A Spork in the Drawer

We've Lost A Great One

(From The Texas Observer.)

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Our Betters

Via digby, we find in the The Hill a letter written by Darren McKinney, "former spokesman of the National Association of Manufacturers and currently represents the American Tort Reform Association." I especially enjoy this bit:

Though poll taxes have rightly been abolished, and every qualified registered voter willing to wait on line should certainly be free to exercise the franchise, there’s a lot to be said...for having most of our big political decisions influenced in greater measure by those who have succeeded in life and thus have a better sense of what it’ll take for our nation to succeed in the future.

Well, there it is. It would be better if the wealthy - by definition superior to those who aren't (funny that McKinney doesn't mention inheritance) - had a greater say in the running of the country than the mere hoi polloi. And notice the noblesse oblige: "every qualified registered voter willing to wait on line should certainly be free to exercise the franchise..." That's mighty generous of him, don't you think?

Imagine being ruled by Paris Hilton. Or, for that matter, Darren McKinney.

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Well OK Then

There was a terrorist bomb hoax in Boston today. Fox "News" was there:

Today on Studio B with Shepard Smith the whole show was spent on several devices throughout Boston that at first they thought might be bombs.

Turns out that one of the devices was a picture of a man flipping someone off and another was a figure that depicted a picture of what is called an Aqua Teen Mooninite. [...]

More from Raw Story.

Are the green and pink figures, lower right, Mooninites or terrorists? Only Fox "News" knows!

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UPDATE: It was a marketing stunt gone awry:

Turner Broadcasting, parent company of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

"The packages in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger," Turner said in a statement. It said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

"We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger," the company said.

Turner Broadcasting is owned by Time-Warner, which also owns CNN. Fox "News" will likely be having fun with that fact.

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Big Surprise

So George is sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq but the ones that are already there don't have the equipment they need.

Yet another outstanding job by BushCo™.

[Via TPMmuckraker.]

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Biden

Yes, yes, I know everybody else is already on to this but how can I resist?

Mr. Biden is equally skeptical—albeit in a slightly more backhanded way—about Mr. Obama. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

At least Biden didn't add, "And his teeth are so white!"

My guess is Biden's presidential campaign is going to make like the Hindenburg.

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ADDED: Atrios reminds me of this gem from Biden:

Delaware, he noted, was a “slave state that fought beside the North. That’s only because we couldn’t figure out how to get to the South. There were a couple of states in the way.”

The crowd loved it.

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Only In Pennsylvania*

For those unfamiliar with Pennsylvania we have some of the most - maybe the most - idiotic alcohol laws in the nation. If you want to buy beer you have to go to a beer distributor (cases only) or a bar (six packs) and wine and liquor must be purchased directly from the state government. There is now a move on to change these archaic laws but (and this is no surprise) the legislature is still filled with idiots:

Just as Pennsylvania was threatening to crawl into the 20th century -- never mind the 21st century -- by allowing beer drinkers to buy their beverage of choice at supermarket cafes, two state senators want to kill the whole idea before it has a chance to spread statewide.

[...]

"There has to be in-store dining -- seats, chairs," state LCB member P. J. Stapleton said at a wide-ranging hearing yesterday convened by the state Senate's Law and Justice Committee, chaired by state Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery. [...]

That means they'd have separate cash registers, and even, in some cases, separate cashiers, to make sure that the cashiers who ring up the beer are at least 18 years old, as required by state law.

But, of course, even this pathetic attempt at sanity is running into trouble:

Soon, Mr. Rafferty said, he and Monroeville Democratic Sen. Sean Logan plan to introduce a bill that would close what, in his eyes, is a potentially harmful loophole. "I'm very concerned over the age issue, [the] possible sales to minors," he said.

"I'm looking to tighten it up" so that groceries won't be able to sell beer, but delis still would.

Pennsylvania: Gateway to the 19th. Century!

*IIRC, Virginia and Utah (Mormons!) have nutty liquor laws as well.

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Neat!

Stonehenge:

New excavations near the mysterious circle at Stonehenge in southern England have uncovered dozens of homes where hundreds of people lived -- at roughly the same time that the giant stone slabs were being erected 4,600 years ago.

The finding strongly suggests that the monument and the settlement nearby were a center for ceremonial activities, with Stonehenge probably a burial site, while other nearby circular earthen and timber "henges" were devoted to feasts and festivals.

[...]

"This is evidence that clarifies the site's true purpose," said Michael Parker Pearson of Sheffield University, one of the main researchers. "We have found that Stonehenge itself was just half of a larger complex," one used by indigenous Britons whose beliefs centered on ancestor and sun worship.

Artist's conception.

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The Remnants Of War

Germany:

The flatlands of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a sparsely populated state that covers northeastern Germany, are still littered with thousands of tons of unexploded ordnance from the Nazi era. There are cluster bombs, mortar shells, hand grenades, rockets. Most were manufactured and abandoned by the Third Reich, but there are also plenty of aging but still potent explosives left here and in neighboring states by Soviet, U.S. and British forces.

For more than 60 years, German bomb squads have been cleaning up. They comb through the woods and dredge the ponds, sift through construction sites and back yards. There's no end in sight.

"In my lifetime, I will never see all the munitions cleaned up in this area of Germany," said Sebastian Dosdall, the boss of this bomb-disposal crew, clad in a pea-green jacket, work pants and metal-shanked boots. "It's hard to clear everything, everywhere."

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Iran War Watch

Latest:

Investigators say they believe that attackers who used American-style uniforms and weapons to infiltrate a secure compound and kill five American soldiers in Karbala on Jan. 20 may have been trained and financed by Iranian agents, according to American and Iraqi officials knowledgeable about the inquiry.

The officials said the sophistication of the attack astonished investigators, who doubt that Iraqis could have carried it out on their own — one reason a connection to Iran is being closely examined. Officials cautioned that no firm conclusions had been drawn and did not reveal any direct evidence of a connection.

[...]

The suspects have also told investigators that “a religious group in Najaf” was involved in the operation, the Iraqi said, in a clear reference to the Mahdi Army, the militia controlled by the breakaway Shiite cleric, Moktada al-Sadr. If that information holds up, it would dovetail with assertions by several Iraqi officials that Iran is financing and training a small number of splinter groups from the Mahdi Army to carry out special operations and assassinations.

This one looks like a two-fer: Iran and Moktada.

Josh speculates on what the new Gulf of Tonkin will look like.

ADDED: From the LAT:

The efforts could include more forceful patrols by Air Force and Navy fighter planes along the Iran-Iraq border to counter the smuggling of bomb supplies from Iran, a senior Pentagon official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing future military plans.

Such missions also could position the Air Force to strike suspected bomb suppliers inside Iraq to deter Iranian agents that U.S. officials say are assisting Iraqi militias, outside military experts said.

[...]

Thomas G. McInerney, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who advocates military strikes in Iran, said U.S. planes along the border could be better used to keep bomb-making materials out of Iraq.

"We know they are doing this. Why do we accept it?" McInerney said. "For every [improvised explosive device] that goes off in Iraq, a bomb should go off in Iran." [Emphasis added.]

Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, said many military targets in Iran were susceptible to Air Force weapons.

"Iran is precisely the type of enemy they know how to deal with," Thompson said. "Having the ability to attack Iranian military targets and political targets is not just a deterrent. It may actually be used if we feel the Iranians are trying to subvert democracy in Iraq."

Anyone who believes that there are "no plans" to attack Iran is a fool.

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Obama's Plan

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) this afternoon introduced legislation that would withdraw all American troops - with some exceptions - from Iraq by March 2008.

Here's the speech:

Hmmm...

[Via Election Central.]

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Huzzah!

A laurel and a hearty handshake for Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon who has become blogmaster (blogatrix?) for the John Edwards campaign.

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Webb Writes A Letter

From TPMmuckraker:

January 29, 2007

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

During your appearance before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on January 11, 2007, I asked you a question pertaining to the administration’s policy regarding possible military action against Iran. I asked, “Is it the position of this administration that it possesses the authority to take unilateral action against Iran, in the absence of a direct threat, without congressional approval?”

At that time you were loath to discuss questions of presidential authority, but you committed to provide a written answer. Since I have not yet received a reply, the purpose of this letter is to reiterate my interest in your response.

This is, basically, a “yes” or “no” question regarding an urgent matter affecting our nation’s foreign policy. Remarks made by members of this administration strongly suggest that the administration wrongly believes that the 2002 joint resolution authorizing use of force in Iraq can be applied in other instances, such as in the case of Iran. I, as well as the American people, would benefit by fully understanding the administration’s unequivocal response.

I would appreciate your expeditious reply and look forward to discussing this issue with you in the near future.

Sincerely,

James Webb
United States Senator

I can't wait to read Condi's candid response.

(Yes, yes, I'll be waiting a long time.)

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Useful Idiot

I speak, of course, of Holy Joe.

Now it's official: Lieberman is a tool of the GOP.

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The End Of Dick?

Tom Schaller thinks DeFib Dick will be forced to go.

Atrios disagrees.

I'm with Tom on this though for a different reason. I've long suspected that Dick would go so that George could handpick a successor. The Plame issue would just be icing. If this happens it will be before the end of the August recess.

But I could be wrong.

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Poor Babies

Life is soooo hard for felonious Congresscritters:

Four Congressmen are currently behind bars, according to the article by Rachel Van Dongen: James Traficant, a former Ohio Democrat; Frank Ballance, a former North Carolina Democrat; Randall 'Duke' Cunningham, a California Republican; and Ney. Traficant is currently housed in Minnesota’s Rochester Medical Center for unstated medical reasons. But the other three are incarcerated in federal penitentiaries.

[...]

A facility like Butner is described as having "pen-dormitory style housing, just eight prison guards and no towering fences or guard towers to prevent escape." Prisoners "can walk away at any time." However, one attorney with knowledge of federal jails suggests the lack of tight security may be even worse than the standard prison.

"Particularly for folks who have lived a very comfortable life, being in a facility without a fence sometimes is a heck of a lot more difficult...If you look out and there’s no restriction except that which you impose on yourself, that’s tough for some folks," she quotes Alan Chaset as saying.

What Hell they must be going through. Doesn't it make you cry?

At least there's a silver lining for them:

The Senate on Friday approved a measure stripping taxpayer-funded pensions from members of Congress who are convicted of serious ethics offenses, such as bribery and conspiracy.

[...]

If passed by the House and signed into law by President Bush, the bill would eliminate pensions only for future members of Congress convicted of ethics offenses.

So a couple of years in Club Fed and then they're on the gravy train courtesy of you and me.

It breaks the heart.

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Delusional Dick

Froomkin:

But as his astonishing interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer laid bare last week, Cheney is increasingly out of touch with reality. He seems to think that by asserting things that are simply untrue, he can make others believe they are so.

Maybe that works within the White House. But for the rest of us, it's becoming a better bet to assume that everything -- or almost everything -- Cheney says is flat wrong.

Future historians are going to spend decades trying to figure out why the United States became an insane asylum.

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Maher Arar

Tony Norman:

Dear Mr. Arar

You may have been exonerated by the Canadian government, but you're still guilty before the bar of arbitrary American justice. You'll remain on our watchlists and in our data bases because to remove it would imply we've made a mistake.

Even if our actions are proven wrong, we nonetheless hold to the conviction that we are always right. Might makes every wrong right, eventually. We can make the data fit the circumstances. Innocence is relative.

War is Peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. If we don't fight the terrorists over there we'll have to fight them over here. We hold these truths to be self-evident: That with great power comes great irresponsibility.

Read the whole thing.

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Playing With Numbers

Like Hell:

For the last few months, anyone who consulted the Veterans Affairs Department’s Web site to learn how many American troops had been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan would have found this number: 50,508.

But on Jan. 10, without explanation, the figure plummeted to 21,649.

Which number is correct? The answer depends on a larger question, the definition of wounded. If the term includes combat or “hostile” injuries inflicted by the enemy, the definition the Pentagon uses, the smaller number would be right.

But if it also applies to injuries from accidents like vehicle crashes and to mental and physical illnesses that developed in the war zone, the meaning that veterans’ groups favor, 50,508 would be accurate.

[...]

“The government keeps two sets of books,” said Paul Sullivan, director of research and analysis for Veterans of America. Until last March, Mr. Sullivan was a project manager in the Veterans Affairs Department who monitored the use of disability benefits by Afghanistan, gulf war and Iraq veterans.

The lower number reflects better on the Administration. It's that simple.

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It's Good To Be The King

One of the most disturbing aspects (and their are many) of the current administration is their belief, strongly held, that decisions should be made by people that know nothing about the subject confronting them. Think, "Brownie, you're doin' a heckuva job." Today's NYT tells us that it just got much worse:

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

Imagine, if you will, that you go into the hospital for surgery and being old that the operation will be performed by an insurance adjuster. That's what we're talking about here. Needless to say:

Business groups welcomed the executive order, saying it had the potential to reduce what they saw as the burden of federal regulations. This burden is of great concern to many groups, including small businesses, that have given strong political and financial backing to Mr. Bush.

Well, of course they do; they will make a lot of money under the new non-regulations. We, however, will pay much, much more.

Peter L. Strauss, a professor at Columbia Law School, said the executive order “achieves a major increase in White House control over domestic government.”

“Having lost control of Congress,” Mr. Strauss said, “the president is doing what he can to increase his control of the executive branch.”

LameDuck George lost his lapdog Congress so, of course, he decides to concentrate his own power. Are we living in a republic or a monarchy?

I have tremendous sympathy for the next Democratic president. That person's entire first term will be occupied by trying to weed out right-wing apparatchiks rather than focusing on a positive agenda for the country.

This has to be stopped. And it's becoming ever more clear to me that the only way to do so is to remove the current administration.

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Too Stupid To Breathe

This has to be read to be believed.

And to think that "conservatives" consider J-Pod to be an intellectual.

Oy.

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I Won't Disagree

In a story about his use of the childish term "Democrat majority" in the SOTU, LameDuck George says:

Then the president conceded: "I'm not that good at pronouncing words anyway."

Or having a coherent thought.

The AP story concludes on an ironic note:

Bush plans to speak to the House Democratic Caucus at its conference this weekend in Virginia.

On the president's schedule, that event is referred to as the "House Democrat Conference."

They just can't stop acting like 6-year old children.

[Via Steve Benen.]

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Lock Him Up

Newsweek's Richard Wolffe interviews DeFib Dick and perhaps unintentionally proves that the Veep is insane:

Q: There has been little open support from the Republican Party for the president's plan for extra troops in Iraq. Do you worry that the party has lost the stomach for the fight?

A: The election results last November obviously represented a blow to our friends on the Hill, Republicans on the Hill—to go from majority to minority status. A lot of members were concerned or felt that their political fortunes were adversely affected by our ongoing operations in Iraq. What's happened here now over the last few weeks is that the president has shored up his position with the speech he made specifically on Iraq.

"Shored up"? From Newsweek this past Saturday:

The president’s approval ratings are at their lowest point in the poll’s history—30 percent—and more than half the country (58 percent) say they wish the Bush presidency were simply over, a sentiment that is almost unanimous among Democrats (86 percent), and is shared by a clear majority (59 percent) of independents and even one in five (21 percent) Republicans. Half (49 percent) of all registered voters would rather see a Democrat elected president in 2008, compared to just 28 percent who’d prefer the GOP to remain in the White House.

But to continue:

Q: Sen. [Chuck] Hagel said some pretty harsh things about the administration. He said there was no strategy. He said—It's not the first time. He said it was a "Ping-Pong game with human beings." Do you have a reaction to that?

A: I thought that Joe Lieberman's comments ... were very important. Joe basically said the plan deserved an opportunity to succeed ... that we're sending Gen. [David] Petraeus out with probably a unanimous or near-unanimous [confirmation] vote, and that it didn't make sense for Congress to simultaneously then pass a resolution disapproving of the strategy in Iraq.

It's interesting that this crew is saying so many nice things about Holy Joe these days. I can't imagine why.

And this sums it up quite well:

Q: And other comments—criticism from [Brent] Scowcroft about not knowing you anymore. People have gotten quite personal, people you worked with before. You wouldn't be human if you didn't have some reaction.

A: Well, I'm vice president and they're not.

No further comment needed.

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Cheney Issues Fatwa

Judge Rufus Peckham with the latest.

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Washington March Photo Roundup

More photos! The inestimable watertiger with pics here and here; karmic_jay's take can be seen here.

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Could Be

The NYT's David Kirkpatrick does a pretty good job recapping the Moonie-owned Insight Magazine's recent smear of Barack Obama and it's subsequent spreading to other news outlets.

This bit especially amused me:

To most journalists, the notion of anonymous reporters relying on anonymous sources is a red flag. “If you want to talk about a business model that is designed to manufacture mischief in large volume, that would be it,” said Ralph Whitehead Jr., a professor of journalism at the University of Massachusetts.

With so much anonymity, “How do we know that Insight magazine actually exists?” Professor Whitehead added. “It could be performance art.”

Indeed.

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Mendacious Bastard

Stephen Hadley takes to the op-ed page of the WaPo to explain George's new strategery for Iraq. Throughout he cites the Iraq Study Group (aka, "Baker-Hamilton") in support of the new policy.

That's rather amusing.

Let's jump into the Wayback Machine and see what BushCo&trade has said previously:

Asked if Baker would help implement the report, a spokesman for Mr. Bush said, "Jim Baker can go back to his day job."

They'll say anything to convince people of their righteousness.

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Holy Joe

Thanks, Connecticut*, for all you've done:

Wallace: Joe Lieberman, grew up in John Bailey's CT, Democratic VP nominee—You're saying you might vote Republican in 2008?

Lieberman: I am…

Atrios:

Well, we tried to warn them. Anyway, if Joe doesn't have a prime time spot at the RNC in '08 I'll be shocked. I think he's gonna put his chips on a cabinet seat in (what he hopes will be) the next Republican administration.

*Except most Connecticut Democrats, natch.

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Washington March - Final Part

(Click to enlarge.)



This is your Congress today.



Chicken George.



The flag of South Vietnam? WTF?



Now THIS is what I call a surge!

I have more photos taken with film cameras (you do remember film, don't you?) that'll take a few days to process and scan. If I find anything of interest I'll post it here towards the end of the week.

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Washinton March Part III

(Click to enlarge.)



I always figured our Senators were cardboard cutouts.



Mmmmm...minestrone!



A sign of the future?

Last batch in a bit.

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Washington March Part II

(Click to enlarge.)



Left turns only.



Would you want to share a foxhole with them?



A Patriot in her formative years.

Yet more to come.

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Washington March Part I

(Click to enlarge.)



Where it all started.



The Statue of Freedom approves.



This is about right.

More to come.

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Noted In Passing

Busy editing photos.

Check back later to see said photos.

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Noted In Passing

Thought I'd head down to Washington, DC today. Just to look around and see what's what. Maybe stop by the White House.

See you tomorrow.

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Saturday Palate Cleanser

Värttinä - Aijo

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International Incident

Has Stephen Colbert caused one?

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Good News

Jane's back!

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Contempt For America

Tony Snow:

The Iranian people are more pro American than any American university faculty.

You can be sure that over the next two years BushCo™ will behave like the wounded, cornered animals they are.

[Via Think Progress.]

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They Lie

Tuesday evening George asked us to give his latest plan to win (whatever that means anymore) in Iraq a chance.

Why should we do that when they do this sort of shit:

BAGHDAD Contrary to U.S. military statements, four U.S. soldiers did not die repelling a sneak attack at the governor's office in the Shiite holy city of Karbala last week. New information obtained by The Associated Press shows they were abducted and found dead or dying as far as 25 miles away.

[...]

In a written statement, the U.S. command reported at the time that five soldiers were killed while "repelling the attack." Two senior U.S. military officials as well as Iraqi officials now say three of them were found dead and one mortally wounded in locations as far as 25 miles east of the governor's office.

[...]

The two senior American military officials now confirm the reports, gathered by The Associated Press from five senior Iraqi government, military and religious leaders. The U.S. military also has provided additional details from internal military accounts.

[...]

The five Americans killed that day ranged in age from 20 to 31.

To George, Dick, Condi, and Gates: Go fuck yourselves.

[Via Laura Rozen.]

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ADDED: Confirmed:

Four American soldiers were abducted during a sophisticated sneak attack last week in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, the U.S. military confirmed Friday. It said three were shot to death and a fourth was mortally wounded with a gunshot to the head when they were found in a neighboring province, far from the compound where they were captured.

Two of the four were handcuffed together in the back seat of an SUV near the southern Iraqi town of Mahawil. A third dead soldier was on the ground nearby. The fourth soldier died on the way to the hospital, the military said in a statement issued late Friday that confirmed details reported by The Associated Press earlier.

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There Can Be No Doubt

Disney/ABC have joined the most extreme elements of the Right.

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UPDATE: Clinton is taking action on this.

Kudos to John Aravosis for keeping the heat on.

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St. John McCain

[Bumped. See update.]

Straight-talking maverick St. John McCain and 27 other Repubs yesterday voted to eliminate - completely eliminate - the federal minimum wage.

He's always looking out for the little people.

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ADDED: The inestimable watertiger, in comments, provides Ted Kennedy's response:

Do you have such disdain for hard-working Americans that you want to pile all your amendments on this? Why don’t you just hold your amendments until other pieces of legislation? Why this volume of amendments on just the issue to try and raise the minimum wage? What is it about it that drives you Republicans crazy? What is it? Something. Something! What is the price that the workers have to pay to get an increase? What is it about working men and women that you find so offensive?

C&L has the video.

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The King Has Spoken

This morning:

President Bush, on a collision course with Congress over Iraq, said Friday "I'm the decision-maker" about sending more troops to the war. He challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup.

No, you're a drunken buffoon set on destruction.

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Uhhhh...

Chattanooga:

Six girls at a rural high school were charged with homicide conspiracy after their principal found a list of 300 names and officials discovered online postings suggesting they kill people, authorities said Thursday.

School officials said the list, discovered in a classroom trash can, mostly named students and faculty members but also included Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and the Energizer Bunny.

[...]

The girls, ages 14 and 15, were charged with conspiracy to commit criminal homicide late Wednesday and taken to a juvenile facility. A juvenile court detention hearing was set Friday in Dunlap, about 40 miles northwest of Chattanooga.

Tom Cruise I can see but the Energizer Bunny?

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Ridiculous Argument

Let me get this straight: If I commit a crime and then say I'll no longer commit crimes then I'll be let off the hook, right? That's what BushCo™ is arguing:

A lawsuit challenging the legality of the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program should be thrown out because the government is now conducting the wiretaps under the authority of a secret intelligence court, according to court papers filed by the Justice Department yesterday.

In a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, Justice Department lawyers said the lawsuit of the American Civil Liberties Union and other plaintiffs -- which received a favorable ruling from a federal judge in Detroit -- should be considered moot because the case "no longer has any live significance."

This is an excellent idea! It would certainly end prison overcrowding - heck, there would be no need for prisons at all - if accused criminals can simply say, I've decided I won't commit crimes anymore so there's no need to prosecute me.

But, nooooo, that peaky ACLU just has to go and ruin it for everybody:

Crucial to the Justice Department's argument is the contention that the government did not act voluntarily to stop the NSA program. "This is not an instance of 'voluntary cessation' of allegedly unlawful activity," the government lawyers wrote. "The government has not ceased surveillance -- instead, the facts and legal authorities have changed."

But Ann Beeson, the ACLU's associate legal director, said that argument is "not plausible." She added that previous court rulings made it clear that the government cannot escape a legal judgment merely by voluntarily halting its illegal activity.

"The FISA court didn't reach out on its own to do something; the government asked it to do something," Beeson said. "And absent a ruling, they are free to return to their illegal conduct again."

Darn, there were so many crimes I wanted to commit and then stop committing! Damn you, ACLU! [shakes fist]

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Well, Okay Then

George's escalation is sure to succeed!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that President George W. Bush did not consult her before announcing his new strategy for the war in Iraq — a sign that, despite the cozy rhetoric, the relationship between Washington's two powerhouses has already had its share of friction.

In an interview, Pelosi also said she was puzzled by what she considered the president's minimalist explanation for his confidence in the new surge of 21,500 U.S. troops that he has presented as the crux of a new "way forward" for U.S. forces in Iraq.

"He's tried this two times — it's failed twice," the California Democrat said. "I asked him at the White House, 'Mr. President, why do you think this time it's going to work?' And he said, 'Because I told them it had to.' "

Asked if the president had elaborated, she added that he simply said, " 'I told them that they had to.' That was the end of it. That's the way it is."

Brilliant strategery, Mr. Preznit!

[Via Atrios.]

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Getting The Story Out

CBS:

One would assume that [Lara] Logan, as CBS chief foreign correspondent, has a fair amount of influence as to what stories she gets to cover, and that most of her important stories, once produced and delivered, will be broadcast. But when the story comes out of the mean streets of Baghdad, and doesn’t fit the officially-sanctioned narrative of Iraqis and US soldiers working arm in arm to help protect thankful Iraqi citizens, even chief foreign correspondents sometimes need to ask for help in getting it seen. Imagine our surprise recently when–over the digital transom–we received a copy of an email from a frustrated Lara Logan.

Logan's e-mail:

From: lara logan Subject: help

The story below only appeared on our CBS website and was not aired on CBS. It is a story that is largely being ignored, even though this istakingplace verysingle day in central Baghdad, two blocks from where our office is located.

Our crew had to be pulled out because we got a call saying they were about to be killed, and on their way out, a civilian man was shot dead in front of them as they ran.

I would be very grateful if any of you have a chance to watch this story and pass the link on to as many people you know as possible. It should be seen. And people should know about this.

If anyone has time to send a comment to CBS – about the story – not about my request, then that would help highlight that people are interested and this is not too gruesome to air, but rather too important to ignore.

Many, many thanks.

The report. (Note: RealPlayer required)

[Via The General.]

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UPDATE: In comments, NorthJK says "most" of the footage aired last night on CBS. Still, the vid is worth spreading around to a wider audience.

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Yet Another "Hitler"

The Daily Scaife:

As Investor's Business Daily aptly describes it, Chavez's Venezuela is a "democratic facade" not unlike the one a democratically elected Hitler created to launch Nazi Germany. And Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua likely are not far behind.

To paraphrase Andy Warhol, in the future everyone will be Hitler for fifteen minutes.

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Ignorance Rising

Meanwhile:

"No you will not teach or show that propagandist Al Gore video to my child, blaming our nation -- the greatest nation ever to exist on this planet -- for global warming," Hardiman wrote in an e-mail to the Federal Way School Board. The 43-year-old computer consultant is an evangelical Christian who says he believes that a warming planet is "one of the signs" of Jesus Christ's imminent return for Judgment Day.

[...]

In the end, though, the board opted for an abundance of balance.

That means that "An Inconvenient Truth" may be shown only with the written permission of a principal -- and only when it is balanced by alternative views that are approved by both a principal and the superintendent of schools.

Hardiman was pleased.

"I am happy they are giving the kids as much information as possible," he said.

His daughter's science teacher, meanwhile, said she is struggling to find authoritative articles to counter the information in the Gore documentary.

"The only thing I have found so far is an article in Newsweek called 'The Cooling World,' " Walls said.

Earlier, Hardiman said:

"Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore. He's not a schoolteacher," said Frosty Hardison, a parent of seven who also said that he believes the Earth is 14,000 years old. "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD."

The standard Fundie line is that the Earth is 6,000-10,000 years old. So Hardiman is ignorant of his own dogma.

And these people are increasingly running our schools.

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Remember Iraq?

DeFib Dick says all is well:

A huge explosion rocked central Baghdad just be for sunset Thursday and a massive plume of black smoke was rising into the air along the east bank of the Tigris River.

[...]

The public address system inside the zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, could be heard warning in English that people should take cover, "this is not a drill."

Heavy gunfire rang out throughout the center of the city in the aftermath of the explosion, likely to have been a car rigged with explosives, thundered across the city and was especially heavy in the Karrada district. Sirens on emergency vehicles wailed through the region.

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Let's Pause A Moment...

...and consider the fact that Jonah "Doughy Pantload" Goldberg is respected enough to have a weekly column in the LAT. Today Jonah excoriates the Dems for not having a plan for Iraq. Nothing new there. And Jonah heaps praise upon George for having a plan: Victory. (Never mind that that isn't a plan.)

In his response to the SOTU, Jim Webb talked about how Eisenhower ended the Korean War (Jonah mentions that the war hasn't technically ended - true enough) and, aside from more Dem-bashing, Jonah goes on the speculate that leaving Iraq will turn that country into another North Korea, nukes and all. How that follows I'll never know.

But here's the point:

Perhaps such applause is mere grace on the cheap. Democrats know they can count on their beloved United Nations to prevent serious intervention to protect the losing side in Sudan's civil war. Or maybe the Democrats really want action in Darfur, even though that would put us smack dab in the middle of a civil war, which Jack Murtha and other Iraq opponents invoke as a classic blunder the way Vizzini referred to land wars in Southeast Asia in "The Princess Bride."

While I'm not averse to pop culture references, and "The Princess Bride" is undoubtedly a great movie, a Serious Columnist writing for a Serious Newspaper would see fit to point out that "never get involved in a land war in Asia" was actually the advice the Gen. Douglas Macarthur gave to JFK concerning Vietnam. Maybe Jonah does know that but understood bringing Vietnam into the mix would destroy his argument.

Then again, maybe Jonah isn't all that bright.

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Wow

The Beard grills DeFib Dick and pulls no punches.

I didn't know Blitzer had it in him.

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Noted In Passing

Otherwise occupied today. I'll try to get some stuff up later.

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This Is Good

Atrios reports that Kerry won't be running for prez in 2008.

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More Webb

Alter:

Something unprecedented happened tonight, beyond the doorkeeper announcing, "Madame Speaker." For the first time ever, the response to the State of the Union Message overshadowed the president's big speech. Virginia Sen. James Webb, in office only three weeks, managed to convey a muscular liberalism—with personal touches—that left President Bush's ordinary address in the dust. In the past, the Democratic response has been anemic—remember Washington Gov. Gary Locke? This time it pointed the way to a revival for national Democrats.

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Webb

Sen. Jim Webb's excellent response to the SOTU:

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This Can't Be Good

SOTU:

One of the first steps we can take together is to add to the ranks of our military — so that the American Armed Forces are ready for all the challenges ahead. Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next five years. A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.

"Civilian Reserve Corps"? I don't like the sound of that.

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The End Of Dick?

Patrick Fitzgerald all but indicts DeFib Dick on the first day of arguments in the Libby trial.

Will Bunch:

As I typed this, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter came on camera to wonder why Cheney is not an unindicted co-conspirator and that Cheney is "a notch about Spiro Agnew as worst vice president in American history." The anchor said she wouldn't "quibble" with the assessment.

Liveblogging at FDL.

---

ADDED: Via Atrios: Yep, the teevee people are now openly talking about Crashcart's political survival.

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SOTU STFU

Aside from George Washington in 1790 no president gave the State of the Union in person until Woodrow Wilson in 1913. It's been all downhill since then...an empty exercize in spin and soon-to-be unkept promises.

States the Constitution:

Section 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient [.]

There's no requirement that the president be present. Wouldn't we all be much happier without this annual ritual of vapidity?

(And just to be clear: I felt this way during all of the previous presidencies in my memory.)

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Question

Who the hell cares what Liz Cheney (the one the Fundies don't hate) thinks about the Iraq war?

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28%

CBS.

Ouch.

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