Open thread

Nothing witty to add. Read More......

White House in overdrive trying to prevent hearings on domestic spying

By the way the White House is fighting so hard to prevent any scrutiny of their domestic spying operation, it's hard to draw any conclusion: They know it's illegal. The Bush admin. also realizes that if Congress just scratches the surface, that'll be clear:

At two key moments in recent days, White House officials contacted congressional leaders just ahead of intelligence committee meetings that could have stirred demands for a deeper review of the administration's warrantless-surveillance program, according to House and Senate sources.

In both cases, the administration was spared the outcome it most feared, and it won praise in some circles for showing more openness to congressional oversight.

So far, the White House bullying has prevented Congressional oversight. Apparently, along the way, they've pissed off some of their fellow Republicans. So far, no surprise but the GOPers in Congress are still abdicating their oversight responsibilities. Read More......

Open Thread

What will this week bring? The good, the bad, the ugly? Read More......

Condi, Chertoff defend outsourcing port security to Arab country with troubling ties to terrorism

And these are the people who are going to keep us safe? How people still believe that George Bush is good on terrorism is beyond me. He was the President during the worst attack ever on American soil. Bush apologists pretend there was no way to avoid that attack. But, Bush was warned on August 6, 2001 -- five weeks prior to September 11th -- the Bin Laden was determined to attack in the U.S. -- his response was to stay on vacation.

So, the fact that the Bush administration is turning over the security of American ports to the United Arab Emirates --a country with ties to the 9/11 hijackers --shouldn't be all that shocking. Just give some serious consideration to this thought: Bush is proactively putting foreigners, in this case foreigners with ties to terror, in charge of the security of our homeland. As AP notes:

Critics have cited the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In addition, they contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist.

Now, imagine a Democrat cutting a deal with the United Arab Emirates. But, instead, Bush's lackies have been out defending this latest outrage. Today, Chertoff, the guy who oversaw the complete failure of Katrina defended the deal:

Chertoff defended the security review of Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates, the company given permission to take over the port operations. Chertoff said the government typically builds in "certain conditions or requirements that the company has to agree to make sure we address the national security concerns." But Chertoff declined to discuss specifics saying that information is classified.

"We make sure there are assurances in place, in general, sufficient to satisfy us that the deal is appropriate from a national security standpoint," Chertoff said on ABC's "This Week."

Condi has also been out spinning this one. Don't forget, she was National Security Director when the U.S. was attacked on our own soil:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Arab journalists in an interview Friday at the State Department, that it was "the considered opinion of the U.S. government that this can go forward." She pledged to work with Congress because "perhaps people will need better explanation and will need to understand some of the process that we have gone through."

Yes, Condi, you just spin us some more on this one.

You know how Karl Rove keeps saying terror and security are going to be the top political issues for the GOP this year? Well, the GOP just gave a big part of that issue to the Democrats. Let's see if they can capitalize on it. Read More......

Hagel on Cheney, his military service and gun safety

Big hat tip to Political Wire for this gem from the Omaha World-Herald via AP:

And Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a Republican and Vietnam war veteran, told The Omaha World-Herald, "If he'd been in the military, he would have learned gun safety."

It just says so much. Read More......

Matalin is crankier and nastier than usual on MTP

Matalin had to spin extra hard today trying to defend Cheney. Crooks and Liars has the transcript and the video. It's fun.

UPDATE: Think Progress makes a very good point. Matalin wouldn't answer the simple booze question posed by Russert:

Was alcohol in any way, shape or form consumed during the afternoon? And should we accept the [Vice] president’s “a beer” as literally one beer?.

She obfuscated and filibustered...but she never answered the question. We still don't know who was drinking what last Saturday on the Armstrong ranch when Dick Cheney shot a 78-year old guy in the face.

Even AP noted all the discrepancies when it came to the alcohol question. Read More......

The cartoon protesters

I'm growing increasingly torn in my reaction to the protests over the Danish Mohammed cartoons. On the one hand, I get that lots of Muslims feel offended. I've found some cartoons offensive in the past as well - anti-gay, for starters. But the growing number of violent protests is starting to make me feel like a lot of these folks are fucking nuts.

Having said that, we have our version of fucking nuts in America. Take the minority of WTO protesters who went nuts in Seattle. Take the minority of enviro protesters who burn down houses. And take the religious right, who are pretty much in lock step with the Muslim world's religious right - same extremist hateful totalitarian goals based on a warped view of religion, just that our religious right hasn't become as violent as theirs (though ours bombs abortion clinics and shoots doctors). And I suspect ours isn't as violent, yet, because that level of violence wouldn't be tolerated in America - and not because they don't desire to commit the same violence taking place in the Muslim world today. So America's religious right keeps its violence limited to words and legislation that do as much if not more damage to millions of citizens than stoning a McDonald's.

So while a growing part of me wants to think of the protesters are fucking nuts. A growing part of me realizes that our nuts are just as fucking as theirs. Read More......

House GOP losing interest in lobby reform

The House GOPers are in no rush to enact serious lobby reform. Absolute power has already absolutely corrupted them. In their guts, they don't think reform is needed. They don't think it matters:

The rush to revise ethics laws in the wake of the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal has turned into more of a saunter.

A month ago, Republican leaders in Congress called legislation on the topic their first priority, and promised quick action on a measure that would alter the rules governing the interaction between lawmakers and lobbyists.

But now they do not anticipate final approval of such a measure until late March at the earliest.

Read More......

Sunday Morning Open Thread

What's the Sunday Talk Show talk? Anything interesting? Read More......

Fiction Writer advises Bush on Global Warming

Greenland is melting, polar bears are drowning, earth's tempature is rising, but have no fear. Your president is getting scientific advice from novelist Michael Crichton who doesn't believe global warming is real. This really sums up the whole approach to science by the Bush White House:

In his new book about Mr. Bush, "Rebel in Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush," Fred Barnes recalls a visit to the White House last year by Michael Crichton, whose 2004 best-selling novel, "State of Fear," suggests that global warming is an unproven theory and an overstated threat.

Mr. Barnes, who describes Mr. Bush as "a dissenter on the theory of global warming," writes that the president "avidly read" the novel and met the author after Karl Rove, his chief political adviser, arranged it. He says Mr. Bush and his guest "talked for an hour and were in near-total agreement."

In a sick way, this just makes sense. Ignore the facts and the science. Just pretend. When it comes right down to it, Bush doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction anyway. Read More......

Open thread - we're back!

Thank God blogger got fixed. I'm back in DC after a whirlwind 48 hours in NYC with my friend visiting from France. Well, that whirlwind ended Wednesday night, then we had the whirlwind DC and Baltimore tour the last few days. We followed a lot of your recommendations for the NYC trip - took the Staten Island Ferry, who knew it was free, totally cool - went to Gray's Papaya for hot dogs - of course went to the Empire State Building, briefly saw Central Park, went to Marcolini (I'm told the best chocolate maker in Belgium), the village, Wall Street and Ground Zero, Chelsea, and more and more and more.

We also went to see the Tony Award winning musical Avenue Q. It's really a must-see if you go to NYC. This was my second time seeing it. It's just wonderful. Basically, it's Sesame Street with sex. It's of course more than that, but you just have to go. The music is great, the acting incredible, nice small intimate theater, etc. And like I said, the Tony for best Broadway musical in 2004, so, you really can't lose. See it.

Anyway, more funny things to report as well from the week, I'll let them dribble out as they come to mind. Oh yeah, Dunkin Donuts. Fastest way to a Frenchman's heart. Especially the chocolate covered cream-filled ones. Read More......