The Poodle's Prevarications
Tony Blair testified today at the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, and while it sounds like he didn't admit any huge lies, his answers were riddled with inconsistencies. As the Times points out, for example, Blair told Parliament Saddam's…
Fred Hiatt Loves Torture
Well, I don't know that for a fact. But I do know that the publication of Marc Thiessen's propagandistic claims about Pelosi on the WaPo's editorial page says more about the WaPo's editorial page than it does about Pelosi. Let's start with Thiessen's…
Shuster v. Breitbart: The TeaBuggers' Latest Story
Everybody's talking about this slapdown David Shuster had with Andrew Breitbart, the guy who employs chief TeaBugger James O'Keefe.
Aside from all the yelling, what I find notable about this is the way Breitbart succeeds in preventing…
The Word Not Spoken: Foreclosure
I didn't watch the SOTU last night--though I did follow along on Twitter. It seems like those actually watching came away with a renewed belief in American exceptionalism, which I suppose is one important--but not necessarily wise--point of…
An Interesting Few Days for Al-Awlaki
How is it that the government has enough detail to put Anwar al-Awlaki onto the assassination list, but didn't have enough to anticipate at least the Underwear Bomber attempted attack?
TeaBuggerGate, Two: Some Questions and the Simple (But Inadequate) Explanation
Some Questions
One way I'm trying to make sense of TeaBuggerGate is to isolate the details that don't make any sense. Such as:
Why was O'Keefe filming the apparent bugging?
I raised this question in my first post on this. One of Landrieu's…
A Sure Sign Democrats Must Impose a Spending Freeze
Who'd a thunk it? When given a choice, voters are happy to impose higher taxes on those who have been getting rich while everyone else faces higher costs and stagnant wages.
Yesterday Oregon voters delivered a huge victory for progressives…
The List of US Citizens Targeted for Killing (or Capture)
This Dana Priest article is interesting for the way it fleshes out the way the US is working in Yemen (primarily), Pakistan, and Somalia. But note this line, which she kind of buries in there.
As part of the operations, Obama approved a Dec.…
TeaBuggerGate, Part One
You've no doubt heard that James O'Keefe, the guy who broke some laws secretly filming ACORN employees, got busted yesterday trying to film some buddies bugging Mary Landrieu's office.
But I'm not as interested, for the moment, in O'Keefe…
Bad Nelson, Bayh, and Lincoln Objectively Pro-Cornhusker Kickback
Thus far today, Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, and Blache Lincoln have come out against passing health care reform through sidecar reconciliation.
Of course that means they're defending all the corrupt aspects of the Senate bill that proved to be…
The Obama Chill: In 2012 Obama Will Run Against Democratic Congress
There's a lot to say about Obama's foolish call for a spending freeze in the middle of the Great Recession.
But for now, consider the point that Chris Bowers is making: the spending freeze won't happen. It won't happen because Congress, whose…
GM's Dick Cheney and TARP Loans and Chinese Cars
Yesterday, GM announced that Ed Whitacre would stay on as CEO, meaning Whitacre had pulled off the same stunt Dick Cheney pulled in 2000 when Cheney searched and searched and searched only to discover he was the best man for the job.
“I…
This Fed Chief Brought to You by Enron
Just wanted to throw two tidbits into the debate on Ben Bernanke's reconfirmation. First, this quote, which needs no explanation.
In the event that Bernanke isn’t confirmed, several sources say, Federal Reserve Board Vice Chairman Donald…
Championship Sunday Trash
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bmazChampionship Sunday for the NFL is here. Vikings at the Saints and Jets at the Colts. Let's rock and roll.
The Brits Buried Evidence on David Kelly's Death
Jeebus. Larisa just pointed me to this.
A highly unusual ruling by Lord Hutton, who chaired the inquiry into Dr Kelly's death, means medical records including the post-mortem report will remain classified until after all those with a direct…
"MD's Sob Story"
I'm not Raul Grijalva or Jerry Nadler, but I thought I'd try to respond to TPM reader MD's "sob story" (as MD called it) because the story illustrates the issues at stake in health care reform. Here's the story.
Like everyone I have a sob-story…
A Barren Straight Wife Watches the Prop 8 Trial
I actually don't know whether I am officially (that is, physically) "barren" or not.
I know, though, that not long after I got married, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My doctors told me right away I'd go through six months of intensive…
Feingold, Durbin, and Wyden Demand the OLC Opinion on Exigent Letters
As I reported yesterday, the Dawn Johnsen-less OLC wrote an opinion on January 8 retroactively authorizing the FBI's inappropriate use of the exigent letters to snoop on Americans' telecomm records.
Now, Senators Feingold, Durbin, and Wyden,…
Some Thoughts on Healthcare
From the start, let me say I support sidecar reconciliation going forward--the passage of the Senate health care bill, tied to the simultaneous passage through reconciliation of some fairly substantive changes (eliminating most of the excise…
Vaughn Walker Dismisses Jewel
In the abundant free time left over from the Prop 8 trial yesterday, Vaughn Walker dismissed the Jewel case, one of the last suits against the government for conducting widespread collection of telecomm data. EFF says they will appeal this decision.
Walker's…