I’m sorry I cannot post more on the vanity of men and their desire to pay substantial amounts for prostitutes and the political operatives that may have targeted them…
But there is still too much stupidity in some drink-soaked former trotskyist popinjays to deal with. I’ll also have to address well-compensated concern trolls some other time.
In this morning’s pontificating from Mount Blowhard Hitchens states the following as a justification for invading Iraq — and you may have heard this one before:
A few years ago, we had armed forces that were quite able to remove a ramshackle yet horrific government in Kabul or Baghdad but were quite unprepared to tackle the much more agonizing and tenacious enemies — a Baathist/Al Quaeda alliance, or a Pakistani Pushtun/Bin Laden coalition — that had partly emerged under those ex-governments’ shadows.
Well, let’s just ignore the Pakistani Indian Elephant in the Room in that rant from the wrong end of the telescope (and it’s going splendidly there by the way isn’t it Hitch?) and focus on the older canard.
The "Baathist/Al Quaeda alliance" — because just yesterday this come out:
An exhaustive review of more than 600,000 Iraqi documents that were captured after the 2003 U.S. invasion has found no evidence that Saddam Hussein’s regime had any operational links with Osama bin Laden’s al Qaida terrorist network.
But it sure is lucrative to keep claiming that false ol’ chestnut isn’t it?
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Heil Stoopid!
The objective was not winning; the objective was war.
We won Afghanistan. We won Iraq. The Baathists were simply the next convenient logical choice.
This explains why George Bush was only talking about Saddam Hussein & Iraq from January 2001 to September 11th. Osama who again?
..”quite unprepared to tackle the much more agonizing and tenacious enemies — a Baathist/Al Quaeda alliance, or a Pakistani Pushtun/Bin Laden coalition “
I don’t think anyone could have forseen scotch causing halucinations.
And remember to salute when you see that flag lapel pin.
I haven’t been to the lake for a couple of days and I am wondering if this is brought up;
how many people think spitzers escapades were first discovered in an illegal tap and then they went forward with getting the warrant?
I believe they were first alerted from some “unusualy bank activity”
how the hell does the government get involved in a governors “unusual bank activity”, why are they even informed and how on earth could they get a warrant concerning that?
the warrant would have to be premised on national security and information otherwise would not be admittable…yet they are making it public
this is the type of information they have over our lawmakers
Ooops.
it’s a bitch to be Hitch
Perris, maybe now is the time to call Pelosi, Reed, and others to ask them what the Feds have on them to keep them from holding the White House accountable?
just goes to prove, “if you aren’t doing anything wrong you got nuthin ta worry about”! :)
I have been wondering just the same thing. When I first read about unusual activity I wondered how in the heck the powers that be would know. Did the bank report unusual activity? To whom? When? Is Homeland security tracking elected officials just to “protect” them?
They will never answer just like they will never hold Bush accountable for anything.
I was just reading this diary comparing the case with Seigelman’s.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/…..979/473954
Seems there is lots of talk about how this happened.
My guess would be that they are much more interested in “protecting” Democrats than Republicans.
it seems to me that the bank records of politicians are being scrutinized — in a rovian way.
makes you wonder how much “unusual activity” in other politician’s (among other useful persons) bank records may account for their peculiar support for BushCo policies.
FYI -
Guy from AP is on C-Span1 re. the drugs in drinking water story, for anyone who’s interested.
thanks, I had turned it and Shelby off earlier
That’s what Siegelman said!
From that McClatchy link in the post:
Tomorrow could be quite the day.
Elliott -
Didya just hear that idjit thug who called in? Talk about low brain cell function!
ok, this is very important, if there is a mod here or someone who gets messages to the book salon booker, we need
“The True Story of the Bilderberg group, I just heared the auther, daniel estulin on air america and the information he claims is stunning stuff
how many people think spitzers escapades were first discovered in an illegal tap and then they went forward with getting the warrant?
I believe they were first alerted from some “unusualy bank activity”
how the hell does the government get involved in a governors “unusual bank activity”, why are they even informed and how on earth could they get a warrant concerning that?
The NYT story says that the IRS does routine reviews of people with patterns of large cash transactions, that he showed up on those reports, and that the money ended up in offshore, shell corporations. This was suspicious enough to follow up on, and they determined the ultimate recipient was this escort service. THEN they tapped his cell, and set him up using a former escort from the service.
This hangs together reasonably well. What doesn’t make sense is the USAttorney making a federal case out of a John rap. I’ll be very surprised if the other Johns are prosecuted.
Or Vitter.
As far as I know Spitzer hasn’t been charged… …maybe he won’t be charged at all.
They got their “Dem Exposed” news story. Who is thinking about Telcom Immunity now?
Mission Accomplished.
Or
If you make a career of prosecuting Wall Street tycoons and high-price prostitution rings, you should avoid hiring high-priced prostitutes.
yup
Or, if you’re a pol you should avoid activities that will ruin your career.
Agreed
Protecting powerful and stupid hypocrites is not a compelling argument.
Are we to believe that most Americans, who still get their information from a corrupted and complicit MSM, will give a rat’s ass about the fact their was no linkage of Baathist and al Quaeda. Many of these people still think WMD’s were found and Iraq was responsible for 9/11. It’s not in the ruling elites interest to encourage critical thinking on the part of the general populace. Give them their bread and circus, a powerful gasoline and a shoe shine and they will believe whatever is expected of them.
Always true, but this one is all the more grating.
I just read this piece from the NYT linking the 3am ad with racism.
Using race by the Clinton,s seems so below the belt, Democrats should be above this tactic. Fight hard, show your strength’s but dont use race and fear to win.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03…..ref=slogin
Good Morning Attaturk and Firedogs,
breathlessly awaiting Mr Single Malt’s sterling reportage on the Wahabist/Sunni Alliance
Surely this Elliot Mess will prompt some wafflers on FISA (are there any?) to rethink the immunity issue. It looks like “harvesting” reaped rewards for the goopers but is dangerous to dems.
remember when it just seemed bizarre pelosi would not consider impeachment?
I remember wondering what they were holding over her head, and how reid caves every single time?
what the hell are they holding over their head and they need to get the frig out of office so someone else can do their job
Perhaps the U.S. should adopt the quaint practice utilized in the Ottoman Empire. Create an entire class of eunuchs.
707
Everyone has skeletons in their closet. The use of warrantless wiretaps is one way to insure domestic tranquility from your opposition party.
Another funny: Caller on WJ just called W Admin official a “used car salesman.”
That interpretation of the ad seems a real stretch to me. However, I do think Geraldine Ferraro should resign over her statement that Obama would not be where he is if except for race. I always liked her, but that’s one of the worst, and obviously most false, statements I’ve heard in this campaign.
as well as keeping your own party going your way
Was the caller referring to the gubmint guy defending letting Mexican truckers further into the country? Started watching that segment and quickly saw where it was headed….click. :-(
from last nite
marshen March 10th, 2008 at 10:04 pm 348
McCain, Lieberman, and Lindsay Graham are going on a taxpayer financed trip to Europe in the next few weeks to meet with various european leaders. I thought McCain was against wasteful spending by members of congress. It seems like more of a photo op, hey I look presidential type trip to me. The McCain campaign should be paying for this, not us.
WHY DO WE …have to pay for these multi millionaires to be wined and dined through the capitals of EUROPE….i hate these people
so, anyone thinking spitzer should be suing the telecoms right about now?
he needs to go on the attack
they have been using race since the beginning of the campaign.
which is why the law makers should no way, no how, allow telecom immunity
Yep. Another caller asked if he is an “appointee.” He’s getting it from left & right. A great segment if you like to watch car wrecks (figuratively speaking).
He needs to go into retirement. He’s an embarrassment to the D party.
believe they had a warrant in the Spitzer case
Patriot Act is proving to be the Swiss Army Knife of political cudgels -
it increased reporting/disclosure pressures and not just on librarians
further, if not the Act itself, it’s ripple effect included redefining “suspicious activity report” (SARs) and impunity/immunity for false or incorrect reporting.
about my post on the bilderberg group;
I smell book salon
IOKIYAR – Watch them squeal if either of our candidates were doing the same.
eCAHN – yeah, that’s one of the few (what do they call it – third rails?) about which their thug supporters get pretty riled up.
I agree with that ecahn, I think I was the first to say it
he also needs to sue those that released his private information or gave the government the ability to look at it
OK. I missed your prior comment on Spitzer’s resignation.
2 WORDS …..Jello Jay
I said it when the story first broke.
spitzer needs to resign and then for the good of the country and the party he needs to mount an all out attack on those that did this hit job
wasnt he the watchdog of Wall Street corruption?
WALL STREET HAILS SPITZERS FALL
It’s Schadenfreude time on Wall Street.
Eliot Spitzer, the New York governor who made his name taking on the titans of finance, apologized yesterday in vague terms following reports that he used the services of a prostitute in a case being investigated by federal prosecutors.
The news stunned traders on Wall Street, where Mr. Spitzer long has been viewed with fear and contempt. Some view the revelations as a huge hypocrisy for a man, who as New York’s attorney general, had aggressively pushed for ethics and fair play on Wall Street earlier this decade. People who clashed hardest with Mr. Spitzer are among those crowing the loudest.
“He actually believes he’s above the law,” said Ken Langone, a former New York Stock Exchange director who now heads a small investment-banking firm. In his role as prosecutor, Mr. Spitzer sued Mr. Langone for his role in doling out the large pay package of former New York Stock Exchange CEO Dick Grasso. “I have never had any doubt about his lack of character and integrity — and he’s proven me correct.”
where did you find that?!
He’s a bit of an oily tick, what?
Agree.
I also hope his wife kicks his ass out and files TODAY.
But, I also hope Spitzer fights this. He has nothing to lose and he owes it to the Democrats and to the nation. bmaz has a post up at emptywheel’s. This from this morning’s NYT’s is almost certainly a Bush head fake Revelations Began in Routine Tax Inquiry All the lawyers at emptywheel’s agree the sting just appears to stink to high heaven. Now whether Spitzer can prove that is another matter.
AFTER the US Attorney knew it was hookers, they continued to throw resources at a Democratic john which should have been reserved for the War on
TerrorError or organized crime:All these taxpayer resources to catch one Democratic john. My guess is they were incredibly disappointed the sex was with an adult woman and didn’t involve anything kinky. That’s probably why they let the surveillance go on so long. My guess is they have video tape of Spitzer and Kristin in the room.
Maybe the “Spitzer massacre” will unify Democrats around the Constitution in a way their oaths of office failed to do. This is what all that bipartisanship bought them.
Well, there’s a great deal of controversy about that. That is the public perception. The other side of the story is that Spitzer bullied financial firms into plea bargains, using every sleazy trick in the book, including threatening to reveal stuff about executives personal lives–one of the many ironies in ths episode. (Very few cases actaully went to court, and CNBC mentioned one yesterday that did, with a “not guilty” verdict.) looseheadprop asks how anyone can bully a corp with endless $$ to spend on legal fees and lawyers who are only to eager to collect. My response is that financial corps have reputations to maintain & I can envision Boards of Directors saying: Just make it go away.
So there you have both sides. Personally, I don’t like bullies. I heard the stories about his prosecutions and noted them. Then I saw him do the same thing when he became gov, and everything fell into place.
Wonder how many bottles of bubbly were sold to the Wall Street crowd yesterday?
AFAIK, Ken Langone is the GOP tool who runs Choicepoint. They basically sell Equifax’s data to whomever wants it.
Others may no more.
Langone and Grasso are big buddies and Spitzer went after Grasso for his pay at the NYSE.
hmmm, being so proficient at bullying those executives to take a deal because of their personal life leaves me with a though;
does “it take one to know one” come to mind?
that’s why he was good at it
i smell a GIANT turd…the crooks are rejoicing!!!!….forget the sex people!!!
Projection.
We have yet to find out what was going on with the investigation of this hooker operation. Feds don’t investigate hookers, even high priced ones.
So they must have had a financial angle. Perhaps some very large unusual transactions. But how did they find out about them? Were the owners of this operation caught in some IRS investigation?
This does not excuse what Spitz did. But it sure seems to confirm how rich and powerful people get off on getting away with whatever.
I don’t know about his prostitution busts. But there are some really nasty “slavery” type exploitive hooker operations that are completely beyond the pale. And then there are the upscale, intelligent girls who consider their prostitution a quid pro quo and they are no coerced at all. No trafficking in those operations. Basically I am saying that not all prostitution involves the same level of exploitation and some may involve none.
I suppose Spitz just wanted some sex he couldn’t get at home and sought what he thought was the most discreet way of getting it. It involved paying lots of money and perhaps he believed that his secrets were well protected because these were “smart” upscale hookers who must have had the same “need” for secrecy.
Regardless of how he was caught and what his needs were for sex, like Bill, it was completely boneheaded and irresponsible to even put himself in such a position.
I would bet that the wide net of telcom assisted spying is allowing the “feds” and those who have access to the data gathered to screw almost anyone they want to as most people have “something” they don’t want aired in public. People who ARE in public eye and work in government run the risk of exposure (and humiliation or sanction).
If you live in a fishbowl, you better have a clean tank to swim in.
This gotcha is a shot across the bow that almost anyone, even Mr. Clean and Upstanding can be taken down.
I wonder if we might seem some quiet departures from the stage in the coming months.
well lets open up everyboies dirty laundry and find out who is zoooming who
empty wheel has a new post up saying some pretty daming information about cheney is being leaked
right about the time spitzer is taking all of our time…this diversion stuff even works on our progressive blogs, they’re pretty good at it
anyway, go take a look at marcy’s piece, it’s very informative
its in the Wall Street Journal
ok, I’m gonna inoculate myself from this by revealing the following;
I’m zooming everyone that will zoom me back
there, I’m imune
thats what i say….SEX …always the big DIVERSION
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
good on ya
I think dirty laundry belongs in the closet, but in my dotage have come to enjoy seeing it aired in public. Sort of like a cat who nestles down into the smelliest parts. It’s not attractive, but there it is.
yea he shoulda gone to Dominican Repup…like all RUSHBO
HAHahahahahahahah
Maybe others know more. I always thought this Spitzer prosecution was pretty good. As I understood it, Mutual Funds, in violation of their own rules, gave big customers preferential treatment, wiki link.
Brian Lehrer will be on wnyc.org after the 10 o’clock news (about 5 or 6 minutes. His first segment will be about Spitzer, so if you want a NYC take, you can listen in online. Lehrer is a solid citizen, so it should be informative.
NEW YORK (CBS) ― If Gov. Eliot Spitzer opts to roll the dice and not resign, state Republican leadership may force him to go all-in and call for his impeachment from office, according to a state Assemblyman.
Sources told CBS 2 HD shortly after it was reported that the governor was linked to a prostitution ring that he would likely hand in his resignation, which could happen within the next 36 hours.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
mebee,thats why …short ride,and McSame are going to YURP!!! exotic foreign SEX hahahahahaha
ok the turd is smelling worse,and worse,as in set up
Folks, every one of you with a bank account should know that the bank is required by law to report various kinds of unusual activity. My bank includes the following in their customer privacy statement:
Your bank may phrase it differently, but they will tell you the same thing.
Even before there were any subpoenas and court-allowed wiretaps, Spitzer’s attempts to hide his payments got snared in the banking filters that look for possible fraud. When the bank reported it to the IRS to be checked out, they found shell companies and other mechanisms to conceal and camouflage other activities, which only heightened their interest in the case.
All this is part and parcel of ordinary banking and fraud investigations everywhere.
What happens after that — who gets charged, how did info get leaked, etc. — may have a lot of politics attached to it. But the basic facts of the case, and how it got started, appear to me to be good old fashioned forensic accountants doing their jobs properly.
In Hitchen’s case I’m not so sure the booze isn’t the real problem.
There is no cure for stupid.He’s tryin’ to over analyze something that’s obviously over his head to start with.Even when I was drinkin’ hard I wasn’t as stupid as he is.
Mutual funds & other financial corps have done many things that deserve prosecution. It’s how it was done that’s the problem.
I heard a wonderful putdown for neocons yesterday or today: “former commies.”
gee, hitchens, baathists? you mean the ones that wolfowitz purged from every job/livelihood they held in iraq?
those baathists? gee, why would they be mad?
aligned with al queda? al queda in iraq? you mean the group that didn’t exist before we took over their country? that al queda?
attaturk says–”or a Pakistani Pushtun/Bin Laden coalition — that had partly emerged under those ex-governments’ shadows.”
under OUR government’s shadow, too…….pakistan supported the taliban government, we supported/support pakistan with billions of dollars……..did then, do now. yeah, we didn’t have a clue about that ol’ bin laden/pakistan alliance.
he said we were unprepared to tackle it………. bush and the wrecking crew were just such innocents, babes in the woods about the whole thing, weren’t they?
and OT but a good thing—
a professor at hocking college here and his students are helping with this organization……..they collect cell phones and recycle them and get calling cards for soldiers…….last month the organization got 25,000 worth of calling cards for soldiers……..you can also donate money. you can print off a free mailing label to mail phones in…….marines sponsor it out of florida. noone is paid for doing anything in this organization, all the money goes to the soldiers’ calling cards.
http://www.helpthemcallhome.org
guess I don’t have to finish up the hat I was crafting from this pretty shiny tin foil.
I believe scalia’s father or grandfather was a documented fascist
and so are all his decisions
Oh, don’t let me stop you with that.
I’m sure it will come in handy in future situations — but I don’t think you need it right now.
;)
aint they a thing of beauty….freakin RADICALS
I’ve been away from news for the past few days, immersing myself in the politics of late 15th-century France, which on the whole was more civilized than ours. You invite an opponent over for dinner, and just poison him, or have a lackey stick a knife in him. Everyone one understood the game, and was prepared for the outcome. Also, it only directly affected those at the top. This government spying on our accounts and small transactions affects everyone.
I think Spitzer should brazen it out. Bush and company have set the example. Why should the thugs have all the fun? For Chrissake. It was just a high-priced romp. If he brazens this out, he makes the world safer for all politicians. Now, brazening out paying for little boys and girls is a different matter altogether, but this doesn’t seem to have been the case.
ohhhhhh thanks for the good laugh
yea fir fFUUUUUUKS sake
they can find 4300 bux,but not the missing 8,000,000,000,000.00 that went missing in EYERAK ….bullkakkkkky
1,783 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Attaturk and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
I wonder if what we aren’t seein’ these last few months is the exit strategy of the fascists to scorch the earth and take as many “good guys(and gals)” with ‘em as possible, further weaken institutions already shaken AND divert attention at the moment from other revelations that could threaten the safety of the criminals still at large.
I think it’s pretty clear that the reason there was no impeachment and that up ’til now there has been no serious effort to expose the criminality of the illegal surveillance and the run up to the war (and our own links to Al Qaeda) is the blackmail that the illegal activities enabled. I wonder if the Spitzer revelations and set-up isn’t one last warnin’ shot to Congress to keep the illegal wiretappin’outta court. If the House stands firm and doesn’t cave on telecom immunity, then I think the music stops on this hellish kabuki dance they’ve been doin on the grave of our Constitution for the last 7 years.
There is no doubt that there are more political assassination attempts comin’ before November but we ken pretty much begin the recovery process for our system if Congress holds firm on FISA.
I have thought for a long time that a “truth and reconciliation” process would be necessary in the next administration but now I’m convinced that treason and war crime prosecutions and RICO actions are all that can detoxify the system.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE FUCKIN’ AMMUNITION…NO MERCY AND NO PARDONS!!
the sins of they father are visited on the son
especially when the son is a fascist just as depraved
yet we make him a supreme court justice
Thank you. That makes sense.
Looks like he’s in all sorts of trouble and the sex may be the least of it.
“… maybe now is the time to call Pelosi, Reed, and others to ask them what the Feds have on them to keep them from holding the White House accountable?”
Amen. I have been trying for quite a while now to discover whether they are willing co-conspirators or coerced co-conspirators.
double double amen
Yes they do.
Have you called, written, and generally berated your Representative in Congress to communicate your unflinching opposition to telecom immunity?
My suspicion is a little of both. And with that add in a lot of fear and uncertainty. Who’s been co-opted? Why did they go over to the dark side? Did they do it for the money/power/sex? Or did they do it to hide something? Still, there are too many of them who are secretly on the dark side.
“…forget the sex people…”
:-) Forget them? I never knew them…
Hitchins is in a contest with Bill Kristol for biggest dumb ass about Iraq.
It makes you wonder which is worse the War on Drugs and all those drug dealers or the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex?
There are at least two (2) unobvious and interesting ways to see the Spitzer story.
1) Somebody was trying to blackmail everybody of importance who used the service in question and Spitzer simply said “No”, so they outted him.
2) You have to get the watchdog out of the yard before you start doing really crooked things in the open in New York — think Wall Street shenanigans. And his replacement is a blind man? Perfect!
. . . pass the (Hich-Up) Scotch , DAMN IT !