Welcome To The Party Joe!

I am so proud Joe, all I can say is:

“Our little boy is all growns up tonight, you know what big boy, you’re grown up! You’re grown up! YEAHHHHH!!! Dig that! Is this a fuckin’ production for ya? ’Cause you’re growns up and you’re growns up and you’re growns up!”

To quote the illustrious, and all growns up Mr. Klein:

Klein claims, in referring to the president, that he has “tried to be respectful of the man and the office” but now he recognizes that the “defining sins” of his administration “are congenital: they’re part of his personality. They’re not likely to change. And it is increasingly difficult to imagine yet another two years of slow bleed with a leader so clearly unfit to lead.”

Earlier in the column, Klein hits Bush's "adolescent petulance" and "indifference to reality in Iraq" and charges that his "hyper-partisanship" amounts to "a travesty of governance." He declares that the three major Bush problems of the year “precisely illuminate the three qualities that make this Administration one of the worst in American history: arrogance (the surge), incompetence (Walter Reed) and cynicism (the U.S. Attorneys)."

Easter
Have a blessed and inspirational day.

Now, back to business

Dahlia Lithwick takes a microscope to Monica Goodling.

Justice's Holy Hires

By Dahlia Lithwick
Sunday, April 8, 2007; Page B02

Monica Goodling had a problem. As senior counsel to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Justice Department liaison to the White House, she no longer seemed to know what the truth was. She also must have been increasingly unclear about who her superiors were. This didn't used to be a problem for Goodling. Everything was once very certain: Her boss's truth was always the same as God's truth. Her boss was always either God or one of His staffers.

(snip)

No, the real concern here is that Goodling and her ilk somehow began to conflate God's work with the president's. Probably not a lesson she learned in law school.

God or country?

Crazed Woman With Hi Speed Internets Says...

The Hybrid Of Lawrence Welk & The Velvet Underground Is THIS...

My Weekly AMERICAblog Piece--about an old friend:

The Week That Was 4/6/2007

Another Week. More preposterousness to report.

Some days you're just in the mood for a walk in the local market.

Other days it's good to have 100 soldiers, 3 Black Hawks and 2 Apaches handy to chaperone you on your mundane stroll browsing for deals among local rug merchants.

John McCain had one of the latter recently, and he proved all those nattering nabobs of negativism wrong once again. That's right, choke on his straight talk and independent maverickness you liberal wusses!

McCain can walk the streets of Baghdad with BFFs Graham and Pence, you wimps! So what if he had an infantry battalion that could have stormed Omaha Beach protecting him? Who cares that all of our soldiers not only don't get that, but are lucky if they're funded by McCain for rodentless & urineless sleeping quarters once they return stateside.

In fact, just in case any varmints chose to fight McCain over there so they don't have to fight him over here--like at Walter Reed for example--I hear the army had "lifelong hunter" Mitt Romney available to take the head shot. If dogs were involved, Mrs. Giuliani "3" was to be ready with scalpel and smelling salts.

I feel for the good Senator, though, I really do. Although he did take what looked to be a relaxed jaunt through town, searching for various odds and ends (I do hear Senator Graham's a fantastic shopping companion!), the protective armor and guys with guns made it just too difficult to maneuver for that perfect haggle.

But at least McCain feels more like himself again, since that easy and safe promenade with a few buds. So much so that he has apparently expanded his list of places where he will confidently walk with that John Wayne swagger: 1) Darfur 2) OJ Simpson's driveway 3) Keith Richards' bloodstream and 4) In between Rush Limbaugh and a vial of Oxycontin after a week in the pokey.

I have been in Arizona the past week to celebrate Passover in the desert--it only seemed appropriate. This is why I have been silent this week.

So imagine my surprise when I found out in the Arizona Republic that my new girlfriend, Monica Goolding, announced her resignation. The article states there was no reason given for her resignation.

No reason? This is what I never understand about no comments. We all know why--you are in deep crap. We all know that you are in over your head. And we all know that you are merely chum in the water. So why not admit that with the ongoing investigation it is impossible to perform her job effectively...as a toady.

Moreover, I continue to wonder how her legal bills are being paid now that she does not have any job. To my knowledge there have not been any announcements about a legal fund to pay for her attorney's fees. And nothing indicates that she is loaded with cash. (Admittedly, I have been on vacation and this type of news coulbe floating out there) I wish the MSM would cover this aspect of scandals--how are lawyers found and legal fees paid for the younger, less affluent people caught up in these scandals?

ONE LAST PUSH FOR THE FUNDRAISER!

Ok folks, I admit it, I am not a professional fundraiser. Conducting this thing the same week I was moving and mostly absent from this blog, as well as during the final hours of the presidential candidates' filing deadline was, well, not too bright.

But I am still getting used to this running a blog thing.

We love $100 contributions. We also love $5 contributions. Keep our independent media alive my friends! Go to the Make A Donation button on the right, and let your fingers do the walking (in a non-Don Sherwood kinda way).

Please contribute, or I'll be forced to hang out with the "Criminals & Pedophiles".

If Bush is your man, 'cause you like your Leader of the Free World with a good dose of STUPID, Rudy is the only substitute.

Wheeeeee................

4 hours later (rewiring city) and I CAN PLAY THIS!!!!




Unfortunately, no David Johanson in a Monkey Suit.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped!!! This just f'ng ROCKS!!!

The Cartoons

Our friend Bob Geiger has 'em as usual, and there are some good ones. I will quote his description in an email:

The Saturday 'toons are up, compete with looks at Bush's war on the troops, Mitt "Elmer Fudd" Romney, global warming denial, Gonzales and John McCain's heavily escorted walk on the wild side.

LaTourette Struggles in Fundraising

Ohio Republican Congressman Steve LaTourette is struggling in fundraising for what may become a hotly contested race in 2008. Democrats surely will want to put up a strong challenge this year amid reports that LaTourette had an extra-marital affair with his former chief of staff who was lobbying him. For more on that, read Cliff's story in the Salon. But for those interested in the money totals, LaTourette raised $79,700 and spent $47,080 this cycle, leaving his campaign with only $172,460 in the bank. A pretty pathetic total given he did not face a close election last cycle.

SCHMUCK

Many of us already knew this about Jackie Mason (his latest unfunny book is called Schmucks--Jackie meet mirror). I remember when I lived in NYC, he was always somewhere with his hand up Rudy's skirt.

But this interview by my pals The Young Turks, with this comedian, in the same sense that Dennis Miller is a comedian, and that "Fox Daily Show" monstrosity was chuckle-worthy, is just hysterical.

And it merits Cenk Uygur and Ben Mankiewicz being the latest recipients of The Howie Klein, an award we give here to progressive pundits that don't take crap from slack-jawed, right-wing talking-point-whoring Republicans.

Even though Ben is Jewish and an anti-Semite. You'll have to go watch/listen to get that one.

The waterfalls at Glencar Lough. Go see the whole gorgeous picture.

I'm so excited!! Sitting here waiting for the Comcast guy to show for my HI SPEED INTERNETS!!! Man, I'm gonna be all freaked out, I'm sure.

Finished The West Wing last nite, I've been watching the DVDs in order over the last month or so. Yes, I cried. (Yeah!!! C.J.!!!)

Dumbasses never learn. Go read the excuses they made up for the furor around Ms Paulose.

Trying to cut down on coffee? Start your morning with 5 minutes of Fox. This am the talking heads were discussing "Pelosi voilating the Logan Act" and "Will she be charged with consorting with enemies of state". Who needs caffeine?

OMG. Only click here if you have a strong stomach and don't have family in a nursing homr. I have tons of experiance with this shit 'cause of family and friends, and I would have killed someone.

I'm not using a Cat picture today 'cause Cliff let me add her Flikr portfolio to the blogroll, so when you're in the mood for some gorgeous pics, just head over to the right and click on Wizardkitten Photography.

I can't believe it!!! Bush wanted to be more aggresive in the captured British sailors situation? Blair was the calm one? No, really? /snark

The Truth About Bushs "Primitive, Inarticulate Argument".

Is there any truth to 'the enemy would follow us here?'
By William Douglas
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - It’s become President Bush’s mantra, his main explanation for why he won’t withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq anytime soon.

In speech after speech, in statement after statement, Bush insists that “this is a war in which, if we were to leave before the job is done, the enemy would follow us here.”

The line, which Bush repeated Wednesday in a speech to troops at California's Fort Irwin, suggests a chilling picture of warfare on American streets.

But is it true?

Military and diplomatic analysts say it isn't. They accuse Bush of exaggerating the threat that enemy forces in Iraq pose to the U.S. mainland.

“The president is using a primitive, inarticulate argument that leaves him open to criticism and caricature,” said James Jay Carafano, a homeland security and counterterrorism expert for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy organization. “It’s a poor choice of words that doesn’t convey the essence of the problem - that walking away from a problem doesn’t solve anything.”

Don't they understand that having a "primitive inarticulate argument" is the POINT.

The opposite of that would be a "SOPHISTICATED ERUDITE AGREEMENT" and what self-respecting Neo-Con R would go for that wussy liberal pablum?

To Monica Goodling I say, buh-bye! That makes three resignations from Justice because of the scandal. Mr. Attorney General, come on down!.

How Dare The Bastard?!?

Much like Atrios said, I'll be looking forward to watching Fred Hiatt--some editor from some crappy-gone-neocon Washington newspaper (have I reminded you lately how glad I am I cancelled my subscription?)--condemn Congressman Issa with equal fury as he did Congresswoman Pelosi, for having the temerity to take a stab at doing better than The Pet Goat.

This weekend I am participating in a blogswarm for Blog Against Theocracy. I have a post about a personal experience with theocracy that I'll have up later in the weekend, but in the meantime I found this disturbing and scary post by Cliffs' friend Taylor Marsh.

There has been alot of discussion about Mormonism and the Church of Latter Day Saints since Governor Romney threw his hat in the ring, and I believe any discussion of his candidacy will include questions about his religion. It shouldn't have to be this way. For me, the question is not just moral values but also tolerance, and being religious guarantees you neither. Moral values are not necessarily encompassed by or germinated from a religion, but our current political situation dictates that it will be discussed.

In the immortal words of Arnold Vinnick:

"I don't see how we can have a separation of Church & State in this government, if you have to pass a religious test, to get in this government.

And I want to warn everyone in the press & all the voters out there, If you demand expressions of Religious Faith from politicians, you are just begging to be lied to.

They won't all lie to you, but a lot of them will, and it will be the easiest lie they ever had to tell to get your votes.

I'm not going to make a judgement on Mormonism. I've known Mormons. Some I've liked, some I haven't. When my parents home was destroyed after Hurricane Andrew, they could not stop talking about the Mormon volunteers who showed up out of nowhere and did massive amounts of work helping them clean up. They would not even take a bottle of water in payment. Others I have known were just.... well, the polite word I would use is "squirrelly".

But you could take the above paragraph and insert "Catholics" or "Protestants" or "Jews" and I'd probably have stories on either side about them too.

The religion isn't the point. What happened to Taylor could happen (and probably does) if the people were squirrelly Catholics. (Bill Donahue anyone?)

The point is the intolerance, the blinders-on-tight view of my way being the only way and damned if I won't do everything in my power to stop you from going your way.

And once they start getting their way, they don't want to ever step back.

Edwards Is The Man

John Edwards is certainly doing everything he can to gain my support in this election. So far, on everything that has been important to me, he has been there: Keeping his bloggers after a slight hesitation, calling his Iraq vote, unequivocally, a "mistake," calling very clearly for universal healthcare, being the first one to pull out of the Nevada Democratic/Fox propaganda debate and now this:

"We just called the CBC to let them know that we're looking forward to their January debate with CNN but we're not going to participate in the proposed debate with Fox. The CBC champions critical issues that matter enormously to the future of our country, and we look forward to discussing them throughout this campaign and at their debate in January. But we believe there's just no reason for Democrats to give Fox a platform to advance the right-wing agenda while pretending they're objective. If there was any uncertainty as to Fox's objectivity, it was put to rest when they attacked Democratic candidates, Democratic constituency groups, and the Nevada Democratic party when their last proposed debate was cancelled for lack of support."

Let me also mention that Senator Chris Dodd deserves mention here too, as he has come out in support of Feingold-Reid, ie in favor of ending this disasterous Republican war in Iraq and against bottom-feeder Sam Fox.

How Inept is Susan Collins?

I am sure that the Maine People's Alliance and Americans United for Change are thrilled that Susan Collins just posted this response, which will draw even more attention to their ad depicting how two-faced Collins talks one way at home in Maine and goes to Washington to vote with George W. Bush. Collins was kind enough to remind voters that she was speaking against the troop surge, which I'm sure did a lot of good after she turned around and supported George W. Bush by voting against ending the war in Iraq. Thank you for the response Susan, hopefully you will post more videos so the voters in Maine can read more stories like this one exposing your record:

Collins, R-Maine, voted last week against an emergency appropriations bill that authorized $123.2 billion in spending, with $97.5 billion for the Defense Department. The bill, which passed 51-47, would require the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

"We were disappointed last week that Senator Collins, when given the opportunity to vote for legislation that provided funding for the troops in Iraq as well as a plan for withdrawal, voted nay," Graham said.

Dems will challenge Vito Fossella

Its looking more and more like Vito Fossella is going to pay the price for his continued support of George W. Bush on the war in Iraq. Fossella's Staten Island district in New York City has a COok Partisan Index of +1 D and Al Gore defeated Bush 52-44 there in 2000. Now it looks like we have 2 potential challengers to Fossella:

A city councilman in Brooklyn is mulling a 2008 challenge to Rep. Vito Fossella.

"I'm looking at the race," Democrat Domenic Recchia told the Advance yesterday. "I've not made up my mind."

"I encourage the interest," said Councilman Michael McMahon (D-North Shore), who has been mentioned as a potential Fossella opponent. "It's good that he's looking at it."

McMahon, who sits next to Recchia in the Council and is a friend, added that those who may be looking at the race shouldn't take Recchia's interest as a "threat."

Recchia already has $88,000 raised in an account for an undeclared city race that could be used to lay the groundwork for a Congressional bid. Remember that Vito Fossella took $10,000 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC and $1500 from Halliburton. No surpirse that Mr. Fossella also voted to continue awarding projects to Halliburton even after the Pentagon's audit was released, showing over $100 million of their costs were unreasonable...

Mitt Is Really Daniel Boone!

BC wrote about the latest Romney ridiculousness in an earlier post, and Steve Benen takes us the next step in Multiple Choice Mitt's latest identity crisis:

And Mitt Romney continues to struggle after having been caught fibbing about his experience as a hunter. “I’m not a big-game hunter. I’ve made that very clear,” he said. “I’ve always been a rodent and rabbit hunter. Small varmints, if you will. I began when I was 15 or so and I have hunted those kinds of varmints since then. More than two times.”

He hunted "varmints?" Who is he now, Yosemite Sam?

If Al Gore was an exaggerator, I guess Mitt Romney is what? A liar, maybe?

When asked on Tuesday about his stance on guns, Mr. Romney, as he has more than once, portrayed himself as a sportsman, a “hunter pretty much all my life,” who strongly supported a right to bear arms.

He even trotted out some remembrances, recalling that in hunting with his cousins as a teenager, he struggled to kill rabbits with a single-shot .22-caliber rifle. When they lent him a semiautomatic, it got a lot easier, he said, drawing laughs from an appreciative crowd in Keene, N.H. The last time he went hunting, he said, was last year, when he shot quail in Georgia and “knocked down quite a few birds.”

“So I’ve been pretty much hunting all my life,” he said again.

But on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that Mr. Romney had in fact been hunting only twice: once during that summer when he was 15 and spending time at a relative’s ranch in Idaho, and again on the occasion last year, a quail shoot at a fenced-in game preserve in Georgia with major donors to the Republican Governors Association.

[Former Arkansas Gov. Mike] Huckabee told the AP that Republicans not paying attention to the personal lives of their own candidates "would be troubling because that inconsistency would show it really wasn't about principles. It was about personality, character assassination and politics."

Well, duh. You mean Newt Gingrich attacking Bill Clinton for having an affair, while he was doing the same thing, was character assassination, rather than a principled stand? Again, I say, duh.

Crazy, Table For One

Yes, I know, you've already concluded that Bill O'Reilly is missing a hemisphere of his cerebrum or perhaps has an extra three Y chromosomes.

But you've never seen him like this before. This is truly special.

One of these things is not like the others.

Headlines this morning from the Washington Post.

Deadly Chlorine Gas Bomb Kills at Least 15 in Iraq

Soldiers Die in Multiple Attacks |Iraq Violence

Defense Secretary Gates Sees Encouraging Signs

Special Report: America at War | Faces of the Fallen

Take an under qualified hand picked indoctrinated minority and place them in a position of power, either potential or current power.

Could be Gonzales or it could be Rachel Paulose or any one of the other hundreds of federal appointees by this administration. Great for a banana republic, not so great for good government.

But apparently the "career professionals" in her office weren't so happy with her appointment.

Think Progress

Four of her top staff voluntarily demoted themselves Thursday, fed up with Paulose, who, after just months on the job, has earned a reputation for quoting Bible verses and dressing down underlings.

For people who don't believe in affirmative action, they sure do go out of their way to find unqualified minorities to tuck away in prime positions. Trying to make them fireproof? So they can rail, "Bigotry!!! Racist!!! Liberals hate Women!!" like Mr Limbaugh? Machiavellian to the end.

Incrementally destroying government so they can auction off the remains to their friends.

Some day the ironic smile is just gonna freeze on my face.

Hussein's Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted
By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 6, 2007; Page A01

Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides "all confirmed" that Hussein's regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to a declassified Defense Department report released yesterday.

The declassified version of the report, by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, also contains new details about the intelligence community's prewar consensus that the Iraqi government and al-Qaeda figures had only limited contacts, and its judgments that reports of deeper links were based on dubious or unconfirmed information. The report had been released in summary form in February.

A report criticizes an intelligence assessment by the office of Douglas Feith, then a Pentagon official, before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. (By Elizabeth Dalziel -- Associated Press)

The report's release came on the same day that Vice President Cheney, appearing on Rush Limbaugh's radio program, repeated his allegation that al-Qaeda was operating inside Iraq "before we ever launched" the war, under the direction of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist killed last June.

Of course, none of this will get reported in the media 'cause they think they already covered it. And they did.

But every single citizen of this country needs to know how this administration has PERPETUALLY DECEIVED US*.


*again and again and again.....

Marching To The Beat Of An Insane Drummer

This cartoon pretty much sums up Senator McCain's trip through the market.

Ann Coulter Reaches New Low

This is truly one of the most disgusting columns I have ever read. I refuse to link to any website from which she can benefit, but this hate-mongerer should be exposed for what she is, so I will link to the Salon post about her here. First, Coulter's take on Darfur:

These people can't even wrap up genocide. We've been hearing about this slaughter in Darfur forever — and they still haven't finished. The aggressors are moving like termites across that country. It's like genocide by committee. Who's running this holocaust in Darfur, FEMA?

This is truly a war in which we have absolutely no interest.

And many readers will be happy to see the high regard she has for people of the Jewish faith:

Moses had to grab Jews by the scruff of their necks and drag them to the desert for 40 years to get a generation capable of living in freedom — and even then the Jews were complaining about it being too drafty.

Even in the desert, the Jews would not stop with the golden calves. God nearly let the whole lot of them perish in the desert, he was so angry about their idolatrous ways.

He's Baaaack

And no, I don't must mean me. Although I am. Score one for DSL.

I mean sewer-dweller, slim-merchant Sam Fox, the Swift-Boating jackass who couldn't make it through the Foreign Relations Committee to become an ambassador. So Bush, in the new bipartisan spirit he spoke about right after the 2006 elections--and we were supposed to take at face value or we were "angry liberals"--gave the scumbag a recess appointment.

But, hell, Joe Lieberman likes him, so he must be both qualified and a kindly gentleman (see Joe and Heckuva Job Brownie).

Here is Senator Chris Dodd's forceful statement, the kind of real straight talk that makes him a man I could most assuredly support for president:

"It is outrageous that the President has sought to stealthily appoint Sam Fox to the position of ambassador to Belgium when the President formally requested that the Fox nomination be withdrawn from the Senate because it was facing certain defeat in the Foreign Relations Committee last week. I seriously question the legality of the President's use of the recess appointment authority in this instance. I intend to seek an opinion on the legality of this appointment from the General Accountability Office and invite other Senators to join with me in that request. This is underhanded and an abuse of Executive authority -- sadly this behavior has become the hallmark of this administration."

And here is Senator John Kerry's equally terrific statement, which showed a lot of class and restraint considering he was on the receiving end of attacks funded by this human-waste dump:

It's sad but not surprising that this White House would abuse the power of the presidency to send a donor to Belgium over the objections of the Senate.

When it comes to getting body armor for our soldiers or relief for New Orleans, they're AWOL, but they'll move heaven and earth to reward a smear.

This White House has governed on fear and smear for far too long. Today's move shows it is wedded to the politics of personal character assassination that they are willing to take unprecedented steps to reward donor Sam Fox with an Ambassdorship.

Last week, the White House acknowledged that Sam Fox did not have the support of the Foreign Relations committee to succeed. Rather than lose a vote, they withdrew his nomination. Rather than fight on principle, they are hiding behind cowardly and perhaps illegal tactics. Today we see they will go to all odds to reward its biggest
donor.

This is another abuse of power by this White House and shows an utter disregard of Congress's role in the nominating process. It's time this White House learns it can't change the rules just to win its game.

Unfortunately, this White House is so inseparable from the politics of character assassination that they would take unprecedented steps to install Sam Fox as Ambassador. It's cowardly to buck the will of the Foreign Relations Committee to reward a donor whose nomination was withdrawn rather than face outright rejection. Never before has a president used a recess appointment to support a withdrawn nominee. Every time this White House shows that if they can't win the game, they just change the rules, our democracy and the Constitution loses.

Just in case you haven't read up on it lately Sam, Belgium is like this whole different country. They don't speak 'Merican there.

Don't Let Cheney See This....

Moscow passes tough law restricting political rallies

Luke Harding in Moscow
Thursday April 5, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Russia's opposition groups today denounced as "absurd" a new law passed by Moscow's city council that restricts the number of people allowed to take part in political rallies to two for every square metre.

Opposition parties said the legislation — introduced by Moscow's pro-Kremlin Duma yesterday — was designed to prevent protests against Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, before elections later this year.

Under the new law, demonstrators are no longer allowed to gather in front of historic monuments, ruling out most of the centre of Moscow. The law also restricts meetings held indoors. Police now have the right to break up political gatherings if there are more people than chairs.

How would they enforce this? Send all the cops out in riot gear and little holsters for their measuring tapes?

Another sign Russia is in a spiral.

What kind of Orwellian crap is this?

McConnell: U.S. laws limit spy efforts
By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer
Wed Apr 4, 6:45 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Current law prevents the government from fully using its capabilities to protect the United States, National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell said Wednesday.

(snip)

"One of the things I worry about most is the current laws and regulations that we have prevent us from using all the talents (and) the capabilities of the government to even play broadly in protecting the nation," he said.

McConnell was not specific about any proposals, but suggested there is more room for intelligence agencies to use there tools to protect the country. He acknowledged that the issue would require significant discussion on Capitol Hill.

(snip)
He joined the Bush administration as it was under fire from critics who contended it abused its surveillance powers.

McConnell provided a vigorous defense of one such effort — the terrorist surveillance program. Under it, the NSA monitors the international calls and e-mails of Americans when terrorism is expected. He said that President Bush concluded that the program is legal."I can tell you with great confidence ... the fact we do that has saved lives in the United States," McConnell said.

Most recently, he said, the monitoring program had saved lives as he was returning to government late last year. He offered no details and nor would his aides.

As if there are any fraking laws left!!

I conclude that if I drive 140 miles an hour in a school zone it is legal.

Because, driving 140 miles an hour in a school zone saves lives.

No, I will not give you details, and the dogs have no comment either.

About a week ago, I highlighted how Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet was part of the new attack on Sen. Obama. What a difference a week, and $25 million, can make. Just check out the headline.

"Money talks for Obama
$25 million haul shows just how powerful a candidate he really is." (emphasis mine)

Yesterday, Rudy Giuliani confirmed his support for public financing for abortions. Today, there are articles like this one ...

Giuliani position won't sit well in such a conservative state, said Clemson University political scientist Dave Woodard.
"He's toast," Woodard said. "I think it's going to be really hard for him to overcome this in South Carolina."

Anyone still want to bet on Rudy G.?

More on the Drudge Smear on Michael Ware

Just a reminder of where we would be without Paddy's reporting on what turned out to be a major smear by Drudge of CNN reporter Michael Ware. Instead of more headlines like this:

"Glenn Reynolds Corrects His Michael Ware Post"

We'd be getting more headlines like this:

"John McCain Heckled by CNN Reporter Michael Ware"

Anti-War Groups Target Collins and Sununu

Americans United For Change and the Maine People's Alliance introduced a new ad this week calling out Susan Collins for voting against ending the war in Iraq. The Bangor Daily News notes that the ad is already causing quite a stir in maine:

State Senate Minority Leader Carol Weston, R-Montville, criticized the ad and the organizations’ use of it to promote their political agendas. She compared it to the "Daisy Ad" that ran during the 1964 presidential campaign...

Fortunately, local activists in Maine are already prepared to take Collins to the task:

Ben Dudley, chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, issued a press release Wednesday afternoon criticizing Collins’ record on Iraq and her office’s comments on the ad.

"The conflict in Iraq is perhaps the most serious issue of our time, and Maine people have the right to know where their senator stands," Dudley said. "Susan Collins cannot continue saying one thing in Maine while voting to support the president’s Iraq policy in Washington."

James L. at Swing State Project especially likes the Sununu ad:

Is it just me, or are ads produced by Democratic-allied groups getting stronger and stronger? The Hill takes a look at three ads by Americans United for Change targeting Republican Senators Collins (ME), McConnell (KY) and Sununu (NH). And while the ads against McConnell and Collins are both pretty good, the Sununu edit takes the prize

Computer problems. BC et al hiding. Cold as hell here.

ACK.

In the meantime.....

If you get a couple minutes and like your "news" with a liberal sprinkling of sex, go check out English Pravda.
Opened my eyes on a couple things.

John Walker Lindh & David Hicks convicted of the same crime, very different sentences.

Gonzo is apparently so worried about his job that he is practicing testimony, calling lawmakers. My advice? Start shopping that CV around Texas Fredo.

TRex makes a erm, sorta kinda correction for Michelle Malkin.

Killer interview with Sy Hersh in Rolling Stone, Cheney's Nemesis

"No, really. The first time was heaven,
and I wouldn't want to ruin the memories."

I did call, I did write, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday in a letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.).

Waxman, Loop fans may recall, wrote to Rice last week saying that she had not responded to many of his letters over the years asking about the administration's bogus claims that Iraq wanted to buy uranium from Niger, how it handled classified information and other matters.

Because she hadn't responded, Waxman on Friday sent her an invitation to come up to the Hill for a hearing on April 18.

But yesterday, in a lengthy missive on her behalf by Jeffrey T. Bergner, assistant secretary for legislative affairs, the State Department said she has been quite responsive.

You say responsive, I say bullshit.

They really think that this dancing around is going to get them anywhere?
Just like with the Fox recess appointment, I think this administration is going to be sorely disappointed.

Now that the D's are in the majority, they are not going to hesitate to use their power (and smarts) to get what they want.

Get those dancing shoes shined up Condi, Henry Waxman is a'calling.

At This Rate I May Not Get My DSL Until After Paddy, Damn It!

Hi folks. My name is Cliff Schecter. You may remember me from such television shows as Cleta Mitchell is a moron and Rush Limbaugh likes Oxycontin.

Ok, non-Simpsons fans, we'll move onto the post. First of all, I am here, albeit briefily, as I sit in a Panera drinking chai latte (you can take the guy off the East Coast...). I was told I was getting my DSL today. What that means is they "delivered it" today, and it is not turned on until tomorrow. That would be anytime between 8AM and 8PM. I love moving.

So sorry for my extended absence. But with the excellent job the bloggers have been doing around here, I am not sure my presence here is relevant any longer. And don't take that the wrong way, I am very pleased. They are awesome.

One thing I will say quickly, is you may remember that BC wrote a post a few days back about how the Republicans are very worried about Ohio. I would link but I don't have the time in this 20 minute visit to Panera. But it was probably on Monday. Well, in any case, the GOP should be worried.

You hear a lot about states like New Mexico and Colorado, where more liberal voters from California or New York or Massachusetts are settling down. Ohio is supposed to be a place from which people are fleeing. And some of the older industrial towns do tell that sad story. But Columbus is a diferent story. In growing suburbs like the one I live in, which you could compare to relatively well-off suburbs of Chicago, New York or DC, the residents have all moved in the last year (new development) and where they are from is a who's who of blue states. One couple from Rockville, MD, another from Seattle, Washington and still another from Rochester, NY (etc. and so forth).

The GOP brand is dirt here, and many former Republicans I am meeting are proudly calling themselves Democrats or Independents. So you do the math. A huge GOP scandal (coingate), Bob Ney off to prison, huge election victories by the Dems in 2006, a dying manufacturing base due to corporatist GOP policies (sadly with some Dems going along for the ride) and newer more liberal folks moving into the Columbus area. Who vote.

No wonder Chris Van Hollen, who is heading up the DCCC effort in 2008, recently said that they will be targeting SIX seats in Ohio, half of which are in the Columbus area. If the Democrats play this right, 2008 could be a bloodbath for the GOP here.

Now off to pray to the DSL Gods (I guess I have also maintained that famous East Coast lack of monotheism.)

Will Fred Thompson address his ties to Farhad Azima?

Given his recent commentary on Britain lacking the "will to defend itself," and his impending entry into the Presidential race, will the press force former lobbyist Fred Thompson to address his ties to one of his former supporters, Farhad Azima? Thompson claimed last week that:

Unlike much of Europe, which seems to have lost the will to protect itself and its democratic traditions, many of the new aggressors are increasing military spending dramatically. And many seem willing to sacrifice masses of their own populations if that’s what it takes to force the West into submission.

Let’s be clear. Iran’s kidnappings are part of a plan to see that nothing interferes with its quest for nuclear weapons. If successful, other dictatorships will follow suit. This is not the time for the free world to neglect its own defense.

Interesting words coming from former lobbyist Fred Thompson, who has received over $6,000 from Farhad Azima, yes the same Farhad Azima implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal:

In Kansas City, the Iranian-born owner of Global International, Farhad Azima, expressed dismay that his airline might have been bamboozled into gunrunning by the charter firm in Belgium In Beirut, sources familiar with P.L.O. operations told TIME that other planeloads of weapons had been successfully flown to Central America from Libya and Algeria. All the-cargoes were disguised as medical supplies.

Before I forget, I guess I should give Thompson credit for returning half of the money he recieved from Azima. From a March 10, 1997 St. Louis Dispatch story:

Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., has returned $3,000 of $6,000 he got from Farhad Azima, a Kansas City businessman, and his family.

Companies owned by Azima were linked with the Iran-Contra scandal; Thompson, the chairman of the Senate committee looking into fund-raising improprieties, said that the money was not illegal, but that he was returning it to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Of course, this does not account for the additional money Thompson raised at Azima's home, as described in the March 1, 1997 Memphis Commercial Appeal:

Azima came to know Thompson after Azima bought Capitol Airways, based in Smyrna, Tenn., in 1983. At the time Thompson served on the board of the company and also represented it in legal matters. According to Federal Election Commission records, Azima raised $9,500 for Thompson's campaign at a 1996 fund-raiser at his Missouri home.

Double Standard W

Think Progress

Now

President Bush yesterday said Speaker Pelosi’s bipartisan delegation to Syria sends “mixed signals,” implying that Pelosi overstepped her bounds by merely visiting Syria.

Then

In 1997, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) led a delegation to Colombia at a time when U.S. officials were trying to attach human rights conditions to U.S. security assistance programs. Hastert specifically encouraged Colombian military officials to “bypass” President Clinton and “communicate directly with Congress.”

…a congressional delegation led by Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) which met with Colombian military officials, promising to “remove conditions on assistance” and complaining about “leftist-dominated” U.S. congresses of years past that “used human rights as an excuse to aid the left in other countries.” Hastert said he would to correct this situation and expedite aid to countries allied in the war on drugs and also encouraged Colombian military officials to “bypass the U.S. executive branch and communicate directly with Congress.”

Bigger, better and more corrupt. Every day, all day.

Over at TPM Cafe, they have a handy dandy chart that shows how much each of the top 6 Presidential contenders (the 3 Dems and 3 GOPers) raised so far.

Democratic Candidates
Hillary Clinton - $26 million
Barack Obama - $25 million
John Edwards - $14 million
Total: $65 million

Republican Candidates
Mitt Romney - $23 million (including the $2.35 million loan)
Rudy Giuliani - $15 million
John McCain - $12.5 million
Total: $50.5 million

The most shocking thing is that of those 6, John McCain raised the least. It's a pretty bad sign when the front runner performs that poorly (and this was before his Baghdad stroll, of course). I have a sneaking suspicion that McCain's weaknesses, plus the unimpressive campaigns of Romney and Giuliani, will allow the Republican field to grow larger.

Rep Mike Pence Smackdown Time

Well, I wouldn't have thought Glenn Greenwald could get much higher in my esteem but this takes him thru the roof.

Salon

The people who claim "the surge is working"

I have remained steadily optimistic as a result of the inspiring reports of the great progress of our Glorious Surge, accompanied by the re-assuring vows that we are now on the Road to Sweet Victory. But I confess that I've been plagued by some nagging doubts, mostly due to the pessimistic media.

Thankfully, all of those doubts were dispelled when, this morning, I read in The Washington Post these very comforting descriptions from Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence, one of the war supporters who joined John McCain on his relaxing stroll through a Baghdad market:

Another member of the delegation, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), declared that it was "like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime."

(*ed note- I've never had to wear body armour at Indiana outdoor markets.
Just sayin'.)

He doesn't just take Mike "Damien" Pences' word for it.... noooooo, why should he?

Pence Press Release - May 20, 2004:

PENCE TAKES TO HOUSE FLOOR TO TALK ABOUT IRAQI WMDs FOR SECOND TIME IN A WEEK

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Congressman Mike Pence spoke today on the House floor about the recent discovery of sarin gas in Iraq, marking the second time this week Pence has discussed WMDs in a floor speech. His comments follow:

"Despite the national media's best efforts to minimize the news, I am here to report, as the United States military confirmed in Iraq on Monday, weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq.

It is a sweet column just chock full of tidbits waiting to be used for Barry Welshs' campaign. After you read, I ask you....... delusional or bat-shit crazy?

I know my answer.


*************UPDATE*************

Think Progress folows up on the "Indiana Open Air Market" theme.

Obama Doubles Clinton's Number of Donors

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Barack Obama received over 50,000 online donations for a total of $6.9 million. This figure simply blows away Clinton's $4.2 million raised online. The report goes on to say Obama has now raised money from over 100,000 individuals in one quarter. Amazing.

Overall, Obama received contributions from more than 100,000 individuals, his campaign said. Clinton received donations from about 50,000 people, while Edwards took in money from about 37,000 donors.

Obama Raises more than Hillary Clinton

This is a truly stunning accomplishment by Barack Obama. MSNBC is reporting he raised $25 million for the 1st quarter, and will assuredly outraise Clinton when one considers that much of her funds cannot be used in the primary. With over 83,000 donors, Obama will most likely storm past Clinton in the next quarter. I am anxiously awaiting to see his figures for online donations.

What in the world is this about?

Fitzgerald's Cover-Up

Fitzgerald's Cover-Up
It's time to hold the special prosecutor accountable.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 12:01 a.m.

For a prosecutor who claims to be a truth-seeker, Patrick Fitzgerald sure can be secretive. Even now that the Scooter Libby trial is over and his "leak" investigation is all but closed, the unaccountable special counsel wants to keep his arguments for creating a Constitutional showdown over reporters and their sources under lock and key.

Okay, this is two days in a row I'm boggled. What is Fitzgerald covering up? I thought all those papers are kept sealed at the prosecutors discretion? 'Cause if that is NOT the way it is, someone better get working on getting Rove, Armitage etc Grand Jury transcripts.

I just don't understand what the WSJ is inferring.

Talk about a mind ****. I was just surfin' again (I know, I'm semi obsessed with Faux, but MAN they are a neverending font of stuff to write about) and heard O'Lielly say, "I'm 6'4 and 205 lbs".

Wha? 205 lbs? C'mon, that HAS to be the biggest lie that man has ever told. I'm 6' and a big girl and I have empirical and theoretical KNOWLEDGE that says he ain't no 205 lbs. Feh.

Did White House Privately Back House GOPers' Trip To Syria While Bashing Pelosi?

Ooooo, goodie!!!

And Now, It Will Be Tenet's Turn to Dish

We're just a month away from what could be the biggest storm yet over who knew what before 9/11 and about those weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, as former CIA Director George Tenet finally tells of those troubled days.

Check the Tenet link out if only for the poll, "Who's the crabbiest 2008 presidential candidate?"

What a WONDERFUL idea!!! Let's piss off more countries!! All the Arabic ones hate us, so let's disgruntle the Russians again.

Bush acts on Eastern Europe missile defense
By Peter Spiegel, Times Staff Writer
6:25 PM PDT, April 3, 2007

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has begun to step up its efforts to build a controversial missile defense system in eastern Europe, launching a public push in recent weeks to counter bitter opposition in Russia and to overcome fears of a new arms race elsewhere on the continent.

Blackwater building a city compound.... in California.

Sweden won't let them name their baby Metallica, Keith Richards snorts his dad and Alabama woman on horseback arrested for DUI.

Let's raise a toast to April!! One of my two favorite months (October is the other), and every really great relationship I've had (love or friend) was with an Aries.

Lookee what I find running on Faux when I was channel surfing earlier.
What a fraudulent piece of shit.

Also, can't Martin Sheen sue? I mean, he is an actor and his "image" is what he is paid for, so can't he say that they are using it without permission or compensation?



Melanie Morgan is one of the shining lights of "Move America Forward".
Don't know much about Melanie Morgan?
She helped start and perpetuate the Obama madrassa lie,,
accused CIndy Sheehan of being an internet porn addict and "pissing on the grave of her son",
suggested that the NYTs Keller should get the "gas chamber" for an article she claimed was treason (it wasn't), and said that the Iraqi forces "had achieved 60% readiness" in AUGUST OF 2005.
And TONS of stuff I don't want to waste the pixels on.

Classy lady.

MAF Board of Directors and Staff:
The Honorable Howard Kaloogian – Founder
Melanie Morgan – Chairman
Lew Uhler – Member, Advisory Board
Sal Russo – Chief Strategist
Robert Dixon - Acting Executive Director

A picture says a thousand words..... but this picture just says one.

Hateful.

Sen. McCain, in the immortal words of my grandmother, Oy Veh!

WaPo

Police Log Confirms FBI Role In Arrests

Group Detained, Questioned During D.C. War Protest

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 3, 2007; Page B01

A secret FBI intelligence unit helped detain a group of war protesters in a downtown Washington parking garage in April 2002 and interrogated some of them on videotape about their political and religious beliefs, newly uncovered documents and interviews show.

For years, law enforcement authorities suggested it never happened. The FBI and D.C. police said they had no records of such an incident. And police told a federal court that no FBI agents were present when officers arrested more than 20 protesters that afternoon for trespassing; police viewed them as suspicious for milling around the parking garage entrance.
(snip)

The probable cause to arrest the protesters as they retrieved food from their parked van? They were wearing black -- a color choice the FBI and police associated with anarchists, according to the police records.

FBI agents dressed in street clothes separated members to question them one by one about protests they attended, whom they had spent time with recently, what political views they espoused and the significance of their tattoos and slogans, according to interviews and court records.

Sigh. If all it takes is wearing black and "retrieving food", I'm screwed.

Breaking Poll: Northup/McConnell in Free-Fall

Survey USA and WHAS-11 in Louisville just released a poll on the Kentucky Governor's race that shows Ernie Fletcher surging past Mitch McConnell's hand-picked candidate Anne Northup. McConnell has to be terrified that he is not only losing ground himself on Kentucky's electorate, but now appears to losing his grasp over his own state party:

.........................March 7..... April 3.....Change
Ernie Fletcher........ 33%............ 40%...........+7%
Anne Northup........ 31%............ 31%............. 0
Billy Harper...........13%............ 16%........... +3%
Undecided/Other.....23%............ 13%

This is disastrous news for Northup, especially given that the poll was taken before today's news came out that Northup is blaming her staff after being caught lying in a questionnaire about her previous vote on the state lottery.

Chicago woman sues boss's husband for 'negligent dancing' after he dropped her
The Associated Press April 3, 2007

CHICAGO: A Chicago woman is suing her dance partner, claiming he dropped her on her head after flipping her into the air at an office party.

Lacey Hindman, 22, was a victim of "negligent dancing," says her lawyer, David M. Baum.

She actually was hurt badly, but oh my.

"Negligent Dancing"?

Northup Blames Her Staff For Lying About Vote

Mitch McConnell cannot be too pleased with his hand-picked candidate Anne Northup. Her primary campaign against incumbent Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher is quickly imploding, and the latest blunder was a lie about gambling, one of the most pressing issues facing Kentucky with the potential of gaming at horse racing tracks:

"While serving in the state House, I voted against the lottery," she said in a written response to a questionnaire from The Associated Press.

However, records from the Legislative Research Commission show that she voted to put a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the lottery on the 1988 general election ballot.

Fletcher's camp obviously pounced on Northup, and quickly responded to Northup campaign manager Michael Clingaman's cover-up:

"Something she said dozens of times in this campaign is that she personally voted against it in the voting booth," Clingaman said.

Fletcher campaign manager Marty Ryall said yesterday that "it sounds to me like Anne Northup is trying to reinvent herself in this campaign, voting for the lottery and now saying she's against it. Now that she wants to run statewide, it's the remake of Anne Northup."

I don't know what to think about this.

Guardian UK

RAF pilots asked to consider suicide flight
(snip)
The head of the RAF's elite One Group who is in operational control of Typhoon, Tornado, Jaguar and Harrier fighters and bombers, is reported to have asked the pilots: "Would you think it unreasonable if I ordered you to fly your aircraft into the ground in order to destroy a vehicle carrying a Taliban or al-Qaida commander?"

(snip)
The comments distressed pilots who were present at the conference.

"The idea of officers ordering personnel to commit suicide is disgusting," an unnamed officer told the Sun.

I may get the gist of my military knowledge from movies and books, but doesn't this just seem, um, WRONG?

The scenario the teacher lays out in this instance seems to me to be a "moment of valor" type thing. No one will kill themselves because they are TOLD to, but a person might be willing to kill themselves for the ..... hell, I don't even know what the word would be. Honor? "The Greater Good"?

Anyone else have any thoughts on this, 'cause I'm puzzled.

******UPDATE and Further Info*******

More here at the BBC

NY Times: "McCain Wrong on Iraq Security, Merchants Say"

As if we needed any more assurance that a Congressional delegation walking through a Bagdad market in bullet-proof vests with helicopters circling overhead was not an indication of every day security there...

“What are they talking about?” Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday...“They paralyzed the market when they came,” Mr. Faiyad said during an interview in his shop on Monday. “This was only for the media."

However, McCain shockingly was topped by his friend Mike Pence who shockingly may be even more out of touch, describing the Shorja market as:

“like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime”

The real question is how did McCain and Pence expect to get away with comments like this:

“I just came from one,” he (McCain) replied sharply. “Things are better and there are encouraging signs.”

He added, “Never have I been able to go out into the city as I was today.”

Its a good thing they weren't the only people some of the merchants decided to talk with:

During their visit on Sunday, the Americans were buttonholed by merchants and customers who wanted to talk about how unsafe they felt and the urgent need for more security in the markets and throughout the city, witnesses said.

“They asked about our conditions, and we told them the situation was bad,” said Aboud Sharif Kadhoury, 63, who peddles prayer rugs at a sidewalk stand.

'Dan Quayle in cowboy boots'

Published: Monday April 2, 2007

Victor Gold, a friend of George H.W. Bush and the Cheney family, will release a book slamming the Bush administration entitled,
"Invasion of the Party Snatchers: How the Holy-Rollers and the Neo-Cons Destroyed the GOP."*****

"For all the Rove-built facade of his being a 'strong' chief executive, George W. Bush has been, by comparison to even hapless Jimmy Carter, the weakest, most out of touch president in modern times," Gold writes. "Think Dan Quayle in cowboy boots."

OhmyfreakingGod!!! I am laughing my substantial butt off!!
Talk about birds coming home to roost!

***** I couldn not have made up that title if my life depended on it. Que Rico!!!

If The Republicans Lose Idaho......

Holy Shamoly.

I'm setting up my bookmarks and folders, trying to organize stuff I use every day, and one of the folders is newspapers. For no reason, I clicked on the Idaho Statesman, then when I was there, went to opinion to see whose columns they carried.
Didn't get that far.

9 LTE's on the page.
Every single one SCATHING about this administration and Prez.

Choice bits?

So the Bushwhacker and the Cheneyac want to send more of our sons and daughters to the debacle in Iraq. Why don't we start with their kids? Oh, wait — they're not fit for military service — Bush's daughters are druggies like their dad, and Cheney's daughter already broke the stupid "don't ask, don't tell" rule.

If there is one thing we can learn from the past six years, it is to never repeat the mistakes that have been made by this presidency. This presidency leaves a legacy of tragic human loss, massive national debt, a world and nation divided and in turmoil, and a state of the nation that is probably the worst in 30 years.

Unfortunately Bush and Cheney, who probably should be serving long sentences in prison, will continue trashing the Constitution, the treasury and the nation's good reputation for the remainder of their terms, then ride off into the sunset to be handsomely rewarded by some very appreciative oil companies.

Now I realize that I live in a red state, but my section of it is pretty purple. In our LTE's, it is invariably 6/2 anti-Bush. Who woulda thunk that IDAHO would hate Bush as much as say..... Vermont?

Who we got running in Idaho? Looks like a shoo* in for a pick up next year....

Idaho Dem Blog 43rd State

Will Fred Thompson use Campaign to Raise Money for Libby Defense?

In light of Thompson's continued moves toward establishing a Presidential campaign, its about time someone asks the question. Remember that Fred Thompson is one of Scooter Libby's chief supporters and fundraisers.

ABC 2 WKRN-TN - Feb. 24, 2006:

"Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has joined efforts to fund the defense of vice president Dick Cheney's former aide. Thompson is among more than two dozen prominent republicans trying to raise five million dollars for Lewis 'Scooter' Libby's defense fund."

National Journal Hotline - Feb. 23, 2006

Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) is among 27 "prominent" GOPers and Bush admin supporters on the advisory cmte for the Libby Legal Defense Trust, the legal defense fund trying to raise $5M or more "to aid" indicted ex-Cheney CoS Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Trust spokesperson/atty Barbara Comstock said "she reached out" to Thompson to aid the Libby defense effort, "and he agreed." Comstock: "He was very interested in this because he is a former prosecutor, formerly on the Intelligence Committee, served on the Governmental Affairs Committee (as chairman). I think he really had a sense about the sort of the unfairness of this whole situation."

So the question remains: Will Mr. Thompson continue to raise money for potential Libby appeals while running for President? And will Thompson pardon Scooter Libby if elected?

McCain Admits Campaign Is Underperforming

The press release out of his campaign today seems to indicate that the efforts over at The Real McCain are already having an effect:

"We had hoped to do better in first quarter fundraising. We are already in the process of taking the necessary steps to ensure fundraising success moving forward."

Is this how this stuff goes?
Everyone is all nutsy poo poo over the baseketball, and now they are freaks for baseball? Harumph.

I don't know what kind of person would work for this company,
but I don't want her to be First Lady.

Like we didn't see this coming.

Think Progress

18 Iraqi journalists killed in the first quarter of 2007.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Iraqi journalists “were liable to kidnap, assault, harassment, detention and obligatory displacement.” Last year, Iraq was the most dangerous country for journalists, “with 39 reporters and 26 other media workers killed.”

And finally, all I can say about this is...... snort.

Gorgeous pic, as usual, from my friend Cat.

The latest set of headlines on AOL (yes I know, I'm a dinosaur) read as such

Top Newsas of 1:47 PM EDT
Bloodshed Follows McCain's Visit to Iraq
Hillary Clinton Sets Campaign Fundraising Record


So, Sen. McCain, how's the coverage of Iraq now? There's an old saying about never picking a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. McCain ought to have known that by now

See!! People are so thrilled that Cliff has moved to OhiO....

They're breaking out of prison to go visit!!

Escaped Prisoner Cornered In Hilliard Home
Apr 02 2007 1:53PM
HILLIARD, Ohio - Police said a prisoner who escaped custody early Monday inside a Youngstown hospital was cornered inside a Hilliard home after he allegedly robbed two Columbus-area banks and carjacked a vehicle.

Lost in the shuffle of Hillary's money chase, John McCain's heavily guarded stroll through Baghdad and all the "Fredo" Gonzalez hooplah, was the fact that former Wisconsin Gov. and Bush Cabinet official Tommy Thompson entered the race for President. While I don't think he has a real shot, it's not like he doesn't have the resume to get the nomination.

And the Prince of Darkness, Bob Novak, has a column on Fred "Law & Order" Thompson getting into the race. Key quote

"Thompson's popularity reflects weakness among announced Republican candidates, as reflected in the Gallup survey."

Both Thompson's believe they can win the nomination, because the other candidates in the race are so weak. It will be interesting to see the fundraising numbers for Giuliani, Romney and McCain. If they pale in comparison to Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, you may see more GOPers get in.

Saw this headline "A Growing GOP Problem in Ohio" and thought they must of found out Cliff is moving to Ohio. But the article is about how the GOP brand is taking a beating in Ohio. Good news for Dem Presidential wannabes.

*** BREAKING*** *** BREAKING*** *** BREAKING ***

MATT DRUDGE IS A LIAR**!!!!!!

Tivo'd version thanks to cici414 (I will update with links when available).....

Mike Ware Responds to Drudges BASELESS Acusation.

Soledad: Let me ask you a question. There was a report that said you were heckling and you were laughing during the Senator's press conference. Was that true?

Ware: Well, let's bear in mind that this was a report that was linked by an unnamed official of some kind to a blog, somewhere on the internet. No one is going to put their name forward. We certainly haven't heard Senator McCain say anything about it, or has any of his staff come forward to say anything about it.

I did not heckle the Senator, indeed I did not say a word. I didn't even ask a question. In fact, when I raised my hand to ask a question, the press conference abruptly ended. So what I would suggest is that everyone that has any queries about whether I heckled, watch the video tape of the press conference.

Video of the above (I think).



**cheat, con artist, con man, deceiver, deluder, dissimulator, equivocator, fabler, fabricator, fabulist, false witness, falsifier, fibber, jive turkey, maligner, misleader, perjurer, phony, prevaricator, promoter, storyteller, trickster

*******UPDATE****
See my original post about this here, and go to Mick Ware to see the video from the presser- under "News".

******UPDATE 13:50p EST April 2nd, 2007*****************

And now, EXACTLY 24 HOURS LATER, Here is the video with 3 video clips, 2 for the presser and one for Wares rebuttal.

Raw Story

Where is the damn apology Drudge? I notice it's off your page, but no retraction or apology?

Oh General, My General

JC, who is pretty much wickedly funny on an hourly basis, simply outdoes himself this time.

This response to a vapid, racist screed by Malkin, is well, perfect.

Just go read, "Michelle's Hood."

PS Light posting most of the rest of the day, as I move into my new house (yipee!). But the other talented folks here should get you through your dreary Monday.

More on Turncoat Apologists

Journalist James Moore, who has written about, among other things, political sociopath MC Rove, quite eloquently elaborates on what I was trying to get at that other day with my piece on Matthew Dowd.

He hits the nail on head.

Pachacutec of FDL fame does a pretty swell job too.