And it’s true. As I remarked about the Imus matter is that what is most notable about it is that corporate America actually displayed some leadership in saying, “This is too much.” But for decades they’ve been happy to see Americans trashing other Americans, to the point that the nation is at risk. Trashing Pelosi is very dangerous territory. If people like her are betrayed for political gain, it will radicalize a lot of people.

Definitely check out the Gideon Levy article that Kathleen linked above. (www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/846420.html)

I don’t know if North was involved at some level in the planning, but the operational end was certainly run by several figures now closely associated with rightwingerry and running the Iraq invasion/occupation. They were all part of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force), including mission commander Charlie Beckwith and subsequent notables Major Peter Schoomaker (later Army Chief of Staff) and Major William G. Boykin (later Lieutenant General)

Not a press source…but…this is an interesting read and worth a couple of minutes. Anyway,

Oliver North led a secret detachment to eastern Turkey. He was in the mother ship on the Turkish border awaiting the cue from Secord to fly into Teheran and rescue the hostages. [2] [25] After the first aborted rescue mission, he worked with Secord on a second rescue plan.

According to the October Surprise theory, Secord, North and Hakim did not intend Desert One to carry through. The miserable failure of Carter’s Desert One rescue attempt may have been deliberate.

Because it’s all about the “controversy” nowadays. So-called journalistic standards have degenerated into “let’s you and him fight”.

Carl @ 73, Badwater @ 87, et al: Section 4 of Amendment XXV, the one pertaining to the removal of a Prez unable to perform his or her duties, makes no mention of the VP except as successor to the Prez. If we still have a country and Constitution left when this nightmare is over, one of the issues that should be addressed is this whole matter of presidential succession and removal. The Bush-Cheney experience has made me reaalize there’s a lot to be said for the parliamentary governmental form, in which the Head of Government can be sent packing by a vote of no confidence. I suspect an increasing number of Republicans are starting to think so too in their heart of hearts.

There is nothing in the Consttution that defines High Crimes and Misdeameanors, either. There is nothing that requires that impeachment constitute anything other than a trial on incompetance inpolicies or arrogance…although there is more than enough Unconstitutional acts that Bush has done to stipulate Impeachment.

Heck! With every signing statement he is practically asserting that he will not honor the laws of the land as passed by Congress. While former Presidents have stated that they will not administer Unconstitutional laws (basically telling Congress – “go to the Supreme Court to compel me if you think it’s Constitutional” – no other President has used the signing statement to challenge what are clearly Constitutional and legal laws siugned by the President, He simply didn’t want to veto them and have his veto overturned.

Bush is resigning!! He is resigning as War President and he’s appointing a War Czar. Yeah, that’s the ticket!

I accept your resignation Mr. Bush.

Rationale…he’s bored with the whole thing! He wants to play WAR PRESIDENT! Not “Bad Occupation” President!

eCAHNomics @ 116

Yup, the Old Testament was written around 600BC, (entirely fictional, well it would be since it claimed to be history of 3,000 years earlier),

That is based on a 120-year-old theory that is probably wrong. The first edition of the Tanakh was probably written by a scribe in the Court of King David. There’s evidence of writing in the area centuries earlier (the Proto-Sinaitic Script).

as an attempt to coalesce the the locals into being a cohesive group — damn clever too. With the Assyrians, Persians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans all taking the territory over, I am not sure they even got to 100-200 years on their own. Then the first extermination attempt, Titus in 70 -77 AD

First??? The Assyrian smackdown and the Babylonian captivity don’t mean anything to you, I guess.

was probably the most successful, so that most of today’s Jews are descended from folk who had voluntarily emigrated before then.

Voluntarily?!?!?!?!? So the diaspora just happened when 100,000 Jews just decided to go on vacation simultaneously?

None of this reads like a particularly solid basis for all the aggro and territory stealing going on now.

That’s so true. I’m glad that we can end on a note of agreement– but I’m not sure if I’m agreeing with Maunga @ 138 or eCAHNomics because the numbers seem to have changed and I’ve lost the thread.

Bob in HI

Carl from L.A. @ 73

In all of the discussion of these attacks of Pelosi, no one has mentioned what I think is the obvious reason for the venom.

If Bush and Cheney are removed from office, who would become President?

It is vital for the Republicans to make Pelosi as intolerable to the populace if they can. It is a desperate act of self preservation. Consequently, we can only expect these attacks to continue and become more repugnant as time goes on.

You cannot assume that Pelosi would be President, even if Cheney and his puppet are both gone. Think back to Nixon. There was no “President Agnew”.

That’s because Agnew quit (and would have been impeached if he hadn’t)….Ford was confirmed by Congress in one of the quickest confirmation cycles in history for a VP.

Look at the history of the VP being replaced…sometimes there hasn’t been confirmation for years…and sometimes…even after four years the piost has remained vacant. At least twice in US history there were periods when there was no VP for 10 of twelve years…either no nomination or blocked confirmation.

Blub @ 110:

I can think of at least a couple of pretty experienced and savvy military thinkers who would beg to differ with you on the risks we’re taking with the way our troops are deployed in Iraq: Pat Lang and William Lind. Both of them, and others, are worried as hell.

Thanks for the clarification, I think (which would imply that things are even worse…)