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Looks like our gal Pickles will be campaigning for Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY-Cover-up) on October 4th at the Buffalo Marriott. Guess she isn't bothered in the least by "naughty e-mails," as Tony Snow so dismissively called the Rep. Foley talks masturbation details and penis size with underage pages correspondance this morning.
Someone needs to ask Pickles what she thinks about this whole pervy House Republican mess -- does she approve of how Tom Reynolds and the others in the GOP leadership have handled this thus far, with their lack of investigation and their hands getting caught in the cover-up jar? Enquiring minds and all that. Anyone in the Buffalo media primed and ready to ask the real journalist questions?
(Don't ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
Huge kudos to Cliff Schecter who shows the Democratic pundits out there how to prepare and respond to GOP idiocy. Watch him do immediate and very effective pushback here on MSNBC:
(H/T to Atrios for the clip.)
Share This 
Spotlight
FITZ
Fumigate!
Lady Luck
Cleta?
(Don’t ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
where’s barney?
Looks like she is calling Georgie to give her one of those fab backrubs…
Schecter was great and he slammmmmed the rethug at every turn.
“(Don’t ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)”
Talking ’bout good vibrations
Talking ’bout excitations
Good good good
Good vibrations
briefing by hastert ca 145 on cspan 1.
epu’d from previous thread-
TheOtherWA @
146
Never heard of Cliff Schecter, before, but Man!-Oh!-Man! we have to get him out there more! By the time he got done with ol’ Cleta, there, she was left looking like a Rottweiler’s chewtoy. And all he had to do was be in command of the facts. Sweeet…
I guess there’s a reason they call her Pickles.
I think she’s on a roller coaster.
A pic of pickles and her gladhanding friend at a fundraiser in 2005:
here.
(It’s the last photo in the post, after the pick of George Allen all giddy at a 2005 fundraiser with same gladhandler)
whaleshaman @ 5
where’s barney?
whaleshaman @ 5
Rayne if you are around, there is a diary up at kos that tackles what you who pointed out on Friday here.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo.....7255/64892
OMG. Where’s George Tenet to declare SLAM DUNK when you need him. Cliff Schecter. Who knew?
Is the edit feature working OK? Was just going to say thank-you to whaleshaman.
angie @ 15
Hmm…
http://www.ballerium.com/commu.....serid=6129
Patrick Fitzgerald-hater Clarice Feldman is up in arms about how the Foley sex scandal was revealed to ABC News. (Shouldn’t she just be greatful that pages will be safe from Foley now?) She smells libruls behind it all.
As for the demand that a special prosecutor be appointed, maybe Patrick Fitzgerald can be appointed. Then he can fail to ask ABC or C.R.E.W. how they got the correspondence, ignore their political motivations, conflate their partisanship with “whistleblowing”, not look for the sources of the later sexually explicit emails, and nab Hastert for forgetting when he went to the bathroom on the day he heard about the emails.
http://www.americanthinker.com.....le_id=5907
Has anyone made up those
TORTURE A REPUBLICAN:
ELECT A DEMOCRAT
OT, gunman kills 6 at Amish School in Lancaster PA, others taken to hospital.
Breaking news CNN
Has anyone made up those
TORTURE A REPUBLICAN:
ELECT A DEMOCRAT
bumperstickers yet?
I’d suggest another:
SEND A REPUBLICAN AN INSTANT MESSAGE:
YOU’RE FIRED!
I think if you pan to the right in that photo of Pickles you will find Denny Hastert.
hey hey, who’s watching the Denny show?
InstiGate
Moderator: Sorry for the premature Submits.
“The party of criminals and pedophiles”!!!
Watch the clip, folks.
ralphbon @
20
hysterical…mind if i borrow it?
Republican campaign strategy c. 1812
In 1812 Stephen van Rensselaer (Federalist party) ran for governor of New York against the incumbent, Daniel D (for nothing) Tompkins (Democratic-Republican party - generally referred to as Republican). Van Rensselaer was enormousely wealthy and popular. Van Rensselaer was also a Major-General in the NY militia and a former Lieutenant Governor of the state.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.....selaer_III
Tompkins was very worried about losing the election to Van Rensselaer. He came up with a brilliant plan. The War of 1812 had just started. Tompkins offered Van Rensselaer command of The Army of the Centre. If Van Rensselaer accepted - he couldn’t run for governor. If he declined - he was un-patriotic in time of war. Van Rensselaer accepted the job and was in command of the army (mostly militia) that was to defend the State of NY against the British enemy.
June 12, 1812 - General Isaac Brock, commander of all the British forces of Upper Canada (Ontario mostly), successfully attacked Fort Mackinac (Mak-in-awe for non-Michiganders). Next he defended Windsor (Ontario), defeated the American invaders and attacked Detroit and won. The capture of Detroit led to British control over most of Michigan Territory. Brock now moved his troops to Fort George (Queenston, Ontario - near Buffalo NY).
Stephen Van Rensselaer was no real general - no military experience (a fact known to Tompkins). Van Rensselaer was leading a militia, largely untrained and not required by the Constitution to operate outside US borders. There were regular US troops under his command, but their officers refused to obey his orders. On October 13, 1812, Van Rensselaer was ordered to attack the British position in Canada. This is known as the Battle of Queenston Heights, in which the US forces were badly beaten by the British general, Isaac Brock (who died, personally leading an attack on an American position). Next time you cross the Queenston-Lewiston bridge - look out for his memorial statue on a tall pillar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....on_Heights
Conclusion Daniel D Tompkins, Republican, out-manoeuvred his opponent in the Gubernatorial election by putting the State of New York and the US midwest in direct, grave danger of invasion by an enemy army in time of war. Typical Republican.
BTW, Daniel D-for-nothing Tompkins went on the become Vice-President of the United States under President James Monroe.
Stephen Van Rensselaer founded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1824. “It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R....._Institute
Nothing on CSPAN yet.
angie — yeah, thanks, I’d caught that DKos diary and another one posted yesterday that mentioned the Abramoff early-tip-off on the Iraq War.
Newsweek had the goods yesterday, pointed out the same bits.
But what’s odd about this particular email is that it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the emails. It makes reference to Rove at an NCAA game, but there’s not what I would call a firm trail between that game and the distribution of tickets.
Looked a LOT more like somebody left some breadcrumbs to follow…
Cozumel — I’d gone looking around just as you had, but I don’t think that’s a solid link. There were too many references to the same “octagon1″ and not enough that fit tightly with the context of the email.
I’d be looking for something relevant to the other content in the email, besides Rove and the basketball game.
The Republicans are having a tough time circling the wagons so they can stay on the same page.
Rayne @ 31
Yeah, that link doesn’t look like it’s related (octagon1).
*xyz @ 30
intro on now… and call ins
Callers on C-SPAN are really pissed about Foley.
I saw it somewhere, and apologize that I can’t give credit, but I think the best nickname for the scandal is
“La Cage aux Foley”
nj progressive @ 36
Denny Hasdirt ; )
My question for the Administration (Bush Cheney, Snow, whoever):
“Will you be introducing legislation soon to retroactively make on-line sexual solicitation of minors legal?”
Love,
Imm
thanks Coz and Rayne.
Old Sow @ 21– that is a very sad and disturbing story. Why on earth would someone target little Amish children in a one room schoolhouse?
sick.
nj progressive– watertiger said it came from Dr. Wu at Eschaton, iirc.
EPU’d:
So, Hastert’s press conference was supposed to be at 1315 EDT, then 1345 EDT. Still on hold…. plus, I just tried to link to C-SPAN 1 on the internet and the toobz is clogged. A lot of intereast in this, pups.
Still no presser, C-SPAN downloads clogged, C-SPAN callers concerned to put it mildly.
immanentize @ 38
love love love it..
the picture looks like pickles like cigars also.
perfect!
dachoste @ 42
Sss-smokin’!!!
Hastert up now.
neither shimkus or I saw the messages.
hastert on now…
hastert on now
She looks like one of those Resusi-Annie dolls they use for CPR training.
focus in on the IMs - republican leadership had not seen them.
who knew about the IMs? need an investigation..
Did anyone mention Froomkin is up?
lots of Rice and Tenet:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....00879.html
Moms and dads know it’s hard work keeping track of kids
no statement on the predatory emails - only sexually explict IMs
What a weasel!
Schecter was all over her like white on rice. Interesting that for once the Democrat wasn’t interupted by the moderator when he got on a roll. I was expecting his microphone to be cut or a “Well, that’s all the time we have for now, thank you for coming on the show” sort of moment.
I am so deceived
Ed*ard Teller @ 53
NO SHIT!!!
weasel is too kind
Hastert: He (Foley) deceived everbody.
Left behind on the last thread:
It’s like Mel Gibson claiming that it was the booze that made him a racist anti-Semite…
Foley may very well have an alcohol problem - it’s not uncommon for people who engage in the kinds of behaviors he has to try to drink away the guilt and shame, but once the haze clears, you’re still a man who seeks and possibly engages in deviant behavior with teenage boys who are away from home and have no parental presence, and continues to stalk them once they go home.
This is all about broken trust made worse not just by a failure of accountability, but by a deliberate avoidance of accountability. I don’t know that anyone associated with that can be redeemed through their action now, and I’m not sure they should be allowed to be.
Is Shimkus gay?
Father of three boys…not out of the closet at any rate.
Both of them spoke of increased adult supervision and enhanced security (state of the art) in the dorms.
they have a 800 number for “concerns”.
walked out and reporter yells “why won’t you take questions, sir?”
selise @ 56
Hey, leave us weasels out of it!
look at all the great things we did for the pages…. blah, blah, blah….
no mention of the predatory emails.
no quesitons taken….
press briefing will be rebroadcast later…
hmmm… Shimkus and Hastert refused to take any questions in their press conference … the pressure must be intense on them !
I don’t do that!
I’m a Republican!
(Pickles channeling Bree!)
For those that are not able to watch the press conference (Hastert), it will be no surprise to learn that the “dividing line” is between the emails and the IMs. The IMs will be investigated. The point was driven home with the particular parsing of words.
Did I hear Murtha say “There are no more troops” to send to Iraq? Maybe 3-4 days ago?
Keeps bouncing around in my mind.
Why do Hastert and Shimkus get to call what they just held a “press conference” when they run away after reading their weaselly statements? CNN shouldn’t call this a press conference. It was an announcement, just two guys reading their excuses for what happened and justifying their own inactions.
And they sure ran from those microphones once Shimkus was done talking…..
Susan in Iowa @ 59
as Tallulah Bankhead once answered such a question “Dearie, he’s never sucked my cock!”
Boy, they sure opened themselves up to the press’s questions, eh?
Our son is scheduled to go to DC in the Close Up program in April. We’ve already made the first $500 payment. I’m calling their state director and demanding a written statement that my son will not have ANY unsupervised OR supervised contact with ANY of the current GOP leadership while there.
mc @ 62
my apologies to all weasels
*ilson46201 @ 64
And they probably don’t want to say something that can be used against them later.
NICE PUSHBACK
I LOVE the way he EMBARRASES her with the opening line BEFORE the facts
THAT’S the way to do it
typically democrats we are too busy reciiting the facts
this is a template for democrats to take back the war of words
CHARGE FIRST, then BARRAGE with facts, then CHARGE AGAIN, then PUNSISH with more facts
man oh man, we NEED to see that format turned into a template
“No questions.”
These two are doomed. That will just be like blood to media infotainer sharks.
So, we have Cleta, a Republican strategist, doing what Republicans do best. They lie and obfuscate right to your face. Nothing new. But, no matter how hard they try to deflect this scandal, everyone understands the taboos of Foley’s behavior. Adults also understand obligations of supervising and protecting kids in their care. The more Cleta types try to deny their accountability, the more they will only serve to nauseate those who want this mess cleaned up. When the s**t starts leaking out from under the door, it splatters those trying to shovel it back. Ewww, Cleta you’re covered with S**t!
Shorter Hastert: If you have to choose between criminal and incompetent, go for incompetent.
immanentize @ 74
Yep
She sounded very angry and unhinged.
I am
graspingclutching my pearls now.immanentize @
38
oh, Imm….i feel the love.
I think this is the smoking gun Pelosi needs to run with, from ABC News:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thebl.....warne.html
I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
pocket rocket? rabbit pearl? butterfly belt? lil’ buddy?
If they are not taking questions, it strongly suggests to me that they haven’t been able yet, to warranty to their lawyers’ satisfaction that they really were as
fucking stupidignorant as they claim.angie @
6
but she had such a sweet smile when the moderator cut off the debate… she should get a couple of points for that… and maybe one point for the pearls
Wow, that Schecter pushback was CLASSIC!! Worth mounting and framing!!
That is worth memorizing and reciting back to any ‘winger if they get on their high horse about “Dems do it too”.
Already saw some dork try that tack this morning…but he was using scandals back from 1983 to make his case. Cripes, I was 12 years old then, can’t remember hearing about a gay Rep-with-teen scandal because that stuff was hushed up then by everybody. Let’s talk about TODAY and the pages that have been in DC within the last handful of years, the ones we can still protect from Republican family values…
Ugh. Disgusts me.
mc @ 72
Also, it’s an “ongoing Federal investigation” now…. where have we heard that excuse for lack of accountability before?
Pushback?
Try BEATDOWN!
*ilson @69
Nor mine…
It was just my first gut hit when I listened to him. In the end politics is about people, and I thought he might have had more empathy for Foley and his “over-friendly” emails, if it was not obvious to him that Foley was a predator.
whaleshaman @ 79
Awesome!
I want to see the democrats get MORE pissed at the people still in charge that kept this covered up
they have to YELL it out;
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH HASTERT?…HOW CAN HE COVER UP THIS CHILD PREDATOR, there is NO excuse and I am led to believe HE is a child predator as well, for enabling these sick people to perpertrate their disease on our children
Hastert is AT LEAST as responsible and PROBABLY MORE, I WANT HASSART investigated IMMEDIATELY”
indignation…a good start
Atrios gets it right again:
“”So, Hastert thinks the really important thing to do is investigate those who had copies of the IMs and emails like, say, the guys Foley was sending them to in order to find out why they didn’t turn them over to the FBI.
This is a sick and twisted bunch of people running our government - letting a predatory colleague stick around in order to cover it up and then essentially threatening to go after anyone who comes forward with information.
Your Republican party, protector of predators.”"
I cannot imagine why anyone would think a gay person would have more empathy for a Congressman sexual predating underage boys.
Teddy, that is not what I said.
I just talked to Mark Kennedy’s (MN-06) office re: Pedophile-Gate.
He explained that I was merely confusing the EMails and the IMs.
I explained that that was a nice try, but no sale.
He then explained that Kennedy was BFF with Foley (and admits it?) and they were very concerned.
I asked if he was concerned for Foley or for the pages. ‘The pages, of course.’
Go Amy Klobuchar! Mark Kennedy, just go.
OT– msnbc reporting that the murderer in Lancaster was a milk truck driver and was getting revenge for something that happened 20 years ago… he left notes at his house. He let all the little boys and the adults go free. He was 32 years old.
poor little girls and families.
whaleshaman @ 28
OMFG CNN just repeated EVERY GOP talking point after he Hastert excuser. It’s all partisan, the Democrats have been holding on to this for political purposes, warnings went out to pages about congressmen all the time and we do KNOW he’s gay after all.
It was shameful. Beyond shamefull. Calling C&L. I can’t believe after the microscope they took to Patrick Kennedy they are making excuses for sexual predators, as if ANYTHING the Democrats or anyone else did could excuse either Foley’s actions or the grand GOP coverup that has obviously been going on for a long time.
There is nothing they won’t do.
TeddySanFran @ 80
OH MAN!
GET THAT TO HER FAST!
TeddySanFran @ 91
TSF This is such a great point — I am sad to think that the answer is that the evil right has portrayed “gay” and “child molester” (also, dog f**ker) as synonomous for so long that they (as a significant minority) cannot even begin to see why everyone in America is pissed about this. They believed their own hype, but forgot to market-test it first.
Sounds to me like Hastert’s request to Gonzales consists of, “Look in your own house, Abu!” CREW’s Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor, says she turned the IMs over to the FBI three months ago, as soon as she got them. Hastert is trying to turn the spotlight on the FBI — please investigate your own agency, dear Abu Gonzales.
angie @ 94
That is just so very sad….
This is the best sentence of media reporting about Foley.
Toledo Blade
Jane, I didn’t see CNN, but that constant repetition of gooper talking points doesn’t surprise me. They’re trying to compete with Faux, so they get right down there in the gutter with them. Yuck.
me to me @ 97
I sent it to her last night.
Go get ‘em, Jane!!!! [watching contrails from FDL missiles just fired]
Hey, any of you folks in Hastert’s district want a great piece of literature to distribute?
Check out this DailyKos diary; this person has produced a slick piece GRATIS.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/2/133217/952
Anybody DFA in IL? Run with this, get some donors to help with professional printing, then mail to all the independent-leaning Repugs in your districts.
sorry if this has been posted before, but now ABC is saying there are IMs that insinuate that he met with one page.
that kicks this up to a whole level.
10 little girls were shot. 3 died immediately. All the teachers and little boys were let go. The guy left a suicide note at home for his wife and kids and called her when surrounded to say he wouldn’t be home.
OT — Got to pick up the boy at school…but not before I point out one awesome photo at Salon:
http://www.salon.com/books/fea.....source=rss
You might have to sit through an ad, not positive, but the photo is great, article on NOLA not too shabby either.
That was sweet.
Enjoy.
egregious @ 67
Our current troop levels are unsustainable. It will strain and break the military to maintain these numbers for even 4 to 6 months and these levels are not remotely sufficient to do the job of creating a stable, secure environment in the country.
The simple fact of the matter is that there were never enough troops. Even if we had wanted to follow the advice of General Shinseki and send 350,000 to 400,000, they never existed, not then, not now. A draft was the only way to get that many troops and it was always politically impossible. Yet Bush has none the less placed our servicemen and women in an unwinnable situation and left them there to hang for 3 1/2 years out of a toxic combination of stupidity and ego.
Jane Hamsher @ 96
If protecting our children is “partisan” then we Democrats must plead guilty. Funny, I had thought that protecting children from pedphiles was one issue that we could ALL agree on.
Taking a break from the Foley story to have a bit of fun at Republican Ken Blackwell, who is running for Governor in Ohio.
Bush: Ken Blackwell is a nut
Sharoney @ 86
Great, isn’t it. Kinda wonder if the Big Dog smacking down Wallace is providing a little inspiration.
Boudica @
75
Who is Cleta, please?
OT - Letter from Roger Sharpe…
“In a recent poll by the Winston Salem Journal over 56% of the readers responding believe that I can win this election.”
AWESOME!!!
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 112
The blond publican in the YouTube video in the main body of the post.
Stephen–Cleta Mitchell is an attorney and speaks for the Heritage Foundation at times…
http://www.thehill.com/thehill.....mline.html
forgot my bwahahahaha
windje @ 11:33 am and angie @ 11:34 am -
Thank you for your replies. I haven’t looked at the video.
CNN.com poll:
Will allegations that former Republican Rep. Mark Foley exchanged sexually explicit e-mails with a 16-year-old congressional page make it less likely you’ll vote Republican in November?
Yes 57% 16426 votes
No 43% 12627 votes
Total: 29053 votes
So, Denny, care to tell us again about how moral the Republican Party is?
Renee in Ohio @ 109
I have been meaning to send some of you, who are interested in Ohio, over to my friend, yellow dog sammy’s blog about the races in that State:
http://ohio2006elections.blogspot.com/
It is a great example of a local action blog with good info.
Be nice over there and don’t break his server *g*