Sunday News Round Up

* Meet the Press: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY); ex-Rep. Tom Andrews (D-ME); ex-House Maj. Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX); AEI's Richard Perle; Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA). Schumer to talk about US Atty purge; other four to discuss Iraq.

* Face the Nation: Defense Sec. Robert Gates; Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Gates to talk Iraq, Walter Reed. Feinstein to talk about US Atty purge

* This Week: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX); NSA Stephen Hadley; Unity 08 & L&O's Sam Waterson; roundtable of Time's Jay Carney, Donna Brazile, Claire Shipman, and George Will. Leahy v. Cornyn on US atty purge; Hadley to talk about Iraq

* Fox News Sunday: ex-U.S. attys Bud Cummins and David Iglesias; Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA); Sen. John Kerry (D-MA); Obama for America's Alyssa Mastromonaco.

* Late Edition: ex-NSA Zbigniew Brzezinski; Rep. John Murtha (D-PA); NSA Stephen Hadley; Gen. George Joulwan (Ret); NYT's Michael Gordon; Col. Pat Lang (Ret); James Carville; Candy Crowley; Human Events editor Terry Jeffrey. Given the guests, this week's Late Edition is all Iraq.

CSpan Washington Journal
· Newspaper Headlines
· Viewer Phone Calls
· Discussion on Bloggers & Campaign 2008
· Discussion on Discussion on Iraq

Doesn't look real good for making things more even in the D/R problem.
So go to Media Matters and sign up to the petition for equality.

More On "The Shake"

I made a very short list of what I thought the braided-back-haired, all-planning, uber-terrorist (known to his friends as homeboy Khalid) would probably cop to now that I believe he's admitted he Framed Roger Rabbit, was The Zodiac Killer, fathered Anna Nicole Smith's baby and is responsible for teaching John McCain that the jury's still out on whether condoms prevent H.I.V. (They do, however, still serve as quality stand ins to construct balloon animals at Chucky Cheese birthday parties).

The General also put together a list. I like his a lot. It's funny.

Go check it out.

Bring Em On!

The Gators that is, not the terrorists.

Unlike terrorists and/or insurgents in Iraq, he can actually find football players.

Busy, Busy, Busy.

House Oversight Writes Letters To Josh Bolton about investigations not done.

They make charts.




And they grill Republican shills.

Oversight; it does a body good.

Corporate Whoredom

Our friend Basheert, who comments here often and blogs here, sent me a post to put up, and I will do so without comment...well, how about with a bit of comment:

1) This letter to IMUS is right on in its take on pvivatization and our slipperly slide towards a corporate army that is dangerous for Democracy, yet causes Dick Cheney's system to start producing enough Ecstasy to make an elephant high.

2) The author is right to point out the fantastic work of my close friend and progressive champion Robert Greenwald (and his terrific staff at Brave New Films). His film "Iraq For Sale," much like everything he does, is amazing. I have had the pleasure of working with Robert on a few projects, most recently The Real McCain, and with Robert on your side you don't feel like you can ever lose! So show some LOVE, and buy Robert's DVDs, which you will find in the right hand column of this blog.

Now the piece:

IMUS,

The reason for the neglect of the troops is privatization of the military. This war is the most privatized war in the history of the world. Most of the money from the Pentagon went to private companies so these huge corporations like Halliburton (KBR), Blackwater, CACI could get rich. Our military is being undermined by corporations. Check out their profits. It is OUR tax dollars that is being poured into these companies while our military is being neglected.

My son is active duty, career Army, with 15 years under his belt. All the families and the military personnel have contacted people in Congress for four years regarding the neglect and treatment of military personnel. To pretend they did not know is just more lies from a corrupt Congress that is also receiving money in different ways from this war. If you want to know the truth about the Iraq War, see the movie "Iraq For Sale". This is not a underground movie it is mainstream and available at any movie rental place. Once you see it you will understand what the Iraq War is really about and why no one will end it, even though the people are demanding an end to it and why our military suffer while we are spending billions on this war.

Our military is no longer honored by anyone. Everyone's attitude now that it is a volunteer Army is that they volunteered so they have no reason to complain about anything. Currently if you are suicidal or mentally ill, the average lead time for treatment at a Vet Center is 120 days. That is 4 months!

Walter Reed is merely the tip of the iceberg. Men that seek treatment for PTSD are being diagnosed as having a preexisting mental illness to ensure they do not receive benefits. I could go on and on IMUS but there is limited space and I know your time is limited.

See Iraq for Sale. It is a REAL eye opener.

It is not the fault of the people but our government who has sold our military down the river for money and favors to corporations. Attitudes of people are formed by our government in some cases. Just like the soldier that had the nerve to speak up to Rumsfeld several years ago about armor, Rumsfeld's answer? "You have to deal with the Army you have, soldier."

The President knew, and Congress knew. The families of the military have been hounding them for four long years. They could probably build a house with all the paper from the letters we have all written regarding the treatment of our loved ones in the military. Check out Military Families Speak Out, this organization is practically LIVING at the White House these days. THEY ALL KNEW.

Mikal Hutto
Pasadena, Texas
Mother of Sgt. Kenneth M. Pereira
Military Families Speak Out - Houston, Texas

Wherein I Do A Drive By The Nutcase Kennels.

Evil Shrieking Viper Woman

The silent guard of America's memorials
By Michelle Malkin · March 17, 2007 07:10 AM
Bryan Preston and I are headed down to the Gathering of Eagles. Hope to see you there, too.

Like these people are ever silent. Who do they think they're kidding?

Gathering Of Wussies Too Afraid To Fight For The War They LURVE

March 15th, 2007 | Category: Briefings
Please click here for up-to-the-minute maps.

Heidi (RedheadInfidel) will be on the site tomorrow possibly, and if there is emergency info we’ll find a way to get it to you. Otherwise, you are “cleared hot.” Press on to the objective. Godspeed, good luck, and may all of us stand proud on Saturday, as a family and as a nation.

Our time has come. Remember, even now you represent the greatest fighting force in the world, just as you did 10, 20, or 40 years ago. Act with integrity, and honor those we come to defend.

See you on the front lines.

EAGLES UP!–Kit

WHAT THE FU?
Are these people damaged from having mummy take away their GI Joe's 'cause they were humping the Barbies with them? OH. MY. GOD.

Flopping Peni

Protecting The Vietnam Wall From The Left
On March 17th ANSWER and the rest of the Communists will be lining up for another anti-war protest where they hope to get 100,000 participants (and as usual only muster up a few thousand).

The plans for the antiwar protest on March 17th appear to be firmed up. Here's the intel I got from someone in MD. "The area where the "proposed" protesters' permit has them assemble is on the hill overlooking the Wall (about 50 yards East).

Large Pink Phonies

The simple fact is that until people such as Charles Johnson, Michelle Malkin and the milbloggers are able to get lengthy primetime coverage in the mass media, with their own shows or own cable news channel, the vast majority of Americans will not know the truth, because the mass media suppresses everything.

On first glance, I'm going with acute TTT (Toilet Training Trauma) with a slight case of DDOCD (Dungeons and Dragons Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) aggravated by excessive Cheeto and Yoohoo consumption. And I'm sticking with it.

Very Cool & Big News!!

My DD

Kerry Sponsors Senate bill giving bloggers FOIA powers
by Jerome Armstrong, Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 07:13:13 PM EST

This is good to see, John Kerry's just announced his support for bloggers and independent journalists not affiliated with institutional organs.

This is a wonderful start for some real oversight capabilities. Seems like Sen Kerry is finding his stride, and good for him.

WHCA Says Helen Thomas Keeps Her Seat, Fox Stays Back!!!

And of all people, it's Drudge reporting it. How long do you think it will be before the "fair and balanced" Fox News starts it's partisan sniping over this?

Helen Thomas remains front row at White House Briefing Room; CNN up, FOX NEWS row two
Fri Mar 16 2007 22:52:56 ET

As a board, we decided to move CNN to the first row. This decision was based on CNN's 27 years of covering The White House, as well as the resources it brings to the in-town and travel pool, and its daily presence at the briefings. In addition, the board agreed to honor a previous commitment by our association to maintain Helen Thomas' seat in the first row. As the dean of the White House press corps, Helen is an institution. First with United Press International and now as a White House columnist for Hearst newspapers, Helen has covered every president since John Kennedy.

I just want to thank everyone who emailed, called and wrote. In that diary over 500 people said they would call/write/email, with almost 300 people commenting about Helen, and only one cynic wondering why we were bothering.

Happy St Me Day!!!





Quick post to give you some gorgeous to start the day with!!

Above is Kilkea Castle about 45 minutes southwest of Dublin in Kildare County.
My mother was born across the lane from the castle, (in the US we would call that lane an alley), and I had the luck to spend one wonderful night at the castle.




This is just a wonderful picture of a road in Limerick. The sky goes on forever.

May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.

My Weekly AMERICAblog Piece

The Week That Was 3/15/2007

Another week. More preposterousness to report.

Karl Rove must go to prison. No not country-club Republican, I-ripped-off-your-grandma-with-junk-bonds prison where he can join the Dartmouth or Princeton rowing squad and walk by a state of the art outdoor weight-lifting facility his two-seats-on-Southwest ass would never even think about using.

I mean real prison. Like the kind you go to if you're caught in Kuala Lumpur with Rush's medicine bag.

Once again, I just can't abide by these Johnny-come-way-too-latelys who now realize George W. Bush is challenged by My Pet Goat and "The Google," Dick Cheney's an evil right-wing assclown and Karl Rove is, to quote a not so bright man, "a grotesquely corpulent, politically sociopathic parasite who destroys all government he touches."

He most closely resembles a locust, devouring his surroundings, only to move on to a new destination after all is destroyed (see the Texas political system).

A spate of books came out on this amoral anthropoid before he became a household name in 2000, and all you had to do was observe his past patterns to know this would happen. A candidate he was working for in 1986 who was running for Governor of Texas magically found a "listening device" in his office the day before a big debate.

Right before the first Bush/Gore debate in 2000, a tape of Bush's "performance" arrives at Gore HQ in the mail, so that's all the press was talking about while George W. Bush was mixing up pronouns and screwing up multisyllabic foreign leaders' names.

Surely, coincidence.

If you read Boy Genius for example, you will find that the way Rove beat Democrats in Texas was by politicizing the FBI (Sid Blumenthal has more on this in a new column), and using those partial to his candidates and his blow...I mean politics, to start high-profile investigations of Democratic officeholders right before elections.

So why would it be a shock that his fingerprints are all over the Justice Department politicization/obstructing investigations into serially corrupt members of the GOP, scandal, which occurred, of course, right before the 2006 election. And, of course, the buildup to Iraq, right before the 2002 cycle, was completely out of character for Rove. As was outing an undercover agent.

This man is an adult diaper worn by an astronaut for a nine-hour, homicidal road trip. Kaiser Sose on a KFC drip.

He must go to prison. For once in his pathetic self-hating life, fully investigate this piece of garbage--please.

Security, We Ain't Got No Stinkin Security

So, um, here is my list of other things the White House security should probably not investigate, much like they didn't see the necessity in perhaps perusing why an undercover CIA operative working on weapons of mass destruction counter-proliferation had her cover blown by the Bloated Rover and Vice President Arterial Blockage:

1) Ayman Al Zwahiri using the White House bowling lanes.

2) YouTubed video of White House officials allowing their two year olds to toke up.

3) Anna Nicole Smith's body turning up in the Lincoln Bedroom.

4) President Bush's awarding USC football team members key positions on the Civil Rights Commission.

5) What Karl Rove is still doing with security clearance and therefore access to the files of more Americans he can endanger through his treasonous behavior.

6) General Pace's dragging Ken Melhman into the Treaty Room in only his underoos.

Within a week I bet Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is taking credit for starting the Boer War, Mount Vesuvius' erupting and the Dreyfus Affair.

You simply can't trust a man with this much back hair.

Having a LIVE CHAT with Cliff (live in person!) tonight (Friday) at 9p EST. It will be on the Gabbly (Here). Stock up on cheetos & box wine!

Fox In The Dem House

Great piece on the battle between Dems and FoxNews in the LA Times.

You know, Kucinich's preferred TiVo destination while formulating ideas for the Deparment of Peace when he's prez.

Valerie Plames Opening Statement



Just had to stop while I went by the computer on the way for some liquids. The entire hearings were riveting.

Man, oversight ROCKS!! I'm down with a touch of some flu thing, but of course couldn't stay away from the computer for long. (had to see what Firedoglake is saying about Ms. Plames testimony)

Interesting thing learned from Doris Kerns Goodwin this morning on Imus. There is a group called "Bedside Advocates"

A prominent Boston physician is organizing retired colleagues to provide the personal attention that is often missing in modern medicine.

The volunteers with Bedside Advocates will not practice medicine. Instead, they aim to provide comfort and compassion while helping fragile and elderly patients navigate the increasingly complex medical system by accompanying them to the doctor's office, the hospital, and the nursing home. They hope to help patients get better care by empowering them to ask questions, follow their medication regimes, and get prompt attention to problems.

And most of all, they plan to be there when no one else is, providing relief for tired caregivers and support for patients without families, according to Dr. Jonathan Fine, who is leading the effort.

She wanted to know why something like this couldn't be set up for vets within the VA Hospital community? Have retired or even current duty military personnel volunteer to help navigate the system for these individuals?
I think it's a damn good question.

I Heart Jonah

Whenever I feel like I am doing a crappy job in terms of keeping up with where I should be in writing my book, I thankfully have Lucianne Jr. to look at.

Smear Job the younger is obviously not only too busy with various items (washing the car, castigating minorities, etc.) to go to Iraq and fight for what he "believes in," but is also apparently too lazy to write the book his publisher is wasting good money giving to The Nepotist.

Poor Jonah.

First, the Valerie Plame hearing is on right now--it's good stuff. Watch Republicans inevitably try and smear someone who put her life on the line for our country. In GOP terms, let's watch them cut and run from patriotism. Watch it on C-SPAN.

Now onto business.

Ok, this has taken more time than I meant it to.

But I am ready to award our first Howie Klein award, for the pundit/blogger who takes no crap from the right and therefore choooses to stand up to their bullying.

The choice was easy for the first award. It must be jointly given to Max Blumenthal and Mike Stark, who went to CPAC, the belly of the illiberal, irrational and moronic beast, and created good viewing and audio by taking on the likes of Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, David Horowitz and the rest of that merry band of lunatics.

Congrats guys. I hope to soon have a fundraiser set up to award those who win this award, as well as The Jim Webb, which is for public servants, to show our appreciation to those who don't cower in the face of right-wing bed-wetters.

Chuck Schumer isn't falling for the GOP bait. They are trying to make the attorney scandal about Gonzales, like they made Plame about Libby.

It ain't just about him. It's about the appropriately named Turd Blossom. So let the investigations bloom, so to speak, of this particularly obnoxious incarnation of excrement.

And that is where Schumer is thankfully keeping the focus.

(btw I will post my longer Americablog piece on this later today or tomorrow, that will expand upon my thoughts on this subject).

So now John Sununu and Gordon Smith, two Republican senators from purplish-blue states with elections in 2008 have called for Abu Gonzales (hat tip to Sean-Paul Kelley on the nickname) to step down. Anyone want to take bets on who the next vulnerable swing or blue state senator will be to cave?

I'm going with Susan Collins. But I think Norm Coleman and John Warner would be good bets too.

Pete Domenici has already been burned by this, and Liddy Dole, Lamar Alexander, Mitch McConnell and a slew of other Republicans are still too stupid to understand the mood of the American electorate and the fact that they're going to be in for the fight of their political lives in 2008.

I have really tried to hold my fire on attacking any of the Democratic nominees for president. I really have.

But I'm sorry, after the Iraq backtrack and the hesitation on whether being gay is "immoral," Hillary Clinton is really pissing me off this week. And quickly losing any chance of my supporting her.

I don't think anyone could say it any better than my pal Matt Browner-Hamlin did in this Huff Po piece. I was at the same DNC Winter Meeting he references in it, and I agree with his sentiments.

Read the piece.

Heads UP!!!

C-Span 1 Tomorrow Friday 3/16/07
· Hearing on CIA Agent Valerie Plame Wilson's Identity Leak (10am) - LIVE

Oooooh doggies!! I am one happy girl!!!

Joe Conason reminds us that using prosecutors to do their dirty work is a Bush family tradition.

Much like having stupid children.

Alert!!!! Actually, two ALERTS!!!

First, we are tentatively scheduling a LIVE CHAT with Cliff (live in person!) tomorrow night (Friday) at 9p EST. It will be on the Gabbly (Here). Stock up on cheetos & box wine!


Second.... Politico


'Surge' Replaced by 'Petraeus Mission'

Senate Republicans, led as always by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are now trying to substitute the phrase "Petraeus mission" for the word "surge" when describing President Bush's decision to send at least 21,000 more U.S. combat troops to Iraq. This is a reference to General David Petraeus, the new commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq and a the Army's priemer counter-insurgency specialist,

A senior GOP aide laughed when asked about the change, saying "We have to do something to get away from the word 'surge."" When reminded that this was a term that derived in the Bush White House, the aide said that "Petraeus mission is more accurate, sounds better, and humanizes the whole thing. Who can be against Petraeus?"

Now, most of you know how to do "drinking games" and while interesting doesn't seem terribly practical in this case since you KNOW all we're going to be hearing for the next month is "Petraeus Mission" this and "Mission of Petreus" that. (Don't forget Bush mangling the Spanish language version, "Misión De Petraeus".)

No, instead of drinking, let's LAUGH. Long and hard and LOUD.
Tell these jokers, "It doesn't matter what you call it, it doesn't matter if you called it the "Churchill Holy Cross MacArthur Macho Jesus Pass Happening".
It's a SURGE, and ESCALATION of real blood men and women that are going to die for your arrogance.

Then walk away.

Ok folks. The Penn vs. Texas A&M NCAA tournament game just started. Gotta go check out my alma mater as we take on those ferocious Texans.

And yes, I fully expect you to be rooting for my boys in this almost impossible endeavor, as they are playing the university that will most likely host Bush's presidential library.

Why do they even BOTHER showing up? Honestly, the people at the top of our government should just fon this shit in.

"Formula fer Governin'"

1. Get money (campaign or pocket) from a Crony.

2. Get call from Crony. Give Crony job or contract.

3. Go out in public and bitch about how "Big Government is the problem, and Free Trade and Capitalism will save us in the end!!

4. Watch Crony screw up every last bit of their assigned duties due to incompetence and greed.

5. Go back out in public and say, "SEE!! I told you so!! Government is the problem!".

6. Go on a canned hunt for flightless quail. Eat well, drink well, sleep well.

7. repeat ad nauseum

*for the sake of this example, Crony is defined as anyone who has known you, anyone you know or are related to.



Right Hand Thief

Crony lawyer defends crony capitalists

William Scherer, a lawyer representing MWI (the Jeb! Bush crony company that makes defective pumps) is-- surprise!-- a Bush Pioneer. Yesterday, he responded to unfavorable news reports about MWI's defective pumps in New Orleans.


The MWI pumps in New Orleans definitely would have done their job if needed during last year's hurricane season.

And they will do their job in the coming storm season, if needed.

The pumps were tested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers again just this last weekend and they performed above required capacity.

Hey, Counselor Mensa, quick question: didja know that the defective pumps were already tested last year... in a rainstorm in December?

The above story in pictorial form.

Oh thank you God, thank you.

This should keep my weekly Republican Sexcapades appearances on The Young Turks stocked with material for oh, the next six months.

So here we are again. Another week. And once again, for those of us at The Real McCain who track the good senator, he doesn't disappoint:

* "Did any Republicans call on [former President] Clinton not to pardon the aptly named Mr. Rich?" That was John McCain's response to Democrats' calling on President Bush not to pardon Scooter Libby. So now outing CIA agents is acceptable behavior to you, self-appointed guardian of our national security (excellent record on this front, btw).

* Speaking of your role as guardian of our national security, you think it might be a good idea to, you know, show up to important votes such as the one on implementing the 9/11 recommendations? If you don't have something better to do, like go to fundraisers. Just a thought.

* Finally, I understand that you don't want to be attacked for your personal life, now that some of the Swift Boaters are coming after you. But do you think accepting money from Swift-Boat fundraisers and hiring Swift-Boat consultants is what you might call, consistent?

There you have it. John McCain does it once again.

Oliver Willis has an great piece on how John McCain is suddenly calling for a truce when it comes to personal attacks on the candidates' past behavior. Could it be that some of the Swift Boaters are now after him, instead of John Kerry, so it's suddenly a problem?

And um, why did he accept money from those who financed them in 2004, including the main funder behind the project? Or hire their consultants for that matter?

Oh Johnny....

Sweet music to my ears....



I have my problems with Senator Biden, but he has actually offered concrete ideas on what to do with Iraq. Good on him, and nice to hear some passion.

Christy Hardin Smith over at Firedoglake has a great post on The Rule Of Karl. Rove that is. The grotesquely corpulent, politically sociopathic, sebum-stained parasite who destroys all government he touches.

I just got in from a long drive back from Ohio and am exhausted. So read Christy's post, it's excellent. But I will have one tomorrow I have been cooking up on him, tracing back to his early days and looking at his unmistakable pattern of corrupting government and disregarding if not downright destroying lives wherever he is present.

He is like a locust who devours his surroundings and moves on. And for this latest chapter in his sick, sleazy life, the firing of government attorneys for political purposes, he simply must go to prison.

Some of the most chilling reading you will find anywhere.

President Bushs' Book Club

Then read Sydney Blumenthal and Glenn Greenwalds takes on the "Book Club". (Salon would be the perfect reading if they hadn't brought Camille Paglia back.)

A NYT article takes a closer look at Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton courting the Jewish vote. It's not a pretty picture, and it basically makes it clear that Sen. Clinton is better at pandering than Sen. Obama. Yick

Alberto Gonzales held an entire press conference about taking responsibility for the problems at the Justice Department. But its not just about accountability (he doesn't want to be accountable either, despite saying he takes responsibility), it's also about competence, or his lack thereof. Whether it was torture memos, FBI failings, or the fired US Attorneys, Alberto Gonzales has proven to be utterly incompetent. And while that's the perfect attribute for being a Bush crony (Harriet Miers, Kenny Boy Lay), it's a lousy trait for the Attorney General. He must go.

How does Robert Greenwald do it? Between The Real McCain, Brave New Films and all his other projects, he's also doing this.
Politico

The video above is part of a campaign that Color of Change, an African-American online activist group modeled on MoveOn.org, is launching today to persuade the Congressional Black Caucus Institute not to make Fox it's partner for a debate, something the CBC is considering.

The group's founder, James Rucker, said he'll be sending out an email to about 70,000 people this morning, making the case that, according to a draft, "Fox's record is horrible. Their on-air personalities and regular guests consistently marginalize Black politicians, culture, and institutions." The central point echoes last week's MoveOn campaign: "Validating Fox News as legitimate hurts Black America, and undermines the CBC's credibility."

**********************

In the time I've been struggling with my computer, this post is already history.

Think Progress

CNN Joins Congressional Black Caucus for Democratic Debate in South Carolina

CNN will partner with the Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute (CBC Institute) to host a presidential debate among Democratic candidates in South Carolina on Jan. 24, 2008.

The video stands on it's own merit though. (and I'm still having problems)

I'm soooo cool!!! My email about the Carol Lam firing (Prosecutor Purge) co-incidence made it on the Diane Rehm Show!!!
(and hey Susan, I'm a woman. No harm, no foul)

*****************Update*****************
I've been battling the computer for the past two hours. Between dial-up and my stoopid computer, it's been a chore.

Cliff is on his way back to DC, so he should be back on tonite. (I mapquested it Cliffie, and you have 5 hours, 53 minutes of amnesty)

Faux not a right wing propaganda machine? Well, how about barely a news organization?

Top of the hour comparison between CNN & Fauz.

Faux- Elderly couple swept away in floods WITH VIDEO
New TERRORIST targets? (with caps)
Some kid friend of abductee Shawn Hornbeck stops by to tell us how he's doing.
Online- Feds Bust Couple in Child Sex Sting

CNN- Discussion of market crash
Gonzalez defends himself.
What to do about Atlanta HOV lanes (that caused fatal accident)
Online- Gonzales: 'I did make some mistakes'

CNN has it ALL over faux... again.

Where Has Cliff Been?
OhiO

Quake shakes, shocks 3 counties
'Minor' 3.6-magnitude temblor felt in Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage

Tuesday, March 13, 2007Brie ZeltnerPlain Dealer Reporter

The earth shook Monday night in Northeast Ohio.
Residents in Cuyahoga, Summit and Portage counties felt a 3.6-magnitude earthquake about 7:20 p.m. that was centered five miles north of Ravenna, just south of the Ohio Turnpike in Portage County.
Quakes with magnitudes measuring between 3.0 and 3.9 are considered "minor," according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Coincidence? Your call.

Party At The Capitol!!!

Gore's Live Earth Concert May Be Staged at Capitol

By J. Freedom du Lac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 13, 2007; Page C02

Rock on, Al Gore.

That's the message coming from Capitol Hill, where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced a resolution yesterday to allow Gore to stage a global-warming concert on the Capitol grounds.

This man was robbed.

Question for General Pace.

After saying this,
Yahoo

"I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Pace said in the audio recording of the interview posted on the Tribune's Web site.

I want to know, is it the acts themselves you consider immoral or the homosexual people that commit them? And I would reserve the right to ask you this question again after Ms Palfreys' "customers" are named.

************Heads UP!!!*********
Josh Micah Marshall is going to be on Countdown with Keith Olbermann at 8p tonite.
Josh and his crews at Talking Points Memo have done stellar work on the Prosecutor Purge. (and they're still working on it) Should be worth seeing.

Over at ABCnews.com, reporter Jan Simmonds notes that Giuliani sidestepped the question of whether being gay is "immoral," as Gen. Pace indicated.

In the statement his campaign released to ABC News, Mr. Giuliani chose not to respond to Pace's personal point of view that homosexuality is "immoral." ...

By choosing to keep his comments solely on how a change in policy would effect the war on terror, Giuliani was able to sidestep a subject he will have to handle carefully in the coming weeks and months of the campaign.

Uh, newsflash Jan, but you could ask him whether he agrees with Pace, and keep on him until he actually answers the question, as opposed to being impressed with his "sidestepping." It's called being a reporter. You should try it sometime.

More Mike Stark fun at CPAC. This time with Duncan Hunter and his theory on how we all came into being.

You may actually be a bit surprised at what he said to Mike.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (wanted to get the full title in there while I still could) about to speak about the Prosecutor Purge live on Cspan 2 and MSNBC.

Go to TPM Muckracker for a timeline and updates, and also hit Crooks & Liars to read about how US Attorney Removal Halted Abramoff Investigation.

**********Update Analysis********
John at Americablog

Oh man, that was fascinating. The man isn't just trying to keep his job, he's trying to avoid going to jail.

Oooh and SNAP!!

Politico

Air America's Invitation

Tweaking the Fox News Channel, the president of liberal Air America Radio this morning sent a letter to the chairmen of four state Republican parties, offering to host and broadcast the state parties' upcoming presidential debates.

Agreeing to the debate “would allow Republicans to differentiate themselves from Democrats,” Air America President Mark Green wrote to the Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina Republican chairmen in a deadpan communication provided this morning to The Politico.

Go read Mark Greens' letter. I will be keeping lookout for the reply.

Yes! This is how you deal with Rudy.

I like Glenn Greenwald. He's like, really smart and stuff. And he understands the ins and outs of what a truclulent, blood-sucking misanthrope Dick Cheney is.

So sometimes I just figure I'll let him do the talking, lest I dumb down a brilliant piece of his writing.

Really interesting piece by my pal Noah Shachtman at the Danger Room on how a large part of the problem with our Iraqi policy is we are have never developed any objective means for testing the poltiical will of the players over there.

That just might be how you end up funding Sunnis with ties to Al Qaeda and supporting a government with ties to Iran. It's as painful as watching Jenna and the other one trying to do fractions.

Yes, shocking to think that a man who when trying to confront Osama uttered "wanted dead or alive," and not too long hence, "I don't really think much about him" has zero idea how to make consistent judgments. Read the whole thing, but here's a particularly interesting part that tells the story:

Military and other planners traditionally make instinctive assumptions about the presence or absence of political will based on a variety of subjective factors. Until now, no objective framework for determination has been developed or applied. The result is that major decisions regarding collaboration, information sharing, funding and planning are based almost exclusively on individual idiosyncracy,without taking into account historical or collective experience.

You mean like, "The more I get to know President Putin, the more I get to see his heart and soul, and the more I know we can work together in a positive way"? Sure, I can see why...

No one is safe.

Rocky Mountain News

Feds tried to cut aid
Limits sought on help for ill workers
Department Of Energy

By Ann Imse And Laura Frank, Rocky Mountain News
March 10, 2007
Federal officials secretly schemed to limit payouts for sick and dying nuclear weapons workers, including thousands from the Rocky Flats plant outside Denver, newly released documents show.

The officials responsible for helping those workers went behind their boss's back, called on White House officials for help and tried to hide their efforts, according to internal e-mails and memos obtained by a congressional committee and posted on its Web site.

There is LITERALLY no one the R's won't screw over with a grin on their faces. (I'd be willing to go to Colorado to check these people's voter registration. No Democrat would do a thing like this.)

Victims of Katrina? "people were so uneducated and so unprepared, they literally couldn't get out of the way of a hurricane.".

Children abducted by pedophiles? "there was an element here that this kid liked about this circumstances"

I'm going to dig into my psychic bag here, and make a prediction on what the head of the DOE will be saying when confronted with this....

"Well, the price of electricity is so high, we figured it was just a benefit, you know, like sick time, erm, vacation days!! Plus, you NEVER have to buy light bulbs again!"

As I am on the road it is tough to keep up. Luckily we have Steve Benen, who always keeps up.

Go check out his Monday roundup, which inlcudes, among other things, an 8th newspaper having dropped The Adam's Apple's column, Senator John Kyl once again comporting himself like the lunatic he is (God, did I argue that is a race we needed to get more involved in with additional $$ early in the 2006 cycle) and Henry Waxman still having unanswered questions for Condaleeza Rice.

I have a few for Rice too. For example, how could somebody so monumentally stupid as to view the August 6th, 2001 presidential briefing as "historial in nature" and who thinks she is going to fool us by calling the escalation in Iraq an "augmentation," be qualified to choose the menu at a state dinner much less be Secretary of State.

I guess that's more rhetorical in nature. Ok, how about this.

How does Bush like his eggs in the morning?

I HATE HIM!!! I HATE HIM!!! I HATE HIM!!!
Paddy throws herself to the floor, thrashing and flailing about, pounding her fists.

Whew, I feel a little better. fTucker can pack more lies, half-truths and innuendos in 20 minutes than anyone else on the teevee. (outside of Faux that is)

And on another note, cribbed totally from Think Progress...

So you thought once Dems got in power, the balance of objectivity on the Sunday shows would head back in our favor, dincha?

Silly you..




A tidbit

Despite previous network claims that a conservative advantage existed on the Sunday shows simply because Republicans controlled Congress and the White House, only one show, ABC's This Week, has been roughly balanced between both sides overall since the congressional majority switched hands in the 2006 midterm elections.

And head over to Media Matters (who compiled this study so you didn't have to) and sign their petition to the networks to try and fix this "slight imbalance".

Apparently, Fred Thompson believes that the current batch of GOP Presidential wannabees have not sufficiently pandered to the right wing. In an AP article, assumes the position for the Dobson crowd, by saying that Roe v. Wade should be overturned as "bad law and bad medical science." (I assume he knows this because he played a doctor at some point).

Clearly, his role as a Naval officer (Hunt for Red October) helped him conclude that

"Wars are full of mistakes. You rectify things. I think we're doing that now," he said. "Why would we not take any chance, even though there's certainly no guarantees, to not be run out of that place? I mean, we've got to take that opportunity and give it a chance to work."

But my favorite was his belief that Scooter Libby should be pardoned now. After those years on "Law and Order" you'd think he would be tougher on criminals, right?

Compare and Contrast.

Cheney

Cheney: Congress undermining U.S. troops By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney challenged lawmakers Monday to prove their support for U.S. troops and the war on terrorism by approving the Bush administration's requests for financing military action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"When members of Congress pursue an anti-war strategy that's been called 'slow bleeding,' they are not supporting the troops, they are undermining them," Cheney said in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Pelosi & Murtha

"If we are going to support our troops, we should respect what is considered reasonable for them: their training, their equipment and their time at home," Pelosi said in an interview with a small group of reporters. "What we're trying to say to the president is, you can't send people in who are not trained for urban warfare . . . who are not prepared to contend with an insurgency."

Reality

The Army is ordering injured troops to go to Iraq
At Fort Benning, soldiers who were classified as medically unfit to fight are now being sent to war. Is this an isolated incident or a trend?

"Let's go Krogering..."

This distract you from Hagel on the teevee!

Kroger Response to Emergency Contraception

ATLANTA, March 9 /PRNewswire/ --
The Kroger Co. believes that medications are a private patient matter. Our role as a retail pharmacy operator is to furnish medication using applicable professional standards in accordance with a doctor's prescription or as requested by a customer.

The Kroger Co. began carrying dual label OTC Plan-B in November of 2006, when the FDA approved it. It is our policy to carry the product in all of our stores.

If, for whatever reason, an individual pharmacist objects to furnishing this or any other medication, our policy is to find a way to accommodate the customer.

We are taking additional steps to make certain that all of our pharmacy teams have a clear understanding of this policy.

Good for them!! And if you shop at Kroger's', stop at the customer service desk and TELL THEM you approve.

Taylor has a great take on Hillary and the politics of gender. She makes some interesting comparisons to John F. Kennedy's having to deal with the "Catholic" issue in 1960 (looking at important differences, too).

Taylor is well-versed in the variety of issues at stake here, and takes an interesting look at Hillary's lost cloak of inevitability. And, if that's not enough, it's Taylor.

I mean c'mon, she's always a fun gal to read because she GETS IT. So, um, read it...please.

The fact that Karl Rove got off scott free really has to chafe Scooter Libby's hide (although chafing is probably the least of Scooter's hide worries nowadays). But we may see Karl Rove hauled before a grand jury again some time soon if McClatchy newspapers have it right (HT-Josh Marshall)

Could it be? Bookers are actually tiring of the Adam's Apple? So says this article.

Well, at least she'll always have those three broken engagements, her walk-of-shame, cocktail-waitress slinky she wears on tv and of course an Adam's Apple that makes Matt Sanchez at least reasonably horny.

The outrage continues.....
Salon

The Army is ordering injured troops to go to Iraq

At Fort Benning, soldiers who were classified as medically unfit to fight are now being sent to war. Is this an isolated incident or a trend?
By Mark Benjamin

March 11, 2007 | FORT BENNING, Ga. -- "This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. "If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight."

As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.

I've been too tired and just fed the f**k up, but I saw this and wanted you all to know.

Jenkins, who is still in Georgia, thinks doctors are helping to send hurt soldiers like him to Iraq to make units going there appear to be at full strength. "This is about the numbers," he said flatly.

That is what worries Steve Robinson, director of veterans affairs at Veterans for America, who has long been concerned that the military was pressing injured troops into Iraq. "Did they send anybody down range that cannot wear a helmet, that cannot wear body armor?" Robinson asked rhetorically. "Well that is wrong. It is a war zone."

(snip)
Eight soldiers who were at the Feb. 15 meeting say they were summoned to the troop medical clinic at 6:30 in the morning and lined up to meet with division surgeon Lt. Col. George Appenzeller, who had arrived from Fort Stewart, Ga., and Capt. Aaron K. Starbuck, brigade surgeon at Fort Benning. The soldiers described having a cursory discussion of their profiles, with no physical exam or extensive review of medical files. They say Appenzeller and Starbuck seemed focused on downplaying their physical problems.

Go read the whole thing and then bang your head on the computer.
WHAT KIND OF F**KING COUNTRY DO WE LIVE IN?

Guess I'm spending the day on the phone (again)

Updated 912a Monday 3/12************

And Via Ari @ SOTU Blog, we find out this is not the first time.

Guardian UK From April '04

The Guardian has uncovered more than a dozen instances in which ill or injured soldiers were sent to war by a US military whose resources have been stretched near to breaking point by the simultaneous fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In its investigation, the Guardian learned of soldiers who were deployed with almost wilful disregard to their medical histories, and with the most cursory physical examinations.

I have a SEVERE case of the new "Disease Du Jour"..... outrage fatigue.

I'm TIRED of being pissed, so here for your listening pleasure is one of my all time favorite bands, Concrete Blonde. The first song was my "relationship song" for my last relationship. Ya'll know what that means.

AND, follow me to the comments for a secret.

*************NOTE*****************
Just in case you thought I was being ultra hoggy with the posts today, Cliff is traveling and will in and out of "Radio Silence" today and tomorrow.

Top Senators Call for Atty General Gonzales to Resign

Too little, too late guys (and waaay too polite). It's not just Gonzales, but Gonzales's boss that should go. (oh, and John Yoo)

Democratic senators say Gonzales should go By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should resign following disclosures of mass firings of federal prosecutors and a report the FBI improperly obtained information on private citizens, top Democratic senators said on Sunday.

In addition, a key Republican voiced concerns of his own about Gonzales and his embattled Justice Department, although he stopped short of calling for a resignation.

"I think we need a change in the top at the Justice Department," said Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, a member of the Democratic leadership.

Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat and a 2008 White House contender, said, "I think we'd be better off if he did (resign), but that's a judgment the president is going to have to make."

Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said it was matter for President George W. Bush and Gonzalez to decide, but added, "I do think there have been lots of problems."

Honestly, what kind of pussy talk is this? A "change in the top at the Justice Department"? WE NEED A FREAKING FLUSH!!! I'm not kidding, just grab some firefighters hoses and point them at the Justice Department. After all the attorneys are done being expelled out the back of the building, start from scratch.

This situation is systemic. You cannot have a democracy when the Executive Branch believes it can do whatever it wants whenever it wants. Very, very simple yet no one ever seems to just cut to the chase.

THEY ALL HAVE TO GO.

For you actual humans who live outside the Beltway, on Friday the Appeals Court overturned DC's gun ban. I'm waiting to hear Republicans complain about judicial activism, and how tyrants in black robes are overturning the will of the people. So far, the silence has been deafening.

My AMERICAblog Column:

The Week That Was 3/9/07

Another week. More preposterousness to report.

So did you hear the one about the gay porn star/prostitute/military corporal named Matt Sanchez (his nom de boink: Rod Majors) who won an award at CPAC, had his picture taken with Ann Coulter and was called "a great American" by Hannity?

Well Max did. And Matt did. And Andy did. And Joe did. And AMERICAblog did. And now we all have.

Yup, another right-wing, gay hustler beds the less-fair sex by night, only to cozy up the Party of "Faggot" by day. Where have I seen this movie before?

I wonder if during down time between speeches at CPAC they watched this cinematic gourmand in his heavily touted works of artistic panache such as Jawbreaker and Glory Hole of Fame 3?

Although, I must say, I found the latter lacked the production values of Glory Hole of Fame 2. But maybe that was just me. And you know, it's really a darn shame that John McCain's heartfelt talks on abstinence outside of marriage somehow had no effect on the very active (or was that passive?) Mr. Sanchez.

I mean you'd think a guy with the fortitude to stand up to all those lefties (none of whom have been proven to actually exist) who called him a "baby killer" and spat upon him (or was the latter a scene in his Oscar-nominated tour de force, Touched by an Anal? (seriously, don't click on this at work)) for his military service--ya know, the vast Communist conspiracy alive and well at Columbia University--could have withstood the temptation we all must one day face, to sell ourselves to anonymous, hirsute strangers for $250 a pop.

In any case, this all brings me back to something I have spoken about often in my writing. The psychological projection of a bunch of mentally-metastisized, morally-lobotomized misanthropes known as the GOP.

My favorite historian and social commentator of the 20th Century, multiple Pulitzer-Prize winning scholar Richard Hofstadter, explained the mental state of paranoid, right-wing sexual hypocrites thusly:

"The sexual freedom often atributed to him, his lack of moral inhibition, his possession of especially effective techniques for fulfilling his desires, gives exponents of the paranoid style an opportunity to project and freely express unacceptable aspects of their own minds."

If only we had enough sofas on which all these Republicans could rest so they could work out in private what they burden our politics with in public.

*For more on this and other stories, please go to cliffschecter.com. And begin to save those pennies now for the release of Cliff Schecter's first book this summer, The Real McCain.

"Did any Republicans call on [former President] Clinton not to pardon the aptly named Mr. Rich?"

That was John McCain immediately after the Libby verdict, defending the actions of a man who participated in what could be defined as treason. But really, he cares about the troops who were needlessly put in harm's way in an America-weakening war, based on lies and with the help of smear jobs like this one.

Let me just first say, for the record, that I have absolutely no clue what time it is.

Biscotti with your coffee Ms K? NO DAMMIT, I'm killing carbs again and plan to enjoy my crankiness!!!

Because I'm a lover of petty losers, go read how Faux hand picked reaction to their thumping at Newshounds. hehehe

The editors at FOXNews.com ignored 145 articles listed in a Google search that objectively told of the decision by Nevada Democrats to cancel a Democratic presidential candidate debate that would have been hosted by the right-wing network. Rather, they chose an editorial from the Las Vegas Review Journal that condemned the decision, allowing FOX to publish the opinion while pretending to report a news item.

I'm feeling frisky this am, so I'll start out with my two "dream crushes".

Glenn Greenwald asks, What happened to the Padilla interrogation videos?

Joe (*sigh*) Conason will be having a live chat about his new book, It Can Happen Here, later today at Firedoglake. Go check it out.

Editorial at the NYT calling for Gonzalez to step down. Atta boys!!

Well, that's all I can muster up until I finish my coffee and figure out what *%++ing time it is.

The tone of the Edwards Campaign's response to Fox's continued attacks has just been picture perfect. Because the man is obviously nuts for being the first to decide not to join in the now-slain Nevada Fox debate after they invited Ann Coulter on womanly-hips Hannity right after she called him a "faggot."

Yeah, you'll want to go running to that network immediately:

Enough is enough. It's time to send a clear message to Fox News and their allies that their right-wing talking points and temper tantrums won't go unchallenged anymore - when it comes to what Democrats should do in the Democratic primary, we'll decide - no matter what they report:

Fox News has already proven they have no intention of providing "fair and balanced" coverage of any Democrat in this election.

In recent weeks they have run blatant lies about Senator Obama's background. And Fox was only too happy to give Ann Coulter a platform to spew more hate a few days after her bigoted attack on Senator Edwards and the gay community.

Now it's time for Democrats to stand together and send a clear message to Roger Ailes, Fox News and all the rest of them: bias isn't balance, but turning tables is fair.

The truth is, Fox News can "report" whatever they want. And when it works for us, we'll deal with them on our terms. But this campaign is about responsibility and accountability, and we need to send the message to Fox that if they want to be the corporate mouthpiece of the Republican Party more than they want to be an impartial news outlet, they shouldn't expect Democrats to play along.

Very good stuff. I'd say the blogger brouhaha is officially in their rearview mirror.