. . . and Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were co-conspirators. So says this website.
The Torture General and the Commander-in-Chief Override
To me, the most troubling thing about Gonzales is not his understanding (or lack thereof) on the "legal" use of torture, but his apparent lack of understanding on the powers of the Presidency. One thing is for sure: what ever "torture" is — and I am willing to concede that we can have open debates about that — the President … Read More
Desparate Yet?
Matt Yglesius is right to point this out: The recent acts of terrorism, such as the bombing of the U.N. headquarters and the mosque in Najaf, show a couple of things. First, that Iraq is still a dangerous place. They also show, I think, the desperation — the desperation of the adversaries that we face. We’re actively engaged in rooting … Read More
Your Tax Dollars Pay for Illegal Propaganda
The rightwing douchebag pundit of the day award goes to Armstrong Williams: Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same. The campaign, part of an effort to … Read More
Eight Questions (Plus One)
In an attempt to foster "brutally honest conversation" among hawks, Kevin Drum has 8 questions for Iraq war supporters (and in reality, it is more than eight. I suspect many hawks will dismiss these questions as "rhetorical", but I don’t think they are. Any takers? I would also appreciate links if you know of blogs who take on Kevin’s questions. … Read More
White House Distances Itself From Realities of War
I can only imagine what it must be like to receive a letter from the government stating that your son/daughter has been killed in combat. But . . . it’s a necessary aspect of war. Still . . . is it too much to ask of the President that he NOT sign these letter with a green felt-tip marker? Is … Read More
So WHY Did We Invade Iraq in Response to 9/11?
"Because Iraq had WMDs and posed a serious threat." We now know they didn’t. "Because Iraq had significant operational ties to Al Qaeda." We now know they didn’t. "Because a democratic Iraq will spread democracy in the region in order to combat Islamofascism." Oh, okay. That makes sense, I guess. Wait a second. No so fast, sparky: WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 … Read More
The Scariest Memo in the World
From Porter Goss, new head of the CIA: Porter J. Goss, the new intelligence chief, has told Central Intelligence Agency employees that their job is to "support the administration and its policies in our work,” a copy of an internal memorandum shows. "As agency employees we do not identify with, support or champion opposition to the administration or its policies," … Read More
Contract Ripped Up
In 1994, the Republicans created their "Contract With America". One of the purposes of the Contract was "To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves." Why did they write that? Because at the time, there were many GOP complaints about Democrat Dan … Read More
“Moral Values” Embarrassment Watch II (Torture Edition)
From Atrios: I just heard a report on NPR about a group of Chinese Muslims who have been in Guantanmo [sic]. We’ve decided that they’re no longer a threat. The Chinese government wants us to hand them over so they can try them on terrorism charges. We don’t want to hand them over because… yes, you know it’s coming… The … Read More
An Idiot Named Mike Thompson
Every once in a while, a right-wingnut article comes along so ripe for editorial rape that it would be a crime to let it pass. Here is one such article, from a guy named Mike Thompson, a former chairman of the Florida Conservative Union. Take note of the disclaimer at the top — he doesn’t mean what he is saying, … Read More
Something You Didn’t Think Of . . .
. . . but you should consider: Over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." In other words, more Americans voted for the "Massachusetts liberal" than they did for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Conclusion: apparently "liberal" isn’t the dirty word is used to be.
And How is Generalissimo Franco??
Arafat is dead and in a coma. Well, either way, he’s not making too many plans.
Harper’s, Don’t Tempt Me . . .
The joke among myself and other recent election loss sufferers is "Let’s move to another country." Of course, we’re not and we wouldn’t. We’re staying and fighting for the soul of the country we love. But I thought this article was interesting: So the wrong candidate has won, and you want to leave the country. Let us consider your options. … Read More
Where Do We Go From Here?
First Draft of the Next Four Years for Lefties Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – Phew! Now what? Let’s look at why we lost. Can’t put blame on the Supreme Court (this year). Can’t put any blame on Nader (this year) either. Can’t really blame the media either. Can’t really blame our candidate either (does anyone out there think … Read More