GETTING CLOSER

A tale of two headlines

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/us/politics/31rove.html
Rove Says His Role in Prosecutor Firings Was Small

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/30/AR2009073002023.html
E-Mails Show Larger White House Role in Prosecutor Firings

[NB: Yep, you got it. One newspaper focuses on what Rove SAID his role was; the other looks at the emails and tells us what he actually DID. And there in a nutshell you have the dilemma of contemporary journalism.]

Read the emails: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/emails_show_roves_role_in_us_attorney_friing.php

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/us/politics/31rove.html
Mr. Rove, who on Thursday completed two days of testimony in a closed session with investigators from the House Judiciary Committee, said in the interview that he could not answer one of the central unanswered questions that the panel has hoped to resolve: whether it was the White House that directed the Justice Department to remove the prosecutors.

“I can’t even tell you who brought it up,” Mr. Rove said . . .

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/30/wapo-rove-spun-in-interview-about-role-in-us-attorney-firings/

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/rove-had-even-bigger-role-in-scandal.html

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019300.php
[Steve Benen] Keep in mind, assistant U.S. attorney Nora R. Dannehy "continues to investigate whether the firings of the prosecutors and the political firestorm that followed could form the basis of possible false statements, obstruction of justice or other criminal charges." Rove has already met with Dannehy, at least once. . . .

CIFA

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/29/cifa-lives/
[Marcy Wheeler] Remember CIFA? That's the military's domestic spying program that used to spy on Quakers and bloggers like Jesus' General. In April 2008, the Pentagon announced it was shutting down the program.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it sounds like they didn't shut down the program. . . .

Killing our troops

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/30/report-confirms-poor-electrical-work-by-kbr-endangers-us-troops-in-iraq-and-afghanistan/
There’s a new and damning report from the Department of Defense Inspector General on its investigation into the electrocution death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth. The report concludes that Staff Sgt. Maseth’s death was the result of shoddy electrical work, electrical work performed by U.S. military contractor KBR.

It also concludes that the Army failed to properly oversee KBR’s work, allowing the danger to U.S. troops from KBR’s work to continue and persist not only on Ryan Maseth’s base, but throughout Iraq and Afghanistan . . .

Have we lost the public option in health care reform?

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/the-public-plan-you-wont-have-access-to.php

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/29/ezra-klein-plays-his-part-in-the-co-op-squeeze-play/

Yesterday, I pointed out how Dems like Max Baucus and Kent Conrad have sold out their president and party for the sake of misguided “bipartisanship.” As loyal reader Kat B. points out, there is more to the story

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/do-baucus-ties-to-health-care-industry-compromise-his-reform-efforts.php
Do Baucus' Ties To Health Care Industry Compromise His Reform Efforts?

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=28530
Industry Cash Flowed To Drafters of Reform

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/12/20090612senate-disclosure12-ON.html
Lawmakers' ties to medical industry

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/30/759837/-Blue-Dogs:-Fiscal-Conservatives-or-Insurance-Company-Shills
Blue Dogs: Fiscal Conservatives or Insurance Company Shills?

http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/projects/2009/healthcare_lobbyist_complex/
Visualizing The Health Care Lobbyist Complex

More: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/the_max_baucus_committee.html
[Ezra Klein] This is who is in the room helping Baucus put together his bill. Olympia Snowe, Mike Enzi, Chuck Grassley, Jeff Bingaman and Kent Conrad. In a Senate of 60 Democrats and 40 Republicans, the health-care reform bill is being written by three centrist Democrats, one centrist Republicans, and two conservative Republicans. And until last week, Orrin Hatch was in the room, too.

This is not the Finance Committee's bill. This is the Max Baucus Committee's Bill. And there's not a liberal -- or even a Democrat traditionally associated with health-care policy -- working on it. . . .

Heh. Maybe that’ll work

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/hendrikhertzberg/2009/07/sic-the-big-dog-on-the-blue-dogs.html
Sic the Big Dog on the Blue Dogs . . . [read on]

Digby says it, so I don’t have to: you can’t always infer from the public stances people take what is really going on in the health care negotiations. There’s a lot of posturing and Kabuki, staking out positions now for the sake of providing cover for later shifts. Do the Dems REALLY want bipartisanship, or do they want to be able to blame the Repubs later when bipartisanship breaks down? It's hard to know

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/sshhhh.html
[Digby] If we had a functional press corps that was good at real political analysis instead of regurgitation of tired conventional wisdom, we'd know a lot more about this from reporters who have the sense and the skills to sort through the bullshit. But we don't. What we have instead is a media that runs with the narratives that "feel right" which means that they fall into well worn story lines which may or may not reflect anything that's actually happening --- but which by their very nature affect the course of the debate. . . .

Shameless

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/cornyn-dems-ought-to-be-ashamed-for-using-race-in-sotomayor-debates.php
Cornyn: Dems "Ought To Be Ashamed" For Using Race In Sotomayor Debates

[NB: Yeah, because all those Republicans and Republican proxies who were calling Sotomayor a RACIST weren’t.]

You know, this Voinovich/Vitter dustup over whether the GOP is being taken over by Southerners is kind of pointless – because it obviously IS

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/30/759241/-Republicans-flee-Congress-in-droves,-Politico-gives-them-upper-hand

A blimp? A BLIMP?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/house-gop-campaign-chair-got-earmark.html

http://washingtonindependent.com/53239/a-blimp-a-republican-and-the-epitome-of-hypocrisy

The silly season

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/29/bee-choice-at-obama-meeting-touches-off-new-debate/
The upcoming White House meeting with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and the Cambridge police officer who arrested him earlier this month appears to have touched off a fresh debate all on its own: what kind of beer should be served? . . .

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/just-when-you-thought-the-beer-summit-story-couldnt-get-any-more-ridiculous.php
[WP] Beer sends the “wrong message to our nation’s youth who are becoming alcoholics at young ages,” said Rocky Twyman, founder of Pray at the Pump . . .

The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union also isn’t happy. “There are so many other beverages he could have chosen that would have served just as well,” said president Rita K. Wert, suggesting lemonade or iced tea.

It really is unbelievable how sloppy Fox News graphics and editing are. It almost makes you think they don’t really care about getting things right. Wait! Hmmmmm . . . .

http://washingtonindependent.com/53273/mohammed-moved-the-mountain-but-fox-news-redraws-the-map-of-the-region

Bonus item: Jon Stewart on right-wing goofballs

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3077133

Extra bonus item: Don't blame us for what we say!

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/goldberg-oreilly-birther-theory-its
The Goldberg-O'Reilly Birther theory: It's an evil Obama plot to make conservatives look like wingnuts . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:08 AM

 
NICK’S POSTULATE

Nick’s Postulate: Republicans talk like winners, even when they’re losing, while Democrats talk like losers, even when they’re winning.

Here’s a prime example: the Dems roll Sotomayor’s nomination through committee, despite almost unanimous GOP opposition. But the winner is . . .

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-sotomayor29-2009jul29,0,307160.story
Reporting from Washington - Republicans' unflinching opposition Tuesday to Judge Sonia Sotomayor drew a partisan line in the sand, signaling that any future Obama nominees to the Supreme Court are unlikely to win significant GOP support even if they have solid legal credentials and moderate records. . . .

Republicans on the panel -- who will probably be followed by a large number of their colleagues in the Senate -- seemed ready to risk alienating Latino voters to make their point that she is more of a legal activist than her record as an appellate judge reveals.

They said that they had succeeded in setting a new, conservative standard for judging.

"This confirmation process has, in many ways, been a repudiation of activist legal thought," said Alabama's Sen. Jeff Sessions, the committee's ranking Republican. "It will now be harder to nominate activist judges." . . .

Nick’s Postulate, as applied to health care reform. The Dems have a winning issue and a popular president with momentum. They have the votes to force their will, if they can unify behind a proposal. They have popular support. What do they do? Turn that winning position into a losing one, single-handedly giving the Repubs a perceived power that they don’t in fact have – and not only jeopardizing reform, but giving the losing side control over what if anything gets passed. Nice work, boys . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019279.php
[Steve Benen] Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and a key player in the health care reform debate, said the other day that the final package must have Republican support. It's "not possible" and "not desirable" to reform the system any other way.

This is, alas, not new. A wide variety of Democratic leaders on the Hill have said the process matters at least as much as the policy, if not more so. Near the very top of the priority list is support from members of an increasingly right-wing party, turned out of power by the electorate after their humiliating failures at governing. . . [read on]

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/ny-timescbs-poll-obama-losing-support.html
[Joe Sudbay] This is why we worry about messaging (or lack thereof) on health care . . .

[T]he GOPers are always in campaign mode. And, they've got one mission: To destroy Obama's presidency. . . .

The role of the Blue Dogs: http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/it-is-because-of-blue-dog-coalition.html
[Joe Sudbay] The Blue Dogs have blocked a vote on health insurance reform before the August recess -- and they think it's a big win. . .

The Blue Dogs consider this a great victory. Of course, the biggest beneficiaries are House Republicans and the insurance industry who wanted a delay. . .

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/ny-timescbs-poll-obama-losing-support.html
[Joe Sudbay] Thanks to the Blue Dogs, the GOPers and their allies in the insurance industry have all of August to undermine and hammer away at real health insurance reform. Nothing like a few ugly insurance industry-funded t.v. ads to get members of Congress cowering. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/29/759327/-Blue-Dogs,-White-House,-and-House-Leadership-Strike-a-Deal

The role of Max Baucus (D-MT): http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/veiled-or-not-so-veiled-threat-to.html
[The Hill] Baucus, who is more conservative than most of the Democratic Conference, has frustrated many of his liberal colleagues by negotiating for weeks with Republicans over healthcare reform without producing a bill or even much detail about the policies he is considering. . . .

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/senate-gop-health-bill-moves-forward.html
[Joe Sudbay] Senate Republicans didn't introduce a health care reform bill. They didn't have to. Instead, they took the Democratic bill and removed the key provisions supported by Democrats. Max Baucus (D-MT) let them do it, because he wants a "bipartisan" bill. Baucus got a GOP bill . . .

The role of the CBO: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/29/759400/-Doug-Elmendorf,-the-CBO,-and-Reform
[McJoan] The CBO has emerged as the be all and end all for what healthcare reform will and will not do for the nation's economy. Its word is gospel in the traditional media and on the Hill. . . .

Remember the picture in the NYT, under the title "The Negotiators: Debating health care legislation in the Senate Finance Committee"? It's actually not the Senate Finance Committee, but Baucus's Committee, his "bipartisan" group. Sitting at the head of the table is Doug Elmendorf, and next to him, Phil Ellis, also from CBO. Are they advising, or are they negotiating? Is it appropriate for Elmendorf to be sitting in on those negotiations? . . . [read on]

Here’s Mike Enzi (who?), talking like he controls the whole process

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019281.php
Enzi [R-WY] said that Reid and Pelosi would have to commit to leaving any bipartisan agreements in place once the bill goes to conference.

"I also need commitments from Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi, as well as the Administration, that the bipartisan agreements reached in the Finance Committee will survive in a final bill that goes to the president," Enzi added. . . .

[Steve Benen] Well, I'll gladly give Enzi credit for having chutzpah. But as a serious proposition, this is almost comical.

Look, five committees in two chambers are trying to pass health care reform. Each understands that after approving a bill, their committee's work will have to be reconciled with other committees' work, before eventually reconciling the House and Senate versions.

Enzi is saying that this isn't good enough. This conservative Republican "needs" a "commitment" from the Democratic White House, the Democratic House Speaker, and the Democratic Senate Majority Leader that all of them will leave intact the work he and five other senators worked out in secret. No changes allowed. . . .

Enzi's little club features just six senators -- no liberals, no senators representing urban areas -- who represent less than 3% of the U.S. population. The gang has already abandoned key policy priorities of the president, the majority party, and the public, and is putting the finishing work on an inadequate piece of legislation.

And Enzi expects -- indeed, he demands -- that no one touch his group's work once it's complete? Please.

[NB: Remember, talk like a winner.]

The “resurgent” GOP?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/29/politico/
[Glenn Greenwald] [E]ven amidst the endless sea of sleaze and whoredom, Politico always manages to stand out. There is no limit on their willingness, their eagerness, to write down what GOP operatives tell them and then construct articles and screaming headlines based on it. It's what they exist to do. And one can't really overstate the influence its gossipy, simple-minded headlines have on cable news chatter and the political narrative of the day. The tiniest amount of shame would preclude a media outlet that has run one disproven "GOP-rising" article after the next from doing it again. . . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-in-saddle-by-digby-brilliant.html
[Digby] Brilliant political observers and Village savants, Chris Matthews, Charlie Cook and Chuck Todd say the country has lost confidence in Obama and that the Dems could very well lose the congress next time. . . .

IN FACT, the GOP is a party at war with itself, on the wrong side of demographics, with no positive alternative message whatsoever

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/29/vitter_response/index.html
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, was bound to hear some angry responses from his Republican colleagues when he said his party is "being taken over by Southerners" -- and not in a good way. It didn't take long for the first to pop up, from Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

"I'm on the side of conservatives getting back to core conservative values," Vitter told a Washington Times radio show. "There are a lot of us from the South who hold those values, which I think the party is supposed to be about. . . .”

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/29/759248/-Powell-To-The-Republican-Party:-Step-Up
[Colin Powell] "The problem I'm having with the [Republican] Party right now is that when [Rush Limbaugh] says something that I consider to be completely outrageous and I respond to it, I would like to see other members of the party do likewise, but they don't." [read on]

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/shrink-rap-by-digby-theres-lot-about.html
[Digby] There's a lot about the new Republican Party that's mystifying. "Disarray" doesn't even begin to describe it. I suppose it's a lot like it was back in 1964, although I think even then you could see the outlines of a comeback --- which they did, four short years later with the election of Nixon . . .

But this time, it's really hard to see how they can ever build a sustainable majority when they are doing things like this . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/republicans-stepping-away-from-the-birthers.php
[Eric Kleefeld] It's now looking like a lot of prominent Republicans, ranging from party leaders to big-name pundits that we usually expect to make outrageous partisan attacks, are doing something they'd been previously neglecting: Definitively cracking down on the Birthers, rather than playing to the conspiracy theorists allowing this stuff to continue festering among their activist base. . . .

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-national-committee/exclusive-michael-steele-blasts-birtherism-as-unnecessary-distraction-says-obama-is-us-citizen/
[Greg Sargent] For the first time, RNC chair Michael Steele is sharply criticizing the birthers, condemning the movement as an “unnecessary distraction,” reaffirming that the president is a “U.S. citizen,” and stressing that it’s time to move past debating Obama’s “birth certificate.” . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/roy-blunt-birtherism-a-legitimate-question-obama-has-produced-no-health-records-no-birth-certificate.php
[Eric Kleefeld] Maybe the House Republicans aren't done with Birtherism, after all. In fact, we now have Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), a former House GOP Whip who is now the party's likely nominee in the top-tier 2010 Missouri Senate race, saying it's a legitimate question. . . .

ANOTHER leading GOP Senator steps down, the second in a week

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/gop-sen-hutchison-plans-to-resign-in-the-fall-focus-on-gubernatorial-campaign.php

Little lies

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/thune-falsely-claims-house-health-care-bill-would-result-in-most-americans-paying-half-their-income-in-taxes.php
Thune Falsely Claims House Health Care Bill Would Result in “Most” Americans Paying Half Their Income in Taxes

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/washington-post-again-demonstrates-contempt-for-its-readers.php
[Martin Feldstein] Obama has said that he would favor a British-style “single payer” system in which the government owns the hospitals and the doctors are salaried . . .

Big lies

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/debunking_the_gops_phony_euthanasia_myth_--_since.php
[Zachary Roth] In recent days, a new right-wing scare tactic on health-care has blossomed on conservative blogs and emails lists: the notion that the reform bill making its way through the House would lead to euthanasia by requiring senior citizens to submit to "end-of-life consultations."

It won't surprise you to learn this is a lie. . . .

More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/rachel-maddow-gops-latest-conspiracy-theor
President Obama Wants to Kill Old People

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/29/frc_ad/index.html
Right brings abortion into healthcare debate

Their kind of guy

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019272.php
[Steve Benen] One of the problems with Glenn Beck's propensity for madness is the sheer volume. The unhinged Fox News personality is so far gone, and spouts so much nonsense on a daily basis, it's difficult to separate the routine absurdities from the uniquely offensive idiocy. . .

Another of their guys

http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2009/07/28/we-shall-overcompensate/
[John Hawkins] “Falsely accusing someone else of racism is just as bad as actual racism in my book” [read on]

How bad does it get when one of the ostensibly “sensible” CNN anchors has to go on FOX NEWS to get a friendly hearing?

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/happy-hour-roundup-54/
[Greg Sargent] Wow, it looks like Lou Dobbs’ birther obsession is making more trouble for CNN. Now he’s looking to go on Bill O’Reilly’s show to discuss the birthers — a decision that appears to have blindsided CNN execs. . .

Fox News excuses Glenn Beck’s on-air racism and hatred

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/29/759188/-Fox-News-Give-Green-Light-To-Racial-Rhetoric
Asked to respond to Beck’s comments, Fox News SVP of Programming Bill Shine didn’t repudiate them. "Glenn Beck expressed a personal opinion which represented his own views, not those of the Fox News Channel. And as with all commentators in the cable news arena, he is given the freedom to express his opinions," he said.

Has Rasmussen changed its polling methodology to make Obama look less popular?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/the-rasmussen-presidential-approval-index-is-this-newer-measurement-worth-anything.php
[Eric Kleefeld] I asked three prominent polling experts about this, and they all lambasted it. . . .

Bonus item: No, not “The Onion”

http://www.newsweek.com/id/209174
Why Obama should make George W. Bush his Mideast envoy . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:06 AM

 
REWARDING BAD BEHAVIOR

No one knows where this is going, but the Obama camp seems to preparing us for a health care bill with no public option

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/gibbs-waffles-on-public-option.php

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/28/public_option/index.html
Is the public option dead?

They’ll be a strong push-back from Dems if they drop it: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/28/758754/-Sherrod-Brown:-Well-get-a-strong-public-option

The Blue Dogs: http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/blue-dogs-teaming-up-with-house-gop-to.html
Some Blue Dogs are sidling up to House Republicans to kill health care reform . . .

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/blue-dogs-deciding-if-theyll-kill-real.html

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6722

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/smiles-on-summer-night-by-dday-meet-men.html

Harry Reid, gutless: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/28/758935/-Reid:-Senate-Before-Country
“What I think should be in the bill is something that I will vote for according to my conscience when we get this bill to the floor,” Reid told reporters today. “But I have a responsibility to get a bill to the Senate floor that will get 60 votes that we can proceed toward.”

“That’s my No. 1 responsibility,” Reid continued, “and there are times I have to set aside my personal preferences for the good of the Senate and I think the country.” [read on]

The media: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/reflexive-village-idiocy-by-digby-ok.html
Wolf Blitzer: Gloria, if the president caves on this public option, this government run insurance company that would compete with the private insurance companies. What kind of reaction would he get from within his own party.

Gloria Borger: Well, I think it depends of course on what he caves to . . .

The idea to use the US military on domestic soil wasn’t the only bright idea the Bush gang was hatching

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/28/missing-the-deployed-military-for-the-trees/
“So the Yoo memoranda were almost certainly prepared in order to support a case for the domestic use of the military and in the hopes that by deploying the military, the Constitutional limitations on police action and arrests could simply be avoided. “

[Marcy Wheeler] This confusion--and the claims that the October 23 memo primarily envisions the arrest of alleged terrorists by the military--is troublesome, IMO, because it obscures the other known application of the October 23 memo: the authorization of domestic surveillance by the military. . .

Something useful the NSA can do for us

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/18%C2%BD-minute-gap
Analysts have tried for years to recover the famous 18½ minute gap from Richard Nixon's taped conversation with Bob Haldeman a few days after the Watergate break-in. No dice. So far, it just doesn't look possible.

But Haldeman also took notes of that conversation. The pages that correspond to the gap appear to have been deep-sixed at the same time the tape was erased, but a Watergate buff named Phil Mellinger, a former NSA systems analyst, has proposed a way to recover the notes anyway . . .

We’ve been tracking this for months, as you know – but lately it appears that more and more explicit race-baiting of Obama has made its way into open political discourse

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/obama-haters-becoming-increasingly-racial-in-their-rhetoric.php

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/rush-and-his-fellow-right-wingers-not.html

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/cspanjunkie/barack-obama-has-deep-seated-hatred-wh
[Glenn Beck] Barack Obama Has A Deep-Seated Hatred Of White People!

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/28/beck_obama/index.html
Beck calls Obama a racist . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/28/758919/-Would-This-Guy-Have-a-Job-If-He-Were-a-Leftist
Would This Guy [Beck] Have a Job If He Were a Leftist?

Will GOP pols repudiate Rush? http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/28/stark-on-the-hill-will-pete-king-denounce-rush-limbaugh/

Their Hero

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/tea_partiers_on_mckalip_we_lost_a_great_freedom_fi.php?ref=fpb
Tea Partiers On McKalip: "We Lost a Great Freedom Fighter"

The kind of people they are

http://washingtonindependent.com/52987/hang-im-high

Still think global warming is a myth? (thanks to Peg K for the link)

http://www.truthout.org/072609T

Bill O’Reilly really said this, not by accident but in a scripted way. I know they don’t fact-check on Fox, but come on!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019264.php
[Steve Benen] Fox News' Bill O'Reilly likes to answer a few questions from viewers on his show, and last night, he highlighted an inquiry from a Canadian: "Has anyone noticed that life expectancy in Canada under our health system is higher than the USA?"

"Well, that's to be expected, Peter," O'Reilly said, "because we have 10 times as many people as you do. That translates to 10 times as many accidents, crimes, down the line." . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/quote-day-5
[Kevin Drum] Note that this wasn't just an off-the-cuff howler. O'Reilly chose to air Gillies' letter and had his response all teed up on the prompter. Here are the alternatives for how this happened: (a) Not a single person on his staff noticed that this was nonsensical. (b) Someone noticed but didn't have guts to tell O'Reilly he was wrong. (c) Someone noticed, told O'Reilly, but was unable to convince him that he'd flubbed his fourth grade arithmetic. (d) O'Reilly does this stuff all by himself and doesn't show it to anyone before airtime. I'm going with (b).

More GOP stupid number tricks

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019268.php
[Bill Kristol] "One reason the price of health care is going up so fast is because of government programs. The price of Medicare and Medicaid have gone up faster than private insurance. That's well-documented."

Ezra Klein did a nice job explaining (with charts) what's true in the real world: "It is true that the growth rates of Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance are well-documented. But the documentation shows the opposite of what Bill Kristol says it shows. The price of Medicare and Medicaid have gone up much more slowly than private insurance."

Hee Haw!

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/28/voinovich/index.html
[Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio] We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, "These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. . . .”

Yep, we expected this. You betcha!

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/28/palin_considering_talk_radio_show.html
[Inside Radio] "While not exactly shopping the GOP's 2008 vice presidential candidate, sources say Palin representatives have been quietly testing the waters to see how much interest radio syndicators have for her."

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/28/palin_radio/index.html
[Alex Koppelman] Assuming Palin wants a future in national politics -- by no means a solid assumption, though she has appeared to be leaning that way -- a radio show could be a mixed blessing. . . .

Bonus item: Sarah Palin’s farewell speech, done as beat poetry

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3062674

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:58 AM

 
MAKING SAUSAGE

Looks like the big fight over health care reform will extend through the August recess. The Dems are giving the GOP their wish, now let’s see what happens

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/rnc-to-spend-1-million-in-august-to-fight-health-care-reform.php
RNC To Spend $1 Million In August To Fight Health Care Reform

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/whoops-insurance-company-emails-reform-group-urges-them-to-oppose-public-option.php
Whoops! Insurance Company Emails Reform Group, Urges Them To Oppose Public Option

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/the_health_care_push_grassroots_gear_up_for_recess.php
The Health Care Push: Grassroots Gear Up For Recess

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/new-move-on-ad-hits-republican-anti-reform-efforts.php
New Move-On Ad Hits Republican Anti-Reform Efforts

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019253.php
WHO HAS THE AUGUST EDGE?

Progress?

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/27/blue_dog/index.html
On healthcare, a fragile peace with the Blue Dogs . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/after-a-tumultuous-friday-house-health-care-negotiations-back-on-track.php
After A Tumultuous Friday, House Health Care Negotiations Back On Track

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090727/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul_24
After weeks of secretive talks, a bipartisan group in the Senate edged closer Monday to a health care compromise that omits a requirement for businesses to offer coverage to their workers and lacks a government insurance option that President Barack Obama favors . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/27/758458/-Rumors-of-Death-of-Healthcare-Reform-Greatly-Exaggerated
Rumors of Death of Healthcare Reform Greatly Exaggerated

Or? http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/robert_reich/2009/07/the-future-of-universal-health.php
[Robert Reich] Every day that goes by without a vote in the House or Senate on universal health care makes it less likely that major reform will occur, because (1) opponents have more time to stir up public anxieties about it; (2) Democrats up for reelection next year come ever closer to the gravitational pull of the midterms, and grow increasingly worried about voting for a bill that could be a political liability in a year when unemployment may well reach double digits and the electorate is restless and unhappy; and (3), as a result of the first two, proponents increasingly have to rely for support and cover on industries like Big Pharma and insurance, as well as physician specialists and equipment suppliers, none of whom have any interest in fundamental reform but all of whom see possibilities for making more money out of whatever bill emerges.

In other words, next fall we get something called "universal health insurance" that still leaves millions of Americans uninsured and doesn't substantially slow the meteoric rise of health-care costs. That would be a tragedy. . . . [read on]

Let’s see the GOP praise THIS CBO report on health care reform

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/peaceful-coexistence-by-digby-strangely.html

The CIA Inspector General’s report on torture, due out next month after repeated delays, must document some pretty horrendous acts – so bad, it’s forcing the Obama admin to talk about prosecutions. But this still focuses on the lower levels, not the people who developed and rationalized the policies

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/27/washington_justice/index.html
The Washington Post endorses Abu Ghraib scapegoating for torture

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/52831/letters-reveal-holder-investigation-would-re-open-cases

Obama drives the GOP crazy

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/deminted-republicans/
[Paul Krugman] It’s no secret that the reaction of a significant number of Republicans to the presidency of Barack Obama has been a bit, well, insane. . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/bachmann-the-obama-administration-plans-to-turn-us-into-castros-cuba-with-health-care-plan.php
Bachmann: The Obama Administration Plans To Turn Us Into Castro's Cuba

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/fox-friends-crew-frighten-elderly-vi
Fox & Friends crew frighten elderly viewers: health-care reform is 'a subtle form of euthanasia'

Do they REALLY want to go there? Given a chance to vote against a resolution affirming that Obama was born in the US, every single House Republican backs off

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/lead-birther-bill-sponsor-votes-to-recognize-hawaii-as-obamas-birthplace.php

More: http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/inhofe-says-birthers-have-point-then.html

Another Republican Senator retires, but it’s good news for the GOP because if he’d stayed in he probably would have lost – this gives them a fighting chance of retaining the seat

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/27/758476/-KY-Sen:-Bunning-out

Bonus item: Republican hypocrites condemn Obama for doing things their buddies in the Bush gang perfected

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/27/kristol/index.html
[Bill Kristol] "You can't have a teachable moment if it's based on a lie. . . So a moment in which everyone colludes to obscure the truth (which seems characteristic of most "teachable moments" in contemporary America) is not a moment of teaching; it's a moment of deception, of misdirection, of obfuscation.”

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019250.php
[Rush Limbaugh] "[T]here are people in this country, who are Americans, and have the same view of totalitarianism that all the worst regimes in the world have had. They just are a minority -- or have been a minority," said Limbaugh. "And they have to be stealth to get anywhere, because who's gonna vote for torture, who's gonna vote for tyranny, who's gonna vote for dictatorship? But we did. We did, and you see it slowly encroaching. And if they could move faster on this, they would."

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:43 AM

 
BUSINESS AS USUAL

The beltway yappers produce a typical puff-piece on John Yoo, displaying all their usual amorality

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/26/the-yoo-tumor/
[WP] Some public figures, if their judgment and ethics come under fire, retreat into solitude. Then there is John C. Yoo. . . .

While former colleagues have avoided attention in the face of such scrutiny, Yoo has been traveling across the country to give speeches and counter critics who dispute his bold view of the president's authority. Now a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, he engages in polite but firm exchanges with legal scholars over conclusions in their academic work. . . .

[NB: His "bold view." That's a nice way to put it.]

The unyielding faith in something called “bipartisanship”

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/admitting-gop-only-wants-to-kill-health.html
Admitting the GOP only wants to kill health care, Democratic Senator Kent Conrad still demands bipartisanship . . .

More: http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/26/late-night-senate-gop-in-disarray/

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019234.php

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/barack-obama-is-not-personally-responsible-for-broad-structural-shifts-in-congressional-polarization.php

Is real health care reform slipping away?

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/paying-piper

The conspiracy to prevent change

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/26/757458/-The-System-At-Work
[Hunter] The GOP goal is to kill healthcare reform outright; their strategists are saying as much. Not to kill single payer or a public option, but to kill the whole notion of reform. The legislators tasked with coming up with alternative plans declared, this last week, that none were needed; Senator Inhofe muses out loud about how much his party might be helped if they can manage to stop reform outright.

I suppose it is worth pondering the how and the why of such things. Do they earnestly believe that there's absolutely nothing that needs to be done about health care in this country? Are they so transparently in the pockets of the lobbyists that they are willing make a bold stand on "everything is fine", when a mere look out the window says it's not?

It's puzzling that such a stance could even be remotely effective. Everybody in America seems to hate their insurance provider, at least everyone who has ever had to use it because they actually got sick. Everybody knows how bad getting actual healthcare has become in this country; everybody has stories of being screwed roundly by their insurance, or not being able to get insurance in the first place, or knows someone else who has had worse experiences.

And yet even in something with such widespread support, all you have to do to foul up the works is (1) invoke partisan pride, so that all the other conservatives or Republicans will simply oppose whatever-it-is out of reflex, and (2) make up a bunch of scary-sounding bullcrap, much of it provided by the insurance companies themselves, and hork it up on television via friendly hosts and anchors. . . . [read on]

The press helps: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/dont-think-it-doesnt-matter-in-their.html

Another manufactured Republican hissy fit

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/obama-betrayus-by-digby-i-would-guess.html

A story that hasn’t received the coverage it deserves

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/moral-hazard-by-digby-ddays-doing-some.html
[Digby] Dday points to this fascinating little tid-bit from the NY Times which flew under the radar of the generalist political blogs as we argued over arcane pieces of health care policy and racial profiling the past few days. But it's certainly something we should find more bandwidth to talk about. After all, it's a scandal of epic proportions and yet another piece of evidence that Goldman Sachs (along with others) in the last 25 years has become an extra-legal if not a fully criminal enterprise. . . . [read on]

More: http://crooksandliars.com/dday/more-evidence-found-goldman-sachs-blood-funne

The Sunday talk shows, in bullet points

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/the_sunday_shows_in_five_bullet_points.php

More from Hillary

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/us/politics/27clinton.html

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019236.php

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/clinton-iran-your-nuclear-weapons-pursuit-fu

C Street? C Street? Never heard of it. . .

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/26/crazy-pete-hoekstras-pre-emptive-disavowal-of-c-street/
Crazy Pete Hoekstra, who will use Dick DeVos' almost unlimited funds to run for MI Governor next year, has pre-emptively admitted, but disavowed, C Street. . . .

Buh-bye

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/26/palin/index.html
The speech itself was utterly disjointed, jumping from the patriotism of America's troops to energy independence, Hollywood starlets threatening the Second Amendment and a repeat of Palin's argument that remaining a lame-duck governor wouldn't have served the people of Alaska well. It was combative, too . . .

And, of course, it featured plenty of media-bashing, as Palin told reporters, "You represent what could and should be a respected, honest profession that could and shoudlo be a cornerstone of our democracy. Democracy depends on you and that's why our troops are willing to die for you. So how about in honor of the American soldier ya quit making things up?" . . .

Bonus item: Fox News calls CNN reporter Rick Sanchez a “hack.” Pot, meet kettle

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019239.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:39 AM

 
GOOD RIDDANCE

I think Dick Cheney was going out of his way to look for more and more areas where he could assert the President’s authority to break the law if he wanted to

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/25/military/index.html
[Glenn Greenwald] This new report today from The New York Times' Mark Mazzetti and David Johnston reveals an entirely unsurprising though still important event: in 2002, Dick Cheney and David Addington urged that U.S. military troops be used to arrest and detain American citizens, inside the U.S., who were suspected of involvement with Al Qaeda. That was done pursuant to a previously released DOJ memo authored by John Yoo and Robert Delahunty, addressed to Alberto Gonzales, dated October 23, 2001, and chillingly entitled "Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities Within the U.S." That Memo had concluded that the President had authority to deploy the U.S. military against American citizens on U.S. soil. Far worse, it asserted that in exercising that power, the President could not be bound either by Congressional statutes prohibiting such use (such as the Posse Comitatus Act) or even by the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which -- the Memo concluded -- was "inapplicable" to what it called "domestic military operations."

Though it received very little press attention, it is not hyperbole to observe that this October 23 Memo was one of the most significant events in American politics in the last several decades, because it explicitly declared the U.S. Constitution -- the Bill of Rights -- inoperative inside the U.S., as applied to U.S. citizens. . . . [read on]

More on the Bush/Cheney battle over pardoning Scooter Libby

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/25/the-libby-non-pardon-from-the-department-of-pre-spin/
[Marcy Wheeler] I thought I was done with the myth on the Scooter Libby non-pardon. But dday's emphasis on the second most eye-popping detail from Time's story--Libby's unsuccessful attempt to appeal to Bush personally for a pardon (the most eye-popping being Bush's consultation with his own defense attorney)--made me want to tell this story again to emphasize the known facts rather than Bush's self-serving spin of those facts. . . . [read on]

Well, we finally have the Republican health care plan: Don’t Change Anything

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019226.php
[Steve Benen] To appreciate why so many conservative Republican lawmakers oppose health care reform, it's important to remember that they generally don't consider the status quo that bad. . . . [read on]

http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/republican-10-point-plan-health-care
[Jon Perr] Here, then, is the Republican 10-Point Plan for Health Care:
1. 50 Million Uninsured in America
2. Another 25 Million Underinsured
3. Employer-Based Coverage Plummets Below 60%
4. Employer Health Costs to Jump by 9% in 2010
5. One in Five Americans Forced to Postpone Care
6. 62% of U.S. Bankruptcies Involve Medical Bills
7. Current Health Care Costs Already Fueling Job Losses
8. 94% of Health Insurance Markets in U.S Now "Highly Concentrated"
9. Dramatic Decline in Emergency Room Capacity
10. Perpetuating Red State Health Care Failure

GOP automatons, parroting the health care talking points drafted for them

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/ed-schultz-recap-talk-republican-talking-points

Obama’s NEXT Supreme Court fight

http://www.slate.com/id/2223487/

Once upon a time, Fred Barnes was a halfway decent political journalist with a right-of-center world view. Then he discovered his true calling. . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019224.php
[Steve Benen] Conceit is nearly always unseemly, but it takes a smug fool with misplaced arrogance to be truly offensive.

The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes devotes his latest column to bashing President Obama's economic policies. That, in and of itself, is unremarkable. Barnes is a Bush/Cheney Republican, and Obama isn't. They're bound to see economic policy differently.

What's striking, though, is how Barnes presents his argument. Instead of simply making the case against the administration's policies, he feels comfortable arguing that Obama is "an economic illiterate," the "Know-Nothing-in-Chief," and a leader lacking "even a sketchy grasp of economics." This from a shameless conservative hack who has never demonstrated any proficiency in any area of public policy . . . [read on]

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/the-sunday-show-line-ups-13.php
• ABC, This Week: Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND); Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

• CBS, Face The Nation: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod; Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA); Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN); Historian and author Douglas Brinkley.

• CNN, State Of The Union: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); and White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod.

• NBC, Meet The Press: Sec. of State Hillary Clinton.

Sarah Palin: an object lesson for what you have to do to become a successful national candidate for the GOP

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/transformation-sarah-palin
[Kevin Drum] One of the enduring mysteries of Sarah Palin is the Jekyll/Hyde transformation she underwent when John McCain chose her as his running mate. As near as I can tell, Sarah Palin v1.0 was a relatively pragmatic governor of Alaska. Sure, she was conservative, but for the most part the tribalism and rancor she sometimes displayed as mayor of Wasilla was absent. She worked across the aisle and got things done.

Then the 2008 campaign happened. Palin spent a couple of months on the national stage and developed such a fondness for her role as cultural attack dog — or perhaps redeveloped such a fondness for it — that she found herself either unable and unwilling to bother with actual governance once she got back to Juneau. As Suzy Khimm reports in TNR, Alaska was just too small for Sarah Palin v2.0 . . . [read on]

Bonus item: David Letterman’s Top Ten farewell to Palin

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/25/lettermans_farewell_to_palin.html

SNL’s highlights too: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/25/754843/-Best-of-SNL-2008:-Countdowns-Highlight-Reel

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:42 AM

 
ANGRY BLACK MEN

Ever hear of Posse Comitatus?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/us/25detain.html
Top Bush administration officials in 2002 debated testing the Constitution by sending American troops into the suburbs of Buffalo to arrest a group of men suspected of plotting with Al Qaeda, according to former administration officials.

Some of the advisers to President George W. Bush, including Vice President Dick Cheney, argued that a president had the power to use the military on domestic soil to sweep up the terrorism suspects . . .

How they do “apologies”

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/doctor_on_racist_obama_email_i_sincerely_apologize.php
Doctor On Racist Obama Email: "I Sincerely Apologize"

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/citing_email_flap_mckalip_says_hell_withdraw_from.php
Dr. David McKalip has told fellow conservative activists that thanks to the flap over his racist email showing President Obama as a witch doctor, he will no longer appear publicly in opposition to health-care reform. . . .

The emails also show that McKalip's original response to the criticism he began to receive after we revealed his racist email was equally defiant. About an hour after our post went up yesterday morning, he wrote to fellow activists, in an email titled: "Race Baiting by Obama Camp on health care" . . . [read on]

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/tea_party_leader_to_mckalip_we_all_have_your_back.php
The national coordinator of the American Tea Party movement is standing behind David McKalip and has pledged her help as he struggles with the fallout over the racist email he sent showing President Obama dressed as a witch doctor. . . .

More: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/funny_stuff.php

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/24/florida-doctor-who-distributed-racist-email-is-a-tea-party-organizer-called-health-care-reform-medical-fascism/

OK, I guess I have to say something about the stupid Gates controversy. Yes, it was stupid to arrest an innocent guy in his own house. Yes it was stupid for Obama to use the word “stupid” in characterizing it. Yes, all the breathless opinion-mongering is stupid when no one knows exactly who said and did what in the fracas. Yes, the press has been mostly stupid and irresponsible in promoting the feeding frenzy.

Obama tries to put it at rest, invites Crowley and Gates to the WH for a beer . . .

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/24/obama-tries-to-suffocate-ridiculous-gates-controversy-with-soothing-blanket-of-words-common-sense/
“Over the last two days as we've discussed this issue, I don't know if you've noticed, but nobody has been paying much attention to health care. . . .”

More: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/24/both_were_wrong_but_one_was_wronger/
Both Were Wrong, But One Was Wronger . . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/gatesgate-by-digby-i-have-been.html

Rush calls Obama an “angry black man.” Let’s drop the subtlety, eh?

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/24/late-night-msnbc-will-any-republican-denounce-rush-limbaugh/

Bye-bye Sarah

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/23/AR2009072303799.html
As Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin prepares for the next stage of her political career, a majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of her, and there is broad public doubt about her leadership skills and understanding of complex issues, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. . . .

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/24/palin/index.html
Is Palin really getting less popular?

Photo gallery: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/gallery/2009/07/sarah-palin-a-long-goodbye.php

Another Katrina – pshaw!

http://crooksandliars.com/dday/gooper-were-not-going-cry-emergency-every-tim
[Marsha Blackburn (Oblivious-TN)] Let’s agree that we’re going to have PAYGO enforcement. That we’re not going to cry ‘emergency’ every time we have a Katrina, every time we have a Tsunami . . .

Sometimes even I think that Obama has too many balls in the air all at once. Here comes a major education reform too

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/24/education/index.html

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/race-to-the-top-funds-structured-to-encourage-states-to-drop-restrictions-on-performance-data.php

Here’s how you know there’s nothing to the Obama “birther” controversy – if there had been, McCain would have used it in the campaign (oh, yes, he would)

http://washingtonindependent.com/52474/mccain-campaign-investigated-dismissed-obama-citizenship-rumors

Bonus item: The GOP health care plan

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/to_put_it_bluntly.php
[Howard Fineman] I talked to people on the Hill all day today. I talked to Republicans as well as Democrats. Republicans claims they have a plan. They don't. They claim they're going to have a plan. They won't. Their whole strategy ... is to stand on the sidelines with their arms folded while the Democrats try to work this thing out. That's their whole strategy.

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/24/757154/-The-GOPs-Maybe-Secret-Plan-To-Reform-Health-Care-

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:08 AM

 
FIGHT CLUB

Cheney and Bush went at it hammer and tong over the Libby pardon

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/23/bush_cheney/index.html
"Cheney really got in the President's face," one of Time's sources says. "He just wouldn't give it up." [read on]

Analysis: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/cannot-tell-lie-by-dday-time-decided-to.html

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/23/the-bush-fairy-tale-on-the-libby-pardon/

Cheney responds: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/23/cheney_responds.html

Reviews of Obama’s health care press conference are still trickling in . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/opinion/24krugman.html
[Paul Krugman] Mr. Obama was especially good when he talked about controlling medical costs. And there’s a crucial lesson there — namely, that when it comes to reforming health care, compassion and cost-effectiveness go hand in hand.

To see what I mean, compare what Mr. Obama has said and done about health care with the statements and actions of his predecessor.

President Bush, you may remember, was notably unconcerned with the plight of the uninsured. “I mean, people have access to health care in America,” he once remarked. “After all, you just go to an emergency room.” . . . .

I don’t know how many people understand the significance of Mr. Obama’s proposal to give MedPAC, the expert advisory board to Medicare, real power. But it’s a major step toward reducing the useless spending — the proliferation of procedures with no medical benefits — that bloats American health care costs.

And both the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats have also been emphasizing the importance of “comparative effectiveness research” — seeing which medical procedures actually work.

So the Obama administration’s commitment to health care for all goes along with an unprecedented willingness to get serious about spending health care dollars wisely. . . . . [read on]

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/23/obama_reaction/index.html

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/23/reactions_to_obamas_news_conference.html

Well, it’s official: the Republicans have no alternative plan

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6579
Republican Health Care Plan: [crickets]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/23/756796/-The-Republicans-Have-A-Plan-...-Or-Not

No: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/leader-of-gop-health-care-solutions-group-says-gop-wont-offer-health-care-bill/
Leader Of GOP Health Care “Solutions Group” Says GOP Won’t Offer Health Care Bill

Yes: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/boehner-gop-does-have-a-health-care-bill-but-we-might-not-release-it/
Boehner: GOP Does Have A Health Care Bill, But We Might Not Release It

Maybe: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/roy-blunt-clarifies-says-house-gop-might-introduce-health-care-bill/
Roy Blunt Clarifies, Says House GOP Might Produce Health Care Bill

OF COURSE

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/second-gop-senator-admits-strategy-is.html
Second GOP Senator admits strategy is to kill, not improve, health care reform

The Henry Louis Gates/Cambridge police dust-up: the Rashomon effect

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/the_cambridge_cops_--_and_me.php
[Marc Ambinder] Gates was understandably angry that he was being harassed in his house, mouthed off the to the police officer (legal, but never, ever a good idea), and was hauled away in cuffs for being too loud, apparently. The officer defends himself: he's a guy with a history of racial conciliation. A neighbor reported a break-in; the officer went to the house expecting to see someone breaking into a house; indeed, when he arrived, a guy was inside a house. The officer will go to his grave being convinced that he was following police procedure, and Gates will probably never be convinced that his race was not the prime factor in his brief detention. Gates's physical appearance may be exculpatory for Crowley. If the general idea is that Crowley was unconsciously motivated by racial prejudice, it's hard to imagine why he'd find a 5 foot 7 inch tall guy with graying hair and a cane to be threatening because of his race. Crowley seems to be more motivated by power and authority, which Gates (again, legally and perhaps appropriately, given the situation) ridiculed.

I'd bet that most police officers across the country have at least some sympathy for the officer. I'd wager that most of them might agree that the officer was being pushy when he put Gates in handcuffs...for no other reason than that he could. It's a mild form of excessive force, but one that police use all the time to intimidate people...most of them deserving of intimidation. Gates was not.

President Obama, meanwhile, has weighed in on the side of Professor Gates, saying the cops were "acting stupidly" That's a harsh conclusion based on what we know . . .

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/republicans_do_massachusetts_dems_stand_by_obamas_comment_on_cambridge_cops.php
[Chris Good] Obama may have to walk back the "stupidly" comment, given that cops might not understand its application to the Cambridge Police Dept. en masse.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was less ambivalent about the comment this afternoon, when it used the comment to hit Democratic congressmen from Massachusetts, confronting them with the remark as an affront to law enforcement officials on Obama's part.

The NRCC sent a press release to the districts of the state's 11 Democratic representatives, asking if each one shares Obama's opinion of the Cambridge police. . . .

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/bias-racism-being-a-jerk-and-abuse-of-power.php
[Matt Yglesias] One of the biggest reasons why it’s extremely difficult to have a real conversation about race in the United States is that every imputation of a racial dynamic immediately becomes a defensive spat in which the white person in question starts denying that he “is” a “racist.” Now we see the Officer Crowley edition of the saga, as he explains that he once tried to save the life of a black man, so he must not be a racist. And of course the great thing about the contemporary United States is that the number of people who are so racist that they would willfully let a black man die rather than lift a finger to save him is extremely small. But that’s not at all the same as saying that African-Americans don’t suffer from negative implicit biases or explicit “profiling.”

Race, in other words, exists as a negative factor in people’s lives without there needing to be tons of cartoonish racists running around.

Meanwhile, note that racial motivations or there absence have really nothing to do with the nature of Officer Crowley’s misconduct. What happened basically is that Crowley accused Gates, whether for good reason or not, of breaking into his own home. Gates, pissed off, offended Crowley. At which point Crowley, even though he was now perfectly aware that Gates was not guilty of anything, decided to exact revenge by manipulating the situation to create a trumped-up disorderly conduct charge. That’s not professional policing, and it’s not a good use of the City of Cambridge’s law enforcement resources. That’s why the charges were dropped, and that’s why it’s fair to say that Crowley was acting stupidly racial issues aside.*

Meanwhile, we see here yet another instance of one of my favorite themes on this blog. The conservative movement, which never ever ever dedicates any time or energy to the problem of racial discrimination suffered by non-whites, thinks it’s very important to draw attention to the social crisis of white people burdened by accusations of racism. . . .

More: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/too_big_a_taboo.php

http://www.slate.com/id/2223472/

BREAKING NEWS: they have tapes

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/police-and-911-tapes-will-keep-political-war-over-cambridge-cops-alive/
[Greg Sargent] The Boston Herald is now reporting that there are recorded police and 911 tapes that could shed lots more light on what actually happened. Cambridge police brass may make the tapes public, which really ups the stakes for camps on both sides of this fight.

With President Obama defending his criticism of the cops, and the GOP throwing in its lot with old-style racial politics, the existence of more as-yet-unrevealed evidence — which will be claimed as vindication by both sides — means this war will only get uglier. . . .

The GOP loves their “reverse racism” theme

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/gop-blasting-obama-over-gates-arrest-comments----limbaugh-warns-of-whites-under-assault.php

More: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_072309/content/01125111.guest.html

The first rule of C Street is. . . .

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/sign_of_the_times_lawmaker_wont_say_whether_he_liv.php
Lawmaker Won't Say Whether He Lives At C Street

More: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/a_closely_held_secret_now.php

http://washingtonindependent.com/52461/c-street-democrat-dont-ask-me-i-just-live-there

The kind of people they are (round-up)

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/arkansas-gop-senate-candidate-calls-for-fighting-domestic-enemies-protecting-americas-christian-iden.php
The Arkansas Republican Party sure seems to have an interesting line-up of Senate candidates. Check out these statement from retired Army officer Curtis Reynolds.

"When I joined the military I took an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic," Reynolds said. "I never thought it would be domestic, but in today's world I do believe we have enemies here. It's time for people to stand up. It's time for us to speak out."

He added: "We need someone to stand up to Barack Obama and his policies. We must protect our culture, our Christian identity." . . . [read on]

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/conservative_activist_forwards_racist_pic_showing.php
Conservative Activist Forwards Racist Pic Showing Obama As Witch Doctor

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019200.php
[Steve Benen] More than a few Republican officials who excoriated President Obama's stimulus package have suddenly discovered the political benefits of spending projects in their state and/or district. But I don't think anyone has been quite as shameless as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R).

Jindal, in a very memorable national address, rejected the very idea of the recovery bill, saying government is incapable of "rescu[ing] us from the economic storms raging all around us." He mocked the stimulus for being "larded with wasteful spending," including "something called volcano monitoring."

This week, Jindal boasted that "things are looking up" in Louisiana, no thanks to the "nearly trillion-dollar stimulus that has not stimulated."

With that in mind, Lee Fang reports on Jindal's tour of his home state, where he's promoting his economic policies and handing out money -- which he received from the stimulus package he loathes. . . .

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/abstinence-supporting_gop_state_lawmaker_admits_to.php
[Zachary Roth] Meet Tennessee state senator Paul Stanley. He's a solid conservative Republican and married father of two, who according to his website is "a member of Christ United Methodist Church, where he serves as a Sunday school teacher and board member of their day school." (Check out the religious imagery on the site -- the sun poking through clouds, as if manifesting God's presence -- which of course shows Stanley's deeply pious nature.)

Stanley recently sponsored a bill designed to prevent gay couples from adopting children. And when a Planned Parenthood official recently sought his support for family planning services for Memphis teens, Stanley told her, according to the official, that he "didn't believe young people should have sex before marriage anyway, that his faith and church are important to him, and he wants to promote abstinence."

So far, so far Republican. But you can see where this is going . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:22 AM

 
UNHEALTHY DEBATE

Obama’s press conference – not his best work

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/didnt_watch_the_press_conference_heres_what_you_need_to_know.php
[S]peaking from a 30,000 foot perspective . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/press-conference-liveblogging
Half an hour into tonight's press conference Barack Obama has answered a grand total of three questions. This is not a good performance. He really needs to pick up the pace and make his answers crisper and more comprehensible. . . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/press-conference-by-digby-howard.html
Howard Fineman says that Obama failed to hit it out of the park in his press conference because he didn't sound enough like Ronald Reagan. He was like, totally, boring. I guess the honeymoon really is over. They're responding to him like they used to respond to Clinton. They prefer the president to speak like a six year old as Bush did Bush or an addled elder comedian like Reagan. It's more fun.

Luckily, if actual Americans were listening they likely learned something tonight . . .

More: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/presidential_news_conference_liveblog.php

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/obama-press-conference-liveblogopen.html

Did he get suckered into the Gates question?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/manna_from_heaven_for_fox_news.php
Tonight sums up where we are in America: the headlines are all about, not how to get to secure and affordable health care, the preeminent social inclusion issue relevant to millions of American families, but about African American Obama defending his millionaire friend Skip Gates on the race issue! . . . [read on]

More: http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/obamas_presser/

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/23/henry-louis-gates-contempt-of-cop/

Blackwater still ducking accountability for deaths

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090803/scahill

The kind of people they are

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/22/756361/-Randall-Terry-and-Random-Acts-of-Violence
Randall Terry took time out of his twelve-city, "Defeat Sotomayor" tour yesterday to grace the National Press Club's podium. His message? Expect more domestic terrorism in response to health care reform. . . .

Liz Cheney, her father’s daughter

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/liz-cheney-birthers-are-concerned-about-president-not-defending-america.php
Liz Cheney: Birthers Are "Concerned" About President Not Defending America . . .

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/52144/liz-cheney-sympathizes-with-the-birthers

Another C Streeter

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/22/c-streets-waterloo/

Bonus item: Shut UP, Sanford

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/22/756133/-Mark-Sanfords-back,-and-hes-as-awkward-as-ever

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 5:30 AM

 
PICKING THE WRONG FIGHT

The CIA is in the business of deception of course. But, uh, not when you’re in front of a federal judge

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/72176.html
A federal district judge ruled Monday that the CIA repeatedly misled him in asserting that state secrets were involved in a 15-year-old lawsuit involving allegedly illegal wiretapping.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth also ordered former CIA director George Tenet and five other CIA officials to explain their actions or face potential sanctions.

Lamberth also questioned the credibility of current CIA Director Leon Panetta, saying that Panetta's testimony in the case contained significant discrepancies, and rejected an Obama administration request that the case continue to be kept secret. He released hundreds of previously secret filings.

"The court does not give the government a high degree of deference because of its prior misrepresentations regarding the stated secrets privilege in this case," Lamberth wrote. . . . [read on]

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/21/cia/index.html

The Blue Dogs get a reminder of who’s President, and why

Before the meeting with Obama: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/blue-dog-on-health-care-the-landscape-will-change-after-meeting-with-obama.php
An aide to one of the Blue Dogs, seven of which are on the committee, told Reuters the group may ask for a slowdown on the health care push. Obama wants health care legislation before the August recess.

"The landscape will change after that meeting," the aide said. . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/blue-dog-boren-we-may-take-health-care-into-fall.php
Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK), a Blue Dog, went on Fox News today to say he wants President Obama to slow down on health care legislation, saying Congress "might miss a target deadline going into the August recess. We might take it into the fall." . . .

After the meeting with Obama: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/blue-dogs-wh-meeting-constructive-had-breakthrough-on-medpac.php
Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, seven of whom are fiscally conservative Blue Dogs, emerged from the White House this afternoon saying their hour-long meeting with President Obama was constructive and that they had a "breakthrough" on Medicare payment recommendations. . . .

"We came out of the meeting with an understanding that we're moving in that direction, based on the fact that the CBO tells us that it's the biggest single item we can address as it relates to cost containment," Ross told Dow Jones.

Ross also said they agree with Obama's four main goals for health care reform . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/taming-blue-dogs
Taming the Blue Dogs . . .

Delay = Defeat

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/delay_death_for_reform.php
Delay = Death For Reform . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/21/755964/-GOP-Healthcare-Plan:-Delay,-Obstruct,-Lie,-Rinse,-Repeat
GOP Healthcare Plan: Delay, Obstruct, Lie, Rinse, Repeat . . .

Read the GOP internal strategy memo: http://washingtonindependent.com/51987/the-not-so-secret-rnc-health-care-memo
“Slow down, Mr. President. We can’t afford to get health care wrong.

“President Obama is experimenting with America, too much, too soon, and too fast.”

Even voters who support a “public plan” think Obama and Congress are moving too fast, with reckless speed, risking a huge part of our economy and our health care, when they don’t know what reform would really bring.

If we slow this sausage-making process down, we can defeat it, and advance real reform that will actually help.

Key Message Point: We’ve got to “SLOW DOWN the OBAMA EXPERIMENT WITH OUR HEALTH.”

The legislative process going forward

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/this_column_has_been_allergic.php

http://www.samefacts.com/archives/health_care_/2009/07/health_care_and_reconciliation_nate_silver_messes_up.php

Jim DeMint (R-SC), the best friend Obama has in this fight

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/demint-obama-played-right-into-my-hands.php
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) stands by his comment that health care will be President Obama's Waterloo, a comment Obama derided in a health care speech yesterday.

"I think he played right into my hands," DeMint told Neil Cavuto on Fox News . . .

Watch: http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/21/jim-demint-has-a-health-care-hissy-fit-on-the-senate-floor/

Michael Steele, RNC head, is a big help too

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019172.php
[Steve Benen] RNC Chairman Michael Steele is pushing as hard as he can to derail health care reform. But the party has to have better spokespersons than this guy. . . . [read on]

More: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-national-committee/flashback-steele-lacked-health-insurance-for-years-told-kids-not-to-break-anything/
Michael Steele Lacked Health Insurance For Years, Told Kids Not To “Break Anything” . . .

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/democratic-national-committee/dnc-enters-health-care-fray-hammers-demint-and-steele-over-waterloo/
The White House’s allies are going on the offensive against Jim DeMint and Michael Steele over the claim that the failure of health care reform could be Obama’s “Waterloo,” a sign that Dems recognize the need to ratchet up the attacks and that they hope the “Waterloo” remark could be a game-changer in their favor.

The DNC blasted a new email to its list, weaving the “Waterloo” crack into a larger narrative about GOP efforts to defeat Obama’s entire agenda . . .

It’s all they know how to do

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/sotomayor-vote-delayed-until-july-28.php
Sotomayor Vote Delayed Until July 28 . . .

The vote to halt production of the F-22 fighter, and why it’s important

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019169.php

What it means: http://www.slate.com/id/2223287/

The “birther” conspiracy – just don’t bother them with the facts

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/trump_card.php
[David Kurtz] Chris Matthews whips out Obama's birth certificate in interview with "Birther Bill" co-sponsor Rep. John Campbell (R-CA).

Kind of like Dorothy throwing water on the Wicked Witch.

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/chris-matthews-questions-rep-john-campbell-r-ca-about-birther-bill.php

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/lou-dobbs-raises-questions-about-obamas-bi

Mark Sanford: Can’t we just put all this unpleasantness behind us, and move on?

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/872268.html

Sure enough, Sarah Palin stepped down as governor just two steps ahead of a big, bad new ethics charge

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2009/07/ap_newsbreak_palin_implicated_in_ethics_probe.php
[AP] An independent investigator has found evidence that Gov. Sarah Palin may have violated ethics laws by accepting private donations to pay her legal debts. . . .

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/21/palin_report/index.html

Bonus item: Go. Read. LYAO

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/07/palin-speech-edit-200907

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:22 AM

 
YOU CAN’T FIGHT SOMETHING WITH NOTHING

Jim DeMint (R-SC) does us all a big favor by saying out loud what the GOP really thinks – we gotta block Obama on health care because beating him on this issue will be good for us politically. This should make it quite clear to “moderate” Dems which side they need to choose before this is all over. And it should make clear that all those GOP appeals for “bipartisanship” were meaningless – when they said they wanted Obama to fail, they meant it

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/20/demented-demint-screwing-obama-much-more-important-than-americans-lives-and-wallets/
"If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him," he said. . . .

Bill Kristol helps too: http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/07/kristol_kill_it_and_start_over.asp
With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. There will be a tendency to want to let the Democrats' plans sink of their own weight, to emphasize that the critics have been pushing sound reform ideas all along and suggest it's not too late for a bipartisan compromise over the next couple of weeks or months.

My advice, for what it's worth: Resist the temptation. This is no time to pull punches. Go for the kill. . . .

More from the right: http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/right-wing-media-voices-of-gop-in.html

Obama responds: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/obama-hits-demint-republicans-for-playing-politics-with-health-care-commits-to-reform-by-end-of-this.php

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/obamas-new-health-care-strategy-divide-and-conquer.php

But here is the fact of the matter: it isn’t Obama’s Waterloo – it’s THEIRS

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019156.php

And STILL the Republicans whine that Obama isn’t being bipartisan enough

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019159.php

Where the health care fight will be won or lost

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/understanding_the_pivot_points.php

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/on_those_pivot_points.php

A bad deal?

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/robert_reich/2009/07/obamacare-is-at-war-with-itsel.php
[Robert Reich] Political efforts to buy off Big Pharma, private insurers, and the AMA are all pushing up long-term costs -- one reason why Douglas Elmendorf, head of the Congressional Budget Office, told Congress late last week that "the cost curve is being raised." But this is setting off alarms among Blue Dog Democrats worried about future deficits -- and their votes are critical. . . . [read on]

Michael Steele doesn’t know anything about health care – he just knows he’s against whatever it is Obama is proposing

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019153.php
[Steve Benen] I can appreciate why Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele appeared at the National Press Club this morning to bash the president and trash the idea of health care reform. It's a key week in the larger reform effort; President Obama is going to be pushing hard; and it stands to reason the RNC would take an active role in pushing back in the other direction.

But would it have killed Steele to read up a little bit on the issue before his appearance? . . .

[H]is address was short on details. Pressed repeatedly during the question and answer session why the GOP had not actually released its plan for health care reform -- and then on specific policy proposals -- Steele demurred to his GOP colleagues in Congress.

"Look I don't do policy," he said . . .

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/20/steele_healthcare/index.html
MODERATOR: Does President Obama's health care plan represent socialism?
STEELE: Yes. Next question. . . . [read on]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/interesting_point.php
[Josh Marshall] Michael Steele is in a Q&A right now on health care and just said that not only is the administration interested in intervening in the relationship between an individual and his or her doctor but also the relationship between the individual and their insurance company. I'm not sure most people see that latter relationship as so inviolate.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/steele-on-health-care-whats-individual-requirement.php
[Rachel Slajda] Michael Steele, chairman of the RNC, doesn't seem to know the basic terminology of the health care debate.

In a Q&A at the National Press Club just now, Steele was asked if Republicans support an individual requirement to get health care (also known as an individual mandate).

"What do you mean by an individual requirement?" he asked the moderator. After she explained, he dodged the question.

"Again, that is one of those areas where there is different opinions . . .”

More stupid: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/20/755488/-Steele-explains-GOP-opposition-to-health-care-reform

Theocracy watch

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/rep-randy-forbes-r-va-issues-challeng
[Chris Rodda] On January 28, Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), founder of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, introduced H. Con. Res. 34, a resolution "Calling upon the Capitol Preservation Commission and the Office of the Architect of the Capitol to place the Lincoln-Obama Bible on permanent display upon the Lincoln table at the Capitol Visitor Center for the benefit of all its visitors to fully understand and appreciate America's history and Godly heritage."

Now, I have no objection whatsoever to this Bible being displayed in the Capitol Visitors Center. . . . What I do object to in H. Con. Res. 34 are some of the reasons given by Forbes for displaying the Bible, in both the resolution's title and its "Whereas" clauses, the most objectionable of which is:

"Whereas the Holy Bible is God's Word"

For the umpteenth time, we ask, What if a liberal commentator in the press had said such a thing? Fox News analyst Ralph Peters calls on the Taliban to execute a US soldier

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/fox-news-ralph-peters-basically-says-ta
“If when the facts are in, we find out that through some convoluted chain of events, he really was captured by the Taliban, I'm with him. But, if he walked away from his post and his buddies in wartime - I don't care how hard it sounds. As far as I'm concerned, the Taliban can save us a lot of legal hassles and legal bills.”

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/20/755465/-Insanity-Unleashed-At-Fox

Bonus item: C Street – write your own joke

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/c_street_rebranding_gop_cheaters_need_our_discreet.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:12 AM

 
BAD HISTORY

The people behind torture

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/18/AR2009071802065.html
One man's certitude lanced through the debate, according to a participant in one of the meetings. James E. Mitchell, a retired clinical psychologist for the Air Force, had studied al-Qaeda resistance techniques.

"The thing that will make him talk," the participant recalled Mitchell saying, "is fear."

Now, as the Senate intelligence committee examines the CIA's interrogation program, investigators are focusing in part on Mitchell and John "Bruce" Jessen, former CIA contractors who helped design and oversee Abu Zubaida's interrogation. These men have been portrayed as eager proponents of coercion, but the former U.S. official, whose account was corroborated in part by Justice Department documents, said they also rejected orders from Langley to prolong the most severe pressure on the detainee. The former official's account, alongside the recollections of those familiar with events at the CIA's secret prison in Thailand, yields a more nuanced understanding of their role than has previously been available.

Interviews with nearly two dozen current and former U.S. officials also provide new evidence that the imposition of harsh techniques provoked dissension . . .

More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/report-interrogators-threatened-quit-over-wa
Report: Interrogators threatened to quit over waterboarding

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/19/one-former-official-ready-to-bust-others-for-torture/
One Former Official Ready to Bust Others for Torture

Forgetting the lessons of Iraq?

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/afghanistan-oversight-awol
[Bruce Falconer] After the legendary corruption of the Iraq occupation—private contractors fashioning spurs for their cowboy boots from stolen Iraqi gold, vanishing pallets of shrink-wrapped cash—you'd think the US government would be keeping an extra-close watch on the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. But you'd be wrong. . . .

Short memories

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019144.php
[Steve Benen] In 1993, Bill Kristol privately advised congressional Republicans to do whatever it took to "kill" the Clinton health care reform initiative. It wasn't that the policy proposal was a bad idea; it was that passage would help the Democratic Party for years to come. The GOP, he said, for the sake of its own future, couldn't compromise or negotiate with the majority.

Sixteen years later, a wide variety of Democrats are working hard to convince Republicans to support reform, despite the built-in incentive for seeing reform fail. Mark Kleiman noted that a few too many Democrats seem to have forgotten the recent past, and worse, seem oblivious to the larger electoral dynamic. . . .[read on]

Walter Cronkite, slandered by the right

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/07/walter_cronkite_has_blood_on_h.html
Walter Cronkite Has Blood on His Hands
[American Thinker] On February 27, 1968, Walter Cronkite delivered his verdict on the (ongoing) war in Vietnam. The most trusted man in America pronounced that it was "more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam War is to end in a stalemate." . . . [read on]

[NB: Of course, the war continued for SEVEN MORE YEARS, but it was Cronkite’s fault that we lost.]

Pat Buchanan says US “built by white men”

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/19/754386/-The-intellectual-dishonesty-of-Pat-Buchanan

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/19/754963/-Behind-the-white-folks-who-built-this-country...

Bonus item: Still apologizing, if you can call this an apology: I cheated on my wife, and I’m a better man for it

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/sanford-apologizes-again.html
[Mark Sanford] "Surprisingly I am thankful for the perspective it has afforded” . . . [read on]

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:29 AM

 
SHOWDOWN

Obama brings down the hammer on health care reform

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/18/754715/-Obama:-Seize-opportunity-for-health-reform,-or-lose-it-for-a-generation
“That’s why any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans – including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest – and choose what’s best for your family. . . .” [read on]

Comment: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/obama-locks-and-loads-by-digby-in.html

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019137.php

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019138.php

A second look at the much-cited CBO assessment that health care reform would be too expensive

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_treatment/archive/2009/07/17/orszag-on-cbo-testimony.aspx
[Jonathan Cohn] Doug Elmendorf, director of the Congresional Budget Office, sent tremors through Washington when he gave congressional tesitmony on Thursday. Appearing first before the Senate Finance Committee and then the House Ways and Means Committee, Elmendorf declared that his office had not yet seen evidence that health reform legislation would substantially reduce the cost of medical care over the long run. Within minutes of the first appearance, blackberries all over town were buzzing . . . [read on]

Paul Krugman on the six "moderates"

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/the-six-deadly-hypocrites/
Will the destructive center kill health care reform? It looks all too possible.

What’s especially galling is the hypocrisy of their claimed reason for delaying progress — concern about the fiscal burden. . . [read on]

What David Gregory has done to “Meet the Press”

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/17/754678/-Meet-the-Press-More-Like-Stroke-the-Guest
[Gregory to Mark Sanford’s office] Left you a message. Wanted you to hear directly from me that I want to have the Gov on Sunday on Meet The Press. I think it's exactly the right forum to answer the questions about his trip . . . You know he will get a fair shake from me and coming on MTP puts all of this to rest. . .

So coming on Meet The Press allows you to frame the conversation how you really want to . . . and then move on . . .

More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/17/meet-the-press-still-lets-guest-control-the-message/

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/19/755078/-Sunday-TalkCooking-With-Fire
Meet the Press: Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Roundtable: Paul Gigot (The Wall Street Journal), John Harwood (CNBC/The New York Times), Micvhele Norris (NPR) and Author Richard Wolffe ("Renegade: The Making of a President").

Face the Nation: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT); Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY); RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

This Week: Preempted by British Open coverage.

State of the Union: Peter Orszag; Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL); Reverend Jesse Jackson; Reliable Sources: Terry Moran (ABC News); Dahlia Litwick (Slate); Jim Geraghty (The National Review); Soledad O'Brien (CNN).

Bonus item: The idiot right on global warming

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/s-dakota-teabagger-speaker-tries-explai

Extra idiocy item: Too crazy even for Glenn Beck

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/ann-coulter-being-black-trumps-being-in

Triple idiocy item: Michael Steele opens his mouth, and stupid comes out

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019131.php
“I'll take George Bush's deficit right now of a trillion dollars over the 10 trillion dollars that this administration has created in just six months." [read on]

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:21 AM

 
REVENGE OF THE MODERATES

Renewed protests in Iran

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/07/17/world/worldwatch/entry5169574.shtml

What next? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/world/middleeast/18iran.html
Tehran Losing Iranians’ Trust, Ex-Leader Says . . .

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/rafsanjani-calls-for-release-of.html
Rafsanjani calls for release of political prisoners, open debate . . .

Well, wouldn’t you know it – just as Obama’s health care reform starts to pick up steam, a group of DEMOCRATS decides it’s time to delay it

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/health/policy/18health.html
Three of the five Congressional committees working on legislation to reinvent the nation’s health care system delivered bills this week along the lines proposed by President Obama. But instead of celebrating their success, many Democrats were apprehensive, nervous and defensive. . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/citing-cbo-directors-statements-senate-centrists-urge-slower-pace-for-health-care-reform.php
Six key Senate Centrists--Ben Nelson (D-NE), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Ron Wyden (D-OR)--are asking Democratic and Republican leaders to slow down the pace of health care reform efforts. . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/17/754585/-Gang-of-Six-Moderates-Tries-to-Slow-Healthcare-Reform

Why? http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/why-would-democrats-want-to-slow-walk-health-care.php

Who are the “centrists” helping?

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0709/Health_reform_foes_plan_Obamas_Waterloo.html
Conservative leaders will push delay any vote on health care reform until after the August recess to capitalize on what they say is a growing tide of opposition to reform measures, they said on a conference call with "tea party" participants today.

"I can almost guarantee you this thing won't pass before August, and if we can hold it back until we go home for a month's break in August," members of Congress will hear from "outraged" constituents, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint said on the call, which was organized by the group Conservatives for Patients Rights.

"Senators and Congressmen will come back in September afraid to vote against the American people," DeMint predicted, adding that "this health care issue Is D-Day for freedom in America."

"If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him," he said. . . .

The Republicans suddenly discover they like the CBO after all

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/perspective-by-digby-that-was-then-and.html

Obama pushes back hard

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/obama-gets-riled--defering-reform-defends-the-status-quo.php

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019125.php

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/is-the-white-house-preparing-to-miss-the-august-and-october-health-care-deadlines.php

The kind of Supreme Court process we’ve been given

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/supreme-court-kabuki
[Kevin Drum] Back in the pre-culture war era, senators asked nominees questions and nominees more or less answered them. And then, unless someone produced incriminating photos with a sheep, the nominee was confirmed. A mere 20 years ago, Antonin Scalia, now a bête noire of the left, was confirmed unanimously after Ronald Reagan nominated him to the court in 1986.

But then things changed. Robert Bork got borked in 1987. David Souter and Anthony Kennedy turned out not to be as conservative as conservatives had hoped. Clarence Thomas blasted his nomination hearings as a "high-tech lynching" and was only barely confirmed. And everybody learned their lesson from this: nominate candidates whose views are clear (no more Souters!) and then make sure they say absolutely nothing about those views (no more Borks!). Ginsburg and Breyer invented the technique, Roberts and Alito honed it, and as near as I can tell, Sotomayor has taken it to its reductio ad absurdum apex. If it's something that might come before the court in the future (and everything comes before the Supreme Court eventually), tell 'em it would be inappropriate to answer. If someone asks a more general question, say that you can't really answer in the abstract. If more details are provided, switch gears and say that you can't engage in hypotheticals. As near as I can tell, Sotomayor was barely willing to admit that she had a law degree, let alone that she had any opinions whatsoever regarding the law.

But look — that's the way the game is played these days. . . .

Giving up card check in EFCA – and improving the bill?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/efca-compromise-moderates-to-embrace-labor-reformwithout-card-check.php

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/cutting_a_deal_on_efca.php

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/17/754517/-Majority-Sign-Up-Dropped-from-Employee-Free-Choice-Act

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/card_check_is_as_good_as_dead.php

The kind of people they are

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/17/tiahrt/index.html
[Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan] “If you think of it in human terms, there's a financial incentive that will be put in place, paid for by tax dollars, that will encourage women who are single parents living below the poverty level to have an opportunity for a free abortion.

If you take that scenario and apply it to many of the great minds we have today, who would we have been deprived of? Our president grew up in similar circumstances. If that financial incentive were in place, is it possible that his mother might have taken advantage of it? . . .”

Watch: http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=2977330

House Intelligence Committee to investigate illegal CIA program, and why it was hidden from Congress

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/house-republicans/breaking-house-dems-will-investigate-secret-cia-program/

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/17/silvestre-reyes-announces-investigation-into-violations-of-national-security-act/

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/17/754643/-House-Intelligence-Committee-To-Investigate-CIA

The fight over the F-22 fighter jet, and why it matters

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/the-significance-of-the-f-22-debate.php

http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2009/07/17/your-morning-jolt-in-f-22-fight-gates-calls-for-an-end-to-defense-business-as-usual/

Look, I admit that Pat Buchanan makes good tee vee – but how long do we have to accept his racist hatred as mainstream commentary?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/why-does-nbc-pay-pat-buchanan-to-be-its.html

http://crooksandliars.com/bob-cesca/time-pat-buchanan-go-away

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6410

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019115.php

More: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/top-immigration-group-demands-msnbc-muzzle-pat-buchanan-on-race/
Top Immigration Group Demands MSNBC Muzzle Pat Buchanan On Race . . .

[NB: I'm of two minds on this sort of thing. I don't like a major media outlet giving air time and legitimacy to these views. But politically I think it is a good thing for the ugly, atavistic underbelly of the Republican party to be on public display.]

Chuck Todd: Tim Russert’s true heir

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/glenzilla-vs-todd-monster-by-digby.html

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/17/chuck-todds-law/

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019126.php

Bonus item: Oh, they are geniuses – a new branding effort by the Republicans

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-national-committee/republican-national-committee-rolls-out-epithet-obama-democrats/
“Obama Democrats”

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:09 AM

 
NOT HEALTHY

What made the CIA assassination program so toxic? (aside from the fact that it was, well, you know, an ASSASSINATION PROGRAM)

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/report_cia_assassin_program_could_operate_anywhere.php
Since the news broke at the start of the week that CIA director Leon Panetta had pulled the plug on a secret program to assassinate or capture al Qaeda leaders, we've been raising questions about one key aspect of the story. In particular, what was it about the program that was so shocking that Dick Cheney reportedly ordered it kept secret from Congress, Panetta quashed it as soon as he heard about it, and Congressional Democrats risked being painted as soft on terror by shrieking about being kept in the dark? . . . [read on]

Good news/bad news on health care reform. Doctors and nurses come out in support – but the CBO, which everyone likes to invoke when it supports them and ignore when it doesn’t, blasts a big hole in the bill’s financial assumptions

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/ama-president-we-urge-committees-to-pass-house-health-care-bill.php
AMA President: We Urge Committees To Pass House Health Care Bill . . .

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090715/American-Nurses-Association-stands-with-Obama-in-calling-for-healthcare-reform-now.aspx
American Nurses Association stands with Obama in calling for healthcare reform now . . .

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/ama-comes-around

BUT . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/16/AR2009071602242.html
Congress's chief budget analyst delivered a devastating assessment yesterday of the health-care proposals drafted by congressional Democrats, fueling an insurrection among fiscal conservatives in the House and pushing negotiators in the Senate to redouble efforts to draw up a new plan that more effectively restrains federal spending. . . .

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/politics_explained_in_a_sentence.php
[Marc Ambinder] Politics, Explained In A Sentence
Blue Dog Democrats complain about the size of the House health care bill. Then they demand that hospitals IN THEIR districts be more adequately funded.

John Yoo really shouldn’t be going out of his way to put his legal reasoning skills on public display

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/16/754286/-Yoos-Self-Defense
[McJoan] John Yoo takes the the WSJ opinion pages to provide a highly disingenuous and legally lacking defense of the Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program in answer to last week's inspectors general report. . . .

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/16/john-yoo-al-qaeda-uses-telephones-but-kgb-spies-dont/
[Marcy Wheeler] There's a lot that's downright amusing for all but Berkeley's trustees in John Yoo's rebuttal to the IG Report. . . .

http://washingtonindependent.com/51319/john-yoos-defense-of-himself-is-as-persuasive-as-most-of-his-legal-opinions
[Spencer Ackerman] This is your horrible, dystopian future: John Yoo, the former Office of Legal Counsel official who had a hand in crafting the Bush administration’s detentions, interrogations and warrantless surveillance abuses, writes endless and endlessly misleading defenses of himself. Some people die because of Yoo’s cavalier relationship with the law — about 100, actually — and others get law school sinecures and limitless op-ed real estate to explain away what they did. Few people write so much for so long with so little self-reflection. You’ll be reading these op-eds in the nursing home. Yoo’s latest comes in response to Friday’s report from five inspectors general about the warrantless surveillance and data-mining escapades of the Bush administration. Welcome to your future.

Yoo starts things off with his typical flourish of disingenuousness . . .

Karl Rove: sharing information with Congress is “dangerous.” An Executive branch unaccountable to any oversight or legal restraint? Not so much

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/16/753374/-Rove:-It-is-so-dangerous-to-give-Congress-information

Here’s the level of Deep Thinking we see on display at the Sotomayor hearings

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/rights-irrational-view-race-full-dis
"Empathy for one party is always prejudice against another." -- Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama

What DOES the “C” stand for?

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/another_c_street_vet_falls_to_an_extramarital_affa.php
[Rachel Slajda] Former Congressman and C Street resident Chip Pickering's estranged wife has filed a lawsuit against Pickering's alleged mistress. Leisha Pickering is suing Elizabeth Creekmore-Byrd for alienation of affection. . . .

According to the suit, some of the "wrongful conduct" occurred at the C Street facility for Christian congressmen -- the same one where Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) have lived, and where Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) has recently sought counseling.

What's with this place?

More: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/c_street_on_the_skidz.php

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/hampton_didnt_disclose_payment_from_ensigns_parent.php

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/16/c-is-for-cheater/

Nice to have a President willing to talk to the NAACP again

http://www.juancole.com/2009/07/after-hiatus-president-at-naacp.html

This man has an emotional disorder, and I mean it

http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/glenn-beck-screams-little-girl-when-c

Bonus item: The Republicans just don’t get this Internet thing

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/16/754313/-Republicans-Go-Shopping

More: http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/rnc-web-site-promoting-anti-semitic.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:33 AM

 
THEY GOT NUTHIN’

Republicans spend another day prattling on about the “wise Latina” remark. And thus are Supreme Court appointments decided

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/15/sotomayor.hearing/
Asked repeatedly Wednesday by Republicans about her controversial statement that a "wise Latina" could reach a better decision than a white man, Sotomayor called it a poorly expressed but valid point about the value of differing perspectives in applying the law. . . .

They just can’t help themselves: Tom Coburn (R-OK) makes a Ricky Ricardo joke to Sotomayor

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i50DeDW5LZUDAChBxX2Oqt4co18wD99F111G0
"You'll Have Lots Of Splainin' To Do" . . . .

More: http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/smiling-gopers-ought-to-be-fro.html
[Craig Crawford] Watching Lindsey Graham's gotcha grin as he needled Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor with disingenuous and rhetorical questions you had to wonder what was so funny.

Does the Republican senator think it is amusing that he and his party's condescending tone toward the Hispanic woman was costing them ethnic votes with each passing hour of Tuesday's Judiciary Committee hearing? . . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/senate-republicans-reveal-more-about
[Nicole Belle] My oh my, I don't think the Republican Party is trying very hard to disprove the widely held notion that they are the party of privileged white men. Let's look at their perhaps unintentionally revealing tactics in questioning Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor . . . [read on]

“Sotomayor supports terrorists”

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/15/753753/-Who-Knew-Sotomayor-Supports-Terrorists

Uh huh: http://thirdbranch.crooksandliars.com/big-tent-democrat/right-wing-group-says-cabranes-c
[Big Tent Democrat] We have learned that Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (R-AL) has a favorite Puerto Rican jurist -- Jose Cabranes. Sessions demanded to know why Judge Sotomayor did not follow Judge Cabranes' lead.

Interestingly, Sessions was very critical of Judge Sotomayor's involvement, as a member of the Board of Directors, of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. Sessions seemed not to know that his favorite Boricua judge, Cabranes, was also a member of the Board of the PRDLEF. . . .

Listen to him!

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/buchanan-gop-needs-more-race-baiting-not-less.php
A provocative article by Pat Buchanan argues that contrary to conventional wisdom, Republicans shouldn’t worry about alienating Hispanic voters, they should just focus on getting white people to like them more . . .

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/two-minutes-of-hate-by-digby-media.html
“Two Minutes of Hate”

Funny, funny, funny. John Kyl (R-AZ), says we should cancel the rest of the stimulus package. Obama admin says, OK, we’ll start with canceling Arizona’s payments. Then the fun starts

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/15/753780/-Obama-calls-Kyls-bluff-on-stimulus,-McCain-freaks-out

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/throwing-elbows-by-dday-i-dont-know-if.html

The emerging health care bills: an early comparison

House: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/15/753524/-Preliminary-Look-at-the-House-Healthcare-Reform-Bill

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6340

Senate: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/15/753741/-Senate-HELP-Committee-Passes-Health-Reform-Bill

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6360

The secret CIA program was about to go live (though maybe that’s not the right choice of words)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/15/AR2009071503856.html
CIA officials were proposing to activate a plan to train anti-terrorist assassination teams overseas when agency managers brought the secret program to the attention of CIA Director Leon Panetta last month, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The plan to kill top al-Qaeda leaders, which had been on the agency's back burner for much of the past eight years, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight because of proposals to initiate what one intelligence official called a "somewhat more operational phase." Shortly after learning of the plan, Panetta terminated the program and then went to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers, who had been kept in the dark since 2001. . . .

CIA torture report now due August 24

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/cia_gets_extension_until_aug_24_on_torture_report.php

“Warning”? Or pleading?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/15/huckabee-warns-palin-dont-leave-gop/
Huckabee warns Palin: Don't leave GOP

Palin’s BIG problem with Republicans

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/jul/15/sarah-palin-poll-republicans

More: http://www.newsweek.com/id/206098/page/1

More shoes to drop for John Ensign (R-NV)?

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/15/some_worry_ensign_saga_not_over.html

Mark Sanford takes MORE time off his job

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/15/sanford_cancels_schedule.html
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) disappeared out-of-state again, Fox Carolina reports, but this time he's with his wife.

Said Sawyer: "This trip is personal in nature, and we're not going to offer any further comment. . . .”

More on the efforts of conservative media to coordinate messages with Mark Sanford’s staff to minimize the earlier story of his unexplained disappearance from office (which turned out to be a visit to see his paramour in Argentina)

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/864316.html
National media blitzed Gov. Mark Sanford’s staff, offering big ratings and, possibly, a sympathetic venue in an effort to land the first interview with the governor after his six-day trip to Argentina.

In addition, a blogger and state leaders reached out to Sanford’s office to try to coordinate a way to “push back” on the growing mystery surrounding Sanford’s absence. . . .

Here’s an example, Erick Erickson of Red State: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/06/from_the_alternate_universe.php
[June 24] First, we need to be clear on the facts -- not the media speculation:
-- Sanford did tell his staff and family where he was going.
-- Because he was traveling without a security detail, it was in his best interests that no one knew he was gone.
-- His political enemies -- Republicans at that -- ginned up the media story.
-- When confronted by a pestering media, things went downhill.
-- Again though, at all times there was no doubt that Sanford's staff and family knew where he was.

[NB: All untrue, as it turned out]

Erick Erickson, behind the scenes: http://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/07/you-can-say-that-again.html
“If he wants something more personal for the blog to push back, I’m happy to help,” wrote Erick Erickson, a writer for RedState.com. On June 23, Erickson ripped “media speculation” about Sanford’s whereabouts.

“I wasn’t trying to be a reporter. I wanted to curtail the story,” Erickson said by e-mail. “Well that didn’t work.”

Jake Tapper of ABC, behind the scenes

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/tapper_to_sanford_aide_nbc_spot_on_missing_guv_was.php
Yesterday we told you about how the conservative media sucked up to Mark Sanford's office by calling stories about the governor's disappearance overblown -- even while the gov was still AWOL.

But it looks like it wasn't just the acknowledged right-wingers who were denigrating the story to Sanford's aides. The State has written up a few more of the emails, and look what they found:

ABC News White House reporter Jake Tapper e-mailed Sawyer twice on June 23, both to note coverage of competitor NBC.

With a subject line of "NBC spot was slimy," Tapper e-mailed Sawyer a "Today" show transcript of Sanford coverage, calling it "insulting." . . . .

Tapper “explains”: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/tapper_gov_missing_for_five_days_was_no_story.php

Lots more: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/15/753674/-Inside-the-medias-sausage-factory
[Washington Times] “You know that you will be on friendly ground here!” . . . [read on]

Why there isn’t a real conservative NEWS outlet

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/im_often_asked_why_the.php
[David Kurtz] The explanation is complicated, but one part of the answer is very simple: Most of the right-wing "news" sites have no interest in being journalists. That's not what they're about and that's not what they see as their primary function, which is advocacy. . . . [read on]

Bonus item: They got nuthin’ -- here’s Rush, trying to make an issue of Obama’s first-pitch at the All Star game. And with all the breathless talk of camera angles, blah, blah, of the Zapruder film, he tries to whip this into a major media conspiracy and cover-up

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_071509/content/01125106.guest.html
This President Throws Like a Girl . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:19 AM

 
IN THE GUTTER

It’s hardly surprising, but still depressing, to watch the ways in which partisan mischaracterization and oversimplification dumbs down a legitimate public debate. This whole “wise Latina” business is a good example. It’s quite clear why Republican racists find it convenient to accuse a good judge like Sotomayor of being a racist, and it’s absolutely clear what she meant by the expression when she used it.

But underneath all this are serious questions that a serious process might debate. Of course not all judges converge on the same Right Answer. Of course they view and interpret cases through the lens of their experiences and identities, which is partly why they come to different conclusions. How can you say you value gender and racial diversity on the courts but then say that you think it shouldn't make any difference whatsoever to how judges decide cases? Of course a judge must always struggle for objectivity and impartiality. But how do you balance the bad way of letting an identity you might share with petitioners influence your judgments (bias) from the good ways of letting it influence them (empathy, insight)? These are legitimate things to debate – but you’ll never see an honest debate about them in this venue, because honesty is a serious handicap in such a politicized and ideological process. This forces judicial nominees into equally dishonest and oversimplified characterizations

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/us/politics/15confirm.html
Nominee Says Identity Wouldn’t Distort Decisions . . .

http://thirdbranch.crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/sotomayor-finally-gets-chance-respon
Sotomayor finally gets a chance to respond to the 'wise Latina' attacks: "I do not believe that any ethnic, racial or gendered group has an advantage in sound judgment."

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/senate-republicans/sessions-hits-sotomayor-for-being-influenced-by-heritage-but-he-voted-for-alito/
[Greg Sargent] During his questioning of Sonia Sotomayor today, Senator Jeff Sessions hit her for acknowledging her heritage influences her judging, saying this “goes against the American ideal.”

But Sessions, of course, voted to confirm Samuel Alito, who made almost exactly the same point about heritage that Sotomayor did. Today Sessions said to Sotomayor:

You have evidenced, I think it’s quite clear, a philosophy of the law that suggests that the judge’s background and experiences can and should and naturally will impact their decision — what I think goes against the American ideal and oath that a judge takes to be fair to every party. And every day when they put on that robe, that is a symbol that they’re to put aside their personal biases and prejudices.

That’s a reference to Sotomayor’s now-infamous “wise latina” speech. But as many others have noted, here’s what Samuel Alito acknowledged during his 2006 confirmation hearing:

[W]hen a case comes before me involving, let’s say, someone who is an immigrant — and we get an awful lot of immigration cases and naturalization cases — I can’t help but think of my own ancestors.…

When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.

The importance of context

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/vanishing-context-can-right-wing-med
[Dave Neiwert] I worked my way through my recordings of Fox News yesterday and all the discussions of what a 'racist' Sonia Sotomayor is for those 2001 remarks about the "wise Latina woman" on the bench, and NOT ONCE did anyone -- even those ostensibly defending her -- mention the most salient fact about these remarks.

Maybe if we repeat the following sentence from Media Matters endlessly it may start to finally penetrate the fog that's issuing from under all those anchors' desks:

In fact, when Sotomayor made that statement, she was specifically discussing the importance of judicial diversity in determining "race and sex discrimination cases."

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/50947/in-context-sotomayors-wise-latina-makes-sense

What do they tell lawyers, never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/14/753439/-Thats-Going-To-Leave-A-Mark
[WSJ] Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.), seeking to discredit Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s judicial philosophy, cited her 2001 "wise Latina" speech, and contrasted the view that ethnicity and sex influence judging with that of Judge Miriam Cedarbaum, who "believes that judges must transcend their personal sympathies and prejudices."

"My friend Judge Cedarbaum is here," Sotomayor riposted, to Sessions’s apparent surprise. "We are good friends, and I believe that we both approach judging in the same way, which is looking at the facts of each individual case and applying the law to those facts."

[BarbinMD] And what does Cedarbaum think about Sotomayor's judicial philosophy?

“I don’t believe for a minute that there are any differences in our approach to judging, and her personal predilections have no affect on her approach to judging."

More on dumbing down the debate

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/just_an_observation.php

If the Republicans really wanted to change their national image, they wouldn’t pick a man with a notoriously racist past to be their point person in opposing the first Hispanic nominee for the Supreme Court. Jeff Sessions can’t avoid asking racially distorted questions, because that’s just the way his mind works

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/14/753392/-OMFG,-Sessions.-OMFG.
[Sessions] “You voted not to reconsider the prior case. You voted to stay with the decision of the circuit, and in fact, your vote was the key vote. Had you voted with Judge Cabranes, himself of Puerto Rican ancestry, had you voted with him, you could have changed that case.”

[NB: Yes, that’s Jeff Sessions implying that ethnic identity IS relevant to the way people decide cases]

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019071.php
[Steve Benen] If I didn't know better, I might think Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has a preoccupation with issues related to race and ethnicity. That couldn't be, could it? . . .

http://thirdbranch.crooksandliars.com/john-amato/jeffrey-toobin-sessions-says-only-white
Jeffrey Toobin: Sessions Says Only White Men Are Without Prejudice

http://thirdbranch.crooksandliars.com/big-tent-democrat/sessions-treats-white-male-nomin
Sessions Treats White Male Nominees Differently Than Female Latina Nominees

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/07/15/sotomayor/index.html
When old white guys attack . . .

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/thought-of-the-day.php
[Matt Yglesias] I would pay good money to hear Sonia Sotomayor say, “Senator Sessions, I think it’s ironic to be facing these questions from a man whose judicial nomination was rejected by this very committee on the grounds that he’s a huge racist.” . . .

Seriously, though, when the Republican Senate Conference was meeting, did nobody say "if we're going to oppose the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, maybe we shouldn't have a giant racist leading the charge?"

Good for the AP: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090714/ap_on_go_su_co/us_sessions_vs_sotomayor
Senator blocked by bias claims now raises them . . .

They are throwing out every piece of garbage they can – logic or sense be damned

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/14/sotomayor_and_castration/index.html
The director of CPAC, the annual right-wing Woodstock, posted some alleged quotes from the Supreme Court nominee on the CPAC Twitter feed earlier this afternoon. "Soto: The time has come to end white male oppression by castrating every white male until they are no longer dominant in Western culture," the first post read. "(cont) That means forcible removal of their testicles. I realize the brutality of my comment, and I don’t know how to say it more clearly." A couple minutes later, this question came: "So, is the quote below accurate? I haven't seen it anywhere."

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/14/sotomayor_ayers/index.html
Conservative group compares Sotomayor to Ayers

http://thirdbranch.crooksandliars.com/john-amato/rush-limbaugh-lies-about-george-allen-a
Rush Limbaugh lies about George Allen and says Sotomayor's comment much worse than "Macaca"

Rush: I must defend myself against the accusation of being racist by . . . saying more racist things

http://www.openleft.com/diary/14171/limbaugh-reacts-to-progressive-ads-says-new-racist-stuff

Lindsey Graham, after saying he might vote for Sotomayor, goes aggressively after her in his questioning. He’s a one man good cop/bad cop

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/14/graham_sotomayor/index.html

More: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/flashback_fun.php
Compare Sen. Lindsey Graham's obnoxiously aggressive cross-examination of Judge Sotomayor today with his obnoxiously obsequious questioning of Judge Alito in 2006. . . .

http://washingtonindependent.com/50952/graham-to-sotomayor-do-you-have-a-temperament-problem
Graham to Sotomayor: Do You Have a Temperament Problem?

http://www.slate.com/id/2222736/entry/2222906/
Was Lindsey Graham’s questioning of Sotomayor sexist?

Support for Sotomayor has GROWN during the hearings. Can the GOP read tea leaves?

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/support-for-sotomayor-rises-will-gop-opinion-shift-too/

Hey! The House passes a pretty good health care bill. Now let’s see if the Senate messes it up (maybe I should drop the word “if”)

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/big-release-by-digby-as-dday-mentions.html

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6340

John Yoo: Cheney and Addington’s go-to guy in the Dept of Justice

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/only_yoo_report_details_bush_white_house_use_of_ha.php

The ridiculous and totally refuted suspicion that Obama isn’t really an American won’t go away – because outlets like Fox “News” won’t let it go away

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/14/753512/-Fox-goes-birther

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/13/753140/-Birther-Soldier-Says-Obama-Cant-Send-Me-To-War

The Michael Steele clown show continues: while trying mightily to deny the racist strain in his party, he keeps reinforcing it

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/14/AR2009071402036.html
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele continued Tuesday with the campaign he has come to call the "Freedom Tour," which is his attempt to revive the relationship between black voters and the GOP. This stop: a sales call at the 100th convention of the NAACP.

"We have a connection, and it is important and appropriate to recognize that," Steele said in a speech . . .

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/14/steele_chicken/index.html
[Alex Koppelman] Asked by one attendee, who appeared to be a minority, how he intends to bring "diverse populations" into the Republican Party, Steele offered a plan that probably shouldn't inspire a lot of confidence from the GOP: "My plan is to say, 'Y'all come. Cause a lot of you are already here."

The man questioning Steele then said, "I'll bring the collard greens." The RNC chair laughed and replied, "I got the fried chicken and potato salad."

I'm honestly speechless.

Sarah Palin 2.0 starts to emerge: she wants to refashion herself as a Serious Policy Person. If so, then she’ll have to do better than this . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/13/753198/-Palin-Caps-Intelligence,-Trades-for-Nonsense

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/15/holy-jeez-im-calling-it/

The Republicans have NO sense of irony. None

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/cantor_its_all_about_you_ie_me.php
[Josh Marshall] I'm thinking that Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), rising GOP star the House and rumored presidential aspirant, is either conflicted or sending out some mixed messages. His PAC (the vehicle in place for his prez run) is called Every Republican is Crucial, i.e., "ERIC."

Every Republican is Crucial, especially me! Every GOPer is so crucial the message is an acronym for my name!

A great, great catch out of South Carolina: while Mark Sanford’s staffers were frantically trying to track him down and publicly circulating false cover stories like “hiking the Appalachian trail,” conservative news outlets were in constant contact, saying “how can we help play down this story?”

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/hacks_on_parade_must_read.php
[Josh Marshall] in emails recently obtained by The State newspaper, through a FOIA-type request, it turns out that before Sanford got caught sneaking back into the country from Argentina, a slew of right-wing reporters from Fox, the Wall Street Journal ed page and Washington Times were telling the governor's staffers to hang tough, that the whole story was stupid and generally asking how they could help. . . .

More: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/great_call_in_emails_to_sanfords_office_right-wing.php

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019070.php

Bonus item: Quote of the Day

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/taking_ownership.php
[BHO] I love those folks who helped get us in this mess, and suddenly they say, "This is Obama's economy." That's fine. Give it to me.

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 8:59 AM

 
A NEW JUSTICE

Sonia Sotomayor’s opening statement

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/opening-statement-of-judge-sonia-sotomayor-as-prepared-for-delivery.php

How are the Republicans behaving?

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/how_key_republicans_have_performed_at_sotomayors_hearing.php

Some, badly

http://thirdbranch.crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/jeff-sessions-oblivious-irony-callin
Jeff Sessions oblivious to the irony of calling Sotomayor 'prejudiced' . . .

Lindsey Graham gets a whole heading to himself

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/lindsey_grahams_swing_shtick.php

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/grahams_performance.php

We are starting to learn, little by little, about the illegal secret intelligence program Dick Cheney ordered the CIA to cover up. It can’t just be targeted assassinations, because they were already doing that – there is something more

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/something_not_adding_up.php
[David Kurtz] The New York Times is also reporting now that the secret Bush-era CIA program kept from Congress and terminated last month by CIA Director Leon Panetta was a plan to assassinate top al Qaeda officials that was never implemented. This is additional confirmation of the Wall Street Journal story that essentially reported the same basic outlines of the still-classified program.

The Times compares the program to drone attacks against al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. . . .

So regardless of how you might feel about targeted assassinations, it's not at all clear why this particular program would be so radioactive -- compared to what the U.S. was, and still is, doing more or less openly -- that (1) Cheney would demand the CIA not brief Congress about it for eight years; (2) Panetta would cancel it immediately upon learning of it; and (3) Democrats would howl quite so loudly when finally informed. . . .

More: http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/7/14/23339/1648

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/jul/13/cia-cheney-secret-programme

http://washingtonindependent.com/50693/drone-attacks-signal-cias-willingness-to-assassinate-terrorists

http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/07/13/you-know-what-cia-has-been-doing-from-the-skies-for-years-legally/

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/cia_vet_agency_doesnt_need_secret_program_to_targe.php
CIA Vet: Agency Doesn't Need Secret Program To Target al Qaeda . . .

One theory: http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/7/13/181827/017
[UK Guardian] Former counter-terrorism officials who retain close links to the intelligence community say that the hidden operation involved plans by the CIA and the military to launch operations, similar to those by Israel's Mossad intelligence service, to hunt down and kill al-Qaida activists abroad without informing the governments concerned, even though some were regarded as friendly if unreliable.

The CIA apparently did not put the plan in to operation but the US military did, carrying out several assassinations including one in Kenya that proved to be a severe embarrassment and helped lead to the quashing of the programme. . . .

A former intelligence official said the plan was hatched in the cauldron of the September 11 attacks when officials were pushing various forms of unilateral action and some settled on the Israelis as an example.

"One of the most sensitive areas has been what we do in friendly countries that don't want to co-operate or maybe we don't have enough confidence to entrust them with information. If you have an al-Qaida guy wandering around certain bits of the world we might decide that we need to deal with that ourselves, directly, without making a lot of noise," he said. "There was a plan to deal with that. It was much talked about in the CIA and the military had its own operation." . . .

http://washingtonindependent.com/50683/assassinations-in-allied-countries

Another theory: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/13/752957/-Was-the-Secret-Program-Cheneys-Executive-Assassination-Ring-Domestic-Spying
[Time] [T]wo former ranking CIA officials have told TIME that there's another equally plausible possibility: The program could have required the Agency to spy on Americans. Domestic surveillance is outside the CIA's purview -– it's usually the FBI's job – and it's easy to see why Cheney would have wanted to keep it from Congress. . . .

The Republicans think this is a GOOD issue for them politically?

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/house-republicans/republicans-who-say-cia-secret-program-story-is-good-for-gop-wont-support-probe/

Mary Matalin, the last refuge of scoundrels

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/13/timing-of-focus-on-cheney-cia-very-suspect-matalin-says-2/
A one-time aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney suggested Sunday that recent reports about Cheney and the CIA are a distraction designed to avert attention away from the policy struggles of the Obama administration.

“This is very suspect timing,” Republican strategist and former Cheney adviser Mary Matalin said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “The president’s agenda is almost in shambles. His [poll] numbers are dropping. Isn’t it coincidental; they gin up a Cheney story.” . . .

“Every time they get in trouble . . . they dredge up a Darth Vader story,” Matalin also said

Who said it?

http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/retrieved-memory-hole-bush-wh-stateme
"Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit. . . ."

Whither health care reform?

The Dems: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/charlie-foxtrot-with-white-house-watching-democrats-try-to-pick-up-the-pace-on-health-care-reform.php

The Repubs: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/key-republican-troubled-that-public-option-is-cheaper-has-clear-advantages.php

Trouble for John Ensign (R-NV)?

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/wapo_wants_senate_and_fec_to_probe_ensign_scandal.php

The kind of people they are (Young Republican edition)

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/13/shay_mcallister/index.html
This weekend, the Young Republican National Federation elected as its new chair a woman named Audra Shay. Shay, running at the top of the Team Renewal ticket, had run into trouble after seemingly endorsing a racist statement on her Facebook page . . .

The man is insane

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_071309/content/01125107.guest.html
[Rush Limbaugh] The original goal of Planned Parenthood was to abort various minorities out of existence. . . .

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was an early proponent of this. It's called eugenics, and her aim was to wipe out the African-American population.

Other infamous world figures acted upon similar instincts using other means to achieve their objectives: Concentration camps, mass gassings, so-called ethnic cleansings. Planned Parenthood is no different. Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood is no different than any of the people that use concentration camps, mass gassings, so-called ethnic cleansings. . . . .

You put up an adoption center next to an abortion clinic and what will happen is the Planned Parenthood people come out and try to keep every pregnant woman possible from going into the adoption center. . .

When you put RIFLE CROSSHAIRS on the Planned Parenthood logo, given recent events, you know exactly what you are doing

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/ingraham-puts-crosshairs-planned-par

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 8:01 AM

 
DEATH SQUADS

There was a lot of speculation that the secret, illegal program Cheney didn’t want Congress to know about was some kind of assassination squad. Today we learn more

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124736381913627661.html
[Siobhan Gorman] A secret Central Intelligence Agency initiative terminated by Director Leon Panetta was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives, according to former intelligence officials familiar with the matter. . . .

“It was straight out of the movies,” one of the former intelligence officials said. “It was like: Let’s kill them all.” . . .

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/13/the-assassination-squads-two-points/
[Marcy Wheeler] [T]here must be something more. Aside from the near ubiquitous drone strikes, which seem to be fully acknowledged and non-controversial, there have been enough personal strikes against al Qaeda figures that appear likely to have been assassinations, that for all intents and purposes, it appears we are assassinating al Qaeda figures.

It may be, for example, that the conflict reported by Sy Hersh is the problem--that Special Ops has the mandate to kill but CIA is being dragged into those assassinations. . . .

http://washingtonindependent.com/50542/cia-was-trying-to-create-an-assassinations-capability
[Spencer Ackerman] [W]e’ve known for years that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld endeavored to move Special Forces in the direction of traditional CIA covert operations. In 2005, the Pentagon acknowledged creating so-called “Strategic Support Teams” of military and civilian personnel for unspecified and hairy operations. I’d check out this briefing for a suggestion of what these things might have been, or might have tried to be . . .

More: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/the_bush_assassination_finding_and_special_operations.php

http://www.juancole.com/2009/07/truth-commission-needed-to-examine.html

I believe that Obama really wanted to let the past be bygones – but the growing stench of Bush/Cheney lies and lawlessness has now made some investigations, at least, inevitable

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/12/AR2009071202118.html
After trying for months to shake off the legacy of their predecessors and focus on their own priorities, Obama administration officials have begun to concede that they cannot leave the fight against terrorism unexhumed and are reluctantly moving to examine some of the most controversial and clandestine episodes. . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090713/ap_on_go_co/us_cia_concealment_6
Two senators including the head of the intelligence committee suggested Sunday that the prior administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress. . . .

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/12/when-and-to-what-degree-was-john-ashcroft-read-into-the-illegal-surveillance-program/
[Marcy Wheeler] We have long known that [Bush Attorney General] John Ashcroft was not properly read into the illegal domestic surveillance program. Senator Whitehouse suggested as much when Attorney General Gonzales testified in July 2007. And both Gonzales and Robert Mueller revealed that John Ashcroft--from his ICU bed--complained that his advisors had not been able to get read into the program . . . [read on]

Will the torture inquiry really be limited only to low-level employees who exceeded the rules – or examine those who developed and approved the rules in the first place?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/12/holder/index.html
Abu Ghraib redux . . .

More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/12/the-scope-of-the-hypothetical-torture-investigation/

John McCain, who singlehandedly, and to the devastation of his presidential campaign, raised up Sarah Palin as a national figure, can’t bring himself to admit that it was a mistake (of course). But his attempts to make excuses for her are getting ridiculous

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/john-mccain-says-sarah-palin-didnt-quit

The best thing Palin has going for her is the complaint that the east-coast liberal media has it in for her, blah, blah, blah – this causes the right-wing base to rally to her defense regardless of her shortcomings, and she has played the victim and resentment cards shamelessly. Here’s Exhibit A

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/ground_zero.php

But here’s the real truth: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/palin-vs-palin
[LAT] "What is remarkable is the contempt Palin has engendered within her own party . . .” [read on]

And what will that right-wing base think about THIS?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/12/palin-stump-conservative-democrats/
Brushing aside the criticisms of pundits and politicos, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she plans to jump immediately back into the national political fray — stumping for conservative issues and even Democrats — after she prematurely vacates her elected post at month's end. . . .

More: http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/palin-hints-plans-split-republican-pa

How the Village thinks

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/mites-of-roundtable-by-digby.html

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6270

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:22 AM

 
OUT DAMNED SPOT

Two big stories this morning. First, now we know who ordered the CIA to lie to Congress about their secret, illegal surveillance program – and it’s no surprise

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/us/politics/12intel.html
The Central Intelligence Agency withheld information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years on direct orders from former Vice President Dick Cheney, the agency’s director, Leon E. Panetta, has told the Senate and House intelligence committees . . .

High-level N.S.A. officials who were responsible for ensuring that the surveillance program was legal, including the agency’s inspector general and general counsel, were not permitted by Mr. Cheney’s office to read the Justice Department opinion that found the eavesdropping legal, several officials said. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/11/752476/-Cheney-ordered-CIA-to-lie-to-Congress
[Ambrose Burnside] This is incredibly damning news about the power that Bush/Cheney and the executive branch usurped from the supposed "separation of powers" enshrined in our Constitution.

CIA Director Leon Panetta is now saying that the CIA did not even, as required to by law, report to the so-called Gang of Eight (leaders in Congress and from the intelligence committees) about this covert anti-terrorism unit . . . [read on]

Think about it

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019028.php
[Hilzoy] To set the stage: Comey and Goldsmith have been read into the surveillance program, and have discovered that Yoo's memos are both legally flawed and factually inaccurate, and that some parts of the program are probably illegal. The programs need to be reauthorized by the President, and normally he does so after the Department of Justice certifies that they are legal. By now, Ashcroft is in the hospital, and Comey and Goldsmith refuse to provide this certification. For this reason, Bush sends Alberto Gonzales and Andrew Card to the hospital to try to get Ashcroft to sign off on the reauthorization, which he refuses to do. So:

"On the morning of March 11, 2004, with the Presidential authorization set to expire, the President signed a new authorization for the PSP. [Ed. note: the Presidential Surveillance Programs.] In a departure from the past practice of having the Attorney General certify the authorization as to form and legality, the March 11 authorization was certified by White House counsel Gonzales. The March 11 Authorization also differed markedly from prior Authorizations in three other respects. It explicitly asserted that the President's exercise of his Article II Commander-in-Chief authority displaced any contrary provisions of law, including FISA. It clarified the description of certain Other Intelligence Activities being conducted under the PSP to address questions regarding whether such activities had actually been authorized explicitly in prior Authorizations. It also stated that in approving the prior Presidential Authorizations as to form and legality, the Attorney General previously had authorized the same activities now being approved under the March 11 authorization. . .

At approximately noon, Gonzales called Goldsmith to inform him that the President, in issuing the Authorization, had made an interpretation of law concerning his authorities and that DOJ should not act in contradiction of the President's determinations."

[Hilzoy] 'The President had made an interpretation of law'. Think about that. President Bush is not a lawyer. He has no expertise on this matter. Commanding the DoJ to accept his word about what the law is is as crazy as commanding the Environmental Protection Agency to accept his determination that some power plant does not, in fact, pollute, or commanding the FDA to accept his determination that some drug is safe. . . .

If the President gets to do that, then laws have no meaning, and we might as well have a monarchy. . . . [read on]

[NB: Yes, but I like the closing passage of the quote even better: the President having made a legal finding, the DOJ better not do or say anything to suggest otherwise.]

Ahem

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/11/nsa/index.html
[Glenn Greenwald] The Bush-era torture regime might have been that administration's most flamboyant act of criminality, but its illegal NSA warrantless eavesdropping program (and other still-unknown surveillance programs) has always been the clearest. We had a law in place for 30 years that made it a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each offense to do exactly that which Bush got caught doing: eavesdropping on the communications of American citizens without warrants from the FISA court. The Inspectors General report on Bush's NSA activities released on Friday afternoon -- one that was mandated by the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 in lieu of a real investigation -- highlights how rampant and blatant was the lawlessness that pervaded the Bush administration.

Nonetheless, because the Obama administration is actively blocking any real investigation -- Obama opposes all Congressional investigations into Bush-era crimes and, worse, is engaged in extraordinary efforts to block courts from adjudicating the legality of Bush's surveillance activities by claiming that even long-obsolete and clearly criminal programs are "state secrets" -- it is quite likely, despite how blatant is the lawbreaking, that there will be no consequences for any of it. In a Look-to-the-Future-Not-the-Past political culture, it's irrelevant how severe is the lawbreaking by high government officials. They know they will face no consequences even when, as here, they deliberately commit felonies -- which is precisely why criminality is so rampant in our political class. . . . [read on]

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/immunization-program-by-digby-needless.html

More on one of the incredible aspects of the story: that CIA threat assessments were REWRITTEN (sometimes at the White House's insistence) to be sure they were scary enough to justify the ongoing surveillance program. As we say, that's bass-ackwards . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/wagging-dog

Second big story: Attorney General Eric Holder is starting to say that investigations into the Bush/Cheney torture regime may be necessary – but only in a heavily circumscribed way

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2009071102787.html
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is leaning toward appointing a criminal prosecutor to investigate whether CIA personnel tortured terrorism suspects after Sept. 11, 2001, setting the stage for a conflict with administration officials who would prefer the issues remain in the past . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/us/politics/12justice.html
The Justice Department official who confirmed the likelihood of an inquiry said it was not likely to focus on those legal opinions, the lawyers who wrote them or anyone who acted within the boundaries they set, even though the ground rules for interrogations have shifted.

If an inquiry moves forward, it will attempt mainly to determine whether any interrogators acted outside the rules that were in place, and if so, whether they should be prosecuted. . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019033.php
[Hilzoy] CIA officials who exceeded the unbelievably expansive rules laid down in the torture memos should be prosecuted. That said, I'd give up all hope of any prosecutions of CIA officials for prosecution of the people who set policy -- people like Cheney and Addington. They created the Bush administration's interrogation policy. They decided to set aside law, morality, and basic humanity. They should bear the consequences.

Moreover, the idea of prosecuting lower-level people while the people with real power get off scot-free sticks in my craw. The laws should apply to everyone, and people like Cheney and Addington, who did not have to worry about losing their jobs if they stood up for basic human decency, have less excuse than anyone for violating it.

This will, undoubtedly, set off another round of wailing from the CIA, about being asked to do the dirty work that keeps us free and then being prosecuted for their troubles. I have very little sympathy for this, especially in the present case: by all accounts, if Holder does appoint a prosecutor, that prosecutor will be looking into the possibility that some interrogators exceeded the rules that the DoJ laid down. Those rules were -- how to put it? -- hardly confining. Moreover, much as I dislike the actual interpretation of the law given in the DoJ memos, it was quite specific. CIA interrogators knew the rules. If they broke them, that's too bad. . . .

Behind the decision: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/11/holder-v-rahm-the-torture-fight/

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/holder-of-cards-by-dday-newsweek-is.html

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/holder_considers_torture_prosecutor.php

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/11/ambinder-on-holder/

The Sotomayor hearings start next week. What to expect . . .

http://www.slate.com/id/2222575/
[Dahlia Lithwick] Judge Sonia Sotomayor faces off against the Senate judiciary committee next week in a bid to become the 111th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The public discussion of her suitability for that job suggests that the upcoming hearing will be a carnival of unanswerable questions ("Judge Sotomayor, can you prove to this committee that you are not, in fact, a reverse racist?") and nonresponsive answers ("Senator, I must decline to answer that question as it may come before me in some future case.").

Senators more accustomed to making speeches than asking questions will spill thousands of words in lieu of simple inquiries. . . [read on]

Yawn: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/11/751207/-Competence-vs-Comity

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/11/752071/-Sessions-Says-Outcome-Of-Sotomayor-Hearing-Not-A-Foregone-Conclusion

What else we’ll be talking about next week

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_treatment/archive/2009/07/10/exclusive-early-cbo-score-on-public-plan-it-s-good.aspx
[Jonathan Cohn] According to a pair of Capitol Hill sources, preliminary estimates from the Congressional Budget Office suggest that a strong public option--the kind that the House of Representatives is putting in its reform bill--should net somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 billion in savings over ten years. . . .

Just think about it – for months, who are the Republicans that most people are talking about and seeing in the news? Sanford, Ensign, Palin . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019031.php

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/television/sunday_show_preview__121169.asp
NBC's Meet the Press: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and a roundtable with former adviser to Pres. George W. Bush, Karen Hughes, NBC's Andrea Mitchell, Democratic Strategist Bob Shrum and Politico's Roger Simon

CBS' Face the Nation: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and a roundtable with WaPo's Kevin Merida and WaPo's Kathleen Parker

ABC's This Week: Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and a roundtable with ABC's Donna Brazile, Sam Donaldson, Cokie Roberts, George Will and WaPo's Bob Woodward

CNN's State of the Union: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and CNN's Mary Matalin and James Carville

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:18 AM

 
CAN WE IMPEACH HIM NOW?

The CIA IG report on warrantless surveillance isn’t the much-anticipated IG report on torture, which will apparently prove that Dick Cheney has been talking out of his hind parts – but there’s plenty in THIS report to keep us busy for a while

http://washingtonindependent.com/50519/the-bush-administrations-secret-presidents-surveillance-program
The Bush Administration’s Secret ‘President’s Surveillance Program’

http://bushpsp.notlong.com
[AP] The Bush administration built an unprecedented surveillance operation to pull in mountains of information far beyond the warrantless wiretapping previously acknowledged, a team of federal inspectors general reported Friday, questioning the legal basis for the effort but shielding almost all details on grounds they're still too secret to reveal. . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/11/us/11nsa.html
[NYT] While the Bush administration had defended its program of wiretapping without warrants as a vital tool that saved lives, a new government review released Friday said the program’s effectiveness in fighting terrorism was unclear. . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/10/AR2009071002536.html
[WP] "Extraordinary and inappropriate" secrecy about a warrantless eavesdropping program undermined its effectiveness as a terrorism-fighting tool, government watchdogs have concluded in the first examination of one of the most contentious episodes of the Bush administration. . . .

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/50414/most-psp-leads-were-determined-not-to-have-any-connection-to-terrorism

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/10/both-of-cheneys-illegal-programs-were-not-effective/

http://washingtonindependent.com/50390/cia-played-a-leading-role-in-warrantless-surveillance

Was it legal?

http://washingtonindependent.com/50490/feingold-legal-memos-on-blatantly-illegal-surveillance-still-in-place
[Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)] “This report leaves no doubt that the warrantless wiretapping program was blatantly illegal and an unconstitutional assertion of executive power. I once again call on the Obama administration and its Justice Department to withdraw the flawed legal memoranda that justified the program and that remain in effect today.”

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/10/surveillance_report/index.html
[Gabriel Winant] Most notably, at the urging of Vice President Cheney, President Bush recertified the program without the consent of the Department of Justice, outraging Deputy Attorney General James Comey. In fact, for two years, no one in the DOJ who ranked below deputy attorney general even knew about the program, with one exception: John Yoo, who was somewhat mysteriously tasked with writing legal opinions in defense of the operation. (Indeed, Ambinder says, it's not even clear that then-Attorney General John Ashcroft knew that Yoo was providing the department's legal opinions on the program.) . . . [read on]

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/10/gonzales_letter/index.html
[Alex Koppelman] The battle between the Bush White House and the Bush DOJ over wiretapping was already public. In 2007, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey confirmed to the Senate that the fight had at one point become truly nasty. In March of 2004, with then Attorney General John Ashcroft severely ill and in the hospital, Comey was serving as acting attorney general. In that role, he was called upon to recertify the program, but due to concerns within DOJ about its legality, he refused.

That refusal culminated in an argument with then White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, who came to Ashcroft's hospital room in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to do the recertification. The dispute continued for about a week after that, and ended only when the White House agreed to certain changes insisted upon by the DOJ -- after Ashcroft, Comey, their top deputies and FBI Director Robert Mueller had all prepared to resign.

In the meantime, the president recertified the program himself, with Gonzales' signature going where Ashcroft or Comey's would have. And Comey sent a memorandum to the White House counsel in order to provide advice to Bush. The IGs' report contains an excerpt of Gonzales' response, which appears not to have been public before this, in which he essentially told Comey and the DOJ to go do something anatomically impossible:

Your memorandum appears to have been based on a misunderstanding of the President's expectations regarding the conduct of the Department of Justice. While the President was, and remains, interested in any thoughts the Department of Justice may have on alternative ways to achieve effectively the goals of the activities authorized by the Presidential Authorization of March 11, 2004, the President has addressed definitively for the Executive Branch in the Presidential Authorization the interpretation of the law.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/wh_counsel_gonzo_to_doj_when_we_said_we_cared_about.php
[Zachary Roth] In other words, Gonzo, on behalf of the White House, is telling Comey and DOJ: You don't understand. When we said we were interested in DOJ's opinion about what's legal and what's not, we were only kidding. We've already decided for ourselves.

It's easy to see why, the following year, President Bush decided to simplify the process by just installing Gonzales to run the Justice Department.

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/50398/yoo-and-only-yoo-knew-about-surveillance

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/10/was-porter-goss-briefed-on-things-pelosi-and-harman-werent/

Things we knew

http://washingtonindependent.com/50431/gonzales-testimony-on-surveillance-was-confusing-inaccurate-and-misleading
[Spencer Ackerman] Ah, Alberto Gonzales. After the then-Attorney General presented a slippery account to the Senate Judiciary Committee in July 2007 of, among other subjects, the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance efforts, a group of Democratic senators quickly moved to investigate Gonzales for perjury. The immediate issue was Gonzales’ assertion that Justice Department employees did not have “reservations” or “concerns” about the legality of the surveillance efforts, when, in fact, former deputy attorney general James Comey had testified in May 2007 that he refused to certify the efforts as legal in March 2004. Most senior Justice and FBI officials even threatened to quit when the administration sought to override Comey.

So what does today’s Inspectors General report say about Gonzales? . . .

The DOJ [Inspector General] concluded that Gonzales did not intend to mislead Congress, but it found that his testimony was confusing, inaccurate, and had the effect of misleading those who were not knowledgeable about the program.

Things we didn’t know: did they even lie to Bush?

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/was_bush_kept_in_the_dark_on_doj_concerns_about_su.php
[Zachary Roth] One passage on the IGs report on surveillance suggests something that perhaps shouldn't come as a surprise -- that President Bush was kept in the dark by members of the White House staff about about serious objections to the surveillance program raised by others in the administration. . . . [read on]

The hospital visit

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/bush_personally_sent_card_and_gonzo_to_ashcrofts_h.php
This great catch by Marcy Wheeler might be the most shocking nugget of all from the IGs report on surveillance.

The report goes into some detail about that famous visit made by Andy Card and Alberto Gonzales to then-AG John Ashcroft, when Ashcroft was in the hospital, and essentially incapacitated, after gall bladder surgery. The White House needed the Attorney General's sign-off to continue its warrantless wiretapping program.

For years, there's been a mystery about who called the hospital and informed Ashcroft's wife, over her objections, that Card and Gonzo would be coming to see the AG. And it looks like the answer is the president himself. . . .

More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/10/george-bush-personally-sent-card-and-gonzales-to-thug-up-ashcroft/

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/10/gonzales-knew-ashcroft-was-too-sick-to-reauthorize-the-program-but-asked-him-to-anyway/

http://washingtonindependent.com/50466/bush-personally-ordered-visit-to-ashcrofts-hospital-bed

No, it still gets better

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/white_house_slipped_in_key_passage_to_cia_threat_a.php
According to the former DCI [Director of Central Intelligence] Chief of Staff, he directed CIA terrorism analysts to prepare objective appraisals of the current terrorist threat, focusing primarily on threats to the U.S. homeland, and to document those appraisals in a memorandum. Initially, the analysts who prepared the threat assessments were not read into the PSP [President's Surveillance Program] and did not know how the threat assessments would be used. . . .

After the terrorism analysts completed their portion of the memoranda, the DCI Chief of Staff added a paragraph at the end of the memoranda stating that the individuals and organizations involved in global terrorism (and discussed in the memoranda) possessed the capability and intention to undertake further terrorist attacks within the United States. The DCI Chief of Staff recalled that the paragraph was provided to him by a senior White House official. The paragraph included the DCI's recommendation to the President that he authorize the NSA to conduct surveillance activities under the PSP.

[Zachary Roth] It looks like it was this slipped-in paragraph, inserted by that unnamed "senior White house official," that was used to provide the justification for the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance.

[NB: Let's be clear about what this means. The White House (Cheney's office, I assume) was inserting text into CIA reports that they then pointed to as evidence supporting the policies they wanted to implement.]

More key nuggets: here’s what bloggers do -- use distributed energies to comb through documents like these and then combine their collective efforts, far beyond what any single reporter could do

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/nsa_surveillance_program_report.php

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/10/working-thread-on-warrantless-wiretapping-ig-report/

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/10/752189/-Wiretapping-Report-Released

The full report: http://washingtonindependent.com/50380/the-inspector-generals-report-on-warrantless-surveillance

More to come?

http://washingtonindependent.com/50443/stuff-thats-missing-from-the-inspectors-general-report-on-warrantless-surveillance
Stuff That’s Missing From the Inspectors General Report on Warrantless Surveillance . . .

OK, now while we wait for the OTHER report from the CIA IG, on torture, let’s consider the possibility that the debate over waterboarding, awful as it is, has actually deflected attention from other crimes that were even worse

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/10/cia-sticks-with-its-waterboarding-shiny-object-strategy/

“The Family.” Let’s see, a secret Christian society joining Senators, government officials, and others in a cloister of mutual advice and conspiracy. Nope, nothing to worry about here

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/rachel-maddow-show-christian-conservatisms

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#31857408

And both John Ensign and Mark Sanford were part of it – so you can see what a great job they did in promoting Christian values amongst their members

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/ensigns_weirdest_moment.php
[Josh Marshall] Ensign is a member of something called the C Street group, which is part of a highly secretive religious outfit called 'The Family'. It's a combo religious fellowship and Capitol Hill group home where a number of Republican members of Congress live. And it's run by a guy named Doug Coe. (Because the comedy never stops, remember that Gov. Sanford too is a member of the C Street group/Family.) In one of the more surreal episodes in this whole drama, while folks from 'The Family', including Sen. Coburn (R-OK), were trying to get Ensign to end his relationship with the girlfriend and write her and her husband a big check.

So Ensign agrees to do this. But the members of his fellowship had so little trust he could follow through that they had him write out a letter to the mistress that he was ending the relationship and then drove him to the local Fedex office to make sure he actually dropped the letter in the box. So he does that. But then after he shakes them loos he calls the mistress to tell her his friends made him write the letter and to ignore it. . . .

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/10/pressure_grows_on_ensign.html
Senate leaders generally refused comment on Sen. John Ensign's (R-NV) admission that he paid nearly $100,000 to the family of his mistress but the Las Vegas Sun says GOP support for the embattled senator was dwindling.

One Nevada GOP consultant told Roll Call that the math on the figures released "does not appear to add up and expressed concern that there were additional, still-undisclosed payments. "

Said the consultant: "Watching the money trail is going to be important... The sense is it's still not over." . . .

A "clown show": http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/clown-show-forges

Like all good Republican hypocrites, Sarah Palin loves to slam any hint of criticism from the “liberal media,” “partisan Democrats,” etc. But her toughest criticisms have always come from people in her own party. Watch Peggy Noonan go after her

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124716984620819351.html
Her history does not need to be rehearsed at any length. Ten months ago she was embraced with friendliness by her party. The left and the media immediately overplayed their hand, with attacks on her children. The party rallied round, as a party should. She went on the trail a sensation but demonstrated in the ensuing months that she was not ready to go national and in fact never would be. She was hungry, loved politics, had charm and energy, loved walking onto the stage, waving and doing the stump speech. All good. But she was not thoughtful. She was a gifted retail politician who displayed the disadvantages of being born into a point of view (in her case a form of conservatism; elsewhere and in other circumstances, it could have been a form of liberalism) and swallowing it whole: She never learned how the other sides think, or why.

In television interviews she was out of her depth in a shallow pool. She was limited in her ability to explain and defend her positions, and sometimes in knowing them. She couldn't say what she read because she didn't read anything. She was utterly unconcerned by all this and seemed in fact rather proud of it: It was evidence of her authenticity. She experienced criticism as both partisan and cruel because she could see no truth in any of it. She wasn't thoughtful enough to know she wasn't thoughtful enough. Her presentation up to the end has been scattered, illogical, manipulative and self-referential to the point of self-reverence. "I'm not wired that way," "I'm not a quitter," "I'm standing up for our values." I'm, I'm, I'm.

In another age it might not have been terrible, but here and now it was actually rather horrifying. . . . [read on]

More: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/the_losers_who_gave_us_sarah_palin.php

Heh

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/vulnerable-republicans-want-palin-to-stay-home-2009-07-09.html
Republicans facing tough elections in 2010 don’t want Sarah Palin campaigning with them.

Though the soon-to-be-former Alaska governor is seen as popular with the conservative grass roots, several Republicans said she’d help them by staying home in Wasilla. . . .

Saraphobia? We don’t fear her: we ridicule her, and hold her in contempt

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/terra_of_sarah.php
[Josh Marshall] I never fail to be amazed and amused that many right-wingers and Palinatics genuinely believe that everyone who thinks Palin is a grifter or a clown is actually afraid of her. As in when Bill Kristol recently wrote that Palin's critics "tend not only to dislike and disdain Palin, they also want to bury her chances now as a presidential possibility. What are they so scared of?" . . . [read on]

You know, there are worse things than being stupid, shallow, and narcissistic

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/missing-point-by-tristero-i-think-great.html
[Tristero] All true. But what's missing from this list are Palin's ties to radical extremists, fanatical christianists, and even secessionists. Had Palin been experienced, articulate, knowledgeable, reliable, and a paragon of empathy, nevertheless, her delusional, far-right political views should have immediately disqualified her from serious consideration as a national candidate. . . . [read on]

Take the money and run?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/10/johnston-palin-wanted-to-take-the-money-forget-everything-else/
Sarah Palin wanted to take the money and "just run with it," the father of her grandchild said Thursday.

Levi Johnston told reporters the Alaska governor was stepping down early to take advantage of millions in potential earnings. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the 19-year-old said that late last year he heard Palin say "how nice it would be to take some of this money people have been offering us and just run with it, and saying forget everything else."

He pointed to talk show offers and other potentially lucrative deals.

Earlier this week, Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein told the Washington Post that the governor had received "hundreds of credible offers since the campaign," including Hollywood projects, but had not taken advantage of any except her book deal. Johnston said that even the Palin children had been fielding offers. . . .

How can you build a bipartisan agreement on health care with people who think MEDICARE was a mistake?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019011.php

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/10/752265/-Blunt-Instrument

Yet again Democrats undermine their own popular President – and block the will of the people

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/blue-dogs-we-can-not-support-house-health-legislation-without-significant-progress.php
Facing a deluge of letters from (mainly conservative) party members, House leaders have delayed unveiling their health care reform bill for at least a few days as they address a number of members' concerns. But the prime mover in their decision seems to have been pressure from Blue Dog Democrats, who delivered a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer last night. . . .

What do they want? http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/blue-dog-lament-by-dday-as-you-may-know.html

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/blue-dogs-object-to-house-bills-cost-cost-control-measures.php

Stupidity? Dishonesty? Or both?

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/07/plotting-wingnuts.html

Bonus item: David Brooks says he was fondled by a prominent Republican Senator. Tell! Tell!

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=2924961

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:47 AM

 
SECRET SHARERS

CIA chief Leon Panetta admits that the CIA did hide a secret program from Congress, starting in 2001. What was it?

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/what_did_the_cia_hide_from_congress.php
[Marc Ambinder] It's inevitable, now, that we'll soon be provided with a fairly full accounting of the covert program that director Leon Panetta discovered, stopped, and brought to Congress's attention. All the major intellireporters are on the trail. There are plenty of former IC folks who are willing to hint about the details, provided they're asked the right questions.

I don't know what the program is. No one I asked would shed any light on it. From the reports of others, though, and from guesswork derived from a knowledge of what the CIA is chartered to do (provide exclusive political intelligence (that can only be clandestinely obtained) to our political leaders about major developments), I can come up with a few possibilities. . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/09/AR2009070903017.html
The program remains classified, and those knowledgeable about it would describe it only vaguely yesterday. Several current and former administration officials called it an "on-again, off-again" attempt to create a new intelligence capability and said it was related to the collection of information on suspected terrorists that was instituted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Congressional Republicans said no briefing about the program was required because it was not a major tool used against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. They accused Democrats of using the matter to divert attention away from Pelosi's accusation that CIA officials intentionally misled her in 2002 about the agency's interrogations of suspected terrorists.

But Democrats waved away such claims and said they may open a congressional investigation of the concealment of the program. . . .

The John Ensign (R-NV) saga of adultery and bribery takes an amazing new turn

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/9/751687/-Coburn-pledges-not-to-reveal-what-he-just-revealed
[Fellow Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)] "I was counseling him as a physician and as an ordained deacon. ... That is privileged communication that I will never reveal to anybody. Not to the Ethics Committee, not to a court of law, not to anybody," Coburn said.

[Statement from Tom Coburn's office] "Dr. Coburn did everything he could to encourage Senator Ensign to end his affair and to persuade Senator Ensign to repair the damage he had caused to his own marriage and the Hampton’s marriage. Had Senator Ensign followed Dr. Coburn’s advice, this episode would have ended, and been made public, long ago."

What did he counsel him? http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/coburn_denies_that_he_urged_ensign_to_pay_restitut.php
[Roll Call] Coburn repeatedly denied allegations that he urged Ensign to pay Doug Hampton, the husband of his mistress Cynthia, millions in hush money following a confrontation with Hampton. . . .

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/ensign_still_bringing_dirty_laundry_home_to_be_was.php
[Ensign’s lawyer] has just released a remarkable statement saying that Ensign's parents paid the Hamptons $96,000 after the 51-year-old senator told his Mom and Dad about the affair.

The senator's father, Mike Ensign, is a casino mogul who sold his shares in the Mandalay Group for around $300 million earlier this decade.

The statement is a response to Doug Hampton's claim that Ensign paid a severance package of over $25,000 to Cindy Hampton when she left his political committee -- which would be a felony violation of campaign finance law if he wasn't reimbursed. A good government group called today for a criminal probe into the matter. . . .

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/09/ensign/index.html

[NB: So Ensign didn’t pay hush money – oops, sorry – restitution to the people whose marriage he destroyed. HE HAD HIS MOMMY AND DADDY DO IT. And, oh yeah, they’re calling it a “gift.”]

The GOP has consistently abused “holds” to delay Obama appointees they can’t vote down. Even Harry Reid is getting sick of it

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/reid-refuses-to-honor-republican-holds-on-census-nominee.php

PA-thetic

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hjreRDJxeBRyOmPbUEi1O9EuYyRgD99B2BEO0
[AP] Republicans plan to call a white firefighter whose reverse discrimination claim was rejected by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor to testify against her. . . .

The kind of people they (still) are

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/demint-america-is-like-germany-before-wwii.php
America these days is reminding Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) of Nazi Germany. . . .

“School reform,” Texas-style

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/naming-someone-who-hates-public-schoo
Naming Someone Who Hates Public Schools to Head the State Ed Board? Gov. Perry, You Can't Be Serious!

Good news

http://washingtonindependent.com/50295/burris-wont-run-in-2010
Roland Burris, the scandal-plagued accidental senator from Illinois, will not seek his own term in the Senate . . .

More good news

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/minnesota-gop-writes-big-check-toal-franken.php
The Minnesota Republican Party has tied off a remaining loose end from the epic, eight-month battle to determine a winner in the 2008 Minnesota Senate race, sending Democratic Sen. Al Franken's campaign a check for almost $96,000 that was owed to him by Republican former Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign. . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/poll-colemans-numbers-in-minnesota-are-lousy-damaged-by-recount-fight.php
So now that former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) finally conceded the much-litigated 2008 Senate race to Democrat Al Franken, and Franken was sworn into office six months into the term, does Coleman have a political future as he reportedly eyes a run for Governor in 2010? A new survey of Minnesota by Public Policy Polling (D) suggests that Coleman has still got a long way to go if he wants to come back.

The numbers: Coleman's favorable rating is only 38%, with 52% viewing him unfavorably. . . .

We knew Sean Hannity was an ideologue – it’s his job. But shouldn’t a “news channel” have higher journalistic standards than this? Not at Fox News, apparently

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018995.php

Bonus item: “Pullin a Palin”

http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/open-thread-10

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:24 AM

 
UNTRUTHFUL

Yes, the CIA did lie to Congress

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/08/silvestre-reyes-cia-lied-to-congress/
[CQ] In a Tuesday letter to his committee's top-ranking Republican, Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, that was obtained by Congressional Quarterly, Reyes, D-Texas, wrote that the committee has recently received information that reveals significant problems with the intelligence agency's reporting to the panel.

"These notifications have led me to conclude this committee has been misled, has not been provided full and complete notifications, and (in at least one occasion) was affirmatively lied to," Reyes wrote. . . .

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/50111/six-members-of-congress-say-panetta-testified-that-cia-misled-congress

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/08/certain-officers/

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/lying-congress

Several of the reasons Sarah Palin gave for quitting her job as governor turn out to be . . . not true. Gee

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/only_three_palin_ethics_complaint_were_still_pendi.php
[Zachary Roth] If you had to pick out a coherent explanation given by Sarah Palin for her decision to quit as Alaska governor, you'd probably have to settle on the notion that she felt her agenda was being paralyzed by frivolous ethics complaints, and that she only foresaw additional ones. So she stepped down so as not to continue to drag Alaskans through the process. . . .

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/key-reason-palin-gave-for-quitting-appears-to-be-false/
[Greg Sargent] One of the chief reasons Sarah Palin has given for resigning as Governor of Alaska is that her state’s taxpayers are being forced to spend money defending her government against ethics complaints that would otherwise fund teachers, cops, and road repair. . . .

Take the money, and run

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/not_a_vote_of_support.php
Sarah Palin, says David Frum, "quit to cash in. . . .”

More: http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/sarah-palins-not-just-quitter-shes-p

“I’m not a whiner. I’m not! Why do you keep saying that I am?”

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/08/late-night-palinoia-will-destroy-ya-also/
[SP] I’m trying to make it clear that the criticism, I invite that. . . .

[NB: Uh-huh . . .. r-i-i-i-i-g-h-t]

Political opponents tend to characterize votes for cloture (that is, the vote to have a vote on an item) as a vote FOR the bill, even if the voter for cloture actually votes against the bill when it comes for a vote. Now the Dem leadership is trying to tell their members to use their 60-vote majority to force cloture on bills so they can get a 50-plus-one majority on the bill itself. Good idea. Won’t work

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/in-reversal-senate-dem-leadership-pushes-for-unity-against-filibuster.php
Senate Dem Leadership Pushes For Unity Against Filibuster . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/senate-democratic-leaders-want-party-unity-against-filibusters--can-they-get-it.php
Senate Democratic Leaders Want Party Unity Against Filibusters--Can They Get It? . . .

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/08/filibuster/index.html
Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind. have all said they won't rule out voting in favor of a Republican filibuster. . . . [read on]

Progressive pressure works (sometimes)

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/08/the-calls-worked-rahm-backs-off-triggers-at-house-democratic-caucus-meeting/
The Calls Worked: Rahm Backs Off Triggers At House Democratic Caucus Meeting . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018986.php
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D) of Arkansas hasn't exactly been a reliable champion of progressive policy goals. In the context of the debate over health care, Lincoln has been one of the least likely Democrats to support the public option endorsed by most Democratic lawmakers, the president, and the public.

With that in mind, Lincoln's op-ed in today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette struck an interesting note. . . .

More on the police riot at a Dem fundraiser

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/leaked-police-report-sheds-light-on-raided-busby-event.php
[Eric Kleefeld] A preliminary police report that has been leaked to the media . . . shows that the noise complaint originated from a house nearby, with the caller incensed over "a loud Democratic rally with loudspeakers." . . .

The Sheriff's deputy arrived about 45 minutes after that, and things got ugly. By the time it was over, multiple people had been pepper-sprayed, one of the hostesses and a guest were arrested, and a full Sheriff's Department backup had come in, including even dogs and a helicopter -- to deal with a crowd of middle-aged Democratic donors.

The police report says that Deputy Marshall G. Abbott used his pepper spray because he felt threatened by guests who were surrounding him. It also says that he ended up with "several scratches and minor swelling on both of his arms."

Busby and others who attended the event believe that the caller is probably the same person as an unidentified heckler who shouted obscenities and anti-gay slurs at the assembled crowd. . . [read on]

Rove testifies. What next?

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/rove_testifies_but_next_steps_in_probe_remain_murk.php

“The Family”

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/08/tom-coburn-and-the-family-tried-to-buy-off-ensigns-mistress/
[Las Vegas Sun] Hampton and Ensign were bonded by their conservative evangelical faith. Hampton said he reached out to intermediaries involved in a Christian fellowship home in Washington, D.C., where Ensign and several other powerful Washington figures live.

The group, including Coburn, a well-known conservative, confronted Ensign and suggested that the Hamptons needed to be given financial assistance -- in the millions of dollars -- to pay off their $1 million-plus mortgage and move them to a new life away from Ensign. . . . [read on]

More: http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0709/Coburn_says_told_Ensign_to_end_affair.html

http://washingtonindependent.com/50099/report-coburn-urged-ensign-to-pay-millions-to-mistress

Michael Steele is just a pathetic excuse for a leader. Time and again he dips his toe across the line of party orthodoxy, and time and again he is forced to immediately take it back

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/7/750933/-Steele-writes-off-Palin...then-writes-her-back-in
On Fox, Michael takes a 2012 Palin presidential campaign off the table:

Not having talked to the governor, I take 2012 off the table right now.

Then, a few hours later, his spokeswoman puts it back on the table:

Steele was saying this morning that TALKING about 2012 is off the table...Palin has said that everything is on the table. Steele takes no issue with that.

They don’t like democracy – really, they don’t

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/8/751257/-The-conservative-disdain-for-democracy
[Pat Buchanan] "I put democracy far down the line. I think a devoutly Christian, conservative, traditionalist country—even if it’s a monarchy—is fine with me. . . . [read on for more]

More: http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=07&year=2009&base_name=tucker_carlson_not_such_a_big#115767

The kind of people they are

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/8/751312/-Just-an-old-fashioned-George-Wallace-kind-of-summer
[SusanG] More evidence of that post-racial society conservatives are constantly lauding . . .

"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor.

The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/glad_he_cleared_that_up.php
We've gotten an explanation from Rep. Steve King (R-IA) for why he was the lone vote against acknowledging the role of slaves in building the U.S. Capitol. He did it to protest "a several year effort by liberals in Congress to scrub references to America's Christian heritage from our nation's Capitol":

Our Judeo-Christian heritage is an essential foundation stone of our great nation and should not be held hostage to yet another effort to place guilt on future Americans for the sins of some of their ancestors.

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/09/your-modern-republican-party/
He's now been joined by known television genius Fox & Friends, Brian Kilmeade:

"We are — we keep marrying other species and other ethnics and other ... See, the problem is the Swedes have pure genes. Because they marry other Swedes .... Fins marry other Fins, so they have a pure society."

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018987.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:42 AM

 
THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW

You know, we used to say that things like this were straight out of “1984.” But that was 25 years ago – so perhaps we’ve already passed the point of no return. The Obama Defense Dept now is saying that while detainees can get a trial, it doesn’t really matter whether they’re acquitted or not. You have to read this twice to believe it, but it’s true

http://washingtonindependent.com/49886/johnson-opens-the-door-to-post-acquittal-detentions
[Spencer Ackerman] Defense Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson moved the Obama administration into new territory from a civil liberties perspective. Asked by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) the politically difficult but entirely fair question about whether terrorism detainees acquitted in courts could be released in the United States, Johnson said that “as a matter of legal authority,” the administration’s powers to detain someone under the law of war don’t expire for a detainee after he’s acquitted in court. . . .

Karl Rove is finally deposed by House Judiciary Committee lawyers (for eight and a half hours) – and soon we’ll get to see the transcript

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24668.html

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/07/anyone-having-2006-flashbacks/

Harry Reid grows some

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/07/reid-to-baucus-stop-chasing-gop-votes-on-health-care/
Reid, whose leadership is considered crucial if President Barack Obama is to deliver on his promise of enacting health care reform this year, offered the directive to Baucus through an intermediary after consulting with Senate Democratic leaders during Tuesday morning’s regularly scheduled leadership meeting. Baucus was meeting with Finance ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Tuesday afternoon to relay the information.

According to Democratic sources, Reid told Baucus that taxing health benefits and failing to include a strong government-run insurance option of some sort in his bill would cost 10 to 15 Democratic votes; Reid told Baucus it wasn’t worth securing the support of Grassley and at best a few additional Republicans.

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/reid-to-baucus-ditch-efforts-at-bipartisanship.php

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/7/7/184129/6986

Health care – with triggers?

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/07/rahm-white-house-open-to-triggers/
[WSJ] Mr. Emanuel said one of several ways to meet President Barack Obama's goals is a mechanism under which a public plan is introduced only if the marketplace fails to provide sufficient competition on its own. He noted that congressional Republicans crafted a similar trigger mechanism when they created a prescription-drug benefit for Medicare in 2003. . . .

Hell No! http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/07/sen-sanders-emanuel-is-dead-wrong/

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/trigger-finger-by-digby-so-latest.html

Hard ball

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/a_crackdown.php
[From a knowledgeable source on the Hill] Now that they have 60, Reid and Durbin need to remind Dem members that when your Leader files cloture, you support him. If you want political cover, vote against final passage. Fine. But opposing cloture means you're supporting a filibuster of your party's agenda.

From what I hear, they started delivering that message, if a softer version of it, earlier today.

Smart boy

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/frankens-first-act-co-sponsoring-the-employee-free-choice-act.php
Franken's First Act: Co-Sponsoring The Employee Free Choice Act

The kind of people they are – a low point (so far) in the fight against Sonia Sotomayor

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/6/750547/-The-Angel-Of-Death

Dan Froomkin joins the Huffington gang. The Washington Post’s loss is our gain

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/07/froomkin/index.html

Meanwhile, the serious press shows why people like Froomkin are expendable

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/6/750594/-Political-News-You-Wont-Want-To-Miss
[ABC] Is Malia Obama following in the fashionista footsteps of her mother, First Lady Michelle Obama, and flashing designer duds? . . .

South Carolina Republicans vote overwhelmingly to censure Gov. Mark Sanford. Why is this GOOD news for him?

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/07/sanford_censure/index.html
It took four hours and several rounds of voting, but on Monday night the South Carolina Republican Party eventually voted to censure Mark Sanford, who's not only their state's governor, but a member of their party.

The vote was in some ways actually a victory for Sanford: The party could have voted to officially call for his resignation instead. . . .

Michael Steele warns Sarah Palin: don’t even THINK about running for President in 2012

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/07/steele_palin/index.html

With the passage of time, it’s becoming more clear which sections of Palin’s meandering resignation speech revealed her actual motivations for quitting

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/full-text-of-palins-resignation-speech.php
“Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations - such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters' questions.

Every one - all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We've won! But it hasn't been cheap - the State has wasted THOUSANDS of hours of YOUR time and shelled out some two million of YOUR dollars to respond to "opposition research" - that's money NOT going to fund teachers or troopers - or safer roads. And this political absurdity, the "politics of personal destruction" ... Todd and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills in order to set the record straight . . .”

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/855907.html
Gov. Sarah Palin, three days after abruptly announcing she would resign as governor, said Monday that she did it because ethics complaints and politically ambitious state legislators would have been paralyzing. . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/taking-sarah-face-value
[ABC] "You know conditions have really changed in Alaska in the political arena since Aug. 29, since I was tapped to run for VP. When that opposition research — those researchers really bombarded Alaska — started digging for dirt and have not let up. They're not gonna find any dirt," she said. "We keep proving that every time we win an ethics violation lawsuit and we've won every one of them. But it has been costing our state millions of dollars. It's cost Todd and me. You know the adversaries would love to see us put on the path of personal bankruptcy so that we can't afford to run." [read on]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/jul/07/sarah-palin-department-of-law
She spoke with ABC news, which just posted the lamentable results this morning. Here's the salient passage:

But as for whether another pursuit of national office, as she did less than a year ago when she joined Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the race for the White House, would result in the same political blood sport, Palin said there is a difference between the White House and what she has experienced in Alaska. If she were in the White House, she said, the "department of law" would protect her from baseless ethical allegations.

"I think on a national level, your department of law there in the White House would look at some of the things that we've been charged with and automatically throw them out," she said.

[NB: Yes, the Department of Law. In the White House. This is someone John McCain thought would make a pretty good VP. Palin’s taking a lot of online ribbing for this gaffe, and deservedly so. But the equivalent office in Alaska IS called the Department of Law, so maybe it’s an understandable slip – and that’s the last fair-minded thing you’ll hear from me where this nut is concerned.]

[Michael Tomasky] But - and this is in some ways the more interesting point, aside from the basic stupidity - it is neither institution's role to "automatically" throw out ethics allegations against the chief executive. I can understand that maybe that's how it seemed to her in the Bush-Cheney era. But that really isn't how it works.

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/fishtacular-palin-gives-first-interviews-since-announcing-resignation.php

Palin keeps claiming that none of the ethics cases has gone against her, but that’s not true

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/07/palin-misrepresents-ethics-complaint-dismissal-record/
[Emptywheel] Perhaps Sarah Palin has forgotten the most extensive and professional investigation performed of all, the one by longtime Alaska prosecutor Steven Branchflower, appointed by the Legislative Council of the Alaska State Legislature, which found that Sarah Palin Unlawfully Abused Her Power . . .

The Branchflower report was not the only problem Palin had before she quit her brief tenure as Governor. Oh no, there is also the matter of the travel expenses she attempted to bilk her state out of and that she was forced to repay . . .

I wondered this too

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/sarah-watch.html
[John Aravosis] First Dudette says ethics complaints led to her resignation. I suspect that's closer to the truth than she's admitting. Meaning, I still think someone worked out a deal that Palin resigns and they drop the charges. . . .

No deal? Here comes ANOTHER “frivolous” ethics investigation

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/07/AR2009070702711.html
Within days of resigning from office, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) is facing a new ethics complaint . . .

Drama queen

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2009/07/palin_politically_speaking_if_i_die_i_die.php
"I said before ... 'You know, politically speaking, if I die, I die. So be it,'" she said.

Ah, the Alaska life – now that I've quit as governor I can go back to slaying salmon

http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/1309236.html
"Grateful Todd left fishing grnds to join me this wkend; but now he's back slaying salmon & working the kids (at) the site; anxious to join 'em!"

Bonus item: my totally unfair re-editing of Palin comments

"Grateful Todd left fishing grnds to join me this wkend; but now he's back slaying salmon & working the kids (at) the site; anxious to join 'em! . . . if I die, I die. So be it.”

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 5:53 AM

 
DISARMED

The pro-Palin pushback begins

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/coulter-thinks-palins-resignation-wa
Coulter thinks Palin's resignation was a brilliant move: 'She is too big for the position now' . . .

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/palins-attorney-her-resignation-is-self-sacrifice.php
Palin's Attorney: Her Resignation Is "Self-Sacrifice" . . .

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/06/palin_reax/index.html
[Rush] I don't think this precludes her running for office down the road, the Presidency, in 2012, at all. I think these people saying she's an instant target because she quit is just inside-the-Beltway formulaic. And she's not that .... [I]t boils down to this. When you have so many establishment types, inside the Beltway, establishment, elitist types .... just so eager to destroy this woman, it means they're still scared to death of her, and that to me, is the bottom line. . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070602251.html
[Bill Kristol] It's a wide-open race. And Palin may not even run. But the panic among mainstream media commentators and the GOP establishment suggests real worry that if she does, she might pull off an upset. Why else the vehement assertions that she's clearly made a terrible mistake? Why else the categorical insistence that her political career is finished? Aren't they all protesting too much? . . .

For psychological and sociological reasons too deep for me to grasp, a good chunk of elite America hates Sarah Palin and what they've decided she stands for. But if she wears their scorn as a badge of honor, comports herself with good cheer and personal dignity, studies up on national issues and takes the lead in selected debates on behalf of conservative principles against Obama administration policies, she has a shot.

If she's as foolish, erratic and even nutty as her critics claim, then of course she'll fail. If she performs well, she may succeed. If you have an anti-mainstream-media and anti-GOP-establishment bone in your body, it's hard not to root for her at least a bit.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/buchanan-and-brzezinski-play-victim-card-s
Mika and Pat go on a fact free pity party for poor Sarah Palin who was just so wrongfully savaged by the main stream media . . .

OK, a few more slam jobs, just to keep balance

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/jul/06/sarahpalin-resignation-future
The Embarracudah's future . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/04/AR2009070402254_pf.html
Bailout, Palin-Style

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/opinion/05dowd.html
Sarah’s Folly . . .

My kind of blogger

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/blogger-threatened-palin-lawsuit-brin
Blogger Threatened With Palin Lawsuit: Bring it on, Sarah . . .

What next for Palin?

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/06/palin_campaigning/index.html
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin hasn't exactly been clear on her reasons for resigning, or what she plans to do to "effect positive change outside government at this moment in time, on another scale, and actually make a difference for our priorities." . . . [read on]

This is a good thing, right?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070600784.html
President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reached a preliminary agreement Monday to cut the American and Russian nuclear arsenals by as much as a third while exploring options for cooperation on missile defense. . . .

More: http://www.slate.com/id/2222286/

Getting deep in the weeds on the prospects for real health care reform

http://www.samefacts.com/archives/democrats_in_congress_/2009/07/help_on_the_way_health_care_and_budget_reconciliation.php
Paul Krugman celebrates the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee's recent draft legislation . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018943.php
Schumer predicts public option. . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/here-we-go-by-digby-im-surprised-he.html
[WSJ] It is more important that health-care legislation inject stiff competition among insurance plans than it is for Congress to create a pure government-run option, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Monday. . . . [read on]

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/healthy_prognosis_for_health_care_reform.php
Healthier Rx For Health Care Reform . . .

http://washingtonindependent.com/49751/health-reform-by-august-looking-less-likely
Health Reform by August? Looking Less Likely . . .

Gee, think there will be breathless commentary from the Broder faction about the Republicans’ lack of commitment to bipartisanship?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018948.php
The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne Jr. noted last week that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) of Iowa, arguably the top Republican negotiator on health care reform, is "under immense pressure from Republican colleagues not to deal at all." . . . [read on]

One of the many problems bedeviling the GOP these days is an unleashed and unhinged core – the people who think Rush Limbaugh is a policy genius, Joe the Plumber a statesman, and Sarah Palin a brilliant leader for the future – who are feeling their oats right now, not interested in moderation and compromise, and lashing out at any Republican who doesn’t toe the line. The latest example is the “Tea Bag” movement, which the Repubs thought they could control as a populist uprising against Obama. But guess what?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/gop-pols-losing-control-of-tea-party-movement.php
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was booed at the event in Austin . . .

Gov. Rick Perry -- who famously seemed to raise the specter of Texas seceding from the union during the April Tax Day protests -- was also booed at the same Austin event as Cornyn. Attendees saw him as yet another tax-hiking tyrant, because he supports toll roads in order to relieve traffic congestion. . . .

Bonus item: What would Sigmund Freud say?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/us/06gun.html
[W]hen the library for George W. Bush opens in 2013 on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, visitors will most likely get to see one of his most treasured items: Saddam Hussein’s pistol. . . .

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/06/saddam-gun-disarmed/
Bush Library Foundation President: Saddam’s Gun A Symbol That Bush ‘Disarmed Him Literally’

Extra bonus item: Charting contemporary conservatism

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/diagramming-disintegration-by-digby-if.html
[Digby] If you are in the mood for a really entertaining and insightful look at the current state of conservatism, give yourself a treat and click over to at Batocchio at Vagabond Scholar and read his post and the Venn Diagrams he's done to illustrate it.

More: http://vagabondscholar.blogspot.com/2009/07/diagrams-on-conservatism.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:43 AM

 
SHE IS WHAT SHE IS

Playing the victim

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/can_i_get_a_witness.php
[Washington Post] Yet Palin's vulnerability masks her firepower, ambition and strong will, advisers said. Not one to fit comfortably into convention -- and not comfortable being a victim, either -- Palin spoke Friday as if she was rolling the dice and betting on herself. She presented herself as a game-changer stepping onto a stage of her own making.

[Josh Marshall] [I]t is bizarre to say that Palin is uncomfortable in the role of the victim. In fact I'm not sure I've ever found a better use for this much over-used word. As Noam Scheiber explained in one of the earliest and perhaps most insightful profiles of Palin, victimhood and resentment are Palin's twin touchstones. They define who she is.

Palin’s whining notwithstanding, some of the toughest criticisms of her sudden, unexplained abandonment of her responsibilities in Alaska have come from her own party

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/05/rove-palins-resignation-lacks-clear-strategy/
Rove said stepping down now won't lessen the media spotlight, and in fact takes away her platform as governor for controlling her agenda and message.

"The media, if she wants to run for president, is going to be following her for the next 3-1/2 years," Rove said.

He called her move unclear and therefore a potentially harmful strategy for a politician.

"Effective strategies in politics are ones that are so clear and obvious that people can grasp," Rove said. "It's not clear what she's doing and why." . . .

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/05/palin.reaction/index.html
Astounding. Risky. Quitter. And that's what fellow conservatives had to say Sunday about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her decision to step down with 18 months left in her term. . . . [read on]

More: http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/fox-news-huckabee-and-rove-ponder-pa-0

“A higher calling”

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/quote-day-0
[Palin] How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country. And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make. . . .

[Kevin Drum] Um, what higher calling are we talking about here, Sarah? Freeing up your schedule to whine more regularly on your Facebook page?

But here's an interesting thought: Maybe she really means this. Seriously. Maybe she really doesn't get the difference between resigning your office to, say, accept a nomination as Secretary of State or ambassador to China, and resigning your office just because people are mean to you and the whole governor thing has gotten kind of boring.

I have NO idea what this woman is talking about

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/endless.php
[Palin discovers Twitter] Critics are spinning, so hang in there as they feed false info on the right decision made as I enter last yr in office to not run again . . .

Emptywheel does some deep digging to get at the material in Dick Cheney’s Plame interview the government doesn’t want us to see

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/05/the-contents-of-the-fitzgerald-cheney-interview-annotated-edition/

More on Obama’s efforts to control progressive pressure on the Dems over health care

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/04/activism-doesnt-have-an-onoff-switch/
[D-day] I could probably find about 1,000 quotes from candidate Obama about how it's time for Americans to once again participate in their government, and how we are the change we've been waiting for, etc. You cannot empower people for months and months to take action and then try to stage-manage that action. Activism doesn't have an on/off switch. . . . [read on]

The conservative alternative on health care?

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/conservatives-healthcare

David Broder’s obsession with bipartisanship for its own sake

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-deaniacs-by-digby-david-broder-is_05.html
[Digby] David Broder is so wedded to the idea of bipartisanship that he's reduced to asserting that begging and borrowing to get eight House Republicans to vote for the cap and trade bill and compromising the economic recovery to get two Republican Senators to vote for the stimulus is a sign that reaching out to the other party is the best way to ensure that legislation is juuust right. . . .

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/bipartisanship-in-lieu-of-analysis.php
[Matt Yglesias] I would be interested in a citation for scholarship which argues that complex legislation is likely to be improved by the contribution of ideas from both sides of the aisle. I have, in fact, looked at the question of whether or not bipartisanship enhances policy stability and there turns out not to be evidence for this theory. . . .

Scott Lemieux, meanwhile, reminds us of Broder’s classic attack on Al Gore for being too interested in public policy:

I have to confess, my attention wandered as he went on through page after page of other swell ideas, and somewhere between hate crimes legislation and a crime victim’s constitutional amendment, I almost nodded off.

My guess is that that’s the nub of the matter. It’s somewhat difficult to try to understand policy proposals on the merits. It’s easy, by contrast, to just look at who’s supporting legislation. You can just say, “good bills are bipartisan bills, partisan bills are bad” and then look at whether or not a proposal has bipartisan support. It’s simple . . .

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018938.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:42 AM

 
POLITICS WITHOUT POLITICS

One cringes at any missive from Sarah Palin that begins with the promise to “share my thoughts with you.” Not 24 hours into the next phase of her brilliant career, and we already get a glimpse of the future: more whining about how the press is being mean to her

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/04/AR2009070401899.html
The response in the main stream media has been most predictable, ironic, and as always, detached from the lives of ordinary Americans who are sick of the "politics of personal destruction". How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country. And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make. . . .

Oh, yes, that harsh and nasty press

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/every_woman_a_queen.php
[WP] Sarah Palin, the Republican Alaska governor who captivated the nation with a combative brand of folksy politics, announced her resignation yesterday in characteristic fashion: She stood on her back lawn in Wasilla, speaking into a single microphone, accompanied by friends and neighbors. . . .

A worthy mission

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/oh_the_things_she_might_do.php
[Peter Ferrara, FoxNews.com] "She should also lead the nation's mothers to oppose mandating replacement of incandescent light bulbs with the new mercury poison gas bulbs."

Criticism . . . from Republicans

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/04/sen-murkowski-deeply-disappointed-palin-decided-to-abandon-alaska/
[Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska] “I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded.”

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/matalin-thinks-palin-brilliant-rollins-and
Matalin Thinks Palin is Brilliant--Rollins and Gergen Think She's Toast . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/3/749474/-Your-Abbreviated-Pundit-Round-up-(Special-Sarah-Palin-Edition

Criticism . . . . from the mean old left

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/the_palin_thing_is_still_wacko.php
[Matt Cooper] A day later, the Palin speech is still one of the most bizarre events in politics that one can remember. (Mark Sanford's cri de coeur is a close second.) It's still unclear if she's out of politics for good and if she's not whether she has irreparably harmed her chances of running for higher office. . . . [read on]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/she_learned_from_the_master.php
[LG] Is it just me or does Palin's announcement of her leaving office remind anyone else of McCain's bizarre "I'm suspending my campaign" moment during the 2008 election run-up?

Each share several key components:

* Seems - on the face of it - very bizarre.
* Comes out of the blue
* A quickly arranged almost ad-hoc press conference delivers the news.
* Yet the announcement is pretty much that only - short on filler or any real reason on what he/she concretely hopes to accomplish by doing same.

I'm just saying . . . maybe Palin was a good match . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/say-it-aint-so-sarah
[Kevin Drum] So what's really going on? If I had to take a guess, I'd say we take her at her word: She just got tired of all the crap. Via email, reader JS puts it like this:

The reason is scattered all througout the speech—she's not having any fun anymore. She's fed up, pissed off. When she was the golden girl and everybody in Alaska adored her and she was able to push through pretty much everything she wanted to do, that was exhilarating. Now her popularity has plummeted, she's fighting with almost everybody in the state, and the MSM, the blogs, the late-night comedians and the McCain operatives are all trashing her and her family daily. That's not what she thinks she signed up for.

She's only thick-skinned when she's getting her way and the people who are fighting her are on the losing end. I think she simply doesn't have the stomach for this kind of long-running battling.

More speculation that she quit just ahead of some breaking ethics scandal

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/04/palin/index.html
[Alex Koppelman] If you're curious about the scandal rumors going around, the two best places to learn about them are probably Max Blumenthal's article in the Daily Beast and the piece by AKMuckraker of Mudflats fame currently up on the Huffington Post.

The rumor getting the most currency on the left side of the blogosphere is that Palin's house was built for free by friends of her husband's looking for favors once she became governor. . . .

More: http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/rumors-fly-of-possible-palin.html

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/04/is-sarah-palin-making-a-sacrifice-play/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24521.html
Ratcheting up her offensive against the news media, Gov. Sarah Palin’s attorney threatened Saturday to sue mainstream news organizations if they publish “defamatory” stories relating to whether Palin is under federal investigation.

In an extraordinary four-page letter, Alaska-based attorney Thomas Van Flein warns of severe consequences should speculation that until now has largely been confined to blogs about whether Palin embezzled funds in the construction of a Wasilla, Alaska, sports arena find its way into print.

“This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law,” Van Flein warned, citing Alaska liberal blogger Shannyn Moore. . . .

More people coming around to my way of thinking

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/bailin-barracuda-or-the-quitah-from-wasilla/
[Greg Sargent] First, my quickie prediction: Though she probably does envision a role in national public life of some kind, I don’t believe she intends to run in 2012. She may end up doing that, but my bet is that’s not what is driving the resignation.

This is a woman who appears to crave dominance, and gets visibly frustrated and deeply rattled when it eludes her or when her self-mastery wavers. She can’t dominate or control the national media or her national image. This was borne out again with the flap over the Vanity Fair article. She quit in a huff, and doesn’t have any intention of coming back.

One other thought: How could someone who resigned as Governor of Alaska possibly present herself as ready for the presidency? . . .

Jonathan Martin says her oddball presser and resignation reflect her own ambivalence over how to leverage her national fame and frustration with her missteps amid the scrutiny her renown has brought. . . .

Glenn Thrush wonders:

If you’re leaving your elected position with more than a year to go because you can’t handle negative publicity, personal attacks and GOP back-biting, how could you possibly handle the rigors of running for president — much less being President?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/shes_done.php
[MC] Am I living in Bizarro world? Does anyone really think that there is any realistic way Palin could be a candidate for President after resigning as governor? Yet pundit after pundit is saying this is a "risky" move that "may pay off". This is absolutely preposterous . . . [read on]

Good to know that Palin still has her supporters

http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/red-state-palin-resignation-opens-doo
[Erick Erickson, Red State] Sarah Palin resigned, I think, to spare her family from more attacks. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Sarah Palin is doing this just days after a very nasty Vanity Fair article where folks like Nicolle Wallace and, according to Bill Kristol, McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt (though I’m told Schmidt is not involved), savaged her. . . .

Unfortunately, by resigning, I think the left and national media will be emboldened to ritualistically engage in the metaphorical gang raping of conservative politicians, particularly those who are female and have children. They’ll decide savaging Palin’s family drove her from office, so the sky’s the limit on the next conservative with kids. . . . [read on]

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/04/late-night-freaks-and-laughing-in-wasilla/
[Jonah Goldberg] There’s a reason why the Left and much of the media establishment hated you from day one. Some hated you out of the fear that you might stop Barack Obama’s unfolding coronation. Others because you seemed to expose the snobbery, arrogance, and ideological pieties of elite feminism. Your beauty, your status as a working mom, your blue-collar husband, your bravery in taking on the political establishment in Alaska, your proud status as a pro-lifer and mother of a special-needs child: All of these things were — and are — deeply threatening to a secular left-wing cultural elite. . . . [read on]

Should have been expected: now that Iran is using the same “enhanced interrogation” methods that the Bush Justice Dept found perfectly legal and appropriate, what do we say about it?

http://www.samefacts.com/archives/torture_/2009/07/how_do_you_say_yoo_and_cheney_in_farsi.php

The Republicans think they’ve got something in the fight to block Sotomayor

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/4/749623/-Sessions-Getting-Nastier-over-Sotomayor-Nomination

Now this irritates me. The Obama admin is telling progressives to lay off the Democrats on criticism over health care. This is wrong for two big reasons. One is that the left has every right, and every reason, to hold the party’s feet to the fire, when all the pressure seems to be coming from the Republicans and the Blue Dogs to back off a commitment to full coverage. But even more important, complaints from a dissatisfied left are very useful to Obama, and he knows it – it makes him look like a centrist, and makes it harder for the right to argue that he is a radical who does whatever the left wants him to do

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/kumbaaya-in-box-by-digby-from-ceci.html
[WP] President Obama, strategizing yesterday with congressional leaders about health-care reform, complained that liberal advocacy groups ought to drop their attacks on Democratic lawmakers and devote their energy to promoting passage of comprehensive legislation.

In a pre-holiday call with half a dozen top House and Senate Democrats, Obama expressed his concern over advertisements and online campaigns targeting moderate Democrats, whom they criticize for not being fully devoted to "true" health-care reform. . . . [read on]

More: http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/obama-wants-liberal-groups-read-moveon.html

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/obama-concerned-about-dfhs-attacking

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/05/sunday-talking-heads-july-5-2009/
ABC's This Week: VP Joe Biden, in Iraq

CBS' Face The Nation: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

CNN's State of the Union: Colin Powell "discusses his passion for community service, his feud with Rush Limbaugh, and his concerns with President Obama's expensive agenda." Queen Noor, Chair of the King Hussein Foundation

NBC's Meet The Press: Canceled due to Wimbledon

Bonus item: a fascinating piece on the State of the Blogosphere. One insight: bloggers are becoming less linky (that is, except for PBD) – and thanks to Kevin Drum for the link

http://www.apt11d.com/2009/07/the-blogosphere-20.html
[Laura McKenna] 1. The A-List Doesn't Matter Anymore. I just read a really nice paper that came up with a new method for determining the top 20 bloggers. The problem is that those bloggers aren't nearly as influential as they used to be. Their ranks in Technorati and other lists are artificially high, because they are on the blogrolls of millions of blogs that were begun and quickly abandoned years ago. People used to read the A-list blogs because they were first on the scene to tell us what the hot articles and issues were. But now we get that information from Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader. . . .

2. It's all about niche blogs. If you have a particular expertise and unique perspective, they you can quickly gain a following. Everyone else is out of luck.

3. Norms and practices. Bloggers have undermined the blogosphere. Bloggers do not link to each other as much as they used to. It's a lot of work to look for good posts elsewhere, and most bloggers have become burnt out. . . .

Many have stopped using blogrolls, which means less love spread around the blogosphere. The politics of who should be on a blogroll was too much of a pain, so bloggers just deleted the whole thing.

4. Blogger Burn Out. Many of the top bloggers have been absorbed into some other professional enterprise or are burnt. It's a lot of work to blog. Most bloggers, and not just the A-listers, spend 3-5 hours every day blogging. That's hard to maintain, especially since there is no money in this. They used that time to not only write their posts and monitor their comment sections, but to read and foster other bloggers. Blogging survived based on the goodwill and generosity of others. It's probably no coincidence that every blogger that I've met face-to-face is an extraordinarily nice person. But it's hard to volunteer that much time over a long period of time. The spouses tend to get annoyed.

5. Reader burn out. You all are not clicking on the links like you used to. I'm not really sure why. In the past, if I was linked to by a big mega blogger, it meant 10,000 new readers in one afternoon. Now, a link by a mega blogger sends over a couple hundred readers. Readers are probably tired out of trying new stuff. . . .

6. MSM yawns. All those articles in the NYT and the Wall Street Journal about blogging helped to drive much of the enthusiasm going among bloggers and readers. People really felt like they were part of something important. Blogging is no longer the cool, hot thing.

7. Huffington Post. It has sucked up all the readers. And HuffPo isn't a proper blog. It is run by people who don't link to other bloggers and do not get the old ways and norms that greased the system in the old days. . . . [read on]

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:50 AM

 
STRANGER THAN FICTION

Sarah Palin steps down as Alaska governor. We’ll learn more about this in the days to come, but here’s my take. It was widely expected that she would step down after her current term ends to focus on a run for Presidency. This feels different – quitting in the middle of a term makes her look uncommitted to the people of her state (OR she knows that something bad is about to break).

Could it be that saner heads in her entourage have convinced her that she’ll never become President? Could it be that in the inner honesty of her self-understanding she realizes that in real politics and policy she will always be in over her head? Could it be that she realizes that the utter adoration of 25% of the population doesn’t translate into a national mandate?

My guess is that she has a different road ahead – the conservative Oprah, a talk show host or pundit with a soapbox for two decades, a perpetual speaking tour for loads of bucks, where her folksy charm and personal popularity are an asset and her soap opera family life a source of sympathy and not scorn.

Of course, I could be wrong, in which case get ready for a load of fun. With Palin soaking up the national spotlight and the adoration of the core, what would other Republicans do? They can’t attack her without unleashing the resentment of an already infuriated base. The prospect of her as a national presidential candidate is a nightmare for the party.

Here come the explanations:

It’s because of an impending investigation about to break: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7280

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/6105

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/03/late-night-elephants-palin-on-parade/

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/03/palin-is-there-a-scandal-or-is-she-just-abandoning-her-office-and-constituents/

It’s to set up a mad dash for cash and a run for President without the distraction of governing a state: http://www.openleft.com/diary/14038/palin-to-resign-at-end-of-july

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/03/palins-shot-across-pawlentys-bow/

Both, either, maybe, who knows? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24497.html

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/three_theories_of_palins_resignation.php

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/3/749684/-Palin-spokeswoman:-This-is-a-fighting-move

It’s for something else: http://www.openleft.com/diary/14043/a-palin-theory
[Tremayne] My own take is that Sarah Palin quit to pursue what really matters to her now: money and fame. The politics thing was becoming a drag what with ethics investigations and questions - all those pesky questions! Somewhere inside it had to hurt looking like a fool on national television with Katie Couric blinking at you expectantly for an answer you had no idea how to give or even dodge gracefully. I don't think she wants to do that again or do the work involved to better prepare. . . [read on]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/3/749665/-Mitchell:-Palin-told-allies-shes-out-of-politics,-period
Andrea Mitchell offers a different read on today's events than most have thus fair, saying sources close to Palin are claiming that she has told them that she is "out of politics, period" . . .

HER explanation – you get the full text here. It is one of the most bizarre political speeches I have ever heard

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/full-text-of-palins-resignation-speech.php
Hi Alaska, I appreciate speaking directly TO you, the people I serve, as your Governor.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.

I want Alaskans to grasp what can be in store for our state. We were purchased as a territory because a member of President Abe Lincoln's cabinet, William Seward, providentially saw in this great land, vast riches, beauty, strategic placement on the globe, and opportunity. He boldly looked "North to the Future". But he endured such ridicule and mocking for his vision for Alaska, remember the adversaries scoffed, calling this "Seward's Folly". Seward withstood such disdain as he chose the uncomfortable, unconventional, but RIGHT path to secure Alaska, so Alaska could help secure the United States.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska.

Alaska's mission - to contribute to America. We're strategic IN the world as the air crossroads OF the world, as a gatekeeper of the continent. Bold visionaries knew this - Alaska would be part of America's great destiny.

Our destiny to be reached by responsibly developing our natural resources. This land, blessed with clean air, water, wildlife, minerals, AND oil and gas. It's energy! God gave us energy.

So to serve the state is a humbling responsibility, because I know in my soul that Alaska is of such import, for America's security, in our very volatile world. And you know me by now, I promised even four years ago to show MY independence... no more conventional "politics as usual".

And we are doing well! My administration's accomplishments speak for themselves. We work tirelessly for Alaskans.

We aggressively and responsibly develop our resources because they were created to be used to better our world... to HELP people... and we protect the environment and Alaskans (the resource owners) foremost with our policies.

Here's some of the things we've done:

We created a petroleum integrity office to oversee safe development. We held the line FOR Alaskans on Point Thomson - and finally for the first time in decades - they're drilling for oil and gas.

We have AGIA, the gasline project - a massive bi-partisan victory (the vote was 58 to 1!) - also succeeding as intended - protecting Alaskans as our clean natural gas will flow to energize us, and America, through a competitive, pro-private sector project. This is the largest private sector energy project, ever. THIS is energy independence.

And ACES - another bipartisan effort - is working as intended and industry is publicly acknowledging its success. Our new oil and gas "clear and equitable formula" is so Alaskans will no longer be taken advantage of. ACES incentivizes NEW exploration and development and JOBS that were previously not going to happen with a monopolized North Slope oil basin.

We cleaned up previously accepted unethical actions; we ushered in bi-partisan Ethics Reform.

We also slowed the rate of government growth, we worked with the Legislature to save billions of dollars for the future, and I made no lobbyist friends with my hundreds of millions of dollars in budget vetoes... but living beyond our means today is irresponsible for tomorrow.

We took government out of the dairy business and put it back into private-sector hands - where it should be.

We provided unprecedented support for education initiatives, and with the right leadership, finally filled long-vacant public safety positions. We built a sub-Cabinet on Climate Change and took heat from Outside special interests for our biologically-sound wildlife management for abundance.

We broke ground on the new prison.

And we made common sense conservative choices to eliminate personal luxuries like the jet, the chef, the junkets... the entourage.

And the Lt. Governor and I said "no" to our pay raises. So much success in this first term - and with this success I am proud to take credit... for hiring the right people! Our goal was to achieve a gasline project, more fair oil and gas valuation, and ethics reform in four years. We did it in two. It's because of the people... good public servants surrounding the Governor's office, with servants' hearts and astounding work ethic... THEY are Alaska's success!

We are doing well! I wish you'd hear MORE from the media of your state's progress and how we tackle Outside interests - daily - SPECIAL interests that would stymie our state. Even those debt-ridden stimulus dollars that would force the heavy hand of federal government into our communities with an "all-knowing attitude" - I have taken the slings and arrows with that unpopular move to veto because I know being right is better than being popular. Some of those dollars would harm Alaska and harm America - I resisted those dollars because of the obscene national debt we're forcing our children to pay, because of today's Big Government spending; it's immoral and doesn't even make economic sense!

Another accomplishment - our Law Department protected states' rights - TWO huge U.S. Supreme Court reversals came down against that liberal Ninth Circuit, deciding in OUR state's favor over the last two weeks. We're protectors of our Constitution - federalists protect states' rights as mandated in 10th amendment.

But you don't hear much of the good stuff in the press anymore, do you?

Some say things changed for me on August 29th last year - the day John McCain tapped me to be his running-mate - I say others changed.

Let me speak to that for a minute.

Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law I championed became their weapon of choice. Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations - such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters' questions.

Every one - all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We've won! But it hasn't been cheap - the State has wasted THOUSANDS of hours of YOUR time and shelled out some two million of YOUR dollars to respond to "opposition research" - that's money NOT going to fund teachers or troopers - or safer roads. And this political absurdity, the "politics of personal destruction" ... Todd and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills in order to set the record straight. And what about the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn't cost them a dime so they're not going to stop draining public resources - spending other peoples' money in their game.

It's pretty insane - my staff and I spend most of our day dealing with THIS instead of progressing our state now. I know I promised no more "politics as usual," but THIS isn't what anyone had in mind for ALASKA.

If I have learned one thing: LIFE is about choices!

And one chooses how to react to circumstances. You can choose to engage in things that tear down, or build up. I choose to work very hard on a path for fruitfulness and productivity. I choose NOT to tear down and waste precious time; but to build UP this state and our country, and her industrious, generous, patriotic, free people!

Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. And a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and "go with the flow".

Nah, only dead fish "go with the flow".

No. Productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time... to BUILD UP.

And there is such a need to BUILD up and FIGHT for our state and our country. I choose to FIGHT for it! And I'll work hard for others who still believe in free enterprise and smaller government; strong national security for our country and support for our troops; energy independence; and for those who will protect freedom and equality and LIFE... I'll work for and campaign for those PROUD to be American, and those who are INSPIRED by our ideals and won't deride them.

I WILL support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the RIGHT reasons, and I don't care what party they're in or no party at all. Inside Alaska - or Outside Alaska.

But I won't do it from the Governor's desk.

I've never believed that I, nor anyone else, needs a title to do this - to make a difference... to HELP people. So I choose, for my State and my family, more "freedom" to progress, all the way around... so that Alaska may progress... I will not seek re-election as Governor.

And so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn't run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks... travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do. And then I thought - that's what's wrong - many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and "milk it". I'm not putting Alaska through that - I promised efficiencies and effectiveness! ? That's not how I am wired. I am not wired to operate under the same old "politics as usual." I promised that four years ago - and I meant it.

It's not what is best for Alaska.

I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional and not so comfortable.

With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election... I've determined it's best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration - with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future - can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success.

My choice is to take a stand and effect change - not hit our heads against the wall and watch valuable state time and money, millions of your dollars, go down the drain in this new environment. Rather, we know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time, on another scale, and actually make a difference for our priorities - and so we will, for Alaskans and for Americans.

Let me go back to a comfortable analogy for me - sports... basketball. I use it because you're naïve if you don't see the national full-court press picking away right now: A good point guard drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her eye on the basket... and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can WIN. And I'm doing that - keeping our eye on the ball that represents sound priorities - smaller government, energy independence, national security, freedom! And I know when it's time to pass the ball - for victory.

I have given my reasons candidly and truthfully... and my last day won't be for another few weeks so the transition will be very smooth. In fact, we will look to swear Sean in - in Fairbanks at the conclusion of our Governor's picnics.

I do not want to disappoint anyone with my decision; all I can ask is that you TRUST me with this decision - but it's no more "politics as usual".

Some Alaskans don't mind wasting public dollars and state time. I do. I cannot stand here as your Governor and allow millions upon millions of our dollars go to waste just so I can hold the title of Governor. And my children won't allow it either. Some will question the timing. Let's just say, this decision has been in the works for awhile...

In fact, this decision comes after much consideration, and finally polling the most important people in my life - my children (where the count was unanimous... well, in response to asking: "Want me to make a positive difference and fight for ALL our children's future from OUTSIDE the Governor's office?" It was four "yes's" and one "hell yeah!" The "hell yeah" sealed it - and someday I'll talk about the details of that... I think much of it had to do with the kids seeing their baby brother Trig mocked by some pretty mean-spirited adults recently.) Um, by the way, sure wish folks could ever, ever understand that we ALL could learn so much from someone like Trig - I know he needs me, but I need him even more... what a child can offer to set priorities RIGHT - that time is precious... the world needs more "Trigs", not fewer.

My decision was also fortified during this most recent trip to Kosovo and Landstuhl, to visit our wounded soldiers overseas, those who sacrifice themselves in war for OUR freedom and security... we can ALL learn from our selfless Troops... they're bold, they don't give up, they take a stand and know that LIFE is short so they choose to NOT waste time. They choose to be productive and to serve something greater than SELF... and to build up their families, their states, our country. These Troops and their important missions - those are truly the worthy causes in this world and should be the public priority with time and resources and NOT this local / superficial wasteful political bloodsport.

May we ALL learn from them!

Gotta put First Things First

First things first: as Governor, I love my job and I love Alaska. It hurts to make this choice but I am doing what's best for Alaska. I've explained why... though I think of the saying on my parents' refrigerator that says "Don't explain: your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway."

But I have given my reasons... no more "politics as usual" and I am taking my fight for what's right - for Alaska - in a new direction.

Now, despite this, I don't want any Alaskan dissuaded from entering politics after seeing this REAL "climate change" that began in August... no, we NEED hardworking, average Americans fighting for what's right! And I will support you because we need YOU and YOU can effect change, and I can too on the outside.

We need those who will respect our Constitution where government's supposed to serve from the BOTTOM UP, not move toward this TOP DOWN big government take-over... but rather, will be protectors of individual rights - who also have enough common sense to acknowledge when conditions have drastically changed and are willing to call an audible and pass the ball when it's time so the team can win! And that is what I'm doing!

Remember Alaska... America is now, more than ever, looking North to the Future. It'll be good. So God bless you, and from me and my family - to ALL Alaska - you have my heart.

And we will be in the capable hands of our Lieutenant Governor, Sean Parnell. And Lieutenant General Craig Campbell will assume the role of Lieutenant Governor. And it is my promise to you that I will always be standing by, ready to assist. We have a good, positive agenda for Alaska.

In the words of General MacArthur said, "We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction."

Watch it: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/palins-resignation-speech.php

Comment: http://www.slate.com/id/2222230/
[Bruce Reed] Sarah Palin is no quitter. That's why she's quitting. . ..

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/3/749691/-Palin-secedes-from-office.-Also
[David Waldman] So Sarah Palin has resigned. From four colleges. From her job with the Oil & Gas Commission. And now finally, from her job as governor. . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018923.php
[Hilzoy] I just watched Sarah Palin's announcement that she will step down as governor, which was surreal even by her standards. It's hard to pick just one favorite moment, though this has to be on anyone's list . . . [read on]

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/03/sarah-palin-resigns-to-spend-more-time-in-your-face/
[Eli] If Sarah Palin were a realistic, rational person, a scandal would be the only plausible explanation. A sane person expecting damaging revelations would recognize the inevitable and bow to it. And a sane person wouldn't walk away from their first term as governor so they could run for president for three years instead of two.

But Sarah Palin is not a realistic, rational person - she's stupid, narcissistic and crazy, so all her actions must be viewed through that prism. . . . [read on]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/3/749691/-Palin-secedes-from-office.-Also.
[David Waldman] Palin's first draft, by the way, reportedly began: "When in the course of human... stuff... (also)."

It's truly been an amazing few weeks for the America, as we found out that GOP governors celebrate Father's Day with adultery, and July 4th by resigning from office.

This is a pretty amazing abdication of responsibility, I must say. I think back to John McCain's flaky "suspension" of his campaign over the financial crisis, and when you put it side by side with Palin's freak-out, I'm really astonished that they were ever considered a legitimate presidential ticket. How she ever made it all the way through field dressing a moose without getting bored and quitting, I'll never understand. . . .

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/surreality_only_beginning.php
[Josh Marshall] [L]ogic and common sense seldom fail as a guide to understanding politics. And the idea that Gov. Palin just up and decided for no reason in particular to resign her office little more than half way through her term, with a hastily assembled press conference and a rambling and histrionic speech, is just too silly for serious consideration. Another sign of the confusion on the inside are the comments reporters are getting from supposed Palin insiders. Palin insiders told Andrew Mitchell that Palin was "out of politics for good." But she told the Executive Director of the Republican Governors Association that she's resigning to campaign for more candidates in the continental US, work on her book, all with an eye to gearing up for her run for president in 2012. Call me cynical but it seems hard to reconcile those two explanations.

As with her speech itself, the tell is that the decision was apparently so rushed and sudden that there was not enough time to come up with a plausible cover story or to get out the word about what it was.

It looks like a duck and quacks like a duck. Either Palin is resigning ahead of some titanic scandal (which should emerge in short order if it exists) or her resignation was triggered by an even more extreme mental instability than we'd previously suspected.

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/what_palins_really_up_to.php
[Marc Ambinder] Don't make the mistake of assuming that Palin has a grand strategy that relies on subterfuge, prestidigitation or rhetorical concealment. She has few close advisers, and she is prone to ignore their advice. She keeps her own counsel. She believes what she says (and implies): that she is a national political figure, that her destiny (and I think she capitalizes the D) is in the continental 48, that her personal characteristics are mocked by the elite because the elite cannot understand them, that her family and children are subject to relentless, negative and highly damaging personal attacks, and that there is no longer a place for her in the Alaska government.

The Vanity Fair profile and the Politico e-mails had nothing to do with her decision today. A simple Google News search will provide a better explanation. All those interviews: Palin, Levi, the baby; all the legislative blowback when she returned to Alaska after the campaign; all the adulation (and attention) she received when she took time away from her day job and stepped into her celebu-Sarah persona. Whether you believe that Palin is complicit in the exploitation of her family or not, you cannot help but believe that she means what she says she feels.

As a governor, she is ineffective; the moment she decides not to run for re-election, she had two choices: either untether herself from political customs and be the governor who spoke truth to power, or surrender to the whims of a legislature and governing apparatus that really grew to - not just dislike her, but hate her. Both options, she must have realized, are entirely untenable. Her relationship with Democrats and Republicans was irritable on good days, and her attempts to straighten her back and yell drew derisive laughter. For someone who has dipped a leg or two into the whirlpool of national politics, the contrast must be scalding. People who know Palin say that she cannot wait to - really wants to - play the role that she believes she now must play. . . .

Lots more: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018924.php

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/bizarre-by-digby-gov.html

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/03/sarah-palin-no-longer-alaskas-problem-aspiring-to-be-americas-problem/

http://www.samefacts.com/archives/palin_/2009/07/whateverrrr_dept.php

The right rejoices

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/07/thread_03.html
[Erick Erickson] I’ve had this running thought all day, perhaps because I was watching it on TV in HD for the first time, that this is kind of like Ben Kenobi letting Darth Vader strike him down. . .

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/theres_no_quit_in_the_hagiographers.php
She's a fighter, this one. . . . she has the heart of a street fighter. . . . Republicans want a fighter. I do believe they have one in Gov. Sarah Palin. . . . Oh and by the way, the last time I checked, her nickname is "Sarah Barracuda." Palin is a fighter. . . .

Palin spokesperson Meghan Stapleton, quoted by the AP, today:

Palin remaining as governor is not good for Alaska, given the "political bloodsport" by her critics, Stapleton said. Stepping down is a "fighter's move," Stapleton said, essentially Palin stepping around political barriers in her way and pursuing her vision.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/07/kristol_a_contrarian_take_1.asp
[Bill Kristol] [H]aven't conservatives been lamenting the lack of a national leader? Well, now she'll try to be that. She may not succeed. Everything rests on her talents, and on her performance. She'll be under intense and hostile scrutiny, and she'll have to perform well. . . .

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/49643/palin-to-resign

http://washingtonindependent.com/49648/sympathy-for-sarah-palin

A preemptive strike

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/krauthammer-voices-beltway-view-pali
Krauthammer voices the Beltway view: Palin is 'not a serious candidate'

The Dems respond

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/dnc-maybe-palin-simply-cant-handle-the-job.php
[DNC] "Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way - her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/alaska-dems-blast-palins-lack-of-commitment.php
[Alaska Dems] "Alaskans are dismayed yet not surprised that Governor Palin is abandoning her obligations to our great state. Sarah Palin's decision to step down as governor is a shock to Alaskans, coming at a time when leadership is needed secure a gas pipeline and address rising unemployment. Palin's lack of commitment to her sworn obligation to serve her term to the best of her ability is a betrayal to all Alaskans," said Patti Higgins, Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party.

Donald Rumsfeld regrets torture policies – well, no, actually, he just regrets the PROCESS by which they were formulated

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/rumsfeld_on_abandoning_geneva_all_of_a_sudden_it_w.php

Sonia Sotomayor: guilt by association?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/in-response-to-gop-allegations-of-racial-extremism-judiciary-committee-releases-more-sotomayor-docum.php

More: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-national-committee/holiday-weekend-open-thread-2/
Senator Patrick Leahy made a pretty interesting claim in an interview yesterday, saying Republicans privately told him they’d oppose President Obama’s pick for Supreme Court “no matter who it was.” GOPers would have objected “even if the president had nominated Moses,” Leahy cracked.

Harry Reid explains why he is such a weak majority leader (yeah, we noticed already, Harry)

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/he-used-to-be-caucus-whip-right-by-dday.html
“If it’s an important vote, I try to tell them how important it is to the Senate, the country, the president . . . But I’m not very good at twisting arms. . . .”

Counting Senate votes on the public option

http://www.openleft.com/diary/14029/getting-close-on-the-public-option

A significant inside the beltway kerfuffle has been the right’s efforts to turn the firing of the Inspector General at AmeriCorps into a gigantic scandal. It’s been going on for while, but I haven’t spent much time on it here

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/mass_of_new_docs_support_white_house_reasons_for_f.php

Karl Rove and Sean Hannity agree on the future of the Republican party: simple solutions to complex problems

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/sean-hannity-has-new-republican-party-them
“The Party of the American Dream”

Bonus item: Fox News runs an ad proclaiming their "core principles." Don't laugh (okay, you can laugh)

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/fox-nation-ad-fox-news-great-american-pund
[Heather] Fox News is airing a new commercial on their station that frankly had me almost throwing up in my mouth a little when I saw it. Fox has decided to roll out their full list of regular pundits to espouse the network's journalistic integrity and "core principles". No...I'm not joking.

Here are some of the "principles" they claim Fox News promotes: civility, mutual respect, strengthening our diverse society by striving for unity, tolerance, open debate and civil discourse.

Yeah, that's exactly what I think of when I see the likes of Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly screaming over one of their guests. Or Glenn Beck riding that crazy train off into the horizon. Or Laura Ingraham on one of her hate filled screeds that's akin to listening to finger nails on a chalk board. . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:56 AM

 
STILL COVERING UP

The CIA now wants the torture report release delayed until . . . the end of August??!!??

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/cia_again_delays_release_of_key_torture_report.php

http://washingtonindependent.com/49598/breaking-obama-administration-withholds-cia-torture-report-until-august-31

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/2/749361/-Administration-Asks-for-Two-Month-Delay-on-CIA-Torture-Report

More government secrecy: Bush said he would get to the bottom of it, and fire whoever was responsible. Obama said he wanted more transparency after an era of cover-ups. So why can’t we see Dick Cheney’s FBI interview?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070203608.html
A document filed in federal court this week by the Justice Department offers new evidence that former vice president Richard B. Cheney helped steer the Bush administration's public response to the disclosure of Valerie Plame Wilson's employment by the CIA and that he was at the center of many related administration deliberations. . . .

A list of at least seven related conversations involving Cheney appears in a new court filing approved by Obama appointees at the Justice Department. In the filing, the officials argue that the substance of what Cheney told special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald in 2004 must remain secret.

No such agreement was reached between Fitzgerald and Cheney at the time of their chat, according to a 2008 Fitzgerald letter to lawmakers . . .

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/more_obama_secrecy_--_this_time_on_cheneys_plame_i.php
[Zachary Roth] It's really hard to see how this stance jibes with the president's much-hyped claim, upon taking office, that his administration would privilege transparency. In several previous instances where the Obama-ites have opted for secrecy -- such as the controversy over photos that show detainee abuse -- there was at least an argument to be made that the path of openness would endanger American troops or otherwise threaten national security.

In this case, no such argument can be made. . . .

The lousy excuses for not releasing it: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/02/the-contents-of-the-fitzgerald-cheney-interview/

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/02/cheney-interview-the-new-jon-stewart-worthy-excuses/

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/07/cheneys-interview-feds

EPA economist produces anti-global warming reports, and can’t understand why the scientific experts won’t listen to him

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/climate_skeptic_i_was_hoping_people_at_epa_would_p.php

The right goes crazy: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/29/gop-senator-calls-inquiry-supressed-climate-change-report/
A top Republican senator has ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency's alleged suppression of a report that questioned the science behind global warming. . . .

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/rep_barton_obama_should_be_worried_about_carbongat.php
Rep. Joe Barton is taking the outrage to a new level. This morning on America's Newsroom, the industry-friendly Texas Republican accused the EPA of suppressing the report, and declared that "just as Nixon had Watergate, Obama now has Carbongate . . .”

Health care: what works for other countries

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-works-by-digby-for-those-who-are.html

The Sanford Saga takes on the qualities of a bad Harlequin novel. I’m bored already

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/jenny-sanford-im-willing-to-forgive-mark.php
Jenny Sanford just released her first statement since her husband, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, gave a long interview to the Associated Press in which he admitted to "crossing the line" several times and called his Argentine lover his "soul mate."

In it, she calls her husband's actions "inexcusable," saying he will be dealing with the consequences for a long time. But she is willing to forgive him. . . .

A major occupational hazard for politicians is that combination of hubris and denial that makes them think they can survive anything, spin everything, and charm everyone so they can keep their jobs in the face of scandal. We saw it with Blagojevich and so many others. At what point does this become a kind of pathology?

http://www.thestate.com/sanford/story/849427.html
Gov. Mark Sanford is acting like a love-struck teenager.

Or, maybe he has a deeper personality disorder . . .

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018908.php
[Steve Benen] I'm not in a position to evaluate Sanford's mental health, but the fact that South Carolina Republicans are even talking about his stability and tenuous relationship with reality does not speak well of the governor's political future.

For what it's worth, the chair of the South Carolina Republican party, for the second time in as many days, has called on the governor to resign. Sanford continues to insist that this will not happen. . . .

Sotomayor or not, it’s a right-wing Supreme Court now, and will stay so for years to come

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/01/roberts_inches_supreme_court_further_to_the_right.html

Harry Reid, Senate majority leader, seems to have real trouble with the idea of holding the whip hand over the legislative agenda. Imagine how a strong Senate leader like LBJ would press the advantage the Dems have now. But for Reid, the first instinct is to lower expectations

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/senate-dems/harry-reid-dont-expect-too-much-from-our-60-votes/
Harry Reid: Don’t Expect Too Much From Our 60 Votes . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/2/749227/-Harry-Reid,-nothing-but-excuses

Reid has one big advantage, which is that he has no strong Republican voice to deal with. Be glad that the best the GOP can come with is this:

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-national-committee/michael-steele-republican-party-is-totally-irrelevant/
[Michael Steele] “They have 60 seats in the Senate. And I can say without hesitation that this government is totally theirs now, and everything that comes out of it and everything that results from it is on their plate.” [read on]

Democrats: too beholden to the left?

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/7/1/72552/43999

Or not enough? http://www.openleft.com/diary/14005/why-you-should-help-build-the-progressive-block

The police riot at the Democratic fundraiser in California is being investigated

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/berserk.php
Deputy Marshall G. Abbott shows up at house and within a few moments he's literally going berserk, twisting the hosts' arms behind their back and throwing them to the floor and then pepper spraying multiple guests. (Reading the various accounts the whole thing sounds like some Saturday Night Live episode, though probably less so to the attendees who had pepper spray squirted into their eyes.) Apparently convinced he was in some sort of imminent danger from the group middle-aged, mainly female Democratic activists, Abbott proceeded to call in back up, which lead to eight more deputies, a helicopter and a canine unit being dispatched to the scene. . . .

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/busby-campaign-supporters-and-allies-publicly-mobilize-against-sheriffs-raid.php

More behind-the-scenes news about the disastrous Palin VP campaign operation

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/01/politics/main5128672.shtml
Internal campaign e-mails exchanged three weeks before Election Day offer a rare look at just how frustrated then Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had become with the manner in which top McCain campaign aides were handling her candidacy. The e-mails, obtained exclusively, also highlight the power struggle and thinly veiled acrimony that pervaded the relationship between Palin and the campaign's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt. . . .

Hallelujah. A tv station refuses to air a Republican ad because. . . . it’s full of lies. What a concept!

http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/va-tv-station-wont-air-gop-ad-against.html

Bonus item: A genuinely funny moment at the White House – which Sean Hannity manages to turn into some kind of anti-Obama message

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/sean-hannity-goes-daffy-duck-president

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:05 AM

 
A BUNCH OF NUTS

Mark Sanford (R-SC) digs himself deeper and deeper

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/just_go_be_with_her.php
[Josh Marshall] In part two of his leave-no-rock-unturned interview with the Associated Press, Mark Sanford says that at least he will "be able to die knowing I had met my soul mate," as David noted below. And if that's not enough, he says that for all the grief his affair has caused, that if the affair means he can never run for president (think the ship's sort of sailed on that one), that it will have been worth it.

I know there are a lot of people who are genuinely questioning Sanford's sanity at this point . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/1/748903/-Sanford-drops-pledge-to-release-travel-records
[AP] South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has backed out of a promise to release personal financial records proving he did not use state money for trips to see his mistress.

A day after Sanford declared in an emotional Associated Press interview that his mistress is his soul mate, spokesman Joel Sawyer says the governor does not want to discuss personal matters in the media anymore. . . .

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/01/more-gop-leaders-demand-sanfords-resignation/
Six more Republicans in the South Carolina Senate are calling on Mark Sanford to resign, including Majority Leader Harvey Peeler. . .

"The bottom line is that the Governor's private matters should remain private, but his deception and negligence make it impossible for us to trust him, and for him to govern in the future," they wrote. . . .

Peeler was joined GOP state senators Hugh Leatherman, Paul Campbell, Jake Knotts, Larry Martin and William O'Dell.

Earlier Tuesday, two of Sanford's top conservative allies in the senate — Larry Grooms and Kevin Bryant — also said Sanford must go.

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/pressure-mounts-on-sanford-to-resign.php

The deafening silence of the religious right over Sanford’s adultery

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018892.php

CIA torture report delayed AGAIN

http://washingtonindependent.com/49402/another-delay-in-the-cia-inspector-general-torture-report

http://christyhardinsmith.firedoglake.com/2009/07/01/tortured-logic-the-rule-of-law-resurfaces-as-we-await-cias-ig-report/

Developments in Iran

http://www.juancole.com/2009/07/iran-mousavi-remains-defiant.html
[Juan Cole] Reuters reports that Iranian opposition leader Mir Hosain Mousavi is continuing to assert that the newly formed second-term government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is illegitimate. He called for a lifting of censorship and the release of the some one thousand Iranians arrested by security forces for participating in demonstrations against the allegedly stolen election. He was joined joined in this continued defiance of Supreme Leader Khamenei by his rival, Mehdi Karroubi and others in the reform camp. My guess is that they aren't far from a jail cell.

The regime is already conducting Stalinist show-trials . . .

Donald Rumsfeld, back in the news

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/book_rumsfeld_didnt_cut_weapons_programs_because_o.php
[Justin Elliott] Several Rumsfeld associates say the defense secretary didn't order any cuts of major weapons programs early in his tenure because of financial stakes he held in the defense business.

Rumsfeld valued his personal fortune at between $50 to $210 million at the beginning of the Bush Administration. The problem was many of the securities he held were in companies that did business with the DOD, which could put Rumsfeld in violation of government ethics rules. . . .

Cheney: I guess the Iraq insurgency isn’t in its “last throes” after all

http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/cheney-iraq-insurgency-not-in-last-throes

WTF?

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/michael-scheuer-fox-americas-only-ho
[Michael Scheuer, on Glenn Beck's show] “The only chance we have as a country right now is for Osama bin Laden to deploy and detonate a major weapon in the United States. . .”

Scheuer “explains” http://washingtonindependent.com/49412/mike-scheuer-explains-his-attack-comments

The fight over health care: a bad bill is worse than no bill at all

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/whittling-it-down-to-nothing-by-dday.html

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/6041

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-it-happens-by-digby-fyi-heres-brief.html

It really looks as if Joe Lieberman is going out of his way to oppose Dem policies

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/jul/01/congress-healthcare-joseph-lieberman
[Michael Tomasky] All too predictably, Joe Lieberman has declared himself against the inclusion of a public option in the healthcare bill. . . . [read on]

What he USED to say: http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/01/hes-with-us-on-everything-but-the-war/
[2006] "I have long supported the goal of universal health care," Lieberman told reporters. . . [more]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/1/748862/-Video:-Lieberman-pledged-support-for-public-option
[2006] “What I'm saying to the people of Connecticut, I can do more for you and your families to get something done to make health care affordable, to get universal health insurance. . . .”

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/1/748816/-In-2006,-Lieberman-promised-what-he-now-rejects
[2006] “I have offered a comprehensive program . . . MediChoice to allow anybody in our country to buy into a national insurance pool like the health insurance pool that we federal employees and Members of Congress have."

[NB: Yes, that’s basically the very plan he now rejects.]

You could see it coming: the GOP throws over George Bush

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/economy/internal-gop-memo-attacks-bush-handling-of-economy/
[Greg Sargent] An internal GOP memo prepared to brief some House Republicans as part of an ongoing probe into the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch deal takes direct aim at an unlikely target: Former President George W. Bush.

The memo directly blames Bush’s handling of the economic meltdown, and it coins a striking new phrase linking Bush and Obama and blaming both administration’s bailout policies in tandem for exacerbating the meltdown: “The Great Bush-Obama Economic Intervention.” . . .

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018890.php

Republicans back s-l-o-w-l-y away from the crazy lady

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/01/mchenry-bachmann-census/
[Matt Corley] Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has been bragging about the fact that she plans not to answer Census questions this year, which is a violation of federal law punishable with a fine up to $5,000. . . .

Now, in the latest rebuke of her off-the-wall claims about the Census, three out of the four House Republicans on the subcommittee that oversees the Census have released a statement calling her boycott plan “illogical, illegal and not in the best interest of our country” . . .

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018893.php

Alaska’s cheerleader starts cheering for herself

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/01/palin-confident-she-can-outrun-obama-2/
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is confident Barack Obama can be beaten — in a long distance run. . . .

"I betcha I'd have more endurance," Palin said in an interview published on the magazine's Web site Tuesday. "My one claim to fame in my own little internal running circle is a sub-four marathon. It wasn't necessarily a good running time, but it proves I have the endurance within me to at least gut it out and that is something.

"If you ever talk to my old coaches they'd tell you, too," she continued. "What I lacked in physical strength or skill I made up for in determination and endurance. So if [it] were a long race that required a lot of endurance I'd win." . . .

[NB: You betcha!]

This is good to see: Sarah Palin continues to divide an already-fragile GOP

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/01/palin_fight/index.html
[Alex Koppelman] In the wake of the release of a hard-hitting Vanity Fair article on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, it seems that the most damage to Palin -- and the Republican Party -- might not come the article itself, but from its aftermath. . . . [read on]

More: http://trueslant.com/kateklonick/2009/07/01/palins-detractors-in-mccain-campaign-were-warned-of-retribution/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/01/AR2009070102438.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/jul/01/sarah-palin-vanity-fair-republicans

WHY is Palin so popular? Ed Kilgore explains

http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2009/07/palin_reconsidered.php

Joe the Plumber talks to God

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/01/plumber-god/
Asked if he has plans to run for public office, he replied, “I hope not. You know, I talked to God about that and he was like, ‘No.’” . . .

Fox News goes crazy over Al Franken’s election

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/murdoch-press-blows-gasket-over-franken-victory.php

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018891.php

Watch: http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/wingnuts-face-reality-sen-al-franken

Michael Steele, nut job

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/01/michael-steele-unplugged/
“[T]he Democrats have spent the last six to eight years building in place an infrastructure to allow them to basically hijack elections at their whim. They started by focusing on targeting secretary of state races around the country. They’ve got a majority of those. And now when you have an ACORN situation flare up, what do you have, the secretary of state going well, there’s no problem here. I don’t understand why everybody’s all upset. Well, yeah, you’re part of a growing process that basically land locks these elections in such a way that they basically walk out of the election with the votes that they need . . .”

Drudge struggles for relevance

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/fever_swamp.php
“Feds Hunt for Guns, One House at a Time” . . .

Rush Limbaugh: Barack Obama killed Michael Jackson

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907010015

Bonus item: More evidence that yakkers like Beck and Rush think their viewers are morons – you don’t think they can remember what you said YESTERDAY?

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/cap-and-traitors-does-glenn-beck-eve

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:55 AM

 
SENATOR AL FRANKEN

The Minnesota Supreme Court decides the inevitable, Coleman concedes, and the Republicans whine

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/minnesota-supreme-court-rules-on-colemans-appeal-he-lost-franken-won-the-election.php
The Minnesota Supreme Court has handed down its much-expected ruling . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/the-minnesota-senate-race-is-over----coleman-has-conceded-defeat-to-franken.php
In a press conference just now, former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has conceded defeat . . .

A look back: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/franken-vs-coleman-our-top-10-moments.php

Franken’s acceptance speech (he certainly had enough time to work on it)

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/al-frankens-victory-speech.php

Michael Steele, bad loser

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/steele-i-am-deeply-disappointed-by-minnesota-supreme-courts-decision.php
"I am deeply disappointed in the decision made by the state Supreme Court, and I share the frustration of Minnesota's voters. At the core of our democracy lies two concrete principles: No valid vote should go uncounted and all votes should be treated equally. Sadly, those principles were not adhered to during this election . . .”

More: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/06/cornyn_dont_blame_us.php
[Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), chairman of the NRSC] “The implications of this Senate race are particularly significant because the Democrats will now have 60 votes in the Senate. With their supermajority, the era of excuses and finger-pointing is now over. With just 59 votes, Senate Democrats in recent months have passed trillion-dollar spending bills, driven up America's debt, made every American taxpayer a shareholder in the auto industry and now want Washington to takeover America's health care system. It's troubling to think about what they might now accomplish with 60 votes.”

[NB: Let me make a prediction – the Dems will never pass a single thing with those and only those 60 votes. That’s just not the voting dynamic in the Senate right now. I’m glad Franken is finally in, and he may be the deciding vote on some issues, but the magic number of 60 really doesn’t mean very much in practice.]

I’ve touched on this several times before: one aspect of the torture and prisoner abuse story that hasn’t been addressed publicly are the unknown number of deaths (perhaps a hundred, or more) as a result of torture and abuse. Don’t give me “fraternity pranks,” “ticking time bombs,” or “intense interrogation” – these were murders, and the responsible parties have neither been identified or punished

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/06/30/accountability/index.html

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/06/30/04-309-death-from-torture/

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/30/747973/-Torture-Autopsy-Reveals-Death-by-Enhanced-Interrogation

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/30/748493/-Accountability-for-Torture,-Accountability-for-the-Dead

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/looking-in-rearview-mirror-by-digby.html

NPR ombudsperson refuses to defend decision not to use the word “torture” in stories

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/06/30/shepard/index.html

Calling it what it is: swimming against the turgid flow of conventional wisdom, Chuck Todd points out that the 5-4 Supreme Court decision on Ricci was. . . . conservative judicial activism

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/6/30/92021/3916

More: http://christyhardinsmith.firedoglake.com/2009/06/30/scotus-ricci-round-up/

Health care: before this is all over, there is still a possibility that Obama and the Dem leadership will be forced to give up the false “bipartisanship” of working with Republicans who have no intention of passing real reform, and of placating a few blue dog Dems, to draft the bill they want and drive it through with 51 votes

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/gibbs-hesitantly-acknowledge-tactical-advantages-of-reconciliation-option.php

http://www.openleft.com/diary/13993/chances-of-health-care-going-through-reconciliation-not-remote

A draft is leaked: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/help-committee-leak-details-likely-outline-of-public-option-andy-stern-pleased.php

The Republicans keep whining that Obama won’t work with them. Why work with a party that SAYS they want you to fail?

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/torture/gop-leadership-to-obama-you-never-call-you-never-write/

The Repubs have had a long-term plan to decimate the Federal Election Commission as an agency with any real power – and they’re succeeding

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/the_commission_has_been_road-blocked_republicans_w_1.php

After Mark Sanford’s weepy public confession to his affair with Maria Belen Chapur from Argentina, a surprising number of people gave him the benefit of coming clean under difficult circumstances – it was a true tragic love story, blah blah. Well, guess what? Turns out he’s just another lying dog . . .

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/06/sanford_admits_more_liaisons.php
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he "crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his mistress -- but never had sex with them.

The governor says he "never crossed the ultimate line" with anyone but Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine at the center of a scandal that has derailed Sanford's once-promising political career.

During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he's trying to fall back in love with his wife. . . .

"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/30/748476/-Why-Sanford-wants-to-talk-about-his-sex-life
[Jed Lewison] Why is Sanford so eager to talk up his sexcapades and heartache? Because he knows that people will -- and should -- ultimately forgive his human frailty. His sex life is none of our business, except insofar as it impacts his public duties, or when it demonstrates his rank hypocrisy.

Sanford knows he's crossed far over the line on both the hypocrisy front and the public duties front. The last thing he wants to talk about is his erratic behavior, his attempt to spend 10-days AWOL in Argentina, or his misuse of authority to arrange a trade mission to visit his mistress.

So instead, he decides to blab about his sex life in a disparate attempt to distract attention from the real issue: his breach of the public trust as governor.

More: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/sanford_admits_more_trysts_with_lover.php

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_06/018869.php

Sanford tries to explain why he won’t resign

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/30/748287/-Yet-another-Sanford-apology,-and-its-a-doozy

Is Dick Cheney becoming the Grandfather of the Grand Old Party?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/30/cheney-says-gop-presidential-bench-still-strong-2/
Extramarital affairs have sidelined two potential Republican presidential hopefuls in recent weeks, but former Vice President Dick Cheney said the 2012 GOP bench remains strong.

"I know both of those gentlemen, I consider them friends, and I'm sorry to see them in the difficulties they're now in” . . .

More b.s. from Cheney

http://washingtonindependent.com/49160/cheney-wasted-obama-sofa-withdrawal-iraq-bush-administration
[Spencer Ackerman] Former Vice President Dick Cheney worries that the U.S. troop withdrawal from urban Iraqi areas might “waste all the tremendous sacrifice that has gotten us to this point.” Andrew Sullivan writes that he’s really just trying to establish a narrative whereby the Obama administration gets the blame for a war that spirals out of control. I’m in too good a mood today to question Cheney’s motives, which only he can know. But it’s notable that the document that governed today’s scheduled urban pullout was negotiated by the Bush administration that Cheney served . . .

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_06/018862.php

The beginning of the end for Sarah Palin

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/06/30/palin/index.html
[Vincent Rossmeier] Since her sudden arrival on the national political stage last August, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has seldom missed an opportunity to make herself the center of attention. Even now, with the 2008 presidential campaign in the rearview mirror, Palin has kept herself in the spotlight -- though arguably not for the right reasons. She's feuded with David Letterman, befuddled some Republican fundraisers with her behavior, and refused stimulus cash only to later accept it. These incidents, coupled with her family's continued tabloid dramas, seem more like the actions of a celebrity desperate for attention than a 2012 presidential hopeful.

There may be a reason for this. In a devastatingly critical piece in Vanity Fair's August issue, Todd Purdum paints Palin as a narcissistic egomaniac unable to take the advice of others. . . .

The full story: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/sarah-palin200908
"They can't quite believe that for two frantic months last fall, caught in a Bermuda Triangle of a campaign, they worked their tails off to try to elect as vice president of the United States someone who, by mid-October, they believed for certain was nowhere near ready for the job, and might never be." [read on]

Is she finished? http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/can-we-finally-draw-curtain-sarah-pa

Not finished? http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/06/sarah_palin_stayin_alive.php

Are you telling me that Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is going to be the new GOP figurehead?

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/huckleberry-new-gop-answer

The conservative establishment has it in for Charlie Crist, Florida governor and candidate for the Senate against rising right-wing star Marco Rubio. And what a subtle way they have of putting it

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/wsj-charlie-crist-is-republican-barney.html
WSJ: Charlie Crist is "The Republican Barney Frank" . . .

Glenn Beck declares war on turncoat Republicans

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/popcorn-time-beck-calls-out-dogs-gop

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- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:51 AM