Back from CNN

Totally forgot to tape it. Joe got it on TiVo. Will check it out later. Felt like it went okay. Read the rest of this post...

Bill Bennett slapped down hard by Washington Post reporter Dana Priest

I don't think Dana is going to go to jail quietly. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Looks like I'm going to be on some show on CNN at 1030 or so tonight, Eastern time. I couldn't tell you in a million years what show, but apparently we're debating what it means to be a patriot. As in, banning flag burning, oppose the Iraq war, are these patriotic actions? Read the rest of this post...

What's the relationship between Ken Mehlman and Abramoff?

The inquiring minds at Talking Points Memo want to know (and so do we):

Mehlman was a fixer for Abramoff while Mehlman was political director at the Bush White House. And now he says he barely knew Jack Abramoff.

Could it be possible that someone who worked at the White House is lying? Actually, it would be earth-shattering if someone who worked so closely to Bush wasn't lying. Read the rest of this post...

NY Post accuses Ann Coulter of plagiarism

Wow, from the conservative paper, no less. And they're claiming she cribbed stuff in her new book AND in her weekly column.

one 25-word passage from the "Godless" chapter titled "The Holiest Sacrament: Abortion" appears to have been lifted nearly word for word from Planned Parenthood literature published at least 18 months before Coulter's 281-page book was released.

Raw Story and Rude Pundit were on this story weeks ago. Read the rest of this post...

Bush reportedly decided to spy on your phone records BEFORE September 11

UPDATE: Fixed the link.

This is important because, if true, it negates Bush's entire argument that the spying was needed to fight the war on terror. There was no war on terror before September 11, so why did Bush reportedly decide to start the process enabling him to illegally spy on Americans?

The U.S. National Security Agency asked AT&T; Inc. to help it set up a domestic call monitoring site seven months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, lawyers claimed June 23 in court papers filed in New York federal court....

``The Bush Administration asserted this became necessary after 9/11,'' plaintiff's lawyer Carl Mayer said in a telephone interview. ``This undermines that assertion.''

Read the rest of this post...

Hey, Associated Press, did Dick Cheney pay for his NASCAR tickets?

Since the Associated Press was so concerned a month or so ago that Harry Reid was invited to tour a few boxing matches in Nevada, without paying for the privilege, I'm just wondering why AP didn't bother inquiring in today's story whether Dick Cheney paid for his VIP access to the NASCAR race.

We also find out in the article that earlier this year Cheney threw "out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener." Did Cheney pay for the chance to attend that game?

Or doesn't the Associated Press go after Republicans? Stay tuned.

PS Does NASCAR ever invite Democrats to any of these things? It seems all I ever hear about is Republicans starting these races. Read the rest of this post...

Another day, another privacy violation

This time Red Cross donors are burned. Read the rest of this post...

White House in a spin war with Bin Laden

Ok, this is frightenly pathetic. The Bush team -- which can't capture the terrorist who killed 3,000 Americans on our soil -- is now engaging in a spin war with him. We've gone from getting him "dead or alive" to issuing a mean press release about how bad Bin Laden is. That's got to really scare the terrorists:

The White House countered a threatening message from Osama bin Laden on Saturday by accusing the al-Qaida leader of using the media to justify violence that is stalling the new Iraqi government's work to mend sectarian strife.

In an Internet posting Saturday, bin Laden endorsed a new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq and warned Shiites there against collaborating with the United States in battling Sunni insurgents.

"These terrorists offer nothing in their ideology and messages beyond future fighting, conflict and misery," the Bush administration said in a statement read by a White House official.

That really shows strength -- reading a statement to counter Bin Laden. That just makes the U.S. look weak. Bin Laden is thumbing his nose at Bush again.

Every time Bin Laden broadcasts a statement, it's a reminder that our President has failed us. Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

This is the line-up of guests on the Sunday shows. It's an eclectic lot this week:

FOX NEWS SUNDAY (WTTG), 9 a.m.: Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.); and NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin .

THIS WEEK (ABC, WJLA), 9 a.m.: Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.); and actress Mia Farrow .

FACE THE NATION (CBS, WUSA), 10:30 a.m.: Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.); and Bill Keller , executive editor of the New York Times.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC, WRC), 10:30 a.m.: Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

LATE EDITION (CNN), 11 a.m.: Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Peter T. King (R-N.Y.); Iraqi Industry Minister Fawzi Hariri ; Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres ; Saeb Erakat , chief Palestinian negotiator; musician Tony Orlando ; journalist Seymour Hersh and Griffin .

Meet the Press also has a roundtable with two reporters and two conservative commentators. Atrios opines:

The funny thing is I'm sure the Meet the Press producers/bookers saw absolutely nothing odd about a roundtable featuring Dana Priest, John Harwood, William Safire, and Bill Bennett. Nothing odd about that at all.

Still, the real mystery isn't why Meet the Press does this, the real mystery is why people like Priest and Harwood agree to participate in such a thing.

Take it away. Read the rest of this post...

Stay to the right at all costs - attack and don't lead

That's Blair, PM who is sitting on approval ratings that are below 30% and who prefers his own eternal, all powerful rule over the success of Labour. Criticism is lefty gibberish and increasingly illegal in the world of Blair so it's no surprise he's trying another assault on free speech and critics of his bungled reign. What a bloated ego this guy has.

Blair said it was not surprising Labour's poll numbers were sagging during its third term in office because governing for nearly 10 years means making hard choices that are not always popular.

"This is the time, therefore, to hold firm, to make the right decisions for the country, no matter how difficult ... and to renew not by returning to the past but by showing we have the drive, determination and vision to make the future work," he said. "What sustains a government at this point is self-belief."

Does he have the same speech writer as Bush? It sure as hell sounds like it.

Read the rest of this post...

Les Bleus beat Brazil!

Not since 1998 when France won the World Cup has France experienced such national excitement and unity. Everyone loves Les Bleus right now and every TV in the country has been tuned in to watch them play. OK, it's only football but lots of celebrations well into the night last night across France as the national team defeated defending champion and pre-World Cup favorite Brazil. Next up, a very tough Portugal team. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

I'm busy researching online at 12:41am on a Saturday. This isn't good. Read the rest of this post...