The Right Wingers Oppose Gonzales

NY Times shows they aren't being quiet about it:

Within hours after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's announced retirement from the Supreme Court, members of conservative groups around the country convened in five national conference calls in which, participants said, they shared one big concern: heading off any effort by President Bush to nominate his attorney general, Alberto R. Gonzales, to replace her.

Late last week, a delegation of conservative lawyers led by C. Boyden Gray and former Attorney General Edwin Meese III met with the White House chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., to warn that appointing Mr. Gonzales would splinter conservative support.

And Paul M. Weyrich, a veteran conservative organizer and chairman of the Free Congress Foundation, said he had told administration officials that nominating Mr. Gonzales, whose views on abortion are considered suspect by religious conservatives, would fracture the president's conservative backers.

This whole process is going to be ugly...it'll be interesting to see how far Bush goes to kiss the ass of the Weyrich/Perkins/Dobson crowd. Read More......

So anything else going on?

I'm still frantically preparing for my trip. Any latest on anything? Read More......

Open thread - Another Scotland related tech question

Hey gang, I need a good free sound editor that I can use to edit WMA and WAV files while I'm in Scotland. I'm doing interviews with my new voice recorder, and want to be able to do simple edits of the files, cut out soundbites, etc., save them as other more useful formats, etc. Primarily my files will be recorded in WMA and WAV formats. Ideas?

Either free or relatively cheap, $25? Read More......

My appearance on CNN International about Bush's speech

DemBloggers.com were able to catch it and post it online. You can watch it here. Read More......

McClellan said leaker should be fired

CNN.com, September 29, 2003:

McClellan said that if anyone at the White House leaked Plame's identity, he should be fired, and pursued to the "fullest extent."

"No one was authorized to do this. That is simply not the way this White House operates and if someone leaked classified information it is a very serious matter," he said.

Watch Scott try to spin his way away from this words. Read More......

Open thread

So, phone geeks out there: Can I MMS from Scotland on my Cingular(ATT) phone? I can do it here in the states, that's how I photo blog. But I wasn't succesful while abroad earlier this year, and I just called Cingular, and they didn't know - which was quite helpful. They were able to set me up so I can text from abroad, but re MMS they didn't have a clue. Anyone know? I'd like to photo blog a bit from the Live 8 festivities in Scotland. Thanks. Read More......

Newsweek Names Rove -- "Growing 'Concern'" at White House

More from Newsweek

Now the story may be about to take another turn. The e-mails surrendered by Time Inc., which are largely between Cooper and his editors, show that one of Cooper's sources was White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according to two lawyers who asked not to be identified because they are representing witnesses sympathetic to the White House. Cooper and a Time spokeswoman declined to comment. But in an interview with NEWSWEEK, Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, confirmed that Rove had been interviewed by Cooper for the article. It is unclear, however, what passed between Cooper and Rove....

Initially, Fitzgerald's focus was on Novak's sourcing, since Novak was the first to out Plame. But according to Luskin, Rove's lawyer, Rove spoke to Cooper three or four days before Novak's column appeared. Luskin told NEWSWEEK that Rove "never knowingly disclosed classified information" and that "he did not tell any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA." Luskin declined, however, to discuss any other details. He did say that Rove himself had testified before the grand jury "two or three times" and signed a waiver authorizing reporters to testify about their conversations with him. "He has answered every question that has been put to him about his conversations with Cooper and anybody else," Luskin said. But one of the two lawyers representing a witness sympathetic to the White House told NEWSWEEK that there was growing "concern" in the White House that the prosecutor is interested in Rove. Fitzgerald declined to comment.

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Plame Grand Jury Wants Records for Air Force One Phone Calls

UPDATE: As someone had mentioned, this is an OLD, but true, story from last year. Sorry about that - E&P; just emailed and said sorry about the mistake.

What a lovely day it is. Read More......

Live 8 concerts appear to be online, now - check it out

Here.

And more on today's concerts here. Read More......

Let's all count how long it takes ANY mainstream media to even mention this story

Nothing from AP or Reuters, still. Editor & Publisher picked it up, but I don't count them as MSM because they get it.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

PS More on the perjury angle from Kos and TalkLeft. Read More......

FLASHBACK: Bush about Plame leak, Oct 6, 2003

From WhiteHouse.gov

Q Mr. President, on another issue, the CIA leak-gate. What is your confidence level in the results of the DOJ investigation about any of your staffers not being found guilty or being found guilty? And what do you say to critics of the administration who say that this administration retaliates against naysayers?

PRESIDENT BUSH: First of all, I'm glad you brought that question up. This is a very serious matter, and our administration takes it seriously. As members of the press corps here know, I have, at times, complained about leaks of security information, whether the leaks be in the legislative branch or in the executive branch. And I take those leaks very seriously.

And, therefore, we will cooperate fully with the Justice Department. I've got all the confidence in the world the Justice Department will do a good, thorough job. And that's exactly what I want them to do, is a good, thorough job. I'd like to know who leaked, and if anybody has got any information inside our government or outside our government who leaked, you ought to take it to the Justice Department so we can find out the leaker.

I have told my staff, I want full cooperation with the Justice Department. And when they ask for information, we expect the information to be delivered on a timely basis. I expect it to be delivered on a timely basis. I want there to be full participation, because, April, I am most interested in finding out the truth.

And, you know, there's a lot of leaking in Washington, D.C. It's a town famous for it. And if this helps stop leaks of -- this investigation in finding the truth, it will not only hold someone to account who should not have leaked -- and this is a serious charge, by the way. We're talking about a criminal action, but also hopefully will help set a clear signal we expect other leaks to stop, as well. And so I look forward to finding the truth.

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In honor of Karl Rove, we have a new t-shirt, mousepad, coffee mug design

You can buy it here, at the AMERICAblog shop (a portion of the proceeds goes to us, so spend liberally!) Read More......

Holy Shit - it IS Rove!

Ok, everybody take a deep breath. O'Donnell could not be more definitive, but let's make sure this is REAL before we get too excited. Still, I'm psyched!

And now that this allegation is out there, of Karl Rove being a TRAITOR who divulged national security information putting our lives and the lives of CIA agents and their contacts at risk around the world, is this suspected threat to national security still AT the White House at this moment? Is he in the proximity of the president of the United States? What does the Secret Service have to say about that? Simply because of this allegation, a very serious public allegation by a credible on-the-record source, this man's security clearances should be revoked immediately, albeit temporarily, until this matter can be resolved.

Is the Secret Service REALLY going to let a man facing these accusations have access to the president of the United States in a time of war?

Come on MSM, ask the White House NOW if Karl Rove is still in the building, or if his clearances have been temporarily revoked.

From the Huffington Post:

Lawrence O'Donnell
Rove Blew CIA Agent's Cover

I revealed in yesterday's taping of the McLaughlin Group that Time magazine's emails will reveal that Karl Rove was Matt Cooper's source. I have known this for months but didn't want to say it at a time that would risk me getting dragged into the grand jury.

McLaughlin is seen in some markets on Friday night, so some websites have picked it up, including Drudge, but I don't expect it to have much impact because McLaughlin is not considered a news show and it will be pre-empted in the big markets on Sunday because of tennis.

Since I revealed the big scoop, I have had it reconfirmed by yet another highly authoritative source. Too many people know this. It should break wide open this week. I know Newsweek is working on an 'It's Rove!' story and will probably break it tomorrow.

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If Rove leaked Plame's name, that could mean a perjury rap for him

Let's see Bush pardon him after he leaked classified information that endangered the lives of scores of CIA assets around the world and endangered the war on terror. And let's see Bush pardon him after all the quotes we're going to drag up from GOP members of Congress about the high crime it is to perjure oneself.

From E&P;:

Now that Time Inc. has turned over documents to federal court, presumably revealing who its reporter, Matt Cooper, identified as his source in the Valerie Plame/CIA case, speculation runs rampant on the name of that source, and what might happen to him or her. Tonight, on the syndicated McLaughlin Group political talk show, Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, claimed to know that name--and it is, according to him, top White House mastermind Karl Rove....

Other panelists then joined in discussing whether, if true, this would suggest a perjury rap for Rove, if he told the grand jury he did not leak to Cooper.

Kind of makes lying about a blowjob look downright quaint.

And if it's Karl, I want to know who else in the White House knew. This isn't just perjury, it's obstruction of justice on behalf of the liar and anyone else who knew he lied. Read More......

Maryland GOP governor holds fund-raiser at racist club

Like that other annoying Blue State Governor Mitch Romney of Mass., Robert Ehrlich of Maryland is sucking up to the extremists in the GOP. While Romney is sticking to anti-choice and gay bashing, Ehrlich is raising cash at the well known racist Elkridge Club, where they prefer their African-Americans to serve the drinks, not sit in their club.

When questioned about his cash festival at one of the most racist institutions in the state, Ehrlich barked at the reporter to "get his facts straight before coming to us" so I guess he's going to come back and apologize now that it is Ehrlich who has his facts wrong.

We're waiting for that apology or you can always drag your feet on it because Maryland really isn't much of a Democratic state nor is the African-American vote very important there. Good luck in that campaign. Read More......

Open Thread

What do you know? Will Rove be doing the perp walk? Read More......

More lying from Bush and Co. on Global Warming

Wash. Post documents another series of lies and denials by the Bush people -- on global warming:

To hear President Bush's top environmental adviser tell it, Europe is coming around to the administration's approach to confronting global warming.

"We are all working at the same realistically aggressive pace," James L. Connaughton said in an interview this week. "The world is coming to a more sustainable, collective vision of how to address climate change."

As the eight major industrialized nations struggle to reach an agreement on global warming policy before next week's Group of Eight summit, however, many European officials have a different take on the matter.

"I wish I could believe it was true," said Barbara Young, chief executive of Britain's Environment Agency. When it comes to Bush's climate change policy, she added, "the amount of energy that goes into denying the case and not getting on with the job is just criminal."

Criminal, like so much of the Bush agenda. Read More......

Another suicide bomber kills 20 in Baghdad

But don't pay any attention at all because the insurgency is in the "last throes" and they're probably going to disappear any day now. What ever happened to the ribbons and flags and Mission Accomplished? Read More......

Housing crash to be worse than dot.com bust?

Now I know that Alan Greenspan has never been wrong, well, except that little dot.com crash thingy, but I think we're going to be able to test his wisdom one more time before he leaves and I'm guessing it's going to cement his place in history as a disastor. His "frothy" comments about the housing pockets that could spell trouble really won't hold up because this is not 1805. This is 2005 and we are much too integrated and connected for pockets to not have a ripple effect.

We have plenty of housing markets (DC, Boston, SF, etc) that are insanely expensive but what does the Fed leader think will happen when they crash? Some conservative estimates are saying that a leveling off, not a crash, would cut the GDP growth by 1% but that is not a crash.

The IMF study found that while stock market collapses are more frequent, housing busts do a lot more damage.

"The output loss associated with the typical housing price bust (about 8 percent of GDP) was twice as large as that associated with a typical equity price bust," the study said.

Jonas Fisher, a senior economist and housing expert at the Chicago Fed, said the assumption that spending was being driven by consumer expectations of home price gains might be flawed. "Instead, consumers think in terms of long-term trends, and will view much of the price appreciation as temporary or unsustainable," he said.

Is this guy serious? I am still waiting to talk to the person he's talking about because everyone now talks about the wild price gains. I see a problem here.

Paul Ashworth, North American economist for Capital Economics, says 933,000 of the jobs created in the current U.S. economic upswing owe their existence in one way or another to real estate.

"A full 37.8 percent of all new jobs created have come in construction, real estate, architecture, building supply, home furnishing retailers and building services, even though those sectors only account for 11.6 percent of total nonfarm payrolls," he said.

Read More......