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When I first heard about the clip of Washington Post Deputy Editor Colbert King discussing the paper’s editorial applauding Presidential intelligence incontinence I thought oh lordy, they’re making them march around with wooden guns and quote Fred Hiatt. That is pathetic. But having watched the clip now (Crooks & Liars has it) I’ll say King’s snark is the most caustic, lacerating, damning indictment of the paper’s editorial stance I have heard to date. Krauthammer was practically choking on umbrage even as he challenged King to agree with himself. It was a royal hoot:
MR. KING: Well, I’m deputy editor of the editorial page, so let me first take a sip of my Kool-Aid – (laugher) – and step up and take one for the team. What we were trying to say is that the president had every right to declassify the information and present to the public the information from the National Intelligence Estimate that supported that particular argument about the attempts on the part of the – of Saddam Hussein to acquire –
MS. TOTENBERG: You can spit it out.
I always wonder how much penetration we’re having with the Washington Post. We tap away at our liberal little keyboards but are our narratives getting seeded into the larger media story? Is it just us and the message borders at the WaPo who gossip about this junk?
I have to say I was laughing like hell and absolutely delighted about last weekend’s liberal blogger hit piece. It was six pages long. They put their newly Pulitzered reporter (*cough*) David Finkel on the task. It ran on the front page of the paper itself, not just the web site.
Even their own editors aren’t afraid to go on TV and admit the paper is so twisted up in self-justification for indefensible positions that it’s downright laughable. Our bloggy obsessions have so fully interwoven themselves into the Post’s culture they’ve become accepted as common knowledge. We’re hurting them much, much more than I ever imagined.
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Yessss, Fitzzzzz!
Incontinence!
Turd sucks!
I think being slapped down–quite well, I might add–by the NYT was probably one of the most humiliating things that could happen to the Post. The “Good Leak”/”Bad Leak” pieces are going to end up in journalism textbooks in a few years. Those people can’t be happy about that. Fred Hiatt looks like the Mike Brown of editorial writing.
The Washington Post thinks the reason Dick Cheney is unpopular is because he can’t pitch.
Take a look at David Fiderer’s HuffPo piece too.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..19356.html
*G* I guess we have some new journalistic definitions. THere is “collaborating source” and “WaPo collaborating source” which, as Fiderer points out, are pretty different things. Although the comparison to Pagesix is mean. Pagesix doesn’t pretend to be what it is not.
How does one choke on umbrage? Although I suppose you cud.
It’s all thanks to you Jane!
I’ve always thought Colbert King was one of the more decent voices at WhorePo.
And god yes – that “Crazy Bloggin Maryscott O’Connor On The Verge” piece was absolute WhorePost comedy platinum!
Wow..
Krauthammer looks like he needs to self-diagnose—he was about to lose control.
I have to say that watching that clip makes all the difference. I saw the transcript a few hours ago, but seeing King smirk and a sip his water while he made the remark about KoolAid was priceless.
Much has been written about the decline in influence of the mainstream media (MSM). I no longer look to the NYT or the Washington Post for definitative commentary on what is happening. For OPINION OR COMMENTARY I turn to FDL or one of the other progressive blog sites. I still keep an eye on “old media” but I know what they have to say may not be relevent or useful.
I’m so sad about what has happened to the Wash. Post. I read every word of the Watergate coverage 30+ years ago. To become apologists for the worst Pres. in u.s. history is incomprehensible to me. Who hired these people? Is it that weird son of K. Graham? I know he had an difficult childhood, but must we all suffer for it?
Hugh Hewitt linked to a post by Billmon yesterday calling it “the left’s dithering in the face of the threat posed by a nuclear Iran.” Hugh is fast becoming my favorite comedian.
I just read the latest about Libby’s lawyers going after the media. You know what? Libby’s entire defence is theatre. It allows them to claim the media knew her ID so she wasn’t really covert, they get Joe Wilson as a hostile witness and the news reports of the encounter that day are so complicated for the average American that their eyes glaze over and they believe maybe Wilson’s full of it too. The whole defence is just constructed to give Republicans some kind of bs narrative to believe. They so deserve for Fitz to nail every one of them, from Bush on downwards.
[combining this topic with previous thread]
if the lumpens are confused about who is ripping them off and wrecking the planet, it’s not *directly* the fault of the wa.po, but as the economic mierda continues to hit the political ventilador, the least thing to worry about is “incipient apathy”. apathy is possible when you can make rent and c-card payments and don’t have to choose between prescriptions and groceries. howard dean alluded to this with his comment about pickup trucks with gun racks–a comment which was spun away by the pundits, and a comment which is literally unintelligible to the dem. consultants.
so, to articulate a two stage model of the pushback we seek: in order for at least some lumpen folks to have the opportunity to hear and process a compelling counter-narrative regarding the basis of corruption and incompetence in the political class, that counter-narrative has to first establish itself somewhere in the media-ted ether. otherwise the nastier forms of populism will predictably take over–see the analyses of david niewert, chip berlet et al.
(sorry to state the obvious, but i’m a big-picture type)
Roots Project Update
We have bottlenecks due to the volume of response, people. The problem is not us or our volunteers but google, which places us all on freeze for a while when we invite too many people or create too many groups.
We are looking into, over the longer term, developing our own technology platform for the roots project, but for now, this iw what we’ve got.
The good news is we have hundreds of people and most of them are already connected with their state groups, planning awesome actions. I can’t wait til they have news for us.
The rest of you who may be waiting for your group to go live, I apologize. In some cases, we don’t have mty threshhold minimum of three per state to set up a group, but in other cases, we hit the google freeze barrier. It takes about a day to be unfrozen, per person who hits the wall.
Be patient! We’re in this for the long haul. I love all of you who have stepped up. We’re not abandoning you.
Pach
Durbin talking about a possible no confidence vote on Rummy Chi Trib
Wouldn’t that make for an interesting senate floor debate? More like a food fight.
I think blogs scare hell out of those who try to form the collective wisdom.Blogs ARE the people. Hardnosed,savie,beenthere,donethat,and willing to call bullshit when they see it.They are not polite,well mannered,or housebroken.But,they show the wisdom,strength,and HEART of our nation,more clearly than anything I see now.
Jane, with that sip of water, King announced to Hiatt, Brady, and Howell that their colleagues are laughing their asses off how how you’ve brutalized them, worse each time they foolishly came back for more. Very nice work!
Is it just me or does Krauthammer look like he’s perpetually sucking on a lemon?
he’s got that same sour look that Novak has. That’s what you get for being a CONservative.
I don’t quite see what anybody is patting themselves on the back for here. Colbert King knew that the editorial was BS before anybody here wrote anything about it. I’ll feel like we should have some satisfaction when the Post retracts the editorial, and when people like Colbert King threaten to resign from the Post over pro-war garbage that gets read into the Congressional record.
peace,
jim
I agree Jane. I think you ripping Judy Miller, John WATB Harris, Richard Morin, and Lil Debbie Howell before Xmas put everybody on notice that there was a new sheriff in town, who could communicate to a broader audience. Old habits die hard, corporate media painted Feingold’s Censure resolution as appeasement to terrorism, which it isn’t, but, I think, worker bee reporters at the WaPo and the NYT’s understand that if they do their job, you, Christy and other bloggers are going to provide some badly needed cover from the Harris and Lil Debbie types.
Vichy Dems, such as Schumur and Joementum haven’t caught up and that hurts.
OfT: “California’s senior senator calls for Rumsfeld’s resignation”
Associated Press
“SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Sen. Dianne Feinstein joined the chorus of Democrats and retired generals calling for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s ouster, telling a town hall meeting Tuesday he should either resign or be fired…”
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld…..372131.htm
With all due respect, Jane, I don’t think Colby King’s take had anything to do with liberal blogs and all that. I have read his columns (he writes editorials as Hiatt’s No 2, but also writes a signed column on the op-ed page on Saturdays) for years and watch him regularly on “Inside Washngton” talking head show. BTW, he won a pulitzer for his columns on DC government (his usual topic), but he is delightful when he takes on Pat Robertson’s dealings with that Liberian dictator, or Saudi Arabia’s intolerance.
Anyway, what Colby King said gives us a glimpse of the internal conflicts within wapo. King is from the old school wapo – he is one of Katherine Graham’s boys – and Hiatt is Don Graham’s boy.
Read today’s top two editorials. The first one, a ludicrous attempt at shoring up Rummy and Bush, was written by Hiatt, you can tell.
And the second one, a lacerating piece on Condi entertaining at State Dept the dictator of equitorial Guinea, was written by Colby King, I am sure. And another editorial writer Ruth Marcus wrote a signed column today makin fun of Bush’s restaffing plan and his daughers. So there are tensions in the editorial board.
Coincidentally, today David Broder and E.J. Dionne wrote their columns, saying just the opposite of what Hiatt wrote in his edit on Rummy. Even Richard Cohen turned in a good piece today Al Gore and dissing Bush.
Toles as usual turned in a great cartoon today, fingering Bush/Rummy/Cheney.
Hiatt must not be very happy today, if he measures for/against inches in the 2 edit pages.
I digress, but my point is: Colby King’s utterances were not caused by any of the liberal pressures. Those fissures have been there, but we do well by highlighting those, as you have done with this post.
And I’m almost sure Krauthammer was drunk.
Actually, the Washington Post doesn’t frown on election fraud, the orchestration of 9/11 by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/Eberhart/Myers/Rove/Bartlett/Wolfowitz/Pearl etc., leaking classified information for poltical purposes or lying about the reasons for starting a war in a country not even related to their 9/11 lie.
Colbert King is definitely one of the most level-headed editorialists at the Post. I was tickled to see the snark.
Meanwhile, the Deciderer-in-Chief resolutely marches around the Ovaltine Office with his little wooden rifle.
“Decisionating is hard work!”
Well at least some folks at the WaPo have gotten tired of being fluffers for BushManiac.
Good to see.
CrapHammer is a very sick personality. I have no interest in anything he might say.
None.
24: Krauthammered?
Well, any effect is good, and thanks for pointing this out, Jane. However, if we’re just making the deputy editorial page editor uncomfortable, we’re not quite there yet.
Below is the WaPo blog entry folks have been using to register complaints about the editorial and Debbie Howell’s followup.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com…..aunch.html
Oh, and you might want to visit Taylor’s Open Letter To The Washington Post site and give her a shout.
John Casper – interesting link to DiFi. This is a fine moment, with warhawk Dems and Rebubs (Hagel)calling for Rummy’s resignation while Bush declares, “I am the decider, and I decide what’s best, . . .” That means that the country either comes to see that Bush is a very bad “decider” or they watch him “un-decide” in public soon as the networks show his “I am the decided . . .” shouting over and over. This could become the equivalent of Dean’s “scream.” Sweet irony. Poor Rove. His head must be exploding.
This is an excellent point.
ecoast — I’m well aware that there are, and have been, diverging opinions expressed on the WaPo editorial page. Anyone who reads it would know that, and funny enough many of us do. It is not however common for people to go on television and lacerate their fellow employees. A clear indication that the rifts have now been externalized and yes, I do think bloggers take a great deal of credit for that one. Bill Keller told Judy Miller that she was radioactive on the blogs back in 2003; that was significant to him.
We’re hurting them much, much more than I ever imagined.
No, Jane — you are healing them, not hurting.
Truth is an antiseptic, as is sunlight — and the sun doesn’t shine where the WaPoo editorial board looks for it’s facty thingys. But even there, the righteous anger of FDL and our cohorts will penetrate the foulest boil of BushCo talking points.
You, Jane — are the antidote to the foul filth that has infected the WaPoo, and sapped their strength as guardians of the public good.
JC 22 – DiFi is sounding almost like she has a job in Congress to do! Good for her – I also noticed with the letter she sent out earlier on wiretaps that, while she was not supporting Feingold (like, IMO, she should be) it is the first time/place I have seen/heard her say she had determined the program is illegal. That word has been hard for too many Dems to spit out. ILLEGAL. The fact that it is backed by the AG doesn’t make it legal, it just means Congress should pass of “sense of” resolution to rename the office to better reflect its duties in representing lawbreakers within the Executive.
Consigliore is taken, but there has to be something else out there that will work.
ck — “healing them” = well said. It’s like that scene in LOTR, Two Towers, when Gandolf forces the evil guy’s spirit out the good king’s body — uh, sort of.
Jim Preston,
Please check out the slope on the curve of visits to FDL.
http://www.sitemeter.com/?a=st…..e&r=36
When Jane sent us to Amazon to sink Kate O’Beirne’s book, it worked, because she and Christy made FDL so popular through the quality of their writing. When Debbie Howell wrote that Abramoff gave to Republicans, it was Jane, Christy, and others who led us to the WaPo’s blog. When the New York Times broke the story on domestic spying, Christy, was posting about the 72 hour window the Feds had to start wiretapping before they applied for the FISA warrant. When the Post hired Ben Domenech, it was Jane and others who led us on that very successful hunt.
Jim, Jane Hamsher is not someone who is guilty of patting herself on the back too much. I urge you to read her posts when SD passed their rapists rights law. Read her stuff when Jim Church Lady Brady tried to punk her on his rigged “ethics” chat. Read her stuff when Rodriguez lost in Texas. Read her when Busby didn’t win the primary.
“We’ve” reached a plateau, because we love reading Jane and Christy. It’s a plateau, not the promised land. We also need all the help we can get, so I hope you hang in there with us.
Jim, I would invite you to demonstrate your appreciation for Jane, Christy, Pach, and the others financially via pay pal, or Visa. You are basically getting Maureen Dowd quality, seven day a week, just for clicking through the advertising, which I know you are already doing.
boy, I really think it would take somethin’ for Bush to fire Rummy – I’m thinking he can’t invade Iran without him… or at least, thinks he can’t…
nice job on DiFi’s part!
“Read her when Busby didn’t win the primary”
Should read:
Read her when Busby didn’t get enough to avoid the runoff.
At least King and some of the others know they’ve met their match. We aren’t stupid. We went to school or roomed with the likes of Paul Krugman and Steven J. Gould, and we have our own performances to warrant our opinion. Who the hell are these guys out of journalism school? I think they are getting the picture.
scarecrow,
“I am the decider, and I decide what’s best”
Gawd, what arrogance.
“I’m the decider and I decide what’s best.” Perfect. Put that caption under every picture of failed policy, then ask, “Had Enough?” Hang it all right on the Decider-in-Chief for he now claims responsibility.
John Casper, your polite interventions are always spot on.
I know this is off topic, but…hahahaha – does Reuters cut and paste much?
Right now in their article on the approaching Iran debacle, it reads:
“But a meeting of major powers in Moscow ended without consensus despite strong U.S. pressure for international sanctions. Washington believes *Iraq* is trying to build bombs but Tehran says it is only developing nuclear energy.”
This must be great for costcutting – they can reuse all their old articles!
(It’s in the article “Bush won’t exclude Iran nuke strike,” fourth paragraph)
A “decider” doesn’t need to stand up and say “I’m the decider”. Only an arrogant and ill informed little prick who let’s everyone else do the work and hasn’t made a major decision in years needs to say that kind of shit.
Cozumel, Dana — yep, arrogant. And it’s not just the words; the voice/yell and gestures are worse. Check it out at C&L:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
I heard a bit of Clusterfuck while driving today- his voice is getting more stident- more defensive. He knows he’s fucked.
OT
Remember Safavian? His trial is coming up next month. With so much going on, the release to the press of 250+ emails between Jack Abramoff and folks (like Safavian) the end of last week was kind of under the radar.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..yist_probe
It sure did ratchet up the pressure though.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..02016.html
Safavian’s lawyer objects to release of emails.
Safavian’s attorney, Barbara Van Gelder, reacted angrily to the Justice Department’s decision to make the documents publicly available in a filing in U.S. District Court. Safavian has been charged with obstructing justice by telling investigators that Abramoff had no business dealings with the GSA
If Safavian cuts a deal in the next couple of weeks, it might get interesting yet again. DOJ really is like that abusive boyfriend: torture today, flowers tomorrow.
In case anyone’s interested,
Time Inc. Motion to Modify or Quash Subpoena
http://noeasyanswer.blogspot.c…..quash.html
scarecrow,
Thanks, but I’ve already seen it about five times today ; ) I think you’re on to something about a “Dean Scream” moment.
Clusterfuck long comforted himself by comparing himself to Daddy. Daddy fucked up- he didn’t spend his political capital- he didn’t hold on to the base. Clusterfuck figured that if he just did the opposite of Daddy on those issues- he’d be a hero and get to sleep with Mommy.
But what he didn’t figure is that there’s a hell of a lot more to success than the two things he “learned” by Poppa’s mistakes.
rwcole, Yep, you’re right. But he said it out loud with all the gestures and voice that scarecrow points us to at C&L. Those words will be heard over and over and over. Perfect.
By the way, a friend who is a ME expert was interviewed by phone today for a program in Iran. It was unusual in that she usually does interviews for American t.v./radio on M.E. In this case, she was asked about American policy, not M.E. policy. I don’t have a transcript or direct quotations, but the concern was over how serious is Bush, and whether the mid-term elections would make a difference.
Aren’t there any missing white women? Scarborough is reduced to “crack whore stripper falsely accuses Duke lacrosse team of rape.”
BTW — “we” means the liberal blogosphere, not us in particular.
Well, that’s decidered, then
We are learning that several Duke lacrosse players have been convicted of public urnination. Hell- I didn’t know that you could be convicted for that- what’re ya supposed ta do?
Mary – re Safavian’s trial — You’re right: I’m waiting for that one to sink in. The public hasn’t caught this one yet, I suspect. Here’s a key official in the Bush WH, indicted for lying, etc, linked to Abramoff, and involved in deciding who gets contracts with the govt, just as we continue to hear about war profiteering, lost billions for reconstruction that never happened, and Iraq going down the tubes. All these stories could come together all at once, during late summer, early fall. Le deluge.
Hell- when ya gotta go- ya gotta go!
The public will be more interested when the black guy gets tried for stealing from Target.
Where did “decider” come from?
Is someone else using “President”?
ReneND from the last post
You asked about FDL shirts etc. Link is here .
He kicked him in the penis. He was injured. Injured real bad.
http://video.google.com/ videopla…000965967411931
I tried watching the clip at C&L, but every time Krauthammer tries to butt in, my screen gets all covered with slime and I can’t see the rest of the clip. Then I have to Windex it and start over.
OK for the above do a search for bcbs it’s a very cute advert….
darkblack 54
ROFL – it doesn’t matter where it came from if we get that graphic. !!!!!!!!!
speaking of Smack downs!
Keith olberman mad miclelle malkin the Worst person in the world last night!
I think you’re supposed to be discreet if ya gotta go–like behind a shrub or something.
Please excuse my typos, i need a new keyboard as i have worn this one out!
Joe’s bacl to the missing white woman in Aruba- whew- thought something major had changed in the world. How long has the missing white woman in Aruba been missing now? Seems like at least twenty years.
Cheney is using “President.” But “Decider” was open.
I thought Nina Totenberg was particularly cute and funny in the clip. Yay, NPR.
Dana- well hell yeah- if there IS a bush.
In the past five years, I have become more and more inclined to piss on bushes.
Don’t piss on trees- trees are useful- piss on bushes- they ain’t good fer nothin cept pissin on.
rwcole,
“The public will be more interested when the black guy gets tried for stealing from Target.”
The Duke story has “legs” as they say. The “Target guy” will probably plea out, get probation, and will be back paged media wise IMO.
Mary @ 64,
I just exercise my optionations as the deciderer in Chief.
;>)
A lot of insider DC is just hooked on gossip, dish. Who’s on top, who’s name is getting trashed.
I think that’s why we have power. They flock to us to see what we’re doing, and we have a huge insider audience amng the media types. Especially the line staffers, copy editors, although the cocktail set can’t resist finding out what we’re saying about them.
dana @ at 7:22 pm (#67) I think you’re supposed to be discreet if ya gotta go–like behind a shrub or something.
It’s also considered bad form to urinate on your neighbor’s property, which is something they’ve been accused of more than once, if what I heard on PBS is correct.
rw — if you come to Boston, we’ll introduce you to indoor plumbing. We don’t do bushes, here.
I was really hoping you would post something like this. The other day on another thread you indicated that some people were really pissed, or something like that. I commented, Oh do dish. I was curious if the many talented bloggers at his cite, being encouraged and providing some research by a rather large readership, was having any affect, or is this just an excercise in mastubation. We do have some affect, such as with Ben, but if would have only been a racist and not a serial plagiarist, I wonder if he would still be with WaPoo? Every little bit of feedback we get helps. There may be several other incidents of this, but I’m fairly new to the “innernex” and even newer to FDL. Congrats.
Well, if you don’t want to piss in your pants, write fiction. Then you can piss in someone else’s pants. (I forgot which male author described fiction that way). But whatever, problem solved.
An OT reframe idea (hat tip to Atrios)
Change “Yeah, but 9/11 Changed Everything!”
to “No, Bush in the White House Changed Everything!”
Bush is what screwed up everything — including the pre-9/11 anti-terrorism defense systems.
The “Target guy” would have gotten a lot more media play if Feingolds censure motion hadn’t have stomped all over it news cycle wise. Unfortunate, coincidental, unavoidable, bad timing.
Injured. Injured bad.
http://video.google.com/videop…..mp;pl=true
I got this from another site I know well, the author is a Navy vet and has a son serving now…..
Sheila said…
Attention guys,
I just spoke to a friend of mine with Navy Times. He’s on his way to South Carolina to do a story on the “Sailors” that are being trained to fight in Country in combat for the Army.
Not just Seabees. All specialties or ratings as we say.
This means alot. This is the only way the country is avoiding the draft. This also means the Air Force will be involved soon too.
4/18/2006 8:04 PM
via dKos:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..213355/222
Senator Schumer is making headlines today, demanding a federal probe into price-gouging by the oil industry…
Democrats also sent a letter to President Bush today demanding action on both price gouging and energy independence. In it, Democrats point to S. 1735, the “Energy Emergency Consumer Protection Act of 2005“.
Working on campaign ideas. ‘The Republicans lied us into war, they’re spying on your phone calls and internet searches, they’re stealing your tax dollars, and they’re lying about all of it.’
Had enough?
84: whatever
Re: John Casper #37
I never said that Jane and the rest of the FDL crew wasn’t doing good work. I appreciate all of it and try to contribute as well. If you don’t think that there is self-promotion and the occasional power trip in the blogosphere, then I won’t stop you, but I don’t have to agree with you. Like I said, Colbert King knew the editorial was garbage before it was printed and a long time before any of us wrote about it. I’m glad that people like Jane, Christy, et al are gaining power. I hope they continue to use it well.
peace,
jim
Actually, I think you will see more of a push in the lefty blogosphere to claim credit where credit is due.
Part of politics is letting people know when you are powerful. It creates buzz and makes you more powerful.
This is not about self-promotion.
It’s about building momentum for the progressive movement.
Is Charles Krauthammer just the creepiest, ugliest weirdo you’ve ever seen?
But what’s worse is that he just lies so baldly. It was a delight listening to Totenbeg smack him down about Wilson’s op-ed being correct information.
Krauthammer has no sense, no idea of truth, no morals, no credibility, no shame and no decency. Other than that, he’s swell.
Talking about swell, is it true that you, Jane, will be in LA for the Crashing the Gate signings Friday? Hope so! I want to talk to you about Marcy Winograd.
new thread. some blowhard grabbed “fitz” already.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bunker bustin’ nuke . . .
Sort-of-OT: A package showed up on the doorknob today from a candidate for the state assembly in my area. A one-paragraph introductory letter and a booklet, roughly 3×5 inches and about half an inch thick. You had to open the booklet to find out what party the guy is with: Dem. Must have a consultant telling him what to do, because there’s no 25-words-or-less ‘why you should vote for me’. I’m going to hit their website and let them hear about it. (Jonathan Levey, Los Angeles, for those who might care.)
OT – Totally OT ; ) I spoke with my business associate who is in Taiwan on business a few hours ago, FREE, via Skype. It’s a free VOIP program. The sound is “in person” quality, better than a phone or cell phone. Free download, both party “callers” have to be logged on, and it makes your computer “ring” when you get a call, just like a phone. AWESOME!
http://www.skype.com/download/
“…we have a huge insider audience amng the media types..”
Even Nina Totenburg?? Wow!!
A few more comments like that, and FDL will be on the receiving end of my delete button.
OT__Just saw a great Law and Order that shines a humongous spotlight on the anti abortion issue. 16 y o gets pregnant and is scared her daddy will throw her out like he did her older sis, then she tries to get an abortion and cannot, tries an herbal solution and gets sick, then goes to nyc and finds a clinic where the doctor falsifies her record and in fact delays her abortion til it is no longer legal- (he is a prolife, save the lives of the unborn fundie.) The poor young girl then hits herself in her abdomen and makes her boyfriend do the same with a lamp and they kill the fetus. Welcome to hell, South Dakota et al.
PS at least the character that Fred Thompson (of the Scooter Libby defense fund) plays said at the end– I am pro-life, but I am more pro-law, go arrest that doctor.
Re: The decider.
The exaggerated negative head shake after the uncomfortable grin during the question about listening. “Yeah, I listen to all voices.”
Body language indicates a man who does not listen. He negated what he said by what he did with his head. It was akin to Bill Clinton’s infamous look down and to the left.
Also, there was the notable sideways jaw movement. It looks very much like that peculiar mannerism of cocaine users.
Betcha he would have preferred to have said “decision maker”. As in, I am the walrus, I am the eggman, I wear the codpiece, I am the decision maker.
The link to the liberal blogger hit piece is messed up, please fix.
I always wonder how much penetration we’re having with the Washington Post.
heh heh heh…..he said “penetration” (Beavis & Butthead)
[Sorry — that just popped into my head when I read that line!]
Bush’s body language.
If you can see the tape where he “took responsibility” after Katrina.
His body language was excruciating to watch. Like a ten year old forced to tell a store owner that he stole a candy bar. All twisty and fidgety and unwilling to stand behind what he was saying. Priceless.
One of the most telling moments for me.
-GSD
I have to admit I came late to this ball. I started small, when someone mentioned Salon.com to me three years ago. I stuck there for a long time, knowing that I was getting the straight poop. Then one day, like Alice, I followed one of the links to the ’sphere, because Salon had attributed a big, big story to one of the bright lights like Atrios or Aravosis or you two. I haven’t been happier (and yet, ironically, more angry and frustrated) than I have been since I tried blogs. Yesterday was, I think, one of the signal days in my bloglodyte life, because Bernstein, the Dr. Jekyll to Woodward’s Mr. Hyde, summed it all up. I’ll bet his piece has really long legs that we may never perceive. And believe me, if that’s true, it’s all thanks to you, Jane, and Christy, and John, and Kos, and Atrios and Leopold and Waas, and all the others.
Thanks
It has been my experience working in large bureaucratic environments that, when one of the “managers” decides to do something that doesn’t seem to make any sense and the rationale for it seems hollow, then it means that the manager is following instructions from higher up and taking the flak. That is what middle-management is all about. Clearly, the owner of the Post is giving everyone their walking orders and they are just being dutiful little soldiers. I guess they have mortgages to pay and private schools for their children, etc.
We’re headed into Pink Flamingos territory with BushCo. Except the whole sick crew in Pink Flamingos were nasty people, some of whom had hearts of gold. But now we have people who wear their souls and hearts on their sleeves, but their real hearts are very nasty, every blessed one of them. Next up will be the Edith the Egg Lady, then the asshole ventriloquism and chicken sex scandals, after which they will attack a retired general, tear him up and eat him raw. They are running over budget and the stockholders are in an uproar, but hey are tyring to finish the next production: Multiple Maniacs. The reality audience participation shows, Desparate Living and Female Trouble will be coming to all of our towns soon.
“BTW — “we†means the liberal blogosphere, not us in particular”.
Right you are. With respects, FDL’s gotten preachy of late. “Rally to us”…
The New York Times is another largely positive story from the vantage of liberal blogs. Today’s op ed page has three in many ways remarkable pieces – a somewhat typical MODO critique, Tom Friedman coming out against Rummy (prefering a nuclear Iran to an invasion led by Rummy) and a toughtful analysis by Tony Judt of the Wald-Mersheimer piece published by the Kennedy School on the Israel Lobby. I wish we all had been more active in bombarding the Times on the Alito nomination (they had a series of articles identifying him as a supporter of fathers, as a moderate etc), essentially paving the way for his successful nomination. (This was no doubt the Times’ “big business” lobby). I think if there had been broader blog critique directed at the Times it would have made a difference. Slightly aside, but for a while now the Boston Globe (owned by the Times) has been far ahead of the Times in providing critical reporting on the war and other matters. Unfortunately they have let go of key op ed columnists, so that page tends to be pretty banal.
OT – but take a look at Rummy’s body language too. That inadvertent gesture of rubbing his eye, an ritualized “rubbing away of tears” is a pretty high-signifying one. When he does it, it probably means that there is some pretty deep inner concern that is being manifested. He is not as composed and complacent about all of this as he would like us to believe.
I have two low-level reporter friends at the Post. You’re getting through. They act like thay don’t respect the liberal bloggers, but they READ you. It’s a good thing.