Login HereWanted to give everyone a heads up on two upcoming chats that we'll be having here at FDL.
This Saturday, April 21st at 2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT, Howie's guest for Blue America will be the fantastic Victoria Wulsin. You guys will no doubt remember that Vic Wulsin very nearly unseated Mean Jean Schmidt in the last election cycle in a very, very red district -- the OH-2. And I hereby pledge to move heaven and earth to make that Mean Jean defeat happen in 2008. Please make some time to stop by and let Vic Wulsin know we'll all be working with her for victory in the next election. If you missed the Blue America chat that we had with her during the election, please do read it -- it isn't just unseating Mean Jean, because Doc Wulsin is an amazing person who would be a wonderful voice in the House.
Also, next Tuesday -- April 24th at 1:00 pm ET/10:00 am PT -- we'll be hosting a live chat with MoveOn.org's own Tom Matzzie. He'll be stopping by to discuss the campaign that MoveOn has worked on with Americans United For Change regarding the Iraq mess -- a program designed to put pressure on elected representatives in districts where a majority of their constituents do not support the Bush Administration's policies, even though the elected folks are still providing cover for the Bushies.
It is well past time for that to change. And folks like Mitch McConnell and John Sununu and Susan Collins, among many others are about to face a very public choice: either choose your constituents or George Bush, but you no longer get to have it both ways. There will be much, much more about this in the days to come, but watching the ads here will fill you in on a bit of the pressure being leveraged at the moment. And boy are there some great plans in the works for a whole lot more to come.
You want to keep siding with President Bush against the will of the American public and the constituents that you are elected to represent? Just remember, there is a price to pay. And we are going to make certain that the bill comes due.
Hold onto your hats, gang -- we're getting things moving, and we're going to help shake up the status quo. Here's to the folks inside the Beltway remembering they work for us, and not the other way around.
Share This 
Spotlight
BusChen must go…
…for the good of the ship…
…for the good of the planet.
Assuming one half of the 64 “I don’t recalls” was not the whole truth but rather a convenient was to not answer the question, would you agrre with Byron York on this one thing?
drei
Hola Christy y saludos a todos los perritos del lago de fuego!
mc @ 4
No debe ser Perros del Fuego del Lago?
mc at 4 — :)
Texas Betsy @ 5
You know, I went back and forth on that. My Spanish ain’t what it used to be. ;-)
York knows full well that Gonzo knows full well the answers to those three questions.
Agree with York, not me. Sorry.
mc @ 7
Thank you firedoglake for helping to inform the public on stories that are not covered.
One story from yesterday that has not receieved any mention in the main stream media distraction circus.
It also has to do with the Justice Department.
Interesting timing.
The BUSH Justice Department and the case of Luis Posada Carriles… an ex CIA asset, internationally wanted to stand trial for the bombing of Cubana flight 455 that killed 73 men, women, and children in 1976. The Director of the CIA and secrets ops at the time –> was George H. W. Bush.
Declassified National Security Documents.
Document 1: CIA, October 13, 1976, Report, “Traces on Persons Involved in 6 Oct 1976 Cubana Crash.”
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/N...../index.htm
On April 19, 2007 Luis Posada Carriles was freed from a New Mexico jail after he posted $250,000 bond and his family put up another $100,000. The ex CIA asset will be flown Miami pending his May 11 trial on “immigration fraud charges”.
–> We recall George W. Bush’s 2003 speech in which he said anyone who harbors or supports terrorists is as guilty as the terrorists themselves.
Just sitting here, waiting for today’s Friday news dump sweepstakes to hit the fan…
Christy Hardin Smith @ 11
I’m betting on Wolfowitz to be the entree on tonight’s menu. When CNBC and the financial talking heads are talking about his political scandal instead of the stock markets, you know the GOP folks in DC are listening.
Smiths at 10 — Actually, the Houston Chronicle had an article on that recently. See here for more.
well i am finally feeling well enough to get out of this house and go to the office for a few hours. see y’all this afternoon or evening.
Eventually Maine voters are likely to dump their gooper senators..and Specter is stinkin like last year’s garbage.. Sadly, when they go, it means the end of the moderate wing of the gooper party…like the last dodo birds.
Sometimes I think I’ve been fitted with a PCP implant and cannot get out of this surreal, bizzare drug-addled consciousness. The utter ineptitude of Gonzo yesterday (reflective of his boss, I guess) is just beyond belief. Infuriating that this clown is the top lawyer in the land.
rw at 15 — I dunno. The digust that I have heard from a number of GOP folks that I know has been growing and more angled toward taking their party back from the zealots of all shapes and sizes. No idea if there will be action to that effect — but the disharmony of late, aided by the fact that the zealots are losing them elections in a lot of places by overreaching on a lot of fronts? Music to my ears.
Ah, thanks for the Carole King. When I was in HS (Nixon/Ford Administrations) I won my first and only radio call-in contest to see her at the University of Minnesota. A great show (and a great date, if I remember).
OT: Just a friendly reminder for Mac users. There is a Security Update in Software Update.
A. “I think your credibility has been significantly impaired because of the panorama of responses you have made…”
B. “The best way to put this behind us is your resignation”
C: “Mr. Gonzales has presided over an unprecedented crippling of the Constitution’s time-honored checks and balances. He has brought the rule of law into disrepute, and debased honesty as the coin of the realm. He has engendered the suspicion that partisan politics trumps evenhanded law enforcement in the Department of Justice.”
1. Tom Coburn
2. Bruce Fein
3. Arlen Specter
Key: A:3 B:2 C:3
o/t
drive by from work X(
Vermont Senate approves Impeachment Resolution
afterdowningstreet.org
Of the many stories swirling around- I am most interested in the lapse of sanity evidenced by the pres yesterday in Ohio..
Looks as if he is feeling the stress of the hatred most of the country feels for him and it’s drivin him to the edge. Part of his statement sounded like a plea “Please don’t hate me- it hurts my feelings”. Presidents are very human- and this one may be more human than most- plenty of dark emotional spaces where things can crawl in to die and rot..
If he’s goin round the bend- don’t know if there enough drugs in Washington to keep him from bein a dangerous spectacle.
Christy Hardin Smith @
11
Any rumors?
time to start counting Republicans for impeachment votes. a few more weeks like this one ought to do the trick …….
the times they are a changin’.
when the water starts having that crimson tint, the sharks will appear.
given his impetus for payback, Senator Lott might go with the majority.
tw3k @ 19
thankee
Nitpick: It’s Matzzie
I got a letter last week from the moderate GOP in CA, which is trying to organize to take back party leadership in the state. Not being a member of that
gangparty myself, I passed it on to those who might have more interest. The letter specifically mentioned Prop85 as a reason for this movement.LS at 23 — No rumors as yet that I can substantiate. But, for a bit of amusement, The Muck has started a GOP resignation roll call thread on Gonzales. It’s quite the read.
Redd,
There are a lot of moderate goopers in on the east coast- but it isn’t clear that they can win elections any more. The gooper brand stands for something other than what they espouse- so in a general election- the dems are trouncing em regularly.. Don’t know if there’s a strategy for saving that wing of the party. I can’t think of it.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 11
I think Abu will be on a flight to Texas when they announce his resignation this afternoon. The WH will use the weekend news cycle to capture the bandwdith: Who will be the next AG?
OK - must depart into freak April showers in Southern California. Have a great day, all!
Christy Hardin Smith @
17
Oh, for the disharmony to result in two GOP tickets in the 2008 general election: theocrats vs. corporatists.
Giuliani/Romney vs Brownback/Musgrave
Yum.
…choose your constituents or George Bush…
Exactly right.
A moderate running on the gooper ticket is a lot like a line of baby care products carrying the “Smith and Wesson” brand. It doesn’t compute!
At Making Light there’s a comment (from someone with personal experience) that McCain may be in the initial stages of Alzheimer’s.
Don’t know if it’s today, but when Gonzo resigns the media will portray it as a “good thing for the Administration and the Republic Party going into ‘08…”
After the spectacle of Abu’s testimony yesterday and the deserving response, I can see a lot of goopers pouring the coal to a resignation drive.
Hell, he embarassed me.
Chimpy speaking live…. but I only see it on Fox.
Ms. Miers - If you are enjoying the Lake today, please consider the enormity of your position in the USA firings scandal - this is a poor way to make a statement FOR the Unitary Executive Theory.
The president may have gotten what he calls a ‘good’ performance from AG Gonzales, but what price Trust? What good is any governing apparatus without the Trust of the People?
The risk you run in blindly, ideologically, supporting the president here is that you can no longer be responsive to the will of the People when the two are in conflict.
It would be a mis-estimation, imvho, to not think that the final arbiter of power in our Country is the People - in the final analysis, our Loyalty as Citizens is to each other, and not to a figure above the Law.
Please look into your heart choose US.
P J Evans @ 34
Certainly I don’t wish that on anyone — but I wish it on America (again!) even less.
You’ve got ta figure that both of the Bushes (Bushi?) are bein heavily medicated now and have been for at least a couple of years. Eventually this will take a toll.
I just listened to Jane and John Amato om blogradio. It was excallent!
blogtalkradio.com sorry no link
OT Kyra Philips of CNN has started drinking the KoolAid. She says that she doesn’t understand how Harry Reid can make his comments…when was the last time he was in Iraq? Kyra has been in Iraq for a week and now she is an expert. Kyra should change her name to Pollyanna. I’ll believe Michael Ware over Kyra any day of the week.
radiofreewill @
38
she may be more responsive to the xoxoxoxo luv & kisses stuff she used to pen to shrub
Gonzo will resign- but not for a few months- the unitary executive decider CANNOT be seen as caving to opinion- even gooper opinion- so they’ll wait for the roar to die down a bit and then Gonzo will remember that there’s somethin REALLY important he needs ta do in Texas- like raise him some pigs.
Wonder how fixed Gonzo is financially–does he still need to root around in gooper troughs for a few years?
twolf1 @ 37
When will we see W’s public meltdown? After yesterday’s performance in Ohio, it’s not just wishful thinking anymore.
BTW, I don’t want to see George lose it-with all the crazies running around in the world (Cheney), it would most definitely not be a good thing.
twolf1 @
37
if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, does it really fall?
radiofreewill @ 38
You know who owns Ms. Miers’ heart and it’s not US. For Republics like her, nothing comes before Bush and he is above the law.
Christy says:
As a native of the Bluegrass living away, I follow the happenings in KY through the Courier-Journal, Herald, and a couple of blogs. Mitch McConnell (Mr Chao) made his choice long ago and it was NOT his constitutients. He is so far in the tank to BushCo and Big Bidness in general it isn’t even close to being funny. And oh the irony with his wife as Department of Labor. Another fox guarding the hen house there.
radiofreewill @ 38
Miers back at Locke Liddell
Sirota has some history of the firm
Chimpy on Fox - makin progress in Iraq. American forces are getting to know the local culture of the residence and are gaining their trust. (possibly buying rugs too?)
I noticed a real right-wing slant on CNN’s morning show with new host John Roberts. He even defended Rush. I just turned it off..I get the feeling the RNC influence is hitting the airwaves right about now.
BobbyG @
16
Ever read any Philip K. Dick? Vonnegut is great, but Dick’s writings seem ever so much more apropos at the moment: ;)
http://www.philipkdick.com/works_novels.html
Should I give to DCCC or to individual candidates?
Would like your thoughts on this. Just got a fundraising call from DCCC and they want $, but when I said I would probably give to individual candidates this year instead, they said “oh, but your money goes further with DCCC because we support umpteem candidates, etc”
Is DCCC Rahm’s shop? (he’s my congresscritter)
We must be makin progress in Iraq- so many more people dyin- eventually we must win eh?
OT on the media — and rumors — and GW
I keep hearing that Laura is mad at George and goes to a hotel, one reason given - GW has fallen off the wagon. The latest from gossip Ted Casablanca
I’ve heard it several times, from several sources, one supposedly reporting about an incident at teh White House where he supposedly was drinking and called her a vile name, IN FRONT of reporters from the MSM!
Now, I don’t want to hear gossipy tidbits about the family life of the President of the USA that are not relevant to the President’s job of running the country or to national security.
But if GW is off the wagon, that is relevant — to the President’s job of running the country and to our national security. So, is this bogus or is the WH press corps covering for the prez?
Has anyone else been hearing these things around?
I’m always 100 comments behind. From the last thread: IANAL and just about any other net shorthand translated:
http://www.noslang.com/
Of course, I’b bet lucky Tiger users have a dashboard widget for same use.
——-
From Layton’s WaPo chat today:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....id=topnews
Cute.
dakine01 @ 47
As a native of the Bluegrass living away, I follow the happenings in KY through the Courier-Journal, Herald, and a couple of blogs. Mitch McConnell (Mr Chao) made his choice long ago and it was NOT his constitutients. He is so far in the tank to BushCo and Big Bidness in general it isn’t even close to being funny. And oh the irony with his wife as Department of Labor. Another fox guarding the hen house there.
Only a likely election loss would make a Republic choose anything over Bush and even then it’s not a sure thing.
mc @ 45
Yeppers. Please George, hold yerself together until We The People can come for both you and Shooter, in one swell foop, with The Law.
Catching up on the stories today and CHS’ “verdict is in” post and reading the NYT editorial, a thought occurs to me.
Abu G. went through tough training to prepare, and you could tell yesterday when he had a version of events or a talking point to hold onto, and when he was stonewalling.
But where he got trapped was in a pretty simple place, in the basic question of who made the list and how the decision was made. Here he was working with a relatively factual version of events that he had limited involvement, and he “signed off” on the decision and takes responsibility for it, and he should have done a more thorough review and a gentler firing process.
One thing no one in Abu’s training camp factored in was Sampson’s testimony that he didn’t make the list, he didn’t start the process, he didn’t come up with the (political) targets.
So that by going to the committee and saying he doesn’t know and didn’t have that much to do with it, combined with Sampson’s statement, it becomes obvious that the whole thing began (and ended) with Rove and Miers and Goodling and the White House.
Heckuva job, Abu.
Has anyone else been hearing these things around?
That was on the front page of the national enquirer a year ago.
twolf1 @ 50
Is it safe enough for a Bush family member to serve there yet?
Would reporters hide the fact that they’ve seen the supposedly off the wagon president drunk? That would be the scoop of a lifetime- a career making story… I don’t think so.
Chimpy on Fox - blah blah blah, al qaeda bombs markets in iraq - it’s what they do. goal is to defeat the security operation by conducting spectacular attacks. Everything bad that happens in iraq is al qaeda’s fault. 9/11 9/11. iraqi’s must not give in to Al Q if they want a peaceful society. since we put more troops in, weapon stockpile discoveries have increased 50%.
Al Kamen has some great thoughts at “In the Loop” about possible successors to Wolfowitz being bandied around, like Robert Zoellick, and tosses in a couple of new ones for fun:
Sounds like there’s something contagious going around the GOP.
Elliott @ 54
Some of that is the old Mayflower story from Wayne Madsen. However, it might explain his marriage comments in his “strange” speech yesterday. It would not be the first time there were marital problems in the WH.
grape_crush @ 32
yes, Christy’s exactly right
choose your constituents or George Bush, it can’t be both
rwcole @ 62
He’s so managed that they may not see him really drunk.
Fox just broke away from bush to pick up the ANS story. Apparently they are waiting for Bush to slam Reid for saying the war is not winnable.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 11
It’s started:
mc @ 45
But I think it’s a necessary evil (lesser evil?) here to have Georgie go into a full-on Captain Queeq-Colonel Jessup freak-out. It’s the only way that I see the Republicans getting enough political capital and face-saving cover to be able to break completely from the extortive influence of Bush and his Brain.
Reid’s “war is lost” comment is one of those nudges towards the edge, as is the steady drip-drip of the Oversight Committee’s and Judiciary Committees’ water torture. If Rover gets completely caught up in covering his backside, there will be no one keeping Bush on an even keel and propping him up, he’ll do a double-reverse Queeq with a full Jessep and the Republicans will run away screaming for help to stop the madness.
I just hope that pushing the red button on Iran is not part of that double-reverse Queeg.
powwow500 @ 52
Rahm used to run the D-triple-C; now Chris Van Hollen runs it. If you want other people deciding where to spend your money (people whose ideas about candidates may not align with your own) sure.
I come to chat with Howie’s guests here on Saturdays and decide whether to give my money directly to candidates through progressive powerhouse BlueAmerica. ymmv
My guess, by the way, is that Clusterfuck has NEVER quit drinking. Rove needed a way to separate him from a lot of Dallas stories about his drunken behavior- so the fact that he found Jesus and gave up the juice fit the story line to a tee. There was no need, of course, to actually give up drinking- just public drinking.
rwcole @ 62
That’s my first reaction, but the story is still buzzing –since last year according to rwcole
powwow — Building on what Teddy said at 72, Howie has been working on getting Van Hollen here for a chat as well at some point. When and if we get something firm, we’ll certainly let you all know. :)
Bustednuckles @ 59
Wayne Madsen features stuff like that sometimes as well.
and here’s to FDL for leading the way!
a little OT:
Chairman Waxman informs former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card that the Oversight Committee will meet on April 25 to consider a subpoena for Mr. Card’s testimony regarding the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s covert identity and White House security procedures unless Mr. Card agrees to appear before the Committee voluntarily
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1261
Blub @ 43
Right on! It’s exactly what I thought of. Yuck. And then I thought of those puppy eyes Nancy used to give Ronnie. And then I thought of how, at that time, I couldn’t bare to watch Him on TV, but then I thought oh man, it’s Way Worse Now!
I’m hiding inside from this LA rain and trying to get the fire going. Literally and metaphorically. Keep having to move from the ‘puter to get down on my knees and blow.
TiredFed @ 76
ANZAC day
Chairman Waxman? Never OT ’round here. Go Henry!
tw3k @
19
T’anx. :})
Andrew Card knew when it was time ta get out of the madhouse- I mean White House.
Froomkin’s up, too!
Mae @ 42
My impression is that Kyra Phillips of the Cheney News Network has been drinking the KoolAid for a long time now.
“CNN hit rock bottom on Wednesday morning, when anchor Kyra Phillips interviewed Ali’s doctor in Kuwait, Dr Imad al- Najada explained that, although Ali told reporters he was grateful for his treatment, he also hopes no other ‘children in the war will suffer like what he suffered’. Phillips seemed shocked by Ali’s apparent inability to understand we were only trying to help him. ‘Doctor, does he understand why this war took place? Has he talked about Operation Iraqi Freedom and the meaning. Does he understand it?’”
Chimp’s got three Craigslist wantads to get filled:
1. warczar
2. AG
3, WorldBanker.
Re #3, from LLate Nite:
Ed*ard Teller @
54
wait til Marcy sees this:
After receiving a second response from the State Department, Rep. Waxman writes to Secretary Rice announcing a one-week postponement of the Committee’s consideration of a subpoena and asking her to schedule a voluntary appearance before the Committee prior to the Memorial Day recess.
and the response from an underling at State:
http://oversight.house.gov/doc.....172645.pdf
boy is she gonna have a field day!
The other thing about my post above about how Abu’s “truthiness” points straight at the White House, is the way his failure to answer the most basic question (I think Sen. Kennedy got this line started) needs to be tied as strongly as possible to the fact that the investigation has to continue as the highest of priorities for the committee, the senate, and the press.
The republic spin was in clear evidence (on NPR and elsewhere) yesterday with a lot of comments and questions about how there was no smoking gun and now it’s up to the President and his faithful Abu, so isn’t this all over as far as the committee and congress are concerned? Uh, no.
It’s not over until the emails are turned over and there’s testimony under oath from White House officials. But no, no, no it’s not over, and it’s not just about Abu and what a utter bumbling mediocrity he is.
rwcole @ 72
I agree. The story was used to make Bush seem magically resolute in that he willed himself to stop drinking in a single day.
TiredFed @ 77
maybe Card’ll come over to the light side
rwcole @ 61
Two answers:
– The reporters in the White House gaggle completely ignored and continue to ignore a moonlighting whore that tossed softball questions at the POTUS immediately following the war;
– E! reported that Miss Pickles was living elsewhere.
Both symptoms of a larger problem, which I think Bill Moyers will cover in his newly reborn Bill Moyers’ Journal soon. (Take that, you folks who said you wouldn’t give to PBS any longer…)
Bustednuckles @ 60
Re Bush:
The gossip in Europe is that he can’t keep his pants zipped and she is sick of it.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 11
sorry it took so long ;)
Elliott @
55
I posted the bit from Casablanca a couple of times, including earlier today. He pointed out that she prolly isn’t going in and out the front door
I’m only passing familiar /Queeg. I hope he wasn’t relieved by second in command. That analogy would be very grave for the nation.
Wiki recaps:
Maybe Kucinich is correct. A VP under impeachment clouds would have trouble with that kind of maneuver. I’d hope.
egregious at 91 — Blergh. Now THAT is a mental image that I did not need today. *g*
there’s more:
Committee to Consider Four Subpoenas to Further Investigations
The Oversight Committee will hold a business meeting on Wednesday, April 25, at which four subpoenas for testimony and documents will be considered. The subpoenas under consideration are for:
The testimony of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regarding the fabricated claim that Iraq sought uranium from Niger and other issues;
The testimony of former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card regarding the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s covert identity and White House security procedures;
RNC documents related to possible violations of the Presidential Records Act and the Hatch Act by White House officials;
Contacts between the White House and MZM, a federal contractor implicated in bribery charges.
___
came in an email from Henry. head on over to his website http://oversight.house.gov/ and sign up folks.
Mae @
42
Oh, I’m glad you brought this up. She really has had too much Koolaid, hasn’t she? “There are pockets of progress!”
I think it was TPM that was reporting that Susan Collins won’t support the withdrawal bill, but will offer her own bill on the subject. She’s trying to cover her ass on this, which I suspect means that she’ll vote with the country next time around.
Neil Bush has banking experience (Silverado Savings and Loan). He could replace Wolfowitz.
I guess Renzi learned his lesson from Doolittle: Leader Boehner doesn’t want to read about your FBI raid in the paper!
This is an AP story — the WaPo appears not to have devoted pixels or ink to it.
Blank Kludge @ 94
it’s not like the VP is sane
Redshift at 98 — Funny how her own bill possibility cropped up after she started getting constituent pressure on this issue, isn’t it? ;-)
Thanks for this analysis - so the committee really does have to call Ms. Goodling, Mr. Rove and Ms. Miers, don’t they? Ms. Goodling might be a good start!
zhiv @ 59