zed?

Morning Zee. Nice zed you have there. *g*

Morning, Christy.

So many scandals -

How do they keep track of who is supposed to distract from whom?

I still wonder if this guy really thinks he did nothing wrong, or is just indignant because they put up with it for so long and are only now calling it wrong.

Christy says:

As with all the folks in the insular Bush sphere of malignance and ruin, in their minds the rules only apply to others outside their fetid little bubble.

Leona Helmsley anyone? Only the “little people pay taxes.” S2D2.

EPU’d from below but nice write-up/slap down in response to the b*mb thr*wer.

Thanks. I saw it in the window and couldnt resist.

Why do I suspect that no matter what, Wolfowitz will be in office come June 1 (maybe not June 2) in order to collect his $400,000 bonus? Because what is life in this neocon-globalized world without giving ‘the people’ the standard slap in the face!

Mornin’ Redd! First a righteous smackdown of LibertyLee, and now this. Ssssmokin!

So many crooks, so little time.. If the court of the boy-king can just make it until ‘08 they’ll be home free with a fat job in the private sector. But only to spend more time with the family, of course.

dakine01 @ 6

Christy says:

As with all the folks in the insular Bush sphere of malignance and ruin, in their minds the rules only apply to others outside their fetid little bubble.

Leona Helmsley anyone? Only the “little people pay taxes.” S2D2.

EPU’d from below but nice write-up/slap down in response to the b*mb thr*wer.

Hey, Leona got a bad deal. The IRS made an example out of her. What she did was really not so bad. Saying that “little people pay taxes” isn’t a crime. It’s the Bush mantra.

Leona was definitely ahead of her time..

Ooh, hadn’t seen the previous post til just now.

Christy. Wow. Chills.

Zee @ 4

So many scandals -

How do they keep track of who is supposed to distract from whom?

At this point, it’s kind of a team effort. Think of it like the car filled with clowns at the circus. After the tenth clown gets out, you kind of forget what the individual ones look and act like . . . you’re just boggled by the experience.

Darn, Christy, why can’t you be running this country?

From the San Fran Chronicle:

(snip)

If the matter comes down to some form of a no-confidence vote, European countries, as well as most countries in Asia and Latin America, are likely to line up against Wolfowitz.

African countries are known to be torn, with many of them favorable to Wolfowitz’s emphasis on increasing assistance in the sub-Saharan region, but others worry that his continued presence might discourage European countries from financing programs for Africa through the bank.

The only countries that bank officials say are lined up for Wolfowitz are the United States, Canada and Japan, about 28 percent of the total.

Apparently Wolfowitz forgot that the same standards he demands would also be asked of him.

Isn’t this the overreaching story of this whole administration? Rules are for other people.

lisadawn82 @ 17

Apparently Wolfowitz forgot that the same standards he demands would also be asked of him.

Isn’t this the overreaching story of this whole administration? Rules are for other people.

Just as George W. Bush swaggered around daddy’s White House screaming at people to “Work Harder!” and then promptly went on vacation after being installed by the Supreme Court.

What RadRobin said. These sociopaths are always looking for ways to secure finances for themselves.

Screw the World Bank for being stupid enough to let Wolfowitz come on board in the first place.

Did they think anything good would come from a Bush crony? Were they expecting ethical behavior?

Neo-cons can be fired?

Who’d-a-thunk it? Let’s make it a new trend.

OT - Waxman FDA hearing replay on CSPAN2…

It is hard to imagine Wolfowitz leaving the World Bank with his dignity intact, given that when he arrived it was in a tatters.
Bob Bennet! Don’t even get me started.

Good Morning Christy and firedogs -

who is paying Bennett ?

The more light that is shone on Bushco’s inability to take responsibility, the worse it will be for the rethug brand. So I say, keep digging your heels in Wolfie! It’s better for us.

OT:

Richard Wolfe of Newsweek was on Bill Press this am and the subject of Rove testifying before Judiciary (not the only committee with interest, of course) came up. Wolffe believes that Bush will go all the way to SCOTUS before letting Rover testify. He said that Bush has nothing to lose so why not fight? Besides further tarnishing the GOP, of course, as a crime family. The Dems need to press this quickly and get the legal ball rolling so I hope Leahy subpoenas Rover soon.

Did you see Conason’s article about the new Condi book-a most excellent smackdown of the arrogant and incompetent princess.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/c.....index.html

Here’s a teaser:

The arrogant perfectionist is inevitably beset by contradictions and liabilities. With the possible exception of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, she is probably the nation’s single most prominent beneficiary of affirmative action, but remains haughtily aloof from the black community and strikingly devoid of empathy for minorities who have not emulated her success. Those feelings were reflected in her decision to join the Republican Party during the Reagan era, supporting a conservatism undergirded by whites’ resentment and dedicated to abolishing the reforms that had made her career possible. It is hard to like a striver who wants to pull up the ladder behind her.

“Condi and W, joined at the fronatl lobes”-I love that line.

somebody explain something to me;

A good lawyer knows how to keep his mouth shut until the deal is concluded and inked, and then will present that “best face forward” publicly once the handshake is struck. I have that Bob Bennett press conference feeling for this week — and am wondering if it will be on Thursday, while AG Gonzales is providing a useful distraction with his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.

why does there have to be “negotiations”?

why can’t he be fired plain and simple, if they have contractual obligations then he can fired for cause

there’s NO way wolf wants a public trial exposing his depravity

and there’s NO way a litigated termination is going to cost less then a settlement

and there’s NO way they can regain their prestige UNLESS he’s fired for cause

so WHAT THE FUHK IS UP WITH THIS “NEGOTIANT”?

by the way, does “fuck” trigger the filter?

edit.

I see the word doesn’t trigger the filter

cool, I don’t have to be phonetical anymore on the rare occasion I want to use the word

A BOY CAN DREAM, CAN’T HE?(Of Plame and USA Purge)

1. June 1, 2007. Judge Reggie Walton takes judicial notice of the various WH obstruction of justice events; mimics John Sirica and gives Scooter Libby the maximum sentence, subject to reconsideration in 30 days if Scooter meaningfully cooperates with investigators.

2. July 1, 2007. Scooter does the math: (a) pardon is uncertain; (b) Rove let him be the fall guy before; (c) Rove’s clout is diminished by the Purge and RNC emails coming to light; and (d) Cheney is no prize. Scooter feeds Rove and Cheney to Fitz.

3. August 1, 2007. Rove tells Fitz that everything was Cheney’s and Bush’s fault, and that if he did anything wrong it was because they made him do it.

4. September 1, 2007. Rove pleads for pardon in face to face meeting in the Oval Office, swears to Bush that he will never reveal any WH secrets. Rove is wearing a wire.

5. October 1, 2007. Cheney announces he wants to spend more time with his family. Rove announces he wants to spend more time with his family. Bush pardons both. Bush favorability drops to mid-teens. Desperate Congressional Republicans join Democrats to override veto of Iraq funding bill with withdrawal deadlines.

6. November 1, 2007. Republican base of theocrats, oil magnates, betrayed fiscal conservatives, racists, and Angry White Talk Show Host Authoritarians splinters. Angel of God appears to Sen. Hatch, and says, “Orrin, this is a direct quote from Up Top: ‘You haven’t listened to a damn word I’ve said. Quit screwing around and tell Bush that if he doesn’t quit the Republican party is through.’”

7. November 15, 2007. President Pelosi announces that the United States repudiates the use of torture and pre-emptive war, and will recapture moral authority as a world leader by cooperating fully with any war crimes investigations launched from the Hague; wishes all Americans a happy Thanksgiving.

old gold @ 23

It is hard to imagine Wolfowitz leaving the World Bank with his dignity intact, given that when he arrived it was in a tatters.
Bob Bennet! Don’t even get me started.

He can go teach a course at Georgetown on the Iraq war…I hear that’s a gig you can get even if you’re the dumbest fucking guy on the planet.

Meanwhile, Laura and Condi arrange for a very important affair of the state:

Filed at 9:35 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush, known for his informality, is welcoming Queen Elizabeth II to the White House with an uncharacteristic display of high pomp.

”We did sort of have to convince him a little bit” to opt for the white-tie dinner, first lady Laura Bush said Monday of her and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s efforts to talk Bush into hosting the most formal dinner the White House can offer.

(snip)

re rules & applying them to themselves:
never occurs to them. Even when its obvious and pointed out time & time again. That the blindness of priviledge. They truly don’t see reality.

The Wolfowitz scandal is part of an unsettling trend. NOBODY goes away quietly when they’ve been exposed as incompetent or corrupt. NOBODY. The bar has been lowered significantly. Look at the people in our govt. who shouldn’t be there. There used to be honor, now you must spend months (years) trying to dislodge these crooks and often you’re not successful. It irks me that Chertoff is still there as well as Griffin in Ark., Gonzales, Jerry Lewis and on and on.

RadRobin @ 8

Why do I suspect that no matter what, Wolfowitz will be in office come June 1 (maybe not June 2) in order to collect his $400,000 bonus?

Probably because that’s the game plan, ‘Stall for the haul’…A tidy portion to his concubine for her discretion, of course.

;>)

perris at 26 — Because the World Bank board lives in the real world where the Bush Administration can make things very ugly for people who do things that run against the “loyal Bushie” current. And if they can negotiate Wolfowitz’ exit on mutually agreeable terms, they undercut the Bush Administration’s need for payback as well as spare the Bank a protracted dogfight with a man who would rather tear down the institution than admit he made an error. Need I go on?

I still wonder about Riza’s(?) security clearance.

Wolfowitz’ love of the comb scene in Michael Moore’s movie, combined with his propping up of his “girl friend’s” finances at the World Bank, bring this Hank williams tune to mind.

Comb your hair and paint and powder
You’ll act proud and I’ll act prouder
You sing loud and I’ll sing louder
Tonight were settin’ the woods on fire

I don’t care who thinks we’re silly
You be daffy and Ill be dilly
We’ll order up two bowls of chili
Settin’ the woods on fire

Christy Hardin Smith @ 34

perris at 26 — Because the World Bank board lives in the real world where the Bush Administration can make things very ugly for people who do things that run against the “loyal Bushie” current. And if they can negotiate Wolfowitz’ exit on mutually agreeable terms, they undercut the Bush Administration’s need for payback as well as spare the Bank a protracted dogfight with a man who would rather tear down the institution than admit he made an error. Need I go on?

also, the world bank is not a democratic institution… i don’t know the actual numbers anymore, but the usa controls a good chuck of the votes of the board of directors.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 34

perris at 26 — Because the World Bank board lives in the real world where the Bush Administration can make things very ugly for people who do things that run against the “loyal Bushie” current. And if they can negotiate Wolfowitz’ exit on mutually agreeable terms, they undercut the Bush Administration’s need for payback as well as spare the Bank a protracted dogfight with a man who would rather tear down the institution than admit he made an error. Need I go on?

No. That about covers it. Thanks.

Albert Fall @ 28, I’ll dream your dream!

Bennett is looking for a way out for Wolfie that preserves his dignity…maybe we should chip in and hire him for Shrub

Whistle-Blower on Student Aid Is Vindicated

The story of Mr. Oberg’s effort to stop this hemorrhage of taxpayers’ money opens a window, lawmakers say, onto how the Bush administration repeatedly resisted calls to improve oversight of the $85 billion student loan industry. The department failed to halt the payments to lenders who had exploited loopholes to inflate their eligibility for subsidies on the student loans they issued.NYT

Biodun @ 30

“We did sort of have to convince him a little bit” to opt for the white-tie dinner, first lady Laura Bush said Monday of her and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s efforts to talk Bush into hosting the most formal dinner the White House can offer.

Yeah, he probably wanted to have a barbeque and wear jeans and a work shirt. And Broder and his ilk had the gall to say that Clinton’s people “trashed the place!”

Off topic, but related…(in the sense of crony, and nogoGOnzo)

The McClatchy piece on KC USA office and Schlozman is running in the KC Star this AM.

I imagine there’s some peeved KC voters reading that today.
—–
Here’s how R incumbent Talent ended his openning statement in the fourth debate w/McCasskill a couple weeks before the election:
[caps in transcript original)

…]HERE ARE OTHER THINGS ABOUT MY OPPONENT’S RECORD THAT SUGGESTS SHE PART OF THE PROBLEM NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION IF SHE GETS ELECTED. SHE HAS THE LOWEST INCARCERATION RATE IN THE COUNTRY FOR CONFLICTED FELONS FOR URBAN PROSECUTORS. SHE HAD A PIECE OF PROPERTY SHE DIDN’T PAY PROPERTY ON FOR THREE YEARS. THE COUNTY HAD TO PUT IT UP FOR AUCTION. SHE HAD A METH SCANDAL IN JACKSON COUNTY. SHE CLEARLY VIOLATED A STANDARD OF ETHICS IN THE WAY SHE HANDLED IT. WE KNOW SHE HASN’T KEPT HER PROMISE TO SENIORS REGARDING NURSING HOMES. SHE HASN’T RELEASED HER TAXES. MY WIFE AND I HAVE RELEASED OURS. WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAVEN’T PAID IT ALL. WE’RE GOING TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM AND MAKE IT WORK FOR THE PEOPLE OF MISSOURI. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DEBATE.

I think this was one I streamed on the net. I recall thinking ‘Typical R slime job’…but now, I wonder if Schlozman was feeding oppo research to Talent.

edit: Savage in the Globe points out McCasskill has requested Schlozman testify for I think Leahy’s JudComm. under oath. I know it involves her state, so that’s to be expected, but I wonder if she is suspicious about the Sen election in particular.

OK @ 20

Screw the World Bank for being stupid enough to let Wolfowitz come on board in the first place.

Did they think anything good would come from a Bush crony? Were they expecting ethical behavior?

They didn’t have a lot of choice. The Bank president is traditionally appointed by the US, so they were going to get a crony of some sort. (That’s another tradition that may end up getting trashed as a result of the Bush Administration, from what I hear.)

the bright side of throwing Wolfowitz’s weasel arsh out: the World Bank will smell fresher.

the dark side of throwing Wolfowitz’s weasel arsh out: he will reappear somewhere else where he’s not so easily observed & scrutinized (lobby firm, defense contractor, etc.)

Redshift @ 44

(That’s another tradition that may end up getting trashed as a result of the Bush Administration, from what I hear.)

Some traditions are much better off trashed.

OfT - Waxman withdrawals here.

Anyone know who he’s got teed up next?

Sibel Edmonds would be good.

selise,

looks like the US usually can override almost any vote -

wiki

As major decisions require an 85% super-majority, the US can block any such major change

.

however - I do see there is a vacancy in 1 of 2 US Executive Directors -

Hmmm, Blank Kludge, interesting. So many ethics violations and so difficult to prove.

jayt @ 47

OfT - Waxman withdrawals here.

Anyone know who he’s got teed up next?

Sibel Edmonds would be good.

Patience. The fix will feel even better when he finally drags Condi in.

Solai @ 49

Hmmm, Blank Kludge, interesting. So many ethics violations and so difficult to prove.

Yes. I edited to mention she wants his testomony, and sworn.

OT - Queen Elizabeth 2 arriving at White House live on CNN

katherine graham cracker @ 40

Bennett is looking for a way out for Wolfie that preserves his dignity…maybe we should chip in and hire him for Shrub

In the very first place, how did someone who assured the Congress, prior to invasion, that Iraq oil reserves would completely fund the war, get elected to head the World Bank?

Sorry, I realize that, all things considered, it’s a stupid question but I like to ask it now and then for funsies.

katherine graham cracker @ 40

Bennett is looking for a way out for Wolfie that preserves his dignity…maybe we should chip in and hire him for Shrub

Constantly reminding George H.W. Bush that, unless the boy resigns, his dim son will be the Bush family legacy might convince him to find W a way out.

This diary at KOS has loads of interesting stuff re the USAs story; even down in the comments there is an extensive comment about the deaths in TX, timeline, and connections. Unbelievable.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/7/05210/66832

Blank Kludge -

did you see this ?

The I-Team has learned that since 2003…the criminal section within the Civil Rights Division has not hired a single black attorney to replace those who have left. Not one.

As a result, the current face of civil rights prosecutions looks like this: Out of fifty attorneys in the Criminal Section - only two are black. The same number the criminal section had in 1978 - even though the size of the staff has more than doubled

tpm muck

then the money spew -

The Justice Department responded to WJLA-TV’s story by saying that the Civil Rights Division as a whole is the most diverse office in the Department of Justice.

shorter DOJ - ’some of our best friends are…’

Redshift @ 42

Yeah, he probably wanted to have a barbeque and wear jeans and a work shirt. And Broder and his ilk had the gall to say that Clinton’s people “trashed the place!”

“Hey, Queenie, tell Phil to stop pinchin’ Condi’s rump…y’all wanna ‘nother PBR?…UURRRRP“

;>)

Re: “The Justice Department responded to WJLA-TV’s story by saying that the Civil Rights Division as a whole is the most diverse office in the Department of Justice.”

good grief. If true, what does that say about the rest of Justice?

Patience. The fix will feel even better when he finally drags Condi in.

Well - that subpoena was obviously defective in at least three ways:

a) it asks for her to speak at a time other than a Sunday morning,

b) it wasn’t signed by Tim Russert, and

c) there’s an implication there could be an oath involved.

And that, ya know, is *not* the way Condi rolls.

And adding Waxman’s subpoena to the loooong list of other important things she’s busy ignoring, well, that’s just cruel.

The committee of the World Bank sounds about as powerless to oust Wolfowitz as Congress is to oust anyone in this administration. The fact that they would consider a no-confidence vote sounds like he’ll stay if he doesn’t get what he wants, and they don’t want to give him what he wants. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets what he wants AND stays on…I’m sure you’re right about Bennett though, because you know how these legal things work better than anyone.

Robert Greenwald, whose film “Iraq for Sale” I was proud to have helped sponsor, will be testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday!

This makes me feel so good about how the progressive blogosphere really has influenced politics in a positive way, mainly by getting the truth out. If you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend it.

Mr. Greenwald is asking for suggestions about what clips of the film to present to Congress (5 minutes).

cbl @ 56

Blank Kludge -

did you see this ?

The I-Team has learned that since 2003…the criminal section within the Civil Rights Division has not hired a single black attorney to replace those who have left. Not one.

As a result, the current face of civil rights prosecutions looks like this: Out of fifty attorneys in the Criminal Section - only two are black. The same number the criminal section had in 1978 - even though the size of the staff has more than doubled

tpm muck

then the money spew -

The Justice Department responded to WJLA-TV’s story by saying that the Civil Rights Division as a whole is the most diverse office in the Department of Justice.

shorter DOJ - ’some of our best friends are…’

I do peek over there once in awhile. *g*

But, I’m kinda freelance free-form. (but I don’t have the ‘it’ that is EW, for instance) Special sections in googlenews. I think I get all the DOJ press releases about Gonnzo’s travels pushing his ‘initiatives’ and main DoJ hires.

Another one on the USA’s themselves. I will say the blogs are finding their way in. RAW and TPM are almost as frequently linked as MSM, and prolly more than WaPo on this stuff.

Good line about ‘best friends’…sums it up well.

jayt @ 59

Patience. The fix will feel even better when he finally drags Condi in.

Well - that subpoena was obviously defective in at least three ways:

a) it asks for her to speak at a time other than a Sunday morning,

b) it wasn’t signed by Tim Russert, and

c) there’s an implication there could be an oath involved.

And that, ya know, is *not* the way Condi rolls.

And adding Waxman’s subpoena to the loooong list of other important things she’s busy ignoring, well, that’s just cruel.

I love the smell of Condi snark in the morning!

OT - Chimpy flapping his gums on CNN

OT–

Some dirt from Marcus Marbry’s book on Condi:

“While Rice has succeeded in increasing her own personal power, she has failed to enhance America’s internationally.”

On the personal side, Mabry explores why Condi never married and had a family: He addresses the gay rumors but concludes no former girlfriend, if there is one, has ever come forward. Rice’s stepmother, Clara Bailey Rice, said, “She doesn’t care much for children. She’ll pick up little kids, but she’s through with them after that.” Rice’s friend and confidant Randy Bean says she doesn’t have time.

Bean also thinks Rice will next run a multinational corporation, unless President Bush - to whom she “can’t say no” - asks her to do something else.

twolf1 @ 64

OT - Chimpy flapping his gums on CNN

e-nun-ciating

If true, what does that say about the rest of Justice?

sorry Muzzy - should have included their criteria for diversity -

Harding Republicans, Supply-Siders, Rapturists, and hey, we even have some Free Tradists!

Biodun @ 65

OT–

Some dirt from Marcus Marbry’s book on Condi:

“While Rice has succeeded in increasing her own personal power, she has failed to enhance America’s internationally.”

On the personal side, Mabry explores why Condi never married and had a family: He addresses the gay rumors but concludes no former girlfriend, if there is one, has ever come forward. Rice’s stepmother, Clara Bailey Rice, said, “She doesn’t care much for children. She’ll pick up little kids, but she’s through with them after that.” Rice’s friend and confidant Randy Bean says she doesn’t have time.

Bean also thinks Rice will next run a multinational corporation, unless President Bush - to whom she “can’t say no” - asks her to do something else.

I saw that guy on CSPAN and he was talking in terms of this mystical “synergy” that supposedly exists between Condi and Bush. There’s something very icky, very Strom Thurmondish about all this. I’m sorry, but that’s just the first thing that comes to mind.

Backpack explodes in Vegas parking garage per msnbc.com

Biodun @ 65

OT–

Some dirt from Marcus Marbry’s book on Condi:

“‘While Rice has succeeded in increasing her own personal power, she has failed to enhance America’s internationally.’”

[snip]
“Bean also thinks Rice will next run a multinational corporation, unless President Bush - to whom she ‘can’t say no’ - asks her to do something else.”

I’m afraid to ask, but what is Bush going to do in 2009? Can’t he just retire and cut brush or something? Why push Bush to keep on trying to succeed somewhere? Hasn’t he done enough all ready?

Mutant Poodle @ 29

old gold @ 23

It is hard to imagine Wolfowitz leaving the World Bank with his dignity intact, given that when he arrived it was in a tatters.
Bob Bennet! Don’t even get me started.

He can go teach a course at Georgetown on the Iraq war…I hear that’s a gig you can get even if you’re the dumbest fucking guy on the planet.

The Feith You Say! (neat link from wonkette on university coincidences) Doug And George, BFF!

BTW, can anybody tell what’s wrong with this picture from qubetv? is it photoshopped or what?

cbl @ 48 - belated thanks.

solai at 69 — Oh great.

OT–

Meanwhile, Greenwald in Salon continues his anatomy of the Beltway political media’s reprehensible practices (definitely worth a read):

On Friday, the Associated Press — in the course of reporting that the Giuliani campaign complained to NBC News that Keith Olbermann was assigned to cover the GOP presidential debate — made certain statements which brightly reveal the current state of our political press. Think Progress has highlighted several misleading aspects of the AP story, and Joan Walsh today dissects several other glaring flaws with the story. I want to focus on what this episode so potently demonstrates about modern “journalism.”

(snip)

Solai @ 69

Backpack explodes in Vegas parking garage per msnbc.com

remember, Vegas offers a wide range of possible motives

Biodun quotes @ 30

President Bush, known for his informality, is welcoming Queen Elizabeth II to the White House with an uncharacteristic display of high pomp.

Will HM the Queen get to do donuts in the Rose Garden driving a monster truck? Fair is fair, after all.

Kevster @ 25

The more light that is shone on Bushco’s inability to take responsibility, the worse it will be for the rethug brand. So I say, keep digging your heels in Wolfie! It’s better for us.

OT:

Richard Wolfe of Newsweek was on Bill Press this am and the subject of Rove testifying before Judiciary (not the only committee with interest, of course) came up. Wolffe believes that Bush will go all the way to SCOTUS before letting Rover testify. He said that Bush has nothing to lose so why not fight? Besides further tarnishing the GOP, of course, as a crime family. The Dems need to press this quickly and get the legal ball rolling so I hope Leahy subpoenas Rover soon.

Did you see Conason’s article about the new Condi book-a most excellent smackdown of the arrogant and incompetent princess.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/c.....index.html

Here’s a teaser:

The arrogant perfectionist is inevitably beset by contradictions and liabilities. With the possible exception of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, she is probably the nation’s single most prominent beneficiary of affirmative action, but remains haughtily aloof from the black community and strikingly devoid of empathy for minorities who have not emulated her success. Those feelings were reflected in her decision to join the Republican Party during the Reagan era, supporting a conservatism undergirded by whites’ resentment and dedicated to abolishing the reforms that had made her career possible. It is hard to like a striver who wants to pull up the ladder behind her.

“Condi and W, joined at the fronatl lobes”-I love that line.

Condi and W = Big Love or maybe Jefferson Hemings? Sorry, Dubya, you’re no Thomas Jefferson. Nor any other great American leader. Clue: some of our greatest presidents were war presidents. And the worst… Dubya’s pushed into the dustbin of history. He can only hope for the obscure dustbin.

Great column by Frank Rich also on the disgrace that is Condi and the other BushCo war profiteers and their book deals/dreams of book deals. AKA buyoffs.

Alfred Kelgarries @ 71

BTW, can anybody tell what’s wrong with this picture from qubetv? is it photoshopped or what?

Yes, it is.

OT, but Bushie/war:

Is the white tie affair for the queen a thank you to England and Blair for the war? UK really made a mistake–didn’t exactly hitch their wagon to a star. Or, is it partners in crime? Any suggestions from FDLers…?

BTW someone really needs to tell Condi that subpoenas don’t have R.S.V.P.s

Blank Kludge

That MO Senate race — and lots of others lower down on the ticket — was a real slimy affair. I’m not at all surprised by the ties to the USA hiring/firing scandal.

And while we’re chatting, let me note for the record that after losing his Senate race, Jim Talent has become the Domestic Policy Task Force Chairman for Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Will Wolfie’s gf be next? Wolfie’s aide resigns

Fresh thread, up and running.

Milan River @ 79

BTW someone really needs to tell Condi that subpoenas don’t have R.S.V.P.s

I’m sure Waxman will be on it like stink on a skunk’s tail.

LoudounLib @ 81

Will Wolfie’s gf be next? Wolfie’s aide resigns

I would guess if you know your boss is going to leave, then you might as well go now. Christy is right on the money.

More from Greenwald:

What turns a “journalist” into an ideologue these days is excess criticism of the prevailing Beltway power structure and its most revered and important figures. That — and only that — is what distinguishes Olbermann from those considered to be “real journalists.” The function of modern “journalists” is to serve as spokespeople for the Beltway system, to defend it, to adhere strictly to its rules of conduct.

The only thing one can do to lose one’s status as a “journalist” is to cease acting in defense of that system and, instead, to criticize it too severely, too stridently, too disrespectfully. That is why Ashleigh Banfield was fired by NBC News for giving a speech highlighting how uncritically news organizations were covering the government and the war. That’s why Phil Donahue was fired by MSNBC despite healthy ratings. And it is why Keith Olbermann is singled out as something other than a “journalist.”

I remember reading that years ago the Queen was guest of honor at a barbecue-type dinner at the WH. This was in the 60s, if not earlier. What may put her off this time is Shrub, not the food. (ISTR that this was in Willie’s Time, by the late Charles Einstein. It’s about the US and baseball and integration and social changes. Worth reading, if you find a copy.)

Peterr @ 80

Blank Kludge

That MO Senate race — and lots of others lower down on the ticket — was a real slimy affair. I’m not at all surprised by the ties to the USA hiring/firing scandal.

And while we’re chatting, let me note for the record that after losing his Senate race, Jim Talent has become the Domestic Policy Task Force Chairman for Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Small world, aint’ it?

And for the record, I’d call it ‘possible ties’ to Schlozman.

Heck, CumminsIII from AR had to moonlight in MO because of MO/USA’s recusals. Then, Griffin gets the midntight creeper appt.

And let’s not forget that the last time a MO incumbent lost a Sen race, it was to a cadaver. That loser was Gonzo’s predecessor. Who then openned DoJ’s arms to Regent alums.

Mitt is Mormon. Utah/Morman mafia?

Too tangled a web…

The man is a cretin. A lowlife. I couldn’t care less if he was doing this on his dime, owned the company. He doesn’t. It is thievery. He got his squeeze a job with the US Government at the Pentagon, an agency he just left as a ranking official and as a foreign national, she had a security clearance.For tax free money working in the US. How do you get tax free income working for the Government? Supposedly the ONLY subordinate of Liz Cheney. What did Cheney do to deserve her position except call the VP “daddy?” There is so much bogus bullshit about this there aren’t enough investigators in the country let alone Congress or the World Bank. The Board of the Bank will carry the same stench as Wolfowicz and his trollop if they don’t cast this asshole adrift with NO SEVERENCE PAY!! If she was Isaac Newton she wouldn’t be worth what she is being paid with the exception of screwing Wolfowicz. Or who was doing who?

ruffian @ 31

re rules & applying them to themselves:
never occurs to them. Even when its obvious and pointed out time & time again. That the blindness of priviledge. They truly don’t see reality.

Nitpick alert: Privilege - it does not have a “d” in it. (I suspect a “priviledge” is a portajohn on the ledge of a building…*g*)

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread!

Bris at 89–I think the nation might be suffering from ‘add-a-d-itis’. Chimpy and wife often put a ‘d’ in the words business and important when I have to hear them speak.

Elliott @ 70

Biodun @ 65

OT–

Some dirt from Marcus Marbry’s book on Condi:

“‘While Rice has succeeded in increasing her own personal power, she has failed to enhance America’s internationally.’”

[snip]
“Bean also thinks Rice will next run a multinational corporation, unless President Bush - to whom she ‘can’t say no’ - asks her to do something else.”

I’m afraid to ask, but what is Bush going to do in 2009? Can’t he just retire and cut brush or something? Why push Bush to keep on trying to succeed somewhere? Hasn’t he done enough all ready?

In 2009 he should be standing trial at The Hague.

Excellent post, indeed!

The real scandal at the World Bank

Demanding that poor countries cut basic service subsidies in exchange for loans.

Demanding that poor countries drop all restrictions on imports.

Ignoring and going against its own reports on energy policies that fuel global warming.

and the list goes on for Wolfowitz, ex Deputy Secretary of Defense under Rumslfeld

Wolfowitz is screwed:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/23b067.....10621.html

From the looks of it, he faked out the WB ethics committee about what was done about setting Shaha up real pretty.

Wolfowitz relied on his bamboozling the committee as its endorsement of the employment benefits package.

The he told the WB Board that the ethics committee was all over this and gave him the green light.

His personal aide who he brought with him perpetrated this not-so-slight of hand. No, not the one who just resigned, the other one…

This is so almost-slick that I wonder if Wolfie didn’t have the least little bit to do with the Niger forgeries. When they were disparaging Plame and Wilson, they were only channeling and projecting their own deep knowlege of their own actions and behaviors.

At least this is proving to be a wonderful ‘teachable moment’ for all those third world debtor countries about the evils of corruption.

Is it REALLY that BAD?

http://OsiSpeaks.com or http://OsiSpeaks.org