I saw this earlier today and had planned to post, but didn't have the time to dig further. Tom D. has now sent me Coleen Rowley's apology for photoshopping John Kline's face over a Nazi uniform on her blog.
Dear Representative John Kline,
I sincerely apologize for having offended you with the picture that was posted on my blog. I assure you that was not the intent. More importantly, superimposing your face on the Colonel Klink character from the "Hogan's Heroes" sitcom is something that does not belong on a congressional campaign website. I apologize to you, as well as any other offended person, for this error in professionalism.
Incidentally, Rowley's header says "Unhinged Decision-Making" there on the right. No wonder the state is losing its blue hue.
Here's a suggestion from Rowley, that Rowley should consider:
These are critical times, and the people of MN's 2nd District deserve a campaign about ideas and substance, not doctored photos.
Perhaps she could suggest a candidate. Anyone with an idea as to that might consider leaving it in her comment section.
What is it with the left and photoshoppery these days? It's so very sad and desperate.
Some may not remember Coleen Rowley since she finally did away with the ARMY issue eye-glasses, but she made headlines criticizing the FBI.
Here's a link to John Kline.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
Does Dean Have a Job Waiting For Him?
The Kos Kids aren't too happy with the totally unpredictable news that Alito's nomination got beyond the cloture hurdle. It did come as a shock, with no real warning or precedent. You'd think somebody might have thought to count the votes beforehand to get some idea which way it was going to go. Anyway...
The sudden and stark reality of Democratic impotence in the face of right-wing, authoritarian, theocratic, misogynistic world dominance was too much for this young mother...who has children.
What do we do? How about taking a page from Ariel Sharon’s book and starting our OWN party….maybe we can recruit Howard Dean to be our leader.
Clearly Dean is like a salmon swimming upstream with the likes of the corporate-owned DLC running smear campaigns against his efforts as DNC chair….maybe he’s just as sick of it…?
I don’t know about you, but I’m crying in my beer right now….and I would love nothing more than to have a leader who listens to me. If Dean took the courageous step to start a legitimate 3rd party, I’d be there in a heartbeat…and I’d go pert-near bankrupt supporting him.
Fu** the DLC and these DINOs. I’m tired of it. And I’m heartbroken. I worked so hard, and got so many friends and family to take a leap of faith and do what I’d asked, only to be SH*T on. Now all I’m getting from all of them is “Well, I told you so…”
I HAVE 2 DAUGHTERS UNDER 5 YEARS OLD. WHAT WILL BECOME OF THEIR FUTURE NOW???????
There's one vote for Dean...the salmon candidate. As to her kids, I guess they will have to suffer the same "back-alley abortion while being tapped by NSA Zionists in the midst of Kyoto Winter, mumbling the government sanctioned prayer" future as the rest of us.
Decision '08 has the top-five Kos reactions to today's stunning turn of events.
The sudden and stark reality of Democratic impotence in the face of right-wing, authoritarian, theocratic, misogynistic world dominance was too much for this young mother...who has children.
What do we do? How about taking a page from Ariel Sharon’s book and starting our OWN party….maybe we can recruit Howard Dean to be our leader.
Clearly Dean is like a salmon swimming upstream with the likes of the corporate-owned DLC running smear campaigns against his efforts as DNC chair….maybe he’s just as sick of it…?
I don’t know about you, but I’m crying in my beer right now….and I would love nothing more than to have a leader who listens to me. If Dean took the courageous step to start a legitimate 3rd party, I’d be there in a heartbeat…and I’d go pert-near bankrupt supporting him.
Fu** the DLC and these DINOs. I’m tired of it. And I’m heartbroken. I worked so hard, and got so many friends and family to take a leap of faith and do what I’d asked, only to be SH*T on. Now all I’m getting from all of them is “Well, I told you so…”
I HAVE 2 DAUGHTERS UNDER 5 YEARS OLD. WHAT WILL BECOME OF THEIR FUTURE NOW???????
There's one vote for Dean...the salmon candidate. As to her kids, I guess they will have to suffer the same "back-alley abortion while being tapped by NSA Zionists in the midst of Kyoto Winter, mumbling the government sanctioned prayer" future as the rest of us.
Decision '08 has the top-five Kos reactions to today's stunning turn of events.
Leadership: Dean Style
Howard Dean is doing all the right things to raise money from average Americans. He accused the president of knowing about 9/11 in advance, has called all Republicans racists, and thinks defeat is victory in Iraq.
What's not to like?
Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are privately bristling over Howard Dean’s management of the Democratic National Committee and have made those sentiments clear after new fundraising numbers showed he has spent nearly all the committee’s cash and has little left to support their efforts to gain seats this cycle, ROLL CALL reports.
Congressional leaders were furious last week when they learned the DNC has just $5.5 million in the bank, compared to the Republican National Committee’s $34 million.
Senate and House Minority Leaders Harry Reid (Nev.) and Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), along with the Senate and House campaign committee chairmen Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have made their concerns -- directly or indirectly -- known to Dean, claims the paper.
Maybe if we didn't live in a police state; if free-thinkers like Howard Dean were allowed to speak, and not jailed under the oppressive Bush regime, people would know to donate to the DNC. Or, and this is a slim possibility, maybe the average American thinks Dean is a laughable idiot.
Just a thought.
Interestingly enough, Reid and Pelosi might want to hurry if they want to get Dean out of the picture. Rumor has it that Reid's days might be numbered. Given the state of the entire party, how long before Pelosi has to fall on her sword as well?
What's not to like?
Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are privately bristling over Howard Dean’s management of the Democratic National Committee and have made those sentiments clear after new fundraising numbers showed he has spent nearly all the committee’s cash and has little left to support their efforts to gain seats this cycle, ROLL CALL reports.
Congressional leaders were furious last week when they learned the DNC has just $5.5 million in the bank, compared to the Republican National Committee’s $34 million.
Senate and House Minority Leaders Harry Reid (Nev.) and Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), along with the Senate and House campaign committee chairmen Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have made their concerns -- directly or indirectly -- known to Dean, claims the paper.
Maybe if we didn't live in a police state; if free-thinkers like Howard Dean were allowed to speak, and not jailed under the oppressive Bush regime, people would know to donate to the DNC. Or, and this is a slim possibility, maybe the average American thinks Dean is a laughable idiot.
Just a thought.
Interestingly enough, Reid and Pelosi might want to hurry if they want to get Dean out of the picture. Rumor has it that Reid's days might be numbered. Given the state of the entire party, how long before Pelosi has to fall on her sword as well?
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Long Live the Resistance!
John Kerry's Obstructionist Manifesto can be found at DailyKos if you haven't seen it. He too admits that Ted Kennedy stood out in the proceedings:
He has truly been a great leader in the effort to oppose Judge Alito.
Indeed. If it weren't for Kennedy, Alito might be on the brink of confirmation and Kerry's filibuster a hilarious footnote to the sad debacle. Luckily, that disasterous scenario is but morning mist on an out of town breeze.
Kerry also notes that elections have consequences, except when they don't have consequences.
People can say all they want that "elections have consequences." Trust me, more than anyone I understand that. But that seems like an awfully convoluted rationale for me to stay silent about Judge Alito's nomination.
Thankfully, if there is one thing the Alito episode shows in spades it is that elections do have consequences. Even if John Kerry pretends that is merely convoluted electoral theory, not necessarily pertinent to the great issues of the day.
UPDATE: In a cosmic twist heretofore unwitnessed in the annals of man, Alito's confirmation proceeds on a cloture vote, 72-25. Kennedy's "great" leadership and Kerry's insistence that democracy doesn't matter in decisions of this import be damned I guess. It's hard to fathom.
Kennedy appears to be having some difficulty understanding it too. I hope he didn't pop a vein or anything.
He has truly been a great leader in the effort to oppose Judge Alito.
Indeed. If it weren't for Kennedy, Alito might be on the brink of confirmation and Kerry's filibuster a hilarious footnote to the sad debacle. Luckily, that disasterous scenario is but morning mist on an out of town breeze.
Kerry also notes that elections have consequences, except when they don't have consequences.
People can say all they want that "elections have consequences." Trust me, more than anyone I understand that. But that seems like an awfully convoluted rationale for me to stay silent about Judge Alito's nomination.
Thankfully, if there is one thing the Alito episode shows in spades it is that elections do have consequences. Even if John Kerry pretends that is merely convoluted electoral theory, not necessarily pertinent to the great issues of the day.
UPDATE: In a cosmic twist heretofore unwitnessed in the annals of man, Alito's confirmation proceeds on a cloture vote, 72-25. Kennedy's "great" leadership and Kerry's insistence that democracy doesn't matter in decisions of this import be damned I guess. It's hard to fathom.
Kennedy appears to be having some difficulty understanding it too. I hope he didn't pop a vein or anything.
Jim Doyle and the Special Interests
The WSJ has an excellent editorial today on the teachers unions assault on vouchers. Highlighted is Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's refusal to expand a successful program.
A 2004 study of high school graduation rates by Jay Greene of the Manhattan Institute found that students using vouchers to attend Milwaukee's private schools had a graduation rate of 64%, versus 36% for their public school counterparts. Harvard's Caroline Hoxby has shown that Milwaukee public schools have raised their standards in the wake of voucher competition.
Of course, the quality of educational opportunities a state provides pales in comparison to placating teachers unions.
What the Milwaukee and Florida examples show is that unions and their allies are unwilling to let even successful voucher experiments continue to exist. If they lose one court case, they will sue again--and then again, as long as it takes. And they'll shop their campaign cash around for years until they find a politician like Jim Doyle willing to sell out Wisconsin's poorest kids in return for their endorsement. Is there a more destructive force in American public life?
If only teachers unions were as obsessed with education to the degree they are obsessed with Wal-Mart and self-preservation.
A 2004 study of high school graduation rates by Jay Greene of the Manhattan Institute found that students using vouchers to attend Milwaukee's private schools had a graduation rate of 64%, versus 36% for their public school counterparts. Harvard's Caroline Hoxby has shown that Milwaukee public schools have raised their standards in the wake of voucher competition.
Of course, the quality of educational opportunities a state provides pales in comparison to placating teachers unions.
What the Milwaukee and Florida examples show is that unions and their allies are unwilling to let even successful voucher experiments continue to exist. If they lose one court case, they will sue again--and then again, as long as it takes. And they'll shop their campaign cash around for years until they find a politician like Jim Doyle willing to sell out Wisconsin's poorest kids in return for their endorsement. Is there a more destructive force in American public life?
If only teachers unions were as obsessed with education to the degree they are obsessed with Wal-Mart and self-preservation.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Discover Your Inner Hockey
Sports Illustrated's Steve Rushin, the most clever sports columnist around, devoted his space this week to the very first U.S. Pond Hockey Championships held on Lake Calhoun last weekend. Pictured are the open division champs - Almost Forty - holding the Golden Shovel.A truly Minnesotan event, the tournament included players ranging in skill from average rink rat to former NHL star. Being Minnesota, it also included Governor Pawlenty and the Democratic mayors from both St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Pawlenty is hockey through and through and didn't pass on the opportunity to do a little trash talking:
"They play hockey like they play politics," Governor Tim Pawlenty said of the mayors. "They're a couple of hacks."
Heh.
On a side note, the Gophers beat the #1 ranked Badgers last night, 5-4. If they win again tonight they will likely steal the WCHA title from Wisconsin. God I love this team.
Love the state, love the weather, love the hockey...love everything.
Rushin captures hockey in Minnesota beautifully in his column. I'll let him take me out:
...on Calhoun last weekend, spectators pulled children on sleds, dogs gamboled off leashes, a lone man rode his bicycle across the lake. If Currier & Ives had been paired defensemen, this would have been their scene. As Haberman said, his lungs full of bracing air, "It's almost a spiritual feeling out there."
UPDATE: You have to hand it to those Badger fans. For 2 and 3/4 games this weekend they booed Phil Kessel every time he touched the puck, miffed that the Wisconsin native chose the U of M over the U of W. They were still booing him as he broke behind the Badger defense late in the third period and buried the clincher.
Gophers sweep the Badgers. Are now tied for first in the WCHA. All bets are off.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Dowd Says Quality of Liars Diminished
Maureen Dowd on Bill Clinton, circa 1998:
In order to escape the noose, the President is admitting and denying at the same time, and forcing his lawyers and aides to go out and behave like crazy contortionists.
Even Democrats are ashamed of the chuckle-headed "hairsplitting," as Tom Daschle calls it.
Maureen Dowd on Bill Clinton, circa 2006:
...when Bill Clinton would deceive, he would throw in a semantic clue that let you know he was deceiving. 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman.' We knew what he meant by that. You know, 'I did not,' about dope, 'I didn't break the laws of this country.' So it was sort of poignant and endearing.
If she could only find a way to fit that tortured logic on a bumper sticker.
In order to escape the noose, the President is admitting and denying at the same time, and forcing his lawyers and aides to go out and behave like crazy contortionists.
Even Democrats are ashamed of the chuckle-headed "hairsplitting," as Tom Daschle calls it.
Maureen Dowd on Bill Clinton, circa 2006:
...when Bill Clinton would deceive, he would throw in a semantic clue that let you know he was deceiving. 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman.' We knew what he meant by that. You know, 'I did not,' about dope, 'I didn't break the laws of this country.' So it was sort of poignant and endearing.
If she could only find a way to fit that tortured logic on a bumper sticker.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
What a Day It Has Been...
It's been a busy day, so a bit of round robin if I may:
On a serious note, Emanuele Ottolenghi has some interesting points to make about the Hamas election.
What victory does to Hamas is to put the movement into an impossible position. As preliminary reports emerge, Hamas has already asked Fatah to form a coalition and got a negative response. Prime Minister Abu Ala has resigned with his cabinet, and president Abu Mazen will now appoint Hamas to form the next government. From the shadows of ambiguity, where Hamas could afford — thanks to the moral and intellectual hypocrisy of those in the Western world who dismissed its incendiary rhetoric as tactics — to have the cake and eat it too. Now, no more. Had they won 30-35 percent of the seats, they could have stayed out of power but put enormous limits on the Palestinian Authority’s room to maneuver. By winning, they have to govern, which means they have to tell the world, very soon, a number of things.
Do read on...
On a not so serious note, Al Gore once again warns of what can happen when elections are restricted solely to oil company employees...
"The election in Canada was partly about the tar sands projects in Alberta," Gore said Wednesday while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
"And the financial interests behind the tar sands project poured a lot of money and support behind an ultra-conservative leader in order to win the election . . . and to protect their interests."
...is glad there weren't enough oil company employees to facilitate "ultra-conservative" steps to pull out of Kyoto...
"Hopefully that will not happen thanks to the minority victory," Gore said of Canada's involvement in Kyoto.
...and reminds that scrutiny by a free press is the problem:
Gore believes the issue of the oilsands and the sway he contends the industry holds with Harper didn't garner news coverage during the election because "media concentration has taken a toll on democratic principles around the world, and Canada is no exception."
Scary.
Lastly, John Kerry wants a filibuster. Great idea. I hope he pushes it.
On a serious note, Emanuele Ottolenghi has some interesting points to make about the Hamas election.
What victory does to Hamas is to put the movement into an impossible position. As preliminary reports emerge, Hamas has already asked Fatah to form a coalition and got a negative response. Prime Minister Abu Ala has resigned with his cabinet, and president Abu Mazen will now appoint Hamas to form the next government. From the shadows of ambiguity, where Hamas could afford — thanks to the moral and intellectual hypocrisy of those in the Western world who dismissed its incendiary rhetoric as tactics — to have the cake and eat it too. Now, no more. Had they won 30-35 percent of the seats, they could have stayed out of power but put enormous limits on the Palestinian Authority’s room to maneuver. By winning, they have to govern, which means they have to tell the world, very soon, a number of things.
Do read on...
On a not so serious note, Al Gore once again warns of what can happen when elections are restricted solely to oil company employees...
"The election in Canada was partly about the tar sands projects in Alberta," Gore said Wednesday while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
"And the financial interests behind the tar sands project poured a lot of money and support behind an ultra-conservative leader in order to win the election . . . and to protect their interests."
...is glad there weren't enough oil company employees to facilitate "ultra-conservative" steps to pull out of Kyoto...
"Hopefully that will not happen thanks to the minority victory," Gore said of Canada's involvement in Kyoto.
...and reminds that scrutiny by a free press is the problem:
Gore believes the issue of the oilsands and the sway he contends the industry holds with Harper didn't garner news coverage during the election because "media concentration has taken a toll on democratic principles around the world, and Canada is no exception."
Scary.
Lastly, John Kerry wants a filibuster. Great idea. I hope he pushes it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
The Luxury of Passing Time
Powerline has excerpted remarks from Alberto Gonzalez' participation in a debate at Georgetown today. Or, you can read Gonzalez remarks in their entirety here.
There can be little doubt that the NSA surveillence is not only legal, but with reams of case law and executive precedent behind it. Furthermore, it is roughly the most common sense program that the left has decided to attack for partisan reasons.
Perhaps the most damning aspect of the Democrats attacks is their past history, as usual. In his post, John Hinderaker reminds readers of the relentless hammering from the left over pre-9/11 intelligence. One of their favorites was intercepted communications from 9/10 that "could have prevented" the attacks, and were subsequently used to paint the Bush administration as inept in the area of national security. General Michael Hayden's remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee however, demonstrate that the intelligence was gathered under the very same process being used today. The one that is now an "outrageous violation" of civil liberties.
This prompts a question from Hinderaker:
What would happen if the President had not authorized the international surveillance program after September 11, and instead had relied solely on FISA, and the following events were to take place: the NSA obtains information that an al Qaeda operative overseas is planning a nuclear attack in conjunction with a cell inside the United States. The NSA decides to intercept all communications between the overseas al Qaeda operative and individuals located inside the U.S.; but first, it must obtain multiple layers of approval from lawyers and assemble all of the information needed to complete a FISA application. It begins that process, but the next day, while NSA is still working on getting the necessary approvals, a nuclear device levels much of Washington, D.C.
Suppose that disaster had happened a year ago. How do you think the surviving Democrats would have responded? Do you think they would have praised the administration for refusing to go outside the bounds of FISA's procedures? Or do you think they would have denounced President Bush and his administration as the most irresponsible, feckless and ineffective officials to control the executive branch since James Buchanan?
Personally, I can't imagine a single Democrat willing to stand at a podium and tell the American people they would have to learn to live with occasional massacres to protect the integrity of the FISA court. Or, that despite the terrible losses the country had just suffered, the executive branch did the right thing in not even trying to collect vital, preventive, intelligence.
Can you?
There can be little doubt that the NSA surveillence is not only legal, but with reams of case law and executive precedent behind it. Furthermore, it is roughly the most common sense program that the left has decided to attack for partisan reasons.
Perhaps the most damning aspect of the Democrats attacks is their past history, as usual. In his post, John Hinderaker reminds readers of the relentless hammering from the left over pre-9/11 intelligence. One of their favorites was intercepted communications from 9/10 that "could have prevented" the attacks, and were subsequently used to paint the Bush administration as inept in the area of national security. General Michael Hayden's remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee however, demonstrate that the intelligence was gathered under the very same process being used today. The one that is now an "outrageous violation" of civil liberties.
This prompts a question from Hinderaker:
What would happen if the President had not authorized the international surveillance program after September 11, and instead had relied solely on FISA, and the following events were to take place: the NSA obtains information that an al Qaeda operative overseas is planning a nuclear attack in conjunction with a cell inside the United States. The NSA decides to intercept all communications between the overseas al Qaeda operative and individuals located inside the U.S.; but first, it must obtain multiple layers of approval from lawyers and assemble all of the information needed to complete a FISA application. It begins that process, but the next day, while NSA is still working on getting the necessary approvals, a nuclear device levels much of Washington, D.C.
Suppose that disaster had happened a year ago. How do you think the surviving Democrats would have responded? Do you think they would have praised the administration for refusing to go outside the bounds of FISA's procedures? Or do you think they would have denounced President Bush and his administration as the most irresponsible, feckless and ineffective officials to control the executive branch since James Buchanan?
Personally, I can't imagine a single Democrat willing to stand at a podium and tell the American people they would have to learn to live with occasional massacres to protect the integrity of the FISA court. Or, that despite the terrible losses the country had just suffered, the executive branch did the right thing in not even trying to collect vital, preventive, intelligence.
Can you?
Monday, January 23, 2006
Did Abramoff Actually Advise His Clients?
Via Media Lies comes this tidbit from WaPo. It seems that Jack Abramoff went to the unprecedented step of actually advising his clients where to put campaign contributions. Furthermore, he did so based on those clients best legislative interests!
And they paid this guy? I wonder if they ever bothered to ask if Abramoff was really doing what he is hired to do.
Lobby: a group of people who try actively to influence legislation
According to WaPo, Abramoff advised the Louisiana Coushatta tribe to give campaign contributions to not just five Republicans, but three Democrats as well, including Max Cleland, Jean Carnahan, and Tom Daschle.
If nothing else it rather dismantles the argument that Abramoff's contributions and those of his clients are somehow totally seperated politically, morally, and ethically.
I suppose the next argument will be that the tribes didn't want to give money to Democrats. Abramoff insisted though, on direct orders from Karl Rove, who instinctively knew that Democrats would cliff dive the contribution issue, thus paving the way to use it against the perfectly innocent if overzealous do-gooders, to further his ultimate goal of world domination.
And they paid this guy? I wonder if they ever bothered to ask if Abramoff was really doing what he is hired to do.
Lobby: a group of people who try actively to influence legislation
According to WaPo, Abramoff advised the Louisiana Coushatta tribe to give campaign contributions to not just five Republicans, but three Democrats as well, including Max Cleland, Jean Carnahan, and Tom Daschle.
If nothing else it rather dismantles the argument that Abramoff's contributions and those of his clients are somehow totally seperated politically, morally, and ethically.
I suppose the next argument will be that the tribes didn't want to give money to Democrats. Abramoff insisted though, on direct orders from Karl Rove, who instinctively knew that Democrats would cliff dive the contribution issue, thus paving the way to use it against the perfectly innocent if overzealous do-gooders, to further his ultimate goal of world domination.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Another Democrat Takes the Big Leap
Democrat Dan Gerstein is the latest on the left to notice the "alternate universe" that pervades much of his party. He pays special attention to those on the left that are calling for a filibuster of Alito, apparently unaware of the public embarassment the hearings became for the left.
It reinforced the leftover perception from pre-Clinton days that our party cries wolf on race when it can't win on the merits, and thereby lowered our credibility one rung more in challenging legitimate incidences of discrimination. Those who suggested to Ted Kennedy, et al., that this was a winning play should have their strategists' licenses revoked.
Gerstein goes on to articluate something that has been alluded to on many occasions here.
And that's the heart of the problem with our party and its angry activist base. It's not so much that we're living in a parallel universe, but that we have dueling conceptions of what's mainstream, especially on abortion and other values-based issues, and our side is losing. We think that if we simply call someone conservative, anti-choice and anti-civil rights, that's enough to scare people to our side. But that tired dogma won't hunt in today's electorate, which is far more independent-thinking and complex in its views on values than our side presumes.
Until the Democratic Party cuts loose of its unhinged and creates a platform for the country, Gerstein doesn't see too many electoral, judicial, or legislative wins on the horizon.
I can't imagine where I've heard all of this before.
Of course the left has been too busy attacking the war effort to pay much attention. Here's a few samples:
...despite all the repressive measures the US army and its agents take to the point where there is no significant difference between these crimes and those of Saddam.
***
The wise ones know that Bush has no plan to achieve his alleged victory in Iraq.
***
Reality testifies that the war against America and its allies has not remained confined to Iraq, as he claims.
In fact, Iraq has become a point of attraction and recruitment of qualified resources.
Oh wait...that was Bin Laden. Sorry. I know, I know, too easy. But than, is that my fault?
It reinforced the leftover perception from pre-Clinton days that our party cries wolf on race when it can't win on the merits, and thereby lowered our credibility one rung more in challenging legitimate incidences of discrimination. Those who suggested to Ted Kennedy, et al., that this was a winning play should have their strategists' licenses revoked.
Gerstein goes on to articluate something that has been alluded to on many occasions here.
And that's the heart of the problem with our party and its angry activist base. It's not so much that we're living in a parallel universe, but that we have dueling conceptions of what's mainstream, especially on abortion and other values-based issues, and our side is losing. We think that if we simply call someone conservative, anti-choice and anti-civil rights, that's enough to scare people to our side. But that tired dogma won't hunt in today's electorate, which is far more independent-thinking and complex in its views on values than our side presumes.
Until the Democratic Party cuts loose of its unhinged and creates a platform for the country, Gerstein doesn't see too many electoral, judicial, or legislative wins on the horizon.
I can't imagine where I've heard all of this before.
Of course the left has been too busy attacking the war effort to pay much attention. Here's a few samples:
...despite all the repressive measures the US army and its agents take to the point where there is no significant difference between these crimes and those of Saddam.
***
The wise ones know that Bush has no plan to achieve his alleged victory in Iraq.
***
Reality testifies that the war against America and its allies has not remained confined to Iraq, as he claims.
In fact, Iraq has become a point of attraction and recruitment of qualified resources.
Oh wait...that was Bin Laden. Sorry. I know, I know, too easy. But than, is that my fault?
Bring On Those Badgers
The Gophers swept the Colorado College Tigers over the weekend. Friday night's game was one of the finest displays of team chemistry I have ever seen. The tic-tac-toe passing and box-out defense was like a wet blanket on the Tigers. The score was 4-2, but might as well have been 10-0.The Tigers looked a lot better on Saturday afternoon, but the Gophers have learned to finish at home and outplayed the Tigers in the third period to a 3-2 win.
The Wisconsin Badgers, minus the finest goalie in college hockey due to a leg injury, was swept by DU, setting up next weekend's battle between the Gophers and the Badgers as one for the WCHA title.
Mike Vannelli (pictured in white jersey) continues to be a rock at the point and he and the rest of the upperclassmen are really taking control of the team and bringing the underclassmen along. If the Gophers can find a way to beat the Badgers in the upcoming playoffs, another NCAA title is a very realistic possibility.
May the hockey gods help in this goal.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Code Pink Has No Protester Babes
Actual protesters are getting so slim that Code Pink has to steal images from other protests just to make themselves look relevent. How sad and pathetic.Here's the merging of the Code Pink image (top) and an original photograph (bottom) of pro-freedom Iranian demostrators. Not only did Code Pick steal the image, it changed messages on signs...because pro-freedom messages aren't at all helpful to Code Pink's cause.
Interesting. This group of self-proclaimed "freedom of speech" advocates have essentially robbed this person of their right to speak and instead have forced their own message onto her image. It's Orwellian. The image went into the Ministry of Information one way and came out with the "proper" message inserted for digestion by the masses.
Here's the statement issued by Alliance of Iranian Women:
The Alliance of Iranian Women protests the actions of the Code Pink activists who have distorted the legitimate struggle of Iranian women, for their human rights, to suit their own political and ideological agenda.
The top part of the picture is what the A.N.S.W.E.R coalition/Code pink activists, have photoshopped the top part of the photo (below), out of the original photo, shown in the bottom. First, they have mixed the picture of some western women to the original Iranian women’s picture. Then, not only they have made up slogans, in pink placards, they have even doctored the courageous gaze of the Iranian heroine into a Cheshire cat grin. The real sign in the back, in the original picture below, is calling for equal justice, not the irrelevant Arabic writing. The young woman in center of the photograph is holding a white sheet in her hand that reads: “We are the children of Cyrus, the pioneers of human rights,” not JOIN US. Also the girl, on the right holding the large sign was not a part of this demonstration; she is yet from another photo taken last year at the Tehran University sit-in that was in protest against the Islamic Regime paramilitary stations around the University campus. Her sign in the original picture read: “This space belongs to us”, not HOW MANY LIVES PER GALLON?
All we ask is: if you do not support us do not use us for your own political games and maneuvering.
Hats off to Publius Pundit for uncovering this laughable photoshoppery. Code Pink is now pretending this never happened.
Tim Blair thinks there might be a very good reason Code Pink is using the images of beautiful, pro-freedom, Iranians instead of pictures of their own membership.
Code Pink: Yet another example of how the left in this country has become a cruel joke.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Hillary Makes a Tough but Necessary Choice
In her never-ending attempts to confuse voters so much they find it preferable to just vote for her rather than try to figure her out where she stands on anything, Hillary Clinton has tough words for the Bush administration.
Clinton strongly criticized the current administration's policy toward Iran. "I believe that we lost critical time in dealing with Iran because the White House chose to downplay the threats and to outsource the negotiations," Clinton said.
Does she mean like we outsourced Tora-Bora? (Message to Hillary: John Kerry lost. One of the reasons was his too smart by half, gymnastic attempts to triangulate issues like this. It sounds stupid and makes voters laugh.)
Hillary broaches the dreaded nuclear option:
"We cannot take any option off the table in sending a clear message to the current leadership of Iran that they will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons," Clinton said.
Hillary defines her clear message:
Wealthy businessmen Hassan Nemazee and Faraj Aalaei are associated with the American Iranian Council, a pro-regime anti-sanctions group. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Namazee has contributed $4,000 to Clinton's reelection while Aalaei has given $1,000.
The press describes their lobby this way "the American-Iranian Council [AIC], a pro-regime lobbying group trying to get Congress and the Bush administration to lift the trade embargo on Iran."
Hillary Clinton is also raising money from Gati Kashani, another figure linked with the Mullahs.
On its website, the Iranian American PAC noted, "On Friday June 3rd, Iranian American friends of the Hillary Clinton Senate re-election campaign hosted a fundraising event in honor of Senator Clinton. The event took place at the home of Gita and Behzad Kashani in Los Altos Hills, California."
The PAC favors looser Visa rule for Iranians coming to the United States.
Hillary is very serious about the Iran threat and desperate times call for like measures. If Iran annihilates our country, Americans Victimized by the Bush Administration will need a spokesperson. Someone the Iranians can trust. For our sake.
She's such a centrist.
Clinton strongly criticized the current administration's policy toward Iran. "I believe that we lost critical time in dealing with Iran because the White House chose to downplay the threats and to outsource the negotiations," Clinton said.
Does she mean like we outsourced Tora-Bora? (Message to Hillary: John Kerry lost. One of the reasons was his too smart by half, gymnastic attempts to triangulate issues like this. It sounds stupid and makes voters laugh.)
Hillary broaches the dreaded nuclear option:
"We cannot take any option off the table in sending a clear message to the current leadership of Iran that they will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons," Clinton said.
Hillary defines her clear message:
Wealthy businessmen Hassan Nemazee and Faraj Aalaei are associated with the American Iranian Council, a pro-regime anti-sanctions group. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Namazee has contributed $4,000 to Clinton's reelection while Aalaei has given $1,000.
The press describes their lobby this way "the American-Iranian Council [AIC], a pro-regime lobbying group trying to get Congress and the Bush administration to lift the trade embargo on Iran."
Hillary Clinton is also raising money from Gati Kashani, another figure linked with the Mullahs.
On its website, the Iranian American PAC noted, "On Friday June 3rd, Iranian American friends of the Hillary Clinton Senate re-election campaign hosted a fundraising event in honor of Senator Clinton. The event took place at the home of Gita and Behzad Kashani in Los Altos Hills, California."
The PAC favors looser Visa rule for Iranians coming to the United States.
Hillary is very serious about the Iran threat and desperate times call for like measures. If Iran annihilates our country, Americans Victimized by the Bush Administration will need a spokesperson. Someone the Iranians can trust. For our sake.
She's such a centrist.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Screaming Idiots Against Truth
WaPo had to shut down one of it's blog todays after the comment section became overrun with hate and vitriol.
There were so many personal attacks that the newspaper's staff could not "keep the board clean, there was some pretty filthy stuff," and so the Post shut down comments on the blog, or Web log, said Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com.
And what, do you suppose, could have possibly caused such a childish and disgusting display of infantile behavior?
In her Sunday column, ombudsman Deborah Howell wrote that Abramoff "had made substantial campaign contributions to both major parties,"
No he didn't. I said, NO HE DIDN'T. I mean it now, HE DID NOT.
What exactly is it about truth that scares left so much? Maybe it's that they have set up so many straw men that any sign of fire could mean disaster.
Just a thought.
There were so many personal attacks that the newspaper's staff could not "keep the board clean, there was some pretty filthy stuff," and so the Post shut down comments on the blog, or Web log, said Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com.
And what, do you suppose, could have possibly caused such a childish and disgusting display of infantile behavior?
In her Sunday column, ombudsman Deborah Howell wrote that Abramoff "had made substantial campaign contributions to both major parties,"
No he didn't. I said, NO HE DIDN'T. I mean it now, HE DID NOT.
What exactly is it about truth that scares left so much? Maybe it's that they have set up so many straw men that any sign of fire could mean disaster.
Just a thought.
The Culture of Corruption
This will make it hard to gain a political advantage out of the Abramoff situation.
A special prosecutor's long-delayed report charges that a coverup at senior levels of the Clinton administration killed a tax fraud case against ex-cabinet member Henry Cisneros, the Daily News has learned.
David Barrett's 11-year, $23 million probe, which will be released tomorrow, states in stinging terms that this Clinton coverup succeeded.
Cisneros was forced to admit in 1999 that he had made secret payments to a mistress before serving as Clinton's secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Barrett investigated tax fraud charges stemming from those under-the-table payments.
Then-IRS Commissioner Peggy Richardson, a close friend of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), was involved in efforts to quash the probe, a source close to the case alleged.
Here's a no-brainer prediction: No one on the left will describe any of this as a "culture of corruption," despite the fact that it includes the executive branch, the IRS, and the Justice Department. In fact, I'd bet Hillary drops the phrase altogether, since she is deeply implicated in this scandal.
The Yammers will, of course, pretend this report was never issued. But then, that is why they are the Yammers.
UPDATE: Wow, just like that, a new tone is struck.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday apologized to 33 Republican senators singled out for ethics criticism in a report from his office titled "Republican Abuse of Power."
"The document released by my office yesterday went too far and I want to convey to you my personal regrets," Reid said in a letter.
"I am writing to apologize for the tone of this document and the decision to single out individual senators for criticism in it."
Of course, Reid's newly discovered humility might have nothing to do with today's revelation of deep corruption in the Clinton White House. But you had to make it to paragraph 16 to find that out.
Reid has come under fire for his own ties to Abramoff, including accepting money from Abramoff's tribal clients.
The Dem's are caught in their own trap...again. How utterly unsurprising. Meanwhile, the Republicans are actually addressing the problem of corruption, and taking a new tact. An open process that involves constituents.
A special prosecutor's long-delayed report charges that a coverup at senior levels of the Clinton administration killed a tax fraud case against ex-cabinet member Henry Cisneros, the Daily News has learned.
David Barrett's 11-year, $23 million probe, which will be released tomorrow, states in stinging terms that this Clinton coverup succeeded.
Cisneros was forced to admit in 1999 that he had made secret payments to a mistress before serving as Clinton's secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Barrett investigated tax fraud charges stemming from those under-the-table payments.
Then-IRS Commissioner Peggy Richardson, a close friend of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), was involved in efforts to quash the probe, a source close to the case alleged.
Here's a no-brainer prediction: No one on the left will describe any of this as a "culture of corruption," despite the fact that it includes the executive branch, the IRS, and the Justice Department. In fact, I'd bet Hillary drops the phrase altogether, since she is deeply implicated in this scandal.
The Yammers will, of course, pretend this report was never issued. But then, that is why they are the Yammers.
UPDATE: Wow, just like that, a new tone is struck.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday apologized to 33 Republican senators singled out for ethics criticism in a report from his office titled "Republican Abuse of Power."
"The document released by my office yesterday went too far and I want to convey to you my personal regrets," Reid said in a letter.
"I am writing to apologize for the tone of this document and the decision to single out individual senators for criticism in it."
Of course, Reid's newly discovered humility might have nothing to do with today's revelation of deep corruption in the Clinton White House. But you had to make it to paragraph 16 to find that out.
Reid has come under fire for his own ties to Abramoff, including accepting money from Abramoff's tribal clients.
The Dem's are caught in their own trap...again. How utterly unsurprising. Meanwhile, the Republicans are actually addressing the problem of corruption, and taking a new tact. An open process that involves constituents.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Overplaying Their Hand?
Year after year the Democratic Party finds itself sidetracked by pie-in-the-sky scandals that go nowhere. Bush lied, the Downing Street Memo, Katrina, Plame, NSA surveillence, etc. And in all that while, the one piece of business that needs doing, the creation of a platform - their vision for the nation - has remained on the to-do list.
John McIntyre points out that Abramoff is not exactly forefront in the minds of voters, as the vast majority believe that bribes from lobbyists are "common behavior in Congress," and are probably right. That won't stop the left from putting everything else off though, to wade through the next seven months lamenting the "culture of corruption" in D.C. That might not work to their advantage.
Abramoff might end up being the narcotic that lulls them into a false sense of confidence and pulls them back from making the type of aggressive move that would put them in the position for a big election day.
It might be wishful thinking but it is not without precedent. The Democratic Party has been actively putting off devising a platform since Bush took office. The lack of a plan for...well...anything, was disasterous for them in 2004. At this time there is no indication whatsoever that they intend to buck that trend. If deciding to simply not form a party platform on Iraq is any indication, things are acutally worse than they were four years ago.
John McIntyre points out that Abramoff is not exactly forefront in the minds of voters, as the vast majority believe that bribes from lobbyists are "common behavior in Congress," and are probably right. That won't stop the left from putting everything else off though, to wade through the next seven months lamenting the "culture of corruption" in D.C. That might not work to their advantage.
Abramoff might end up being the narcotic that lulls them into a false sense of confidence and pulls them back from making the type of aggressive move that would put them in the position for a big election day.
It might be wishful thinking but it is not without precedent. The Democratic Party has been actively putting off devising a platform since Bush took office. The lack of a plan for...well...anything, was disasterous for them in 2004. At this time there is no indication whatsoever that they intend to buck that trend. If deciding to simply not form a party platform on Iraq is any indication, things are acutally worse than they were four years ago.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Hillary Knows Oppression
Just a thought on Hillary's soul-sister, fist of power moment. I'll get to the "plantation" remark momentarily. Before I do though, did anybody notice the inflection she used on "...and you know what I'm talking about?"
At that moment I half expected the camera to drop to knee level so she could lean threateningly into the lens, real close, and say "word." I can't remember an example of such blatant brown-nosing.
As to the "plantation" remark, I just wonder when the black community will finally tire of the left using their struggles for every wish list item that doesn't pass muster. For example, the "struggle" for gay marriage is not on the same level as the civil rights struggle of the middle 20th century. In fact, the two issues don't even belong in the same league much less the same sentence. Yet the two issues are routinely compared.
Comparing the "struggles" of Democrats in the House to those of an enslaved field-hand is like comparing a Mosquito Magnet to the holocaust.
Hillary could have meant only one of two things. That being a Democrat in the House is the same as being a slave. That they are beaten at their masters whim, forced to do menial labor without any compensation, raped, bought, and sold, and forbidden to shed their chains of bondage.
Or, she may have meant that slavery wasn't that bad of a deal after all.
Black voters could conclude that Hillary doesn't think slavery was much worse than being a pampered representative on the public dole. Or, that she has so little regard for the very real struggle of a people in bondage that she can off-handedly compare their plight to being a pampered representative on the public dole.
They could also conclude that the struggle of their people happened so long ago that it has very little meaning and hey, you go right ahead and use generations of our hell to make a lame political point about how "oppressive" it is to be in the minority party.
The one thing I personally could never conclude is that comparing her comrades plight to those forced to work on a plantation is somehow a symbol of solidarity.
Is anybody listening out there? Hillary wants you to know that she knows exactly what it must have been like to exist in a constant state of forced labor. She has friends who exist under those very same conditions in the House of Representatives.
At that moment I half expected the camera to drop to knee level so she could lean threateningly into the lens, real close, and say "word." I can't remember an example of such blatant brown-nosing.
As to the "plantation" remark, I just wonder when the black community will finally tire of the left using their struggles for every wish list item that doesn't pass muster. For example, the "struggle" for gay marriage is not on the same level as the civil rights struggle of the middle 20th century. In fact, the two issues don't even belong in the same league much less the same sentence. Yet the two issues are routinely compared.
Comparing the "struggles" of Democrats in the House to those of an enslaved field-hand is like comparing a Mosquito Magnet to the holocaust.
Hillary could have meant only one of two things. That being a Democrat in the House is the same as being a slave. That they are beaten at their masters whim, forced to do menial labor without any compensation, raped, bought, and sold, and forbidden to shed their chains of bondage.
Or, she may have meant that slavery wasn't that bad of a deal after all.
Black voters could conclude that Hillary doesn't think slavery was much worse than being a pampered representative on the public dole. Or, that she has so little regard for the very real struggle of a people in bondage that she can off-handedly compare their plight to being a pampered representative on the public dole.
They could also conclude that the struggle of their people happened so long ago that it has very little meaning and hey, you go right ahead and use generations of our hell to make a lame political point about how "oppressive" it is to be in the minority party.
The one thing I personally could never conclude is that comparing her comrades plight to those forced to work on a plantation is somehow a symbol of solidarity.
Is anybody listening out there? Hillary wants you to know that she knows exactly what it must have been like to exist in a constant state of forced labor. She has friends who exist under those very same conditions in the House of Representatives.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Is There To Be a Bloodletting in Minnesota?
Tim Pawlenty has a new challenger for the Governorship of Minnesota in the state that brought America Jesse "The Mind" Ventura.
Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey. I'll just post some exerpts and you can judge for yourself.
I am a Satanic Dark Priest, Sanguinarian Vampyre and a Hecate Witch. My Magikal Path name is: Lord Ares.
I despise and hate the Christian God the Father. He is my enemy.
However, it doesn't mean that I hate all his followers.
***
Besides my personal spiritual beliefs, I am a 70% Service-Connected(disabled by the VA) Army Veteran. I suffered severe injuries during a training exercise while on active duty. Between my Active, Reserves, National Guard and IRR duty, I served our country for 9 years through the Army.
***
As you will read in my platform, I am a strong supporter of education and protecting not only Minnesota’s farm lands, but farmers across America from becoming extinct.
***
In 1989, I decided to start wrestling professionally. Hence my “stage name” of Rocky Flash. Since the age of 13, I have been nicknamed after Stallone’s “Rocky,” the fighter who never quit or gave up.
***
I will introduce extremely harsh punishment for those who not only use illegal drugs, I will fight to make dealers serve life in prison, or better yet, Impalement.
***
Any Terrorist who is caught in Minnesota while I am Governor, will find out what the true meaning of my nickname 'The Impaler' means. Right in front of our State Capital.
To his credit, The Impaler admits openly that Minnesota is simply a stepping stone to the presidency.
You may ask why you should vote for me, if in 2009 I could become the President. The answer is simply this. During my first 2-years as your Governor, I will work harder for you than most Governors do in 8-years. My goal to become president can be achieved in part, by just how well I serve Minnesota during my first 2-years.
For the most part its pretty cookie cutter stuff, except for all of the impaling. He doesn't like "special interests," or "back-room politicking," and is promising that life here will be the "best it has ever been."
Now, The Impaler's wife is threatening to sue her employer, the Princeton school district.
Julie Carpenter says she was fired from her job as a school bus driver and her neighbors are requesting her eviction because of her religious beliefs as a self-proclaimed ‘witch’. Carpenter is the wife of Jonathon Sharkey, a ‘vampire’ who is campaigning for governor.
The district says she was not fired, but rather not allowed to drive a bus anymore due to her proximity to children, which they have the right to do.
“We have the right, that if we feel if somebody is not what we want them to be with children, or any other reason, all we have to do is let them know.”
I highly doubt that Carpenter was busy over the last five years indoctrinating kids into the dark magic of Wicken. Then again, the district undoubtedly does reserve the right to dictate who is in the presence of children. Do we really want to be in the business of telling districts, and parents, whose beliefs are acceptable for their children?
This is the quintessential local control issue.
Personally, I could care less what she believes. She's Mz. Crabtree. She can drive my kids bus anytime. Who knows, it might even be good for a few laughs. I don't think I can vote for her husband though. I have an inexplicable attachment to special interests and back-door politicking. Plus, I think The Impaler got ahold of a joke version of the endangered species list. I'm not sure farmer extinction is quite the problem he thinks it is.
Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey. I'll just post some exerpts and you can judge for yourself.
I am a Satanic Dark Priest, Sanguinarian Vampyre and a Hecate Witch. My Magikal Path name is: Lord Ares.
I despise and hate the Christian God the Father. He is my enemy.
However, it doesn't mean that I hate all his followers.
***
Besides my personal spiritual beliefs, I am a 70% Service-Connected(disabled by the VA) Army Veteran. I suffered severe injuries during a training exercise while on active duty. Between my Active, Reserves, National Guard and IRR duty, I served our country for 9 years through the Army.
***
As you will read in my platform, I am a strong supporter of education and protecting not only Minnesota’s farm lands, but farmers across America from becoming extinct.
***
In 1989, I decided to start wrestling professionally. Hence my “stage name” of Rocky Flash. Since the age of 13, I have been nicknamed after Stallone’s “Rocky,” the fighter who never quit or gave up.
***
I will introduce extremely harsh punishment for those who not only use illegal drugs, I will fight to make dealers serve life in prison, or better yet, Impalement.
***
Any Terrorist who is caught in Minnesota while I am Governor, will find out what the true meaning of my nickname 'The Impaler' means. Right in front of our State Capital.
To his credit, The Impaler admits openly that Minnesota is simply a stepping stone to the presidency.
You may ask why you should vote for me, if in 2009 I could become the President. The answer is simply this. During my first 2-years as your Governor, I will work harder for you than most Governors do in 8-years. My goal to become president can be achieved in part, by just how well I serve Minnesota during my first 2-years.
For the most part its pretty cookie cutter stuff, except for all of the impaling. He doesn't like "special interests," or "back-room politicking," and is promising that life here will be the "best it has ever been."
Now, The Impaler's wife is threatening to sue her employer, the Princeton school district.
Julie Carpenter says she was fired from her job as a school bus driver and her neighbors are requesting her eviction because of her religious beliefs as a self-proclaimed ‘witch’. Carpenter is the wife of Jonathon Sharkey, a ‘vampire’ who is campaigning for governor.
The district says she was not fired, but rather not allowed to drive a bus anymore due to her proximity to children, which they have the right to do.
“We have the right, that if we feel if somebody is not what we want them to be with children, or any other reason, all we have to do is let them know.”
I highly doubt that Carpenter was busy over the last five years indoctrinating kids into the dark magic of Wicken. Then again, the district undoubtedly does reserve the right to dictate who is in the presence of children. Do we really want to be in the business of telling districts, and parents, whose beliefs are acceptable for their children?
This is the quintessential local control issue.
Personally, I could care less what she believes. She's Mz. Crabtree. She can drive my kids bus anytime. Who knows, it might even be good for a few laughs. I don't think I can vote for her husband though. I have an inexplicable attachment to special interests and back-door politicking. Plus, I think The Impaler got ahold of a joke version of the endangered species list. I'm not sure farmer extinction is quite the problem he thinks it is.
Katzenbach is Terrified
Former AG under Johnson, Nicholas Katzenbach, is very disturbed by the NSA wiretapping story. This, from the man who advised tapping the phones of Martin Luther King Jr.:
Today we are again engaged in a debate over wiretapping for reasons of national security — the same kind of justification Hoover offered when he wanted to spy on King.
Well, there's the problem. Katzenbach isn't capable of understanding the difference between national security and an attempt to blackmail an unpredictable political force.
The problem, then as now, is not the invasion of privacy, although that can be a difficulty. But it fades in significance to the claim of unfettered authority in the name of "national security." There may be good and sufficient reasons for invasions of privacy. But those reasons cannot and should not be kept secret by those charged with enforcing the law. No one should have such power, and in our constitutional system of checks and balances, no one legitimately does.
Sing it with me now: Multiple briefings of relevent congressional authorities for the entire history of the program. Congressional leaders have known about the program and, with the exception of a buried memo from Rockefeller, have supported it all the way through.
In regards to the comparison between tapping MLK Jr. and the tapping of those communicating with al Qaeda, Scott Johnson delivers the line of the day:
One might think that Katzenbach would find the former less justifiable than the latter, but Katzenbach manages both to justify himself and impugn President Bush.
That's no lie. Katzenbach actually makes a case, albeit a pathetic one, that tapping MLK Jr. was the right choice. It was, apparently, for MLK Jr.'s own good. But surveilling phones and emails of people associating with known terrorists during a time of war is a big no-no.
Tapping MLK good. Tapping terrorist associates vewy scawy. Unbelievable.
UPDATE: Elsewhere in the land of the unhinged, Al Gore delivered his latest round of baseless fearmongering today. Kudo's to the Astute Blogger for having the energy to continue eating Gore's lunch. I read the speech and was exhausted. So much nonsense in one speech, I didn't even know where to begin.
UPDATE: Welcome MIdiot readers, and thanks for the...hit. By all means, send your hard-earned money to the ACLU, but be warned! The gullible are all they have left.
Today we are again engaged in a debate over wiretapping for reasons of national security — the same kind of justification Hoover offered when he wanted to spy on King.
Well, there's the problem. Katzenbach isn't capable of understanding the difference between national security and an attempt to blackmail an unpredictable political force.
The problem, then as now, is not the invasion of privacy, although that can be a difficulty. But it fades in significance to the claim of unfettered authority in the name of "national security." There may be good and sufficient reasons for invasions of privacy. But those reasons cannot and should not be kept secret by those charged with enforcing the law. No one should have such power, and in our constitutional system of checks and balances, no one legitimately does.
Sing it with me now: Multiple briefings of relevent congressional authorities for the entire history of the program. Congressional leaders have known about the program and, with the exception of a buried memo from Rockefeller, have supported it all the way through.
In regards to the comparison between tapping MLK Jr. and the tapping of those communicating with al Qaeda, Scott Johnson delivers the line of the day:
One might think that Katzenbach would find the former less justifiable than the latter, but Katzenbach manages both to justify himself and impugn President Bush.
That's no lie. Katzenbach actually makes a case, albeit a pathetic one, that tapping MLK Jr. was the right choice. It was, apparently, for MLK Jr.'s own good. But surveilling phones and emails of people associating with known terrorists during a time of war is a big no-no.
Tapping MLK good. Tapping terrorist associates vewy scawy. Unbelievable.
UPDATE: Elsewhere in the land of the unhinged, Al Gore delivered his latest round of baseless fearmongering today. Kudo's to the Astute Blogger for having the energy to continue eating Gore's lunch. I read the speech and was exhausted. So much nonsense in one speech, I didn't even know where to begin.
UPDATE: Welcome MIdiot readers, and thanks for the...hit. By all means, send your hard-earned money to the ACLU, but be warned! The gullible are all they have left.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Season Winds Down, Gophers Wind Up
It's crunch time for the Golden Gophers as the season winds down. After splitting with the 10th ranked Fighting Sioux over the weekend, 5th ranked Colorado College and 1st ranked Wisconsin loom in the next two weeks.But the Gophers are getting great production from freshmen Blake Wheeler and Phil Kessel, both are recently returned from the junior national team with added jump, and the squad in general seems to be peaking at the right time. Guys like Mike Howe (pictured) are quietly starting to pile up points. Ranked second in the nation, the team needs only find a way to get past Wisconsin to be poised for another national championship.
We'll know exactly how each team has progressed since their meeting earlier this season in just two weeks. I predict a split, but am hoping for a road sweep.
The next two weeks are crucial for the Gophers. They will no doubt qualify for the final four regardless of how they do, but it would be nice to head into the playoffs knowing they can handle two of the best teams in the league. If they continue to cycle the puck down low and are able to maintain their intensity it should be a great couple of weekends of hockey.
Ted Kennedy is Confused. Very Confused.
Mark Levin notes Ted Kennedy's remarks to the NYT in the wake of his self-destruction in front of the American people, via Digital-Brown Pajamas.
Here's Ted Kennedy waxing nostalgic for a day when Republicans did not yet understand that hearings had become political:
Mr. Kennedy said the nomination process, and particularly the hearings, had "turned into a political campaign," and that the White House had proved increasingly skilled in turning that to its advantage.
Here's Ted Kennedy admitting that serious matters of the judiciary are too complicated for the senate anyway:
"These issues are so sophisticated - half the Senate didn't know what the unitary presidency was, let alone the people of Boston," he said, referring to one of the legal theories that was a major focus of the hearings. "I'm sure we could have done better."
Here's Ted Kennedy projecting his own confusion onto the rest of the country:
"The whole process has become so politicized that I think the American people walk away more confused about the way these people stand."
Kennedy's staff needs to keep a tighter reign in him I think. He's wandering off. Next thing you know he will be admitting that the Senate knows little about national security either and lament that the Bush administration is catching on to the idea that the Iraq war has become a "political campaign."
Here's Ted Kennedy waxing nostalgic for a day when Republicans did not yet understand that hearings had become political:
Mr. Kennedy said the nomination process, and particularly the hearings, had "turned into a political campaign," and that the White House had proved increasingly skilled in turning that to its advantage.
Here's Ted Kennedy admitting that serious matters of the judiciary are too complicated for the senate anyway:
"These issues are so sophisticated - half the Senate didn't know what the unitary presidency was, let alone the people of Boston," he said, referring to one of the legal theories that was a major focus of the hearings. "I'm sure we could have done better."
Here's Ted Kennedy projecting his own confusion onto the rest of the country:
"The whole process has become so politicized that I think the American people walk away more confused about the way these people stand."
Kennedy's staff needs to keep a tighter reign in him I think. He's wandering off. Next thing you know he will be admitting that the Senate knows little about national security either and lament that the Bush administration is catching on to the idea that the Iraq war has become a "political campaign."
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Good Pay and Decent Benefits
This weekend brings a pretty solid funny from, of all places, Captain Ed:
Application For al-Qaeda Membership
Allahu akbar! So you've decided to join the fastest-growing organization of psychopathic murderers in the world today. Due to the exciting type of work we perform, we always have room for more volunteers, and so we welcome you to our ranks. We'd like to get to know you, while we can, so please answer a few questions for us:
Name: Abu ____________
Real name: __________________
Gender: ______ Male __________ Chattel (if so, stop here)
Marital Status: ____ Single _____ Married (# of wives: ______)
Reason For Interest In al-Qaeda (circle all that apply):
a. Hatred for everything Western, except those hot babes on Baywatch
b. Suicidal impulse but lacking the skills to carry it out
c. Inability to get women to date me
d. Want to travel and see the world before I realize my ambition to destroy it
e. Having 72 inexperienced young girls later sounds better than dealing with one nagging woman now
Would you be willing to relocate? Y/N If Y, in pieces? Y/N
Do you have any of the following disqualifying conditions?
a. Conscience
b. Soul
c. Survival instinct
d. Half a brain or more
e. Fear of flying
Thank you again, mujaheddin, on behalf of al-Qaeda -- an Equal Opportunity Destroyer
Michelle Malkin has a copy of the real application filed by Jose Padilla for employment with al Qaeda. I wonder if they have a dental plan.
Application For al-Qaeda Membership
Allahu akbar! So you've decided to join the fastest-growing organization of psychopathic murderers in the world today. Due to the exciting type of work we perform, we always have room for more volunteers, and so we welcome you to our ranks. We'd like to get to know you, while we can, so please answer a few questions for us:
Name: Abu ____________
Real name: __________________
Gender: ______ Male __________ Chattel (if so, stop here)
Marital Status: ____ Single _____ Married (# of wives: ______)
Reason For Interest In al-Qaeda (circle all that apply):
a. Hatred for everything Western, except those hot babes on Baywatch
b. Suicidal impulse but lacking the skills to carry it out
c. Inability to get women to date me
d. Want to travel and see the world before I realize my ambition to destroy it
e. Having 72 inexperienced young girls later sounds better than dealing with one nagging woman now
Would you be willing to relocate? Y/N If Y, in pieces? Y/N
Do you have any of the following disqualifying conditions?
a. Conscience
b. Soul
c. Survival instinct
d. Half a brain or more
e. Fear of flying
Thank you again, mujaheddin, on behalf of al-Qaeda -- an Equal Opportunity Destroyer
Michelle Malkin has a copy of the real application filed by Jose Padilla for employment with al Qaeda. I wonder if they have a dental plan.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Teaparty Goes to a Leadership Conference
I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 85th Leadership Conference of the Minnesota School Board Association at the Minneapolis Convention Center today. It featured a collection of new and old school board members and administrators from across the state and was well-attended.
The event was more politically balanced than I would have thought. The key note speaker, Anne Barab, who was great, started her speech with the revelation that she was "from Texas, where No Child Left Behind was invented." This was greeted, as you might imagine, with a palpable silence. But she effectively demonstrated that NCLB has been very successful in Texas, especially in the area of getting "sub-group" students learning on a level with kids who have every advantage. She also encouraged school board members to "ruthlessly assess their reality," part of which is that NCLB is here to stay and will probably never be funded to the degree schools would like.
Her overall message was that educators, boards, and administrators have to become learners and create strategies based on new goals in education. It was laced with humor and anecdotes and the crowd was very receptive. There was a smaller seminar later on the issues that educators have with NCLB in regards to the funding required to bring severely handicapped students into compliance with 100% competency by 2014.
It occured to me that both sides are arguing for a perfection that will never occur. On one side, a perfect education system, and on the other a perfect piece of legislation.
I enjoyed a lively debate on vouchers in another seminar. If the conference made a strong argument on the deficincies of NCLB, the case against vouchers left much to be desired. An electronic straw poll early on revealed a strong resistence to the idea. I thought the presentation was fairly partisan and didn't take into account the free market as a legitimate measure of accountability.
A lively debate broke out that was essentially the whole room versus a school board member and myself. I'll spare the details but the debate did result in a David Letterman moment when I pointed out that minorities are the fastest growing support base for vouchers, in response to the claim that inner city kids would be left out.
A 60-ish administrator sitting a row ahead had been growing ever more irritated with the broad range of the discussion. When I mentioned the statistic he turned to me and said, "I don't believe you. No, no. That's not true."
It is true.
The bright spot was a school board member who asked if that information was available. I told her it was only a Google away. I got the impression a few people might look it up.
My highlight was a class on the 2006 political climate in Minnesota, and this may very well be the first publishing of some interesting results. Bill Morris, President of Decision Resources, Ltd. outlined a poll completed only in the last week entitled "The 2006 Political Season: Schools, Lawmakers and Public Opinion." The sampling of 800 had some interesting results for the upcoming season.
The results for taxes are confusing. Education funding led the "top fixable issues" of 2006, and Morris noted that "fixing" equated to more funding generally. 53% believe Governor Pawlenty has gone too far with budget cuts. However, 41% support a taxpayers bill of rights and 16% strongly support the legislation. 30% oppose or strongly oppose. Likewise, 31% favor state limits on property tax increases and 19% strongly support the measure. 26% oppose and 9% strongly oppose.
Those crazy Minnesotans eh?
On illegal immigration, 71% support or strongly support prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits of any kind, and 67% support or strongly support prohibiting reduced in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. 73% oppose any mandate that prohibits local law enforcement from asking the legal status of immigrants.
There were many more results, but I will just mention just one more. Support for civil unions stands at 47% statewide while support for same sex marriage lags at 17% and support for no legal recognition of any kind straddles at 33%.
Morris thought any of these hot-button issues could affect the nature of the turnout this year by people who feel strongly about referendum questions. I expect that means a legislative cage match over a gay marriage amendment. Morris thought it was doubtful an amendment would get out of the judicial committee.
My thanks to the Minnesota School Boards Association and The Minnesota Newspaper Association for hosting my presence there today. It was an enjoyable experience.
The event was more politically balanced than I would have thought. The key note speaker, Anne Barab, who was great, started her speech with the revelation that she was "from Texas, where No Child Left Behind was invented." This was greeted, as you might imagine, with a palpable silence. But she effectively demonstrated that NCLB has been very successful in Texas, especially in the area of getting "sub-group" students learning on a level with kids who have every advantage. She also encouraged school board members to "ruthlessly assess their reality," part of which is that NCLB is here to stay and will probably never be funded to the degree schools would like.
Her overall message was that educators, boards, and administrators have to become learners and create strategies based on new goals in education. It was laced with humor and anecdotes and the crowd was very receptive. There was a smaller seminar later on the issues that educators have with NCLB in regards to the funding required to bring severely handicapped students into compliance with 100% competency by 2014.
It occured to me that both sides are arguing for a perfection that will never occur. On one side, a perfect education system, and on the other a perfect piece of legislation.
I enjoyed a lively debate on vouchers in another seminar. If the conference made a strong argument on the deficincies of NCLB, the case against vouchers left much to be desired. An electronic straw poll early on revealed a strong resistence to the idea. I thought the presentation was fairly partisan and didn't take into account the free market as a legitimate measure of accountability.
A lively debate broke out that was essentially the whole room versus a school board member and myself. I'll spare the details but the debate did result in a David Letterman moment when I pointed out that minorities are the fastest growing support base for vouchers, in response to the claim that inner city kids would be left out.
A 60-ish administrator sitting a row ahead had been growing ever more irritated with the broad range of the discussion. When I mentioned the statistic he turned to me and said, "I don't believe you. No, no. That's not true."
It is true.
The bright spot was a school board member who asked if that information was available. I told her it was only a Google away. I got the impression a few people might look it up.
My highlight was a class on the 2006 political climate in Minnesota, and this may very well be the first publishing of some interesting results. Bill Morris, President of Decision Resources, Ltd. outlined a poll completed only in the last week entitled "The 2006 Political Season: Schools, Lawmakers and Public Opinion." The sampling of 800 had some interesting results for the upcoming season.
The results for taxes are confusing. Education funding led the "top fixable issues" of 2006, and Morris noted that "fixing" equated to more funding generally. 53% believe Governor Pawlenty has gone too far with budget cuts. However, 41% support a taxpayers bill of rights and 16% strongly support the legislation. 30% oppose or strongly oppose. Likewise, 31% favor state limits on property tax increases and 19% strongly support the measure. 26% oppose and 9% strongly oppose.
Those crazy Minnesotans eh?
On illegal immigration, 71% support or strongly support prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits of any kind, and 67% support or strongly support prohibiting reduced in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. 73% oppose any mandate that prohibits local law enforcement from asking the legal status of immigrants.
There were many more results, but I will just mention just one more. Support for civil unions stands at 47% statewide while support for same sex marriage lags at 17% and support for no legal recognition of any kind straddles at 33%.
Morris thought any of these hot-button issues could affect the nature of the turnout this year by people who feel strongly about referendum questions. I expect that means a legislative cage match over a gay marriage amendment. Morris thought it was doubtful an amendment would get out of the judicial committee.
My thanks to the Minnesota School Boards Association and The Minnesota Newspaper Association for hosting my presence there today. It was an enjoyable experience.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
No Sign Of Rock Bottom Yet
I'm sure it's been expounded on across the blogosphere already, but I can't help but note the irony of Ted Kennedy, who left a woman to die in a river to go plan a legal strategy, outraged at the tenuous affiliation between Sam Alito and CAP.It is so preposterous. A parody. But it is no joke. Martha Alito broke down on national TV today as a result of three days of the most shallow smear attempts imaginable.
Word is that Kennedy's CAP theory is about to unravel.
Joe Biden characterizes the political nature of the attacks with his sudden turnaround on the value of Princeton.
The process has hit the skids. It isn't even a confirmation hearing anymore. The Yammerlords know full well how they are going to vote, and that Alito will be confirmed, and are now just making sure the puppet masters get their pound of flesh.
Resulting in the poignant and probably enduring moment pictured here.
I wonder how long before Martha Alito is smeared as not having the stomach for the process, and for her inability to compose herself. I would argue that the process has long since disappeared from this charade and that Democratic leadership is in no position to give advice on composure.
Wondering, as I did upon the news that Dujack would testify, if the Dem's have hit rock bottom was entirely premature. The longer these hearings go on the greater the chance for an entirely new bottom to appear. Making it, of course, a great time for Hillary to appear with America Hater in Chief.
One thing we can say with some certainty. The proceedings are totally safe from terrorist attacks as long as Kennedy, Durbin, Feinstein, and Schumer are in the room. And, it gives the President a chance to hit the road and hammer away at the left on national security and Iraq.
Plus, legions of scientists are ecstatic. They have never been closer to proving the theory of a physical rock bottom, although earlier reports of sightings appear to have been premature.
ROCK BOTTOM UPDATE: Anti-Strib has the Kos Kids smearing Martha Alito. So, what is that, 12 hours?
My question. This is not some rated 'G' family oriented hearing. This is how the nation gives somebody the right to interpret it's constitution for the next decades.
WILL SHE INFLUENCE HIS ABILITY to JUDGE????
next thing we know, this guy will do whatever the wifey is crying for. (omg, omg, they are killing unborn baby...waaa waaa....)
WTF?
GO HOME...
This is the MOST blatant attempt to manipulate public emotion. She should go f*ck herself."
Nice party they got over there.
ROCK BOTTOM UPDATE II: Powerline notes that all but Senator Feinstein left the hearings when actual judges who actually know Sam Alito took to the stand to testify to Alito's actual judicial temperment and actual distinguished career on the bench.
...if the Democrats were actually interested in what kind of judge Sam Alito is, these are precisely the witnesses who could tell them. If the Democrats really thought that Alito's judicial opinions reflect poorly on him, these are exactly the people who could answer their questions, and, if they are correct, confirm their fears. But the Democrats apparently knew that wasn't going to happen. The only conclusion one can draw is that the Democrats knew they were smearing a fine man and a fine judge. But the fact that they didn't even have the decency or respect to stay and listen to Alito's colleagues is disgusting.
And still no sign of a physical rock bottom.
Exposing the Republican Elf Cabal
This column seems appropriate in light of taday's revelation that the Abramoff investigation will be distinctly bi-partisan.
Democrats are ringing their hands with glee now that Jack Arbamoff has plead guilty and exposed the Republican “culture of corruption.” The glee may be short-lived though, as an army of corrupt Republican elves (Is there any other kind?) have been busy behind the scenes spreading that corruption to otherwise innocent Democrats.
Take Minnesota for instance. Over the course of the last few years the corruption elves surreptitiously filled the campaign coffers of many well known members of the “squeaky clean” party and other non-Republican candidates for sainthood.
James Oberstar’s bank account magically grew by $3,500 since 1999, thanks to a sprinkling of pixie dust when he wasn’t looking. Likewise, Bill Luther has $2,250 in magic fairy money that I’ll bet he doesn’t even know exists. The elves probably over-reached though, when they twitched their noses and $1,000 appeared in Paul Wellstone’s account. Paul Wellstone would never take money from the likes of Abramoff. Never!
The cute little devils have also been hard at work on the state Democratic Party, singing cutesy elf songs as they riddled its accounts with no less than $9,000 in contributions from Abramoff and his wealthy clients.
Thanks to Republicans and their army of felonous fairies, it now appears as though non-Republicans in Minnesota received $18,750 in Abramoff Elf Bucks. Contrarily, Republicans received $4,000 in the same time period, over 4.5 times less.
On a national level, while Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was touting the Abramoff scandal as Republican corruption at its most pure, the tiny traitors were placing more than $68,000 elf bucks in his account. The Great Emancipator, John Kerry, had at least $100,000 mysteriously put into his coffers while he was speaking “truth to power,” to some downtrodden class of the dissaffected.
All in all, 40 of the 45 Democratic members of the senate were tricked by the elves, including brave corruption warriors like Barbara Boxer (over $20,000), Hillary Clinton (over $12,000), and the bravest of the brave, Chuck Schumer (over $29,000).
The real “culture of corruption” as it turns out, appears far more about congress as a whole and not a specific party.
Politicians from both parties, and in both houses, will be affected by their associations with Abramoff and his clients. But that is not what Democrats and the media have been saying for the last year is it? This is supposed to be a Republican scandal, Republican ethics problems, and Republican greed. E.J. Dionne Jr.’s column in the Star Tribune Sunday doesn’t mention Democrats once, despite an estimated $1.5 million sent the party’s way. Same goes for Maureen Down in the Pioneer Press on Monday.
Apparently they, and many others, misunderestimated the power of Republicans and their cabal of corrupt castoffs from Kris Kringle corner. Conveniently placing Abramoff’s Elf Bucks in the accounts of unsuspecting, totally innocent, above reproach, and ethics driven Democrats since at least 1999.
Democrats are ringing their hands with glee now that Jack Arbamoff has plead guilty and exposed the Republican “culture of corruption.” The glee may be short-lived though, as an army of corrupt Republican elves (Is there any other kind?) have been busy behind the scenes spreading that corruption to otherwise innocent Democrats.
Take Minnesota for instance. Over the course of the last few years the corruption elves surreptitiously filled the campaign coffers of many well known members of the “squeaky clean” party and other non-Republican candidates for sainthood.
James Oberstar’s bank account magically grew by $3,500 since 1999, thanks to a sprinkling of pixie dust when he wasn’t looking. Likewise, Bill Luther has $2,250 in magic fairy money that I’ll bet he doesn’t even know exists. The elves probably over-reached though, when they twitched their noses and $1,000 appeared in Paul Wellstone’s account. Paul Wellstone would never take money from the likes of Abramoff. Never!
The cute little devils have also been hard at work on the state Democratic Party, singing cutesy elf songs as they riddled its accounts with no less than $9,000 in contributions from Abramoff and his wealthy clients.
Thanks to Republicans and their army of felonous fairies, it now appears as though non-Republicans in Minnesota received $18,750 in Abramoff Elf Bucks. Contrarily, Republicans received $4,000 in the same time period, over 4.5 times less.
On a national level, while Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was touting the Abramoff scandal as Republican corruption at its most pure, the tiny traitors were placing more than $68,000 elf bucks in his account. The Great Emancipator, John Kerry, had at least $100,000 mysteriously put into his coffers while he was speaking “truth to power,” to some downtrodden class of the dissaffected.
All in all, 40 of the 45 Democratic members of the senate were tricked by the elves, including brave corruption warriors like Barbara Boxer (over $20,000), Hillary Clinton (over $12,000), and the bravest of the brave, Chuck Schumer (over $29,000).
The real “culture of corruption” as it turns out, appears far more about congress as a whole and not a specific party.
Politicians from both parties, and in both houses, will be affected by their associations with Abramoff and his clients. But that is not what Democrats and the media have been saying for the last year is it? This is supposed to be a Republican scandal, Republican ethics problems, and Republican greed. E.J. Dionne Jr.’s column in the Star Tribune Sunday doesn’t mention Democrats once, despite an estimated $1.5 million sent the party’s way. Same goes for Maureen Down in the Pioneer Press on Monday.
Apparently they, and many others, misunderestimated the power of Republicans and their cabal of corrupt castoffs from Kris Kringle corner. Conveniently placing Abramoff’s Elf Bucks in the accounts of unsuspecting, totally innocent, above reproach, and ethics driven Democrats since at least 1999.
Blair Looks Back Part II
Here is a sample quote from the remaining months of the year, as part of Tim Blair's quotes of 2005. Here is the first six months.
June:
* “Eight million Iraqi voters have finished risking their lives to endorse freedom and defy fascism. Three things happen in rapid succession. The right cheers. The left demurs. I walk away from a long-term intimate relationship.”—Keith Thompson quits the Left
May:
* “The progressive movement around the world and the Muslims have the same enemies ... Muslims and the progressives are on the same side.”—George Galloway
April:
* “I didn’t actually say they were Eichmann, I said they were little Eichmanns.”—Ward Churchill clears things up regarding the 9/11 dead
March:
* “It is strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq. I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world ... We can see it.”—Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt
February:
* “It doesn’t take an awful lot of imagination if you’re thinking about who it is that might have produced these false documents to try to mislead people in this very cynical way.”—Democrat congressman Maurice Hinchey sees Rove’s hand in Rathergate
January:
* “Slight Turnout Is Expected as Iraqis Abroad Begin to Vote.”—a New York Times headline, subsequently removed
Quite a collection isn't it?
June:
* “Eight million Iraqi voters have finished risking their lives to endorse freedom and defy fascism. Three things happen in rapid succession. The right cheers. The left demurs. I walk away from a long-term intimate relationship.”—Keith Thompson quits the Left
May:
* “The progressive movement around the world and the Muslims have the same enemies ... Muslims and the progressives are on the same side.”—George Galloway
April:
* “I didn’t actually say they were Eichmann, I said they were little Eichmanns.”—Ward Churchill clears things up regarding the 9/11 dead
March:
* “It is strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq. I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world ... We can see it.”—Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt
February:
* “It doesn’t take an awful lot of imagination if you’re thinking about who it is that might have produced these false documents to try to mislead people in this very cynical way.”—Democrat congressman Maurice Hinchey sees Rove’s hand in Rathergate
January:
* “Slight Turnout Is Expected as Iraqis Abroad Begin to Vote.”—a New York Times headline, subsequently removed
Quite a collection isn't it?
The NSA is Vewy Scawy
ABC has news on Russell Tice, the heroic whistleblower who makes stunning revelations like this:
"The mentality was we need to get these guys, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get them," he said.
That's Bush for you.
"If you picked the word 'jihad' out of a conversation," Tice said, "the technology exists that you focus in on that conversation, and you pull it out of the system for processing."
And we actually used it?
Tice's primary allegation is that the number of "Americans" who were subject to the surveillence could be "in the millions if the full range of secret NSA programs is used."
Tice doesn't site any examples. Just scary talk about how powerful the NSA is.
No kidding?
"The mentality was we need to get these guys, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get them," he said.
That's Bush for you.
"If you picked the word 'jihad' out of a conversation," Tice said, "the technology exists that you focus in on that conversation, and you pull it out of the system for processing."
And we actually used it?
Tice's primary allegation is that the number of "Americans" who were subject to the surveillence could be "in the millions if the full range of secret NSA programs is used."
Tice doesn't site any examples. Just scary talk about how powerful the NSA is.
No kidding?
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Nic Watch II
Lileks weighs in with a couple gems from the Screedblog.
Chimpy W. Pretzelchoker
Mr. 666 Helliburton Dry-Drunk Oil Shill Poopy Head
Love the reference to former alcoholism in the second. Bush should never be allowed to forget that he used to drink. At least, not in a just world.
Chimpy W. Pretzelchoker
Mr. 666 Helliburton Dry-Drunk Oil Shill Poopy Head
Love the reference to former alcoholism in the second. Bush should never be allowed to forget that he used to drink. At least, not in a just world.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Affirmative Action for Terrorists
Are the Democrats giving terrorist's an important tool in the war on terror? Mark Steyn thinks so...
The practical effect of the Dems' approach is to extend the protections of the U.S. Constitution to any dodgy character anywhere on the planet who has a U.S. telephone number in his Rolodex. Indeed, given that perfectly ordinary cell phones can be used almost anywhere -- this week, I spoke to an American in London by dialing his Washington cell number -- if the Democrats have their way, all terrorist cells in Europe or Pakistan would have to do to put themselves beyond the reach of U.S. intelligence is get a New Jersey-based associate to place a bulk order for Verizon cell phones.
Food for thought: The "communications war" is perhaps the most vital front in war, if one holds victory as the only acceptable outcome. Ironically, it is also one of the most humane fronts. It has the potential to greatly limit collateral damage by pinpoiting targets location, and is key to preventing senseless attacks on civilian populations.
Are the Democrats really saying they want to strip this advantage from the home team?
Is it one of those "level playing field" deals?
What is really astounding about this is the degree to which the Democratic Party feels that the U.S. is not a battleground in the war on terror, hardly more than four short years removed the largest attack on American soil. So much so that they think monitoring the placed calls of terrorists into the U.S. is a civil rights issue.
It's hard not to daydream on a 2006 with the NSA surveillence issue front and center. And, count me in as one of those that thinks new leadership in the house will make it even more memorable.
The practical effect of the Dems' approach is to extend the protections of the U.S. Constitution to any dodgy character anywhere on the planet who has a U.S. telephone number in his Rolodex. Indeed, given that perfectly ordinary cell phones can be used almost anywhere -- this week, I spoke to an American in London by dialing his Washington cell number -- if the Democrats have their way, all terrorist cells in Europe or Pakistan would have to do to put themselves beyond the reach of U.S. intelligence is get a New Jersey-based associate to place a bulk order for Verizon cell phones.
Food for thought: The "communications war" is perhaps the most vital front in war, if one holds victory as the only acceptable outcome. Ironically, it is also one of the most humane fronts. It has the potential to greatly limit collateral damage by pinpoiting targets location, and is key to preventing senseless attacks on civilian populations.
Are the Democrats really saying they want to strip this advantage from the home team?
Is it one of those "level playing field" deals?
What is really astounding about this is the degree to which the Democratic Party feels that the U.S. is not a battleground in the war on terror, hardly more than four short years removed the largest attack on American soil. So much so that they think monitoring the placed calls of terrorists into the U.S. is a civil rights issue.
It's hard not to daydream on a 2006 with the NSA surveillence issue front and center. And, count me in as one of those that thinks new leadership in the house will make it even more memorable.
Blair Looks Back
Tim Blair is compiling memorable quotes from 2005 arranged by month, and with commentary. Here is a one quote per month sampling.
December:
* “Inexplicably, caucasians were not the only targets.”—an ABC TV reporter can’t understand why a rampaging Lebanese mob didn’t spare Asians
November:
* “The great Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is, yet again, humiliating George Bush by showing him how a national leader should act.”—the Sydney Morning Herald’s Andrew West
October:
* “[Capitalism] is destroying the world. The world is in danger. Never has there been such disasters, hurricanes, droughts, torrential rains. Incredible! The world is dangerously off balance.”—Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
September:
* "Has Katrina saved the US media?”—BBC reporter Matt Wells
August:
* “More and more Whites are starting to understand the danger of Jewish power, and Cindy Sheehan’s mission against the Zionist’s war in the Middle East is one of many open doors to an increase of that understanding.”—US Nazi group National Vanguard jump on the Mother Sheehan bandwagon
July:
* “We want this to be a thank-you to the celebrities who are giving up their time and energies.”—Nicole Cashman, whose firm assembled goodie bags for anti-poverty Live 8 performers. The bags included Hugo Boss suits ($1,000), XM satellite radios and subscriptions ($655), Gibson guitars ($2,600), and Bertolucci watches (up to $7,900)
December:
* “Inexplicably, caucasians were not the only targets.”—an ABC TV reporter can’t understand why a rampaging Lebanese mob didn’t spare Asians
November:
* “The great Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is, yet again, humiliating George Bush by showing him how a national leader should act.”—the Sydney Morning Herald’s Andrew West
October:
* “[Capitalism] is destroying the world. The world is in danger. Never has there been such disasters, hurricanes, droughts, torrential rains. Incredible! The world is dangerously off balance.”—Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
September:
* "Has Katrina saved the US media?”—BBC reporter Matt Wells
August:
* “More and more Whites are starting to understand the danger of Jewish power, and Cindy Sheehan’s mission against the Zionist’s war in the Middle East is one of many open doors to an increase of that understanding.”—US Nazi group National Vanguard jump on the Mother Sheehan bandwagon
July:
* “We want this to be a thank-you to the celebrities who are giving up their time and energies.”—Nicole Cashman, whose firm assembled goodie bags for anti-poverty Live 8 performers. The bags included Hugo Boss suits ($1,000), XM satellite radios and subscriptions ($655), Gibson guitars ($2,600), and Bertolucci watches (up to $7,900)
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Chickens are People Too
Drudge has the details on one of the most embarrassing political stunts I have witnessed in some time. Maybe ever.
But others are reporting that Stephen Dujack has withdrawn his name from the witness list.
Dujack was going to testify that Alito is a racist and a sexist, based on a loose college affiliation. Mind you, none of the testimony was going to concern Alito himself, it appears to have been strictly a guilt by association slime. Still, at least one gleeful Democrat assassin was overjoyed.
“Put a fork in Scalito. It doesn’t matter that Alito didn’t write it, it doesn’t matter that Alito wasn’t that active in the group, Foote wrote it in CAP’s magazine and we are going to make Alito own it.”
Or, maybe not.
Powerline gives a peek at Dujack, his associations, and his writings, which include this gem:
To those who defend the modern-day holocaust on animals by saying that animals are slaughtered for food and give us sustenance, I ask: If the victims of the Holocaust had been eaten, would that have justified the abuse and murder? Did the fact that lampshades, soaps and other "useful" products were made from their bodies excuse the Holocaust? No. Pain is pain.
Hinderaker responds: Dujack will be part of the Democrats' effort to paint Alito as a dangerous extremist.
Alas, it is too bad his testimony won't be heard, as sleazy and as morally bankrupt as the tactic is. But whether he appears or not, one has to wonder if the Democratic Party could possibly sink any lower.
Is this rock bottom? Or do they have farther to fall?
But others are reporting that Stephen Dujack has withdrawn his name from the witness list.
Dujack was going to testify that Alito is a racist and a sexist, based on a loose college affiliation. Mind you, none of the testimony was going to concern Alito himself, it appears to have been strictly a guilt by association slime. Still, at least one gleeful Democrat assassin was overjoyed.
“Put a fork in Scalito. It doesn’t matter that Alito didn’t write it, it doesn’t matter that Alito wasn’t that active in the group, Foote wrote it in CAP’s magazine and we are going to make Alito own it.”
Or, maybe not.
Powerline gives a peek at Dujack, his associations, and his writings, which include this gem:
To those who defend the modern-day holocaust on animals by saying that animals are slaughtered for food and give us sustenance, I ask: If the victims of the Holocaust had been eaten, would that have justified the abuse and murder? Did the fact that lampshades, soaps and other "useful" products were made from their bodies excuse the Holocaust? No. Pain is pain.
Hinderaker responds: Dujack will be part of the Democrats' effort to paint Alito as a dangerous extremist.
Alas, it is too bad his testimony won't be heard, as sleazy and as morally bankrupt as the tactic is. But whether he appears or not, one has to wonder if the Democratic Party could possibly sink any lower.
Is this rock bottom? Or do they have farther to fall?
Friday, January 06, 2006
Hayes Continues His Quest
This just in from Powerline. Steven Hayes has published some stunning revelations regarding the relationship between Hussein and global Islamic terrorism.
THE FORMER IRAQI REGIME OF Saddam Hussein trained thousands of radical Islamic terrorists from the region at camps in Iraq over the four years immediately preceding the U.S. invasion, according to documents and photographs recovered by the U.S. military in postwar Iraq. The existence and character of these documents has been confirmed to THE WEEKLY STANDARD by eleven U.S. government officials.
The secret training took place primarily at three camps--in Samarra, Ramadi, and Salman Pak--and was directed by elite Iraqi military units. Interviews by U.S. government interrogators with Iraqi regime officials and military leaders corroborate the documentary evidence. Many of the fighters were drawn from terrorist groups in northern Africa with close ties to al Qaeda, chief among them Algeria's GSPC and the Sudanese Islamic Army. Some 2,000 terrorists were trained at these Iraqi camps each year from 1999 to 2002, putting the total number at or above 8,000. Intelligence officials believe that some of these terrorists returned to Iraq and are responsible for attacks against Americans and Iraqis.
Hinderaker adds that there are boxes full of photographic evidence. Hayes story is long, but well worth it. It is jam packed with information.
Imagine what could be contained in the rest of the "2 million exploitable items" that remain uninspected and untranslated.
THE FORMER IRAQI REGIME OF Saddam Hussein trained thousands of radical Islamic terrorists from the region at camps in Iraq over the four years immediately preceding the U.S. invasion, according to documents and photographs recovered by the U.S. military in postwar Iraq. The existence and character of these documents has been confirmed to THE WEEKLY STANDARD by eleven U.S. government officials.
The secret training took place primarily at three camps--in Samarra, Ramadi, and Salman Pak--and was directed by elite Iraqi military units. Interviews by U.S. government interrogators with Iraqi regime officials and military leaders corroborate the documentary evidence. Many of the fighters were drawn from terrorist groups in northern Africa with close ties to al Qaeda, chief among them Algeria's GSPC and the Sudanese Islamic Army. Some 2,000 terrorists were trained at these Iraqi camps each year from 1999 to 2002, putting the total number at or above 8,000. Intelligence officials believe that some of these terrorists returned to Iraq and are responsible for attacks against Americans and Iraqis.
Hinderaker adds that there are boxes full of photographic evidence. Hayes story is long, but well worth it. It is jam packed with information.
Imagine what could be contained in the rest of the "2 million exploitable items" that remain uninspected and untranslated.
Abramoff in Minnesota
Capital Eye has a full breakdown of Abramoff's political contributions, as well as those of tribes connected with him, including SunCruz Casinos. The list tracks contributions from 1999.
It turns out that contributions made in Minnesota do break down party lines.
Republicans:
Norm Coleman - $3,000
Mark Kennedy - $1,000
Total - $4,000
Democrats:
Paul Wellstone - $1,000
Bill Luther - $2,250
James Oberstar - $3,500
State Democratic Party - $9,000
Total - $15,750
If you add the $3,000 given to Independent Mark Foley, non-Republican politicians received $18,750, over 4.5 times more than Republicans.
I guess, in Minnesota anyway, that makes Abramoff a slimy Democratic operative.
It turns out that contributions made in Minnesota do break down party lines.
Republicans:
Norm Coleman - $3,000
Mark Kennedy - $1,000
Total - $4,000
Democrats:
Paul Wellstone - $1,000
Bill Luther - $2,250
James Oberstar - $3,500
State Democratic Party - $9,000
Total - $15,750
If you add the $3,000 given to Independent Mark Foley, non-Republican politicians received $18,750, over 4.5 times more than Republicans.
I guess, in Minnesota anyway, that makes Abramoff a slimy Democratic operative.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Stuck
Democrats; so fabulously wonderful at creating the illusion of power, often to the point that they begin to believe their own hype, have crippled themselves in some key battles where real power is required.
Now, it's crunch time with Alito and the party finds itself hopelessly hamstrung. It needs to filibuster to appease the yammers and keep the far left benefactors happy, but given Alito's qualifications and temperment, cannot risk alienating the hinged community, which is much larger and and vastly more influential.
What a delicious buzz-kill the left has created for itself.
Now, it's crunch time with Alito and the party finds itself hopelessly hamstrung. It needs to filibuster to appease the yammers and keep the far left benefactors happy, but given Alito's qualifications and temperment, cannot risk alienating the hinged community, which is much larger and and vastly more influential.
What a delicious buzz-kill the left has created for itself.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
The Dog Won't Hunt
Space is at a premium this week and I don't think there will be room for my column. But hey, that's why the blogosphere is so cool.
Watching liberals in ‘05 was interesting in the way it is to observe a dog chasing its tail. The joy of catching the appendage was often shortlived as they would lose it in the process of again opening their yaps. And, like the dog, they find themselves right back where they started the year. If ‘05 was fun, a lack of any sign they recognize the futility of tail-chasing is sure to make ‘06 even more so. I daydream on that in those rare moments when I am able to disengage myself from scheduled brainwashings at Fox News, and think I have it pretty well nailed down.
• Outraged that oppressive Cardinals chose a religious man to be pope, the ACLU will claim voter fraud, demand religion be removed from the process, and nominate Cindy Sheehan for the job. Unfortunately, while Ramsey Clark is litigating, Sheehan will detonate herself to protest the ongoing occupation of...New Orleans. Big Easy “man on the street” reaction will often produce the response, “Who is Cindy Sheehan?”
• Early in ‘06, northern states and much of Canada will suffer a disturbing trend. Snow will inexplicably melt and the sun will suddenly appear higher in the sky. Michael Moore will release a documentary warning of the coming armeggedon, exclaiming, “All of this ‘season’ propoganda was hatched in a back room of Halliburton by Enron and Bush’s rich white friends while The Chimp read My Pet Goat. What we are facing is the manifestation of a Global Warming disaster. A disaster that might have been averted if Bush had only signed the Kyoto Accords.”
For Moore, it will be the last straw, prompting him to finally sell his lucrative Halliburton stock.
• Howard “America can’t win a sack race” Dean will charge Bush with the clandestine surveillance of Soon-Yi (radical daughter/wife of Woody Allen) on American soil. The New York Times will hype the story, forcing an urgent press conference. Scott McClellan will explain the scandal as a “misunderstanding,” adding that federal agents are actually watching radical Sunnis, not Soon-Yi. After repeated attempts to understand the difference fail, Dean will step down from the DNC over vehement protest from Republicans who think he is doing a great job.
• John “Iraq should terrorize its own citizens” Kerry will denounce media coverage of Iraq’s insurgents as negatively biased. He will explain that it’s not that he supports their cause, he simply will not tolerate another round of “swift-boating” by the right-wing hate cabal. It’s a more “nuanced” position he hopes will catapult him to America’s second choice again in 2008.
• Desperate to please all, Hillary Clinton will die suddenly when her SUV, of its own accord, swerves into a tree on the way to an “Abortion is a necessary evil” rally. While environmentalists mourn the tree - and Hil to a lesser degree, planet-killing car nuts mourn only the SUV. But the common grief of both prompts Hillary to be forever remembered as – in the words of Jimmy Carter – “a uniter, not a divider, just like Yassir Arafat.”
• Harry Reid’s inability to answer spontaneous questions will lead to the discovery that he is actually a wax figure who can say “We killed the Patriot Act. The cow says moo,” when a string is pulled. Waxen Reid will be purchased by Barbra Striesand with money she saved not buying the LA Times.
• In December, Democrats will realize they have wasted another year and still don’t have a platform. They will move immediately to create one.
I know, I know That is probably going too far. Then again, anything could happen in this the new year, if the dog will only outgrow its fascination with its own tail.
Watching liberals in ‘05 was interesting in the way it is to observe a dog chasing its tail. The joy of catching the appendage was often shortlived as they would lose it in the process of again opening their yaps. And, like the dog, they find themselves right back where they started the year. If ‘05 was fun, a lack of any sign they recognize the futility of tail-chasing is sure to make ‘06 even more so. I daydream on that in those rare moments when I am able to disengage myself from scheduled brainwashings at Fox News, and think I have it pretty well nailed down.
• Outraged that oppressive Cardinals chose a religious man to be pope, the ACLU will claim voter fraud, demand religion be removed from the process, and nominate Cindy Sheehan for the job. Unfortunately, while Ramsey Clark is litigating, Sheehan will detonate herself to protest the ongoing occupation of...New Orleans. Big Easy “man on the street” reaction will often produce the response, “Who is Cindy Sheehan?”
• Early in ‘06, northern states and much of Canada will suffer a disturbing trend. Snow will inexplicably melt and the sun will suddenly appear higher in the sky. Michael Moore will release a documentary warning of the coming armeggedon, exclaiming, “All of this ‘season’ propoganda was hatched in a back room of Halliburton by Enron and Bush’s rich white friends while The Chimp read My Pet Goat. What we are facing is the manifestation of a Global Warming disaster. A disaster that might have been averted if Bush had only signed the Kyoto Accords.”
For Moore, it will be the last straw, prompting him to finally sell his lucrative Halliburton stock.
• Howard “America can’t win a sack race” Dean will charge Bush with the clandestine surveillance of Soon-Yi (radical daughter/wife of Woody Allen) on American soil. The New York Times will hype the story, forcing an urgent press conference. Scott McClellan will explain the scandal as a “misunderstanding,” adding that federal agents are actually watching radical Sunnis, not Soon-Yi. After repeated attempts to understand the difference fail, Dean will step down from the DNC over vehement protest from Republicans who think he is doing a great job.
• John “Iraq should terrorize its own citizens” Kerry will denounce media coverage of Iraq’s insurgents as negatively biased. He will explain that it’s not that he supports their cause, he simply will not tolerate another round of “swift-boating” by the right-wing hate cabal. It’s a more “nuanced” position he hopes will catapult him to America’s second choice again in 2008.
• Desperate to please all, Hillary Clinton will die suddenly when her SUV, of its own accord, swerves into a tree on the way to an “Abortion is a necessary evil” rally. While environmentalists mourn the tree - and Hil to a lesser degree, planet-killing car nuts mourn only the SUV. But the common grief of both prompts Hillary to be forever remembered as – in the words of Jimmy Carter – “a uniter, not a divider, just like Yassir Arafat.”
• Harry Reid’s inability to answer spontaneous questions will lead to the discovery that he is actually a wax figure who can say “We killed the Patriot Act. The cow says moo,” when a string is pulled. Waxen Reid will be purchased by Barbra Striesand with money she saved not buying the LA Times.
• In December, Democrats will realize they have wasted another year and still don’t have a platform. They will move immediately to create one.
I know, I know That is probably going too far. Then again, anything could happen in this the new year, if the dog will only outgrow its fascination with its own tail.
The Treblinka Teddy
Liberal Larry has the scoop on “The Madcap Adventures of Ivan, the Treblinka Teddy,” the new chidren's book by a former Nazi concentration camp guard. It is the classic tale of a cuddly Nazi teddybear (see the picture) getting in with the wrong crowd and learning a valuable lesson. Larry wonders though, is taking up the guard's cause the "right choice?"
I can respect the powerful message Ivan sends to young kids to stay in school, do their homework, and resist peer pressure from genocidal fascist regimes. But the whole charade comes off like a desperate ploy to capitalize on the outpouring of love and support the Hollywood Community bestowed upon Tookie Williams, a gifted children’s author who was brutally murdered by the Nazi governor of California simply because he plugged some honkies and a couple of gooks. Demjanjuk, on the other hand, is a racist and a bigot.
Is that supposed to be an excuse to start abandoning the detritus of American Imperialism?
I can respect the powerful message Ivan sends to young kids to stay in school, do their homework, and resist peer pressure from genocidal fascist regimes. But the whole charade comes off like a desperate ploy to capitalize on the outpouring of love and support the Hollywood Community bestowed upon Tookie Williams, a gifted children’s author who was brutally murdered by the Nazi governor of California simply because he plugged some honkies and a couple of gooks. Demjanjuk, on the other hand, is a racist and a bigot.
Is that supposed to be an excuse to start abandoning the detritus of American Imperialism?
Monday, January 02, 2006
Despite Best Efforts, NYT Appears to Exonerate Bush
Lichtblau and Risen are at it again, with another long suggestive article on the NSA spy program. Along the way they must have forgotten to allege any wrongdoing (again), as there isn't one single reference to lawbreaking of any kind.
Instead, the White appears to have taken the concerns of Ashcroft seriously enough to suspend the program for months. The program was ultimately reinstated along with periodic audits by the Justice Dempartment.
The audit examined a selection of cases to see how the security agency was running the program. Among other things, it looked at how agency officials went about determining that they had probable cause to believe that people in the United States, including American citizens, had sufficient ties to Al Qaeda to justify eavesdropping on their phone calls and e-mail messages without a court warrant. That review is not known to have found any instances of abuses.
Of course, the program was also subject to review by top government officials every 45 days, including many Democrats.
Captain Ed summarizes what is known to date very well:
They followed the FISA law in getting the certification of the Attorney General, and when that couldn't be done, they stopped the program. They proved willing to make adaptations that would satisfy the AG, who then certified the program for a restart. The administration continued briefing Congressional committees on the program and its progress, and except for one note from John Rockefeller, never received any objections. To this day, not one of the people briefed on the NSA intercepts has called for cancellation of the program.
Lichtblau and Risen continue to push this as a major criminal enterprise without producing even the hint of a crime.
The Cap'n also has the inside track on the latest leak theory. Check it out.
Instead, the White appears to have taken the concerns of Ashcroft seriously enough to suspend the program for months. The program was ultimately reinstated along with periodic audits by the Justice Dempartment.
The audit examined a selection of cases to see how the security agency was running the program. Among other things, it looked at how agency officials went about determining that they had probable cause to believe that people in the United States, including American citizens, had sufficient ties to Al Qaeda to justify eavesdropping on their phone calls and e-mail messages without a court warrant. That review is not known to have found any instances of abuses.
Of course, the program was also subject to review by top government officials every 45 days, including many Democrats.
Captain Ed summarizes what is known to date very well:
They followed the FISA law in getting the certification of the Attorney General, and when that couldn't be done, they stopped the program. They proved willing to make adaptations that would satisfy the AG, who then certified the program for a restart. The administration continued briefing Congressional committees on the program and its progress, and except for one note from John Rockefeller, never received any objections. To this day, not one of the people briefed on the NSA intercepts has called for cancellation of the program.
Lichtblau and Risen continue to push this as a major criminal enterprise without producing even the hint of a crime.
The Cap'n also has the inside track on the latest leak theory. Check it out.
The September 10th Party
Well, it has happened. The Democratic Party (Chuck Schumer mouthpiece), the ones who whined incessently about the principle of the Plame matter - that leaking the name of a desk jockey at CIA was a dangerous and frightening breach of national security - now expect us to buy the "good leak/bad leak" argument in regards to the NSA story.
Was this somebody who had an ill purpose, trying to hurt the United States, or might it have been someone in the department who felt that this was wrong, legally wrong, that the law was being violated, went to the higher-ups, they did nothing — now it's clear that Mr. Comey and others, serious people who are hardly left-wing ideologues, had doubts about the program — and then, in exasperation, went to the media?
WALLACE: Senator Schumer, you're certainly not going to say exasperation is an excuse for leaking classified information.
Could there be any better demonstration that the Democrats remain the party of September 10?
Was this somebody who had an ill purpose, trying to hurt the United States, or might it have been someone in the department who felt that this was wrong, legally wrong, that the law was being violated, went to the higher-ups, they did nothing — now it's clear that Mr. Comey and others, serious people who are hardly left-wing ideologues, had doubts about the program — and then, in exasperation, went to the media?
WALLACE: Senator Schumer, you're certainly not going to say exasperation is an excuse for leaking classified information.
SCHUMER: No, no, no. I am saying the type of punishment, the type of investigation — there are differences between felons and whistleblowers, and we ought to wait till the investigation occurs to decide what happened.
Now is when we will find out how the left really feels about leaking national security secrets. My feeling is that we will see none of the righteous indignation that has filled every statement about the Plame Affair.Could there be any better demonstration that the Democrats remain the party of September 10?
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