So... yesterday I decided that rather than blog the State of the Union, I'd wait a day and blog the bloggers. I expected there to be controversy over the sppech,... [More]
February 1, 2006
SCOOTER LIBBY UPDATE
Josh Marshall has some incredibly observant readers. Apparently the NY Daily News has an amazing tidbit buried in a new article about Libby: the White House may have deliberately deleted... [More]
MUST SEE TV
One other SOTU moment. You just have to see this. --------... [More]
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
In the end it wasn't Democrats that convinced Nixon to resign, it was Barry Goldwater and a group of country-before-party Republicans. Now I'm not for even a millisecond putting Grover... [More]
MAN ON FIRE
Have I mentioned recently that Glenn Greenwald is on fire? Because he is one fire This is plainly unhealthy and disgustingly contrary to every defining core American value. Our leaders... [More]
AN ALTERNATIVE SOTU
Giblets just never, EVER lets you down. The state of the universe is mighty! Behold! To Giblets's right is the family of an unborn embryonic soldier recently killed in Iraq... [More]
THE RIGHT TO... DISPENSE PRESCRIPTIONS???
It's very simple. If you have a problem with the requirements of your job, get a new one. There is no right to dispense prescriptions of only your choice in... [More]
THEY THINK THEY ARE OVERREACTING?
They worry they are overreacting>? Just two weeks after House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) pledged to pass far-reaching changes to the rules of lobbying on Capitol Hill, House Republican... [More]
WHY POLITICAL BLOGGING MATTERS
Tristero nails it. Readers respond - mostly with misunderstanding and outrage. If that doesn't sum up blogging.... Many of us out here in Left Blogosphere are actually moderate liberals. Angry... [More]
HE MADE THEM CRY!
Oh dear. Bush's fake energy proposal made the Saudis upset! Whatever shall we do?!? Diplomatically, Mr. Bush's ambitious call for the replacement of 75 percent of the United States' Mideast... [More]
REALIGN THIS!
What do Brokeback Mountain, Missoula Montana, and political realignments have to do with one another? Everything, apparently --------... [More]
ALITO'S FIRST VOTE
He splits with the conservatives on the court and votes to uphold a stay that will force Missouri to review its system of capital punishment. Wow. --------... [More]
THE REAL SOTU RESPONSE
Damn. I told you that Murtha should have given the SOTU response for the Dems. Watch this. And read this. --------... [More]
February 5, 2006
NSA HEARINGS
The hearings begin tomorrow, and since I have mondays off I'll be watching the entire thing. I have plenty of studying to do, but expect some live blogging along the... [More]
February 6, 2006
THE LONG WAR???
A thought. If we survived the decades long Cold War, a war in which we stood at the brink of total and complete nuclear annihilation... And if FISA was made... [More]
LIVEBLOGGING NSA WIRETAPPING HEARINGS
3:30 I'm out for the remainder of the day. Head to Firedoglake for continued coverage. 3:25PM Feinstein is once again rebutting the "Clinton did it" nonsense. Clinton did it because... [More]
NSA DAY ONE WRAPUP
Some thoughts, in no particular order... 1. Specter was hard on Gonzales, even harder the second time around than the first. At one point he even basically called him a... [More]
OBAMA VS MCCAIN
Wow. Looks like McCain decided to publicly torch Obama over their differences on ethics reform. The man does have a legendary temper. Props to Obama for taking the high road.... [More]
February 7, 2006
THE FIT IS GO?
I have no idea what that slogan means, but this new car from Honda is pretty cool. The way those seats fold down its gotta be the ultimate road trip... [More]
FEINGOLD GETS IT
Sen. Feingold gave a blistering speech today from the floor of the Senate. For those of you who have been complaining that there aren't any Democrats leading the way against... [More]
STAND DOWN? STAND UP!
There are now 56 - 56!!! - military veterans running for Congress as Democrats. Meanwhile the Republican party has signed up only a small handful. Kos has been profiling one... [More]
FREEDOM...
And one day, you may understand what that means. Brilliant. --------... [More]
HOWARD STERN LOVES...
Brokeback Mountain. Wow. --------... [More]
A MISPERCEPTION?
Wow. This is ballsy The United States will always rely on foreign imports of oil to feed its energy needs and should stop trying to become energy independent, a top... [More]
OBAMA VS MCCAIN, ROUND TWO
Brilliant. McCain is now claiming that his previous letter to Obama wasn't angry. What a jackass. UPDATE: Josh Marshall explains why this matters. And Matt makes a great point: Why... [More]
LIBERALS BEHAVING BADLY? HARDLY.
If the funeral eulogy sounded a bit to militant, perhaps it is because we have forgotten how to march. What the hell is wrong with these people? --------... [More]
February 8, 2006
FROM THE WEST
Gee, look.... It's coming from The West: WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 — A House Republican whose subcommittee oversees the National Security Agency broke ranks with the White House on Tuesday and... [More]
STOP THE FUNEARL MADNESS!!!
This ridiculousness about Coretta Scott King's funeral needs to stop. And it needs to stop now. First, for the record, here are the words that has the right in a... [More]
OBAMA VS MCCAIN, ROUND THREE
We've been waiting for Lieberman to weigh in on this. Looks like he has. And he decided to sell Obama down the river. Ned Lamont has committed to running a... [More]
PIGS FLY UPSIDE DOWN?
Wow. Jack Cafferty was on fire today. For those of you who've missed it, just days after winning the election to replace Tom DeLay as Majority Leader, it has been... [More]
IT'S ALIVE!
Thought Bush had given up on destroying Social Security? Think again. --------... [More]
A DIFFERENT BUT NO LESS TERRIFYING TAKE
Hey America.... Newsweek wants to know: Do you feel safer? The legal controversy over the NSA surveillance program has obscured an intelligence issue that is at least as important to... [More]
February 13, 2006
BLOGGING UPDATE
I've been out of town the last few days and almost entirely without Internet connection, but I should be back to full speed by Wednesday. What a weekend....! --------... [More]
YOU CAN CROSS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC...
...but never ever cross the Washington Press corps. Watch the video. The press corps is pissed. And once you lose them like this they never come back. Think Clinton's finger... [More]
February 14, 2006
RESTORING HONOR AND INTEGRITY
Is shooting a man in the head and then refusing to address the public to explain the matter part of the Bush/Cheney plan to "restore honor and integrity to the... [More]
February 15, 2006
"I BELIEVE THAT IT'S LAW"
I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. Due to a clerk's mistake, the budget bill that recently passed both the House and the Senate wasn't identical. It's a minor... [More]
CHENEY SPEAKS!
For those of you who haven't been able to catch the video interview, FoxNews has the full transcript of the Vice President's sit down with Brit Hume. My first take?... [More]
February 16, 2006
GEORGE WILL? CHECK!
Add George Will to the growing list of conservatives opposed to the administration's theory of the unfettered wartime executive Administration supporters incoherently argue that the AUMF also authorized the NSA... [More]
THE RETURN OF FITZMAS
Well now... If Fitzgerald can prove this, the entire house of cards will come crashing to the ground. Interesting. VERY interesting. --------... [More]
February 17, 2006
A FAILURE ON EVERY LEVEL
My god. The level of incompetence in this administration is just astonishing. On just about every issue imaginable, these people come down on the wrong side. In some cases its... [More]
A QUESTION WORTH ASKING
Why are Senate Republicans more interested in protecting the political fortunes of the Bush administration than the rights and liberties of the American people? Why? --------... [More]
A NEW ROGUE NATION
And who would that be? Why, according to the highest court in Britain, its us. Some days its hard not to weep over what this nation has become. I used... [More]
SOME PRESPECTIVE ON THE NSA SCANDAL
Glenn Greenwald has been on fire lately, and today's effort is no exception. He's right, you know. Stay focsued. This is a long battle that we simply cannot afford to... [More]
ITS NOT THAT THE INTELLIGENCE WAS MISUSED...
... its that it wasn't used at all. So says Paul Pillar, the former National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia at the CIA from 2000 to... [More]
TEACHABLE MOMENTS
Heh. Digby made a funny. --------... [More]
DEATH SQUADS? BUT OF COURSE...
The Post is reporting an investigation has been launched in Iraq into the operation of death squads run by the Interior Ministry. The investigation shouldn't take long. We've known for... [More]
STUPID CREATIONISTS
I've heard some dumb arguments before, but this is just amazing: The tours are not all fun and games, with the guides claiming that evolutionist thinking supports racism and abortion.... [More]
GOOD FOR A LAUGH
I wonder.... When the Dali Lama reads news like this, how long does he laugh? --------... [More]
NATIONAL SECURITY JUFITZJU
Wow. Fitzgerald just lay the smackdown on Libby's defense team. And you'll nevver guess his reasons. WASHINGTON — A former White House aide charged in the investigation of the leaking... [More]
RADIO SHACK TO CLOSE UP TO 700 STORES
Looks like they're having some serious financial troubles over at Radio Shack. Here's a thought... Maybe if instead of staffing each of your tiny stores with 18 people, all of... [More]
A NOTE TO MY FRIENDS
If for some odd reason I ever happen to be out hunting and one of you shoots me.... Please note: I will not be issuing apologies to you for your... [More]
A REMINDER
Bill Maher is back, tonight at 11pm. Something tells me that tonight is gonna be good.... Update: Here's the lineup this week: Sen. Russ Feingold, commentator Fred Barnes, actor Eddie... [More]
February 18, 2006
FIX FISA? NO. ENFORCE THE LAW
Less than 24 hours ago it semeed much of the progressive blogosphere was beginning to resign itself to little or no congressional oversight of Bush's illegal wiretapping programs. Glenn Greenwald,... [More]
UP IS DOWN AND LEFT IS RIGHT
Two quotes courtesy of Andrew Sullivan: "I never imagined I would live to see the day when the United States and its satellites would use precisely the same arguments that... [More]
IRAQI OIL WILL FUND THE RECONSTRUCTION?
Remember how the neocons confidently predicted that revenue from oil sales would allow Iraq to fund its own reconstruction? Right. I knew they were wrong, but apparently it is worse... [More]
SPREADING DEMOCRACY...
I didn't get a chance to comment on this a few days ago, but since it has come back up now... This week the United States, which in the past... [More]
COME HOME!
It's time for them to come home WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 — Older voters, a critical component of Republican Congressional victories for more than a decade, could end up being a... [More]
REMEMBER THE COLD WAR!
The meme seems to be spreading. A few days ago it was Glenn Greenwald leading the charge, and today Hilzoy takes up the banner. They are both right. It is... [More]
February 19, 2006
MORE FROM GLENN & THE NSA
For those of you who haven't been keeping up with the finer points of the growing NSA wiretapping scandal (and if you are one of those people shame on you!... [More]
FRAMESHOP
As I mentioned a few days back, the reason I think Cheney's hunting mishap matters is not necessarily because of the particulars of the event, but instead because of the... [More]
SAVING FOR RETIREMENT
Haven't started saving yet? Me neither. But it looks like there might be some good news. Scientists are predicting that by the time I get around to retiring, the average... [More]
February 20, 2006
3 YEARS?
I understand that what the man did is absurd, but 3 years? For telling lies in a book? --------... [More]
"CATASTROPHICALLY POOR LEGAL REASONING"
Here we have yet another story about good people within the US military standing up for what's right and fighting Bush's hideous torture policies. But once again the good people... [More]
REFORM FEMA NOW
Chertoff acts like FEMA has always been broken. He even claims that we're now too close to the hurricane season to engage in any reform. "Nature," he says, "doesn't wait... [More]
A THOUGHT ON THE OLYMPICS
NBC wonders why American Idol and Desperate Housewives beats their coverage of the Olympics in the ratings? Maybe if they actually showed some of the events, rather than the endless... [More]
BUSH TO GUARD AMERICANS PRIVACY
That got your attention, didn't it? But seriously, I'm not making this up! For Americans troubled by the prospect of federal agents eavesdropping on their phone conversations or combing through... [More]
A PORT AUTHORITY
It looks like Tom "I don't play politics with terror alert levels, what color would you like your alert level today, Mr. President?" Ridge is off the team when it... [More]
GOOD PEOPLE BETTER RISE UP!
George Mason himself would be proud: Khan, a Pakistani-American and a U.S. Air Force veteran, was arrested on September 29, 2005 at a GMU student center after positioning himself several... [More]
February 21, 2006
SANTORUM'S GOT A PROBLEM
Wow. His polling numbers were already dismal, but this new story from American Prospect cannot possibly help. A brilliant example of investigative journalism if there ever was one. Read this... [More]
WHY GOVERNMENT *IS* THE SOLUTION TO OUR PROBLEMS
Although the rhetoric of Reagan and those who came after him denied it, sometimes we face problems so large private markets cannot possibly handle them. Sometimes, in fact, there simply... [More]
THE SPARK THAT LIGHTS THE FLAME
Want to see what the early stages of a grassroots movement looks like? Glenn Greenwald and Jane Hamsher are launching an effort to put pressure on a select group of... [More]
WHITE HOUSE FOR SALE?!?
Remember the outrage about Gore's phone calls to Buddhist monks? We were told it was damn near the end of the republic. I wonder what people will have to say... [More]
THE END OF NEOCONSERVATISM?!?
In case you've missed it, Francis Fukuyama, one of the most important (former?) neoconservative intellectuals alive, delivered a piece in the NYT Magazine declaring the end of neoconservatism. Its an... [More]
SECRECY OVERLOAD
Yet another sign of how far they've pushed their secrecy agenda. Material as far back as the 1950's, including documents already declassified and published in a wide variety of books,... [More]
FITZMAS UPDATE...
More signs that Fitzgerald is still pursuing some very, very big prey. Think Cheney and his gun were simply a meaningless distraction? Think again. A week VP means all sorts... [More]
BUSH, THE UAE AND OUR PORTS
A few days back I mentioned a growing controversy over a plan by the Bush administration to turn over control of some of our most important ports to a company... [More]
TOM DELAY GOES DEEPER IN DEBT
Good. Serves him right. --------... [More]
I LOVE GLENN GREENWALD
No, really. I *LOVE* Glenn Greenwald. The guy is just on fire lately. --------... [More]
ONE MORE THOUGHT ON THE UAE
I'm sure plenty of people have already made this point elsewhere, but here's one additional thing to keep in mind about the UAE/US ports fiasco... The is a world of... [More]
AND... BEGIN!
That took less than a month, right? WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Tuesday it would consider reinstating a federal ban on what opponents call partial-birth abortion, pulling the contentious... [More]
NO NO, REALLY... ONE MORE THOUGHT
Another point I overlooked... A few days back I highlighted Bush's apparent lack of knowledge about the existence of the Cold War. What didn't hit me until just now is... [More]
February 22, 2006
CLARIFICATION
A commenter to my previous post on the whole Dubai Ports World mess has made me realize that I need to clarify my thoughts a bit on this issue. I'm... [More]
PORT AUTHORITY
So... my intention was to come home and write my ass off on this. I had a big post planned, one that included some history, some presidential politics, and a... [More]
February 23, 2006
A SIMPLE SOLUTION
David over at Volokh Conspiracy has what appears to be a simple solution to the UAE port problem Congressional opposition to the Dubai Ports deal currently appears to far exceed... [More]
OFF TO SF!
Off to SF for the weekend. Until Tuesday... May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon... [More]
February 24, 2006
SF BLOGGING
Sitting in a coffee shop in SF today... The goal is to finish my reading today so that I can relax for the rest of the weekend. But they have... [More]
READ THIS
Powerful stuff. Amazing what people will tell others about themselves through blogs. Amazing what it does for the context of a story. Wow. --------... [More]
FIRST THEY CAME FOR CAT STEVENS...
Now they've cove for... Morrisey That's right, ladies and gentlemen. You may now sleep with the peace that comes from the knowledge that the FBI is protecting the homeland from... [More]
NOT TO BELABOR THE POINT, BUT...
I told you. The UAE port deal is very, VERY bad politics for the Republican Party. But now you don't have to take my word for it. Here's a post... [More]