Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Rummy to Testify
Apparently Rumsfeld has changed his mind and will now testify to the House Oversight Committee regarding Pat Tillman (via email from a staffer).
Waiting for Arlen
Given our history with the senior senator from Pennsylvania, I'm sure he could get a letter like this from Abu G:
And Arlen will deem it satisfactory.
Dear Senator Arlen,
I made poopy in my pants.
Love,
Alberto G.
And Arlen will deem it satisfactory.
Thanks, Dick
Gonzales:
Dick:
Witness for the prosecution...
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Gonzales, now attorney general, said he had visited the ailing Ashcroft in the hospital to discuss "other intelligence activities," not the surveillance program.
Dick:
Q In that regard, The New York Times -- which, as you said, is not your favorite -- reports it was you who dispatched Gonzales and Andy Card to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital in 2004 to push Ashcroft to certify the President's intelligence-gathering program. Was it you?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't recall -- first of all, I haven't seen the story. And I don't recall that I gave instructions to that effect.
Q That would be something you would recall.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I would think so. But certainly I was involved because I was a big advocate of the Terrorist Surveillance Program, and had been responsible and working with General Hayden and George Tenet to get it to the President for approval. By the time this occurred, it had already been approved about 12 times by the Department of Justice. There was nothing new about it.
Witness for the prosecution...
HULK SMASH DANA BASH
Senator Ted on CNN (transcript via email):
and she seems to have picked up on Senator Ted's careful parsing, though she doesn't quite make it clear.
Right. Every bill that was presented to them.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what's going on is that Senator Stevens really has been hard to find today, Wolf. In fact, I want to set the scene for you.
Take a look at some pictures from outside of Senator Stevens' main office here on the Capitol complex. Reporters, cameramen, they've been hanging out waiting to find him and to talk to him all day long.
They've never seen him.
In fact, Senator Stevens has been actively trying to avoid us all day long. He did attend the Republicans' weekly lunch in the Capitol, but he slipped in and out a back door, down a back stairway in the Capitol.
I found him at the bottom of those stairs and really had to kind of run after him to get some questions to him. He was pretty angry. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. TED STEVENS (R), ALASKA: I put out a statement and I'm not saying anything to anybody beyond that statement.
BASH: Can you say, sir, why the federal agents went to your House or what they took?
STEVENS: Can you understand English? That's the only statement I'm going to make.
BASH: I do understand that sir, but obviously this is a very important issue, when federal agents and IRS agents come to the home of a U.S. senator.
STEVENS: I understand you're recording this, but I told you again I made the statement. It's issued, that's what my lawyers told me to say, and that's all I'm going to say.
and she seems to have picked up on Senator Ted's careful parsing, though she doesn't quite make it clear.
BASH: Well, there's an Alaska oil executive who is a big financial contributor to Senator Stevens, who just a couple of months ago pleaded guilty to bribing state officials. And what the feds apparently are trying to figure out is whether that executive's company, called VECO, whether that -- that company at all improperly paid for some of the renovations, big renovations, on Senator Stevens' House outside of Anchorage. The one that the feds actually did raid yesterday.
It's unclear whether that is the case. And I should say that Senator Stevens has very carefully in the past said that he and his wife paid every bill that was presented to them.
Right. Every bill that was presented to them.
Not Good
Mortgage market news:
Ballpark guess 1500 people are about to find out they aren't buying that house after all.
merican Home Mortgage Investment Corp. shares plunged 89 percent after the lender said it doesn't have cash to fund new loans and may have to sell off assets.
Investment banks cut off credit lines, leaving American Home without money yesterday for $300 million of mortgages it had already agreed to provide, the Melville, New York-based company said in a statement today. It anticipates $450 million to $500 million of loans probably won't get funded today.
``They can't function without access to capital,'' said Bose George, an analyst with KBW Inc. in New York. ``The company either has to file for bankruptcy or go through some type of rescue or restructuring, and either way will leave almost nothing for the common shareholders.''
Ballpark guess 1500 people are about to find out they aren't buying that house after all.
Covering the War
Form press liaison in Iraq:
[oops, hadn't meant to C&P the whole thing]
Matthew Felling: On the issue of polarization, one of your quotes that got massively publicized was when you compared Fox News Channel to Al Jazeera. In your book, you mention a few anecdotes about how Fox was reporting on the war. How did you view their coverage?
Josh Rushing: When I would go out and give reasons why we were going to invade Iraq, having been given the messages from a Republican operative that was my boss, he would give me the theme of the day. Sometimes it would be “WMD,” others it would be “regime change” and others it would be “ties to terrorism.” I would go out to a Fox reporter and they would say “Are there any messages you want to get across before we get to the live interview?” And we would script the interview around the government messaging, and they would thank me for my service at the end of it. And out of fairness, that wasn’t just Fox. There were a number of American networks who did it. The reporters were in a position where there was no way their editorial leadership or their audience for that matter, wanted to see them be critical of a young troop in uniform.
But the devious part of that, is that the administration knew that and understood that and used young troops in uniform to sell the war in a way it knew couldn’t be questioned or criticized. If you look at MSNBC, they packaged their coverage with a banner that said “Our Hearts Are With You.” So when that banner is under my face and I’m giving the reasons why we need to go to war, is anyone going to ask me a critical question? Of course not, their hearts are with me. And there’s a danger in that.
The media’s purpose in a democracy is to be professionally skeptical of anything that anyone in a position of authority or power says. If they’re not, who is? Nobody, and then the people in authority and power can say and do anything they want. So I was disappointed in that.
There are other examples, with Fox in particular. Fox likes personalities, and Geraldo Rivera covered the war on my TV and was giving away future troop movements by drawing a map in the sand.
There was another case where a Fox reporter was reporting live from in front of an Abrams tank that was on fire. The conventional wisdom was that Abrams tanks were impervious to the technology that the fedayeen had, small arms. But it turns out that if you did hit an Abrams tank in a certain spot with a rocket-propelled grenade, you could stop it and destroy it. So the Fox correspondent is reporting that, live on television: where the weak spot is and how this must have happened. Anyone watching that stuff, Iraqi intelligence officials, fedayeen soldiers – and we know they were watching it – would be like ‘great, next time I see an Abrams, I’m gonna save my shot until I see the money shot and aim for the vulnerable spot I saw on TV. Thank you, Fox News.’ Or anyone being watching the live report from Geraldo – where he’s drawing the map in the sand – could say ‘great, I know where coming and they’re bringing Geraldo with them.’ There’s a danger in that.
And the thing is, Fox likes to see themselves as so pro-military and patriotic and they like to share their knowledge, like they’re one of the guys. It’s also interesting to note now how little Fox covers the war. MSNBC covered the war three times as much as Fox, I think in June. You’ve got to be kidding me. The number one cheerleader for this war is now just leaving it behind?
If There Were Liberals on the Teevee
This is the kind of thing which might actually get some attention, but most likely the general public will be blissfully unaware of Bush's veto when it happens.
Michael Moore is fat.
Michael Moore is fat.
Action
Contact CNN. Ask them if someone who told her listeners to jam a voter hotline is really someone appropriate for "The most trusted name in news."
And The No Liberals On The Teevee Rule Continues
Laura Ingraham gets to keep Paula Zahn's chair warm until Mrs. Baghdad Dan Senor takes over permanently.
Oh My
Senator Ted's got problems.
(ht pony boy and p'oneill)
WASHINGTON - A Senate clerk who helped maintain Sen. Ted Stevens' personal financial records was recently called before a federal grand jury in a public corruption investigation that has been joined by the IRS and the Interior Department.
ADVERTISEMENT
Barbara Flanders, who serves as a financial clerk for Stevens on the Commerce Committee, testified in the past several weeks and provided documents regarding the senator's bills, according to an attorney in the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because grand jury matters are secret by law.
(ht pony boy and p'oneill)
Who Cares?
I have to say I've been following with some amusement a lot of the fretting over at Romenesko and elsewhere about the sale of the WSJ to Murdoch, which has apparently gone through. The basic storyline seems to be that there's something wrong with Murdoch's approach to "journalism." It isn't that I disagree, it's that where are these critics day after day? Murdoch's news organizations maintain their legitimacy in large part because the rest of the media treats them as legitimate. Most members of the industry happily buy into the fiction that Fox News isn't simply a propaganda arm of the GOP. They treat Murdoch's existing organizations with respect.
The WSJ's editorial page has been insane for years. And there's going to be a market for good business reporting. If Murdoch doesn't provide it, someone else will.
The WSJ's editorial page has been insane for years. And there's going to be a market for good business reporting. If Murdoch doesn't provide it, someone else will.
Hail Mary
Missed this one. One F.U. and 21 days ago, our pal O'Hanlon:
And a rare moment of self-awareness:
Michael O'Hanlon, wrong for 4+ years and counting. Of course it doesn't matter much as his paycheck keeps coming while US troops keep getting killed.
O'HANLON: He has one last shot, and that's the way to look at it, I think. It's Hail, Mary time.
And a rare moment of self-awareness:
MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: So each year the theory of victory, or the theory of ultimate success, that we had was either invalidated or displaced by something else.
Michael O'Hanlon, wrong for 4+ years and counting. Of course it doesn't matter much as his paycheck keeps coming while US troops keep getting killed.
Startling
Greenwald:
What's amazing how simple it is, how willing our media - universally - are willing to catapult George Bush's propaganda. I do not believe they are all that stupid, so they are willing accomplices in this disgusting game which perpetuates misery, death, and destruction. If our grand poobahs in the mainstream media want to know why us dirty fucking hippie bloggers hate them, this is why.
I spent yesterday and today reading through virtually all of the writings and interviews of these two Brookings geniuses over the past four years concerning Iraq. There is no coherence or consistency to anything they say. It shifts constantly. They say whatever they need to say at the moment to justify the war for which they bear responsibility. It is exactly like reading through the writings of Bill Kristol, Tom Friedman and every other individual who flamboyantly supported this disaster and -- motivated solely by salvaging their own reputations -- are desperate to find some method to argue that they were right.
Even though I write frequently about how broken and corrupt our establishment media is, witnessing these two war lovers -- supporters of the invasion, advocates of the Surge, comrades of Fred Kagan -- mindlessly depicted all day yesterday by media mouthpieces as the opposite of what they are was really quite startling. After all, there is a record as long as it is clear demonstrating what they really are.
But in order to maximize the potency of their propagandistic Op-Ed, they proclaimed themselves to be "analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration's miserable handling of Iraq" and -- just like that -- Americans hear all day about the magical and dramatic conversion of these deeply skeptical war opponents who were forced by the Grand Success they witnessed first-hand in Iraq, as much as they hate to do it, to admit oh-so-reluctantly that the Surge really is working! Well, if even these Howard-Dean-like War Opponents say it, it must be true. That was the leading "news" story all day yesterday.
What's amazing how simple it is, how willing our media - universally - are willing to catapult George Bush's propaganda. I do not believe they are all that stupid, so they are willing accomplices in this disgusting game which perpetuates misery, death, and destruction. If our grand poobahs in the mainstream media want to know why us dirty fucking hippie bloggers hate them, this is why.
Hulk Tie Blocking My Tubes
I think Senator Ted is having his revenge on me by blocking my intertubes.
Six Months
Republican strategist and regular Lou Dobbs guest Ed Rollins, one F.U. ago...
The bottom line is that we've got about six months to fix this problem, and I think that everybody's pretty much in unanimous opinion of that.
Six Months
One F.U. ago...
WASHINGTON (AP) - Several leading Senate Republicans who support President Bush's troop- boosting plan for Iraq say they will give the administration and the Iraqis about six months to show significant improvement.
"I don't think this war can be sustained for more than six months if in fact we don't see some progress," Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said Wednesday. Until this month, he was chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Roberts' comments came two days after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the new U.S. military push was the Iraqis' "last chance."
Got Until Summertime
When people make these seasonal predictions without qualifiers I'm never sure if they mean the beginning, the middle, or the end. In this case I thought roughly the middle was appropriate.
He's got until summertime to show some results, and if he doesn't, he's got to start pulling out, too," one of the President's closest associates said yesterday. "The fact of the matter is, most of the public isn't with him now, and the rest aren't going to stay with him unless this last-chance surge works.
Won or Lost
One F.U. ago Clap Hanson wrote:
The war will be won or lost, like it or not, fairly or unjustly, in the next six months in Baghdad. Either Gen. Petraeus quells the violence to a level that even the media cannot exaggerate, or the enterprise fails, and we withdraw.
Tubes
Roll Call (sub. req.) has a bit more on Senator Ted:
At issue is a 2005 earmark for the SeaLife Center, a marine wildlife research center and tourist attraction. The center -- which according to published reports has received more than $50 million in federal funding since it opened in 1998 and has long been a pet project of Stevens'-- was given a $1.6 million earmark in 2005 to purchase an adjacent property that was owned at the time by McCabe.
Initially, McCabe had sought to sell the property to the NPS as part of a massive office construction project the service had planned for Seward. But negotiations for the building collapsed in 2005, according to an April 2006 story by the Anchorage Daily News.
The shift in funding turned out to be controversial in the small community. Former City Manager Clark Corbridge warned in a letter to the center in 2006 that the city should be allowed to approve the purchase so as to avoid "future problems and possible allegations of impropriety," according to the Daily News article. Corbridge did not return calls for comment.
The center went forward with the plan and purchased the property from McCabe's company, the Centennial Group, for $558,000.
Additionally, at the time McCabe was a business partner with Stevens' son, Ben, in a consulting firm that has come under scrutiny from federal investigators in a separate investigation.
During the time of the sale, McCabe also had reached a separate agreement with the center to operate boat tours for the facility through Alaska Outfitters, a second company owned by Stevens.
According to sources close to the investigation, federal investigators have focused on how the decision to purchase the property was made, as well as other potentially problematic earmarks in the past. These sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that in addition to the interviews with NPS employees, investigators also have interviewed a number of other individuals connected to the center and the sale.
Rumbled...
...by The General, who writes to Bill O'Whatsis.
(At least he didn't call me a "pinko".)
Signed,
Not Atrios
(At least he didn't call me a "pinko".)
Signed,
Not Atrios
Monday, July 30, 2007
Evening Thread
Here's some fresh gypsy shit.
....Oh My. Hot off the wires..
....Oh My. Hot off the wires..
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The FBI says its agents and those from the Internal Revenue Service are searching the home of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.
The Ken and Mike Show
Years later with polls being what they are I can't believe the media still serves us up this shit sandwich.
Falafel Day
Line 81.
During the course of Defendant BILL O'REILLY's sexual rant, it became clear that he was using a vibrator upon himself, and that he ejaculated.
Falafel Day
Line 78, in which the falafel appears.
Well, if I took you down there then I'd want to take a shower with you right away, that would be the first thing I'd do ... yeah, we'd check into the room, and we would order up some room service and uh and you'd definitely get two wines into you as quickly as I could get into you I would get 'em into you ... maybe intravenously get those glasses of wine into you...
You would basically be in the shower and then I would come in and I'd join you and you would have your back to me and I would take that little loofa thing and kinda' soap up your back ... rub it all over you, get you to relax, hot water .... and um ... you know, you'd feel the tension drain out of you and uh you still would be with your back to me then I would kinda' put my arm -- it's one of those mitts those loofa mitts you know, so I got my hands in it ... and I would put it around front, kinda' rub your tummy a little bit with it, and then with my other hand I would start to massage your boobs, get your nipples really hard ... 'cuz I like that and you have really spectacular boobs....
So anyway I'd be rubbing your big boobs and getting your nipples really hard, kinda' kissing your neck from behind ... and then I would take the other hand with the falafel (sic) thing and I'd put it on your pussy but you'd have to do it really light, just kind of a tease business...
Falafel Day
Line 66.
During the course of O'REILLY's telephone monologue on August 2, 2004, he suggested that Plaintiff ANDREA MACKRIS purchase a vibrator and name it, and that he had one "shaped like a cock with a little battery in it" that a woman had given him. It became apparent that Defendant was masturbating as he spoke. After he climaxed, Defendant O'REILLY said to Plaintiff: "I appreciate the fun phone call. You can have fun tonight. I'll appreciate it. I mean it."
Falafel Day
Line 54.
Line 55.
If any woman ever breathed a word I'll make her pay so dearly that she'll wish she'd never been born. I'll rake her through the mud, bring up things in her life and make her so miserable that she'll be destroyed. And besides, she wouldn't be able to afford the lawyers I can or endure it financially as long as I can. And nobody would believe her, it'd be her word against mine and who are they going to believe? Me or some unstable woman making outrageous accusations. They'd see her as some psycho, someone unstable. Besides, I'd never make the mistake of picking unstable crazy girls like that.
Line 55.
If you cross FOX NEWS CHANNEL, it's not just me, it's [FOX President] Roger Ailes who will go after you. I'm the street guy out front making loud noises about the issues, but Ailes operates behind the scenes, strategizes and makes things happen so that one day BAM! The person gets what's coming to them but never sees it coming. Look at Al Franken, one day he's going to get a knock on his door and life as he's known it will change forever. That day will happen, trust me.
Falafel Day
Line 37:
When Plaintiff responded that she never engaged in phone sex, Defendant BILL O'REILLY professed disbelief, and told her that the sexual stories he told were all based on his own experiences, such as when he received a massage in a cabana in Bali and the "little short brown woman" asked to see his penis and was "amazed." Defendant BILL O'REILLY then suggested that he tell Plaintiff the same sexual stories, which he knew she would "just love." Shocked and embarrassed, Plaintiff ANDREA MACKRIS informed Defendant in no uncertain terms that she was never experienced in nor interested in gaining experience in telephone sex. Defendant expressed disbelief.
Fred
As a commenter at Swampland says, this Opus cartoon is really all one needs to understand the Fred Thompson campaign.
Even Awesomer
Regular readers know my occasional reference to Philly Car Share, the local short term car rental non-profit that we have here. On Aug. 1 they're changing their pricing system which will reduce the price of many cars in their fleet to just $2.90/hour/$29/day during the week. That's cheap.
Toddlers
I've been thinking about about certain Bushies - Bush himself, obviously, and Condi Rice - who seem to honestly believe that "will" and "resolve" are the way one gets things done instead of, you know, actually getting stuff done. I've finally decided that they're basically people have always gotten where they were by manipulating others into doing things for them, and so for them getting things done is all about wanting it to happen bad enough.
While one can certainly go through life quite well getting others to take care of your bullshit for you, this type of thing does not really scale upwards to the level of global diplomacy very well. One can't will success in Iraq, Maliki's "resolve" can't actually cause people to stop killing each other there, etc.
But, hey, Bush just told us that Gordon Brown is resolved and firm. Good for him.
While one can certainly go through life quite well getting others to take care of your bullshit for you, this type of thing does not really scale upwards to the level of global diplomacy very well. One can't will success in Iraq, Maliki's "resolve" can't actually cause people to stop killing each other there, etc.
But, hey, Bush just told us that Gordon Brown is resolved and firm. Good for him.
Kicking the Can
I know readers of this blog understand this, but it's amazing that the rather obvious fact that for years the entire "Iraq policy" has simply been to postpone leaving until after Bush leaves office has managed not to penetrate the skulls of some of our very smart pundits.
Catapulting the Propaganda
Surge architect McMaster:
Classified Iraq plan:
Petraeus:
Administration sock puppets Pollack and O'Hanlon:
Makes me pine for the days of "clear, hold, and build."
And the fjords.
In the near future the best that can be hoped for is what he calls “sustainable stability” – a low level of violence that would allow US troops to withdraw and Iraqis to live relatively normal lives while hoping that their government and armed forces eventually get control.
Classified Iraq plan:
The classified plan, which represents the coordinated strategy of the top American commander and the American ambassador, calls for restoring security in local areas, including Baghdad, by the summer of 2008. “Sustainable security” is to be established on a nationwide basis by the summer of 2009, according to American officials familiar with the document.
Petraeus:
"Sustainable security is, in fact, what we hope to achieve. We do think it will take about that amount of time ... to establish the conditions for it," General David Petraeus told ABC News when asked about media reports that Washington envisaged a big troop presence in Iraq until then.
Administration sock puppets Pollack and O'Hanlon:
Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.
Makes me pine for the days of "clear, hold, and build."
And the fjords.
Slated
For a brief reminder of how we got here, I present to you a 2003 era memo from the then-publisher of Slate.
Remember, back in those ideas all the cool kids thought snarking on Krugman was the height of wit because of his failure to genuflect appropriately to commander codpiece.
Dear Brad:
As per my voicemail earlier today, I would like to bring to your attention an ongoing problem we're experiencing at Slate.
A prominent East Coast newspaper, The New York Times, has been poaching from Slate, taking key writers and editors invaluable to our evolving franchise. Several years ago I viewed these departures as testament to Slate's reputation within our industry. Being recognized by the media establishment as a breeding ground of top journalists was rewarding. But no longer do I hold these egress offenders in such high regard.
Granted the New York Times has been experiencing talent problems of their own lately, but that's no excuse to "brain drain" us. In my seven years with Slate, I've seen the Times make off with no fewer than five Slatesters. And just last week, they tried to hire away our esteemed editor-in-chief, Jacob Weisberg, according to this item in the New York Post. While the opportunity offered Weisberg was beneath his abilities, I'm thankful he didn't follow his former colleagues.
Our mantra at Slate is to support budding journalists growing in their profession. Should a better opportunity present itself, by all means go forward. But this trend must cease. Our staff are bound by the non-compete clause they signed upon employment, and I was wondering if you could spare some time for Slate now that the DOJ case is behind us? This tortuous contractual interference is beginning to have adverse effects on us.
It's improbable we'll be able to recoup our losses. But just in case, we'd like all of them back except for Paul Krugman.
I appreciate your help and look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
Cyrus
Remember, back in those ideas all the cool kids thought snarking on Krugman was the height of wit because of his failure to genuflect appropriately to commander codpiece.
Wanker of the Day
Michael O'Hanlon.
Though, frankly, the real wankers are the teevee producers and newspaper editors and journalists who keep going back to the same well of idiots who brought us this disaster.
Though, frankly, the real wankers are the teevee producers and newspaper editors and journalists who keep going back to the same well of idiots who brought us this disaster.
Time is Short
One F.U. ago Admiral Fallon told us that time was short.
WASHINGTON: The navy admiral poised to take command of U.S. forces in the Middle East warned Tuesday that "time is short" to change the course in Iraq, but he said that this still might be achieved through a "more realistic" approach combining intense political and economic efforts with military persistence.
Admiral William Fallon also bluntly told the Senate Armed Services Committee, at a confirmation hearing, that "what we've been doing is not working." It was time to "redefine the goals" in Iraq, he said.
As Fallon was somberly laying out the challenges he is expected to inherit, another key administration figure — the man who would head diplomatic efforts to address the sectarian conflicts in Iraq — described the situation there as at a "precarious juncture."
Six Months
One F.U. ago, Bay Buchanan said:
BUCHANAN: Well, I think they have six months, for this reason.
I don't see Congress moving to cut anything. And, so, if they don't do that, the president can continue. And, then, if, in six months, the president is now saying, we're now pulling back, we're turning this area over to such and such, and we're going to do this, then, the American people are going to relax.
Give It A Chance
Six months ago, James Baker said regarding the "surge":
Meanwhile, in the places useful idiots O'Hanlon and Pollack didn't go:
Just like Philly.
Give it a chance.
Meanwhile, in the places useful idiots O'Hanlon and Pollack didn't go:
A minibus exploded Monday in a Baghdad market, killing at least six people - a brutal reminder of the dangers facing Iraqis, who only hours ago were joyously united after their underdog national soccer team won the prestigious Asian Cup.
The U.S. military also said three soldiers had been killed in fighting in Anbar province west of Baghdad last Thursday. The deaths raised to at least 3,651 members of the U.S. military who have died since the start of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
In all, 58 people nationwide were killed by bombings and attacks.
Just like Philly.
Why Are Kenneth Pollock and Michael O'Hanlon In My Newspaper?
And I liked it a lot better the first time I read it, in May of 2005 when it was written by Rich Lowry.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Evening Thread
Just sit back and let the Wise Old Men of Washington do their jobs. After all, what could go wrong?
The Village
It took a long time for me to understand that Washington was a just a provincial company town, possessed of a hierarchy whose elites fight to preserve their power and status.
Cynicism
Little Jimmy Hoagland, age 10:
Hoagland, you may remember, was Chalabi's man in Washington, and is now unsurprisingly a chief advocate of accountability free Washington.
The most vindictive bloggers and many others eager to push the mainstream media, established politicians or other remnants of the status quo off a stage that they want to occupy smash reputations with abandon to call attention to themselves. What do they have to lose in the unpoliced badlands of the ether? They contribute to a general deepening of cynicism in the land at no perceived cost to themselves.
But deeply polarized nations that devote an inordinate amount of their time and energy to hunting and prosecuting both real villains and convenient scapegoats -- at the expense of failing to recognize and respect heroes and helpers of the common good -- do pay an enormous collective price. Such nations descend into easily manipulated despair and resentment that inevitably lead to ever greater destruction. Americans would do well to ponder that in a summer of doubt and division.
Hoagland, you may remember, was Chalabi's man in Washington, and is now unsurprisingly a chief advocate of accountability free Washington.
Cheap Money
While it's rather obvious, sometimes I think the "how'd it happen" of the housing bubble isn't explained clearly. The short answer is that cheap money was made available to more and more people.
Potential home buyers for the most part don't really care what the sticker price is on the house; they care about the monthly mortgage payment. In the early days of the house price boom, the "culprit" was simply low long term interest rates. People with good credit were getting cheap 30 year fixed rate mortgages, allowing them to buy a more expensive home for a cheaper monthly payment. As housing prices started to go up, subprime lenders started to jump in and widened the pool of people for whom cheap money, at least temporarily, was available. Uncle Alan Greenspan blessed the use of ARMs, and lenders began offering very low teaser rates that would balloon after a few years. People either didn't understand what they were getting, other than that promised home, or assumed that they'd be okay because continuing positive housing price trends would always give them a way out. Later, more corrupt lending practices grew, with lenders handing out high rate no doc loans to anyone who asked. And then, of course, there were the flippers, the amateur investors who dove in towards the end of the boom, as always happens in bubbles, further driving up prices.
Housing is a bit different than financial assets are - they're illiquid and also something people use and not simply investments - and the bubble's decline won't really seem like a "burst" (though the bursting in related markets, such as financial assets spun off from mortgages, might come with a tremendous popping sound). Still it looks like we're heading towards bad.
But I thought this would happen a couple of years ago, so what do I know.
...and here's Barry's version of this post.
Potential home buyers for the most part don't really care what the sticker price is on the house; they care about the monthly mortgage payment. In the early days of the house price boom, the "culprit" was simply low long term interest rates. People with good credit were getting cheap 30 year fixed rate mortgages, allowing them to buy a more expensive home for a cheaper monthly payment. As housing prices started to go up, subprime lenders started to jump in and widened the pool of people for whom cheap money, at least temporarily, was available. Uncle Alan Greenspan blessed the use of ARMs, and lenders began offering very low teaser rates that would balloon after a few years. People either didn't understand what they were getting, other than that promised home, or assumed that they'd be okay because continuing positive housing price trends would always give them a way out. Later, more corrupt lending practices grew, with lenders handing out high rate no doc loans to anyone who asked. And then, of course, there were the flippers, the amateur investors who dove in towards the end of the boom, as always happens in bubbles, further driving up prices.
Housing is a bit different than financial assets are - they're illiquid and also something people use and not simply investments - and the bubble's decline won't really seem like a "burst" (though the bursting in related markets, such as financial assets spun off from mortgages, might come with a tremendous popping sound). Still it looks like we're heading towards bad.
But I thought this would happen a couple of years ago, so what do I know.
...and here's Barry's version of this post.
Run Away
Abandoned homes in suburbia.
Carr doesn't have statistics but said home foreclosures are rising and along with them code violations. His counterparts in Mesa, Gilbert and Peoria said the phenomenon is affecting those municipalities, too. A significant portion of the recent Chandler complaints are from newer neighborhoods in southeastern parts of the city where homes once sold for $400,000 or more and values have dropped, Carr said. Buyers who divorce, lose a job or can't afford rising adjustable-rate interest are finding they can't sell their houses for what they owe on them, he said.
One abandoned home in the Brooks Ranch subdivision near Chandler Heights and Gilbert roads has a $499,000 assessed value for tax purposes, tall weeds and a green pool. Carr said he hasn't been able to contact the owners and has asked Maricopa County to treat the pool so mosquitoes won't breed in it. In that same neighborhood a home that sold for $701,000 in March is on the market for $689,000.
Sun Groves resident John Simpson lives across the street from an abandoned house in a 5-year-old subdivision. He said it has been an eyesore for almost a year even after he repeatedly called and e-mailed city and county officials.
"The former owners sold the house for double what they paid, but the new owners got divorced and left."
They even left their Dalmatian in the backyard," he said. "We have the dog now."
No Takers
Even Orrin's not so thrilled with Abu G anymore. I thought I sensed a slight change in Pony Blow's enthusiasm for Bush's BFF this past week.
Corrections
New York Times zombie lies still eat your brains, and Maureen Dowd still has a column.
An article last Sunday about politicians’ choice of clothing while campaigning referred incorrectly to the role of Naomi Wolf in Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. She was a consultant on women’s issues and outreach to young voters; she was not Mr. Gore’s image consultant and was not involved in his decision to wear earth-toned clothing.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Document the atrocities.
# Meet the Press" Guests: Dan Balz and Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd of NBC News, Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times and John Harwood of CNBC.
# "This Week" Guests: Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Bob Dole and Donna Shalala, co-leaders of the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors; Computers for Communities founder Jacob Komar.
# "Face the Nation" Guests: Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa.
# "CNN Late Edition" Guests: Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Reps. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; National Urban League President Marc Morial, Family Research Council senior fellow Ken Blackwell.
# "Fox News Sunday" Guests: Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Whoever the Hell They Wanted To Without Warrants
Look, all the parsing of statements is a waste of time. They were eavesdropping on whoever they wanted to without any warrants or oversight. Whether or not "whoever they wanted to" included, say, the John Kerry campaign or Markos Moulitsas is still an open question. They obviously claimed the power to do so, it just isn't clear if they did it.
Josh sez...
...there's still something creepy we haven't heard yet about that spy program.
Signed,
Not Atrios
PS. Jim Henley is worse than Stalin.
Signed,
Not Atrios
PS. Jim Henley is worse than Stalin.
Keep Listening To Karl
And keep losing. Novakula:
Karl Rove, President Bush's political lieutenant, told a closed-door meeting of 2008 Republican House candidates and their aides Tuesday that it was less the war in Iraq than corruption in Congress that caused their party's defeat in the 2006 elections.
Rove's clear advice to the candidates is to distance themselves from the culture of Washington. Specifically, Republican candidates are urged to make clear they have no connection with disgraced congressmen such as Duke Cunningham and Mark Foley.
In effect, Rove was rebutting the complaint inside the party that George W. Bush is responsible for Republican miseries by invading Iraq.
Another Advantage of a Democratic Administration
Some discussion below about the merits of Secretary of State Joe Biden. Without engaging that question specifically, I do think one additional (not the most important, to be sure, but nontrivial) advantage of having a Democratic presidency is that some people like Joe Biden are put into the Cabinet, freeing their Lifetime Senate Seat up for some new blood.
Biden's been in the Senate for 34 years.
Biden's been in the Senate for 34 years.
Smoking Forest
A commenter at Swampland dug this one up from Council of Foreign Relations President (now Emeritus) Leslie Gelb, as conveyed by Joe Klein.
As Leslie Gelb is one of the most serious people of all in Washington, the fact that we know beyond all doubt that his laughably false assertion was indeed laughably false hasn't really diminished his ranking very much. Long after going around the country selling this disastrous war to "jelly-kneed" business audiences he's hanging around with the also very serious Joe Biden peddling even grander and more exciting ideas for Iraq, a three state solution which Gelb has been pushing as far back as November 2003.
Now one might think that after selling one disastrously bad idea that all of our very serious newspapers might consider that perhaps they weren't actually obligated to publish his op-eds, or calling him for quotes, but one would wrong as our pal Leslie seems to have no trouble getting his stuff placed.
Gelb, unsurprisingly, gets described as a "centrist," a label reserved for the most serious people, such as Senator Joe Lieberman.
I'm actually not trying to pick on Gelb who, in the pantheon of Very Serious People of Washington, seems to be generally a lot more intelligent and sane than most.
Even the business community, usually a fairly tough-minded precinct, seems jelly-kneed at the prospect. "I have never seen such unanimity on any foreign policy issue," says Leslie H. Gelb, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who made a speaking tour of mostly business audiences in the Midwest and on the West Coast in December. "They want a smoking gun. It doesn't make a difference when I point out that we have a smoking forest, that it's clear Saddam has these weapons and doesn't want to disarm."
As Leslie Gelb is one of the most serious people of all in Washington, the fact that we know beyond all doubt that his laughably false assertion was indeed laughably false hasn't really diminished his ranking very much. Long after going around the country selling this disastrous war to "jelly-kneed" business audiences he's hanging around with the also very serious Joe Biden peddling even grander and more exciting ideas for Iraq, a three state solution which Gelb has been pushing as far back as November 2003.
Now one might think that after selling one disastrously bad idea that all of our very serious newspapers might consider that perhaps they weren't actually obligated to publish his op-eds, or calling him for quotes, but one would wrong as our pal Leslie seems to have no trouble getting his stuff placed.
Gelb, unsurprisingly, gets described as a "centrist," a label reserved for the most serious people, such as Senator Joe Lieberman.
I'm actually not trying to pick on Gelb who, in the pantheon of Very Serious People of Washington, seems to be generally a lot more intelligent and sane than most.
Nothing to do With Partisanship
That's the real issue. Partisans are people who disagree with the Very Wise People of Washington who float above the muck doing The Business of the People selflessly and without regard for petty worldly concerns. It is wrong to criticize these people or undermine them in any way, for the fate of the Republic requires that we praise their wisdom and reminisce proudly about their moderate liberal death squads. They are the people who run the country, and we should let them do this without fear of criticism or accountability.
Or, shorter Anne-Marie Slaughter:
Or, shorter Anne-Marie Slaughter:
Shut the fuck up you damn dirty hippies.
Last Chance
One F.U. and a day or two ago Mitch McConnell had this to say:
and now?
I think everybody knows what the consequences are. The president doesn't have a stronger supporter in the Senate than the person you're looking at, but I repeat, this is the last chance for the Iraqis to step up and demonstrate this government can function," he said. "The message to the Iraqi government could not be more clear."
and now?
One Last Shot
One F.U. ago on Meet the Press, Ken "what the hell is he still doing on my teevee" Pollack had this to say:
- MR. POLLACK: Well, the basic point that we’re trying to make is that the president wants this one last shot, it’s obviously very late in the game, there is no guarantee that it’s going to work out. I think that even the administration would say that the likelihood of it working is probably less than 50-50. If it fails, we are going to find Iraq even worse than it is today. It will probably slide into a Bosnia or Lebanon-like all-out civil war. That’s going to be disastrous not just for Iraq and the Iraqi people, but potentially for other countries around it, perhaps even for the entire region.
In Defense of Slaughter
I don't actually agree with Jim that it's the "dumbest thing ever written by anyone in any venue." Certainly we'd have to comb through the vast archives of the Gregg Easterbrook library before coming to such a conclusion.
Not So Stupid
I have no idea if Hillary Clinton believed that a vote for the AUMF wasn't one more step on the path to inevitable war, but it's wrong to suggest that, you know, most people thought that war wasn't inevitable.
They weren't marketing a tough inspections regime, they were marketing a war. That was obvious to most sentient beings at the time.
They weren't marketing a tough inspections regime, they were marketing a war. That was obvious to most sentient beings at the time.
Wanker of the Day
Anne-Marie Slaughter.
I have no idea what the bit she quotes from me has anything to do with partisanship. Apparently the riff-raff aren't even supposed to have opinions about political candidates, because that would be partisan. What's Althouse feeding all these people?
I have no idea what the bit she quotes from me has anything to do with partisanship. Apparently the riff-raff aren't even supposed to have opinions about political candidates, because that would be partisan. What's Althouse feeding all these people?
Friday, July 27, 2007
Fool Them Several Times
And finally they show the capacity to learn:
New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a powerful member of the Democratic leadership, said Friday the Senate should not confirm another U.S. Supreme Court nominee under President Bush “except in extraordinary circumstances.”
“We should reverse the presumption of confirmation,” Schumer told the American Constitution Society convention in Washington. “The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.”
Schumer’s assertion comes as Democrats and liberal advocacy groups are increasingly complaining that the Supreme Court with Bush’s nominees – Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito – has moved quicker than expected to overturn legal precedents.
Senators were too quick to accept the nominees’ word that they would respect legal precedents, and “too easily impressed with the charm of Roberts and the erudition of Alito,” Schumer said.
BobDole Says BobDole Thinks McCain is Done
That's gotta hurt.
Bob Dole says his preferred presidential candidate, Arizona Senator John McCain, is fading and that his support is likely to be ``picked up'' by Fred Thompson, who is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination in September.
``My heart has always been with my good friend John McCain,'' said Dole, former Senate majority leader and Republican presidential nominee. ``But it's just not happening, the buzz is gone,'' he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt,'' scheduled to air today.
Can't Face The YouTube
Josh is being snarky with this line:
but it's important to remember who uttered a similar line. Russert:
Will Russert express similar sentiments about the Republican fear of people in ur internetz?
But if they can't face Youtube how can they defeat the terrorists?
but it's important to remember who uttered a similar line. Russert:
It’s a TV show. If you can’t handle TV questions, how are you going to stand up to Iran, and North Korea, and the rest of the world?
Will Russert express similar sentiments about the Republican fear of people in ur internetz?
Sports
Big Media Matt goes wrong here. Sports coverage is/would be a critical element in any quality local news organization. Sure the basic stuff like scores and standings don't need duplication, but sports is a local story. More than that, sports teams are key elements of any city's core identity and coverage of them is precisely the kind of thing which can help create interesting and compelling news for people.
Quality local coverage can stand out by helping to provide a unifying narrative about a place. Merge some aspects of tabloid style with quality reporting.
Quality local coverage can stand out by helping to provide a unifying narrative about a place. Merge some aspects of tabloid style with quality reporting.
The Kids Aren't So Bad
New Democracy Corps survey of young adults.
They don't like Bush or Republicans very much. They're also more worried about their wallets (economy) than Iraq. I'm not too surprised by that. My highly scientific polling method of listening to people chat at coffee shops suggests that there's a high degree of economic anxiety/sense of lack of opportunity. I'm of course joking about my unreliable survey methods, but I still feel like there's something odd in the air.
68% want more awesomer bigger government to give them stuff.
They don't like Bush or Republicans very much. They're also more worried about their wallets (economy) than Iraq. I'm not too surprised by that. My highly scientific polling method of listening to people chat at coffee shops suggests that there's a high degree of economic anxiety/sense of lack of opportunity. I'm of course joking about my unreliable survey methods, but I still feel like there's something odd in the air.
68% want more awesomer bigger government to give them stuff.
Which One?
Nancy Boyda:
And finally, I would just like to share a story. When I was speaking back at home with one of a very right wing conservative talk show hosts and after, thank God, after we were off the air, I said something that I assumed he would agree with and I just said ‘you know, I’m really worried about these guys and gals, but mainly guys, that have gone, that they’ve been redeployed now three and four times’ — he came back to me and said ‘you know what, they should have thought about that before they enlisted, before they signed up.’ He said ‘it’s their fault.’
TNR
Perhaps they should spend a bit less time churning out articles with titles like "In Defense of Ann Coulter."
Phrases
Number of times the term "Clinton fatigue" appeared, according to a Nexis search, in major papers during July of 1999: 27.
Clinton Gallup poll approval rating in July of 1999: 64
Number of times the term "Bush fatigue" has appeared, so far, in July of 2007: 1, courtesy of Byron York's hair.
Bush Gallup poll approval rating in July of 2007: 31.
Clinton Gallup poll approval rating in July of 1999: 64
Number of times the term "Bush fatigue" has appeared, so far, in July of 2007: 1, courtesy of Byron York's hair.
Bush Gallup poll approval rating in July of 2007: 31.
Carefully Civilized
Reading things like this it's hard to not conclude that Michael Gerson is deeply disturbed. Get help, dude, or at least stop parading your mental issues in front of the general public.
Thought for the Day
Howie Kurtz will cover literally every conservative blog inspired media controversy.
I wonder why that is.
I wonder why that is.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Troops Behaving Badly
Generally I haven't made much issue about bad troop behavior in Iraq, aside from the obvious systematic stuff like Abu Ghraib. While I don't think all bad behavior is excusable, I'm also just not very inclined to pass judgment on how these people are dealing with the horrific situation in which they've been placed.
Fragged?
Since it happened lots of people have suggested that Pat Tillman was deliberately killed by his fellow troops. Until now I'd never really seen any evidence to suggest that was true. Not saying that the evidence is definitive, but it's certainly plausible.
I'm In The Internets!
I was Googling for something amd I came across a raging spring '05 discussion across many blogs about how sucky this blog is.
Good times.
Good times.
Speaking of Serious
David Gregory on Tweety's weekend show:
I'm not quite sure how David Gregory imagines The Left is supposed to be engaging with the war on terror. Maybe I'll buy it a lovely diamond ring. But, clearly, those people who oppose Bush's little war and think that getting out of Iraq is a good idea are very unserious indeed.
Mr. GREGORY: I think Hillary Clinton--her sister soldier [sic] moment is going to
be telling the left that they have to sort of move beyond their hatred over
Iraq, for Bush, and think about how they're going to engage the war on terror
in a very serious and tough way.
I'm not quite sure how David Gregory imagines The Left is supposed to be engaging with the war on terror. Maybe I'll buy it a lovely diamond ring. But, clearly, those people who oppose Bush's little war and think that getting out of Iraq is a good idea are very unserious indeed.
Bedtime for Gonzo?
CNN banner:
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' testimony into a meeting with his sick predecessor is apparently contradicted by FBI Director Robert Mueller.
Everyone Loves Rumors
And since no one is actually named it's harmless enough to pass this one along...
Opinion and Fact
Glenn has another round with Joe Klein, and gets at something which has long annoyed me about Klein's writing which is that he regularly writes as if his opinions are facts. I don't know if this is simply arrogance, or if he's unable to distinguish between the two, but I think it's a lot of the reason many of us find him so annoying.
Making Local Journalism Sexy
The other part is, I think, that most journalists don't go into the business so they can spend the rest of their lives covering city council hearings and other "unimportant" stuff. The local beat is a stepping stone to the sexier national beat, and the decline of opportunities in national journalism is rightly seen as a bit of a career downer.
But what's missing is quality local journalism. That's what smaller papers should be focused on, and they should be trying to do it in a way which makes them not just relevant but indispensable for people.
But what's missing is quality local journalism. That's what smaller papers should be focused on, and they should be trying to do it in a way which makes them not just relevant but indispensable for people.
Specter
Just in case anyone had illusions he might have a reasonable moment.
after saying he didn't support calls for a special prosecutor.
I think Senator Schumer has made a practice of politicizing this matter...
after saying he didn't support calls for a special prosecutor.
Freedom
US Embassy in Iraq built, in part, by forced labor.
- Mr. Chairman, when the airplane took off and the captain announced that we were heading to Baghdad, all you-know-what broke out on the airplane. The men started shouting, it wasn’t until the security guy working for First Kuwaiti waved an MP5 in the air that the men settled down. They realized that they had no other choice but to go to Baghdad. Let me spell it out clearly: I believe these men were kidnapped by First Kuwaiti to work at the US Embassy… I’ve read the State Department Inspector General’s report on the construction of the embassy. Mr. Chairman, it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. This is a cover-up and I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to set the record straight.
Reporting
Every now and then you'll see a self-styled reporter disparage those who don't "do reporting." Inevitably the kind of reporting they're talking about is calling people up on the phone and getting information from them. I find this definition of reporting to be truly odd.
What Kind of Weird Shit is This?
The latest dispatch from Unity08:
Dear Duncan,
Come meet us!
Join Unity08 leadership in studying cultural opinions at a series of unique research sessions. These sessions will use a divergent approach that lasts three hours, so all participants will need to confirm they can meet the following six criteria:
I agree to participate as a volunteer;
I confirm I will be able to stay for the full three hours and not leave the session early;
I have not, nor has anyone in my household or immediate family, worked in advertising or market research;
My mother was born in the United States;
I was born in the United States and lived in the US until at least the age of 15; and,
Both my mother and I spoke in American English when I was growing up.
Unity08 is holding these sessions at three locations around the country:
August 1st and 2nd in Washington D.C.
August 8th and 9th in New York City NY
August 23rd and 24th in San Diego CA
If you meet all six criteria please secure your seat by writing "I meet all six criteria" in the subject line of your email. Send your email to us at the below location for any of the above dates you can attend:
washington@unity08.com
Newyork@unity08.com
Sandiego@unity08.com
As this research is unique and attendance limited we will provide details, times and places only to those we confirm for each location on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Unity08 leadership and I look forward to meeting all members who can make it.
Sincerely,
Doug Bailey
P.S.: Feel free to invite your non-Unity08 friends to RSVP as well. This is a study of our politics, leadership and government, and it's larger than any one campaign!
Game On
Senate Dems are going to ask DOJ Inspector General to appoint special counsel to investigate Abu G.
Five Months
Had this in the wrong spot on my calendar, so I'm 9 days late on this. Here's what the very serious Richard Shelby had to say on February 17:
Almost needless to say Shelby voted no on the recent cloture vote. Maybe next month.
SHELBY: Not all of us are happy with policy. But the president is the president, and we've got a new general there and we ought to give him a chance to succeed. We will know in four or five months.
SANCHEZ: So you're saying you're willing to go back in four or five months and have a hands up, hands down debate or actual vote on whether we need a surge in Iraq or not, but you're not willing to do that right now?
SHELBY: Not ready to do that right now. But six months from now we either will be stabilizing the Baghdad area or we will have deeper problems. The president will know it. The troops will know it. And the Republicans will know it.
Almost needless to say Shelby voted no on the recent cloture vote. Maybe next month.
Clear Case of Perjury
I'm so old I remember when the Attorney General committing perjury might be such big news that CNN would address it.
...ok, apparently they covered it before I woke up. Advantage CNN!
...ok, apparently they covered it before I woke up. Advantage CNN!
They Write Letters
Harry Reid writes to the Washington Post:
On reading the July 21 editorial "The Phony Debate," it became clear why The Post's editorial writers have been such eager cheerleaders for the Bush administration's flawed Iraq policies -- the two share the same disregard for the facts en route to drawing dubious conclusions.
The editorial was an inaccurate commentary on the nature of the Senate debate, the reality in Iraq and the president's stubborn adherence to failed policies.
Your editorial wrongly asserted that "a large majority of senators from both parties favor a shift in the U.S. mission." While a majority of the Senate voted again last week for a plan that would keep U.S. forces in Iraq for counterterrorism and troop protection and launch a diplomatic effort to help stabilize the region, Democrats were joined by only a handful of courageous Republicans -- far from a majority of Republicans and not enough to break the Republican leadership's filibuster. And if the president truly supports changing course, as your editorial implied, he needs to do much more than tell us "it's a position I'd like to see us in" -- he must drop his irresponsible veto threats and tell Republican leaders to stop blocking votes on proposals to carry out this change.
Finally, it was disingenuous to assert that Democrats are using Iraq to stir voters' passions; the American people are sufficiently disappointed on their own. Three-quarters of Americans recognize that the war is going badly, three out of five support further funding only if it includes a timetable for transitioning the mission, and nearly all expect their president to work with Congress to do something to change course.
HARRY REID
U.S. Senator (D-Nev.)
Washington
The writer is Senate majority leader.
Gonzo
Keith Olbermann talks to Shuster and Leahy.
And has Fredo lost Fred Hiatt? Oh, my! (Via SM.)
Signed,
Not Atrios
And has Fredo lost Fred Hiatt? Oh, my! (Via SM.)
Signed,
Not Atrios
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Please, Take My Kidney
Okay, for the first time I'm posting what I acknowledge to be a genuinely whiny post.
I don't post much about my personal life, but there are times when I like to remind people that I have one, that I can't actually be here 16 hours a day. Sometimes I have other obligations.
And, yes, every now and then I get annoyed when people don't take the hint.
I don't post much about my personal life, but there are times when I like to remind people that I have one, that I can't actually be here 16 hours a day. Sometimes I have other obligations.
And, yes, every now and then I get annoyed when people don't take the hint.
Ruh-roh
AP:
Documents show that eight congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony this week by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales...
At a heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Gonzales repeatedly testified that the issue at hand was not about the terrorist surveillance program, which allowed the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on suspects in the United States without receiving court approval.
Instead, Gonzales said, the emergency meetings on March 10, 2004, focused on an intelligence program that he would not describe.
Indeed
Obama:
I'm not saying Obama's judgment about his judgment is necessarily correct, just that the very serious foreign policy people in Washington keep, you know, getting it wrong. The foreign policy establishment has its own arbitrary parameters of debate which it imposes on political candidates, a sort of legacy of decades of debates piled on other debates, which often have little relationship to reality. It tries to impose those rules onto candidates, declaring this or that a "foreign policy gaffe," even though it's often only a gaffe to the very serious people who brought us George Bush's excellent Iraqi adventure.
Look, one thing I'm very confident about is my judgment in foreign policy is, I believe, better than anyone else in this race, Republican or Democrat.
"And I don't base that simply on the fact that I was right on the war in Iraq. But if you look at how I approached the problem. What I was drawing on was a set of experiences that come from a life of living overseas, having family overseas, being able to see the world through the eyes of people outside our borders.
"The notion that somehow from Washington you get this vast foreign policy experience is illusory.
I'm not saying Obama's judgment about his judgment is necessarily correct, just that the very serious foreign policy people in Washington keep, you know, getting it wrong. The foreign policy establishment has its own arbitrary parameters of debate which it imposes on political candidates, a sort of legacy of decades of debates piled on other debates, which often have little relationship to reality. It tries to impose those rules onto candidates, declaring this or that a "foreign policy gaffe," even though it's often only a gaffe to the very serious people who brought us George Bush's excellent Iraqi adventure.
Principle
Of course the principle they were defending was their own power. Why they fail to do so now is truly bizarre.
One quibble, however. In 1983 Reagan wasn't very popular. He hit 35 in a Gallup poll in January, and in May (I think) when the contempt citation was issued he was in the low 40s.
One quibble, however. In 1983 Reagan wasn't very popular. He hit 35 in a Gallup poll in January, and in May (I think) when the contempt citation was issued he was in the low 40s.
Meanwhile
Over there.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb exploded in Baghdad's Mansour district near a group of soccer fans celebrating Iraq's Asian Cup defeat of South Korea, killing 10 people and wounding 61, police said.
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber attacked an army checkpoint in eastern Baghdad's Ghadeer district, killing 16 people and wounding 57, many of them soccer fans, police said. The dead also included two soldiers.
Who Cares?
Not our elite pundit class.
Joe Klein summed up their attitude quite well:
Put your trust in Dear Leader and his court of sycophants.
Is anyone in the Beltway interested in what they were doing during this time? It is not news that there were "other intelligence activities" besides the "Terrorist Surveillance Program" that were illegal and extreme. We have known that for a-year-and-a-half based on how they have parsed their answers. And we knew it inescapably once James Comey said that he was going to quit once he realized what they were doing and how illegal it was.
Our Beltway political class just has chosen not to demand to know what was done, notwithstanding its blatant illegality. How can we just allow these government activities -- of plainly illegal government spying on us during 2001-2004 -- to remain concealed?
Joe Klein summed up their attitude quite well:
People like me who favor this program don't yet know enough about it yet. Those opposed to it know even less -- and certainly less than I do.
Put your trust in Dear Leader and his court of sycophants.
The Federalism Dodge
Oddly it's an extension of the Unity '08 High Broderism "can't we all get along" stuff. For some reason people in and covering national politics seem to hate the fact that politics actually involves genuine disagreement, and it'd be so much fun if we just got rid off all that stuff we disagreed about. So they want to punt it to the states. Problem over!
Up is Down
Just over email:
TIME’s Jay Newton-Small reports from New Hampshire about how Sen. Barack Obama’s popularity might actually be hurting his chances:
What to do About Abu G?
Obviously the Democrats have to do something. I'd like it if some Republicans thought that having their congressional powers mocked and laughed at was an area of concern, too, but those people who spent their time holding their breaths waiting for Republicans to do the right thing have long since died of asphyxiation.
Justin&Katrina
New York Drinking Liberally makes the Daily Show. Odd how frequently people I know appear on the teevee, if briefly, these days.
Drunk Rich People
If I were Lindsay Lohan, I would hire a driver.
Hopefully that's all the Lohan related commentary you'll find here.
Hopefully that's all the Lohan related commentary you'll find here.
Loopholes
I actually agree with Lord Shafer about this. It's an abused word which allows reporters to turn nonstories into stories frequently. I wouldn't say the word should never be used, but the bar should be pretty high.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
I Want Some Love
How can I get Falafel Boy to compare me to Nazis, the Klan, Mussolini, and Al Capone?
Talk Talk
I hate wading into the primaries too much, but I think Yglesias has a good point here. In addition Senator Clinton had a rather stirring defense of direct talks recently.
This is just bringing us back into the stupid parameters of debate established by the Bush administration. I don't want the country to stay in that very stupid place. We need leaders who are willing to get us out of that spider hole of stupidity.
I'm not claiming there's a direct contradiction here. In the latest round Clinton's talking about presidential meetings, instead of just standard diplomacy. But these distinctions are rather unimportant. Either in general terms it's important to reach out to the leaders of countries we have disagreements with or it isn't.
The Administration announces it will propose timetables or benchmarks and the Iraqi Prime Minister denounces them. President Bush says we are adjusting tactics but Secretary Rumsfeld insists we are staying the course. The Administration tells Iran and Syria they're responsible for helping keep the peace but won't talk with them about how to do it. We continue to deny evident reality, proceeding with few or no allies and precious little direct communication with people who matter. No wonder the American people think that we are adrift.
...
We have to keep all options on the table, including being ready to talk directly to Iranians should the right opportunity present itself. Direct talks, if they do nothing else, lets you assess who's making the decisions -- what their stated and unstated goals might be. And willingness to talk sends two very important messages. First, to the Iranian people, that our quarrel is with their leaders, not with them; and second, to the international community, that we are pursuing every available peaceful avenue to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
...
But I have thought for a long time we made a mistake not talking directly to North Korea. North Korea's neighbors have long supported direct U.S. --North Korea talks on security matters. In the past, such engagements have prevented the development of plutonium bombs and the testing of long-range missiles. Kim Jong Il needs to hear a single, unified message: choose between nuclear weapons and aid from South Korea, China, and the international community. You cannot have both. Right now, we seem to be relying too much for my taste on China's good will to restrain North Korea. But at the end of the day, Pyongyang will have to hear this message directly from us.
This is just bringing us back into the stupid parameters of debate established by the Bush administration. I don't want the country to stay in that very stupid place. We need leaders who are willing to get us out of that spider hole of stupidity.
I'm not claiming there's a direct contradiction here. In the latest round Clinton's talking about presidential meetings, instead of just standard diplomacy. But these distinctions are rather unimportant. Either in general terms it's important to reach out to the leaders of countries we have disagreements with or it isn't.
Mall of America
Please kill me.
This month, Bachmann traveled to Iraq, and despite more GOP defections from Bush's base of support, she returned as firm as ever in her conviction that the war is justified. Al-Qaida, she said, "doesn't show any signs of letting up." The congressional delegation met with Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.
What was the palace like?
"It's absolutely huge," she said. "I turned to my colleagues and said there's a commonality with the Mall of America, in that it's on that proportion. There's marble everywhere. The other thing I remarked about was there is water everywhere. He had man-made lakes all around his personal palace -- one for fishing, one for boating."
Tragedy
Andrew Cohen:
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales deserves to be fired for his testimony Tuesday alone; for morphing into Jon Lovitz's famous "pathological liar" character (or maybe just one of the Marx Brothers) as he tried to dodge and duck responsibility before the Senate Judiciary Committee not just for his shameful leadership at Justice but also his shameless role in visiting an ailing John Ashcroft in the hospital to try to strong-arm him into renewing the warrantless surviellance program. Can anyone out there remember a worse, less-inspiring, less confidence-inducing performance on Capitol Hill? I cannot.
No reasonable person watching Gonzales' tragically comedic performance Tuesday's on Capitol Hill-- especially his miserable exchange with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in late morning-- can any longer defend his appalling lack of competence, courage and credibility. And no one who hears him say that he is what's best for the Department right now should forget that on the eve of his testimony (and a few days after he urged his subordinates to work diligently to regain their morale) the nation's top law enforcement official reportedly left work early to go for a bike ride Monday afternoon-- at about 3:50 p.m.
I am running out of words to describe how inept this public servant is and how awful is the message our government sends to the nation and to the world by allowing him to continue to represent us.
Keep Talking
While I don't think dishonest hackery should have any place in the NYT or any other supposedly respectable paper, I actually hope conservatives and Republicans keep trying to explain to the great masses that the econonomy is AWESUM!!!!! People are under the impression it's really not awesome. Such impressions are not formed by taking a look at facts and figures - even dishonest Brooksian ones - but by personal direct experience, that of friends, family and neighbors, and probably overall by anxiety about the future. Telling them that everything is wonderful isn't going to convince them, it's just going to piss them off.
Audience
The audience for this kind of thing aren't Democratic primary voters who aren't necessarily enamored by hawkishness, but the previously mentioned mainstream media who define hawkishness as seriousness. They'll launder the message so that Obama is painted as naive and wimpy.
I'm sure it'll all be explained by James Carville on the Situation Room.
I'm sure it'll all be explained by James Carville on the Situation Room.
J.D. Roberts
Holy crap.
...since it wasn't clear, the interviewer is a larval version of CNN's John Roberts.
...since it wasn't clear, the interviewer is a larval version of CNN's John Roberts.
Drudgico
When one reads Drudgico, one gets the sense that the Republicans still control Congress, Democratic sources either do not exist or are irrelevant, George Bush is still popular, there's a pony epidemic in Iraq, etc...
Fed to Him
I doubt BoBo Brooksy is actually capable of coming up with this kind of detailed mendacity all by himself.
Speaking of Gullible Idiots
I'm not exactly sure why there needs to be several programs to spy on us without warrants, but apparently there are!
Which reminds me of the the ultimate Joe Klein moment, his bizarre pseudo-defense of all of this.
Which reminds me of the the ultimate Joe Klein moment, his bizarre pseudo-defense of all of this.
"[I will] have a lot more to say on this (NSA) issue next week -- but first I have to learn more about it."
...
"The notion of calling it wiretapping is questionable, I think, although I'm still not entirely sure."
...
"People like me who favor this program don't yet know enough about it yet. Those opposed to it know even less -- and certainly less than I do."
The Trouble With Our Discourse
I'd say that roughly speaking there are 4 kinds of people in this country when it comes to politics and current events (of course these are broad brush categories). There are the people who really don't pay any attention at all, and whose only real knowledge comes from passive absorption of random things that they happen to hear. There are the people who get all of their information from Limbaugh and the rest of the conservative media. There are the people who imagine that they're paying attention, and think that by listening to NPR and reading gullible idiots like Joe Klein they're "very informed." And then there are the readers of this blog who know what's really going on (joke).
It's the third category of people I worry most about how to reach. They're the ones who absorb and regurgitate Maureen Dowd's latest bon mot, or the latest bit of Washington "conventional wisdom," and think they're really on top of things. They aren't necessarily stupid people, they just haven't come to terms with the fact that the mainstream media is something to be treated with great skepticism.
It's the third category of people I worry most about how to reach. They're the ones who absorb and regurgitate Maureen Dowd's latest bon mot, or the latest bit of Washington "conventional wisdom," and think they're really on top of things. They aren't necessarily stupid people, they just haven't come to terms with the fact that the mainstream media is something to be treated with great skepticism.
Wanker of the Day
John Bambenek.
...and, in case Adam doesn't make it clear, we've been through this. I (and others) testified to the FEC. I learned more than I ever wanted to about campaign finance law and FEC regulations and rulings. I learned to have a healthy distrust of most of the "reformer" groups. I also learned to have a bit of faith in the process, as ultimately the FEC commissioners went from not understanding the issue and potentially issuing a very horrible ruling to understanding it and issuing a very good ruling.
...and, in case Adam doesn't make it clear, we've been through this. I (and others) testified to the FEC. I learned more than I ever wanted to about campaign finance law and FEC regulations and rulings. I learned to have a healthy distrust of most of the "reformer" groups. I also learned to have a bit of faith in the process, as ultimately the FEC commissioners went from not understanding the issue and potentially issuing a very horrible ruling to understanding it and issuing a very good ruling.
Simple Answers to Simple Questions
Yglesias asks of that guy formerly from the Note:
Yes.
This has been another edition of simple answers to simple questions.
Doesn't "presidential" in this context, like "serious," just mean "relatively right-wing" rather than "reflective"?
Yes.
This has been another edition of simple answers to simple questions.
Meanwhile
Over there.
Having spent the last few years reading all of the elaborate and wonderful grand theories and strategies by the "liberal hawks" used to justify their own thinking and still suggest the dirty hippies were wrong even though they were right, I think I've finally come up with the Dirty Fucking Hippie Unified Theory of Foreign Policy.
A suicide bomb killed 26 people and wounded 70 in a crowded market south of Baghdad today, police said.
The attack took place close to a maternity hospital in the Shia town of Hilla, about 60 miles from the Iraqi capital.
The explosion destroyed 14 shops and set more than a dozen cars ablaze.
Having spent the last few years reading all of the elaborate and wonderful grand theories and strategies by the "liberal hawks" used to justify their own thinking and still suggest the dirty hippies were wrong even though they were right, I think I've finally come up with the Dirty Fucking Hippie Unified Theory of Foreign Policy.
Don't be so fucking stupid.
Lucy's Football
And on and on.
BAGHDAD - A revised U.S. military plan envisions establishing security at the local level in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq by summer 2008, leading one year later to security conditions nationwide that Iraqi forces are capable of sustaining, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Morning
Watching John Roberts on CNN trying to yuk it up over those wacky YouTube questions. Is there something about becoming a television journalist that requires any actual sense of humor to be siphoned out of your brain?
...adding, I have this memory of Bill Hemmer, back when he was still on CNN, looking like he'd found Jesus after watching a Jib Jab video and intoning "Jib Jab is brilliant..."
...adding, I have this memory of Bill Hemmer, back when he was still on CNN, looking like he'd found Jesus after watching a Jib Jab video and intoning "Jib Jab is brilliant..."
Monday, July 23, 2007
Talk Clock
I appreciate that polls/fundraising are going to impact which candidates generally get the most coverage, but I also think that there's no reason for such things to be reinforced by time given to candidates during debates. At least this early it seems like a good time for the media to highlight "lesser" candidates. Perhaps later they can be weeded out based on some objective criteria.
Ouch
Feingold totally laying into the Republicans on CNN. Video here later, assuming someone else doesn't get to it first.
Pathetic Bunch of Pygmies
Run, Newt, Run!
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Dismissing the GOP presidential field as a "pathetic" bunch of "pygmies," Newt Gingrich hinted Monday he might step in to beat Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
...
Gingrich mocked Republican presidential candidates for subjecting themselves to a May debate hosted by Chris Matthews of MSNBC's "Hardball."
"You're watching an utterly irrelevant, shallow television celebrity dominate everybody who claimed they want to lead the most powerful nation in the world," he said.
The Months Ahead Are Critical
"I think the Baghdad security plan ... can buy time, but what it does is buy time for what it ultimately has to be -- a set of political understandings among Iraqis. So I think these months ahead are going to be critical," Crocker said.
Next Few Months
Six months ago today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had the following to say:
I think we do agree this is the last chance for the Iraqis to get it right. But we ought to give one of our finest, if not our very finest, general a chance to see if he can succeed in the next few months.
Perhaps A Last Chance
One F.U. ago today, the very serious and bipartisan and independent Last Honest Man from Connecticut:
The Senate should "step back for a moment and give you [Gen. Petraeus] a chance…. Perhaps a last chance, to succeeed in Iraq," Lieberman said. "If God forbid, you are unable to succeed, then there will be plenty of time for the resolutions of disapproval or the other alternatives that have been contemplated."
More God
Actually THIS is probably what the crazy freaky voter was talking about, as he said he thought it was reported by the Beeb.
(ht moe and pony boy)
Pakistani leaders say President Bush said God told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. That is Palestinian leaders' remarks attributed to Mr. Bush are in a BBC documentary. The White House dismisses it as absurd.
(ht moe and pony boy)
Crazy Freaky Voters
One of those crazy stupid wacky voters was just on CNN and he informed Kyra Phillips that Bush claimed that God told him to attack Iraq. Kyra thought this was some sort of crazy freak stupid uninformed voter conspiracy theory. True or not, it was reported in Haaretz.
And in the WaPo:
Abbas said that at Aqaba, Bush promised to speak with Sharon about the siege on Arafat. He said nobody can speak to or pressure Sharon except the Americans.
According to Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush said: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."
And in the WaPo:
Imagine our surprise Wednesday to read in the Israeli paper Haaretz (online), that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Abu Mazen, meeting recently with militants to enlist their support for a truce with Israel, said that, when they met in Aqaba, President Bush had told him this: " God told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam [ Hussein], which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."
So who needs to find WMD or a link with al Qaeda when the orders come from The Highest Authority?
Two calls to the White House for clarification went unreturned, but colleague Glenn Kessler did some digging. The Haaretz reporter, Arnon Regular, read what the paper said were minutes of the Palestinians' meeting to Kessler and another colleague, who is an Arabic speaker.
The Arabic-speaking colleague's translation, was this: "God inspired me to hit al Qaeda, and so I hit it. And I had the inspiration to hit Saddam, and so I hit him. Now I am determined to solve the Middle East problem if you help. Otherwise the elections will come and I will be wrapped up with them."
Voters Are Stupid And Crazy And Sucky
The contempt that the media is heaping on the "YouTube debate" - even from its sponsor, CNN - is truly bizarre. Paraphrased from what I just heard on NPR is typical:
I don't really think there's anything especially awesome about the idea, but the desire to paint anyone who gives a shit about politics as some sort of "freak" is disturbing.
2 minutes of ridiculous sounding questions.
"The YouTube debate has become a magnet for freaks, conspiracy theorists, and self-promoters....
...full disclosure, most of the questions were serious and I had to wade through hundreds of questions to find the wacky ones..."
I don't really think there's anything especially awesome about the idea, but the desire to paint anyone who gives a shit about politics as some sort of "freak" is disturbing.
Nutpicking
Over the next couple of weeks there will be a grand effort by the wingosphere/conservative pundits/Falafel boy/their mainstream media enablers/etc... to try to undermine Yearly Kos and to marginalize anyone who attends.
Screw Public Pressure
It is always a bit weird how companies and even politicians react to public pressure in the modern age, especially when a bit of fervor can be easily whipped up over just about anything. I'm not suggesting that no one should ever respond to public pressure. If an outcry exists it provides an opportunity to rethink a decision, and maybe that decision was made incorrectly. But if a bunch of people email you because Bill O'Reilly told them to there's no reason to think that this in any way matters as a business issue.
The political version is similar. I do think politicians should listen to what their constituents and to a lesser extent what other people calling them are saying, but there's little reason to do so if you're a Democrat and they're calling because wingnut radio told them to. These people aren't ever going to vote for you.
The political version is similar. I do think politicians should listen to what their constituents and to a lesser extent what other people calling them are saying, but there's little reason to do so if you're a Democrat and they're calling because wingnut radio told them to. These people aren't ever going to vote for you.
Customer Service
While there are certainly plenty of individual SEPTA workers who are excellent with the public, overall the agency is pretty clueless about making it easy to ride the system. A big barrier to people riding public transportation is simply ignorance. Boarding a crowded bus can be stressful if you don't know what's expected of you. Ticket machines for the rail system have disappeared. One has to consult a horoscope chart to know when subway employees will or won't actually sell tokens to you, and existing token machines don't like "new" (now years old) US currency. Day and weekly passes should be easily available everywhere. Etc...
Good Job, Democrats
We tried to warn you.
Lately, though, Lieberman has taken his alliance with GOP leaders up a notch. During the abortive debate on the defense authorization bill, he attended daily tactical sessions to help them plan their strategy for combatting anti-war amendments and their rhetorical points for use against the Democrats. And in a fitting symbolic twist, some of those meetings convened just down the hall from the office of Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who essentially owes his 51-seat majority to Lieberman’s continued caucusing with the Democrats.
Meanwhile
Over there.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed and dozens more wounded by a wave of car bombings in central Baghdad on Monday, most of them in a predominantly Shi'ite district, police and witnesses said.
Holy Crap
David Broder writes a column which basically praises some Democrats, insults the Bush administration, and doesn't include any "pox on both their houses" stuff.
Miracles do happen.
...okay there's that swipe at Gore about something I've never heard before, but, ok, close enough.
Miracles do happen.
...okay there's that swipe at Gore about something I've never heard before, but, ok, close enough.
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