Just a quick comment on this (probably dead) thread. IMO this isn’t a matter of being “unprepared”, Abu just didn’t care. In his mind(and mine also) why should he. Far from being “panicked”, he was sneeringly lying his ass off. That’s where the “omerta” comes in, he’s sure(as am I) that there’ll be few consequences. If there is the Neo-con family will take care of him and his. “Sloppy”, yeah probably but why not, these thugs have suffered no problems from anything they’ve done(yet). After seeing them commit breathtaking shit since day one, with no ill affects, I tend to think they’re right. That was the reason lil’ Abu sneered his way through those questions from those pesky peasants in Congress. He holds them in complete contempt. And since they’ve let this kind of mockery go on, and on, ad nausiam, I don’t think much better of them myself. Neither does most of the rest of America. We’ll see.

Last night Olberman had a great idea and implemented it:

big, loud graphic: “Crisis in the White House”

did anybody else notice? Part sarcasism, part truth.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 114

dratty — See my response on that above. A temproary fill is one thing, but a permanant seat cannot be achieved for a constitutional officer without advice and consent — which Brennan had to undergo, as I remember my court history (which, admittedly, I haven’t exactly been reading nonstop of late!), once Congress was in session.

Hi Christy, but a temporary fill is as good as a real one. I think the more interesting question is, Why would Gozo resign? The only reason I can think of is to avoid impeachment. The cost to him of being impeached would be that it would be a blot on his honor since he has no honor, is that there would be a real question as to whether he could then be pardoned. There are grounds to argue that you can not be pardoned if you are first impeached and convicted by the Senate, and then convicted in a court of the same charges for which you were impeached. No precedents here but some scholarship seems to say you get a pardon for what you were impeached for. Boy would I like to see him in the big house.

There are a number of Op Atty Gen that address recess appointments and what does and does not constitute a recess. According to 33 Op. Att’y Gen 20, 25 (1921) short adjournments “for 5 or even ten days” do not “constitute the recess intended by the Constitution. Also see 3 O.L.C. 311, 314 (1979).

I would feel much more comfortable given this administration’s proclivity for provocative behavior in the area of recess appointments, if Reid would keep the Senate in session during August even if it means just keeping enough Dems around to keep the body functioning.

Christy, this piece is exactly on target. Perhaps we can wake up in time to save ourselves from the impending nightmare of our values being snatched from us while we worried about how to buy more “stuff”. The Bush administration has been very clever in very many ways. Cheney’s secret administration, pulling the strings from behind the curtains comes to mind. The “volunteer” army, fueled by the newly swelled ranks of Americans impoverished by trickle down economics. The systematic replacement of competent middle managers at the DOJ, out of the sight of all of use until the dismissals came to light. When you put the pieces together, it is a compelling and chilling story.

I sense that an awakening is in progress. Maybe there is still time for impeachment to save us. I hope that people like Jon Stewart and Keith Olbermann and Christy can keep the pot boiling until we are ready to tackle the hard work ahead. Impeachment. Now. It’s the only thing that can save us.

I keep asking myself, “What if Bush and Co. isn’t incompetent and bumbling? What if this was all a planned event to distract us? What if they are really just PLAIN EVIL and deceptive?” We have made the assumption all along that deep down, they fundamentally believed in the same American values as the majority of Americans. What if we were wrong?

What if????

I never operated from the belief that a Bush, any Bush, had America’s best interests at heart.

I have detested the Bush family since Poppy was a congressman. Snivelling, whining, wimpy, opportunistic fucks.

And that’s the men.

The rationalization of keeping your powder dry keeps people from doing much of anything other than what they have been doing. The concentration camp guard justifies his remaining on the job because he doesn’t hit as hard as the other guys. Besides that’s not the kind of job one quits. Honor sometimes requires more guts than most of us have.

Suppose, for example, Bush and Cheney decide to bomb Iran, an action I believe puts our personnel in Iraq at risk of a total wipeout. Would our generals tell the administration to pound sand or would they order the attack? Past behavior is not hopeful. Most high ranking generals thought the Iraq invasion ill advised, but they went along anyhow. What would you do were you a general? What would I do? I know what I hope I’d do, but I’m not sure I would.

TiredFed @ 116, gracias.

The piecemill information we get is almost impossible for me to make whole. For instance, what is the actual story on the before, during, and after of the hospital story?

absolutely. I want the truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth. My reaction to Gonzo’s latest tidbit about the meeting with the gang of 8 just before going to the hospital was: wtf? is he really that dumb to tell us this now? I was astounded. Thank goodness he is really that dumb.