Unity 08

What Digby said.

Regular posting will resume after New Year's. Have a great one!

It's OK If You're a Republican

Wonder what Chris Dodd has to say about this:

Dr. Coburn's weapon of choice is the "hold," a procedural maneuver that allows a single senator to prevent a bill from being passed quickly without a roll-call vote or floor debate. Until a rule change this year, senators could keep their holds secret, and they usually did. Dr. Coburn notifies colleagues about his intentions.

Dodd for majority leader '08!

Et Tu, Scooter?

Remember how this turned out?

"If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is," Bush told reporters at an impromptu news conference during a fund-raising stop in Chicago, Illinois. "If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of.

Here we go again:

President Bush said Thursday he will reserve judgment on his administration's destruction of CIA interrogation tapes until several inquiries are finished. "Let's wait and see what the facts are," Mr. Bush said.

I'm not holding my breath.

Abu Who?

Because this makes them worse:

Blood-splotches on walls, chains hanging from a ceiling and swords on the killing floor � the artifacts left a disturbing tale of brutalities inside a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq torture chamber. But there was yet another chilling fact outside the dirt-floor dungeon. Villagers say they knew about the torment but were too intimidated by extremists to tell authorities until now.

Stories such as these claims of insurgent abuses and the silence of frightened Iraqis have emerged with increasing frequency and clarity recently as U.S.-led forces push deeper into former extremist fiefdoms and forge alliances with tribes seeking to reclaim their regions.

The reports and tips now pouring in build a harrowing portrait of rule under al-Qaida and its backers: mass graves, ruthless punishments, self-styled Islamic courts ordering summary executions.

Abu Ghraib was a "correctional facility." We built schools!

Move Over, FISA

Chertoff's in town:

After delaying a domestic satellite-surveillance program for more than two months, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff expects to finalize a new charter for it this week, a move that attempts to quell civil-liberties concerns and get the program back on track.

Mr. Chertoff also plans soon to unveil a cyber-security strategy, part of an estimated $15 billion, multiyear program designed to protect the nation's Internet infrastructure. The program has been shrouded in secrecy for months and has also prompted privacy concerns on Capitol Hill because it involves government protection of domestic computer networks.

Both areas put Homeland Security in the middle of a public debate over domestic spy powers, kicked off by the revelation two years ago that the National Security Agency had been eavesdropping on some conversations in the U.S. without a warrant. In the fall, the department put the satellite program on hold after an outcry on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers have also asked Mr. Chertoff to delay the introduction of the cyber-security initiative. "One lesson I've learned is it's not enough to say we know what we're doing is going to be OK," Mr. Chertoff said in an interview. "We've got to really make it clear to the public that we're doing this, but we're not doing that."

...

The charter will clarify that the satellite program will follow all current U.S. legal restrictions on technical surveillance. Where a warrant is required for collection, one will be obtained before that activity is approved. Under the charter, the program won't use technology to intercept verbal communications.

Can't... hold... back... any... longer....

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

If you don't comply, zombie Chertoff will eat your brains

Bush's EPA Sides Against California

Surprise:

The Bush administration blocked California's plan to put tighter limits on automobile tailpipe emissions, handing a victory to the auto industry on the same day the president signed an energy bill that mandates the biggest boost in federal fuel-efficiency standards in more than 30 years.

Late yesterday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson blocked California from going further than the federal government does in curbing auto emissions that contribute to global warming, setting up a clash with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Just remember, Bush gets it:


Update: Waxman smells something fishy.

In a letter to EPA today, Chairman Henry Waxman of the Oversight Committee requests that the agency preserve and produce all documents relating to Administrator Johnson’s decision to block California’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. The investigation follows prior committee inquiries on highly questionable attempts by the Department of Transportation to lobby Congress regarding California’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

KBR

Classy job, those contractors.

Obstructing and Abetting

Republicans and their media lapdogs.

What Digby said.

That's Not How Things Work

How many times have you heard that line from people who work in politics? To them, everyone on the outside who actually stands for an ideal is a naive, clueless hillbilly.

Dodd's FISA victory yesterday proved that that's now how things work.

On a somewhat related note, Atrios:

One of my pet peeves has long been a certain strain of defeatism. Understandably we all feel defeated at times, but there's a certain kind of defeatist out there on the internets, people who spend most of their time chastising others for thinking it's possible to have any influence and attacking the "stupidity" of those who even bother to try. Maybe those people are right. Maybe there never is anything to be done. But if that's the case, get a new goddamn hobby.

Idealism, passion courage and keeping a level head will win the day, every day.

Reid Pulls FISA Bill

Dodd won this round, but let's be clear about what's at stake: he's only delayed the bill for a couple weeks until after New Year's. While we hope that McConnell will release enough information on the administration's program that Senators will be able to make an informed decision, I wouldn't bet on it.

Let's keep up the pressure to strip telco immunity out of the FISA bill.

Different Day, Same Bullshit

Iraqn:

A Pentagon report will accuse Iran of continuing to funnel weapons and training personnel into Iraq, adding fuel to a heated debate among U.S. policy makers about whether Iran deserves any credit for the steep declines in Iraq's once-unrelenting violence.

This is the same Pentagon that couldn't trump up charges of Iraqi WMD and Christian-eating babies quickly enough. The same DIA that had their own special offices set up to counter the sane CIA intelligence. Why does anybody care what Dick "shot to the face and you're to blame" Cheney believes about anything? He's insane, has no credibility and is wrong about everything all the time.

Of course, Thomas Friedman will use this as an excuse to tell the Iranians to "suck on this."

Filibuster Telecom Immunity

More Dodd:

It's time to see the Senate stand up for the rule of law.

You don't demonstrate leadership in the footnotes of a press release, or parroting responses from focus groups.

Leadership is demonstrated through action.

That's not so hard, is it?

Support Dodd, pay a visit to the site, email or call your Senators. The fight for telecom immunity is about being able to unlock the door to many of Bush's abuses - even pre-9/11 abuses - over the years. Granting the telcos immunity now means letting everyone off the hook forever.

He Had to Go

Joe "nobody supports bringing the troops home more than I do" Lieberman, for doing things like this:

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, trying to mount a comeback in his presidential bid, on Monday won the endorsement of independent Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a former Democratic vice presidential nominee.

McCain and Lieberman appeared together on Fox News Channel and were expected later in the day at a campaign event in New Hampshire, where McCain hopes to pull off a repeat of his 2000 victory in the state's presidential primary on January 8.

"I happen to the think this guy is the best of all candidates to unite our country across political lines so we can begin to solve some of the problems people have in this country," Lieberman said.

"I'm certainly sending a message that I agree with John McCain a lot more on national security, foreign and defense policy."

Remember, the only reason he gets to feel at all relevant is because the Dems hold a razor thin majority in the Senate. Elect more and better Dems and help make Joe nothing more than a fly on the wall.

Paul Krugman Writes a Column

Hello hammer, meet head of nail.

It's Torture

No ifs ands or buts:

The Democratic-led House of Representatives voted on Thursday to outlaw harsh interrogation methods, such as simulated drowning, that the CIA has used against suspected terrorists.

On a 222-199 vote, the House approved a measure to require intelligence agents to comply with the Army Field Manual, which meets the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of war prisoners and prohibits torture.

That looks pretty party-line to me.

Republicans heart torture!

It saddens me that this even needs to be passed.

A Little Less Conversation

A little more action:

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to hold two top aides to President George W. Bush in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate in its probe of fired federal prosecutors.

On a largely party-line vote of 11-7, the Democratic-led panel sent contempt citations against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to the full Senate for consideration.

All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me. Reuters notes that Republicans can use procedural hurdles, but they can't stop the Capitol police from hauling in Rove and Bolten's asses if they don't respond to subpoenas, which they haven't.

Gore Speaks Truth

I can't wait for the right-wing to start whining like the childish asshats they are for this:

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore drew cheers at 190-nation talks by saying the United States was the main block to launching negotiations in Bali on a new global climate treaty.

Efforts to start two-year negotiations on a pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol flagged on Thursday, the penultimate day of the December 3-14 talks, after the European Union accused the United States of lacking ambition.

"I am going to speak an inconvenient truth," Gore told an audience of several hundred, playing on the name of his Oscar-winning documentary.

And in low tones he added: "My own country the United States is principally responsible for obstructing progress in Bali," spurring rapturous applause and cheers.

Of course, none of the criticism will be substantive, but rather it will consist of attacks on Gore.

That didn't take long.

Worst President Ever

Guess who?

U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday vetoed a bill expanding a popular children's health-care program for a second time, angering Democrats who are locked in a fight with the administration over the budget and spending.

Pushed by the Democratic-led Congress but also supported by many Republicans, the bill was aimed at providing health insurance to about 10 million children in low- and moderate-income families. Taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products would have been increased to pay for the aid.

Bush vetoed an earlier version of the bill in October but Congress quickly passed another one that included some changes but not enough to satisfy the White House concerns.

Can you believe it? Of course you can. Why doesn't our media get it? Bush doesn't give a shit about compromise, he only cares about being the only deciderer in power, and all he's interested in is getting exactly what he wants, with no deviations from his plan. He is a whiny, spoiled brat who hates everyone who disagrees with him, and as a result, a horrible human being.

Get That Spine!

Thank you, Senators:

Senate Democrats are calling the White House's bluff on a threatened veto of an energy bill by refusing to take out language that would remove tax breaks for big oil and gas companies.

The Senate's version of the bill, which modifies energy legislation passed last week by the U.S. House of Representatives, is scheduled to be voted on Thursday. It would repeal about $13 billion in tax breaks for mostly big oil companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp.

The White House has said the bill unfairly targets the oil industry and that President George W. Bush would veto the legislation in its current form.

Bush isn't bluffing - he will veto the bill because it's not exactly what he wants. But it's better for Congress to put a bill in front of him that is supported by a majority of not only Congresscritters but also Americans. Even if the result is the same as it would be if Congress just gave up and didn't put a bill in front of him that he wouldn't sign, now when he vetoes it, the blame will rest squarely on Bush's shoulders and nobody else's. We like it when our leaders have spines and go down fighting, not when they roll over and play dead.

Kudos to Senator Reid on this one.

Bush Administration Interfered with Climate Change Science

My favorite Congressperson publishes a report.

The New iRaq

Or, I could have titled this post, "If Conservatives Got Their Pony."

Get Out the Smelling Salts

One of the Village's finest has been wronged:

Former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, dropped his appeal in a perjury case that fueled debate over the Iraq war, his attorney said on Monday.

Libby was found guilty in March of lying and obstructing an investigation into who blew the cover of a CIA officer, Valerie Plame, whose husband had criticized the Iraq war.

President George W. Bush commuted his 2 1/2-year prison sentence in July, but the former chief of staff to Cheney still had to pay a $250,000 fine.

"We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby's innocence," attorney Ted Wells said in a statement. "However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear."

Bush has not ruled out a full pardon for Libby.

Oh, my poor Scooter!!! Oh the agony!!!! Never mind that he's fund raising to pay that fine.

Like that last line? Bush totally will, that arrogant fuck.

Pardon Me

The Huckstir:

As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee had a hand in twice as many pardons and commutations as his three predecessors combined.

The case he's asked about most concerns the parole of a castrated rapist who later killed a woman.

Although the Republican presidential contender and Southern Baptist preacher plays down any personal involvement in that release, Huckabee granted 1,033 pardons and commutations in his 10 1/2 years as governor of Arkansas. The acts of clemency benefited the stepson of a staff member, murderers who worked at the governor's mansion, a rock star and inmates who received good words from their pastors.

"It seems to be true at least anecdotally that if a minister is involved, (Huckabee) seems likely to grant clemency," prosecutor Robert Herzfeld said in 2004 after successfully battling the then-governor over the release of a killer.

Huckabee's actions are too creepy and well-documented for most people to ignore. So creepy.

Leading the Pack

There's you in "U.S.," but there is "us:"

Washington rejected stiff 2020 targets for greenhouse gas cuts by rich nations at U.N. talks in Bali on Monday as part of a "roadmap" to work out a new global pact to fight climate change by 2009.

"It's prejudging what the outcome should be," chief negotiator Harlan Watson said of a draft suggesting that rich nations should aim to axe emissions of heat-trapping gases by between 25 and 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

Prejudging... heh. This is really the fault of all those scientists who have prejudged the future.

Can somebody remind me when we became the most backward industrialized nation in the world?

Huckabee Is Creepy

Kos:

Huckabee on his recent rise in the polls:

There is only one explanation for it, and it is not a human one.

Well, if you want to argue that America's Playa isn't human, then sure, Giuliani's criminal expensing of his adultery to the taxpayers would, in fact, be a non-human explanation for Huckabee's rise. But that's not what Huckabee means. He means that God has apparently chosen him out of the entire field of presidential candidates to be the next president of the United States.

Which leads to the obviousquestion: If Huckabee's god has chosen him as his favored candidate, will that mean that this god isn't "all powerful" when Huckabee crashes and burns? Or like Peter Waldman puts it:

[I]s Huckabee just saying that God is giving him a temporary bump in the polls, only to send his campaign crashing down later, in order to demonstrate to His earthly subjects the danger of hubris and the importance of early fundraising?

Uh, NYT?

I believe this belongs in the Opinion section, not in Business:

If he digs deep enough, Mr. Cuomo may find some e-mail messages, instant messages or maybe even phone text messages that mention the deteriorating quality of mortgages. He might even find some disparaging remarks about the eager, yield-hungry investors, sometimes known as “dumb capital” on Wall Street. And perhaps there will be some comments about the complexity of subprime-linked securities and the willingness of rating agencies to give these investments platinum ratings.

If that happens, it will be Mr. Cuomo, not Mr. Spitzer, who will be cast as the Scrooge of Wall Street. Bankers will say he is just another overly zealous prosecutor out to undermine America’s capitalistic dynamism. By then, of course, Wall Street’s next boom should be just getting under way.

Wow, just wow. Read the whole article - it's a real trip - it manages to cast paranoid aspersions on Cuomo that are made by loose associations in Jenny Anderson's mind and is overly defensive about Wall Street firms - sort of like one giant Wall Street lovefest.

I think this reporter has grown a little too close to the people she covers.

(Emphasis mine)

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Speak no evil:

The Central Intelligence Agency in 2005 destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation of two Al Qaeda operatives in the agency’s custody, a step it took in the midst of Congressional and legal scrutiny about the C.I.A’s secret detention program, according to current and former government officials.

The videotapes showed agency operatives in 2002 subjecting terror suspects — including Abu Zubaydah, the first detainee in C.I.A. custody — to severe interrogation techniques. They were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that tapes documenting controversial interrogation methods could expose agency officials to greater risk of legal jeopardy, several officials said.

Everyone knows it's torture. Bush will insist it isn't, which will cause Joe Klein to have a fainting spell over his candor, David Broder to predict Bush's revival in the polls, Chris Matthews to get some Codpiece love going and the Washington Post to transcribe whatever Bush says without weighing in on its veracity, but we all know it's torture and wrong. The CIA destroyed the tapes because they were committing illegal and inhumane acts. It's that simple.

Origins of the Right-Wing Blogosphere

White House petri dish cultivator Dan Bartlett:

I mean, talk about a direct IV into the vein of your support. It’s a very efficient way to communicate. They regurgitate exactly and put up on their blogs what you said to them. It is something that we’ve cultivated and have really tried to put quite a bit of focus on.

It sounds like they were trying to rear cancer. Great success!

Romney Just Lost the Nomination

This dog won't hunt with the Republican base:

Republican Mitt Romney, confronting voters' skepticism about his Mormon faith, declared Thursday that as president he would "serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause," and said calls for him to explain and justify his religious beliefs go against the profound wishes of the nation's founders.

At the same time, he decried those who would remove from public life "any acknowledgment of God," and he said that "during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places."

U.S. Constitution, Article VI:

no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States

Too bad for us being a Republican means never having to say you're sorry. Now where'd I leave my flag? I need to go wrap myself in it.

Your Liberal Media

Rove says, they write.

U.S. to Pursue Iran Sanctions

This time it's because Iran made Bush look stupid:

The United States will forge ahead with a third sanctions resolution on Iran, U.S. officials said Tuesday, arguing that the American intelligence report made public this week showed that it was international pressure that caused Tehran to halt its nuclear weapons program four years ago and that such pressure must be maintained.

But China and Russia, veto-wielding powers on the U.N. Security Council, are likely to use the report's conclusions to argue that Iran poses no imminent danger and that additional economic sanctions are unwarranted.

China's U.N. ambassador, Wang Guangya, told reporters Tuesday that Security Council members would have to reconsider new penalties "because I think we all start from the presumption that now things have changed."

But U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that his instructions to press for new sanctions "have not changed" because Iran remains in defiance of two Security Council resolutions demanding that it suspend its uranium enrichment activities. Khalilzad said he could start circulating a draft sanctions resolution targeting individuals and companies related to Tehran's nuclear program as soon as Friday. The National Intelligence Estimate released Monday says Iran probably stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003 because of international pressure.

We are ruled by children.

Quick! Somebody Fire... Oh, Just Fire the Whole Lot of Them!

Glenn catalogues the stab-me-in-my-eyes-with-a-red-hot-poker stupidity, negligence and dishonesty.

Touching the Children

Stop, please.

In this case, it's a 28-year-old scheduler to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) who has been arrested by the FBI on charges that he arranged to have sex with what he thought was a 13-year-old boy. The staffer, Mike McHaney, was arrested on Friday after he told a cooperating witness for the FBI online that he could take a "long lunch" to have an afternoon tryst with the boy.

Getting Better All the Time

The war:

Hundreds of Iraqis displaced by fierce battles between al Qaeda militants and U.S. and Iraqi security forces began receiving humanitarian aid on Monday at a camp set up on Baghdad's southern outskirts.

The Iraqi Red Crescent aid programme began on the same day the humanitarian group announced falling violence had allowed between 25,000 and 28,000 Iraqis to return from Syria in September and October.

More than 100 Sunni Arab families had been seeking help since Sunni Islamist al Qaeda launched a major attack on the town of Adwaniya, 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Baghdad on November 13.

We're building hospitals and schools!

Adding, "al Qaeda," heh.

Planet Republican

Maybe it's Mars? Either way, one of its physical laws seems to be that you can only talk about Republican issues:

Not only did they allow Keith Kerr's question, they invited him to the debate. Had they bothered to research, they would have discovered his connection to Hillary Clinton's campaign. He's a member of the LGBT Americans for Hillary Steering Committee and co-chair on Hillary's National Military Veterans group. He also was an active John Kerry supporter in 2004. And last night Anderson Cooper willingly gave Mr. Kerr the Democratic activist a soapbox. Anderson has yet to apologize for either his willing participation or incompetent handling of the situation and failure to research.

Consider the other Democratic plants. Mary LeeAnn Anderson is a known Edwards supporter and union activist. She asked the protectionist question disguised as a lead paint question. Consider "Journey" the abortion questioner who, if CNN had paid attention to her YouTube profile, is a huge John Edwards supporter. And consider David Cerone, who asked the Log Cabin Republicans question -- his YouTube profile lists him as an Obama supporter.

It's disgusting to see these people open their mouths. They're taking issue with a question. Think for a moment about how insidiously pathetic that is. It's almost like a child who sticks both fingers in his ears and starts screaming when his parents ask him why there's mud on the kitchen floor, except it's even more fucked up than that because a better analogy is to a child who sticks both fingers in his ears and starts screaming when his parents ask him about the weather. It makes no sense.

Can they fucking understand this? These people's affiliations don't impact the validity of their questions. They are real Americans with real concerns about issues that not only affect them but also other Americans. But that gets at the heart of why these Republicans are so fucking twisted. To Republicans, these people and their concerns don't matter. They might as well not exist, and they will do everything they can to stamp them out. Wednesday's debate took place on Planet Republican, where only Republicans are allowed to talk to only Republicans about only things that they want to talk about. I'm sure they'd have no problem throwing everyone else who differs in a concentration camp or waterboarding the dissidents.

Imagine the outcry if this was turned on its head: Democrats went apeshit because CNN let a question through about gun control, abortion, Iraq, or one of the other contentious issues within the party at their YouTube debate. Oh wait, that fucking happened. Was a jihad - or crusade, take your pick - called to hunt down the people who asked the questions? Did Democrats call for CNN's producers' scalps? Obviously not.

The difference between the two parties has never been more staggeringly clear than since the days of the Civil Rights movement. The Democratic party stands for every American, while the Republican party only cares about things that they feel comfortable talking about. It's not like Republicans don't have stances on gay marriage or abortion, but so much of their basis for those stances is predicated on their own racism and xenophobia - meaning that they preach their creed from far away and never interacting with the people they hate - that it's a completely different ballgame when they have to look such person in the eye - literally, in Keith Kerr's case - and tell them that they don't exist. That they don't matter. That they're inferior and irrelevant to themselves.

This is why Republicans and the right wing are losing their shit over these questions. I can't possibly believe for a second that CNN had these goals in mind when they picked their questions, but those questions accomplished two things very well. First, they gave us a clear look at how disgusting and psychotic Republicans and their candidates are. Second, they showed us how uncomfortable they are with even acknowledging these people exist. This tells us all we need to know about how they would govern. We don't need to be ruled by assfucks who treat people who disagree with them as sub-human, we need to be governed by responsible people who can handle everyone's concerns. They don't have to agree with them, but they have to acknowledge that these people and their concerns are real.

Democrats have proven that they're mature to stand up and govern everyone in this country. Republicans are on the floor kicking and screaming because someone asked a question that they don't want to talk about.

Republican Reactions to the YouTube Debate

Anthropologist Joe Klein:

In the next segment--the debate between Romney and Mike Huckabee over Huckabee's college scholarships for the deserving children of illegal immigrants--I noticed something really distressing: When Huckabee said, "After all, these are children of God," the dials plummeted. And that happened time and again through the evening: Any time any candidate proposed doing anything nice for anyone poor, the dials plummeted (30s). These Republicans were hard.

But there was worse to come: When John McCain started talking about torture--specifically, about waterboarding--the dials plummeted again. Lower even than for the illegal Children of God. Down to the low 20s, which, given the natural averaging of a focus group, is about as low as you can go. Afterwards, Luntz asked the group why they seemed to be in favor of torture. "I don't have any problem pouring water on the face of a man who killed 3000 Americans on 9/11," said John Shevlin, a retired federal law enforcement officer. The group applauded, appallingly.

Somehow this is news to Klein.

Cut the Pork

So you lose some limbs! Life!

The Marines plan to buy fewer bomb-resistant vehicles than planned despite pressure from lawmakers who are determined to spend billions of dollars on the vehicles.

The Marine Corps' requirement for mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles would drop from the planned 3,700 to about 2,400, The Associated Press has learned. The Marines would not comment on the decision, but defense officials confirmed the cut. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.

About a month ago, Marine Commandant Gen. T. James Conway signaled the possibility of a new examination of the commitment to the vehicles, saying he was concerned his force was getting too heavy. "I'm a little bit concerned about us keeping our expeditionary flavor," he said.

Expeditionary my long-term-bases ass. When the military is concerned about pork spending, you know politics is afoot.

Thoughts from the Republican YouTube Debate

I attended the debate-watching party sponsored by Drinking Liberally in NYC. Many thanks to them for hosting!

Looks like the Huckster - ooh, I like that - won this one. He stayed mostly above the fray and delivered his responses with a feel-good tone. I thought he sort of faded as the debate went on though. He creeps me out the most of any of the candidates.

Everyone in the room seemed to really despise Romney because he's such a ridiculously unabashed, craven liar with no firm moral footing, but that actually makes him the most palatable to me because it means that he would probably be the least conservative of all the candidates, even if we don't know exactly where and when.

Rudy! gave a decent showing but wasn't really inspiring. Anderson Cooper caught him off guard about the Politico story yesterday that Rudy billed NYC departments for his weekend trysts out to the Hamptons with wife #3. I think he brushed it off by blaming it on the bureaucratic mess of government (ok...), but this is hardly over. Rudy got laid, New York paid.

Ron Paul is crazy fun! Let's give him a pat on the head and send him back to Congress.

John McCain looked like he wanted to end his own life for most of the debate. I thought he was going to stab himself in the heart with his veto pen (blessed by Saint Ronnie).

Who is Duncan Hunter? Why do I care? I think he wants to build a fence around our country, except it would be semi-porous, and goods and services could flow in and out by osmosis, I think.

Tom Tancredo oozes hate like a custard donut oozes creamy filling when you squeeze it, except you don't need to squeeze Tancredo, just mention brown people.

Fred Thompson must lick his lips to keep his blood flowing. The man didn't stop the whole night. Don't think he had anything remarkable to say otherwise.

Who knew "Sanctuary City" was even a concept? I gotta say that immigration is a total non-starter for me. It doesn't grab my attention at all, but the xenophobic, racist GOP base is all over it. Why?

I learned that tax-cuts and flat taxes will make the world a better place. The candidates struck me as responsible because many of them said they would not rule out hiking taxes in the face of national emergencies, like war. Since we're at war with the greatest threat to our existence ever - Islamo-HillaryClinton-fascism - and have cut taxes, that means we're in the clear! Tax cuts and responsibility for everyone!!!

Roe v. Wade has just gotta go. Just gotta. Now. Just go.

The environment....

...

...

Mars, bitches! MARS!!!!!!

The [fill in the blank] Made Me Do It

God:

Richard Roberts told students at Oral Roberts University Wednesday that he did not want to resign as president of the scandal-plagued evangelical school, but that he did so because God insisted.

God told him on Thanksgiving that he should resign the next day, Roberts told students in the university's chapel.

"Every ounce of my flesh said 'no'" to the idea, Roberts said, but he prayed over the decision with his wife and his father, Oral Roberts, and decided to step down.

Roberts said he wanted to "strike out" against the people who were persecuting him, and considered countersuing, but "the Lord said, 'don't do that,'" he said.

Works every time! Almost as good as prayer!

Sky High Oil

This can't be good:

An explosion crippled the main pipeline supplying Canadian crude to U.S. Midwest refineries on Wednesday, forcing operator Enbridge to halt nearly a fifth of U.S. imports and sending crude prices as much as $4 higher.

One of the set of four lines will require repairs and regulator inspections, while the largest is "not likely" to start up any time soon, Larry Springer, a spokesman for Calgary, Alberta-based operator Enbridge Inc, said on Thursday.

The smaller two lines were several hundred feet from the fire and appear to be undamaged, but will be inspected soon before they are restarted, Springer said by phone. He was not able to give a specific time frame for restarting any of the network.

All it takes is a littles shock...

When FOX Attacks... a Republican

You know you're in trouble:

Obscure New York City government agencies picked up tens of thousands of dollars in expenses racked up for security detail used by former mayor Rudy Giuliani during trips to the Hamptons, purportedly to visit paramour Judith Nathan, according to a news report out Wednesday.

The report, confirmed by FOX News, said Giuliani's visits to the Hamptons resulted in hotel, gas and other costs for the New York Police Department security detail.

The GOP presidential candidate later married Nathan, his third wife, and their relationship was widely publicized. But Politico obtained new documents showing that Giuliani transferred travel expenses to mayoral offices that had nothing to do with the trips.

Can't wait for the debate tonight!

Although chances of this getting asked - 0.

Quick! Somebody Fire TIME Magazine!

We've gone from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Nothing to See Here Folks

Just move right along:

The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call.

Scott Bloch runs the Office of Special Counsel, an agency charged with protecting government whistleblowers and enforcing a ban on federal employees engaging in partisan political activity. Mr. Bloch's agency is looking into whether Mr. Rove and other White House officials used government agencies to help re-elect Republicans in 2006.

At the same time, Mr. Bloch has himself been under investigation since 2005. At the direction of the White House, the federal Office of Personnel Management's inspector general is looking into claims that Mr. Bloch improperly retaliated against employees and dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination.

Richard Cohen thinks it's funny. Joe Klein can't be bothered and doesn't have the background to understand it. David Broder thinks it's an opportunity for Republicans and Maureen Dowd is too fixated on Hillary's cleavage to notice.

More on Bloch.

Quick! Somebody Fire Joe Klein!

He can't read, and therefore should shut the fuck up.

Another One Bites the Dust

Trent Lott is going to sit on his porch with George W. Bush:

Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, plans to resign his seat before the end of the year, congressional and White House officials said Monday.

Lott, 66, scheduled two news conferences in Pascagoula and Jackson later in the day to reveal his plans. According to congressional and White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, Lott intends to resign effective the end of the year.

But what's up with this resigning before the end of the year? Something smells fishy...

Update: Jerome elaborates:

Trent Lott will abandon his Senate seat before the end of the year, in order to avoid the new lobbying restrictions that require Senators to wait two-years before selling out the publics interests.

Makes sense after all.

Blame the Victim

No wonder Bush likes the Saudis:

The Saudi judiciary on Tuesday defended a court verdict that sentenced a 19-year-old victim of a gang rape to six months in jail and 200 lashes because she was with an unrelated male when they were attacked.

The Shiite Muslim woman had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes after being convicted of violating Saudi Arabia's rigid Islamic law requiring segregation of the sexes.

But in considering her appeal of the verdict, the Saudi General Court increased the punishment. It also roughly doubled prison sentences for the seven men convicted of raping the woman, Saudi news media said last week.

They'd get along peachily with this country's right wing - like related peas in a pod.

Less Talk, More Leadership

More Dodd:

"Today's revelations by Mr. McClellan are very disturbing and raise several important questions that need to be answered. If in fact the President of the United of States knowingly instructed his chief spokesman to mislead the American people, there can be no more fundamental betrayal of the public trust.

"During his confirmation process, Attorney General Mukasey said he would act independently. Accordingly, today, I call on the Attorney General to live up to his word and launch an immediate investigation to determine the facts of this case, the extent of any cover up and determine what the President knew and when he knew it."

Our Elite

Kevin Drum reports so I don't have to, which is good, because I don't want to stab out my eyes.

It's Not That Irony Is Dead

It's just that someone doesn't know what it means:

In a reflective mood as he looks toward his final year in office, President Bush delivered his first official Thanksgiving speech Monday, urging Americans to “show their thanks by giving back” and to remember that “our nation’s greatest strength is the decency and compassion of our people.”

How's that national debt coming along, Mr. No-Tax-and-Spend-for-Me?

Sensible Punditry

Tom "Suck on this" Friedman.

Glenn Greenwald:

As Friedmans' column this morning demonstrates, this is exactly the same mentality which our pundit class continues to embrace today: America can only succeed in the world if we run around constantly threatening countries that we will invade and incinerate them.

Please make him stop.

A Sad Day for the Man Who Puts the 'Laughter' in 'Manslaughter'

I'm taking my birthday back, Chuck.

Thoughts from the Debate

Wolf Blitzer is an asshole.

Not as big of an asshole as Tim Russert, but still an asshole.

You've Had Your Chance

I disagreed with Congressional Democrats decision to give Bush another chance. Bush has been wrong about everything all the time and has never acted in good faith towards his opponents, so there was no reason to believe he would do so now.

It looks like Dems are finally wising up:

In the last several months, however, the administration has been stalling progress on Democratic appointments.

This problem existed before the August break.

In an effort to solve it, I worked hard to confirm over 40 administration nominees in exchange for a commitment by the President to make progress on a number of important commissions.

When we reconvened after August break, I also worked to quickly move on the President’s new Attorney General.

I did this despite my own opposition to that nominee.

Even with all this hard work on our side, the commitments the administration made to me before August break were not met.

In the almost three months since that break, we have received no Democratic nominees to full-time commission positions.

For some, in fact, absolutely no discernable progress has been made.

With Thanksgiving break looming, the administration informed me that they would make several recess appointments.

I indicated I would be willing to confirm various appointments if the administration would agree to move on Democratic appointments.

They would not make that commitment.

As a result, I am keeping the Senate in pro-forma to prevent recess appointments until we get this process back on track.

Republicans and their cohorts will go on the news and complain about how the big, bad Democrats are preventing ordinary Americans from spending time with their families, but we know that's a ton of crap. We pay their salaries and they can damn well earn them.

1, 2, 3, 4

What are we fighting for?

Like the other Gulf Coast states battered by Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi was required by Congress to spend half of its billions in federal grant money to help low-income citizens trying to recover from the storm.

Dorothy J. McClendon says she fears that no aid will reach her neighborhood in Gulfport, Miss.

But so far, the state has spent $1.7 billion in federal money on programs that have mostly benefited relatively affluent residents and big businesses. The money has gone to compensate many middle- and upper-income homeowners, to aid utility companies whose equipment was damaged and to prop up the state’s insurance system.

Just $167 million, or about 10 percent of the federal money, has been spent on programs dedicated to helping the poor, mostly through a smaller grant program for lower-income homeowners.

Fuck the poor!

FISA Bill Moving Along

It's out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and immunity has yet to be debated on the Senate floor. Christy says:

What all of this means is that the fight on immunity gets saved for the floor of the Senate, at least that is how I’m reading all of this. Which means that it is time for the Presidential candidates to put their leadership on the table. And I don’t mean just Sen. Chris Dodd with everyone else trying to coast along on his coattails. I mean really standing up for the constitution and the rule of law out front and out loud – because real patriots stand up when their nation needs them.

While we’re at it, Sen. Dodd has asked for a hold on this bill. Please take a little time to call Sen. Harry Reid and tell him to respect the hold. You can reach Sen. Reid’s office at (202) 224-3542.

Call. Please. This one's really important.

Markos Gets a Nemesis

Rover!

Newsweek magazine has hired Karl Rove, the former White House deputy chief of staff, to contribute occasional opinion pieces to the print and online versions of the publication.

Rove stepped down from his post in August after a controversial six-year stint as President Bush's senior political adviser. His successful campaign strategies for Bush in 2000 and 2004 have been called into question, and leading Democrats have led investigations into Rove's possible role in the firings of U.S. attorneys and whether he had an undue influence over key decisions made by the federal government, among other concerns.

I can't wait to see the right wing cry foul when Markos smacks Rove around. Heh.

An Exercise in Bullshit

The CPI:

U.S. consumer prices stayed under wraps last month as contained housing and clothing prices offset a big jump in energy costs, suggesting that higher oil prices haven't yet filtered into underlying inflationary pressures.

The data should provide some comfort to Federal Reserve officials worried about the potential inflationary impact of oil and commodity prices as well as the weak dollar.

The consumer price index rose 0.3% in October, the Labor Department said Thursday, matching September's increase. The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, advanced 0.2% for a fifth-straight month. The headline and core gains matched Wall Street expectations, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey.

...

Energy prices last month increased 1.4% compared to September, according to Thursday's report, as did gasoline prices. Electricity prices were up 1.5%. Food prices increased 0.3%.

Medical-care prices, meanwhile, advanced 0.6%. Clothing prices were flat.

Call them volatile all you want, but food and energy are staples of peoples' lives that they can't stop consuming. Clothing, on the other hand, is not something that needs to be replaced at a rate anywhere close to how often you need to replace the food in your stomach or the gas in your car. The same goes for housing. You need a place to live, but you don't need to go out and buy a new house that often.

Housing, which accounts for 40% of the CPI index, was up just 0.2%. Rent increased by 0.5%. Owners' equivalent rent rose 0.2%. Lodging away from home fell 1.5%. Housing-related prices have risen at only a 1.9% annualized rate over the past three months, suggesting that the slowdown in that sector is easing pressure on prices.

Rent is by far the more important indicator since it has a much higher turnover than new home sales does, and more people will become renters as they can no longer afford to pay their mortgages. It's not like we're getting richer either:

In a separate report, the Labor Department said the average weekly earnings of U.S. workers, adjusted for inflation, fell 0.2% in October. Average hourly earnings increased 0.2%, and average weekly hours were flat.

People's quality of life is going to fall. It's true that for most people it never should have been as high as it was - we have cheap debt from China to thank for that - but it's going to fall and people are going to hurt in the process. As they devote a greater percentage of their income to food and energy, some things are going to have to give. Maybe it will be luxury retail goods, clothing and vacations, but maybe it will be houses, healthcare and education. That's not good.

Dirty Fucking Hippie

Warren Buffet:

Warren E. Buffett urged Congress Wednesday to maintain the estate tax, saying that plans to repeal the tax would benefit a handful of the richest American families and widen income disparity in the United States.

Mr. Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, told the Senate Finance Committee that advocates of repeal were “dead wrong” to call the tax a “death tax.”

It would be more appropriate to call it a “death present,” Mr. Buffett, 77, said. “A meaningful estate tax is needed to prevent our democracy from becoming a dynastic plutocracy.”

Why are our leaders and our informers in the media so dumb that they can't grasp this? Is there really a need for more Paris Hiltons and super-wealthy families bankrolling wingnut welfare?

No Immunity for Telcos

Because it's not like they spied on us or anything:

AT&T Inc plans on Wednesday to introduce a nationwide program giving owners of small- and medium-size businesses some of the same tools big security firms offer for remotely monitoring employees, customers and operations, the New York Times said in its online edition.

Under AT&T's Remote Monitor program, a business owner could install adjustable cameras, door sensors and other gadgets at up to five different company locations across the country, the newspaper reported.

Too profitable for their own good.

Tax-and-Spend

Will ruin us:

The economic costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to total $1.6 trillion - roughly double the amount the White House has requested thus far, according to a new report by Democrats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee.

Is it too much to ask for our President should be able to add and subtract?

Less Kumbaya, More Do the Right Thing

Surprised?

President Bush, escalating his budget battle with Congress, on Tuesday vetoed a spending measure for health and education programs prized by congressional Democrats.

He also signed a big increase in the Pentagon's non-war budget although the White House complained it contained "some unnecessary spending."

The president's action was announced on Air Force One as Bush flew to New Albany, Ind., on the Ohio River across from Louisville, Ky., for a speech criticizing the Democratic-led Congress on its budget priorities.

In excerpts of his remarks released in advance by the White House, Bush hammered Democrats for what he called a tax-and-spend philosophy:

You are the Congress, he is one man. Congress legislates and the President executes. I learned this when I was 8, yet our lawmakers and chattering classes in Washington still can't come to grips with this.

I'm not even going to get into the irony of Bush pooh-poohing a tax-and-spend philosophy. Today, at least, irony is back in the grave.

Silly Democrats

The media are not your friends.

"It's transactional -- you have to see what it brings," Mr. Frank said. "But Hubert Humphrey once said, 'Whenever I get cute, I blow it.' That's the same thing I'm saying: if you try to be too political there's a backlash."

That backlash is evident: Congress's approval rating has fallen from 31% in March to 19% this month in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

A year after returning to power, House Democrats are at a crossroads. The party's early agenda -- tougher ethics rules, a minimum-wage increase and more aid for college students -- is largely in place. To go further, the majority must overcome not just presidential vetoes but the often-crippling partisan bitterness left from 12 years under Republican rule.

Congress' approval rating has fallen not because of partisan bitterness, but because it's not standing up to Bush enough. People want Democrats to push progressive values and policies, not this mush-centrist-kumbaya that Washington keeps egging on. Democrats have so far failed to deliver on Iraq, the biggest issue of the day (even though the media selectively chooses to ignore it). That is why Congress' ratings are in the shitter.

Democrats were elected to lead. They have yet to live up to that mandate.

Egads!

You just stepped in a pile of David Brooks!

The Party of Awful

You guessed it:

Antiwar veterans who attempted to march in a Veterans Day Parade Saturday in Long Beach were banned by organizers who said the parade is supposed to thank veterans and not serve as a political demonstration. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out were prevented from joining the annual parade down Atlantic Avenue and restricted to a nearby parking lot, officials said. Organizers said the groups were trying to push a political agenda at an event to honor veterans. Earlier this week, the Veterans Day Parade Committee rejected their applications to participate, according to the Long Beach Press- Telegram. "This is not a political event, this is a time to come and just say thank you to all veterans," said Long Beach City Councilman Val Lerch, who also was on the parade committee.

I got nothin.

Congress Overrides Bush's Veto on Water Resources Bill

Suck it, Bush:

President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency Thursday as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects.

The vote was 79-14 to pass the bill. Enactment was a foregone conclusion, but it still marked a milestone for a president who spent his first six years with a much friendlier Congress controlled by his Republican Party. Now he confronts a more hostile, Democratic-controlled legislature, and Thursday's vote showed that even many Republicans will defy him on spending matters dear to their political careers.

The bill funds hundreds of Army Corps of Engineers projects, such as dams, sewage plants and beach restoration, that are important to local communities and their representatives. It also includes money for the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast and for Florida Everglades restoration efforts.

Why would he veto something like that in the first place? It's because it follows either the conservative principle of "government should stay out of people's lives" or the conservative principle of "it funds the Army, not my rich, profiteering buddies."

I'm a little worried about how Bush will react. He'll make some speech about how he's disappointed with everyone who voted for the bill, but then he'll probably do something to reassert his deciderer power, which could mean very bad things. We've never seen his ego bruised in this way and who knows how he'll lash out.

Values Voters

Which values are those?

Rudy Giuliani Wednesday morning won the endorsement of the Rev. Pat Robertson, one of the evangelical Christian movement's most recognizable leaders, who said he put aside his differences with Giuliani over abortion because he believes the ex-mayor will appoint staunchly conservative judges.

Robertson also said he is backing Giuliani because "to me, the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists. . . . We need a leader with a bold vision who is not afraid to tackle the challenges ahead."

The values of a thrice-divorced, mob-tied, racist, hypocritical bloodthirsty lunatic.

I'm grateful to Pat Robertson for confirming that the religious right is completely morally bankrupt.

Now I'm just waiting for Daddy Dobson to endorse.

Irony Is Dead

Where do I even start?

Five authors have sued the parent company of Regnery Publishing, a Washington imprint of conservative books, charging that the company deprives its writers of royalties by selling their books at a steep discount to book clubs and other organizations owned by the same parent company.

Is it that the company is engaging in conservative-approved free market, hyper-capitalist practices? Is it that the authors are resorting to going to the courts? (torts! Get me my smelling salts!!!) Or is it that one of them wrote a book titled "Treachery: How America's Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies"?

I'll let you know as soon as I can stop laughing.

Psychopath

(n.) Someone who lacks empathy. E.g. a Republican, or conservative.

The GAO Writes a Report

Bush Admin still doesn't care about properly disposing of nuclear waste.

I'm all for nuclear energy, but also for cleaning up after yourself.

Hunter Rant

You read.

Why Won't You Let Me President?

Just leave me alone!!!!

An increasingly confrontational President Bush on Friday vetoed a bill authorizing hundreds of popular water projects even though lawmakers can count enough votes to override him.

Bush brushed aside significant objections from Capitol Hill, even from Republicans, in thwarting legislation that provides money for projects like repairing hurricane damage, restoring wetlands and preventing flooding in communities across the nation.

This level of opposition virtually assured that Bush would have a veto overridden for the first time in his presidency. He has used the veto very sparingly for most of the time he has been in office, but has made more use of it recently.

Recently = legislation no longer passed by a slavish GOP-controlled Congress.

Update: Bush vetoed the bill. Asshole.

I Fail History? That Didn't Happen

Bush:

President Bush compared Congress' Democratic leaders Thursday with people who ignored the rise of Lenin and Hitler early in the last century, saying "the world paid a terrible price" then and risks similar consequences for inaction today.

Bush accused Congress of stalling important pieces of the fight to prevent new terrorist attacks by: dragging out and possibly jeopardizing confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general, a key part of his national security team; failing to act on a bill governing eavesdropping on terrorist suspects; and moving too slowly to approve spending measures for the Iraq war, Pentagon and veterans programs.

It's a Super Duper Summer Blockbuster Smash about fighting Robo-Zombie Nazis, and Bush has been cast as the Deciderer Commander Kickass Dude. Let him play his part.

Finding Mukasey

Yglesias draws a good bead.

MoDo MustGo

Now.

Hillary's like soooo loser.

Please stop hurting our discourse.

Please, Oh Please

Don't let the Fed cut rates again:

U.S. stocks coasted higher Wednesday, with investors cheered by thoughts the day could bring another interest-rate reduction by the Federal Reserve.

With a decision due at 2:15 p.m. Eastern, consensus estimates say the central bank will cap a two-day Federal Open Market Committee gathering by trimming rates a quarter-point to 4.5%, following up on a 50-point cut in September.

"Today all eyes are on the FOMC. We expect [a] 25 basis point cut with further action likely as the economy slips through quarter two of 2008," said Tom Di Galoma, head of U.S. Treasury trading at Jefferies & Co. Inc.

Others agreed. "I think the market will get the treat" of the rate cut, said John Derrick of U.S. Global Investors.

This is one of the most colossally stupid things I've ever heard. They've been good, little financial worker bees, so they deserve a big ole rate cut just in time to get their big fat bonuses!!!! Yeah!!!

No. The market is insane if it thinks the Fed will cut rates, and the Fed may very well be insane if it lets itself be held captive to the market's - and all its participants - desire for a fatter paycheck.

Considering what actual inflation - food and energy, not this inflation ex-inflation bullshit analysts have been trying to push off on us - has been doing, the Fed should do its job and try to rein in inflation, not let it run wild.

Furthermore, there is another very tangible downside to cutting rates - further accelerating the dollar's decline. That means lots of pain for everyone. Keep reading the Big Picture post for more or see this Reuters article:

OPEC is likely to discuss creating a basket of currencies for oil pricing at its next summit due to the steady decline in the dollar, Venezuela's Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said on Friday.

"The need to establish a basket of currencies ... will probably be a point of discussion in the next OPEC summit," Ramirez told reporters during an evening event in the presidential palace.

"The dollar as a benchmark currency has been weakening quite a lot and it creates distortions in oil markets."

Lower rates means lower interest earned. If that's the case, then foreign government don't have the incentive to hold U.S. securities or U.S. dollars. People sell dollars, which causes the price of the dollar to decline, which means Americans have less purchasing power.

A weaker dollar also doesn't help oil exporting countries, who have thus far exported in dollars, or the petrodollar. Why does this matter to us? Because they're sure to switch to more reliable currencies, like the Euro, since keeping their exports denominated in dollars will cause their profits to decline. When that happens, the U.S. will need to spend more money on exchanging dollars to purchase oil, which means the price of gas will go up even further.

So, what's the Fed gonna do? Give the kids Halloween candy that will later give them cavities, or show a little responsibility?

Update: Stupid, irresponsible Fed:

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 4.5 percent to cushion the U.S. economy from the housing recession that officials predict will extend into next year.

...

"The committee judges that, after this action, the upside risks to inflation roughly balance the downside risks to growth.''

Paul Volcker needs to Schoolhouse Rock Bernanke on the 1980s. Now.

Fun with Blackwater

Standing down so they can stand up:

Iraqi politicians are moving quickly to rescind a three-year-old decree that gives foreign security companies immunity from local law. The push comes less than two months after Blackwater USA employees killed 17 Iraqis in Baghdad, igniting a diplomatic firestorm.

While the Iraqi cabinet approved a draft law yesterday that would make contractors subject to Iraqi law, politicians in the U.S. questioned why the State Department may have granted limited immunity to several Blackwater guards involved in the Sept. 16 shooting. The Iraqi government has called the shooting unprovoked.

I wonder what Boy Bush will have to say about this. But about that immunity,

So I just learned on CNN that the State Department offered immunity to the Blackwater guards. That they don't have the power to do it. That they did it anyway. That senior State people didn't sign off on this thing they didn't have the power to do. This thing they didn't have the power to do will inhibit any efforts to prosecute them.

Is every part of this administration FUBAR?

Yes, I already know the answer to that question.

Worst Legislation Ever

The Telecom Act of 1996. Made it possible for a company to own more than one of each TV/radio station in an area. It gave us crap like this:

Republican radio network Clear Channel, a monopoly in many cities and a dominant player in most of the rest, isn't interested. Is it because Springsteen has been an outspoken campaigner for Democrats and progressives? Clear Channel has taken a political stand with its programming in the past. Just think back to their boycott of the Dixie Chicks. Oh, no... not way back, just back to when they released their most recent album. Despite being one of the top 10 best-selling American albums of the year-- across all genres and demographics-- radio studiously ignored it. There were maybe half a dozen country stations that even played it at all. What Clear Channel did to the Dixie Chicks is a watertight case for the need to break the media companies up into a thousand pieces.

Thanks assholes!

We're Doomed

So says Krugman.

It's telling to the degree which the Beltway media is focused on the navel-gazing aspects and the aspects that only matter to people as cynical and focused on the superficial minutiae as much as they are.

And yet I wonder why CNN makes my head hurt.

WAAAAAHHH!!!!!

Everybody's being mean and not doing what I want them to do!!!!

President Bush blasted the Democratic-controlled Congress on Tuesday for having "the worst record in 20 years."

"Congress is not getting it's work done," President Bush said on Tuesday.

"Congress is not getting it's work done," Bush said, flanked by members of the Republican House leadership. "The House of Representatives has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations, and the Senate has wasted valuable time on an endless series of failed votes to pull our troops out of Iraq."

Does this article once bother to mention the constant threat of Bush's veto or the most obstructionist Senate minority ever? No.

Bush is a joke and if he makes statements like that he should only be able to air them in a platform where he is subject to only ridicule, instead of elevated like an actual statesman.

Obama's Campaign Loses It

Atrios:

Part of the reason that we have had a faith outreach in our campaigns is precisely because I don't think the LGBT community or the Democratic Party is served by being hermetically sealed from the faith community and not in dialogue with a substantial portion of the electorate, even though we may disagree with them.

Aside from the adoption of right wing frames, this kind of statement is incredibly insulting to both the LGBT community who are apparently "hermetically sealed from the faith community" and to the "faith community" which is apparently defined as nothing more than a bunch of anti-gay bigots. Not to mention the Democratic Party, which apparently includes no actual religious people.

It's really just insulting to everyone, with a touch of "shut the hell up I know best."

John Aravosis:

So, in the end, Obama let his "best" and "favorite" artist slam gays to thousands of African-Americans, in his name, and neither he nor his hand-chosen white gay preacher said anything in response. Class act, that Obama campaign. For them, creating a "dialogue" means the gay-basher gets to spread his bigotry to thousands while the candidate and the token gay STFU.

This campaign needs to be restarted or retired.

Real, Clear Leadership

Dodd:

"Mr. Mukasey's position that the President does not have to heed the law disqualifies him from being the chief attorney for the United States. We have seen for too long, and at great expense to our national security, an Administration that has systematically attacked the rule of law and turned our Justice Department into a political wing of the White House. I'm afraid that Mr. Mukasey as Attorney General would be more of the same."

Before I become a complete hack, let me point out I think that any of the top-tier Democrats would make fine presidents and I will vote for whoever wins the nomination. However, Dodd would be better. His statements demonstrate that he understands how to communicate crisply and effectively - one of the most important things a person can do.

Holy Joe Is Down and Dirty

Surprised?

Contributions from associates and friends of now-indicted garbage executive James Galante to the 2004 presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman have sparked the interest of federal investigators.

Lieberman's bid for the White House took in at least $14,000 from Galante, his associates and their relatives in the fall of 2003, according to a Courant review of campaign records.

The contributions to Lieberman, a longtime Democrat who became an independent in 2006, are similar to allegedly bundled contributions to three Republican officeholders that earlier this month led to state charges against Galante, who is also facing a 2006 federal racketeering indictment.

Go home, Joe. You're stupid and ugly and nobody likes you.

Waaahhh!!!!

Deciderer in Command:

President George W. Bush said Congress has failed to complete work on a host of important spending measures while wasting time resending him legislation he has already vetoed.

``This is not what congressional leaders promised when they took control of Congress earlier this year,'' Bush said at the White House. ``With only a few weeks left on the legislative calendar, Congress needs to keep their promise to stop wasting time and get essential work done on behalf of the American people.''

He said he still objects to revised legislation that the House passed yesterday to expand a U.S. children's health insurance program.

``It costs more over the next five years than the one I vetoed,'' he said.

He's such a whiny ass titty baby. The country doesn't like you, Mr. 28%, so get over it.

Still Hating the Children

Bush:

President Bush will veto the House's latest attempt to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program if it reaches his desk, the White House said Thursday.

The Office of Management and Budget said the bill, expected to face a House vote Thursday, doesn't address Mr. Bush's objections to the previous SCHIP bill, which he vetoed earlier this month. In a statement of administration policy, OMB complained that the bill would expand SCHIP coverage without assuring that poor children are already enrolled in the program, provide coverage for adults through 2012, move children away from private health insurance and cost more than the first SCHIP bill.

This is all about Bush and his war on everyone who disagrees with him on anything. Maybe he thinks this war is one he can win.

My Favorite Congressperson

Henry Waxman.

I want mah contempt charges filed!

Democracy

Just the way Bush likes it:

Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House oversight committee, said Thursday that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has issued an order requiring his approval of any corruption investigations of himself or senior ministry officials.

Waxman, D-Calif., said the order essentially grants immunity to al-Maliki and his ministry at a time when fraud and abuse is rampant and hurting reconstruction efforts.

h/t Atrios.

Leadership

Dodd:

Contrast Dodd's leadership and conviction on this matter with the complete passivity and invisibility of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Both candidates finally issued statements last night purporting to set forth their views on telecom amnesty and the FISA bill -- but did so only because they were forced to, after they learned that several blogs, in conjunction with MoveOn, intended to launch efforts today to pressure their campaigns finally to say where they stood on the Dodd filibuster.

Whatever that is, it's the opposite of "leadership." And it is this passivity and amorphous, shapeless, inspiration-free invisibility that has come increasingly to characterize both of their campaigns, along with the leadership of their party. That is why Dodd's relatively mild actions have generated such intense enthusaism and support -- a drop of water to someone stranded in the desert will seem like a royal feast.

I've pointed out his leadership before, but I think my mind is settled now: I'm voting for Chris Dodd in the primary.

Kerrey Not In

Hmm.

Ending months of speculation, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) announced this morning that he will not be a candidate for Senate in 2008.

He's a mixed bag. Be interesting to see who emerges as the Democratic nominee.

No One Could Have Anticipated...

This week's edition:

Turkish warplanes and helicopter gunships attacked positions of Kurdish rebels along its rugged border with Iraq Wednesday, as Turkey's military stepped up its antirebel operations.

The warplanes and helicopter gunships bombed mountain paths in Turkey used by rebels to infiltrate from neighboring Iraq, Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

It's just a comma.

Differences between Progressives and Conservatives

Progressives form their opinions and values based on reality. Conservatives form their reality based on their opinions and values.

The White House severely edited congressional testimony given Tuesday by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the impact of climate change on health, removing specific scientific references to potential health risks, according to two sources familiar with the documents.

Sunshine in America! Because we want it to be that way!

Cowards

What Digby said.

Funny

When he says things like this:

“Congress should not go home for the holidays while our troops are still waiting for the funds they need,”

As someone points out:

AP noted that the President has spent 409 days of his Presidency on vacation at the Crawford "ranch." Maybe some folks think that's a little excessive out of about 2300 days, I'm not so sure. I wonder if the nation wouldn't be in better shape if the numbers were reversed since 18% isn't a real big percentage although it does average out to 3 months per year - most of us might get 2 weeks or .4%. I know, he has a tough job - too bad he's so bad at it.

Clap louder.

Still Funnier

The left. By far.

Senile

John McCain:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain outlined a proposal on Thursday to revamp the U.S. health care system by providing Americans with a refundable $2,500 tax credit as an incentive to buy insurance.

What world is he living in where $2,500 a year is enough to provide you with health coverage? Is he out of his mind? If you're lucky that can cover you for a few months at most. All these "voluntary" programs do is ensure that people opt out, which leads to 1. premiums rising because of the greater risk inherent in a smaller coverage universe, and 2. more expensive emergency care because of less reliance on cheaper preventative care.

If he's trying to play to the frothing-at-the-mouth free market fundamentalists who run the party, he's got it all wrong. If that was the case his plan should be: cut taxes, give you more money to pay for health insurance.

Things That Will Never Happen

Reuters:

The United Nations called on the United States government on Thursday to ensure that any U.S. private contractors committing offences in Iraq are prosecuted.

The killing of 17 Iraqis in a shooting involving U.S. security firm Blackwater last month has created tensions between Baghdad and Washington and sparked calls for tighter controls on private contractors, who are immune from prosecution in Iraq.

In a new human rights report, the U.N. mission in Iraq urged "U.S. authorities to investigate reports of deaths caused by privately hired contractors and establish effective mechanisms for holding them accountable for where the circumstances surrounding the killings show no justifiable cause".

I wonder why...

Enough is Enough

Even Time realizes Republicans have jumped the shark:

In short, just as the radio spot claimed, the Frosts are precisely the kind of people that the SCHIP program was intended to help.

...

Politics has never been a gentle game. As far back as 1895, satirist Finley Peter Dunne's fictional saloonkeeper Martin Dooley observed that women, children and prohibitionists would do well to stay out of it, because "politics ain't beanbag." But surely, even Mr. Dooley could never have imagined a day would come when a mere seventh grader could be swift-boated.

As has been pointed out before, this is about their tribalism, and anyone who attacks their leader will feel the full brunt of their wrath. They revel in their orgy-like bonding and collective venting of rage. We're past the point where society should recognize these brutish and nasty tendencies for what they are and work to exclude people who act in such a manner.

The longer this goes on the larger the pit of ice in my stomach grows.

Get Over It

Somehow this is still news:

Federal authorities seized a collection of fine wines and a saxophone autographed by President Clinton from the New York apartment of Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, according to newspaper reports published Thursday.

The wine collection included dozens of bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, vintage Cristal champagne, and a variety of California wines. Experts said the collection could be worth up to $100,000.

"I wish I had this collection," wine-industry consultant and University of California professor Robert Yetman told the Los Angeles Times. "It's a little showy, but nice."

Anything to give a Democrat the taint of sleaziness, even when it obviously isn't there. Stop sniffing Hillary's panties.

Jumping the Shark

I'm sure I'll say this again sooner than I expect to, and I might have already said this, but this week will be memorialized as the moment the Republican party jumped the shark.

So when Democrats enlisted 12-year-old Graeme Frost, who along with a younger sister relied on the program for treatment of severe brain injuries suffered in a car crash, to give the response to Mr. Bush’s weekly radio address on Sept. 29, Republican opponents quickly accused them of exploiting the boy to score political points.

Then, they wasted little time in going after him to score their own.

In recent days, Graeme and his family have been attacked by conservative bloggers and other critics of the Democrats’ plan to expand the insurance program, known as S-chip. They scrutinized the family’s income and assets — even alleged the counters in their kitchen to be granite — and declared that the Frosts did not seem needy enough for government benefits.

I don't have anything original to say about this (I'll link to Digby! as an example), but Republicans and their cohorts have hit a new all-time low and they're continuing to dig. They're now a parody of themselves.

Hi Mr. Kettle!

Why, hello, Mr. Pot!

A Myanmar opposition leader who was arrested during last month's mass protests against the junta died due to torture during interrogation, an activist group said on Wednesday.

In Washington, the United States threatened new sanctions against Myanmar after media reports of the death of Win Shwe.

"The junta must stop the brutal treatment of its people and peacefully transition to democracy or face new sanctions from the United States," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.

We're now the laughing stock of Myanmar. Way-to-go Bush.

Can Thomas Friedman remind me why we're not bashing these guys' doors down and telling them to "suck on this" again? Because, we can, you know, do that.

The More They Hate It

They more they're projecting their own self-loathing onto others.

Makes you wonder if this is Bill O'Reilly's snuggle-buddy.

Assholosphere

Indeed.

Heh

That's about the level of our discourse.

Not Good Enough

Legislate harder. Granting immunity to the telcos means Bush wins and America loses.

Can't Help Thinking About Me

Beltway.

President Pissypants

I can't believe this (wait, yes I can, it's just Monday morning and I'm not yet completely awake):

"Everybody wants children to have health insurance," Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "The president has already said, 'I want a compromise.'"

Mr. Leavitt added, "If it takes more money, we'll put it up." He did not cite a figure.

Mr. Bush vetoed legislation last week that would increase spending for the State Children's Health Insurance Program by $35 billion over five years. Mr. Bush has called for a $5 billion increase.

Compromise? Congress has already compromised this bill and whittled it down to 1/3 of the originally proposed spending. It has enough support in the Senate to override a veto. What this is about is Bush's ego. He wants to do what his idea is because it's his and so no one will be able take the limelight away from him. He's willing to let children and their families suffer because he's the Decider Guy. It's not that Bush hates children - although he does - it's that he loves himself.

Update: Conservatives continue to stand with Bush and continue to be awful human beings.

General Hack

This calls for more MoveOn ads:

The U.S. military commander in Iraq stepped up accusations over the weekend that Iran was inciting violence there and said Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad was a member of the Revolutionary Guards Qods force.

...

General David Petraeus, speaking at a U.S. military base about 30 km (20 miles) from the Iranian border on Saturday, said Iran was giving militia groups advanced weaponry and guidance.

"They are responsible for providing the weapons, the training, the funding and in some cases the direction for operations that have indeed killed U.S. soldiers," Petraeus told a group of reporters when asked if the Iranian government was responsible for killing U.S. troops.

Since allowing himself to become a mouthpiece for the Bush administration, Petraeus has lost all credibility. Prior scaremongering tactics about Iranian intervention has already been debunked; similarly, a skeptical eye should be turned towards this. If Petraeus is worried about where militia groups got a hold of advanced weaponry, he might want to spend some time pondering about the huge U.S. weapons stores that magically disappeared, like magical September.