Late Night Open Thread

The people keep telling me things Mr. President. Unlike you, I listen. They asked for more shots, less girlie drinks. They shall have it. Here's tonight's suggestion Mr. President, in honor of John calling you out.

Bull Shit
Bull Shit (not bullshit) is a sweet, but decent shot.

Scale ingredients to servings
1 oz Hpnotiq® liqueur
1 oz Red Bull® energy drink
1 oz sloe gin

Mix ingredients together in a shaker with ice, and serve into a large shot glass or tumbler.

Open thread away! Jon Stewart is starting... Read the rest of this post...

I know NYC is safe from the terrorists

I know that NYC is safe because Dick Cheney and George Bush told us during the election last year that THE ONLY WAY another terrorist attack would happen was if John Kerry got elected president. And he didn't.

Dick Cheney and George Bush promised us there would be no more terrorist attacks on American soil if they were re-elected. Remember that.

And in any case, may I be the first to let out a loud: Bullshit. I don't trust a thing Bush says about terror. Maybe there's a threat, maybe there isn't. And maybe it's one guy in Iraq mouthing off, who has no idea what he's talking about, and the Bushies are using it to detract attention away from the Harriet Miers disaster, Karls' imminent indictment, Tom Delay's indictment, Bill Frist's insider trading investigation, Katrina, and all the other scandals of the last few weeks.

The point is: This boy president has cried wolf far too many times. He may be right this time, but he has no right for any of us to believe him. Read the rest of this post...

Bush says the terrorists want to take over Spain. Will sangria ever be safe again?

Wow. Spain is in trouble.

Bush said so today in his latest major address about how the world is all going to fall apart unless we boost his poll ratings, and fast. You see, the terrorist want Spain, and they want it bad. And that's why, apparently, we have to declare war soon on Syria and Iran and North Korea. And according to Ken Mehlman, this also appears to be the reason we must confirm Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court - it's all for Spain.

That got me thinking of all the great things Spain has given the world, all we really owe it.

There's Christopher Columbus (well, ok, if you're American Indian maybe he wasn't so great), sangria, high school Spanish classes, Speedy Gonzales (oh right, that was Mexico), bull fighting, the Spanish Inquisition, Joselito and Pulgarcito, Salvador Dali, and of course the Venga Boys (ok, I'm not sure if they're Spanish, but they do sing about Ibiza):

Hello Party People!
This Is Captain Kim Speaking
Welcome Aboard Venga Airways
After Take Off Will Pump Up The Soundsystem
Cause We're Going To Ibiza!

Yes, the United States is going to foment war across the globe on behalf of the Venga Boys. I feel safer already. Read the rest of this post...

Why is a CNN anchor conspiring with Rush Limbaugh?

Oh, that's right - they're lovers. Nice to know that CNN's anchor is a major George Bush lover, rooting for him while he's making national addresses. Yeah, no bias there.

From Media Matters:

RUSH LIMBAUGH (from October 6, 2005 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show): I got a note from my mistress in Georgia this morning, who was watching the speech. She said, "This is great. This sounds like you wrote this speech. This sounds like you giving this speech." And I was going, "Rah, rah. That's exactly right."

DARYN KAGAN (from October 6, 2005 broadcast of CNN’s Live Today): There was a promise from the White House that we were going to hear unprecedented details in this speech. I don't know that we heard that.

Great, so CNN no longer cares if their anchors are overt partisans. And then they let her get on the air and comment on this speech as if she's impartial, when she just got done conspiring with Rush Limbaugh. Nice, real nice. Read the rest of this post...

We know Rove plays word games...

So does his lawyer, Robert Luskin. But, Josh Marshall provides an excellent analysis of Luskin's latest attempt to mislead:

Today [Luskin] told the AP: "I can say categorically that Karl has not received a target letter from the special counsel. The special counsel has confirmed that he has not made any charging decisions in respect to Karl."

Here Luskin appears to be availing himself of the transitive property of hyper-parsification. To any reasonable person Luskin's statement should settle the matter of whether Rove is a target. But Luskin's own record of slithery parsification forces us to assume that these words are carefully chosen to conceal rather than elucidate. If you come from the con interp world, think of this as the journalists' version of 'strict scrutiny' which is called for in the case of a bamboozler like Luskin.

With that in mind, Luskin's second sentence means nothing. Being a target may mean you're likely to get indicted. But it doesn't mean that the prosecutor has decidied that in fact you will be indicted. So that's just a showy statement that means nothing. Then there's the matter of the letter. Karl hasn't gotten one. Luskin earlier approach was to say that Fitzgerald had assured him that Rove was 'not a target'. Now we're hung up on the letter.

Okay, this is brilliant. It's why I am a TPM junkie. Read the rest of this post...

NYC facing subway terror threat?

Hmmmm.....that's the latest from ABC News:

The New York City Police Department is investigating what it deems a credible tip that 19 operatives have been deployed to New York to place bombs in the subway, and security in the subways will be increased, sources told ABC News.

While the police department is taking the threat seriously, it is also urging the public not to be alarmed because – while the source is credible – the information has not been verified.

However, CNN's Jeanne Meserve just said Homeland Security is not aware of any credible or specific threat against NYC Transit. Kelli Arena basically said the same thing about the FBI.

What gives? Mayor Bloomberg is doing a press conference at 5:30 p.m. Read the rest of this post...

Why is Bush's jaw suddenly spasming, and/or teeth grinding uncontrollably?

A source in the media, who has the opportunity to see the president in person regularly, has pointed out to me that Bush appears to be uncontrollably grinding his teeth, or having a jaw spasm, when he speaks.

Reader Eric sent me a link to a video on the Huffington Post (the video is here, their post on an unrelated topic is here) that clearly shows this problem at the end of Bush's sentences, his lower jaw twitches or grinds. Eric and his friends noticed it too.

I'm told by folks who know that this is something that happens when people do too much cocaine. I've also heard that alcohol abuse can do the same.

Any experts out there want to weigh in? The man is our commander in chief during war time, we have the right to know that he's well.

By the way, I did some research on the other effects of cocaine use:

* Central nervous system and psychiatric effects: Users who have pleasurable experiences report varying degrees of euphoria; increased energy, excitement, and sociability; less hunger and fatigue; a marked feeling of increased physical and mental strength; and decreased sensation of pain. Some will feel a great sense of power and competence that may be associated with the delusion or false sense of grandeur, known as cocainomania. There can be talkativeness, good humor, and laughing. Dilated pupils, nausea, vomiting, headache, or vertigo (the sensation of your surroundings or yourself moving or spinning). With or even without increased amounts of coke, these can progress to excitement, flightiness, emotional instability, restlessness, irritability, apprehension, inability to sit still, teeth grinding, cold sweats, tremors, twitching of small muscles (especially of face, fingers, feet), muscle jerks, hallucinations (cocaine bugs, snow lights, voices and sounds, smells), and cocaine psychosis. Cocaine psychosis resembles paranoid schizophrenia and can bring on paranoia, mania, and psychosis.

Sound like anybody we know? Read the rest of this post...

Bush and Blair both Iran-bashing today

Coincidence?

Bush:

..we're determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes. State sponsors like Syria and Iran have a long history of collaboration with terrorists, and they deserve no patience from the victims of terror.

The United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support and harbor them, because they're equally as guilty of murder.

Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization. And the civilized world must hold those regimes to account.

Blair:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says evidence points to Iranian ties to bombings in Iraq, although Britain does not have definite proof.

"We cannot be sure," Blair told a news conference Thursday, but "there are certain pieces of information that lead us back either to Iranian elements or to Hezbollah."

In a news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in London, Blair repeated what a British official had told a journalists' briefing the previous day. Tehran has denied the accusations.

The official accused Iran of supplying weapons to a Shiite militia in Iraq which were then used to attack British troops, eight of whom have died.

Yeah, let's open up a three-front war with, uh, what army? The Iranians are probably laughing at this very minute. Bush launches another war and he's going to be run out of office. Read the rest of this post...

BREAKING: Rove is going to testify again

UPDATE: More on this here.

Is Rove spilling the beans to cop a plea? Wouldn't it be poetic justice if he saved himself by taking down Bush. A girl can dream...

From AP:

Federal prosecutors have accepted an offer from presidential adviser Karl Rove to give 11th-hour testimony in the case of a CIA officer's leaked identity but have warned they cannot guarantee he won't be indicted, according to people directly familiar with the investigation....

The U.S. attorney's manual requires prosecutors not to bring witnesses before a grand jury if there is a possibility of future criminal charges unless they are notified in advance that their grand jury testimony can be used against them in a later indictment.

Rove has already made at least three grand jury appearances and his return at this late stage in the investigation is unusual.

The prosecutor did not give Rove similar warnings before his earlier grand jury appearances.

Read the rest of this post...

Lawrence O'Donnell weighs in on Plame-gate...and makes a prediction

It was back in July of this year when Lawrence O'Donnell gave us the gift of a post titled "It's Rove." He was exactly right.

Today, he has more insight in to the Rove/Plame case:

If Karl Rove's lawyer, Bob Luskin, is still as easy to read as he has been since I broke the story that his client was Matt Cooper's source, then we now know that Rove has received a target letter from Patrick Fitzgerald. How do we know it? Luskin refuses to deny it.

O'Donnell explains the role of the "target letter" in a prosecutor's strategy. Basically, it's a pre-indictment strategy to turn someone. Then, he makes a prediction:

[A]t least three high level Bush Administration personnel indicted and possibly one or more very high level unindicted co-conspirators.

Think about that. How high is "very high level," especially when it's contrasted with "high level?" High level would seem to be Rove or Libby, since they've been the subject of debate all along. But "very high level"? That sounds like it's getting to a cabinet level or even a Cheney.

Or Bush himself.

I hope he's exactly right again. Read the rest of this post...

Afternoon Open Thread

Mr. President, great job this morning on giving the same speech you've given a thousand times before. Why not pour yourself one of these to celebrate? It's exactly how the public feels right now:

F*ck Me Over Again

Scale ingredients to servings
1 oz triple sec
1 oz Bacardi® light rum
1 oz Montezuma® gold tequila
2 oz ginger ale
3 oz orange juice

Pour triple sec, light rum and tequila into a highball glass over ice. Stir together, then add orange juice and ginger ale.

Open thread away!

P.S. Hey "big time" media - want to know why people don't respect you? Because you spend an entire morning talking about the President's "big speech", "major", whatever qualifier that the White House gave you. It's in the same breathless voice that 8th graders use when talking about who's taking the popular girl/guy to the dance. Did you hear? It's BIG NEWS!

This wasn't a major speech, it was the same bull they've been feeding for the last five years. The public has woken up, why haven't you guys? After all they've lied to you (and us) about, still you follow their lead - you look like idiots. Use your heads and the public might respect you again. Read the rest of this post...

Wow, Harriet reads the blog

Just got this email from Harriet. Hope she wasn't too pissed about the softball thing...

Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2005 13:24:56 -0400
From: Harriet Miers harriet.miers@gmail.com
To: AMERICAblog@starpower.net
Subject: Thanks for the links!!

LOL I guess I am giddy today... or at least I was this morning... although I've been holding back from blogging at work because Karl's in a BAD MOOD today and I don't want to push it!!!

Your right about Ann Coulter, she's MEAN.

Anyway thanks.

XOXOX

Harriet

Read the rest of this post...

New DemsTV is up

I did not host this one - time conflict - but watch it nonetheless :-) Read the rest of this post...

This Supreme Court thing has clearly gone to Harriet's head

She's downright giddy. Read the rest of this post...

Bush says God told him to invade Iraq

Can we impeach God?

President George W. Bush told Palestinian ministers that God had told him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq - and create a Palestinian State, a new BBC series reveals.

In Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs, a major three-part series on BBC TWO (at 9.00pm on Monday 10, Monday 17 and Monday 24 October), Abu Mazen, Palestinian Prime Minister, and Nabil Shaath, his Foreign Minister, describe their first meeting with President Bush in June 2003.

Nabil Shaath says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …" And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it.'"

Read the rest of this post...

Ann Coulter makes fun of Bush being a drunk (I am so not kidding)

Yes, we don't like that woman. But when she turns her venom on Bush, well, we just have to quote her :-)

First, Bush has no right to say "Trust me." He was elected to represent the American people, not to be dictator for eight years. Among the coalitions that elected Bush are people who have been laboring in the trenches for a quarter-century to change the legal order in America. While Bush was still boozing it up in the early '80s, Ed Meese, Antonin Scalia, Robert Bork and all the founders of the Federalist Society began creating a farm team of massive legal talent on the right....

Being a Supreme Court justice ought to be a mind-numbingly tedious job suitable only for super-nerds trained in legal reasoning like John Roberts. Being on the Supreme Court isn't like winning a "Best Employee of the Month" award. It's a real job....

Bush may as well appoint his chauffeur head of NASA as put Miers on the Supreme Court....

However nice, helpful, prompt and tidy she is, Harriet Miers isn't qualified to play a Supreme Court justice on "The West Wing," let alone to be a real one.

She makes fun of Bush being a drunk. Jesus. Man, I love when hateful jerks like Coulter prove that, well, they're hateful jerks. It serves the Republicans right for coddling people like Coulter and the religious right and all the rest of the wackadoo conservatives. You created these monsters. You can now deal with them.

Also, Joe just mentioned to me, this is very interesting timing for Coulter to be making fun of Bush's alcoholism. What with the National Enquirer story that Bush is drinking again, and with David Letterman doing a top 10 last night on "how you can tell Bush is drinking again." That story is permeating the culture and it's only a matter of time before the mainstream media finally jumps on it. Read the rest of this post...

Bush is giving that Iraq/Terror speech again

Watching live on CNN. Same speech because it's worked so well for him.

Here's what I am hearing so far:

September the 11th...September the 11th...September the 11th...evildoers...

If you don't support me, you support terrorists.

And, oh yeah, Iraq is the "central front" in the war on terror.

HEARD IT. Read the rest of this post...

AP: Congress Seeks to Cut Food Aid for Poor

The title of the article says it all. Well, almost all of it, could be "GOP Seeks to Cut Food Aid for Poor to give tax cuts to Rich." Read the rest of this post...

Senate votes against torture 90 - 9

Finally. And, yes, nine US Senators support torture. MyDD has the list. Read the rest of this post...

Early AM Open Thread

Bush is going on TV again at 10:10 AM (who comes up with these times, would 10:00 be so bad?). He's going to try and lie to the American public again - Iraq is part of the war on terror. As John said last night, give it up already. The public woke up Mr. President. You look like you could use a...

Desperate Martini

Scale ingredients to servings
3 oz gin
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz blackberry brandy

Shake ingredients with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh blackberries, and serve.

Open thread away. Any stories we've missed covering in the last couple of days?

P.S. - To the media - stop covering these propaganda parades live, it's not news when the President lies. Leave that to C-SPAN, it's their job, and they do it well. The public might start to respect you again. Read the rest of this post...

Why is the House and Bush still supporting torture?

90 Senators voted yesterday to set limits on interrogation techniques (9 voted against) even in the face of a veto by Bush. I'm not terribly convinced that a veto threat by Bush is really worth much since he has yet to use it but as this is about torture, something that the Bush team seems to loves so much, we might just see it happen. This is based on whether or not the House approves this, which is also in doubt. Why do so many in the GOP support torture? How is this in any way helping the cause overseas? Why do so many in the GOP hate America and want to continue this disgraceful policy?

In his closing speech, McCain said terrorists "hold in contempt" international conventions "such as the Geneva Conventions and the treaty on torture."

"I know that," he said. "But we're better than them, and we are the stronger for our faith."

Read the rest of this post...

More DeLay and Blunt allegations of corruption

Sounds like the Abramoff connections are starting to come in which is not good news for DeLay, nor for Blunt or Blunt Jr/Gov of Missouri. Who would have guessed that we would be hearing allegations of money laundering and possible Federal Election Commission violations similar to the Texas election charges? And they all seemed like such nice guys who really cared for the people. So how long does Blunt (either one) stick around before joining the Bug Man on the sidelines of power?

When it all ended, DeLay's private charity, along with the consulting firm that employed DeLay's wife and the Missouri campaign of Blunt's son, Matt, who now is the state's governor, all ended up with a piece of the pie, according to campaign documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Jack Abramoff, the Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also appeared in the picture.

"These people clearly like using middlemen for their transactions," said Lawrence Noble. "It seems to be a pattern with DeLay funneling money to different groups, at least to obscure, if not cover, the original source," said Noble...[Ohh, now would that be money laundering?]

Hartley [Blunt's former chief of staff] said he saw no similarity to the Texas case. The fact that DeLay's charity, Christine DeLay's consulting firm and Blunt's son were beneficiaries was a coincidence, Hartley said.

"You see Abramoff involved and see the meetings that were held and one gets the sense Abramoff is helping this along in order to get access and push his clients' interest," he said. "And at the same time, you see Delay and Blunt trying to hide the root of their funding.

Read the rest of this post...

An even later night open thread

Ok, I'm off to bed. The boys have instructions to wake me if Karl frog-marches. Read the rest of this post...

Conservative opposition to Miers boils over

GREAT Washington Post article. They are absolutely falling to pieces.

Funny, I thought there were no litmus test? He he he :-) Read the rest of this post...