Month: February 2007
What If Vice Pres. Gore Had Outed a Covert CIA Specialist in Terror Weapons?
Imagine the reaction from the media and the Republican Party if this story had been in the news ten years ago:
Looks like Cheney will get away with jeopardizing our national security without punsihment, or even a mild rebuke.
Sworn testimony has revealed that Vice Pres. Al Gore masterminded the unmasking of a covert CIA agent who specialized in the terrorist blackmarket for weapons of mass destruction — and that Gore’s motive was to exact political retribution against the agent’s husband, an outspoken critic of Clinton-Gore policies.
It is hardly an exaggeration to suggest that Vice Pres. Gore would have been hounded from office within weeks of such headlines — as Vice Pres. Mondale or any other Democratic vice president would have been.
And yet we now know from testimony by an FBI agent and others at Scooter Libby’s perjury trial in the CIA Leak scandal that it was not Karl Rove who masterminded the campaign to reveal agent Valerie Plame’s identity, as most of us assumed — it was Libby’s boss, Dick Cheney, the vice president of the United States.
It also clear from the evidence that Cheney was fully aware that Plame worked undercover for the CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Division, where she was involved hands-on in tracking of illegal sales and shipments of WMD around the world. It is also clear that Cheney was more than willing to risk whatever intelligence assets Plame had developed in order to retaliate against her husband, former Amb. Joe Wilson, who had dared to call the Cheney-Bush administration on its lies about Iraq’s purported nuclear capabilities.
If Cheney were a Democrat, and these accusations had been made against him as part of sworn testimony, the reaction in Washington would be as clamorous as it would be swift:
- Investigations would be launched by both the Senate and House committees on national security and government affairs.
- Even in advance of the hearings, the House would have drawn up Bills of Impeachment against the vice president and probably the president as well.
- Fox News would be leading with the story wall-to-wall, couching the news as a deliberate, pro-terrorist security breach orchestrated from the White House.
- Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts would be hammering away at the vice president, calling his patriotism into question and implying that he was revealing national secrets at the behest of his boss, the president.
Instead, what we have gotten from the media and the Congress is bascially, “So what? It’s just Cheney being Cheney.” It is apparent that the vice president will get away with jeopardizing our national security without punsihment, or even a mild rebuke.
Disaster: Bush Says He’ll Continue Meddling in Middle East After His Presidency
George Bush has informed his inner circle that after he leaves office he plans to invite Middle East leaders to his think tank in Texas, where he will school them in the finer points of democratic governance.
If Bush really is allowed to continue meddling in the Middle East after he leaves office, there could soon be nuclear bomb craters dotting the landscape from Tel Aviv to Teheran.
Too bad no one in his inner circle has the cojones to tell him that the rest of the world views his efforts in the region to date as having done more harm than good. His approach — bombing Iraq back to the Stone Age and then installing a weak-as-treacle democracy among the ruins — has supplanted the Vietnam War as the biggest foreign policy disaster in U.S. history.
Meanwhile, here at home, not since the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in the Adams administration has a gang in government done more to assault the U.S. Constitution. Through his actions — from wiretapping U.S. citizens to creating “signing statements” that abrogate the bills he signs into law — Bush has demonstrated an aristocrat’s disdain for the institutions of democracy.
The president’s sad bluster about staying involved in Middle East politics would be funny if it weren’t so fraught with danger. Allowing him to meddle in the Middle East could easily result in nuclear-bomb craters dotting the landscape from Tel Aviv to Teheran.
‘Realists’ Pull Iran Report Because Neo-con Claims Went Too Far
It is interesting to learn that Sec. of State Condoleeza Rice felt empowered to withdraw a report on Iran’s weapons dealings because she and Sec. Defense Bob Gates thought some of its neo-con claims were too outlandish, but what we know about the neo-cons is that they always come out on top in this administration:
The big briefing planned by the Bush administration on supposed Iranian weapons shipments to Iraq had to be postponed because the presentation was judged exaggerated and unsubstantiated by Secretary of State Condi Rice and by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. So that raises the question of who was spearheading this presentation inside the Bush administration? Getting Iran is an obsession of the Neoconservatives at the American Enterprise Institute and their plants inside the administration, such as Iran-Contra felon Elliot Abrams in the National Security Council and David Wurmser and John Hannah on Cheney’s rump Veep national security council. Many Neoconservatives and other sorts of wingnut have a secret alliance with the Marxist Islamist MEK terrorist organization, which feeds them allegations about Iran in Iraq just as Ahmad Chalabi used to with regard to the Baath regime in Iraq.
So have the Cheney Neoconservatives been at least somewhat reined in by a new Rice-Gates axis of Realists?
Finally — Proof that Limbaugh, Lawyers are from Same Circle of Hell
Dyn-o-mite: Not that there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that it could actually happen, but the fact that anyone would nominate Viagra-assisted blowhard Rush Limbaugh for any world-recognized prize beggars belief. Yesterday, however, hyper-conservative law firm Landmark Legal Foundation announced in a press release that it had nominated the radio wingnut windbag for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Either the LLF is mounting a ballsy and if so, pretty cool public relations stunt or, more likely, the outfit is experiencing complete disassociation from the plane of reality that you and I share:
‘Rush Limbaugh is the foremost advocate for freedom and democracy in the world today.’
Note: Ironic quote marks added for emphasis
Note: Ironic quote marks added for emphasis
Limbaugh, whose daily radio show is heard by more than 20 million people on more than 600 radio stations in the United States and around the world, was nominated for the prestigious award for his “nearly two decades of tireless efforts to promote liberty, equality and opportunity for all humankind, regardless of race, creed, economic stratum or national origin. These are the only real cornerstones of just and lasting peace throughout the world,” said Landmark President Mark R. Levin.
“Rush Limbaugh is the foremost advocate for freedom and democracy in the world today,” explained Levin. “Everyday he gives voice to the values of democratic governance, individual opportunity and the just, equal application of the rule of law — and it is fitting that the Nobel Committee recognize the power of these ideals to build a truly peaceful world for future generations.”
Whew! I almost fractured my irony bone while reading that. Fortunately, the thoughtful Landmark folks provide a description of the prize in the press release:
The Nobel Peace Prize, which is given by a committee of the Norwegian Storting (the Norwegian Parliament), was created by inventor Alfred Nobel in his will in 1896 to be given to the individual or organization who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses.”
Shall we compare the sentiment in that description to a few choice Rush quotes culled from his Web site?
“Did you see ExxonMobil’s profit? Oh, this is great! Makes me feel proud to be an American! Makes me love capitalism! The largest annual profit in US history: 39 1/2 billion dollars. Yes!”
“When you focus on Tony Dungy’s and Lovie Smith’s race, you’re doing them an injustice. They are great men. They happen to be the best in their conferences this year. And both of these guys are ‘clean’ and ‘articulate’ — absolutely right.”
“Mike, I can’t believe that you’re going to hire a maid and only pay her $7.15. You know what I pay my maid, you cheap bastard? I pay my maid more than you will make in a lifetime!”
“The Democrats are worried that any action against Iran might get the country behind the president. Did I just say that? Yes, I said it! I am quoting them! They said it! Here we are in the war on terror, and these people have it out for us. I mean, there’s no other way to put it!”
“What do these four things have in common: embryonic stem cells, synthetic fuels, global warming, and Hillary Rodham Clinton? They are all a lifetime away from delivering their promise. They’re all liberal Democrat fantasies, pure and simple.”
“Don’t insult me — I haven’t made $7 million a year in 14 years! Do you realize how that humiliates me in front of my audience and this country?”
I imagine that his Nobel acceptance speech would be like his radio show — stream-of-consciousness potty talk punctuated by bombastic blather and preposterous pronouncements. That’s okay, though, Rush is as far away from the Nobel Peace Prize as Joe Biden is from becoming president.
In a fit of non-irony, Landmark Legal Foundation disclosed that Limbaugh serves as an unpaid member of its board of advisors.
Bush Lied Again: Troop Surge Could Total 48,000
Referring to his escalation of the war in Iraq in last month’s State of the Union speech, Pres. Bush said he was sending “reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq.” The key phrase in the quote is “more than” — much more:
Remember the bad old days when the media used to get exasperated with the Clinton administration because they had to parse their statements about Pres. Clinton’s sex life? Where is their consternation now?
A study released today by the Congressional Budget Office shows that the real troop increase associated with President Bush’s escalation policy could be as high as 48,000, more than double the 21,500 soldiers that Bush has claimed.
As DefenseTech notes, extra forces are expected because the combat units being sent into Iraq “need to be backed up by support troops, ‘including personnel to staff headquarters, serve as military police, and provide communications, contracting, engineering, intelligence, medical, and other services.’†The CBO’s low estimate envisions at least 15,000 additional support personnel. The alternative scenario “would require about 28,000 support troops in addition to the 20,000 combat troops.â€
Additionally, the cost of the escalation could be as much as five times higher than White House estimates:
According to the study, the costs for the “surge†would also be dramatically different than the President has said. The White House estimated a troop escalation would require about $5.6 billion in additional funding, the CBO now believes “that costs would range from $9 billion to $13 billion for a four-month deployment and from $20 billion to $27 billion for a 12-month deployment, depending upon the total number of troops deployed.â€
Remember the bad old days when the media used to get exasperated with the Clinton administration because they had to parse their statements about Pres. Clinton’s sex life?
Except for Keith Olbermann on MSNBC’s “Countdown” last night, I haven’t heard a single cablenewser express concern that when Pres. Bush said “more than” 21,000, he meant “more than double” 21,000.
Bustards!
Florida Kills Paperless Voting
Interesting timing. One month after Jeb Bush leaves office as Florida governor, the state that gave his brother the presidency because of wiggy voting systems announces it is mandating a paper trail for all votes:
Fifteen of Florida’s 67 counties use paperless touch-screen voting machines. The remaining counties use optical scan machines where a voter marks a paper ballot with a pencil and it is electronically scanned.
Gov. Charlie Crist said Thursday he wants to spend about $32 million to convert all voting machines in Florida to produce paper trails.
”What we’re talking about here is Democracy and it is precious,” Crist told a crowd of several hundred people at a gathering of the nonpartisan Voters Coalition of Palm Beach County.
”You should, when you go vote, be able to have a record of it,” Crist said, calling it ”common sense.”
The proposal will be part of Crist’s budget he presents to the Legislature on Friday.
Fifteen of Florida’s 67 counties use paperless touch-screen voting machines. The remaining counties use optical scan machines where a voter marks a paper ballot with a pencil and it is electronically scanned.
Critics of the paperless machines say voters are disenfranchised because there is no record for a manual recount should questions arise about an election.
”We love our country, we love our Democracy, we cherish our freedom, but the bedrock of that freedom is the right to vote and the right to have our votes count,” said U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, who joined Crist for the announcement.
Crist said he hoped to have paper trails for all voting machines by the 2008 election.
Lots of speculation now that Florida’s move will lead to other states making the same decision.
Settled: SF Mayor Gavin Newsome Is Not Gay
Hard to say what this will do to the career of one of the California Democratic Party’s few young stars. He certainly had a future in statewide and, probably, national politics ahead of him. Damn:
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s re-election campaign manager resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about an affair Newsom had with his wife while she worked in the mayor’s office, City Hall sources said.
Alex Tourk, 39, who served as Newsom’s deputy chief of staff before becoming his campaign manager in September, confronted the mayor after his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, told him of the affair as part of a rehabilitation program she had been undergoing for substance abuse, said the sources, who had direct knowledge of Wednesday’s meeting.
Rippey-Tourk, 34, was the mayor’s appointments secretary from the start of his administration in 2004 until last spring. She told her husband that the affair with Newsom was short-lived and happened about a year and a half ago, while the mayor was undergoing a divorce from his then-wife, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, said the sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified.
Quote du Jour
As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.
— Oscar Wilde
Revealed at Libby Trial: Russert Hates Chris Matthews
It’s hard to find someone to root for in this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of the Gang of 500 in Washington.
Matalin called Joe Wilson a “snake,” which is ironic coming from a GOP operative. Wilson is one of the few true patriots in his drama.
At Scooter Libby’s perjury trial on Tuesday, lawyers argued about whether to admit notes Libby took from a conversation he had with former Vice Pres. Cheney adviser, Mary Matalin, in the week before Bob Novak revealed the secret identity of WMD specialist Valerie Plame. But the juiciest bit from the notes had nothing to do with the trial:
According to the notes, Matalin told Libby that Wilson’s charge was fitting into the “Democratic story on the Hill” and that the “story is not going away.” The notes say, “We need to address the Wilson motivation.” Matalin suggested that Libby call Meet the Press host Tim Russert. “He hates Chris — he needs to know it all,” the notes say, in a reference to Hardball host Chris Matthews, who had been promoting Wilson’s accusations on the air and slamming Libby by name. On the same page, Libby wrote, “Wilson is a snake.”
This is how the nation’s capital works. A scandal erupts, and the spinners go into damage control and try to manipulate the press however they can. In this instance, Matalin apparently believed Cheney’s office could play Russert against Matthews.
Chris Matthews is loathesome, especially when he chews up airtime with his spittle-spewing hatred of all things Clinton. And while this does edge my estimation of Tim Russert up from minus-50 to minus-49.5, now we know that even Vice Pres. Cheney considered him to be an easily manipulated Republican media tool.
The fact that Libby’s notes indicated that Matalin referried to Joe Wilson as a “snake” is particularly telling. Republicans like her are constantly impugning the patriotism of anyone who dares to criticize this administration. Joe Wilson is nearly unique among the players in this drama in that he did the right thing in ratting them out for lying to the American people. His behavior — unlike Matalin’s, Libby’s or their bosses’ — was truly patriotic.
