zed?

bada bing impeach

zunoed?

Damnit! Missed again!

ah, missed it by THAT much…

zed!

Nah, it’ll never happern…

Condi is an empty suit pair of shoes.

Great post, Christy.

Yep, the Pakistan disaster is another Cheney fuckup. Now the Taliban is concentrated within a country that has nukes.

Thanks, Dick.

Condi-licious:

A close friend of mine, a woman, used to call me “Bio-delicious” a few years ago…*g*

Does Trump have influence on any of those rags?? He can’t stand Condi, and he is always saying she shows up and waves in a photo-op then leaves, never cutting a deal. Trumps trying to build stuff all over the world right now, and Bush’s policies may be really getting in the way. Follow the big $$$. Just wondering.

First Joe and now the Secretary of State. Pressure on. ;0)

Drat - slow reader here and EPU’d again. I brought it up here:

Doing things:

I created a group blog called Progressive Policy. I’m looking for authors to take a category: education, labor, housing, transportation, healthcare, economy, foreign relations - you name it - and run with their chosen area. I’ll play host and coordinator.

Any takers for a policy venue and suggestions for authors and guest bloggers?

This will bring lots of progressives together who have policy and issues interests but who have to run all over the intertubes to find the content. I asked Matt and Chris at Open left if they were interested, and they politely declined.

I think this is a gap in the blogosphere, and so, my neck’s as stretched as I can make it…. ;^)

Jane Hamsher @ 9

Great post, Christy.

Yep, the Pakistan disaster is another Cheney fuckup. Now the Taliban is concentrated within a country that has nukes.

Thanks, Dick.

Dick’s got them right where he wants them - with an excuse to nail them all.

I’m sure Teddy and other Bay Areans would agree that it’s not too often you see the hometown rag (SF Chronicle) break an interesting story like this

EPU’d from previous thread. Here’sGonzo’s prepared testimony for tomorrow.

Pretty hysterical.
The Mighty Wurlitzer won’t back her, she has a problem.

Damn Christy, that reunion musta really recharged your batteries this weekend cuz you are en fuego today!

Man
When the ComPost rejects an OeEd from and Administration official for being a puff piece, there must have been *no* socially redeeming content.

Oh, I misread, the ever-objective WSJ, not the ComPost.
Maybe they should try again.
There’s always the Washington Times or NY Daily News….

oh dear oh dear.

laughing & crying & the same time.

not good.

what’s happening to us?

what’s going to happen to our kids?

it’s not.just.not Kansas anymore….

weeds. it’s what’s for dinner. no foolin’.

punaise @ 15

I’m sure Teddy and other Bay Areans would agree that it’s not too often you see the hometown rag (SF Chronicle) break an interesting story like this

I still laugh over the crack about the chronicle in “All the President’s Men” Hey we have a pretty good entertainment page!

Good thing we have a strong anti-proliferation team at the CIA
Oh…
Thanks Dick again.
Jane Hamsher @ 9

Great post, Christy.

Yep, the Pakistan disaster is another Cheney fuckup. Now the Taliban is concentrated within a country that has nukes.

Thanks, Dick.

Lebanon was once the Jewel of the Levant. Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East. Throw 500,000 pissed refugees into the place, invade it numerous times, occupy it for almost 20 years, create rival militias to spread hatred amongst the ethnic and religious groups, destroy their industrial, transportation and public health infrastructures, ruin all their shores and beaches and their fishing and tourist industry, sow their farms with millions of cluster bomb sub-munitions and hundreds of thousands of unmarked mines and minefields……

….then you have Condi explain how cute it all is and what a ripe investment opportunity waits there?

Bush approval at 25% on huffpost!

Bush approval drops to 25%. OK so we have seen over the past 8 years that about 1/3 of any large statistical group are generally not grounded in thinking. But 8% can think if pushed enough~(33%-25%).
Which leaves with with 25% of frigging fascists. That’s still way too many

What’s even perhaps, more scary, is that Karen Hughes is the one who really has our president’s…. Ear?

Didn’t Condi want to be President? I thought some reporter at the NY Times was writing her biography.

A sitting Secretary of State cannot get an Op Ed published?

The CEA of a multimega corp cannot get an Op Ed published?

The combined “prestige” of the two of them together cannot get an Op Ed published?

How humilating.

Really, really humiliating.

Wow.

LHP at 29 — Yeah, I know. That pretty much floored me, too, the first time I read the piece.

Helen @ 16

EPU’d from previous thread. Here’sGonzo’s prepared testimony for tomorrow.

Gonzo “But I am not going to wait for the results of these investigations to begin taking
steps to ensure that any previous mistakes are not repeated. I have appointed experienced
personnel, revised certain policies and procedures, and have communicated to the
Department leadership that I will not tolerate any improper politicization of this
Department. I will continue to make efforts to ensure that my staff and others within the
Department have the appropriate experience and judgment so that previous mistakes will
not be repeated. And I will continue to ensure that the Department attracts and hires
highly qualified individuals from the broadest base possible without reference to their
political affiliations.“

Lucy in the sky with diamonds….

I think a pretty good litmus test for how “worthy” a war is, is how many of your citizens are willing to volunteer for it.

Re-enlistment doesn’t count. Vets will not abandon their brothers in arms. How fast do fresh recruits step up? How many have their own skin in this game?

With all due respect, stuff it, DoD, Cheney, and Senator Graham.

The WSJ editorial board wouldn’t publish a piece of Administration claptrap. What is the world coming too?

What’s strange is that one of Rupert Murdoch’s “chain-smell” publications didn’t even see fit to run Condi’s piece, unless Condi didn’t even submit it to one of Murdoch’s “chain-smell” rags.

Either way, this would indicate that the hardcore wingnuts like Murdoch (and Cheney) have marginalized Condi Rice, and the U.S. State Department, because she apparently wants to talk with others in a diplomatic manner while they just want to bomb them.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 27

What’s even perhaps, more scary, is that Karen Hughes is the one who really has our president’s…. Ear?

Yeti still won’t listen

From Christy’s post, re: Condi’s widely rejected opinion piece:

As a last-ditch strategy, the State Department briefly considered translating the article into Arabic and trying a Lebanese paper. But finally they just gave up. “I kept hearing the same thing: ‘There’s no news in this.’ ”

Old wine in new bottle: Condi should know:

Rice characterized the August 6, 2000 President’s Daily Brief, “Bin Laden to Strike in US” historical information. Rice indicated “It was information based on old reporting.”[46]

My bold.

ruffian @ 26

Bush approval drops to 25%. OK so we have seen over the past 8 years that about 1/3 of any large statistical group are generally not grounded in thinking. But 8% can think if pushed enough~(33%-25%).
Which leaves with with 25% of frigging fascists. That’s still way too many

Slow learners can still learn! Plus it takes time to deprogram people although without Bush’s failure in Iraq just how infulencial would the blogs be in changing people’s minds?

ruffian @ 26

Bush approval drops to 25%. OK so we have seen over the past 8 years that about 1/3 of any large statistical group are generally not grounded in thinking. But 8% can think if pushed enough~(33%-25%).
Which leaves with with 25% of frigging fascists. That’s still way too many

Nixon still had approvals in the 22%-24% range when he resigned and it was demonstrable that he was in fact a crook.

Wait a minute. Bill Kristol can publish a piece in the WaPo on why Bush is a winner, but the Secretary of Sate can’t?

Hmm, who’s really in charge of Bush’s foreign policy?

Condi puff piece gets rejected.

I guess the free market works, huh…

I suspect the Regent University Law Review will take it.

condi karen karl gonzo …

where.do.they.find.these.people?!

are they plastic? holograms?

we know they recycle and revolve.

will they rust? corrode? combust? compost?

clone?! evolve?!

they’re more indestructible than disposable diapers fgs!

Emptywheel had it dead on earlier this morning. The Bush administration has either got to get a better PR agency, or a better product. She wasn’t optimistic on either score.

Condi has always been a token something or other. Same with Gonzales. See voters. We (Republicans) have minorities and women in high places.

Bustednuckles @ 17

Pretty hysterical.
The Mighty Wurlitzer won’t back her, she has a problem.

Yep, I was pretty surprised to read this one.

I got Rice’s measure long before 9/11. I came to my evaluation of her with a favorable attitude. Having been a woman on Wall St., I can imagine how difficult her enviroment has been, and being African-American just adds to the toxicity for her.
So I watched with great interest a speech of hers at some friendly org like Russian-American Chamber of Commerce that was broadcast on C-SPAN sometime in the summer of 01. It would be the perfect forum for her to strut her stuff, I thought. Showcase her at her finest, since Soviet Union was her area of expertise.
She spoke for 20 mintutes. She said: Russia is a country of great potential.
Yep. That’s all she said & it took her 20 minutes. Got her # then & haven’t had to change my opinion since.

Similiar story with her speech on “tranformational diplomacy” after she became SecState. Speech was 45 min (?), and contained such creative ideas as having U.S. diplomats speak the language of the country they are going to, and having them get out of the capital city & find out what’s going on elsewhere in the country.

I’m sorry to believe that she’s another representative of the downside of affirmative action, along with Clarence Thomas & Colin Powell.

Cheney’s plan to get US Troops out of Iraq via David Horsey!

OT New Froomkin

Gonzo…It happened, I’m sorry, and I’m staying.

“Politicization of Hiring in the Department
I am very proud of the results that the Department of Justice has achieved. As the
testimony above demonstrates, the Department’s employees continue to work day in and
day out to protect Americans. That said, reinforcing public confidence in the Department
is also critical and will be one of my top priorities as Attorney General for the remainder
of my term. I know that this Committee shares this concern, and I would like now to
address briefly one issue in particular.
I believe very strongly that there is no place for political considerations in the
hiring of our career employees or in the administration of justice. As such, the
allegations of such activity have been troubling to hear. From my perspective, there are
two options available in light of these allegations. I could walk away or I could devote
my time, effort and energy to fix the problems. Since I have never been one to quit, I
decided that the best course of action was to remain here and fix the problems. That is
exactly what I am doing.
As you know, upon learning of these troubling accusations, we promptly referred
these matters to the Office of Professional Responsibility and Office of the Inspector
General. This was the right course of action for the Department and I have complete
faith and confidence that their investigations will be thorough, comprehensive, and,
ultimately, very helpful in rooting out and addressing any mistakes that occurred on my
watch.

But I am not going to wait for the results of these investigations to begin taking
steps to ensure that any previous mistakes are not repeated. I have appointed experienced
personnel, revised certain policies and procedures, and have communicated to the
Department leadership that I will not tolerate any improper politicization of this
Department. I will continue to make efforts to ensure that my staff and others within the
Department have the appropriate experience and judgment so that previous mistakes will
not be repeated. And I will continue to ensure that the Department attracts and hires
highly qualified individuals from the broadest base possible without reference to their
political affiliations.”

eCAHNomics @ 44

Bustednuckles @ 17

Pretty hysterical.
The Mighty Wurlitzer won’t back her, she has a problem.

Yep, I was pretty surprised to read this one.

I got Rice’s measure long before 9/11. I came to my evaluation of her with a favorable attitude. Having been a woman on Wall St., I can imagine how difficult her enviroment has been, and being African-American just adds to the toxicity for her.
So I watched with great interest a speech of hers at some friendly org like Russian-American Chamber of Commerce that was broadcast on C-SPAN sometime in the summer of 01. It would be the perfect forum for her to strut her stuff, I thought. Showcase her at her finest, since Soviet Union was her area of expertise.
She spoke for 20 mintutes. She said: Russia is a country of great potential.
Yep. That’s all she said & it took her 20 minutes. Got her # then & haven’t had to change my opinion since.

Similiar story with her speech on “tranformational diplomacy” after she became SecState. Speech was 45 min (?), and contained such creative ideas as having U.S. diplomats speak the language of the country they are going to, and having them get out of the capital city & find out what’s going on elsewhere in the country.

I’m sorry to believe that she’s another representative of the downside of affirmative action, along with Clarence Thomas & Colin Powell.

She IS the Peter Principle.

Talk about going off topic. In his remarks, Gonzo talks about Intellectual Property Rights, Protection of Children, Drug Enforcement, Identity Theft, Immigration Enforcement, and the Dept’s Response to Hurricane Katrina. Of the 26 pages, exactly 5 paragraphs at the very end address politization of hiring at DOJ.

Knut Wicksell @ 42

Emptywheel had it dead on earlier this morning. The Bush administration has either got to get a better PR agency, or a better product. She wasn’t optimistic on either score.

Actually a large part of the problem is that this admin is incapable of discerning the difference between Policy and PR. The policy is the PR.

nomolos @ 31

Helen @ 16

EPU’d from previous thread. Here’sGonzo’s prepared testimony for tomorrow.

Gonzo “But I am not going to wait for the results of these investigations to begin taking
steps to ensure that any previous mistakes are not repeated. I have appointed experienced
personnel, revised certain policies and procedures, and have communicated to the
Department leadership that I will not tolerate any improper politicization of this
Department. I will continue to make efforts to ensure that my staff and others within the
Department have the appropriate experience and judgment so that previous mistakes will
not be repeated. And I will continue to ensure that the Department attracts and hires
highly qualified individuals from the broadest base possible without reference to their
political affiliations.“

Lucy in the sky with diamonds….

“I will not tolerate any improper politicization of this Department.”

That is really a quite telling remark. He does not say I will not tolerate any politicization of this Department, only any “improper” politicization and, of course, he has already said that he thought that there was nothing improper about how the Attorneys were fired.

Helen @ 16

EPU’d from previous thread. Here’sGonzo’s prepared testimony for tomorrow.

Thanks Helen.

What a surprise. He leads with fight against terrorism…in Britain.

Helen @ 49

Talk about going off topic. In his remarks, Gonzo talks about Intellectual Property Rights, Protection of Children, Drug Enforcement, Identity Theft, Immigration Enforcement, and the Dept’s Response to Hurricane Katrina. Of the 26 pages, exactly 5 paragraphs at the very end address politization of hiring at DOJ.

Condi help him write that one too?

mc @ 39

Wait a minute. Bill Kristol can publish a piece in the WaPo on why Bush is a winner, but the Secretary of Sate can’t?

Hmm, who’s really in charge of Bush’s foreign policy?

The war-profiteers.

do-si-do @ 52

Helen @ 16

EPU’d from previous thread. Here’sGonzo’s prepared testimony for tomorrow.

Thanks Helen.

What a surprise. He leads with fight against terrorism…in Britain.

Shorter Gonzo: “Look, look, over there, shiny thongs!”

Knut Wicksell @ 42

Emptywheel had it dead on earlier this morning. The Bush administration has either got to get a better PR agency, or a better product. She wasn’t optimistic on either score.

Of course my stomach turned when I saw some R tool on Hardball say the President needs to tell us why the war is still worth fighting, not if progress is being made. Giving advice on new talking points.

Duh, “evil”?

So now we are debating how to sell the occupation, after five years.

I tell you, if everyone had their own blood in this, the occupation would be over today. You can’t BS with blood.

mc at 55 — I don’t know if you meant “shiny thongs” or if it was a slight typo — but either way, that was freaking hilarious. *g*

Christy Hardin Smith @ 57

mc at 55 — I don’t know if you meant “shiny thongs” or if it was a slight typo — but either way, that was freaking hilarious. *g*

Didn’t LHP do that once? I think that was a homage to her.

Condi’s sense of history is somewhat flawed:

In 2006, Rice compared U.S. commitment in Iraq to the Civil War, indicating “I’m sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the Civil War to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold.” BET.com commented “If you’re against the war in Iraq, you might as well consider yourself pro-slavery, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.”[111]

And I wonder what Chuck Hagel is really telling her here:

On January 11, 2007, Rice addressed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding the President’s Iraq Strategy. Rice asserted that insurgents were mainly responsible for American casualties; Senator Chuck Hagel stated, Madame Secretary, your intelligence and mine is a lot different.[112]

My bold.

mc @ 55

do-si-do @ 52

Thanks Helen.

What a surprise. He leads with fight against terrorism…in Britain.

Shorter Gonzo: “Look, look, over there, shiny thongs!”

‘thOngs’? *chuckle*

Helen @ 58

Christy Hardin Smith @ 57

mc at 55 — I don’t know if you meant “shiny thongs” or if it was a slight typo — but either way, that was freaking hilarious. *g*

Didn’t LHP do that once? I think that was a homage to her.

Yes!

“The Bush Survival Bible” by Gene Stone will tickle the fancies of most firepups.

LS @ 47

Yes, Gonzo is sorry. right. Boy, these people really really don’t understand the concept of credibility.

Just saying stuff doesn’t make it so. (renting of garments, and gnashing of teeth here)

The EPU horizon is shrinking towards us: it used to be out around 230 when I started posting, but is now about 120. This wouldn’t matter so much if it were possible to post comments on a thread with some responsiveness even after a new thread had started. Does anyone else consider this a problem? Is somebody working on it?

Gonzo:

The diversion of the resources of the Intelligence
Community, the Department of Justice, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
(FISC) to FISA applications targeting foreign terror suspects overseas also must be
remedied. As you surely agree, these precious resources would be better spent
safeguarding the liberties of people in the United States.

(bold mine) Silly me, and I thought that protection from wiretaps without warrants was one of the liberties that was supposed to be protected by these very busy folks.

Okay, time for the lighter side:

Advances in NonoTeknologee have brought the dod the ultimate bierlogikal weapon: SEKRET SKWIRRELZ!

http://blog.wired.com/defense/.....irrel.html

They do this in between planning for the coup, dont’cha know…

Here’s a good start for articles of impeachment for Shooter:
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/010702.php

Ed*ard Teller @ 24

Lebanon was once the Jewel of the Levant. Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East. Throw 500,000 pissed refugees into the place, invade it numerous times, occupy it for almost 20 years, create rival militias to spread hatred amongst the ethnic and religious groups, destroy their industrial, transportation and public health infrastructures, ruin all their shores and beaches and their fishing and tourist industry, sow their farms with millions of cluster bomb sub-munitions and hundreds of thousands of unmarked mines and minefields……

….then you have Condi explain how cute it all is and what a ripe investment opportunity waits there?

Did you forget to mention that they had a disasterous civil war? Or do you regard that as a proxy fight for big powers? Just asking.

Bwa-hahahahah!! man, that hurts it’s so funny!

A “shiny thong” homage to looseheadprop, incorporating Gonzo!!

I’ve seen it all. I don’t know how this can possibly be topped in the world of commenting.

Oh my comment is reading a little ambiguously…I meant to add on to what you were saying LS, not argue with it.

sorry ;)

LS @ 54

mc @ 39

Wait a minute. Bill Kristol can publish a piece in the WaPo on why Bush is a winner, but the Secretary of State can’t?

Hmm, who’s really in charge of Bush’s foreign policy?

The war-profiteers.

…such as the Carlyle Group. Who would have thought that great patriots like the Bush family would enrich themselves during times like these?

Rayne @ 69

It was a shiny silver thong, last time. Sometime during the Libby trial, IIRC.

H’mmm. Is there a bootleg copy of Rice’s Lebanon article around? Bet we could do a number on it if we had the original.

And here, my friends, is a list of Condi’s personal interests:

–Rice’s favorite movie is Casablanca. “I watch whenever it comes on. . . . ‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ — who doesn’t love that line? I love Humphrey Bogart . I love everything about that movie. It’s in many ways my favorite movie.” [7]

–Another favorite is The Way We Were: “I generally don’t watch movies of redeeming value,” she says. “I tend to take them as entertainment.” [8]

–Rice took up golf in August 2005. “I’m enjoying it immensely. I find it’s one of the things that really gets me out, gets my mind clear, and I really enjoy it.”[9]

–Rice has said that her dream job is commissioner of the National Football League. “I think it would be a very interesting job because I actually think football, with all due respect to baseball, is a kind of national pastime that brings people together across social lines, across racial lines. And I think it’s an important American institution.”[10]

–Rice is an accomplished pianist who plays with an ensemble as often as every other week.[11] One of her favorite composers is Brahms. “I love Brahms because Brahms is actually structured. And he’s passionate without being sentimental. With Brahms it’s restrained, and there’s a sense of tension that never resolves.”[12]

–Rice has very ecletic tastes in music. In an interview with Sean Hannity she said, “I listen to just about anything Led Zeppelin’s done. And I love Cream, too.”[13]

She has an interview with Sean Hannity about music…

Enquiring minds want to know . . .
. . . did Condi’s op-ed have the requisite three (3) mentions of President Bush per page as recently testified to by another Cabinet castaway?

P J Evans @ 72

Rayne @ 69

It was a shiny silver thong, last time. Sometime during the Libby trial, IIRC.

I will not, repeat not, post a link to Borat in his lime-green mankini

Biodun @ 74

And here, my friends, is a list of Condi’s personal interests:

–Rice’s favorite movie is Casablanca. “I watch whenever it comes on. . . . ‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ — who doesn’t love that line? I love Humphrey Bogart . I love everything about that movie. It’s in many ways my favorite movie.” [7]

–Another favorite is The Way We Were: “I generally don’t watch movies of redeeming value,” she says. “I tend to take them as entertainment.” [8]

–Rice took up golf in August 2005. “I’m enjoying it immensely. I find it’s one of the things that really gets me out, gets my mind clear, and I really enjoy it.”[9]

–Rice has said that her dream job is commissioner of the National Football League. “I think it would be a very interesting job because I actually think football, with all due respect to baseball, is a kind of national pastime that brings people together across social lines, across racial lines. And I think it’s an important American institution.”[10]

–Rice is an accomplished pianist who plays with an ensemble as often as every other week.[11] One of her favorite composers is Brahms. “I love Brahms because Brahms is actually structured. And he’s passionate without being sentimental. With Brahms it’s restrained, and there’s a sense of tension that never resolves.”[12]

–Rice has very ecletic tastes in music. In an interview with Sean Hannity she said, “I listen to just about anything Led Zeppelin’s done. And I love Cream, too.”[13]

She has an interview with Sean Hannity about music…

Yeah, one more reason to feel good about hating Robert Plant and Jimmy Page

behindthefall @ 64

The EPU horizon is shrinking towards us: it used to be out around 230 when I started posting, but is now about 120. This wouldn’t matter so much if it were possible to post comments on a thread with some responsiveness even after a new thread had started. Does anyone else consider this a problem? Is somebody working on it?

Maybe there could be something like a permathread, that had posts with links to important articles, like AGAG’s testimony? That way we could check that out from time-to-time to see what we needed to read. Don’t know what kind of adminstrative hassle that would create, though.

lost_nacf_gop @ 75

Enquiring minds want to know . . .
. . . did Condi’s op-ed have the requisite three (3) mentions of President Bush per page as recently testified to by another Cabinet castaway?

Can anyone name a single thing that she has actually done? I cannot - so what is her reason for being there? Just a doorstop, I guess.

punaise @ 76

P J Evans @ 72

Rayne @ 69

It was a shiny silver thong, last time. Sometime during the Libby trial, IIRC.

I will not, repeat not, post a link to Borat in his lime-green mankini

And the crowd goes wild….with relief!

–Rice is an accomplished pianist who plays with an ensemble as often as every other week.[11] One of her favorite composers is Brahms. “I love Brahms because Brahms is actually structured. And he’s passionate without being sentimental. With Brahms it’s restrained, and there’s a sense of tension that never resolves.”[12]

Gee, I used to like Brahms.

Finally, interesting tidbit about Condi:

Rice was a Democrat until 1982 when she changed her political affiliation to Republican after growing averse to former President Carter’s foreign policy.[20] She also cited influence from her father, John Wesley, in this decision, who himself switched from Democrat to Republican after being denied voting registration by the Democratic registrar. In her words to the 2000 Republican National Convention, “My father joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did.”[21]

punaise @ 76

P J Evans @ 72

Rayne @ 69

It was a shiny silver thong, last time. Sometime during the Libby trial, IIRC.

What precisely is a mankini? A bikini for men? If so, Dennis Hastert probably has one of the silver ones.
I will not, repeat not, post a link to Borat in his lime-green mankini

The Boston Herald or Lowell Sun will publish
Condi’s ramblings…

BigMitch @ 68

Ed*ard Teller @ 24

Lebanon was once the Jewel of the Levant. Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East. Throw 500,000 pissed refugees into the place, invade it numerous times, occupy it for almost 20 years, create rival militias to spread hatred amongst the ethnic and religious groups, destroy their industrial, transportation and public health infrastructures, ruin all their shores and beaches and their fishing and tourist industry, sow their farms with millions of cluster bomb sub-munitions and hundreds of thousands of unmarked mines and minefields……

….then you have Condi explain how cute it all is and what a ripe investment opportunity waits there?

Did you forget to mention that they had a disasterous civil war? Or do you regard that as a proxy fight for big powers? Just asking.

The Lebanese Civil Wars are largely a result of the destabilization caused by the influx of refugees from 1947 through the early 1950s. Historians Benny Morris, Michael Oren, Robert Fisk and Ilan Jaffe all agree on this. The “proxy war” aspects of this area after WWII are in two phases - the Soviet-era phase and the post Soviet phase, into which we are now entering the crux.

Twain @ 79

lost_nacf_gop @ 75

Enquiring minds want to know . . .
. . . did Condi’s op-ed have the requisite three (3) mentions of President Bush per page as recently testified to by another Cabinet castaway?

It seems she has successfully stonewalled the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Anyone know what’s going on with that? Just lost in the dust?

Can anyone name a single thing that she has actually done? I cannot - so what is her reason for being there? Just a doorstop, I guess.

Biodun @ 82

Finally, interesting tidbit about Condi:

Rice was a Democrat until 1982 when she changed her political affiliation to Republican after growing averse to former President Carter’s foreign policy.[20] She also cited influence from her father, John Wesley, in this decision, who himself switched from Democrat to Republican after being denied voting registration by the Democratic registrar. In her words to the 2000 Republican National Convention, “My father joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did.”[21]

That’s the most substantive thing about Rice I’ve ever read. Aren’t we glad that those southern racists are no longer Ds?

Opp’s my comment was embedded in the quote in 86. Sorry. Meant to say:

It seems she has successfully stonewalled the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Anyone know what’s going on with that? Just lost in the dust?

You know, we’re all gonna be fine–as long as we have electricity and can grow our own food.

Alas I could not disentangle punaise’s 76 from my 83. What is this preview button for btw? *g*

do-si-do @ 70

Oh my comment is reading a little ambiguously…I meant to add on to what you were saying LS, not argue with it.

sorry ;)

Don’t be sorry! I caught your meaning. :}

Biodun @ 82

Finally, interesting tidbit about Condi:

Rice was a Democrat until 1982 when she changed her political affiliation to Republican after growing averse to former President Carter’s foreign policy.[20] She also cited influence from her father, John Wesley, in this decision, who himself switched from Democrat to Republican after being denied voting registration by the Democratic registrar. In her words to the 2000 Republican National Convention, “My father joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did.”[21]

One got it wrong (Condi and her party switch) and one got it right (party switch) Senator Clinton. ;0)

Helen @ 49

Talk about going off topic. In his remarks, Gonzo talks about Intellectual Property Rights, Protection of Children, Drug Enforcement, Identity Theft, Immigration Enforcement, and the Dept’s Response to Hurricane Katrina. Of the 26 pages, exactly 5 paragraphs at the very end address politization of hiring at DOJ.

When my students do that, I call it filler because it is material that is put in bc the actual substance of the piece is missing. He doesn’t have an answer to the charges leveled against him, so he is inserting filler as a red herring. Jezum, he wouldn’t be able to pass an argumentation class.

I think Firedoglake should invite Condi to publish her op-ed here.

Janda @ 93

Helen @ 49

Talk about going off topic. In his remarks, Gonzo talks about Intellectual Property Rights, Protection of Children, Drug Enforcement, Identity Theft, Immigration Enforcement, and the Dept’s Response to Hurricane Katrina. Of the 26 pages, exactly 5 paragraphs at the very end address politization of hiring at DOJ.

When my students do that, I call it filler because it is material that is put in bc the actual substance of the piece is missing. He doesn’t have an answer to the charges leveled against him, so he is inserting filler as a red herring. Jezum, he wouldn’t be able to pass an argumentation class.

That’s prolly why Bush put him in charge of thousands of litigators. /snark

itwasntme @ 94

I think Firedoglake should invite Condi to publish her op-ed here.

Brilliant! What a comments thread that would be. Better than my #73.

Switches from Dem to Repug:

Ronald Reagan

Rudy Giuliani

Michael Bloomberg

Most of the neocons (Irving Kristol was speaking for them all when he famously said: “I was a liberal who was mugged by reality.”)

Shorter Gonzo:

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Why won’t you let me play with you anymore..I’ll be good…….
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

eCAHNomics @ 96

itwasntme @ 94

I think Firedoglake should invite Condi to publish her op-ed here.

Brilliant! What a comments thread that would be. Better than my #73.

If the comments were kept civil, it could be a very good and informative thing.

eCAHNomics @ 96

itwasntme @ 94

I think Firedoglake should invite Condi to publish her op-ed here.

Brilliant! What a comments thread that would be. Better than my #73.

FDL as a transom ditch (so to speak) for a “rejecto” that has made all the rounds?

LS @ 99

eCAHNomics @ 96

Brilliant! What a comments thread that would be. Better than my #73.

If the comments were kept civil, it could be a very good and informative thing.

I’m shocked that you could think firepups might not be civil.

Obama foreign policy advisor called up by Naval Reserve

Deliberate? Was W or Hillary behind it?

The Oracle at #34:

What’s strange is that one of Rupert Murdoch’s “chain-smell” publications didn’t even see fit to run Condi’s piece, unless Condi didn’t even submit it to one of Murdoch’s “chain-smell” rags.

Either way, this would indicate that the hardcore wingnuts like Mu