9/11!! Terror!!!! IRAQ!!!!!!

Therefore, do whatever we tell you!!!

U.S. authorities racing to find three kidnapped American soldiers in Iraq last May labored for nearly 10 hours to get legal authority for wiretaps to help in the hunt, an intelligence official told Congress on Thursday.

The top U.S. spy agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, sent Congress a timeline detailing the wiretap effort as the Bush administration makes its case to wary Democrats for a permanent expansion of its authority to eavesdrop on the foreign communications of terrorism suspects.

"In order to comply with the law, the government was required to spend valuable time obtaining an emergency authorization ... to engage in collection related to the kidnapping," Ronald Burgess, principle deputy director to McConnell, said in a letter to U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes.

This is nothing but a sack full of disgraceful lies.

The illegal wiretapping that Bushco is trying to set up retroactive immunity to only applies to eavesdropping on the domestic communications of U.S. citizens. The government has always had the power to wiretap in other cases.

According to Reuters, McConnell said "the targeted foreign communications were carried in part on a wire inside the United States", which makes no sense, since these American soldiers were in Iraq, unless you consider McConnell's true motive, which is the ability to spy on U.S. citizens so they can crack down on domestic dissent.

I hope Congress doesn't give into the terror inspired by the Bush administration and instead cracks down on its unlawful activities.

The Problem with Privatization

There's only one thing they care about, and it's not providing that good or service:

The private security firm Blackwater USA brushed aside warnings from another security firm and focused on cost, not safety, before it sent its personnel to escort trucks to Fallujah in 2004, resulting in four American deaths that marked a major turning point in the war, a congressional report said yesterday.

The report comes as Blackwater -- the State Department's prime security force -- faces new scrutiny for its role this month in the killing of at least 11 Iraqis. Citing e-mails, fresh interviews and previously undisclosed incident reports, the report by the majority staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform provides details about how cost considerations appeared to shape Blackwater's decisions that led to the brutal deaths of its employees at the hands of insurgents on March 31, 2004.

For example, the assessment said that Blackwater, then operating under a Defense Department contract, was supposed to use vehicles with armored protection kits, but as of the date of the killings, no such vehicles had been obtained. A Blackwater internal report obtained by the committee quoted an employee who said the contract "paid for armor vehicles" but that "management in North Carolina . . . made the decision to go with soft skin due to cost."

Whatever. Larry Kudlow and Megan McArdle tell me if I don't believe that government's true purpose to is to make lots of money for people who already have lots of money, I'm a treasonous Commie bastard. Because they have megaphones, what they say must be true.

Thanks Bush!

You made sure this war would happen:

The time has come to get rid of him. That's the way it is. For my part, I will try, from now on, to use the most subtle rhetoric possible, while we seel approval of the resolution. If somebody vetoes it [Russia, China and France, alongside the US and UK, have veto power as permanent members of the Security Council], we will go [into Iraq?]. Saddam Hussein is not disarming. We must get him right now.

That's right, you made this happen:

A U.S. soldier broke down in tears Thursday as he testified that he was ordered to shoot an unarmed Iraqi man, and that his sergeant laughed and told the trooper to finish the job as the man convulsed on the ground.

Are you proud? You sick fuck.

Still Don't Get It

Someone needs to clock the Beltway upside the head:

Tim Russert did a great job of pressing the candidates for specific answers to his questions in Wednesday night’s MSNBC debate from Dartmouth College. He drilled in on the front-runner, Mrs. Clinton, and this debate was striking for how often she resisted being nailed down on several topics.

In the earlier debates, when she refused to answer what she said were hypothetical questions, she was praised for her experience and judgment, especially compared with Mr. Obama. But tonight, there seemed to be a pile-up of unanswered questions. No doubt there is a YouTuber out there now who is stringing those non-answers together.

Her final answer captured the dynamic, when she was asked whom she would support in a (hypothetical) World Series between the Yankees and the Chicago Cubs. Well, she said, gazing at the ceiling, she would have to alternate between the two.

If Tim Russert did a great job he wouldn't have dared to ask a question about the World Series. If these sycophantic courtiers could stop their decades-long circle jerk maybe they'd realize how out of touch they are with reality. I know, it's a pipe dream. And then there's gems like this:

Mrs. Clinton may have taken her biggest hits on universal health care, an issue she commandeered 15 years ago but failed to get through Congress. Though every candidate on the stage agreed with Mrs. Clinton's declaration that "I intend to be the health-care president," several of them suggested she was too polarizing of a figure to garner the Republican support needed to pass major legislation in Congress.

It's not that healthcare isn't important, but what our Very Smart People in Washington and the media fail to understand is that there is only one issue that will drive this election: Iraq. I'm no orthodontist and honestly am not sophisticated enough to understand the intrigue and allure of the cocktail weenie world of the Beltway, but I understand that a war that is: 1. Killing thousands and wounding tens of thousands of our troops 2. Killing hundreds of thousands, if not more, and ruining the lives of millions of Iraqis 3. Destroying the U.S.' image in the world and ratcheting up anti-American sentiment, and 4. Breaking the bank at home, which finds its way onto the backs of average Americans, is going to be the most important issue on everyone's mind. The only people who don't understand that are the David Broders of the world who tell us what we should think and the politicans who listen to them.

Verizon Bars NARAL's Texting

This is highly controversial:

Verizon Wireless is refusing to carry text messages from a prominent abortion-rights group, citing its internal restrictions on content that is "highly controversial," the carrier said.

Naral Pro-Choice America requested that Verizon Wireless and other carriers distribute its text messages that users sign up for by sending a message to a five- or six-digit number called a "short code." The program is used by many companies and other groups to distribute short text messages for marketing and other purposes.

Verizon Wireless -- owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and the United Kingdom's Vodafone Group PLC -- rejected Naral's request, citing the carrier's "code of content," which prohibits controversial content.

The move sparked outrage from Naral. "Regardless of people's political views, Verizon customers should be able to decide how to use their phones for political action," said Ted Miller, a Naral spokesman. "Verizon shouldn't make that choice for them. Verizon shouldn't be allowed to arbitrarily censor their activities."

Verizon should not have the right to do this. As long as NARAL isn't inconveniencing anyone with their texts - they're not, you have to sign up here to receive them - and subscribers are paying for them, Verizon should not be able to have a say in the content that's transmitted over their service. All NARAL is doing is keeping its members up-to-date on abortion-related news and encouraging activism.

Corporations should not be allowed to be unfettered entities. When they run up against democracy they must be restrained. This is no different from a restaurant refusing to serve someone because of the color of his skin. If Verizon can do this legally we need to rush to pass common carrier standards.

Let's not even get started on the blatant hypocrisy. Do you think Verizon would be in such a rush if these were pro-forced childbirth texts? Furthermore, the women's rights activists aren't the ones who are setting up billboards and other graphic demonstrations that might offend people.

Update: look like they've had enough:

But the company reversed course this morning, saying it had made a mistake.

“The decision to not allow text messaging on an important, though sensitive, public policy issue was incorrect, and we have fixed the process that led to this isolated incident,” Jeffrey Nelson, a company spokesman, said in a statement.

Support net neutrality.

Will the Real Ed Murrow Stand Up?

No, not you.

Blackwater

Didn't think it was this ridiculous and corrupt, but that's probably because I wasn't thinking.

We need to make sure Democrats don't capitulate and grant retroactive immunity to any of these [insert expletive(s) here].

Go Home, Joe

Jim Webb:

On the Senate floor today, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) made an impassioned appeal to his fellow senators, declaring that the Lieberman-Kyl amendment on Iran should be “withdrawn” because the “proposal is Dick Cheney’s fondest pipe dream.” Webb cautioned that the “cleverly-worded sense of the Congress” could be “interpreted” to “declare war” on Iran. He continued:

Those who regret their vote five years ago to authorize military action in Iraq should think hard before supporting this approach. Because, in my view, it has the same potential to do harm where many are seeking to do good.

“At best, it’s a deliberate attempt to divert attention from a failed diplomatic policy,” said Webb. “At worst, it could be read as a backdoor method of gaining Congressional validation for military action, without one hearing and without serious debate.”

You're stupid and ugly and nobody likes you.

Magna Carta to be Auctioned

A 13th-century copy of the Magna Carta is to be offered for sale at Sotheby’s New York for up to $30m, it was announced on Tuesday.

Funny, I think that's the roughly the same amount of money it took to get a Republican majority elected that did away with it.

Link.

They Wouldn't Lie

Would they?

Apparent contradictions are relatively easy to find in the flood of bar charts and trend lines the military produces. Civilian casualty numbers in the Pentagon's latest quarterly report on Iraq last week, for example, differ significantly from those presented by the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, in his recent congressional testimony. Petraeus's chart was limited to numbers of dead, while the Pentagon combined the numbers of dead and wounded -- a figure that should be greater. Yet Petraeus's numbers were higher than the Pentagon's for the months preceding this year's increase of U.S. troops to Iraq, and lower since U.S. operations escalated this summer.

I will evaluate whether or not I should think about not trusting the government in six months time.

Stupidest Pundit Ever

Still Richard "funny guy" Cohen.

Republicans are Idiots

#3 - Republican in the House - Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

The interview begins with her saying that the Moveon ad calling General Petraeus "General Betray Us" was the most horrible thing ever and the NYT is horrible for running it, but Rush Limbaugh calling Chuck Hagel "Senator Betray Us" was ok because he was just saying what he had heard from a caller. The interview steadily devolves from the ridiculous to the sublime.

All Republicans are interested in is trashing anyone who disagrees with them and furthering their own power. Those are the only principles for which they stand.

Tucker Carlson is also an idiot. Cheers to him not being there.

Best Climate Movement Presidenter in Chief Ever

Bush.

Congress to Approve SCHIP Expansion

I'd like to see Mr. 29% veto this:

The expansion would be funded by higher taxes on tobacco products -- a move the president opposes. Bush has also decried what he describes as a "step toward federalization of health care."

The House is expected to vote on the bill Tuesday, with the Senate considering the bill later in the week. Observers are watching to see if the chambers can reach the two-thirds majority of votes needed to override a veto.

Then again, it's not as if there's anywhere else he can go.

Predicating the Future

Bush:

President Bush, breaking his rule not to talk about presidential politics, says he believes Hillary Rodham Clinton will defeat Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries. Bush also predicts that Clinton will be defeated in the general election by the Republican nominee.

"I believe our candidate can beat her but it's going to be a tough race," the president said.

Considering he's been wrong about everything so far, this is great news!

Reruns

Been there, done that:

The Bush administration said Monday the only way to permanently fix Social Security is through some combination of benefit cuts and tax increases.

That was one of the key findings in a new paper on Social Security released by the Treasury Department in an effort to achieve common ground on the politically explosive issue.

"Social Security can be made permanently solvent only by reducing the present value of scheduled benefits and/or increasing the present value of scheduled tax increases," the paper said. The Treasury paper said that while other changes to the giant benefit program might be desirable "only these changes can restore solvency permanently."

Al Gore solved this problem before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. It's called a lockbox.

Let the Man Speak

If you've seen any news media today, I'm sure you've caught a headline, snippet or photo of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I can't help but feel disappointed at the vitriol and hatred that is filling this country over this man.

It's still unclear to me what his claim to infamy is; the worst I can see is that he's a holocaust denier, which, for me, puts him in the same bag as flat earthers. However, Ahmadinejad isn't anti-Jewish - Iran has a sizable Jewish population that lives under perfectly acceptable conditions - so it must be that he's anti-Israel. I know this isn't news; the U.S. has a history of being rabidly pro-Israel, but at the end of the day Israel is not the 51st state and the U.S. has no obligation to make Israel's enemies into the U.S.'s enemies. Furthermore, it's not like Israel is a saintly country that has never done wrong. Yet, this dishonest intertwining of Israel's bogeymen and our own has tainted this country for far too long. Glenn Greenwald asks the right question:

[I]sn't it long past time to have the discussion about the extent to which the U.S. is willing to wage war on behalf of Israel's interests? Do Americans really think that Iranian hostility towards Israel or its support for "terrorists groups" that are hostile to Israel are grounds for declaring Iran to be our Enemy or waging war against them? If so, then let proponents of war with Iran make that case expressly.

All this fear and hatred has contributed to preventing Ahmadinejad to visit Ground Zero and attempting to preventing him from speaking at Columbia University. Last year Columbia canceled an invitation to him after pressure from Jewish groups, but this year he will speak. Columbia usually handles these things horribly, but this time I'm glad they made the right decision and stuck to it (full disclosure: I'm an alum). Like the man or not, Ahmadinejad is a world leader and should have a platform with which to air his views and have them questioned.

I want to know what is so horrible about this man that he shouldn't even be allowed to speak. Has this country become so blinded by lies and weak that we can't bear to listen to the point of view of someone who disagrees with us?

As Expected

Powerless:

Iraq said on Monday no action would be taken against U.S. private security firm Blackwater over a shooting in which 11 people were killed until after a joint investigation with U.S. officials.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had vowed to freeze the work of Blackwater, which guards the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, and prosecute its staff over what he termed a "flagrant assault" eight days ago but Iraq has since appeared to soften its stand.

I'm beginning to think we should actually be thankful that the occupation hasn't been as horrible as it could have been. I know this means my standards have sunk into the quagmire we call Iraq, but if the majority of the populace ever got it into their heads that they hated the U.S. enough to take physical action, we'd be in even more trouble.

The World According to Your Media (Redux)

This TPM reader nailed it much better than I put it (admittedly, not a difficult feat):

Last night, news broke that the FBI had been taping phone calls placed to the senior Republican in the United States Senate as part of a bribery investigation stretching back more than a year. In fact, the man alleged to have bribed the senator is cooperating with investigators, and the calls recorded included some he placed at the FBI's behest.

The Washington Post, always eager to cover political stories of national import, ran the news on page A10. Most papers gave it similar prominence, if they ran the item it at all.

Contrast that to the (admittedly luried) tale of Norman Hsu, fronted by papers around the nation. That was a case of a major donor to Democratic figures who turned out (unbeknownst to the politicians to whom he donated) to be a crook and a fraud. That's big news. But when a businessman who is a major donor to Republican politicians turns out to be a crook and a fraud, and some of the nation's senior legislators are revealed to have knowingly accepted his bribes and funneled him earmarks in return, it's hardly worth mentioning.

Where's the outrage?

A Sad Day for High Journalism

And a happy day for the peons! Krugman enters the fever swamp blogosphere!

You're Not the Boss of Me!

As expected,

American convoys under the protection of Blackwater USA resumed on Friday, four days after the U.S. Embassy suspended all land travel by its diplomats and other civilian officials in response to the alleged killing of civilians by the security firm.

A top aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had earlier conceded it may prove difficult for the Iraqi government to follow through on threats to expel Blackwater and other Western security contractors.

Way to convince Iraqis their government has power and isn't a total U.S. puppet.

Fighting the Ads at Home

So we don't have to worry about fighting the terrorists over there:

Chris Dodd: "It is a sad day in the Senate when we spend hours debating an ad while our young people are dying in Iraq. Now that the Senate has twice voted on this ad, it is time to move on and vote to end the war."

Take a moment to tell your Senators that it's time to move on and vote to end the war in Iraq.

Update: I failed to mention that Senator Dodd voted against the Cornyn amendment, which condemned the MoveOn ad and was passed by a vote of 72-25.

Remember, being a Republican means never having to say you're sorry. And it also means no one can say bad things about you. Potty-mouthed-America-hating-bastards.

Nice to see Dodd leading again.

The Ad! that will destroy America. I'm committing treason by even mentioning it. John Cornyn and his box turtle are coming! Duck and cover!

Loving the War

Means never having to say you were wrong:

Way back at the beginning, McCain was a charter member of the “Iraqi-people-will-greet-us-as-liberators” club. Then he made his first trip to the war zone in August of 2003, and came back very worried about the way things were going. “If we do not meaningfully improve services and security in Iraq over the next few months, it may be too late,” he wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. And after that deadline passed with no plans for sending additional troops, he simply kept grumbling on Sunday morning talk shows and making speeches to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Now McCain sees this conflict as a potential “fight for survival,” and at minimum, the only thing standing between the Middle East and “catastrophic consequences and genocide.” If he realized the war was being run so badly, you would really expect a level of dissent somewhat higher than you hear when the issue is, say, inadequate funding for the No Child Left Behind Act. You would figure that McCain would be delivering a passionate speech every single day. Offering amendments that threaten to withdraw funding unless more troops are added. Staging hunger strikes in front of the Washington Monument.

Instead, he helped George Bush get re-elected. Introducing the president to a crowd of soldiers in Fort Lewis, Wash., in 2004, McCain reminded the audience that we were in a fight between good and evil. He warned them that if the terrorists got hold of weapons of mass destruction we would all be toast. As far as how things were going, he said: “Like all wars, this one has had its ups and downs.”

That's all it comes down to. Big, manly Republicans with little, baby egos. They can't admit they got the big one wrong and spin rationalization after fabrication to avoid living up to reality. It's true, admitting you got something as important as this so colossally wrong would destroy your credibility forever, but it's the right thing to do. Instead, our leaders are either willfully ignorant or too insecure to say they were wrong. Their collective fragile psyche is holding Iraq and our troops hostage. When a Republican opposes withdrawal, it's because he's afraid for himself.

A Strong Economy

Canada:

For the first time in a generation, Canada's dollar is staring eye to eye with its American counterpart after reaching parity briefly with the world's dominant currency.

Boosted by high commodity prices and a weakening greenback, the loonie rose Thursday to an intraday high of US$1.0008, a level it has not hit since November 1976 - great news for the energy and import sectors and Canadian travellers but another sombre milestone for the country's industrial heartland.

Sounds reminiscent of stagflation to me. Thankfully we have a strong Fed chairman who's willing to keep interest rates steady in order to straighten out the economy.

Ugh. I need to write about the economy some. I'll see if I can manage it. Later.

Trust Us

What Digby said.

The World According to Your Media

Well,

A US soldier was killed in a small-arms fire attack during combat operations in south Baghdad, the American military said in a statement on Wednesday.

The soldier died in the firefight on Tuesday during an operation by the US military to clear the area of "Al-Qaeda terrorist cells," the statement said.

The latest fatality brought the US military's losses in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 3,788, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures.

Yawn.

Look!!!! Hillary has boobs!!!! News!!!!! Naughty, naughty!!!!!

When Hillary Rodham Clinton held an intimate fund-raising event at her Washington home in late March, Pamela Layton donated $4,600, the maximum allowed by law, to Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign.

But the 37-year-old Ms. Layton says she and her husband were reimbursed by her husband's boss for the donations. "It wasn't personal money. It was all corporate money," Mrs. Layton said outside her home here. "I don't even like Hillary. I'm a Republican."

Please make it stop. Please.

Habeas Not Restored

Thank the Republicans.

Bring on the Subpoenas

Thirteen U.S. lawmakers, including two representing San Diego-area districts, are resisting subpoenas served by an attorney for Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes, who is hoping their testimony will help in his upcoming trial on charges of bribing former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

Let's clean house. Especially our own.

Link.

Greatest Idea Ever

So, so stupid:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates sketched out a long-term vision for securing Iraq that includes a continuing American military force that is a fraction the size of the one there today, no permanent U.S. bases and a significant Navy and Air Force presence in the Persian Gulf region.

In an interview in the Pentagon, Mr. Gates also said part of the long-range security structure would be stronger military partnerships with some of America's friends in the Gulf area, helping them build better counterterrorism forces as well as regional air- and missile-defense systems to check Iranian ambitions.

Maintaining a small military force in the region is the worst of both worlds. A smaller force will be more vulnerable to continued attacks and serves as a lighting rod and rallying point for all anti-U.S. forces.

But then again, this is all about Iran, as is everything else coming out of the administration's mouth on foreign affairs these days. Check Iranian ambitions? Last time I checked we'd done all we could to support them by destabilizing Iraq. Furthermore, Iran is already engaging in diplomacy with Sunni Saudi Arabia. Iran poses no military threat to the U.S. and only the delusional, bed-wetting neocons and authoritarians need to keep running around in a perpetual state of fear so they can justify lashing out at someone else to make themselves feel secure. See these posts over at TPM for more.

BTW, this just in:

The deputy commander of Iran's air force said Wednesday that plans have been drawn up to bomb Israel if the Jewish state attacks Iran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

The announcement comes amid rising tensions in the region with the United States calling for a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program and Israeli planes having recently overflown, and perhaps even attacked, Iranian ally Syria's territory.

Let's get something clear right now: Israel's interests are not necessarily aligned with the ours. They are merely another country and should not be treated specially. We really don't need to be Russia in 1914.

Supporting the Troops

Republican-style:

Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb struggled to secure enough Republican votes Tuesday to win passage of a measure aimed at giving Army soldiers more time at home between de-ployments to Iraq.

But as senators prepared for today's floor debate, the support of a key potential Republican ally - fellow Virginian Sen. John Warner - appeared in doubt.

Warner, one of seven Republican moderates who voted to advance Webb's measure in July, was "reconsidering" his position, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Once again a Republican acts entirely predictably and pulls the rug out from under a Democrat and the media stands by on the sidelines acting as if it's the most surprising thing ever. The wavering Republican meme has been around for at least a couple years. It goes something like this:

1. Republican says that he might consider disagreeing with Bush
2. Media engages in slavish codpiece worship (note that Democrats don't get it for disagreeing with Bush. What makes things interesting for the Beltway is when someone does what he isn't 'supposed to do' - look at courageous Joe Lieberman! - regardless of the correctness of his decision)
3. Republican backtracks and resumes his place at Bush's feet
4. Media paints it as a Democratic loss, but one where all the actors are Republican
5. Rinse and repeat
   

They still haven't figured it out. As many bloggers have pointed out, it's like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. You'd think the media would pick up on it by now, but no such luck.

Here's how it works: Republicans hate the troops. If they liked the troops even a little bit, instead of treating them like G.I. Joe action figures, they'd treat them like human beings who have real lives, families, jobs, hopes, dreams and morale issues.

Obama Proposes Tax Break for Middle-Class, Tax Increase on Rich

I like:

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama proposed up to $85 billion in tax cuts for about 150 million Americans on Tuesday, paid for by raising capital gains and dividend taxes on wealthy investors.

Obama's tax plan, set to be announced in a speech in Washington, includes a cut of up to $1,000 for working families, a mortgage interest credit for low- and middle-income homeowners and the elimination of income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 per year.

"To get through these uncertain times, we have to recognize that we all have a stake in one another's success," the Illinois senator said in excerpts of the speech provided by his campaign. "When folks are hurting out there on Main Street, that's not good for Wall Street."

This is very common-sense, progressive-minded and good. More like this.

More Leadership

More Dodd.

Habeas Corpus-style.

If A Senator Is Bribed and No One Reports It

Is it therefore not news?

Neither Young nor Stevens is on trial here, at least not directly. But it's not every day that a witness admits in open court to having bribed a sitting U.S. Senator, which is exactly what happened last Friday, when former VECO executive Bill Allen admitted that among the bad acts he had pleaded guilty to was renovation work done on Stevens' Alaska home. Stevens is not commenting.

It's not airport bathroom sex so there has been muted national media coverage of the Stevens revelation, but it's a case we're keeping a close eye on.

That's your liberal media for you.

World War III

Germany just has to declare that it is coming to Belgium's aid:

Hidden among the porcelain fox hounds and Burberry tablecloths on sale at eBay.be this week was an unusual item: "For Sale: Belgium, a Kingdom in three parts ... free premium: the king and his court (costs not included)."

The odd ad was posted by one disgruntled Belgian in protest at his country's political crisis which reached a 100-day landmark Tuesday with no end in sight to the squabbling between Flemish and Walloon politicians.

...

Demands for more autonomy from the Dutch-speaking Flemish are resisted by the French-speaking Walloons, making it impossible to form a government coalition and triggering concern the kingdom is on the verge of a breakup.

I hear Luxembourg's in the market.

Hillary's Healthcare Plan

Ezra.

Hillary is my least favorite of the top-tier Democrats, but this plan is good and, while not perfect, makes big strides in the correct direction.

I'd still prefer to see a one-stop public option though.

Foot, Meet Mouth

Again, Richardson:

It seems Bill Richardson has no shortage of gaffes. Addressing SEIU today, Richardson thanked them for their applause: "Thank you, AFSCME!"

That's right, Richardson named the wrong union. And it gets worse. SEIU, unfortunately, is an organizational rival to AFSCME in many states, and SEIU's audience responded to Richardson's opening line by shouting, "S-E-I-U!"

Don't think he's quite ready for the prime time yet.

Blackwater Not Above the Law

Iraq's government knows it:

Iraq announced on Monday it had withdrawn the license of a U.S. security firm and would prosecute employees it said were involved in a shooting in Baghdad in which 11 people were killed.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said security personnel working for contractors Blackwater had opened fire after mortar rounds landed near their cars in Nusour Square in the western Baghdad district of Mansour.

"By chance the company was passing by. They opened fire randomly at citizens," Brigadier-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said. Eleven people were killed, including one policeman, and 13 people were wounded, he said.

I've written about this before, but military contractors should not be allowed to operate in the same theater as U.S. military forces. They create huge problems with the chain of command and are held to different standards from the U.S. military, but they still represent the U.S. when they act and tarnish our reputation even further.

They could pack their bags and go home, but my money's on them pulling strings. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Bush Nominates Mukasey for AG

WSJ article.

Glenn Greenwald has some background.

I don't know enough yet to have an opinion. Even if Mukasey is on the conservative end of things, if he conducts the DoJ in an orderly fashion and upholds the Constitution, then I can't say the nomination poses huge problems for me - unlike Olson - but we'll see what gets dug up on him in the coming weeks.

On a totally anecdotal note, his wife was my principal when I was in 6th grade. She seemed nice. Can't talk to her politics tho :P

Cleaning Up House

Ethics reform is finally a reality.

We done good.

Shaheen Is in

Sununu's days are numbered:

In a trial heat, 54 percent of 524 Granite Staters interviewed favored her and 38 percent favored Sununu. The poll found Sununu defeating Swett, 43 to 39 percent; Marchand, 42 to 38 percent; and Buckey, 44 to 28 percent.

The same poll showed 60 percent of those surveyed viewed Shaheen favorably and 24 percent unfavorably, while Sununu was viewed favorably by 43 percent and unfavorably by 35 percent.

Let's turn Congress blue, one seat at a time.

Bubble Boy in the Wild

The saga continues.

Misleading the Country

Bush-style:

President Bush will tell the nation later Thursday that security advances in Iraq will allow some U.S. forces to begin returning home.

"Now, because of the measure of success we are seeing in Iraq, we can begin seeing troops come home," Mr. Bush will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by the White House.

That's just false. The whole premise of the escalation surge was to be a temporary increase in the number of troops. Regardless of whether they kicked ass were successful, the troops were due to come home because it is against regulation for them to be deployed for such long periods of time. The AP should at least bother to report that simple fact.

Hearts and Minds

Pakistan-style:

At least 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed on Thursday in a suicide bombing at an army building near the capital Islamabad, the military said, the second major attack on the army this month.

The blast occurred in the canteen of the building used by the army's elite Special Services Group (SSG) in the town of Tarbela Ghazi, around 70 km (45 miles) northwest of Islamabad.

Still, Bush is up and this is good news for Republicans! Democrats beware!

Warner to Warner

Markos:

Mark Warner was the most popular governor in Virginia history. Republicans, on the other hand, will face a bloody primary that will pit not just "moderate" versus conservative, but NoVa versus Southern Virginia. This Tom Davis versus Jim Gilmore contest should be positively bloody, and further deplete and demoralize a Virginia Republican Party in retreat.

I'll leave that bit of hyperbole to the historians, but, yeah, this seat just went Democratic.

Reid Says No on Olson

This is how it's done:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid vowed on Wednesday to block former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson from becoming attorney general if President George W. Bush nominates him to replace Alberto Gonzales.

Congressional and administration officials have described Olson as a leading contender for the job as chief U.S. law enforcement officer, but Reid declared, "Ted Olson will not be confirmed" by the Senate.

"He's a partisan, and the last thing we need as an attorney general is a partisan," Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told Reuters in a brief hallway interview on Capitol Hill.

See? That wasn't so hard. Seriously, the Senate needs to do its job, which is only confirming those people who are fit to serve the whole public, not just one partisan section. I hope the Democrats begin to feel a little less nervous about being in control of Congress and start standing up for progressive values. We should never have to face another Samuel Alito.

The Rupert and David Show

The Wall Street Journal decided this was important enough to make a news alert:

Public discontent with the Iraq war has eased slightly, a new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll shows, suggesting President Bush may have a little more maneuvering room at a critical point in debates over war costs and troop levels.

As Mr. Bush prepares to follow congressional testimony by the top general in Iraq, David Petraeus, with a televised speech to the nation tonight, the poll shows an uptick in support for the president's handling of the war as well as a small increase in the proportion of Americans who believe the troop surge is helping and that victory remains possible.

Of course the fact that Murdoch now owns it hasn't changed anything, posh! But what I really can't wait for is the inevitable media pile-on, more specifically the next David Broder column. From February:

It may seem perverse to suggest that, at the very moment the House of Representatives is repudiating his policy in Iraq, President Bush is poised for a political comeback. But don't be astonished if that is the case.

Now that Broder - thinks he - has been vindicated, can he take his ball, go home and leave the rest of us alone? But in the meanwhile, let the lovefest begin!!!

Standing by the Generals

But which one?

In sharp contrast to the lionisation of Gen. David Petraeus by members of the U.S. Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus's superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (CENTCOM), derided Petraeus as a sycophant during their first meeting in Baghdad last March, according to Pentagon sources familiar with reports of the meeting.

Fallon told Petraeus that he considered him to be "an ass-kissing little chickenshit" and added, "I hate people like that", the sources say. That remark reportedly came after Petraeus began the meeting by making remarks that Fallon interpreted as trying to ingratiate himself with a superior.

Bill O'Reilly's going to form a lynch mob.

(emphasis mine)

Russian Roulette

AP:

President Vladimir Putin dissolved Russia's government Wednesday in a major political shakeup ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections, the Kremlin said.

The dissolution is expected to result in a new prime minister, who will be seen as Putin's choice to succeed him after he steps down next spring.

...

Fradkov said he asked for the dissolution of the government because with elections approaching, Putin needed to have a free hand to make decisions, including those concerning appointments.

Remember, this is the guy into whose soul Bush looked and told us was good. At this point that could mean one of two things. Either Bush is full of it and his judgment can't be trusted, or, like Putin, Bush would like to have more a free hand to make decisions. Either way, another reason to be skeptical of Leader.

How Your Media Operates

News:

Sen. Hillary Clinton will return $850,000 in campaign contributions raised by a major fund-raiser who has come under federal investigation on multiple fronts.

The New York lawmaker and Democratic presidential candidate said she would refund contributions to about 260 donors who were recruited by Norman Hsu, a businessman and Democratic fund-raiser now in custody in Colorado on a warrant stemming from a 1990s investment-fraud case. The Clinton campaign also announced new procedures to make sure top fund-raisers don't have criminal records.

Mrs. Clinton's move is a turn in what has become the first big setback for a campaign that until now had been an amazingly smooth juggernaut. The $850,000 is the largest ever returned by a candidate because of questionable fund-raising methods, according to Kent Cooper, a former disclosure official at the Federal Election Commission.

Not news:

That seems to be especially true in presidential campaigns recently. Rudy Giuliani’s South Carolina state chairman has just been indicted on charges of cocaine possession. And Mitt Romney’s campaign is already in hot water after an aide allegedly impersonated a state trooper. But the most recent case strikes close to home for the former Massachusetts governor.

This week The Hill reported on several lawsuits that continue to follow Robert Lichfield, Romney’s co-chair of his Utah finance committee. Lichfield owns and operates boarding schools for troubled teens, but many former students are speaking out about their treatment while in school. From The Hill:

The complaint, which plaintiffs amended and resubmitted to the court last week, alleges children attending schools operated by Lichfield suffered abuses such as unsanitary living conditions; denial of adequate food; exposure to extreme temperatures; beatings; confinement in dog cages; and sexual fondling.

A second lawsuit filed by more than 25 plaintiffs in July in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of New York alleges that Lichfield and several partners entered into a scheme to defraud them by operating an unlicensed boarding school in upstate New York. The suit does not allege physical or emotional abuse.

Lichfield is one of six co-chairs for Romney’s finance committee in Utah, a state that provided almost $3 million of $23 million first-quarter campaign funds. Already this season he and his family have given $15,000 to the Romney presidential campaign. Lichfield helped to bring in $300,000 at a recent fundraiser.

So predictable.

Great Success!

I love doing a good job, regardless of whether I do or not:

In long-awaited testimony, the commanding general of the war said last winter's buildup in U.S. troops had met its military objectives "in large measure." As a result, he told a congressional hearing and a nationwide television audience, "I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level ... by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve."

Would that be these gains?



Petraeus is right about one thing though: the surge accomplished its objective, which was another PR move/kabuki/punt by Bush to keep the very serious people who guard our discourse confused and in awe. Great success!!!

Not Good

Christy at FDL has a very important Juan Cole observation up.

The notion that a majority of any country could go hungry is one that is very difficult to comprehend, but it is a possibility. Widespread hunger in Iraq, in which we are an occupying power, can lead to things that are very bad for the U.S. - much worse than anything we've yet seen.

Also, look at the picture!!!

Attempt the Unpossible

Larry Craig (R-Wide Stance):

Sen. Larry Craig’s attorney, Billy Martin, said this morning the senator intends to file the legal papers in Minnesota later today to seek a reversal of his guilty plea to disorderly conduct in an airport men’s room.

According to some TPM readers who happen to be criminal defense lawyers, this seems highly unlikely.

Everybody's Favorite Sport

Punting:

The top American commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, has recommended that decisions on the contentious issue of reducing the main body of the American troops in Iraq be put off for six months, American officials said Sunday.

Magical September March. Anyone want to guess what happens then?

Best Idea Ever

I can't wait to hear what strong Iraq War critic Michael O'Hanlon has to say about this:

The Pentagon is preparing to build its first base for U.S. forces near the Iraqi-Iranian border, in a major new effort to curb the flow of advanced Iranian weaponry to Shiite militants across Iraq.

The push also includes construction of fortified checkpoints on the major highways leading from the Iranian border to Baghdad and the installation of X-ray machines and explosives-detecting sensors at the only formal border crossing between Iran and Iraq.

I'm not much for wishing people ill, but if it will prevent war with Iran, I'll even do a little dance in Fourthbranch's honor. Congress needs to grow a pair and stop this war now. Call your Congresspersons and let them know.

Link.

This is News?

Seriously.

President Bush's top two military and political advisers on Iraq will warn Congress on Monday that making any significant changes to the current war strategy will jeopardize the limited security and political progress made so far, according to officials familiar with their thinking.

My parents always wanted me to be a prophet, but nooo.......

Hagel Is Out

It's official:

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, a persistent Republican critic of the Iraq war, intends to announce on Monday he will not seek a third term, according to a Republican official.

The official also said Hagel does not plan to run for the White House in 2008, despite earlier flirting with a candidacy.

Now things are going to get interesting. We might not have a realistic shot at winning Nebraska, but we sure can make the Republicans spend a lot of effort on defense.

Entitlements

You're damned right:

The Senate voted Friday to increase college financial aid by cutting roughly $20 billion in government subsidies to banks and giving it to students.

The bill would boost the maximum Pell grant, which goes to the poorest college students, from $4,310 to $5,400 by 2012.

The vote was 79-12.

The House is expected to vote on the bill later Friday and the president is expected to sign the legislation soon.

The bill would cut interest rates on federally backed student loans to poor and middle-class students from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over the next four years.

That's a good start. Now let's keep going until college is free for everyone. You know, like investing in our children so they produce a greater return (in wall st. terms). Why we were subsidizing a business is beyond me. Just help kids go to college!

War?

Oh yeah, that war:

Seven U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq, including four in the western province of Anbar, the U.S. military said on Friday.

In a statement, the military said four Marines were killed in the vast desert region on Thursday while conducting combat operations. It gave no further details.

U.S. President George W. Bush visited Anbar on Monday and hailed improved security in the province, previously the most dangerous region in Iraq for American soldiers.

Meanwhile, Bush keeps searching for his pony.

No Justice for Net Neutrality

Anyone surprised?

The Justice Department on Thursday said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic.

The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to "Net neutrality," the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user.

Several phone and cable companies, such as AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp., have previously said they want the option to charge some users more money for loading certain content or Web sites faster than others.

The Justice Department said imposing a Net neutrality regulation could hamper development of the Internet and prevent service providers from upgrading or expanding their networks. It could also shift the "entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements onto consumers," the agency said in its filing.

Bush's justice department - responsible for such great hits as domestic spying, Guantanamo, firing prosecutors who disagreed with the Republican party line and more! - is against a provision that makes it illegal for big business to squeeze money out of you and helps to control the gates of information flow. Hmm...

Sorry, little blog and blog-readers! You'll just have to go to CNN instead!

That last paragraph is also laughable for so many reasons.

See this Slashdot comment for a pretty good explanation of why the anti-net neutrality folks are full of it.

More Leadership

More Dodd:

"Rather than picking up votes, by removing the deadline to get our troops out of Iraq you have lost this Democrat's vote.

"Despite the fact that this has been the bloodiest summer of the war and report after report says that there has been little to no political progress, the White House continues to argue that their strategy is working.

"It is clear that half measures are not going to stop this President or end this war.

"I cannot and will not support any measure that does not have a firm and enforceable deadline to complete the redeployment of combat troops from Iraq. Only then will Congress be able to send a clear message to the President that we are changing course in Iraq, and a message to the Iraqis that they need to get their political house in order.

Again, refreshing to see a candidate actually lead as opposed to talking about leading.

Grandpa Knows Best

Took him long enough:

Fred Thompson formally launches his White House bid today, focusing less on what he stands for than what he'll try to represent: a deep-voiced conservative who instills confidence and looks more like a president than the other eight candidates.

In short, he's trying to become the conservative version of Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, who has talked dismissively of policy plans and focused his campaign on "hope" and "change" and getting past the partisan divisions that have wracked Washington for decades.

Mr. Thompson's first campaign television ad -- scheduled for broadcast last night in the middle of yet another Republican debate he was skipping -- centered on the slogan "Security, Unity, Prosperity." Also, in a taped appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show," Mr. Thompson told host Jay Leno, "I'm running for president of the United States."

I think even the punditry, with the exception of Margaret Carlson, has thrown in the towel on Grandpa Fred. After all, this comic put it best:

Spreading the War

Nothing good will come of this:

Israeli warplanes bombed unidentified Syrian targets early on Thursday, causing no damage or casualties, the official Syrian news agency said.

Syrian air defenses fired at the incoming planes, which crossed into Syria after midnight local time, the agency said.

"The Syrian Arab Republic warns the government of the Israeli enemy and reserves the right to respond according to what it sees fit," the agency said.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the air strike. Israel has long warned Syria to stop supporting militant Palestinian groups and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah.

Call me paranoid, but this is not entirely unrelated to the right wing's saber rattling over Iran. Someone's looking for an excuse.

We Are So...

For those who think that we can still achieve "victory",

This was obviously apparent to Bush, who arrived in Australia in a chipper mood.

"We're kicking ass," he told Mark Vaile on the tarmac after the Deputy Prime Minister inquired politely of the President's stopover in Iraq en route to Sydney.

Can anybody else see why staying there is a bad idea?

Moose on the Loose

Anita Ovard moved to her small home in this town in the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains because she wanted to see more wildlife. But the view got a little too close when a moose decided to make itself at home in her front room.

Ovard spotted two baby m[ee]se in her yard when she pulled into the driveway Tuesday. She immediately started looking for the mother moose, spotting the massive animal just before it plowed through her storm door and front door.

Thus dawned the never ending battle of moose vs. door.

So Long and Thanks for All the Ice

The Arctic:

The Arctic ice cap has collapsed at an unprecedented rate this summer and levels of sea ice in the region now stand at a record low, scientists said last night. Experts said they were "stunned" by the loss of ice, with an area almost twice as big as Britain disappearing in the last week alone. So much ice has melted this summer that the north-west passage across the top of Canada is fully navigable, and observers say the north-east passage along Russia's Arctic coast could open later this month. If the increased rate of melting continues, the summertime Arctic could be totally free of ice by 2030.

Leadership from a Candidate

Chris Dodd:

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee unveiled legislation on Wednesday that would prohibit mortgage brokers and lenders from steering borrowers to high-cost loans.

The reform measure is meant to curb some of the excesses of the recent housing boom that has soured into a spike of loan delinquencies and foreclosures, according to Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat.

The legislation "will put an end to the practices that have forced thousands of Americans into foreclosure and put thousands more in danger of losing their homes," Dodd, a contender for the Democratic nomination for the presidential election in November 2008, said in a statement.

Dodd said subprime borrowers who won a loan despite their damaged credit have been among the most hard-hit by recent market turmoil. His legislation would require subprime mortgage lenders to hold annual costs like taxes and insurance in escrow and have proof that the borrower has the ability to make payments.

This certainly isn't an end-all-be-all to fix the subprime problem, but it addresses many of the issues and dubious practices surrounding the industry. Lenders shouldn't lend to people who can't pay back those loans for the lenders' short-term gain in posting higher revenues.

It's refreshing to see a candidate - especially one who has the power to - introduce real legislation aimed at fixing a problem, as opposed to only talking about their plan or what they'd do if they were President.

On a meta note, I'm giving up. Enough with trying to blog in serious, academic prose. Contractions it is! ... or maybe that should be "contractions it's!"

I'm not Dead!

Racism.

Funding the Troops

To take a slightly different tack on what Kagro X says, the Democrats keep dropping the ball and falling into Republican frames. There has never been any argument over funding the troops, it has always been about funding Bush's war.

Bush and Republicans have been using this bait and switch since the start of the war. As Atrios put it,

Any criticism of the president's policies is instantly redirected at "the troops." If you praise the military, you're actually praising Bush! If you bash Bush, you're actually bashing the military!

It's quite sick, it's been going on for a long time, and all decent people should find it revolting.

Well, at least I now know what that says about our Very Serious People who keep repeating that line.

Great Success!

Not!!!!

SECURING, STABILIZING, AND REBUILDING IRAQ
Iraqi Government Has Not Met Most Legislative, Security, and Economic Benchmarks

Rinse, Dry, Repeat

Cleansing:

After almost four years of trying to build Iraq's central government in Baghdad, the U.S. has found that what appears to work best in the divided country is just the opposite. So senior military officials are increasingly working to strengthen local players who are bringing some measure of stability to their communities. The new approach bears some striking similarities to the "soft partition" strategy pushed by senior Democrats, and suggests that despite the often bitter debate in Washington on Iraq policy, a broad consensus on how to move ahead in the war-torn country may be forming.

Because there are not enough violent, quarrelling factions in Iraq. All this will serve to do is 1. increase the likelihood of future ethnic cleansing, and 2. further destabilize the region by arming many different factions, thereby effectively punting the inevitable consolidation of control. And how do we know this is going to work?

The sheiks "told me that the kind of bottom-up progress that your efforts are bringing to Anbar is vital to the success and stability of a free Iraq," Mr. Bush told a crowd of about 750 soldiers and Marines. Mr. Bush yesterday suggested that if the local gains the U.S. is making continue to hold it could begin to reduce U.S. troop levels by the end of the year.

Because the sheiks - beneficiaries of such policies - told Bush it would and he believes them. Just like Bush believed we would be greeted in Baghdad with rose petals. Just like Bush believed that Petraeus would succeed because Bush told him that he must. By now we should all have a pretty good sense of how well-aligned Bush's beliefs are with reality.

As for that last line? Forget about it, more punting. The only thing Bush is interesting in doing is handing this mess off to the next Democratic president, to whom he can shift the blame.

On a somewhat related note, I was reading about the First Anglo-Afghan War (good book). There are many apt comparisons to be made between Vietnam and Iraq, and even more so for the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, but the British occupation of Afghanistan seems the most fitting. I cannot get into the details in this post, but learning about it has made me - if possible - more pessimistic about our involvement in Iraq. The best we can do now is leave in the most orderly fashion as soon as possible.

I Am Rubber, You Are Glue

President Bush, appearing confident about sustaining support for his Iraq strategy, met at the Pentagon on Friday with the uniformed leaders of the nation’s armed services and then pointedly accused the war’s opponents of politicizing the debate over what to do next.

“The stakes in Iraq are too high and the consequences too grave for our security here at home to allow politics to harm the mission of our men and women in uniform,” Mr. Bush said in a statement after his meeting with the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines in a briefing room known as the Tank.

Link.