He He! FDL and Fitz!

Fitzgeraldo !

Fitz!! Great post at HuffPo, Jane!

At last a chance to (almost) weigh in first and not say anything about the mere firstness of it! Oh, wait a minute….

OT-
This is National Nurses Week, and I would like to pay tribute to Zennurse and all the other nurses in the FDL community. We couldn’t live without you.

first in fitz - not!
yet fitz is first -
now and ever shall be
’til the scandals do end
amen amen

(pardons to all for the fitzoxology!)

Goldstein what a tool. The presnit is at 30% and sinking. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. The prez’s shit does stink and all but the wackyest of the wacky can see it clearly!

Drive-thru Starbucks? What better way to illustrate the NY/LA cultural divide.

I just posted this in the Cheney thread, so I’ll post here as well:

I only caught the tail end of Abrams report, but I thought I heard Shuster say a Rove indictment within a couple of hours or something to that effect? There was a question mark on it in the banner underneath, so I don’t know how definite this is.

Did anyone else hear the whole report from Shuster?

What a blowhard rude boy– you put him in well-deserved company.

P.S. He sounds jealous and a devout worshiper at the altar of Rovian slimeball tactics.

and buying Starbucks pumpkin loaf for poodles? my pitbabies are eternally grateful for chicken skin and watermelon rind as treats…

CNN reporting that Katherine Harris was “chewing the president’s ear off when he landed in FL” …. just enjoyed that image.

Did everyone check out the diary that op99 linked to in the last thread?

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/9/135753/5360

FDL is going through the roof! Check out the last graph and the comments.

You guys are doing great work.

Steve says:
May 9th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Drive-thru Starbucks? What better way to illustrate the NY/LA cultural divide.
———————————————————-
Hardly. Those things are springing up everywhere. We have them here in Houston. Suburban moms rave about them, because you don’t have to herd the kids from the car to the cafe and back again just to get a cup of coffee.

Steve 8 — I’m in Oregon. What’s your point?

OT - anyone who has dogs and hasn’t read “Marley and Me” really should; it was a great book - I laughed out loud at many places, and, of course, cried like a baby at the end.

Terre,

I didn’t hear Shuster place a time frame on the charges.

He did reiterate his opinion that the lack of target letter meant little as Libby recieved a call from Fitz on the morning of his indictment.

-GSD

WATBs–Cohen, Goldstein, et al

Drive-thru Starbucks and Caribou Coffee up here in America’s Outback.

protean wiz-dumb. what a jerk.

kirby @ 5– thanks for that reminder and I’ll second that comment! :>)

btw, the Secret Service is supposed to release the Abramoff WhiteHouse visiting logs tomorrow…

Jane, it looks like you’ve slashdotted proteinwisdom.com. They must not get much traffic (?).

Uh oh, I think one of the links is not working. The part where Goldstein accuses Jane of being drunk is not working.
Sometimes I’d like to be able to drink a lot, except I don’t have tolerance, time or stamina. I guess Goldsteins and Hitchens of the world don’t understand some of don’t take Klonopin or whatever . The word is definitely project. I think that Drudge guy does the projecting thing too. In fact the right-wing in general . . .

Prairie Sunshine — They’re popular here in Oregon because of the rain. I use them because I don’t have to get out of the car and leave Kobe, who just LOVES the drive-thru.

Jane, that ink-well image hits home — you amaze me by coming up with such vivid & compelling stuff

Good Afternoon Jane,

before I even start, I need to tell you just seeing the words, ‘Goldstein’ and ‘Ode to Klonopin’ on the screen produced a guacamole spew of volcanic proportions - I swear on the lives of my children - this 12 year old keyboard cover I dragged from storage in anticipation of Fitzmas maybe the best $7 I’ve ever spent in my life! - omg Jane, I’m not even sure the tears will stop long enough for me to finish the post - but I’m gonna try

Thanks GSD. My heart about dropped when I only caught that teeny portion of Shusters report.

Remember, kids…When liberals take drugs, they’re flouting the law like the Dionysian malcontents that they are…When Republicans take drugs, it’s merely a proactive effort to save the children from the evil clutches of dope…That is all‘

;>)

CNN reporting that Katherine Harris was “chewing the president’s ear off when he landed in FLâ€
Kathrine Harris, blech. Actually Chris Shays apparently jumped into the limo Bush & the gov. of CT were sitting and talked non-stop all the way from Tweed to Bridgeport. I am strangely fond of Shays, and not just because of that. I wonder how many congresscritters are jumping into Bush’s limo to chew his ear off when he visits their states.

Can you imagine being double teamed by the bush brothers…

horrors, but couldn’t happen to a more appropriate gal.

>>>>>>>

Harris was waiting for the president as his plane landed in Tampa. But as she spoke animatedly for several minutes and kept a firm grip on the president’s hand, he wore a grim expression.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/.....ryid=57313

Our cocker spaniels, Marley and Nova, love drive-thrus as long as they give doggie treats.

Props today to John Roberts on CNN in the Situation Room today. Would that he could be there everyday so one wouldn’t have to wonder whether Wolfie was about to strangle himself on his syntax and sentences in paragraph form.

kirby 5
angie 20

Add me too.

kristinejoy 13, maybe that’s why protein boy has a such hair up his ass about our Jane.

poor Katherine Harris! her Senatorial campaign is going down the tubes - Jeb even said so. Maybe she wants the Preznit to campaign for her? Mr. 31% ?

self-certification doesn’t work for the left, any more than it works for wingnutians or richard cohen. the blogosphere is the free flow of ideas. the ideas need to float on their own…because they’re well supported ideas, or unique, interesting, etc. No one cares who the messenger was.

Blank Kludge @ 2:02 pm #(32) Me three, or whatever.

This is a standard republican ploy of attacking democrats where repubs are weakest. Bush and his National Guard problems? Attack Kerry’s vietnam war service.

By portraying left leaning blogs as “loonie” or “Outside the mainstream” or “angry/hate-filled” they seek to marginalize the blogs. Make no mistake. This is an organized plan. Too many right wing wackos are picking up on the “left wing wacko” meme.

“Oh, who can trust what that Hamsher lady, says, you know, they’re all so shrill.” Standard republican ploy. If you can’t attack the message, attack the messenger.

OT - Kavanaugh

http://tinyurl.com/mvdqu

Some of the little boys will be around to determine our civil liberties as well.

Luckily, they will “call them as they see them.”

They being the same they that drafted signing statements, objected to exec privilege vis a vis Clinton, revelled in exec privilege like a dog rolling in a cow field vis a vis Bush, and worked the torture circuit without objections - while managing to not get their hands dirty on an actual memo. After all - why research a position when you can just call them as you see them.

Recusing from cases involving the Admin - after working hand in glove as a part of the Admin —

Somehow you can’t see it - can you?

DC Circuit - the court of appeal for the GITMO, the wiretap, the Exec Priv, the Abramoff, the Rove and the legal torture cases.

Luckily - Foggo will likely give Kavanaugh(Starr pupil) a case or two in his area of expertise.

*ilson46201 34

maybe she should consider tubal litigation.

“hypocricy” hypocrisy http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hypocrisy
[I gave off playing with Barbies long ago]?

Angie, the idea of begging either of those two for a favor sends shivers up my spine. I read a profile somewhere and came to the conclusion that she’s I want when I want rich person.

What better way to illustrate the NY/OR cultural divide?

Kirby #5 Me, four!

kirby, aren’t you one of our nurses as well ?

so funny you mentioned it b/c I was thinking this am, about how many there are in this wonderful community - and how unselfish they are with their expertise !

All that said, I still wish the Dems would get off their collective butts and just ADMIT that they were wrong to vote for the war in Iraq. I don’t even think it would sound that bad at this point. What sounds bad is their endless rationalization and pretension to still support their bad decision in the first place.

Preteen Wisdom

On the other hand, if Bush disses Harris, think of all the things she may have to tell in some expose autobiography. Heh!

Molly Ivins is a hoot today, unlike the blockhead Jeff.

>>>>>>

The Best Little Whorehouse in Washington
by Molly Ivins

Of course I am above sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. So serious a servant of the public interest am I, I can fogey with the best: On my better days, I make David Broder look like Page Six.

I don’t care what anyone smoked 20 years ago, I approve of those who boogie till they puke, and I don’t care who anyone in politics is screwing in private, as long as they’re not screwing the public.

On other hand, if you expect me to pass up a scandal involving poker, hookers, and the Watergate building with crooked defense contractors and the No. 3 guy at the CIA, named Dusty Foggo (Dusty Foggo?! Be still my heart), you expect too much. Any journalist who claims Hookergate is not a legitimate scandal is dead—has been for some time and needs to be unplugged. In addition to sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, Hookergate is rife with public-interest questions, misfeasance, malfeasance and non-feasance, and many splendid moral points for the children. Recommended for Sunday school use, grades seven and above.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0509-20.htm

a slight majority of Democrats in Congress voted against the War on Iraq — its the Democratic minority that needs to fess up and be contrite…

Tag “Random Wingnuttery”

Milk through nose ;)

#43 cbl,
Yes, I am a nurse, too, and just came back from an interview at a small home care agency run by the Franciscan Sisters (the world HQ is here in CT!). I still don’t think of myself as one working with nuns, but the bottom line is that they put the patients first, and deal with the finances separately. Sounds like a little piece of Nirvana.

Oh geebus, Thesaurus Rex has this to say of J.goldstein:Well, maybe he can get booked into Hazelden as Patrick Kennedy’s roomie. Wouldn’t that be sweet?
No way, poor Patrick Kennedy. Keep separate. They can meet in the solarium or sun room if needs be.

On Steve-8….I was thinking he was referring to the lack of drive thru windows in general in nyc possibly.

Katherine Harris…..probably reminding him just who helped hand him that election in 2000. I’d bet she has a pile of dirt and could be pretty vindictive if so inclined. Wanna bet she’s telling him she’s not happy with brother Jeb’s recent statements?

Gee, whaddyathink Katy Harris was saying in Bush’s ear?

Maybe, “You OWE ME, man!â€

After all, she managed to hand him the election without worrying about votes or democracy or anything complicated like that.

Kobe gets pumpkin loaf every day? Lucky doggie. I had cover my kitty’s eyes when that came on the screen.

Oscarsmom #44:

Having already allowed themselves to be defined as the flip-flopping mommy party, what have the Dems got to lose by saying: “This war isn’t working. We need to try something else.”?

Geez Louise, it isn’t like it’s (a) obvious or (b) lacking in support by the majority of voters in this country.

Never mind, please pass the Klonopin(R).

Am I just unable to use this site properly?

Or are there indeed no pictures of any of the dogs on this site?

I am enormously curious about what all of the dogs look like. My guess is that the West Coast variety are large, and the East Coast variety are small. But I want to know for sure.

Kirby, excellant if you take that job. Hope all goes well. Happy nurses day to all.

mui #46—Maybe she can take back her decision to certify the FL election results?

op99

Too true. And don’t forget about the tawdry sexism of it all. The humilation of being brazenly taken to task by TwoChicksTyping.

Gotta love it.

Hey Kirby, there’s lots of things worse than the company of nuns - could turn out to be a real ‘perk’

btw everyone -
I believe one of Klonopin’s lesser known side effects (You actually have to read the warnings in the box to find it) is -

Priapia

Katherine’s problem stems from turning tricks for these 2 clowns and expecting the ‘cheating husbands’ to be loyal to her. But cheaters usually remain true to their lack of conscience and the thrill of the hunt & users never change their stripes. Payback is…..

mui #46—Maybe she can take back her decision to certify the FL election results? Oh I wish.
If this were a science fiction movie, we could have EPU or J i O travel back in time and rip the curtain of off Oz. I like to imagine alternate history.

Oscarsmom #58……….we must be on the same wave length.

*ilson, I bet Abramoff visited lots of important people lots of times at the big white house. Should be interesting. Sources say that the MSM has received Rove’s instructions to keep the reporting low key and mix in the word “democrats” whenever possible.

angie #61. Tsk, tsk. That is very funny though.

Molly + Feingold + Conyers for the new party.

I love this place. That is all.

Klonipin. All the mental patients drool for it.

What a concept: a drug that works for about two weeks to treat the symptoms of panic and breakthrough anxiety–then makes all the symptoms worse! So ya need more klonipin! Which makes the symptoms worse! Ha-ha! It’s genius!

Imagine if Abramoff wrote a truthful expose autobiography too!!!

Somebody get a good picture of the Bush Brothers arm in arm. Would make a great t shirt with the caption, “Dumb and Dumber”. (Jeb would be on the left.)

I hear you, al-Scooter #55 (awesome tag, BTW)!

Ditto the tax cuts for the rich!! They have NOT stimulated the economy, they have NOT done anything they were billed to do except reward those who put GWB in office in the first place . . . I mean really, what are they afraid of?

keyote,
Klonopin, I think is a hard drug to take. I had a limited prescription for what I don’t remember (everytime I get mugged, I freak out) and I couldn’t take it, because I always need to do a lot of reaidng.

There’s a funny contest at tpm muckraker to guess the number of times Abramoff visited the whitehouse.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000596.php

Difficult Lawyer #56

the site is named for Jane’s fondness for sitting in front of the fire with the dogs, watching the Lakers -

if you go over to the search box and type in ‘poodle beach’ should be some pics of some gorgeous Standard Poodles

keyote #68—Klonipin must be made by a Frist-friendly company!

cbl says:
May 9th, 2006 at 2:09 pm

Kirby (5) - Please add me as well.

Mary @ 2:22 pm (#66)

+= Jim McDermott (WA 7) + Dick Durbin (IL)

Mui # 65– tis an analogy that came to mind. She did pull a nasty trick on this country with Jebbus’ help. I cannot abide any of them.

actually, there’s a group in the House of about 60 Congresscritters called “The Progressive Caucus” that most of us would approve of …

Yes angie #78, it is a good analogy. Now for a Norkse soundoff: Never forget, put ‘em all in ankle bracelets.

Oscarsmom at 71, Those tax cuts wuz trickle down economics revisited. See, the rich folks, when they get tax breaks, they hire more people - in China.

I’m thinking maybe the rich folks aren’t as benevolent as the trickle downers think (pretend to think, really) they are. Seems when they get a tax cut, they just hoard more money.

Jeff Goldstein, like most right-wing opinion mongers, seems unaware of the first rule of writing: what you say always reveals as much about you as it does about the subject. Human beings, even those who aren’t so bright, have excellent antennae when it come to sniffing out phonies.

And speaking of sniffing, why do all of these folks seem to emit the sulfurous odor of autodidacticism? They can’t all be home-schooled, can they? Or is it that they just never learned to play well with others?

they hire more people - in China.
So they don’t have to deal with all those “nasty” U.S. employment issues like fair wages. (snark)

I am a Jane Hamsher of the Left! And I dig it!

Mui @ 69:

Imagine if Harris, now jilted by both Bushes in her payoff quest to become Senator (R-Bimbo), after all that hard work of loading the state’s dice and being a lightning rod for progressive scorn for 6 years, decided to do a meltdown presser…’Hell hath no fury…’, etc.

Wouldn’t that be special?

Jane, I am at a loss for words. Your writing intoxicates me. I, too, have ascetic personal habits. I honestly had hoped in some entirely perverse way that yours were not the same habits as mine. Something along the lines of the only club I really want to join would not accept me as a member. I don’t know. You and Christy write like a charm. Thanks.

Oscarsmom #71:

Thanks! But I think I learned all I need to on HuffPo this morning when I read the article about Rupert Murdoch holding a fundraiser for Hillary. Not that you’d see that little item on The Factor.

“I know the wheel’s crooked, but it’s the only game in town!”

Russ, Al, somebody: let’s drag the Democratic Party kicking and screaming out of 2003. You can uncoil from the fetal position now, honest.

People have been putting it together for themselves - We’re not the traitors! They are!

Bush meets K. Harris, doesn’t wear a wedding ring:

http://mydd.com/story/2006/5/9/17438/37557

Darkblack, she did do a lot of work for the brothers I imagine. Payback is a b**** indeed. Of course, doesn’t she have legal problems.
Immanentize, Bon soir!

Kobe is hardly an ascetic snacking on pumpkin bread from Starbucks !

I actually think there’s something to this whole right wingers and drugs/anti-social behavior thing. I have been debating on giving The Waste of Pasteâ„¢ a pass for a while until I am more sure of it, because I actually think the guy’s “tetched,” as we say Down South.

I remember that there was another right wing blogger back in the early days who was quite frank about his social anxiety disorder between posts about the Islamo-fascist-boogieman threat. Damn if I can remember who it was, but I think that they’re gone now. It all sort of fell into place for me after that, and I wrote a kind of snide post called “Birth of the Security Mom” linking anti-social behavior, 9/11 and abuse of Metabolife.

However, I was sort of resting on my laurels after the whole ‘Heart of Darkness’ dustup, and it occurred to me… I think this guy might be seriously crazy, and if that’s the case, then I am going to stop being Part of the Problem.

On the other hand, I didn’t know he was accusing recovering persons of being drunk. That kind of mitigates any shame I might have felt for making fun of the retarded guy.

OT sort of:

Latest Vanity Fair has interview with Darth. Can’t comment on it as I havent’ read it yet but thought I’d bring it up in case someone hasn’t among the threaded tapestry woven here at the wonderful FDL.

Will have to find a way to mask out the photos of he-who-shot-an-old-man-in-the-face in order to bear reading the text. Just looking at images of him gives me nightmares.

Rupert Murdoch holding a fundraiser for Hillary.
Geebus!

Al Gore wrote an article for Vanity Fair, and I bought it only for that reason. Other than that, I detest that Hitchens/Wolff piece of . . .

OT - Ran into this article while I was looking for news about Rove:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com.....ult_1.html

It’s about the world’s reaction to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s letter to President Bush. It includes a link to an awkward, but complete translation of the letter. Also interesting are the comments, which demonstrate that there are folks out there who still haven’t kicked that Koolaid habit.

William Timberman #82:

As you’ve so astutely pointed out, blogs are projective psychology writ large. We could use another round or two of deeper analysis from a pro like Pachacutec on some of the other players (if he’s willing); though, for my dough, Jane’s freaking nailed Goldberg with this post.

Eh, Goldberg, Goldstein, goldbrick, whatever.

85 darkblack- I’m thinking if KH melted down, she would end up looking like Daryl Van Horn in The Witches of Eastwick. Snarling and frothing… beastly mad.

OT Ahmadinejad’s letter is best described as gloating disguised as sanctimonious bloviation. To say that it is strange is a major understatement.

My favorite passage is the following:

“Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems.

We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: ‘Do you not want to join them?’”

http://medias.lemonde.fr/mmpub.....lettre.pdf

It always brings a tear to my eye when I hear one religious thug invoke the Almighty to diss another equally religious thug (not to mention the riff on liberalism) and reminds me why I think all religions are dangerous and evil.

al-Scooter—I hate to rag on the Dem party all the time, and I get flamed for it a lot . . . it’s just that the stakes are really high this time and I can’t stand watching them shoot themselves in the foot by making really basic mistakes. It’s like they’re always listening to the wrong advisers, or reading the wrong polls, or just making things more complicated than they are. After the last election I decided that the sad fact is, you can’t dumb down the voting process enough, and people are probably going to elect the (seemingly) biggest baddest alpha male out there (not sure how that applies to Hillary, BTW!). Just a working theory. End of rant.

Cujo359,
I have to stop commenting soon, but I am very anxious about Iran. I didn’t have a heart to read an article with the letter. What did you think of the letter?

Although the son of a wealthy newspaper owner in Australia, young Rupert was a wild-ass revolutionary Trotskyite. Capital overtook his brain eventually and he became the money-grubber he is today. He is also famous for his rapprochement with the Red Chinese (mainland) regime to get the license for Chinese satellite-broadcasting. He coddles Tony Blair (blacksheep relative of Kobe). Trying to seduce Hillary politically makes sense for him …

cbl #74

Much obliged.

I knew it would come down to me not knowing how to use the site. :)

I’m hoping there are pictures of Redd’s dogs, too, and I’m hoping for a picture in the drive thru (when I took my Labrador through the drive thru, he thought that the person reaching out the window to deliver the order was reaching out of a building to attack me, and would try to “defend” me).

aReader at 88

Maybe Frodo took it back

May I compliment you, yet again, for the Stewart/Colbert level snark.

Steve @ 8: I know I’m late to the party, but…There’s a funky little town called Ukiah on highway 101 about two hours north of SF, a ex-logging town, turned to supporting the dope growing industry, then to wine growing and making…anyway, for over ten years there’s been a little drive-through coffee kiosk in the old shopping center parking lot. A former drive-through picture place, they now make expresso and lattes and fraps for the grateful middle-Americans on their way in their middle-American pickups, mini-vans, old Civics, and of course, the occasional bicycle. My point? It ain’t just the cool places full of lefties and libs that like their coffee delivered to their car windows.

And William @ 82? You know, progressives home-school too, and they turn out kids that a lot of excellent liberal colleges are actively recruiting. I know, I’ve got one heading off to college this fall. She turns 18 in July, and she’s so excited about voting progressively in November. Just so you know.

Good one, Jane. You smacked the paste right out of his mouth.

I hope to God they throw Katherine Harris under the bus. I’m sure she has a lot of stories to tell. We would all lend a sympathetic ear.

#88 ROFLMAO And just look at the loving way he (GWB) is gazing at her (KHarris)!

*ilson46201,
Murdoch does seem to have a thing for authoritarian governments. Or maybe it’s just coincidence that some of the largest markets have authoritarian gov, ex. China, U.S. (?) He also loves them fake libruls, now it seems.

#88– that is weird, no wedding band. Does he swell up on AF1? No wingnut fundy would be caught without his props, would he? Did he take it in for a cleaning?

Oh wait, Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart…

btw– she does have a two handed desperado grip on him.

mui @ 2:49 pm (#101) - It struck me as being a 17-page rant about what the West and Israel have been doing wrong, followed by a plea to start negotiating. There was nothing substantive in it relative to nuclear proliferation, other than to assert their right to peaceful production of uranium fuel.

I suspect it really is a plea, of sorts. It’s also clearly intended for a wider audience. The references in it to Israel and the Palestinians are probably as much meant for the rest of the Western world, where sympathy for the Palestinians is more widespread, as they are for us.

Not sure what I’d think of this if I were in Bush’s shoes, partly because I wouldn’t have been quite as belligerent as he has about this issue up till now. At this point, knowing what I know, I think a path that gets us back to having complete visibility of all the uranium enrichment processes in Iran is the best one. It takes a considerable diversion of fuel to maintain a weapons grade enrichment program in conjunction with a peaceful one.

Jane, my comment #111 is a response to mui, who wants to go soon, but it seems to require moderation. Could you check it for whatever you need to check it for? Thanks.

Re Murdoch raising money for Hillary — she used to be a Goldwater girl back in her youthful days, didn’t she? They are hoping to do with Hillary what Jack Welch did to Russert and Tweety: persuade them that the real money is on the right wing.

Oscarmom #100:

I try to do my Dem dumps sparingly out of frustration and in the hope that they’ll become a genuinely popular party again.

My undergraduate advisor wrote the definitive work on the Skull & Bones society, so I don’t think it’s an accident that America’s been dumbed down or that elies from both parties have been pursuing the Hegelian ideal for decades. I spent my weekend working a fundraiser that allowed me lots of public contact at a major event. It’s sad to see what much of this country has become. It isn’t just educational levels or behavioral standards, but the sheer incidence of morbid obesity was appalling.

I’m still working at optimism, that the power of a few right ideas can overcome tsunamis of error and evil.

Rupert is a Likudnik, don’t forget. And Hillary has AIPAC so far up her butt, she farts out the letters.

elies = elites. Can’t type today. Must be the Klonopin(R).

al-Scooter: pretty interchangeable if you ask me.

OT, but only slightly — CNN had an interview with Sen. Feinstein in which it turns out that she’s not so high on Hayden as has been reported. She talked about his role in the warrantless wiretaps as being a serious issue, because she says they were illegal. (Yup.) John Roberts then quoted Cornyn as saying the Repubs welcome a fight on the NSA wiretaps — a meme we’ve been hearing a lot of.

What we haven’t been hearing — and I don’t know why — is that the Democrats will also question the General on black site prisons, rendition, and torture. If they are not planning on such qestions, then they really are idiots. Yes, I know he’s not responsible for what the CIA has done in the past, but if he is confirmed, he will be responsible for what they do in the future. He should absolutely be asked about that. He should also be asked whether he agrees with Porter Goss on the need for a CIA exception to the anti-torture statute, as well as what he would do if he received an order to mistreat detainees accompanied by an opinion from Abu that the Preznit’s signing statement and the CIC’s inherent authority make it “lawful” even though Congress has forbidden it.

Cornyn says he would welcome a fight on how far we should go in keeping us safe? A plurality of the public opposes warrantless wiretaps, but that apparently isn’t enough of a clear winner for most Dems to support Feingold. Yet. However, the overwhelming majority of Americans opposes torture. Democrats should welcome that fight, even if, on other issues, they have marshmallows where their spines used to be.

Some goopers are probably realizing that there is going to be an “anti Clusterfuck” president in 2008- and are interviewing the candidates.

mui @ 2:49 pm (#101) - It struck me as being a 17-page rant about what the West and Israel have been doing wrong, followed by a plea to start negotiating. There was nothing substantive in it relative to nuclear proliferation, other than to assert their right to peaceful production of uranium fuel.

I suspect it really is a plea, of sorts. It’s also clearly intended for a wider audience. The references in it to Israel and the Palestinians are probably as much meant for the rest of the Western world, where sympathy for the Palestinians is more widespread, as they are for us.

Not sure what I’d think of this if I were in Bush’s shoes, partly because I wouldn’t have been quite as belligerent as he has about this issue up till now. At this point, knowing what I know, I think a path that gets us back to having complete visibility of all the uranium enrichment processes in Iran is the best one. It takes a considerable diversion of fuel to maintain a weapons grade enrichment program in conjunction with a peaceful one.

[This is a repeat of comment #111, which for some reason needs moderation. Let’s see if it does this time.]

OT–listening to CNN discuss General Hayden–motivates me to print the question I sent to Froomkin for Tony Snow Job’s first press gaggle (see previous thread):

“General Michael Hayden, President Bush’s nominee to be head of the CIA, while at the National Security Agency violated the clear meaning of federal statutory law (FISA) by eavesdropping on Americans without court-issued warrants. Hayden is also on record saying that the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution does not contain a “probable cause†requirement, which it clearly does, as anyone who reads it can plainly see. President Bush has defended the domestic spying program based on a legal theory that as commander in chief, he is not bound by the law. What confidence can the American people have that General Hayden will obey all the laws and will honor Congress’s oversight responsibilities as Director of Central Intelligence?”

w says call 1800medicare and somebody will answer your question… if you’re watching this teevee show. (on CNN)

holy perch!

I almost feel sorry for Katherine Harris. She fixed the election, after all. I can see how she’d expect better thanks than what she’s getting. She gets points for spunk, though. No matter how many knives the Repubs try to stick in her, she just keeps right on going.