November 2007
The Nitty-Gritty on Torture →
Now we’re getting down to it. It’s gratifying to see Alan Dershowitz summarize his position a little more succinctly without digressions into personality conflicts, at least for a paragraph or two. That permits us to examine his position and its weaknesses more directly. It would not be worthwhile extending this debate, except for the fact that many people - including at least one...
DeLay: ‘I’d like to bitch-slap’ Paul Krugman. →
At a recent book party for former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) told the Washington Examiner that conservatives in Congress need “some backbone.” As an example of what he means by “backbone,” DeLay described what he would like to do to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman: “I’d like to bitch-slap him.”
FOXNews Slips Picture Of Hillary Clinton Into... →
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Nude man accused of causing I-95 crashes
(AP) →
AP - Delaware State Police have arrested a Chester, Pennsylvania, man who they said was running naked and drunk on Interstate-95 and caused three accidents.
Some Voters Eye McCain Warily →
In New Hampshire, those independent-minded Granite Staters question the Republican candidate’s predilection for dispensing with issues of the past.
Dangerous toys remain on store shelves, survey... →
WASHINGTON — Despite recent government recalls of millions of hazardous toys, consumer groups are urging parents to be extra vigilant this holiday season because store shelves are still stocked with toys that can pose serious health risks.
Time rejected Rove as a columnist. →
Radar reports that, prior to securing a spot as a Newsweek columnist, Karl Rove approached Time magazine for a job. Time, however, rejected Rove as “essentially like an unindicted coconspirator in a whole hose of felonies”:
Time’s editors apparently felt the cost/benefit analysis wouldn’t be in their favor if they embraced the man who has done more than anyone to keep the spirit of Joe McCarthy...
What The Heck is the Sibel Edmonds Case Anyway?... →
Brad Friedman, from St. Louis, MO…
If you’ve followed our recent blockbusters about FBI translator-turned-whistleblower, Sibel Edmonds (the latest, in which legendary 1970’s whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg describes her case as “far more explosive than the Pentagon Papers,” is here), but remain unclear on the heart of what she has to expose —- if she’s ever...
US Democrats reject Pentagon layoff warnings -... →
MSNBCUS Democrats reject Pentagon layoff warnings Reuters - 50 minutes ago By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Democrats on Tuesday accused the Bush administration of peddling “horror stories” about Iraq war funding, insisting the Pentagon had adequate money until March and rejecting claims that layoffs would be … Democrats and White House Continue Feud Over Money...
Israel approves release of 432 Palestinians... →
Reuters - Israel on Tuesday approved the release of 432 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a peace conference to take place next week, an Israeli political source said.
Facebook Backlash Begins Over Privacy →
To put it concisely, targeted advertising is crucial to pushing forward a powerful, far more efficient advertising model that can fund media companies on new platforms. targeting has the potential to be far more valuable than generic media advertising, and with the dominance of advertising-supported models online, it’s not a stretch to say that the future of many businesses depends on...
NYC Fire Chief: Giuliani ‘Not Mr 9/11′ ‘Not a... →
John posted yesterday about how Rudy is now “trumpeting his leadership in the wake of 9/11 in campaign mailings to voters in Iowa and New Hampshire” despite claiming all along that he wasn’t running on his 9/11 record. Dan Abrams had on FDNY Deputy Fire Chief Jim Riches, whose group, 9/11 Firefighters and Families, vows to not let Giuliani get away with it.
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A Gap in GOP Candidates' Healthcare Proposals →
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, The Los Angeles Times, reports: “When Rudolph W. Giuliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the spring of 2000, one thing he did not have to worry about was a lack of medical insurance.”
Baghdad Bonanza →
Bill Buzenberg, The Center for Public Integrity, writes: “KBR Inc., the global engineering and construction giant, won more than $16 billion in US government contracts for work in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2006 - far more than any other company, according to a new analysis by the Center for Public Integrity.”
Katrina Rated Largest US Ecodisaster →
Patrik Jonsson of The Christian Science Monitor says, “When hurricane Katrina ripped out tulip poplars, bent black gum to the ground, and scattered loblolly pines like pick-up sticks, local tree enthusiasts such as Julia Anderson not only had a rude aesthetic shock, but many also sensed that the destruction had shaken the very roots of the region’s ecological balance.”
Protesters Arrested at Gonzales Speech →
In his first appearance at a university since resigning in August, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was met at UF on Monday with a mixture of cheers, boos and scattered interruptions by protesters, two of whom were arrested.Gonzales, who resigned from his position after a controversial tenure, spoke to more than 800 people at […]
Q & A: Baghdad Correspondent →
An interview with Damien Cave of the Baghdad bureau on the improved security in the Iraqi capital, and whether residents think it is a positive trend or “the calm before another storm.”
Bad Reviews Pile Up for FCC Chief's Plan →
Jim Puzzanghera, from The Los Angeles Times, writes: “The last time federal regulators tried to change the rules on how many media outlets companies could own, the effort bombed like a bad movie. The sequel appears to be headed for the same fate.”
Constitution survives Chuck Norris roundhouse kick →
Chuck Norris’s brain waves could be picked up on a transistor radio — nobody knows because he doesn’t think.This must be a television advertising spot, but I hope it’s not rated as a public service spot, since it encourages stupidity and illegal school board actions.
(Is it my imagination, or is Norris using the same bottle of orange hair dye that Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-Mars, used in the last...
Justices to rule on gun rights →
The Supreme Court will determine whether the 2nd Amendment allows individuals to have a gun at home for self-defense. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed today to take up one of the great debates involving the Constitution and to rule squarely on whether the 2nd Amendment gives individuals the right to have a gun at home for self-defense.
Ironic Bush Regime Quote of the Day… →
(The following photo needs a caption. Here’s mine: “Are you the one I lied to the other day? If so, I need to add to it. Hold on.”, Dana Perino said to one of the White House Press Corps”)
Oh the irony! Dana Perino was asked today about for White House Press Secretary, Scott McClellan’s , new book in which he states he did not know at the time that he was passing on a big fat lie when he said...
Clinton mocks Obama on foreign policy
(AP) →
AP - Hillary Rodham Clinton ridiculed Democratic rival Barack Obama on Tuesday for his contention that living abroad as a child helped give him a better understanding of the foreign policy challenges facing the U.S.
Clinton's Lead Shrinks Among New Hampshire... →
Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lead among Democratic presidential contenders in New Hampshire has narrowed over the past two months, while New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson bounced back to the low double digits in a CNN/WMUR poll released Tuesday. With about two months left before the New Hampshire primaries, Clinton topped the list of Democratic nominees with 36 percent support — down from 43...
US War Contracts Top $25 Billion: Study →
US contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan more than doubled from 2004 to 2006 to over 25 billion dollars but government oversight of the firms involved has slackened, a watchdog group said Monday.
“While the billions of dollars involved and the complexity of these war-related contracts has only grown, the lack of oversight has been staggering,” said […]
Fox & Friends: Code Pink Members Should Be... →
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Monday morning as the hosts of Fox & Friends were talking about a Code Pink protester who heckled Senator Hillary Clinton in Los Angeles, Brian Kilmeade threw a hissy fit about the group saying the man in the video should have been tazed. He then went on to suggest that “these people” should expect to be brutally punished for...
Shorter McClellan: I Was A Paid Liar For Bush. →
Former WH flack Scott McClellan has a new book coming out wherein he reveals that people in the Bush Administration had him fronting out lies to the public about the WH leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s CIA ties. Color me shocked. From E&P:
..”The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons...
Meet The Press Hosts Clinton-Backing Carville --... →
One of the stranger media phenomenons of Campaign 2008 has been the odd race to the bottom we’ve been seeing between Tim Russert and CNN. First Russert asked his typical “gotcha” questions at his debate. Then CNN’s Wolf Blitzer praised Russert’s performance as “tough.” Then Wolf proceeded to deliver an equally unproductive performance as the moderator of...
Murtha on threat on Pentagon lay offs →
Bush Administration Stokes Fear Of Massive Army Layoffs To Force Congress To Drop Redeployment
The Bush administration is threatening that it will issue furlough notices to up to 150,000 civilian workers at military bases in mid-December if Congress does not approve unrestricted Iraq funding immediately. As part of this campaign, the Pentagon is distributing a document warning that the Army may...
UPDATE 1-Pentagon warns on war funds, Dems say... →
MSNBCUPDATE 1-Pentagon warns on war funds, Dems say scare tactic Reuters - 1 hour ago By Susan Cornwell and Kristin Roberts WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Tuesday started shifting money between accounts to cover a shortfall caused by lawmakers’ refusal to approve war funds, but Democrats called the move a scare tactic … House Dems dispute White House...
SCOTUS to Weigh in On D.C. Gun Ban →
SCOTUS to Weigh in On D.C. Gun Ban This is huge.
After a hiatus of 68 years, the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to rule on the meaning of the Second Amendment -€" the hotly contested part of the Constitution that guarantees -�œa right to keep and bear arms.-� Not since 1939 has the Court heard a case directly testing the Amendment-�™s scope -€" and there is a debate...
Why John Edwards Is In Trouble In Iowa →
Yesterday, I wrote about John Edwards’ slippage in Iowa. Normally, I do not take great stock in polls this far out (yes, it is still too far out to take polls too seriously), especially the famously difficult to poll Iowa Caucus. My reasons for thinking the latest Iowa poll was not so much the numbers, as the fact that Edwards has dropped while Obama has risen since the end of July. Edwards...
Memories of a Press Briefing…Scotty McClellan... →
Flashback from C&L’s archives: Scotty not answering any questions about Rove’s involvement in PlameGate.
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Gregory: Do you stand by your statements from the Fall of 2003, when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliot Abrams and Scooter Libby and you’ve said I’ve gone to each of those gentleman and they’ve told me—they are not...
Closing of Norwegian consulate upsets Minnesotans →
“It’s like a slap in the face,” said a woman in Minneapolis, of the closure set for next year. Minnesota claims 850,000 people of Norwegian descent, and reminders of their roots are all around.
Students Protest Alberto Gonzales At University of... →
Some students at University of Florida were unhappy about their tuition being used to pay Alberto Gonzales $40,000 to speak at their school, and they let it be known. Quite unambiguously, I’d say.
Gonzales, surprisingly, did not take questions from the audience.
(YouTube thanks to Scarce)
Update: I guess the orange jumpsuit and hood is sort of an Abu-G fad.
Can someone tell me... →
Why in a teaser for my local news (ABC) about the harassment of women at Giants Stadium, the voice over said “hear about women fans behaving badly?” What the fuck?!
Self-Inflicted →
Hmmm. This could get very sticky for the Mittster. There’s been some weird circumstantial evidence suggesting that the candidate with the most connections to the firm behind those anti-Mitt, anti-Mormon push-polls was none other than Mitt himself. Now the campaign is furiously denying that he was push polling himself.
"Corporate Interests Have Literally Taken Over... →
Some folks have asked me why I have written so much about John Edwards in the past few months. The answer can be seen in this short clip.
I have spent my career in politics working against what I have called the hostile takeover of our government by Big Money interests, whether it was working for people like Bernie Sanders, Brian Schweitzer and Ned Lamont; building the Progressive States...
Military Demanding Wounded Vets Give Back Bonuses... →
“The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.” Jordan Fox of Pittsburgh was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, cutting his service short by three months. “A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back.”...
Man accused of pimping his child support
(AP) →
AP - A man who owes seven women more than $70,000 for child support apparently made some payments using proceeds from an Internet-based prostitution ring he ran, investigators say.
Scott McClellan Finds His Way to the Truth →
Scott McClellan Finds His Way to the Truth For money.
I guess the time has finally come to talk about it or at least tease talking about it. Scott has written a book, “What Happened,” which will be released next spring. Run, Republicans, run.
The press release is as damning as they come.
The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help...
Rush Limbaugh vs.Yale Psychiatrist On Raising Boys →
Dr. Michael Kaplan is an esteemed child psychiatrist at Yale University, and, in full disclosure, a lifelong friend of this writer. About a month ago, Dr. Kaplan was interviewed for a fairly lightweight Associated Press article dealing with the increasing popularity of kitchen toys for little boys.
Dr. Kaplan’s comment was that “Men are reshaping and rethinking their roles,” he said,...
Fed forecasts unemployment bump in 2008
(AP) →
AP - The Federal Reserve reported Tuesday that it expects slower economic growth and a slight bump up in unemployment next year due to the housing slump and a credit crunch. The board also said, however, that it thinks inflation will remain moderate.
US Democrats reject Pentagon layoff warnings -... →
MSNBCUS Democrats reject Pentagon layoff warnings Reuters - 1 hour ago By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Democrats on Tuesday accused the Bush administration of peddling “horror stories” about Iraq war funding, insisting the Pentagon had adequate money until March and rejecting claims that layoffs would be … House Dems dispute White House ‘stories’...
Tale of Three GOP Cancer Survivors →
Tale of Three GOP Cancer Survivors You’d think Mr. 9/11, Granpa Fred, and crazy John would get it after what they’ve been through themselves. Instead they show the failings of the GOP when it comes to addressing health care.
Great article in the LA Times:
When Rudolph W. Giuliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the spring of 2000, one thing he did not have to worry about was a lack of...
Study: Working Mothers Stress Out Partners →
If you’re a working woman and you have a husband, did you know you’re literally killing him with stress?
Seriously.
Why, I thought, analyze this particular issue, the impact of women’s work on men’s health? Why not focus, instead, on something more productive, like, for example, solutions on how to reduce the stress of parents in two-parent, dual-income households,...
Military Wounded Asked to Give Bonuses Back →
Military Wounded Asked to Give Bonuses Back
Fight for your country, lose an arm, eye or leg, lose your bonus.
The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments. To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases. Now men and women who have lost...
Israel signs Liberia diamond deal →
Israel signs an agreement with Liberia to help search for diamonds in the West African nation.
Romulus and Remus cave found →
Archaeologists believe it is cave of legend where founders of Rome were mothered by wolf
Web site allows public to see if property was... →
Trace.com, a subsidiary of MyThings Inc., is collaborating with the Texas Police Chiefs Association, Texas Department of Public Safety and more than 500 local police departments and sheriff’s offices in the state.
Fleeing sex offender runs into Washington High →
A registered sex offender who ran into a Washington High School classroom this morning was stopped by a district police officer and two instructors with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. No students at the north Houston campus were hurt, according to Houston Independent School District officials.