Looks like our gal Pickles will be campaigning for Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY-Cover-up) on October 4th at the Buffalo Marriott. Guess she isn't bothered in the least by "naughty e-mails," as Tony Snow so dismissively called the Rep. Foley talks masturbation details and penis size with underage pages correspondance this morning.
Someone needs to ask Pickles what she thinks about this whole pervy House Republican mess — does she approve of how Tom Reynolds and the others in the GOP leadership have handled this thus far, with their lack of investigation and their hands getting caught in the cover-up jar? Enquiring minds and all that. Anyone in the Buffalo media primed and ready to ask the real journalist questions?
(Don't ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
Huge kudos to Cliff Schecter who shows the Democratic pundits out there how to prepare and respond to GOP idiocy. Watch him do immediate and very effective pushback here on MSNBC:
(H/T to Atrios for the clip.)
Related posts:
Spotlight
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
Advanced search
FITZ
Fumigate!
Lady Luck
Cleta?
(Don’t ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
where’s barney?
Looks like she is calling Georgie to give her one of those fab backrubs…
Schecter was great and he slammmmmed the rethug at every turn.
“(Don’t ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)”
Talking ’bout good vibrations
Talking ’bout excitations
Good good good
Good vibrations
briefing by hastert ca 145 on cspan 1.
epu’d from previous thread-
TheOtherWA @
146
Never heard of Cliff Schecter, before, but Man!-Oh!-Man! we have to get him out there more! By the time he got done with ol’ Cleta, there, she was left looking like a Rottweiler’s chewtoy. And all he had to do was be in command of the facts. Sweeet…
I guess there’s a reason they call her Pickles.
I think she’s on a roller coaster.
A pic of pickles and her gladhanding friend at a fundraiser in 2005:
here.
(It’s the last photo in the post, after the pick of George Allen all giddy at a 2005 fundraiser with same gladhandler)
whaleshaman @ 5
where’s barney?
whaleshaman @ 5
Rayne if you are around, there is a diary up at kos that tackles what you who pointed out on Friday here.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..7255/64892
OMG. Where’s George Tenet to declare SLAM DUNK when you need him. Cliff Schecter. Who knew?
Is the edit feature working OK? Was just going to say thank-you to whaleshaman.
angie @ 15
Hmm…
http://www.ballerium.com/commu…..serid=6129
Patrick Fitzgerald-hater Clarice Feldman is up in arms about how the Foley sex scandal was revealed to ABC News. (Shouldn’t she just be greatful that pages will be safe from Foley now?) She smells libruls behind it all.
As for the demand that a special prosecutor be appointed, maybe Patrick Fitzgerald can be appointed. Then he can fail to ask ABC or C.R.E.W. how they got the correspondence, ignore their political motivations, conflate their partisanship with “whistleblowing”, not look for the sources of the later sexually explicit emails, and nab Hastert for forgetting when he went to the bathroom on the day he heard about the emails.
http://www.americanthinker.com…..le_id=5907
Has anyone made up those
TORTURE A REPUBLICAN:
ELECT A DEMOCRAT
OT, gunman kills 6 at Amish School in Lancaster PA, others taken to hospital.
Breaking news CNN
Has anyone made up those
TORTURE A REPUBLICAN:
ELECT A DEMOCRAT
bumperstickers yet?
I’d suggest another:
SEND A REPUBLICAN AN INSTANT MESSAGE:
YOU’RE FIRED!
I think if you pan to the right in that photo of Pickles you will find Denny Hastert.
hey hey, who’s watching the Denny show?
InstiGate
Moderator: Sorry for the premature Submits.
“The party of criminals and pedophiles”!!!
Watch the clip, folks.
ralphbon @
20
hysterical…mind if i borrow it?
Republican campaign strategy c. 1812
In 1812 Stephen van Rensselaer (Federalist party) ran for governor of New York against the incumbent, Daniel D (for nothing) Tompkins (Democratic-Republican party – generally referred to as Republican). Van Rensselaer was enormousely wealthy and popular. Van Rensselaer was also a Major-General in the NY militia and a former Lieutenant Governor of the state.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S…..selaer_III
Tompkins was very worried about losing the election to Van Rensselaer. He came up with a brilliant plan. The War of 1812 had just started. Tompkins offered Van Rensselaer command of The Army of the Centre. If Van Rensselaer accepted – he couldn’t run for governor. If he declined – he was un-patriotic in time of war. Van Rensselaer accepted the job and was in command of the army (mostly militia) that was to defend the State of NY against the British enemy.
June 12, 1812 – General Isaac Brock, commander of all the British forces of Upper Canada (Ontario mostly), successfully attacked Fort Mackinac (Mak-in-awe for non-Michiganders). Next he defended Windsor (Ontario), defeated the American invaders and attacked Detroit and won. The capture of Detroit led to British control over most of Michigan Territory. Brock now moved his troops to Fort George (Queenston, Ontario – near Buffalo NY).
Stephen Van Rensselaer was no real general – no military experience (a fact known to Tompkins). Van Rensselaer was leading a militia, largely untrained and not required by the Constitution to operate outside US borders. There were regular US troops under his command, but their officers refused to obey his orders. On October 13, 1812, Van Rensselaer was ordered to attack the British position in Canada. This is known as the Battle of Queenston Heights, in which the US forces were badly beaten by the British general, Isaac Brock (who died, personally leading an attack on an American position). Next time you cross the Queenston-Lewiston bridge – look out for his memorial statue on a tall pillar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B…..on_Heights
Conclusion Daniel D Tompkins, Republican, out-manoeuvred his opponent in the Gubernatorial election by putting the State of New York and the US midwest in direct, grave danger of invasion by an enemy army in time of war. Typical Republican.
BTW, Daniel D-for-nothing Tompkins went on the become Vice-President of the United States under President James Monroe.
Stephen Van Rensselaer founded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1824. “It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R….._Institute
Nothing on CSPAN yet.
angie — yeah, thanks, I’d caught that DKos diary and another one posted yesterday that mentioned the Abramoff early-tip-off on the Iraq War.
Newsweek had the goods yesterday, pointed out the same bits.
But what’s odd about this particular email is that it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the emails. It makes reference to Rove at an NCAA game, but there’s not what I would call a firm trail between that game and the distribution of tickets.
Looked a LOT more like somebody left some breadcrumbs to follow…
Cozumel — I’d gone looking around just as you had, but I don’t think that’s a solid link. There were too many references to the same “octagon1″ and not enough that fit tightly with the context of the email.
I’d be looking for something relevant to the other content in the email, besides Rove and the basketball game.
The Republicans are having a tough time circling the wagons so they can stay on the same page.
Rayne @ 31
Yeah, that link doesn’t look like it’s related (octagon1).
*xyz @ 30
intro on now… and call ins
Callers on C-SPAN are really pissed about Foley.
I saw it somewhere, and apologize that I can’t give credit, but I think the best nickname for the scandal is
“La Cage aux Foley”
nj progressive @ 36
Denny Hasdirt ; )
My question for the Administration (Bush Cheney, Snow, whoever):
“Will you be introducing legislation soon to retroactively make on-line sexual solicitation of minors legal?”
Love,
Imm
thanks Coz and Rayne.
Old Sow @ 21– that is a very sad and disturbing story. Why on earth would someone target little Amish children in a one room schoolhouse?
sick.
nj progressive– watertiger said it came from Dr. Wu at Eschaton, iirc.
EPU’d:
So, Hastert’s press conference was supposed to be at 1315 EDT, then 1345 EDT. Still on hold…. plus, I just tried to link to C-SPAN 1 on the internet and the toobz is clogged. A lot of intereast in this, pups.
Still no presser, C-SPAN downloads clogged, C-SPAN callers concerned to put it mildly.
immanentize @ 38
love love love it..
the picture looks like pickles like cigars also.
perfect!
dachoste @ 42
Sss-smokin’!!!
Hastert up now.
neither shimkus or I saw the messages.
hastert on now…
hastert on now
She looks like one of those Resusi-Annie dolls they use for CPR training.
focus in on the IMs – republican leadership had not seen them.
who knew about the IMs? need an investigation..
Did anyone mention Froomkin is up?
lots of Rice and Tenet:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..00879.html
Moms and dads know it’s hard work keeping track of kids
no statement on the predatory emails – only sexually explict IMs
What a weasel!
Schecter was all over her like white on rice. Interesting that for once the Democrat wasn’t interupted by the moderator when he got on a roll. I was expecting his microphone to be cut or a “Well, that’s all the time we have for now, thank you for coming on the show” sort of moment.
I am so deceived
Ed*ard Teller @ 53
NO SHIT!!!
weasel is too kind
Hastert: He (Foley) deceived everbody.
Left behind on the last thread:
It’s like Mel Gibson claiming that it was the booze that made him a racist anti-Semite…
Foley may very well have an alcohol problem – it’s not uncommon for people who engage in the kinds of behaviors he has to try to drink away the guilt and shame, but once the haze clears, you’re still a man who seeks and possibly engages in deviant behavior with teenage boys who are away from home and have no parental presence, and continues to stalk them once they go home.
This is all about broken trust made worse not just by a failure of accountability, but by a deliberate avoidance of accountability. I don’t know that anyone associated with that can be redeemed through their action now, and I’m not sure they should be allowed to be.
Is Shimkus gay?
Father of three boys…not out of the closet at any rate.
Both of them spoke of increased adult supervision and enhanced security (state of the art) in the dorms.
they have a 800 number for “concerns”.
walked out and reporter yells “why won’t you take questions, sir?”
selise @ 56
Hey, leave us weasels out of it!
look at all the great things we did for the pages…. blah, blah, blah….
no mention of the predatory emails.
no quesitons taken….
press briefing will be rebroadcast later…
hmmm… Shimkus and Hastert refused to take any questions in their press conference … the pressure must be intense on them !
I don’t do that!
I’m a Republican!
(Pickles channeling Bree!)
For those that are not able to watch the press conference (Hastert), it will be no surprise to learn that the “dividing line” is between the emails and the IMs. The IMs will be investigated. The point was driven home with the particular parsing of words.
Did I hear Murtha say “There are no more troops” to send to Iraq? Maybe 3-4 days ago?
Keeps bouncing around in my mind.
Why do Hastert and Shimkus get to call what they just held a “press conference” when they run away after reading their weaselly statements? CNN shouldn’t call this a press conference. It was an announcement, just two guys reading their excuses for what happened and justifying their own inactions.
And they sure ran from those microphones once Shimkus was done talking…..
Susan in Iowa @ 59
as Tallulah Bankhead once answered such a question “Dearie, he’s never sucked my cock!”
Boy, they sure opened themselves up to the press’s questions, eh?
Our son is scheduled to go to DC in the Close Up program in April. We’ve already made the first $500 payment. I’m calling their state director and demanding a written statement that my son will not have ANY unsupervised OR supervised contact with ANY of the current GOP leadership while there.
mc @ 62
my apologies to all weasels
*ilson46201 @ 64
And they probably don’t want to say something that can be used against them later.
NICE PUSHBACK
I LOVE the way he EMBARRASES her with the opening line BEFORE the facts
THAT’S the way to do it
typically democrats we are too busy reciiting the facts
this is a template for democrats to take back the war of words
CHARGE FIRST, then BARRAGE with facts, then CHARGE AGAIN, then PUNSISH with more facts
man oh man, we NEED to see that format turned into a template
“No questions.”
These two are doomed. That will just be like blood to media infotainer sharks.
So, we have Cleta, a Republican strategist, doing what Republicans do best. They lie and obfuscate right to your face. Nothing new. But, no matter how hard they try to deflect this scandal, everyone understands the taboos of Foley’s behavior. Adults also understand obligations of supervising and protecting kids in their care. The more Cleta types try to deny their accountability, the more they will only serve to nauseate those who want this mess cleaned up. When the s**t starts leaking out from under the door, it splatters those trying to shovel it back. Ewww, Cleta you’re covered with S**t!
Shorter Hastert: If you have to choose between criminal and incompetent, go for incompetent.
immanentize @ 74
Yep
She sounded very angry and unhinged.
I am
graspingclutching my pearls now.immanentize @
38
oh, Imm….i feel the love.
I think this is the smoking gun Pelosi needs to run with, from ABC News:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thebl…..warne.html
I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
pocket rocket? rabbit pearl? butterfly belt? lil’ buddy?
If they are not taking questions, it strongly suggests to me that they haven’t been able yet, to warranty to their lawyers’ satisfaction that they really were as
fucking stupidignorant as they claim.angie @
6
but she had such a sweet smile when the moderator cut off the debate… she should get a couple of points for that… and maybe one point for the pearls
Wow, that Schecter pushback was CLASSIC!! Worth mounting and framing!!
That is worth memorizing and reciting back to any ‘winger if they get on their high horse about “Dems do it too”.
Already saw some dork try that tack this morning…but he was using scandals back from 1983 to make his case. Cripes, I was 12 years old then, can’t remember hearing about a gay Rep-with-teen scandal because that stuff was hushed up then by everybody. Let’s talk about TODAY and the pages that have been in DC within the last handful of years, the ones we can still protect from Republican family values…
Ugh. Disgusts me.
mc @ 72
Also, it’s an “ongoing Federal investigation” now…. where have we heard that excuse for lack of accountability before?
Pushback?
Try BEATDOWN!
*ilson @69
Nor mine…
It was just my first gut hit when I listened to him. In the end politics is about people, and I thought he might have had more empathy for Foley and his “over-friendly” emails, if it was not obvious to him that Foley was a predator.
whaleshaman @ 79
Awesome!
I want to see the democrats get MORE pissed at the people still in charge that kept this covered up
they have to YELL it out;
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH HASTERT?…HOW CAN HE COVER UP THIS CHILD PREDATOR, there is NO excuse and I am led to believe HE is a child predator as well, for enabling these sick people to perpertrate their disease on our children
Hastert is AT LEAST as responsible and PROBABLY MORE, I WANT HASSART investigated IMMEDIATELY”
indignation…a good start
Atrios gets it right again:
“”So, Hastert thinks the really important thing to do is investigate those who had copies of the IMs and emails like, say, the guys Foley was sending them to in order to find out why they didn’t turn them over to the FBI.
This is a sick and twisted bunch of people running our government – letting a predatory colleague stick around in order to cover it up and then essentially threatening to go after anyone who comes forward with information.
Your Republican party, protector of predators.”"
I cannot imagine why anyone would think a gay person would have more empathy for a Congressman sexual predating underage boys.
Teddy, that is not what I said.
I just talked to Mark Kennedy’s (MN-06) office re: Pedophile-Gate.
He explained that I was merely confusing the EMails and the IMs.
I explained that that was a nice try, but no sale.
He then explained that Kennedy was BFF with Foley (and admits it?) and they were very concerned.
I asked if he was concerned for Foley or for the pages. ‘The pages, of course.’
Go Amy Klobuchar! Mark Kennedy, just go.
OT– msnbc reporting that the murderer in Lancaster was a milk truck driver and was getting revenge for something that happened 20 years ago… he left notes at his house. He let all the little boys and the adults go free. He was 32 years old.
poor little girls and families.
whaleshaman @ 28
OMFG CNN just repeated EVERY GOP talking point after he Hastert excuser. It’s all partisan, the Democrats have been holding on to this for political purposes, warnings went out to pages about congressmen all the time and we do KNOW he’s gay after all.
It was shameful. Beyond shamefull. Calling C&L. I can’t believe after the microscope they took to Patrick Kennedy they are making excuses for sexual predators, as if ANYTHING the Democrats or anyone else did could excuse either Foley’s actions or the grand GOP coverup that has obviously been going on for a long time.
There is nothing they won’t do.
TeddySanFran @ 80
OH MAN!
GET THAT TO HER FAST!
TeddySanFran @ 91
TSF This is such a great point — I am sad to think that the answer is that the evil right has portrayed “gay” and “child molester” (also, dog f**ker) as synonomous for so long that they (as a significant minority) cannot even begin to see why everyone in America is pissed about this. They believed their own hype, but forgot to market-test it first.
Sounds to me like Hastert’s request to Gonzales consists of, “Look in your own house, Abu!” CREW’s Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor, says she turned the IMs over to the FBI three months ago, as soon as she got them. Hastert is trying to turn the spotlight on the FBI — please investigate your own agency, dear Abu Gonzales.
angie @ 94
That is just so very sad….
This is the best sentence of media reporting about Foley.
Toledo Blade
Jane, I didn’t see CNN, but that constant repetition of gooper talking points doesn’t surprise me. They’re trying to compete with Faux, so they get right down there in the gutter with them. Yuck.
me to me @ 97
I sent it to her last night.
Go get ‘em, Jane!!!! [watching contrails from FDL missiles just fired]
Hey, any of you folks in Hastert’s district want a great piece of literature to distribute?
Check out this DailyKos diary; this person has produced a slick piece GRATIS.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/2/133217/952
Anybody DFA in IL? Run with this, get some donors to help with professional printing, then mail to all the independent-leaning Repugs in your districts.
sorry if this has been posted before, but now ABC is saying there are IMs that insinuate that he met with one page.
that kicks this up to a whole level.
10 little girls were shot. 3 died immediately. All the teachers and little boys were let go. The guy left a suicide note at home for his wife and kids and called her when surrounded to say he wouldn’t be home.
OT — Got to pick up the boy at school…but not before I point out one awesome photo at Salon:
http://www.salon.com/books/fea…..source=rss
You might have to sit through an ad, not positive, but the photo is great, article on NOLA not too shabby either.
That was sweet.
Enjoy.
egregious @ 67
Our current troop levels are unsustainable. It will strain and break the military to maintain these numbers for even 4 to 6 months and these levels are not remotely sufficient to do the job of creating a stable, secure environment in the country.
The simple fact of the matter is that there were never enough troops. Even if we had wanted to follow the advice of General Shinseki and send 350,000 to 400,000, they never existed, not then, not now. A draft was the only way to get that many troops and it was always politically impossible. Yet Bush has none the less placed our servicemen and women in an unwinnable situation and left them there to hang for 3 1/2 years out of a toxic combination of stupidity and ego.
Jane Hamsher @ 96
If protecting our children is “partisan” then we Democrats must plead guilty. Funny, I had thought that protecting children from pedphiles was one issue that we could ALL agree on.
Taking a break from the Foley story to have a bit of fun at Republican Ken Blackwell, who is running for Governor in Ohio.
Bush: Ken Blackwell is a nut
Sharoney @ 86
Great, isn’t it. Kinda wonder if the Big Dog smacking down Wallace is providing a little inspiration.
Boudica @
75
Who is Cleta, please?
OT – Letter from Roger Sharpe…
“In a recent poll by the Winston Salem Journal over 56% of the readers responding believe that I can win this election.”
AWESOME!!!
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 112
The blond publican in the YouTube video in the main body of the post.
Stephen–Cleta Mitchell is an attorney and speaks for the Heritage Foundation at times…
http://www.thehill.com/thehill…..mline.html
forgot my bwahahahaha
windje @ 11:33 am and angie @ 11:34 am –
Thank you for your replies. I haven’t looked at the video.
CNN.com poll:
Will allegations that former Republican Rep. Mark Foley exchanged sexually explicit e-mails with a 16-year-old congressional page make it less likely you’ll vote Republican in November?
Yes 57% 16426 votes
No 43% 12627 votes
Total: 29053 votes
So, Denny, care to tell us again about how moral the Republican Party is?
Renee in Ohio @ 109
I have been meaning to send some of you, who are interested in Ohio, over to my friend, yellow dog sammy’s blog about the races in that State:
http://ohio2006elections.blogspot.com/
It is a great example of a local action blog with good info.
Be nice over there and don’t break his server *g*
(Don’t ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
Laura’s IMing with Jean Schmidt.
When was Foley appointed as Chairman of the Missing and Exploited Childrens Caucus?
Was it after he was known to be predatory? Say, after 2001 (when there was a warning to the pages)?
THAT would be very damning to the GOP House leadership and certainly should be part of the investigation.
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 116
Its worth a look Stephen :>)
I have not had a chance to see whether this has already been mentioned:
Hastert Holds Meeting On Foley Scandal, Democratic Member of Page Board Excluded
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/…..y-meeting/
froggermarch @
109
Excellent way of putting it.
Alleen @ 118
I think she just had the cigarette whipped out of her mouth a la DEVO
re Octagon 1. This is the “about us” page that has the names and bios of the staff of Octagon, a video game developer/publisher based in Chapel Hill NC. Any names here that ring bells for anyone?
http://www.octagon1.com/aboutus.html
As I said in the last thread, Republicans can not take responsibility. For them, responsibility is for saps. Hastert et al look upon this as a political problem. As such, it should be spun and downplayed. It’s a scandal but Democrats have their scandals too. It was one bad apple. They were deceived. Hastert didn’t know or if he was told he didn’t remember or if he did know he thought the problem had been dealt with and if Democrats criticize and call for investigations that just goes to show that it was all political and if criminal authorities get involved then he can’t comment because of the ongoing investigation. You see, that wouldn’t be responsible.
Great pic…looks like she’s pretty far down the road with a pickle herself.
Doesn’t Pickles look a LOT like Sigourney Weaver being invaded by Alien? (It’s Ripley, Believe it or Not.) Or maybe just the Alien.
OT.. overturn a rock and you find more Republican slime. (HR-5295) The Student Teacher Safety Act of 2006..aka the strip search act
Among other things, allows school officials and teachers to strip search students..The party of jebus sure has a thing for kids.
Hugh @ 126
Ah, yes, the Scooter defense: “I’m just so fucking busy thinking about important, super-secret things, I can’t possibly be expected to remember all this silly, little sexual predator email stuff.”
Please don’t pick on pickles (cute name though). Even I like her, and generally I hate them all.
More to the point, she is still very, very popular. There’s just no percentage in ridiculing her.
Besides, every woman in the country can understand what hell it must be to be married to that stupid, arrogant, drunken, swaggering bully. We all feel sorry for her, and her girls. Free the Bush Three!
Bush likes to “string them by up the thumbs,” new book says
U.S. President George Bush has always said he doesn’t approve of torture but of course it’s dependent on how one defines torture or “interrogation methods.”
Now, if the quote is accurate, comes word that perhaps Bush does approve–and not only for terrorists but leakers as well.
I found the quote in Saturday’s Globe and Mail in Neil Reynold’s review of Eddie Goldenberg’s just published inside Ottawa book, The Way it Works.
The Way It Works: Inside Ottawa
Casey,
I do not respect her or her girls or anyone in the family.
I don’t like any of them.
just my opinion, of course. :)
All they have to do is walk away and they will be free.
Casey @
131
If she is still popular — people must think of ways to change that.
Bush senior had the “beloved” Barbara Bush to cover his ass and his son uses the same tool.
Laura is no victim, she is an aspect of W’s packaging. As for the daughters. I never really felt much compassion for rich little shits who act like royalty free to misbehave because their Daddy is King.
When I was 18 I had an authority figure misuse me similarly. A scandal ensued. I was accused of many things by this married, ordained creep but as it turned out (to my surprise) the organization’s leadership had already been aware of his predilictions and didn’t buy a word of his excuses this time. There had been others before me but the leaders had just tried to hide those. With me, they just couldn’t hide any more. I was tossed out on the street by these folks after they got my taped depositions. The creep was removed from power quietly to protect his and their reputations.
This is all very familiar to me. I feel sorry for the pages involved – they will be humiliated and left to figure this all out alone.
The picture’s a hooot, Christy!
One thing the weekend showed is that the whole Republican thing is crimes and coverup. Same old Nixonian characters–even Kissinger!– on the war side. Same old crimes and coverup at play with Mark Foley and the Rethugs who protected him.
Jabba Rush and the rest of the spittle spewing Republican Orcs obviously got their talking points this morning–Gerry Studds, Barney Frank, liiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbbruls……….–Scarborough and Limpballs were usin’ the same page.
And speakng of inquiring minds–did Foley check into the same rehab Rushbo was in? And were they partners in sex touristing down to the Dominican?
Now to catch up on other comments…if the above’s repetitive, we’ll consider it staying on message.
CRIMES! & COVERUPS! trumps cut and run any day. Sing it loud, pups. ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!!!!!
Casey at 131 — Perhaps, then, you can explain to me why Pickles is campaigning for Tom Reynolds this week, if she’s merely a blameless little bystander for whom we should all have pity? Because, in my book, raising campaign funds for someone who may have helped to cover up a fellow GOP-ers predeliction for young teenagers who worked for and in Congress is a bit much for my ability to be understanding…let alone said Congressman taking $100K from Rep. Foley months after being alerted to said problems?
Casey @ 130
Paul Hindemith’s first opera described this situation “Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen”
NSA: just kidding!
angie @
15
also Newsweek Oct 9 issue
Still, the game gave Abramoff a chance to discuss other matters with Rove. After being e-mailed by an old friend who was a militant Israeli settler, Abramoff responded: “I was sitting with Karl Rove, Bush’s top advisor, at the NCAA basketball game, discussing Israel when [your] email came in. I showed it to him. It seems that the President was very sad to have to come out negatively regarding Israel but that they needed to mollify the Arabs for the upcoming war on Iraq. That did not seem to work anyway. Bush seems to love Sharon and Israel, and thinks Arabfat [sic] is nothing but a liar. I thought I’d pass that on.”
—Michael Isikoff and Holly Bailey
Looks like Pickles is getting a “sendoff”. Like Christy, don’t ask me any more
Jane says CNN is echoing GOP talking points.
With due respect to those who did the actual work, this is why G*d invented Spotlight.
I think we’d do well to leave a comment here when Spotlighting, so we have a record that news organizations had the opportunity to get the story right (by having RH’s research beamed to them gratis), and chose not to.
I’ve already hit the print media in Denny’s district. If we split the job up it won’t take long to take away the “busy before a deadline excuse” from them so we can judge them by their choices.
Prairie Sunshine @ 136
Orcs? Where?
Holy crap! That pic of Laura climaxing has put me off my feed!
Let me guess. Miz Laura has lost another dress size. That’ll make three during her sabbatical in the WH. What a climax!
njr @ 138– I know, and so it is apparent that there was never to be any effort at all for a fair and negotiated 2 state solution.
Road map, my a**.
‘I am the first preznit to call for a 2 state solution’– baloney.
Isn’t Laura Bush originally from Stepford, Texas?
Laura Bush is the First Enabler, I think, whose job it is to keep up appearances while allowing others to clean up the messes her husband makes. She’s probably the mother George wished he had had, instead of the harridan in pearls who is probably the source of most of George’s psychoses.
Sick and dysfunctional to a fare-thee-well, and lucky us, he’s the president. I sometimes feel like the Bush family are Stephen King characters brought to life.
From ThinkProgress: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/…..rt-resign/
EPU’d on the last thread (please forgive formatting issues, I’m just now delurking):
Eve Sedgwick @ 166
About Hastert’s call for an investigation and his very specific wording-what difference does it make? Is the FBI actually limited to investigating only what is in the request?
For instance, if someone calls the cops to complain about their neighbbors loud music, and the cops see pot growing in the caller’s backyard, the cops aren’t limited to dealing with the music problem. Once they’re there, isn’t it possible to investigate any crimes the cops find? Couldn’t the FBI look into whatever they find?
Casey @ 131
And her feet don’t work?
for the love of gawd, firedogs, please tell us poor people at work without access to youtube what schecter said!!!
i beg you.
I sent this 15 minutes ago:
Close Up Foundation
44 Canal Center Plaza
Alexandria, VA 22314-1592
To Whom it may concern:
Our son is scheduled to attend your Washington DC program in the spring of 2007. As a family we had been looking forward to his participation in this civics program. We have made our first payment to the program. However, we are deeply disturbed with the news that the GOP leadership of the House of Representatives appears to be engaged in the cover-up of a pedophilia ring within their ranks.
At first glance, your ten rules for students participating in Close Up appear to be rational and adequate. But, in light of the revelations coming out about criminal activity in the highest ranks of the current House leadership, I am concerned about rule No. 6. Specifically, I need your reassurance in writing that no Close Up staff member will direct our son to spend any time with any member of the GOP House leadership, supervised or otherwise.
1. At no time are male students allowed to visit female students’ rooms and vice versa. (Close Up defines “room” as the threshold of the door.)
2. Students are forbidden to possess and/or use alcoholic beverages.
3. Students are forbidden to possess and/or use drugs other than those prescribed for them by a doctor.
4. Students are forbidden to possess and/or use firearms or weapons of any kind.
5. Students are forbidden to abuse or deface facilities and to abuse, deface, or steal property.
6. Students will cooperate with the Close Up staff at all times.
7. Students are prohibited from smoking while on the program.
8. Students are assigned to rooms and workshop groups with students whose backgrounds may be quite different from their own. These assignments are strictly enforced. Students who are unable or unwilling to comply cooperatively with these assignments are subject to dismissal.
9. Students will respect the diversity of opinions expressed by other students and speakers.
10. Non–Close Up participants are forbidden from entering student rooms without prior consent from Close Up staff. This prohibition includes family members and is for the purpose of protecting students and their property.
Sincerely Yours,
Capitola at 151 — quick synopsis: Cleta brought up the Jefferson mess as a “Democrats are criminals, too” reference, and Cliff called her on the idiocy of that. “One person, you come up with one: let’s talk about Republicans. Duke Cunningham, in jail. Bob Ney, probably going to jail, along with Tom DeLay. Bill Frist under investigation for securities fraud. ….” And he kept going. Listing all of them that he could think of until his time was up. She was sputtering like a wet hen by the time he got done — hilarious.
OT, but worth watching – the Princeton Vote hacking experts are on C-SPAN right now!
Potential magic symmetry? The first Speaker to be defeated in his own Congressional District since 1860, on the winds of the House banking scandals, was Democrat Tom FOLEY, in 1994, the same year Mark FOLEY was elected to Congress.
TeddySanFran @ 155
The way for the Reublicans to prevent that ignominious defeat would be for Hastert to retire right now.
It is sorta like that Lincoln/Kennedy thingy….
On Friday afternoon, a strategist for Rep. Mark Foley tried to cut a deal with ABC’s Brian Ross.
The correspondent, who had dozens of instant messages that Foley sent to teenage House pages, had asked to interview the Florida Republican. Foley’s former chief of staff said the congressman was quitting and that Ross could have that information exclusively if he agreed not to publish the raw, sexually explicit messages.
“I said we’re not making any deals,” Ross recalls.
Howie Kurtz reports in the Washington Post
Balrog – You are the greatest!!! I have tried calling Kennedy’s office and I often gag at the thought. But I will call too.
Can’t wait to hear prosecutor Klobachar’s reaction. Hope she makes Kennedy wear this scandal like a blue dress.
And hope Colleen and Patty can take the disgust for the House’s behavior to their repub opponents who want to join the house and condone these activities.
Renee in Ohio @ 110
Renee, I saw Ted Strickland (Democratic candidate for Ohio governor) yesterday in Zanesville, along with Zack Space. Very impressive! It was VERY uplifting to see so many people of like minds gathered together.
windje @ 157
This guy’s a goner.
As for Brian Ross, he knows he’s got the jump on this week’s big story. He’s obviously got more IMs than he’s showing, and there are probably more pages coming out of the woodwork. I’m guessing that ABC is now carefully verifying everything they’re getting, which means everything is going to slowly trickle out over the next few days/weeks. They’re going to keep this one going, just to boost their ratings.
Just thinking out loud — Foley had better be careful of what he talks about in ‘treatment.’ As the recent case of the Kennedy cousin (going to prison for a murder mostly based on accounts of ex-treatment buddies repeating what he had said in treatment)proved, nothing is going to be totally secret in this mess.
Frank Probst @
161
let’s just hope the IMs aren’t faxed from a Mailboxes, Etc. outlet in a rural Texs town. Be VERY careful, ABC legal affairs.
ABC must be more pissed about being shivved on the 9/11 movie than I thought….
The General jumps in as always: http://patriotboy.blogspot.com…..9365480777
Frank Probst @ 161
are they (ABC) trying to make ammends for PT911 ???
f em anyway!
You can also add the Big Lie on going to Iraq and the number of dead Americans and dead Iraqui’s and Afghani’s, Britons, Canadians, etc. to the pushback that he forgot to mention.
Good point Mr. Teller – be careful indeed. Those are all republican pages who come from the families of the highest group of the republican elite. But I cannot imagine that they would send out fake emails of this type. Why would this man only pray on republican pages? Those are the only ones who would talk to him?
Candidates give Foley contributions away
WASHINGTON – Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) and Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record), two Republicans in tight re-election contests, plan to donate to charities the contributions they received from Mark Foley, the former congressman ensnared in an e-mail sex scandal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..BHNlYwN0bQ
Josh has Hastert’s statement up at http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com
My first impression: Major political misstep. He’s clinging to the “We never saw the IMs” defense. That may be true, but several people DID see the “sick sick sick…” e-mails and told Hastert about them, and he did nothing. So his “defense” doesn’t get him off the hook, and the e-mail vs IM confusion is going to be lost on the casual viewer. All most people are going to take away from this is that Reynolds and (maybe) Boehner are saying they told Hastert about this, and Hastert is saying he didn’t know anything about it. Good luck on v4.0 of your defense.
Hastert v1.0: I didn’t know anything about this.
Hastert v2.0: I might have been told, but I don’t remember.
Hastert v3.0: I never saw the really raunchy stuff.
GrandmaJ @
158
Aw, you’re just being Minnesota nice…
I haven’t seen a poll on Cruella D’Bachmann and Patty Wetterling lately, have you?
Go Twins!
In Vermont, our Republican candidate for the House thinks that changing the Republican House leadership is just redecoration. From today’s http://vermontdailybriefing.com/
Martha Rainville: Another Rubber Stamp Republican.
i heart jane @ 165
They’ve atoned in spades, as far as I’m concerned. There’s nothing like a good sex scandal.
What frosted my cake was Cleta whining that the media picks on Republican’ts. What a joke. The media has been playing CYA for the Republicans all along.
(Don’t ask. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this photo.)
other than the anatomical disconnect, have to wonder: is Pickles gerkin off?
punaise @ 174
Yay, punaise! You get the money shot!
Hi, I’m Duke and I’m an alcoholic. (Hi, Dike!)
Hi, I’m Bob and I’m an alcoholic. (Hi, Bob!)
Hi, I’m Mark and I’m an alcoholic. (Hi, Mark!)
Hi, I’m Mel and I’m an alcoholic. (Hi, Mel!)
Hi, I’m Jack and I’m an alcoholic. (Hi, Jack!)
I believe we have a quorum. It is now my pleasure as Speaker of the House of Representatives to call this year’s Republican Party Convention to order!
Omigod, #173-174-175 are too funny!!!
punaise, so good to have you back!!
mc @ 175
(tee hee)
Wow…my nesting went horribly awry…
GrandmaJ @
167
Your misspelling – “pray” for “prey” reminds me of contacts I had as a corrections administrator with a number of fundamentalist pastors doing time for sexual abuse of minors. I asked them all “Which line worked best?” The most common reply was “Let us sin so we may pray for forgiveness together” or variations on that theme.
punaise >”…other than the anatomical disconnect, have to wonder: is Pickles gerkin off?”
*Rolls eyes*
He`s Back !
“We are accustomed to the new land yet attached to the old country” – anon
did Foley take a page out of the (not so) old playbook?
windje @ 157
Was this the same CoS that currently works for Tom Reynolds? Was that why he was spending a few days advising Foley? More COVERUP?????
Today Dan Froomkin has his usual great commentary on DC doings but this regarding Zelikow is especially interesting:
“The July 10 meeting between Tenet, Black and Rice went unmentioned in the various reports of investigations into the Sept. 11 attacks, but it stood out in the minds of Tenet and Black as the starkest warning they had given the White House on bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Though the investigators had access to all the paperwork on the meeting, Black felt there were things the commissions wanted to know about and things they didn’t want to know about.
“Philip D. Zelikow, the aggressive executive director of the Sept. 11 commission and a University of Virginia professor who had co-authored a book with Rice on Germany, knew something about the July 10 meeting, but it was not clear to him what immediate action really would have meant. In 2005 Rice hired Zelikow as a top aide at the State Department.”
punaise @ 174
welcome back! not a moment too soon… it was a long month….
but not as long as this week will be for the rethugs…
He’s a page turner.
punaise ! good to see you back.)
Cozumel @
168
heh. too much, too little, too late…
immanentize @ 134
Why have any Ethics Committee investigations, inquiries or other oversight…I think we should just waterboard Hastert until we get the truth…that’s legal, right?
Sally @ 185
Larry Johnson has a comprehensive post up about Zelikow’s involvement in the 911 Commission and speculates as to why they never heard of the Tenet Black Rice meeting on July 10.
Rice Loyalist Headed 9/11 Commission Probes
Stephen Parrish, CPA says:
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:31 am * Who is Cleta, please?
Cleta Mitchell is the Republican strategist shown on the UTube clip above with moderator Nora O’Donnel of MSNBC.
I just called Hastert’s office about his latest statement. I lived and worked in that district for many years, they didn’t press me too hard on that (seems to be a lot of that going around…) so I think they took me for a constituent.
I said any statement other than “I wish I had done more when I found out” was simply disgusting. Any decent person would feel that way and show a little remorse for a misjudgment. She suggested I didn’t read the statement and “you just saw what you wanted to.” (Note: this is not a good thing to say to constituents.) I said I had read every line, looking for that kind of remorse in vain, and this was her chance to tell me what paragraph it was in. I let her silence sink in.
Then I asked whether Hastert is up for election this year. I’d prefer that they believe this is rousing the unaware from the slumbers.
NeoJoe @ 190
now it is !
if the Speaker checks into rehab it will be fair to ask: was Hastert plastert?
Geez. We’re on a roll here in Vermont.
Our Republican House candidate, Martha Rainville, has just been outed for plagiarizing on her campaign website.
From whom did she steal words and ideas? Hilary Clinton, among others!
http://7d.blogs.com/freyneland….._plag.html
Gotta love those Rethug values.
And why isn’t the first pickle talking about all this horrific gun violence and children instead of campaigning for rethugs?
btw– did anyone see the Ed Bradley interview with the awful young people who beat homeless people last nite? boy, have we have got some sick-o people in our midst. it was awful and one of those imprisoned (for killing a homeless man) sent chills up my spine when he said it was entertainment and fun and that nobody should do it cause they could end up in jail.
no remorse for the victim at all.
immanatize,
just recently discovered your friend YellowDog’s site – an invaluable resource.
Renee in Ohio – Great graphic, I love the “Mr. Wingnut” hatband. Pretty funny, even Junya knows Ken is Krazy.
I assume you saw the video paean to Junya and DeWine – “My Boyfriend’s Back” but here’s a YouTube link for anyone who missed it &/or wants to vote it up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..&eurl=
kirk murphy @ 186
DairyMaid at 196 — hehehe, I think that is a hanging offense in some GOP circles, agreeing so much with Hillary that you sound the same. *G* btw, you Vermonters ought to be quite proud of Pat Leahy — he was wonderful last week, and I hope he realizes how much that was appreciated by all and sundry.
Drudge is saying that the pages were “egging on” Foley and “they are just 16 and 17 year old beasts after all and not innocent little babies.”
I repeat SICK SICK SICK SICK!!!!!!
CrooksandLiars has the audio
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
Christy at 153…
Thanks! I knew it was going to be good! I love a good old fashioned push back.
would LOVE to have seen the look on Cleta’s face. wooboy.
Christy Hardin Smith @
200
Patrick Henry Leahy, IMHO
Hoooray punaise.
BTW, Felipe is out as manager of your Giants.
After rehab, Foley will promise to turn over a new leaf, as soon as he gets to the bottom of the next page……
choochmac @ 201
it’s doubly sick — a gay ex-lover of Matt Drudge divulged that Matt’s particular kink is to get naked and have raw, slimy eggs smeared all over his body — and now he uses the expression “egged on” about pages???
ick, ick, ick, ick, ick
windje (191), I remember there were objections to someone on the Commission because he/she was close to Rice. One more example, as former President Clinton told Chris Wallace, that the 9/11 Commission’s Report was political. Gotta love the way Larry Johnson lays out the facts.
Sally @ 207
I have a feeling the Jersey Girls are going to be all over Kindasleazy Rice in the upcoming days/weeks.
*ilson46201 #206
Last evening I was searching for Air America on my radio headphones and came across what was obviously a Republican talk show. The host was discussing Foley and the Pages, spinning madly and saying that the Pages were sexually aware and probably had “enticed Foley”.
I listened until the ad break, wanting to know who was doing this and it was Matt Drudge. Enough said! I didn’t know he had a radio show.
*ilson46201 @ 206
Q. What did Matt Drudge IM to Mark Foley?
A. I’m returning your page.
New Thread
Speaking of “egged on”, New digs upstairs
Hey punaise, or should I say 3sivund… Welcome back!
:-)
Christy Hardin Smith @ 200
Thanks Christy. We are pretty proud of him.
John Casper @ 204
Hey, John Casper!
(sadly, the less we talk about the Giants, the better….Felipe shouldn’t have to take the hit for the horrible pitching in Sept. Oh, well, I’m a temporary fair-weather A’s fan now, for the playoffs)
DairyMaid @ 196
Cool! I have to take a small part of the credit for that story getting out. I read a dairy at Daily Kos by juliewolf called Rainville’s stolen ideas. I clicked through to Julie’s blog Reason and Brimstone, and there were the quotes. I’m reading this last night just before midnight going holy crap! So I sent the blogpage on to Peter Freyne and to Welch’s campaign people.
Got an email back from Freyne (he’s the political reporter of a progressive Burlington Weekly) this morning saying thanks, and he found it veddy interesting.
Hope the story gets some legs.
Dr. Bong @ 212
thanks – my alter-ego 3sivund may resurface from time to time
carolyn urban @ 215
You go girl!
Patrick Leahy is well loved in here in Vermont.
or just plain
here in Vermont
punaise @ 216
Yeah… thought I saw your alter ego passing through a couple days ago. Either way, great to see you in da house!
angie @ 196
Oh God, yes, I saw that. I was sickening. I really wanted bradley to smack the punk in the back of th head.
It’s really scary, I see it in kids around here. They don’t think much of life, half of them don’t plan their lives beyond 25 or 26.
thewheezer @
120
I posted a similar question at the end of the previous thread. Here’s what I’ve found:
During 108th Congress according to the Committee on House Administration the Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children was led by Nick Lampson and Bud Cramer.http://cha.house.gov/oversight/108cmo.htm
With Lampson out…the 109th has Mark Foley and Bud Cramer listed as Chairmen http://cha.house.gov/oversight/109cmo.htm
Steve @ 129
You cannot be serious. This is surely against the law…well maybe not anymore.
And they wonder why I call myself egregious.
Great job by Clif Schecter. It is not very pleasing but it is about time that liberals are willing to not yeild the floor even if it means two people ranting at the same time. What took so long? He did a good job. Like a typical republican hack she just kept ranting. Democratic pundits have got to be willing to sacrifice the conversation so they dont get filibustered like she tried to do.
I hope more pundits get it.
OT, but just called Senator Inhofe’s office to protest his Faux News interview pushing the “myth” of global warming. Today’s news: this year the ozone hole over Antarctica has its second largest increase. Does Inhofe read? His phone is 202-224-4721 and it took awhile to leave a message so maybe his comments are firing neurons all over the web.
Hey, she’s well-read and is having a Molly Bloom moment.
I love the smell of whup-ass in the morning….smells like victory.
This Cliff Schechter guy is AMAZING!!! What a perfect smackdown! Thanks!
late-as-can-be but i know what’s going on in this picture: I have my foot up pickeles ass. Don’t ask but yes, I did enjoy it.
I’m not that impressed with Schecter. It’s great that he had all those facts at his disposal, but getting into a shouting match comparing who’s members are going to jail only plays into Republican strategy. They’re not trying to make the voters think no Republican is corrupt. They know it’s too late for that. They want the voters to think that everyone’s corrupt, so it neutralizes the issue. Letting discussions about Foley turn into discussions about laundry lists of who’s been indicted is a win for the Republicans. Democrats have to come back with something like “Three sitting Republican congressmen have been indicted with more to come,so the Republicans are hardly in a position to point fingers. But the real issue is that instead of talking about the way the Republican leadership let a sexual predator continue to prey on these young people, you want to discuss completely unrelated incidents. The real issue here is Mark Foley and Denny Hastert, and you’re too embarrassed to even discuss it. You Republicans should be ashamed.” Always keep the focus on the issue at hand.
Who knew weasels could also be predatory?
The Republicans are giving weasels a bad name.
Seriously though, isn’t this what we should expect from the party of “traditional family values”?
Where’s Spiro Agnew when you need to hear something real weasely.