Nov. 20, 2007 10pm ESTRead the rest of this post...
Santa Fe, New Mexico--I am outraged to learn that former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan confirms that he was sent out to lie to the press corps and the American public about two senior White House officials, Karl Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby who deliberately and recklessly revealed my identity as a covert CIA operations officer. Even more shocking, McClellan confirms that not only Karl Rove and Scooter Libby told him to lie but Vice President Cheney, Presidential Chief of Staff Andrew Card, and President Bush also ordered McClellan to issue his misleading statement. Unfortunately, President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's felony sentence has short-circuited justice.
Vice President Cheney in particular knew that Scooter Libby was involved because he had ordered and directed his actions. McClellan's revelations provide important support for our civil suit against those who violated our national security and maliciously destroyed my career.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Plame is outraged
Valerie Plame just released the following statement in response to this new story:
Citigroup chokes again, Freddie Mac could hit $5 billion
Despite all of the brainpower, experts and money, Citigroup has no clue what they have on their books. Citigroup smells like a company soon to be up for sale with this amount of disorganization.
Goldman Sachs downgraded Citigroup, a Dow component, to "sell" and said the No. 1 U.S. bank may have to write off $15 billion for debt losses over the next two quarters.Yes, even more losses for the company that just shoveled over a healthy retirement plan to the sacked CEO despite his incompetent management of the company. It just gets better.
Goldman also cut its profit estimates for Citigroup through 2009, saying the bank would likely take additional hits from securities linked to subprime mortgages and other investments.Freddie Mac is also joining the fun to the tune of $5 billion of write-downs. Rumors are floating around that UBS has another $9 billion in bad debt related to the subprime market as well. Brilliant oversight of the financial markets by Greenspan and the Republicans. Decades of crying by the GOP about how clever they are with financial matters and the only expertise they offer is financial collapse. Read the rest of this post...
"It's been guess work as to how big a writedown Citigroup's going to take," said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. in San Francisco.
The Web and hate speech
Not surprisingly, the Internet is helping hatemongers spread their filth. But what can be done about it? My friend Chris discusses the issue in the International Herald Tribune.
Read the rest of this post...
Facebook, the new Big Brother
My friend Ari discovered something rather horrifying about Facebook the other day. As many of you know, Facebook is the popular social networking site where people can set up their own profiles, including pictures, and network with friends and colleagues. One of the things some people like to do on Facebook is post updates on their profile of every single thing they're doing throughout the day.
Well, what my friend Ari discovered is that some of the personal details listed on your Facebook profile aren't things that you listed, or things that you even knew were listed about you at all. In fact, they're details about your life that Facebook has decided to publish to the world on your behalf. In Ari's case, he found out that his Facebook profile reported that he had bought tickets to a movie the other night - it even listed which movie and the date and time he bought them (oops, and his boss thought he was working). Kind of creepy if you consider that Ari could have told his fiance that he was working late that night while Facebook said otherwise (he didn't, but I'm just saying). Or how about if Ari kept buying tickets to gay films, would that have been an interesting fact for Facebook readers to know about, let alone Ari's fiance? (Again, he hasn't... well I think he hasn't, maybe I need to check Ari's Facebook profile.) And God only knows if Facebook has similar info-sharing deals with Amazon or other book vendors. Buy any books lately on herbal remedies for cancer, AIDS, or any other disease? Or how about a book entitled "So you've had an affair" or "So you're gay" or "Coping with mental illness." Buy any sex toys or condoms online? You get the picture.
From what we've been able to glean, Facebook automatically opts its users in to this privacy-violating pyramid scheme and the only way you can get out of it is by visiting every single one of Facebook's corporate partners (whoever they are, we only know about Fandango at this point), and telling each and every one (if you can figure out where to tell them this) to stop publishing your private information on Facebook. God forbid that Facebook asked its members to opt in to this little scheme and/or gave its members a one-button opt-out rather than requiring them to visit every site on the Internet and search for the Facebook-privacy-violation-opt-out-button. And, even after you do that, it's still not clear if Fandango and others are still sharing your movie-going habits and other purchases with Facebook.
The entire thing is pretty shifty, and pretty sick, in my view. But don't expect the Democrats to do anything about it because privacy isn't an important issue to Democrats, other than, they claim, the right to privacy in the Constitution, a right that Democratic candidates love to trumpet even as they lift not a finger to help protect and preserve that right in America at large.
Ari tells his story here. And MoveOn created a "Facebook Stop Violating my Privacy" petition here. Read the rest of this post...
Well, what my friend Ari discovered is that some of the personal details listed on your Facebook profile aren't things that you listed, or things that you even knew were listed about you at all. In fact, they're details about your life that Facebook has decided to publish to the world on your behalf. In Ari's case, he found out that his Facebook profile reported that he had bought tickets to a movie the other night - it even listed which movie and the date and time he bought them (oops, and his boss thought he was working). Kind of creepy if you consider that Ari could have told his fiance that he was working late that night while Facebook said otherwise (he didn't, but I'm just saying). Or how about if Ari kept buying tickets to gay films, would that have been an interesting fact for Facebook readers to know about, let alone Ari's fiance? (Again, he hasn't... well I think he hasn't, maybe I need to check Ari's Facebook profile.) And God only knows if Facebook has similar info-sharing deals with Amazon or other book vendors. Buy any books lately on herbal remedies for cancer, AIDS, or any other disease? Or how about a book entitled "So you've had an affair" or "So you're gay" or "Coping with mental illness." Buy any sex toys or condoms online? You get the picture.
From what we've been able to glean, Facebook automatically opts its users in to this privacy-violating pyramid scheme and the only way you can get out of it is by visiting every single one of Facebook's corporate partners (whoever they are, we only know about Fandango at this point), and telling each and every one (if you can figure out where to tell them this) to stop publishing your private information on Facebook. God forbid that Facebook asked its members to opt in to this little scheme and/or gave its members a one-button opt-out rather than requiring them to visit every site on the Internet and search for the Facebook-privacy-violation-opt-out-button. And, even after you do that, it's still not clear if Fandango and others are still sharing your movie-going habits and other purchases with Facebook.
The entire thing is pretty shifty, and pretty sick, in my view. But don't expect the Democrats to do anything about it because privacy isn't an important issue to Democrats, other than, they claim, the right to privacy in the Constitution, a right that Democratic candidates love to trumpet even as they lift not a finger to help protect and preserve that right in America at large.
Ari tells his story here. And MoveOn created a "Facebook Stop Violating my Privacy" petition here. Read the rest of this post...
Oil jumps over $98 on talk of weak US economy
The weak dollar policy of Bush and Paulson works its magic. The difference in euros is almost nothing, but a jump of $3.36/barrel will be noticed in the US. No matter how you chop up the numbers or what kind of inflation you want to call it, this is inflation. The US economy is in trouble and the world knows it.
Unless there is an American who isn't using oil the pressure on wallets will be felt. People such as Bush and Cheney don't give a damn if the price hits $150 per barrel because they will always be fine. It's just the rest of the population who is going to feel the pain.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Bush and the Republican party. Thanks for the votes in 2000 and 2004. Read the rest of this post...
Unless there is an American who isn't using oil the pressure on wallets will be felt. People such as Bush and Cheney don't give a damn if the price hits $150 per barrel because they will always be fine. It's just the rest of the population who is going to feel the pain.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Bush and the Republican party. Thanks for the votes in 2000 and 2004. Read the rest of this post...
Desmond Tutu blasts Anglican Church for its homophobia
Bra-vo. Maybe we should get Tutu to open some of Obama's concerts. (Oh that's right, not white enough.) From the BBC:
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, he said the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, had failed to demonstrate that God is "welcoming".Read the rest of this post...
He also repeated accusations that the Church was "obsessed" with the issue of gay priests.
He said it should rather be focusing on global problems such as Aids.
"Our world is facing problems - poverty, HIV and Aids - a devastating pandemic, and conflict," said Archbishop Tutu, 76.
"God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another.
"In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality."
Criticising Dr Williams, he said: "Why doesn't he demonstrate a particular attribute of God's which is that God is a welcoming God."
Pakistan: The enemy of my enemy is . . . a future trained and armed terrorist
The president says, "[F]reedom fighters, struggling for liberty and independence, inspire the West with their courage in the face of a powerful enemy. . . . And let no one mistake this for a conflict between the Western Democracies and the Arab world. Those who condone making war by cowardly attacks on unarmed third parties, including women and children, are but a tiny minority. Arab nations themselves have been forced to endure savage terrorist attacks from this minority. We hope and pray the Arab world will join with us to eliminate this scourage of civilization."
A leading Democratic expert on foreign policy warns that the administration "wants to resume covert military aid . . . To its proponents, the [] approach represents an unusual fusion of power politics and morality. To doubters, it is neither practical nor proper. . . . [I]n this case, top Administration officials do not seem to want to be tied down to a specific label and commitment. Nonetheless, other lower-level Administration officials and . . . neo-conservatives or neo-internationalists have embraced it and elevated the words and actions to doctrinal status . . . To many of the critics, more aid to these forces is not likely to force compromises out of their adversaries at the negotiating table. Rather, as they see it, it could end up spurring further . . . aid to their allies and getting many more people killed in the process."
But the New York Times reports that according to Charles Krauthammer, "who is a foremost defender of the doctrine and who is widely credited with its christening, there should be no apologies for its 'universalism and moralism.' That, he argues, is the way to combat the ideological underpinnings . . ."
A Heritage Foundation analyst further argues that we need to give more than just monetary support: "Washington must do more than increase its aid . . . A more creative policy would include: Modern weapons: [Our allies] need more modern air defense weapons, accurate 'standoff' weapons, mine detectors, radio communications equipment and field hospitals staffed by trained medical personnel. Training: Military training is needed to enhance the effectiveness [], conserve ammunition and improve operational planning. [...] Improving organizational abilities: [G]roups should be encouraged to organize and mobilize the people of the areas where they are strongest.
So is it a good idea to give a bunch of money and arms to Pakistani tribal groups in the mountains of Waziristan? The above statements won't help you decide, since they were all about giving a bunch of money and arms to resistance fighters in Afghanistan in the 1980s. That would be President Reagan at the top; the Democratic warnings come from Les Gelb. Irritatingly, Heritage is still Heritage and Krauthammer is very much still Krauthammer. This debate played out over twenty years ago.
Heritage, Krauthammer, and the rest carried the day, of course, funding a resistance made up of militant religious fundamentalists who we decided to take onto our side for theWar on Terror Cold War. One of the people for whom the Heritage analyst recommended more modern weapons, training, and improved organizational abilities was, of course, Osama bin Laden (who is, it's worth noting, as alive and well after killing thousands of Americans as he was 20 years ago when conservatives were all for funding and armies his ideological compatriots because they were the enemy of our enemy).
I'm no isolationist. I like foreign policy, and I like foreign engagement. But when I read that "A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces against an expanding militancy," I want to light myself on fire. Haven't we seen this movie before? I mean, it's even some of the same actors (literally!). And it's not even like we're talking about the Pakistani army -- these are tribal groups. Are they even friendlies? NYT says, "The training of the Frontier Corps remains a concern for some. NATO and American soldiers in Afghanistan have often blamed the Frontier Corps for aiding and abetting Taliban insurgents mounting cross-border attacks."
Well, then. Emulating a policy that helped create the most significant global terrorist group currently in operation seems like a bad idea to me, but I'm just a stoopid blogger. Still, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that blowback might be a slight possibility.
[Note: The above quotes are behind the Times pay wall (research is expensive!) but the original articles are here, here, and here.] Read the rest of this post...
A leading Democratic expert on foreign policy warns that the administration "wants to resume covert military aid . . . To its proponents, the [] approach represents an unusual fusion of power politics and morality. To doubters, it is neither practical nor proper. . . . [I]n this case, top Administration officials do not seem to want to be tied down to a specific label and commitment. Nonetheless, other lower-level Administration officials and . . . neo-conservatives or neo-internationalists have embraced it and elevated the words and actions to doctrinal status . . . To many of the critics, more aid to these forces is not likely to force compromises out of their adversaries at the negotiating table. Rather, as they see it, it could end up spurring further . . . aid to their allies and getting many more people killed in the process."
But the New York Times reports that according to Charles Krauthammer, "who is a foremost defender of the doctrine and who is widely credited with its christening, there should be no apologies for its 'universalism and moralism.' That, he argues, is the way to combat the ideological underpinnings . . ."
A Heritage Foundation analyst further argues that we need to give more than just monetary support: "Washington must do more than increase its aid . . . A more creative policy would include: Modern weapons: [Our allies] need more modern air defense weapons, accurate 'standoff' weapons, mine detectors, radio communications equipment and field hospitals staffed by trained medical personnel. Training: Military training is needed to enhance the effectiveness [], conserve ammunition and improve operational planning. [...] Improving organizational abilities: [G]roups should be encouraged to organize and mobilize the people of the areas where they are strongest.
So is it a good idea to give a bunch of money and arms to Pakistani tribal groups in the mountains of Waziristan? The above statements won't help you decide, since they were all about giving a bunch of money and arms to resistance fighters in Afghanistan in the 1980s. That would be President Reagan at the top; the Democratic warnings come from Les Gelb. Irritatingly, Heritage is still Heritage and Krauthammer is very much still Krauthammer. This debate played out over twenty years ago.
Heritage, Krauthammer, and the rest carried the day, of course, funding a resistance made up of militant religious fundamentalists who we decided to take onto our side for the
I'm no isolationist. I like foreign policy, and I like foreign engagement. But when I read that "A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces against an expanding militancy," I want to light myself on fire. Haven't we seen this movie before? I mean, it's even some of the same actors (literally!). And it's not even like we're talking about the Pakistani army -- these are tribal groups. Are they even friendlies? NYT says, "The training of the Frontier Corps remains a concern for some. NATO and American soldiers in Afghanistan have often blamed the Frontier Corps for aiding and abetting Taliban insurgents mounting cross-border attacks."
Well, then. Emulating a policy that helped create the most significant global terrorist group currently in operation seems like a bad idea to me, but I'm just a stoopid blogger. Still, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that blowback might be a slight possibility.
[Note: The above quotes are behind the Times pay wall (research is expensive!) but the original articles are here, here, and here.] Read the rest of this post...
Obama for privacy?
That's what Americans think in this new study. Maybe the candidates can start discussing this issue so we can really understand who supports privacy and what privacy means to each of them.
Asked to select both the Democratic and Republican candidate they believe is most likely to "advance your privacy rights," respondents preferred Obama over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards by nearly a 2-to-1 ratio, with 43 percent naming Obama compared to 25 percent for Edwards and 23 percent for Clinton.Read the rest of this post...
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.
On the Republican side, John McCain was the top choice, named by 39 percent of respondents, but Mitt Romney's 35 percent was within the poll's margin of error. Rudy Giuliani was picked by 15 percent of those polled, with Ron Paul and Fred Thompson each named by less than 5 percent.
Details of that new Wash Post poll showing Obama ahead in Iowa
From Chris at the Washington Post:
Asked which of the candidates better understands the "problems of people like you", 33 percent of women choose Obama while 24 percent opt for Clinton -- a stunning number.... when the sample was asked which candidates "has the best chance of getting elected president in November 2008?" Clinton led with 39 percent followed by Obama at 25 percent and Edwards at 22 percent....Read the rest of this post...
In the final analysis, what the new Post/ABC poll tells us is we are headed for one heck of a final 44 days in Iowa. Obama has cut into several key segments of Clinton's base but she remains a powerful force in the caucus fight. Who wins may come down to how voters prioritize the attributes of the candidates. Do they want someone who they believe understands people like them? Or do they want someone who can win?
It all goes back to the head versus heart conundrum that we have talked about on The Fix for months. What this poll makes clear is that, as of today, Obama is the heart candidate and Clinton is the head candidate. Which organ of their body will be more important to Iowa voters on Jan. 3 is anyone's guess.
Two months left to show your support for your favorite Dem prez nominee
By early February, the race is likely going to be over. So, I've added donation boxes at the top of the page via which you can donate to your favorite candidate. It's all done through ActBlue, totally secure, and we don't get a dime. So have at it.
Oh, and since this is kind of like an open thread, I wanted to mention (again) that I published a new podcast last night. Since I didn't post it until 8pm Eastern, I wanted to remind folks who might not have seen it (heard it). You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here, you can subscribe to the podcast's RSS feed here, or you can just listen to the file directly here (it's an mp3). Also, I'm looking for some podcast logo help - you can read more about that at the end of this post here. Read the rest of this post...
Oh, and since this is kind of like an open thread, I wanted to mention (again) that I published a new podcast last night. Since I didn't post it until 8pm Eastern, I wanted to remind folks who might not have seen it (heard it). You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here, you can subscribe to the podcast's RSS feed here, or you can just listen to the file directly here (it's an mp3). Also, I'm looking for some podcast logo help - you can read more about that at the end of this post here. Read the rest of this post...
McClellan: Rove, Bush, Cheney helped me pass "false information" about Plame
Sounds like a damning new book by the former Bush press secretary:
"The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," writes McClellan. "So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby."Read the rest of this post...
But his press performances weren't based on the facts, McClellan continues.
"There was one problem. It was not true," he writes. "I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself."
VoteVets launches pro-military, anti-Iraq, blog with Dem presidential candidates guest-blogging
From VoteVets.org:
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ADDRESS MILITARY, VETERANS’ ISSUES FOR LAUNCH OF VETVOICE.COMRead the rest of this post...
New blog sponsored by VoteVets.org will be hub on the web for those troops, veterans, military families, and their civilian supporters concerned with Bush policies
WASHINGTON – A new blog, VetVoice.com, is launching with a bang today, with hourly posts from the presidential candidates, addressing what they would do on military and veterans’ issues as President of the United States. VetVoice.com, a project of the largest political group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, VoteVets.org, is the new home on the web for troops, veterans, military families, and civilian supporters concerned with the current course the United States is on.
“It’s heartening to know that the candidates who are posting think military and veterans issues are important enough to warrant a post on this new blog,” said Brandon Friedman, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran, and Vice Chairman of VoteVets.org. “VetVoice.com, we hope will become the hub on the web for those concerned about military and veterans’ issues, and where people can take a critical look at these issues, and proposed solutions. There’s no better way to kick it off than to begin with posts from those who are seeking to be our Commander in Chief.”
Every Democratic and Republican presidential candidate was invited to post. The schedule for their posts was determined by what order candidates replied to the invite. That schedule for posts is:
9:30am EST – Senator John Edwards
10:30 – Representative Ron Paul
11:30 – Governor Bill Richardson
12:30 – Senator Chris Dodd
1:30 – Senator Hillary Clinton
2:30 – Senator Barack Obama
3:30 – Senator Joe Biden
VetVoice.com won’t just be one-way communication, though. When users create an account, they will be given the ability to create a diary and write their own posts, and comment and converse in other posts. In this way, VetVoice.com will bring together troops, veterans, military families, and civilian supporters for the largest online dialogue about the challenges the United States faces in military and veterans’ policies, and how we might solve them.
VoteVets.org is a pro-military organization committed to the destruction of terror networks around the world, with force when necessary. It represents the Voice of America's 21 Century Patriots - those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. It primarily focuses on nonpartisan education and advocacy on behalf of troops, veterans and their families.
Dollar continues to get kicked around by the world
The European Bank said last week they would intervene if the greenback hits 1.50 and it's not too far off.
This brings us back to the issue of our next president. Will that person be able to bring the world together and successfully work with other friends or will they stick with the current "go it alone" model that brought us here in the first place? Read the rest of this post...
In European trade, the euro beat its previous historic peak of 1.4752 dollars reached on November 9. It later stood at 1.4785 dollars, which compared with 1.4665 dollars in New York late on Monday.The Eurozone isn't exactly a model of good fundamentals so it gives you some idea just how bad off the world views the state of the US economy. Will the US recover? Definitely. The problem is timing and the dominance once maintained in the market will not be coming back any time soon, if ever.
The greenback also fell heavily against other major rivals, including sterling and the Swiss franc, as a slew of negative reports in the banking sector on Monday shook investor optimism.
This brings us back to the issue of our next president. Will that person be able to bring the world together and successfully work with other friends or will they stick with the current "go it alone" model that brought us here in the first place? Read the rest of this post...
Tuesday Morning Open Thread
Good morning.
No rant today. I'm traveling and not watching the Today Show. Makes the start of the day so much easier.
Have at it. Read the rest of this post...
No rant today. I'm traveling and not watching the Today Show. Makes the start of the day so much easier.
Have at it. Read the rest of this post...
Afghanistan aid wasted by the truckload
Ah yes, that pesky oversight issue again. When something happens once, well, things happen. When it occurs over and over and over, you have a trend. In this case, a trend of cynicism, corruption and failure.
Too much aid to Afghanistan is wasted -- soaked up in contractors' profits, spent on expensive expatriate consultants or squandered on small-scale, quick-fix projects, a leading British charity said on Tuesday."Ineffective" and "Inefficient" sums up the Bush and GOP years rather nicely. The old $500,000 per year fly-in "experts" always seem to deliver similar results overseas. I thought fly-by foreign aid was proven to be a bust years ago. Then again, the GOP managed to not hear about the financial policies of the 1920s either since they seem intent on repeating the same mistakes. Read the rest of this post...
Despite more than $15 billion of aid pumped into Afghanistan since U.S.-led and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001, many Afghans still suffer levels of poverty rarely seen outside sub-Saharan Africa.
"The development process has to date been too centralized, top-heavy and insufficient," said a report by Oxfam.
By far the biggest donor, the United States approved a further $6.4 billion in Afghan aid this year, but the funds are spent in ways that are "ineffective or inefficient," Oxfam said.
California to sue toy sellers for lead
It's about time someone does this. I know accountability went out of fashion with the Republicans but for goodness sakes, this is a no-brainer. Toy companies such as Mattel and others have done an amazingly poor job at following what should be standard procedure for products that either include their corporate name or products they sell. I know it cuts a few pennies from the profit that comes when you offshore the work in cheap production countries, but really.
One would hope that lawsuits would not be necessary but considering the failures of business across multiple industries, this seems to be the only way to grab their attention. Of course, a little oversight up front might have limited the depth of these problems as well, but Republicans didn't think oversight was fair. Allowing lead in toys for kids was OK though, because kids understand what laissez faire economics are all about. Even if they have brain damage or die, they will have brain damage or die for Republicans values. Read the rest of this post...
One would hope that lawsuits would not be necessary but considering the failures of business across multiple industries, this seems to be the only way to grab their attention. Of course, a little oversight up front might have limited the depth of these problems as well, but Republicans didn't think oversight was fair. Allowing lead in toys for kids was OK though, because kids understand what laissez faire economics are all about. Even if they have brain damage or die, they will have brain damage or die for Republicans values. Read the rest of this post...
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