The Political Chase

Journalism - witness it while you can

A rare moment in time. The press actually contrasts a statement President Bush made with facts and within 24 to 48 hours, instead of four years later  or whenever they publish a book.

Even before the first vote was cast in the House, Mr. Bush assailed the Democrats’ proposal in remarks at the White House on Thursday, calling it “a partisan bill that would undermine America’s security.”

“Companies that may have helped us save lives should be thanked for their patriotic service, not subjected to billion-dollar lawsuits that will make them less willing to help in the future,” the president said. “The House bill may be good for class action trial lawyers, but it would be terrible for the United States.”

In fact, while some private lawyers are assisting in the litigation, the groups leading the efforts, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, are nonprofit advocacy groups.

It’s not as if they exposed the ill-contrived opinions of John Yoo, Jay Bybee, and David Addington while scribing Cheney’s every wish directly from in the Office of Legal Counsel, but it’s a start.

It’s too much to hope for today that some motivated journalist would tell the public, the telecom companies already have "immunity" under  18 USC § 2511(2)(a)(ii)(B):

…No cause of action shall lie in any court against any provider of wire or electronic communication service, its officers, employees, or agents, landlord, custodian, or other specified person for providing information, facilities, or assistance in accordance with the terms of a court order, statutory authorization, or certification under this chapter.

If they did not break the law, they have nothing to fear.

Clinton and Obama - focus or get out

(Update I and Update II below)

Just call me Keith Olbermann because I’m P.O.’d and I’m going to say this, albeit from a very frustrated position. If the Hatfields and McCoys Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will not focus — now, today, not tomorrow — on the significant issues facing this country then they both need to get out.

Congress, which they are part of the last time I checked, is dealing with (or should be) very serious matters like FISA and the economy. So, what are the two children doing? Nothing productive and everything counterproductive.

What should they be doing? They should be talking, seriously and truthfully, about FISA and our constitutional crisis, the economy, Iraq, the ozone, and health care. But they’re not. Instead they’re too busy talking about, or being forced to talk about Obama’s pastor. They’re having pissing contests over Florida and Michigan because Hillary refuses to adhere to an agreement she signed when when she was the “inevitable candidate.”

Hello? Can someone hand them a real newspaper instead of the tabs? I’m reminded of a day more than two years ago when Bogus POTUS flew over New Orleans days after hundreds had died from neglect.

For two months Hillary has been sending up smoke screens, launching anti-heat-seaking-missle flares and grabbing anything she can get her conniving hands on to divert and distract Obama, while simultaneously leading her Racists-in-Chiefs (that would be Ferraro, hubby Bill, and Mark Penn) in a fury across the nation spewing bile and Obama-killing venom. Nothing is too subversive, nor the price too high, to keep her from pursuing what is now a statistical impossibility.

Obama is constantly responding to Hillary’s smear campaign and too many of his personal “gotchas” keep popping up that literally throttle the “values voters” and the ignorant. Some are not true and others aren’t worth wasting time on. It’s time for Obama to stop chasing all the diversion-flares that Hillary and her surrogates launch every 15 minutes from eight different directions simultaneously. When is Obama going to realize he no longer is running a campaign against a Democratic competitor? Hillary ceased running as a Democrat many weeks ago. Obama has to begin running a Democrat vs. Republican campaign - today. If not, just get out.

Moreover, whatever other piddly stuff Obama may have lurking in the deep, dark corners where hobgoblins reside, he should just get it out now and be done with it. Obama knows what he has to deal with and what he doesn’t. Get more surrogates to handle the B.S. and start ratcheting the substantive rhetoric up — focus on the issues. If Obama is going to stay in the weeds with Hillary, then he should just tell McCain the White House will be his, if it’s not already thanks to Hillary.

Bitch session completed.

Update: I read this letter to the editor of the New York Times today (3/15) and thought it was worth noting here.

Re “Clawing for Edge, Democrats Fight Over Defining ‘Winner’ ” (Political Memo, front page, March 12):

It is amazing that in the days after President Bush reaffirmed his legacy as the president who supports torture, the Democratic issues are the delegates and the campaigns themselves.

With the Constitution eroding before our eyes, and faith in the hope of our democracy evaporating around the world, the Democrats should lift their heads up and bring leadership and awareness to this enormous crisis.

That their opposing party continues to enable and cheer for the president’s dark legacy is utterly mysterious. There are many important issues, but you don’t stress the importance of a good front-door lock while the house is burning down.

Jeffrey Ainis
Crestline, Calif., March 12, 2008

Update II: I drafted a rather lengthy follow-up to this post last night and finished the draft around 10 or 11 PM ET. I then started to watch the Tivo version of Olbermann and discovered at least two to three hours after the rest of the world that Obama’s pastor, Jeremiah Wright, had been fired or whatever, due to more YouTube revelations. So, my point is, I decided to hold up on the follow-up here until I can discern how that action may effect (or not) the thesis of the follow-up.

Just thought I’d throw that out there, for what it’s worth (or not).

HOUSE REJECTS IMMUNITY IN FISA BILL

Too many spam bots, etc. I just now saw this. Not sure what it all means yet, but the good news is (or seems to be on a cursory basis), the House did not kowtow to C-Plus Augustus on this round of the FISA bill.

Things may change this afternoon, but…

After its first secret session in a quarter-century, the House on Friday rejected retroactive immunity for the phone companies that took part in the National Security Agency’s warrantless eavesdropping program after the Sept. 11 attacks, and it voted to place greater restrictions on the government’s wiretapping powers.

The decision, by a largely party-line vote of 221 to 188, is one of the few times when Democrats have been willing to buck up against the White House on a national security issue. It also ensures that the months-long battle over the government’s wiretapping powers will drag on for at least a few more weeks and possibly much longer.

Read the rest of the NYT article…

Update

I will be working on the registration process today (see this note); therefore, I will not be posting until that’s completed or I run out patience. 

Too much spam

(updated below)

You may notice that user registration is now required will be required soon (see below) to use (or maybe access) some of TPC’s features (primarily comments). I would rather NOT do this for several reasons, but the volume of spam bots attacking this site everyday — no make that every minute — have forced me to do something.

To make a comment or access any restricted area, you will need to provide a username and a valid email address. Your email address will be kept confidential, and will never be given or sold to anyone for any reason, not even George Bush unless he hands me a valid court order or NSL. Of course, anyone that reads TPC knows they already illegally reading what they want, so….

Most of the spam junk is never viewable to the reader because what doesn’t get automatically trashed goes into a moderation file for review, and that’s where the problem lies. I’ve been sorting through literally hundreds of comments, trackbacks, etc. on a daily basis trying to determine what to keep, which takes too much time, and more importantly means I’m probably missing trashing something valid and at minimum delays publishing a valid comment.

So, we’ll try this for a bit and see what happens. If it is too cumbersome, restrictive,or you have a problem it, just let me know. Just go to the Contact page.

Also, if anybody has suggestions or ideas on how I might improve any of this, I would definitely appreciate hearing from you.

Many thanks.

UPDATE:  I have turned the registration requirement off for now. A few changes new to be made to improve the existing process.  

From the Bowery to the Taj Mahal, Greenback Loses Clout

Bushed!

Bushed Democray, Bush Dollar, Bush’s Iraq. Whatever…they all have roughly the same value and respect.

President George W. Bush delivers a statement Thursday, March 13, 2008, on the South Drive of the White House. In urging Congress to act, the President said, “The American people understand the stakes in this struggle. They want their children to be safe from terror. Congress has done little in the three weeks since the last recess, and they should not leave for their Easter recess without getting the Senate bill to my desk.” White House photo by Chris Greenberg.  See Story.

From the Bowery to the Taj Mahal, Falling Greenback Loses Clout

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — Antique store owners in lower Manhattan, ticket vendors at India’s Taj Mahal and Brazilian business executives heading to China all have one thing in common these days: They don’t want U.S. dollars. Hit by a free fall with no end in sight, the once mighty U.S. dollar is no longer just crashing on currency markets and making life more expensive for American tourists and business people abroad; its clout is evaporating worldwide as foreign businesses and individuals turn to other currencies. Experts say the bleak U.S. economic forecast means it will take years for the greenback to recover its value and prestige. Antique store owners in lower Manhattan, ticket vendors at India’s Taj Mahal and Brazilian business executives heading to China all have one thing in common these days: They don’t want U.S. dollars. Hit by a free fall with no end in sight, the once mighty U.S. dollar is no longer just crashing on currency markets and making life more expensive for American tourists and business people abroad; its clout is evaporating worldwide as foreign businesses and individuals turn to other currencies. Experts say the bleak U.S. economic forecast means it will take years for the greenback to recover its value and prestige. Negative dollar sentiment is growing in nations where the dollar was historically accepted as equal or better than local currency — and dollar aversion is even extending to some quarters in the United States. At the Taj Mahal, dollars were always legal tender, alongside rupees, for entry into the palace. But because of the falling value of the dollar, the government implemented a rupees-only policy a month ago. Indian merchants catering to tourists have also turned bearish on the dollar. “Gone are the days when we used to run after dollars, holding onto them for rainy days,” said Vijay Narain, a tour operator in the city of Agra where the Taj Mahal is located. “Now we prefer the euro. It gives us more riches…” In Manhattan’s Bowery district, Billy LeRoy, the owner of Billy’s Antiques & Props, prefers payment in euros so he can stockpile the currency for his annual antique buying trip to Paris. Source: (AP)

Dirty water in Iraq makes troops sick . March 13: When dozens of U.S. soldiers in Iraq fell ill due to poisoning after using ‘discolored, smelly water,’ press spokesman Geoff Morell said they shouldn’t drink the water. It turns out the soldiers were using the water for cleaning clothes. More at MSNBC

Bush warbling ‘Green Grass’ at Gridiron

Welcome to the Gridiron!

The Gridiron is the oldest and most prestigious journalistic organization in Washington, D.C. and is famous for its annual dinner, bringing together the government and media elite, and traditionally features the United States Marine Band, followed by skits and remarks from the President of the United States.

Please, make yourself comfortable, imagine you just finished a great big ‘ol steak and tatter prepared by the world-renowned staff at Del Frisco’s of Fort Worth, and some cutie just delivered your favorite after-dinner beverage.

Comfy now? Great!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Each year, we look forward to the point in this august occasion when we are given the rare privilege and honor, and are truly humbled by, our most celebrated guest of the evening. But before our guest joins me on the stage, he asked that I tell you he decided to not deliver his remarks in the traditional fashion. Tonight, our distinguished guest prefers to sing, “The Green Grass of Home”" Please join me in welcoming the President of the United States,

C-Plus Augustus

Adaptation and Lyrics by Bogus POTUS:

Yes you’re all gonna miss me, The way you used to quiz me, But soon I’ll touch the brown, brown grass of home.

I spent my days clearing brush
I clear my head of all the fuss
But the fuss you made over harriet and brownie
Down the lane I look and here comes Scooter
Finally free of the prosecutor

Chorus

And then I wait and look around me
At the oval walls that surround me
I realize I was only dreaming
For there’s Condi and Dick, my old compadre,
Talking to me about some oil rich Saudi,
But soon I’ll touch the brown brown grass of home.”

Chorus

That old White house is behind me,
I am once again carefree,
Don’t have to worry ’bout a crisis in Pyongyang.
Down the lane I look, Dick Cheney is strolling
With documents he’d been withholding,
It’s good to touch the brown brown grass of home.”