sometimes our wonkier types just need to keep their traps shut. Plenty of bad ideas, especially when they're both relatively harmless and unlikely to pass, make for good political theater. The party out of power can't actually do policy, so relax and let them do some politics.
Gouging
Apparently the Frist-backed Senate gas gouging bill exempts wholesale gouging and only applies to retail gouging. I have no idea if the big oil companies are engaged in wholesale price gouging, but that's the only type of gouging which will have any actual impact on people. Otherwise we're just talking about preventing the occasional and isolated jacking up of the price by a local gas station. Big whoop.
The language includes this bit:
The language includes this bit:
It is unlawful for a [sic] any person to increase the price at which that person sells, or offers to sell, gasoline or petroleum distillates to the public (for purposes other than resale) in, or for use in, an area covered by an emergency proclamation by an unconscionable amount while the proclamation is in effect.
Nedredenaline!
The LamontBlog tells us that Lamont will be on the Majority Report this evening. I won't be on this evening as I'll be going to a screening of Gore's new movie.
We also learn that Lamont is hiring Bill Hillsman to run his ads.
We also learn that Lamont is hiring Bill Hillsman to run his ads.
Now We're Talking
Hilarious:
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether two contractors implicated in the bribery of former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham supplied him with prostitutes and free use of a limousine and hotel suites, pursuing evidence that could broaden their long-running inquiry.
Besides scrutinizing the prostitution scheme for evidence that might implicate contractor Brent Wilkes, investigators are focusing on whether any other members of Congress, or their staffs, may also have used the same free services, though it isn't clear whether investigators have turned up anything to implicate others.
...
Mr. Wade in February pleaded guilty to giving bribes of more than $1 million to Mr. Cunningham, including cash, antiques and payment for yachts. Mr. Wade, who hasn't been sentenced yet, is cooperating with prosecutors. According to people with knowledge of the investigation, Mr. Wade told investigators that Mr. Cunningham periodically phoned him to request a prostitute, and that Mr. Wade then helped to arrange for one. A limousine driver then picked up the prostitute as well as Mr. Cunningham, and drove them to one of the hotel suites, originally at the Watergate Hotel, and subsequently at the Westin Grand.
Hey Hey, Ho Ho
So Lieberman is going to get on TV and announce that FEMA should be disbanded. Is anyone going to bother to point out that he was the primer mover behind the Homeland Security department, including placing FEMA under its control?
Give to Ned.
Give to Ned.
Rover
BooMan runs down the latest. Short version: Rove's defense is that of course he knew that everyone at Time thought he spoke to Matt Cooper, but he didn't remember doing so and how could have been so stupid as to lie about such a thing.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Jesse's World
Memories:
Mr. Jesse Malkin, founder and former publisher of the Oberlin Forum, physically assaulted and verbally threatened to kill me on the afternoon of the 1991 Commencement exercises, just after I had taken one picture of him for the Oberlin Hi-O-Hi 1991 yearbook supplement. I am writing because I feel that such an act of intolerance should be unacceptable in an academic community which of course values tolerance, freedom of speech, and - above all - civilized behavior toward all people, including photographers…
I have to admit that, until recently, I had never really paid any attention to the Oberlin Forum. I knew that it was the right-wing publication on campus, but its articles were short, often muddled, and not very well researched (if research was even an issue)…
Commencement exercises had just finished, and Mr. Malkin was talking with College Treasurer Charles Tharp, somewhere close to the memorial arch. I approached them and circled around quickly, trying to find the best angle. I knew Mr. Malkin was a Rhodes scholar, founder of this publication, and that he had been Mr. Tharp’s intern. In other words, here was someone whom I thought should definitely be in the yearbook - he was important. As I circled around, I raised my camera…I snapped on picture.
Suddenly, Mr. Malkin turned to me, yelling “Don’t take my picture…” I wondered why he was yelling, but lowered my camera. There were other, equally important people whose pictures I had yet to take. Suddenly, he lunged out at me, shouting, “Don’t fuck with me, or I’m going to kill you!” He grabbed my arm and tried to grab my camera, continuing to spew insults and death threats. The civilized scholar had suddenly transformed into an uncontrollable savage. Fortunately, a friend managed to pull me away from his grasp. Malkin must have regained his senses as his vicious fit ended and he ended his attack. This friend and several other people were all witnesses to this act of violence.
Now, Malkin himself has stated in an article that “…rejecting reasoned discourse and free inquiry, such behavior is the antithesis of liberal arts education.” In fact, in the same article he assered that one of his major reasons for choosing Oberlin “was because of its reputation for tolerance and diversity. I was impressed by Oberlin’s history and commitment to social justice,” Could Jesse Malkin have gone so far in rejecting some of his most basic beliefs?
Jesse, I wonder if you will have any response to this. In “No Cider and Cookies,” your attack against the 1990 March Against Bigotry, you criticized - without substantiating any of your accusations - radical leftists” for “attempting to achieve by intimidation and bullying” what they “cannot accomplish by persuasion”…
Idiots
There are so many obvious ways this is idiocy, but the simplest one is that for generations there have been a lot of American citizens (native born) for whom Spanish is their native language.
History. Read some, morons.
History. Read some, morons.
Fresh Thread
Be excellent to each other, and don't shoot anybody in the face.
...and, if you're bored, there's a free .mp3 (Subdivision) awaiting you in the Ani DiFranco ad to the right.
...and, if you're bored, there's a free .mp3 (Subdivision) awaiting you in the Ani DiFranco ad to the right.
Journamalism
Bill Bennett just now:
Newsweek:
Wolf sorta-kinda-alittlebit corrected him.
We are talking about the name of an agent that was not covert... She was not covert.
Newsweek:
But special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald found that Plame had indeed done "covert work overseas" on counterproliferation matters in the past five years, and the CIA "was making specific efforts to conceal" her identity, according to newly released portions of a judge's opinion.
Wolf sorta-kinda-alittlebit corrected him.
Nedrenaline!
Lamont sends out an email:
You can contribute through the links above or through the Eschaton Act Blue site.
Dear Duncan,
Want proof that this campaign is the real deal? Last week Joe Lieberman was forced to start putting ads on the air while election is still months away - his first in 12 years.
In one of the ads Joe Lieberman looks into the camera and claims he "respects the views" of those who disagree with his position on Iraq. That's how he feels when reading a script, by his pollsters, reminding him he needs to appeal to Democrats in the Democratic Primary.
Joe Lieberman expressed his true feeling about those who disagree with him on Iraq when he said, "...we undermine the President's credibility at our nation's peril."
We need to take Ned Lamont's message to the airwaves before the convention and we need to do it quick. Our first media buy will cost $125,000 and we can only do it with you help.
Help our campaign get on the air.
https://secure.nedlamont.com/page/contribute
Joe Lieberman is trying to make this a campaign about Iraq. But we know Iraq isn't the only issue in this primary.
Joe Lieberman believes that Terri Schiavo's life was the Senate's business, that rape victims should just take a "short car ride" to another hospital for emergency contraception, and that President Bush's energy bill is good for Connecticut.
If we don't define ourselves Joe Lieberman is sure to define us.
Help us purchase our first media buy.
https://secure.nedlamont.com/page/contribute
Thank you,
Tom Swan
Campaign Manager
PS Our campaign continues to roll along and our ballot petition operation is starting today. Sign up now.
http://www.nedlamont.com/page/s/petition
You can contribute through the links above or through the Eschaton Act Blue site.
Kagan
I was struck by this comment from Limbaugh's ex this morning on CNN:
So the story has "a lot of interest" and it's also one "that a lot of people don't know very well."
That's certainly odd.
KAGAN: John King in Washington, D.C. An important story, one that has a lot of interest, but one people that a lot of people don't know very well. And you definitely do. So thank you for your perspective and new information. John King, thanks.
So the story has "a lot of interest" and it's also one "that a lot of people don't know very well."
That's certainly odd.
Rover
O'Donnell thinks that the meaning of today's testimony would be known if we knew whether Rove asked to go to the grand jury or if Fitz asked him to come. He says the buzz in Washington is the former - meaning bad news for Rove - though Rove's minions are spinning it the other way (not that they're known for being truthtellers).
As evidence we have:
and:
The first source is a Rover. The second description is somewhat ambiguous, but leans more towards bad news for Karl.
As evidence we have:
The source said Rove, a powerful and controversial political strategist, was asked to testify by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, that he would appear voluntarily and that he had not been subpoenaed.
and:
According to NBC News’ David Shuster, legal sources say Rove volunteered to testify and was no subpoenaed. Rove’s decision followed a recent conversation with Fitzgerald.
The first source is a Rover. The second description is somewhat ambiguous, but leans more towards bad news for Karl.
Oh Well
John and Pam pulled out of that Equality Forum panel, and were quite right to do so.
...Pam explains here.
...Pam explains here.
Fitzy
Think Progress has CNN's report with Rove meeting with Fitz and his attorneys. I saw this as I was walking out the door and was rather amused by Rove's people spinning this as good news and John King's willingness to pass this on uncritically.
Maybe Rove will be able to clear everything up, in which case many many of Holden's ponies will die a tragic early death, but I don't think there's much reason to think that such a meeting is good for Rove at this point.
...Fox says Rove is testifying. I'm sure he's just going to clear everything up.
Maybe Rove will be able to clear everything up, in which case many many of Holden's ponies will die a tragic early death, but I don't think there's much reason to think that such a meeting is good for Rove at this point.
...Fox says Rove is testifying. I'm sure he's just going to clear everything up.
Blogreaders
Chris Bowers breaks down the survey results and highlights the bits that are contrary to standard media myths about blog readers.
I don't care all that much whether we're "very highly educated, highly politically active, quite well-to-do, voracious consumers of media, not very young" or "drooling, rabid, anti-social, uneducated, teenage extremists" but the former happens to be the truth.
I don't care all that much whether we're "very highly educated, highly politically active, quite well-to-do, voracious consumers of media, not very young" or "drooling, rabid, anti-social, uneducated, teenage extremists" but the former happens to be the truth.
Feeling Fitzy
Is Fitzorial Day coming?
WASHINGTON - Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald early Wednesday went before a federal grand jury looking into the leak of the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame.
It is believed to be only the second session the prosecutor has had with the grand jury which is examining questions left unanswered in the Plame affair. The only other time Fitzgerald was seen going before the new panel was Dec. 7.
Who You Are
Blogads reader survey results for this blog.
Aggregate survey results for a variety of blog groupings.
Aggregate survey results for a variety of blog groupings.
Rope. Tree. Journalist.
I hope all the newspapers who publish syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin appreciate this.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Sadly, Broke
Gavin M. could use a few nickels to support his lifelong mission to fix the internets. If you appreciate all the free bloggy goodness they provide you can help out.
#24
Greenwald's book is up to #24. You're going to feel like a total loser when all the cool kids are talking about it and you don't have it.
Bush Threatens to Veto Iraq Spending Bill
Why does he hate the troops? I guess he was for the war before he was against it.
Pelosi
Video.
Quick transcript:
Pelosi earns herself 4 of Holden's ponies.
Quick transcript:
If you want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and therefore improve our national security situation, you can't do it if you're a Republican because you are too wedded to the oil companies. We have two oilmen in the white house. The logical follow-up from that is $3 a gallon gasoline. There is no accident. Tt is a cause and effect. A cause and effect. How dare the president of the United States make a speech today in April, many, many, many months after the american people have had to undergo the cost of home heating oil. A woman told me she almost fainted when she received her home heating bill over this Winter. And when so many people making the minimum wage, which hasn't been raised in eight years, which has a very low purchasing power have to go out and buy gasoline at these prices? Where have you been, Wr. president? The middle class squeeze is on, competition in our country is affected by the price of energy and of oil and all of a sudden you take a trip outside of Washington, see the fact that the public is outraged about this, come home and make a speech, let's see that matched in your budget, let's see that matched in your policy, let's see that matched in and you're separating yourselves yourself from your patron, big oil, cut yourself off from that anvil holding your party down and this country down, instead of coming to Washington and throwing your Republican colleagues under the wheels of the train, which they mightily deserve for being a rubber stamp for your obscene, corrupt policy of ripping off the american people.
Pelosi earns herself 4 of Holden's ponies.
Battle Cry of the 101st
Silly Sully:
I really don't even know what to say about these kinds of things.
(tip from P O'Neill)
But the years since, and the atrocities still committed by the Jihadists, have not diminished my or, I suspect, many other people's desire to fight our enemy with vigor and precision. My spine hasn't softened against al Qaeda. If anything, I want to defeat what they represent more now than ever.
I really don't even know what to say about these kinds of things.
(tip from P O'Neill)
Feel the Joementum!
Connecticut voters aren't too thrilled about Joe Lieberman's BFF.
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's job approval rating in Connecticut plunged to a record-low 24 percent this month, one of the most dismal showings in the nation - and a number the president could find difficult to reverse anytime soon.
How Would a Patriot Act?.
Glenn Greenwald discusses his forthcoming book. It's important to support books of this type, so please consider pre-ordering it.
Wanker of the Day
Hugh Hewitt, with a special assist from the idiots at the Inquirer for publishing him.
Is a No-Brainer
Henry says I'm wrong to think this net neutrality issue is a no-brainer and then proceeds to outline one of the many reasons it is, in fact, a no-brainer.
I like the commenter at Drum's place who calls it "Medicare Plan D for the internet" which is possibly not so far off.
More generally this is a telco lobbyist written bill being run through a Republican congress without much public discussion pushed by people like known steward of the public good Dick Armey.
I'm sure one can concoct some technical explanations why some fantasy change to net neutrality could be a good thing, but that's not what's going to happen here. One could also propose some fantasy change to Social Security which could be a good thing, but all that does is play into the hands of those who will, in fact, be making the change. And killing the internets.
I like the commenter at Drum's place who calls it "Medicare Plan D for the internet" which is possibly not so far off.
More generally this is a telco lobbyist written bill being run through a Republican congress without much public discussion pushed by people like known steward of the public good Dick Armey.
I'm sure one can concoct some technical explanations why some fantasy change to net neutrality could be a good thing, but that's not what's going to happen here. One could also propose some fantasy change to Social Security which could be a good thing, but all that does is play into the hands of those who will, in fact, be making the change. And killing the internets.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Where's Joe?
Lieberman said he'd be on his BFF Hannity's show once a month. That was on Feb. 10, and he hasn't been back on since.
Trustees
Just an update on the missing Social Security Trustees report. The stated reason for the delay was that they were missing the two Public Trustees whose terms had expired. Bush wanted to renominate the existing ones and the Senate wasn't too happy with that. So, Bush made one of his recess appointments that used to send Official Washington into a tizzy when Clinton did it but are now just fine and reappointed them himself.
The report will arrive on May 1, one week from today...
The report will arrive on May 1, one week from today...
Because They're Better Than All That
Brian Montopoli notes that the media universe consists of more than just the New York Times but that most media critics don't bother to pay attention. This has long been one of my pet issues, that a certain breed of print journalists simply assume the rest of the news media away and pretend it doesn't exist. The next step, of course, is singling out bloggers for all those imagined offenses that are regular features elsewhere in the media.
Voting Against Vets
Little Ricky voted against medical funding for veterans and a now-former supporter couldn't get him to explain why.
Support Ann
All good local people should take the opportunity to join Ann Dicker for a fundraiser this evening at her campaign headquarters.
Killing the Internets
This is important. Too many people imagine that the internet was an inevitable development which can't be killed, but that just isn't the case. The power of the internet is due to some very smart decisions made by smart tech people and Senator Big Sweaty Lunk. There are those who will kill it if they can.
I suppose the good news for "reformers" is that if the big ISPs succeed in doing this then they'll have a good excuse to regulate internet political speech, because then it will be the case that money will matter on the internet.
I suppose the good news for "reformers" is that if the big ISPs succeed in doing this then they'll have a good excuse to regulate internet political speech, because then it will be the case that money will matter on the internet.
Liars and Torturers
Yglesias writes:
This is something we all forget from time to time, those of us who have a knee-jerk faith in general human goodness and decency. Whether it's the administration, elite pundits, or blogospheric idiots, we are dealing with liars who support torture. Once we understand that, it all makes a bit more sense.
But, of course, if you think that leaking classified information in order to expose illegal conduct by high government officials is the same thing as high government officials selectively releasing classified information in order to bamboozle the public into supporting a strategically daft invasion, then you're out of your mind. The issue, though, is that a certain number of people think that bamboozling the public into supporting the Iraq War was a good and noble thing to do, and a largely overlapping group of people think that arbitrary detention and torture are so vital to American national security that a little lawbreaking and secrecy is a small price to pay to ensure that the job gets done. Others of us hue to an anti-bamboozlement, anti-torture line and, naturally, don't think the president should be able to cover up his illegal conduct by slapping a "classified" label on all the evidence.
This is something we all forget from time to time, those of us who have a knee-jerk faith in general human goodness and decency. Whether it's the administration, elite pundits, or blogospheric idiots, we are dealing with liars who support torture. Once we understand that, it all makes a bit more sense.
Unpopular President
Unless I missed any in a quick skim, it's been over a year since Bush has cracked 50% approval in any major poll.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Revelations and Revelations
Josh has the right take on the 60 minutes show tonight. The real point isn't the actual revelation, it's that he's revealed it before to people tasked with investigating this stuff, who promptly filed it in the circular filing cabinet.
Sun
Went for a little run along the river. The free the river park people were doing their thing. The Spin Dentist was having a little stroll with Mrs. Spin Dentist. My previous downstairs neighbor was going for a little run, and I bumped into the better half of one of the fearless leaders of our local Drinking Liberally.
Some days it feels like a small world.
...oh, and for those who walk or run or bike or whatever this google maps-based pedometer is handy.
Some days it feels like a small world.
...oh, and for those who walk or run or bike or whatever this google maps-based pedometer is handy.
Rumsfeld Must Go
Fighting Dems have put out the word.
Here's Patrick Murphy's release on the subject:
Here's Patrick Murphy's release on the subject:
PATRICK MURPHY JOINS HIS FORMER COMMANDER IN CALLING FOR RUMSFELD’S RESIGNATION
“We need a change in personnel, and we also need a change in policy.”
Levittown, PA – April 23, 2006 – Iraq War veteran and Democratic congressional candidate Patrick Murphy today joined his former commanding officer, Retired Major General Charles Swannack of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, and 5 other senior generals in calling for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld while continuing to call for a change in administration policy on Iraq. As a Captain in the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division, Murphy served under General Swannack during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Murphy also served with Swannack in Bosnia for four months in 2002
“President Bush listened to Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld instead of military leadership in executing a plan that took ten years to develop. The rush to war in Iraq without a plan to win the peace was irresponsible, and now our servicemen and women are paying the price,” Murphy said.
“We need not just a change in personnel, we need a change in policy,” Murphy added.
“There are only two senior generals who commanded forces on the ground in Iraq who are now retired and free to speak their minds,” Murphy said. “Both of them agree that Donald Rumsfeld must go,” Murphy said. “Rumsfeld should go and so should the current Bush policy on Iraq.”
In addition to General Swannack, Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste – who led the 1st Infantry Division in northern Iraq in 2004-2005 – called for Rumsfeld's resignation during an interview last Wednesday on CNN. Former U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Anthony Zinni, former Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, and retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold also have called for Rumsfeld to step down.
In December, Murphy unveiled a three-stage plan to bring home troops from Iraq responsibly. He has been endorsed by Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha, a longtime Pentagon supporter and a top congressional defense expert who galvanized opposition to Bush policies in Iraq when he called for troops to begin coming home before the end of 2006.
Nedrenaline!
Pretty good column about the internets and the Lamont campaign.
And some more information about the campaign here.
And some more information about the campaign here.
Two Types
Aside from the underclass, there are basically two types of people/families in this country - those who live paycheck to paycheck and those who don't. Some who live paycheck to paycheck may live in an expensive home, have nice cars, etc... In other words, they have for whatever reason decided to live right up to the limit of their means, or beyond. Despite living quite well, they can still feel acutely any negative economic shock, even the relatively modest hit of having gas prices go up. They have substantial payments to make every month - cars, utilities, mortgage, credit cards, tuition payments - as well as lifestyle habits which are hard to break. They may manage to sock a few bucks away into their retirement accounts, but they have little or no liquid savings which can be readily tapped, or once it's tapped it is unlikely to be quickly replenished.
The inability of much of the celebrity pundit class to understand why people can both be doing relatively well (not all people of course) and also be feeling substantial anxiety about the economy has to do with the fact that they long ago left the "paycheck to paycheck" class.
The inability of much of the celebrity pundit class to understand why people can both be doing relatively well (not all people of course) and also be feeling substantial anxiety about the economy has to do with the fact that they long ago left the "paycheck to paycheck" class.
Volunteer
For Philly area folk, those in and around his district consider signing up to volunteer to help Patrick Murphy.
Or Lois Murphy.
or Joe Sestak.
For state races, where a little effort can be a big help, there's Anne Dicker.
Or Bryan Lentz.
Or Lois Murphy.
or Joe Sestak.
For state races, where a little effort can be a big help, there's Anne Dicker.
Or Bryan Lentz.
Becoming the Change
It's good to see Gore, who used to be rather conservative on social issues, coming around completely on gay rights. I understand that practical reality dictates that some politicians are unable (or of course just unwilling) to do the right thing. Since that is the case, it's even more important for there to be leadership on this issue by Dem leaders who aren't facing election or re-election in "red" areas.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Olympics 2016
There are some noises around these parts about having Philadelphia make a bid for the 2016 Olympics. I have no direct desire for that to happen, though it would almost certainly be a much more sensible option than Atlanta and Los Angeles were, or than New York would be.
However, if I thought there was some chance that such a thing would spur state lawmakers to get serious about some transit projects in the city in anticipation of the Olympics, as London is doing, I'd consider being on board. Still, given that screwing Philadelphia is pretty much SOP in this state I can imagine a lot of legislators doing just that so they could laugh at the city's failure.
On a mostly unrelated note, Hannah Miller tells you why you should vote for Anne Dicker.
However, if I thought there was some chance that such a thing would spur state lawmakers to get serious about some transit projects in the city in anticipation of the Olympics, as London is doing, I'd consider being on board. Still, given that screwing Philadelphia is pretty much SOP in this state I can imagine a lot of legislators doing just that so they could laugh at the city's failure.
On a mostly unrelated note, Hannah Miller tells you why you should vote for Anne Dicker.
More Gas
Kevin gives some numbers about how much people spend on gas. Just in case it wasn't clear I wasn't mocking people for complaining about gas prices, just finding the regular way the media covers the issue - showing clips of people complaining at gas stations - rather odd. It's nothing new, of course, just what they do every time there's a price spike.
Gas
It's amazing how much time news stations can spend on showing people complaining about gas prices.
Leaks
As journalists receive classified leaks from senior administration officials quite regularly, at some point it will be appropriate for them to reveal this fact to the public. If the administration continues to go after leaks it doesn't like, while continuing to defend and continue the practice of leaks it does like, journalists will have to call them on it.
Sunday Show Guests
Surprisingly fair and balanced:
Meet the Press hosts Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and a roundtable with Washington Times' Tony Blankley, Washington Post's David Broder, Los Angeles Times' Ron Brownstein and ex-WH spokesperson Dee Dee Myers.
· Face the Nation hosts retired Gen. John Batiste, ex-WH CoS John Podesta and Pat Buchanan.
· This Week hosts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and actress Gloria Ruben on playing Sec/State Condeleezza Rice.
· Fox News Sunday hosts Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) and ex-WH CoSs Ken Duberstein and Leon Panetta.
· Late Edition hosts Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Carl Levin (D-MI)
Meet the Press hosts Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and a roundtable with Washington Times' Tony Blankley, Washington Post's David Broder, Los Angeles Times' Ron Brownstein and ex-WH spokesperson Dee Dee Myers.
· Face the Nation hosts retired Gen. John Batiste, ex-WH CoS John Podesta and Pat Buchanan.
· This Week hosts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and actress Gloria Ruben on playing Sec/State Condeleezza Rice.
· Fox News Sunday hosts Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) and ex-WH CoSs Ken Duberstein and Leon Panetta.
· Late Edition hosts Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Carl Levin (D-MI)
The Coming Shriek
Yes, if there's anything more ugly than conservatives and our media when conservatives perceive themselves to be in power it's when they perceive themselves to be out of power.
It seems to have become a forgotten era already, but it would really serve many in our elite media well to, say, take a gander at the 1998 transcripts of Larry King, Hardball, etc...
It seems to have become a forgotten era already, but it would really serve many in our elite media well to, say, take a gander at the 1998 transcripts of Larry King, Hardball, etc...
Friday, April 21, 2006
Klein on Klein
If people like Joe Klein and Joe Lieberman had the interest of Democrats in mind, they might actually care about the things that people like Hugh Hewitt and Sean Hannity tended to say about them.
Fleamail
Flea writes an email:
Click to hear Flea speak (.mp3).
Or here to order their new CD.
Or here to see their new video.
george w bush should definitely be impeached
he is a liar
and his lies have bought misery to millions of people
and bought no good to anyone except for the corporate oil
billionaires who are making huge profits
they are profiting during wartime
that is unscrupulous and terribly sad
w bush has made the world a much less safe place
before the war iraq was not a place for terrorists
saddam hussein, brutal dictator that he was was secular and had
nothing to do with al queda
and was sanctioned to death and had no power outside of his country
now it is a breeding ground for terrorism and anti-americanism is at
an all time high all over the world
and the people of iraq are no better off at all
all those people want is for the americans to leave
decent families and people like you and i who never wanted america
there in the first place
goerge w bush has sent american soldiers over there to be maimed and
killed
only to serve his selfish oil company needs and for his ego
american soldiers who are loyal to each other and who only want to
have a good job get an education and support their country are being
used for an unjust cause
i support the troops
they, like all americans are being betrayed by george w bush
he has betrayed his country he should be impeached
the administration's line that they were over there because they
wanted to spread democracy and freedom
is nothing else besides a lie
if they had any interest at all in the well being of other human beings
they would be doing what they could for people who desperately need
and would love help in africa
i pray to god that george w bush and his administration does not
invade iran
it would be a bloodbath
why dont they just leave the iranians alone
and go through the united nations
and work on making the united nations as strong and as just as possible
an invasion of iran would be the worst possible thing that could happen
i pray to god that it does not happen
i am just another guy sitting in the car on the english motorway
Click to hear Flea speak (.mp3).
Or here to order their new CD.
Or here to see their new video.
He's Stupid and He's Ugly and Nobody Likes Him
Little Ricky is now the least popular senator. Congratulations!
Ribbit
Think Progress has the video of David Shuster talking about Rove's likely indictment. Reasoning is Rove not being on the prosecution witness list for Libby's trial, his designation as a subject, and his designation as "Official A," which is apparently Fitzgerald-speak for "You're about to be indicted."
Vulgarians
These people really are vulgarians. I probably am too, but I'm not tasked with hosting state dinners and such.
...oops, meant to add in Cheney's little nap during the press briefing.
But he wasn't okay, not really. The protocol-obsessed Chinese leader suffered a day full of indignities -- some intentional, others just careless. The visit began with a slight when the official announcer said the band would play the "national anthem of the Republic of China" -- the official name of Taiwan. It continued when Vice President Cheney donned sunglasses for the ceremony, and again when Hu, attempting to leave the stage via the wrong staircase, was yanked back by his jacket. Hu looked down at his sleeve to see the president of the United States tugging at it as if redirecting an errant child.
Then there were the intentional slights. China wanted a formal state visit such as Jiang got, but the administration refused, calling it instead an "official" visit. Bush acquiesced to the 21-gun salute but insisted on a luncheon instead of a formal dinner, in the East Room instead of the State Dining Room. Even the visiting country's flags were missing from the lampposts near the White House.
...oops, meant to add in Cheney's little nap during the press briefing.
50 State Canvass
Don't forget to get up off your asses and interface with the real world for a bit. Join in the DNC's 50 state canvass on April 29.
Civility
I've never understood why civility is something which is valued for its own sake, especially when it's defined in such stupid terms as "not using naughty words" instead of "not calling your political opponents traitors on a regular basis" or "not sending your minions to harass college students by posting their personal phone numbers." A long-running theme from conservative bloggers is that they're, by this standard, oh-so-civil. Except when they're Jeff Goldstein.
Jeff Goldstein, artist's conception
But more amusing is Wall Street Journal deputy editor Henninger's fainting spell at all the bad words he finds on the internets. I really just don't get that foul language offends people so. Perhaps my experience differs, but I have never been in an environment, professional or otherwise, where people didn't swear like sailors, including the Capitol building.
Jeff Goldstein, artist's conception
But more amusing is Wall Street Journal deputy editor Henninger's fainting spell at all the bad words he finds on the internets. I really just don't get that foul language offends people so. Perhaps my experience differs, but I have never been in an environment, professional or otherwise, where people didn't swear like sailors, including the Capitol building.
Undefinable Buzzwords
South Dakota legislature Joel Dykstra thinks it's impossible to define "rape" or "incest."
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Silvio
I'm curious if any people a bit closer to the action on the ground have a sense of how the Italian population is reacting to Silvio's shenanigans:
Premier Silvio Berlusconi is hanging tough, refusing to concede to center-left leader Romano Prodi even as a top court confirmed his defeat in the lower house of parliament in one of Italy's closest elections.
"We'll fight. They'll have to deal with us," Berlusconi was quoted as saying Thursday in the newspaper La Repubblica. Other newspapers published similar comments, and many reported the conservative leader has no intention of calling Prodi.
...
Several world leaders, including from Britain, France, Germany and Israel, have called Prodi to congratulate him. However, close Berlusconi allies President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have not called Prodi yet, his office said Thursday.
Suckers
Gotta be a real die hard supporter to donate to a candidate who is pissing a huge chunk of it away on legal fees unrelated to the campaign. It'll be so sad when my BFF Bob Ney leaves congress.
Who Let the Crazies Out?
Were there a bunch of people who didn't get enough opportunties in 2002 to get their crazy on that they're just itching for an opportunity to do it a bit more?
Things I Learn From Bill Schneider
The Left is upset with China over trade and currency controls.
The Right is upset with China over human rights issues.
The Right is upset with China over human rights issues.
Lieberman Gets Scared
Spends money so that Connecticut voters can see what a WATB he is:
I hope he runs these nonstop.
If you're a student in Connecticut make sure you think early about how you're going to get an absentee ballot. Make all your friends get them too. The primary is in August.
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Democratic U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman started airing his first television campaign ads in years Thursday as he faces a challenge from within his own party.
The two 60-second spots, running statewide, highlight Lieberman's record on key Democratic issues such as abortion, energy independence, environmental protection and increased education funding.
One also touches on Lieberman's support of the war in Iraq _ a position that has angered many activist Democrats and helped fuel a challenge by Democrat and Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont.
"I already know that some of you feel passionately against my position in Iraq. I respect your views, and while we probably won't change each others' minds, I hope we can still have a dialogue and find common ground on all the issues where we do agree," Lieberman says in the TV spot.
I hope he runs these nonstop.
If you're a student in Connecticut make sure you think early about how you're going to get an absentee ballot. Make all your friends get them too. The primary is in August.
McCain
Mark Schmitt writes:
All good, but the real issue is not whether McCain can maintain this brand with the people it's whether he can keep his sycophants in the press on board, keep them intoning the phrase "straight-talk" every time he's in their range.
I actually enjoyed Tucker Carlson's book Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites, though it certainly wasnt't without its flaws. He gave a good insider's perspective on just how in the tank the press corps was for McCain during the 2000 campaign. A couple relevant excerpts:
But like it or not, "authenticity" is an important political tool in its own right. And voters are malleable as well, supporting a political candidate they view as genuine, even if the candidate’s views differ greatly from their own, as I discovered in New Hampshire in 2000 where some number of independent, socially liberal voters chose to vote for the hot McCain in the Republican primary over Bill Bradley in the Democratic. Likewise, pro-death penalty voters supported Tim Kaine in Virginia because they felt that his opposition was authentically rooted in his religious belief -- it actually strengthened his sense of authenticity. But as McCain demonstrates, authenticity is itself a pose, one he adopted and has now discarded.
McCain’s latest move is necessary, if he wants to be president, but it’s awfully daring. Live by the cult of authenticity, perish by the cult of authenticity. A pollster once told me that the way to destroy a political opponent is to get people wondering, "Who is this guy?" That insight was certainly borne out by the demolition of John Kerry, in which he collaborated in creating a sense that he didn't quite have areal core of beliefs. I assume that McCain's gamble is that he has so strongly established the "straight-talk express" brand with the general electorate that he can perform the ritual obsequies of the Republican nominating process and still emerge with his reputation intact.
All good, but the real issue is not whether McCain can maintain this brand with the people it's whether he can keep his sycophants in the press on board, keep them intoning the phrase "straight-talk" every time he's in their range.
I actually enjoyed Tucker Carlson's book Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites, though it certainly wasnt't without its flaws. He gave a good insider's perspective on just how in the tank the press corps was for McCain during the 2000 campaign. A couple relevant excerpts:
McCain ran an entire presidential campaign aimed primarily at journalists. He understood that the first contest in a presidential race is always the media primary. He campaigned hard to win it. To a greater degree than any candidate in thirty years, McCain offered reporters the three things they want most: total access all the time, an endless stream of amusing quotes, and vast quantities of free booze.
...
I saw reporters call McCain "John," sometimes even to his face and in public. I heard otherse, usually at night in the hotel bar, slip into the habit of referring to the Mccain campaign as "we"- as in, "I hope we kill Bush." It was wrong, but it was hard to resist.
Every Time I Try to Get Out...
I wish I could get past all this FEC nonsense now that we've basically won, but I can't seem to let it go. First, to correct a falsehood by Carol Darr in her online chat today:
This simply isn't true.
Payments were disclosed in 2nd quarter FEC filings and mentioned in an August 9 news article.
Also, I want to address the recently forming conventional wisdom that the Swift Boat Liars were somehow a product of the scary dangerous internets. This is similar to the conventional wisdom that in 2000 Gore was smeared by "right wing radio" and not the Spite Girls at the Post and the Times and others in the mainstream media, which was actually the case.
While there was some internet-based colloborative research which went into the publication of the Regnery book Unfit for Command, the book was, it must be said, published on paper. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were a 527 organization with big money backers which got their message out through paid advertising in our mainstream media, as well as through immense amount of free media coverage on, but not limited to, cable news and talk radio. Bloggers talked up the story, as they did any campaign story, but the prominence of the Swift Boat Liars in our media had absolutely nothing to do with the existence of the internet.
Anyway, if you read through the Carol Darr transcript you get the sense that she sees "the media" or at least appropriate media as highly non-partisan respectable dry newswire copy. It's weird.
Question from David Glenn:
In your National Journal interview last week, you said that you fear "undisclosed payments to bloggers made by third parties, not candidates, in order to escape disclosure." Can you flesh out what such a scenario would look like, and why it might be a problem? Is the South Dakota Senate race relevant here?
Carol C. Darr:
The difficulty with the payments from Thune to the bloggers was that they were not disclosed until after the election. Many people thought that the faux-independent bloggers did a lot of damage to Daschle, a fact that would have been very different if readers had known that Thune was behind it.
This simply isn't true.
Payments were disclosed in 2nd quarter FEC filings and mentioned in an August 9 news article.
Also, I want to address the recently forming conventional wisdom that the Swift Boat Liars were somehow a product of the scary dangerous internets. This is similar to the conventional wisdom that in 2000 Gore was smeared by "right wing radio" and not the Spite Girls at the Post and the Times and others in the mainstream media, which was actually the case.
While there was some internet-based colloborative research which went into the publication of the Regnery book Unfit for Command, the book was, it must be said, published on paper. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were a 527 organization with big money backers which got their message out through paid advertising in our mainstream media, as well as through immense amount of free media coverage on, but not limited to, cable news and talk radio. Bloggers talked up the story, as they did any campaign story, but the prominence of the Swift Boat Liars in our media had absolutely nothing to do with the existence of the internet.
Anyway, if you read through the Carol Darr transcript you get the sense that she sees "the media" or at least appropriate media as highly non-partisan respectable dry newswire copy. It's weird.
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