Fitz? Tomorrow?

Fitz? Tomorrow?

Colbert! Murtha! Mora! Roots!

I’ve got tomorrow in the pool….

HilBill for President!

Pushback, indeed. Let’s make sure people know that one crooked Dem doesn’t equal a culture of corruption on the Right, while we’re at it.

Whoa. Time warp. No refresh button and repeat posts. Feels like…last week.

I really pity the intern who has to monitor comments at Pat Healey’s “blog”. They are deleting comments left and right. I have commented rudely AND politely there, under different aliases, and each and every one has been deleted.
Same with Watertiger, Athenae, and many others.
I say someone should post the word “Clenis” there every day, the way people post “frist” and “fitz” everywhere else.

punaise, I left something for you, prior thread.

Got a bigger picture of that poster? The Japanese subtitle for the movie looks to be interesting… “Veronica’s” (something) “day.” Dying to know.

Oh, and ROOTS! :)

The fact is, that if by some fluke Hilary were ever elected (GOd forbid!), Fox and hte tabloids would be all over Bill her entire administration, speculating on each photo taken of him standing next to a woman who isn’t Bill. They obviously have a marriage of convenience, and he would no doubt start having apublic aaffair during her term. They are a dysfuncitonal couple. i am glad the NY TImes did the story. Anthing to stop Hilary!!! We don’t need another DLC whore.

Could it be that folks are turning elsewhere for serious discussions of serious issues?

Hollywood: I’m not talking about MI 3 or other drivel like that, but Brokeback Mountain and Gore’s movie. Brokeback was supposed to be at best a cute little art film, but lo and behold, it seems people all over the place wanted to get in on the story.

Nashville: The Dixie Chicks are back, whether corporate Nashville likes them or not, and again, people are not shying away from them.

When a graduating jazz musician is standing up to John McCain, asking more pointed questions than most of the mainstream media, “there’s something happenin’ here . . .”

Like their knowledge of the web, lots of dead tree media are slow to get the news about their readers. Oh well, they’ll catch on soon enough . . .

From deep in the heart of Texas, the following words spoken today ought to pierce the sheltered Democratic establishment’s conventional wisdom excuses for their inaction and cowardice like a dagger:

“[Karnes] County Clerk Alva Jonas engaged me in a lengthy discussion. She says the turnout in the recent primaries was so low because people are so mad about the way things are going in the country and the state they refused to vote. (Talk about a huge ‘none of the above’ vote!) She says one of the things people are so mad about is the electronic voting technologies.

She is the county election administrator. She and her staff normally call local registered voters every election just to remind their local citizens to vote. This time a lot of people told them, “NO.” A lot of people expressed anger over the electronic machines, she says, because they don’t trust the machine to record their vote accurately when they have no paper ballot to prove how they voted. Ms. Jonas wants to go back to plain old paper ballots. She believes, as I do, that counting the votes in a democracy should be an open public process and should never have been contracted out to private enterprises.” – David Van Os, Candidate for Texas Attorney General, from his DailyKos diary today (in the comments):

Http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/23/75011/3524

David Van Os gets it. Texas gets it.

Washington, D.C., on the other hand, is apparently about to speedily “endorse” the lawbreaking and disdain for the United States Constitution demonstrated in high office by one Michael Hayden. The further destruction of our Constitution and democracy starts this afternoon with the exclusive, privileged, top-secret-worthy ‘we know best, so there’ membership of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Will even one television camera be present to record this despicable and historically shameful moment, as these United States Senators calmly, comfortably, and knowingly vote to violate, and abandon their duty to defend, our Constitution — which they all swore an oath they would uphold and defend when they were entrusted with the high public office they each now apparently hold in such utter contempt…?

Good grief. Talk about heatherish broadcasting, this is straight out of a Hollywood gossip mag:

CNN has some bubbleheaded actress on now “Marcia Cross” (who’s in Desperate Housewives, or so they tell me), and the idiot bobblehead interviewing her just told her that since she’s *played a character* who’s a mom who has faced all sorts of melodramatic challenges to herself and her family, that it’s OBVIOUS she must be a terrific mom in real life.

Where’s the barf bag? In what bizarre universe does this resemble any sort of “logic”? I’m beginning to think this is WORSE than the fall of the Roman Empire.

There are some days when emigrating sounds really, really good. Surely there are some societies somewhere that aren’t so decadently stupid? Or is it “stupidly decadent”?

Does Bob Dole still use Viagra? Does Dumbya? Does McCain’s wife have to salute before doing the nasty? And Rummy, is sex with him “untidy”? Does Shooter fuck what’s her name? With Mary and Heather, who’s fucking who (or whom)?

Rudy Fooliani is the interesting one here. Several mistresses, one or more on the city payroll, two divorces and three marriages, living for a time with an openly gay couple; lot’s of fascinating stuff there. And what’s the deal with Bernie Kerick! Hope we hear more about it in the near future, especially from the MSM. And hope Democrats use it against him at every opportunity.

We have a right to know about all the “power couples” out there. Please inform the NYT.

OT – CNN reports that congressional republicans are upset that the office of william jefferson was raided. Could it be because they fear their corruption will be busted in on and exposed to a drooling media?

I don’t mind the addition of lowbrow news. After all, I used to be an avid reader of “Page Six” when I lived in New York. (The New York Post’s “Axis of Weasel” photo is still one of my all time favorites.) What bothers me is the subtraction of any real investigative reporting. And the failure to report things like White House attempts to quash important stories. If Karl Rove calls you and tries to spike a story, he’s a newsmaker, not a source. Newspapers have a duty to report this sort of thing, and they aren’t doing it.

immanetize at #4–I’m with you…I’ve got tomorrow in the pool as well (the 24th is our wedding anniversary, so I’d love to add some snoopy dancing to my dinner and roses!).

#7 that is my name! I have been away for a few days and have been catching up on the old posts and thought I was going blind because I could not see the refresh comments button everyone was raving about! Scrolling up and down, up and down, wondering what on earth I was not seeing?

Haha, I was caught in a thread time warp!

Personally, I’d prefer to never know about some prediliction for toe sucking or intern chasing or drag queen regalia in the bedroom or kicking one’s spouse and kids out of the Mayor’s mansion so your mistress can live there or whatever sport of the moment exists among consenting adults in the political classes and the punditocracy.

Overall I agree with the sentiment. And I don’t believe that Hillary (who I can’t stand) has ever raised her “morality” as a political theme, or her moralit to tell others how they should or shot not live. Unlike, say, that other New York politician, Giuliani, who was more than happy to wax moralistic at any and every opportunity, on any and every subject, all the while having an open affair.

That being said, I believe that questions regarding ones personal life can be legitimate – like when it exposes the person as the total fucking (literally) hypocrite that they are, like, say Giuliani. If a politician seeks to use their alleged moral superiority as a campaign or governing tool (either to promote themselves or policies or cudgel their opponents), as their “authority,” then their personal lives are not only fair game, but important to the debate.

Shorter me: Depending on the politician, the question: You talk the talk, can you walk the walk? Is a fair one.

I also don’t believe that “lifestyle” questions of politicians necesarilly have the same prurient qualities inherent in the tabloids’ obsession with celebrity – Bangelina have very little effect on your or my life – politicians do.

twolf1 –

I’m sure some of them are afraid that their dedicated computers set up with their day-trading programs, which enable them to scam the stock market with their insider earmarking info, will be found.

And that’s probably the least of it.

Boy does this topic bring out the anti-Hillary drooling rabid dogs . . . Get a grip guys–though I would prefer another candidate, she is smart and knows politics and is serious about making life better for Americans.

OT, but I keep seeing references to the “Refresh Comments” feature. Eager to expand my repertoire of Pavlovian skills, I have searched high and low for such a feature and cannot find it. Help, anyone?

This weekend, the Attorney General of the United States went on TV and said that it might prosecute reporters– and he was probably referring to a couple NYTimes reporters — who wrote stories based on what he called “illegal leaks”. (Probably not illegal, and certainly not for the reporter.)

There was a Times story about it on an inside page Monday. But the paper that published the Pentagon Papers under threat of prosecution, that took the case to the Supreme Court and re-established the right of the press to report on the illegal doings of the government… well, today has decided to devote its front page to something REALLY important… a former president’s marriage. How many nights Bill and Hil spent together is deemed far more important than how many American phone calls were intercepted, how many Iraqis were tortured, how many of our civil rights this president is going to abrogate.

Oh! But let’s remember. Bush isn’t going to jail a reporter who writes all about how everyone’s so concerned about Bill’s marriage.

Jesus’ General weighs in on the NYT’s on HilBill’s conjugals
For those unacustomed to the General, MASSIVE SNARK WARNINGS. This is 100 proof political, cultural satire.

All the news that titillates
“The French bastards at the Times removed my comment about their article on the Klintons:
‘Although I enjoyed the Time’s piece on the Klintons, I was very disappointed that you were unable to nail down how often they do the wild thing. I was also hoping that you’d provide a detailed description of the former president’s thingy. Does it really curve to the left?…..”

martha, I will split the award vacation to Tahiti with you and yours….

Happy anniversary!

Leslie –

That was my situation, too, and cbl in the thread below kindly explained that the new changes were removed (as part on an ongoing tweaking procedure) temporarily. Thought I was going batty, too.

John Casper, I too left something for you on the last thread. Amazing how quickly that thread died out.

Tomorrow’s lede in the NYT:

Lose a Pound a Day on Hillary’s Shape Up for ‘08 Diet!

Dear Diary,

Heather must die.

Christy, Jane:

There was a question earlier about procedure concerning whether an indictmen, returned by a grand jury, could be quashed(or stricken – whatever) by Fitz’s boss.

Do you know of any situation under which a returned indictment could be quashed or stricken by Fitz’s superiors and kept secret? And if so, could Fitz even talk about it afterwards?

It would seem to me that if the indictment was sealed and thereafter stricken or quashed, Fitz would not be able to talk about it. Am I wrong?

Mrs. K8, thanks! And how is your pup doing?

Whoa – hold on just a minute Richard Burt – more appropriate for, say, Katherine Harris….but a bit over the top for Hillary, IMHO. I’m no fan of Hil’s war stance, nor her right of centrist stuff, but she doesn’t deserve the whore stamp any more than President Clinton deserved impeachment. Leave the gutter tactics to the wingnuts. Just sayin’ your rant comes across as misogynistic whether you intended that or not.

So I wonder when the Times will let us know if George and Laura still fuck?

Is George drinking again? The tabloids report that he has, but there’s no report confirming or denying it in the Times. I think it’s a question George, or at least Tony, should be asked.

And obviously if George and Laura haven’t been fucking, that could explain George’s drinking problem. Also, it could tell us why we really attacked Iraq: George needed to vent his anger at Laura *somewhere* and Hussein seemed like the perfect target.

And that picture where George seems to be grabbing Jenna’s right tit? How comes there’s been no follow-up with regard to whether George is sexually abusing his daughters? Would certainly explain why Jenna drinks so much.

Of course, we all know sexual abuse of children and offspring is a Republican tropism, cf. Susan Smith and that guy who recently got busted for trying to arrange sex wth a 14 year old girl.

But seriously, when was the last time you heard of a Democrat taking up child molestation? We *need* an objective, fair, and balanced investigative report into the causes Republican child molestation. What is it about Republican philosophy that draws such sexually unethical people into the GOP? Or encourages such activity amongst its members?

Is Republican philosophy inherently evil? Or does it just attract people who are evil?

I think we, as citizens, are entitled to the answers to these questions, and it is my sincere hope that the Times will follow up its Bill & Hil story with an equally fair treatment of George & Laura’s marriage, George’s alleged molestation of Jenna, and the Republican monopoly on sexual child abuse.

Here’s an example of the press doing their job LOL. Parts of this article on the death of Lloyd Bentsen…

http://www.kbtv4.tv/news/defau…..p;id=11456

…seem to have been copied directly from wikipedia.org:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Bentsen

Way to go! In depth reporting without leaving the comfort of your cubicle.

twolf1, wikireporting is all the rage these days, doncha know.

Not sure it’s why they’re not doing well, but I’d like to see more real journalism at America’s news organizations. Not being a marketing person, it intrigues me that none of the major news corporations seem to think that this is a viable option. You’d think someone would put it together that the kind of people who buy newspapers these days aren’t doing it to read about Britney Speers or those blonde twins. There are already plenty of places you can find out about such stuff.

If you want to attract that smart, well-read, and well-to-do demographic that’s supposed to be so popular, why not actually write stuff they’re interested in reading? As someone pointed out here yesterday, the Wall Street Journal actually does this. They try to confine the bullshit to the editorial page where it belongs.

There was a trend in marketing many years ago about trying to “differentiate” your product from all the others. I put “differentiate” in quotes, because most marketing folks don’t seem to be too interested in actually making their products different, they just want the customers to think it’s different. Still, you’d think by now some branch of that little marketing sect would have finally latched onto the idea of actually making a different product that a large part of the market would embrace, even if others didn’t want it at all.

karelroc, 30: “Do you know of any situation under which a returned indictment could be quashed or stricken by Fitz’s superiors and kept secret?”

Not speaking for Jane or Christy, but as far as I can gather, Fitz doesn’t have a supervisor, boss, superior, etc. with respect to l’affaire Wilson.

Fitz was granted the powers of the AG for this investigation, and the only action that can be taken against him is to fire him. He can’t be ordered to take any particular action in the case.

Well, I think everyone should just calm down. Turn about is fair play, after all. I mean, it’s not like the Times doesn’t splash Republican conjugal agita all over its front pages. Oh, wait…

What a boring, pointless article. I learned nothing new. And nothing interesting.

Anyway, Richard and Pat Nixon haven’t had sex in more than 13 years, and you never hear anyone blabbing about that! It’s because we RESPECT THEIR PRIVACY.

I pray no one starts reporting on whether George and Laura are still doing it.

I don’t care whether Schwarzenegger and the young Kennedy girl are going at it!

I don’t care if Denny Hastert is still rocking the bed with Linda Tripp! Do. Not. Care.

We know Tony and Cherie Blair are, because their birth control doesn’t appear to work. See, the prime minister really does use the same public health system as the little people!

immanetize at 26–it’s a deal! Tahiti sounds perfect.

Not to sound clueless, but I absolutely do not understand why the NYT would run this article. The Post? Sure. Us Weekly or the National Enquirer? Got it. There’s no good journalistic reason to run it, except for a crass political reason. I hate it when someone gives me a reason to be even more cynical than I already am.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but stuff like this Heathers article is a part of why I don’t read newspapers anymore.

Is Bill & Hil’s sex life really worth a corner of what is (arguably) the most valuable news real estate on earth? I think that says something; I can’t imagine that they’d throw frivolous junk like this on page one without some sort of strategy in mind. Perhaps it is the NYT’s way of warming up – should the Democrats win control of one or more branches of government – to their “rediscovery” of reporting that’s critical of government figures.

you lefties should just cool it with the outrage about Slick Willy and his “wifey” ! The MSM is attacking the Respected and Beloved Leader. Just an hour ago, at my local supermarket while waiting to checkout, some commie rag called the “Globe” had a front page story about the Preznit drinking again, that the marriage might be on the rocks, that dear sweet Laura had suggested marriage counselling, etc. If the Preznit’s ratings weren’t allegedly down to 60%, they wouldn’t dare print such treasonous garbage!!!

I wonder what the comparative circulation numbers of The Globe and the NYTimes are… out here in the Heartland, the Globe is sold in way more places than the NYTimes for sure!

jb, I thought about the Pentagon Papers case this weekend as well, but IIRC (and IANAL, to boot), that case was about “prior restraint” – namely, can the government stop publication from happening? The Supremes said No – the Times cannot be prevented from publishing.

It was a very short “per curiam” judgment, upholding a lower court’s verdict, with various justices adding their own concurring thoughts.

One of the real gems:

Justice Black wrote, “we are asked to hold that despite the First Amendment’s emphatic command, the Executive Branch, the Congress, and the Judiciary can make laws enjoining publication of current news and abridging freedom of the press in the name of “national security.” The Government does not even attempt to rely on any act of Congress. Instead it makes the bold and dangerously far-reaching contention that the courts should take it upon themselves to “make” a law abridging freedom of the press in the name of equity, presidential power and national security, even when the representatives of the people in Congress have adhered to the command of the First Amendment and refused to make such a law. 5 See concurring opinion of MR. JUSTICE DOUGLAS, [403 U.S. 713, 719] post, at 721-722. To find that the President has “inherent power” to halt the publication of news by resort to the courts would wipe out the First Amendment and destroy the fundamental liberty and security of the very people the Government hopes to make “secure.” No one can read the history of the adoption of the First Amendment without being convinced beyond any doubt that it was injunctions like those sought here that Madison and his collaborators intended to outlaw in this Nation for all time.”

[Hat tip to FindLaw - a great resource for those of us who don’t have all those nifty-looking books with matching covers to line our studies from floor to ceiling.)

As far as Hillary is concerned I don’t care a twit about her past or present private life. It IS none of my business! What I am mindful of IS, her continued support for the Iraq war. And the company she keeps. Like Rupert, Lieberman, Bush, Gingrich and the DLC, etc. And her philosophy. And from what special interests she takes money from. Above all I care about her honesty on the issues. And I don’t give a good-goddamn about who she’s married to or what he did, (though I did vote for Bill twice). The way things stand now, I will NOT vote for her because of what she does stand for? Or does not stand for? This woman used to be my choice for president first and foremost in 2008. No more. That is, unless she gets with the program. Oh…and I’ve never been to a hair salon. And as for Rudy G.? What a phony, cardboard hero-opportunist he is. And his private travails do not figure into my assessment. Yuk, on rude Rudy.

Thanks Busted, got it.

Leslie –

Thanks for asking! She seems to be feeling OK right now — but will be going in for surgery next week.

At our house, fingers and toes are crossed, and candles lit.

In the world of human beings we got some bad news, though, too. When we went home last month, my top “seeing folks” priority was to spend time with my uncle (my mom’s “little brother”, and the last in that generation still alive at age 80) and his wife (my godmother – age 79). We had a truly wonderful time with them (they’re both staunch Dems, too and he’s a WWII vet) going to dinner, then chatting for hours at their house.

This week we learned — she just had a heart attack. Then right after she came home from the hospital, he had a sudden attack of kidney stones and had to be admitted to have a procedure. No sooner did he get back home, then she had more symptoms and got readmitted — seems she also had a stroke.

My heart hurts. I love them so much, and am really grateful — no matter how their health fares now — that we had such a good heartfelt visit with them while we were home.

The shadow of mortality hovers; I hear its wings all the time now.

Why I’m not a political consultant – my response would be to have a tantalizing but false ’sex life’ story planted in the NYT – and then rake them over the friggin’ coals for it

Oh Lobstergirl,
I could’ve gone a lifetime without that Hastert/Tripp image

Taylor Marsh has her own take on this, mostly from the point of view of someone who is in a modern-day marriage.

My take is that I really don’t care. It’s nice that the Clintons are happy together, but that’s their concern, and none of mine. I know that celebrity brings a sort of familiarity with people we really don’t know, but there’s a point at which this just becomes peeping rather than concern. The NYT may or may not have stepped over that line, but I’m not even interested enough to read.

since the Administration strongly advocates abstinence-only sex for unmarried females, an truly intrepid reporter should investigate if Jenna and not-Jenna are sleeping around…

I read digby and I read the NYT. I didn’t think it was so bad, certaintly not deserving this mock outrage. Having a personal window into the Clinton’s marriage is what Bill created for himself. He is my hero and I will take Hillary if I have to, but you guys are over reacting. This storyline is going to be with us until they die or divorce. Get used to it.

Breaking news from the NYTimes and Wash Post! Keep it on the down low and on the QT!

Killer alligators to marry runaway bride … to honeymoon in Aruba.

This just in! Young blond white woman missing for two hours … she was last seen on her way home from the nail salon.

apropos Hastert/Tripp getting it on — a few years ago I casually was watching hippopotami copulating on the Animal Channel when I realized I was truly wasting too much time watching TV…

I realize that troll filters are a good thing, but I was wondering if there are a few common-sense guidelines that can help a poor, honest poster from having his or her comments sit in limbo? The only rule I can recall seeing mentioned was that comments with more than one (or two) links will be moderated.

I’m not trying to be difficult, but when a comment gets held in moderation and a dozen more comments come through before it gets processed, the moderated comment is rarely seen.

*ilson46201 @ 11:45 am (#42) – out here in the Heartland, the Globe is sold in way more places than the NYTimes for sure!

And rightly so. Their coverage of these issues is much more thorough. I prefer to indulge my interest in science by picking up a copy of The Weekly World every now and then, but even out here on the Left Coast we can always count on seeing the Globe right there in the supermarket with the Soap Opera Digest and TV Guide.

It’s so easy to stay informed nowadays, it’s amazing how few people bother …

aiko:

I can assure you this is not mock outrage. I’ve spoken with Digby about this. There is nothing phony about this point of view.

The right wing put stuff like this into play for years without resistance and that’s why we’re in this fix today nationally and internationally. But now we have a noice machine and a growing political movement, and we’re fighting back, tooth and nail, this time.

Cujo359 #36:

You’re assuming that marketing people are making the decisions at NYT. Is that really the case? Or has Pinch climbed in bed with BushCo for other reasons that would have to do with favorable decisions in the regulatory space?

Personally, I can’t wait for the next moronic complaint about how posting “Fitz!” or a derivitive at the beginning of a new thread “lowers the tone of the discourse”.

But. But–
What if Hillary WINS- and the Big Dog gets another Blow Job- in the WHITE house- spilling Bill Jism all over Clusterfuck’s famous carpet- imagine the HUMILIATION for the United States! No- we can’t take that chance- better to have a gooper son of Clusterfuck who invades countries illegally and tortures people who have never been convicted of a crime.

Everyone say hello to lambert #38, aka correntewire, the guy who is building our Roots Project site. He’s kewl!

Clusterfuck reports that he STILL hasn’t gotten the blow job smell out of the White House- which is why he spends most of his time in Crawford.

“Democrats be advised: the press is a bunch of braindead robots who are uninterested in changing their puerile Democratic storyline even in the face of the most disasterous administration in American history.”

I think this is the key point. Too many Beltway Dems have bought in to the Liberal Media Myth, and think the Establishment Pundits and all those reporters who want nothing–nothing!!–more out of life than to become a Celebrity TeeVee Pundit, are their friends. However they may vote, professionally, they are not allies of the Democratic Party, or even friends of the truth, as John Kerry found out in the Swift Boat episode. Ironically enough, it was the (now) unholy DLC trio of Begala-Carville-Stephanopolous who understood this: Rapid response. Don’t wait for the Media to fact check, ’cause it ain’t gonna happen.

If we can send rubber stamps to congress; we can certainly mail dildoes to the New York Times. I’ll contribute a few bucks….

Peterr –

I’m in the same predicament with a comment way upstream sitting in moderation, and I can’t figure out why that should be. It was brief, had no links in it, had no names of people at all (like maybe someone so controversial it would trigger oversight).

Oh well. My plan is to wait a bit until the site tweaking process is settled, then ask questions like you’re asking in earnest. In the meantime, I’ll be patient, since I know the ladies here have their hands full at the moment. But it would definitely be good to find out what’s what with the “moderation” limbo, and what triggers it.

HuffPo – BIG GAY GOP FEAR FACTOR FEVER

song and graphic.

http://gay-gop.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

Yeah we will moan and cry as the press does it’s usual number—electronic and print media—but we need to remember that the media exists for one thing only: to sell enough soap to show maximum profit. That means sex sells, but it only sells with attractive people who the viewers/readers want to imagine doing the deed (which is why Bill’s White House blowjob sold so well, right?) so don’t cover weird sex and personality issues about the ugly nasty people that tend to be Republicans. I mean, does anyone really care about Fooliani’s sex life? (great nickname BTW)

I think we all have to get over the *fact* that the media is lost in the weeds; in television “reporters” are now entertainment stars, writers serve the purpose of making the entertainment stars look and sound entertaining and they’ve got producers (or editors) telling them what to say and how to say it and what not to say, the producers/editors have managers/publishers telling them what to cover and what not to cover and what tone to use, and the managers have corporate execs that dictate the whole theme—look and feel—of the entire operation. Newspapers and magazines are in the same boat but it’s about how to somehow reverse circulation numbers to increase advertising revenue, and that means entertaining crapola and don’t touch the repulbican business kings.

And the mdeia machine creates situations out of whole cloth and then sells it hard to make a continuing dramatic sordid story out of it, something that the views/readers will tune into every day. That’s what sells this year’s Chevy Tahoe or real Florida orange juice or Scotts lawn food or, of course, soap. And Republicans.

It’s our job to figure out how to leverage our new-found voice to counter the mindless advertising bullshit machine of the media. (Oh, hell, it took me nearly a half hour to get this written with the phones and customers and trucks and all. Sorry.)

Frankly, I’ve always thought that the guy with his finger on the button should be getting all of the consensual sex that he wants. I am far more bothered by the hypocrisy of trying to impeach him for it and then running off to the prostitute that was provided in return for illegal political favors.

If it’s any consolation, while waiting to pay for orange juice and seltzer (cheaper than orangina) I saw a tabloid headline proclaiming “Bush Marriage Troubles” with joonyah’s face in that pursed-lip, dismayed simian expression and a photoslopped Laura giving him the “I hate you” stare with every last strand of her DNA.

Still waiting for the Jenna and not Jenna edition of “Girls Gone Wild” complete with Snoop Dogg and jello wrasslin.

Re the Hillary Spiel, perhaps it is merely my own Weltschmerz that I can have no Schadenfreude at the latest Sturm und Drang surrounding the ongoing Götterdämmerung at the Times. The demise of the Corporate Media will not be the result of an existential Angst or a change in the Zeitgeist, as many believe. It is their whole Gestalt, a failure in their Weltanschauung, gone is the gemütlich Gemeinschaft of the Sunday crossword puzzle, replaced by the sterile Liebestod of the impersonal Geschellschaft. Let’s face it. They are kaput. They just don’t know it yet.

By the way and somewhat OT but did I say what a big supporter I am of English as a national language?

Peterr at 54 — That was my fault. Had to go and pick up the peanut from preschool and got stuck in traffic. Am back now. There are a few concrete rules — really long comments tend to get trapped. Posts that use words that are drug names, about gambling, recent tech inventions, and the like (just like your e-mail spam), lots of links — that sort of thing. But occasionally, a post get stuck with no rhyme or reason to it, and it just takes a little time to clear it through.

Mrs K8-
Jane said that there are certain things that trigger the Comment waiting moderation message but she doesn’t want to say what the triggers are because trolls could get around it.

Jeezums–What if Hillary seduces some studly secret service guy or gal ta go down on her in the Oval Office? Ya can’t be too careful about shit like that!

al-Scooter @ 12:03 pm (#57) – While it might have something to do with the NYT’s unwillingness to take on the President’s mistakes, I can’t imagine that their concerns about the regulatory environment have anything to do with their continuing hostility toward the Clintons. After all, Hillary also has some influence over the regulatory environment, and it’s at least conceivable that the Democrats will stop tripping over themselves long enough to regain some political power in Washington. The Clintons still have a lot of pull among Democrats, and they’re not likely to feel kindly toward a news organization that’s made it a point to screw them.

There seems to be a general trend in the news business to dumb things down. That’s why you see all the jokes about missing white women and shark attacks. It’s just what everyone’s doing, and whether the NYT is deliberately going with that trend or not, they certainly are following the pattern.

rwcole 71-
Really. Just think what other countries would think of the US and our reputation in the world if something like that happened.

With Bill gone so much, Hillary might even resort to usin one of them sex toy things that are illegal in southern states.

Christy @ 54 – Got my own peanut at home, so I know the drill . . .

I wasn’t looking for the whole spam/troll alert algorithm, just a basic kind of heads-up.

Thanks!

I think that Hillbillery Clinton will be the corporate media’s favorite candidate for awhile.

I am also tired of constant whining about it. There is still a perceived big idea vacuum for polices that are lberal, or,used to be mainstream (in the old pre-Bush days). As long as that vacuum exists, Dems and all centrists will be vulnerable to this kind of social engineering (engileerning?). Any substantive talk is met with rolling eyeballs and accusations about “industrial age” thinking or “liberal pieties” etc, then a lot of tipsy hot coctail weenie gas emitted from media divas. Why can’t Reid, Pelosi, Dean, and the pathetic organization men with no organization (Schumer and Emanuel) sit down and decide on a few points that they can agree upon and set up a united front. How about declining median household income? How about reduction in health insurance. And force a debate about it? How about BushCo lawlessness on domestic spying (focusing on lawlessness and incompetence, which I think most citizens would agree on)? Something, anything.
Instead we have Schumer and Emanuel roaring around making a big show of being tough bullies to their own underlings (and no one else) acting like brutal ward heelers, but with no wards to heel around in.
I say, FDL into the breach.

rwcole @ 12:15 pm (#71) – Thankfully, this season of 24 alerted us to the possibility, so now America will be on the lookout.

Aarrgh. That last one should have been Christy @ 69, but the kid distracted me while I was typing!

To NYT OP ED,

I expect to find celebrity sex innuendo stories in the supermarket tabloid scandal sheets.

Healy’s story is a cheap partisan shot at Hillary Clinton.

Healy distracts your readers away from scandals actually important to an informed electorate.

Healy provides convenient talking points to cover for embarrassed Republicans.

Aren’t there enough real scandals going on right now without the NYT dredging up the Clintons over and over again?

Does the NYT intend to move into the sensational celebrity tabloid niche?

If so, how about another Healy story on the sex life of another celebrity couple – George and Laura Bush?

And how about more feature stories documenting the many outrageous sex scandals perpetrated by Republican Party members?

Enquiring minds want to know…

aiko, “you guys are over reacting,”
the NYT’s and the WaPo set the margin on the left for the corporate media. Everyone else in the corporate media sets up to the right of the NYT’s and the WaPo. We get too few stories on how bad it really is in the Middle East. We get too few stories about the GOP selling the country for a pittance that just happens to dwarf whatever the Democrats can legally raise for November. We’ve got a rapist’s rights bill in South Dakota.
The corporate media is a choke point on the electorate. I will agree with you that public figures such as HillBill are “fair game,” for this kind of rubbish. That’s not the issue. It’s in the NYT’s which is one of the few pieces of media real estate that we have some hope of voicing our concerns. When the NYT’s uses that precious media real estate for a story about Bill and Hill’s nocturnal habits, it’s a very big loss for everyone. We’ve got what’s left of our exhausted armed forces in the Middle East playing Russian roulette with IED’s and no plan, no objectives, other than to totally ignore the Powell Doctrine. We have to hope China will continue to subsidize the rebuilding of New Orleans and our purchase of foreign oil. None of these issues is getting enough attention and I could go on….., because there are a lot more. It’s in that context that this story is so very bad.

CNN senate intel cmt. approves hayden 12-3

lambert strether, per Pach, “hi.”
Thanks for all the help you are providing. It is greatly appreciated.

Hugh 68, thanks.
LMAO.

From Raw Story – More bad signs for Holy Joe:

Lieberman withdraws from MoveOn.org ‘primary’

RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday May 23, 2006

Print This | Email This

Lieberman Declines Invitation—Stand-in Sought / MoveOn.org Statement on Connecticut Online Primary for U.S. Senate

From a MoveOn.org press release to RAW STORY.

#
After initially agreeing, Senator Lieberman has declined our invitation to participate in the MoveOn.org Political Action online primary for U.S. Senate in Connecticut.

We invited both candidates to send an e-mail to MoveOn members in Connecticut as part of our endorsement process. When we spoke last Thursday, the Lieberman campaign agreed to submit an e-mail from the Senator or a surrogate as they did during our 2004 online presidential primary. We received notice after 5:00 PM last night that they would not submit an e-mail to MoveOn members for the primary.

…and NYT is Hillary’s (and Bill’s) ‘hometown’ newspaper. FWIW.

Not to be too hypocritical, but #65 “ . . . a photoshopped Laura giving him the “I hate you” stare with every last strand of her DNA.” reminded me of the Daily Show’s shot of Hillary giving someone “the look where boners go to die” LOL! That really *is* what it’s for, guys!

That’s because like any good conservative, Rudy wants you to do what he says, not what he does. Morals are a great thing to tell OTHER PEOPLE to have. In the meantime, the Conservative Christian Right is living like Caligula.

I read a few newspapers daily. The New York Times always struck me as being of incredibly poor quality. I would not trust it for International news. I read the New York Times online not so much for the news as to learn what people are being told. The standard of English used in the Times is less than impressive. How they justify their large salaries I don’t know. There must be many highly qualified people out there who would do their jobs much better. I’d recommend the Guardian (an English newspaper) available for free online. It’s much more reliable and far less tabloid. http://www.guardian.co.uk. Of course, like everybody else here I get most of my news from the internet. Blogs are a revolution in democracy.

Mrs. K8, I’m so sorry to hear about your uncle and aunt, but glad you saw them when you did. We never know how much time we’ve been given with the people we love.

If we could get Bill’s sperm count and whether Hillary has gone through menopause, that might finally let the Times focus no something more…

Just sent the following email to the exec editor NY Times:

Please do some stories on whether Laura and George are still fucking and sucking… each other that is.. and how often. Also would like for you to cover those widespread rumours about their daughter Jenna and those drunk-fest three ways everyone keeps talking about. And lastly please clear up all that nonsense about the Cheney’s lesbian daughter and her preference for Arabic styled dildos…whats wrong with American ones?
BTW….is Jeb Bush really screwing Katherine Harris…still?

Hugh at 68 –
Thanks for the laugh about your support of English as our national language! Very clearly stated and well-spelled too (if I recall my German from 100 years ago)

Flame–If the Clintons are infertile- that will free them for consequnce free sex- it is the worst thing that can happen to the country–The Big Dog could cover the earth with semen with impunity.

OfT: Giving the Vets’ identity thieves a three-week head start, Gonzales says “we sprang into action.”

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/…..index.html

Agree: How can Dems best change the subject to something more substantive and make it stick? (It’s a given that people, when given the choice, prefer to talk about sex.) What someone—Gore?—needs to do to permanently change the debate is propose some seriously groundbreaking policies: for instance, a single-payer health plan. A 10-year plan to change the energy resources of this country, including funding R & D and a hydrogen gas infrastructure. No namby-pamby tax credits same old same old. Whether or not the ideas actually become law, they might get people talking about them and at least THINK about making changes in this country.

Is Bush having and affair with his space alien advisor? That’s what I want to know. I saw a picture of them both in the Weekly World News and the alien looked pretty cute. Not sure what sex it was though.

Howie rips Leopold and Truthnotout, that “liberal Web site.”
Wrong About Rove?
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 23, 2006; 7:54 AM
I reported yesterday (and if you missed it, start paying attention!) that the liberal Web site Truthout.org was standing by its claim that Karl Rove had been secretly indicted in the CIA leak case, despite strong denials by the White House aide’s lawyer and spokesman.
Why the Rove team would lie about information that, if true, was certain to come out soon was never quite clear. More than three dozen mainstream journalists checked on the Truthout report but could not confirm a word of it.

Actually I believe that it is vitally important that we know the intimate details of the marriages and/or sex lives of each and every person in the government, and the press. How else are we to judge their fitness to govern or inform us?

Here are some questions I’d like to see answered:

When Ann Coulter does the dirty…is she pitching or catching?
Was John Gibson raped as a child by a gang of illegal immigrant pedophiles?

Did Lucianne Goldberg really make young Jonah tie a string around his penis when he didn’t do his homework?

Who buys the bras for the Hugh Hewitt family?

What did Bob Dole use before the advent of Viagra, popsicle sticks?

When Drugde and Gannon get together, are there reacharounds involved?

Is “Turdblossom” a nickname, or term of sexual endearment?

Perhaps some enterprising young blogger could create a site we could all visit to learn the ins-and-outs of the lives of these public figures.
I’ll be happy to throw the first $20 bucks in the tip jar.

Well maybe now that Fitz is done with this he can turn his full attention to putting Rover behind bars?
At least he’s been spending his time well:
“A federal grand jury returned a 50-count indictment against the three executives of the company which represented itself as in the business of designing, manufacturing and marketing rapid tests for HIV, diabetes, mad cow disease and chronic wasting disease in mules, deer and elk. The tests never received required government regulatory approval.

“To attract investors, the executives conducted staged tours of the company facilities that included stacking, labeling and arranging empty boxes for shipping, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago.
“Temporary workers were hired to operate machinery that was not ordinarily in use. Fake test kits were assembled and packaged to impress investors, according to the indictments.
Efoora’s two subsidiaries issued and sold more than 100 million shares of stock at prices from 10 cents to $2.50 a share. It raised more than $30 million from some 3,000 investors between 1999 and this March, according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald . . . ” (The very same, I presume?)
http://tinyurl.com/mutpc

Froomkin nails Republicans in full retreat from Bush:
“Jim Rutenberg wrote in the New York Times on Saturday: “At a time when Mr. Bush’s approval ratings are at or near record lows and many party members have shown an inclination to distance themselves from him this election year, the Washington political classes are keeping careful score of who stands with him and who does not.”
Bush traveled to Virginia Beach on Friday to raise funds for Representative Thelma Drake of Virginia. But she was a no-show.
Rutenberg writes: “Ms. Drake’s office said she had no choice but to skip Mr. Bush’s visit on her behalf because she had to be on Capitol Hill for an important appropriations vote involving $150 million in military spending for her district, much of it for veterans’ health care.
“The appropriations were approved 395 to 0.”"

Hi everyone– let’s see, Hayden has the votes on the Intel Committee 12-3 according to Reuters– my guess is it’s Feingold, Wyden and Rockefeller against.
>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.rawstory.com/showar…..HAYDEN.xml

new thread: From the Book Expo

While we’re at it, someone should respond to John Tierney’s sick-making opinion piece today about Al Gore’s “nerdly” style.

wait, the SSCI voted 12-3 for Hayden in SECRET?

wtf is up with that?

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

twolf1@11:30 a.m.

That TV Web site copying massively from Wikipedia is a riot! Wikipedia as canned journalism! Of course, I’m sure the TV Web site checked each and every fact mentioned in the Wikipedia article…Oh, I’m sorry, I thought we were talking about journalism.

angie @ 1:02 pm (#101) – I’d be shocked if Feinstein was one of the “nays”, and Levin didn’t seem concerned about all those annoying little constitutional issues, and Bayh and Mikulski are non-entities, so that’s probably a good guess.

corn nuts.

Oscarmom at 99 – I can’t even find that story on the Chicago Tribune or Sun Times websites. How pathetic is that?? AARGH.

United Secret States Reborn.

-GSD

My e-mail to the NYT public editor:

I am very disappointed in the ugly story about the Clinton’s in your newspaper. “All the news that’s fit to print”?? Please!

This is one reason why this former subscriber to your once-great newspaper isn’t going to send any money your way for some time to come! Whitewater, Wen-Ho Lee, Anthrax, Bush, Iraq, Judy Miller…and again Clinton!

Disgusting, to put it mildly…

Amit

Maybe the question now is where is the Christian Slater character to relieve us of these tiresome Heathers? And I don’t mean that in the literal sense. Just…Please…Someone. Fire them all, make the papers go out of business. Start the hell over. Something. Anything. Other than this travesty.

lobstergirl #108—the Fitzgerald link was sent to me via a google news alert . . . does the tinyurl not work?

I’m not making it up, I swear! :(

The Republicans and Corporate America will trash Dems everywhere they can. They know the Republicans are going to look very bad in every congressional senate or presidential race for some time, so they have to level the playing field. This is standard operating procedure for Republicans. It might take billions, but they’ll do it.

Some of them will attack Hillary because they assume the amount of money a candidate has is all that really indicates whether they can run and win. That is how they do it on their side, so they assume the Dems must operate about the same. Unfortunately this proves to be true far too often.

There seems to be three significant groups in America: Corporate Rich America who run everything and fund candidates who will support them, Politicians who take money from Corporate America (both Republicans and Democrats) and the Public who aren’t really in the game.

Maybe someday we’ll see a real Democracy in America, but it ain’t happening just yet. When was the last time you saw a poor person win a political seat? When was the last time we had a non-millionaire Senator? When was the last time we had women commanding 51% of the Senate or House seats? It’s definately a work in progress. When the public gets too close the Rich step in and rig the campaign funding and elections.

Bush maybe be stupid, but he’s not an idiot. He knows he’s both received the benefit of Big Money and is now receiving the low public opinion which resulted from his poor performance (in their eyes) and he simply doesn’t care. He won all he set out to win and he’s done everything he’s wanted and nobody stopped him. What more could a politician ask for. So, where is the American public in this? When do they get what they want? Don’t hold your breath.

In the 1930s during the Great Depression the Capitalist system wasn’t working so well and Socialism began to take hold. Despite wailing from the Rich FDR saved their system with Liberalism. The ungrateful wretches hated him nonetheless. What this shows is that the American public really want a good economy and aren’t so interested in foreign affairs and war (good common sense there). If we’re anything like the Europeans the public would probably be very far to the left of today’s so-called Centrists. But, the Rich won’t allow that, so we end up with “NorthEastern Liberals” like Bill Clinton and Joe Lieberman. That way anyone to their left can be labeled a Commie and the like. It’s a corrupt system. The game is fixed. The deck is stacked. Americans by and large do not get the government they need.

After Jayson Blair and Judith Miller who in their right mind is relying on this old grey bag lady for hard news anyway?
That said Hillbilly is fair game imho.
Where was she when hubby was signing death warrants for mentally disabled prisoners, anti-welfare measures, CLIPPER chip proposals, pardons for Marc Rich and etc, etc, etc?
Why should we trust a women who claims to ‘ see’ Elenor Roosvelt and ‘ vast right wing conspiracies’ yet won’t do anything much about either.
And just lately this ugly harridan has turned really nasty and gone over to the dark side on the war, flag burning and womens health choices.
The fact that her marriage gives every indication of being a hollow sham in this context is news. People elect people they can identify with and trust – no fakes frauds and phonies who are now acting as fascist as all get out.
If you want a military/entertainment complex approved ‘ Manchurian’ candidate vote Hillbilly.
If you want a democrat then join the roots rock revolution right here.
Let’s ditch the bitch – shes a coffin eyed Joe in drag. Fuck the KKKlintons and all who sail in them I say. I’m professor rat and I appoved this message.

I sent this to Byron Calame. Jeez.

I am very disgusted with the breathless reporting about the Clintons’ marriage in the Times. Why is the NYC/DC corridor so obsessed with their marriage/sex life? This is pretty much a gossip column on the front page.

IF you’re going to do this kind of marriage exposé stuff, then what about the Republicans–Guiliani? Gingrich? Marriages should be PRIVATE. But if you’re going to gossip about them, then be even-handed. I want to see in-depth coverage of Republican marital stresses and strains that equal the implications of Senator Clinton’s marriage if you’re going to go down that road.

But really and truly, I’d like to see the NY Times act like the fourth estate and cover the real problems facing America right now, including some significant reporting, analysis and where necessary criticism of the WHite House and Congress. It’s no wonder I don’t buy your paper anymore, only read links online. Why should I waste money on tabloid-style BS?

GSD 109- You don’t know how lucky you are boy…

Would it too brazen to write to the MSM and ask of them why it is that they are complacent in knowing that contacts that they may make may be grounds for their reporters to be thrown in jail.

All stations are almost mum on the subject.

Too bad Cheney didn’t have a gun on this one, Otherwise they would have been all over this like a lie on a lier, or stink on . . . well ya know what I mean.

Silence and complacency in an era of oppression and tyranny, when free press no longer freely reports facts in favor of gaining the favor of those in power, leads society to question the integrity and transparency of the MSM as that of complicity to the dumbing of the masses.

p.s.
What stations haven’t covered American Idol this last week, EVERY FRICKIN DAY?

Media, owned by the right, with reporting provided by folks who know where their next meal comes from…

If we should manage to win back a majority in Congress through the right’s own self-disgust and a modicum of due diligence on our part, one of the very first things we should do is restore the Fairness Doctrine. Period.

And consider a new methodology on ownership of media that encourages diversity and not consolidation.

In this way we won’t have to read about the Heathers. Maybe just Heather, singular.

p.s. AOL has that dreadful NYT-Healy piece up on its splash page, replete with surveys. Morons. Ugh.

Oh boy, the gloves are off now. If they want to play national enquirer, this is going to get very interesting. I don’t think blogland is going to put up with it and a lot of slimy stuff is bound to be uncovered. I wonder if the smear agents are prepared for that. It smells of desperation to me.
My brother just told me that a son of a friend is now in Iraq after Afghanistan. They need food…he has lost 17# & says to send tuna packed in water. A caller to Randi Rhodes today (her husband is serving) talked about the lack of food. My nephew leaves for basic training (Marines) this week & now we have to worry if he gets sent to the middle east not only about the danger but also malnutrion or starving? And to think that these people who get read in major media outlets could be writing about this instead of nonsense. Damn fine americans, aren’t they?

Of course rags like the NYT are haemorrhaging readers/market share/influence. People like us get what we want from the Times, instsantly and for free from the quality blogosphere. Our numbers are surging. This is why they feel compelled to trawl downmarket like some kind of tawdry Survivor Broadsheet.

Come 2020, the NYT will be a WebZine indistinguishable from Citizen Rupert’s National Enquirer. Archivists will discover the wit and wisdom of former stenographer,Judith Miller, who will seem a veritable gentlewoman of letters compared to dross that will daily be “delivered”.