oh please

“much-vaunted “access” is more of a curse than a blessing, both for him and for us:”

wha wha. Get over yourselves. Even the most leftist journos would trip over themselves for the same access.

Next time I’ll bring you a hanky.

A form of thought control keeps us from following through on that.

Woodward helped the White House get out the story about Bremer.

Woodward helped the White House get out the story about the Iraq war.

The Iraq war story is a lie.

Therefore, it’s likely that…oops, can’t go there, can we? It’s “conspiratorial.”
Forbidden.

Actually Woodward wrote stories that helped the White House way back in the day. Here’s the money passage from his Mark Felt book:

“In the following days I called Felt several times and he very carefully gave me leads as we tried to find out more about Bremer. It turned out that he had stalked some of the other candidates, and I went to New York to pick up the trail. This led to several front-page stories about Bremer’s travels, completing a portrait of a madman not singling out Wallace but rather looking for any presidential candidate to shoot. On May 18, I did a page – one article that said, “High federal officials who have reviewed investigative reports on the Wallace shooting said yesterday that there is no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Bremer was a hired killer.”

It was rather brazen of me. Though I was technically protecting my source and talked to others besides Felt, I did not do a good job of concealing where the information was coming from. Felt chastised me mildly. But the story that Bremer acted alone was a story that both the White House and the FBI wanted out.”

See what I mean? “…the story that the White House and the FBI wanted out.”

And this was before the Watergate reporting.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, bbq puppies…

That seems to be the bottom line pro Bush poll # even if they were to say – BBQ puppies

wasn’t there a puppy bbq last summer? didn’t he actually serve fried catfish?

what amazes me is how the MSM can proclaim how good the economy is, even though ford and gm are on the verge of bancrupsy, will close more than a dozen plants between them, and cut more than 50,0000 high paying jobs this round alone!

great economy, chimpy and MSM…

new thread

new thread

More disgust for the evening (as I make my weekly ground of global papers). This one’s in French (Le Monde)..
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/arti…..367,0.html

Bush kills Africans with his religiously-motivated AIDS policy. Some quotes of note (poorly translated on my part, I’m afraid):

“In this American philosophy, only prostitutes, truck drivers and HIV infectees”, says Sharonann Lynch, of ONG American Health Global access project (GAP).

Uganda, often presented as a success story in the fight against the AIDS, is the country where this American policy gained the most ground. “Since the Bush administration arrived, everything has changed. The money goes towards only religious groups which propose virginity but curse the condom”, says Béatrice Were, Ugandan activist working with Action Aid.

It’s good to see you people are still clinging to the good ol’ “Democrat” versus “Republican” theatrics with which the elite have imprisoned us.

Yeah, the next “Democrat” president is going to undo all of the bad this adminstration has caused, and we’ll all live happily ever after.

Geez. We talk about how clueless those on the right are. When will you realize there is no “left” left in America?

me3 – thanks for the post. My take is that 17% to 19 % are the truly delusioned. That seems to be the bottom line pro Bush poll # even if they were to say – BBQ puppies. The 30 % mislead by Fox – how to reach them ? As for writing letters – I write Senators – usually dems to offer support when needed. I write some rep’s but have a difficult time writing to scumbags.

I’m surprised that we’ve seen so few comparisons of the crimes of Nixon to the crimes of BushCo. Nixon was driven out of the White House for planning and covering up a crummy little burglary of Democratic papers. What Bush and his cabal have done is infinitely worse, with far greater consequences for millions of people.

Hehe on Taos. In light of today’s global warming fiasco (i.e., latest national embarassment), I can’t help but note how many Bushunta members prefer higher ground:– NM, WY, TX high plains, whatever. Do they know something we don’t? Or just being prudent?

BTW, had to go to Europe last month… had trouble getting served at bars and restaurants as an American in the mid-sized Spanish city I was in (five refused to seat me, including one that started to show me to a table until I spoke up with my ‘merican accent).. and then I got lectured at (for being American) in Amsterdam at every eating establishment I patronized… Not sure how things got this bad this fast.

JRW – Yeah it helps. It keeps me from having to dress and go knock on doors and nobody wants that. Trust me on this.

I got my home town paper positioned. I still write them, but when I read the editorials, I could have written them myself. There are major columnist, editors, investigative reporters… Getting mail from my list. Not just a letter here and there… And not stupid drivel.

It tears into their conscience when enough truth is poured on. They may have sipped the kool aid, but 2000 – 3000 strong dissenting opinions will outweigh a phone call by Karl… And Karl is in trouble, people will instinctively want to distance themselves… But they will still need a reason.

Give them the reason, and the political cover to take a stand, change their mind, do what’s right.

Some of them on the list, will never, ever change… I put the hardest core kool aid drinkers at the top of the list. They will never change… But… They will go on the defensive. They will stop pushing kool aid on others. They will try to hold a line… But it keeps them from advancing their positions.

For instance… And I could cause trouble and give you really specific instances, were I took on people like O’Reilly and Kristol (O’Reilly’s office has blocked me twice, Kristol no longer publishes for Yahoo News)…. But it’s takes the hard core goopers flat out of the game.

The TV media is hardest to move… They lag behind the print journalists and columnist… But there is serious movement underway… If we keep the pressure up… TV will shift positions and start to catch up.

Now… We all know the truth, no question, we are intellectual, educated, well read, have inquisitive minds… We are way, way, way out front… Leading the entire nation during a major political change.

There is 30% of the country that has been feeding off Fox news and a headline here and there for a long time. You can’t just start frogmarching perps out of the WH until these people have had a chance to become informed and a little better educated… Otherwise you have potentials for things like courthouse snipers and such cause people never got the word their good Christian leaders are corrupted evilists…

So change is gonna take a while. But it is in progress. We are winning this war… The actual facts, and we have them at our command, are incredibly damning. The problem is… 30% of the country have never heard the facts.

That last 12 – 0% are hopeless… They want a military dictatorship under General Jesus H Bush, the Rapture Man himself… And those people have drunk so much kool aid they either need to seek professional help, or be sent to another country to practice fascism, cause that is what they have become… They will never learn.

But as I see this… 88% of the country can be salvaged… But it takes media to teach them, and that mean televison.

Dems the facts as I see them :)

Word on the street in Angel Fire is that Rummy has sold out of Taos.

umm.. important task I mean

Woodward lost his umph when he became an insider. Cookies Galore Y’all. Jane, I’m surprised you don’t feature daily howler blog on your list of choices. That fellow is sharp on the INSIDER, down and dirty washington scoop.

Clearly the threat of imminent indictment by a Federal prosecutor constitutes such an imminent threat to the safety of the state.

All I can say is, whoever holds the next Dem presidential mandate has to be willling to sweep out the cobwebs with Rovian efficiency (this side of the law, of course). No quarter given. A few hundred federal prosecutors designated to the importance task of giving intimate and deeply personal attention to every Bushcoite. Every last gooper contract scrutinized by GAO and CBO. Reversal of all Rethug redistricting. Corporate media anti-trust actions galore. If this country is to retain any dignity whatsoever, the nails in the bushco coffin have to be spikes…

Why did George W. revise Executive Order 12958 on March 25, 2003?

Because Viveca Novak told Luskin about Rove.

SNIP
In an emergency, when necessary to respond to an imminent threat to life or in defense of the homeland, the agency head or any designee may authorize the disclosure of classified information to an individual or individuals who are otherwise not eligible for access.
SNIP
===================

Let’s turn them into kahlua roasted pig, or more aptly, carnitas.

In their desperation to create a new populist issue, illegal immigration, they’re alienating a vote they were trying to capture only last election cycle.

Good Night Maggie- and good luck.

“WASHINGTON (Dec. 9) – A seemingly hopeless divide within the Republican Party over oil drilling in a pristine wildlife refuge in Alaska is threatening to block unrelated budget cuts that are a central pillar of the GOP’s plans for this year.

The battle pits about two dozen pro-environment and newly empowered House Republicans against veteran GOP proponents of drilling who say the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may hold up to $500 billion worth of oil vital to the nation’s energy needs. Neither side is budging.

“The Senate won’t take anything that doesn’t have some sort of program for ANWR in it, and the House right now won’t take anything that does,” said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas.

Year after year, Republican leaders and energy industry supporters like Barton could ignore the two to three dozen House Republicans who opposed drilling in the Alaska refugee because their “no” votes were offset by an equal number of “yes” votes from oil-state Democrats.

But virtually every Democrat in Congress opposes the budget bill because of its cuts in popular social programs, so Republican leaders in the House don’t have that critical support from across the aisle to carry the vote on Alaska drilling.

The impasse threatens plans to deliver to its GOP political base by Christmas about $45 billion in spending cuts over the next five years. The base is uneasy with its party’s performance on spending and budget deficits. Passage of the budget bill is also an important step before Congress can extend expiring tax cuts.”

Interesting- a sea change in the House- where every member is up for re-election.

Goopers STILL can’t get a budget bill together.

Blub – Cheney never felt apartheid was wrong. yech !

Well, I am off to finally see Good Night, and Good Luck.

Goopers for apartheid. Yeh.

It might be a good thing, Blub. I might help make the point about how radical they are.

Blub– Yes- it is.

Just finished reading a history of Hawaii- In Hawaii- the gooper planters brought in asians to work in the cane fields— then fought to make sure that they couldn’t vote…

We are seeing the same tale replayed here.

Goopers have lured Mexicans into the country to provide low priced labor– now- as the second generation comes of age- they fear the results of their own greed– millions of hispanics with the vote- and 2/3 voting dem.

There has not been enough discussion of this demographic change..

We can already see the effects of the change in Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona- which are slowly moving away from the gooper column. We will see similar changes in Texas and Florida soon..

Goopers have shot themselves in the foot and now are whinin like stuck hogs.

OK. This is a very bad thing.
http://www.latimes.com/news/na…..-headlines

“A group of 92 lawmakers in the House will attempt next week to force a vote on legislation that would revoke the principle of “birthright citizenship,” part of a broader effort to discourage illegal immigration.

The push to change the citizenship policy is backed by some conservative activists and academics.”

Me3 – I’m a diligent writer. There are just too hot topics. I hope it helps. I think it does and you are a great inspiration

Terminator vs. Mad Max.

Maybe bubble boy is a fitting leader for a bubble people.

http://fusioner.proboards60.co…..1131129004

^^^ Pressure ^^^

I can’t tell you how important participation is. Some days I can’t think of anything spontaneous to write, I copy out some blog post, credit it, and email it to 60 media outlets…

Then I send it to my two Senators, and my House Rep… I try to hit everybody, every day, with the best material I can smack their faces with.

People got to pile on… Drive the message home… With a sledge.

I’ve noted momentum in American politics. It may swing like a pendulum. Many of us remember the doom and gloom of the Nixon years from yesterday’s posts and I remember feeling totally helpless. Remember how bad ‘68 and ‘69 were? But slowly, Watergate developed, and miraculously – Nixon resigned in disgrace. The same is happening again. The walls are cracking and we must continue to put the pressure on.

Just finishing “Seduced by Hitler”– Very good book! You can see where Rover got some of his ideas!

This EO was probably what the dems were standing on when they demanded (halfheatedly) that WH pull Rover’s clearance. But then why not make more of this?

I know I’m quite far behind the more erudite people here, but I’m clearly not understanding a few things here.

Dub: because Bush pulled a Vanna White with the wording, I guess. I excel in other things. This isn’t really my forte.

“Up to 42%” is nothing to brag about. When you lose your credibility (trust) which is the salient poll point, the rest doesn’t matter much. The overall trend is down with a spike up here and there.

I concur… The base is significantly weakened. There are no bright clouds on the horizon. Rove has him stabilized temporarily. But the news on this adminstration is so bad , and so true, that I can silence everybody in debate down to his 12 – 0 %

I will restate my opinion that Bush is a sociopath in the mold of Jim Jones. It’s really hard to get the true believers to accept facts.

And Executive Order 12958–which Bush updated on March 25, 2003– says that “officers and employees of the United States Government…shall be subject to appropriate sanctions if they knowingly, willfully, or negligently…disclose to unauthorized persons information properly classified.” The sanctions include “reprimand, suspension without pay, removal, termination of classification authority, loss or denial of access to classified information, or other sanctions.” So Rove ought to be slapped with one of those punishments.

hmmmmmnnnnn……..

Mad GOP Backs Mad Max: California Republicans continue to vent their anger with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) over his decision to hire a powerful Democratic activist as his chief of staff. While some conservative activists are demanding a private meeting with Schwarzenegger, others are opening discussing withdrawing the party’s endorsement for his re-election. A few have even set up a web site to encourage a primary challenge from actor Mel Gibson.

(DC Political Report)

Now THAT’S funny- dueling bad actors!

JRW,

“Regarding the voters. They follow like sheep. Many do not understand many of the issues and do not want to be ridiculed, so they feel the air for the popular position. And when it is forced down their throats by bullies ( Hannity et al ) they simply follow. I don’t know – still trying to figure it out.”

I here ya. Just a couple of years ago though, over 70% polled thought Iraq was behind 9/11. Not so anymore it looks like. The “cool-aid” is finally wearing off it looks like. I’m encouraged and I hope you are too.

ccmask,

So why does he still have a job??? Every dem should be holding this the 312 directive up as a reason why Rove must immediately be fired or suspended or whatever. I mean, if I got my lawyer to state publicly that I had violated the contractual terms of my security clearance, I can’t very well continue to hold that clearance, can I? Just talk to those Cal Berkeley idiots who ran (operative past tense) White Sands. And presumably Rover has access to a lot more than details on a warhead activation protocols.

On the Huffpost article, I propose the following addition:

“Bushed” is defined by the new Webster’s as “1. adj. lulled into a false sense of safety and acquiescence by propaganda; 2. adj. numbed into acceptance of leadership diametrically opposed to one’s personal wellbeing and moral standards; 3. n. person or people subjected to constant media barrages designed to alternately inculcate feelings of fear and greed.

Why did Bush Update it and is that why the Viveca/Luskin interview so important?
snip

KARL ROVEÂ’S NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTExecutive Order 12958 governs how federal employees are awarded security clearances in order to obtain access to classified information. It was last updated by President George W. Bush on March 25, 2003, although it has existed in some form since the Truman era.

just – I think fundamentally stupid, manipulated by the truly evil

Shame on us.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..11998.html

rw – Maybe Cook shouldn’t have called them the Sandwich Islands.

Maggie – I’m always a bit torn between whether W is truly evil, or just monumentally stupid. But I fear it may be both.

What we have now is rule by mob mentality.

“WRT the motivation of Bush’s actions — I think his decisions are coldly and politically calculated in spite of his mental, behavioral and substance abuse issues.”

Yes— course I’m abusing a margarita as we speak!

OT back to Rove’s impending indictment.

Something interrupted Fitzy’s plan, because from a practical point of view, it made sense to wrap up his indictment with the same gj who had been hearing the evidence and had witnessed Rove’s testimony (and the jurors’ ability to assess its veracity). Something clearly held him off.

I think Digby and QuickSilver made some good points. A crucial question arises as to whether VNovak (sorry, EW) told Luskin the contents of Cooper’s email, esp. the Wilson’s wife part.

I think not. I think that would have set off much more of a firestorm with a Rove pushback than what happened, which was virtually nothing. You couldn’t find a story about this leak in the MSM in 2004 to save your soul. Had Rove realized that his cover story was blown then, he would have fought back like he is now because he would know he was sunk.

No, Rove thought he was safe and his actions reflect that right up until the moment he realized that Cooper was going to testify. He didn’t fear a revelation about either the Hadley email or VNovak’s head’s up about Cooper being in conflict with his testimony because its contents are consistent with his public story and probably his wandering testimonies.

Sure, it could be true that he wanted to clean up his testimony about whether he talked to Cooper, but he knew the contents of the email would protect his public and sworn statements so long as Cooper never testified.

So the timing of the VNovak/Luskin conversation is a (fun) parlor game except if either of them is lying under oath.

WRT the motivation of Bush’s actions — I think his decisions are coldly and politically calculated in spite of his mental, behavioral and substance abuse issues.

Regarding the voters. They follow like sheep. Many do not understand many of the issues and do not want to be ridiculed, so they feel the air for the popular position. And when it is forced down their throats by bullies ( Hannity et al ) they simply follow. I don’t know – still trying to figure it out.

Dub–I guess that’s why Rove’s in so much trouble–because he doesn’t have security clearance!!

But, I’m sure everyone already knows about this, right?

“The American voter has depressed me ever since 2000, yet alone 2004. Completely shallow and greedy, and this is caused by a bought and sold press that we lost in the eighties, a planned decline of the education system…oh I could keep on going but … did I mention poison media Fox ?
JRW | 12.09.05 – 8:05 pm | # “

Yeah- sometimes I want to think that they have some primitive understanding that makes everything OK in the end- but that’s pretty difficult to sustain.

Blub-sounds important to me. Did you check Libby yet?

Just– Yes- a VERY special place. I read a good history on the place while I was there- it has a pretty interesting history– from Capt. Cook gettin himself eaten to the present.

“WASHINGTON – President BushÂ’s improved standing with whites, men, Catholics and other core supporters has been a key factor in pushing his job approval rating up to 42 percent. ThatÂ’s the highest level since summer.”

“Up to 42%” is nothing to brag about. When you lose your credibility (trust) which is the salient poll point, the rest doesn’t matter much. The overall trend is down with a spike up here and there.

Reading this thread and coming across the bit about Rummy in Taos was horrific. At that moment I was imagining leaving a case of pinot noir from the local dundee hills buried under some tree in gratitude for the Ladies of the Lake to find in their respective areas – a la the sacred martini tree at…TAOS…only to have my reverie turn into a spiritual cataclysm involving Skeletor.
.

Redd, sorry to be nit-picky, but in your “Question” post from earlier, at the end, you stated that this (our political system) is a democracy.

Well, that’s what our elites may have turned it into (or convinced us that’s what it is), but it isn’t. We are a representative republic.

I realize you probably know that, but I had to state it anyway. We’re not a democracy – democracies are no better than authoritarian types of government.

In a representative gov’t, you need compromise, cohesion, and a sense of cooperation and mutual understanding. In a democracy, all you need is to get 51% of the entire public to agree, which stifles all of these desired outcomes.

Think of it this way: representative republic is like needing 3/4 approval, a super-super majority – grade-wise, that’s a “C+,” or maybe even better. Democracy requires you to only achieve a solid “F.”

Which, of course, means and only leads to failure.

And, that’s why we have failed as a country.

rw – I adore Hawaii nights. One of the most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen is the moon on the water in Maui.

Looks as if Uncle Joe is about to become a gooper- or a gooper fellow traveler.

What a sense of timing- just as dems are preparing to take over the government.

Whadda putz!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..12007.html

HeHeHeHe LOL LOL

The American voter has depressed me ever since 2000, yet alone 2004. Completely shallow and greedy, and this is caused by a bought and sold press that we lost in the eighties, a planned decline of the education system…oh I could keep on going but … did I mention poison media Fox ?

“…..GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”

“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

I’ve talked to three people present for the meeting that day and they all confirm that the President of the United States called the Constitution “a goddamned piece of paper.”

And, to the Bush Administration, the Constitution of the United States is little more than toilet paper stained from all the shit that this group of power-mad despots have dumped on the freedoms that “goddamned piece of paper” used to guarantee.”

Capital Hill Blue

Nice rant eh?

Gas prices go down and Clusterfuck’s JARs go up… Another case of the psychic depth of the american voter.

I think what Fred said above was a very succint statement of reality.

Some people are only concerned about short term economics. The economy has been talked up lately (lies) and gas prices went down a bit.

It seems as if many people really don’t care what the hell is going on as long as the bank account seems alright.

Those chickens that are going to come home to roost are starting to look a lot like godzilla.

why don’t they bring down Bush, after all he has done to them? (I used to think maybe there was residual loyalty to Bush I, but now there are so many rumors of the big split between Bush I and Bush II … so where’s the revenge?)

——

they’re trying, they just don’t have as much power any more. but they’re getting allies in the military and elsewhere…they didn’t oust Nixon in a day either

“Angela Merkel and Condoleezza Rice were doing a good job of healing the rift between Germany and the US last Tuesday, until GermanyÂ’s new chancellor made a serious diplomatic gaffe.

The US secretary of state had admitted the kidnap of a German citizen by the American security services was a mistake, Ms Merkel said. As soon as the press conference was over US officials denied Ms Rice has said any such thing”

Huffington

Just- Yeah- got a bit of a tan and read a few great books.. The weather was great. I live in Southern California- and it’s great here too- during the day- but after the sun goes down is a different story- In Hawaii- the nights are beautiful too.

WASHINGTON – President BushÂ’s improved standing with whites, men, Catholics and other core supporters has been a key factor in pushing his job approval rating up to 42 percent. ThatÂ’s the highest level since summer.

Shifting into campaign mode to reverse his slide in public opinion polls, Bush has boosted his support among key constituency groups — particularly in the Northeast and West — on his handling of Iraq and the economy

(NBC)

Sorry to say- Clusterfuck is rebounding a bit.

rwcole – I’m still giggling over your discription of bubble boy above. hee hee hee

rwcole – Go ducks! And did you get a nice suntan?

Larry Johson was speaking for Valerie at Wolf earlier.

Maggie- must be tough havin a real president walkin around while this retarded stump tries to pretend to have living brain cells.

Hold it here, if turdy ADMITTED that he violated his confy agmt (SF-312) shouldn’t that guarantee his indictment.. or at least his firing? Let me know if I’m just way behind here, but it seems that if an official admits in his own submissions admitted that he violated his contractual national security undertakings, than there should be some penalty for it, shouldn’t there? Regardless of what actual part of the USC he may or may not have intentionally breached. Am I just being clueless here?

Yeah, RW, the Bushies are mighty afraid of Big Bad Bill.

HeeHee.

Wasn’t today Valerie Plame’s last day with the CIA?

Wonder what’s going to happen now that she is no longer hampered by the restrictions placed on her. Obviously, she will still have lifelong restrictions on certain subjects, but she will now be able to speak.

“the writer/director of syriana (excellent friggin movie, btw) has a succinct quote in a boston globe article:”

Ah, based on Bob Baer’s book, “See No Evil”. Awesome book, can’t wait to see the movie.

A friend of mine recommended the book to me when it first came out. “She’s” in the intel community and knows Bob and I’ll leave it at that.

Bush-administration officials privately threatened organizers of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, telling them that any chance there mightÂ’ve been for the United States to sign on to the Kyoto global-warming protocol would be scuttled if they allowed Bill Clinton to speak at the gathering today in Montreal, according to a source involved with the negotiations who spoke to New York Magazine on condition of anonymity.

Bush officials informed organizers of their intention to pull out of the new Kyoto deal late Thursday afternoon, soon after news leaked that Clinton was scheduled to speak, the source said

Blub

The same for Libby, I expect.

Hi everybody. I didn’t bake anything today- but the Fighting Ducks are number five in the nation!

All the news that’s fit to buy
December 9, 2005

http://www.freepress.org/colum…../2005/1269

Oh.. I must’ve missed this in all the shuffle? The following now appears on Rover’s wikipedia site:

“Rove’s White House security clearance, governed by Executive Order 12958, apparently required both a criminal background check as well as training in the protection of classified information. To receive security clearance, Rove agreed, in writing (SF-312 Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement), not to divulge or confirm classified information to individuals (including reporters) not authorized to have it. According to Rove’s attorney’s public statements, Rove has admitted to violating his SF-312 agreement.[94]”

I strongly recommend a Friday night manhattan. Reggie Bush is pretty hot stuff. Why isn’t be no. 1?

Yeah, that’s when he buries the budget dust.

Blub- don’t get depressed. Have a cocktail.

ccmask – no brush clearin’ for Big Time. He can only come out of his root cellar when it’s dark.

Blub–Re Bradley, know the feeling. In 7th grade I won the school candy sale and the second place person, named Chick, was furious and probably still resents me. I took the prize money and bought a cashmere sweater and a swimsuit.

We’re screwed. Here’s the top 15 things Americans need to search.
Well, at least the Preznit made the list.

Zeitgeist This Week
Top 15 Gaining Queries: Week Ending December 5, 2005

1. wendie jo sperber
2. face transplant
3. Dita Von Teese
4. tookie williams
5. charlize theron
6. anna benson
7. hanukkah
8. james blunt
9. kwanzaa
10. cynthia watros
11. john lennon
12. crips
13. naomi watts
14. reggie bush
15. the biggest loser

http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

karen allen- you deserve an award for all those cookies! I am not a baker, but we will make truffles for gifts, just bought the pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans and coconut to roll them in. My son made an apple pie for T-giving and it was waay better than my squash pie, by far.

BBC reporting that Clinton told the group that Bush was “utterly wrong” not to sign on to Kyoto. US delegation finding themselves isolated and scrutinized for thier (arrogant) position. Clinton stated they were wrong to believe that addressing global warming would affect the economy negatively, rather would make it better. Maybe not so much kool-aid.

I must retire, it’s up for zennursing at 5, and I have to dig out my car. I wish you who live in warmer climes could have seen our snow today. It wasn’t the best, kinda wet toward the end, and it was a real storm. We even had thunder and lightning. But it’s lovely out the window tonight.

Goodnight, see you when I can this weekend, keep those hits coming!

On the Clinton global warming thing??? How sophmoric can this misassministration get? How???? They’re behaving as badly as lil Bradley did after he lost the 7th grade class presidency to me and Bradley actually lost. Or are they so scared (or so in the pocket) of the petro-lobby that minor panic from the lobby turns into major pull-out-all-the-stops, let’s outright blackmail global diplomats in plain sight-of-the-global-media panics in the misassmin?

In any case, once again I’m overjoyed we’re finding good company with our torture buddies in Beijing. I saw on the news today that their copthugs wiped out half a village of impoverished farmers and now they have the village locked down under martial law.. We should be ready to start doing that in the Katrina wastes sometime soon, when clusterfuck’s discontented victims start protesting too loudly.. assuming we have enough troops to lock down a village in the US. geesh. I’m thoroughly. never mind. I give up.

Want to talk about terrible op-ed writers? George Will is the worst! And I’m not talking about his stinking farther than far right ideology. It’s how he writes that’s really offensive too.

Hi Sam–I was hoping Jake didn’t read about my baking today. Northern Spy apples are good, too.

Just wondering–I don’t there’s too much growth on Big Times farm. It’s underground.

Krauthammer is without doubt the worst. It’s hard to imagine that he actually believes what he writes.

I wonder what Bush 1.O had to say about Kyoto and his son…

Karen – Graeter’s? Are you in Cin City??

dqueue – does this theory imply that the CIA brought Nixon down? And the obvious question #2, why don’t they bring down Bush, after all he has done to them? (I used to think maybe there was residual loyalty to Bush I, but now there are so many rumors of the big split between Bush I and Bush II … so where’s the revenge?)

There, not their. I used to get these things right – before I started reading written assignments from literacy students.

karen – I somehow read “45 dozen pies.” Time to re-enlist in the “no commenter left behind” program.

Karen Allen: I have heard the northern spy
apple makes delicious apple pies. About
Graeter’s cinnamon ice cream—never had it.
Is it that good to have Graeter’s air ship some
to Ca? sounds scrumptious.

Note how all these little cowboys feel they need to own a “ranch.”

New rule: if you have a fake ranch somewhere you don’t have the time or inclination for what should be the one of the most challenging and time consuming jobs on earth.

I think the worsy op-ed writer is that guy Krauthammer or something like that.

6:45 was me. I forgot that anon thing happens when you delete all your cookies.

They walked out in a snit today. They also didn’t like it when the Prime Minister pointed out that their was such a thing a global conscience.

Any chance there mightÂ’ve been for the United States to sign on to the Kyoto global-warming protocol would be scuttled if they allowed Bill Clinton to speak at the gathering today in Montreal

The Bush Assministration is like a pack of fucking bullying six-year-olds. But I can understand how they would feel threatened by a real president who can speak like an articulate, intelligent adult, instead of the comic-book mumbling we’ve endured since 2001.
Like they were ever going to sign up for Kyoto regardless.

I for one, really like Robert Scheer’s writing. I don’t care a twit if he’s not the world’s best wordsmith. It’s his ideas I’m after. His termination from the L. A. Times is the reason I no longer read that paper.

ccmask–None of the cookies were burned. I use a silicone sheet liner called “Silpat” on the cookie sheets, which prevents sticking and burning. It’s a great invention.

Mildy related…

I’m watching Chris (he’s out of Tweety prison for awhile) with my wife and we are discussing Andrea. She says Andrea is on board. So I rewind the Tivo and we start playing the drinking game for every time she says “CIA”.

Don’t know if I can continue commenting…

BTW, I suggest the phrase “access journaljism”.

Karen: Out of 45 dozen, how many did you burn? I always forget the cookies are in there. In the last 20 years,we’ve been able to salvage around 6 cookies, and that was because the oven broke.

zennurse–Rumsfeld also has a “ranch” in New Mexico in the area of many other multi-millionaires.

Percy–No, never used a Bramley apple, but always open to suggestions.

PattyLou–lol The pie was my reward after all that cookie baking.

Thanks Percy :-+

Sam, Sam, Say it aint so!!
Rummy lives in Taos??
My first-born lives there, how on earth will I protect him from this impending and horrible evil??
How can I get an address? Somebody tell me what to say to Mr. Google!!
Save the Children!!!

I’m so upset, I got the hiccups!

kare allen, that is NOT fair…were is our piece of the pie? LOL

Robert Scheer is a bad example, he also happens to be one of the worst wordsmiths on any major op-ed page, and deserves to be replaced by someone far more interesting and Krugmanesque.

(He’s the worst liberal op-ed writer that comes to mind — his hectoring style would find a home at the ultra-pedantic SF Bay Guardian.)

Sample sentence from recent column:

“And to see behind the scenes as Christian right superstar Ralph Reed, bought off by top Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, dupes his grassroots ‘pro-family’ followers into unwittingly supporting casino-rich Indian tribes under the guise of anti-gambling initiatives, is to glimpse moral corruption of biblical proportion.”

Can I get an editor?

C. Hitchens on Woodward re: Bob Dole biography:

“Both she and the Senator have obviously been very helpful, with the result that Dole’s non-mental non-agony about his decision to leave the Senate is written up as one of the most wrenching dilemmas since Elsinore or Gethsemane. Reading the account carefully (caffeine pills near at hand), one forms the conclusion that Dole made his Great Withdrawal from the Majority Leadership almost entirely so that Woodward and others would have something to write about. The spin was in place before the idea had been shaped. And Woodward probably knew about it before it occurred — not the first time that he has deprived his newspaper of a scoop in order to preserve material for a later customized book.”

Meow

Damn, karen, don’t do that. Now I’ve gotta clean all the drool off my computer.

Ever cook with Bramleys?

45 dozen? Pity your dishwasher.

I do not trust embedded journalists. It is sad to see these wimpy so called journalists who are like Parsifal and fail to ask The Question(s) that we are all thinking.

Ray McGovern a retired CIA analyst for 27 yrs
writes in truthout:
“there is a growing possibility that the vice
president will resign at the turn of the year “for
reasons of health” and this his partner in
crime (Rumsfeld) will chose to retire to his
home in Taos early next year.”

He quotes a German editorial on Rice’s visit
titled “Justice a la Rice”

“The end justifies the means and terrorism can
be fought with borderline methods on the outer edges of legality”
“Rice came to Germany to begin a new era. She
has resoundingly failed to do so. Injustice
remains injustice, and a wrong policy remains
a wrong policy. On this basis you cannot
relaunch the trans-Atlantic relationship”

article can be found at
http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/6501/Cheney_
Last_Throes.

and at one point Clinton flatly told his advisers that he was going to pull out and not deliver the speech, the source said.”

man, he really has been pulled into the bush embrace hasn’t he.

Even back in 73, Watergate was a silly sideshow compared to the real crimes of Nixon such as Cointelpro. It was just that Watergate involved others in power instead of the powerless. Woody missed the real boat then too…

Hello everyone. I was busy today baking 45 dozen Christmas cookies. I also made an apple pie from Granny Smith apples. I’m sitting here, reading the prescient comments, eating a piece of apple pie with Graeter’s cinnamon ice cream.

Politics or the world’s environment?
Politics or the world’s environment?

I’ll take Politics for 500, Alex!

From New York Magazine:

“Bush-administration officials privately threatened organizers of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, telling them that any chance there mightÂ’ve been for the United States to sign on to the Kyoto global-warming protocol would be scuttled if they allowed Bill Clinton to speak at the gathering today in Montreal, according to a source involved with the negotiations who spoke to New York Magazine on condition of anonymity.

Bush officials informed organizers of their intention to pull out of the new Kyoto deal late Thursday afternoon, soon after news leaked that Clinton was scheduled to speak, the source said.

The threat set in motion a flurry of frantic back-channel negotiations between conference organizers and aides to Bush and Clinton that lasted into the night on Thursday, and at one point Clinton flatly told his advisers that he was going to pull out and not deliver the speech, the source said.”

Nice. Really nice.

http://fusioner.proboards60.co…..1131129004

^^^ Send Letters ^^^

I will remind people, this is not a losing campaign. I don’t back losing campaigns. We have a winner, support the winning side.

The media is shifting left, they are beginning to present the truth. This shift is in large part because 6500 people wrote letters that were sent to over 50 major media outlets. That works out to something like…

325,000 letters actually sent.

Multiply your voice 50 times. Please, participate, sign petitions, send your letter to your representives in Congress.

Global warming is Katrina in slow motion.

Preparedness: Same.
Head depth in sand: Same.
Consequences: exponentially worse.

the writer/director of syriana (escellent friggin movie, btw) has a succinct quote in a boston globe article:

Gaghan, 40, comes across as both savvy and utopian. He is outraged at what he sees around him, and his rage flows in torrential riffs. His take on the scene at the annual White House Correspondents dinner is this: ”Pigs feeding at the trough.”

http://www.boston.com/news/glo…..filmmaker/

Off topic but the latest in disgusting…

U.S. and Chinese Delegations Walk Out of Climate Talks
…Talks neared an end today with the U.S. and China refusing to take any mandatory steps to avoid dangerous climate change…

Wonder how they’re going to spin this.. ah. those heating bills again :p

ccmask: “I don’t have Real Player.”

cc, you can download it for free from here:

http://forms.real.com/real/rea…..layer_8020

Remember, though, that Rosen’s narrative arc for Woodward — naif/outsider slowly corrupted by the corrosive juices inside the Beltway — isn’t really correct. Woodward from the outset was reliant on “entree to the inner corridors of power” — in the person of Mark Felt, the number-two at the FBI. And Felt was using Woodward at least as much as Woodward was using Felt.

What seems to me to have changed, more than the reportorial class, is the breadth and discipline of Rove’s operationalization of the entire Administrative Branch (and the Legislative as well), whereas Nixon was able to politicize and control only the White House.

Scheer is only dead with the LA Times.

He’s live and well every Wednesday in the San Francisco Chronicle.

There’s a constituency on the net who believe that Woody is a spook… always has been, always will be… Based partly on his history in Navy intel …

Carl Bernstein, author and famed journalist of the Watergate era, speaks with Don Swaim about Bernstein’s book, Loyalties: A Son’s Memoirs. Bernstein set out to write a book detailing his parents’ troubles during the McCarthy era. During that time, his parents were summoned to the U. S. Congressional House Un-American Activities Committee. Carl Bernstein says his parents were set up by Harry Truman’s staff to secure Truman’s reelection under the ruse of patriotic loyalty. Bernstein reveals this deception in what Time magazine called “an investigative memoir.”

Don Swaim asks Carl Bernstein, “Who was Deep Throat?” and Bernstein says that “Deep Throat was a source that we (Carl Bernstein and Robert Woodward) identified in All the President’s Men as someone occupying a sensitive position in the executive branch of government.”

If you have Real Player, you can listen to the Carl Bernstein interview with Don Swaim, 1989. I don’t have Real Player.

http://wiredforbooks.org/carlbernstein/

Blub-

WASHINGTON – President Bush’s improved standing with whites, men, Catholics and other core supporters has been a key factor in pushing his job approval rating up to 42 percent. That’s the highest level since summer.

That won’t last past the next heating bill.

2 guys at the metro desk (and the telephone not mentioned).

“The more experienced White House reporters didn’’t think much of the story. Nor did they get wind of the extraordinary abuses of power that were going on at the time.”

Sound familiar?

Fast forward 30 years later – and we have a couple of women at their computers, part of a larger collective of “nobodies” (not really but you know what I mean!) who understand very well that something extraordinairy is afoot and .

Maybe in a few years we will see a new film called all the President’s shills….I can’t fucking believe that Woody NEVER talked to Richard Clarke.

But really it is all very sad. As I said on a thread last night, I can so clearly remember the celebrations of Nixon’s resignation – I remember the toasts to Woodward and Bernstein; we were all so grateful to them. It is like a dearly (though lost to the dark side) beloved family member that one simply cannot talk to anymore –

Great post Jane.

Don’t fall for the MJ underwear scam.

One thing that was left out is that if a reporter does get a scoop these days and runs with it, the corporations fire them. Think about Robert Scheer at the LA Times. He was one of the few print journalists who was regularly whipping the BushPony.

Now he is dead . . . on paper anyway.

Woodward is a Bush company agent
masquerading as a journalist. He was
not in shape to go embedded in Iraq. He did
take the kool-aid and trashed what did not fit the neo-con agenda. Who set him up to go trash Fitzgerald? From what Jay
Rosen writes about him he’s washed out.
So time will tell what role he has played and
how come he kept silent for 2 years on Mr.X.

Probably the worst fear for those like Woodward, with galaxy size egos, would be to be ignored. Which is what I’m going to do. His public or literary pronouncements are inconsequential now. Sad really, he had admirable stature a long, long time ago.

PS
Yes. These are used underwear. As in he wore this pair against the Knickerbockers (pun intended) in the 1993 season.

My point?

Doesn’t matter if you are a repug or a dimocrat… this culture salivates over celebrity.

Slobber.
Drool.
Slaver.

My opinion?

You are a nation of weaklings….

Benjamin Franklin’s opinion?

“A nod from a lord is breakfast for a fool.”

[I suspect he concurs. ie. You are a nation of fools.]

I read Jay Rosen’s analysis. There are two ways to view what he describes as the problems with BW’s reporting, and they lead to very different conclusions.

One interpretation is that if you get too close to your sources, and become identified with them, you lose your ability to step back and see the forest for the trees.

But an equally plausible interpretation is that if you’re the kind of person who likes the details — relishes the trees, the branches and the leaves, but have problems seeing the forest, you’ll be inclined to look closely at the details and miss the forest no matter how close you stand.

So one interpretation is a professional warning; never get close to your source. But the second is about the nature of the individual reporter, and different reporters might well still be able to get close, to see the forest and understand the trees.

It’s not clear to me which applies to BW, but Jay’s account seems to reinforce that of Didion and others: this was more about the kind of investigator BW is. He wasn’t the type that sorts out the forest; others would have to do that.

So perhaps the earlier successs of Woodward/Berstein can be explained by the combination of perspectives between them, to which the wise Ben Bradlee would have been a helpful addition. Woodward today is who he always was: someone good at collecting lots of details.

My recollection of Watergate/Nixon era was that it took people like Bill Moyers to give us the clearest view of the entire forest of constitutional horrors. Woodward/Berstein showed us the trail of the money and the coverup.

oh poor Keith…he succumbed to Gerald Posner…poor guy, that’s a mark of shame :)

drumroll….is Keith gonna blame Oswald?

What’s with people? Buying the spin? Or just forgetful? Maybe Dowd was right about men….

WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 48 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – President Bush’s improved standing with whites, men, Catholics and other core supporters has been a key factor in pushing his job approval rating up to 42 percent. That’s the highest level since summer.

…sadly deluded hagiography …

America in a nutshell.

Hey, anybody want to buy an autographed pair of Michael Jordan’s underwear?

SIGH. Sorry, should have previewed.

Olberman has a Plame/Rovergate segment coming up. Just a heads up. He’s the only one I can bring myself to watch anymore.

Just a heads up. Thanks for all the great posts guys. My head is still spinning. Not sure what I think but I know you folks will solve it for me eventually. ;)

JH quoting Jay Rosen: ” It asserts — falsely, I think — that if something as bad as Watergate were happening in Washington today Woodward would be the one uncovering it.”

It IS happening. It’s worse. Woodward is not uncovering it; he’s being buried by it.

Yes, Jane.

“Plan of Attack” was so highly thought of during the 2004 Bush/Cheney/Satan campaign that it was recommended to their voters…

source familiar with Novak’s account said she believes the conversation took place in March or May, and definitely took place after February 2004, when Rove first testified before the grand jury.

But one person close to the case said the conversation took place before Rove’s first grand jury appearance in February. This person said the conversation was not the event that led Rove to change his testimony.

Time’s managing editor, Jim Kelly, said yesterday that the magazine will publish Novak’s account of her testimony in its Monday edition, and it will be available in an online edition Sunday. Kelly said he did not yet know and could not comment on the full details of Novak’s testimony or Fitzgerald’s questions because he had not spoken with the reporter.

Novak was traveling from Washington to New York yesterday afternoon, he said, and planned to brief him and other Time editors at the magazine’s headquarters about her testimony.

“To be fair, I need to speak with Viveca now that she has testified under oat

I’m getting annoyed with Booby for attaching himself to Pincus’ brilliant pieces debunking the claims about WMD. I’ve heard him say he “encouraged” Pincus or some such thing. He wrote a whole book on the build up to war which doesn’t really examine the falsity of the Administration’s claims.

He was a hero and now I am horribly disillusioned.

Fitzy! Love ya!

woodward delendus est.