First!?!

I loved that oped. As if Cheney is going to just go away. And then she uses that as an excuse to bash the Repug candidates. More power to her. She’s right about McCain.

Cheney gets pushed out. Thompson is nominated for VP. Bush retires. Thompson is now the incumbent…

Just a little Tuesday morning speculation…

Fred Thompson is just George W Bush with a trophy wife. Every soccer mom in the country is going to take one look and him, and then one look at the trophy wife, and say, “Um, no thanks.”

They think Thompson is Reagan reincarnated. They so want to go back to the good old Reagan years.

Unfortunately, MSNBC only gave Shuster Monday and Tuesday last week and had Michael Smerconish and his wing-nuttery the rest of the time. Given their idiotic track record, I asusme they’ll make the same mistake again this week. Only Smerconish can make Tuckery look sane.

OldCoastie @ 3

Cheney gets pushed out. Thompson is nominated for VP. Bush retires. Thompson is now the incumbent…

Just a little Tuesday morning speculation…

Assuming that Fred Thompson is nominated as Vice President, he would next have to be confirmed by a majority vote of both houses of Congress, according to Clause 2 of the 25th Amendment.

Tired of inaction? Corruption?

Sorry this is off topic but we have devised a plan to put pressure on the press. They think we are not out here seething. Well, we are. Please check out my homepage to see what we are planning

wow… only 22 Senators supporting the restoration of habeas?

that’s pretty sad…

OldCoastie @ 3

Cheney gets pushed out. Thompson is nominated for VP. Bush retires. Thompson is now the incumbent…

Just a little Tuesday morning speculation…

The only way Cheney is leaving office before 2009 is in a pine box. Ditto for George W Bush. There is no “early retirement” option for the Presidency of the United States. If either one of them leaves office for ANY reason, it will be seen as a glaring omission of failure. It isn’t going to happen.

Here are my thoughts on the genesis of the Angler series (re-written from an EPU’d post in a Late Night thread).

Steve Clemons wrote, in an unrelated Friday post about the speculation over closing Gitmo:

… this could be another important example of President Bush tacking towards the consensus neo-realist position of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, CIA Director Mike Hayden, and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten.

State Department Elders John Negroponte, R. Nicholas Burns, and John Bellinger have also played vital roles in this transition of policy away from pugnacious, anti-international Cheneyism.

http://www.thewashingtonnote.c…..002192.php

A lot of names in the Angler series match up with the group of people Clemons identifies here as ‘the neorealists’. Perhaps WaPo’s Angler series is the product of a full-on revolt against Cheney within the administration.

Clearly, a lot of those people have connections at The Post. If it is a revolt against Cheney, then it raises the question, is there an organizer of the revolt?

There doesn’t have to be one, but I’d guess that there is. And I’d also guess that it’s Josh Bolten.

Why? Two reasons:

1) Bolten, by dint of his Chief of Staff position has regular communications with most of the principals. Bolten’s the most centrally connected.

2) A repeated motif in the Angler stories is that Cheney views the VP position as a ’surrogate Chief of Staff’. Seems like Bolten would be the one to have the greatest complaints, and most to complain about, on that score.

In any case, the more I look at it, the more it looks like a power play on Bolten’s part, with a lot of support from Clemons’s “Neorealist” side of the administration.

•

Emptywheel comes to a similiar conclusion in a post she wrote yesterday at The Next Hurrah:

“One thing that becomes clear … is the centrality of Josh Bolten to many of the more damning accusations against Cheney. […] I think it is primarily an attempt by the COS and possibly Condi to bring Cheney under control, aided by former Administration lawyers they know to have soured on Cheney’s ways.”

From ‘Sources: Or, Tedious Kremlinology’
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.c…..urces.html

Marcy’s article lists all the sources for the first two Angler articles, summarizes their contributions, then analyzes all the anonymous quotes. I bring it up not to support my argument by an appeal to authority, but because I think a conclusion is more robust whenever different people reach the same conclusion through different analyses.

Also, I just wanted to give EW props for getting there first (as far as I know). Her post really is brilliant, and way more in-depth and better supported than my argument. Everyone should check it out.

•

Finally, if this is a revolt against Cheney, how do you all think it will turn out? I’m hoping for a Bolten / Neorealist win — mainly because I think if Cheney wins, we’ll bomb Iran. That’s what I suspect the stakes are here, why the Neorealists consented to be interviewed for the article, and why WaPo finally published it.

Iran isn’t mentioned much in the articles, so far it’s kind of conspicuous by it’s absence. So how can this be about Iran? Well, if you attack Cheney’s arguments for bombing Iran directly, you’ll lose. Cheney, as the articles show, has Bush’s ear and frames all debates to favor his own position. The way to win is by forcing Bush to question Cheney’s loyalty. That’s probably the reason for the details showing how Cheney undermined Bush’s preferred policies in multiple situations.

.

if the republicans were actualy not happy with cheney’s ME foreign policies – they would hardly be considering replacing him with someone who’s foreign policy adivsor is dick cheney’s closest ME foreign policy assistant – his daughter, liz cheney.

i have so OD’ed on political kabuki

News? The only news this week month is Paris Hilton getting out of jail!

I think Cheney is getting pushed out (and yes, by Bolten and Condi).

David Shuster, continuing to sub for the not-missed-at-all Tucker, made that point and then some on MSNBC. (Note to the network: Give Shuster his own show. He actually DOES the work — and it shows. More of this, please.)

I wrote to msnbc and suggested that very thing. Real journalism is like a breath of fresh air. Can’t stand Tucker and refuse to watch.

Sally Quinn (as quoted by CHS): “Everybody loves Fred. He has the healing qualities of Gerald Ford and the movie-star appeal of Ronald Reagan.”

And the appearance of a no-neck version of the AFLAC duck.

It can be hair-pulling-out frustrating to talk to people who don’t understand why we need Habeus Corpus reinstated.
From my article on the meeting Loo Hoo and I had with Darryl Issa’s Distric Deputy:
We started out with the issue of needing to reinstate Habeas Corpus. Oh, you have a problem with the Patriot Act he asked. You probably think we don’t need Guantanmo. Those people are terrorists! Terry pointed out that we don’t know that, we haven’t tried them yet. He rolled his eyes like we were idiots. Leaning forward, he posed, “Did 9/11 not happen!?” Oh yeah, we missed that one completely. We tried to point out that if you take away Habeas Corpus for those who you suspect are terrorists, you take it away from all of us. Too bad. He didn’t see a problem with that.
Needless to say, Aaaaargh. You can lead a horse (or his behind) to water, but you can’t…

Thompson will not be the Rethug candidate. His vulnerability is the health issue and there’s no way to finesse that one.

We live that issue. It’s the undodgable dragon.

Please support the Edwards campaign with your contribution now before the deadline. johnedwards.com

Spoke with Senator Casey’s office. He has not decided if he will support the bill because there are 22 amendments that have been proposed. They are waiting to see the final version of the bill.

Why are there 22 amendments to this bill and what are they?

Under those conditions—I understand why Democratic Senators have not yet lent their support. Am I wrong or does it appear that Republicans are better at manipulating parliamentary procedure than Democrats ever were?

demi @ 17

From my article on the meeting Loo Hoo and I had with Darryl Issa’s District Deputy:

[…]

Needless to say, Aaaaargh. You can lead a horse (or his behind) to water, but you can’t…

In the case of Darryl Issa, perhaps the Dorothy Parker revision of that quote is more appropriate: “You can lead a whore to culture, but you can’t make him think.”

Since Love is more powerful than Hate, maybe we should all be writing love letters, ala H. Miers and S. Quinn. Kill them with kindness. And also, when people are yelling the listener will only hear the noise and not the message.
How to love our enemies? It’s a tough one, but it may be an answer to help us take back our country.
Crazy stuff, but it’s still early in the day on the Left Coast and I’ve not gotten cynical today…yet. :)

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

JGabriel @ 20

In the case of Darryl Issa, perhaps the Dorothy Parker revision of that quote is more appropriate: “You can lead a whore to culture, but you can’t make him think.”

Especially when a flower has more thinking power

In my mind, this is just another bright shiney object for us to spend our time speculating about. Also it might be dress up for seemingly responding to anger at the Bush Administration and Cheney and this is their ‘fake’ actions to get rid of Cheney.

He and Rove run the shop. Maybe not always on the same page, but they pull the strings and nobody is really going anywhere.

They are putting window dressing on the next republican administration to cover up the bad of the current criminals. Nothing to see here, but pretend actions.

And personally, I know of some dems who are so out of touch, they would vote for Thompson and not Edwards, Obama, whomever, just because they watched him on T.V. For the repukes, it is the perfect screen play, only in real time with real people and real lives.

JGabriel @ 11

Here are my thoughts on the genesis of the Angler series (re-written from an EPU’d post in a Late Night thread).

Steve Clemons wrote, in an unrelated Friday post about the speculation over closing Gitmo:

… this could be another important example of President Bush tacking towards the consensus neo-realist position of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, CIA Director Mike Hayden, and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten.

State Department Elders John Negroponte, R. Nicholas Burns, and John Bellinger have also played vital roles in this transition of policy away from pugnacious, anti-international Cheneyism.

http://www.thewashingtonnote.c…..002192.php

A lot of names in the Angler series match up with the group of people Clemons identifies here as ‘the neorealists’. Perhaps WaPo’s Angler series is the product of a full-on revolt against Cheney within the administration.

Clearly, a lot of those people have connections at The Post. If it is a revolt against Cheney, then it raises the question, is there an organizer of the revolt?

There doesn’t have to be one, but I’d guess that there is. And I’d also guess that it’s Josh Bolten.

Why? Two reasons:

1) Bolten, by dint of his Chief of Staff position has regular communications with most of the principals. Bolten’s the most centrally connected.

2) A repeated motif in the Angler stories is that Cheney views the VP position as a ’surrogate Chief of Staff’. Seems like Bolten would be the one to have the greatest complaints, and most to complain about, on that score.

In any case, the more I look at it, the more it looks like a power play on Bolten’s part, with a lot of support from Clemons’s “Neorealist” side of the administration.

•

Emptywheel comes to a similiar conclusion in a post she wrote yesterday at The Next Hurrah:

“One thing that becomes clear … is the centrality of Josh Bolten to many of the more damning accusations against Cheney. […] I think it is primarily an attempt by the COS and possibly Condi to bring Cheney under control, aided by former Administration lawyers they know to have soured on Cheney’s ways.”

From ‘Sources: Or, Tedious Kremlinology’
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.c…..urces.html

Marcy’s article lists all the sources for the first two Angler articles, summarizes their contributions, then analyzes all the anonymous quotes. I bring it up not to support my argument by an appeal to authority, but because I think a conclusion is more robust whenever different people reach the same conclusion through different analyses.

Also, I just wanted to give EW props for getting there first (as far as I know). Her post really is brilliant, and way more in-depth and better supported than my argument. Everyone should check it out.

•

Finally, if this is a revolt against Cheney, how do you all think it will turn out? I’m hoping for a Bolten / Neorealist win — mainly because I think if Cheney wins, we’ll bomb Iran. That’s what I suspect the stakes are here, why the Neorealists consented to be interviewed for the article, and why WaPo finally published it.

Iran isn’t mentioned much in the articles, so far it’s kind of conspicuous by it’s absence. So how can this be about Iran? Well, if you attack Cheney’s arguments for bombing Iran directly, you’ll lose. Cheney, as the articles show, has Bush’s ear and frames all debates to favor his own position. The way to win is by forcing Bush to question Cheney’s loyalty. That’s probably the reason for the details showing how Cheney undermined Bush’s preferred policies in multiple situations.

.

Very cogent analysis, and of course I’m pretty sure EW is right about *everything*. *g*

But I suspect also there is a “second tier” pushing for Cheney’s ouster that includes Papa Bush, Jim Baker, Colin Powell, among a few others. It’s fair to assume they see Cheney (and Rumsfeld) as fucking up the Bush “legacy.”

A phrase from the Post series that sticks in my mind is how Cheney’s overreaching has actually resulted in diminished Presidential power. If that is at the heart of it, restoring that Presidential power would provide a compelling motive for Bolten and the neorealists.

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

How about Michael Douglas?

Actually, Catherine Zeta-Jones would make a wonderful 1st lady.

Grrrrr.

Frank Probst @ 4

Fred Thompson is just George W Bush with a trophy wife. Every soccer mom in the country is going to take one look and him, and then one look at the trophy wife, and say, “Um, no thanks.”

Agree. But how did this basset hound Thompson get so far by doing nothing? He’s so coy, he’s not even participating in the debates. Are we, as a nation, buying a pig in a poke again?

I do not get the attraction thing, eg. Sally & Chris Matthews about Thompson. He looks like some mongrel old dog with sagging jowls, as I see it, maybe with teeth missing. And, Just to be squeamish, a tad, I also do not enjoy the image of Sally’s proximity to Fred..O dear. Way more than a little dab; enough to make me gag.

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

He was born in Canada.

mc @ 26

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

How about Michael Douglas?

Actually, Catherine Zeta-Jones would make a wonderful 1st lady.

Grrrrr.

Or Viggo Mortenson. He was such a good king in Lord of the Rings. He could totally rule our country. He’s just who we need to bring our country together, like he brought the humans and elves together. And he’s tough on foreign policy too. Remember how he kicked ass against all those evil guys?

Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 29

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

He was born in Canada.

Wasn’t Leonard Nimoy *really* in charge of the Enterprise? Kind of a “shadow” captain.

Everybody loves Fred. He has the healing qualities of Gerald Ford and the movie-star appeal of Ronald Reagan. He is relatively moderate on social issues. He has a reputation as a peacemaker and a compromiser. And he has a good sense of humor.

I never felt healed by Gerald Ford. Quite the contrary, I felt robbed or wounded. And I’ve never seen a Ronald Reagan movie (a few PR stills perhaps, but not a single flicker).

Maybe THATS the real message here.

Well, someone’s keeping those Switchboards humming…I keep getting a busy tone. Thank God for redial. Got through to Conyer’s office and shared the love.

Every Senator who hasn’t signed on to the habeas restoration bill should be reminded that he/she took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. There’s no invasion, there’s no rebellion, there’s no excuse for not allowing these prisoners access to the court system.

That goes double for Senators who are lawyers. They’ve taken that oath twice.

Can someone re-share the list of members on the oversite subcommitee for HC?
Thankin’ ya.

Look at me, Freddy!

I would bury your lede anytime!

mc @ 25

Very cogent analysis, and of course I’m pretty sure EW is right about *everything*. *g*

She certainly pegged Armitage as Novak’s source *months* before anyone else got there.

mc @ 25

But I suspect also there is a “second tier” pushing for Cheney’s ouster that includes Papa Bush, Jim Baker, Colin Powell, among a few others. It’s fair to assume they see Cheney (and Rumsfeld) as fucking up the Bush “legacy.”

I agree. I suspect they probably encouraged and advised Bolten on this action. Plus, Baker, and maybe Powell and Scowcroft, served as sources for the Angler articles.

mc @ 25

A phrase from the Post series that sticks in my mind is how Cheney’s overreaching has actually resulted in diminished Presidential power. If that is at the heart of it, restoring that Presidential power would provide a compelling motive for Bolten and the neorealists.

Maybe, though I think the ‘neorealists’ knew that Cheney’s overreaches on executive power were never viable anyway. By that reasoning, there wouldn’t be any real diminishment of Presidential power from those court decisions, because the President never actually possessed those powers in the first place.

Although the phrase that keeps popping into my mind is the one about Cheney’s over-reliance on “man-sized Mosler safes”. It always makes me think, “So *that’s* where the bodies are hidden!”

cathy @ 5

They think Thompson is Reagan reincarnated. They so want to go back to the good old Reagan years.

This is so true and symptomatic of a party running on empty.

As for Sally Quinn, no one ever accused her of intelligence, rather the reverse. Her stature is derivative of Ben Bradlee’s which in turn comes from the Watergate-WaPo myth. The truth of the matter is that the paper stumbled into its Watergate coverage. Rather than taking a principled stand at the beginning, it just kind of happened. The movie is much better but like the myth is fiction.

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

He would make a great GOP president. His primary qualification is that he is totally without shame.

1.) Does anyone believe for a single moment that if Cheney is out that he’ll really be “out”? I think not. His tentacles are tangled up in everything to an extent that he can’t be removed. And I assume he has loyal acolytes.

2.) One of the missing senators re: habeas corpus is Amy Klobuchar (MN), who has been a great disappointment. I expected much from her. Many of us did. Bummer.

3.) The Minneapolis newspaper printed the first two WaPo installments NOT. I did a line-by-line comparison, which proved very interesting. They edited out much of the telling language and printed less than half of the original WaPo piece. All the news that’s print to fit.

4.) Good morning, everyone. Grrrrr!

@ 11..

Finally, if this is a revolt against Cheney, how do you all think it will turn out? I’m hoping for a Bolten / Neorealist win — mainly because I think if Cheney wins, we’ll bomb Iran. That’s what I suspect the stakes are here, why the Neorealists consented to be interviewed for the article, and why WaPo finally published it.

That was/is some of the speculation of why Pace
was fired. He was against the Iran war and
influenced the other Joint Chief to have the same position. With the new WaPo story, it would be that Cheney fired Pace for the above reason.

truth @ 34

Every Senator who hasn’t signed on to the habeas restoration bill should be reminded that he/she took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. There’s no invasion, there’s no rebellion, there’s no excuse for not allowing these prisoners access to the court system.
Thank you for the good words…I’m using them in my phone calls this morning!

That goes double for Senators who are lawyers. They’ve taken that oath twice.

Ahhhh…Sally Quinn.

“she was first patted on the bottom at a Washington cocktail party by a randy Sen. Strom Thurmond when she was 17.”

That’s from her “memoirs.” And that’s what inspired her to be a “journalist” in DeeCee. More Repub values!

I know we have to pass the time somehow, but how about we try some actual news reporting for a change?

CHS, this is Sally Quinn we’re talking about. Or as Atrios just posted “Sally Quinn, the permanent hostess of the floating Washington cocktail party…”

hope @ 19

Spoke with Senator Casey’s office. He has not decided if he will support the bill because there are 22 amendments that have been proposed. They are waiting to see the final version of the bill.

Why are there 22 amendments to this bill and what are they?

Just checked Thomas and didn’t see any amendments listed, only related bills in the House. I’d like to know what these amendments are as well.

It kind of strikes me that the Angler series points out how much more of a president Cheney is than Bush. Even though we don’t like his actions, those who love the policies probably like Cheney a whole lot better than Bush. Maybe it is really Cheney that is behind it, making a case that he might as well just become the president.

The way Cheney is described as presenting Bush with “choices” on any given subject makes it clear as to how the Plame outing took place. Here’s the problem, here’s how we’re going to deal with it…just like everything else.

Martin Sheen is the guy we gotta run against Fred! Lights! Camera! Action!!!

Whoops, my comment is stuck inside the quote..didn’t scroll down far enough…
I’m using those words about upholding the constitution in my phone calls.
List of Senators and Reps who aren’t yet voting For reinstatement?

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

I love it! I think that’s the perfect response any time Thompson is suggested as a candidate.

grayslady @ 45

hope @ 19

Spoke with Senator Casey’s office. He has not decided if he will support the bill because there are 22 amendments that have been proposed. They are waiting to see the final version of the bill.

Why are there 22 amendments to this bill and what are they?

Just checked Thomas and didn’t see any amendments listed, only related bills in the House. I’d like to know what these amendments are as well.

Speculating only here but it would not at all surprise me to hear that toothless Mitch is sitting on 22 potential amendments just to muck things up.

Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 29

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

He was born in Canada.

Hmmm, how about Avery Brooks (Sisko of Deep Space 9), then? *g*

AZ Matt @ 47

Martin Sheen is the guy we gotta run against Fred! Lights! Camera! Action!!!

LOL. It would end up like the last scenes in Apocalypse Now.

Cheney’s not going anywhere unless he’s impeached, and even then, maybe not. That’s the beauty of her piece: it takes place in fantasyland. I guess she hasn’t thought about actually removing Cheney from office as much as we have.

Why would he leave now? Because he’s unpopular? He’s never been popular!

LS @ 46

It kind of strikes me that the Angler series points out how much more of a president Cheney is than Bush. Even though we don’t like his actions, those who love the policies probably like Cheney a whole lot better than Bush. Maybe it is really Cheney that is behind it, making a case that he might as well just become the president.

The way Cheney is described as presenting Bush with “choices” on any given subject makes it clear as to how the Plame outing took place. Here’s the problem, here’s how we’re going to deal with it…just like everything else.

The “CEO” prez, he likey.

AZ Matt @ 47

Martin Sheen is the guy we gotta run against Fred! Lights! Camera! Action!!!

No, no. Leslie Nielsen!!

Barbara at 40, ditto on the disappointment with Amy Klobachar. I called her office not so long ago and asked the person answering if Amy was too busy with the cocktail circuit to even pay attention. The lady ‘huffed and puffed’ about Amy being sooooo busy. I responded by asking if she was ‘too’ busy to help restore Habeous or dealing with this war.

Wanted to know how many lobbyists were courting Senator Klobachar. O.K. I was not polite. I was angry. Since then I have a new phone number — maybe I can try again and get a different person and try to be nice this time. I will try — honest.

LS
Hard to know who is really in charge. Remember the arguments the other day that Bush actually points leaders to speak to Cheney, not him?
Oh, heck. Since we can’t tell who’s pulling the strings…let’s just focus on getting rid of Both Of Them.

Speaking of Cheney:

Rahm Emanuel’s bill to strip Crashcart of his funding is gaining support — and a similar Senate measure’s about to be introduced.

When you call your Congresscritter, tell ‘em to back these bills, too.

demi @ 57

LS
Hard to know who is really in charge. Remember the arguments the other day that Bush actually points leaders to speak to Cheney, not him?
Oh, heck. Since we can’t tell who’s pulling the strings…let’s just focus on getting rid of Both Of Them.

And Gonzo and Addington.

EPU’d from prior thread:

Christy Hardin Smith @ 86

demi at 85 — There definitely are advantages to faxing. Snail mail has to go through anthrax security, but faxes go through immediately. And knowing that you took the time to write something and send it carries some extra opinion weight.

Some forms of snail mail don’t have to go through security, i.e. postcards.

My Republican Senator and Rep have been getting a daily postcard from me, expressing my frustration that our troops are still in danger in Iraq. The Democratic Senator gets an “atta boy” email, and the occasional Thank-you card.

Morning Christy.

Thanks for the heads-up today. Contacted Rep. & Sens. re habeas before signing on here ;->

will now backtrack and read s’more…

Steve @ 41

That was/is some of the speculation of why Pace was fired. He was against the Iran war and influenced the other Joint Chief to have the same position. With the new WaPo story, it would be that Cheney fired Pace for the above reason.

Possibly. It fits in with the rest of the picture Gellman & Becker draw of Cheney.

But, DefSec Gates is reportedly against bombing Iran also. It doesn’t seem like he would be eager to push Pace out just to appease Cheney on that issue. If Cheney wanted Pace gone, Gates may have gone along entirely for his own reasons, like being displeased with Pace’s performance in Iraq or his recent political blunders.

GrandmaJ @ 56

O.K. I was not polite. I was angry. Since then I have a new phone number — maybe I can try again and get a different person and try to be nice this time. I will try — honest.

You go, GrandmaJ! And you know what? The time for ‘nice’ is over. We’ve tried that for far too long, even with our own. It’s butt-kicking time in the valley. Pass it on!

GrandmaJ @ 56

Barbara at 40, ditto on the disappointment with Amy Klobachar. I called her office not so long ago and asked the person answering if Amy was too busy with the cocktail circuit to even pay attention. The lady ‘huffed and puffed’ about Amy being sooooo busy. I responded by asking if she was ‘too’ busy to help restore Habeous or dealing with this war.

Wanted to know how many lobbyists were courting Senator Klobachar. O.K. I was not polite. I was angry. Since then I have a new phone number — maybe I can try again and get a different person and try to be nice this time. I will try — honest.

Don’t start right out accusing her of being on the cocktail circuit. Wait until her staffer actually disses you. That should help. :-)

Instead, politely point out that as a former prosecutor, Klobuchar should be particularly concerned about habeas corpus.

Silly Quinn wants to trash the place with Thompson? She must have had some bad weenies at her former-good-friend Darth’s party.

Hollywood Freddie is a real Bactine kind of guy. A “healer”.

If I hear that f*king word anymore I am going to snap.

Healing to these asswipes means that NO ONE EVER PAYS for their misdeeds.

-GSD

I just called Amy Klobuchar’s office here in Minneapolis. her spokesman didn’t have an answer for how she planned to vote on habeus corpus, he did take my message urging her to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill. The only thing twe can do is keep the pressure on.

I just tried all the numbers posted and all but the last number posted was busy. I asked to be connected with Menendez’s office and those were busy.

Off to find a local number. Lautenberg my other Senator is on the list of supporters.

Phoenix Woman @ 58

Speaking of Cheney:

Rahm Emanuel’s bill to strip Crashcart of his funding is gaining support — and a similar Senate measure’s about to be introduced.

When you call your Congresscritter, tell ‘em to back these bills, too.

whut a hoot!

never ever thot I’d be yellin’ “Go Emanuel!”

what is the world coming to?
its senses?
a tad late, but better than never…

Also, the “Democrats lost the war” meme is starting to get traction in the media these days.

The Rove Boiler Room must be coughing up some serious cash for those CSPAN callers.

-GSD

ifthethunderdontgetya @ 44

CHS, this is Sally Quinn we’re talking about. Or as Atrios just posted “Sally Quinn, the permanent hostess of the floating Washington cocktail party…”

Unfortunately for Sally, I was told by a friend of mine that dated Freddy for a while between marriages…well let’s just say all her shindigs wouldn’t be the only place she’d see a cocktail weenie.

Apparently Fred “Tommy” Thompson is quite a dud. That’s why it was a brief relationship I was told.

This is interesting. From today’s WaPo installment:

Current and former White House officials say that the vice president has largely steered clear of hot-button issues such as stem cell research and Bush’s “faith-based” initiative to funnel more federal money to religious groups. He is also savvy enough, they say, to retreat when the president expresses strong personal views.

Cheney sided with conservatives who wanted to urge the Supreme Court to reverse a landmark ruling that permitted affirmative action. But, former officials said, he did not press the case when the president, who as governor of Texas had run a state university system, made it clear that he intended to take a more limited and nuanced legal position.

AZ Matt @ 47

Martin Sheen is the guy we gotta run against Fred! Lights! Camera! Action!!!

Sheen looks presidential and he played one on Teevee AND there’d be the bonus brains; although actual intelligence is not requisite for a candidate, Sheen actually knows something about, and has ideas on “the issues”

Barbara/#63 – I just need to quit the snark and snippy quips, but express my anger over what is happening to our Country. We sent Klobachar to the Senate to help fix things and she has disappeared it seems to me. Has she been back in the state having meetings (I mean with actual people, not politcos)?

I haven’t heard her name in the local news or anything? But honestly, the news shows on T.V. are ‘filling but not satisfying.’ So I don’t watch much anymore. I do my ‘reading and learning’ somewhere else. :-)

GrandmaJ at 56

You just make my day!

I hope you are doing well.

Sounds as if the feisty gear’s in fine shape.
U GO GRRRLLL! ;->

demi @ 57

LS
Hard to know who is really in charge. Remember the arguments the other day that Bush actually points leaders to speak to Cheney, not him?
Oh, heck. Since we can’t tell who’s pulling the strings…let’s just focus on getting rid of Both Of Them.

PELOSI 2007!

I wonder what hubby Ben Bradlee thinks of his wife Sally fawning over the former Manhattan DA Arthur Branch.

LS @ 46

It kind of strikes me that the Angler series points out how much more of a president Cheney is than Bush. Even though we don’t like his actions, those who love the policies probably like Cheney a whole lot better than Bush.

That conclusion doesn’t quite fit with the polls. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be Bush with the 14% JAR, and Cheney at 28%?

bonkers at 71 — You just made me spew my coffee. *g*

GeorgeSimian @ 53

Cheney’s not going anywhere unless he’s impeached, and even then, maybe not. That’s the beauty of her piece: it takes place in fantasyland. I guess she hasn’t thought about actually removing Cheney from office as much as we have.

Why would he leave now? Because he’s unpopular? He’s never been popular!

Umm, I’m sorry, he can’t be impeached. Haven’t you heard? The VP is not part of the Executive Branch.

(I can see it now. Cheney draws a chalk line down the middle of his office and skips from side to side of it while saying, “Look, now I’m in the Legislative branch, oops, now I’m part of the Executive branch, Legislative, Executive, Legislative, Executive, nyah, nyah ,nyah!”)

The thing that stikes me about the WashPost series is that Cheney was constructing Bush’s bubble from the very get go. He has managed to prevent anybody from one on one access to bush without his approval. Nobody talked to Bush without his approval or his presence. His heavy handed presence managed to kill every effort to inject reality into the decision making process through intimidation. Just think about him staring at Bush from behind the bushes at that presser.

Phoenix Woman – Agreed. I won’t accuse, just ask if she is helping bring back Habeous.

Biodun @ 72 — learn from our adversaries we must.

Pick our battles wisely….

bonkers @ 71

ifthethunderdontgetya @ 44

CHS, this is Sally Quinn we’re talking about. Or as Atrios just posted “Sally Quinn, the permanent hostess of the floating Washington cocktail party…”

Unfortunately for Sally, I was told by a friend of mine that dated Freddy for a while between marriages…well let’s just say all her shindigs wouldn’t be the only place she’d see a cocktail weenie.

Apparently Fred “Tommy” Thompson is quite a dud. That’s why it was a brief relationship I was told.

Now where’d I leave the bottle of brain bleach?

mc @ 80

GeorgeSimian @ 53

(I can see it now. Cheney draws a chalk line down the middle of his office and skips from side to side of it while saying, “Look, now I’m in the Legislative branch, oops, now I’m part of the Executive branch, Legislative, Executive, Legislative, Executive, nyah, nyah ,nyah!”)

Think Les Nessman. *g*

Here’s what I thought were the funniest bits from today’s Cheney piece http://blog.washingtonpost.com…..ndex.html:

A nautically illiterate meditation on our ship of state, with Bush in the crow’s nest and Cheney steering without windows: “My impression is that the president thinks that the Reagan style of leadership is best — guiding the ship of state from high up on the mast,” said former White House lawyer Bradford A. Berenson. “It seems to me that the vice president is more willing to get down in the wheelhouse below the decks.”

And these two self-abasing losers:

“He never, ever has said to me, ‘Do this.’ Never. Which is interesting, because that might be the perception of how he operates,” Portman said. “But it is ‘What do you think of this?’ Well, he’s the vice president of the United States — and obviously I’m interested in his point of view.”

Lazear, who is otherwise known as a fierce advocate for his views, said that he may argue a point with Cheney “for 10 minutes or so” but that in the end he is always convinced. “I can’t think of a time when I have thought I was right and the vice president was wrong.”

For more excellent analysis coming out of the WaPo Cheney series, Anonymous Liberal’s piece, “Legislation Procured Through Deceit” is a must read.

Isn’t it Double-Dialing Tuesday?

GrandmaJ @ 82

Phoenix Woman – Agreed. I won’t accuse, just ask if she is helping bring back Habeous.

Ah, see? You are nice!

Christy Hardin Smith @ 79

bonkers at 71 — You just made me spew my coffee. *g*

If any equipment was harmed, please send me a bill ;)

JGabriel @ 78

LS @ 46

It kind of strikes me that the Angler series points out how much more of a president Cheney is than Bush. Even though we don’t like his actions, those who love the policies probably like Cheney a whole lot better than Bush.

That conclusion doesn’t quite fit with the polls. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be Bush with the 14% JAR, and Cheney at 28%?

I’m talking about those who pull the actual election strings…and Diebold. The Neocons will do anything to remain in power. They will not go easily if at all, and they don’t care about what polls say or what any citizen thinks. They care about power and oil.

Does anyone else think it’s interesting that the gop.com site’s blog page regarding the Vice President is blank? Absolutely blank. My head is tired of me shaking it back and forth, and my jaw would like a day spent not dropping.

brendan @ 86

“He never, ever has said to me, ‘Do this.’ Never. Which is interesting, because that might be the perception of how he operates,” Portman said. “But it is ‘What do you think of this?’ Well, he’s the vice president of the United States — and obviously I’m interested in his point of view.”

Maybe that’s why Portman needed to leave and “spend more time with his family.” He was spending too much time talking to reporters perhaps…(wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

Mendendez’s office told me he’s not a cosponsor yet, and the aide was in a meeting to double check exactly where he stands on this. The gentleman did go on to say that Menendez is a co sponsor of S 576, Chris Dodd’s Restoration of the Constitution Act.

I encourage the senator to sign on as a cosponsor.

mc @ 80

GeorgeSimian @ 53

Cheney’s not going anywhere unless he’s impeached, and even then, maybe not. That’s the beauty of her piece: it takes place in fantasyland. I guess she hasn’t thought about actually removing Cheney from office as much as we have.

Why would he leave now? Because he’s unpopular? He’s never been popular!

Umm, I’m sorry, he can’t be impeached. Haven’t you heard? The VP is not part of the Executive Branch.

(I can see it now. Cheney draws a chalk line down the middle of his office and skips from side to side of it while saying, “Look, now I’m in the Legislative branch, oops, now I’m part of the Executive branch, Legislative, Executive, Legislative, Executive, nyah, nyah ,nyah!”)

That’s true. And couldn’t he just walk into the Senate and fillibuster?

I was very disappointed that the WaPo profile on Cheney is going to leave out the connections with Halliburton, including the fact that he still owns stock in the company that routinely received no-bid contracts of billions of dollars in Iraq and elsewhere. It’s hard to believe that didn’t influence his decision to invade Iraq.

Redshift @ 49

GeorgeSimian @ 22

I think William Shatner should run for President. He does a great job commanding the Enterprise. Clearly, he’s qualified.

I love it! I think that’s the perfect response any time Thompson is suggested as a candidate.

Better still, let’s think of someone who is eligible to run for President and let us hope that whoever runs possesses qualities (good character, political experience, etc.) in addition to a telegenic presence.

GSD @ 70

Also, the “Democrats lost the war” meme is starting to get traction in the media these days.

The Rove Boiler Room must be coughing up some serious cash for those CSPAN callers.

-GSD

They’ve been stoking that furnace for a few weeks now. By the way, shouldn’t Betrayus be rearing his ugly head any minute now?

Elliott @ 76

demi @ 57

LS
Hard to know who is really in charge. Remember the arguments the other day that Bush actually points leaders to speak to Cheney, not him?
Oh, heck. Since we can’t tell who’s pulling the strings…let’s just focus on getting rid of Both Of Them.

PELOSI 2007!

Now there would be some healing power. Yes.

Not very surprising tidbit. From today’s WaPo installment:

R. Glenn Hubbard, Bush’s former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, said of Cheney: “I’d have conversations with him that were at a level of detail that those with the president were not.”

As they say, “The devil is in the details.”

Marcy’s got a new wrinkle in the Sally Quinn/Fred Thompson love fest . . . Liz Cheney. Laura Rosen noted that Liz is a foreign policy advisor to Thompson, which got Marcy to thinking . . .

(Beware, O GOPers, when Marcy gets to thinking.)

If I’m right, then Quinn’s column is nothing more than set-up, the first in a series of columns claiming Dick Cheney was ousted, when all the while Dick retains a tight grip on power through his most trusted advisor, Liz Cheney.

bonkers @ 90

Christy Hardin Smith @ 79

bonkers at 71 — You just made me spew my coffee. *g*

If any equipment was harmed, please send me a bill ;)

After that post about Thompson, you might want to spend a few threads staying away from the word ‘equipment’.

In case you haven’t looked…Sally’s heart throb is all over Huffpo. I don’t get it. He doesn’t look any better.

LS @ 46

It kind of strikes me that the Angler series points out how much more of a president Cheney is than Bush…

Two things really struck me: the delegation of authority by Bush to Cheney, with the comment “Cheney has the portfolio for that” [national security], and Cheney’s apparently complete intimidation of everyone in the administration.

Ultimate power, based on nothing more than the fact that everyone is afraid to question Cheney’s ultimate power.

It’s really pretty mind boggling.

[still need to read parts 3 & 4]

demi @ 99

Elliott @ 76

PELOSI 2007!

Now there would be some healing power. Yes.

It’s what I wake up for each day ;)

GSD @ 70

Also, the “Democrats lost the war” meme is starting to get traction in the media these days.

The Rove Boiler Room must be coughing up some serious cash for those CSPAN callers.

-GSD

I agree, the wing-nuts will pull “Stabbed in the Back” out of vol. 1 of “Fascism for Dummies”. It will start out with “Dems loose the war” but will be refined by the base to “Hollywood, New York Liberals and Buchanan will push “neocons stabbed us in the back”. All dog whistle for a certain religious/ethnic group.

I updated above with a link to some emptywheel speculation about Cocktail Weenie Fred. (Bonkers, you are a genius.)

Peterr @ 101

Marcy’s got a new wrinkle in the Sally Quinn/Fred Thompson love fest . . . Liz Cheney. Laura Rosen noted that Liz is a foreign policy advisor to Thompson, which got Marcy to thinking . . .

(Beware, O GOPers, when Marcy gets to thinking.)

If I’m right, then Quinn’s column is nothing more than set-up, the first in a series of columns claiming Dick Cheney was ousted, when all the while Dick retains a tight grip on power through his most trusted advisor, Liz Cheney.

Yup. Choose an “actor” president (so the public believes everything is hunky dory) and a fake VP, and then Dick will continue to run the show from some bunker or from his house – with Kissinger’s blessing. He’s not planning on leaving, ever.

Other Pat @ 92

Does anyone else think it’s interesting that the gop.com site’s blog page regarding the Vice President is blank? Absolutely blank. My head is tired of me shaking it back and forth, and my jaw would like a day spent not dropping.

Umm, it’s coming up fine for me: http://www.gop.com/About/Bio.aspx?id=2

Did you try looking under ‘black hole’?

Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 97

Redshift @ 49

I love it! I think that’s the perfect response any time Thompson is suggested as a candidate.

Better still, let’s think of someone who is eligible to run for President and let us hope that whoever runs possesses qualities (good character, political experience, etc.) in addition to a telegenic presence.

Well, that would be Russ Feingold.

One of the things we need to look at in our Presidential candidates is how emotionally secure they are. If W didn’t need his parent’s approval so much, he wouldn’t be on this power trip of needing to prove to us what a man he is. It’s not so much what he’s doing as proving to us that he can! And what tragedies that has brought us! And Cheney’s been taking advantage of this all along. IMHO.

JGabriel @ 109

Other Pat @ 92

Does anyone else think it’s interesting that the gop.com site’s blog page regarding the Vice President is blank? Absolutely blank. My head is tired of me shaking it back and forth, and my jaw would like a day spent not dropping.

Umm, it’s coming up fine for me: http://www.gop.com/About/Bio.aspx?id=2

Did you try looking under ‘black hole’?

I blame Clinton.

The only way to get the Neocons out of the government is to hold them legally accountable for their crimes somehow. Tie them up all up in court forever if necessary. Rummy is still there!! They will make sure a puppet government is installed otherwise, and will run it from the sidelines. It has to be stopped.

Per Sally Quinn column:

And I’m sure the the vice president would also like to spend more time with his ever-expanding family.

I don’t know enough about Quinn’s writings. Is this a dig at the circumstances surrounding Cheney’s latest grandchild?

JGabriel @ 109

Other Pat @ 92

Does anyone else think it’s interesting that the gop.com site’s blog page regarding the Vice President is blank? Absolutely blank. My head is tired of me shaking it back and forth, and my jaw would like a day spent not dropping.

Actually, the spot on that site is in the Blogs’”Archive” listing. Scan down to “Vice President Cheney,” click on that and — voila! — nothing.
Umm, it’s coming up fine for me: http://www.gop.com/About/Bio.aspx?id=2

Did you try looking under ‘black hole’?

Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 97

Redshift @ 49

I love it! I think that’s the perfect response any time Thompson is suggested as a candidate.

Better still, let’s think of someone who is eligible to run for President and let us hope that whoever runs possesses qualities (good character, political experience, etc.) in addition to a telegenic presence.

But the point is not to suggest some actor who would be a better president than Thompson, the point is to mock Thompson by suggesting some actor who has the same qualifications he does (has played a “strong leader” on TV) but is obviously ridiculous. If there’s someone who’s “natural born” who fits the bill, great, otherwise I’m sticking with Shatner! *g*

bonkers @ 90

Christy Hardin Smith @ 79

bonkers at 71 — You just made me spew my coffee. *g*

If any equipment was harmed, please send me a bill ;)

Christy -

Perhaps someone needs to invent a biodegradable version of spewmante :) And if it is too early in the day for that, would I be brewing trouble if I suggested inventing a biodegradable version of coffee?

Even Dan Quayle, the original Mr. “Potatoe” head, weighs in. From WaPo:

In 1980, as Ford was being wooed to run for vice president, Cheney played a key role in re-imagining the job

‘If there is precedent for Dick Cheney’s role, according to former vice president Dan Quayle, it is the might-have-been second vice presidency of Gerald R. Ford.

Biodun @ 118

Even Dan Quayle, the original Mr. “Potatoe” head, weighs in. From WaPo:

In 1980, as Ford was being wooed to run for vice president, Cheney played a key role in re-imagining the job

‘If there is precedent for Dick Cheney’s role, according to former vice president Dan Quayle, it is the might-have-been second vice presidency of Gerald R. Ford.

To this day, I always think of Quayle when I write the word potato.

Other Pat @ 115

JGabriel @ 109

Actually, the spot on that site is in the Blogs’”Archive” listing. Scan down to “Vice President Cheney,” click on that and — voila! — nothing.
Umm, it’s coming up fine for me: http://www.gop.com/About/Bio.aspx?id=2

Did you try looking under ‘black hole’?

The blank page I mean is in the “Blog” category, under “Archives.” Click on “Vice President Cheney,” and you get — voila — nothing.

It’s fascinating watching the Thompson Brigade at work, isn’t it?

I guess this is how it’s supposed to happen (has been happening?) in Washington: the cocktail weenie circuit chooses, promotes, and then gets their particular people into office; effectively by-passing all those tawdry little details, us.

Well, not this time, we are on to you, Fred Thompson

Here is the Washington insider point of view.

“Clinton came in here and he trashed the place,” says Washington Post columnist David Brooder, “and it’s not his place. This is Cheney’s place.”

“Clinton’s behavior is unacceptable. If Cheney did this at the local Elks Club hall in some other community it would be a big cause for concern.” says Jeff Gannon

“This is a company town,” says retired senator Howard Bagman, once Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff. “The Cheney Branch of Government is the center around which our city revolves.”

“Cheney doesn’t do it very often,” says Scoobydoo Rafshoon, political clown, “The president himself has said it was wrong. Washingtonians can’t abide it that the rest of the country might think everyone here cheats and lies and shoots subordinates in the face.”

“This is a community in all kinds of ways, especially at cocktail hour” says ABC correspondent Cookie Roberts, “We think being a worthwhile Cheney servant posing as a journalist, matters.”

“This is our town,” says Sen. Joe Liarman of Connecticut, the first Loyal Bushie to forcefully condemn criticism of the president’s behavior. “We spend our lives getting earmarks, working with lobbyists to control the government. We were embarrassed about Bill Clinton, not Cheney or Bush.

Even Sally Quinn is confused, “Now it’s gone, now it’s sleaze and dirt. We all feel terribly let down. It’s very emotional. We want there to be standards. We’re used to standards. But still,when you think back to other presidents, who had a lot less class, such as Clinton, Bush is not so bad.”

Peterr @ 101

Marcy’s got a new wrinkle in the Sally Quinn/Fred Thompson love fest . . . Liz Cheney. Laura Rosen noted that Liz is a foreign policy advisor to Thompson, which got Marcy to thinking . . .

(Beware, O GOPers, when Marcy gets to thinking.)

If I’m right, then Quinn’s column is nothing more than set-up, the first in a series of columns claiming Dick Cheney was ousted, when all the while Dick retains a tight grip on power through his most trusted advisor, Liz Cheney.

Huh. Maybe I was onto something after all in last night’s Late, Late Thread (#169). If emptywheel is thinking that way, then that gives a lot of credence to the theory.

Plus, don’t forget Mary Matalin, who is a loyal Cheney-ite and F. Thompson adviser as well. As we know around here at least, Cocktail Weenie Fred is no stranger to the inner workings of DeeCee.

But the point is not to suggest some actor who would be a better president than Thompson, the point is to mock Thompson by suggesting some actor who has the same qualifications he does (has played a “strong leader” on TV) but is obviously ridiculous. If there’s someone who’s “natural born” who fits the bill, great, otherwise I’m sticking with Shatner! *g*
Maybe someone from a Soap Opera?

slightly off-topic, but considering the Supreme Court’s latest faith-based enablement decision, maybe we need a new clause in the Constitution that upholds the separation of Cult and State…

…much more OT, does anyone else see Thompson’s wife as a repulsively Machiavellian Electra? I know her name isn’t Lola,(Damn Yankees) but it could be. Put her in a red dress and all the old Wolfowitzes in the weenie-party circuit start howling.

Quite sincerely, Fred doesn’t worry me nearly as much as his power-hungry, openly-seductive, uber-Republican, woman-behind-the-man trophy wife.

One day in the future, that “trophy” may just prove too hot for old Fred to hold onto.

And when will he join Dole making commercials for Vi*gr*, maybe we could believe it this time.

~~~ModNote: Edited for content to clear filters.~~~

Frank33 @ 122

[znip]

Even Sally Quinn is confused, “Now it’s gone, now it’s sleaze and dirt. We all feel terribly let down. It’s very emotional. We want there to be standards. We’re used to standards. But still,when you think back to other presidents, who had a lot less class, such as Clinton, Bush is not so bad.”

can’t you just see her, a bit with the vapors and at times tearing up, reclining on the chaise out in the sun room?

This is interesting also, and will most certainly lead to a string of SCOTUS 5-4 rulings, a spate that we saw yesterday. From WaPo:

When it came to vetting potential nominees, the vice president steered the selection committee.

In May 2005, a small group of the president’s senior advisers gathered to weigh a historic choice: who should succeed an ailing William H. Rehnquist as chief justice of the United States.

The meeting wasn’t held at the White House or the Justice Department. And the highest-ranking official in the room wasn’t the attorney general, the White House chief of staff, the White House counsel or the president’s chief political adviser, although they were all there.

It was Vice President Cheney, and it was to an unpretentious room off the vice president’s quarters that potential candidates were summoned for interviews.

The handful of candidates who survived a grilling of more than two hours by the Cheney-led selection committee would go on to what one participant described as a much shorter and “far more relaxed” interview with the president. President Bush seemed more interested in personal matters than in case law. By contrast, Cheney pressed for information that would shed light on the candidates’ legal philosophies, demonstrating a sophisticated knowledge of doctrine and, without crossing the line by asking about specific cases, leaving a clear impression of the constitutional issue he considered paramount.

I heard a story on NPR recently pointing out that IF he runs, Thompson will say he’s basically an outside the Beltway candidate. But, then the story outlined his many ties to lobbying! No more liars get elected. Period.

OT..But the “Brown Shirts” have been busy…

http://rawstory.com/showarticl…..of_alabama

Rovian Justice in the Banana Republic of Alabama

And, apparently, it all would’ve worked perfectly but Dana Simpson, a Republican, had to open her mouth and blow the whistle. So now the Rovian mafioso-like intimidation begins:

The response to Simpson’s affidavit has been a series of brusque dismissive statements – all of them unsworn – from others who figured in the discussion and the federal prosecutor in the Siegelman case, who has now made a series of demonstrably false statements concerning the matter. She’s been smeared as “crazy” and as a “disgruntled contract bidder.” And something nastier: after her intention to speak became known, Simpson’s house was burned to the ground, and her car was driven off the road and totaled. Clearly, there are some very powerful people in Alabama who feel threatened. Her case starts to sound like a chapter out of John Grisham’s book The Pelican Brief.

slightly — but only slightly — O/T:

BREAKING:

team libby — with lawrence s. robbins
clearly in the first chair — filed their
reply brief last night, june 25. it is
only three pages long. and to my eye, it
is. . . well, anemic.

the full pdf is linked above, direct
from robbins’ law firm web-server. . .

occasionally, “brevity is the soul of wit. . .”

not this time.

his c.i.p.a. sections 6(a) and (c) v.
section 6(e) reply is particularly weak.

Elliott @ 126

Frank33 @ 122

[znip]

Even Sally Quinn is confused, “Now it’s gone, now it’s sleaze and dirt. We all feel terribly let down. It’s very emotional. We want there to be standards. We’re used to standards. But still,when you think back to other presidents, who had a lot less class, such as Clinton, Bush is not so bad.”

can’t you just see her, a bit with the vapors and at times tearing up, reclining on the chaise out in the sun room?

And the pearls! You can’t leave out clutching the pearls.

demi @ 111

One of the things we need to look at in our Presidential candidates is how emotionally secure they are. If W didn’t need his parent’s approval so much, he wouldn’t be on this power trip of needing to prove to us what a man he is. It’s not so much what he’s doing as proving to us that he can! And what tragedies that has brought us! And Cheney’s been taking advantage of this all along. IMHO.

In fact, should there be an actual psychological evaluation of all candidates?
Sorry about your privacy, guys and gal, but We The People DO need to know whether the person with the power to wipe out life on the planet actually is sane!

From WaPo:

First, Bush openly speculated about making his longtime friend and aide Alberto R. Gonzales the first Hispanic on the court. Conservatives, who saw the attorney general as insufficiently devoted to their cause on issues such as affirmative action and abortion mobilized against the former Texas judge, slipping intelligence on Gonzales’s background to Cheney’s office.

“In general, on Supreme Court judicial selection issues, conservatives would talk to Karl Rove but also would make sure to communicate expectations to the office of the vice president,” said Leonard A. Leo, a conservative leader who was involved in the nomination process.

dakine01 @ 6

Unfortunately, MSNBC only gave Shuster Monday and Tuesday last week and had Michael Smerconish and his wing-nuttery the rest of the time. Given their idiotic track record, I asusme they’ll make the same mistake again this week. Only Smerconish can make Tuckery look sane.

Just be thankful you don’t live in Philly. We have to deal with Smerconish’s crap every day.

Ben Bradlee–4:40 a.m. after seeing the early edition of today’s Washington Post:

(SITTING AT HIS BASEMENT REC ROOM WET BAR, NURSING A KAHLUA AND CREAM, HEAD HUNG LOW AS WE HEAR THE TINKLE OF MELTING ICE IN THE GLASS)

BRADLEE: Shef*ckedhim-shef*ckedhim-shef*ckedhim-shemotherf*cking-F*CKED-HIM-I-KNEW-IT! “Sob!”

:)

bonkers @ 123

Peterr @ 101

Marcy’s got a new wrinkle in the Sally Quinn/Fred Thompson love fest . . . Liz Cheney. Laura Rosen noted that Liz is a foreign policy advisor to Thompson, which got Marcy to thinking . . .

(Beware, O GOPers, when Marcy gets to thinking.)

Huh. Maybe I was onto something after all in last night’s Late, Late Thread (#169). If emptywheel is thinking that way, then that gives a lot of credence to the theory.

Plus, don’t forget Mary Matalin, who is a loyal Cheney-ite and F. Thompson adviser as well. As we know around here at least, Cocktail Weenie Fred is no stranger to the inner workings of DeeCee.

Liz Cheney being a foreign policy advisor is something of a joke.

Here is my item from my scandals list:

170. Nepotism Cheney-style. Although she had no background in Middle Eastern affairs, in the run up to the Iraq war in 2002, Elizabeth Cheney, Dick Cheney’s daughter, was named to the newly created position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (where she could keep an eye on things for her father at a critical juncture in the fabrication of the case for war). She left in 2003 to work on her father’s re-election campaign but returned after the election in 2005 as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and as such was the second ranking diplomat at State for the Middle East. She was Shaha Riza’s boss when she came to State. She also headed the Iran-Syrian Operations Group (ISOG) with a budget of $80 million. This was a kind of reprise at State of what Douglas Feith’s Office of Strategic Plans had been at the Pentagon. It was aimed at regime change in the two countries, especially Iran. She left State in 2006. She is married to Philip Perry, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security.

I think the political mole aspect much more likely.

JGabriel (#11):

sounds good to me. if it walks like a duck ……

Be sure to flood NBC with emails about David Schuster, too. I have sent a couple.

Sorry if someone’s already shared this…
Yesterday, Jonathan told you that the folks who benefit from the status quo are attacking John personally because they don’t want the country to hear his message.

And you know what happened when we called them out? The attacks started pouring in.

That same day, the Ann Coulter-wannabe Michelle Malkin blasted John on her blog. Fox News has been bashing him around the clock. And Coulter herself said, “if I’m going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.”

I guess if she were commenting here, she’s get Moderated. Elliot? Oh that your powers to edit were obiqutous (is that the right word?)

Sally Quinn’s fantasy of Bush’s “legacy”:

[Thompson] could be just the partner to bring out Bush’s better nature — or at least be a sensible voice of reason. I could easily imagine him telling the president, “For God’s sake, do not push that button!” — a command I have a hard time hearing Cheney give.

Not only that, Thompson would give the Republicans a platform for running for the presidency — and the president a way out of Iraq without looking like he’s backing down. Bush would be left in better shape on the war and be able to concentrate on AIDS and the environment in hopes of salvaging his legacy.

My bold. I know of two prominent individuals who have those precincts in their pockets.

Hugh @ 136

Liz Cheney being a foreign policy advisor is something of a joke.

Here is my item from my scandals list:

170. Nepotism Cheney-style. Although she had no background in Middle Eastern affairs, in the run up to the Iraq war in 2002, Elizabeth Cheney, Dick Cheney’s daughter, was named to the newly created position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (where she could keep an eye on things for her father at a critical juncture in the fabrication of the case for war). She left in 2003 to work on her father’s re-election campaign but returned after the election in 2005 as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and as such was the second ranking diplomat at State for the Middle East. She was Shaha Riza’s boss when she came to State. She also headed the Iran-Syrian Operations Group (ISOG) with a budget of $80 million. This was a kind of reprise at State of what Douglas Feith’s Office of Strategic Plans had been at the Pentagon. It was aimed at regime change in the two countries, especially Iran. She left State in 2006. She is married to Philip Perry, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security.

I think the political mole aspect much more likely.

So what you’re saying is that Liz Cheney’s State Department gig was her non-official cover.

;)

LS @ 108

Peterr @ 101

Marcy’s got a new wrinkle in the Sally Quinn/Fred Thompson love fest . . . Liz Cheney. Laura Rosen noted that Liz is a foreign policy advisor to Thompson, which got Marcy to thinking . . .

(Beware, O GOPers, when Marcy gets to thinking.)

Yup. Choose an “actor” president (so the public believes everything is hunky dory) and a fake VP, and then Dick will continue to run the show from some bunker or from his house – with Kissinger’s blessing. He’s not planning on leaving, ever.

You are right, he’s not planning on leaving, ever. That’s why impeachment is essential.

nolo @ 130

slightly — but only slightly — O/T:

BREAKING:

team libby — with lawrence s. robbins
clearly in the first chair — filed their
reply brief last night, june 25. it is
only three EIGHT pages
long. and to my eye, it
is. . . well, anemic.

the full pdf is linked above, direct
from robbins’ law firm web-server. . .

occasionally, “brevity is the soul of wit. . .”

not this time.

his c.i.p.a. sections 6(a) and (c) v.
section 6(e) reply is particularly weak.

my bad — the substance is eight
pages in length — just racin’ to
get the scoop out. . .

Solai @ 114

Per Sally Quinn column:

And I’m sure the the vice president would also like to spend more time with his ever-expanding family.

I don’t know enough about Quinn’s writings. Is this a dig at the circumstances surrounding Cheney’s latest grandchild?

Yes. After all, who else has been added to Darth Vader’s family lately? Given his position, we’d know if there was more.

It’s generall considered “shouting” when using all-caps in comments.
Thanks.

demi at 139 — I’m hoping that was a comment on the disgusting nature of the Coulter comment, and not on the fine job that our moderators do on keeping that sort of dreck out of our threads…just checking.

demi @ 139

Sorry if someone’s already shared this…
Yesterday, Jonathan told you that the folks who benefit from the status quo are attacking John personally because they don’t want the country to hear his message.

And you know what happened when we called them out? The attacks started pouring in.

That same day, the Ann Coulter-wannabe Michelle Malkin blasted John on her blog. Fox News has been bashing him around the clock. And Coulter herself said, “if I’m going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.”

I guess if she were commenting here, she’s get Moderated. Elliot? Oh that your powers to edit were obiqutous (is that the right word?)

you rang?

Today is Steven Griles sentancing day! Bye Steve!

Peterr @ 141

So what you’re saying is that Liz Cheney’s State Department gig was her non-official cover.

Yes, almost everyone in the Bush Administration is in a job they are not qualified for. This serves as their cover as they loot, mishandle, mismanage, and generally f*ck up the place.

Please ignore – I am correcting my email. Don’t know how to do it other than post a comment.

Fresh thread up and running for everyone.

From Rawstory:

Sounds to me like the Family Jewels is going to end up being the CIA’s revenge…isn’t Gates the one who wanted it released? There must be some major infighting going between Poppy Bush and Cheney or something like that.

“In Bob Woodward’s State of Denial, Kissinger says he met regularly with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to offer advice about the war in Iraq. “Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy,” Kissinger said.

Cheney, along with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, first came to prominence during the administration of President Ford. Rumsfeld had served in various posts under Nixon before being sent to Europe as the US ambassador to NATO in 1973, a period that included the Cyprus coup. When Ford became president on August 9, 1974, immediately preceding the second wave of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Rumsfeld returned to Washington to serve as his chief of staff, while Cheney became deputy assistant to the president.

Rumsfeld and Cheney gained increasing influence under Ford, reaching their apex of power in November 1975 with a shakeup that saw Rumsfeld installed as Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney as White House chief of staff, and George H.W. Bush replacing William Colby as CIA director.

Together, Rumsfeld and Cheney created a bubble not unlike the one that has enveloped President George W. Bush’s White House, surrounding Ford with a close knit group of advisors who worked to head off any possibility of openness about past misdeeds and to turn the administration sharply to the right.

The aid to Turkey referenced in Kissinger’s cryptic remark was precisely the subject of Congressional oversight on the Executive Branch in 1974-75. In a foreshadowing of how Iran Contra would play out a decade later, the White House violated both US and international law in providing arms and financing to the Turks for the Cyprus invasion.

The CIA, through various spokespeople, would not comment on how much additional information with regard to Kissinger, the attack on Cyprus, and the events leading up to the 1980 coup in Turkey with US support would be part of the declassified documents to come out this week. The only thing the agency would say is that “this was a different CIA at a different time,” and “people need to remember that.”

In Bob Woodward’s State of Denial, Kissinger says he met regularly with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to offer advice about the war in Iraq. “Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy,” Kissinger said.

Cheney, along with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, first came to prominence during the administration of President Ford. Rumsfeld had served in various posts under Nixon before being sent to Europe as the US ambassador to NATO in 1973, a period that included the Cyprus coup. When Ford became president on August 9, 1974, immediately preceding the second wave of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Rumsfeld returned to Washington to serve as his chief of staff, while Cheney became deputy assistant to the president.

Rumsfeld and Cheney gained increasing influence under Ford, reaching their apex of power in November 1975 with a shakeup that saw Rumsfeld installed as Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney as White House chief of staff, and George H.W. Bush replacing William Colby as CIA director.

Together, Rumsfeld and Cheney created a bubble not unlike the one that has enveloped President George W. Bush’s White House, surrounding Ford with a close knit group of advisors who worked to head off any possibility of openness about past misdeeds and to turn the administration sharply to the right.

The aid to Turkey referenced in Kissinger’s cryptic remark was precisely the subject of Congressional oversight on the Executive Branch in 1974-75. In a foreshadowing of how Iran Contra would play out a decade later, the White House violated both US and international law in providing arms and financing to the Turks for the Cyprus invasion.

The CIA, through various spokespeople, would not comment on how much additional information with regard to Kissinger, the attack on Cyprus, and the events leading up to the 1980 coup in Turkey with US support would be part of the declassified documents to come out this week. The only thing the agency would say is that “this was a different CIA at a different time,” and “people need to remember that.”

LS @ 152

From Rawstory:

LS I don’t know how you can keep up!

and see HK? he’s still back there.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 146

demi at 139 — I’m hoping that was a comment on the disgusting nature of the Coulter comment, and not on the fine job that our moderators do on keeping that sort of dreck out of our threads…just checking.

Oh, yes, to clarify (sorry) what great moderators. And, yes, the Disgusting nature of That Woman.

mc @ 110

Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 97

Better still, let’s think of someone who is eligible to run for President and let us hope that whoever runs possesses qualities (good character, political experience, etc.) in addition to a telegenic presence.

Well, that would be Russ Feingold.

i’ll second that emotion …..

What does anyone expect from the doyenne of the inside the beltway cocktail weenie circuit? Someone needs to burst her bubble in order for her to get a glimpse of the real world.

your first sentence is just wonderful and describes all manner of thompsonalia. thanks for the large laugh!

Sally Quinn and others are dreaming if they think they can conspire to get rid of their really bad apples, thus cleansing the republican party of its atrocities of the last eight years. The voters aren’t going to forget. Sally Quinn will have to find a really huge closet to put Iraq in if she wants the house to look clean for the elections. No new shiny republican candidate can be scrubbed clean of the trash pile left behind by George Bush, because they all in a big or small way were complicit. Dick Cheney is the worst apple, but he hangs at the very top of the tree, out of reach, where he has to drop down on his own or just rot on the vine through the end of the season naturally.

Biodun @ 77

I wonder what hubby Ben Bradlee thinks of his wife Sally fawning over the former Manhattan DA Arthur Branch.

Ben probably likes to watch.

If we need an actor to counter…my favorites are the Saturday Night Live guys from the 2000 election. I would choose either one of them over the lethargic Thompson. At least each had a sense of humor smarts.

More Stink about a lying Judicial nominee Kavanaugh lying during his confirmation hearings. More GOP integrity here. “I was not involved in….rules about detention…” Durbin is going to contact him.