Late Night Open Thread

Chat away...til John wakes up in Paris... Read the rest of this post...

Reid: No Nuclear Option Compromise....It's Coming...Soon

Associated Press has the details:

Top Senate leaders declared an unsuccessful end Monday to their compromise talks over President Bush's stalled judicial nominees, despite fresh talk of a deal to clear five appeals court appointees while scuttling three others.

"I've tried to compromise and they want all or nothing, and I can't do that," Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada told reporters after a private meeting with Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

"We both agreed that after several months of discussions, we have been unable to come to a negotiated position where the president's nominees get an up-or-down vote," Frist said.

Of course there was no compromise, despite Reid's offers. Bill Frist can't compromise. The right wing nuts won't let him....and they control the GOP caucus, not Bill Frist. From AP:

Frist has said all along he will not accept any plan unless it gives each of Bush's nominees a yes-or-no vote.

The translation of that is really that the little puppet Doctor wants to be President and the Right wing theocrats who are pulling the strings say: "no compromise."

For some insight into the Theocrat's agenda -- which their little puppet Doctor is trying to enact -- please see the post below. Read the rest of this post...

Building a Theocracy: the Ohio Model

In their free time, when not trying to bully Bill Frist so they can usurp the federal government and the US Constitution, the theocrats are busy out in the real world. Here's the plan for Ohio's Theocracy, the Ohio Restoration Project. Their overview gives a good sense of what they are about:

The Stewardship of our Citizenship is crucial to this hour. The Sacred Trust of Freedom has been purchased with a purpose. From America’s beginning, the Mayflower Compact openly declares that our forefathers were birthing this nation for “the advancement of the Christian faith.” All 50 of our state constitutions acknowledge and give honor to the Lord. The declaration of Independence declares that we are "endowed by our Creator, with certain inalienable rights." With only 5% of the world's population, God has blessed the United States with nearly 40% of the world's wealth. Now more than ever, we are convinced that God has blessed this nation with resources to share the light of God's Word with a world lost in darkness. America has had a mission to share a living Savior with a dying world.

During the past 50 years, that mission has come under heavy spiritual warfare. Recently, the birth pains have increased in frequency and intensity. The forces of hell understand Biblical prophecy better than most people sitting in the pews on Sunday morning. The intensity of the warfare for the heart and soul of America is escalating:

Teaching creation in our public schools has become a federal lawsuit.

Biblical definitions of marriage are being tragically altered by some judges who think they are smarter than God and begin to legislate secular dogma from the bench.

American universities have become the arteries of spiritual toxic waste.

“Homosexual marriages” are being paraded in 50 states

In some cities, abortions nearly outnumber births

HIV and sexually transmitted diseases will kill more Americans than every war this country has ever fought.

Secularists have hijacked our culture--one year at a time.

Denominational bigotry, division within the Body of Christ, and apostasy have weakened the voice of Biblical reason.

Around the globe, ministers of the Gospel are being threatened with “hate crimes” legislation.

They cover a lot of ground there covering education, gays, choice, judges. They don't miss much. These people are scary....but only in the name of God. And who knew that Ohio was god's chosen land?:

By God's design, for such a time as this, Ohio is truly at the “heart of it all!”

Read the rest of this post...

A bit of Morocco blogging...

Finally got my pictures transferred to my laptop. Will share some of my favs over the next few days, like this one at the Casbah in Rabat.

Read the rest of this post...

Facing fierce White House criticism, Newsweek now retracts Koran story

Okay, this thing is getting more and more bizarre. The White House spent the day attacking Newsweek. Apparently, it worked. AP is now reporting that Newsweek has retracted the Koran story:

But after the White House criticized Newsweek's response to the story, Whitaker released a statement later Monday through a spokesman saying the magazine was actually retracting the story.

"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Whitaker said.

If you want to get a great perspective on the White House criticism of Newsweek, check out the post "Pot, Meet Kettle" on DailyKos. Cracked me up. It's why we love Kos. Read the rest of this post...

GOP's Fake Nuclear Grassroots

RNC, you're busted...Echidne at Atrios has the 4-1-1 on how they do it.

Looks like Kenny Mehlman is not all that original or creative. But he sure does the dirty work for the right wing theocrats (even though they really don't love him for who he is.) Read the rest of this post...

NCFR Breakin' all the rules, part II

Like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going. And our readers are doing our research for us now. The National Council on Family Relations has clammed-up, big-time, after we've pointed out how their federally-funded website on straights-only marriage breaks their own rules and forces them to ban their own research on gay families. They refuse to even talk with anyone about it until the website goes live in June. I'll quickly sum up: Compare the demands of this:

As defined by ACF [the Administration on Children and Families at the Dept of Health and Human Services], the project has an exclusive focus on heterosexual marriages.

with this:

The executive director [of NCFR] shall not allow practices, activities, decisions, or organizational circumstances which violate the Board's value that NCFR provide a context supportive of diversity by race, ethnicity, culture, age, gender, religion, physical ability, country of origin, and sexual orientation.

NCFR is based in Minnesota. One of their partners in this anti-gay website -- their neighbor, The University of Minnesota. Of course, like their other partner Syracuse, the University of Minnesota has rules too:

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance, veteran status or sexual orientation.

U of M has a GLBT Program office that might want to be let into the loop.

Is Michael Benjamin (mbenjamin@ncfr.org , (202) 659-1190), the executive director failing to enforce his own rules, even listening? How arrogant do you have to be?

It gets worse. more soon... Read the rest of this post...

Afternoon Open Thread

Hey, it's dinner here and John is looking forward to tasting some salmon and a rich chocolate cake. Read the rest of this post...

CREW Drafts Complaint against Congressman Ney

Now, they just need a member of Congress to step up to file it. Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington, CREW wrote the complaint against Tom DeLay filed by Rep. Chris Bell that got that whole ball rolling. So, they have a track record. They do the research. They make it easy.

Ney is another GOP leader who apparently doesn't think the rules apply to him, from CREW's press release:

“The complaint against Rep. Ney is based on his conduct with regard to the Tigua Indians of El Paso, Texas, a tribe represented by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is known to be close to Ney,” Sloan said today. “The complaint is based on e-mails made public by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, sworn testimony before the Indian Affairs Committee, tax records, and Mr. Ney’s campaign committee and political action committee Federal Election Commission filings.”

A review of the evidence suggests that Mr. Ney may have broken criminal statutes as well as House rules.

The release documents the charges laid out in the ethics complaint...there are many.

This ethics scandal is bigger then DeLay. Someone in the House should take this on. Read the rest of this post...

My new writing gig at RADAR magazine

I've started a weekly writing gig for RADAR magazine, currently as their politics guy on their Web site (that just launched last week). RADAR is the brainchild of Maer Roshan, one of NYC's top young(ish) editors, and a former protege of Tina Brown (Maer was her deputy at TALK magazine). Maer asked me to write a weekly political article for the site, and I was thrilled to say yes.

RADAR is new, and will be publishing, I think 5 times this year, or so, then every other week next year (apparently, that's the way new mags work). So it was all the more important for them to get fresh Web content up in the meantime, to give folks a sense of the magazine. Please check it out, and you can read my first article here. I think you'll find its message familiar. Read the rest of this post...

Monday Morning Open Thread

Could be a very interesting week.... Read the rest of this post...

READ THIS: George Bush hates his wife. No other explanation for why his exercise is more important than our nation under attack

There's no other answer to explain why any man wouldn't give a damn that his wife has just been evacuated pending a perceived threat to her life. The man has become another Ronald Reagan, second termer - senile, out of it, pathetic.

30,000 people were evacuated, including First Lady Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan to secure locations, pending the perceived airplane attack on the White House, and President Bush couldn't be bothered BECAUSE HE WAS BIKING IN MARYLAND. Sound a little like September 11, when Mr. My Pet Goat couldn't be bothered while the nation was under attack? When Mr. Pet Goat ran and hid for nearly half a day while the rest of us toughed it out and stood our ground, in spite of being in fear for our lives.

Failed President, Failed Presidency. That's the mantra from now on. George Bush, failed presidency.

And while we're at it, let's talk about the sanctity of marriage?

Editor & Publisher does an amazing job reporting on this, including transcripts of reporters grilling the White House spokesman as to why exactly George Bush doesn't give a damn that his wife was, at least apparently, in danger.

On the day after more than 30,000 people -- including the vice president, the first lady, and a former first lady -- were evacuated from their offices or homes in Washington, D.C., but the president, who was biking in Maryland was not notified until the threat passed, reporters grilled Press Secretary Scott McClellan at his daily briefing.

For those who might have missed it on TV -- that is, nearly everyone -- here are some choice excerpts, as McClellan continually refers to "protocols" and reporters essentially ask, "Wouldn't most men like to know when their home is evacuated and their wife is hustled to a secure bunker?" They also wonder about the small matter of the president being commander in chief and the capital, theoretically, coming under attack.

You really need to read the entire story and transcript, but here's a bit more:

Q: I have one more question. When we walked out of this door yesterday, when those of us who heard that there was a situation, when we walked out of the door, we heard aircraft, jets overhead. There is a concern that that plane came closer to the White House than the White House said, more -- it came within the three-mile radius, it was closer than you --

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I said that it came within three miles.

Q: OK, but you said three miles. How close --

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, it came within three miles.

Q: How close was it? Because someone has taken a picture of a plane being escorted on K street. How close was the plane?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I mean, if the Department of Homeland Security or FAA has any additional information, I'm sure --

Q: Scott, how close was it?

McCLELLAN: April, it was within --

Q: You know how close it was. Please tell us.

McCLELLAN: Yes, within three miles. I don't know beyond that. Go ahead.

Please read the rest of this story, it's THAT good. Oh my God, and I just read THIS part of the transcript (via E&P;):

Q: Right, but there seems to be so many disconnects here. You've got a plane that was assessed as not being a threat, you've got 35,000 people evacuated, you've got a person who you claim is a hands-on commander in chief who is left to go ride his bicycle through the rural wildlands of Maryland while his wife is in some secure location somewhere, it's just not adding up.

It adds up once you realize that with George Bush, there's no there there. Read the rest of this post...

Newsweek gets the Koran story wrong? Bull

I don't buy it.

Chris and I have been talking about this (I'm still in Paris), and we think President Bush placed a little call to the head of Newsweek, asking him to beg off the story since riots are now spreading across the Middle East. I simply refuse to believe anything the Bush administration says about anything at this point. And the administration's assurances that they "investigated" the story and found it not true - well, let's talk about WMD, let's talk about "no evidence of widespread abuse" of prisoners at US facilities around the world.

I say, bull. As Joe alread noted, this is not the first time the story has been reported about US authorities flushing the Koran down the toilet at Gitmo. And let's not forget everything else they've been doing to the detainees, at Abu Ghraib and beyond. Newsweek is backing down to help Bush out, and it's sad.

And in that vein, check out this paragraph from the Newsweek "retraction":

The spark was apparently lit at a press conference held on Friday, May 6, by Imran Khan, a Pakistani cricket legend and strident critic of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Brandishing a copy of that week's NEWSWEEK (dated May 9), Khan read a report that U.S. interrogators at Guantánamo prison had placed the Qur'an on toilet seats and even flushed one. "This is what the U.S. is doing," exclaimed Khan, "desecrating the Qur'an." His remarks, as well as the outraged comments of Muslim clerics and Pakistani government officials, were picked up on local radio and played throughout neighboring Afghanistan. Radical Islamic foes of the U.S.-friendly regime of Hamid Karzai quickly exploited local discontent with a poor economy and the continued presence of U.S. forces, and riots began breaking out last week.

Then there's this little tidbit from an AP photo about the story:

Pakistani lawmaker and the chief of a coalition of radical Islamic groups, Qazi Hussain Ahmed gestures during a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, May 15, 2005

Gee, I guess the press got their White House talking points already. "Radical Islamic foes"? Wonder if Newsweek and the AP would refer to the religious right as "radical" if they protested over the Bible being flushed the down the toilet?

Did the White House just strike the word "homosexuals" from the usual talking points and insert "Islamic foes" instead? Read the rest of this post...