Fitz!

Fitz!

Marcy!

Last year there was a lot of talk about the “sealed vs. sealed” case (06 cr 128 on the docket of the US District Court). Haven’t heard much about that case lately. Any chance that the defendent is Shooter?

Good morning, everyone!

Marcy, thanks for going back to the courthouse, and Jane, thank you for all your hard work, too.

-S

Cheney said the attackers were trying “to find ways to question the authority of the central government.” A Taliban spokesman said Cheney was the target.

Even in moments like this Cheney cannot stick to the facts

Emptywheel!

Digby has been driving how dangerous and insane Cheney is. Josh Marshall has been dogging the issue that Cheney should be publicly held up for ridicule and scorn, not taken seriously. We saw Obama do exactly that a few days ago, and Cheney got distracted by defending himself for a couple of days.

If we could see more and more Democratic voices speak plainly, like Obama did, that Cheney is wrong about everything and running his own anti-American agenda, it would weaken Cheney’s ability to execute his nefarious plans. The more he’s exposed to the light and has to spend energy public countering criticism, the less he’ll be able to secretly engineer his next war.

maybe w was trying to get rid of him.

Breath bated.

Ack–what does that last bit mean? Who’s Walton talking about? Who can’t convince whom not to be a criminal?
Translate please??
Juicy!

We’re at the courthouse in the media room and the closed circuit is on to Walton’s court. He’s been yelling at a couple of African American men and saying how angry he gets that they just cannot get their acts together and that they voluntarily remain in chains.

I seriously do not think I would want to be on his bad side.

‘morning, everyone.

Thanks for being there again, Marcy.

KO’s rant on Condi was great last night.

puppethead @ 7

Digby has been driving how dangerous and insane Cheney is. Josh Marshall has been dogging the issue that Cheney should be publicly held up for ridicule and scorn, not taken seriously. We saw Obama do exactly that a few days ago, and Cheney got distracted by defending himself for a couple of days.

If we could see more and more Democratic voices speak plainly, like Obama did, that Cheney is wrong about everything and running his own anti-American agenda, it would weaken Cheney’s ability to execute his nefarious plans. The more he’s exposed to the light and has to spend energy public countering criticism, the less he’ll be able to secretly engineer his next war.

I could not agree more. In ancient Ireland the poets were considered to be very powerful and kings were afraid of offending them. Why?

Satire. Being the object of scorn and ridule, being treated as a buffon STRIPS YOU OF ALL YOU POWER.

I we hjad the American people laughing AT HIM instead of fearing him, he would be helpless.

Why do I love Stewart and Colbert? They understood this from the beginning.

Good morning!

So, I woke to my radio alarm (CBS radio) saying that “Cheney survived an assasination attempt by the Taliban”. As I became more awake, I started to understand the situation better: there was a suicide bomber attack on the Bagram US air base. At least 15 were killed, and Cheney was not hurt. The Taliban is suspected as being behind it.

So, did the Taliban know Cheney was there? (answer: I doubt it. Usually when he travels to a war zone, his locations are not announced ahead of time)

Has there never been an attack on the Bagram AFB before? (answer: absolutely yes)

I’m sorry, maybe I’m too cynical… but it seems to me that the admin wanted to spin this story. They don’t like mentioning that Afghanistan has become far less safe, that since we put our emphasis on Iraq, the Taliban has again regained power in Afghanistan, is supported by the Pakistanis, and we’ve left a disaster. They also know that Cheney is well, not very well liked. So, they try to spin this into “a VP assasination attempt?” How about the daily assasination attempts on our troops over there?

ok, that’s enough of a rant before coffee. I promise I’ll come back in a better mood.

puppethead @ 8

Digby has been driving how dangerous and insane Cheney is. Josh Marshall has been dogging the issue that Cheney should be publicly held up for ridicule and scorn, not taken seriously. We saw Obama do exactly that a few days ago, and Cheney got distracted by defending himself for a couple of days.

If we could see more and more Democratic voices speak plainly, like Obama did, that Cheney is wrong about everything and running his own anti-American agenda, it would weaken Cheney’s ability to execute his nefarious plans. The more he’s exposed to the light and has to spend energy public countering criticism, the less he’ll be able to secretly engineer his next war.

I think you’re right. One of the reasons I raised Dingell (my grandfather of a Congressman) was to point out what our Dem Leaders are thinking. We’re going to have to get them on the humor page, it seems.

EPU’d -
Mandrake -

Sent you a short response to your e-mail of yesterday a.m.; let me know if not received. Lots of positive thoughts winging your way; per one of my favorite songs, “All shall be well again.” Keep me posted asap. It is SO good to see you back at the Lake.

emptywheel, it’s been said before, to Jane as well, but i don’t believe any of us would want you to be liveblogging if you would rather be there in person for the verdict. There may be no more appropriate person to be there than you.

There’s a reasonable chance the rest of us would survive a half hour.

JC @ 11

Ack–what does that last bit mean? Who’s Walton talking about? Who can’t convince whom not to be a criminal?
Translate please??
Juicy!

I hope Jane’s comment clarified somewhat. We’re watching a string of African American men–seemingly most with drug felonies–come through Walton’s court room. THe contrast between the demeanor over the last several weeks and today is instructive. Though this is apparently Reggie at his finest. Bawling out black men to clean up their act.

Marcy — good question about Conyers. I doubt he feels the same as Dingell about this.

((((tommy, esten, family))))

EMPTYWHEEL !!!

so glad you arrived safely

a very smart woman once offered an analogy of a wounded coyote in her backyard . . .

Jane Hamsher @ 12

We’re at the courthouse in the media room and the closed circuit is on to Walton’s court. He’s been yelling at a couple of African American men and saying how angry he gets that they just cannot get their acts together and that they voluntarily remain in chains.

I seriously do not think I would want to be on his bad side.

Well, then I guess you’d better wear underpants when you next enter the courtroom!

Hope you have a good day, and you get to waltz into the courtroom to hear verdicts today.

Further re: holding Cheney up to ridicule and scorn, that’s why I love it that Jane calls him “shooter”.

It’s such a nifty little shorthand refence to his crazy assed behavior. SOOOooo pithy

LOL, LandofTheFree. And, HI!

looseheadprop @ 15

puppethead @ 7

Digby has been driving how dangerous and insane Cheney is. Josh Marshall has been dogging the issue that Cheney should be publicly held up for ridicule and scorn, not taken seriously. We saw Obama do exactly that a few days ago, and Cheney got distracted by defending himself for a couple of days.

If we could see more and more Democratic voices speak plainly, like Obama did, that Cheney is wrong about everything and running his own anti-American agenda, it would weaken Cheney’s ability to execute his nefarious plans. The more he’s exposed to the light and has to spend energy public countering criticism, the less he’ll be able to secretly engineer his next war.

I could not agree more. In ancient Ireland the poets were considered to be very powerful and kings were afraid of offending them. Why?

Satire. Being the object of scorn and ridule, being treated as a buffon STRIPS YOU OF ALL YOU POWER.

I we hjad the American people laughing AT HIM instead of fearing him, he would be helpless.

Why do I love Stewart and Colbert? They understood this from the beginning.

except Cheney’s “to do” list is controlled solely by GWB. and we all know he is immune from derision and criticism.

now if old Dick could get into some legal trouble, we might get somewhere with checking his power.

from my inner child:
cheney thought calling joe wilson a girly man was a good idea.
find a reason to call him one in return.

emptywheel @ 20

JC @ 11

Ack–what does that last bit mean? Who’s Walton talking about? Who can’t convince whom not to be a criminal?
Translate please??
Juicy!

I hope Jane’s comment clarified somewhat. We’re watching a string of African American men–seemingly most with drug felonies–come through Walton’s court room. THe contrast between the demeanor over the last several weeks and today is instructive. Though this is apparently Reggie at his finest. Bawling out black men to clean up their act.

I take it this is a sentencing hearing. You may want to take some careful notes here b/c it may help you make predictions about Walton’s style when it comes to sentencing Libby. Of course there is usually a big difference about how sentencings go in drug convictions vs. white collar cases, but still you may glean some insights.

LandOfTheFree @ 15

(snip)
So, did the Taliban know Cheney was there? (answer: I doubt it. Usually when he travels to a war zone, his locations are not announced ahead of time)

Has there never been an attack on the Bagram AFB before? (answer: absolutely yes)

I’m sorry, maybe I’m too cynical… but it seems to me that the admin wanted to spin this story. They don’t like mentioning that Afghanistan has become far less safe, that since we put our emphasis on Iraq, the Taliban has again regained power in Afghanistan, is supported by the Pakistanis, and we’ve left a disaster. They also know that Cheney is well, not very well liked. So, they try to spin this into “a VP assasination attempt?”
(snip)

I thought the same thing.

Is there a moderator around??? Both of badwater’s comments – 6 & 14 should be deleted ASAP

And also lhp’s comment # 19 quotes his/her very inappropriate remarks

Marcy and all, desperate people do desperate things. Usually, they’re small and dumb things that have little consequence in the wider world. And people around them have the ability to stop or control them.

Unfortunately, we’re looking at someone at a different level–the defacto president of the US. I see little evidence of people willing to take control of this situation–heck, we talk about which Republicans will walk down Penn Ave to talk to Bush. Who’s going to pry the red telephone out of Cheney’s hands? Who’s got the gravitas and ability in the Repug Party to do that??? I don’t see him backing off at this point. Interesting psychological study, if the consequences weren’t potentially so chilling.

SharonRB @ 22

Marcy — good question about Conyers. I doubt he feels the same as Dingell about this.

Unfortunately, Conyers didn’t invite me for a nice lunch, so I couldn’t ask him. Though when he introduced Levin, I was tempted to run on the stage and ask him.

If we’re talking about Darth being guilty…
maybe someone can answer why this video has been
pulled from Google video and YouTube yesterday?
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=49f_1172526096

Man, Cheney is scary. That two personalities like Shooter and Shrub should combine and slip into such colossal power, without anybody actually measuring how batshit crazy they are, is one of the great flukes of history.

Sometimes, when I lift my attention from the various details of the multi=faceted struggle which so many people are engaged to restrain and remove them — and I look at the larger landscape– it takes my breath away. It’s like they stole 2nd base while everybody’s attention was on the pitcher– Only 2nd base is our democracy, our treasury, our military, our environment, our globe.

Jumpin Jehosophat, we’re in so much danger.

Okay, back to details. What is it that Pelosi said this orning about Murtha’s plan.. and the trail… and the generals… and

Looks like there’s a need for Christy to repeat her caution from the previous thread about the importance of eschewing suggestions of violence against…anyone.

ETA — since it seems that authors can edit their own posts, perhaps the repentant jokesters could at least edit out the bad stuff while we’re waiting for the mods to appear?

ETA — Mods can delete this one if they choose, as well :-)

Supreme Court Strips Al Gore of Oscar…

http://bigshottexas.blogspot.c…..oscar.html

OT..and this may have already been posted..but Steve Gilliard is very ill. Jen posted that he is going to need heart surgery for a leaking valve due to endocarditis. She is asking for help to keep the blog going.

cbl @ 23

((((tommy, esten, family))))

EMPTYWHEEL !!!

so glad you arrived safely

a very smart woman once offered an analogy of a wounded coyote in her backyard . . .

My doggie (the one before McCaffrey the MilleniaLab) used to have a girlfriend who was a coyote (he would regularly jump the 6 foot chain link fence to go visit her), so I try to stay away from the wounded coyote metaphors…

Dingell’s comments are in line with a comment I made some time back, which I paid James Cameron to excavate, regarding the problem with impeaching Bush first:

“We’d have a very pissed off dying man with bad aim and nukes in the White House.”

I realley think the next step for the Judiciary Committee needs to be impeachment proceedings agains the Vice President to at least shed dome light on any actions he might take.. I know there is concern that if removed, Bush would just appoint a succesor candidate, but I don’t think the impeachment proceedings would work through the congress in time for a new candidate to get in the race.

Besides, it’s the right thing to do.

dab_from_CT @ 30

Is there a moderator around??? Both of badwater’s comments – 6 & 14 should be deleted ASAP

And also lhp’s comment # 19 quotes his/her very inappropriate remarks

I see that badwater’s comments are gone except for the quote in my rebuke. Feel free to delete my rebuke as well to keep the the quote out. Don’t edit it. Just delete the whole thing

Hi SharonRB!

LHP – I laughed pretty hard the other day when I caught a part of the Ed Schulz show, and he had a guy named Norm Goldman on. They were talking about the trial, and both men just kept referring to Cheney as “shooter”, and eventually one of them explained that “a lot of people refer to Cheney as ‘Shooter’ ever since he shot a man in the face”. Sounds like the FDL term is very widely used, indeed!

Oh, and Goldman said he’s confident Scooter will be convicted of all charges. He doesn’t believe Shooter will be charged, however – says it’s fantasy on our part. He might be true, but we can dream that he will face justice, can’t we?

Maybe they are keeping Badwater’s comments (and IP address) around for the Secret Service.

squirrel hiller @ 28

from my inner child:
cheney thought calling joe wilson a girly man was a good idea.
find a reason to call him one in return.

Ummm…He hunts trapped birds?

What part of “no joking about Dick Cheney being killed by a suicide bomber” was not clear from my admonition in the last thread? Please, people, we are better than this. It’s not funny — not to me. And certainly not to the Secret Service, who DOES keep an eye on these things.

The timing of Cheney’s Extremely High Profile trip is very interesting to me. How can anyone on an unsequestered jury not hear about “an assination attempt on the VP”?

Jury tampering?

lectric lady @ 47

The timing of Cheney’s Extremely High Profile trip is very interesting to me. How can anyone on an unsequestered jury not hear about “an assination attempt on the VP”?

Jury tampering?

Interesting observation.

Moderator–

sorry about the italics after the “trapped” in my post above. My preview didn’t show it that way. Please fix. thanks.

tulip @ 35

Man, Cheney is scary. That two personalities like Shooter and Shrub should combine and slip into such colossal power, without anybody actually measuring how batshit crazy they are, is one of the great flukes of history.

Corruption empowers, and absolute corruption empowers absolutely.

Good morning! Busy days at work…it’s really cutting into my FDLtime.

Harriet Culver @
37

Looks like there’s a need for Christy to repeat her caution from the previous thread about the importance of eschewing suggestions of violence against…anyone.

Well technically it wasn’t a suggestion of violence – it was a joke hinging on the idea that *Papa Bush would utilize violence t solve a problem*. Not very funny, but not exactly an implausible basis for a joke either.

Ok, I’ll shut up now. I’m still in shock at getting the first comment in.

i have a friend who knows guys in the ss. he says they are shorthanded and everyone takes lots of ot, but when they have taken their quota of ot for the year(usually used it all up by middle of year) they don’t get paid for any ot that they are mandated to take for the rest of the year.
can you say “burned out and slightly disgruntled?”

ot=overtime

Hey Elliot: CNN’s Barbara Starr just reported that the attack was on the outer security region of the base. She stressed that this attack makes it very clear that the Taliban has resurged in Afghanistan, and the Afghans and coalition forces don’t have control of the country.

Now, another CNN reporter named Elaine (missed her last name) says that someone from the Taliban released a statement saying they were attacking Cheney… again, I question if they even knew he was there, and if this was an attack planned at a high level. After all, it was just one suicide bomber at an outer gate. Sounds to me as if they’re trying to pretend they were going after Cheney AFTER the attack.

This CNN reporter Elaine also underscored that five years after coalition forces entered Afghanistan, the security situation is very precarious (and she strongly emphasized how it has been five years and the country is a disaster the Taliban controls.)

puppethead @ 50

tulip @ 35

Man, Cheney is scary. That two personalities like Shooter and Shrub should combine and slip into such colossal power, without anybody actually measuring how batshit crazy they are, is one of the great flukes of history.

Batshit crazy seems to be a the main qualification for power these days. Half the people in Congress are crazy, too.

Corruption empowers, and absolute corruption empowers absolutely.

LandOfTheFree @ 40

Hi SharonRB!

LHP – I laughed pretty hard the other day when I caught a part of the Ed Schulz show, and he had a guy named Norm Goldman on. They were talking about the trial, and both men just kept referring to Cheney as “shooter”, and eventually one of them explained that “a lot of people refer to Cheney as ‘Shooter’ ever since he shot a man in the face”. Sounds like the FDL term is very widely used, indeed!

Oh, and Goldman said he’s confident Scooter will be convicted of all charges. He doesn’t believe Shooter will be charged, however – says it’s fantasy on our part. He might be true, but we can dream that he will face justice, can’t we?

We can dream. And as they sang in the Walt Disney version of Cinderella “dreams really can come true”

Landofthe Free -

I’m sorry, maybe I’m too cynical… but it seems to me that the admin wanted to spin this story.

Always a possibility with this cabal – but maybe Taliban and ‘other sympathetic actors’ are so widely entrenched and operational, it took no time at all to launch this attack, of course none of the cocktail weenie guzzlers traveling w/ him would put it together and report on the possibility

Thanks!

Is it possible that the jurors in the
RED SHIRTS
have been
BOUGHT OFF!?

cbl @ 57

Landofthe Free -

I’m sorry, maybe I’m too cynical… but it seems to me that the admin wanted to spin this story.

Always a possibility with this cabal – but maybe Taliban and ‘other sympathetic actors’ are so widely entrenched and operational, it took no time at all to launch this attack, of course none of the cocktail weenie guzzlers traveling w/ him would put it together and report on the possibility

If the leaders of Pakistan knew he was there the Taliban knew also. They are almost on in the same.

LandOfTheFree @ 53

Sounds to me as if they’re trying to pretend they were going after Cheney AFTER the attack.

agreed!

If only BushCo had kept their eye on the ball, Afghanistan wouldn’t be the bloody mess it is now.
And we wouldn’t be on the brink of WWIII.

samantha @ 56

Is it possible that the jurors in the
RED SHIRTS
have been
BOUGHT OFF!?

WAHT? There is nothing whatsoever to suggest any such thing. Every indication is that these good people are taking their responsibilty seriously and following Judge Walton’s instructions.

When these thoughts enter you head, do yoga

emptywheel @ 32

SharonRB @ 22

Marcy — good question about Conyers. I doubt he feels the same as Dingell about this.

Unfortunately, Conyers didn’t invite me for a nice lunch, so I couldn’t ask him. Though when he introduced Levin, I was tempted to run on the stage and ask him.

That made me laugh. Would have been pretty funny — just picturing it is cracking me up.

cbl – to be clear, I absolutely was NOT implying that the US had any hand in the bombing. I was saying that attacks in Afghanistan happen every freaking day, the Bagram AFB has been attacked before, and it’s likely that just one suicide bomber went there to attack the US in general. It just happened that Cheney was there (and I’m guessing they didn’t know it). So, the Bush admin tried to spin the story away from “this is another reminder that we’ve left a disaster in Afghanistan” and instead spin it into “terrorists try to assasinate the VP”.

chaboard @ 48

Harriet Culver @
37

Looks like there’s a need for Christy to repeat her caution from the previous thread about the importance of eschewing suggestions of violence against…anyone.

Well technically it wasn’t a suggestion of violence – it was a joke hinging on the idea that *Papa Bush would utilize violence t solve a problem*. Not very funny, but not exactly an implausible basis for a joke either.

Ok, I’ll shut up now. I’m still in shock at getting the first comment in.

Chaboard – unfortunately the comments referred (albeit jokingly) to an attack on the VP. Any type of references to violence against an elected officil is a very serious matter. This blog and others are being scrutinized and the powers that be take any reference seriously.

LandOfTheFree @ 61

cbl – to be clear, I absolutely was NOT implying that the US had any hand in the bombing. I was saying that attacks in Afghanistan happen every freaking day, the Bagram AFB has been attacked before, and it’s likely that just one suicide bomber went there to attack the US in general. It just happened that Cheney was there (and I’m guessing they didn’t know it). So, the Bush admin tried to spin the story away from “this is another reminder that we’ve left a disaster in Afghanistan” and instead spin it into “terrorists try to assasinate the VP”.

Agree with you analysis except it seems the Taliban is trying to get some free press coverage by engaging in after the fact spin

I really doubt that 12 Americans on a jury could be bought off with red t-shirts.

Don’t read so much into it.

SharonRB @ 63

That made me laugh. Would have been pretty funny — just picturing it is cracking me up.

Well, goshdarnit, he’s like the blogosphere’s favorite Congressman but you can’t actually pin him down and talk to him!! I mean, i realize we can’t compete with the Nation of Islam (man, those women were dressed beautifully this weekend). But maybe in the Fall convention?

looseheadprop @ 58

samantha @ 56

Is it possible that the jurors in the
RED SHIRTS
have been
BOUGHT OFF!?

WAHT? There is nothing whatsoever to suggest any such thing. Every indication is that these good people are taking their responsibilty seriously and following Judge Walton’s instructions.

When these thoughts enter you head, do yoga

I’m just saying, the Washington Post indicated in their 14 February story about the jurors Valentine to the court, that they might be a little prejudiced in favor of the defendant.

LandOfTheFree @ 53

Hey Elliot: CNN’s Barbara Starr just reported that the attack was on the outer security region of the base. She stressed that this attack makes it very clear that the Taliban has resurged in Afghanistan, and the Afghans and coalition forces don’t have control of the country.

Now, another CNN reporter named Elaine (missed her last name) says that someone from the Taliban released a statement saying they were attacking Cheney… again, I question if they even knew he was there, and if this was an attack planned at a high level. After all, it was just one suicide bomber at an outer gate. Sounds to me as if they’re trying to pretend they were going after Cheney AFTER the attack.

This CNN reporter Elaine also underscored that five years after coalition forces entered Afghanistan, the security situation is very precarious (and she strongly emphasized how it has been five years and the country is a disaster the Taliban controls.)

I agree with you. Karl Rove never misses an opportunity to spin a story in his favor. He’s simply done it again. That’s Karl’s job. Bush’s job is pertektin the Merkun Peepul (the top two percent).

Certainly Taliban commanders were notified of chainey’s secret visit for lunch with Musharaf as soon as he arrived, if not before. Neither chainey nor Musharaf control key forces within ISI. The Taliban could well have been looking for him to come to Bagram.

Landofthe Free,

’sokay, I knew what you meant

looseheadprop @ 58

samantha @ 56

Is it possible that the jurors in the
RED SHIRTS
have been
BOUGHT OFF!?

WAHT? There is nothing whatsoever to suggest any such thing. Every indication is that these good people are taking their responsibilty seriously and following Judge Walton’s instructions.

When these thoughts enter you head, do yoga

Plus, Fitz was dismayed and Wells was elated when the juror who didn’t wear a red shirt was dismissed.

samantha @ 68

looseheadprop @ 58

samantha @ 56

Is it possible that the jurors in the
RED SHIRTS
have been
BOUGHT OFF!?

WAHT? There is nothing whatsoever to suggest any such thing. Every indication is that these good people are taking their responsibilty seriously and following Judge Walton’s instructions.

When these thoughts enter you head, do yoga

I’m just saying, the Washington Post indicated in their 14 February story about the jurors Valentine to the court, that they might be a little prejudiced in favor of the defendant.

I hope I am not busting the margins.

Would this be the first time the Washington Post has actually gotten something right?

I don’t think the red t-shirts are that big of a deal. I think that 12 people were stuck in a room for a month together with very little entertainment and were looking for a little levity. IMHO, YMMV.

-S

Crazy Horse @ 70

Certainly Taliban commanders were notified of chainey’s secret visit for lunch with Musharaf as soon as he arrived, if not before. Neither chainey nor Musharaf control key forces within ISI. The Taliban could well have been looking for him to come to Bagram.

But why would the US tell Pakistan where he Cheney was going?

Good job at the convention Marcy. Matt Stoller has a shout out up about the Michigan Dem net neutrality plank.

emptywheel @ 66

SharonRB @ 63

That made me laugh. Would have been pretty funny — just picturing it is cracking me up.

Well, goshdarnit, he’s like the blogosphere’s favorite Congressman but you can’t actually pin him down and talk to him!! I mean, i realize we can’t compete with the Nation of Islam (man, those women were dressed beautifully this weekend). But maybe in the Fall convention?

They were actually freaking me out a little — way too cultish for me.

As for Conyers, he does lots of events in town on weekends. I went to one a couple of weeks ago — an anti-war event. Sometimes you can get a chance to talk to him at those. My picture wound up in the Free Press (second time it did from a Conyers event).

LHP at 66: agreed completely! Both the Taliban and the US Admin have a good reason to spin it that way. (Hey: does that mean that Cheney’s emboldening the terrorists?)

All the more reason to impeach his ass.

The only thing I know about the Libby verdict is this.

When it comes down many of us will look like geniuses.

And many of us will look like idiots.

For all we know they’ve convicted on 4 counts and are debating a fifth. Or vice versa.

Crazy Horse and others,

was stunned to hear those sentiments expressed on Tweety’s show yesterday – the foolishness and conceit of US TradMed never fails to piss me off

it’s about GD time, the Jersey Girls have been saying the same for what, 4 years now ?

dorothy @ 54

Corruption empowers, and absolute corruption empowers absolutely.

Oooh, nice? May I lift that?

Tug @ 78

All the more reason to impeach his ass.

and then maybe we can get him into a lock box at Leavenworth!

Speaking of Congressional critters, I was moved by yesterday’s post (re: child abuse in ICE) to do some letter writing. I can’t bear that that sh*tty abuse and abu ghraibization is happening in “our names.”

samantha @ 58

Is it possible that the jurors in the
RED SHIRTS
have been
BOUGHT OFF!?

And the valentines day parade was a signal? Oh, I just go through tinfoil so fast these days.

Marcy and Jane…Shuster just said the flu is going aroung there. Be careful you don’t get sick…we need you!

He also said the attorneys feel like we should hear something today about where the jury stands. Then he said “at least by tomorrow”.

I have an opportunity. This press release from the president of Tulane:

Two very special guests will speak at Tulane University this week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the Kendall Cram Room on the second floor of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Powell will speak on his life experiences, leadership, world events, the future of New Orleans and other issues. Powell will speak for 30 minutes and then take questions from the audience.

That’s tomorrow. What questions would YOU like asked? I will try!

I betcha Levin would be more than happy to chat with a bunch of intelligent constituents about this. He’s great about returning letters. I’ve only met him briefly a couple of times, but I nag him with letters a bit.

His brother (Congressman Sander Levin) is a very nice and personable man. I met him a few years ago when I was volunteering for Kerry. I was very surprised that he wanted to know where I lived, what I do for a living, what brought me to the campaign, and other friendly things, cuz I was just a pee-on volunteer and he’s Congressman Sander Levin! Very nice man, indeed. I’d guess his brother is cut from the same cloth.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that “Stiletto” Rice is irrelevant.

Well, it’s not that hard to understand.

And can somebody remind me why Elliot Abrams isn’t serving a life sentence for his role in Iran Contra I?

Did anyone besides me find it troubling that Carol Leonig wrote yesterday that Fitzgerald seemed “disturbed” and Wells had “a big smile” about the dismissed juror. I know that the defense team was hoping and praying for a mistrial but isn’t there supposed to be some decorum about these things.

looseheadprop @ 26

I take it this is a sentencing hearing. You may want to take some careful notes here b/c it may help you make predictions about Walton’s style when it comes to sentencing Libby. Of course there is usually a big difference about how sentencings go in drug convictions vs. white collar cases, but still you may glean some insights.

LHP, isn’t there also a big difference between sentences for cases gone to trial vs. those settled via plea agreement?

watertiger @ 88

And can somebody remind me why Elliot Abrams isn’t serving a life sentence for his role in Iran Contra I?

yeah anyway.

LandOfTheFree @ 86

I betcha Levin would be more than happy to chat with a bunch of intelligent constituents about this. He’s great about returning letters. I’ve only met him briefly a couple of times, but I nag him with letters a bit.

His brother (Congressman Sander Levin) is a very nice and personable man. I met him a few years ago when I was volunteering for Kerry. I was very surprised that he wanted to know where I lived, what I do for a living, what brought me to the campaign, and other friendly things, cuz I was just a pee-on volunteer and he’s Congressman Sander Levin! Very nice man, indeed. I’d guess his brother is cut from the same cloth.

Sandy’s my rep. I’m very lucky. We had a little bit of a town hall at our district caucus because he had spoken to us just a couple of weeks before at our district convention. I’m very sad that they’ll probably both retire in the not-too-distant future (I assume Carl’s next term will be his last). They will be sorely missed.

Marcy, you are so bad…that last bit had my heart in my throat. It’s a good thing you’re also good, albeit a tease.

Attaturk @ 76

The only thing I know about the Libby verdict is this.

When it comes down many of us will look like geniuses.

And many of us will look like idiots.

For all we know they’ve convicted on 4 counts and are debating a fifth. Or vice versa.

Absolutely. We really don’t have a clue what’s going on in that jury room. It is a black box. They could be minutes or weeks away from wrapping up.

That being said, I predicted yesterday, based on absolutely nothing, that today was the going to be the day. So I will stand by that prediction for now.

With the actions of Bush & Co., I won’t be surprised by anything that happens today. Bush has proven over and over that he will stop at nothing to get his way from appointing cronies to top regulatory agencies and contracts for war profiteering, to getting rid of unfavorable attorney generals and uncooperative military generals.

My question is…what do we do about it?

watertiger @ 85

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that “Stiletto” Rice is irrelevant.

Well, it’s not that hard to understand.

And can somebody remind me why Elliot Abrams isn’t serving a life sentence for his role in Iran Contra I?

Abrams was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush shortly before leaving office in 1992.

looseheadprop @
13

puppethead @ 7

Digby has been driving how dangerous and insane Cheney is. Josh Marshall has been dogging the issue that Cheney should be publicly held up for ridicule and scorn, not taken seriously. We saw Obama do exactly that a few days ago, and Cheney got distracted by defending himself for a couple of days.

If we could see more and more Democratic voices speak plainly, like Obama did, that Cheney is wrong about everything and running his own anti-American agenda, it would weaken Cheney’s ability to execute his nefarious plans. The more he’s exposed to the light and has to spend energy public countering criticism, the less he’ll be able to secretly engineer his next war.

I could not agree more. In ancient Ireland the poets were considered to be very powerful and kings were afraid of offending them. Why?

Satire. Being the object of scorn and ridule, being treated as a buffon STRIPS YOU OF ALL YOU POWER.

I we hjad the American people laughing AT HIM instead of fearing him, he would be helpless.

Why do I love Stewart and Colbert? They understood this from the beginning.

OK I’ll bite – how many Cheneys DOES it take to change a lightbulb?

About Cheney: It’s called Narcissistic Rage, and it’s possible for it to achieve psychotic proportions. It’s a bit of a waste of time to think about “managing” it. It is, by definition, unmanagable. Chamberlain thought he could calm Hitler down by making nice too. It just doesn’t work…

Appeasing a fragile Narcissist is a lesson in futility. For example, it’s apparent in this trial that what drove him postal was his perception that Wilson said he was sent by Cheney. First, Wilson never said it, but it was also hardly the center of Wilson’s complaint no matter what he said. I expect Cheney’s “outing” Plame was as much proving that he didn’t send Wilson as anything else. “She sent him!” It’s only about him…

I say, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. Don’t make nice, make war. Get him to blow sooner, not later…

Badwater @ 93

watertiger @ 85

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that “Stiletto” Rice is irrelevant.

Well, it’s not that hard to understand.

And can somebody remind me why Elliot Abrams isn’t serving a life sentence for his role in Iran Contra I?

Abrams was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush shortly before leaving office in 1992.

*Sigh* I know. I just thought it bore repeating.

All in the family.

beth meacham @ 63

I really doubt that 12 Americans on a jury could be bought off with red t-shirts.

Don’t read so much into it.

Eleven

Lindy @ 87: I bet Powell will want to stick to issues facing NOLA, not Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, terrorism, etc. So, my question would probably be something along the lines of this:

- How do you feel the government has performed in helping the gulf region after Katrina? Do you feel their management of this disaster has been adequate to help those in need? Do you believe the government has learned valuable lessons to help prevent future disasters, or to help become better responders in the future?

(I’d take more time to think that thru – that’s just off the top of my head. Basically, I want to know what he thinks the role of govt should be in preventing disasters and responding to them when the occur. I believe our government has been negligent, indifferent, and callous. We spend tens of billions every week “rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan”, yet we have tens of thousands of people without their homes, many who are jobless and/or suffering from terrible health & medical issues as a result of this disaster, and our government ignores them. It makes me very, very angry at how Bush has set his priorities.

Mickey @ 97

About Cheney: It’s called Narcissistic Rage, and it’s possible for it to achieve psychotic proportions. It’s a bit of a waste of time to think about “managing” it. It is, by definition, unmanagable. Chamberlain thought he could calm Hitler down by making nice too. It just doesn’t work…

Appeasing a fragile Narcissist is a lesson in futility. For example, it’s apparent in this trial that what drove him postal was his perception that Wilson said he was sent by Cheney. First, Wilson never said it, but it was also hardly the center of Wilson’s complaint no matter what he said. I expect Cheney’s “outing” Plame was as much proving that he didn’t send Wilson as anything else. “She sent him!” It’s only about him…

I say, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. Don’t make nice, make war. Get him to blow sooner, not later…

You’re right — I’m not ready to make nice….

Marcy! Jane! Pach!

All 3 of you at the courthouse? (I know. Need to go back & catch up on my reading, but gotta surrender the toobz this a.m. in just a bit, so this has to be a drive-by.)

Marcy. So glad you were able to get to DC safely. You must have been going nuts trying to get a flight.

Stay safe, gang. You are an amazing team.

Elliot Abrams ? feh

there’s a new kid in town

with shiny new enablers

Lindy @ 83

I have an opportunity. This press release from the president of Tulane:

Two very special guests will speak at Tulane University this week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the Kendall Cram Room on the second floor of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Powell will speak on his life experiences, leadership, world events, the future of New Orleans and other issues. Powell will speak for 30 minutes and then take questions from the audience.

That’s tomorrow. What questions would YOU like asked? I will try!

My question: “Your speech at the United Nations was a major cause of the current failed policy in Iraq. What have you done–cite specific examples–to redress your failure to do due diligence on the propaganda you were peddling or to redress your complicity in this war of aggression based on lies?”

LandOfTheFree @ 75

LHP at 66: agreed completely! Both the Taliban and the US Admin have a good reason to spin it that way. (Hey: does that mean that Cheney’s emboldening the terrorists?)

I think it does

Even Cheney answers to someone and it would be interesting to know just who that person is.

LandOfTheFree @ 14

Good morning!

So, I woke to my radio alarm (CBS radio) saying that “Cheney survived an assasination attempt by the Taliban”. As I became more awake, I started to understand the situation better: there was a suicide bomber attack on the Bagram US air base. At least 15 were killed, and Cheney was not hurt. The Taliban is suspected as being behind it.

So, did the Taliban know Cheney was there? (answer: I doubt it. Usually when he travels to a war zone, his locations are not announced ahead of time)

Has there never been an attack on the Bagram AFB before? (answer: absolutely yes)

I’m sorry, maybe I’m too cynical… but it seems to me that the admin wanted to spin this story. They don’t like mentioning that Afghanistan has become far less safe, that since we put our emphasis on Iraq, the Taliban has again regained power in Afghanistan, is supported by the Pakistanis, and we’ve left a disaster. They also know that Cheney is well, not very well liked. So, they try to spin this into “a VP assasination attempt?” How about the daily assasination attempts on our troops over there?

ok, that’s enough of a rant before coffee. I promise I’ll come back in a better mood.

H’mmm. I interpreted this a different way. The news coverage I woke up to indicated that Vice was not supposed to stay at Bagram that night but there was a last minute change of plans. That, plus the instant Taliban announcement, lead me to believe that Taliban has someone very high up on the inside.

Chady @ 104

Even Cheney answers to someone and it would be interesting to know just who that person is.

He goes by many names, such as “Lucifer”, “Beelzebub,” “Mephistopheles…” ;-)

Chady @ 105

Even Cheney answers to someone and it would be interesting to know just who that person is.

Not necessarily a “person.” Dark Lord, maybe?

Jane S. @ 87

Did anyone besides me find it troubling that Carol Leonig wrote yesterday that Fitzgerald seemed “disturbed” and Wells had “a big smile” about the dismissed juror. I know that the defense team was hoping and praying for a mistrial but isn’t there supposed to be some decorum about these things.

I think Pat was disturbed about Well’s decision not to immediatly replace the dismissed juror with one of the alternates. It makes a mistrial much more likely

He goes by many names, such as “Lucifer”, “Beelzebub,” “Mephistopheles…”
;-)

and many incarnations

dqueue @ 88

looseheadprop @ 26

I take it this is a sentencing hearing. You may want to take some careful notes here b/c it may help you make predictions about Walton’s style when it comes to sentencing Libby. Of course there is usually a big difference about how sentencings go in drug convictions vs. white collar cases, but still you may glean some insights.

LHP, isn’t there also a big difference between sentences for cases gone to trial vs. those settled via plea agreement?

Under the Sentencing Guidlelines you get an (almost) automatic two point reduction in your guidleines scoore (the lower the score, the lower the sentence) for “acceptaance of responsibility” from pleading guilty

cbl @ 109

He goes by many names, such as “Lucifer”, “Beelzebub,” “Mephistopheles…”
;-)

and many incarnations

funny, yet true… sadly

Wonkette:
Assassination Attempt Inspires Cheney’s First Near-Smile in Years
http://wonkette.com/politics/d…..239984.php

So, Dingell thinks it will be difficult to convict Scooter on perjury? How come it was so easy to convict Martha Stewart when she fibbed to investigators and wasn’t even under oath? AND, technically, she didn’t even do the crime in the first place.
(Note to Martha: Next time you want to save yourself $40,000.00, ask yourself whether it is a Good Thing.)
I don’t understand law and I don’t know where Dingell is coming from but it seems to me that Martha had as much money as Scooter to defend herself in a much weaker case. How is it we could nab Martha but not Scooter for something magnitudes more serious?

Chady @ 106

Even Cheney answers to someone and it would be interesting to know just who that person is.

Why do you think he answers to anyone? I’ve seen little evidence of it

Too late now, but the jury should have been sequestered. After all, D.C. is the land of intrigue (and, more importantly, mucho gangsters!).

Lindy at 83–I would love to ask Colin Powell something along these lines:

It has been well-publicized by Bob Woodward and others that you had disagreements with other members of the Bush administration about the invasion of Iraq. I ssupected that you stayed as long as you did with the idea that you could be more effective on the inside. Can you speak about your motivations and goals at that time? Now that you are a private citizen again, you have voiced some regrets about your role in the marketing of the Iraq war, do you feel an obligation to continue to speak about the mistakes that were made, so that we don’t have to live through more mistakes?

eCAHNomics @ 105

“H’mmm. I interpreted this a different way. The news coverage I woke up to indicated that Vice was not supposed to stay at Bagram that night but there was a last minute change of plans. That, plus the instant Taliban announcement, lead me to believe that Taliban has someone very high up on the inside.”

Like Pervy Musharref? who was probably quite unhappy with the public rebuke he had just received?

portia.vz @ 117

So, Dingell thinks it will be difficult to convict Scooter on perjury? How come it was so easy to convict Martha Stewart when she fibbed to investigators and wasn’t even under oath? AND, technically, she didn’t even do the crime in the first place.
(Note to Martha: Next time you want to save yourself $40,000.00, ask yourself whether it is a Good Thing.)
I don’t understand law and I don’t know where Dingell is coming from but it seems to me that Martha had as much money as Scooter to defend herself in a much weaker case. How is it we could nab Martha but not Scooter for something magnitudes more serious?

Because Scooter’s friends are magnitudes more powerful?

LandoftheFree and Prairie Sunshine, good questions. Land, you’re probably right, but both questions deserve to be asked.

portia.vz @ 115

So, Dingell thinks it will be difficult to convict Scooter on perjury? How come it was so easy to convict Martha Stewart when she fibbed to investigators and wasn’t even under oath? AND, technically, she didn’t even do the crime in the first place.
(Note to Martha: Next time you want to save yourself $40,000.00, ask yourself whether it is a Good Thing.)
I don’t understand law and I don’t know where Dingell is coming from but it seems to me that Martha had as much money as Scooter to defend herself in a much weaker case. How is it we could nab Martha but not Scooter for something magnitudes more serious?

That is a good obsevation. The martha case hinged on only one document and far fewer (and much more ambigous) conversations than the Libby case, which could almost be proved on the documents alone.

BTW

Elliott @ 79

Tug @ 78

All the more reason to impeach his ass.

and then maybe we can get him into a lock box at Leavenworth!

That’s what I say: Ten years at Leavenworth. Or better, eleven years at Twelveworth! Or life at Woolworth!!!

Lord. Looks like I’m going to be late to work again this week:

From The Times Picayune:

WASHINGTON — President Bush is planning a swing through the Gulf Coast hurricane disaster zone Thursday, his 12th visit since the 2005 hurricanes devastated the region.

SharonRB @ 99

Mickey @ 97

About Cheney: It’s called Narcissistic Rage, and it’s possible for it to achieve psychotic proportions. It’s a bit of a waste of time to think about “managing” it. It is, by definition, unmanagable. Chamberlain thought he could calm Hitler down by making nice too. It just doesn’t work…

Appeasing a fragile Narcissist is a lesson in futility. For example, it’s apparent in this trial that what drove him postal was his perception that Wilson said he was sent by Cheney. First, Wilson never said it, but it was also hardly the center of Wilson’s complaint no matter what he said. I expect Cheney’s “outing” Plame was as much proving that he didn’t send Wilson as anything else. “She sent him!” It’s only about him…

I say, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. Don’t make nice, make war. Get him to blow sooner, not later…

You’re right — I’m not ready to make nice….

THE one thing that has scared me witless since deadeye was “selected” veep, is thots of what he would do if he got himself trapped, such as now(!) He’s a dangerous, dangerous man, from all accounts I can see. I don’t think we have a prayer that he’d care one whit about the rest of the world, if he feels himself losing control. He probably belongs hospitalized in a strait jacket. Won’t someone in the administration see the light and
please get this maniac under control before he destroys us all!

Oh, you silly people.

Nothing Cheney has ever done, or will do, will be as serious and contemptible and dangerous as a blow job.

MY 122 above got cut off.
after the “BTW” it said that the vast array of documents in this case (contemporaneous notes, memos and other documents) have not really gotten any mention except from EW

Lindy @
83

I have an opportunity. This press release from the president of Tulane:

Two very special guests will speak at Tulane University this week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the Kendall Cram Room on the second floor of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Powell will speak on his life experiences, leadership, world events, the future of New Orleans and other issues. Powell will speak for 30 minutes and then take questions from the audience.

That’s tomorrow. What questions would YOU like asked? I will try!

Lawrence Wilkerson has spoken out very strongly about a “cabal” run by the vice president’s office. In the Libby trial, we’ve seen many of the details of that cabal’s operations. Do you see any practical way that this cabal can be brought under control?

Question: If Scooter is found guilty, will the court do a PSA (presentencing report) for him? Or are PSA’s only done when one pleads guilty to the charges?

looseheadprop @ 116

dqueue @ 88

looseheadprop @ 26

I take it this is a sentencing hearing. You may want to take some careful notes here b/c it may help you make predictions about Walton’s style when it comes to sentencing Libby. Of course there is usually a big difference about how sentencings go in drug convictions vs. white collar cases, but still you may glean some insights.

LHP, isn’t there also a big difference between sentences for cases gone to trial vs. those settled via plea agreement?

Under the Sentencing Guidlelines you get an (almost) automatic two point reduction in your guidleines scoore (the lower the score, the lower the sentence) for “acceptaance of responsibility” from pleading guilty

IANAL but my husband is and I know that the Sentencing Guidelines dictate a lot of what happens with the sentence. I wanted to mention that my husband knew one of the guys on the Libby team (I’ll have to ask the name again) and he is a defense attorney who has done a lot of work in sentencing issues, my husband used to be involved in it too but these days, he specializes in intellectual property.

lhp @ 116 – I don’t think he operates from a personal agenda only. He acts like he does, because someone (more powerful than he) has his back.

Sparkles the Iguana @ 126

Oh, you silly people.

Nothing Cheney has ever done, or will do, will be as serious and contemptible and dangerous as a blow job.

Sparkels has the money quote fo the day!

Again @ 129

Question: If Scooter is found guilty, will the court do a PSA (presentencing report) for him? Or are PSA’s only done when one pleads guilty to the charges?

they are done before all sentencings.

Dru @ 118

eCAHNomics @ 105

“H’mmm. I interpreted this a different way. The news coverage I woke up to indicated that Vice was not supposed to stay at Bagram that night but there was a last minute change of plans. That, plus the instant Taliban announcement, lead me to believe that Taliban has someone very high up on the inside.”

Like Pervy Musharref? who was probably quite unhappy with the public rebuke he had just received?

What if they assassins just used the Taliban as a convenient cover?
It would be a shame if the Taliban had been successful. Just think of the horror of a state funeral for Cheney and the mixed emotions to go along with it. It’s just too scary to contemplate.
I am very, very sorry that other innocent people lost their lives in this assassination attempt on Cheney.

Is he talking to the portraits yet? I just hope there is *someone* in that administration who will rein him in when it gets to that point, as purportedly happened in the Nixon White House.

Many people have realized that Cheney & co. would become increasingly dangerous like a cornered animal. But given the divided and distracted state of mind of so many people in this country, it’s a good idea to keep repeating it. Glad to hear that Congresspeople are keeping it in mind, but I hope it won’t stop them, in any way, from continuing to apply the pressure (carefully and judiciously, of course). I’m also glad to see that Digby has been on this subject. What an insightful person who seems to always have a finger on the pulse of the nation.

I strongly agree with others that some sunlight and satire are the remedy for people like Cheney. You know, there are some really good lessons in the Harry Potter books. That’s why so many millions of people of all ages read them. Cheney is a bogart. The Defense of the Dark Arts professor instructs the Hogwarts students on how to deal with these dangerous creatures. Essentially, the antidote is to use ridicule.

looseheadprop @ 126

portia.vz @ 115

So, Dingell thinks it will be difficult to convict Scooter on perjury? How come it was so easy to convict Martha Stewart when she fibbed to investigators and wasn’t even under oath? AND, technically, she didn’t even do the crime in the first place.
(Note to Martha: Next time you want to save yourself $40,000.00, ask yourself whether it is a Good Thing.)
I don’t understand law and I don’t know where Dingell is coming from but it seems to me that Martha had as much money as Scooter to defend herself in a much weaker case. How is it we could nab Martha but not Scooter for something magnitudes more serious?

That is a good obsevation. The martha case hinged on only one document and far fewer (and much more ambigous) conversations than the Libby case, which could almost be proved on the documents alone.

BTW

Maybe Scooter can make himself a pretty poncho!

looseheadprop @ 129

MY 122 above got cut off.
after the “BTW” it said that the vast array of documents in this case (contemporaneous notes, memos and other documents) have not really gotten any mention except from EW

Well, me and eriposte.

I must get back onto showing some of that to some peopel in this town–gotta do something while I wait.

Chady @ 131

lhp @ 116 – I don’t think he operates from a personal agenda only. He acts like he does, because someone (more powerful than he) has his back.

You could be right, but I think the Narcissistic personality thing above, is far more likely than some secret overlord theory.

I think Cheney IS the Sith Lord, not that he reports to a Sith Lord

Oh, Lindy’s seeing Powell tonight. I’m seeing Clark. Any questions, besides the obvious one?

froggermarch @ 125

That’s what I say: Ten years at Leavenworth. Or better, eleven years at Twelveworth! Or life at Woolworth!!!

LOL!
Wherever! That’s a frogmarch I’m hoping to see!

Elliott (118) — because Martha is a Democrat, too. That’s why a woman who cost herself far more than anybody else involve in her situation was investigated, prosecuted and served her time while Ken Lay, whose criminal efforts hurt the entirety of fifth largest economy of the world (California), was still out walking around.

LandoftheFree — my nine-year-old wanted so much to see both Sander and Carl Levin at this past week’s convention; Sander made a huge impression on him by taking the time to reach out and shake his hand in a crush of people at last year’s convention. Not even our rep (more’s the pity).

emptywheel — not enough words to say Thank You for being there today. And yeah, I have Congressional Representative envy; Dingell did a great job by his constituents at the convention.

emptywheel @ 137

looseheadprop @ 129

MY 122 above got cut off.
after the “BTW” it said that the vast array of documents in this case (contemporaneous notes, memos and other documents) have not really gotten any mention except from EW

Well, me and eriposte.

I must get back onto showing some of that to some peopel in this town–gotta do something while I wait.

The way Pat used the documents in the rebuttal summation was quite powerful. This case does NOT hinge on the testimony, because the testimony is supported by documents.

jayackroyd @
137

Oh, Lindy’s seeing Powell tonight. I’m seeing Clark. Any questions, besides the obvious one?

Yeah, if Clark isn’t jumping in, who should I throw my support behind? Richardson? Obama? Edwards? (Hillary is a nogo for me til she makes her public confession)

Sparkles the Iguana @ 128

Oh, you silly people.

Nothing Cheney has ever done, or will do, will be as serious and contemptible and dangerous as a blow job.

You’re right, what were we thinking! ;)

jayackroyd @ 142

Oh, Lindy’s seeing Powell tonight. I’m seeing Clark. Any questions, besides the obvious one?

Ooh, my guy. The obvious one is the only one that matters.

It’s true that both Cheney and the Taliban have an interest in spinning the attack as an assassination attempt, but it doesn’t look like they needed much help. The reason that this routine attack is receiving so much attention is that Cheney travels with a decent-sized press pool, and they’re both bored and scared. (He reportedly has not spoken to the press pool at all in eight days – gee, can’t imagine what questions he’s trying to avoid.)

Then a bomb explodes outside the base. The press jumps to the obvious conclusion – they’re under attack. They’re important people, after all, traveling with a very important person. It must be an assassination attempt. And a Taliban spokesman helpfully telephones to claim as much.

There’s just one catch – there were 139 suicide attacks last year in Afghanistan, with the number rising on a monthly basis. This assailant didn’t hurtle himself at a convoy. He didn’t infiltrate the base. He didn’t lob mortar shells over the perimeter. He blew himself up outside the gate, after he (predictably) failed to clear the guardpost. If this was aimed at Cheney, it was about the most inept attack you can imagine.

And now that the fog is starting to clear, and the reporters are past their initial hysteria, they’re starting to file reports that say as much. What we had was a routine bombing, that happened to take place just as a large group of reporters was there to cover it. That’s all.

So let’s give our sympathies to the coalition forces lost and wounded in the attack, who face this on a daily basis. And let’s go back to laughing at Cheney for being obtuse and more than a little crazy. The sooner we turn attention back to where it belongs – away from Cheney and toward the grunts on the ground – the better off we’ll all be.

Rayne – I hear ya. Are you stuck with Aloha Joe Knollenberg like I am?

Funny – I sometimes write Knollenberg, and he’s almost always written back with response defending & cheerleading the war or Bush’s policies. I actually wrote him a thank-you note once (he’d voted in support of arts funding), and he didn’t respond to that one!

lhp @ 120, are you talking about the document with the questionable “ink” that the court said the jury did not use as the basis for their guilty verdict? And which the FBI agent lied about, under oath, as witness for the prosecution. He did not test the ink as he said he did and as many of his fellow FBI agents knew and which the prosecutor probably knew. Unfortunately, his lie was discovered too late for Martha. All in all, it was a sad miscarriage of justice.

Thanks lhp. Next question is: who would be interviewed for Scooter’s PSA? (Full disclosure: my brother is in federal prison. His initial sentence was to be 18 months and he ended up receiving 10 years due to things included in his PSA; all of it unsubstantiated comments from other conspirators who were trying to lower their own sentences.) Given what we know about Libby’s nefarious behavior, is it possible that his PSA could contain comments from other conspirators who are hoping to lower their own sentences or keep themselves out of prison?

Here is an article on Pat Fitzgerald’s next trial. Looks like Conrad Black is setting up Scooter Libby type defense fund. Separate justice for the wealthy and well-connected.
Look at the last line – I’m sure Mark Steyn and David Frum will be watching this trial too.

Editor and Publisher

joanneleon @ 133

Is he talking to the portraits yet? […]
I strongly agree with others that some sunlight and satire are the remedy for people like Cheney. […] Essentially, the antidote is to use ridicule.

And further up is some talk about the ancient kings of Eire being afraid of the poets. I recall reading… somewhere, sometime… about the official policy in Indonesia? Malaysia? – somewhere in that area. Basically, they give their radical extremists lots of press, and respond directly to them – with ridicule. When so-and-so issues a fatwa and threatens bombings and so on they give it lots of press and have lots of people say “See what whackos they are?”

The article I read indicated it was a very successful strategy.

and then maybe we can get him into a lock box at Leavenworth!

That’s what I say: Ten years at Leavenworth. Or better, eleven years at Twelveworth! Or life at Woolworth!!!

Gentlemen of the jury, Chicolini here may look like an idiot, and
sound like an idiot, but don’t let that fool you: He really is an
idiot. I implore you, send him to the penitentiary where his
father and brothers await him with open arms. I suggest we give
him 12 years in Leavenworth, or 11 years in twelveworth. I tell
you what, I take 5 and 10 in Woolworth. ” — Groucho Marx

Lindy re Powell–

I’d like to hear his view, as former Head of Joint Chiefs, regarding the military’s role (i.e., Army Corps of Engineers) in the failure of the levees and the drowning of New Orleans. What does he believe the federal government owes property owners who didn’t have flood insurance because they weren’t in a flood plain, because they were so well protected by those federally-designed and built levees?

Remember. (And FDLers should appreciate another case of media mis-spin.) Katrina didn’t drown New Orleans. Inadequate levees did. They didn’t perform to Cat 3 specs, and Katrina wasn’t even Cat 3 at N.O.

Sally @ 148

lhp @ 120, are you talking about the document with the questionable “ink” that the court said the jury did not use as the basis for their guilty verdict? And which the FBI agent lied about, under oath, as witness for the prosecution. He did not test the ink as he said he did and as many of his fellow FBI agents knew and which the prosecutor probably knew. Unfortunately, his lie was discovered too late for Martha. All in all, it was a sad miscarriage of justice.

Actually, I was referring to the abscence of many relevant documents at all

95: very well said. The increase in violence in Afghanistan has gone up dramatically in the past 1.5 years, and most Americans don’t have a clue. Our soldiers, and the armed forces of many other countries there, are in terrible danger because Bush put so many of our troops into Iraq, and he’s spending his attention on how to squeeze Iran from both sides. The priorities of Cheney and Bush leaves the Taliban able, the Afghans vulnerable, and our soldiers in danger.

95 @ 144

He reportedly has not spoken to the press pool at all in eight days

That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Narcissism to the umpteenth. Of course, no doubt that just makes most of the Kool Kidz hunger that much more for the access that he so cruelly denies them.

95
you should check out TPM!

looseheadprop @ 131

Again @ 129

Question: If Scooter is found guilty, will the court do a PSA (presentencing report) for him? Or are PSA’s only done when one pleads guilty to the charges?

they are done before all sentencings.

Essentially, a pre-sentence report (PSI) is supposed to be a thorough investigation by an officer of the court, usually a probation officer, who specializes in such investigations. If found guilty, Libby will be expected to provide a list of documents from his past. Typically, birth certificate, list of education and employers, military service records, past judgements (civil and criminal), in some cases – tax records, etc. Libby’s attorneys will advise him to provide as much as he can, and one of them will probably review the packet. Usually, even if the person convicted hasn’t testified, he will feel impelled to talk directly with the PSI investigator at some phase or another of the report’s progress.

The convicted person is also allowed to enter a list of mitigators such as letters of reference and commendations as evidence, either as part of the report, or addressed directly to the judge. The judge weighs all this as much as possible in relationship to the strictures of the crime’s sentencing guidelines.

Having served as a correctional PO, I’ve read many, many PSIs. They often tell you much more about a convicted person than anything which came out at trial might have.

jayackroyd @ 126

Lawrence Wilkerson has spoken out very strongly about a “cabal” run by the vice president’s office. In the Libby trial, we’ve seen many of the details of that cabal’s operations. Do you see any practical way that this cabal can be brought under control?

I like that, particularly after I googled Lawrence Wilkerson.

looseheadprop @ 131

Sparkles the Iguana @ 126

Oh, you silly people.

Nothing Cheney has ever done, or will do, will be as serious and contemptible and dangerous as a blow job.

Sparkels has the money quote fo the day!

i wish i could get a chuckle out of it.
we’re beyond funny with that nut (yes, i mean our very own) running amok in the world.
you don’t need tin foil to see what’s happening.
re-read Hersh if you need to, but someone in power has to stop our current track.
& it’s hard to argue with those who think our once noble country is now being run as a dictatorship.

jayackroyd -

Do you see any practical way that this cabal can be brought under control?

of course, now I can’t find it but some hippie somewhere recently made the argument to just cut OVP budget/funds at the knees – proceeded to read it skeptically of course, but it was clearly written by someone who knew quite a bit about the budgeting process and damn if it didn’t sound workable

Nola Sue @ 151

Lindy re Powell–

I’d like to hear his view, as former Head of Joint Chiefs, regarding the military’s role (i.e., Army Corps of Engineers) in the failure of the levees and the drowning of New Orleans. What does he believe the federal government owes property owners who didn’t have flood insurance because they weren’t in a flood plain, because they were so well protected by those federally-designed and built levees?

Remember. (And FDLers should appreciate another case of media mis-spin.) Katrina didn’t drown New Orleans. Inadequate levees did. They didn’t perform to Cat 3 specs, and Katrina wasn’t even Cat 3 at N.O.

And another reminder: everytime a major rainstorm hits (not hurricane – I’m talking just about thunderstoms), the levees are in danger of being topped and/or breached again. Negligence of the highest order.

Again @ 149

Thanks lhp. Next question is: who would be interviewed for Scooter’s PSA? (Full disclosure: my brother is in federal prison. His initial sentence was to be 18 months and he ended up receiving 10 years due to things included in his PSA; all of it unsubstantiated comments from other conspirators who were trying to lower their own sentences.) Given what we know about Libby’s nefarious behavior, is it possible that his PSA could contain comments from other conspirators who are hoping to lower their own sentences or keep themselves out of prison?

The thoroughness of the Pre Sentence Report depends mostly on the work ethic of the guy from Probation who is doing it.

Under the guidleines the court may consider uncharged conduct.

under the guidelines the defense both has the opportunity to present evdience to the Probatio Officer doing the report and to offer their own rebuttal report.

I have worked both sides of the pre-sentence field. When I was a prosecutor instead of having teh probation guy interview and write up his own version of the releveant factors, I would write it myself. he didn’t have to use it verbatim, but often did

LandOfTheFree @
145

Rayne – I hear ya. Are you stuck with Aloha Joe Knollenberg like I am?

No, I’m stuck with pretty-boy Schuette-clone rubber-stamping slacker Dave Camp.

Agh. Not worth the time to write to the moron. Big Pharma whore.

annx @ 150

Here is an article on Pat Fitzgerald’s next trial. Looks like Conrad Black is setting up Scooter Libby type defense fund. Separate justice for the wealthy and well-connected.
Look at the last line – I’m sure Mark Steyn and David Frum will be watching this trial too.

Editor and Publisher

Cnrd Black is setting up a defense fund? he’s got (or his wife has got) more money than god! That’s just cheeky.

Nola Sue @ 151

Lindy re Powell–

I’d like to hear his view, as former Head of Joint Chiefs, regarding the military’s role (i.e., Army Corps of Engineers) in the failure of the levees and the drowning of New Orleans. What does he believe the federal government owes property owners who didn’t have flood insurance because they weren’t in a flood plain, because they were so well protected by those federally-designed and built levees?

Remember. (And FDLers should appreciate another case of media mis-spin.) Katrina didn’t drown New Orleans. Inadequate levees did. They didn’t perform to Cat 3 specs, and Katrina wasn’t even Cat 3 at N.O.

NolaSue, you might want to check and see if you can attend, if you’re interested.

Mickey @ 98

About Cheney: It’s called Narcissistic Rage, and it’s possible for it to achieve psychotic proportions. It’s a bit of a waste of time to think about “managing” it. It is, by definition, unmanagable. Chamberlain thought he could calm Hitler down by making nice too. It just doesn’t work…

Appeasing a fragile Narcissist is a lesson in futility. For example, it’s apparent in this trial that what drove him postal was his perception that Wilson said he was sent by Cheney. First, Wilson never said it, but it was also hardly the center of Wilson’s complaint no matter what he said. I expect Cheney’s “outing” Plame was as much proving that he didn’t send Wilson as anything else. “She sent him!” It’s only about him…

I say, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. Don’t make nice, make war. Get him to blow sooner, not later…

Do you think that having him answer tough questions before a tough congressional committee, under oath or not(not really necessary, I think, didn’t he take an oat of office?) but in front of cameras send him over the edge?

If so, let’s roll. The hard part may be getting to ‘tough’, though.

By the way, ‘Pups, Marcy put up a fresh thread. Nothing new to report, though, other than the alleged cable-news-outlet-whose-name-will-not-be-cited has taken possession of her former place in the media room.

Classic.

lhp, exactly. I never saw any concrete evidence of her guilt in any form. Her trial and conviction will continue to irk me. I favor justice for the big fish and the little ones.

Cnrd Black is setting up a defense fund? he’s got (or his wife has got) more money than god! That’s just cheeky.

Someone has to launder all that Halliburton “profit”.

Chady @
104

Even Cheney answers to someone and it would be interesting to know just who that person is.

Interestingly, the literature on Narcissistic people confirms your observation. Such people seem to be “islands,” without much in the way of enduring attachments to people. The term “selfobject” is often used – “I’m only connected to you as you fit into my self image” – sort of a selfish connection with cherry-picked parts of another person.

But there’s usually an “idol” – some other who is very important. I’d bet that for Cheney, one would be Lynn, who “mirrors,” and, in fact, provides a lot of his ideas. But he’s also very attached to some of the less well known neoconservative pundits – many of whom are bailing out.

For what it’s worth, I think Cheney is more dangerous when he’s stable than when he’s crazy. When he’s nuts, he flails around and makes mistakes – Plame for example…

Arnie @
94

looseheadprop @
13

In ancient Ireland the poets were considered to be very powerful and kings were afraid of offending them. Why?

Satire. Being the object of scorn and ridule, being treated as a buffon STRIPS YOU OF ALL YOU POWER.

I we hjad the American people laughing AT HIM instead of fearing him, he would be helpless.

Why do I love Stewart and Colbert? They understood this from the beginning.

OK I’ll bite – how many Cheneys DOES it take to change a lightbulb?

A: We prefer to work in the dark.

Thanks.

Mickey @ 95

About Cheney: It’s called Narcissistic Rage, and it’s possible for it to achieve psychotic proportions. It’s a bit of a waste of time to think about “managing” it. It is, by definition, unmanagable. Chamberlain thought he could calm Hitler down by making nice too. It just doesn’t work…

Appeasing a fragile Narcissist is a lesson in futility. For example, it’s apparent in this trial that what drove him postal was his perception that Wilson said he was sent by Cheney. First, Wilson never said it, but it was also hardly the center of Wilson’s complaint no matter what he said. I expect Cheney’s “outing” Plame was as much proving that he didn’t send Wilson as anything else. “She sent him!” It’s only about him…

I say, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. Don’t make nice, make war. Get him to blow sooner, not later…

Who’s talking about making nice? Satire is an extremely effective weapon, non-violent, and in a free society doesn’t land you in prison. We should use it while we still can.

Adie said: it’s hard to argue with those who think our once noble country is now being run as a dictatorship.

George W. Bush @ pre 9/11 [spring, 2001] — “I don’t have a problem with dictatorships as long as I get to be dictator.”

Mission accomplished.

LandOfTheFree @
60

cbl – to be clear, I absolutely was NOT implying that the US had any hand in the bombing. I was saying that attacks in Afghanistan happen every freaking day, the Bagram AFB has been attacked before, and it’s likely that just one suicide bomber went there to attack the US in general. It just happened that Cheney was there (and I’m guessing they didn’t know it). So, the Bush admin tried to spin the story away from “this is another reminder that we’ve left a disaster in Afghanistan” and instead spin it into “terrorists try to assasinate the VP”.

Ah ha. Another coincidence theory.

looseheadprop @ 163

annx @ 150

Here is an article on Pat Fitzgerald’s next trial. Looks like Conrad Black is setting up Scooter Libby type defense fund. Separate justice for the wealthy and well-connected.
Look at the last line – I’m sure Mark Steyn and David Frum will be watching this trial too.

Editor and Publisher

Cnrd Black is setting up a defense fund? he’s got (or his wife has got) more money than god! That’s just cheeky.

Apparently his wife was seen returning some of her designer clothing to a boutique the other day, so cash flow may be a problem

painter @ 173

Who’s talking about making nice? Satire is an extremely effective weapon, non-violent, and in a free society doesn’t land you in prison. We should use it while we still can.

Satire, bonfire – there are many roads to Rome. In his case, the secret weapon is humiliation…

Lindy @ 86

I have an opportunity. This press release from the president of Tulane:

Two very special guests will speak at Tulane University this week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the Kendall Cram Room on the second floor of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Powell will speak on his life experiences, leadership, world events, the future of New Orleans and other issues. Powell will speak for 30 minutes and then take questions from the audience.

That’s tomorrow. What questions would YOU like asked? I will try!

I’d like to know what are the *practical* chances and consequences of senior military officers refusing to obey orders they hold to be illegal.

Landofthe Free: Rayne – I hear ya. Are you stuck with Aloha Joe Knollenberg like I am?

Hopefully we’ll take care of that for you next time around, LOTF!

who’s in charge of the black box?

i don’t want his hands anywhere near those buttons, EVER again.

satire is fine & fun, but it’s not enough, given present circumstances.

the administration allowed him to put himself in power. “they” need to control him, NOW.

he is not just playing tiddlywinks FGS!

John Lennon(?):
“Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.”

looseheadprop @ 139

Chady @ 131

lhp @ 116 – I don’t think he operates from a personal agenda only. He acts like he does, because someone (more powerful than he) has his back.

You could be right, but I think the Narcissistic personality thing above, is far more likely than some secret overlord theory.

I think Cheney IS the Sith Lord, not that he reports to a Sith Lord

He’s in it up to his ears, but the long-term funding and organization is not coming from him. I’d look closer to Scaife.

95 @ 147

It’s true that both Cheney and the Taliban have an interest in spinning the attack as an assassination attempt, but it doesn’t look like they needed much help. The reason that this routine attack is receiving so much attention is that Cheney travels with a decent-sized press pool, and they’re both bored and scared. (He reportedly has not spoken to the press pool at all in eight days – gee, can’t imagine what questions he’s trying to avoid.)

Then a bomb explodes outside the base. The press jumps to the obvious conclusion – they’re under attack. They’re important people, after all, traveling with a very important person. It must be an assassination attempt. And a Taliban spokesman helpfully telephones to claim as much.

There’s just one catch – there were 139 suicide attacks last year in Afghanistan, with the number rising on a monthly basis. This assailant didn’t hurtle himself at a convoy. He didn’t infiltrate the base. He didn’t lob mortar shells over the perimeter. He blew himself up outside the gate, after he (predictably) failed to clear the guardpost. If this was aimed at Cheney, it was about the most inept attack you can imagine.

And now that the fog is starting to clear, and the reporters are past their initial hysteria, they’re starting to file reports that say as much. What we had was a routine bombing, that happened to take place just as a large group of reporters was there to cover it. That’s all.

So let’s give our sympathies to the coalition forces lost and wounded in the attack, who face this on a daily basis. And let’s go back to laughing at Cheney for being obtuse and more than a little crazy. The sooner we turn attention back to where it belongs – away from Cheney and toward the grunts on the ground – the better off we’ll all be.

“You prob’ly think this bomb is about you…”

apologies to Carly Simon.

Mickey @ 169
Chady @
104

For what it’s worth, I think Cheney is more dangerous when he’s stable than when he’s crazy. When he’s nuts, he flails around and makes mistakes – Plame for example…

Your perceptions are very interesting, also reassuring. More, please.

jayackroyd @ 137

Oh, Lindy’s seeing Powell tonight. I’m seeing Clark. Any questions, besides the obvious one?

If you want to throw Colin (washed up arse licker) Powell for a loop ask him about his My Lai report. He’ll never expect it. If you want to make the question relevant to current circumstances, you could ask: Do you have any regrets about your My Lai report, and what lessons did you learn that are applicable today? You can google it, but here’s one representative article: http://www.usvetdsp.com/story13.htm

Ed*ard Teller @ 159

looseheadprop @ 131

Again @ 129

Question: If Scooter is found guilty, will the court do a PSA (presentencing report) for him? Or are PSA’s only done when one pleads guilty to the charges?

they are done before all sentencings.

Essentially, a pre-sentence report (PSI) is supposed to be a thorough investigation by an officer of the court, usually a probation officer, who specializes in such investigations. If found guilty, Libby will be expected to provide a list of documents from his past. Typically, birth certificate, list of education and employers, military service records, past judgements (civil and criminal), in some cases – tax records, etc. Libby’s attorneys will advise him to provide as much as he can, and one of them will probably review the packet. Usually, even if the person convicted hasn’t testified, he will feel impelled to talk directly with the PSI investigator at some phase or another of the report’s progress.

The convicted person is also allowed to enter a list of mitigators such as letters of reference and commendations as evidence, either as part of the report, or addressed directly to the judge. The judge weighs all this as much as possible in relationship to the strictures of the crime’s sentencing guidelines.

Having served as a correctional PO, I’ve read many, many PSIs. They often tell you much more about a convicted person than anything which came out at trial might have.

Interesting. But they are not public documents, are they? Even if not, could they be subpoened by a grand jury or a congressional committee?

Just got back from an intensely packed business/visiting the folks trip to U.K.- no real time to check what youse guys were up to, but also no need re: info. The U.K. press & telly are doing a helluva good job covering the Libby trial (unlike MSM here), its history & implications. But I did miss my time usually alloted to checking the commentary ;)

Love the Groucho quotes above- “Duck Soup” w/all its gallows humor & Dali-esque absurdity is a primer for our sitch right now. While checking the news, sometimes I feel like I’m in the damn movie. So many examples, but here’s one:

Rufus T. Firefly- Here are the plans of war. They’re as valuable as your life. And that’s putting them pretty cheap. Watch them like a cat watches her kittens. Have you ever had kittens? No, of course not, you’re too busy running around playing bridge. Can’t you see what I’m trying to tell you, I love you.

Notta Flatlander @ 149

[…] I recall reading… somewhere, sometime… about the official policy in Indonesia? Malaysia? – somewhere in that area. Basically, they give their radical extremists lots of press, and respond directly to them – with ridicule. When so-and-so issues a fatwa and threatens bombings and so on they give it lots of press and have lots of people say “See what whackos they are?”

The article I read indicated it was a very successful strategy.

Notta, I’d love to read that article, and I also took note of the comment about ancient Eire. Such an article would be a good thing for many people (cough,… media folks) to read and heed right now. If you ever come across it, please post a link or something.

samantha @ 65

I’m just saying, the Washington Post indicated in their 14 February story about the jurors Valentine to the court, that they might be a little prejudiced in favor of the defendant.

You might not have noticed, but there’s quite a flap going on about WaPo’s biased coverage of the case. Frankly, I wouldn’t trust them to read my weight off a scale over my own shoulder.

oops. tulip @ 182, foiled by formatting tools.
I was quoting Mickey @ 169. Apologies.

dab_from_CT @ 178

looseheadprop @ 163

annx @ 150

Here is an article on Pat Fitzgerald’s next trial. Looks like Conrad Black is setting up Scooter Libby type defense fund. Separate justice for the wealthy and well-connected.
Look at the last line – I’m sure Mark Steyn and David Frum will be watching this trial too.

Editor and Publisher

Cnrd Black is setting up a defense fund? he’s got (or his wife has got) more money than god! That’s just cheeky.

Apparently his wife was seen returning some of her designer clothing to a boutique the other day, so cash flow may be a problem

That’s totally weird. Doesn’t she have any friends or a sympathetic housekeeper who could do that for her? Did she get ’seen’ on purpose?

Even Cheney answers to someone and it would be interesting to know just who that person is.

“Mother? Oh Blood! Mother, what did you do?”

I just want to say, thank god we have emptywheel on our side.

Ralph @ 196

I just want to say, thank god we have emptywheel on our side.

and Jane!

Re: Scary Cheney:

In a recent interview with CBS, Keith Olbermann said, “Cheney scares the living crap out of me.”

Other tidbits:

(Page 2 of 2)NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2007
——————————————————————————–
Keith Olbermann, host of the MSNBC news show, “Countdown,” has seen his ratings skyrocket after becoming even more outspoken on the air. (CBS)

(CBS)
The nightly audio and video assault includes his pick of “The Worst Person in the World” — frequently his arch enemy, conservative Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly. There is also “Oddball,” the day’s catch of weird video. Whipsawing to the serious, he ends each show with a reminder of the unpopular war in Iraq, and borrows the somber sign-off of his hero Edward R. Murrow — “Good night and good luck” — and then seems to make fun of the whole exercise when he crumples his notes and throws them at the camera.

“Countdown” was flying beneath the ratings radar for several years until last August when a speech by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent Olbermann into a fury.

“He said, essentially, that anyone who was critical of the war on terror, or the war in Iraq, or, indeed, of the administration’s policies, was equivalent to those who appeased Hitler in the ’30s,” he said. “I’m not a big fan of being called a Nazi appeaser, or even a parallel to a Nazi appeaser. I took that personally.”

He was mad as hell and not going to take it any more, he said. And he didn’t. He wrote what became the first of his “special comments.”

For liberals, desperate for a white hot star to answer cable’s popular conservatives, this was a gift. But Olbermann insists he’s just saying what a lot of people really think.

“If a Democrat did those things, I would be out there just as ferociously,” Olbermann said. “I don’t think the Democrats are automatically right. I have many personal conservative views, I have many personal liberal views. I’m concerned about the freedoms that we say that we are protecting.”

Not that such weighty concerns ever are allowed to crowd out sports. He continues a daily hour-long radio show on ESPN, and away from the microphones, baseball still rules. Olbermann, who began collecting at four, is one of the country’s foremost authorities on baseball cards and is a consultant to the Topps baseball card company. He’s got cards that even they have never seen before. His collection dates back to 1863.

But “Countdown”’s popularity has made it the priority today, and Olbermann shows no sign of pulling his punches. Spencer threw out a few names to see how he would react.

Alberto Gonzales:

“I’d really like to see his diploma,” Olbermann said.

Laura Bush:

“Very nice lady. In a knife fight, I think she’d get me. I think she’d kill me. She’s surprisingly capable,” he said.

Paris Hilton:

“If she didn’t exist we’d have to make her up,” he said.

Hillary Clinton:

“I think she went to — to ‘Improve Hillary Clinton’ boot camp in the first six weeks of this year,” Olbermann said. “I think she’s trying real hard”

His quotes on Abu G and The Dick are now my sig line at Daily Kos.

Link

Oops. Didn’t mean to post so much of the CBS News Olbermann article.

How do you “edit comment”? I can’t figure out how to do it, but I know other people can. Whenever I hit “edit this comment,” nothing happens.

And yes, preview should be my friend. Sorry.

jayackroyd @ 137

Oh, Lindy’s seeing Powell tonight. I’m seeing Clark. Any questions, besides the obvious one?

Are you seeing Clark at the 92d Street Y in NYC? My sixteen year old is going to the Y to see Clark — she and a few of her classmates were selected to attend, supposedly teens from other high schools will be there too. She is SOOOOO excited!

Prairie Sunshine @ 173

Adie said: it’s hard to argue with those who think our once noble country is now being run as a dictatorship.

George W. Bush @ pre 9/11 [spring, 2001] — “I don’t have a problem with dictatorships as long as I get to be dictator.”

Mission accomplished.

I believe he said this before he was elected — oops, I mean, before he was selected.

Teresa @ 82

Marcy and Jane…Shuster just said the flu is going aroung there. Be careful you don’t get sick…we need you!

He also said the attorneys feel like we should hear something today about where the jury stands. Then he said “at least by tomorrow”.

How would Shuster know this? The only one’s allowed in the Jury room are court officers. I’d be surprised if they’d jeopardize their jobs by leaking jury info in this leak case. Only the jurors and court officers know where they stand. Can you imagine a juror getting the word out? I can’t.

(okay, I admit it, I had just given him a copy of my book! But he had just served us a really nice lunch, just ask Rayne!)

Spontaneously, I trust. No whiff of quid pro quo. ;>)

Re: Taliban attempt on Cheney’s life

Old Klingon adage:

Revenge is a meal best served cold.

My novel insight and contribution to the news…

We all knew Wittington would get even, one day.

Lindy @
83

I have an opportunity. This press release from the president of Tulane:

Two very special guests will speak at Tulane University this week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the Kendall Cram Room on the second floor of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Powell will speak on his life experiences, leadership, world events, the future of New Orleans and other issues. Powell will speak for 30 minutes and then take questions from the audience.

That’s tomorrow. What questions would YOU like asked? I will try!

Mr. Powell, you could have helped stop the ill-conceived disaster that is Iraq, and you did not. Knowing what you know today, why haven’t you spoken out forcefully against this administration?

I know, I know. I’ve been EPU’ed, but I had this thought earlier today about Dick Cheney so had to include in a related thread.

What if Bush and Cheney (after leaving office) get appointed to the Iraqi Oil Board by the chief executives of the Western oil companies that have benefited so greatly from Bush’s and Cheney’s oil policies?

What a cushie job for whoever lands a position on the Iraqi Oil Board. It would definitely overshadow Harken Oil (Bush) and Halliburton (Cheney). All that Iraqi oil controlled by Bush and Cheney (and if not them directly, their proxies). Multi-million dollar bonuses assured each year. One’s own OPEC established through the Iraqi Oil Board.

In other words, what if this is the end-game that Bush and Cheney had in mind which they set in motion by invading Iraq and deposing Saddam Hussein? With them sitting on the Iraqi Oil Board, established by an Iraqi legislature serving as a puppet government for Bush, Cheney and the Western oil companies? Literally stealing the Iraqi oil out from under Saddam Hussein as well as the Iraqi people?

Of course, the Iraqi legislators and the Iraqi people may have something to say about this…the final say.

A side note: now that the Iraqi legislature has taken up the “oil issue” and the establishing of a Western-controlled Iraqi Oil Board, Condi Rice and the Bush administration issue a call to both Iran and Syria to join a regional conference to discuss Iraq. Part of a Bush administration timetable, maybe? One step leading to the next and to the next.

Like I said, what if Bush and Cheney plan on having a seat on the Iraqi Oil Board after they finally leave office with them controlling a sizeable chuck of the world’s known oil reserves? I wouldn’t put anything past these crooks with their “hostile takeover” corporate mentality.