FITZ!

Thanks, Taylor, nice work.

Bet dollars-to-donuts that the Portman appointment is a nod to him for his work on the Ports deal. Wonder if we can lay the entire Ports deal right at his feet…did Portman try to slide it by in attempt to buy himself better access? Portman was trying to negotiate a trade deal with UAE, after all.

And exactly where are we with that Ports deal, anyhow? Classic example of party-before-country, and it’s right under our noses and in our faces.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. If we want a Republican to go tell the King he’s nuts on Iran, it’s Richard Lugar, of the Nunn-Lugar program, and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I humbly suggest that Indiana be made a target of the Roots campaign.

I don’t think Lugar is going to be one to lead an impeachment brigade to the WH, not least because I think such a brigade is just not going to happen. But he might be willing to go and say “Your Iran plans are evil-madman insane.”

Thanks for a great post, Taylor.

One interesting item from the article that I didn’t remember/realize about the Watergate hearings was Senate Majority leader Mike Mansfield’s determination that no senatorial presidential contenders should be on the Select Watergate committee.

That was critical in keeping the hearings from being tossed aside as someone’s political stunt. Given that caveat, who might be on such a committee today?

George W Bush anagram:

He grew bogus

Prof. Foland,

I think Lugar is compromised and probably cannot fill that role. Although he is seemingly the right intellectual choice, he is a bad personal choice. He doesn’t have that much influence with this WH and there have been some nasty sexuality smears aimed at him.

I have no better choice — unless it is Baker or someone from that crowd. If Poppy and his boys turned against junior, that would make things happen. Unfortunately, I just don’t see it.

PS I am working on the NPT primer….

One of the main reasons that no one is speaking out is the ridiculous amount of money that is required to run for office these days. Back in the Nixon days, you didn’t need 30 Million to run a competitive campaign, and therefore there were more people willing to buck the party leadership, etc.

There is no chance that the party leadership will ever turn around. They are all with Bush till the end, and hopefully, they will all go down with the ship as well.

Campaign finance reform would do a lot to halt this problem in the future.

I have thought for a long time that putting the country back on track would take more than just the Democrats taking back a majority in the House and Senate; the legitimacy of any effort to hold Bush and Cheney accountable rests on significant GOP participation – otherwise, it is cast as nothing more than a partisan witch-hunt.

My hope is that as the members of the House and Senate adjourn to their districts this summer to campaign, they will get an earful from constituents that will finally clue them in on just how much damage the Bush administration is doing, and that the solution is not – if one is a member of the GOP – to close ranks to protect Bush and ensure that the damage can continue unabated.

We need a messenger – someone who is not easily branded a partisan – who can talk about the meaning of America in ways that allow people to come to the independent conclusion that Bush must go, or at a minimum, must be politically neutralized. I don’t know who that person is; I’ve wracked my brain, and come up with no one, which says something about how polarized we are.

I have to say that mixed in with the perpetual anger I feel about those who encourage, support and participate in activities and policies that are eroding the very fabric of our country, is a growing sadness that despite the activism of those who are trying to stop it, we are still little more than bystanders at the deathbed of everything that made this nation great.

I remember that day in August, 1974, when the Republican leadership walked over to the White House one morning and laid out the facts to Richard M. Nixon. I think Barry Goldwater was the first one in the door.

Taylor says “When I saw Senator Lindsay Graham so unabashedly ignorant as to the true history of Watergate during the recent Judiciary Committee hearings, taking the time to insult Mr. Dean, the situation in which we find ourselves today made so much sense. It’s as if the Republican Party has fallen into an abyss of political amnesia.”

Taylor has that right! My take on Dean when he was WHC was that he was slicker than Haldeman and Ehrlichman, but that he was also more perceptive and possibly more honorable. When he turned, I thought, this guy learns better from experience than his WH buddies.

More than “political amnesia,” the Republican Party has slipped into a kind of early 21st century Bolshevism, where if you repeat a political mantra continuously, it takes on a life resembling truth to the masses, even if the mantra itself has no truth whatsoever.

If there are any regular readers out there who are too housebound to do senate office visits but who want to help me, please email me at pachacutec01 at gmail dot com.

I need people with a google account who can help me with admin of Roots Project Groups.

Be sure to tell me your commenter name. I’ll go with names I know.

Thanks!

The Republicans cannot put country above party in part because to them there is no difference between the two. All ‘real Americans’ are Republicans. Those who oppose Republicans are not ‘real Americans’ and therefore are enemies of America itself. The Party is the State.

Lindsay Graham sickened me during the hearings. I remember Dean well. He was branded a turncoat, but what he did was stand up and tell the truth. Inside Republicans still hate him for it.

As for a committee, it would almost certainly have to be people having already retired from the Senate. Aren’t all Democrats running in ‘08? To head our side, maybe we could go with a Senator Sam Nunn, who is respected by everyone.

Let me add that for the next day at least I need rapid response and coordination from people who are paying attention.

imm #7 I quite agree we want to maximize the product of influence times the probability to actually say something about Iran; Lugar was the only person I could think of who did not have a zero for one or the other…which sadly is not a statement that the product is very high.

Looking forward to NPT…

Anne #9: I agree, putting it back on track will take more. To my mind, ‘06 is our best chance to stop the bleeding–it’s not even guaranteed we’d do it even with the House & Senate, but it’s the best chance. After that we might have time to treat the cancer.

Oh god, waiting for the republicans to save us. We are in such deep shit.

And yet, the prospect of setting things right with the midterm elections makes me very nervous too. Uh, the system is broken? We don’t have a working democracy anymore. While I’m sure there are functioning election systems left in many places, there are also systems in key states, good to go, which will enable any election to be rigged, again.

Which is why every single time I see chimpy prancing and posturing I want to spit. As if he was owed him some deference due to his office. As if he were actually elected. Chimpy? When you steal your way into office? That makes you a CRIMINAL, not a president. Respect? Christ, I’m more of a man than he is, and I’m female.

Woke up cranky this morning. Reading FDL late night gave me a very bad case of anxious insomnia.

Hi, Personally I have trouble keeping up with all the good progressive doc’s, books, and mags that are around. Although I love this stuff, and try to keep my ear to the ground it’s just hard to find out what’s going on with new media. I’m sure I’m not alone here, so I thought I would let everyone know that I have found something that helps. It’s the Independent Media Marketplace email update (IMM update). Found here:

Here’s more info:

“Sign up for the IMM Update and every two weeks we’ll send you a list of the newest independent media items available. If you sign up for the IMM Update you can rest assured that you’ll be informed of exactly what’s new and great in the independent media world.”

You can sign up here:

I’m an email person, but you can also just visit the site – http://www.imediamarketplace.org

I also subscribe to their news alert service to keep on top of current events. I think someone sent something out about that not long ago. Again you can find info on the News Alerts here: http://www.coanews.org/lists/index.php?p=subscribe

-I wish we weren’t all so busy, but it is nice to have services that help.

Ryan

Isn’t it interesting how Robert Bork, the shrillest harpy ever on the ‘plain meaning of the Constitution’, is strangely silent on these novel interpretations of Presidential power?

It couldn’t be that Bork is a bloody hypocrite, is it?

Someone needs to call Bork out on this.

Whoa. I’m not even done with my coffee yet, and oil’s at $72. We’re having rolling blackouts in Houston. (I haven’t been hit yet, but Rice University lost power yesterday.) What the hell’s going on today?

Like my kid sez: “Dream on…..”

Taylor,

I think we can place the dim-witted legacy Senator from New Hampshire firmly in the “NO” column on the question” “Can Republicans Put Country Before Party”?

Here is the momney quote from a reply to an e-mail I sent Judd Gregg asking him whether he felt that there should be any oversight of the President by Congress:

“I believe at this time in history we are very fortunate to have a President like George W. Bush. He understands that there are Islamic extremist groups that wish to pursue actions of violence against us as a nation, and against Americans as a people, simply because we exist. I greatly admire the fact that President Bush undestands this threat in a way that I think manu of us don’t fully appreciate. The fact is, in President Bush we have someone who is very focused on the issue of protecting the US and all Americans, defeating the threat of terrorism, and finding terrorists and bringing them to justice before they can do us harm.”

So the answer from Senator Judd Gregg is: Be afaid, the terrorists want to kill us all just because we “exist” and that I and most people are too stupid to understand just how smart George W. Bush is and how he knows what threats exist and how to deal with them.

Fucking great.

-GSD

OfT: “The INR Memos Were Part of the Niger Forgery Cover-Up”
by emptywheel
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.c......html#more

With the US manufacturing turned into rust, profits are made in moving money around. “Follow the Moneyâ€. USA economy is a giant pyramid scheme. There will never be hearings. The money managers will call their Senators and tell them to squash any Bush Administration investigation. Too great a danger off pulling out the bottom card and precipitating the crash.

Since the Republicans in Congress have traded integrity for power, perhaps we should look to democracy as a backup remedy. If we believe in democracy as much as Bush says he does, we recognize that the real action takes place beyond Capitol Hill.

I would hope that reporters and constituents pelt their representatives with variations on the main constitutional question: How will you stop this administration? If the representatives can’t answer the question satisfactorily or if they can’t simply reassert congressional authority, an honest election should provide a better replacement.

It should be clear to any senator or representative: The prerogatives exercised by this administration intrude on yours. If you respect yourself, your institution, your constituents, or the Constitution, your duty is clear. If you don’t have the stomach to do your duty, make room for someone who can.

Ask because you’re curious, ask because you’re angry, ask because you’re afraid: What are you doing to control this orgy of carnage, destruction, theft, and bankruptcy?

Impeachment can be a fishing expedition. Legislators who care can craft articles broad enough to accommodate high crimes and misdemeanors both known and unknown. Watergate showed that it could be done. It didn’t limit the definition of how to do it.

And in the meantime, our elected representatives could insist on honest and complete accounting for what they are paying for. It’s the least they could do.

Taylor,

When did Lindsay Graham NOT make you sick?

Pach says “Let me add that for the next day at least I need rapid response and coordination from people who are paying attention.”

Teh-HUT!! - as I slip out the door for the 60-mile drive to work….. I’ll try to slip back here during lunch break.

There was a time in this country when people, including our politicians, were capable of putting country before political party. In George W. Bush’s Republican Party, those days are gone.

that time is gone, there is no longer patriotism in the republican party, it’s “party” before country and they will do whatever it takes to protect this president and they will excuse whatever he has done and plans to do to this country

more to the point, most of them are part of the very plot

Taylor

Impugning all “Republican members of Congress, Senate and House” does not advance your political agenda to impeach President Bush. Although, evidently, members of the yellow-dog Democratic choir will be all too happy to sing your praises.

But attacking Lugar for being impervious to your partisan entreaties to tell Bush “Enough” reveals more about your rabid partisanship than about his lack of morals and political courage. Moreover, whatever factual basis you might have to call for Bush’s impeachment is terminally undermined by citing John Dean - who insists on making the fatuous claim that what Bush has done as president is far worse than anything Richard Nixon ever did. At long last, the man has now shame….But you should be ashamed to be enabling his specious rehabilitation in this way.

It’s as if the Republican Party has fallen into an abyss of political amnesia.

Moral amnesia, maybe — but the GOP memory of Watergate is crystal clear. Or at least, they are absolutely certain about the lessons of Watergate — Nixon got the boot because he didn’t stonewall enough.

Republicans learned that the more brazen the crime, the more they would succeed; the more brazen the lie, the more the media would ignore the truth.

The Democrats learned that if they sat back and did nothing, GOP hubris would be their undoing. That’s worked out well, hasn’t it?

Robert Parry wrote about this last year –

The Lessons of Watergate

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2005/060205.html

As the Washington Post again basks in the faded glory of its Watergate coverage, many of the scandal’s crucial lessons remain obscure even to people close to the iconic events of 33 years ago. Ironically, that’s especially true for those on the winning side.

Indeed, it could be said that today’s U.S. political imbalance – tilting so much in favor of Republicans over Democrats – derived from the simple fact that conservatives learned the real lessons of Watergate while the liberals didn’t.

Most importantly, the bitter experience of Watergate taught the conservatives the need to control the flow of information at the national level.

Following President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, former Treasury Secretary William Simon and other conservative leaders began pulling together the resources for building the right-wing media infrastructure that is now arguably the most intimidating force in U.S. politics. A key goal was to make sure they could protect future Republican presidents from “another Watergate.†…

Meanwhile, liberals largely treated the Watergate scandal as manna from heaven and assumed that similar gifts would be delivered by the mainstream news media whenever future Republican governments stepped out of line. The Left saw little need for media investment and instead stressed local grassroots organizing around social issues.

This progressive priority – summed up in the slogan, “think globally, act locally†– became almost dogma on the Left, even as conservatives expanded their political base across the country by exploiting their widening advantage in media, from AM talk radio and cable TV news to magazines, newspapers and the Internet.

Unshaken Faith

The Left’s faith in grassroots politics wasn’t shaken even by a long string of political disasters, from the 12 years of restored Republican rule under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush to the impeachment of Bill Clinton to George W. Bush’s success in snatching Election 2000 away from Al Gore and then leading the nation to war with Iraq.

For years, the line from the Left was that the Right could best be countered by organizers going door to door. When challenged about the Left’s starvation of progressive media outlets, one liberal foundation executive explained, “we don’t do media.â€

Only gradually has the Left’s line begun to change in the face of the extraordinary clout of today’s conservative media and the collapse of any countervailing independence within the mainstream media, best demonstrated during the run-up to war in Iraq.

When asked about media these days, well-placed liberals will say, “now we get it.†But there has yet to be much follow-through, as the need to establish independent media outlets remains mostly an afterthought among progressive funders.

The Left’s continuing priorities were on display at the June 1 awards dinner for the “Take Back America†conference in Washington. The most sure-fire applause line came when a speaker praised someone’s accomplishments in “grassroots organizing.â€

At the dinner, I talked with one progressive organizer about the Left’s media deficit. She responded, matter-of-factly, “information is not a progressive issue.†…

Don’t forget that Satan himself, Karl Rove, got the ball rolling for Republicans to claim that there are massive voter fraud issues in America. Fraud issues that skew in favor of Democrats.

So, look to Silvio Berlusconi in Italy as a primer for how some of the Redstate folks might react to “close” votes.

Yes, as with Michelle Malkin placing college students lives in jeopardy, the right wing is nearing the point when they start to behave overtly fascist on a grand scale.

You can see and smell it. The rhetoric is heating up. Christ, Tom Delay, after announcing that he was quitting Congress saw fit to send his Brownie-Shirts to ruin a Nick Lampson press conference.

Imagine if Barney Frank sent a group from Act-Up to spoil a press conference for Bill First? We would still be seeing the video-clips and gearing up for a trial.

Not only will the Republicans not step up and help to save this nation–they will actively, I say activley set in motion actions that will help to destroy this nation once they see that their power-base is crumbling.

It is called scorched earth policy. Already the RNC has produced radio ads that bald facely lie to Latino voters about the felony provision in the immigration bill. Hardball politics is one thing. Utter lies and fabrication are not politics, they are tools of desperation.

You aint seen nothing yet.

-GSD

Anthony - First, I have never called for Bush’s impeachment, not ever, though I am for censure and full investigations as Bernstein calls for in his piece. Secondly, I didn’t attack Lugar, nor did I mention him. Lugar was brought forth by others.

Inadvertantly Touting Bush

George W. Bush’s disapproval ratings are 10 points higher than Bill Clinton’s during the Monica Lewinsky imbroglio. That’s quite a feat.

He could only dream!

According to Polling Report, Bush’s latest disapproval ratings have ranged from 51% to 62% since the beginning of March.

While Clinton’s never rose above 37% during all of 1998, according to Gallup, with a low of 25%; or 41%, according to CNN/Time, with a low of 27%.

That’s an average of mid-to-high 50s for Bush, and low-to-mid 30s for Clinton–making Bush’s disapproval 20-25 points higher than Clinton’s, not 10.

Taylor, anthony is a drive-by.
renato, couldn’t agree more about Judge “strict constructionist” Bork. He’s on “Republican welfare” at the Hudson institute along with Scooter.
http://www.hudson.org/learn/in.....id=BorkRob
anthony, have you checked the price of oil today?
anthony, if Iran is such a nuclear threat, how come none of the countries right next to them aren’t supporting us?
anthony, have you checked the national debt lately?
anthony, is our military prepared to fight a 4G war?
Yeah, those Congressional Republicans, sure have done a great job.

“But I’m the decider and I decide what’s best. And what’s best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain Sec. of Defense”. From George Bush at the Rose Garden this morning. God, I loathe this dweeby little jack-booted twit.

Anthony,

Not enough piss and vinegar in your coffee this morning?

Just when do you suspect that Dick Lugar will come out of his funk and call for some real accountability from Bush or any other members of his runaway train of a party?

Also, are you as hard on Chuck Colson, Pat Buchanan, G. Gordon Liddy, and Ollie North as you appear to be on John Dean? Betcha a pickle in a jar you aren’t.

-GSD

Thanks, John, wondered… thanks for the heads up.

I have a T-shirt I wear every once in a while in a fit of nostalgia, and I’d like to have another one made to go with it.

My T-shirt is a reproduction of the WaPoo front page the day Nixon resigned:

NIXON QUITS

it says and you can actually read the article. Ford didn’t want to talk to the press.

This Bernstien article gives me courage that something may be shifting in the places where it matters. Interesting, his comment about the Dems too full of desire for retribution and grandstanding to be effective. Henry Hyde admitted after the Clinton impeachment attempt that it was in no small part retribution for Watergate. I doubt that Bush’s True Believers will ever believe that our desire to be rid of him is anything more than sour grapes, tit for tat.

A gentle reminder, don’t feed the trolls (anthony) even if they are just a “drive-by”.

Great work again, Taylor.

….No!

“Not only will the Republicans not step up and help to save this nation–they will actively, I say activley set in motion actions that will help to destroy this nation once they see that their power-base is crumbling.” -GSD

I agree completely. Of course, the Repubs are so delusional that they might believe that they’re saving the country instead of destroying it.

Is there some Repub who could come forward? I can think only of one: McCain (stop laughing!). It’s not that I think that McCain would do this as a “moral” act, but he might do it as a “political” act. For some reason, he has credibility with many Americans, regardless of party affiliation. What act could better cement his national standing and launch his presidential campaign? His name would be “Mudd” with many Repubs — but only temporarily. Other Repubs would listen after they lose one or both houses of congress in ‘06.

Pach–we’ve got a huge family thing going on this week but I’ll try to keep up and help if possible.

Can Republicans put country before party? I thought they already had.

I’d love that t-shirt, mommybrain, and thanks, coyoteville.

As for poll numbers, they really are all over the place. MSNBC was quoting 10% yesterday, pollingreport has the info you set forth, Paul. Here’s another point of view from the WashPost, which offers around 14% lower. I low balled it, as I always do with polls.

Bush’s job approval rating has remained below 50 percent for nearly a year. Perhaps more ominous for the president, 47 percent in the latest poll say they “strongly” disapprove of Bush’s handling of the presidency — more than double the 20 percent who strongly approve. It marked the second straight month that the proportion of Americans intensely critical of the president was larger than his overall job approval rating. In comparison, the percentage who strongly disapproved of President Bill Clinton on that measure never exceeded 33 percent in Post-ABC News polls.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....59_pf.html

Taylor–I would have defended you on Lugar myself (since it was mine), but thought it safer not to feed the trolls. I felt bad.

Speaking of putting party before country, the press out of Bolten’s first day on the job is truly indicative of that mindset. The Bush admin just doesn’t get the idea that staff changes should be about making them more capable of governing, not winning political victories that enrich their friends and get America oil.

Taylor - what a coincidence that the percentage who strongly dissaproved of Clinton is the same figure as is often cited as Bush’s base!

Anyone else a “24″ fan? President Logan has some Bush-esque qualities that portend some vicarious pleasure when he is finally vanquished. How sad is that? Right up there with cheering the “victory” of Jimmy Smits’ Matt Santos character on “The West Wing.”

I have sunk to new levels of pathetic…

Rumors that Fudgie McLellan is on the chopping block. Rumored replacement. Former CPA spokesman and penis wrangler to NBC reporter Campbell Brown–Dan Senor. NBC scores another inside the military industrial complex victory.

Slick move. Much less repellant than the Mouth of Sauron.

-GSD

Anne #46 –

“24″ was must see TV, but the absurd plot lines lost me about the time CTU and the stupid hobbit boss got nerve gassed.

What’s happened? I forgot to tune it in again last night.

OT– but speaks to the failures of this Republican Administration–

Well, if you want to be very afraid watch CSPAN 2 now–

IN WASHINGTON
Emergency Preparedness
DHS Sec. Michael Chertoff and DHHS Sec. Michael Leavitt are keynote speakers at a health summit on emergency prepared-ness hosted by U.S. News & World Report. Several panels will discuss recommendations for safety measures, review previous calamities and prioritize current needs of the medical community.

Panels of MDs with experience in Iraq, Katrina, 9/11 and the anthrax letters…

We are not prepared…

RAWSTORY BREAKING:

Behind the scenes, Democrats remain silent
on Iran; Skeptical of intelligence but could
support military strike… Developing hard…

Time for a new party.

-GSD

“It is called scorched earth policy. Already the RNC has produced radio ads that bald facely lie to Latino voters about the felony provision in the immigration bill. Hardball politics is one thing. Utter lies and fabrication are not politics, they are tools of desperation.

GSD, yes and I hope this latest smear of Dems - by the Repubs with more outright lies - gets some more attention around here. I wish I knew spanish, would appreciate anyone who is fluent to come up with a brief statement (plus a translation) to help us get the word out.

WHat are they telling Congress that we don’t know that would make ANYONE, R or D, think going after Iran, nuke or conventional, with this band of yahoos in charge, is a good idea

Invisible Men
Did Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl mislead the Supreme Court?

It’s not within the Supreme Court’s power to decide the constitutional challenges brought by Salim Ahmed Hamdan, the Guantanamo detainee whose case will be argued before the court tomorrow, say Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. In a brief they filed with the Supreme Court, they argue that Congress kicked Hamdan’s current case out of court when it passed the Detainee Treatment Act last December.
snip
The problem is that Kyl and Graham’s colloquy didn’t actually happen on Dec. 21. It was inserted into the Congressional Record just before the law passed, which means that the colloquy did not alert other members of Congress to the views it contains. Inserting comments into the Record is standard practice in Congress. What’s utterly nonstandard is implying to the Supreme Court that testimony was live when it wasn’t.
snip
http://www.slate.com/id/2138750/nav/tap1/

GSD @ 47– wow, you sure can turn a phrase. :)

But, I despise him so. Sonorous Senor of the bilious lies– slick huckster from the CPA.

Frank Probst #19

Didn’t know you were in Texas. Lower temps seem t/b holding here this morning - you have my sympathies as Houston is subject to generally higher humidity numbers.

having an ironic chuckle with the prospect of the Lay/Skilling trial subject to rolling blackouts

raw story -

What the hell does developing hard mean ?

Baghdad Bob for White House Press Secretary!!!

He’s experienced, pale, rested, and ready — he’s a master at lying in the worst Orwellian BushCo style; but can he live down to Scotty Mac’s standard?

Speaking of Scorched Earth. What better way to turn your true believers against citizens of your own country just for being criticial of someone in the administration?

Why, claim they are in league with the terrorists.

CRumbsfeld on Limpballs equating his critics to Zarqawi and Bin Laden and terrorists in general. It won’t be so hard to line us up against the wall if this talk keeps up.

“There have always been people who have opposed wars…I think we just have to accept it, that people have a right to say what they want to say, and to have an acceptance of that and recognize that the terrorists, Zarqawi and bin Laden and Zawahiri, those people have media committees.

They are actively out there trying to manipulate the press in the United States. They are very good at it.”

-GSD

One more reason why this man is unfit to be the head of the Pentagon.

OT (apologies to all)– ck#48:

I have to keep telling myself: “It’s still THE SAME DAY.â€

President was the one who engineered the “theft†of the nerve gas; it was part of his plan to secure America’s oil interests. His handling of the terrorist incident allowed him to score points with the public, and the incident itself allowed him to invoke provisions of the agreement he and the Russian president signed. It’s all about the oil…

Former President Palmer found out about Logan’s plot, so Logan ordered Henderson to kill Palmer. The First Lady’s assistant had a recording of Logan on the phone with Henderson admitting to the Palmer assassination. Jack got the recording, and Audrey arranged for her father, the SecDef, to meet her and Jack at the airport. Heller leaves the recording with one of his security guys, and goes to see Logan to demand his resignation. Meanwhile, Henderson locates Jack and takes the recording. He calls Logan while Heller is with Logan, and as soon as Logan knows that Heller doesn’t have the recording, he demands Heller’s resignation. Meanwhile, the VP, the Secret Service guy and the chief of staff all know something is fishy. First Lady begs SS guy to tell her what is going on. He finally agrees to tell her, and arranges to meet her at the stables. When he doesn’t show up, she calls him, and hears a phone ringing – which turns out to be SS guy’s phone – he’s nowhere to be found. Chloe is taken into custody for helping Audrey find Jack. She escapes and joins Buchanan (former head of CTU) to try to find Audrey and Jack.

STILL the SAME DAY.

We have lost our country. We will never get it back. We will only be able to remember it fondly, for the glory that once was ours. Like an aging beauty who can see in her reflection only glimpes of her former self. The glory that once was ours to behold was stolen from us forever. No more. No more. No more. Be sure to thank the republican party soon and often, because no amount of punishment is too much for this crime. They took from you what was your birthright, what hundreds of thousands gave blood and life for. Your freedom, your liberty, your rights , your glorious country.

The question of where the Republicans of character are is a moot point, really. This is not the Republican Party that would have impeached Nixon, that served under Reagan or even under Bush I. What we are seeing now is the birth (think chest-birth a la Aliens) of the monster that has hollowed out the vital organs of the GOP-That-Was.

This is not a party. It’s an ideological revolution hoping to reshape the very face and character of America. People such as Spectre are holding on for power and for pension. They are as much a party of the new GOP as Dixiecrats were of the Democrats. This new breed is ideologically committed, hardened in media battle and unremitting in their quest for Dominionism.

It is long past time we stopped treating the GOP as a party and more like the cancer they are.

Heard Richard Holbrooke on Hardball yesterday while driving home. Holbrooke laid out a compelling case for Rumsfeld’s resignation, building on his Sunday op-ed in the WaPo. Tweety had nothing. Nothing. Not too many people have the ability to render Tweety virtually speechless, and I cheered Holbrooke as much for that feat as for the substance of his remarks.

Anne #59 –

THANKS!!! That’s a great summary — and with preznit Logan as the nerve gas WMD bad-guy-in-chief, it goes a long way to restoring a fig leaf of plausibility to the story line.

I have to tune in next week . . .

Unfortunately for the country, putting party before country is written into the republican job description. It is also part of their genetic makeup. Since no republicans are currently standing up for their country, even if it means going against the party line, we can tell which one really is most important to them.

Holbrooke was brilliant yesterday, I agree, Anne.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITI.....index.html

considering that his reply to ‘why is rummy still employed’ is the equivalent of “Cuz I’m the boss, applesauce”, I’m going to say no. No, they can’t put the country’s needs ahead of their own.

Very gratifying to see that, unlike his old Watergate journalistic partner Woodward, Bernstein never capitulated to the Dark Side of the force. Is anybody on Capital Hill listening? One can only hope.

Don’t know where this thing with Iran is headed. We are getting reports that the war has already started- and reports that there IS no viable military option.

It IS the responsibility of the President to find a way to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons. The question is whether this guy is up to the task. I doubt it. He will do something stupid- congress needs to stay VERY close to this one-or we could be involved in an error of judgement that will make Iraq look like a brilliant move.

“We have lost our country. We will never get it back. We will only be able to remember it fondly, for the glory that once was ours.”

I’m not that pessimistic yet, but I will be if the Dems don’t take at least one house of Congress. However, that is a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition, for us to regain our democracy and our civil liberties. If we have wimps like Schumer, Repubs in Dem clothing like Lieberman and blatant opportunists like H. Clinton in charge, I see nothing in the offings to prevent another despot to seize complete power. The “skids are greased” to generate another, more evil, “W”.

I’ve been wondering for a while if perhaps John Warner of Virginia might be a good candidate to play “elder statesman” of the Republican party and actually put patriotism above partisanship.

He did it once before — he backed an independent candidate for Senate several years ago instead of Oliver North, the Repuclican nominee. In the end, the Democrat (Chuck Robb) was reelected.

I’ve been mentally composing a letter to him for several days, asking him whether he wants to be remembered for taking a courageous stand against a criminal administration or sitting on his hands and saying nothing while George Bush destroyed America.

OfT:”Egyptian Editorial Lauds Suicide Attack in Israel”
(CNSNews.com) - A state-controlled newspaper in Egypt praised Monday’s suicide attack in Tel Aviv, calling it an act of sacrifice and martyrdom, the Jerusalem Post reported
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewFla.....0418l.html
IIRC, Egypt has always been a supporter of the two state Peace process and condemned suicide attacks.
The wages of Bush’s occupation of Iraq include Hamas’ first ever victory in Palistinian elections and now what appears to be a withdrawal by Egypt from its condemnation of suicide attacks. It’s this kind of pattern imo that made regional experts predict that the instability that the Iraq occupation brought to Iraq will migrate throughout the Middle East.

Clusterfuck really needs to get rid of Rummy- and have a long talk with Ticky Dick about the benefits of retirement.

We have a government with zero credibility at a time of great risk. To stand pat right now- with no cards in his hand- is the mark of an idiot.

His need cover up his enormous mistakes is more important to him than the health of the nation.

Clusterfuck would rather be at the head of a government that has pissed away it’s credibility than to admit error.

This is sad- VERY sad.

“or we could be involved in an error of judgement that will make Iraq look like a brilliant move.”
LMAO.

Carl Bernstein is arguably the last surviving investigative journalist from the Watergate era. Along with Helen Thomas, who refuses to be intimidated by power, these two represent what more journalists should aspire to achieve. But on to the point.

The Bush administration and its supporters appear to believe that the three branch form of American government — as set forth by our constitution — is just one more outdated and obsolete idea in ‘that god damned piece of paper’. An inconvenience to be discarded with the rest of the trash. Indeed, now that Bush is Commander In Chief, there is no longer any real need for “checks and balances”. The 3-branch structure has been corrupted to serve the one; we are left with little more than 3 cheering sections for a failed, short-sighted and extremely dangerous world view.

And the fourth estate? Well, for the most part, it has simply gone MIA. No one really knows what happened. Oh sure, there are theories and rampant speculation. But in the end, this mystery may never be solved.

So Mr. Buckley’s recent epiphany leaves me a bit puzzled.

Mr Buckley, Jr is quoted as saying “The neoconservative hubris, which sort of assigns to America some kind of geo-strategic responsibility for maximizing democracy, overstretches the resources of a free country.” Gee. Ya think? Great. Spot on. Thank you Mr. Buckley. You’re not especially quick on the uptake are you? But I can see that a few of the ‘facts on the ground’ have not escaped your notice either.

Unfortunately Mr. Buckley, you are 10 bricks short and 3 hours late. The debate you’ve just entered into needed to start 6 years ago. Where was your critical analysis then?

What I propose is that you stop trying to analyze how we came to this point. I know this will come as quite a shock to a great thinker such as yourself but many of us little people have already figured that part out for you. No offense intended, Mr. Buckley, we were just trying to help. It was grunt work, really. Mere crumbs of the intellectual process. Not especially worthy of your time.

But now, might I suggest that we focus that mighty brain of yours on the two real-world problems we still face: First, and most important, how do we stop digging this ever widening hole? And second, how do we begin to repair the enormous damage already inflicted on America by these miserable failures?

Please have something on my desk by tomorrow morning.

Clusterfuck stands bare ass naked before the entire world and is betting the farm on trying to convince people that he’s wearing designer threads.

Rethuglican Joementum had this to say re Iran today:

Military action was “probably the last choice, but it has to be there,” stressed Lieberman, who has been visiting Israel over the Pessah festival. He said there was now “active discussion” of the options for such action.

Lieberman indicated that the US had learned a lesson, from both Osama bin Laden and from Adolf Hitler, to the effect that “sometimes when people say really extreme things, which at some level a lot of people don’t want to even believe… they may actually mean it. They may intend to do it. So I do think that the statements of Ahmadinejad are taken very seriously, both with regard to [speaking of a world without] the US and with regard to Israel.”

Asked what last-resort military option was available, Lieberman said: “I don’t think anyone is thinking of this as a massive ground invasion, as in Iraq, to topple the government.” Rather, he said, he envisaged “an attempt to hit some of the components of the nuclear program,” primarily from the air, with some potential for covert ground assistance.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/S.....2FShowFull

Fabulous job Taylor. Let’s trumpet these key quotes from conservatives like Bill Buckley and Bruce Bartlett.

I really like this quote from Bruce Bartlett at the end of Bernstein’s article: “A lot of conservatives have had reservations about him for a long time, but have been afraid to speak out for fear it would help liberals and the Democrats.” (emphasis added)

In other words, politics before principle.

Clusterfuck lied to go into Iraq- but that was hardly the worst thing he did. The WORST thing he did was to go in at all. The SECOND worst thing he did was to fuck it all up AFTER the decision to go in.

No need to rehash the specifics.

The fact is that this guy has a serious judgement problem. This goes WAY beyond partisan politics. If he were a liberal- he would STILL be fuckin everything up.

Never has the nation more needed a strong and independent congress. Never has the nation had to deal with such a crowd of lackeys.

“Rumsfeld Says Calls for Ouster ‘Will Pass’”
By THOM SHANKER and DAVID S. CLOUD April 18, 2006 WASHINGTON, April 17 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld predicted Monday that calls from retired generals for him to step down would fade away, and he dismissed the criticism as a standard part of the history of American combat since the Revolutionary War. This, too, will pass,” Mr. Rumsfeld said during an interview with Rush Limbaugh, the conservative nationally syndicated radio host…..”
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04.....ref=slogin
You bet it “will pass,” Rummy, like a kidney stone.

These guys were way ahead of the curve on Iran, they even had an ad in the New York Times a week ago:

www.velvetrevolution.us

Congressional dems should not be undercutting Bush in his attemtpts to negotiate with Iran. THAT would be to put partisan politics ahead of the interests of the nation.

They SHOULD be insisting that nothing be done without the consent of congress. They need to go to the mat on that issue- regardless of the political consequences.

IMO Dems need to “frame” the Iran debate in terms of the questions posed by the Powell Doctrine:
* Is a vital national security interest threatened?
* Do we have a clear attainable objective?
* Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
* Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?
* Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
* Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?
* Is the action supported by the American people?
* Do we have genuine broad international support?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell_Doctrine
Mentioning the Powell Doctrine in every sentence where they mention Iran doesn’t sound so wimpy. It also drives Bush back to the intelligence estimates, that he doesn’t want to declassify, because they will confirm what Russia an Europe alread know, Iran is not a nuclear threat right now.

From the category of things that make you go hmmmmm…Check this out from Steve Clemons via AFP:

The US State Department confirmed a senior official from arch-US nemesis Iran was in Washington but would not say how he got into the country or what he was doing here.

Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Mohammad Nahavandian was in town but added, “He’s not here for meetings with US government officials to my knowledge; certainly not with members of the State Department.”

McCormack said Nahavandian had not been issued a visa but was in the United States legally. He did not elaborate but said only, “There are a variety of other ways for an individual to arrive in the country.”

http://www.thewashingtonnote.c.....001350.php

Need to get all money out of congress. YEs the first admendment says anyone has the right to lobby congress for change… this doesnt mean you have the RIGHT to buy them dinner, golf, trips or anything else. This country was founded as a republic to give the minority a voice. It doesnt help when only the rich have a voice.
With out money all they have to worry about is votes.
And every vote my congressman takes should be in the paper every day.. every trip he makes.. every meeting. I hired him, to make laws, not to rule over me.

John- good point. They also need to avoid prejudging the issue- and they certainly should not be coming out one way or the other on it while negotiations are ongoing.

The best solution is obviously a negotiated one- and we have to go to negotiations with the president we have- not the one we wish we had.

He needs to be supported during this phase- and he should negotiate with all options on the table- but the moment he begins seriously thinking about a military solution- congress needs to stand ready to investigate every orifice of his arguments.

Angie–”there are a variety of other ways for an individual to arrive in the country”–think they might share that info with the hundreds of thousands of protesters taking to the streets of the US?

Bernstein reminds us that the Senate Watergate Committee was created by a vote of 77-0 in the Senate.

I’m struck by what’s obviously missing from this vote, which is 23 senators. While some might have not been able to vote for some reason, you have to think that most just decided that the honorable way to not go against Nixon was to abstain. I doubt you’d find that many today who’d be ashamed to say they see no reason to investigate the NSA surveillance issue, or the leak of Valerie Plame’s identity. Acts more heinous than what Nixon did are today treated as if they are just a misunderstanding.

Sometimes I get the feeling that the stock market is running the board to get in every cent of profit before the whole game shits the bed.

Dow is up around +140 points. Look at the small overview of the news.

# Merrill Lynch 1Q Earnings Down on Charge AP
# Wholesale Inflation Up, Home Building Down AP
# Dow Jones Earns Up, but Shares Move Lower AP
# Oil Prices Hit New Record of $70.88 AP
# Market Overview: Tue 11:00 AM ET

Looks a little funny eh?

-GSD

long time no post but this one is too good to pass on. Clusterfuck has truly lost his mind….

“I hear the voices, and I read the front page and I know the speculation,” the president said. “But I’m the decider, and I decide what’s best.”

ponder that for a bit. he’s the decider…..

I did not find Joe’s statements particularly helpful either– how dare he??? Who is he, the Secretary of State?? He has no right to go this far, imho. this, too from the article:

Nonetheless, he said, there was skepticism in Congress about the likelihood of the UN Security Council taking “economic or diplomatic action.” As a next step, that left the option of an “economic coalition of the willing,” outside the UN framework, to try and deter the Iranians. And failing that, the only two remaining courses of action were intensified efforts “to encourage the reformist and opposition elements in Iran” to the regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and a resort to military force, he said.

wondering– yeah!