Is it just that I spent too many Saturday nights in the 70's and 80's in an "altered state" or has SNL been sucking spectacularly all along?
Oh well, housekeeping- You can always make a donation through the PayPal button to the right, and if you are thinking of buying anything from Amazon, if you use the links over to the right, just using one of those links to buy anything gets us a couple pennies a transaction.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentine's Overnight Thread
VIDEO that caused former N.Y. Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey to challenge Keith Olbermann to "have the backbone (and the facts) to debate me"
By GottaLaff
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey wants to rumble. I hope Keith takes her up on it. He ain't 'fraid of no Betsy:
If Keith Olbermann of MSNBC could defend the health provisions slipped into the stimulus bill on their merits, he wouldn't be resorting to personal attacks on me. Olbermann calls me a shill funded by the drug industry (2-12-2009). That's not true.I am not paid by the pharmaceutical industry or by the Hudson Institute. I hold only an honorary Fellows position at Hudson, and take no money or benefits from it. If Keith Olbermann has the courage, I invite him to debate me on his program.
The Obama administration promised transparency, but gave us a sleight of hand. Slipped into the stimulus bill are provisions that change healthcare in major ways. If these provisions are so good for us, why are they hidden in a stimulus bill and rushed through Congress?
Transparency is not a partisan issue. Good people may differ on their health care views. But who can argue with the fact that the health provisions in the stimulus bill should be removed and offered as separate legislation, so that the nation can consider the long term consequences and make an informed decision?
Mr. Olbermann, do you have the backbone (and the facts) to debate me?
Olbermann took up the issue on his show Thursday night after McCaughey wrote this commentary on Bloomberg.com about some of the health provisions in the stimulus bill. Olbermann's objections also included the fact that McCaughey's commentary was picked up by Rush Limbaugh, the Drudge Report and Fox News.
D'oh! She's all a-sputter. Keith, please invite her to be on Countdown, taking her up on her offer to debate you. Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease.
(Stevie) Wonder-ful White House
By GottaLaff
Photo: Johansson/Getty
Signed, Sealed and Delivered:Singer Stevie Wonder will be the guest of honor at a White House event hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama, the president's staff says.The White House announced Obama and his wife Michelle will be on hand next week in the East Room when Wonder is presented with the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Lifetime Achievement, The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) reported Saturday. [...]
The Post said next Wednesday's White House ceremony and concert in honor of Wonder will be broadcast the following night as part of PBS's "In Performance at the White House" series.
GOP dead set against Senator Al Franken
By GottaLaff
Having just seen what President Barack Obama can do with 58 Democrats in the Senate, Republicans are more determined than ever to keep him from getting a 59th.As we all know, the Coleman-Franken legal battle feels longer than a Sarah Palin run-on sentence. Well, maybe not that long, but I digress:
Especially if the 59th is Al Franken.
Which is exactly how Senate Republicans want it. The National Republican Senatorial Committee held a ritzy fundraiser for Coleman in Washington this week, helping him raise the money he needs to keep his legal challenges alive through a trial and then a lengthy legal process if he loses. [...]And that would be the best punch line ever.
The Democrats know how important the seat is — and they accuse the GOP of prolonging Coleman’s legal fight just to keep it empty. [...]
If Franken becomes the 59th senator to caucus with the Democrats, the GOP knows that Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will be able to railroad legislation through the Senate by picking off a single Republican moderate.
PhotoObama: 5,600 Cupcakes = Tastiest Obama-Lincoln Comparison Ever
By GottaLaff
Suh-weetest!
Yum and yummier.Zilly Rosen, a pastry artist in Buffalo, took her treats to Washington this weekend, constructing side-by-side portraits of Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln using more than 5,600 cupcakes. [...]
Ms. Rosen and a few helpers assembled the mural in a matter of hours Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. [...] The video and a time-lapse feature of the portrait’s journey from construction to crumbs will be available on the museum’s blog, Eye Level, next week.
Ms. Rosen, the proprietor of Zillycakes, a custom cake shop in Buffalo, first fused gastronomy and politics on Election Day, creating a 1,240-cupcake portrait of Mr. Obama, which she served to volunteers at his campaign’s Buffalo headquarters Nov. 5, according to her Web site.
“It started as a crazy love poem in food dedicated to an amazing candidate,” Rosen wrote. She calls her work “equal parts installation, performance, homage, and dessert.”
President Obama's no sap
By GottaLaff
"I am an eternal optimist [but] that doesn't mean I'm a sap. So my goal is to assume the best but prepare for a whole range of different possibilities in terms of how Congress reacts."
-- President Obama, in an interview with the National Journal.
George Bush personally passes the hat to fund his own library
By GottaLaff
"It's a bad environment," says one [friend]. Bush is taking no chances: He's making donor calls himself, and even his dad, the 41st president, is helping out, as are former aides like Karl Rove. In the future, say associates, look for Bush to host fundraising events in order to meet a goal of completing construction in 2013. But for now, "he's laying low," says one.Yes, the former chimp-in-chief himself is putting the fun back in fundraising. And what a great cause. Who wouldn't want to visit Georgie's Presidential Fun House?
But uh-oh! It'll take at least ten, maybe fifteen bucks to cover the costs of crayons, coloring books, non-toxic black redacting markers, and pretzels. Of course, with some real effort, a little luck, and just a touch of arm-twisting, Junior, Rover, and Daddy should be able to scrape up enough pennies.
Although one never knows-- He may end up using the cash to pay bail.
H/t: Eve
President Obama has a full (license) plate
By GottaLaff
Months after being deluged with calls about a commemorative plate, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White unveiled an "Illinois Salutes Barack Obama" temporary license plate Friday.
The plates, featuring President Obama's smiling face on top of a waving American flag, can be used for 60 days, beginning Feb. 17 and ending April 17. They cost $50 and all proceeds benefit state libraries.
Go here to order a set. But remember, on April 17, when the clock strikes twelve, they disappear. Poof.
U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship
By GottaLaff
Who will scream the loudest about this? Names! I want names:
Why does our military hate America?Stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American military will begin recruiting skilled immigrants who are living in this country with temporary visas, offering them the chance to become United States citizens in as little as six months.
Immigrants who are permanent residents, with documents commonly known as green cards, have long been eligible to enlist. But the new effort, for the first time since the Vietnam War, will open the armed forces to temporary immigrants if they have lived in the United States for a minimum of two years, according to military officials familiar with the plan.
Recruiters expect that the temporary immigrants will have more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist, helping the military to fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis. [...]
A preliminary Pentagon announcement of the program last year drew a stream of angry comments from officers and veterans on Military.com, a Web site they frequent. [...]
The military does not allow illegal immigrants to enlist, and that policy would not change, officers said. Recruiting officials pointed out that volunteers with temporary visas would have already passed a security screening and would have shown that they had no criminal record. [...]
Military officials want to attract immigrants who have native knowledge of languages and cultures that the Pentagon considers strategically vital. The program will also be open to students and refugees. [...]
To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test. [...]
Commenters who vented their suspicions of the program on Military.com said it could be used by terrorists to penetrate the armed forces.
U.S. graft in Iraq: Overcoming a Hirtle, hearing an alarm Bell
By GottaLaff
Remember all that loose cash in Iraq that floated around and was never accounted for? Bricks and bricks of $100 bills, millions stuffed into sacks that were never subjected to any oversight whatsoever? Millions that could have been put toward more, um, constructive projects? Yeah, me too:
What kind of corruption? Why, thank you for asking. This kind:Federal authorities examining the early, chaotic days of the $125 billion American-led effort to rebuild Iraq have significantly broadened their inquiry to include senior American military officers who oversaw the program, according to interviews with senior government officials and court documents.
Court records show that last month investigators subpoenaed the personal bank records of Col. Anthony B. Bell, who is now retired from the Army but who was in charge of reconstruction contracting in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 when the small operation grew into a frenzied attempt to remake the country’s broken infrastructure. In addition, investigators are examining the activities of Lt. Col. Ronald W. Hirtle of the Air Force, who was a senior contracting officer in Baghdad in 2004, according to two federal officials involved in the inquiry.
It is not clear what specific evidence exists against the two men, and both said they had nothing to hide from investigators. Yet officials say that several criminal cases over the past few years point to widespread corruption in the operation the men helped to run.
[T]ens of thousands of dollars stuffed into pizza boxes and delivered surreptitiously to the American contracting offices in Baghdad, and payoffs made in paper sacks that were scattered in “dead drops” around the Green Zone, the nerve center of the United States government’s presence in Iraq...And guess what? They're inching up the military hierarchy to find answers:
Prosecutors have won 35 convictions on cases related to reconstruction in Iraq, yet most of them involved private contractors or midlevel officials. The current inquiry is aiming at higher-level officials, according to investigators involved in the case, and is also trying to determine if there are connections between those officials and figures in the other cases.But wait! What's this I hear about blaming the failures in Iraq on poor planning and unforeseen violence? Not necessarily so, you say?
The reconstruction effort, intended to improve services and convince Iraqis of American good will, largely managed to do neither. The wider investigation raises the question of whether American corruption was a primary factor in damaging an effort whose failures have been ascribed to poor planning and unforeseen violence.Come on, how bad could it really be? Hint: Trick or treat!
Brick by brick...The investigations, which are being conducted by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, the Justice Department, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command and other federal agencies, cover a period when millions of dollars in cash, often in stacks of shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills, were dispensed from a loosely guarded safe in the basement of one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces.
Former American officials describe payments to local contractors from huge sums of cash dumped onto tables and stuffed into sacks as if it were Halloween candy.
“You had no oversight, chaos and breathtaking sums of money,” said Senator Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat who helped create the Wartime Contracting Commission, an oversight board. “And over all of that was the notion that failure was O.K. It doesn’t get any better for criminals than that set of circumstances.”
A message to basketball fans from an All-Star named Obama
By GottaLaff
Fans of talented tall people should always listen to other talented tall people:
President Obama will urge basketball fans to serve their communities in a message taped to air during halftime of Sunday's NBA All-Star game, the White House announced Saturday.Slam dunk.
"In this time of so much need in our communities and across our country, we are blessed with endless ways to restore hope and opportunity in places that yearn for both," Obama says in excerpts released by the White House.
"Read to a child. Or fix up a local basketball court so the next generation can play and grow," the president says. "I encourage everyone to join the NBA in the spirit of service to others."
Bristol Palin's future mother-in-law has a fancy new lawyer
By GottaLaff
Sherry Johnston came to court Friday morning with an entourage -- son Levi, daughter Mercedes, and her new attorney, prominent Anchorage defense lawyer Rex Butler.Now Sherry can say the Butler did it.Johnston left with a new trial date: May instead of March.
The 42-year-old pleaded not guilty last month to six felony counts of possessing and selling the prescription painkiller OxyContin. [...]
Her arrest received national attention because her son, Levi Johnston, 18, is the father of Gov. Sarah Palin's grandson, Tripp, born in December. [...]
With the presidential election over and the national media long gone, no one paid special attention to the group, though Superior Court Judge Eric Smith did ask one of the young men to remove his ball cap.
Butler told Smith that he filed notice Friday morning that he was taking over as Johnston's lawyer, replacing a state-funded attorney from the Office of Public Advocacy. He asked Smith to push back the trial to allow him to get up to speed on the case.
Smith set a new trial date of May 18.
Butler [is]one of the busiest defense attorneys in Anchorage...
Karl Rove may have to testify as Obama's lawyers get involved
By GottaLaff
White House counsel Gregory Craig issued a statement late Friday encouraging former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove to cut a deal with Congress, an indication the new administration has begun to put pressure on President George W. Bush's former chief adviser.[pouting] No. Don't wanna settle. Wanna throw Rove in prison.
"The president is very sympathetic to those who want to find out what happened," Obama's White House counsel Gregory Craig said in a statement yesterday to The Washington Post's Carrie Johnson. "But he is also mindful as president of the United States not to do anything that would undermine or weaken the institution of the presidency. So, for that reason, he is urging both sides of this to settle."
Moreover, the Obama White House is now trying to work out an agreement with former Bush administration staff -- seemingly going over the head of the man some once dubbed "Bush's brain."[holding breath until I turn blue] No. No leeway. Testify. Then, prison.
Craig's statement does, however, seem to suggest that Bush's former adviser will be granted some leeway as to the form of his deposition to Congress in lieu of President George W. Bush's claim that Rove is protected by executive privilege.
The winds appear to be changing. Obama lawyers and Bush representatives are now "engaged in discussions that could clear a path for congressional testimony by onetime Bush aide Karl Rove, three sources familiar with the talks" told Johnson for Saturday's Post.Why do I feel sqeamish?
The negotiations surfaced on the same day House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) issued his third subpoena compelling to Rove to testify in less than two years. Seeing that Conyers is not backing down, Rove's attorney has hinted at a more conciliatory position, and Bush advisers seem to have all but conceded that they must allow Rove to testify in some form.
"Democrats say President Obama's view of the matter may open the door for Rove's eventual appearance on Capitol Hill," Johnson said.
But Conyers said he would not accept testimony about Siegelman without testimony about the US Attorneys.Just. Don't. Cave. Please, Prez O, that's all we ask.
"I do not believe it is acceptable for the Committee to allow witnesses to unilaterally determine what they can and cannot testify concerning," he wrote yesterday.
Here are the rules: No immunity. Under oath. On the record. Then, prison.
VIDEO: Crankypants GOP leader Boehner throws stimulus bill on House floor
By GottaLaff
Whiny little NoNo Repubabies throw things when they're mad:
A simple "nay" vote wasn't enough for Republican Congressman John Boehner this afternoon, as the $787 billion stimulus package headed toward passage: While speaking before C-SPAN cameras, the House leader had to toss all 1,073 pages of the bill onto the august chamber's floor in disgust.Waa-a-ah! Someone go get the Boehner his wittle Boehner Binky.
Holding a massive white stack of paper in his hand, Boehner registered his disdain -- shared by every other Republican House member, all of whom voted against the bill -- by noting that no one has read it. [...]
"Our [Republican] ideas weren't considered," Boehner said. "We weren't allowed in the room. We weren't allowed to participate at all. And all the talk about bipartisanship that we have heard over the last several months went down the drain."
Oh, and I guess Baby BoehnHead forgot about this.
Rachitude
By GottaLaff
—Photo: Ashton Worthington
Go read the whole thing. It's Rachelicious.Mother Jones: You're TV's "It Girl." Why did your popularity take off so explosively?
Rachel Maddow: Two things happened. One, I opened up an umbrella factory at the start of monsoon season. The other thing was that Keith Olbermann's ratings are off the charts, so I have the best lead-in in cable news. I just hit the contextual lottery.
MJ: You've risen to fame critiquing the Bush administration. Will your show change without that foil?
RM: As if Fox News did really poorly with Bush in the White House? [...]
MJ: You're representing on a lot of different fronts: women, youngish people, gays and lesbians, lefties, Oxford PhDs, comic book enthusiasts...RM: People who aren't conventionally attractive or a size zero, people with unruly hair. [...]
MJ: Speaking of mirrors, you changed your look a lot for TV. How was that handled?
RM: It wasn't at anybody else's encouraging. I wanted my appearance to not be the only thing people would pay attention to. So essentially I was seeking genericness.
MJ: Will women eventually be able to host a show and wear glasses?
RM: I'm not sure msnbc would stop me from wearing my glasses now if I wanted to. The problem is technical, in that the frames are cheap plastic and they reflect. [...]
MJ: Still, it's nice that you have a hipster sensibility. There's something so homogenized about the news on every level.
RM: Working in news is a homogenizing lifestyle—that's part of the problem. People say, "You seem too normal." Well, yeah, I've been in this industry for six weeks. Wait until I've been working 14-hour days and having no outside life for five years. [...]
MJ: But as the first lesbian talk-show news host...I don't know what title you'd use...
RM: It's a very small glass ceiling I've broken. [...] I'm in favor of outing when people have demonized or scapegoated gay people for their own public gain. I don't think just being a Republican is reason enough.
MJ: You've been an activist. Is being a journalist influenced by progressive values the same thing?
RM: No. Activism is setting a goal of something you would like to be different, and figuring out what would have to change to achieve that goal. [...] The only thing I'm trying to change in the world is to increase the amount of useful information in it. And entertainment, honestly.
MJ: Speak of your love of Pat Buchanan.
RM: Aww. Pat is a good debater, and I love that, and he has strong beliefs. He listens to people who disagree with him and he's not condescending. [...] And he knows a lot. You want to talk Watergate? He was there. You want to talk culture war? That was him. Southern strategy, comma, Buchanan. [...]
MJ: You're writing a book about the influence of politics on the US Military. How is it changing?
RM: My central thesis is that we need more politics in the military. This idea of "the foreign policy consensus" gave Congress an excuse to be hands-off about deploying armed forces for reasons that never got debated and were often scandalous when they came to light. The number of Iraq veterans who ran for Congress this year? Holy shit. To have the Democratic Party become the party of the veterans? There's a realignment happening at the urging of members of the military who are sick of being used.
MJ: Olbermann just renegotiated his contract for a reported $7.5 million a year. When do you get to renegotiate?
RM: For $7.5 million? Ha! It remains to be seen whether I'm a flash in the pan.
Congress nukes billions for nukes/nuclear power in recovery bill
By GottaLaff
The U.S. Congress eliminated billions of dollars for nuclear weapons and nuclear energy from the economic stimulus bill Wednesday.It's issues like those that explain numbers like these:
Of the billions struck from the plan, $1 billion had been set aside for nuclear weapons and $50 billion was reserved for loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants, said the arms control group Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF).In addition to posing a serious threat to humanity, nuclear weapons constitute a significant drain on the United States' financial and scientific resources, writes NAPF in its 10 Reasons to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. [...]
The $50 billion of loan guarantees for nuclear power plants could have led to the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants at a time when other sources of energy are growing much faster, said environmental groups. [...]
Congress' decision to cut the stimulus money for the nuclear industry translates into a huge success for anti-nuclear groups like NAPF, which has long campaigned "to encourage elected officials to establish policies that will reduce and eliminate the nuclear threat."
[I]f you look at the numbers, congressional Democrats are pretty popular. And congressional Republicans are extremely unpopular. [...] Dems are at about 50% or higher in most recent polls, while the GOP is down in the 30s.
No thy neighbor: First Gregg, now dreg
By GottaLaff
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich yesterday promised to avenge Gregg by holding up the Commerce Department completely:“The idea they would have U.S. Census [controlled by the White House] is such a terrible idea that Republican senators should announce that no member of the Commerce Department will be cleared and approved until they put the census back in the Commerce Department,” Gingrich said.
As Gregg himself has admitted, this issue didn’t play a big role in his decision and these claims are overhyped. “The way it was explained to me is that the Census would still report to the Commerce Secretary, but the White House wanted to have a major interest in the census process also,” he said on CNBC.
While taking a break trying to disprove evolution, Newtie McNoNo wants to avenge Gregg... via more obstructionist tactics. Good move.
I have a feeling it's the American people who are about to become the avengers, and it's not going to be Judd Gregg they're avenging. It will be their president.
Congress strengthens exec pay limits
By GottaLaff
President Barack Obama's economic team tried to keep Democratic allies negotiating the stimulus bill from limiting paychecks for bank executives at banks in need of a bailout. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and economic aide Lawrence Summers failed.Sen. Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, inserted strict rules into the $787 billion economic stimulus package over the White House's objections. Dodd's limits on bankers' bonuses are significantly more aggressive those sought by Obama or Geithner in recent days, with much fanfare.
Dodd, D-Conn., said the restrictions - an executive making $1 million a year in salary could receive only $500,000 in bonus money, for example - are necessary if Obama plans asks Congress for more money to save the financial sector.
"It will never happen as long as the public perceives that there are people getting rich," Dodd said in an interview. "Save their pay or save capitalism."
That tone among Democrats flavored much of the discussion about how to write the stimulus bill, which the president could sign as early as Monday. Despite direct appeals from Geithner, Summers and White House officials, Democrats didn't budge, according to administration officials.
Bush speechwriter compares Obama's recovery plan to Bush's Iraq
By GottaLaff
David Frum has the unmitigated gall to compare Bush's sick, sadistic war to Prez O's economic recovery package? Really?
An interesting argument from former Bush speechwriter David Frum:Hmm. This one's a real brain teaser. Let me put on my Official Liberal Thinking Cap, made from hemp, and see if I can figure it all out.
"After 9/11, President Bush (supported by me, among others) argued that the right way to respond to a terrorist attack from Afghanistan was by overthrowing Saddam Hussein. We offered a complicated explanation for this roundabout response, and for a time the public accepted it. But as the war went wrong, and failed to deliver the promised results, our plan's credibility collapsed."
"Now the Democrats have placed themselves in a similar situation. They are offering an indirect answer to an immediate question."
Iraq invasion: Killed millions of innocent people. Fraudulent. Congress never voted to approve. Destroyed lives. Intentionally blew people and places to smithereens. Rebuilding efforts were half-hearted, designed to put money in the pockets of slimy contractors who had ties to BushCo. Because of it-- disaster. Key words: War, botched, failure, violate, weaken, attack, death, destruction, devastation, chaos, expensive, unnecessary, wrong.
Obama recovery package: Saves American lives. Saves American jobs. Legal. Urgent. Congress voted to approve. Intentionally improves American quality of life. Rebuilding and construction are major components. Without it-- disaster. Key words: Recovery, help, aid, repair, rebuild, improve, reconstruction, vital, solution, revive, mandatory, resuscitate.
One more thought: Without Bush's dirty, costly, endless war/occupation, much of this dire economic crisis could have been avoided.
Quickie: The Party of No just says "No" to being the Party of No
By GottaLaff
Meantime, here is a quickie. Roll Call is subscription only, so this is all I could grab. I found it laughable, and had to share:
The Party of No is in denial. It says "No!" to charges that it is the No Party. No kidding.The party that has twice unified to oppose Democratic-authored economic stimulus legislation is neither the party of no, nor a party defined by its unanimous opposition to the new president's agenda.
Fox News’ Fact-Checker Lies About ‘Phantom Earmarks’
In this respect, who's to say there isn't a provision in the bill to harness Republicans to windmills to create electricity for the country? That's an earmark to believe in... Via Think Progress.
Cable Out
Gottalaff just wanted me to let ya'll know that her cable is out. Regularly scheduled blogging (by her) will resume when the Cable Gods say so.
Happy Valentine's Day
Fine, here's some Valentine's related links for you love junkies also, and as such.
D.C. power couples recall the first spark
Henry VIII reveals his softer side in never-before-seen gushing love letter to Anne Boleyn
'That's the one for me: the search is over'
Valentine's Day playlist: 10 great love songs
Trade a gun for a rose in SC on Valentine's Day
Public still sky-high on Obama 'brand'
The Villagers need to get out and about more.
With Barack Obama’s victory in passing a massive stimulus package marred by days of bad press—as not a single House Republican backed the bill, his Health Czar went down in flames and his second pick for Commerce Secretary walked away—the administration has been cut down to size, and lost some of its bipartisan sheen.
Such, at least, has been the beltway chatter, but so far the numbers don’t back it up.
Obama’s approval rating remains well above 60% in tracking polls. A range of state pollsters said they’d seen no diminution in the president’s sky-high approval ratings, and no improvement in congressional Republicans’ dismal numbers.
(snip)
"It’s eerie—I read the news from the Beltway, and there’s this disconnect with the polls from the Midwest that I see all around me,” said Ann Seltzer, the authoritative Iowa pollster who works throughout the Midwest.
Woman arrested in Ariz. on terrorism charges, threatens Obama
G-d damn it, this boils my fracking blood. The Terrorists are here and damn proud of themselves. I realize that this woman is mentally ill, but something is fueling this, and I damn well know what it is. See video above if you don't believe me.
WILLIAMS - A New Mexico woman has been arrested on terrorism charges after police say she rammed her truck into a fuel tanker and tried to ignite it.Oh, and don't forget this from earlier in the week- White Supremacist, Angry Over Obama, Killed With Dirty Bomb Components In House.
Williams police were called to a gasoline station Thursday after a woman rammed her truck into the tanker, which was unloading fuel at the time.
Officers and the fuel truck driver wrestled the woman to the ground before she could ignite the fuel storage tanks with a cigarette and lighter.
Before the incident, police said the woman had threatened customers and clerks to blow up the business and threatened to kill President Barack Obama.
Judges put limits on absentee ballots in MN senate trial
Josh has more here on why this is Norm's deathknell. So sad.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) – Republican Norm Coleman was dealt a major legal blow Friday evening as the three judge panel overseeing the post-election trial issued an order that significantly limits which rejected absentee ballots may be reconsidered in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race election.
Counting improperly rejected absentee ballots to prevent what they say was voter disenfranchisement has been a pivotal theme of Coleman's case.
In their order, the judges said they are "confident that…there is no systemic problem of disenfranchisement in the state's election system, including in its absentee balloting procedures."
Stimulus Plan Passes Senate
Taegan wraps it up for me, and don't forget, the GOP voted against biggest middle-class tax cut in history.
A sharply divided Congress approved President Obama's $787.2 billion economic stimulus package late Friday night. The final vote in the Senate was 60 to 38.
The bill now heads to the president's desk for his signature. Obama called the bill "a major milestone" in turning around the economy.
CQ Politics: "Dramatizing the razor-thin margin of the vote," Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) "flew into Andrews Air Force Base outside the nation's capital from Mansfield, Ohio, on a government-chartered aircraft arranged by the White House, after aides said Brown determined there was no commercial air service that could bring him to Washington and back to Ohio Friday night. After voting, Brown flew back to his home state for the funeral Saturday morning."
The New York Times has a good run down of what's included in the final package.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Hardball: Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Brian Bilbray on the Stimulus Package Vote
Funny that I've been looking for this bit of vid since 630p EST and it's still not available on MSNBC, I had to snag it from C&L. Wonder why?
Harold Ford Jr For Commerce?
I'm all for it if it gets him off the pundit circuit.
Harold Ford Jr. for Commerce Secretary? It's something a few Democrats around town are pushing and, according to sources, the idea of appointing the former Tennessee Congressman is being given serious thought by folks high up in the Obama administration.
On paper, Ford checks a lot of boxes for a an easy-to-confirm nominee for this post: He's a pro-business Democrat (remember, this is Commerce Secretary so the job is to be a promoter of business); he's a former member of the Congressional Black Caucus (you'll recall this whole kerfuffle over control of the census under a Judd Gregg-led Commerce Dept. was started by complaints from the CBC); and he's a practiced spokesperson on TV (the Geithner rollout this week is a reminder that the administration doesn't have enough solid media savvy members of his team who can sell the administration's policies.).
There is one, potential, gigantic problem: Ford's current place of employment -- Merrill Lynch.
Comment Of The Day
Okay, okay, I know since I'm working mostly solo today I'm leaning on the easy, but this was just too f'ng good. From the comments on a thread at Politico-
/cue wingnut head explosions: 3, 2, 1...
Peter Gabriel pulls out of Oscars after organisers shorten his performance to just 65 seconds
Aw hell no. Peter Gabriel's supposed to sing a song in 65 seconds? Not possible, and I'm glad he told them so.
Peter Gabriel has pulled out of his performance at the Oscars ceremony after organisers shortened his stage time to just 65 seconds.
In a video on his website, the Academy Award-nominated singer said he had hoped to perform the complete version of Down To Earth.
(snip)
Gabriel said: 'It's a bit unfortunate'.
But he added he was 'an old fart' who could afford to 'make a little protest'.
Five Columnists Join Obama on Air Force One
Nice move. Parker looks to be the one that's been harshest so far.
Also joining, the Obamas on Air Force One: five newspaper columnists, invited to join the president for an on-the-record sit-down onboard the plane.
According to one columnist, it was a very last minute invite from the White House (around 8 p.m. Thursday).
Those invited include the Chicago Tribune's Clarence Page, the New York Times's Bob Herbert, the Atlantic's Ron Brownstein, and the Washington Post's EJ Dionne and Kathleen Parker.
Obama and the Press (So Far)
Laura Flanders does a round table featuring FOB Greg Mitchell, Chris Hayes and Nomi Prins.
Comedienne Wanda Sykes to Entertain at White House Correspondents' Dinner
Damn, I saw this yesterday and forgot all about it. Gonna make for some interesting viewing.
NEW YORK- Wanda Sykes will soon get the chance to make fun of President Barack Obama to his face.Video is Wanda on healthcare and is very slightly NSFW.
The comic actress said Thursday that she has been selected as the entertainer at the annual White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner in Washington, slated for May 9.
(snip)
"The first thing I did when they asked me to do this gig — I made sure my taxes were paid," quipped Sykes, taking a dig at the withdrawal of former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle from Obama's cabinet due to unpaid taxes.
Obama to outline foreclosure plan in Phoenix
Arizona, Arizona. Seems to me that someone from out there tried to do something important last year, with no effect...
WASHINGTON - Several major banks are expanding their efforts to halt home foreclosures while the Obama administration develops its plan to help struggling homeowners.
The White House said President Barack Obama will outline his much-anticipated plan to spend at least $50 billion to prevent foreclosures on Wednesday in a speech in Phoenix.
(snip)
Obama's announcement next week is expected to include details about how the administration plans to spend at least $50 billion on foreclosure prevention and establish national standards for modifying home loans.
A Democratic Senate aide said Friday that the plan is likely to include hefty incentive payments designed to encourage the lending industry to lower mortgage rates or reduce the total principal amount owed by borrowers. The idea has become attractive to Obama officials, the aide said, because it is expected to be far less expensive than having the government buy up loans out of mortgage-linked securities.
Final Language of Stimulus Confirms Whistleblower Protections for Private Contractors
By GottaLaff
Recently, I angrily posted about Susan Collins killing whistleblower protection in the recovery bill. Fortunately, things have changed somewhat:
Turns out the final language included in the agreed-upon stimulus bill does indeed include protections for employees of government contractors — like KBR, Halliburton, etc. — who report fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer money, even if they report within their own company rather than to an outside government agency. [...]Let's hope so.
An amendment by Senator Claire McCaskill fixed that problem. The final language is here.
Still, federal employees, despite almost a decade of internal congressional wrangling about the problem, remain wholly unprotected. Although Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Todd Platts (R-Pa.) had proposed a bi-partisan provision on this that the House had adopted, the Senate conferees rejected it, apparently over concerns that providing protections for intelligence employees could somehow end up revealing classified information if they brought retaliation claims. [...]“It is not too late for accountability,” [Tom Devine, legal director for the non-profit Government Accountability Project] said in a statement released today. “After nearly ten years of hearings and votes, there is no excuse to spend nearly a trillion dollars without safe passage for federal employees who risk their careers to keep it honest.”
Congress could still lock in federal whistleblowers protections before the money starts getting spent in 120 days, he said, adding: “The politicians owe it to the taxpayers.”
Karl Rove Subpoenaed … Again
By GottaLaff
It’s official: the House Judiciary Committee has once again subpoenaed Karl Rove, former President George W. Bush’s longtime adviser and aide, to testify before the committee on the politicization of the Justice Department and his involvement in the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D). [...]Apparently, Rove has made it clear that despite the new administration, he still won’t be showing up to testify. In a letter to Rove’s attorney, Bob Luskin, Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) said he won’t delay the hearing any further, just so Rove can continue to blow them off:
Thus, absent an actual commitment by Mr. Rove to comply with the subpoena, I am not in a position to agree to yet a further delay. In essence, given Mr. Rove’s public statements that he does not intend to comply with the subpoena, I am puzzled as to why Mr. Rove needs a mutually convenient date to fail to appear.
Stop playing footsy. Send the Congressional police, drag him in, cite him for contempt, provide him with a jail cell, throw away the key.
BREAKING: House passes recovery bill + Where's the GOP's better plan? Thom Hartmann sounds an alarm
By GottaLaff
BREAKING: House passes economic rescue bill 246-183.
UPDATE: Not one House Republican voted for the bill.
Nancy Pelosi just gave Prez O credit for passing an economic package faster than any president in history.
Via the L.A. Times letters to the editor:
Where's GOP's better plan?Letter #1:
Re "Centrists over the line," Opinion, Feb. 10
I would like Jonah Goldberg to tell me where the "fiscal conservatives" have been the last eight years. So far, all I hear from the Republicans is that they have a better plan.Letter #2:
The only thing they mention is more tax cuts, and the rest of this better plan is practically a state secret known only to Republican insiders.
If, as the saying goes, art "feeds the soul," and if, as right-wing pundit Goldberg writes, the National Endowment for the Arts is a "liberal priority," my suspicion that conservatives have no souls would appear to be well-founded.Meantime, I'm listening as Thom Hartmann sounds the alarm about how the Republicans are doing everything they can to push the claim that the Democrats and their recovery package are a complete failure. They will rant right into 2010, about how we've squandered trillions, knowing full well the recovery would take a couple of years to have any real effect. They will say the Democrats' plan was an utter disaster... prematurely, in order to win elections. It's a P.R. war, and they've already started it.
Hartmann:
"They will distract us with petty squabbles." [He also repeatedly refers to this post at Think Progress, re: Grover Norquist.] "A power play is being played by the conservative economic elite, that has been conducted in push-back against the New Deal since the election of '46, preventing Truman's single payer national health care deal."Team Obama needs to push their message loud and clear, and drown out these obstructionist, elitist wingnuts. And they better win the P. R. war or this country is sunk.
"The economic royalists were brought back by Ronald Reagan, and they are getting fat and rich while destroying our economy. The 'impartial press' (see this post) are Twittering together with Rove, and Norquist is saying, “This is the bill that the Republican Party will be running against in 2010 and 2012 and 2014.”
Robert Gibbs' Daily Briefing, February 13, liveblog
By GottaLaff
Let's see how the librul media treats the press secretary today. I'm sure they'll be gentle and respectful and all kid-glovey, treating him exactly the way they treated Bush.
Q: Judd Gregg... Is there a sense that the WH isn't thinking hard enough about each nominee? What can you do to stop people from dropping out and causing embarrassment?
A: Obama continues to have great respect and admiration for Gregg. He had a change of heart/mind (Gregg), and would have had a hard time serving on any cabinet. ... The president was disappointed, but he remains focused on the work he has in front of him. The progress on our agenda bodes well for the economy, the American people. We're on the cusp of some big developments, 800 billion dollar recovery plan... People will take the long view. Lots of work continues, challenges are ahead. He's focused on looking forward.
Q: Bank plan... Geithner. [sorry, missed the question, got busy and only heard key words]
A: The administration is working on the financial stability package. I didn't understand your question. [Q: The plan is short on details. ] He continues to move forward to put a plan in place to stabilize the system. This won't be solved overnight.
Q, Tapper: Caterpillar.... CEO said he didn't think the package would let him rehire workers in the short term. Today he said the package would help move the economy toward recovery, and could hire over time. Not exactly what Obama said.
A: Prez said that the plan would allow him to rehire some employees. What you just said, and what prez said are consistent.
Tapper [impatient]: I don't even know how to respond to this. [he repeats his prior Q] Today he said this package plus other packages worldwide, over time...
A: [repeats his previous statement]
Tapper [impatient]: Okay, I won't belabor it.
Q, Chuck Todd: Was Obama upset that the CEO said he'd lay more people off? There's a disconnect.
A: He's always concerned about the job situation. He's said many times the economy will get worse before it gets better.
Q: Anything about Afghanistan in the week ahead? Today, the Pentagon said it could happen this week, troops going in.
A: Nothing is on my schedule for this week. The prez hasn't made a decision on augmenting our forces. You'd hear him talk about this. Once this happens, other things have to happen, notify units, families, Congress... You too will be notified by either me, or someone like me...
Chip Reid: If the stimulus is passed today, why wait till Monday to sign it?
A: We won't receive the bill until then, the paperwork has to be done... Knock on wood. Monday or Tuesday. It's a huge priority. We'll have a signing ceremony and talk about the positive impacts... on Denver, Tuesday. And he'll talk about foreclosures, as well as financial stability, regulatory reform, other aspects.
Chip: What can you do differently to make sure the nomination thing doesn't happen again?
A: What might we pose? You tell us [paraphrased]... You ask a lot of questions... I'll pass on your ten best questions to expand our process. It's hard to generalize over individual instances. Even today, "is bipartisanship dead?" is in the papers. It all seems somewhat silly to me, the arguments. Look at the almost 4 weeks of this administration... and before, Obama was talking to Senators, approving money for financial stability.. was done with Rs and Ds. SCHIP, for example... done with Rs and Ds. When the dust settles today, you'll see an economic recovery plan because Rs and Ds worked together. We'll continue to reach out to Rs.
Q: Controlling the census bureau...
A: Commerce will oversee that, in consultation with Congress and the WH.
Q: Why in consultation with the WH?
A: Historically, they've been involved. The census will be done out of the census bureau, Commerce.
Q: Allow judges to alter terms of the mortgage?
A: We'll address that Wednesday.
Q: Job creation: Is prez too optimistic? The numbers? Caterpillar...?
A: The numbers depend on the package/the legislation. The principles of the plan do what is needed to save or create 3.5 million jobs, the number that the economic team is comfortable with. Not laying off teachers, cops. Investment in energy... likely to increase employment. He's optimistic, but understands that the economy is getting worse. The unemployment rate over the last 3 mos. is about the same as the previous 9 months.
Photo of the Day, with bonus Karl Rove TWITter!
By GottaLaff
"Twitpic". Perfect.@tomatcc: “ALL CLEAR!” Dick’s in Wyoming. 8:45 AM yesterday
@KarlRove: You’re correct—unfortunately Cheney’s not here. But, I look forward to my next hunt with him. #TCOT #SGP 9:54 AM yesterday
Fox News’s Chris Wallace and the Weekly Standard’s Fred Barnes accompanied Rove, who also posted a “Twitpic” of Barnes with shotgun in one hand and dead bird in the other. Rove said Barnes hit “two out of a covey.”
Justice Ginsburg at home
By GottaLaff
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been released from a New York hospital and is recovering from surgery at her home in Washington, a Supreme Court official says. [...]According to her doctors, during the surgery to remove that tumor, which turned out to be benign, they discovered a previously undetected and even smaller tumor.
It was that smaller tumor, one they did not know existed, that turned out to be cancerous.
Her doctors say Justice Ginsburg's lymph nodes showed no sign of cancer, and they do not believe the pancreatic cancer spread. [...]
Ginsburg's associates say she remains determined to be at the Supreme Court when the justices return to the bench on Monday, Feb. 23.
Myth-Information: "Poor press peons" edition
By GottaLaff
I will post these various headlines and excerpts without a lot of commentary, because, as I just told Paddy, I'm too angry to write coherently about the tone of the press the 20-minute-old White House is getting. Here are several examples of that vaunted objectivity from our esteemed media that everyone says is so damned liberal:
- Poll: Trouble signs for Obama over Cabinet picks?
- Dems target right-wing talk radio More and more Democrats in Congress are calling for action that Republicans warn could muzzle right-wing talk radio.
- RNC shows reporters some love
- From NBC's Chuck Todd:
"The White House Bubble"... I have to say, nothing is more frustrating than covering an actual event here at the White House if you at all believe in anything remotely having to do with the First Amendment. [...]
Today, it was so bad that we were kept behind closed doors so that these CEOs and other business leaders could leave without accidentally mingling with us poor press peons. [...]
Seriously, is this the picture the White House wants? CEOs who come to the people's house and then get rushed out so they don't have to deal with press questions? [...]
But public events like the one the president held today ought to allow the press a tad more access to these guests who are apparently involved in some of the people's business of the day. Just because a previous admin has "always done it this way" doesn't mean it's the way things should continue to be done.Message control is something every White House wants but sometimes when a White House attempts to control a message too much, they can irritate the press to the point that we all stop even paying attention to their message of the day. Just ask the previous occupant.
*** UPDATE, RESPONSE TO COMMENTORS: "This isn't about us not having access, this is about ANYONE having access... if it's NOT us, it's the public!...Beat us up all you want, but this isn't about us whining, it's about us not even being able to do the job you want us to do and that is be the people's questioner here. But, of course, having a respectable debate on this issue with some is impossible. The irony, of course, is that many of you would be just as upset about the lack of access as I am if the occupant of the White House were someone else.
Note to Chuck: It's spelled "CommentErs".
Okay, I can't resist sneaking one comment in: How about giving this administration just a little time to settle in, establish their M.O., and give them the opportunity to respond to your frustrations before venting publicly?
Maybe, just maybe, if the press were as fair to Team Obama as they want Team Obama to be to them, there would be a more reciprocal relationship.
Obama: Crash Is a Reminder of Fragility of Life
President Barack Obama paused to mourn those killed in the crash of Continental flight 3407 and the life of Sept. 11 widow Beverly Eckert who was one of the people lost Thursday night.
Hardened Obama plans new fights
This is the good shit.
Emboldened by his victory on the stimulus package — but chastened by the pothole-pocked road that got him there — -President Barack Obama and his aides are plunging ahead on a large and expensive agenda that virtually assures 2009 will be marked by intense partisan battles about the size and role of government.Cartoon via.
White House aides say they have concluded that Obama too frequently lost control of the debate and his own image during the stimulus battle. By this reckoning, the story became too much about failed efforts at bipartisanship and Washington deal-making, and not enough about the president’s public salesmanship.
For Obama’s next act, the program is the same as he has been planning for months: New Deal-style plans to rescue struggling homeowners and rewrite regulations on the financial markets, plus a budget proposal that lays the groundwork for sweeping health care reform.
Headline Of The Day
I've got to run out, and since Gotta hasn't drug herself out those perfumed silk sheets, here's a story to keep you busy.
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