There is a whole lot of news swirling around today in all different directions, but there have been a whole lot of bits and pieces that made me pause and go...Hmmmm...and I thought it would do the same for everyone else as well.
-- Did you know that this evening's address by President Bush is his very first one on domestic policy issues in his entire Presidency? (Via Froomkin)
-- And then there was this from the WaPo's political chat today:
Miami, Fla.: The blogs are abuzz with reports of Karl Rove's impending (some say actual)indictment. What's the story?Tom Edsall: I think we will know very soon, perhaps as soon as early afternoon. No guarantee, however.
Well, talk about your noncommittal bit of potential news or non-news -- does Edsall know anything or is he just guessing about stuff he read over the weekend? And wouldn't that be nice to know? The NYSun says no truth to the Rove indictment rumors. And the Detroit Free Press has a report on some trial lawyers in Michigan who may, or may not, have gotten a little too excited a little too early. MSNBC's blog reporter says he spoke with folks at truthout.org and they are standing by their sourcing on the Rove story -- and I think we'll all get some answers in the next few days. (If everyone can wait that long, given the high level of anticipation and frenzy of posting on this over the weekend...)
As I said over the weekend about this particular story -- I'm not hearing anything firm from any of my sources one way or the other. I can neither prove nor disprove any rumors that are out there regarding Rove's status. I'm reading the same stuff that you guys are, and am just waiting to see what happens unless and until I hear something further from any of my sources (or unless Jane gets a tip from one of hers). We try to only report on things we confirm ourselves and if that puts us behind the curve, well so be it.
-- What, exactly, has changed so much about immigration issues in the last couple of weeks (other than House Republicans being willing to yell publicly at the Bush Administration) that requires us to put National Guard troops on the border with Mexico (and not Canada, btw) -- at a time when so many of these troops are already dealing with battle fatigue and stress issues? Especially with fire season in high gear in the Wesetern US, flooding in the northeast and hurricane season around the corner in the Gulf Coast and South -- and all states feeling the strain of national guard deployment to Iraq to cover Rumsfeld's behind? Is anyone else thinking FUBAR? (UPDATE: Also, is anyone in the media going to ask Governors from these states how they feel? Let alone report on any of the problems that guard recruiters are now having in filling their rosters because of overuse in Iraq -- and now thousands of miles from their own homes in the US?)
-- Biting the hand that doesn't feed you quickly enough? Say it isn't so, Rev. Dobson.
-- Why is Wolf Blitzer running a countdown clock to the Presidential Address? And why have reporters on MSNBC been making a big deal all day about how many times the President has had to practice his speech? THIS is important news? (Along with the Duke rape indictments, which are national news why exactly? And the evil alligators in Florida -- again, national news why? Hello, wake up.)
-- Via Atrios, this just in: Karl Rove, not so truthful.
-- Oh, and Negroponte? Not so truthful, either. Can't the media just start calling them liars now?
(I found this lovely photo on an online gallery that deserves some serious time for perusal. Very well done, indeed.)
UPDATE: Crappo headline of the day from the WaPo: "Rove Supports Bush's Border Control Policy." Well, DUH?!? This just in: Pickles thinks hand-picked audiences at GOP fundraisers like her husband's policies, too. Shocking.
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fitz - PLEASE!
Look, over there, something shiny!
just wanted to paste link before I got in to the post - back on the flip
FitzFridayFiling
Didn’t Bush address the nation on stem cells way back when? Isn’t that domestic policy?
It’s not yet fitzadelic, I guess.
The drums are starting to beat. Things are happening and I think it is more than Rove.
Report right now that Bush plans 6000 NG troops on the US Mex border. Can he even direct the guards or does he have to ask the respective states to put them there?
What time is the presidential address?
Good question, bionic.
Is this a prelude to martial law? (Yeah yeah, with what army). Still, he wants more and more precedents to use the military domestically.
One of these days he’s gonna storm the Knight-Ridder headquarters.
Folks, we don’t have much time before there is no America left.
From a Worldnetdaily opinion piece:
“Not only will it work, but one can easily estimate how long it would take. If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of 6 million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated into German society, it couldn’t possibly take more than eight years to deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don’t speak English and are not integrated into American society.”
http://www.wnd.com/news/articl.....E_ID=50198
-GSD
The National Guard….ooooh, great idea. Let’s ignore the point of militarizing our border. How many Guardsmen does he think there are? With the commitment of Guard units to Iraq, there already aren’t enough to respond to natural disasters. How are we going to manage to send thousands of these people to Tx, NM, Az, and CA? Oh, and what happens if we do send the Guard? Are they supposed to start shooting unarmed people trying to run across? What a completely idiotic idea, the only point of which is to pander to the far right wingnuts.
Here’s an off the wall thought.. will he use this exercise as an excuse to bring the troops home from Iraq?
I don’t think this is new, but cbl tried to post it earlier so I am posting a proper link here.
Fitzgerald’s response to court inquiry about articles:
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.c.....sponse.pdf
Apropos of the previous thread, I think we should be asking every politician who has a Q&A session, townhall meeting, etc., “What information does Bush’s NSA have on you that you’re rubberstamping ____________? (Fill in the blank.)
Peter Daou wrote a column on the Jason Leopold article today. Seems to think no one questioned its authenticity. I remember quite a few people here, and even Jeralyn in her blog, expressing some skepticism. In fact, I can’t think of anyone who took it so seriously that they didn’t have doubts.
http://daoureport.salon.com/sy.....2d64485169
Ed N Sted - if you hit this thread - Robert O’ Harrow, Jr. has been writing for some time about identity theft, datamining by govt and corporations -
he’s a great read, but will just scare/sicken the crap out of everyone - but his worked convinced us to do things like switch to disposable phones, pay as you go credit cards - we were both self concious about it at first, like we were some militia family in Idaho or something, but we’ve been feeling pretty good about our choice for some time now -
. . .in the middle of a Big Love marathon - the pupster’s addicted, and I don’t feel he should watch without adult supervision - back in a bit
Christy asks what’s changed in the last few weeks?
I thought I heard Mexico just decided to legalize a bunch of substances that aren’t looked upon kindly this side of the Rio Grande.
Will there be riots in California when the Nat Guard trucks roll down the freeways toward the border? Things are getting seriously weird.
16 Blank - Fox vetoed.
The Presidential address will be at 8 pm ET, just FYI, for those who asked.
Didn’t Bush give an address on the domestic issue of “stem cell research” back in August 2001, when that was clearly the biggest issue facing America? I’ll check, but that’s what I seem to remember.
Actually, Froomkin states that this is the first *Oval Office* address on domestic policy. The stem cells speech (wasn’t that Bush’s first address to the nation of any kind - 6 months after taking office?) was delivered from the ranch during Bush’s famous August 2001 vacation.
What’s the exit strategy?
Have we learned nothing from Viet Nam and Iraq??
This is so pathetic that even their friends aren’t buying it. (Well, except for the moron I just heard on the radio comparing it to the way there is no problem with North Koreans flooding into South Korea because of all the troops there. I kid you not.)
Anybody wondering if a major news organization will say anything about Bush’s funding request for border patrol in the 2006 budget?
This isn’t principled disagreement by Republicans–it’s pathological. They’ve been taken for a ride as much as the public has, and now they have a thing they can legitamitely disagree with Dear Leader on. I imagine that’s why they’re pressing this seemingly irrelevant issue so hard.
Immigration/National Guard is easy - So people feel scared (that safety thing) - not that it will work, but that is the idea. It is most definitely not to reassure people, since, as you point out, nothing has exactly happened to make it an issue other than Chimpco wanting to make it a phony issue. I still say it goes no where, the safety theme is no longer available to them, and will just reinforce their ineptitude, incompetitence, tone deafness. The base, the base the base, I said - been there, done that.
Rover - Of course it is possible that Rover will be indicted and it will be sealed, or has been indicted and it is under seal. Sure, Fitz’ every move is watched, but still…. So it may be National Ponies for Everyone Day and no one will even know it (although they can speculate).
Lastly, until the Chimp makes whatever sounds chimps make, we don’t know what on earth he will talk about. It could be about what they claim - the burning issue of immigration. Then again, maybe he will resign (a Universe can dream).
PS - CNBC just had a clip of Rover, and he really didn’t look that good, kinda wane. Being/about to be indicted can do that to you though.
The only reason Immigration is currently an issue is because the powers that be in the GOP thought it would be a good way to rally the base for the upcoming midterm elections….
nothing stirs up the GOP base like a little overt RACISM!!!!
(Lord knows his domestic policies and the Iraq War have been disatrous for the GOP)
…..well it has blown up in their faces to say the least….(in part to Bush’s business first approach to immigration via the disatrous guest worker program)
Dont worry by November the GOP will ignore the issue
Also something else that is overlooked in Bush’s sppech tonite….
HIS 2004 BUDGET SCRAPPED THE ADDITION OF APPROX 9700 BORDER PATROL AGENTS FROM THE FEDERAL PAYROLL….now 2 years later he going to send 8-10000 National Guard to do the job ???
The American public deserves to know that this President is primarily responsible for the border agent crisis we currently face
here is the article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/.....B837T1.DTL
Can we change the national anthem to the Theme from Hogan’s Heroes’ yet?
-GSD
GSD - Do you know the words?
GSD @ 1:33 pm (#9) - Yeah, sure, all we need to do is round up all the people who look like illegal immigrants, and then sort out the ones who aren’t. So, how long would it take to process 50 million people like that, assuming you actually have to keep them alive while you’re doing it? Or is that whole “keep them alive” thing an unnecessary complication only bleeding hearts worry about?
Of course, while we’re doing that 12 million more people will slip through the border, but who’s counting?
marky says: “Is this a prelude to martial law? (Yeah yeah, with what army).”
May 15th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Exactly - with what army? You might want to look at this and some other pages on this site:
http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_mlaw.html
hurm
Because you’re a sharp cookie, you’re naivety is especially touching. Everyone knows (everyone else, that is) that, with the exception of the spring break week, shark season in Florida begins Memorial day and ends Labor day weekends. The rest of the year belongs to the gators.
If I were Fitzgerald, I’d demand to know if any communications emenating from (or to) my office have been intercepted. Or if any folks called before my grand jury have merited special attention. Of course, that’s not to say such an inquiry would receive an honest answer.
Is American jurisprudence is dead as as dodo? It’s sure beginning to look that way to me.
Brian Ross says that this is a tipping point and that more will come out now. (listening to Schultz)
Brian sounds dead serious and very worried…
ABC will broadcast the story tonite and will have it on the website per Brian Ross.
GSD at 26 — I prefer the whistling song from Bridge Over the River Kwai (which I’m sure has a name, I just can’t think of it at the moment…)
RE: The Worldnetdaily story in post 9.
Are we going to have to pack all the illegals into railroad cars with no room to breath and no sanitary facilities? Or are we going to take an extra year or so to make sure we conduct a “humane” program of ethnic cleansing?
I believe that Bush did give an address on his stem cell decision.
From the White House web site.
But that was not given from the Oval office…he was in Crawfish.
As for the Guard on the border, I really do not relish the idea of tired, stressed-out National Guardsmen, just home from Iraq, manning the next border patrol check point I have to pass through. Or driving up and down my road, which just happens to run into the trailhead of a major cross-boarder foot trail. Bad enough that there are cameras monitoring the road.
thanks xyz !
Digby - “privacy”
Digby
and Lib4 - haven’t heard a single bobblehead mention the 8700 Border Patrol cuts - anyone ?
Christy Hardin Smith @ 1:46 pm (#33) - It’s something like “Colonel Floogy March”. Maybe that will jog someone’s memory.
DooH doo, doo doo doo doo doo DOO, DooH doo, doo doo doo doo doo DOO…
-GSD
#34.
How do you say “Work Makes You Free” in Spanish?
-GSD
33 Christy Hardin Smith says:
May 15th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Wasn’t it The Theme from the Bridge on the River Kwai? Since it doesn’t have any lyrics, will punaise be able to help? *g*
It’s another phoney issue meant to distract everybody from their actual agenda. The Bush legacy, the only things they actually excel at are public realations, damage control, smoke and mirrors and slight of hand.
Can’t wait to rush home from work and tune into something other than the president’s speech. Looks like Rove may have lost some of his baby fat judging from the picture of him over at Huffington Post. Think he is under a little bit of stress?
Speaking of whistling songs, the theme from Andy Griffith would be perfect as our new national anthem.
I think we may have to settle for a Russian funeral dirge.
-GSD
Libertad de trabajo
It’s the “Theme from The Bridge on the River Kwai”
Artist: (”March” by Jerry Fielding) Lyrics
Song: Hogan’s Heroes Lyrics
Heroes, heroes, husky men of war,
Sons of all the hreoes, of the war before.
We’re all heroes up to our ear o’s
You ask questions
We make suggestions
That’s what we’re heroes for.
All good heroes love a good, big fight
Open up the bomb bays and brighten up the night.
We applaud the people who laud us,
You pull the roses,
We punch the noses,
That’s what we’re heroes for.
What’s a hero do?
Well, we’re not gonna tell ya
Cause we wish we knew.
That’s why we heroes are so few.
We’ve got a slogan
From Colonel Hogan
And Colonel Hogan’s a hero too.
Never flinch, boys, never be afraid,
Heroes are not born, boys, heroes are made.
Ask not why, boys, never say die, boys,
Answer the call, remember we’ll all be heroes forever more.
GSD 44,yeah, “the Volga Boatmen,” good one.
I don’t know what the line is, but, it seems much more likely that if the guard is actually sent to patrol the boarder that American citizens wind up being either arrested (or killed) than any illegal aliens being rounded up (or killed). It’s as if they were up all night trying to think up something, anything, to distract the public from the real ills, but they don’t think about the consequences. Wait, where have I seen that before with these assholes? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
GSD @ 1:50 pm (#39) - How do you say “Work Makes You Free†in Spanish?
From AltaVista: El Trabajo Le hace Libre
From Google’s Language tools: El trabajo te hace libre
My guess is a human could make it sound more elegant.
angie 47, wow, what can’t this group accomplish?
How do you say “Work Makes You Free†in Spanish?
Mucho trabajo, poco dinero . . .
Someone asked about governors speaking out about putting the Guard on the border. Received…
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has urged Washington to toughen border security, said Friday he had misgivings about mobilizing state National Guard troops to help secure the nation’s southern boundary.
“Going the direction of the National Guard, I think, is maybe not the right way to go,” Schwarzenegger told reporters after a news conference on the state budget.
As part of a proposed overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, President Bush is considering plans to shore up the border by using National Guard troops paid for by the federal government.
Schwarzenegger suggested that Guard troops returning from service in Iraq should be able to go back to their jobs, not head to the border.
“We should let them go to work,” he said.
mommybrain;
oh. hadn’t heard that part.
Yes, Vincente Fox vetoed the drug legalization bill, and this is the thanks he gets. There are many vibrant Spanish words to describe his current situation.
You seriously cannot be calling the deportation of illegal aliens “ethnic cleansing”. Do you know what the fuck ethnic cleansing is?
Hysterical bullshit like this will keep republicans in control in ‘06. Ethnic Cleansing? wtf. Goddamn you’re some kind of crazy.
Cujo 50, You wouldn’t use the familiar “te” on that. Usted?
I certainly don’t want to see any photo ops of Governor Arnold on a guard tower looking past barb-wire with a pair of binoculars.
-GSD
How is that a federally ordered posting of National Guard troops on U.S. soil does not run afoul of the Posse Comitatus law? According to section 1385 to Title 18 of the U.S. Code:
Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
National Guard troops performing under state authority are exempted from the Posse Comitatus Act, and apparently the President may mobilize the National Gaurd to deal with a domestic insurrection or urgent security matter. This would not seem to qualify as either.
I don’t have a clear answer, I’m just curious as to how this is permissible, and haven’t seen the issue meaningfully addressed. A CNN.com article states, “Active-duty U.S. troops are barred from domestic law enforcement by a Reconstruction-era law known as Posse Comitatus, but National Guard troops under state control can perform some law enforcement functions.” But that doesn’t seem to address the lawfulness of Bush ordering Guardsmen to an occupation of U.S. territory. I’ve looked into this and haven’t seen a clear explanation of how this can be reconciled with the U.S. Code.
Rove you’re going down you beeee-ach!
I’m so excited . . . couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
That’s the Colonel Bogey March.
I prefer the theme from The Great Escape. Somewhat happier ending.
#39 “work makes you free” in spanish is: “Trabajar te hace libre”
the Preznit did that big speech from N.O. with the Cathedral in the background (all lit up!) about Katrina at night. He was sweating like a hog…
James Carville observed this afternoon that the Preznit is sending in the troops for a political task. I keep wondering if there’s an exit strategy - just how temporary is temporary?
op99 @ 1:57 pm (#37) - I’m sure you’re right, although in some languages using the familiar when you shouldn’t is a sign of disrespect.
“There is a whole lot of news swirling around today in all different directions…”
Kind of like the tendrils of a tornado just before it touches down. Sometimes they never quite come together, but once in a while they coalesce into an F5 twister.
A Fwistzer, you might say. (My apologies to punaise)
bush’s slogan is ‘crack macht frei’
If we end up with a whistling anthem, my vote is the mournful theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly…..
the Preznit is sending in the troops for a political task. I keep wondering if there’s an exit strategy - just how temporary is temporary?
The emergency will be over on the Wednesday after the November Election.
CN at 58 — I’ve been wondering that myself, and hoping we get some details on how they think they will get around the law during Bush’s speech. Should be interesting. (Any bets on whether Bush can even say “posse comitatas” without mangling it?)
Anyone know what the “More bad news for Libby” headline is about at rawstory?
As for the National Guard, here’s a question: If a Category 5 hurricane hits Miami, how many National Guardsman will be unable to respond, because they’re in Iraq, Afghanistan, or patrolling the Arizona-Mexico border?
cbl 36 - re: Border Patrol cuts - Ed Schultz is all over that today. He bets no one will mention it during the afterglow, either.
EPU’d, for jayt: G Palast cites (with quote).
Palast’s piece on ChoicePoint, The Spies who Shag Us
Amy Goodman interview this morning, talking about Iraq, oil politics, Hugo Chavez, Kenneth Lay, hijacked elections, & his upcoming book, Armed Madhouse.
Bob Novak:
“If only the CIA had told me that Valerie Wilson was a covert spy and her name should not be disclosed, I wouldn’t have reported her name.”
What a pud.
-GSD
Sigh, can’t get Bridge from the River Quai out of my brain. Shrill whistling begone!
I was wondering where the Nat Guard idea came from. Abu? Is this something Bush could think up on his own?
GSD says:
May 15th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Where did you see that Bob Novak quote?
Really - “Karl Rove Indicted” (http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051306W.shtml/) and Fitz didn’t make a public announcement? Just “24 [business] hours” to get the creeps papers in order etc? WTF?! There’s some kind of deep game going on with this…
On the tone deafness. Imagine you are in the national guard, and now you get to spend your summer vacation in 110+ degree plus whether, in the middle of nowhere. Of course, maybe they will only patrol at night, or maybe only at few cities on the border between El Paso and San Diego, which would seemingly defeat any purpose other than a photo op, but…hey, maybe I’m on to something. There really isn’t much of anything but dirt and scrub for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles - you get the idea. I know that’s how I want to spend my summer vacation. Chimpco is about to piss off a lot of national guardsmen and their families. Let’em.
#76.
That was my make-up quote..sorry..I forgot my snark asterisk….That is his logic for running her name.
-GSD
This won’t end well.
peace,
jim
This was referred to in the last thread, it puts an interesting spin on some of the disclosures regarding the wiretapping/data-mining scandal, namely that the Bush Admin is deliberating telegraphing the ‘We’re watching you’ meme to the MSM to keep them in line, and to stay ahead of the torrent of internal leaks currently taking place.
Posted from http://nettertainment.blogspot.....anoia.html
…the USA Today story yesterday about the huge nationwide wiretapping effort was INTENTIONALLY leaked by the admin.
…
This is their last-ditch Hail-Mary attempt to stop the inside info being passed from insiders to the press (commonly referred to as leaks). As the Cheney Junta becomes vulnerable, the flow of sensitive & damaging info from patriotic whistleblowing insiders, disgruntled civil servants, and ax-grinding careerists has become a tidal wave that Cheney & Co can’t stop, and the info is becoming hugely damaging, both in scale and scope. (Forget about mere impeachment: we’re talking about treason & war crimes — hanging offenses and Hague/Nuremberg kind of stuff.)
Their only hope is to make sure everyone everywhere knows their communications are being tracked, and that every insider must consider the possibility that s/he can be tracked down, arrested, and disappeared. (PS: ask yourself: when’s the last time USA broke any kind of story that didn’t involve a celebrity or a rogue housepet.)
Man I hope that is only paranoia… I could certainly see it as intended to warn potential whistleblowers the additional danger of attempting to turn in their criminal ’superiors’.
I could certainly see this being used against the internal machinery of washington, rather than a threat directed against the MSM. The MSM are already a tool, albeit an often inept one.
Start telling your libertarian and conspiracy minded Republican friends that the troops on the border are to keep Americans IN!
-GSD
Take this:
http://home.comcast.net/~mille.....Patrol.mp3
I always thought the theme from “Young Proctologists in Love” was a snappy tune.
Frank Probst says:
May 15th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
I saw that headline about Scooter - still no link to a story when I saw it. What newspaper or cable news Web site might be most likely to be posting a story? Is the New York Times the most likely source?
Isikoff just replied to Tweety’s direct question about : any news about indictments this week? with a studied “no” after a half-beat pause…
The theme song to “Bridge over the River Kwai” was “Colonel Bogey March” written in 1914 by Lt. F J Ricketts, a bandmaster for the Royal Marines in Plymouth. Interestin’, that - I’d always assumed it was written by Sousa!
Hey, while we’re shitting on immigrants, they seem to be joining the military in record numbers. Why, you ask?
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/arti.....IRVTN1.DTL
A snip:
The reasons Latinos are drawn to the military vary, Asch said.
Carlos Montes, an organizer with Latinos Against the War in Los Angeles, cites a variety of reasons: aggressive recruiters who prey on youth; the enticement of skipping the usual five years that legal permanent residents must wait before applying for citizenship; the immigrant’s desire to assimilate.
“When you’re young and naive you see a guy show up on campus, all dressed up, promising things you don’t have,” Montes said. “That kind of influence, especially in the barrio, can be greater than even a parent’s words.”
Curtis Gilroy, director of accession policy for the office of the secretary of defense, said that in a national youth poll conducted last year, Latinos ages 18-24 simply showed a “higher propensity to serve” than other ethnic groups.
Gilroy said a full 25 percent of Latino respondents answered the question, “How likely is it that you’ll be serving in the military in the next few years?” by marking the box “definitely” or “probably likely.” Meanwhile, only 16 percent of African Americans and just 11 percent of whites showed the same interest.
“We just don’t know why that is,” Gilroy said. “We don’t try and get behind the numbers too much.”
###
Won’t this deplete further troop levels needed to invade Iran? Maybe they plan on re-instating the draft. I’d love to see the blowback on that one.
They’ve bitten the hand they didn’t know was feeding them with this spy-onna-press shit. They’re too stupid to know when to lay off IMHO.
Cujo359
I was skeptical, thus why I didn’t post anything on it this weekend.
I just have to sigh and get ready for work. It disgusts me the MSM outlets are doing everything they can, short of running GOP talking point commercials, to help get this WH’s ratings up.
Today has a nasty “Empire strikes Back” feel to it. Thanks, Lou Dobbs, for distracting half of America from important shit like subversion of the Constitution.
God, I hope the jury comes back with the death penalty in the Enron case.
MSNBC online poll on the deploying the Guard to the border. Right now, 69% pro, b/c, “it is not large deployment, and will stop illegal immigration.” Does anyone think that Morin wrote the questions? I do.
Go vote.
the first “U.S.” death in Iraq was a young Guatemalan in the American military … el trabajo hará la libertad
http://www.editorandpublisher......1002502624
Not new news, but I hadn’t seen details of the ABC comments.
===[]”Our reports on the CIA’s secret prisons in Romania and Poland were known to have upset CIA officials. People questioned by the FBI about leaks of intelligence information say the CIA was also disturbed by ABC News reports that revealed the use of CIA predator missiles inside Pakistan.
“Under Bush Administration guidelines, it is not considered illegal for the government to keep track of numbers dialed by phone customers.===
So King George is going to have a show on tv tonight on border security. Actually, I’d feel a whole lot safer building a big fence to keep him and his diabolical family out of this country.
in Germany in 1933 the giant Socialist and Communist Parties did not unite against the Nazis thus leading to the grabbing of power by Hitler. The disunity shown in 2000 by the Greens against the Democrats may be likely damned in the same fashion by future historians…
Boy, isn’t this nation in a world of shit because Bush keeps talking to his “base”.
-GSD
Damn Edsall, I can’t stand the suspense! I guess his response suggests that the press has been notified of something?!? I’ve already got a nice steak to celebrate and the waiting is killing me.
Matt O.- ? which comment are you referring to in your ~#90?
“We just don’t know why that is,†Gilroy said. “We don’t try and get behind the numbers too much.â€
Don’t you bloody believe it. You just know they test and retest their message to find out just how to increase the sign up rate of desirable recruits (kids who’d just end up gang members anyway) and undesirable recruits ( kids who contribute far more tap tap tapping at their keyboards and signing up for courses at the Leadership Institute).
oh my goodness! I accidently discovered some ‘trigger words’ — I now have a comment awaiting moderation. a computerized ‘Godwin’s Law’? who woulda thunk it?
It’s being called the war on Fitzmas. What should be one of the most meaningful and spiritual times of the year is ever cheapened and ever deadened by a load of mass net commercialism run amok.
Then there’s the lawyers - each year there are more lawyers in government. For every lawyer that takes a seat in your government that is one less farmer - one less preacher, one less soldier. And does Christmas ever smell like Almonds to you?
Hal Phillip Walker’s replacement party are on an orange alert for your vote and only Hal can stop the war on Fitzmas. For a Fitzlicity Shagwell in every garage band vote one - replacement party.
President Walkers secret plan to stop the war on Fitzmas must be supported by every sensible Amerkin. Thank you for your time here this morning and God bless Nashville!
VG @ 2:08 pm
The national guard on the border plan sounds like a Karl play to me. The immigration issue has been bubbling up for the past year and a half at least. Several people including Digby and Orcinus have indicated that it was going to be a big part of the mid-term election, long before we really started to witness the current push.
Unfortunately, for Rove and Bush, it didn’t quite play out as they had planned (ie it pissed off everyone, the liberals, the hispanics, the xenophobes).
Placing troops on the border is an attempt to salvage their mid-term strategy. The one thing that everyone seemed to agree on was that we should prevent more illegal immigrants from coming in.
I think this plan was hatched to try to salvage their mid-terms scheme, and distract from the plethora of bad news that’s demanding the media’s attention. And like everything else Rove does it’s 100% reactionary.
To a certain extent it is working. Wolf’s countdown to the big speech, etc are effectively leaving little room for reports on the latest NSA revelations. But some diehard wingnuts are not biting.
In perhaps what is an eery vision or premonition into the future of world events.
Bear eats chimp.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/.....ETVO0.html
-GSD
Verizon stock dips after company is hit with a $50 billion lawsuit for turning over customer records to the NSA.
EPU @ 2:21pm
Doncha just love simple solutions?
Now I know why prezdentin’ is so hard. It’s that catapultin’ of the propaganda. It builds better biceps than brush clearing.
So is WorldNutDaily trying to break Godwin’s Law or something? I mean, how can comparing someone to Hitler be out of bounds now that they’ve explicitly proposed using Hitler as a model?
These guys have to go and ruin everything…
Oklahoma kiddo says:
May 15th, 2006 at 2:28 pm
How about a fence around them to keep them in one place inside the country? Eight feet of chain link with four strands of barbed wire on top: okay with you?
Christy, Gov. Richardson said that, since 3,500 of his 4,000 National Guardsmen are currently working on the Iraq thingie, he really needs the rest of them available to fight forest fires this summer (we had NO rain or snow this winter, so it ought to be a doozy of a season). Wish I could link, but the ABQ Journal is not linkable.
I think I read that Ahhnuld is against it too.
Digby points us to a great new blog;
http://gregsargent.blogspot.co.....itics.html
It was in response to #14
Here are some common lyrics for Col Bogey march:
Göring has only got one ball
Hitler’s [are] so very small
Himmler’s so very similar
And Goebbels has noballs at all!
sanitas- ah– a Rove play– that makes sense. Knew that this was rolled out as a political ploy. I just didn’t connect the dots! Thanks.
This is crazy to deploy troops– why couln’t they just fund the border patrol properly? What happens when the hurricanes start hitting– I read today that at least 3 major ones were forecast. They’ll then use active duty back from Iraq/Afghanistan and there goes posse comitatus and we’re under martial law.
judging from the chitchat on cablenews, the GOP is going for broke on the 2006 midterms - fuck the longterm Latino-coalition building projects! Rove is going for the hardcore nativist GOP base even if it means alienating Latino and other decent voters…
If the Media can’t report the truth, then what the Media reports on in regards to politics, is a self serving lie.
No different than the Snowblow job by the Administration.
I go Hmmmmmmmmmmmm over the fact that we have, as of 5-13, two different lawsuits where the President’s lawyers (DOJ) have filed to intervene and to have the lawsuits dismissed as implicating State Secrets. EFF v. AT&T and the el-Masri kidnapping, torture, rendition case. To me this is HUGE and has barely received a yawn. How often has there been activity to intervene in suits based on State Secrets (not much) and of those how many sought dismissal of the underlying suits (many fewer) and of those – how many involved keeping illegal activity and lawbreaking by the Govt covered up (where would our numeric system be without a -0-?)
Now we have TWO pending, and the memorandum in the EFF suit I saw basically says: We don’t admit breaking the law, but even if we were, it’s ok, and it’s ok bc of national security and state secrets implications – but we can’t go into what those are, EVEN in camera, bc judges can’t see secret stuff. Cuz it’s secret. You know, like, when you break the law, you HAVE to keep it secret or else, like, you could be in trouble, you know? OK – that last sentence may be taking paraphrasing license to the edge – but still.
Government lawbreakin