Bush now claiming a legal technicality as justification for violating international law and arresting foreign diplomats

Nice. To these guys, every law, every international norm, every basic human right is simply a technicality waiting to be skirted. That's the thinking of a Soviet dictator, a Chinese dictator, a Cuban dictator - not an American. I grow increasingly amazed as to the extent that Bush and the Republicans have become so contemptuous of the rule of law and the norms of civilized nations. It's kind of hard to fight for our freedoms when we've already given them away. Read More......

Friday Orchid Blogging

Paph (Honeycomb Creek x Harvest Time) 'PA' x Alex Szabo '#5'

This is one of my blooms, I returned from France to find it in full glory. It's a nice one. I've been told it might even be awardable, so I should give it a name, so as to remember that it's a good one. This is its first time blooming, so it should be much better the next time (that's a regular thing with orchids, they bloom much better as the plant ages). Enjoy. Read More......

White House Correspondents Association blasts White House for censoring media coverage

George Bush accused the media of treason, and they're surprised he took a photo op away from them.

It seems the White House is now making the rest of the media cover the White House like bloggers do - being forced to use still photos made from a TV screen, the same way our very own Joe in DC does. The mainstream media has aided and abetted the White House's little un-American activities for six years now, and finally it's biting them in the ass. Some guy loses habeas corpus and the media yawns. They lose their little photo ops and suddenly it's a high crime.

In fact, this is a serious issue because it's part of the larger imperial White House that Bush has created. They are above the law, above public accountability. And it's about time the media started noticing. Perhaps some day our top reporters will realize that then loss of rights goes far beyond losing a photo op.

January 12, 2007

Mr. Dan Bartlett
Counselor to the President,
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Dear Dan,

On behalf of the White House Correspondents’ Association, and in conjunction with the White House News Photographers Association, we are writing to express our outrage that still pool photographers were denied access to the White House library on Wednesday evening. As you know, following weeks of preparation and the White House build-up leading up to the presidential address, this was a significant foreign policy speech. Forcing newspapers and magazines to rely on a “screen grab” photo from the Fox News network pool feed is simply unacceptable.

In recent months, there has been a growing pattern of restricting pool photographers to White House events, but the situation Wednesday night for this important speech to the nation is the most glaring.

We expressed our concern to Tony Snow and Dana Perino earlier today, and join the WHNPA in asking that this practice end. These photographers provide a vital service to wires, magazines and newspapers around the world, while also serving as a lasting historical record to the events of our times. In addition, a White House photo release is never an acceptable substitute for independent news coverage. Therefore, in our strongest terms possible, we want to express our disappointment that a decision was made to keep even a single pool photographer from the room, and ask that it never happen again.

Regards,

Board of Directors - WHCA
Steven Scully, C-SPAN
Ann Compton, ABC News
Jennifer Loven, Associated Press
Peter Maer, CBS News
Steve Holland, Reuters
Doug Mills, New York Times
Ken Walsh, US News & World Report
Ken Herman, Cox Newspapers
Mike Allen, TIME

Read More......

Open thread... anybody know Clint Eastwood?

My friend Cyrille, who was chosen as the blogger of the year in France last year, is insane. He's also headed to the Oscars in February (he weaseled an invite from somebody). His dream has been to meet Clint Eastwood. So, I'm asking: Anybody got a contact to Clint Eastwood? Cyrille is a great guy, funny as hell. I'm happy to help him if I can. You'll recall he's the one with the blog "Bonjour America," to introduce Americans to France. His accent in English is so French it could slay you (as Loic Le Meur, one of France's other top bloggers, said the other day - "My God, you really talk like that in English"). Anyway, like I said, Cyrille (aka Vinvin) is a great guy, so if you can help him meet up with Clint, even for 3 minutes, during his visit, you'd make a frog's dream come true (I was working on a "turn a frog into a prince" joke, but it wasn't coming to me). Thanks, JOHN Read More......

Cliff's Corner

The Week That Was 1/12/2007

Another week. More preposterousness to report.

Wow, it was really difficult deciding what to pen this piece about this week. In fact, it took me as long to ponder this as it took Mayor America to nix the existence of his kids from his second marriage from his presidential exploratory committee website. In other words, two seconds. He also left out his first wife, who was also his second cousin (really). That last one I don't get. I'd have thought marrying a cousin would appeal to the GOP base.

Yet, what I really want to talk about is that craven, bed-wetting, Quayle-level competent, self-indulgent, Wonder Bread, little frat-brat. You may know him as George Bush. To all those conservatives, Independents, conservative Democrats and members of the Free Society of Teutonia who voted for him, who now realize how dangerously stupid and stupidly dangerous he is, I say welcome to the party.

But I'm sorry, I can't help but say this very plainly: What the hell took you so long? Why was it so hard in 2000 to see this man's utter lack of accomplishment, his past playing a less charming, cerebrum-lesioned version of Dean Martin in the rat pack--who wasted most of the time on various potions and powders while dodging the draft, getting in mano e manos with dear old dad and running business after business into the very ground where he couldn't find oil if he were Jed Clampett hanging out with the Getty family.

Who didn't see that interview where he couldn't name the President of India, the speech where he thought Social Security wasn't a federal program and read stories of his playing video golf for hours each day as governor of Texas?

Yeah, but we were told, he would be a great guy to have a beer with! Of course he would, he's a goddamn drunk.

The man was also a male cheerleader. I mean c'mon! Here's one for you--give me an F! Give me a U! Give me a C! Give me a K! Give me a U! Give me a P! What's that spell!?!

So now, because so many people couldn't see what was right in front of their faces (with an assist from Democratic "consultants"), we have this walking-almost-talking intellectual colostomy bag finding ways to start wars with Syria and Iran, when he can't even win the one he already committed high crimes & misdeameanors to get us into.

Start a war with Iran, and a thousand attacks will bloom from Hezbollah cells around the world. I'm sure John Ashcroft has already stopped flying commercial again.

If this man ignores Congress, and does go to war with Iran, it is very simple. He must be dragged kicking and screaming from the White House like he's Ted Haggard being pulled away from an episode of Queer as Folk, or Condi from Monday Night Football. Read More......

Exxon claims to be cutting ties to global warming smear organizations

Let's just say I'll believe it when I see it. I know that Mr. $500MM, also known as the Darth Vader of Global Warming, is no longer CEO (and instead is the Chair of America's Alternative Energy Future courtesy of Bush) but there is way too much history to believe Exxon. Let's see where things are in a year, but looking at their recent history - even compared to their competitors - I don't see Exxon suddenly becoming an environmentally friendly company.

In a report last year on how oil majors are addressing global warming emissions, Ceres gave Exxon a 35 — the worst of any company. Oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell got 90 and 79, respectively.

“Given how large and influential Exxon is and that they are basically the last big industry climate skeptic standing, even small moves can have a very big impact,” said Logan.

And if Exxon really wants to prove it's no longer the evil empire, let them address their rampant homophobia as well. You'll recall that when Exxon took over Mobil several years ago, Exxon gratuitously deleted gays from Mobil's non-discrimination and diversity policies. Exxon claimed, incredibly, that gays were covered by the company's general non-discrimination policy. Funny, then, that Exxon includes other minorities by name in their policy. If the policy covers everyone then why list some and not others?

The answer, any lawyer can tell you, is that Exxon's policy, by specifically not including gays, EXCLUDES gays. Exxon is run by homophobes as well as earth-haters. If Exxon wants to clear up their name, they can start by cleaning up their act. Read More......

I have no idea if Condi Rice is a lesbian

But it sure seems to me that the White House and conservative activists are acting like she is, and I find that odd.

Yesterday, Rice went to testify before the Senate. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) told Rice the following:

"Who pays the price [for Bush's incompetence in Iraq]? I'm not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old and my grandchild is too young," Boxer said. "You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families."

Boxer is correct, that neither she nor Condi are going to pay a personal price in terms of their kids or spouses or parents being drafted or otherwise killed in Iraq. But for some reason, the White House, and conservatives across the board, have jumped on Boxer's comment and gone ballistic over it.

Which begs the question, why?

1. Did Boxer say something untoward?

No. She made a valid and obvious point, and a rather innocuous one at that. And Boxer included herself in the point, so it clearly wasn't a personal attack, or Boxer would have been personally attacking herself.

In fact, Barbara Boxer never said anything that First Lady Laura Bush herself hasn't already said. When speaking of Condi as a possible presidential candidate, Mrs. Bush said the following to People Magazine just a few weeks ago:

Dr. (Condoleezza) Rice, who I think would be a really good candidate, is not interested. Probably because she is single, her parents are no longer living, she's an only child. You need a very supportive family and supportive friends to have this job.

Should Laura Bush now apologize for saying much more about Condi's personal life than Barbara Boxer has said? I mean, Laura Bush just suggested that single women aren't capable of being president without a good man helping them out.

2. Therefore, the White House and conservatives have some other reason for freaking out about the fact that a sitting US Senator mentioned that Condi Rice has no immediate family that might serve in Iraq. Why would that fact freak Condi and the conservatives out?

I think they freaked out because for years there have been rumors - unsubstantiated from what I know - about Condi's true sexual orientation. She doesn't appear to date men. She's around 52 years old and has never been married. Her life's dream is to become the commissioner of the National Football League. And she had a very strange exchange on FOX News a few years back in which one of the FOX hosts seemed to be trying to set Condi up on a date with a female anchor at FOX (true story).

None of this proves that Condi is a lesbian. But it explains why there are rumors about Condi, rumors about which the White House is most certainly aware.

Which brings us back to our original question: Why are the White House and conservatives so freaked out about this innocuous quote from Barbara Boxer?

One thing I've learned is that conservatives flip out the most when they think you've found their weak spot. For example, when people questioned Bush's intelligence at the beginning of his term (pre-9/11), the conservatives flipped out (remember when the Canadian press secretary mentioned that Bush was a bit of a dodo?). The conservatives didn't flip out because they thought the charge was wrong or rude or inappropriate - but rather, they flipped out because they knew the charge to be true, and incredibly damaging to the president. After all, imagine how history might have come out differently had the American people known in 2000 what an arrogant dimwit our president-to-be really was? The pattern is repeated often in conservative circles. The moment an enemy hits close to home, conservatives flip out in order to ensure the enemy never dares go there again.

What that suggests in the case of the Condi uproar is that, I think, the White House and conservative activists like FOX News are deathly afraid of Condi's unmarried status and what it might suggest about her sexual orientation. Condi is a potential future Republican presidential, or VP, candidate. She is a rising star (or at least was until the Iraq fiasco) in a party that has few stars left. And if Condi were to turn out to be a bit light in the Manolos, it wouldn't go over too well with the family values crowd that controls the Republican party.

That is the only reason I can think of as to why the White House and conservative activists are freaking out over a nothing-quote from Barbara Boxer. The quote is unintentionally based on the underlying truth that this 52-year-old, single, football-loving lady doesn't seem to have much of an interest in men. And while I tended to be agnostic on the Condi-is-gay rumors up until this point, the bizzarely vicious reaction of the White House and FOX News and Matt Drudge to this episode is starting to make me wonder if they know something I don't. Read More......

Open thread

I've just added a new option at the bottom of each post. It's called "bookmark," but what it really does is allow you to submit the post to Digg, Technorati and other services (why? because those services serve as indexes of online content, kind of like Google, so people can find the post and visit our site). We were using another service to submit posts to Digg for a short while, but it started slowing down the entire site. While we were using it, Digg was sending us 5% of our traffic - that's not bad at all. So, if you like a particular post, and think it's something that a much larger audience should know about, please consider clicking the bookmark button and submitting it to Digg or Technorati (or any other service you think works well. It's pretty self explanatory how to submit a post - you'll see, it's easy. Oh, one more thing. On Digg, if you find the story has already been submitted, then be sure to click on the small blue "digg it" text - to add to the number of "diggs" the post gets. Thanks, JOHN Read More......

The big speech was a big dud with Americans

Bush and his people worked on the strategy for his Wednesday night speech for months according to today's NY Times. It's was a big flop according to the post-speech poll found on CNN Political Ticker:

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finds just a third of Americans (32%) support the president's plan to send about 20,000 more troops to Iraq, while two-thirds oppose the plan (66%).

35% said Bush has a clear plan for Iraq, while 63% said he does not.

People have figured out that Bush is leading the country off a cliff. Read More......

Sen. Johnson improving, talking

Good news about the Senator from South Dakota:

U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota, whose brain surgery last month raised speculation that Democrats could lose control of the Senate, is able to talk and has been transferred to a rehabilitation unit to begin "aggressive therapy," his office said on Thursday.

"Yesterday, Senator Johnson underwent an MRI which showed that his speech centers were spared of injury. This is confirmed by the fact that he is following commands and has started to say words," neurosurgeon Dr. Vivek Deshmukh said.

The behavior of the right wingers last month when we all learned of Johnson's illness was beyond disturbing. They were like vultures.

His continually improving condition is very good news. Read More......

House passed Stem Cell bill

The House Democrats are on a roll in the First 100 hours. Almost overlooked because of the reaction to the disastrous speech by the President was the passage of the Stem Cell bill:

Thirty-seven Republicans joined 216 Democrats to pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would allow federal funding of research on stem cells from embryos slated for destruction at fertility clinics.

The 253 to 174 vote fell 37 votes short of what it would take to override the veto that Bush yesterday promised would be forthcoming, assuming the Senate passes the same bill, as expected. Bush vetoed the legislation after it passed last year.

But buoyant research proponents said they still have several options and promised to persevere until the legislation becomes law.

Bush is too preoccupied with sending people to die in Iraq to worry about saving lives with advanced medical research. Read More......

Friday Morning Open Thread

I'd say Chuck Hagel nailed it yesterday:

I have to say, Madame Secretary, that I think this speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it's carried out. I will resist it.

He's your President, Senator Hagel. How do you plan to resist?

Your thoughts and ideas? Read More......

Bush at 32% in new poll

Bush going down and Congress going up. Sounds like Bush is past the tipping point.

John Mueller, an Ohio State University political scientist and author of "War, Presidents and Public Opinion," said that Bush's ratings are "basically hopeless" even if the situation in Iraq improves, because people already feel the war's cost has been too high.

Read More......

Lieberman not interested in Katrina accountability

Now that the election is over, he's uninterested in holding anyone accountable for the massive Katrina failures.

But the decision by Lieberman, the new chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to back away from the committee's Katrina probe is already dismaying public-interest groups and others who hoped the Democratic victory in November would lead to more aggressive investigations of one of the White House’s most spectacular foul-ups.

Last year, when he was running for re-election in Connecticut, Lieberman was a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of Katrina. He was especially dismayed by its failure to turn over key records that could have shed light on internal White House deliberations about the hurricane, including those involving President Bush.

I never knew being bipartisan meant being a lackey for the GOP. What a boot licker for Bush. Read More......