Judging The Performance

Gonzales isn’t getting rave reviews for his performance at the Senate Hearings into the firing of those U.S. Attorneys…

Republicans: Gonzo Going Down In Flames

CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux talking to folks in the White House and DC Republicans and they have panned AG Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ performance today. Malveaux says that Republicans described the hearing as being akin to "clubbing a baby seal." Senator Feinstein was the final nail. Part of me [...]

Gonzales reviews are in: ‘Like clubbing a baby seal.’

CNN’s Dana Bash: Loyal Republican after loyal Republican in this hearing room, and more specifically, in private to CNN today have made it clear that they are frankly flabbergasted by how poorly they think the attorney general has done in this hearing. … During the lunch break, in private, several very loyal Republicans made it clear [...]

"The Nation" has a 3 minute summary…

And…Booman makes it a wrap…

Throwing Gonzo to the Wolves

Bush is more inclined to issue medals than fire incompetent underlings. And he is especially loyal to his close friends. Take Alberto Gonzales, a man that Bush bonded with when they executed prisoners together down in Texas. Bush should have fired him weeks ago. I have no idea why Gonzales even testified if he is just going to be shit-canned for the effort. But the White House sent a clear message even before today’s hearing concluded. From Campaign for America’s Future: Further, CNN White House reporter Suzanne Malveaux just aired [...]

Tags: Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorneys

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Advantage: Schumer

Senator Schumer hits one out of the ballpark after Gonzales failes to even step up to the plate…

Gonzales: Burden’s Not with Me

There was just one of the most telling exchanges of the whole hearing. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), up for another round of questioning, declined, saying that Alberto Gonzales had failed to meet the burden of proof to explain the basis [...]

Tags: Chuck Schumer, Alberto Gonzales

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One Hit Wonder

Give the man a microphone and he thinks he has to sing.  Bad topic, though. Very bad choice of music…

‘Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.’

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in South Carolina: “Another man — wondering if an attack on Iran is in the works — wanted to know when America is going to ’send an air mail message to Tehran.’ McCain began his answer by changing the words to a popular Beach Boys song. ‘Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb [...]

Tags: John McCain, Bomb Iran, Beach Boys

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The Deadline That Isn’t

This story really has its genesis in the blogosphere, but has now hit the mainstream media.  In a big way…

Pentagon Confirms: Bush Hyped False Iraq Deadline

The Associated Press has a major story out confirming that President Bush has been hyping a false Iraq spending deadline. For weeks, the Bush administration has been trying to force Congress to abandon its support for an Iraq withdrawal timeline by claiming that a “clean” Iraq spending bill must be signed by mid-April or U.S. troops [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Spending Deadline, Troop Withdrawal

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Just A Bit Testy

That’s the President.  Not liking some of what he heard during that meeting with Congressional leaders.  Iin particular….

Bush ‘a little sensitive’ to Vietnam-Iraq comparison.

Greg Sargent reports that at yesterday’s meeting between congressional leaders and President Bush on the Iraq war, “Bush bristled and was taken aback when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid compared the current situation to Vietnam.” According to a source familiar with the meeting, “The analogy to Vietnam appeared to touch a nerve with the President. [...]

That isn’t all that Reid is saying about the war…

Harry Reid: Iraq war is ‘lost’

Harry Reid said today that “The war in Iraq “is lost” and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country.” “I believe … that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week,” Reid told journalists. Reid said [...]

Tags: Harry Reid, Iraq War, Vietnam War

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Then And Now

It’s a friendly little game the folks over at Think Progress like to play: comparing quotes from today and yesterday.  Today, it’s Karl Rove in the historical cross hairs…

Rove: ‘I Wish The Iraq War Never Existed,’ It Was ‘Osama Bin Laden’s Idea’

On a visit to Ohio yesterday, White House senior political adviser Karl Rove claimed he never wanted the war in Iraq: “I wish the war were over,” Rove said. “I wish the war never existed… History has given us a challenge.” History shows Rove was exceptionally eager in 2002 for the upcoming Iraq war, anxious to reap [...]

Tags: Karl Rove, Iraq War

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Arkansas-Missouri Connection

It’s looking more and more like the Bud Cummins Arkansas-Missouri connection to the U.S. Attorneys purge could become a key factor in the Congressional investigations…

GONZALEZ HEARING: A Direct, As Yet Unreported Connection Straight Into the White House

I just spoke with BRAD BLOG’s D.C. Correspondent Margie Burns who is in the hearing room today watching the testimony live in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing with Alberto Gonzalez. She tells me she’ll have a report for us later this evening after the second session. While the hearing is on lunch break (until 2pm ET), [...]

Tags: Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorneys, Bud Cummins

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What They Know About You

It’s really quite amazing! Are you comfortable, knowing you’re part of this massive medical database?

Bush administration is prying into your medical records in violation of the law

We learned yesterday that the Bush administration has created a database of every single prescription drug user/patient in the country (that would pretty much be all of us). The database was created pursuant to a 2005 law that was intended to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs. Funny that this massive new database of your private medical information is now being [...]

And, you’ll find more details and extended thoughts here:

Abuse of the Federal Prescription Database Law

Tags: Drug Database, Prescription Drugs

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Deja Vu

All over again.  But, I can’t believe it would fly this time.  The American People and Congress wouldn’t stand for it.  Unless…..

Experts: Draft May Be Necessary

Cpl. Michael S. Cifuentes / Marine Corps This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who has paid attention to recruitment levels over the last few years, but given the military’s reticence over publicly admitting anything that might be perceived as detrimental to the military, I find this remarkable.  As C&Ler GM wrote to me when he [...]

Tags: Military Draft

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Let Them Stay

Legally.  Surprising numbers on immigration in a new poll…

Astonishing

As I wrote once before, my biggest misreading of the American mood over the past few years was my perception that people were much more hostile to immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, than they actually are. I am utterly astonished by this.  "WASHINGTON — While Congress and the White House remain divided over what to do with [...]

Tags: Illegal Immigrants, Immigration, Gallup Poll, USA Today

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Lunchtime Update

Just one quick update, in between bites of a sandwich and salad.  The Gonzales hearings are apparently quite the show.  Might be a good evening to make sure you spend some time watching the tube…

Gonzales’ big day

About a half-hour ago, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), referring to a November 2006 meeting of top Justice Department officials, asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the decision to purge the now-fired U.S. Attorneys. Gonzales said, “I don’t recall that the decision was made at that meeting.” Leahy, looking incredulous, asked if Gonzales remembered [...]

UPDATE:  Care to peak in on the big picture?

McClatchy starts looking…

McClatchy starts looking at the big picture on ‘vote fraud’ and the US Attorney Purge story … For six years, the Bush administration, aided by Justice Department political appointees, has pursued an aggressive legal effort to restrict voter turnout in key battleground states in ways that favor Republican political candidates. The administration intensified its efforts last year as President [...]

Tags: Alberto Gonzales, Patrick Leahy, Justice Department, Fired U.S. Attorneys

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A Candidate Says "No Thanks"

He could have been War Czar. He turned down the offer. The White House ain’t gonna be overly pleased with his public disclosure of WHY he said "thanks, but no thanks" to the offer.

General John J. Sheehan On Why He Turned Down President Bush’s “War Czar” Offer: The President Couldn’t Buy A Clue In A Clue Store

Eloquent, eloquent, ELOQUENT; but equally hard hitting. The condensed version of the General’s “sorry, not interested” response to the President would go something like this: “Thanks, Sir, but NOPE. You get to keep the dunce cap”: Why I Declined To Serve By John J. Sheehan Service to the nation is both a responsibility and an honor [...]

Tags: War Czar, John Sheehan

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Oooh, Shiny Objects!!

Lookee here, Sam!  Look what I found!  Could it be….Weapons of Mass Destruction?  Aw. shucks.  You say it ain’t so?

Again with WMD?

For crying out loud, are war supporters still making the case for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Forget shame, don’t these guys want to shy away from utter humiliation? Apparently not. Redstate ran an item yesterday, highlighting an article from the far-right Washington Times, which noted that U.S. troops found “31 barrels of nitric acid [...]

Tags: WMD, Weapons of Mass Deestruction, Iraq War

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Senate Spat

Pretty good little dustup in the U.S. Senate.  Long, detailed, post follows, but it’s definitely worth your time.  The Administration’s ongoing arm-twisting may be reaching a boiling point…

PEEK: Mild-mannered Dem senator flips his lid

Moments after the Republicans in the Senate heeded a call from the White House to vote against cloture on debate for the bill FUNDING THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller took the floor, visibly enraged. Now, Rockefeller has to be one of the coolest heads in the Senate. He isn’t rolled easily. In his speech, he denounced the [...]

Tags: Senate Intelligence Committee, Jay Rockefeller

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Just not happenin’.

10 out of 15 countries

believe “that the United States cannot be trusted to “act responsibly in the world.” The new PIPA poll also finds that majorities in 13 out of 15 publics polled say the United States is “playing the role of world policeman more than it should be,” and majorities in all 15 of the countries polled reject [...]

Tags: World Opinion, PIPA, United States

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They Make Phone Calls

It’s the latest tactic against the Iraq War…

RoboCalls Against Iraq War

So here’s a new front in the Iraq legislative fight: VoteVets.org, a political action committee, in conjunction with a coalition called Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is making reported calls [...]

Tags: Anti-War, Iraq War, VoteVets.org, RoboCalls

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Voice of Experience

When our Military Contractors are not talking to reporters, here’s what they say about the War in  Iraq…

‘Do not believe anyone who tells you that the situation is getting better’

When it comes to foreign policy, Lawrence J. Korb is unquestionably a credible expert. He was assistant Defense Secretary in the Reagan administration and is now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. Last year, when congressional Democrats began embracing a redeployment plan for Iraq, it was Korb who wrote the proposal and [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Contractors, Surge

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The War Poll

The latest from CNN and the Opinion Research folks.  To paraphrase a current TV commercial, "It’s so obvious, even a caveman could see it". Americans don’t support the War in Iraq…

Support for Iraq War Remains Low [Taegan Goddard's Political Wire]

A new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds support for the Iraq war in Iraq remains low "amid widespread feelings that the war is going badly and that sending additional troops to Iraq won’t make any difference." Overall, just 32% support the war, while 66% oppose it. Meanwhile, most Americans (72%) say they are [...]

Tags: Iraq War, CNN, Opinion Research Poll

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Outsourced

Will your job be next?  There is just SO much wrong with this….

Forty Million High-Skilled Jobs Headed Over Seas

The neoliberal free traders are finally letting the cat out of the bag. High skilled jobs are to be outsourced. Even a free trader like Alan Blinder of Princeton is taken aback. "The master plan, it seems, is to move perhaps 40 million high-skill American jobs to other countries. U.S. workers have not been consulted. Princeton economist Alan Blinder predicts that [...]

Tags: Outsourcing, Free Trade

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Lunchtime Update

Just one quick update, in between bites of a sandwich and salad.  The Gonzales hearings are apparently quite the show.  Might be a good evening to make sure you spend some time watching the tube…

Gonzales’ big day

About a half-hour ago, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), referring to a November 2006 meeting of top Justice Department officials, asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the decision to purge the now-fired U.S. Attorneys. Gonzales said, “I don’t recall that the decision was made at that meeting.” Leahy, looking incredulous, asked if Gonzales remembered [...]

UPDATE:  Care to peak in on the big picture?

McClatchy starts looking…

McClatchy starts looking at the big picture on ‘vote fraud’ and the US Attorney Purge story … For six years, the Bush administration, aided by Justice Department political appointees, has pursued an aggressive legal effort to restrict voter turnout in key battleground states in ways that favor Republican political candidates. The administration intensified its efforts last year as President [...]

Tags: Alberto Gonzales, Patrick Leahy, Justice Department, Fired U.S. Attorneys

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