Clinton mobbed by happy Italians chanting USA! USA!

THIS is what a REAL president is about. Even with all the damage Bush has done to our international reputation over the past 4+ years, all it takes is one Clinton to bring back the love for America. I was at an event with Clinton in Barcelona a few years ago, and it was amazing to see a room full of a thousand foreigners screaming like for a rock star. In Spain, no less, where they don't hate the US, but they don't really love us either. Amazing.

Read more at Kos. It's wonderful. Read More......

Open thread

gnite Read More......

Friday Orchid Blogging

Phal. Happy UFO



Another harlequin-type phal. Result of a mutation. I think it's cool. Others think it's hideous. Enjoy :-) Read More......

Open thread

Sci-Fi Friday reruns.... Sigh Read More......

GannonGuckert misquotes himself

Yes, we've finally seen it all. Since he can't really plagiarize himself, I guess the best he can do is to misquote himself.

Here's what Guckert SAYS he said today on the NPC panel, per his blog:

Here's what he actually said, per the video in the post below:

"Well you can hardly call FOX News conservative"

You just can't make this stuff up. Read More......

Now the media and the judges killed Terri Schiavo

More bull from God's personal messengers:

[Bob] Knight [of Concerned Women for America] and other pro-life critics contend the mainstream media polls were used to sway public opinion and prevent politicians from taking more drastic action to save Terri's life. Between a disingenuous media and determined judicial activists, he feels the deck was stacked in favor of the 41-year-old woman's court-ordered death.

Read More......

The Net reacts to GannonGuckert's appearance today

1. From E&P;

"We operate under the illusion of an objective media, but we have all seen, at least in the last election, that the objective media is an ideal that we no longer reach," [said Gannon.]

I.e., the 2004 election showed the press was biased against BUSH! Yeah. Swift Boat, much?

2. Wonkette (who creamed his ass).

3. Then there's this review, that I found via Wonkette, from a right-winger:

"The vilification of Jeff Gannon continued today at the National Press Club.... The condescension and disparagement of Gannon by the panelists, including the supposedly neutral Rick Dunham, was open and abhorrent.... I only heard the last 30 minutes."

Uh huh. Next. Read More......

VIDEO: "Best of" the NPC panel with GannonGuckert this morning

Distilled to 17 minutes, from Crooks and Liars. Read More......

"The Culture of Life" is going to cost us $12 million now

The judges are freaking out that their lives are in danger. Can we charge this directly to Senator Cornyn and Tom DeLay for threatening judges?

From the Wash Post:

Worried after recent attacks, federal judges urged Congress yesterday to provide more protection, including $12 million for security systems in most of their homes.

"Unfortunately, at the present time federal judges across the country are feeling particularly vulnerable, not only for themselves, but also for their families," said a letter from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the court's policymaking board, led by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.

Read More......

I missed the part about GG's printer running out of ink, what was that about?

Just curious, since folks are posting about it in the comments. Read More......

Comments are back!

Open thread to celebrate.

I see the comments function isn't working. Oh well, it usually corrects itself in a bit (I don't control it, it's an outside vendor a lot of us, like Atrios, for example, use - you'll notice his comments are messed up too.). Sorry about that. It usually corrects itself in a bit, nothing we can do to help, it's all outsourced. Read More......

Wonkette totally kicked GannonGuckert's ass

Wow. She blew me away. The woman totally kicked his $200 an hour ass. It was incredible theatre. I'm a truly truly truly impressed. For all the shit folks give Ana (aka Wonkette), and she gets shit, she did us proud today. Not to rehash the entire saga, but there's been some concern among liberal political bloggers that the mainstream media always picks Wonkette to represent serious political blogging at panel discussions, etc., when she's not a serious political blogger, rather she's a raunchy political humorist. A very, VERY funny raunchy political humorist, but still, if you're a serious political commentator, it's understandable that you'd get tired of people always having you represented by a comedienne, even a very funny one.

Anyway, she kicked GG's ass today. Relentless. I think he ticked her off when he started defending Armstrong Williams by saying the administration had to pay him because none of the mainstream media would report fairly on No Child Left Behind. I get the feeling that while she plays one on the Web, this is a woman who tolerates no fools.

Kudos.

PS I'd rather not go into the details of my being sick this morning and not being able to attend the panel in the audience, but since some are questioning it, I will say this, not that those select few even deserve a response. I was sicker than a dog with food poisoning symptoms. If you've had it, you know why I didn't just suck it up and go to the Press Club. Thanks for the concern from a number of you, I'm feeling better (not better, but better) now. Read More......

Food fight between Ana and Gannon

Olivier Knox of AFP: Did the WH or reporters question your credentials? You essentially circumvented the hard pass process, you never ran into any hurdles, obstacles, questions?

Gannon - Garrett how do you get in?

Garrett - With a day pass

Gannon - aha!

Garrett - it took the president of the WH correspondents association sitting down and having a meeting, to get me in.

Gannon - I didn't it the old fashioned way, perseverance.

Wonkette - really, how long did you try?

Gannon - I don't remember.

Wonkette - oh come on, you must remember.

Gannon - I, uh.

Wonkette - come on, how long?

Gannon - Ana, will you let me...

Wonkette - HOW LONG? how long? days, months, weeks?

Gannon - weeks. I went in one day, I asked to come back.

Matt Yglesias - I'm having trouble believing your recollection about how you got in the WH briefing room. You don't have a clear recollection?

Gannon - I don't even remember the date, the first time I went in.

Matt - do you have any idea why after all these weeks they changed their mind?

Gannon - I guess it was my turn. We'll let this guy in today. [Oh really, and for the next 2 years.] Read More......

Gannon asked about prostitution

Are you concerned about your activities being illegal in DC and surrounding area?

Gannon: They're alleged. I'm not commenting on those things, none of it has anything to do with my reporting. I didn't come here to discuss those things. [Then why were you invited, as an expert on what?] Read More......

GannonGuckert DEFENDS Armstrong Williams!

This deserved its own post. GG just said on the National Press Club that the administration HAD to pay Armstrong Williams to report about No Child Left Behind because they HAD to, the mainstream media wouldn't report fairly about the legislation so Bush had no choice! It was the only way he could get a fair hearing!

Yes, so Armstrong Williams refused to give Bush a fair hearing unless he was paid nearly half a million bucks? That's what Guckert is now alleging?

Wonkette then ripped his head off. Read More......

C-Span panel on GannonGuckert is on now - live blogging

I got terribly ill about 2 hours ago, and couldn't go to the event. I'm live blogging it instead, watching it on CSpan 2. As I'm watching this, I might just get ill again, based on the content...

Summary

- Rick Dunhan, National Press Club president basically told all the bloggers in the room not to throw their peas.

- Panel then each talked for 5 minutes.

Started with Julie Hirschfeld Davis of the Baltimore Sun. She was interesting, talked about the history of credentialing journalists, how once upon a time journalists would part-time as lobbyists.

Then blogger Matthew Yglesias, who rocked. Matt said that they shouldn't even be discussing if Jeff is a journalist, because he's not and not even close to being one. Matt added that just because it's hard to define a journalist doesn't mean it's not important to define one. He said it's a bit like defining baldness. If you have a full head of hair and lose a hair each day until you're bald, when are you officially "bald." It's hard to say, but doesn't mean we dispense with the term bald.

John Stanton of Congress Daily. Doesn't think we should try to figure out who is and isn't a journalist.

Ana Marie Cox (Wonkette). She was quite good. She is on the side of not trying to exclude who is a journalist.

Gannon. Gave a talk about freedom of speech, democracy, blah blah.

First question from the panel moderator was for Jeff. How did he get into the White House?

- Gannon: He's trying to make the distinction between hard passes and day passes. Suggested that, again, he didn't qualify for a congressional press pass so he couldn't get the White House hard pass, since the congressional pass is a prerequisite for the White House one. That's why he got the day pass. But that of course begs the question, if you didn't meet the requirements for hard pass access, is it really okay to get that access by going around the rules, getting a day pass, and using it as if it's a hard pass for repeated access over 2 years?

"I've never been a political activist." Nor given a campaign contribution.

Then Rick, the moderator, turned the discussion to the Internet, the next 10 years, how things will change.

- Ok, here's my problem. Guckert should be asked to leave the room right now. If he's not on the panel to discuss his case, then why is he there? As an expert on the future of the Internet and journalism? How so?

- John Stanton suggested that he has concerns about blogs being treated as journalists, since they repeat opposition research, opinions, etc. (that's a rough summary).

- Matthew Iglesias: There's a panic over the blogs and the Internet (doesn't think it's justified).

- Ana: Gossip Web site isn't necessarily journalism, that doesn't mean the person producing the gossip can't do journalism elsewhere. Maybe your past shouldn't matter.

- John at Congress Daily. Every story on a blog has an agenda, pushing a point of a view, a party. Reporters don't, in general. Bloggers have no check on this, they're proud of it. Not a problem, doesn't make them more or less a reporter, just makes them different.

Rick the moderator: What is objective? What is fair? What is balanced?

- Gannon: Blurry lines. Should a person who writes an article then go on TV to discuss it? [Again, what is Jeff's expertise for talking about this?.]

Rick the moderator: Does the American public think we're all operatives with an agenda? Should we draw a distinction between regular reporters and people who used to be political operatives (Russert, Stephanopoulos, etc)

Matt Yglesias: Difference between formerly being an operative and currently being an operative. Gets into Thune case (Daschle race). John Thune was paying bloggers to do journalism for him. One of the concerns about Talon News, operation run by Republican party operatives at the time it was being done. It's one thing to switch, it's another to be operating currently as an operative.

I'M NOW UPDATING THE PANEL IN ADDITIONAL POSTS ABOVE. Read More......

Cardinal Law in the news again

He's the guy who knowingly shuffled around pedophiles instead of turning them in for prosecution in Boston. Because he was chummy with John Paul II, he received a cushy job at St. Mary Major in Rome which is where poshy tourists like to attend mass. Today he led a special mass for John Paul II today, the only American with that honor. Hmm, not a very good sign for anyone thinking there might be some kind of change coming from the Vatican. Then again, it's only "an American problem" as they so often tell us.

Oh well, at least they allowed Mugabe to come to the Vatican despite making jokes about killing the Bishop of Bulawayo last week. Funny people. Read More......

Pfizer continues reverse Midas touch - Bextra now banned

Considering how the FDA is dominated by Big Pharma, it's incredible that yet another Pfizer drug is being removed from the market. Pfizer is the incredibly incompement Big Pharmaceutical company that has dazzled the world with Celebrex and who announced that they will be starting a $4B cost cutting program that was loved by Wall Street. Sadly, the executive management team who has run the company into this mess has not yet announced its collective resignation but I'm sure it's coming at any moment. Read More......

37% approval rating for Congress

And Bush at 44%. Could recent events have been the tipping point for change? Just how far does Congress have to go before people start to get it? Read More......

No Independent Judiciary???

The right wing nuts are raising the stakes in the war on America's Judiciary. Today's New York Times reports on their conference "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith."

Their martyr, the ethically challenged Majority Leader Tom DeLay, said the courts have "run amok." Then he reiterated his threats to go after judges:

"The failure is to a great degree Congress's," Mr. DeLay said. "The response of the legislative branch has mostly been to complain. There is another way, ladies and gentlemen, and that is to reassert our constitutional authority over the courts."

It got worse. The agenda for the meeting was described like this:

The organizers of the conference and Congressional staff members who spoke there called for several specific steps: impeaching judges deemed to have ignored the will of Congress or to have followed foreign laws; passing bills to remove court jurisdiction from certain social issues or the place of God in public life; changing Senate rules that allow the Democratic minority to filibuster Mr. Bush's appeals court nominees; and using Congress's authority over court budgets to punish judges whom it considers to have overstepped their authority.

Yes, impeachment, and according to Tom Coburn's office, mass impeachment might be needed:

"I am in favor of impeachment," Michael Schwartz, chief of staff to Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, said in a panel discussion on abortion, suggesting "mass impeachment" might be needed.

This is all crazy talk, but these people are in power and they mean it. We are not going to win by having a rational debate about the historical importance of the filibuster. These people are willing to destroy and re-write history. If you don't believe it, read this:

In an interview, Jeff Lungren, a spokesman for Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Republican of Wisconsin and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the panel was likely in some way to take up the issue of how the federal judges handled Ms. Schiavo's case.

But Mr. Lungren said Mr. DeLay had not requested a hearing and the committee had not decided on a course of action. "There does seem to be this misunderstanding out there that our system was created with a completely independent judiciary," he said.

No independent judiciary? Maybe that's true in China or Afghanistan, but in America?

These people are out of control with power. Destroying the Judiciary is their next target. And, as we've seen from the comments by DeLay and Cornyn, they will go to any lengths to change the judiciary. Even violence against judges doesn't faze them. Read More......

Morning open thread

Ugh. The things I do for news. Read More......