Open Thread

I'm at dinner, anything up? Read More......

GOP head of Christian Action League arrested for getting some Christian action with a hooker

And who says God has no sense of humor? Read More......

Who's behind the wheel?

Trying to keep track of who is running the war in Iraq can be a dizzying exercise. I could have sworn it was the job of the president, but the rotating blame game now includes -- though I'm sure isn't limited to -- Tommy Franks, George Casey, Paul Bremer, Don Rumsfeld, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Jay Garner. Each, you may remember, was at some point held up as a savior before being blamed, at least in part, for the continuing decline of the country.

Now it's Petreaus' turn to be the "nonpolitical" figure upon whom the administration bestows all its hopes and dreams . . . and spin. Glenn Greenwald is, as always, precisely on point when he comments,

In general, military commanders do not typically pronounce their own strategies to have failed; quite the opposite. The need for skepticism here is particularly acute given that there are plenty of Generals with equally impressive military pedigrees who disagree vigorously with Petraeus. War supporters -- who are attempting now to make criticisms of Petraeus off-limits -- long disputed the claims and views of Generals Casey and Abaziad, often quite vigorously, even insultingly. The statements about war from military commanders ought to be subjected to every bit as much scrutiny and skepticism as anyone else's.

General Petraeus did some things very well at the beginning of the war, and he seems to understand the region and its people better than many of his predecessors. That has no bearing, however, on his objectivity, and as the Bush administration increasingly uses him as a political tool, it will be even more important to examine critically statements about the war. Bush administration manipulation of the military has stripped its members of credibility, and that is an absolute shame. It's also a reality.

On a somewhat related note, wasn't there a guy whose new job was supposed to involve overseeing this debacle? Remember the War Czar? When was the last time we heard from General Doug Lute?? The whole thing is baffling . . . and infuriating. Read More......

jetBlue caves to O'Reilly and Malkin. Company doesn't want to be associated with crazy people like you.

jetBlue just screwed every one of us.

corporatecommunications@jetblue.com

FOX News' Bill O'Reilly and right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin complained that jetBlue was a corporate sponsor of the YearlyKos blogger conference and had offered a few free tickets for conference attendees (not exactly a huge commitment, and something companies do for conferences of all political stripes). O'Reilly and Malkin claimed that this was akin to jetBlue supporting people who endorse murder and assassination - he quite literally compared the top blogs to the KKK and the nazis.

jetBlue, mind you, advertises on FOX (according to Markos), shows FOX News on its flights, and its CEO has given $2100 to far-right GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. But please just ignore all of that. Because jetBlue has now, finally, shown some attention to the left as well, O'Reilly and Malkin decided that jetBlue must be destroyed.

So what did jetBlue do in response? Did they say "hey, what do you mean we're catering to the left, we've been showing FOX News on our flights forever?" Did they say "would you like our CEO to stop donating to right-wing politicians in order to show that he doesn't take sides in politics?" Did they say "if we pull our sponsorship of YearlyKos should we then pull our sponsorship of FOX News shows too?

No, jetBlue responded by pulling their logo from the YearlyKos Web site sponsor list, sending the clear to signal to every company in America that you, we, are pariahs that no company should dare touch. That we are, in fact, just as O'Reilly and Malkin have claimed, akin to murderers and assassins.

Oh, but jetBlue would like you to know, sotto voce, that they still REALLY like you, they just have to pretend in public that you're a diseased pariah while funding the presidential candidacy of a gay-bashing, far-right religious nutjob. As a gay man it reminds me of the way Republicans treat gays or Jews or Muslims or any other minority - bash us in public, but privately tell us they really like us, really they do. You see, some of jetBlue's best friends are black... I mean bloggers.

jetBlue can go fuck itself.

And feel free to tell them that in those words: corporatecommunications@jetblue.com

More from Markos. Read More......

Did we say November? We meant next summer

The lies continue from the Pentagon top brass. Two days ago they said we should wait until September before making any judgment on the "success" of the Iraq war. Then yesterday they told us, sorry, we meant NOVEMBER. And today, it's next summer.

The endless war will continue forever unless the Republicans are stopped. Read More......

Susan Collins thinks bloggers and their readers are "hateful, quasi-violent... extremists"

It's understandable that Susan Collins is lashing out via her campaign staff, she is after all in increasing danger of losing her job because of her staunch support for George Bush and the war in Iraq. Susan Collins represents everything that is wrong with the Republican party today - it's people like her who forced me to leave the GOP over a decade ago. She thinks her only job is to be a rubber stamp for George Bush's failed war and failed administration. So, yes, Susan now thinks that anyone who disagrees with her about the war is a hate-filled, quasi-violent extremist (sounding a bit like Bush and Cheney, demonizing anyone who disagrees with you, eh Susan?). Also, note her staffer's use of the word "quasi-violent". Classic Susan Collins. She simply can't take a clear position on anything. Always trying to split the baby in half. So it's not "violent," it's "quasi" violent, whatever the heck that wishy-washy word means. It will be nice next November when Maine replaces Susan with a real Senator.

Susan Collins, the quasi-Senator.

PS Susan's staffer also got the JetBlue story wrong, they haven't pulled their sponsorship of the annual blogger conference. Read More......

Positive developments in North Korea

With the understandable focus on Iraq this week, some interesting developments in North Korea have slipped under the radar. In the past five months, Chris Hill, Assistant Secretary of State and the lead on recent dealings with Pyongyang, has accomplished what five years of neocon hardline policy could not, culminating earlier this week with North Korea's closing of their plutonium producing facility in Yongbyon.

This is a tremendous -- if still tenuous -- step towards disarmament, and an important indicator of foreign policy both micro and macro. Specifically regarding North Korea, it means that we *can* affect their actions and thinking, despite hysterical conservative claims of North Korean irrationality and insanity. And generally, it helps prove the point many of us have made for years: negotiation works, and engagement is far better than isolation and brinkmanship. It may not be exactly what we want or like, and it means dealing with some despicable regimes, but it can get the job done.

The invaluable Mark Goldberg explains further.

Progress has been unrelentingly positive since assistant secretary of state Christopher Hill visited Pyongyang in late June - the first high level American official to do so in five years. This progress, though, might not be such a positive thing for those who advocated abandoning the Agreed Framework back in 2002. With weapons inspectors suddenly on the ground in North Korea, the rational behind the hardliners' disastrous approach over the last five years may be further undercut.

Of course, it wouldn't be the Bush administration without some sinister, manipulative element. Mark highlights the potential problem for the Bush administration when inspectors begin their painstaking and valuable work:

But here is the rub: claims of a secret uranium producing facility may have been wildly exaggerated by Bush administration officials who simply wanted an excuse to abandon the Agreed Framework. Two weeks after the February 2007 deal was announced, Joseph DeTrani, the chief American intelligence officer for North Korea, told congress there was never conclusive evidence of a secret uranium enrichment facility in North Korea.

So when IAEA inspectors are permitted to examine these claims, they may simply come up empty-handed. The whole premise of the administration's disastrous North Korean policy may have been built upon exaggerated claims about weapons of mass destruction. Sound familiar?

Indeed it does, Mr. Goldberg! Still, there is progress being made here, much to the credit of Chris Hill and a few other reality-based officials, and the situation should be watched . . . and learned from. Read More......

Oh no. Harry Reid was mean to Arlen Specter. The Senate can't function while Specter has a bruised ego.

Was waiting for an article about how Senator Arlen Specter was upset that he couldn't pontificate on the Senate floor on Wednesday. I was watching C-SPAN when Harry Reid shut him down. Great moment. Of course, Specter has turned his bruised ego into some grand attack on the the Senate leadership. He's pathetic:

Arlen Specter is a senior United States senator who expects to be allowed his say on the Senate floor. So he bristled when Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, brusquely cut him off at the end of the Iraq debate.

“The leadership is setting a dictatorial tone,” Mr. Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said Thursday, still furious over his treatment the day before. “Senators didn’t get here to be pushed around.”

It may seem small-minded to bicker over a few words at the end of a 24-hour debate. But the clash between the two veteran senators is evidence of a larger breakdown in relations in the Senate, a deterioration in cooperation that is hobbling the Senate’s ability to get things done. The situation is not likely to improve with a presidential election on the horizon.

The breakdown in the Senate isn't about Arlen Specter's ego. Or about presidential elections. It's about the Iraq war. It's about Senators like Arlen Specter who have protected and enabled George Bush for the past five years.

True to form, Specter made this all about his fragile ego. You'd think Senators would really be more concerned about the thousands of dead soldiers and the tens of thousands who have been injured. Not Specter.

Harry Reid should keep smacking around those GOP Senators who want to keep the war going. He's doing it for the rest of America. Read More......

Friday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Here's a question as we approach August: Who will take a longer vacation? George Bush or the Iraqi Parliament. We'll revisit this subject many times.

So, get it started. Read More......

Australian "terror" case based on false government evidence

It all sounded so scary, the news of an Indian doctor working in Australia who was conspiring with the failed alleged Scotland bombers. The doctor in Australia was arrested and denied bail because he was so dangerous. During an election cycle, which is the case in Australia, news like this can easily be blown out of proportion as we all witnessed in the US during the infamous terror warnings du jour courtesy of Tom Ridge.

As the Australia story unfolds, it increasingly is falling apart and looking like just another John Howard "be afraid, be very afraid" fear campaign. Today the story broke that the physician had made repeated attempts to phone British police immediately after the failed bombing though the calls were not returned. The Australian prosecutors insisted on maximum security due to the "reckless" support for the terrorist attack including a key piece of evidence - a mobile phone SIM card - being found in the burning car in Scotland, linking the doctor in Australia to the attackers. The problem now is that despite being entered as evidence, that story is crumbling as well.

The Howard government, who has been as friendly as possible to Bush, has been trying everything in this election campaign from Aborigine pedophilia to suggestions of imminent terror attacks in Australia. All of this tells me that Howard's act has become a tired routine in Australia and he's nervous about clinging to power for one more term. If fear and bizarre race baiting are all he can offer, Bush may be losing another close friend. Read More......

Court orders VA to provide retroactive benefits to vets

You just have to wonder about the delta between what the VA is supposed to do and what they do in reality. Does the VA ever show an interest in helping US veterans? Five years ago while in a VA waiting room I recall being surprised when one Vietnam vet was sharing a story related to his exposure to Agent Orange and his disability and his neighbor only then learning about the links between the chemical and physical conditions that were known problems. It's shameful how poorly the VA treats vets and the Agent Orange scandal has gone on for long enough. Read More......

China announces termination of exports for problem businesses

After initially flubbing the response and blaming the media, a few times, the government of China looks like it will be serious about what it exports. It may have been a small percentage but even so, that impacted enough people around the world that it left China with no alternative other than to change or lose business. With the Olympics coming next year this has been a black eye that only distracts from all of the great things that are happening in China and while making an announcement is different from actually stopping the business (let's see what happens) it's a very good move.

Now let's see US companies get serious because there is still plenty of work to do. Whether it's salmonella, e.coli, mad cow or now botulism, plenty of work needs to be done on the home front. Read More......

Open thread

And off to bed Read More......