AlphaLiberal

What Digby said..

2009-08-21T13:02:00.002-05:00

But on a political level, the left has been betrayed over and over again on the things that matter to us the most. The village is pleased, I'm sure. But the Democratic party only needs to look back eight short years to see just how destructive it is to constantly tell their left flank to go fuck themselves.

After 2000, what is it going to take for the Democrats to realize that constantly using their base as a doormat is not a good idea? It only takes a few defections or enough people staying home to make a difference. And there are people on the left who have proven they're willing to do it. The Democrats are playing with fire if they think they don't have to deliver anything at all to their liberal base --- and abandoning the public option, particularly in light of what we already know about the bailouts and the side deals, may be what breaks the bond.

Obama's support in the polls is tanking - among his base. That's me! He and his Wall St finance ministers give the banksters massive bailouts with no controls over further looting. And -- surprise! - they keep looting.

Now we have the Senate Democrats falling all over themselves to try and please Chuck Grassley! Here's an idea, Senate Democrats: stop asking me for money. If you need money, ask your good pal Chuck Grassley. My wallet is closed to you.

Bluebloods

2009-07-06T20:23:00.004-05:00

Mika Brzezinski is the heir apparent for blueblood Cokie Roberts. They are both born of the ruling class.

Big Hole in Winger Defense of Honduran Military Coup

2009-07-02T00:39:00.002-05:00

The right wing blogs are abuzz with the same argument: Zelaya acted illegally in pushing for a referendum to get a 2nd term. (Conservatives reflexively support military coups in Latin America).

Except the referendum would not give him a second term. It was a non-binding referendum to decide on a vote in this November's Presidential election to hold a "National Constituent Assembly" (like a Constitutional Convention)

Yes, the same Presidential election where Zelaya's successor would be elected.

So, how the hell can Zelaya be furthering his stay in office by this referendum? It doesn't make sense. Not plausible.

The wingers are pointing to articles 239 and 42 in the Honduran Constitution. And on the face of it, it seems like a powerful argument. But they refuse to show how this referendum keeps him in power.

Again: He can't run for re-election by the Honduran Constitution and he wouldn't be allowed on the ballot. So, how in blue blazes is he furthering his stay in office?

They cannot and will not address that!

Here's a link to a more lucid argument on articles 239 and 42 (it is creepy how they have replicated this argument so rapidly on the blogosphere):

Links
http://www.poliblogger.com/?p=16111
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31604879/ns/world_news-americas/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/01/AR2009070103210.html
http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Honduras/hond05.html

It's the "Republicant Party"

2009-03-04T23:01:00.009-06:00

For years, even decades, now Republicans have flaunted their ignorance to flout the Democratic Party by calling it the "Democrat Party". It's bad grammar, it's bad manners and it's a childish thing.

But it does bug many Democrats and lovers of English and civility. We don't have to just take it but we can respond with cutting humor: "The Republicant Party."

There have been some fine pushback as of late. The ever feisty Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) took Rep Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) to task for playing the silly name game. She politely and firmly pointed out we don't refer to the Republican Party as the "Republic Party."

Chris Matthews asked Republican Rep Daryl Issa (R-WTF) to "save that for the stump" with the petty name mangling. After Issa's trip to the woodshed, Rep Barney Frank joked he wouldn't hold it against his friend from the "Republicanistical Party."

Others have had fun with ripostes like "Rethugs" and "Repubes" and others. (I've always thought there should be some way to work "Reptilian" in there, as it's very appropriate).

But for my tastes nothing gets the message across like "Republicant Party." Republicant captures the stingy, austere, backward-looking orientation of this party who keeps demanding we follow their economic advice after they ran the country into the ditch.

Whenever I hear "Democrat Party," I will respond with "Republicant Party."

A Bipartisan Tale

2009-02-04T20:45:00.010-06:00

I'll leave it to the reader to figure out which critter is Republican and which is the Democrat. No prizes.

One day, a traveling scorpion came upon a river that ran wide and swift. He couldn't see any way across, upriver or downriver. The scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation.

He noticed a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.

"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over and the scorpion crawled onto the frog's back and the frog slid into the river. The water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the his back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the waters of the swiftly flowing river.

Dear George: Your Presidency is a Warning Beacon for the Ages

2009-01-20T22:23:00.002-06:00

There's a neat web site, at Goodbye.us, where people can post their heartfelt letters to George Bush. I didn't think I'd have anything to post, but, of course, finally did:

=====================================

Dear Former President Bush:

I really have little to say to you anymore. It's time to focus on the future and the only thing I care about from you in the future is to resist your inevitable attempts at historical rewrites.

Instead, your Presidency should serve as a warning beacon to future politicians to shun lying the country into war, not to deregulate wildly, to govern by uniting and not dividing, to embrace science over fantasy, to avoid politicizing the Justice Dept (at least), to help the people in their need (Katrina).

If we let you rewrite, gloss over and falsify these last eight years, you turn off the beacon. Your ideological heirs could run us up on the rocks again.

Looking forward, I know you and your operatives will seek to rewrite history to try and etch your false version of events in stone. You're going to find this to be pretty difficult because your record was so bad and those us who had to live through this will not let you succeed at your revisionism.

I do hope you are held to account for the laws you have broken.

I'm very happy our nation is finally free of your reign.

A national debate about a nation following the law

2009-01-18T14:23:00.005-06:00

Glenn Greenwald marshals evidence and logic to show the absurdity of our national debate over investigating, and possibly trying, Bush-Cheney officials for torture. This post has many helpful links for online debate.

Combine press reports of approval of torture techniques at the highest level of government, with US signed and approved treaties binding us to prosecute torture, and it's clear that the law compels us to act.

The default judgment should be that we follow the law and investigate reports of torture. Wouldn't we investigate murder? It speaks poorly of us as a nation that following the law is viewed as a fringe perspective.

We must investigate the torture record and prosecute the wrongdoers.

We do Obama a disservice by withholding policy criticisms

2009-01-11T11:02:00.003-06:00

Watching Sunday morning news shows, catching up on Josh's updates from last night's post, and seeing some of the debates I've been in here, it seems we need a better debate and understanding of the benefits and perils of criticizing our new President.

Josh's update makes the point:

If Nate's right about what Obama's plan is, having people pushing for something better from the outside is part of it. So under either scenario, holding your tongue makes no sense, in addition to being unethical.

Adrian Fenty, on Meet the Press just now praised the Obama economic recovery plan, saying it's just what we need. It's nice to be positive, but that's not entirely true.

The truth is that the Obama plan is a damn good start toward what we need, but it's not big enough for the problem we face. So, if we all run around muting any criticism then the Obama Recovery Plan will have fewer voices trying to make it better.

It's likely that Obama and his team have judged they will have a larger plan in the end if they start low to get bargained higher rather than starting high and getting knocked down. There's some logic there.

But if we limit our roles to a choir praising anything he does, we will be doing him a disservice. We can help with spreading the word on the depth of the Bush crater Obama and Congress need to fill. By remaining involved, remaining active, and not adopting partisan fictions around our Leader's greatness, we can help create the policy environment to make President Obama a huge historical success.

Of course, we should remember to keep the disagreements to policy.

Republicans still in the driver's seat?

2009-01-10T21:59:00.006-06:00

You have to hope there's a grand play at work in the economic recovery plan. Josh Marshall notes:

And yet the desire to get a substantial number of Republicans to vote for the bill appears to be having a big impact on the proposal's size and shape. Quite likely, leaving it too small and too tilted toward tax cuts to get the job done.

Paul Krugman and others have shown the current plans for the stimulus are not keeping up with the growing crater left by Republican policies. As Krugman shows, economic output is down by 8% but plans will only cover 3%.

We're hemorrhaging 1/2 million jobs per month now - but the Republicans are obsessed with defending their ideology and the Democrats are obessessing with pleasing Republicans.

Hopefully, that's not all there is to the plan.

Obama Scores Big With Justice and CIA Appointments

2009-01-05T22:35:00.003-06:00

President-Elect Obama delivers change and a new course for our nation with today's notice of appointments.

Leon Panetta at CIA will bring an established leader with the power to take control of an agency badly tarnished by Bush corruption and embrace of torture.

The appointment of Dawn Johnsen at the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel is a very hopeful sign. From this office John Yoo wrote memos helping Bush and Cheney introduce torture. Johnsen's writings on this and other subjects have been spot-on and properly outraged.

The rule of law -- returning to America!

Bravery in opposing torture

2008-11-30T19:52:00.010-06:00

Okay, now I am happy to speak out against torture and torture-enabling policies and ideas.

But, Matthew Alexander lays it on the line. He actually was an interrogator in Iraq, did the job humanely and with better results than the "Dark Side" devotees. The Pentagon is trying to censor him and he's fighting back.

And, he says stuff like this:

My experiences have landed me in the middle of another war -- one even more important than the Iraq conflict. The war after the war is a fight about who we are as Americans. Murderers like Zarqawi can kill us, but they can't force us to change who we are. We can only do that to ourselves. One day, when my grandkids sit on my knee and ask me about the war, I'll say to them, "Which one?"

Barack Obama holds out a lot of hope that we can put this morally corrupt period behind us.

Thanks for everything

2008-11-27T20:56:00.001-06:00

It's Thanksgiving Day, 2008 and I am amazed at the things to be thankful for. My family, my wife, and a rewarding life.

And, my previous kvetching posts aside, I am thankful everyday for the Obama Presidency that awaits around the corner. Obama is a man of talent we're fortunate to have as a leader.

And the dog. How couldn't I be thankful for the pooch?

(And Sarah Palin!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Change is slow at DoD

2008-11-25T20:19:00.000-06:00

So, now the report is that President-Elect Obama will likely re-appoint Bush Secreary of Defense Robert Gates. After what we've seen so far, this is starting to get alarming.

Sure, this is the Bush-Cheney Pentagon that Obama is taking over. It needs work. There's the whole issue of declining US power and influence and continued risk of violent terrorism. And we know the Bush-Cheney Pentagon has been involved in all manner of scandal; torture, anti-Constitutional practices at Guantanamo Bay; waste, fraud, abuse with taxpayer funds and war profiteering. Oh, and where's Osama?

So, if President Obama needs to have a short transition period at Defense with Gates while fighting the economic battles at home, I could live with it. If this is what it takes to bring the Bush-Cheney military under civilian control of a different sort, perhaps we need to do it. (Though the military does have an oath and obligation to the Constitution to follow civilian authority).

Let's consider though, if Obama is going this far to include Republicans, how far will he go to include liberals? I mean, so far we've had the Lieberman bailout he brokered, the record Citigroup bailout his new Treasury signed off on, the increasingly possible return of Clinton Triangulation, and a hawk at Secretary of State.

Here's hoping that the new politics President Elect Obama will display also include a rejection of the typical Democratic “scorn the base” approach, used by Clinton and his followers. We can have hope, at least, and perhaps the deeds.

So much for Change we can believe in

2008-11-18T12:56:00.000-06:00

Joe Lieberman was a terrible Chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. He held no hearings on the many abuses and corrupt acts by the Bush Administration in regards to "homeland security," Katrina, war on terror, etc.

There is a very real likelihood that he will use the seat now to stick pins and needles into Obama-Biden and cause Republican mischief. There is no mention I can find in press reports that Lieberman has changed anything in his approach. His first public statement was denial.

There's no change here, as Obama promised the American people. Instead, Obama protected Lieberman!

Then there's the question of the Democratic passion to stick it to their base to show the Villagers they are worthy of a pat on the head. Progressive Democrats must be independent of the official Dem party. That means giving contrbutions to MoveOn and DFA and not a dime for the DSCC.

Let's do that again

2008-11-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

That was a beautiful election. People from all walks of life in our country came out to vote for Obama-Biden. And when they won, people all over the world celebrated.

We will need to maintain activism for the progressive agenda and, unfortunately, to fight back against the big business opposition. For now, this time is for celebrating.

It's time to campaign (for a mandate)

2008-10-26T09:36:00.000-05:00

I'm spending less time at the keyboards and more time at the doors and on the streets campaigning. It's beautiful fall weather for campaigning.

Please help out in this election. A larger margin of victory for Obama will position his agenda of change well. The Republicans and forces of the status quo will try to "Clintonize" Obama and obstruct. We must not allow that because President Obama will need a strong mandate for change to overcome Republican obstructionism.

Further, the deeper we bury Republicans in this election, the greater their disarray, their infighting, their disrepute. Bury `em deep! They'll be digging themselves out longer.

If you want to know how to get started, the Obama web site is a great organizing tool. Check it out, find something that works for you, and just pitch in.

For Victory!

John McCain is losing it

2008-10-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

Wow. Just wow. John McCain is losing it!

John McCain, Ringleader of the Keating Five

2008-10-06T00:06:00.000-05:00

John McCain associated with, and abetted, a financial confidence man convicted of fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy. Bailing out the investors in Keating's company cost U.S. Taxpayers billions of dollars.

This, however, is directly relevant to our current events and lives, unlike the Ayers opposition research attack.

Let's talk about Charles Keating and John McCain, the Keating Five and the the Savings and Loan scandal. Why should a Senator reprimanded for his involvement with convicted financial felons be trusted with this financial scandal?

Biden Sails Past Palin

2008-10-02T22:25:00.000-05:00

Well, that was not as painful a Vice Presidential debate as I expected.

On style, Sarah Palin was only really painfully awkward a couple times. She proved she could loosely string together talking points to make it seem like she was engaging in debate.

But... she embraced Dick Cheney's looney "fourth branch" theories of the Vice Presidency. She repeatedly and falsely accused Joe Biden of lying. She embraced Bush and McCain. She got the name of the commander in Afghanistan wrong and stubbornly lied about his opposition to a surge in Afghanistan.

Joe Biden knocked it out of the park. He demonstrated mastery of the issues with passion for doing the right thing.

And Biden took McCain apart. Not a Maverick on health care, on Iraq, on education. Nice riff! And the Obama-Biden campaign backs it up.

Palin could show she could talk without complete embarassment for an hour and a half. Biden showed that the Obama-Biden campaign is ready to lead America back to international respect, back to economic solvenccy and ahead to great environmental security.

Making up some serious allegations

2008-10-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Picking Sarah Palin for VP was a bad joke.

The McCain-Palin campaign clarified Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) remark from last week that “Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America.” The campaign told CBS News, “Russian incursions…inside the air defense identification zone have occurred.” But as the Associated Press reports today, no such incursions have occurred ‘in recent years’:

The air defense identification zone, almost completely over water, extends 12-mile past the perimeter of the United States. … However, no Russian military planes have been flying even into that zone, said Maj. Allen Herritage, a spokesman for the Alaska region of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, at Elmendorf Air Force Base. “To be very clear, there has not been any incursion in U.S. airspace in recent years,” Herritage said.

They should have her well-trained in the dark arts of deflection by tomorrow night. McSame has been focusing his staff on getting her ready.

She's pulling the campaign down. Bad choice, McCain. Thanks.

McCain will soon go really negative, start inventing new Republican victimizations to be outraged over.

Reach for the anchor

2008-10-01T22:13:00.000-05:00

Bush's popularity is at 22%.
70% of the American people - a new record - disapprove.

Republicans are drowning. Quick, someone throw them an anchor.

Introducing the Obama-Biden Ticket

2008-08-23T15:15:00.000-05:00

This, my friends, is a good ticket. Joe Biden strengthens the ticket in so many ways. He has depth of experience, he has a barbed wit that will skewer BBQ McSame through Election Day, and Joe Biden has a no bullshit sincerity that appeals to folks.

Listening to their introductory speeches was inspiring and motivating. I cranked up the sounds and opened up my windows.

We can win this in November, if we get involved and turnout the vote for the Obama-Biden ticket!

Only John McCain Can Talk About His POW Experience (Unless You're Praising Him)

2008-08-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

Remember! McCain "doesn't like to talk about when he was a POW"!

He hates doing that! Honest John is shooting you straight when he says he "doesn't like to talk about when he was a POW."

He hasn't just done it at the Saddleback Church! A man with such fortitude and character as John McCain wouldn't have prepared remarks talking up how he was a POW. John McCain sure wouldn't make a campaign video of his capture by the North Vietnamese , because he doesn't want to talk about it!

When the media keep repeating something over and over again, you know it must be true!

All you Republicans now join in on the mass deceit! Bleat along with Republicans: "John McCain hates talking about being a POW!"

But wait! McCain, his campaign and surrogates do talk about being a POW, all the friggin' time! Maybe he just has no self-control? just what we want to hear about a hothead!

Well, just because John McCain talks about his POW experience as the reason he should be President, doesn't mean we can! After all, McCain needs this narrative to be written in stone.

CNN Listing Badly to the Right

2008-08-17T13:58:00.000-05:00

CNN continues to make a mockery of its lost journalistic stature. Add this entry to the database of examples of CNN narrowing our nation's debate, lowering standards and pandering to the right wing.

On This Week in Politics today CNN featured views ranging from the near-right wing to the far-right wing. From Iraq apologist Michael O'Hanlon to war advocate Robert Kagan. These are the only views CNN considers worth being heard. Nice.

See the gruesome video for yourself at Crooks and Liars. Michael O'Hanlon seems deferential and fawning toward Robert Kagan, of the war mongering, but never war fighting, Kagan family.

Who is the juvenile here?

2008-08-05T21:50:00.001-05:00

With their ads calling Barack Obama a "celebrity," making fun of properly inflating car tires and overall childish playground taunts, the McCain Campaign is looking more and more juvenile.

But are the people behind the ad juvenile? I doubt it. The juvenile nature of their campaign reflects their insulting view of the electorate.

How dumb do they think we are?

Start pushing back on media early

2008-04-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

Josh Marshall flags some shameless shilling for John McCain from the Associated Press. We've seen this enough times in enough elections to know the biased reporting has only just begun.

Well, we need to start pushing back early. Four years ago, Sinclair Broadcasting made plans to show false and misleading Swift Boat reports. The netroots mobilized and pushed back hard. Sinclair had to back off, their stock dropped and they were shown to be Republican shills.

Well, let's not wait until they do their worst this year! We need to get some net activism going on the AP's false reporting and on others (remember the AP's record of biased reporting with John Solomon). You can act today by sending and email to the AP at info@ap.org .

The request should be for a retraction and a correction. Remind them what stakes they're playing with by helping a Presidential candidate obscure his real goals on a major policy issue.

You can call their offices directly, but please don't attack the people on the phone. Be firm, but not nasty. The AP New York phone number is 212-621-1500 (ask for the comment line and then ask for a supervisor). The DC Bureau is 202-641-9400. Yes, they will try to give you the run around.

Let them hear from you!

AP Pushes False News

2007-08-09T18:03:00.000-05:00

This is just crazy. Greg Sargent reports on an emerging theme from the news media as shown in the AP story, "Iraq critics concede military progress." This storyline says that war critics are conceding

How does this keep happening? Did Republicans get the business office on board to bear pressure?

The Associated Press should drop their arrogance and respond directly to such strong criticisms. My experience is that they have an infallibility complex that prevents them from rationally considering criticism. All the more reason to keep after a response on the substance.

Journalism is on the run at the AP, increasingly replaced with a fearful pro-war and Bush-friendly slant.

p.s. Gotta love this Edwards line:
"I am not the candidate of glitz. I am not the candidate of glamor; nor do I claim to be. But what I am — I am the candidate for president of the United States that is the peoples' candidate."

Finally, someone asks about Saudi militia support in Iraq!

2007-07-15T12:22:00.000-05:00

Atrios catches a hopeful story indicating enclaves of journalists still exist in the nation's news media.

Listening to George Bush, Dick Cheney, Joe Lieberman and the other war advocates inflate the Iranian role in Iraq has been frustrating. Another nation bordering Iraq is also involved in supporting militias hostile to US forces; Saudi Arabia.

The press almost never asks a challenging follow-up question to Iranian-induced paranoia: "Should the United States also care about Saudi Arabian support for Sunni militias?"

Editor and Publisher highlights a journalism outbreak at the LA Times. The Times lays out the facts that would stir a chorus if we still had an active press corps:

Saudis' role in Iraq insurgency outlined
Sunni extremists from Saudi Arabia make up half the foreign fighters in Iraq, many suicide bombers, a U.S. official says.
BAGHDAD — Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran, accusing it of helping insurgents and militias here, the largest number of foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from a third neighbor, Saudi Arabia, according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers.

About 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia; 15% are from Syria and Lebanon; and 10% are from North Africa, according to official U.S. military figures made available to The Times by the senior officer. Nearly half of the 135 foreigners in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are Saudis, he said.

Fighters from Saudi Arabia are thought to have carried out more suicide bombings than those of any other nationality, said the senior U.S. officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity. It is apparently the first time a U.S. official has given such a breakdown on the role played by Saudi nationals in Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgency.

He said 50% of all Saudi fighters in Iraq come here as suicide bombers. In the last six months, such bombings have killed or injured 4,000 Iraqis.

The situation has left the U.S. military in the awkward position of battling an enemy whose top source of foreign fighters is a key ally that at best has not been able to prevent its citizens from undertaking bloody attacks in Iraq, and at worst shares complicity in sending extremists to commit attacks against U.S. forces, Iraqi civilians and the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

No wonder the Bush-Cheney Command run such a secretive government when the facts are so at odds with their warmaking logic. Expect Lieberman to somehow blame US citizens for the Saudi role in violence against American troops and Iraqis.

A nation that can't have a rationale discussion cannot behave responsibly. The journalists need to forcefully re-assert their role and continue to provide reports such as this from the LA Times. The journalists need to prevail over the hucksters, cowards, and whores who have so wrecked American journalism.

This LA Times story shows there is still hope for American journalism, after all.

Nothing is sacred

2007-07-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

Apparently, nothing is sacred after all...

White House Rebuffs Congress on Tillman Papers

By Josh White
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The White House has refused to give Congress documents about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman, with White House counsel Fred Fielding saying that certain papers relating to discussion of the friendly-fire shooting "implicate Executive Branch confidentiality interests."

Just when you think the Bush Command can't sink any lower, it's blub, blub, blub all over again. These guys are the slimiest of the slime.

Not only do the Republicans out covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, but they also lie to the families of fallen soldiers, and then refuse to come clean when their lies are known.

And they proclaim themselves our moral superiors? Am we really living through this?

IMPEACH!

MSNBC: Plame was ‘covert’ agent at time of name leak

2007-07-03T14:33:00.000-05:00

MSNBC: Plame was ‘covert’ agent at time of name leak

Longer sentences for all - but Republicans

2007-07-02T23:57:00.001-05:00

Republicans and their media courtesans are aghast that their nice friend I Lewis "Scooter" Libby would be sentenced to jail for lying to federal investigators and blocking their investigation.

Many people point to the Republican hypocrisy in calling for Clinton's impeachment when Clinton was never even convicted of perjury or anything else, yet excusing what Bush pere called "the most insidious of traitors". Libby was convicted in the same legal system we all use, but must not suffer the same consequences (lest he sing).

For years Republicans have pandered their way to office by ratcheting up prison sentences across the board. Their answer was "longer sentences" no matter what the criminal justice problem.

Now, one of their own is caught up in their own prescription and they simply find it too horrid to endure.

Hypocrites can be very annoying to live with.

Joe Klein tries a different approach

2007-07-02T23:40:00.000-05:00

Down below, I have a post ripping on Joe. However, I must say the quality and righteousness of Joe's writings that I've been seeing lately have improved. He seems to have lost the reflexive liberal-bashing. And he's been saying the words! (I'd show links, but they're not all available just now).

I'm still a bit concerned he doesn't critique official "news tips" sufficiently, but one step at a time.

Attaboy, Joe! Keep it up!

Ann Althouse: Aiding the forces of torture

2007-06-18T20:01:00.000-05:00

Ann Althouse has, once again, taken to attacking torture's critics and coddling torture's advocates, in her attack on Glenn Greenwald.

Last night I read a good portion of this report from Sy Hirsch in the New Yorker about General Taguba, who conducted the Pentagon investigation of Abu Ghraib. The article discusses some more of what he found, how he was punished for trying to do his duty in this investigation and some of the twisted shit the Cheney Command has our troops doing at Gitmo, Abu Ghraib and God knows where else. (Taguba is one of many generals fired by Cheney-Bush).

They're visiting this torture upon innocent people. I suspect a majority of the people tortured are innocent. This torture I regard as a stain upon our nation's good name. Pisses me off.

Glenn Greenwald looks closely at the torture, the legal rationale used to promote it and the "unitary executive" theory and the people who help the practice continue.

Ann Althouse praises Glenn Instaputz who makes excuses for torture and the Cheney Command that promotes the barbaric practice that we beat hitler and Tojo without.

So when I see Ann Althouse posing as voice of moderation and reason all the while serving the torture movement and attacking it's critics, I get pissed off. She is, effectively, pro-torture.

Like I say, a disgrace for the UW.

Joe Klein's Filters: Recipe for Dupedom?

2007-06-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

One link leads to another debate and we learn something odd and alarming about how pundit Joe Klein shuts out views critical of the Bush Administration while basing his portrayal of events to the American people on military and intelligence sources.

When national pundits make a standing policy to shun and ignore critics (even those proved right on the invasion and occupcation of Iraq) while proudly stating their basis of views on some sanitized "middle" and official srouces, we have a pretty good example of a flawed and dangerous filter on our discourse and decisionmaking. (Allowing that may Joe was just pandering to Hewitt's base).

Here's my question for Joe:

Hey, Joe, my question here is relevant to how you filter in and out your information sources and what kind of a filter you apply to each.

This weird conversation you had with Hugh Hewitt is the basis of the question:
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/Transcript_Page.aspx?ContentGuid=9a23f343-1f51-432b-a3b1-4dc34d2441d3

You say that "I don’t believe in much of the crap that’s coming from the left or right on this stuff..." Your filter is set to entirely shut out these people (me included, apparently).

Instead you get your information and views from "the middle" (do you ignore Juan Cole?) and the military and intelligence establishment: "I talk to our generals, I talk to our intelligence community,"

What kind of filter do you apply to the military and intelligence sources? Do you think they may have reasons to spin you one way or another, to emphasize some problems (Iranian influence increasing Iraq Shia violence) while ignoring other problems you may not ask about (Saudi influence increasing Iraq Sunni violence).

Or, they could be supporting one MidEast interest over another in other ways (see: Israel). They might even, who knows, hide their mistakes from you (which the people you ignore pont out).

Good reporting demands the toughest filter on official news sources. You do not sound like a skeptical, critical reporter when dealing with the government. The tactics you describe are those of an official dupe.

So many times the official version of events are at odds with realty. Do you see how alarming your portrayal of reality on official sources can be?

The AP shows their cluelessness

2007-05-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

Glenn Greenwald nails the obvious cluelessness of our major media. In this article Friday, the AP buys into the Republican-Giuliani spin that Keith Olbermann should be excluded from reporting on debates.

The headline in the Boston Herald says: "Can Keith Olbermann straddle the line between news and opinion?"In the same article, say "Fox has never done that, perhaps mindful of the immediate controversy that would result." Whaa? Earth to Planet AP: Fox's anchors are deeply partisan people who constantly slip partisan bias into their news "reporting.'

They manage to overlook Olberman's co-host Chris Matthews' many blatantly partisan statements in their hatchet job. This is the same Chris Matthews who said people who opposed the Iraq invasion and occupation were "kooks" and that Bush shows a "sunny nobility." Yeah, that's objective.

American new reporting is in a sad and sorry state. The big unspoken factor is the role of moneyed interests in deciding what gets covered and why.

Death Squads are unAmerican

2007-01-19T23:26:00.000-06:00

There was a time in my younger days when we all shared the same assumptions about our country.

We're the good guys who won World War II without stooping to torture and by respecting the Geneva Convention. Our parents told these stories with pride. But now the Cheney-Bush Administration wants to repeal rights of Habeus Corpus won in the fracken medieval days!

We've known for months of reports that US-trained death squads may be active in Iraq. This should be the final act of stupidity and ideological incompetence that denies any benefit of the doubt for waging a surge, escalation or anything above looting to this crowd.

Time chose to address this issue in their own understated and deferential way. AlphaLiberal is thankful for the attention to the issue. No doubt this deserves mention to the rest of the nation in some type of news magazine. hint, hint...

http://time-blog.com/swampland/2007/01/death_squads.htm
http://time-blog.com/swampland/2007/01/amazingbut_right.html

Shame on Henry Hyde

2005-07-28T23:04:00.000-05:00

No one of our faith – or that of any other denomination or religion – should be excluded from public office for his or her religious values. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution unequivocally prohibits such a litmus test: “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.”
-Rep Henry Hyde maligning Sen Dick Durbin

Now here we have conservative Political Correctness, walling of rational and adult discussion. Dick Durbin simply asked how Roberts would reconcile his faith and the duties of his office. When a man wears his faith on his sleeve and promotes faith in government, he invites the question.

Henry Hyde is misrepresenting what Dick Durbin said. Dick Durbin never said the words that Henry Hyde disgracefully puts in his mouth.

For a Christian, to bear false witness against his neighbor is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments the Right wants to thurst into our life. Rep Hyde knows better.

John Bolton's disrespect for the Constitution

2005-07-28T22:36:00.000-05:00

John Bolton seems to have lied to the Senate about his previous testimony to a committee investigating forged uranium documents.

State Dept. Says Bolton Was Interviewed

“WASHINGTON (AP) -John Bolton, the nominee for U.N. ambassador, inaccurately told Congress he had not been interviewed or testified in any investigation over the past five years, the State Department said Thursday, responding to a Democratic critic.

Bolton was interviewed by the State Department inspector general as part of a joint investigation with the Central Intelligence Agency related to Iraqi attempts to buy nuclear materials from Niger, State Department spokesman Noel Clay said.

When Bolton filled out a Senate questionnaire in connection with his nomination, “he didn’t recall being interviewed by the State Department’s inspector general. Therefore, his form, as submitted, was inaccurate,'’ Clay said. “He will correct it.'’ ”

Remember how important the truth was back when Clinton lied about receiving oral sex? Is it less important now when a Republican UN appointee tries to hide part of his past from Congress?

How is this respect for the “original intent” of the Constitution?

Alpha Liberal is born

2005-07-27T23:18:00.000-05:00

The times call for it. Liberals need to push against Republican extremism. More to come.