Saturday, July 19, 2008
Obama's aides furious at McBlabbermouth
By GottaLaff
While refusing to confirm or deny anything about Obama's schedule, his aides were furious with McCain's comment. They noted every major news outlet has resisted speculating on the timing or location of Obama's war-zone maneuvers out of safety concerns.
As of late Friday, it remained unclear if McCain's information is correct.
Whether he was correct or not, as was noted in my earlier post, didn't matter. It shows a serious lack of judgment. Apparently, it also didn't matter to McYenta whether he endangered Obama's life.
Former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam vet and big Obama backer, said he was "surprised" by McCain's apparent breach of protocol.
"I've been around enough of these trips to know that I'm leery of saying anything for security reasons. End of story," Kerry told the Daily News.
Aides to McCain insisted their boss wasn't saying anything that hadn't been publicly reported. They pointed to a Baghdad dispatch Friday afternoon from MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, who indicated Obama would be arriving in Iraq "shortly," although she explicitly did not mention any specific days.
Hey McAides, here's how important other people thought it was:
An advance team of Secret Service agents assigned to Obama was dispatched to Afghanistan and Iraq days ago to coordinate with U.S. forces on the ground in those countries, a source confirmed to The News.
At the same time, separate Secret Service teams were sent to the Mideast and Europe to prep their counterparts ahead of Obama's campaign-funded trip there next week. "This [security] operation very much rises to the level of a presidential trip," an inside source said.
"We're not going to put anyone's life at risk by disclosing specific times and places in advance," the aide said.
J Sid doesn't "rise to the level of a presidential" anything.
UK Won't Take US Word On Torture Anymore
If our greatest ally doesn't trust us anymore.....
The British government should not rely on US assurances that it does not use torture, a report by MPs says.
The foreign affairs select committee said the UK and US differ on their definitions of what constitutes torture and it urged the UK to check US claims.
It recommended the government carry out an "exhaustive analysis of current US interrogation techniques."
(snip)
The committee highlighted the technique of "water-boarding" - a practice which simulates drowning.
The US describes it as "a legal technique used in a specific set of circumstances" and President Bush has refused to ban it.
Given the clear differences in definition, the UK can no longer rely on US assurances that it does not use torture
However, the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said it is torture and "the UK unreservedly condemns the use of torture."
In its report, the committee said: "Given the clear differences in definition, the UK can no longer rely on US assurances that it does not use torture, and we recommend that the government does not rely on such assurances in the future."
Voter suppression 2008: Homeland Security blocks new voter drive
By GottaLaff
[I]n March, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services declared that the county registrar of voters must not hand out those [voter-registration] cards until the recipients are officially citizens. And now voter registration has plunged by 82 percent.
"Everybody's really disappointed," said Diane Moore, precinct operations division manager for the county registrar's office. "Before this processing change, we were one of the models in the state of California..."
With new citizens unable to fill out the cards at their own pace during the ceremony, registrar workers found it nearly impossible to catch the new citizens as they rushed toward the door after the ceremony to get back to jobs or to family obligations.
Plus, one Citizenship and Immigration Services staffer has been "telling new citizens to leave the building while they are still filling out their voter registration cards," according to an internal county memo obtained by the Mercury News.
The impact was definitive: The county registered 3,140 new voters at naturalization ceremonies in the four months before the new policy went into effect, but only 557 new voters registered in the four months since. Registrars signed up as many as 65 percent of new citizens before the change, but just 8 percent registered at the most recent ceremony in June. [...]
"Homeland Security has no jurisdiction over this. They can't limit voter registration," said U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, chairwoman of the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee. "Who do they think they are?"
Some are concerned that the new policy is an attempt to suppress voter participation by new citizens.
...U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Salinas, said he's mystified.
"It's ironic that the agency tasked with promoting citizenship in our country would throw up obstacles to voting, one of the fundamental actions of a citizen," he said. "DHS should be trying to make the process easier, not harder."
Shoulda, woulda, coulda... didn't.
Al Gore's Surprise Appearance At Netroots Nation
Al brings the cute. Via AmericaBlog. When I find the whole speech I'll post it, this is just the set up for the surprise.
John Sidney McCain plans on being in Senate next year
By GottaLaff
"Could I mention the presence of my friend, Congressman Steve Pearce, who I believe will be joining me in the United States Senate?"
-- Sen. John McCain, quoted by Politico, apparently planning to still be in the Senate next year.
White House Accidentally E-Mails to Reporters Story That Maliki Supports Obama Iraq Withdrawal Plan
Oops. Someone's in trouble.
The White House this afternoon accidentally sent to its extensive distribution list a Reuters story headlined "Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan - magazine."
The story relayed how Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told the German magazine Der Spiegel that "he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months … ‘U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,'" the prime minister said.
The White House employee had intended to send the article to an internal distribution list, ABC News' Martha Raddatz reports, but hit the wrong button.
Please to note this little bit that I cannot quote due to the profanity fairies.
Obama backs support in meeting with Afghan leaders
Der, what did they think he was going to say?
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met Saturday with officials of a region of Afghanistan that has been a hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaida activity, offering his support for reconstruction and security there and throughout the country, an official said.
The Illinois senator, undertaking a campaign-season tour of combat zones and foreign capitals, began his first-ever visit to Afghanistan as part of an official congressional delegation that landed in Kabul.
Obama and other members of Congress visited Bagram Air Field, the main U.S. military base in the country, to meet with top U.S. military leaders and troops, according to a U.S. military statement.
The delegation also met with troops at Jalalabad Air Field, in Nangarhar province. Jalalabad lies near the Tora Bora mountains where al-Qaida leaders fled and faced a U.S. bombardment during the U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime in late 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden escaped U.S. troops at that time and is believed to be in the region.
McCain makes fresh late-night swing
I tried to watch, but the minute his head hit the desk I just said no.
NEW YORK (AP) – Republican John McCain has had another turn on the late-night TV comedy circuit, as a guest on NBC'S "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" last night.
Host O'Brien acknowledged that jokes about the 71-year-old McCain's age are themselves getting old. And as McCain pretended to nod off, O'Brien asked for some new material. Instead of "seniority," O'Brien wondered if maybe McCain has a kooky uncle or bad breath or webbed toes. To which McCain replied, "All of the above."
Subliminal Messaging, or Over-Active Imaginations?
By Paddy
There are no mistakes or coincidences in stuff like this.
ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: There's a longtime tradition in political advertising to look beyond the message to the subtext -- and even to the subliminal.
In that spirit, a veteran Democratic operative offers an interesting observation of the newly released anti-Obama Web video produced by the McCain campaign. The video is an eight-minute montage of sometimes contradictory statements about the Iraq war made by Sen. Barack Obama.
At the very beginning, the title -- “The Obama Iraq Documentary” -- flashes into place in a blaze of orange. And for a single frame -- a tiny fraction of a second -- Obama’s face is framed by the following prominent letters: “a l q D.”
Some caveats: “al qD” is meaningless by itself. The “l” is actually the capital “I” in "Iraq," though in the typeface used in the video, it looks like a lowercase “L.” Other letters -- at either end of the title -- are simultaneously on the screen. And many editing programs do allow randomized letter placement.
But still. . . . For a brief moment, Obama’s face is framed by letters that the brain may want to play with and spell something that does make sense. If you type “al qD” into Google, you get this response: “Did you mean: al qaeda.”
Via Oliver.
Netroots Nation- Al Gore To Speak
Free video streaming by Ustream
Nancy Pelosi taking questions now, rumour of a "surprise" guest next.
Damn, blogger is being stupid- if this doesn't work for you, you can watch here and it is confirmed that the surprise is Al Gore.
Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan: report
By Paddy
Man, this is sweet. Can't wait for Dana Peroxide to try and bat down this one.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.
In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."
It is the first time he has backed the withdrawal timetable put forward by Obama, who is visiting Afghanistan and us set to go to Iraq as part of a tour of Europe and the Middle East.
Bush more unpopular than Nixon in California Field poll
Well, there's at least one thing he's done better than any other president.
President Bush's disapproval rating in California has reached the highest mark for a president since the Field Poll began tracking White House numbers in 1961, according to its latest survey released Friday.
Less than a quarter of California voters – 24 percent – said they approve of Bush's job performance, compared with 71 percent who said they disapprove.
The latter mark is higher than Nixon's 70 percent disapproval rating in August 1974, the same month he resigned from office after his role in the Watergate scandal was revealed.
Obama Lands in Afghanistan for First Tour of War Zones
See, I told you he skipped town country on Thursday.
WASHINGTON – Senator Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan early Saturday morning, opening his first overseas trip as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to meet with American commanders there and later in Iraq to receive an on-the-ground assessment of military operations in the two major U.S. war zones.
Mr. Obama touched down in Kabul about 11:45 a.m., according to a pool report released by his aides. In addition to attending briefings with military leaders, he hoped to meet with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan before flying to Iraq later in the weekend.
His trip was cloaked in secrecy, which advisers said was due to security concerns set forth by the Secret Service. His whereabouts have been unknown since he departed Chicago. He left Andrews Air Force Base near Washington on Thursday afternoon, according to a pool report, and turned up in Afghanistan on Saturday.
(snip)
“Well, you know, I’m more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking,” Mr. Obama said. “And I think it is very important to recognize that I’m going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it’s the president’s job to deliver those messages.”
Friday, July 18, 2008
Washington Times Admits To "Breezy" Language in Michelle Obama Piece
By Paddy
I'm really surprised this got past me, but good on Citizen Jane for calling the Moonie Times on the carpet. Good article about the event here, Moonie Times version here.
We told you yesterday about the Emily's List petition to the "The Washington Times," about a "Times" story that referred to a Michelle Obama/ Jennifer Granholm event as a "girlie show" and an "estrogenfest." We also reached out to the "Times" to get their take on the story.
We just received a call from David Jones, the managing editor of "The Washington Times," who gave us the following comment:
"We think the story about Michelle Obama's efforts to campaign for women's votes was an important one and was fairly told, but some of the language that slipped through the editing process was too breezy and could be misconstrued as stereotyping.
"We have taken steps to make sure such language does not slip through in the future."
Phil Gramm McFired
By GottaLaff
Add former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm's name to an ignominious list -- Susan Rice, Billy Shaheen, Geraldine Ferraro to name just a few -- of campaign surrogates forced to step aside after making an impolitic comment.I'm sure he took it like a man. Wrong. Self pity alert!
John McCain's campaign just released the following statement from Gramm:"It is clear to me that Democrats want to attack me rather than debate Senator McCain on important economic issues facing the country.
"Sniffle, sniffle. Nobody likes me. I'm gonna go eat worms. Waah!" Well, buck up, Phil. Maybe Grandma McMealTicket will take you in. There must be a spare bedroom somewhere in one of her many grand-staircased homes.
That kind of distraction hurts not only Senator McCain's ability to present concrete programs to deal with the country's problems, it hurts the country. To end this distraction and get on with the real debate, I hereby step down as Co-Chair of the McCain Campaign and join the growing number of rank-and-file McCain supporters."
Mmmyeah, but it doesn't hurt the country at all when you call its citizens a bunch of whiners and suggest their money woes are all in their heads. "Mental recession", my Fannie Mae. It only hurts when you have less influence, right McFired?
One more Enron loophole closed.A few quick thoughts:
* Gramm's resignation is the inevitable byproduct of the modern political game best described by John Harris and Mark Halperin in "The Way to Win" as the "freak show." Once Gramm's comments made the cable television rounds for a few days, it was something close to inevitable that he would resign.
* It's a near-certainty that Democrats won't give up on the issue. The reality is that Gramm was one of McCain's closest confidantes when it came to the economy and simply because the former Texas Senator is no longer affiliated with the campaign does not mean Democrats won't remind voters of his comments in the fall.
* The position of Treasury Secretary in a McCain Administration is now WIDE open.
Harold Ford heckled over Fox, FISA, Obama discussion
By GottaLaff
UPDATE: I updated in my original post, too, that Phil Gramm has been officially kicked off the McSurrogate campaign.... per CNN and Rachel Maddow.
Harold Ford got heckled at Netroots Nation (where Cliff is right now):
Former congressman Harold Ford was billed as a sheep amidst the wolves when he was booked for an appearance at the Netroots Nation conference here in Austin. And while for the most part the DLC head and self-described 'centrist' Democrat received a cordial welcome among the progressive audience, there were a scattering of hisses, boos, and the occasionally unruly heckle during his discussion of FISA, Obama and Democratic politics more broadly.
Appearing alongside DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas - in what has become a series of appearances for the two since they butted heads during a Meet the Press appearance last year - Ford pushed back against the notion that Obama had abandoned the netroots on the FISA fight.
If you have a hard time hearing the video, go here for the transcript.
John Sidney McSurrogate: The Muslims "are going to kill us."
By GottaLaff
On a conference call with reporters, John McCain surrogate Bud Day doesn't do much to endear his candidate to Muslims:
One of John McCain's fellow POW's in Vietnam defended the war in Iraq, saying, "The Muslims have said either we kneel or they're going to kill us.''...
Colonel Bud Day added: "I don't intend to kneel and I don't advocate to anybody that we kneel, and John doesn't advocate to anybody that we kneel.''
Muslim leaders have complained that they have been vilified as terrorists since the Sept. 11 attacks.
A McCain campaign spokesman declined to disavow the comments.
Bud Day is best known for his work with the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth, attacking John Kerry in the 2004 election. He's now a member of McCain's Truth Squad. The McCain campaign brought Day out recently to criticize comments made by Wesley Clark about McCain's experience.
Looks like J Sid needs a truth squad for his Truth Squad.
John Sidney McBreach: He divulged Obama's Iraq plans
By GottaLaff
Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Friday that his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, is likely to be in Iraq over the weekend.This is who more voters trust on security issues? Are you kidding me? Why not just paint a target on his back, McStupid?The Obama campaign has tried to cloak the Illinois senator's trip in some measure of secrecy for security reasons. The White House, State Department and Pentagon do not announce senior officials' visits to Iraq in advance.
"I believe that either today or tomorrow -- and I'm not privy to his schedule -- Sen. Obama will be landing in Iraq with some other senators" who make up a congressional delegation, McCain told a campaign fund-raising luncheon.
As a knowledgeable insider notes ...
If it is true that Obama is going to Iraq this weekend, it is a very serious mistake for McCain to have disclosed it publically. Even for run-of-the-mill CODELs the military gives guidance like, [...]"Such releases are a serious compromise to OPSEC." If Obama is going to Iraq this weekend, I can not begin to imagine how much this is complicating the security planning for the trip.It's known that Obama is leaving on his foreign trip this weekend and the Journal OpEd page this morning said that Obama could arrive in Iraq "as early as this weekend." And with a slew of reporters in tow, it's not exactly highly classified information. But there is a reason definite information about these sorts of trips aren't released in advance.
Hypothetically, maybe McCain was just guessing. But even so it would still be a serious lapse of judgment on his part.
H/t: Commenter Eve (I think)
Question-O'-The-Day: Cheney edition
By GottaLaff
I might be inclined to believe that if it were the case that Bush knew what the word "legacy" meant. Last time I checked, he thought it referred to these.Vice President Cheney doesn't act in plain view, so discerning his influence on the Bush presidency has always been a bit of a guessing game. And in the wake of the White House's shift on Iran policy -- from saber-rattling to talking -- one guess is that Cheney's influence, at least on this issue, is waning.
Could it be that President Bush is listening less to his hawkish vice president in hopes of leaving behind a somewhat less toxic foreign-policy legacy?
Shallow Thoughts: Hybrid edition
By GottaLaff
Hybrid does not rhyme with "rye bread". It's spelled with an "i", not an "e".This concludes today's Shallow Thought.
"Gramm will continue as an adviser and surrogate.” Or not.
By GottaLaff
I am resorting to quoting Bob Novak. Forgive me, for I have sinned:
Aww, isn't that just fragrant with McBenevolence? I'm getting kinda misty. Oh, never mind. That's perspiration. It's 90 here today.Says Bob Novak in his column tomorrow, as noted in Playbook.
“After Sen. John McCain publicly repudiated his close friend and adviser Phil Gramm's comments about a ‘nation of whiners’ and a ‘mental recession,’ the two old political comrades patched up their relationship. Gramm apologized to McCain for his remarks. ... McCain told Gramm not to worry about the expected pitfalls of a campaign surrogate. Gramm will continue as an adviser and surrogate.”
Asked about Gramm's status, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds, responded: "Our campaign has not announced any substantive status change to his volunteer post on the campaign."Hmm, sounds like an adviser and surrogate to me. But stop the presses! Is this yet another McSenior Moment? Hop on board the Flip Flop Express:
That volunteer post amounts to Gramm serving as a national co-chairman to McCain, offering him economic advice via cell phone and traveling with the candidate to such events as when he delivered a major tax-and-spending speech in Pittsburgh this past April.
But in addition to this behind-the-scenes role, Gramm has also done some appearances on behalf of McCain.
For example, last week, on the same day McCain said his old colleague didn't speak for him, Gramm was representing the GOP nominee before the Wall Street Journal editorial board.
Bounds said this part of Gramm's portfolio was coming to an end and that the former Texas senator would no longer be talking to the media or acting as a public surrogate on McCain's behalf.
Such a statement is the first official word from the campaign, but jibes with what two of McCain's other economic advisers, Doug Holtz-Eakin and Carly Fiorina, said about Gramm last weekend.
UPDATE: Obama's camp notes — and I should have pointed out — that Holtz-Eakin went further than saying that Gramm would no longer represent McCain. After much prodding in this PBS interview, Holtz-Eakin said Gramm won't even be advising McCain anymore.
Maybe it's Novakula who's having a senior moment. That reporting is decidedly contradictory. Or did I miss something?
Poll-itics: Good news for Obama
By GottaLaff
Per Commenter Eve, this will help to explain why polls are not yet predictive of November and why they will be predictive in October. And it's good news for Obama.
If engagement and interest is what makes a voter a likely voter, and if younger voters have reached saturation ahead of older voters reflected in their superior grasp of information, then any likely voter screen that doesn't currently skew Democratic is probably an incorrect likely voter screen.Oh, okay, if they insist.
Obama Swag Selling Out McCain 5 to 1
By Paddy
I believe this since I am a proud owner of an O'Bama t-shirt. (thanks Denise!!)
Exit polls don't show this one. We've had the Bubba Gap. The Women Gap. And now comes the "Gift Gap." At political gift stores across America, Barack Obama schlock is outselling John McCain schlock at least five to one, according to interviews NBC News conducted with gift-shop retailers and t-shirt manufacturers.
That would mean that five times as many Obama t-shirts are on the streets…five times as many Obama bumper stickers are junking up cars…and five times as many Obama bobble heads are wiggling on desks across America.
At the Capital Noveltees manufacturing plant in Washington, DC, for example, demand for Obama gift items is through the roof. The firm, a major supplier to retailers nationwide, has sold 54,028 pro-Obama t-shirts since March. During that same period, the company has sold only 5,979 pro-McCain t-shirts, said company owner Susan Benovitz.
(snip)
Is this a sign of an enthusiasm gap, as perhaps the Obama campaign would have you believe? Not so fast, says Ira Teinowitz, the Washington Bureau Chief for Advertising Age. Since Obama is so popular with Gen Facebook, young voters likely skew the sales. “It’s logical to assume that young people are more likely to wear T-shirts than old [folks],” Teinowitz said. “If you look at the cool versus non-cool aspect of this, McCain isn’t exactly cool” to wear on a faded t-shirt, he added.
Air Force wants counterterrorism funds for luxurious "comfort capsule"
By GottaLaff
As BushCo always likes to remind us, security first:
The Air Force's top leadership sought for three years to spend counterterrorism funds on "comfort capsules" to be installed on military planes that ferry senior officers and civilian leaders around the world, with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules' carpet and leather chairs, according to internal e-mails and budget documents.How exciting, production has already started! Whew! Good! We wouldn't want anyone to travel in discomfort. I know that when I'm jammed into a stuffy, cramped seat in coach, I am grateful for the tax dollars that are going toward redecorating, providing a cushy atmosphere so in the future, I, too, can work and rest as if sitting on a cloud. That would be after I was cavity-searched and watch-listed. Yes, that's the kind of faith I have in our government. They care.
Air Force officials say the government needs the new capsules to ensure that leaders can talk, work and rest comfortably in the air. But the top brass's preoccupation with creating new luxury in wartime has alienated lower-ranking Air Force officers familiar with the effort, as well as congressional staff members and a nonprofit group that calls the program a waste of money.Hey, these are not unreasonable requests. They're both practical and cost effective:
One request was that the color of the leather for the seats and seat belts in the mobile pallets be changed from brown to Air Force blue and that seat pockets be added; another was that the color of the table's wood be darkened.Changing the seat color and pockets alone was estimated in a March 12 internal document to cost at least $68,240. [...]
[Gen. Robert H. McMahon] said he wanted to "create an environment that whoever was riding in that would be proud of," the government would be proud of and "the people of the United States" would be proud of.
I personally favor Meditation Mauve, but I tend to go for the feminine and inspirational. But tastes differ, and I respect their right to choose and be proud.
Except in a time of war.
Except when the country's economy is tanking.
Except when people are losing their homes, health care, jobs... and minds.
GOP cyber-security expert suggests Diebold tampered with 2002 election
By GottaLaff
A leading cyber-security expert and former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he has fresh evidence regarding election fraud on Diebold electronic voting machines during the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senatorial elections.How nice it would be to expect clean elections in America.
Stephen Spoonamore is the founder and until recently the CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an information technology policy and security firm that serves Fortune 100 companies. At a little noticed press conference in Columbus, Ohio Thursday, he discussed his investigation of a computer patch that was applied to Diebold Election Systems voting machines in Georgia right before that state's November 2002 election.
Now look at the numbers:Spoonamore received the Diebold patch from a whistleblower close to the office of Cathy Cox, Georgia’s then-Secretary of State. In discussions with RAW STORY, the whistleblower -- who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation -- said that he became suspicious of Diebold's actions in Georgia for two reasons. The first red flag went up when the computer patch was installed in person by Diebold CEO Bob Urosevich, who flew in from Texas and applied it in just two counties, DeKalb and Fulton, both Democratic strongholds. The source states that Cox was not privy to these changes until after the election and that she became particularly concerned over the patch being installed in just those two counties.
The whistleblower said another flag went up when it became apparent that the patch installed by Urosevich had failed to fix a problem with the computer clock, which employees from Diebold and the Georgia Secretary of State’s office had been told the patch was designed specifically to address.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who was five percentage points ahead of Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss in polls taken a week before the vote, lost 53% to 46%. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, who led challenger Sonny Perdue in the polls by eleven points, lost 51% to 46%. However, because the Diebold machines used throughout the state provided no paper trail, it was impossible to ask for a recount in either case.Polls, schmolls.
An audio file of the press conference is available here. Follow the link to read many more details.
Confirmed: Rove tried to have Patrick Fitzgerald fired
By GottaLaff
In a supplement to his responses to the House Judiciary Committee, Patrick Fitzgerald confirms what we've always suspected: Karl Rove was trying to have Patrick Fitzgerald fired while Fitzgerald was still investigating Rove for his role in leaking Valerie Wilson's identity--and the timing lines up perfectly with the Administration's efforts to fire a bunch of US Attorneys.Here are more pared down excerpts:
[H]ere's the allegation [...] (though I think Fitzgerald is referring to someone besides Ata, because Ata was not yet cooperating with the Rezko prosecutors): [...]The most corrupt bunch of thugs ever. Still in power, still not incarcerated."[Ata] had conversations with Mr. Rezko about the fact that Mr. Kjellander was working with Karl Rove to have Mr. Fitzgerald removed," Hamilton told U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve.[...]Note, Fitzgerald emphasizes that Rove was trying to fire him to protect Republican donor Bob Kjellander, not to protect Rove and Libby and Cheney. But that doesn't change the fact that Rove was in discussions about firing Fitzgerald while he--Rove--was under active investigation.
Also note the timing: while the discussions between this cooperating witness and (presumably) Kjellander happened earlier, the timing lines up with the effort to fire all the US Attorneys--and then, when Kyle Sampson suggested his name, Fitzgerald specifically--at the beginning of 2005.
Hillary Campaign Aides Buy 2012 Website
By GottaLaff
But unofficially, who does she associate with?A company associated with Hillary Clinton's top presidential campaign advance staff has purchased a website domain that hints of a 2012 presidential bid for the vanquished senator from New York.
HRC2012.com was bought by the Markham Group on June 8, according to whois.com
How many comments from Hillary supporters do you suppose this post will get? Hands?A picture of Clinton pops up when the company's website is called up.
Mo Elleithee, a Clinton spokesman, said that Clinton officially associates herself with three websites: hillpac.com, for her political action committee, hillaryclinton.com, for her presidential campaign and now her '12 Senate re-election campaign, and a separate site dedicated to retiring her presidential debt.
In 2006, HillaryClinton.com was used as the principle Senate re-election site, so it's not clear why a separate 2012 site would be required.
If Obama loses in November, Clinton would have to pick between running for re-election and running for president.
Hmmm, let me think real hard. What would Hillary do?
Electoral map already shifting to Dems at Congressional level
By GottaLaff
Rhodes Cook: "One of the more intriguing questions of this 2008 presidential campaign is whether the virtually static electoral map of 2000 and 2004, with its bright red and blue shadings, will stay roughly the same or undergo dramatic rearrangement. If recent congressional elections are a guide, bet on the latter -- and that's a good sign for the Democrats."
John Sidney McCain wonders if Obama is a socialist
By GottaLaff
John McCain on Thursday described Barack Obama’s Senate record as “more to the left” than Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont — an independent who caucuses with Democrats but has described himself as an “independent Democratic socialist.”I guess in all his confusion, J Sid forgot about this, this, and this.
Want to know what else they look for, J Sid? Good judgment, acuity, and wisdom. Voting with Bush 95% of the time pretty much destroys that maverick image you've worked so hard to achieve. Time to stop throwing labels around, get back on the Fake Talk Express, and drive off into the sunset.During his town hall meeting with voters in Kansas City yesterday, McCain said, “Senator Obama has the most extreme record of any member of the United States Senate.”
In an interview after the event, The Kansas City Star asked him to clarify the remark.
“His voting record … is more to the left than the announced socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont,” McCain answered, according the paper.
Asked if he thought Obama was a socialist, McCain answered: “I don’t know. All I know is his voting record, and that’s what people usually judge their elected representatives by.”
Gore says no
By GottaLaff
The former vice president, who issued a challenge to the next President of the United States on Thursday to make the country's electricity output carbon-free in 10 years, said later that he will not under any circumstances serve as Barack Obama's running mate.No surprise there. Al Gore has a mission about which he is passionate. We need him to keep doing what he's doing.
“I have a personal term limit,” he told CBS News Thursday. “Only two terms as VP.”
Asked by interviewer Katie Couric whether he might reconsider if the Democratic presidential candidate "begged," Gore said his answer would remain no.
I fervently hope that Obama says "no" next, to Bayh and Nunn. No. No. No.
Bush, Maliki agree 'time horizon' for US drawdown
By Paddy
No, you can't make this stuff up. The classic definition of Doublespeak.
TUCSON, Arizona (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki have agreed on "a general time horizon," not an "arbitrary timetable" for a drawdown of US forces, the White House said Friday.
In talks by video conference Thursday, Bush and Maliki said improving security conditions in Iraq should allow for including that goal in a pending long-term diplomatic and security pact, said spokeswoman Dana Perino.
"Improving conditions should allow for the agreements now under negotiation to include a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals -- such as the resumption of Iraqi security control in their cities and provinces and the further reduction of US combat forces from Iraq," she said in a statement.
"The president and prime minister agreed that the goals would be based on continued improving conditions on the ground and not an arbitrary date for withdrawal," she said.
Democratic Convention Tidbits
By Paddy
Couple things I came across in my travels-
The Obama campaign has not released how tickets to the Invesco Field speech will be distributed. But Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak says she’s already received requests from 9,000 people, from as far as Virginia.
An unscientific poll of the homeless suggest they aren’t going to be leaving during the convention “unless they are giving away free booze and marijuana at the movies.”
There’s a sizeable gap in Bruce Springsteen’s tour plans this summer -- just large enough to suggest the Boss may show up in Denver.
"Dozens of protest groups are planning a full schedule of classes, concerts, marches and other actions during the Democratic National Convention, hoping to capture the world's attention and recruit new activists," according to the Rocky Mountain News.
"They are both energized and organized, and most insist they are not looking for trouble."
The groups will also post videos of their protests to show people an "unfiltered" view of the action outside the convention center.
PS- If you know anyone who is going to the Convention, I have a non drinking, non smoking really boring (like in not annoying or rowdy) female friend who needs someplace to stay/someone to share a room with.
Report: Obama Will Speak At Victory Column, Not Brandenburg Gate
By Paddy
Seems like a good compromise to me- one stirring foreign landmark's good as another. Plus, it keeps away the frothing wingers. (for a while) Via TPM, as yet unconfirmed.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will give a speech at the Victory Column in central Berlin, avoiding the Brandenburg Gate after a political spat broke out over plans to speak there, Berliner Zeitung said.
A stage will be set up at the column, a 19th-century fluted structure that lies at the opposite end of a tree-lined boulevard from the Brandenburg Gate, the newspaper said. The campaign will announce the plans for July 24 today, it said.
An appearance at the Victory Column, capped by its trademark gilded angel, will still give the Illinois senator the Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop in the distance.
UPDATE- Taegan has it confirmed now.
Cell Phones Not Skewing Polls
By Paddy
I've wondered about this. Via Taegan. (missed you when you were down!!)
For a long time, pollster have wondered whether the increased use of cell phones over the last decade is skewing polling results and making them less reliable.
A new Pew Research poll finds that Sen. Barack Obama holds a 48% to 40% lead over Sen. John McCain in their national sample that includes cell phones, and a 46% to 41% advantage in the landline sample.
Furthermore, when the results are narrowed "to voters who are certain about their vote choice, there is almost no difference between the landline and combined samples: Obama has a 38%-28% advantage in the combined sample, while the margin is 38%-30% in the landline sample."
Nevada GOP Runs Scared From Ron Paul Supporters
By Paddy
Oooh, this is rich beyond belief.
The Nevada Republican Party decided Thursday not to reconvene its scuttled state convention this month, claiming it couldn't generate enough interest to reach a legal quorum to elect delegates to the national convention in St. Paul, Minn.
The state party abruptly ended its state convention in April to head off a delegation of Ron Paul supporters who had captured control of the proceedings and appeared on track to elect a majority slate to the Sept. 1-4 national convention.
Party officials planned to reconvene on July 26. But only about 300 delegates sent in RSVPs, well short of the 675 needed for a quorum.
(snip)
Longtime Nevada Republicans said they've never experienced an aborted state convention.
"I don't ever remember such chaos in the party," said Barbara Vucanovich, a former congresswoman who has been involved in party politics since the early 1950s. "Frankly, its an embarrassment for our state and also makes it difficult for John McCain. He needs all the electoral votes he can get."
Obama On His Way To Europe Already?
By Paddy
So says Think Progress-
On the trail today: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is traveling in Europe today. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will host an invitation-only town hall meeting at the GM Technical Center in Warren, MI this morning before “attending a fundraiser in Detroit” and appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Nothing on the site or in press releases so far.
Friday Link O Rama
Funny, nothing huge going on this morning, but lots of little things catching my eye. What's up where you are?
China Restricts Live Performances
Record number of babies born last year (surprise bizarre bonus at this link)
South Dakota doctors told to comply with abortion law
Report: Danger from electrical work in Iraq severe
Cox Cable Plans to Block Child Porn Sites
Anti-terror money sought for luxury
'Ass man' concludes his visit to Sweden
Clancy Candy, Bucky Bon Bons.
Baghdad Embassy Has Its Hands Full With Hill Visitors
My Nozzle or Yours?
By Paddy
The man couldn't even find "irony" in the dictionary if he tried.. Via TPM.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Washington State GOP Attacks Michelle Obama
By Paddy
Is anyone going to bother asking McCain why he thinks he can run the country when he can't even control the party that he is titular head of? Yeah, didn't think so.
The Washington State Republican Party -- following the lead of the Tennessee State GOP, and its controversial Web ad vilifying Michelle Obama -- has launched a Web ad of its own "welcoming" Michelle Obama to the Evergreen State.
The Web video makes hay out of her "for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country" comment, featuring various state GOP officials saying they're "proud to be an American," and then pledging allegiance to the flag.
There are times I really regret being a Democrat, because you know if the shoe was on the other foot the Republicans would have no problem going after a pill-popping adulteress felon.
Pelosi: Bush is a total failure
By GottaLaff
Even a clock is right twice a day. Nancy Pelosi got this one right:
In an interview on CNN, the California Democrat was asked to respond to video of the president criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for heading into the final 26 days of the legislative session without having passed a single government spending bill.It would be nice for them to sweep up after their own mess once in awhile. Oh, and Nance? One very effective way to clean up Bush's disastrous presidency is to impeach.
Pelosi shot back in unusually personal terms.
"You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject," Pelosi replied. She then tsk-tsked Bush for "challenging Congress when we are trying to sweep up after his mess over and over and over again."
My old video fit this one, so I put it up as a summer rerun.
McCain Has Worse Afghanistan Hearing Record Than Obama
By Paddy
Man, this is a rookie mistake. Another sign of a really badly ran campaign. BTW, the media may finally be getting a clue, this is from the ABC site, not one of "us".
The McCain campaign criticism of Sen. Barack Obama's hearing record on Capitol Hill led us to put the shoe on the other foot.
It turns out that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, has attended even fewer Afghanistan-related Senate hearings over the past two years than Obama's one. Which is a nice way of saying, McCain, R-Ariz., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Service Committee, has attended zero of his committee's six hearings on Afghanistan over the last two years.
Meanwhile Obama attended the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan in March, 2007, although he used the opportunity to ask Gen. James L. Jones, then the commander of NATO, about Pakistan.
Jones also came before the Senate Armed Services Committee that week. But McCain was a no-show.
The findings are surprising given the fact that the McCain campaign loudly criticized Obama this week for failing to schedule any hearings on Afghanistan in the last year and a half. Obama chairs the European Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has oversight of military operations in Afghanistan.
"If McCain's rape joke could be verified, it would end his campaign"
By GottaLaff
- "Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, 'Where is that marvelous ape?'"
- "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?" he asked guests at a Senate Republican fundraiser. "Because her father is Janet Reno."
- "The French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who is still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it," McCain told Fox News a few years ago.
- And earlier this year, McCain responded to a question with the line, "And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago."
- During his 1986 campaign, he referred to a retirement community called "Leisure World" as "Seizure World."
- "The nice thing about Alzheimer's is you get to hide your own Easter eggs."
- He referred to a young man who asked about his age as "you little jerk," before telling him, "You're drafted."
- He recently condemned by the government of Iran for suggesting that increasing U.S. cigarette sales to Iran could be "a way of killing 'em."
- And the always popular, "Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran".
Rachel then commented that the unsettling part is that he's "a little sadistic" and she doesn't want a sadistic president.
Too late. We already have one.
Ben Smith's comeback was that the J Sid bunch think that those endearing little gems show him to be not insensitive, stupid, or cruel, but-- wait for it-- "authentic", "real", and "one of us". He's just "McCain being McCain". It's... an asset.
Rachel: "That's a steep hill to climb for marketing."
Tell you what, McSadistic, you little jerk, after you stop beating your wife, you can take your authenticity straight to Seizure World, get bombed and hook up with that marvelous ape.
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