Kudos to the "60 Minutes" crew for pulling off some great journalism last night. In case you missed it, it’s simply a marvelous example of the potential of television news.
Under the Influence: How Lobbyists Wrote and Bought the Rx Drug Bill
60 Minutes tells the story of how pharmaceutical industry lobbyists literally wrote the historic Medicare Prescription Drug Bill and twisted arms to get the necessary votes to have it passed in the middle of the night. Correspondent Steve Kroft documents how many of the congressmen and staffers who worked on the bill [...]
Tags: 60 Minutes, Medicare Prescription Drug Bill, Steve Kroft
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It’s a viscious circle. When you don’t have the manpower, you have to shorten the time at home. When you shorten the time at home, you lose manpower because peopled don’t re-up. It ain’t brain surgery. Still, when even Conservative bloggers begin to question it….
Ever Shrinking Family Time
I do realize that there is a significant chunk of America that does not care about this: For just the second time since the war began, the Army is sending large units back to Iraq without giving them at least a year at home, defense officials said Monday. The move signaled how [...]
Tags: Iraq Re-Deployment, Time At Home
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It didn’t take them long to figure out they had to pick new targets. So, yes, the violence does drop off a bit in Baghdad. But, look what happens elsewhere.
Schoolgirls Slaughtered, Shiites Executed In Separate Iraq Attacks
A truck bomber carrying food supplies killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a baby in the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Monday as suspected Sunni militants executed 21 Shiite workers north of Baghdad. The attacks were the latest evidence of stepped up sectarian and insurgent killings outside Baghdad where [...]
Tags: Iraq War, Truck Bomb, Sunni, Shiite, Kirkuk
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We posted earlier about the the "Michael Ware Heckled McCain" story that turned out to be a fantasy, obviously designed to attack the outspoken CNN reporter in Baghdad. Ware’s not the only reporter to jump into the fray over McCain’s visit:
NBC Reporter: ‘Paris Hilton Could Ride A Bicycle In A Bikini Through Anbar’ With McCain’s Protection
This morning on The Imus Show, NBC Iraq correspondent Tom Aspell followed-up on his report from last night that Sen. John McCain was accompanied by 100 American soldiers, 3 Blackhawk helicopters, and 2 Apache gunships on his stroll through a Baghdad market. Aspell said that, with a similar level of protection, “even Paris Hilton could ride [...]
UPDATE: More thoughts on the McCain dog-and-pony-show.
What John McCain Didn’t Tell You
While John McCain was excoriating the press in Baghdad yesterday for not presenting the "full story" about how swell things are in Iraq he neglected to mention the pre-visit security sweep that made that neighborhood stroll so safe. I am sure you have already heard about the 100 soldiers, the three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache gunships that accompanied his entourage, but did you hear about the soldiers who swept the area before the American legislators and their security team showed up? Who cares about those mooks? They are [...]
UPDATE 2: And from the right, where they’re not believing –
Video Of McCain/Micahel Ware Press Conference In Baghdad Comes Out
…the sheer hostility between these reporters and the folks answering questions at the podium tells us all we need to know about the position they’re taking as to this war. They’re combative, sarcastic and clearly not objective in this matter even a little bit. Most of them are not journalists so much as activists there to challenge people they don’t like and disagree with them. If anything this video [...]
Tags: Tom Aspell, Don Imus, John McCain, Michael Ware, Iraq War, Baghdad
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He’s not the first and won’t be the last. But, he is one of the more publically outspoken to break with the Bush Administration. And, what he’s saying is quite remarkable.
Dowd Speaks Out
At long last, a member of President Bush’s inner circle has publicly "broken up" with him. Matthew Dowd, who was inspired by Bush’s style as Texas governor, switched parties and took a high-ranking post on the Bush-Cheney communications team [....]
UPDATE: The White House is trying to really downplay Dowd’s comments, blaming -
White House: Dissenting Ex-Aide Going Through "Personal Journey"
Matthew Dowd, principled dissenter? Or grieving, over-protective parent driven mad by heartbreak? Yesterday, Matthew Dowd, a former top strategist for Bush, publicly broke wtih the administration in The New York Times. His reasons were clear from the piece: Bush, he [...]
Tags: Matthew Dowd, George W. Bush
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Great thoughts from both the Blogger and his readers. Topic? How credit card companies are putting the squeeze on businesses that accept the cards.
Highway Robbery
Credit card issuers have recently jacked up the transaction fees they charge merchants, and it’s easy to understand why they had to do it. Check this out: "Credit card companies’ profits from interchange fees rose 33% from 1990 to 2004, [...]
Tags: Credit Cards, Interchange Fees
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Another big discussion among bloggers about a report that says CNN’s Michael Ware heckled Senator McCain during his news conference in Baghdad. There are numerous posts, but this is one of the few I’ve found that carries Ware’s side of the story, too.
Michael Ware goes overboard?
Drudge is reporting that CNN’s Michael Ware heckled Lindsay Grahm and other Senators at a presser on Iraq… During a live press conference in Baghdad, Senators McCain and Graham were heckled by CNN reporter Michael Ware. An official at the press conference called Ware’s conduct “outrageous,” saying, “here you have two United States Senators in Bagdad [...]
UPDATE: John Amato at Crooks and Liars comes through, too:
Michael Ware denies heckling McCain: “when I raised my hand to ask a question, the press conference abruptly ended.”
UPDATE 2: Just for a point of reference, here’s how the Conservative bloggers are handling it:
UPDATE 3: PowerLine later updated with this: Let’s go to the tape
The Final Chapter: Well, this should put the matter to rest, once and for all. It includes a link to the press conference. See and hear for yourself what does NOT happen.
Drudge’s claims about Michael Ware fail to pan out
Tags: Michael Ware, CNN, John McCain
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Not a good start to the week for the Bush Administration. Fairly substantial smackdown from the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Clean Air — Twice
Makes Bush, Cheney and Power companies cry: The Supreme Court gave a boost Monday to a federal clean air initiative aimed at forcing utilities to install pollution control equipment on aging coal-fired power plants. In a unanimous decision, the justices ruled against Duke Energy Corp. in a lawsuit brought by the Clinton administration, part of a massive enforcement effort targeting more than a dozen utilities. Most companies settled with the government, but several Clinton-era cases involving more than two dozen power plants in the South and the Midwest are still [...]
UPDATE: John Kerry on the Supreme Court Rebuke of Bush Administration on MA vs. EPA
Tags: Supreme Court, Clean Air Initiative
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I didn’t watch much TV over the weekend (other than the NCAA Final Four), but did catch a clip of John McCain in Baghdad. Trying to prove that what he said last week was true. Trying to prove that parts of Baghdad are safe enough for you to walk through. Of course, he had super-tight security accompanying him. And, he did look a tad bit contradictory during the news conference, standing there in a flak jacket. Then, there’s the little fact that insurgents sent mortars flying into the Green Zone, near where the news conference had been held, just minutes after it was over. What’s wrong with this picture?
McCain goes for a leisurely stroll in Baghdad
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) obviously thinks Americans are idiots. There’s no other explanation for his recent foolishness on Iraq, topped off yesterday by a fascinating shopping trip to a Baghdad market. As you probably recall, a week ago McCain appeared on Bill Bennett’s radio program, toeing the right-wing line on “progress” in Iraq. “There are neighborhoods [...]
McCain claims Iraq turning around, Evidence suggests otherwise
Here’s Senator McCain answering a question from an Iraqi reporter yesterday in Baghdad: REPORTER: You said [recently] there areas in Baghdad that you can walk around freely– MCCAIN (interrupting): Yeah, I just came from one. True, McCain had just spent a short time (about an hour) walking around freely in a market in daylight. But here’s the inconvenient truth: [...]
Tags: John McCain, Baghdad
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Kudos to the "60 Minutes" crew for pulling off some great journalism last night. In case you missed it, it’s simply a marvelous example of the potential of television news.
Under the Influence: How Lobbyists Wrote and Bought the Rx Drug Bill
60 Minutes tells the story of how pharmaceutical industry lobbyists literally wrote the historic Medicare Prescription Drug Bill and twisted arms to get the necessary votes to have it passed in the middle of the night. Correspondent Steve Kroft documents how many of the congressmen and staffers who worked on the bill [...]
Tags: 60 Minutes, Medicare Prescription Drug Bill, Steve Kroft
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Categories: Uncategorized
It’s a viscious circle. When you don’t have the manpower, you have to shorten the time at home. When you shorten the time at home, you lose manpower because peopled don’t re-up. It ain’t brain surgery. Still, when even Conservative bloggers begin to question it….
Ever Shrinking Family Time
I do realize that there is a significant chunk of America that does not care about this: For just the second time since the war began, the Army is sending large units back to Iraq without giving them at least a year at home, defense officials said Monday. The move signaled how [...]
Tags: Iraq Re-Deployment, Time At Home
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Categories: Uncategorized
The Arkansas Times blog notes this morning:
Bypass the electoral college
E.J. Dionne explains why legislation (House-passed in Arkansas this year) to bypass the electoral college is a good idea. It’s simple. So every vote [...]
Tags: Electoral College
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It didn’t take them long to figure out they had to pick new targets. So, yes, the violence does drop off a bit in Baghdad. But, look what happens elsewhere.
Schoolgirls Slaughtered, Shiites Executed In Separate Iraq Attacks
A truck bomber carrying food supplies killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a baby in the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Monday as suspected Sunni militants executed 21 Shiite workers north of Baghdad. The attacks were the latest evidence of stepped up sectarian and insurgent killings outside Baghdad where [...]
Tags: Iraq War, Truck Bomb, Sunni, Shiite, Kirkuk
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Categories: Uncategorized
We posted earlier about the the "Michael Ware Heckled McCain" story that turned out to be a fantasy, obviously designed to attack the outspoken CNN reporter in Baghdad. Ware’s not the only reporter to jump into the fray over McCain’s visit:
NBC Reporter: ‘Paris Hilton Could Ride A Bicycle In A Bikini Through Anbar’ With McCain’s Protection
This morning on The Imus Show, NBC Iraq correspondent Tom Aspell followed-up on his report from last night that Sen. John McCain was accompanied by 100 American soldiers, 3 Blackhawk helicopters, and 2 Apache gunships on his stroll through a Baghdad market. Aspell said that, with a similar level of protection, “even Paris Hilton could ride [...]
UPDATE: More thoughts on the McCain dog-and-pony-show.
What John McCain Didn’t Tell You
While John McCain was excoriating the press in Baghdad yesterday for not presenting the "full story" about how swell things are in Iraq he neglected to mention the pre-visit security sweep that made that neighborhood stroll so safe. I am sure you have already heard about the 100 soldiers, the three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache gunships that accompanied his entourage, but did you hear about the soldiers who swept the area before the American legislators and their security team showed up? Who cares about those mooks? They are [...]
UPDATE 2: And from the right, where they’re not believing –
Video Of McCain/Micahel Ware Press Conference In Baghdad Comes Out
…the sheer hostility between these reporters and the folks answering questions at the podium tells us all we need to know about the position they’re taking as to this war. They’re combative, sarcastic and clearly not objective in this matter even a little bit. Most of them are not journalists so much as activists there to challenge people they don’t like and disagree with them. If anything this video [...]
Tags: Tom Aspell, Don Imus, John McCain, Michael Ware, Iraq War, Baghdad
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Categories: Uncategorized
He’s not the first and won’t be the last. But, he is one of the more publically outspoken to break with the Bush Administration. And, what he’s saying is quite remarkable.
Dowd Speaks Out
At long last, a member of President Bush’s inner circle has publicly "broken up" with him. Matthew Dowd, who was inspired by Bush’s style as Texas governor, switched parties and took a high-ranking post on the Bush-Cheney communications team [....]
UPDATE: The White House is trying to really downplay Dowd’s comments, blaming -
White House: Dissenting Ex-Aide Going Through "Personal Journey"
Matthew Dowd, principled dissenter? Or grieving, over-protective parent driven mad by heartbreak? Yesterday, Matthew Dowd, a former top strategist for Bush, publicly broke wtih the administration in The New York Times. His reasons were clear from the piece: Bush, he [...]
Tags: Matthew Dowd, George W. Bush
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Categories: Uncategorized
Great thoughts from both the Blogger and his readers. Topic? How credit card companies are putting the squeeze on businesses that accept the cards.
Highway Robbery
Credit card issuers have recently jacked up the transaction fees they charge merchants, and it’s easy to understand why they had to do it. Check this out: "Credit card companies’ profits from interchange fees rose 33% from 1990 to 2004, [...]
Tags: Credit Cards, Interchange Fees
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Categories: Uncategorized
Another big discussion among bloggers about a report that says CNN’s Michael Ware heckled Senator McCain during his news conference in Baghdad. There are numerous posts, but this is one of the few I’ve found that carries Ware’s side of the story, too.
Michael Ware goes overboard?
Drudge is reporting that CNN’s Michael Ware heckled Lindsay Grahm and other Senators at a presser on Iraq… During a live press conference in Baghdad, Senators McCain and Graham were heckled by CNN reporter Michael Ware. An official at the press conference called Ware’s conduct “outrageous,” saying, “here you have two United States Senators in Bagdad [...]
UPDATE: John Amato at Crooks and Liars comes through, too:
Michael Ware denies heckling McCain: “when I raised my hand to ask a question, the press conference abruptly ended.”
UPDATE 2: Just for a point of reference, here’s how the Conservative bloggers are handling it:
UPDATE 3: PowerLine later updated with this: Let’s go to the tape
The Final Chapter: Well, this should put the matter to rest, once and for all. It includes a link to the press conference. See and hear for yourself what does NOT happen.
Drudge’s claims about Michael Ware fail to pan out
Tags: Michael Ware, CNN, John McCain
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Categories: Uncategorized
Not a good start to the week for the Bush Administration. Fairly substantial smackdown from the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Clean Air — Twice
Makes Bush, Cheney and Power companies cry: The Supreme Court gave a boost Monday to a federal clean air initiative aimed at forcing utilities to install pollution control equipment on aging coal-fired power plants. In a unanimous decision, the justices ruled against Duke Energy Corp. in a lawsuit brought by the Clinton administration, part of a massive enforcement effort targeting more than a dozen utilities. Most companies settled with the government, but several Clinton-era cases involving more than two dozen power plants in the South and the Midwest are still [...]
UPDATE: John Kerry on the Supreme Court Rebuke of Bush Administration on MA vs. EPA
Tags: Supreme Court, Clean Air Initiative
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Categories: Uncategorized
I didn’t watch much TV over the weekend (other than the NCAA Final Four), but did catch a clip of John McCain in Baghdad. Trying to prove that what he said last week was true. Trying to prove that parts of Baghdad are safe enough for you to walk through. Of course, he had super-tight security accompanying him. And, he did look a tad bit contradictory during the news conference, standing there in a flak jacket. Then, there’s the little fact that insurgents sent mortars flying into the Green Zone, near where the news conference had been held, just minutes after it was over. What’s wrong with this picture?
McCain goes for a leisurely stroll in Baghdad
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) obviously thinks Americans are idiots. There’s no other explanation for his recent foolishness on Iraq, topped off yesterday by a fascinating shopping trip to a Baghdad market. As you probably recall, a week ago McCain appeared on Bill Bennett’s radio program, toeing the right-wing line on “progress” in Iraq. “There are neighborhoods [...]
McCain claims Iraq turning around, Evidence suggests otherwise
Here’s Senator McCain answering a question from an Iraqi reporter yesterday in Baghdad: REPORTER: You said [recently] there areas in Baghdad that you can walk around freely– MCCAIN (interrupting): Yeah, I just came from one. True, McCain had just spent a short time (about an hour) walking around freely in a market in daylight. But here’s the inconvenient truth: [...]
Tags: John McCain, Baghdad
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