His legacy.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
Media Driven Shitstorm
Underscoring the vapid, juvenile, middle-school nature of the American body politic is the the media's reaction to what, yeah, isn't Barack Obama's finest hour, but hardly a terminal nose-dive, well, unless...the media goes into clampdown mode and obsessively locks its jaw around what they've decided is the shiny object du jour.
Because that's what this kerfluffle is all about--the media reaction. Funny enough, a good bit of this reaction has been orchestrated by Team Clinton, and readily consumed by a press corpse that normally has Hillary's name permanently etched on their shit list. But for whatever reason, possibly, incredibly, in yet another example of how childish the media really is, because of a fucking comedy sketch on a show that's been little more than a place marker for the last twenty years--they've decided to at least for now hold a sort of bizarre Hillary Saturnalia...it'll be interesting to see when things revert back to the mean, no pun intended.
Because they will revert back to the mean. The only question will be how seriously Obama is hurt by this Coalition/Tag-Team of Convenience. I'm sure they're hoping to knock him out, but, then again, he wasn't even supposed to be around at this point, much less ahead. The idea all along has been Clinton versus, well, Romney, but given that Romney lacks the requisite qualification of actually being human, and Ghouliani was, Ghouliani, so, by default, McCain, Republican versus Republican Lite; above all, a continuation of Bush-rule, which, for them, actually hasn't been all that bad. Sure, the rest of us are anxious if not actually suffering (all the better by their reckoning: anxious workers are docile workers), but they're doing pretty good with all the government contracts (too bad about the bloody war, but hey, the surge worked, right? And too bad about New Orleans, but hey, New Orleans had been abandoned by the federal government for years prior to the flood).
Obama, for all his reality (he's NO librul) throws a kink into the plan. And that can't be tolerated, even if--hell, PARTICULARLY IF--he inspired the otherwise politically apathetic.
It's sort of like how Hollywood works these days. Why risk making a good movie when you'll get plenty enough audience with the usual crap?
Underscoring the vapid, juvenile, middle-school nature of the American body politic is the the media's reaction to what, yeah, isn't Barack Obama's finest hour, but hardly a terminal nose-dive, well, unless...the media goes into clampdown mode and obsessively locks its jaw around what they've decided is the shiny object du jour.
Because that's what this kerfluffle is all about--the media reaction. Funny enough, a good bit of this reaction has been orchestrated by Team Clinton, and readily consumed by a press corpse that normally has Hillary's name permanently etched on their shit list. But for whatever reason, possibly, incredibly, in yet another example of how childish the media really is, because of a fucking comedy sketch on a show that's been little more than a place marker for the last twenty years--they've decided to at least for now hold a sort of bizarre Hillary Saturnalia...it'll be interesting to see when things revert back to the mean, no pun intended.
Because they will revert back to the mean. The only question will be how seriously Obama is hurt by this Coalition/Tag-Team of Convenience. I'm sure they're hoping to knock him out, but, then again, he wasn't even supposed to be around at this point, much less ahead. The idea all along has been Clinton versus, well, Romney, but given that Romney lacks the requisite qualification of actually being human, and Ghouliani was, Ghouliani, so, by default, McCain, Republican versus Republican Lite; above all, a continuation of Bush-rule, which, for them, actually hasn't been all that bad. Sure, the rest of us are anxious if not actually suffering (all the better by their reckoning: anxious workers are docile workers), but they're doing pretty good with all the government contracts (too bad about the bloody war, but hey, the surge worked, right? And too bad about New Orleans, but hey, New Orleans had been abandoned by the federal government for years prior to the flood).
Obama, for all his reality (he's NO librul) throws a kink into the plan. And that can't be tolerated, even if--hell, PARTICULARLY IF--he inspired the otherwise politically apathetic.
It's sort of like how Hollywood works these days. Why risk making a good movie when you'll get plenty enough audience with the usual crap?
Bicycle of Mass Destruction
So, I wonder what hysteria wingnuttia will demand, given that an item about as ubiquitous as it is primitive has been tentatively identified as a suspect vehicle in the Times Square recruitment station bombing?
And, while I'm guessing, I think the odds are reasonable that a person who uses a Ross bicycle to travel around New York City might not have a Blackberry/iPhone/GPS/PDA for monitoring per Shrub and Ollie North's mastubatory fantasies. Hence a bit of artistic license in adding the cutting-edge pay telephone to my picture.
So, what now? Will the wingnuts demand that Americans call the biggest bicycle race the Tour De Freedom? Maybe the Bush adminstration can demand that parents use their whopping $600 dollar government check for GPS tracking systems for their kids' Big Wheels and BMX's? Will tricycles be exempted? I'll bet Schwinn means "friend of Osama" in the original German...
Damned dirty Wright Brothers.
So, I wonder what hysteria wingnuttia will demand, given that an item about as ubiquitous as it is primitive has been tentatively identified as a suspect vehicle in the Times Square recruitment station bombing?
And, while I'm guessing, I think the odds are reasonable that a person who uses a Ross bicycle to travel around New York City might not have a Blackberry/iPhone/GPS/PDA for monitoring per Shrub and Ollie North's mastubatory fantasies. Hence a bit of artistic license in adding the cutting-edge pay telephone to my picture.
So, what now? Will the wingnuts demand that Americans call the biggest bicycle race the Tour De Freedom? Maybe the Bush adminstration can demand that parents use their whopping $600 dollar government check for GPS tracking systems for their kids' Big Wheels and BMX's? Will tricycles be exempted? I'll bet Schwinn means "friend of Osama" in the original German...
Damned dirty Wright Brothers.
Wimpitude
Typical--Oliver North relies on all the analytical power of his brain stem to grind out what's gotta be the weakest gruel ever flung from the wingnut cubbard.
And while I hate using such a loaded and sexist term, it's appropriate: Oliver North is a whiny, wimpified pussy. No wonder the public no longer trusts the press when cretins like North get airtime to spew their spin nonsense.
Note: I met someone years ago who was reasonably familiar with North due to concurrent service in the Pacific. North was considered a genuine nutjob even then.
Typical--Oliver North relies on all the analytical power of his brain stem to grind out what's gotta be the weakest gruel ever flung from the wingnut cubbard.
And while I hate using such a loaded and sexist term, it's appropriate: Oliver North is a whiny, wimpified pussy. No wonder the public no longer trusts the press when cretins like North get airtime to spew their spin nonsense.
Note: I met someone years ago who was reasonably familiar with North due to concurrent service in the Pacific. North was considered a genuine nutjob even then.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Strange Bedfellows
It's one thing to do everything you can to win...after all, politics, as they say, ain't beanbag. But the Clinton scorched earth tactics are really wearing thin with me, even as I fully expect to vote for whoever obtains the Democratic nomination. That said, it IS stuff like this, along with the ridiculous fear-mongering that might well make me look carefully at the polls and the Democratic strategery come October, particularly if the 'smart' people in the Democratic party cede the Gret Stet without even putting up a fight.
Doing the GOPs dirty work for them is a sure fire way to lose what ought to be a rout...
It's one thing to do everything you can to win...after all, politics, as they say, ain't beanbag. But the Clinton scorched earth tactics are really wearing thin with me, even as I fully expect to vote for whoever obtains the Democratic nomination. That said, it IS stuff like this, along with the ridiculous fear-mongering that might well make me look carefully at the polls and the Democratic strategery come October, particularly if the 'smart' people in the Democratic party cede the Gret Stet without even putting up a fight.
Doing the GOPs dirty work for them is a sure fire way to lose what ought to be a rout...
Surrealistic Presser
Editor and Publisher reminds us it was five years ago today that Team Bush herded the White House Press Corpse into, if I remember right, the East Room, for an exercise in mass delusion.
Unlike Mitchell, I don't remember any sharp questions, but I do recall a lot of bluster, mixed in with lies, innuendo, and a certain smug attitude...as if by kicking Iraqi butt, 9/11 was going to be avenged AND the libruls would learn their subordinate place at the American political table. There's also a significant amount of political naivete regarding "the Iraqi people," of whom Bush speaks as if they were/are children.
If you have the time, take a look at the entire transcript--sure, hindsight is 20/20, but this really is, to paraphrase the Marquez title, a chronicle of a train wreck foretold.
Editor and Publisher reminds us it was five years ago today that Team Bush herded the White House Press Corpse into, if I remember right, the East Room, for an exercise in mass delusion.
Unlike Mitchell, I don't remember any sharp questions, but I do recall a lot of bluster, mixed in with lies, innuendo, and a certain smug attitude...as if by kicking Iraqi butt, 9/11 was going to be avenged AND the libruls would learn their subordinate place at the American political table. There's also a significant amount of political naivete regarding "the Iraqi people," of whom Bush speaks as if they were/are children.
If you have the time, take a look at the entire transcript--sure, hindsight is 20/20, but this really is, to paraphrase the Marquez title, a chronicle of a train wreck foretold.
Republica Banana del Norte
I mean, that's really what this is about--the Cheney/Bush administration insisting the law means...what they say it means. Shit.
This makes "judicial activism" look like Constitutional literalism. And then consider the ramifications of war without end, amen.
Maybe we really are just a nation of "[now 300 million] used car salesmen."
I mean, that's really what this is about--the Cheney/Bush administration insisting the law means...what they say it means. Shit.
This makes "judicial activism" look like Constitutional literalism. And then consider the ramifications of war without end, amen.
Maybe we really are just a nation of "[now 300 million] used car salesmen."
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
OPEC: Don't Call Us, We'll Call You
Oil at $104 dollars a barrel suits OPEC just fine, as you might expect:
VIENNA, Austria - OPEC said Wednesday it will not put more oil on the global market despite record-high prices for crude, blaming the U.S. for economic "mismanagement" it said was having a worldwide effect...
The U.S. dollar on Wednesday sunk to record lows, with the euro fetching $1.53 for the first time ever in Europe.
The 13-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it would maintain current production levels because crude supplies are plentiful and demand is expected to weaken in the second quarter.
OPEC President Chakib Khelil told reporters the global market is being affected by what he called "the mismanagement of the U.S. economy," and that America's problems were a key factor in the cartel's decision to hold off on any action.
No wonder Shrub was tap dancing today at the White House...for the next ten months he'll be dancing as fast as he can to try to keep things together long enough to slink down to Crawford. Some legacy.
Oil at $104 dollars a barrel suits OPEC just fine, as you might expect:
VIENNA, Austria - OPEC said Wednesday it will not put more oil on the global market despite record-high prices for crude, blaming the U.S. for economic "mismanagement" it said was having a worldwide effect...
The U.S. dollar on Wednesday sunk to record lows, with the euro fetching $1.53 for the first time ever in Europe.
The 13-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it would maintain current production levels because crude supplies are plentiful and demand is expected to weaken in the second quarter.
OPEC President Chakib Khelil told reporters the global market is being affected by what he called "the mismanagement of the U.S. economy," and that America's problems were a key factor in the cartel's decision to hold off on any action.
No wonder Shrub was tap dancing today at the White House...for the next ten months he'll be dancing as fast as he can to try to keep things together long enough to slink down to Crawford. Some legacy.
On Maturity
It's heartening to see Barack Obama again refuse to back down even after, as I suspected, speculation abounded, at least on MSNBC, as to whether Hillary was doing Rethuglican oppo research for them with her crack about "experience" versus "speeches."
John McCain, meanwhile, demonstrated his experience and maturity by appealing to "The Decider" for the ritual laying on of hands. Good--let's hope McCain is tied to Shrub like a dead chicken tied to a dog, as the late and much missed Molly Ivins once said. And while I'm thinking of it, here are a few more examples of John McCain's experience and maturity...not to mention his--and Senator Clinton's--support of Operation Enduring Clusterfuck.
Oh, and who can forget his little "joke" about Chelsea Clinton. Yeah, what wisdom.
It's heartening to see Barack Obama again refuse to back down even after, as I suspected, speculation abounded, at least on MSNBC, as to whether Hillary was doing Rethuglican oppo research for them with her crack about "experience" versus "speeches."
John McCain, meanwhile, demonstrated his experience and maturity by appealing to "The Decider" for the ritual laying on of hands. Good--let's hope McCain is tied to Shrub like a dead chicken tied to a dog, as the late and much missed Molly Ivins once said. And while I'm thinking of it, here are a few more examples of John McCain's experience and maturity...not to mention his--and Senator Clinton's--support of Operation Enduring Clusterfuck.
Oh, and who can forget his little "joke" about Chelsea Clinton. Yeah, what wisdom.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Moses, Moses
"Let my people go, dude."
I assume the first sentence is a copywriter's pun:
High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week.
Well, if nothing else, this gives me a good excuse to embed this--one of the first You Tube videos I came across:
"Let my people go, dude."
I assume the first sentence is a copywriter's pun:
High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week.
Well, if nothing else, this gives me a good excuse to embed this--one of the first You Tube videos I came across:
Dropping the Dukulur Bomb
Last night I saw for the first time the Paul Sawyer ad about Woody Jenkins and his business dealing with one David Duke:
GOP congressional candidate Paul Sawyer on Thursday said he would ignore the state Republican Party’s demand to pull a controversial advertisement from the airwaves.
Sawyer said he is sticking by his claim that a fellow Republican candidate for the 6th U.S. Congressional District gave money to a former Ku Klux Klan leader.
"I am merely stating the facts," Sawyer said.
But Republican candidate Woody Jenkins, the target of the ads, said Sawyer doesn’t have his facts straight.
Jenkins said he was fined $3,000 for not properly disclosing a 1996 purchase of an automated call machine, linked to former Klan leader David Duke.
Sawyer argues in radio and television commercials that Jenkins improperly tried to hide the money he paid to Duke.
Sawyer and Jenkins, both of Baton Rouge, and two other Republican candidates are about a week away from the party’s March 8 primary election for the congressional seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, in February.
Sawyer, Baker’s former chief of staff, released his ads Wednesday. Jenkins aired rebuttal ads Thursday.
Jenkins, a former state representative, said he used the machine, operated by a company called Impact Mail Ltd., during his 1996 U.S. Senate race.
When he found out that Duke once owned the machines, Jenkins said he tried to stop payment to the company. But Jenkins’ campaign manager had already signed an $82,500 contract, he said.
Jenkins then claimes that he did NOT have business relations with that man, Mr. Duke:
"I’ve never been an associate of Duke’s. I was an opponent for Duke," Jenkins said. "He didn’t support me. I didn’t want his support."
To be honest, I don't know anything about Sawyer, but I'm familiar enough with Wingnut Woody (and his partner in 'nuttery, Bob Courtney of Courtney Communications--husband of Beth Courtney of LPB, by the way)...neither do I know much about Laurinda Calongne, although her tv spot is pretty much what you'd expect.
Geez, what a past few days--I actually found myself agreeing with Bill Donohue re: the Hagee-McCain endorsement, now I find myself paraphrasing Henry Kissinger when I say it's too bad they ALL can't lose in the upcoming Rethug primary.
On the positive side, I could easily support at least two Democratic candidates, although my inner pessimist thinks the district will remain GOP.
Last night I saw for the first time the Paul Sawyer ad about Woody Jenkins and his business dealing with one David Duke:
GOP congressional candidate Paul Sawyer on Thursday said he would ignore the state Republican Party’s demand to pull a controversial advertisement from the airwaves.
Sawyer said he is sticking by his claim that a fellow Republican candidate for the 6th U.S. Congressional District gave money to a former Ku Klux Klan leader.
"I am merely stating the facts," Sawyer said.
But Republican candidate Woody Jenkins, the target of the ads, said Sawyer doesn’t have his facts straight.
Jenkins said he was fined $3,000 for not properly disclosing a 1996 purchase of an automated call machine, linked to former Klan leader David Duke.
Sawyer argues in radio and television commercials that Jenkins improperly tried to hide the money he paid to Duke.
Sawyer and Jenkins, both of Baton Rouge, and two other Republican candidates are about a week away from the party’s March 8 primary election for the congressional seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, in February.
Sawyer, Baker’s former chief of staff, released his ads Wednesday. Jenkins aired rebuttal ads Thursday.
Jenkins, a former state representative, said he used the machine, operated by a company called Impact Mail Ltd., during his 1996 U.S. Senate race.
When he found out that Duke once owned the machines, Jenkins said he tried to stop payment to the company. But Jenkins’ campaign manager had already signed an $82,500 contract, he said.
Jenkins then claimes that he did NOT have business relations with that man, Mr. Duke:
"I’ve never been an associate of Duke’s. I was an opponent for Duke," Jenkins said. "He didn’t support me. I didn’t want his support."
To be honest, I don't know anything about Sawyer, but I'm familiar enough with Wingnut Woody (and his partner in 'nuttery, Bob Courtney of Courtney Communications--husband of Beth Courtney of LPB, by the way)...neither do I know much about Laurinda Calongne, although her tv spot is pretty much what you'd expect.
Geez, what a past few days--I actually found myself agreeing with Bill Donohue re: the Hagee-McCain endorsement, now I find myself paraphrasing Henry Kissinger when I say it's too bad they ALL can't lose in the upcoming Rethug primary.
On the positive side, I could easily support at least two Democratic candidates, although my inner pessimist thinks the district will remain GOP.
Lesser of Evils
It's a pretty pathetic state of affairs when the best we can really hope for is "slightly less worse than the GOP."
Oh--and Greenwald had a good post up last week underscoring just how far we've slid down the slippery slope. Again, I wonder: what the hell is so difficult about getting a warrant anyway? That's yet another instance of wingnut mythology (I'm guessing based in the original Dirty Harry movie) triumphing over reality.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton bashes Barack Obama and, in doing so, manages to score points for the GOP. Nice going, Hillary. You're doing your best to prove that you're in the Republican wing of the Democratic party.
No wonder "opposition" is hardly worthy of the description.
It's a pretty pathetic state of affairs when the best we can really hope for is "slightly less worse than the GOP."
Oh--and Greenwald had a good post up last week underscoring just how far we've slid down the slippery slope. Again, I wonder: what the hell is so difficult about getting a warrant anyway? That's yet another instance of wingnut mythology (I'm guessing based in the original Dirty Harry movie) triumphing over reality.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton bashes Barack Obama and, in doing so, manages to score points for the GOP. Nice going, Hillary. You're doing your best to prove that you're in the Republican wing of the Democratic party.
No wonder "opposition" is hardly worthy of the description.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Because, Hey, It's a Lot of Work That Goes Into Stealing an Election
Diebold rejects a $2.3 billion dollar buyout offer from United Technologies. No word on when Satan and Vice-Satan Cheney plan to make an offer or how much it will be.
Diebold rejects a $2.3 billion dollar buyout offer from United Technologies. No word on when Satan and Vice-Satan Cheney plan to make an offer or how much it will be.
When Slime Peddlers Try to Conjure Up a Shitstorm
Greenwald has the details on Howie Kurtz, from Cursor, a link to a report from the Politico on the attempt by both Clinton and the GOP to spin national security.
It's good to see Obama isn't backing down--of course, it remains to be seen how the media will attempt to frame things. But the fact remains that the so-called "smart, pragmatic" people vis-a-vis "national security issues" ARE the ones who got us bogged down in Iraq (and for which they've paid remarkably little, literally or politically)...
Besides, the very fact that someone will try to spin national security matters is an admission that, for that someone, national security is little more than a game. You don't spin serious matters of national importance.
Well, unless you're a wingnut hack.
Greenwald has the details on Howie Kurtz, from Cursor, a link to a report from the Politico on the attempt by both Clinton and the GOP to spin national security.
It's good to see Obama isn't backing down--of course, it remains to be seen how the media will attempt to frame things. But the fact remains that the so-called "smart, pragmatic" people vis-a-vis "national security issues" ARE the ones who got us bogged down in Iraq (and for which they've paid remarkably little, literally or politically)...
Besides, the very fact that someone will try to spin national security matters is an admission that, for that someone, national security is little more than a game. You don't spin serious matters of national importance.
Well, unless you're a wingnut hack.
Ask First Whom the Crime Profits
As Kevin Drum points out, telcom immunity, from THEIR point of view, is pretty much a moot issue...for one thing, they've probably got extensive, written agreements with the government guaranteeing indemnity.
Duh. And while I didn't think of it until reading the post, that makes perfect sense. Large telcos aren't dumb, neither are they poor--any company lawyer who DIDN'T work out an indemnity deal would and should be canned.
Which means that Shrub's near hysteria in insisting on immunity provisions has always been a matter of covering his guilty ass, with more than a little help from Congress and the media.
Joe Stalin would either be proud...or envious: you don't even need a secret police to, ahem, ensure abject compliance and utter loyalty.
On the really, really sad side, it's also evident that at least some people don't care enough about their privacy to be outraged by this illegal intrusion--that speaks volumes, and not in a good way.
As Kevin Drum points out, telcom immunity, from THEIR point of view, is pretty much a moot issue...for one thing, they've probably got extensive, written agreements with the government guaranteeing indemnity.
Duh. And while I didn't think of it until reading the post, that makes perfect sense. Large telcos aren't dumb, neither are they poor--any company lawyer who DIDN'T work out an indemnity deal would and should be canned.
Which means that Shrub's near hysteria in insisting on immunity provisions has always been a matter of covering his guilty ass, with more than a little help from Congress and the media.
Joe Stalin would either be proud...or envious: you don't even need a secret police to, ahem, ensure abject compliance and utter loyalty.
On the really, really sad side, it's also evident that at least some people don't care enough about their privacy to be outraged by this illegal intrusion--that speaks volumes, and not in a good way.
On a Silver Platter
Iran president Ahmadinejad got a first-hand progress report on his country's future client state:
Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian president to visit Iraq, and his two-day trip highlighted one of the unintended consequences for Washington after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the Iraq that ousted Saddam Hussein from power.
Ya think?
And of course you've gotta appreciate the sheer irony of it all: Ahmadinejad can make an offical, announced state visit, including signing trade and industry agreements...while Team Bush is forced to slink in and out on surprise visits, often under cover of darkness, and always with massive security.
Well, I guess that's the "success" of the surge: doing what they can to secure Iranian interests.
Iran president Ahmadinejad got a first-hand progress report on his country's future client state:
Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian president to visit Iraq, and his two-day trip highlighted one of the unintended consequences for Washington after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the Iraq that ousted Saddam Hussein from power.
Ya think?
And of course you've gotta appreciate the sheer irony of it all: Ahmadinejad can make an offical, announced state visit, including signing trade and industry agreements...while Team Bush is forced to slink in and out on surprise visits, often under cover of darkness, and always with massive security.
Well, I guess that's the "success" of the surge: doing what they can to secure Iranian interests.
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