(Today's photo of a robin and a cedar waxwing comes from reader Scott in Tallahassee, whose backyard birdbath is clearly popular.)
Here's the Sunday Talking Head show line-up.
C-Span's Washington Journal: 7:30am – Tim Darnell, Southern Political Report, Online Editor; 8:30am – Newspaper Articles & Viewer Calls; 9:15am – Roger Noriega, Former Assistant Sec. of State for Western Hemisphere, 2003-05 & Peter Hakim, Inter-American Dialogue, President.
CBS' "Face the Nation" — Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
NBC's "Meet the Press" — U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad.
CNN's "Late Edition" — Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Sens. Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Dole; former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala; Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; Michael Oren, a senior fellow at the Shalem Center.
"Fox News Sunday" — Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.; Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
This Week looks like it will have an interesting discussion regarding veterans' affairs, and I'm quite certain that Sen. Jim Webb is up to the task, but not as certain that former Sen. Bob Dole is capable of not being disgusted with the sheer mendacity of the Bush Administration on this issue — guess we'll see whether politics and Liddy's career trump care of our nation's wounded soldiers.
Face the Nation promises to be interesting today as well, if the Chuck Schumer who knows exactly what has gone on with political USAttorney warfare shows up (and he ought to having gained his legal spurs in the SDNY), and not the pragmatic "sell out whatever need be sold to advance my public stature" Chuck shows up instead. And Sen. Specter? Here's hoping a whole LOT of questions get asked about that sneaky Patriot Act backdoor provision that even Gonzales has had to back away from this week.
And look — in a shocking move, Faux News has former Sen. Fred Thompson, Libby fundraising trust pardon errand boy of the day. The answer is no, Fred. N…O…NO. The rule of law applies to everyone, including Presidential cronies, and it is well past time that the friends of Dick Cheney were reminded of that fact.
After beginning with some lovely sunshine yesterday, the afternoon and evening was quite a bit of gentle rain and gray skies. I had hoped to get some of my leftover daffodil and tulip bulbs into the ground yesterday but, instead, had to content myself with a trip to Lowes for some new grass seed for the lawn and a browse through the summer bulbs that have already arrived for purchase. I'm jonesing for gardening season in the worst way, perhaps because we had yet another snowfall at the beginning of the week last week. It's not warm enough yet to risk planting much of anything other than the last of the spring bulbs (leftover from my inability to get them planted last year — they are beauties, bright red tulips and golden butter yellow daffodils, and it is well past time for giving them the opportunity to sprout…maybe today if the weather cooperates).
The birds have been feasting on my feeders, storing up for Spring nesting season, I suppose. But it is keeping me busy filling them these days. How are things in your neck of the woods?
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mornin’ christy
Roger Noriega a death squad loving facist from the AEI.
Oh and good morning all!
Morning everyone — my coffee just finished brewing. Must pour myself a cuppa… How’s everyone this morning?
Need.
coffey.Cofee. Coffee.Hi Christy—
Thank you for these lovely bird photos every week. I look forward to them.
Anybody change their time yet? Yup, it’s been moved up.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 4
Company party was last night, and I’m going back to bed. Where did this lampshade come from, anyways?
rumor has it that former sen. fred thompson is considering a presidential run. i don’t think he can make it because he clearly lacks the necessary acting skills.
couple of things I would like to get the democrats prepared to respons with the correct answers instead of the incorrect and defensive answers they are so prone to give;
when fox tries to make pulling out of their debates some kind of issue the democrats have to be ready with the right answers, and in the correct tone too
none of that apologetically telling the reasons the choice was made but with give the reasons as an attack;
none of this;
“why should fox be able to own a presidential debate”
instead;
“who does fox think they are trying to own a presidential debate, and what kind of depraved journalist is going to defend their position?”
howz THAT?
go on with;
“fox is nothing but an infomercial…check that,they are an “un” fomercia they are apologists for the neo cons that lied Americans into war, any suggestion that they are a “legitimate news organization” flies in the face of reality
and any notion that fox is “fair and balanced” is disabused by their ridiculous position that a man like Irving Libby, a man who covered up treason and the people who committed treason should actually be pardoned.”
you see, democrats have to “take it to” we need to defend any allegation with an attack and we have to get these morons defending their depraved positions instead of deferring to their attack
jayt @
5
Uh, I believe that’s Kwaafee.
egregious at 6 — I loved this one. We haven’t seen any robins yet this year, and so this was a bit of a spring treat for me.
thunder at 8 — Drink some extra water before you climb back in bed. Your brain will thank you.
this mornin, I changed the clock on my car, on my watch, looked up at the beutifull sky and even though it’s only about 45 degrees so far I decided to take the top down on convertable
it’s such a glorious day I didn’t even want to stop by panera bread for my mornin cuppan with the lake
I know once I get started here it’s hard for me to do anything outside but a jones is a jones and I have the firedoglake jones going on
ah me
Harking back to Howie’s thread, I think the speaker’s bureau is a really good idea. Perhaps the Sunday Talking Heads Thread will show a significant change of character shortly.
sofistic @ 14
speakers burou is SUCH a good idea, I would LOVE to see our “pundits” get certified on particular issues too
if they aren’t an elected official they CANNOT speak for democrats or progressives WITHOUT OUR APPROVAL, if the even THINK they speak for us without getting our approval they have no idea what “speaking for us” even means
we need seperate pundits for the war, for the economy, for the treason at the hands of the vice president
we’d get tom hartman on economy and the likes of all those who are pro worker pointing out corporations DO NOT get the same right as people, this is a government for the people and by people, not for corporations and by corporations
we’d get jane, christy, needle, the wheelster and others as the certified pundits on treason
whenever it would not be a politician they’d either be certified or laughed at by democrats
I LOVLE THIS IDEA
sofistic at 14 — Oh heavens — I hope so. Although this morning is a bit better than last week, I have to say. That was just abysmal last week.
Dole will not attack Shrubco
he will find away to say it’s everyone’s fault and the va/dod medical issues are a historic problem but he will fix it.
I started a blog, and it deals with social changes (no, I am not ready to show anybody, I have a terrible case of stage fright). But I did want to show you one example of some social change. Tiny houses…
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
katherine graham cracker @ 17
almost
if he is like any other republican he will find a way to say it’s clinton’s fault
Hi, gang!
Sun’s trying to break thru’ a heavy……well, it’s not mist and it’s not fog so descriptors fail……..here at beach in SE NC. Set the crab pots this week but the little suckers don’t seem to want to drag themselves out of the deep muck just yet; water needs to warm a little more.
There’s a great compilation of screen savers over at Pottersville that are the best illustrations why the initial agreement to let faux noise cover that presidential debate was *way* beyond stupid: http://welcome-to-pottersville…..inest.html
Marion -
Assuming you’re still about since it’s not a work day……..totally unsurprised you like hanging out at the Fresh Market *g*. They’re opening one in Wilmington this coming Wednesday & I’ll probably be the first person in line; the only ones I’ve been in are located in rehab buildings (good idea tho’ that is) but this one is start-from-scratch. It’s still 50 plus miles away but, hey, beats the heck out of 375 miles.
Test, test, test -
Just lost a comment & am checking to see if maybe b/c of computer clock still being on old time. Please excuse.
Waccamaw — Oooh, Fresh Market. There was one on Hilton Head when we were down there on vacation — they had wonderful produce and fresh juice. I got spoiled with it while we were there.
Waccamaw @ 20
deserves getting quoted and referanced…EXCELLANT, and saved to favorites for linking to in teh very near future
Waccamaw — try refreshing your screen — for some weird reason you got stuck in mod. Is free now, but I have absolutely no idea why it got stuck. Weird.
I’m already missing that hour someone took away from my clock early this morning. Went fishing yesterday and got skunked–not even a bite.
Just finished making my lunch for the week. Here is what I have all week:
One package imitation crabmeat
One bag of Shredded Cole Slaw
Mayo
Mix it all up and everyday I fill my little ziplock container with a big scoop of the salad and 10 crackers. I’m starting to think it may have more calories than I think.
harpo @
9
He’s not senile enough either. The Republics did OK last time they nominated a senile movie star. And we all know that Republic and Independent voters luuuuuuv a movie star with an IQ of 85!
Faux Olds Democratic apologist Bob Beckle (sp) said Thompson is the candidate Democrats fear the most. Really I don’t think Democrats have anything to fear except the liars in the media
NYTimes calls for Gonzalez to resign.
katherine graham cracker @ 27
Nah, I think I’d be more afraid if Fred Phelps were the Dem candidate. But just barely.
allan_in_upstate @ 28
Yeah, Josh Marshall is all over this scandal. I love it when he sinks his teeth in to a particular issue like a bull dog and won’t let go. He did that when the pukes (and all too many dems) tried to kill social security.
Talking Heads Sunday and no Lieberman? Whassup wid at?
retirn’ at 31 — Good karma for us?
Hi, Christy -
TFM has pretty close to everything plus ambiance out the wazoo. Did you ever see that movie about the girl who lived in walmart? I wanna live in the Fresh Market *g*
Boy, it took a looooooog time for that initial comment to load; haven’t ever done anything to get sent to mod before. Sorry about the test….tried to delete but didn’t work.
Perris -
Glad the linky was helpful.
retirin’ in five @ 31
Maybe he converted to Christianity and now he won’t work on Sunday?
Christy Hardin Smith @ 32
Yeah, you must have Peanut in the dinosaur suit. You should buy a couple of back-ups for that outfit and she should wear it more often.
retirin’ in five @
31
Maybe there’s a GOP brunch this AM?
Every Fall I’m an impulse buyer of daffodil bulbs at Home Depot. I buy the giant pack of 50 or more bulbs, picturing in my mind how lovely they’ll look come next Spring. And every Fall, something comes up and I don’t get them in the ground. I store them away in a cool dry place for the winter, vowing to plant them in the Spring, but they never last over the winter. Just dried husks in the Springtime. Ah, well, next year.
retirin’ in five @ 31
The Punster would have a totally wonderful response but guess I have to resort to the old saw: Don’t look gift horses in the mouth *g*
Riesz Fischer @ 30
If the Pulitzer committee would lower themselves to considering Dirty F****** Hippy bloggers, TPM’s USA Attorney coverage and FDL’s Libby trial coverage would be serious contenders.
I hate to ruin a perfectly fine morning, but here’s some concern troll tripe from the ComPost.
sofistic @ 11
Only on Long Island.
This morning a caller to c-span called fred thompson a hero who would make a great presicent at least one other caller was pimping thompson also. The host didn’t bother to ask the first caller what made thompson a hero. I assume it has something to do with fred’s service during “The Hunt for Red October.”
Jebus rethugs are dumb.
ooh – weather report from Indy – Sunny and 60 today, 64 tomorrow 68 degrees (!) by Tues.
Spring!! Gonna take myself out for breakfast.
retirin’ in five @
31
It means we’ve been Lieberated….
The ComPost shows no shame. It is becoming more right wing than the WSJ editorial page. A sample from this morning …
“It’s Uphill for the Democrats” by Tony Smith
“History is against the Democrats” by Popin and Kim
“The ‘Surge’ is Succeeding” by Robert Kagan
Fred Hiatt is working overtime, apparently.
annx @ 43
actually, the surge is demonstrating some statistics the re pukelicans are starting to capitalize on
we need counter statistics
emptywheel was fabulous last night at a yearlykos fundraiser in NYC. For me, it was a kick putting faces to names. And we have some video, thanks to raginggurrl and mr raginggurrl, which we’ll put up in a couple of days. And I got a chance to talk to Marcy beforehand, which will become a Second Life interview.
perris @ 44
Like these?
UGH, no coffee in the house. How did I let this happen? I’m going to have to walk over to the coffee shop.
I did see some crocus’ yesterday, and the other week I saw a flock of robins, they were getting some shelter from the rain that was falling.
And the pitter patter of tiny feet running across the roof signals the squirrels are very active. It must be close to spring.
Great photo, it captures a nice moment. I had a bird bath attached to a fence post it cracked this winter. I’m going to have to replace it. I always get a chuckle out the birds lining up on the fence waiting their turn.
Bush seeks 8,200 more troops for wars
Gotta impeach Gonzales. Presidential pardon does not extend to the impeached.
Beautiful day here, rain expected this evening, which will be welcome. Our pastures went green this week and the cattle are loving it. First calves due anytime now.
montag @ 46
Like these?
those are good for discussion but individual instances aren’t what we need, they have some impressive “overall” statistics, like “violence down 80% since surge”
we need overall statistics like;
“violence increase in elsewhere far outweighs gains in bagdahd”
no I made that last statistic up but I believe the 80 percent viliolence down statistic is correct
Well, my computer clock reset itself, as did the clock on my phone. My Haloscan comments haven’t. Don’t think there’s a way to do that myself, though.
allan_in_upstate @ 39
Here’s something a little better from ComPost about edwards.
It’s Dan Balz saying about Edwards:
“His demeanor is more serious and his elbows far sharper than four years ago.”
and
“…there has been a demonstrable shift to the left — on the Iraq war, health care and the federal budget deficit. The changes have given him entree to the liberal voters and constituencies who are influential in selecting Democratic presidential nominees.”
I’m starting to think that the Democratic Party might actually nominate a, you know, Democrat this time.
Morning everyone! Funny disconect. Over at C & L they have this post up, but with a cup-a-jo – NOT robins. Go figa!
Here is a good article on the ’surge’ and what is happening in Iraq …
Surge
Richmond at 53 — Yeah — I put it up for Amato. :)
annx @ 54
Sorry for quoting myself but if you read the above article plus this article from today … it provides a good analysis of what is going on now in Iraq.
Carbombs
Funny. I’ve never seen ONE cedar waxwing. They’re always in a flock, IME.
karen allen @ 37
Hi Karen! Can’t you just go out and buy some new daffodil bulbs today?
Ted Haggard Massage Table for sale…
retirin’ in five @ 31
He must be down in the Caribbean or some such place.
Morning Christy,
Got a red-bellied woodpecker at the feeder this morning; had nine (9!) goldfinches at the feeder the other day. Working on new ways to thwart the squirrels (other than my slingshot — I’ve got terrible aim — they just high-tail it out, laughing). Seems like it’s too early to talk politics, but being from Tennessee, I have to mention Fred Thompson. I think he’d be a formidable opponent — but probably not right-wing crazy enough for the Republic party.
Anybody remember the Snoopy vs. The Red Baron song from years ago? The same guys did a Snoopy vs. Bin Laden song. It was just on Doctor Demento’s funny five.
Heh heh. Christy said Liddy. :)
Well the coffee shop isn’t open, and I saw a neighbor in her pajamas and slippers outside her house. I have to hand it to her, she played the surprise of seeing me well. I asked her is she was planning her spring planting and she went with that.
I know there was dancing midget somewhere, I just didn’t see it. Now I have to get in the car, find some coffee and end up at Lowes looking at spring bulbs.
Outrage du Jour:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..censorship
“U.S. Military: Censorship was Justified”
…and don’t forget the ‘lost’ Jose Padilla DVD. Hey, stuff happens, ya know?
Wha’ happened? I wake up and the sun is shining. Oh, well, yestidday’s cawfie tastes the same as it did yestidday this early inna morn.
Robins! We usta see robins here in sunny Florida about a week in the fall and a week in the spring, as they wended their way southward and northward with the seasons. This year, we’ve seen ‘em all winter. Maybe they’ve seen Al Gore’s inconvenient truth? Ya think?
@65
How can you “capture visual details that are not as they originally were”?
That’s Fox News Thinking.
Elliott @ 60
You mean Uruguay
Paraguay where Chimpy snuck into, making sure he has a plot of land with his BFF.Riesz@58: I would, but none of the stores have daffodil bulbs at this time of the year.
Tra la la..there are buds on my daffodils this morning. I was so excited I just had rush in and tell someone! Happy spring day, everyone!
What happened to Ted Koppel, has he been abducted by aliens or Republicans and had his brain rearranged through the anal probe technique? Our children’s children’s war, my ass. If the people on this planet don’t learn how to get along and share the limited resources of the planet, the human race won’t be relevant much longer.
It’ll be the planet of the insects or something. The humans will have blown their nooklear wad as it were and our current hi-tech high population, high consumption society will be a memory shared by some of the elders with the younger members of the tribes MAYBE surviving in small pockets here and there in a life style much more in touch with nature.
Every week Juan Cole gets more marginalized than the week before. It’s pathetic.
But what a scream, apparently Edwards is letting himself be pushed around by a bunch of liberal bloggers since he stood up to their master and just said “No.”
conniptionfit @ 70
And tra la la to you too! We have a lovely sunny day in Toronto, the snow is melting — only about 6″ of frozen crud left on my front lawn. My neighbours’ snowdrops are poking through the snow, no buds yet but so nice to see things *growing*. Where are you, conniption?
karen allen @ 69
Why don’t you plant them in the Fall?
Elliot@74: My comment @69 is a followup on comment @37.
blah blah blah Bob Woodruff
Did ABC repay the government for his care? I assume they provide health insurance for their employees
sofistic @ 14
I love the speakers bureau idea. I am on th elist for several Bar Associations and have done more appearances than I can remember.It is an amazing feeling when you walk into a room full of people who think they disagree with you, you give them accurate information –AND CITE YOUR AUTHORARIVE SOURCES FOR IT– and at teh end they come up shake you hand saying”I had no idea” and you know you have won them over.
There is that great line from Primary Colors along the lines of Democratic should win elections “because out ideas are better”
We just have to get out there and tell people about our better ideas. We will win hearts and minds AND VOTES one speaker at a time.
Boots on the ground, speakers behind the podium, punits on the air. I’m in.
Help! I accidently wiped out my March notes yesterday, I’m looking for Hugh’s huge long list of Rethug scandals that need investigating. Anyone have the comment link or what thread it was in handy? Thanks much.
Christy, Dole took his GOP walking orders and trashed Kerry before the ‘04 election using direct quotes from the Swift Boat Liars. Dole has no scruples.
karen allen @ 75
Well, that’s why I asked, because the garden centers put them out when they are supposed to be planted in your area. Daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips need to be in the ground over a winter to grow. Most need like twelve weeks at least.
If you can only grow in containers, there are varieties you can force using a refrigerator. DO you mind saying what state you’re in?
Kitt @ 79
Yes he did. He’s a wounded WWII veteran sucking-up to the administration of a Vietnam era deserter. Any bi-partisan effort he contributes to won’t be.
G’morning, everyone. Getting a way late start today, even by DST standards.
Had a downy woodpecker at the suet feeder this morning. Realized there were no other birds around. Always a warning that there might be a hawk in the ‘hood.
And sure enough, hawk in the ash tree. Downy flattened himself against the feeder and didn’t move. Didn’t turn head. Stayed absolutely still. For upwards of five minutes.
Hawk flew to the maple elsewhere in the yard. Downy clung to the feeder, not moving. Hawk finally left the area. Downy kept still.
At least 15 minutes passed in all. Downy head moves cautiously one way, then the other. Finally resumes suet breakfasting.
There’s a great metaphor in all of this, I suspect, but haven’t had enough coffee yet to see it.
BTW, heading into the 50s today in MN. Lows above freezing for a few days. Strangely wonderful.
klyde @ 40
Hey,Thst’s Lawn Guyland to you! Unless you live on the Gold Coast in which case you need hte Katherine Hepbernesque lockjaw pronunciation
Christy and Waccamaw -
Fresh Market’s Web site: http://www.thefreshmarket.com/
Good Morning Christy and Firedogs -
just so ya know – this hack is brother to Tin Soldier and Surge “Architect” Frederick Kagan
in his spare time he is Official NIE Denial Boy
Fact Free and Loving It !
Pat Lang’s literary blog, The Athenaeum, had this up a couple days ago; it’s an excellent read.
“WPost’s Editorial Fantasyland”:
http://turcopolier.typepad.com…..toria.html
About the author:
“Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Secrecy & Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq, can be ordered at secrecyandprivilege.com. It’s also available at Amazon.com, as is his 1999 book, Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & ‘Project Truth.’”
reference to The Gold Coast reminds me of a fun little novel of the same name by Nelson Demille wherein the protagonist has an IRS lien on his yacht, so he takes it out into the middle of Long Island Sound and sinks it, just for spite.
Re current events: Frank Rich calls Scooter a “conniving courtier” in his column today.
Shez @ 78
Here’s the comment link for the most current version of which I am aware of Hugh’s list: http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..ent-546944
apropos of nothing in particular, but one of the right-wing talking points that has been bugging the crap out of me is the one about how Fitzgerald “knew who the leaker was” when he was appointed special prosecutor, and should never have convened a grand jury/continued the investigation — and thus Libby was a victim of a “runaway prosecutor”.
And while its true that Fitz knew Armitage was Novak’s original source, its also true that…
1) Rove was Armitage’s confirming source, and there were very serious questions about his story
2) Novak’s own story didn’t hold up.
a) how did he know to call her “Valerie Plame” and not “Valerie Wilson” — Who’s Who lists maiden names of spouses, not their professional name?
b) why did he describe Valerie as an “agency operative unless he’d been told she was something more than an “analyst”?
3) Armitage got his information from a report generated as a result of Libby’s inquiry of Grossman.
4) Cheney and Libby both knew that Plame worked at CPD, i.e. part of the “covert” Operations section of the CIA.
5) Libby admitted telling at least one reporter about “Wilson’s wife”
6) Libby’s story did not add up — Russert denied being Libby’s source, and there was too much additional evidence of Libby’s knowledge of Valerie to ignore.
Bottom line….Fitz had every reason to pursue the case, because at minimum Rove’s role remained unclear, and Libby was obviously not telling the truth about his own role….
karen allen @ 69
No, but the will have sprouted dafodills and tulips. Years ago when I lived in NJ, we used to have a huge Easter Egg hunt and “Hunt Breakfast” every Easter Sunday.Invited hald of Summit
Gee, no Conservative gay porn star “escorts” on any of these shows?
B-O-R-I-N-G!
Riesz Fischer @ 30
A frightening glance at the AG’s performance. A must read…
*Smooches for Stephen Parrish, CPA*
Bless you Kind Sir!
There’s a great compilation of screen savers over at Pottersville that are the best illustrations why the initial agreement to let faux noise cover that presidential debate was *way* beyond stupid: http://welcome-to-pottersville…..inest.html
Waccamaw: I’d like to thank you for the link but it looks as if I’d been banned again after my temporary reinstatement (I guess my comments are welcome only when I’m actually trying to raise money for FDL and wishing Jane well after her surgery).
But on the offchance this makes it through, thanks for the link.
[CHS notes: Pork, you are not banned. And I would appreciate it if you would stop running around saying that you are without bothering to ask me or anyone else first. But, because you have had a history of intemperate remarks about Jane in the not-too-distant past, I am certain you can understand why a little caution is waranted to be certain you aren’t going to stir up something at a time when Jane doesn’t need it. Call me an overprotective friend, but I’d like her life to be less — not more — stressful. Thanks.]
Hillarious video at dkos
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..82025/3143
Thanks, Christy, for offsetting mentions of Dole/Libby/Thompson as Talking Heads today, with red tulips and butter yellow daffodils. I had just “studied” the leveymg Daily Kos article from Saturday on the DoD and CIA and Israeli privatization scandal — and my mind still twirls feeling the world being overtaken by corrupt and arrogant fascists!! — your planting brought me back to sunny and warm Today…
Good morning, Go Claire!
http://puffgames.com/bonelessbush/
p.lukasiak @ 89
just fyi, the Who’s Who entry does contain the name Plame:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c…..hoswho.pdf
that was the only part of Novak’s story I actually believed. Having lived in D.C. for 36 years, it was my observation that most professional women, circa 1980-forward, use their maiden name rather than their husband’s name.
Dr._J@92
RieszFischer@30
allan_in_upstate@28
It’s way past time for him to go.
After reading Frank Rich, makes me wonder why Gonzalez was confirmed in the first place. Talk about being part of the problem.
and on a lighter note . . . Robins & Waxwings
both indulge in eating fermented toyon and pyracantha berries – resulting in some family fun watching our rather tipsy feathered friends stagger about the deck (ah seen it ! ah seen it mahself!)
cathy @ 94
.
LOL ‘The iRack’
subtle much?
Claire McCaskill was superb with Bob Schieffer.
lina @ 87
Actually, I get a big kick out of that novel. Like Primary colors and Bonfire of the Vanities half the fun whas figuring out who his characters where based on.
I always thought maybe the mobster was based on Matty”the Horse”.
elliot………..
During the days when the Criminal Conspiracy controlled Congress and the Shrub was the Great Leder, and Shooter was firmly in control they could have confirmed Barney. That must have been really embarrassing to Harriet Miers.
cbl @ 100
And as Christy noted above, make sure you put out plenty of water when you serve up pyracantha berries, so the birdies don’t have headaches in the morning.
cbl @
85
Gee, somehow they didn’t include that exact description in his mini-bio at the bottom of his article!!!!
Ugh – Bob Schiefer doesn’t get it al all. He needs to read Marcy’s book.
theExile @ 104
Sad, so sad because you are so right. They would have confirmed Barney.
Elliott @ 105
Interesting to think of other species having cocktail parties…..
looseheadprop @ 109
Now that you mention it, they do arrive wearing their finest plumage.
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
jeepers, per Fascreed Zacharia it seems y’all worked so diligently, so ethically these past few years covering the work of an “overzealous prosecutor “
blerrggh friggin’ blerrggh
Having lived in D.C. for 36 years, it was my observation that most professional women, circa 1980-forward, use their maiden name rather than their husband’s name.
there is a difference between thinking that “most” women are using their maiden names professionally — and assuming that she used her last name professionally. Certainly, someone from Novak’s generation would not make that assumption. And Novak could have just written “..but his wife, Valerie, is an agency operative…”. Instead, he wrote “..but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an agency operative…”
Mods: In the first full graph:
. . . guess we’ll see whether politics and Liddy’s career trump care of our nation’s wounded soldiers. . . . I think Christy means Libby.
Elliot, I’m curious-how is Juan Cole becoming marginalized?
Christy, I found out last night a friend grew up in Montgomery, WV…is that your neck of the woods?
p. lukasiak @89:
5) Libby admitted telling at least one reporter about “Wilson’s wife”
Allow me to quote from Poppy:
Point. Set. Match.
(Hi Paul)
…and I hate to beat a dead horse, but once she was married to Joe Wilson, she took his last name. She listed herself as “Valerie Wilson” when she made campaign contributions in both 1999 and 2004….
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 84
Thanks, Stephen, but that bookmark is already so well-thumbed it’s just about down to a nub. Checked it almost every day in hopes of finding a posted opening day for the new store *g*. Lucky duck you to have one in your home town.
Scarecrow at 114 — No, I meant “Liddy.” It’s the unofficial nickname for Elizabeth Dole — she hates it, but I hear that Bob Dole uses it on occasion as a teasing endearance, and so I threw it in a an inside-baseball reference. It was intended.
cbl @ 85
We really need a chart to keep track of this crowd. It really helps to know that James Carville is Mr. Mary Matalin, and Tucker Carlson is Son of Scooter Defense Fund and on and on. If I knew how to do a geneaology chart I’d start on for these guys.
p.lukasiak @ 112
I think DC media types, even old ones like Novak, would reach for her maiden name first.
I have no trouble believing Rove, Armitage, et. al., told Novak “Wilson’s wife,” and he looked her name up in Who’s Who, saw Valerie Plame, and used it. Then Harlow at CIA told him not to use her name, and he did it anyway. He was the lynch pin traitor.
No, she means Liddy Dole.
p.lukasiak @ 89
A very nice analysis. Thanks.
Just before that talking point there is the one that goes: “She wasn’t a covert agent covered by the nondisclosure law.” The implication being that there never was any possibility of an underlying crime. So the CIA were silly fools when they filed a criminal referal with the DoJ. And the DoJ were fools when they commissioned an FBI investigation and later appointed a special prosecutor. And the special prosecutor was a fool when he took the assignment. And judge Tatel was a fool when he supported the special prosecutor’s subpoenas.
In fact, Fitz was very explicit on the matter: “[H]er affiliation with the CIA, whether or not she was covert, was classified. If that was intentionally transmitted, that would violate the statute known as Section 793, which is the Espionage Act.” Well, her “affiliation” with the CIA was certainly transmitted. So all that has to be proved is knowledge and intent.
But, in fact, United States v. Morison is a 1985 ruling that leaks to the press of classified information by government officials are prosecutable under 18 USC 793(d). The court specifically found that there is no need under this law to show any “evil purpose.” So, maybe it would suffice to that Cheney, Libby, and Rove knew that her CIA affiliation was classified.
Twisted Martini @ 114
Today he got one comment out on Libby.
And on the subject of Iraq, when it gets to him, Juan says “I’m not allowed to answer this.” but then offered his dissenting view.
“Was I fair and balanced there?” Wallace then asked Juan.
Good on you, Speaker Pelosi ! The title is “SPEAKER” after all. You go, Speaker !!
Instead of taking a defensive posture on methods for troop withdrawal, receiving assertive and offensive volleys from our benighted Emperor — in other words being defensive, instead of offensive — you have taken the battle to the Naked Emperor.
Bush’s usual offensive tactics are based on smoke and mirrors. When he threatens a veto of gradually reducing funding for the Endless War, threaten him back. Take the offensive, as you did in your press statements yesterday.
And, instead of smoke and mirrors, know that the American people are on your side. From DailyKos:
Quoting an NBC/WSJ poll last week –
You go, Speaker! Take the fight to them. The best defense is a good offense.
or is it linchpin? i type, you decide.
Gotcha, so as a talking head he is not very effective.
Christy @ 94 -
Oooooooops! Sorry……..didn’t mean to reopen any problems on the home front. It just seemed an awfully good link for a faux noise smack-down. Mea culpa.
Twisted Martini @ 126
This week, I thought he was flat out muzzled. Sometimes I feel sorry for Juan, but he could work some place else.
David Corn did a pretty good job knocking down the rethug talking points about Libby on This Week. He stomped on George when he tried to pull out the “Wilson said Cheney sent him” canard.
Elliot/twisted…
are you talking about Juan Williams, who is a panelist on Chris Wallace’s Fox News Sunday (and not Juan Cole, the Informed Comment blogger)?
p.lukasiak @ 130
JEEZ, I am sorry that was my error, and a beeg one.
No wonder twisted martini was querying me. It’s Juan Williams.
Please forgive.
And thanks for setting me straight. My comments made absolutely NO SENSE WHATSOEVER if I actually was talking about Juan Cole.
I am sorry.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/…..872058.htm
NM Republicans pushed Rove to fire U.S. attorney. Headline on HuffPo. Link above.
No worries Elliot. Y’know, they don’t call him Wan Williams for nothing…Fox News has been deleted from my DirecTv. Part of my Wingnut filter.
Dole sounds like he is speaking very slowly… is his health OK?
HotFlash @ 8:13 am,
That really is a great idea. I know we sorta discussed it not long ago but it would be a worthwhile project to have a thread soon devoted to GOP Geneaology, Nepotism, & Wingnut Welfare Web of Deceit. From there it should be easy enough to create a, oh I don’t know, 10-20 page website flow chart. ;)
barbara @ 133
When it comes to the shenanigans involving manulpulation fo USA’s and other DOJ folks,
follow the Rove
Wigwam @ 8:13 am -
Please consider 18 USC 793(e) as well; that subsection of 18 USC 793 appears to apply when someone who is not authorized to receive classified information disseminates classified information to others who are not authorized to receive it.
barbara @ 132
Man! This gets even stinkier?!
And I want some accountability on Specktor’s office slipping in that little loophole enabling BushCo to appoint US Attorneys without confirmation.
p.lukasiak @ 131
Juan is a professor of Mideast Studies at the University of Michigan. Isn’t he?
Twisted Martini @ 133
I should do that, too. But watching the second half of Fox News Sunday always gets me up and attem!
looseheadprop @ 137
Another link to this story is on ThinkProgress: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/…..y-firings/
barbara @ 133
Ok, reading that made me sick. “Is anything ever going to happen to that guy?” Rove: “He’s gone.”
And Rove hands down the decree to terminate Iglesias…
Shez @ 135
Now that would be a VERY VERY long thread! I’ll start compiling!
Here on the plains, hard by the Red River in the home of the red man and woman, we had thunderstorms all night. No tornadoes. Yet. But they’re coming. More of the same today. But we have a break now, for a little while, and my winged friends are tweeting up a storm. You should see and hear our cardinals (crested finches). Tons of them now. All is well, on this Sunday morn. Politics in a bit. ;0)
Fresh thready goodness, up and ready for the reading, gang.
as far as armatage being the “leaker”
he was not the only leaker, he was not the original leaker
that was cheney
the morons that keep bringing armatage up as if the investigation needs to stop there are nothing less then marionettes repeating the words from their puppeteers
and THAT’S how the democrats have to respond, by ATTACKING, by saying “are you serious?…what kind of idiot thinks that the fact that armatage was ONE of the “leakers” means he’s the ONLY leaker or the ORIGINAL leaker”
attack, never defend in weakness but in attack
Marie Roget @ 144
lhp -
What is the most current version of 28 USC 541, which you and Mary were discussing in one of last evening’s threads?
Wigwam @ 140
Yes! That’s why what I wrote made no sense whatsoever.
Sen Graham now on CNN. I think it’s very considerate of Graham to email the news channels & inform (direct) them when & where they can expect him to appear.
Morning All,
We’re still buried beneath at least a foot of rapidly melting snow here. I guess mud season is upon us, what a dodgy mess. It’ll be another few weeks before we see any signs of buds. The thought is thrilling though.
This might be a dumb ass question, but does anyone know if the fired U.S. attorneys can be restored to their positions.
Stephen Parrish, CPA @
88
Shez, to this I would add preemptive war, Jonathon Ashcroft, Bush’s joking about searching for WMD at the annual awards dinner for WH correspondents. Though it has no long term effects on the country, it illustrated just how much contempt Bush has for our service people and their families and his utter lack of empathy and undestanding of what they are going through.
Shez,
mornin’ gal – here’s a good page
Raimondo’s page
on it, you’ll find Christ. Sci. Monitor – Neo Cons for Dummies
new thread!
I’ll never forget Dole saying in a TV interview regarding Kerry’s Purple Hearts, “I never saw any blood”. I’ve hated him ever since. How could a man like him belittle anyone’s medals?
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 149
The versions that are in Lexis or west law or findlaw should all be up to date. I think Mary is right and I’m gonna start a little research tomorrow withan eye toward a post after the testimony.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 119
Oops. My mistake. I misread the sentence.
dipper @ 154
Bob Dole is a bad man.
Elliott @ 157
Send the ***** to Iraq, now, so he can witness and notarize all injuries that may result in purple hearts, oh yeah, and Liddy can go along to help with the workload. The idea that any blood this idiot didn’t see is somehow maybe not “actual blood” is just too absurd.
inmymind’seye, (that would be my 3rd eye chakra, heh) thanks for those added suggestions. If you scroll further down on that page you’ll come to a longer revised list that is the one closer to 90 I was looking for.
And thanks cbl! I’ll bookmark those pages immediately. When it comes to a genealogy chart I know just who to ask for some help and I happen to have a blank genealogy form file already. This will be veeddddy interesting.
In your wildest imagination, can you picture a civilian doctor saying this to a patient:
That was pretty much what the doc in Vietnam told his patients with amoebic dysentery, which was very common when I was there. It was almost as easy to spot the zombies with dysentery as the green men on synthetic quinine to prevent malaria.
Soldiers and sailors are subjected to experimental drugs that cannot be refused on pain of court martial.
Undoubtedly the advance of medical technology is today keeping many alive that would have died in earlier wars and maybe not so coincidentally getting them back to the front faster.
Jim Webb oddly repeated a grammatical error on This Week he has made often in the past. Someone should tell him.
“I am a product of military medicine,” said the senator. That, of course, should be: “I am a survivor of military medicine.”
Best, Terry
Here’s one
Bill Krisdolt and Alan Keyes.
from wikipedia
don’t expect anything positive out of ‘dead-man-walking’ bob dole. The only reason tinpot dug him up was to say that today’s vets are ” a bunch of whiners” and ‘”in his day, if you got shot in one arm, you just kept shootin’ with the other”. Why, “Bob Dole didn’t get any fancy outpatient care…”
The guy looks like Dracula on quaaludes. The Vi*gra is just to get him out of the coffin. Bob Dole = dead investigation.
Meet the Press with Tim Russert. Tim Russert, identified by the White House Iraq Group as one of the journalists they could count on to be “friendly” and help spread their message.
This morning one of Tim Russert’s guests was –
Zalmay M. Khalilzad — one of the signatories of The Project for a New American Century…..which said — in 2000 that we needed “a new Pearl Harbor” ……so “they” could take over the world.
No one ever alludes to….or remembers…..or discusses….THE PROJECT FOR A NEW AMERICAN CENTURY. You’d think they might ….before W nukes Iran:
January 26, 1998
The Project for the New American Century (PNAC), an influential neoconservative think tank, publishes a letter to President Clinton urging war against Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein because he is a “hazard” to “a significant portion of the world’s supply of oil.” In a foretaste of what eventually happens, the letter calls for the US to go to war alone, attacks the United Nations, and says the US should not be “crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council.”
The letter is signed by many who will later lead the 2003 Iraq war. 10 of the 18 signatories later join the Bush Administration, including (future) Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Assistant Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Assistant Secretary of State Richard ARMITAGE, Undersecretaries of State John Bolton and Paula Dobriansky, presidential adviser for the Middle East Elliott Abrams, and Bush’s special Iraq envoy ZALMAY KHALILZAD. [Project for the New American Century, 1/26/1998;
Sunday Herald (Glasgow), 3/16/2003] Clinton does heavily bomb Iraq in late 1998, but the bombing doesn’t last long and its long term effect is the break off of United Nations weapons inspections. [New York Times, 3/23/2003]
Entity Tags: William Kristol, Richard Perle, ZALMAY M. KHALILZAD, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kagan, William Schneider Jr., Vin Weber, Donald Rumsfeld, Peter Rodman, Elliott Abrams, Paula J. Dobriansky, Jeffrey T. Bergner, Richard ARMITAGE, John R. Bolton, James Woolsey, Robert B. Zoellick, Paul Wolfowitz, William J. Bennett, William Jefferson (”Bill”) Clinton
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion
September 11, 1998: PNAC Calls on Clinton To Take ‘Decisive Action’ Against Milosevic
The Project for a New American Century publishes an open letter to President Clinton urging him put an end to diplomatic efforts attempting to resolve the situation in the Balkans. Instead, they argue, he should take “decisive action” against the Serbs. The US must “distance itself from Milosevic and actively support in every way possible his replacement by a democratic government committed to ending ethnic violence,” the group writes. [Century, 9/11/1998]
Entity Tags: Zalmay M. KHALILZAD, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Robert Kagan, Paula J. Dobriansky, Bruce Jackson, William Kristol, Mark P. Lagon, Peter Rodman, Dov S. Zakheim, William Howard Taft IV, Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Solarz, Gary Schmitt, David Epstein, John R. Bolton, Jeffrey T. Bergner, Richard ARMITAGE, Nina Bang-Jensen, Elliott Abrams, Helmut Sonnenfeldt, Richard Perle, Morton I. Abramowitz, William Pfaff, Seth Cropsey, Lane Kirkland, James R. Hooper, John Heffernan, Morton H. Halperin, Dennis DeConcini, Peter Kovler, William Pfaff, Ed Turner, George Biddle, Wayne Owens, Frank Carlucci
Timeline Tags: Western Support for Islamic Militancy
September 2000: PNAC Report Recommends Policies That NEED A NEW PEARL HARBOR for Quick Implementation
People involved in the 2000 PNAC report (from top left): Vice President Cheney, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Cheney Chief of Staff I. Lewis LIBBY, Undersecretary of State John Bolton, Undersecretary of Defense Dov Zakheim, and author Eliot Cohen. [Source: Public domain]PNAC drafts a strategy document, “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century,” for George W. Bush’s team before the 2000 Presidential election.
The document was commissioned by future Vice President Cheney, future Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, future Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Florida Governor Jeb Bush (Bush’s brother), and future Vice President Cheney’s Chief of Staff Lewis Libby. [Project for the New American Century, 9/2000 ]
The document outlines a “blueprint for maintaining global US preeminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests.”
PNAC states further: “The United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.”
PNAC calls for the control of space through a new “US Space Forces,” the political control of the Internet, and the subversion of any growth in political power of even close allies, and advocates “regime change” in China, North Korea, Libya, Syria, Iran, and other countries.
It also mentions that “advanced forms of biological warfare that can ‘target’ specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool.”
However, PNAC complains that these changes are likely to take a long time, “absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event—
like a new Pearl Harbor.”
[Los Angeles Times, 1/12/2003] Notably, while Cheney commissioned this plan (along with other future key leaders of the Bush administration), he defends Bush’s position of maintaining Clinton’s policy not to attack Iraq during an NBC interview in the midst of the 2000 presidential campaign, asserting that the US should not act as though “we were an imperialist power, willy-nilly moving into capitals in that part of the world, taking down governments.” [Washington Post, 1/12/2002] A British member of Parliament will later say of the report:
“This is a blueprint for US world domination—a new world order of their making. These are the thought processes of fantasist Americans who want to control the world.”
[Sunday Herald (Glasgow), 9/7/2002] Both PNAC and its strategy plan for Bush are almost virtually ignored by the media until a few weeks before the start of the Iraq war (see February-March 20, 2003).
Entity Tags: Lybia, Syria, United States, Saddam Hussein, China, Iraq, North Korea, Steve Rosen, John Ellis (”Jeb”) Bush, Hasam Amin, Elliott Abrams, Steve Forbes, Aaron Friedberg, Richard (”Dick”) Cheney, Lewis (”Scooter”) Libby, Project for the New American Century, Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, Peter Rodman, Frank Gaffney, Paula J. Dobriansky, Dan Quayle, ZALMAY M. KHALIZAD, Fred C. Ikle, Donald Kagan, Eliot A. Cohen, William J. Bennett, Vin Weber, Francis Fukuyama, Henry S. Rowen, Norman Podhoretz, George Weigel, Midge Decter
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, Events Leading to Iraq Invasion
May 23, 2001: Former Unocal Employee Becomes Bush’s Special Assistant to Middle East and Central Asia
ZALMAY KHALILZAD. [Source: US Embassy, Iraq] ZALMAY KHALILZAD is appointed Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Gulf, Southwest Asia and Other Regional Issues on the National Security Council. Khalilzad was an official in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. During the Clinton years, he worked for UNOCAL. After 9/11, he will be appointed as special envoy to Afghanistan. [US Department of State, 2001; Independent, 1/10/2002] He previously worked under Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and helped him write a controversial 1992 plan for US world domination.(see March 8, 1992) [New York Times, 3/23/2003] He was a member of the NEOCONSERVATIVE THINK TANK PROJECT FOR A NEW AMERICAN CENTURY. The Asia Times notes, “It was KHALIZAD—when he was a huge TALIBAN fan—who conducted the risk analysis for Unocal (Union Oil Company of California) for the infamous proposed $2 billion, 1,500 kilometer-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan [TAP] gas pipeline.” [Asia Times, 12/25/2003] After 9/11, he will be appointed as special envoy to Afghanistan and become what some call the “real president” of that country (see January 1, 2002).
Entity Tags: Taliban, Paul Wolfowitz, Project for the New American Century, Unocal, National Security Council, Zalmay M. Khalilzad
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline
thanks for sharing the bird pic with everyone. I’ve been having fun with my “bird blind” on the porch, and getting better with the closeups. Got some great shots of a pair of wood thrush. Spent the day at the Red Hills Horse Trials here in Tallahassee. Guess that has turned into a major event for all you horse-jumping people.
There are a lot of big fat robins this year in the mountains of southern cal. and though it’s warm, the snowbirds are still here. i would love to get a bit more snow this season. might as well plant the dahlias.
fred T, brit, bill and torrie towed the wh talking points this morning. they make me shudder. as they put it, “There’s nothing to the libby story.” So that’s why we’re talking about it.
Re: impeaching Gonzales
As Dirty Harry would say: go ahead Democrat punks, make my day!
Seriously, Republicans would like nothing better than this. Can you say political hari-kiri? How do you think Democrat-leaning Hispanic voters would react to such a move?