Osama bin Landen

Hey, don't ask me, ask Rumsfeld. Read the rest of this post...

Do Ann Coulter and Ben Domenech have more in common than their gender?

Raw Story and Rude Pundit think so. Judge for yourselves. Read the rest of this post...

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee might financially support Lieberman even if he runs as an Independent

UPDATE: Okay, I've cooled down. I still think it's a bad idea for Schumer to give any inkling at this point that he might support an independent run by Lieberman. As I already said, that just gives Lieberman more of an incentive to run as an independent, and I don't see how that helps the party (it'll actually help divide the party).

On a related note, I'd really hate to see Lieberman put in a position where he's holding all the cards - i.e., Lieberman runs as an independent, wins, the Senate is divided 49-50, and then the Dems have to BEG Lieberman to support Harry Reid as the party leader rather than the Republicans - i.e., Lieberman is the deciding vote for control of the Senate and then becomes super-powerful. That's not good for the Democratic party or America. I'm not sure how Schumer's comments today play into this concern, it's just something to think about.

The best thing Schumer could do is just lay low and wait to see how wins the primary.

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This is ridiculous. Lieberman won't rule out bolting the Democratic party, and the Democrats in Washington are talking about possibly ditching the Democratic candidate in the Connecticut Senate primary and instead support an independent AGAINST the Democrat?

Sure, if the Democrat were David Duke you might not support him. But Ned Lamont? This is ridiculous.

Lieberman should be shunned for his disloyalty, not rewarded. Read the rest of this post...

Video from YearlyKos

Politics TV has a lot of video coverage from the YearlyKos conference - they actually taped a lot of the panel discussions. I'd highly recommend you buzz through some of it, it really was a very good conference.

You can find their listings of all their coverage here.

Okay, not all their coverage, there's more here, including Clinton, Feingold, Obama, and more.

You can watch me talk on the media panel here. Read the rest of this post...

Chinese activist paralyzed by thugs

I guess we just don't understand China's democratic model, where outspoken critics are thrown in jail or beaten to a pulp just because they are annoying and dare to ask questions. Fu Xiancai was not arguing against the construction of the damn, but only for compensation for those who were forced to move because of it. I guess after handing out all of the bribes there just wasn't enough left to go around for the poor.

Last Thursday, Mr Fu was called to meet Wang Xiankui, of the Public Security Bureau in Zigui county in Hubei province, about an interview he gave to German television, Human Rights Watch in China (HRIC) said yesterday.

On his way home, an unknown assailant struck him from behind with a heavy object and left him unconscious on the side of the road. The blow was so hard it fractured his neck. He has lost control of all bodily functions except his ability to speak. He has been moved to hospital in Yichang, the main city near the Three Gorges Dam, and his family are struggling to find the £5,400 needed for his medical bills. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had no knowledge of the case.

Read the rest of this post...

Finally, the reason Bush can't find Osama bin Laden

He had his name wrong all this time.

From a new 73-page "War on Terror" "briefing book" just issued by Donald Rumsfeld's office to help Republicans use the 3,000 dead from September 11 to win the congressional elections in the fall:



Yeah, even Microsoft Word knew bin Laden's name was mis-spelled.

You can read the entire DOD propaganda document here. Read the rest of this post...

Republicans in the House preparing to take away privacy protections for credit card users

Privacy.

Privacy.

Privacy.

I'm so glad the Democrats took my advice to run on this issue that keeps popping up every single week.

Oh that's right, they didn't. Read the rest of this post...

So what's happening in the real war on terror?

In Somalia, we are losing badly. Strange thing that we're not seeing too many photos of the celebrations there. So what's the Bush excuse this time? I know, why not blame Clinton? How about flag burning? Gay marriage? What else do they have in their box of excuses for this failure?

There are also tales of al-Qa'ida moving in the shadows inside Somalia's capital, a city now in ruins, and a potent symbol of a failure of American foreign policy.

Read the rest of this post...

Karl Rove: still guilty, still a liar

From Josh Marshall:

The question going back three years ago now is whether Karl Rove knowingly participated in leaking the identity of a covert CIA operative for the purpose of discrediting a political opponent who was revealing information about the White House's use of intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq War.

That was the issue. From the beginning, Rove, through Scott McClellan, denied that he did any of that. There weren't even any clever circumlocutions. He just lied. From admissions from Rove, filings in the Libby case, and uncontradicted reportage, we know as clearly as we ever can that Rove did do each of those things.

So he did do what he was suspected of and he did lie about it.... [T]here is abundant evidence, even admissions from Rove himself, that he did the malicious act. And he lied about doing it. Indeed, on top of that, President Bush welched on his promise to can anyone who was involved.

Read the rest of this post...

Laurel and Hardy Go to Baghdad

From InternetWeekly.org Read the rest of this post...

What should our response be to the new GOP memo attacking Dems over September 11? That's easy.

Incompetence.

Yeah, the Republicans stepped up to the plate alright after September 11. And they screwed everything up.

Sure, the Republicans talk tough about living in a post-9/11 world. But they've proven they're simply too incompetent to run the war on terror and to trust with your life and the lives of your children.

Republicans: Big balls; small brains. Read the rest of this post...

After suicides at Gitmo, Pentagon kicks US media out

When in doubt, cover up. After all, we are a banana republic. Read the rest of this post...

Boehner reveals GOP strategy: Exploit 9/11, attack Dems

The House debate on their "Iraq resolution" has nothing to do with an Iraq policy. It's only about politics. Big hat tip to Think Progress. They got Boehner's memo and it's posted on their site. TP also summarized the key points:

1. Exploit 9/11. The two page memo mentions 9/11 seven times. It describes debating Iraq in the context of 9/11 as imperative.

2. Attack opponents ad hominem. The memo describes those who opposes President Bushs policies in Iraq as sheepish, weak, and prone to waver endlessly.

3. Create a false choice. The memo says the decision is between supporting President Bushs policies and hoping terrorist threats will fade away on their own.

This is a crass, craven bunch. The GOP only has one playbook -- exploit and attack. It's worked for them before. Again, we ask, are the Democrats ready? Read the rest of this post...

Really just a campaign event

Bush is milking his most recent campaign event. Doing a press conference from the Rose Garden at 9:45 am. On CNN, John King is gushing over Bush...gushing...it's gross.

We all know -- even most reporters in the traditional media know -- that the Bush administration has been a disaster on every front, including Iraq. They haven't had a policy, they just spin. We have seen that they can't and don't do government, but they can do politics. The GOP is worried about Iraq now because they're worried about the elections. The campaign season is gearing up, so the Bush team is getting their game on:

It was powerful political theater, choreographed by an experienced team that played up the drama and secrecy of the moment, and were rewarded with a day of relatively unfiltered cable news coverage. The trip, including a stealthy nighttime helicopter departure from Camp David, unfolded with the precision of a campaign event, complete with the image of the commander in chief addressing cheering American troops.

Haven't we seen the commander in chief address cheering American troops in an equally dramatic campaign event? Read the rest of this post...

GOP Congress votes to control costs - gives up raise - NOT

With all of the economic challenges, the GOP voted overwhelmingly against giving themselves yet another pay raise (the 7th straight pay raise) so they could show unity with the American people who are being hit with job insecurity, rising costs, a housing slowdown and a negative stock market. Nah, just kidding. Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Let's get it started. Read the rest of this post...

Mark Cuban to create new site for stock fraud

This could get very interesting. Cuban has plenty of money to work with and wants the new site to uncover stock fraud and corporate wrongdoing. With the growing list of stock option abuse scandals that are breaking not to mention the standard run of the mill corporate scandals that are making news, there could be an endless supply of material. Now that the housing market is cooling, it is even more important for people to have trust and faith in the stock market if people are going to be investing for their future. Keep a look out for the July start of Sharesleuth.com.

"I'm a firm believer that out of (the more than 10,000) public companies the odds are that there are more than just a few crooks and frauds," Cuban said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press. "Finding them can be rewarding and entertaining."

Read the rest of this post...

More of the same from GOP FEMA - incompetence rules the day

Now that Brownie isn't around to be the whipping boy, how come Chertoff comes clean in this AP piece or isn't he in charge of anything that goes wrong? The new FEMA has excelled when it comes to setting new standards in incompetence time after time but Bush's friend is unscathed again. If Congress is going to start investigations, who exactly is it that is ruining a once great organization into the ground? This also shows how much the GOP can throw money at problems instead of solving anything.

The government doled out as much as $1.4 billion in bogus assistance to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, getting hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and even a divorce lawyer, congressional investigators have found.

So why is Chertoff still around? Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Till Chris arises in Paris... adieu. Read the rest of this post...