She completely abandoned the WMD claim and based it on a "pre-emptive war" strategy. He shot down all the arguments the administration used to get us into Iraq and called it a great "sales job." Has the "Open Letter" been having an effect?
"Did anyone catch Wolfie getting all nervous and twitchy when he thought that Cafferty hadn't been "fair and balanced" in reporting the response to his question aabout Boehner renting his apartment from a lobbyist? He was very agitated that Cafferty didn't report any emails that said it was ok if Boehner "paid fair market value and the apartment wasn't luxurious." The fact was that Cafferty did read an email that said exactly that (how odd) but Wolfe apparently didn't hear it. Unfortunately for Wolfie, his little fit made Cafferty mad and when pressed on the matter, Cafferty said that out of 700 or so emails he had received only half a dozen or so supporting Boehner. Oops...read on
In another great Cafferty moment-Jack connects the dots and wonders why the new lobbyist reformer that replaces a corrupt leader rents an apartment from a lobbyist?
Cafferty: These guys are either arrogant or stupid and neither of those is a good thing if you're going to be the House majority leader--am I missing something here? Where's the reform part? I wonder how long this guy is going to last.
Wolf: You did hear Ed Henry say that it is a basement apartment which is not necessarily all that desirable---
Cafferty: Yea...and pigs fly upside down and the moon is made of green cheese and there's no quid pro quo from a lobbyist who is also your landlord. Do I look like I just fell out of the back of a vegetable truck to you?
Wolf: No, you look like Jack Cafferty...
I have to believe that Wolf is purposefully playing the straight man at the end. I mean he couldn't be serious, right?
The media knows John McCain is a hot head who has trashed journalists before so his response to Obama was really no surprise. I was wondering where Lindsey Graham was, being he is McCain's pool boy and all.
Lieberman acting like the referee blames Obama for not being clear about how he responded to McCain, but did Joe say that McCain should have possibly handled the situation better himself? Maybe talk to Obama before he sent out his letter and then be proud of it? Of course not. Joe picked McCain in that fight.
MyDD has more: "Imus asked Lieberman about the fight, and Lieberman alleged that it was all a big misunderstanding and that both men had were interested in getting a good bipartisan bill out of the process. He implied that both men had cleared up the misunderstanding. Imus at that point interjected that McCain stands by his letter, and Lieberman changed course. Lieberman then said that McCain stood by his letter, and Obama stood by his letter, except that Obama probably wishes he were a little clearer...read on.
George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said...read on
MediaCitizen: On Monday, President Bush released plans to inject more tax dollars into the government's propaganda machinery while slashing the budget for the nation's public broadcasters. The Recovering Liberal has more on Junior's latest exercise in Voodoo economics, and Bob Geiger exposes the breathtaking hypocrisy of the Senate Republicans as they screw veterans again.
SANS: Reading this story makes it clear that The NSA debate is not just about "wiretapping".
I'm going to keep talking about Keith Olbermann and Countdown this week. I know I criticize many shows and insane pundits like Snappy, but I think it is important to talk about the good "one or two" as well. "Countdown" deserves a lot of credit where the trend is to have most of the cable news shows conform to right wing talking points. Olbermann doesn't do that. We get honest discussions about the topics on of the day. Tune in as much as you can to show a little support for the crew.
Listening to Snappy O'Beirne's false indignation over Reverend Lowry's speech is enough to make "Forrest Gump Mirengoff" get acid reflux. Well, maybe not him, but how low is Hardball sinking to have on a person that's not going to offer any type of feedback other than contempt? Never mind that she had the nerve to utter the name Paul Wellstone.
Chris Matthews should be ashamed of himself because he stood there mute as she danced all over Jimmy Carter's reputation because he broached a subject that Correta knew all too well. You used to work for him-remember?
Kate O'Beirne isn't fit to wipe Coretta Scott King's shoes and criticizing her on the day of her memorial service is disgusting. What kind of unfeeling ghouls have Republicans become? Oh and I think they need to apologize to the Reverend Lowry. He is a man of the cloth and a friend of the deceased. Are they saying that leaders of the African American church are less worthy of respect than the white churches they are so proud of representing? It sure sounds like it. Republicans, it seems, only respect the church when its leaders "behave" the way they deem appropriate...read on"
Let me put this simply: Kate O'Beirne needs to shut her filthy mouth. When black people were dying in New Orleans, they called us everything but a child of God. We were animals, looters, out of control. ...read on
It's nice to know that whenever MSNBC needs something said that is so ugly, so fulminatingly rancid and dog-whistle racist that even Bill Bennett will not show up and do the honors that a vile, bilious hatchet-faced nag like Kate O'Beirne is always at the ready....read on
A House Republican whose subcommittee oversees the National Security Agency broke ranks with the White House on Tuesday and called for a full Congressional inquiry into the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program...read on"
Also:
Paul Craig Roberts who has held editorial positions at both the Wall Street Journal and National Review writes:
"Having eliminated internal opposition, the Bush administration is now using blackmail obtained through illegal spying on American citizens to silence the media and the opposition party---The TV networks mimic Fox News' faux patriotism. Anyone who depends on print, TV, or right-wing talk radio media is totally misinformed. The Bush administration has achieved a de facto Ministry of Propaganda...read on"
"I’m sure the cons will get all hot and bothered over this denunciation of Iraq at the Coretta Scott King funeral, but they really need to stop pretending that Dr. King and his wife were apolitical people. They were progressive activists fighting against the closed minds of conservatism."
AmericaBlog says get ready for the swiftboating to begin. Does anyone think MLK or Mrs. King would pass up that opportunity to give them a piece of their minds? Doubtful.
"George Deutsch, the Bush political appointee at the heart of administration efforts to censor NASA scientists (most notably to prevent James Hansen from speaking out about global warming), did not actually graduate from Texas A&M University...read on"
Huff Post: Each month, the Contagious Festival features original work by talented designers, activists, filmmakers and comics. You determine who wins the contest by deciding which entries to forward to your friends and which ones to ignore. Then the most popular sites rise to the top of our live rankings and get the attention of our panel of esteemed judges.
"We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there [standing ovation]... but Coretta kew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty aounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor." -Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery, at the Coretta Scott King funeral, in front of 4 presidents....read on
I had the chance to meet with Rep. John Murtha at a gathering of about 100 people Sunday afternoon over at Arianna Huffington's house. I first became aware of Murtha when he came out with a powerful message recently to try and end the conflict in Iraq. He had a clear-cut plan and a vision of what America should do in Iraq and he called for the immediate implementation of this plan.
Of course, he quickly became a target as the GOP sent out their newly elected hatchet man Jean Schmidt of Ohio to do their dirty work. She labeled him a coward and a cut-and-run artist, paving the way for second rate hacks to pile on a barrage of lies and distortions about the case he made to get us out of this tragic war. A fledgling swiftboat attack began but was quelled immediately by the Internet as the perpetrators turned out to be liars from the get-go.
John is a towering man; over six feet tall, he hovered over the crowd with a quiet calm that resonated deeply within the group. He spoke for a few minutes with a passion and clarity that was mesmerizing. What is clear and very dear to him is not that he held the spotlight for the moment, but rather his message...read on
"Cable news is driving me crazy. What's been the biggest domestic issue of the last month or so? Bush administration eavesdropping without court orders. And yesterday was the first congressional oversight hearing on the controversy, with Alberto Gonzales as the star witness.
The cable nets all made a great show of 'covering' the Senate Judiciary hearing by carrying the AG's opening statement, then maybe a question or two from Arlen Specter. Then they trotted out their legal analysts to talk about the meaning of the hearing, which by then must have been eight or nine minutes old. The hearing became video wallpaper as the cable talkers talked. They never even got to Pat Leahy, the panel's top Democrat, meaning that only Republican voices were heard. Gonzales essentially got a free ride...read on"
Glenn: I thought that when I debated Professor Turner this morning, I had confronted the most extreme end of the pro-Bush fantacism. But I was mistaken. Tomorrow at 2:10 p.m. EST, I'll be on NPR's To the Point to discuss the NSA hearings with Powerline's John Hinderaker...read on
DEAN: Well, they certainly raised those questions in the hearing today, and a number were searching for answers. Gonzalea obviously didn't come prepared to offer any kind of resolution. And that‘s been one of the surprising factors all along, Keith. It‘s one of the reasons we‘re having these hearings.
Bush is just saying to the Congress, it's an in-your-face situation, I think I have this authority, I'm not going to ask to have the law amended, and I'm going to just go ahead and do it my way.
Well, you know, that's a little bit frightening, because of the slippery-slope argument. And it's also just so contrary to the fact that we have traditionally been a country that follows the rule of law, for a very good reason. The rule of law controls power, and in our system, we just don‘t give presidents unlimited power, we don‘t give Congress unlimited power. And it checks and balances. And he doesn‘t want to play that game, though. So it's a very surprising move he‘s making.
Nicholas Kristof is challenging Bill to go to Darfur with him. The bloviator backs out with Jonah Goldberg like reasons. I guess he never heard of satellite coverage.
"After Mr. O'Reilly denounced me in December as a "left-wing ideologue" (a charge that alarmed me, given his expertise on ideologues), I challenged him to defend traditional values by joining me on a trip to Darfur. I wrote: "You'll have to leave your studio, Bill. You'll encounter pure evil. If you're like me, you'll be scared ... and you'll finally be using your talents for an important cause."
A few days ago, I finally got my answer. Mr. O'Reilly declared in his column: "I do three hours of daily news analysis on TV and radio. There's no way I can go to Africa."...read on
Kristof finishes with:
"If you want to help, send e-mail to sponsorbill@gmail.com or snail mail to me at The Times, and tell me how much you're willing to pay for Mr. O'Reilly's expenses in Darfur. Offers will be anonymous, except maybe to the N.S.A. Don't send money; all I'm looking for is pledges. I'll post updates at nytimes.com/ontheground."
Of Cabbages and Kings: Hybrid car technology was developed by an inventor named Victor Wouk in the 1970s and a bureaucrat with the Environmental Protection Agency killed it.
Ward Sutton's
cartoon pretty much sums up the feelings of many of us...
David E’s Fablog: How can one “glorify Naziism”and yet “never express any specific prejudice towards gays”? In a culture that prizes homophobia that’s how.
"I can't tell you when we may face a similar choice with Iran. But it's either take action now or lose the option of taking action," -Richard Perle via "Power of the Narrative"
"Congressional sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist any Republican who votes against the president. The sources said the blacklist would mean a halt in any White House political or financial support of senators running for re-election in November...read on"
BIDEN: Thank you very much. General, how has this revelation damaged the program?
I'm almost confused by it but, I mean, it seems to presuppose that these very sophisticated Al Qaida folks didn't think we were intercepting their phone calls.
GONZALES: Well, Senator, I would first refer to the experts in the Intel Committee who are making that statement, first of all. I'm just the lawyer. And so, when the director of the CIA says this should really damage our intel capabilities, I would defer to that statement. I think, based on my experience, it is true - you would assume that the enemy is presuming that we are engaged in some kind of surveillance.
But if they're not reminded about it all the time in the newspapers and in stories, they sometimes forget.
(Update):Atrios has the quintessential picture posted now that sums up Gonzales at the hearing...
Alberto: President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale.
This is a program for Mac usersthat makes it easy to view the .wmv in QuickTime. Others have told me about it. Click here to check it out. I know some people do not like to wait until I put up the QT. (hat tip to Maurice for reminding me)
As soon as you saw Bush try to stick his tongue down McCain's head during the campaign last year, any notion that he was nothing more than a tool should have been quite evident. Except-of course-to our media.
"I've been digesting this morning's hearings and I am dumbstruck by the totality of the Republicans' abdication of their duty. These men who spent years running on Madisonian principles ("The essence of government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse") now argue without any sense of irony or embarrassment that Republican Senators are nothing more than eunuchs in President Bush's political harem. They have voluntarily rendered the congress of the United States impotent to his power...read on"
Glenn Greenwald: The Washington Journal on the NSA Hearing
I had to put up this clip because the caller is batshit crazy. Obviously she doesn't understand what the conflict is and why there is a hearing going on, but her rhetoric is fueled by the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and much of the hate filled diatribe's from someBush apologists that fuel this sentiment. The hearing is about protecting the rights of Americans from being unlawfully spied on- coupled with a power hungry executive branch-period.
Caller: ...This is about people who support terrorists. You know, the ACLU and all these people are so concerned about the rights of these terrorists-maybe they should have been in the building 9/11, instead of all those decent Americans who were murdered by these people you are so interested in keeping their civil rights--Thank you.
Turner was even stunned.
Turner: Wow....
Glenn discussed the real issue here while taking the partisanship out of the equation:
Glenn: The reality is-is that the scandal is about whether or not we live under the rule of law and that is not a conservative or a liberal debate-that is an American value and for that reason there are numerous conservatives-and I don't mean wishy-washy conservatives. I mean hardcore doctrinaire conservatives from Grover Norquist and Bob Barr...
Nobody is against eavesdropping on the terrorists...
Feingold demanded that Alberto be put under oath. Specter didn't want to put Alberto under oath. A vote ensued. Nice to see the right wingers on the committee do an admirable job of protecting Gonzo.
First of all Power Line is not part of Pajamas Media as far as I know. (I believe they are part of the Blog News Service of PM) Durbin reacts to Mirengoff's parroting of Karl Rove's talking point.
DURBIN: I just don’t understand why they can’t make what modifications in the law might be necessary, but instead are claiming powers that go way beyond what the statute allows and way beyond what anyone voted for on September 14, 2001.
Q: But the attorney general says FISA allows intercepts that are otherwise authorized by statue. And he also says that that was authorized in the authorization of force act.
DURBIN: That's his argument. You've just repeated it.
(Isn't it interesting how Power Line usually just repeats the company line ocer issues like these?)
Q: Well, why don't – if you disagree with that argument, why don't you go on the floor and try to get a vote and have the Senate say whether or not the authorization of force - with all force necessary-
DURBIN: No, you've got it wrong. You've got it wrong. I don't know - who do you work for, incidentally?
Q: Powerline and Pajamas Media.
DURBIN: Jamas Media?
Q: Pajamas Media.
DURBIN: Pajama Media?
Q: And Powerline.
DURBIN: Okay, I'm sorry I wasn't familiar with your publication. But I will just tell you this: the argument is the Constitution spells out the powers of the president, as well as the powers of the legislative branch and the judicial branch. And statutes will be followed if, in fact, they put exclusive authority. That's was FISA does. It creates the word "“exclusive means" - exclusive authority. And they are reading more into it now than the statute obviously allows.
Q: But did you hear Gonzales say-
DURBIN: I'll check out Pajamaline, but I'm not familiar with your publication.
All you hear from certain republicans is talk about how the democrats politicize the war in Iraq whenever they are criticized. Jeff Sessions actually brought out the sister of one of the fallen pilots in the 9/11 tragedy during an intermission of the hearing. How low will Sessions sink?
The Bush administration has made a habit of keeping public information from the people. Here's another example of their scorn for American citizens and devotion to unlimited power
Those Bastards! Email Innovation: AOL-approved and Yahoo-approved spam.
Bring it On: February 19 -"Anti-Corruption Week." Not here, but in Iraq.
(Is this book title supposed to draw in the
I thought Wolf was playing the straight man earlier, but aparently he wasn't. He really, really wanted that basement-market value analogy driven home.
The media knows John McCain is a hot head who has trashed journalists before so his response to Obama was really no surprise. I was wondering where Lindsey Graham was, being he is McCain's pool boy and all.
Listening to Snappy O'Beirne's false indignation over Reverend Lowry's speech is enough to make "
I had the chance to meet with Rep. 
Mr. Dean joined 
Nicholas Kristof is challenging Bill to go to Darfur with him. The bloviator backs out with 
Sometimes you just hit the jackpot.
Helen gave Scotty all he could handle today at the press briefing.
I had to put up this clip because the caller is batshit crazy. Obviously she doesn't understand what the conflict is and why there is a hearing going on, but her rhetoric is fueled by the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and much of the hate filled diatribe's from someBush apologists that fuel this sentiment. The hearing is about protecting the rights of Americans from being unlawfully spied on- coupled with a power hungry executive branch-period.
Feingold demanded that Alberto be put under oath. Specter didn't want to put Alberto under oath. A vote ensued. Nice to see the right wingers on the committee do an admirable job of protecting Gonzo.
First of all Power Line is not part of Pajamas Media as far as I know. (I believe they are part of the Blog News Service of PM) Durbin reacts to Mirengoff's parroting of Karl Rove's talking point.
David Edwards made a clip of Pat Leahy's opening statement from the NSA hearing today.
