From NY Times via truthout.org :
Two Clinton Backers Offer a Way to Stage New Primaries
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031008L.shtml
John M. Broder and David W. Chen report for The New York Times, "Two of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's biggest supporters, who are also two of the Democratic Party's most successful fund-raisers, have offered to help raise millions of dollars to stage new primaries in Florida and Michigan."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Who is our Ernie Pyle today?
From Editors & Publishers:
J-Students to Retrace Ernie Pyle's Path
Published: March 09, 2008 4:45 PM ET
BLOOMINGTON A group of Indiana University journalism students taking a course on World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle are visiting London and Normandy to see some of the spots where he wrote his battlefield dispatches.
Terre Haute native Beka Mech is among 30 IU journalism students who left Saturday on the European trek, which ends March 16. They’ll visit the places where Pyle covered the London blitz and the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
In the weeks before they left, the students watched movies and videos about Pyle’s experiences as part of the semester-long course on the war correspondent, which the IU School of Journalism is offering for the first time.“Pyle’s abilities as an observer and reporter as well as a writer still bear emulation today,” said Owen V. Johnson, IU associate professor of journalism, who is teaching the course.
While in London, the students will visit the Imperial War Museum and Winston Churchill’s cabinet room and the Cabinet War Rooms, the underground complex where Churchill and his government met as bombs rained down on London.
In France, they’ll visit Omaha Beach — one of the main landing points of the Allies’ June 1944 invasion site of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings. They’ll also tour Mont-Saint-Michel, an island off the Normandy coast famed for its cathedral that draws hordes of tourists each year.
Mech, an IU junior, said visiting the places where Pyle wrote his famous columns will give her a new perspective as the course continues.“He chose to focus on ordinary people and he was not afraid to get close to his stories,” even if it meant putting his own life in danger,” Mech said, who has been a reporter and copy editor for the Indiana Daily Student.
When the students return, one of their assignments will be to take their notes from the trip and write three columns in Pyle’s writing style.
“Pyle is such a famous figure in the journalism world,” Johnson said. “He still stands out as a symbol of excellence in the journalistic profession.”
Pyle studied journalism at IU before becoming a reporter for the LaPorte Herald and then the Washington Daily News. He loved to travel and succeeded in persuading Scripps Howard executives to allow him to become a roving reporter.
In 1940, with war raging in Europe, Pyle went to England to report on the Battle of Britain, and from 1942 to 1945, he covered the U.S. troops in the war. During those years, as an early “embedded journalist,” Pyle told the stories of soldiers fighting in North Africa, Italy, France and the Pacific. He was shot by a Japanese sniper on April 18, 1945, on the Pacific island of Ie Shima.
Wrap...
J-Students to Retrace Ernie Pyle's Path
Published: March 09, 2008 4:45 PM ET
BLOOMINGTON A group of Indiana University journalism students taking a course on World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle are visiting London and Normandy to see some of the spots where he wrote his battlefield dispatches.
Terre Haute native Beka Mech is among 30 IU journalism students who left Saturday on the European trek, which ends March 16. They’ll visit the places where Pyle covered the London blitz and the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
In the weeks before they left, the students watched movies and videos about Pyle’s experiences as part of the semester-long course on the war correspondent, which the IU School of Journalism is offering for the first time.“Pyle’s abilities as an observer and reporter as well as a writer still bear emulation today,” said Owen V. Johnson, IU associate professor of journalism, who is teaching the course.
While in London, the students will visit the Imperial War Museum and Winston Churchill’s cabinet room and the Cabinet War Rooms, the underground complex where Churchill and his government met as bombs rained down on London.
In France, they’ll visit Omaha Beach — one of the main landing points of the Allies’ June 1944 invasion site of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings. They’ll also tour Mont-Saint-Michel, an island off the Normandy coast famed for its cathedral that draws hordes of tourists each year.
Mech, an IU junior, said visiting the places where Pyle wrote his famous columns will give her a new perspective as the course continues.“He chose to focus on ordinary people and he was not afraid to get close to his stories,” even if it meant putting his own life in danger,” Mech said, who has been a reporter and copy editor for the Indiana Daily Student.
When the students return, one of their assignments will be to take their notes from the trip and write three columns in Pyle’s writing style.
“Pyle is such a famous figure in the journalism world,” Johnson said. “He still stands out as a symbol of excellence in the journalistic profession.”
Pyle studied journalism at IU before becoming a reporter for the LaPorte Herald and then the Washington Daily News. He loved to travel and succeeded in persuading Scripps Howard executives to allow him to become a roving reporter.
In 1940, with war raging in Europe, Pyle went to England to report on the Battle of Britain, and from 1942 to 1945, he covered the U.S. troops in the war. During those years, as an early “embedded journalist,” Pyle told the stories of soldiers fighting in North Africa, Italy, France and the Pacific. He was shot by a Japanese sniper on April 18, 1945, on the Pacific island of Ie Shima.
Wrap...
Clinton map-changing....
From David Sirota via email:
http://action.credomobile.com/sirota/2008/03/the_false_assumptions_in_the_e.html
The False Assumptions In Presidential "Electability" Arguments
By David Sirota
Credo Action, 3/9/08
It seems the longer the presidential nominating contest goes on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the more idiotic the pontificating and candidate spinning - especially when it comes to the so-called "electability" argument.
The Clinton campaign, as exemplified by surrogate Gov. Ed Rendell(D-PA) this morning on Meet the Press when he said: "She's clearly the strongest candidate in the states that Democrats must win to have a chance. Look, it's great that Barack Obama is doing wonderfully well in Wyoming and Utah and, and places like that, but there's no chance we're going to carry those states. Whether he gets 44 percent as opposed to 39 percent doesn't matter, but we're not going to carry those states. We do have a chance to carry the big four. We've got to in three of the big four. Hillary Clinton's the strongest candidate to do that. That's been proven by the voters in the--those states and hopefully by Pennsylvania as well."
Let's put aside the fact that the Clinton campaign is insulting the importance of a huge swath of the American heartland - a talking point that has been repeated throughout this campaign by Clinton surrogates (most famously when Clinton strategist Mark Penn said Obama has not won any "significant" states). Let's just take a look at the two questionable assumptions inherent in this "electability" claim.
Assumption 1: The Map Can Never Dramatically Change
The first assumption relates to the topography of the national electoral map. In talking about states that are "significant" and "insignificant" based on how they voted in previous elections, the Clinton campaign is assuming the basic map of the last 16 years automatically has to stay the same, and that there cannot be a map-changing candidate. This argument comes despite periodic elections in our history that have seen such shifts.
For example, click on the following link to see an animated image showing how the national political map changed between the 1976 election and the 1980 election:
http://www.davidsirota.com/images/1980animate.gif
Yes, those parts flashing between red and blue are the regions of the country that shifted in just one election cycle. Perhaps even more relevant to the Clinton argument today is the map change between 1988 and 1992 - the year that one Bill Clinton benefited from a major mapchange:
http://www.davidsirota.com/images/1992animate.gif
So, in other words, Hillary Clinton - the person who became First Lady because of a major map change - is somehow arguing the map can never change, and her campaign is making such an argument at the very moment one of history's most unpopular president is atop theRepublican Party. The logic is positively ridiculous.
Assumption 2: Primary and Caucus Victories Directly Relate to General-Election Viability
The other assumption in the Clinton campaign's "electability"argument is that that because Clinton is winning Democratic primaries in big Democratic states like California, New York and New Jersey and other big states like Ohio, it means that she is the best candidate to win those states in the general election.
This rationale makes positively no sense at all, because it suggests that Obama in a general would do worse than Clinton in already Democratic states - and there's no proof of that. Winning a Democratic primary among Democratic voters says almost nothing about the candidates' abilities to win general elections as we unfortunately saw in the Connecticut Senate race in 2006.
In fact, looking at what evidence we do have - general election matchup polls from SurveyUSA - we see that Obama would be a stronger general election candidate than Clinton, racking up more electoral college votes than Clinton. Though the polls show Obama losing Florida, New Jersey and Arkansas where Clinton would win, it shows Obama winning Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota and Michigan where Clinton would lose (the latter of which the Clinton campaign continues to hilariously insist it "won" in the primary, despite no other major candidate being on the Michigan ballot).
The differences, of course, go back to the underlying argument about maps. Right now, polls show Obama picks up electoral votes in states that the Clinton surrogates say "don't matter we're not going to carry those states." And what's particularly absurd about the Clinton campaign making this argument is that former President Bill Clinton is insisting that in a general election Hillary Clinton can win back "the traditional rural areas that we lost when President Reagan was president." In other words, the Clinton campaign is arguing that the map has to remain the same as it has been for two decades -with the same states in play and not in play - at the same time they argue that Hillary Clinton is the candidate who can win back Reagan Democrats that created that map in the first place.
I never thought I'd see the day when someone could say with a straight face that Hillary Clinton was the Democrats' best candidate to win back the Reagan Democrats alienated from the Democratic Party by, among other things, a job-killing lobbyist-written trade policy that Hillary Clinton championed for a decade. It's just a ridiculous assertion on its face - and it's even more ridiculous when you look at what evidence we have, which is current public opinion polls.
More generally, the attempt to cite the geography of primary wins as proof of general election viability is straight-up silly. And yet, the whole meme has bled into almost every analysis of what is going on in the race. As I said to start, the longer the presidential nominating contest goes on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the more idiotic the pontificating and candidate spinning.
Wrap...
http://action.credomobile.com/sirota/2008/03/the_false_assumptions_in_the_e.html
The False Assumptions In Presidential "Electability" Arguments
By David Sirota
Credo Action, 3/9/08
It seems the longer the presidential nominating contest goes on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the more idiotic the pontificating and candidate spinning - especially when it comes to the so-called "electability" argument.
The Clinton campaign, as exemplified by surrogate Gov. Ed Rendell(D-PA) this morning on Meet the Press when he said: "She's clearly the strongest candidate in the states that Democrats must win to have a chance. Look, it's great that Barack Obama is doing wonderfully well in Wyoming and Utah and, and places like that, but there's no chance we're going to carry those states. Whether he gets 44 percent as opposed to 39 percent doesn't matter, but we're not going to carry those states. We do have a chance to carry the big four. We've got to in three of the big four. Hillary Clinton's the strongest candidate to do that. That's been proven by the voters in the--those states and hopefully by Pennsylvania as well."
Let's put aside the fact that the Clinton campaign is insulting the importance of a huge swath of the American heartland - a talking point that has been repeated throughout this campaign by Clinton surrogates (most famously when Clinton strategist Mark Penn said Obama has not won any "significant" states). Let's just take a look at the two questionable assumptions inherent in this "electability" claim.
Assumption 1: The Map Can Never Dramatically Change
The first assumption relates to the topography of the national electoral map. In talking about states that are "significant" and "insignificant" based on how they voted in previous elections, the Clinton campaign is assuming the basic map of the last 16 years automatically has to stay the same, and that there cannot be a map-changing candidate. This argument comes despite periodic elections in our history that have seen such shifts.
For example, click on the following link to see an animated image showing how the national political map changed between the 1976 election and the 1980 election:
http://www.davidsirota.com/images/1980animate.gif
Yes, those parts flashing between red and blue are the regions of the country that shifted in just one election cycle. Perhaps even more relevant to the Clinton argument today is the map change between 1988 and 1992 - the year that one Bill Clinton benefited from a major mapchange:
http://www.davidsirota.com/images/1992animate.gif
So, in other words, Hillary Clinton - the person who became First Lady because of a major map change - is somehow arguing the map can never change, and her campaign is making such an argument at the very moment one of history's most unpopular president is atop theRepublican Party. The logic is positively ridiculous.
Assumption 2: Primary and Caucus Victories Directly Relate to General-Election Viability
The other assumption in the Clinton campaign's "electability"argument is that that because Clinton is winning Democratic primaries in big Democratic states like California, New York and New Jersey and other big states like Ohio, it means that she is the best candidate to win those states in the general election.
This rationale makes positively no sense at all, because it suggests that Obama in a general would do worse than Clinton in already Democratic states - and there's no proof of that. Winning a Democratic primary among Democratic voters says almost nothing about the candidates' abilities to win general elections as we unfortunately saw in the Connecticut Senate race in 2006.
In fact, looking at what evidence we do have - general election matchup polls from SurveyUSA - we see that Obama would be a stronger general election candidate than Clinton, racking up more electoral college votes than Clinton. Though the polls show Obama losing Florida, New Jersey and Arkansas where Clinton would win, it shows Obama winning Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota and Michigan where Clinton would lose (the latter of which the Clinton campaign continues to hilariously insist it "won" in the primary, despite no other major candidate being on the Michigan ballot).
The differences, of course, go back to the underlying argument about maps. Right now, polls show Obama picks up electoral votes in states that the Clinton surrogates say "don't matter we're not going to carry those states." And what's particularly absurd about the Clinton campaign making this argument is that former President Bill Clinton is insisting that in a general election Hillary Clinton can win back "the traditional rural areas that we lost when President Reagan was president." In other words, the Clinton campaign is arguing that the map has to remain the same as it has been for two decades -with the same states in play and not in play - at the same time they argue that Hillary Clinton is the candidate who can win back Reagan Democrats that created that map in the first place.
I never thought I'd see the day when someone could say with a straight face that Hillary Clinton was the Democrats' best candidate to win back the Reagan Democrats alienated from the Democratic Party by, among other things, a job-killing lobbyist-written trade policy that Hillary Clinton championed for a decade. It's just a ridiculous assertion on its face - and it's even more ridiculous when you look at what evidence we have, which is current public opinion polls.
More generally, the attempt to cite the geography of primary wins as proof of general election viability is straight-up silly. And yet, the whole meme has bled into almost every analysis of what is going on in the race. As I said to start, the longer the presidential nominating contest goes on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the more idiotic the pontificating and candidate spinning.
Wrap...
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Bush is not American....& time to have tea....
So said a former journalist and newspaper owner from Africa.
Met him when I stopped for a smoke break while strolling around Seaport Village in San Diego yesterday. Sharing a bench, we engaged in conversation while looking out over the Marriot Marina.
He's been in America 3 years now and is watching the race for president very closely. Said that in the African nation where he came from, as well as in many other countries he'd visited, the people all liked and admired the Americans. But given Bush's war against Iraq and other disasters he's visited on other nations, people overseas say, "Bush is not American."
************************
At breakfast in Old Town San Diego, I often chat with Judy Peterson, a charming woman who owns Mrs. Burton's Tea Room, located in one of the Victorian Houses in Heritage Park. That tea room is quite a place.
She has Victorian style dresses and accessories, tea pots and accessories to those. For visitors who stop for her small sandwiches, desserts and, of course, pots of tea, the place is a delight. Happily enough, she has a website:
www.mrsburtonstearoom.com
Go and enjoy!
Hugs...
Met him when I stopped for a smoke break while strolling around Seaport Village in San Diego yesterday. Sharing a bench, we engaged in conversation while looking out over the Marriot Marina.
He's been in America 3 years now and is watching the race for president very closely. Said that in the African nation where he came from, as well as in many other countries he'd visited, the people all liked and admired the Americans. But given Bush's war against Iraq and other disasters he's visited on other nations, people overseas say, "Bush is not American."
************************
At breakfast in Old Town San Diego, I often chat with Judy Peterson, a charming woman who owns Mrs. Burton's Tea Room, located in one of the Victorian Houses in Heritage Park. That tea room is quite a place.
She has Victorian style dresses and accessories, tea pots and accessories to those. For visitors who stop for her small sandwiches, desserts and, of course, pots of tea, the place is a delight. Happily enough, she has a website:
www.mrsburtonstearoom.com
Go and enjoy!
Hugs...
Friday, March 07, 2008
Blackwater to Potrero: We're gone from here....
From San Diego Union-Tribune:
Blackwater pulls application for Potrero training center
By Anne Krueger
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
2:33 p.m. March 7, 2008
Blackwater Worldwide officials have announced they are pulling their application to build a training center on an 842-acre site in the East County community of Potrero.
The North Carolina-based company dropped off a letter to the county planning department today notifying officials of their decision not to pursue plans for the project on a former chicken and cattle ranch.“Although our project would have brought a great benefit to San Diego County, – providing local, state, and federal law enforcement with access to low-cost superior training facilities while bringing much-needed jobs to the area – the proposed site does not meet our business objectives at this time,” states the letter from Blackwater vice president Brian Bonfiglio.
Bonfiglio said noise tests the company conducted at the site did not meet county standards, and the cost of reducing the noise was too expensive. He said Blackwater had spent well over $1 million in its effort to get government approval for the site.
The company's effort to build the training center for law enforcement and the military met with a storm of criticism. Opponents said the training center would bring more noise and traffic to the quiet rural community, and others were critical of Blackwater's role as a military contractor in Iraq.
Bonfiglio said opposition to the project played no role in the company's decision to withdraw the project.
Opponents of the project were stunned and pleased to hear the news.“It's great news for the community of Potrero,” said Carl Meyer, the recently-elected chairman of the Potrero planning group. “I think Potrero will start to rejoice tonight. We'll have a party.”
Raymond Lutz, an El Cajon-area resident who created an anti-Blackwater Web site, said he's glad the controversy is over.“This poor community has been put through enough,” he said. “There's a lot of people who were friends who were on different sides of the issue.”
Anne Krueger: (619) 593-4962; anne.krueger@uniontrib.com
Find this article at:http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080307-1433-bn07black.html
Wrap...
Blackwater pulls application for Potrero training center
By Anne Krueger
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
2:33 p.m. March 7, 2008
Blackwater Worldwide officials have announced they are pulling their application to build a training center on an 842-acre site in the East County community of Potrero.
The North Carolina-based company dropped off a letter to the county planning department today notifying officials of their decision not to pursue plans for the project on a former chicken and cattle ranch.“Although our project would have brought a great benefit to San Diego County, – providing local, state, and federal law enforcement with access to low-cost superior training facilities while bringing much-needed jobs to the area – the proposed site does not meet our business objectives at this time,” states the letter from Blackwater vice president Brian Bonfiglio.
Bonfiglio said noise tests the company conducted at the site did not meet county standards, and the cost of reducing the noise was too expensive. He said Blackwater had spent well over $1 million in its effort to get government approval for the site.
The company's effort to build the training center for law enforcement and the military met with a storm of criticism. Opponents said the training center would bring more noise and traffic to the quiet rural community, and others were critical of Blackwater's role as a military contractor in Iraq.
Bonfiglio said opposition to the project played no role in the company's decision to withdraw the project.
Opponents of the project were stunned and pleased to hear the news.“It's great news for the community of Potrero,” said Carl Meyer, the recently-elected chairman of the Potrero planning group. “I think Potrero will start to rejoice tonight. We'll have a party.”
Raymond Lutz, an El Cajon-area resident who created an anti-Blackwater Web site, said he's glad the controversy is over.“This poor community has been put through enough,” he said. “There's a lot of people who were friends who were on different sides of the issue.”
Anne Krueger: (619) 593-4962; anne.krueger@uniontrib.com
Find this article at:http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080307-1433-bn07black.html
Wrap...
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Bush takes advantage of Hillary's et al vote ....
From Washington Post via truthout.org :
No Need for Lawmakers' Approval of Iraq Pact, US Reasserts
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030608M.shtml
Karen DeYoung reports for The Washington Post, "The Bush administration yesterday advanced a new argument for why it does not require congressional approval to strike a long-term security agreement with Iraq, stating that Congress had already endorsed such an initiative through its 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
No Need for Lawmakers' Approval of Iraq Pact, US Reasserts
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030608M.shtml
Karen DeYoung reports for The Washington Post, "The Bush administration yesterday advanced a new argument for why it does not require congressional approval to strike a long-term security agreement with Iraq, stating that Congress had already endorsed such an initiative through its 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Cheney's boys at work....
From American Progress:
IRAQ -- CONTRACTOR KBR SKIRTS TAXES THROUGH OFFSHORE HAVENS:
The Boston Globe reports today that Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) -- until last year a subsidiary of Halliburton Corp. and the nation's top Iraq war contractor -- "has avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Medicare and Social Security taxes by hiring workers through shell companies" based in the Caymen Islands.
More than 21,000 employees -- 10,500 Americans -- are listed as employees of two companies there, one of which was established two months after Vice President Cheney's appointment as Halliburton's chief executive in 1995.
In addition to the loss in tax revenue for Medicare and Social Security, "the practice enables KBR to avoid paying unemployment taxes in Texas," where the company's headquarters are located, which means that "workers hired through the Cayman Island companies cannot receive unemployment assistance should they lose their jobs."
The Globe notes that "[o]ver the course of the five-year war" in Iraq, KBR's "tax bill would have been more than $500 million."
Wrap...
IRAQ -- CONTRACTOR KBR SKIRTS TAXES THROUGH OFFSHORE HAVENS:
The Boston Globe reports today that Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) -- until last year a subsidiary of Halliburton Corp. and the nation's top Iraq war contractor -- "has avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Medicare and Social Security taxes by hiring workers through shell companies" based in the Caymen Islands.
More than 21,000 employees -- 10,500 Americans -- are listed as employees of two companies there, one of which was established two months after Vice President Cheney's appointment as Halliburton's chief executive in 1995.
In addition to the loss in tax revenue for Medicare and Social Security, "the practice enables KBR to avoid paying unemployment taxes in Texas," where the company's headquarters are located, which means that "workers hired through the Cayman Island companies cannot receive unemployment assistance should they lose their jobs."
The Globe notes that "[o]ver the course of the five-year war" in Iraq, KBR's "tax bill would have been more than $500 million."
Wrap...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Books on their way to publication....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
MYSTERY/CRIME:
J. Saunders Elmore's THE AMATEUR AMERICAN, debut literary noir about a young American man in France who is drawn into a web of violent political intrigue, to Julian Pavia at Crown, by Chris Parris-Lamb at The Gernert Company.Rights: chammer@thegernertco.comFilm: Nick Harris at RSWH
GENERAL/OTHER:
Author of THE LAKE, THE RIVER & THE OTHER LAKE, Steve Amick's THE GIRLIES, a WWII-era love story about art, pin-up photography, unlikely friendships, loyalty, and the perseverance of post-war Americans as they rebuild their hearts and homes, again to Deborah Garrison at Pantheon, by Joe Veltre at Artists Literary Group (NA). jv@algmedia.com
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Columbia University director of American Studies and author of MELVILLE Andrew Delbanco's THE LAST TRUCE, an account of how the Fugitive Slave Law -- intended as a compromise to hold the Union together -- drove the nation to Civil War by implicating northerners in the business of slavery as they never had been before, to Laura Stickney at Penguin Press, for publication in Fall 2012, by Jennifer Rudolph Walsh of the William Morris Agency.
Author of the forthcoming Vienna, 1814, David King's DEATH IN THE CITY OF LIGHT, the true story of the hunt for Marcel Petiot, a respectable physician BY DAY who turned out to be a brutal serial killer in Nazi-occupied Paris -- charged with twenty-seven murders (though his victims, many of whom were dismembered, may have numbered in excess of 100), brought to justice by Commissaire Georges-Victor Massu, the inspiration for Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret, to John Glusman at Harmony, by Suzanne Gluck at William Morris Agency (NA).Rights: Linda Kaplan, Crown
Siva Vaidhyanathan's THE GOOGLIZATION OF EVERYTHING: How one company is transforming culture, commerce and community - and why we should worry, showing how Google is taking on governments, organizations and entire industries - and the implications of Google knowing more about us than we know about it, to Naomi Schneider at University of California Press, by Sam Stoloff at the Frances Goldin Literary Agency (NA).
HUMOR:
The Wages of Genius author Gregory Mone's WHY SANTA TELEPORTS: Warp Drive, Quantum Entanglement, Autonomous Robots and Futuristic Surveillance Technology: Unwrapping the Miraculous New Science Behind the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, a humorous and illuminating defense of St. Nick, explaining the science behind the most magical night of the year and revealing how specific advances in the fields of physics, nanotechnology, and genetic modification -- like sub-atomic entanglement, micro-satellites, autonomous robots, teleportation and artificial organs -- proves, at least theoretically, that there is such thing as Santa Claus, to Colin Dickerman at Bloomsbury, for publication in October 2008, by Ken Wright at Writers House (NA).
ILLUSTRATED/ART:
President and executive creative director of Coach, Reed Krakoff's FIGHTER, a look at the fighters of the UFC, showcasing both their fierce athleticism and their surprising sensitivity and grace, filled with black and white photographs and candid interviews, to Megan Newman at Viking Studio, for publication in Fall 2008, by Kate Lee at ICM (world English).
MEMOIR:
Rap artist Eminem's THE WAY I AM, a "fully illustrated reflective narrative," featuring his private thoughts on everything from his music and the trials of fame to his love for his daughter, including photographs of his home and life along with original drawings, produced by Melcher Media, to Trena Keating at Dutton, for publication in fall 2008, by Marc Gerald of The Agency Group, on behalf of Paul Rosenberg of Goliath Artists.Foreign: betsy@curtisbrown.co.uk
America's Boy and Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler author Wade Rouse's THE FAUX THOREAU: A City Boy Battles Blizzards, Wrestles Raccoons and Cuts Cable in A Quest for His Modern-Day Walden Pond, Sex & The City Goes Country as the author strikes out for rural America in an effort to recreate Thoreau's Walden but discovers the simple life isn't so simple, especially when wearing high fashion waders, to Julia Pastore at Harmony, by Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates (NA).
First-time author Meg Federico's NOTES FROM THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE, about her two-year journey shuttling from her own home a thousand miles away to care for both her 80-something mother and the newly-minted husband, capturing both the loopy and heart-wrenching aspects of caring for an elderly parent, especially from afar, to Susan Mercandetti at Random House, in a pre-empt, by Kris Rothstein for the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency (world).Rights: ctisne@randomhouse.com
Winner of the Orange 2007 New Writers Prize for The Lizard Cage Karen Connelly's memoir about her time in Burma and later in the jungles along the Burma-Thai border where she falls in love with a charismatic young leader of the Burmese rebel army and learns life-altering lessons about love, political engagement, and personal freedom, again to Lorna Owen at Nan A. Talese, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (World).
NARRATIVE:
Hester Rumberg's TEN DEGREES OF RECKONING, pitched as part Adrift, part Civil Action, the story of Judith Sleavin, the lone survivor of the shipwreck of her family's boat the Melinda Lee that was hit due to the recklessness of a freighter near the shores of New Zealand, including her search for justice, and the friendships that have sustained her through such catastrophic loss, to Amy Einhorn at Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, at auction, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (NA).
SPORTS:
NY Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress's memoir written with Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, to William Morrow, by Ian Kleinert at Objective Entertainment.
Wrap...
MYSTERY/CRIME:
J. Saunders Elmore's THE AMATEUR AMERICAN, debut literary noir about a young American man in France who is drawn into a web of violent political intrigue, to Julian Pavia at Crown, by Chris Parris-Lamb at The Gernert Company.Rights: chammer@thegernertco.comFilm: Nick Harris at RSWH
GENERAL/OTHER:
Author of THE LAKE, THE RIVER & THE OTHER LAKE, Steve Amick's THE GIRLIES, a WWII-era love story about art, pin-up photography, unlikely friendships, loyalty, and the perseverance of post-war Americans as they rebuild their hearts and homes, again to Deborah Garrison at Pantheon, by Joe Veltre at Artists Literary Group (NA). jv@algmedia.com
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Columbia University director of American Studies and author of MELVILLE Andrew Delbanco's THE LAST TRUCE, an account of how the Fugitive Slave Law -- intended as a compromise to hold the Union together -- drove the nation to Civil War by implicating northerners in the business of slavery as they never had been before, to Laura Stickney at Penguin Press, for publication in Fall 2012, by Jennifer Rudolph Walsh of the William Morris Agency.
Author of the forthcoming Vienna, 1814, David King's DEATH IN THE CITY OF LIGHT, the true story of the hunt for Marcel Petiot, a respectable physician BY DAY who turned out to be a brutal serial killer in Nazi-occupied Paris -- charged with twenty-seven murders (though his victims, many of whom were dismembered, may have numbered in excess of 100), brought to justice by Commissaire Georges-Victor Massu, the inspiration for Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret, to John Glusman at Harmony, by Suzanne Gluck at William Morris Agency (NA).Rights: Linda Kaplan, Crown
Siva Vaidhyanathan's THE GOOGLIZATION OF EVERYTHING: How one company is transforming culture, commerce and community - and why we should worry, showing how Google is taking on governments, organizations and entire industries - and the implications of Google knowing more about us than we know about it, to Naomi Schneider at University of California Press, by Sam Stoloff at the Frances Goldin Literary Agency (NA).
HUMOR:
The Wages of Genius author Gregory Mone's WHY SANTA TELEPORTS: Warp Drive, Quantum Entanglement, Autonomous Robots and Futuristic Surveillance Technology: Unwrapping the Miraculous New Science Behind the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, a humorous and illuminating defense of St. Nick, explaining the science behind the most magical night of the year and revealing how specific advances in the fields of physics, nanotechnology, and genetic modification -- like sub-atomic entanglement, micro-satellites, autonomous robots, teleportation and artificial organs -- proves, at least theoretically, that there is such thing as Santa Claus, to Colin Dickerman at Bloomsbury, for publication in October 2008, by Ken Wright at Writers House (NA).
ILLUSTRATED/ART:
President and executive creative director of Coach, Reed Krakoff's FIGHTER, a look at the fighters of the UFC, showcasing both their fierce athleticism and their surprising sensitivity and grace, filled with black and white photographs and candid interviews, to Megan Newman at Viking Studio, for publication in Fall 2008, by Kate Lee at ICM (world English).
MEMOIR:
Rap artist Eminem's THE WAY I AM, a "fully illustrated reflective narrative," featuring his private thoughts on everything from his music and the trials of fame to his love for his daughter, including photographs of his home and life along with original drawings, produced by Melcher Media, to Trena Keating at Dutton, for publication in fall 2008, by Marc Gerald of The Agency Group, on behalf of Paul Rosenberg of Goliath Artists.Foreign: betsy@curtisbrown.co.uk
America's Boy and Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler author Wade Rouse's THE FAUX THOREAU: A City Boy Battles Blizzards, Wrestles Raccoons and Cuts Cable in A Quest for His Modern-Day Walden Pond, Sex & The City Goes Country as the author strikes out for rural America in an effort to recreate Thoreau's Walden but discovers the simple life isn't so simple, especially when wearing high fashion waders, to Julia Pastore at Harmony, by Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates (NA).
First-time author Meg Federico's NOTES FROM THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE, about her two-year journey shuttling from her own home a thousand miles away to care for both her 80-something mother and the newly-minted husband, capturing both the loopy and heart-wrenching aspects of caring for an elderly parent, especially from afar, to Susan Mercandetti at Random House, in a pre-empt, by Kris Rothstein for the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency (world).Rights: ctisne@randomhouse.com
Winner of the Orange 2007 New Writers Prize for The Lizard Cage Karen Connelly's memoir about her time in Burma and later in the jungles along the Burma-Thai border where she falls in love with a charismatic young leader of the Burmese rebel army and learns life-altering lessons about love, political engagement, and personal freedom, again to Lorna Owen at Nan A. Talese, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (World).
NARRATIVE:
Hester Rumberg's TEN DEGREES OF RECKONING, pitched as part Adrift, part Civil Action, the story of Judith Sleavin, the lone survivor of the shipwreck of her family's boat the Melinda Lee that was hit due to the recklessness of a freighter near the shores of New Zealand, including her search for justice, and the friendships that have sustained her through such catastrophic loss, to Amy Einhorn at Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, at auction, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (NA).
SPORTS:
NY Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress's memoir written with Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, to William Morrow, by Ian Kleinert at Objective Entertainment.
Wrap...
From Morgan fired to Las Vegas ethics conference...
From American Progress:
Think Fast...
Right-wing radio host Melanie Morgan -- who once called for the editor of The New York Times to be "sent to the gas chamber" -- has been fired from her job at KSFO 560 AM, but will continue her World Net Daily column. "[J]ust because Melanie Morgan is off the air doesn't mean she's off our radar," said Media Matters spokesman Karl Frisch.
Commenting on the climate change deniers conference in New York City, Princeton University geosciences professor Michael Oppenheimer said that climate skeptics "have to get together to talk to each other, because nobody else is talking to them."
Federal Communications Commission commissioner Michael Copps has asked the board's chair to open an inquiry into "the blacking out of a politically charged segment of the CBS News magazine '60 Minutes' by a local television station in Alabama." "Was this an attempt to suppress information on the public airwaves, or was it really just a technical problem?" asked Copps.
"House Democrats said a civil lawsuit could be filed as early as this month that challenges the Bush administration's claims of executive privilege in curtailing aides from testifying on Capitol Hill." Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is pursing civil litigation because Attorney General Michael Mukasey refuses to enforce contempt citations against two White House aides.
Vanity Fair writes that the Bush administration's plan to arm and train Palestinian fighters loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas backfired and led to the Hamas takeover of Gaza. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the central premise of the article "ludicrous" and said it was necessary to counteract Iranian influence.
Exhausted by exposure to the violence of religious extremism, Iraqi youths "have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach." Iraqis -- both poor and middle class -- have "blamed clerics for the violence and the restrictions that have narrowed their lives."
James Clark, the chief of staff under former Alaska Gov. Frank H. Murkowski (R), agreed yesterday "to plead guilty to concealing donations made to Mr. Murkowski's 2006 re-election campaign" by the VECO Corporation, an oil company accused of bribing much of the Alaskan political establishment. Clark arranged for VECO to pay $68,500 without it being publicly disclosed.
The Senate yesterday confirmed Mark R. Filip, a federal judge from Chicago and former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, as deputy attorney general. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) had previously placed a hold on Judge Filip's nomination over...waterboarding but lifted it."
In prepared testimony, CentCom chief William Fallon said "multiple strains of violent extremism remain a threat to the government and populace" in Iraq. Fallon added that when Gen. David Petraeus testifies next month, "the chain of command" and "our inputs, along with his" will be sent to the President.
And finally: "If you want to prevent skin cancer, you don't get to the beach. And if you want to avoid corruption, you don't go to Vegas, right?" Next month, however, Sin City will host Campaigns & Elections magazine's two-day conference for lobbyists called "All Things Ethical." Panels include "Using Phones Ethically" and "The Ethics of Deception."
Wrap...
Think Fast...
Right-wing radio host Melanie Morgan -- who once called for the editor of The New York Times to be "sent to the gas chamber" -- has been fired from her job at KSFO 560 AM, but will continue her World Net Daily column. "[J]ust because Melanie Morgan is off the air doesn't mean she's off our radar," said Media Matters spokesman Karl Frisch.
Commenting on the climate change deniers conference in New York City, Princeton University geosciences professor Michael Oppenheimer said that climate skeptics "have to get together to talk to each other, because nobody else is talking to them."
Federal Communications Commission commissioner Michael Copps has asked the board's chair to open an inquiry into "the blacking out of a politically charged segment of the CBS News magazine '60 Minutes' by a local television station in Alabama." "Was this an attempt to suppress information on the public airwaves, or was it really just a technical problem?" asked Copps.
"House Democrats said a civil lawsuit could be filed as early as this month that challenges the Bush administration's claims of executive privilege in curtailing aides from testifying on Capitol Hill." Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is pursing civil litigation because Attorney General Michael Mukasey refuses to enforce contempt citations against two White House aides.
Vanity Fair writes that the Bush administration's plan to arm and train Palestinian fighters loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas backfired and led to the Hamas takeover of Gaza. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the central premise of the article "ludicrous" and said it was necessary to counteract Iranian influence.
Exhausted by exposure to the violence of religious extremism, Iraqi youths "have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach." Iraqis -- both poor and middle class -- have "blamed clerics for the violence and the restrictions that have narrowed their lives."
James Clark, the chief of staff under former Alaska Gov. Frank H. Murkowski (R), agreed yesterday "to plead guilty to concealing donations made to Mr. Murkowski's 2006 re-election campaign" by the VECO Corporation, an oil company accused of bribing much of the Alaskan political establishment. Clark arranged for VECO to pay $68,500 without it being publicly disclosed.
The Senate yesterday confirmed Mark R. Filip, a federal judge from Chicago and former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, as deputy attorney general. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) had previously placed a hold on Judge Filip's nomination over...waterboarding but lifted it."
In prepared testimony, CentCom chief William Fallon said "multiple strains of violent extremism remain a threat to the government and populace" in Iraq. Fallon added that when Gen. David Petraeus testifies next month, "the chain of command" and "our inputs, along with his" will be sent to the President.
And finally: "If you want to prevent skin cancer, you don't get to the beach. And if you want to avoid corruption, you don't go to Vegas, right?" Next month, however, Sin City will host Campaigns & Elections magazine's two-day conference for lobbyists called "All Things Ethical." Panels include "Using Phones Ethically" and "The Ethics of Deception."
Wrap...
Monday, March 03, 2008
Anti-Zionist Jews: Stop killing...
From Information Clearing House:
Anti-Zionist Jews condemn Gaza massacres:
A worldwide organization representing anti-Zionist Jews has strongly condemned the ongoing mass killing and maiming by the Israeli occupation army of hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
http://tinyurl.com/yrlxd9
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Anti-Zionist Jews condemn Gaza massacres:
A worldwide organization representing anti-Zionist Jews has strongly condemned the ongoing mass killing and maiming by the Israeli occupation army of hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
http://tinyurl.com/yrlxd9
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
At NSA, GAO oversight unused...
From Secrecy News:
GAO OVERSIGHT OFFICE AT NSA LIES DORMANT
The Government Accountability Office maintains an office at theNational Security Agency but it remains unused since no one in Congress has asked GAO to perform any oversight of the Agency, the head of GAO disclosed last week.
Despite multi-billion dollar acquisition failures at NSA and the Agency's controversial, possibly illegal surveillance practices, Congress has declined to summon all of its oversight resources such as GAO to address such issues.
In testimony before a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee on February 29, I argued that the GAO has demonstrated the ability to contribute to oversight of U.S. intelligence agencies and that it should be called upon to do so again.
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2008_hr/022908aftergood.pdf
Although U.S. intelligence community leaders say they oppose a GAO role in intelligence oversight, I noted that GAO oversight staff have in the past been permanently stationed at NSA, where they successfully conducted audits and investigations. Questioned on that point by Senator Daniel Akaka, Comptroller General David M. Walker, the outgoing director of GAO, confirmed that it was true."We still actually do have space at the NSA. We just don't use it and the reason we don't use it is we're not getting any requests, you know. So I don't want to have people sitting out there twiddling their thumbs," Mr. Walker said.
His prepared statement, entitled "GAO Can Assist the Congress and the Intelligence Community on Management Reform Initiatives," and those of the other witnesses at the February 29 hearing may be found here: http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2008_hr/index.html
The hearing, which was broadcast live on C-SPAN, can be viewed here (requires Real Player from www.real.com): rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/ter/ter022908_intelligence.rm
See also "Panel witnesses press for GAO audits of intelligence agencies" by Chris Strohm, Congress Daily, February 29: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39420
Wrap...
GAO OVERSIGHT OFFICE AT NSA LIES DORMANT
The Government Accountability Office maintains an office at theNational Security Agency but it remains unused since no one in Congress has asked GAO to perform any oversight of the Agency, the head of GAO disclosed last week.
Despite multi-billion dollar acquisition failures at NSA and the Agency's controversial, possibly illegal surveillance practices, Congress has declined to summon all of its oversight resources such as GAO to address such issues.
In testimony before a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee on February 29, I argued that the GAO has demonstrated the ability to contribute to oversight of U.S. intelligence agencies and that it should be called upon to do so again.
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2008_hr/022908aftergood.pdf
Although U.S. intelligence community leaders say they oppose a GAO role in intelligence oversight, I noted that GAO oversight staff have in the past been permanently stationed at NSA, where they successfully conducted audits and investigations. Questioned on that point by Senator Daniel Akaka, Comptroller General David M. Walker, the outgoing director of GAO, confirmed that it was true."We still actually do have space at the NSA. We just don't use it and the reason we don't use it is we're not getting any requests, you know. So I don't want to have people sitting out there twiddling their thumbs," Mr. Walker said.
His prepared statement, entitled "GAO Can Assist the Congress and the Intelligence Community on Management Reform Initiatives," and those of the other witnesses at the February 29 hearing may be found here: http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2008_hr/index.html
The hearing, which was broadcast live on C-SPAN, can be viewed here (requires Real Player from www.real.com): rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/ter/ter022908_intelligence.rm
See also "Panel witnesses press for GAO audits of intelligence agencies" by Chris Strohm, Congress Daily, February 29: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39420
Wrap...
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Novelist, Scientist David Brin to Obama....
From David Brin:
Issues that Obama can’t ignore - National Security, Science and the Plight of the Professionals
While some see only bitterness in the final days of the Democratic primary season, I figure the party will re-coalesce behind the eventual winner. In fact, this extended season had benefits, e.g. energetic grassroots movements that should merge impressively for the general election.
As I write this, Barack Obama seems the likely nominee, in which case recent battle bruises may have taught him valuable lessons. With flexibility, when reconfiguring his messages for a nationwide audience, I hope he'll ponder the importance of three issues: National Security, Science and the Plight of the Professionals.
(See below for unusual perspectives on all three.)
www.davidbrin.blogspot.com
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Issues that Obama can’t ignore - National Security, Science and the Plight of the Professionals
While some see only bitterness in the final days of the Democratic primary season, I figure the party will re-coalesce behind the eventual winner. In fact, this extended season had benefits, e.g. energetic grassroots movements that should merge impressively for the general election.
As I write this, Barack Obama seems the likely nominee, in which case recent battle bruises may have taught him valuable lessons. With flexibility, when reconfiguring his messages for a nationwide audience, I hope he'll ponder the importance of three issues: National Security, Science and the Plight of the Professionals.
(See below for unusual perspectives on all three.)
www.davidbrin.blogspot.com
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Yeah..Where WERE the Doctors?
From Health Beat via truthout.org :
Maggie Mahar The Cholesterol Con - Where Were the Doctors?
Parts I and II
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022908HA.shtml
Maggie Mahar's two-part series in Health Beat on "The Cholesterol Con" asks, "During the many years of the Cholesterol Con - where were the doctors? When everyone from the makers of Mazola Corn Oil to the Popes of Cardiology assured us that virtually anyone could ward off heart disease by lowering his cholesterol, why didn't more of our doctors raise an eyebrow and warn us, 'Actually, that's not what the research shows.'"
[Click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Maggie Mahar The Cholesterol Con - Where Were the Doctors?
Parts I and II
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022908HA.shtml
Maggie Mahar's two-part series in Health Beat on "The Cholesterol Con" asks, "During the many years of the Cholesterol Con - where were the doctors? When everyone from the makers of Mazola Corn Oil to the Popes of Cardiology assured us that virtually anyone could ward off heart disease by lowering his cholesterol, why didn't more of our doctors raise an eyebrow and warn us, 'Actually, that's not what the research shows.'"
[Click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Utah...nuke garbage dump?
From Christian Science Monitor via truthout.org :
Will US Become World's Nuclear-Waste Dump?
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022908EA.shtml
According to Mark Clayton of The Christian Science Monitor, "The federal government is weighing a Utah company's request to import large amounts of low-level radioactive waste from Italy - a step critics say could lead the United States to become a nuclear garbage dump for the world."
[Click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Will US Become World's Nuclear-Waste Dump?
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022908EA.shtml
According to Mark Clayton of The Christian Science Monitor, "The federal government is weighing a Utah company's request to import large amounts of low-level radioactive waste from Italy - a step critics say could lead the United States to become a nuclear garbage dump for the world."
[Click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Marine's 5th Iraq tour...& Nat'l Day of the Cowboy!!!
From American Progress:
Think Fast...
A Marine regiment is heading to Iraq for its fifth tour. Yesterday, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment based at Twentynine Palms, California, reportedly became the first Marine Corps unit to be deployed a record five times. Sixty percent of the unit will be going to Iraq for the first time.
Bush administration officials tout private Medicare plans as having extra benefits and low costs. A new Government Accountability Office report, however, finds that these plans "often cost beneficiaries more than the traditional government-run Medicare program."
Speaking before the House Financial Services Committee yesterday, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke admitted that the U.S. economic situation "has become distinctly less favorable" since last summer. He still refused to say that the economy was heading toward a recession, but acknowledged his forecast may be overly optimistic.
This next year, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will serve as John McCain's point man on Capitol Hill. "There ain't going to be a lot of 'bringing us together' between now and November," Graham said. "There's going to be a lot of jockeying for political advantage. It's sad, but true."
If elected president, McCain would the first president born outside the 50 states to take the presidential oath of office. Having been born in the Panama Canal Zone, McCain's candidacy is "reviving a musty debate" about the meaning of the Constitution's "natural-born citizen" requirement for presidential eligibility.
Despite great strides made in the past four decades toward expanding a black middle class and producing black political leaders in the U.S., a new study released today concludes that African-Americans still lag behind whites "significantly in income, education and other measures of well-being."
House conservatives, long divided over a proposed earmark moratorium, are "conceding that they do not have support for the idea from their colleagues, even among most of the members of the 103-member Republican Study Committee." "The votes aren't there," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX).
Iraq's presidential council rejected a plan for new provincial elections, sending the bill back to parliament for reworking -- "a major setback to U.S.-backed efforts to promote national reconciliation." The ruling came despite a reported last-minute telephone call by Vice President Cheney to the body.
And finally: Some bipartisan cooperation in Congress. Roll Call reports that both parties are "rallying to a common cause and introducing a bipartisan bill designating July 26, 2008, as 'National Day of the Cowboy.' The legislation, which Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) introduced Feb. 13, honors the 'pioneering men and women, known as cowboys.'" Giffords's spokesman noted, "Who can disagree about the importance of cowboys?"
Wrap...
Think Fast...
A Marine regiment is heading to Iraq for its fifth tour. Yesterday, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment based at Twentynine Palms, California, reportedly became the first Marine Corps unit to be deployed a record five times. Sixty percent of the unit will be going to Iraq for the first time.
Bush administration officials tout private Medicare plans as having extra benefits and low costs. A new Government Accountability Office report, however, finds that these plans "often cost beneficiaries more than the traditional government-run Medicare program."
Speaking before the House Financial Services Committee yesterday, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke admitted that the U.S. economic situation "has become distinctly less favorable" since last summer. He still refused to say that the economy was heading toward a recession, but acknowledged his forecast may be overly optimistic.
This next year, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will serve as John McCain's point man on Capitol Hill. "There ain't going to be a lot of 'bringing us together' between now and November," Graham said. "There's going to be a lot of jockeying for political advantage. It's sad, but true."
If elected president, McCain would the first president born outside the 50 states to take the presidential oath of office. Having been born in the Panama Canal Zone, McCain's candidacy is "reviving a musty debate" about the meaning of the Constitution's "natural-born citizen" requirement for presidential eligibility.
Despite great strides made in the past four decades toward expanding a black middle class and producing black political leaders in the U.S., a new study released today concludes that African-Americans still lag behind whites "significantly in income, education and other measures of well-being."
House conservatives, long divided over a proposed earmark moratorium, are "conceding that they do not have support for the idea from their colleagues, even among most of the members of the 103-member Republican Study Committee." "The votes aren't there," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX).
Iraq's presidential council rejected a plan for new provincial elections, sending the bill back to parliament for reworking -- "a major setback to U.S.-backed efforts to promote national reconciliation." The ruling came despite a reported last-minute telephone call by Vice President Cheney to the body.
And finally: Some bipartisan cooperation in Congress. Roll Call reports that both parties are "rallying to a common cause and introducing a bipartisan bill designating July 26, 2008, as 'National Day of the Cowboy.' The legislation, which Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) introduced Feb. 13, honors the 'pioneering men and women, known as cowboys.'" Giffords's spokesman noted, "Who can disagree about the importance of cowboys?"
Wrap...
Good for this California Republican....
From Secrecy News:
HOUSE REPUBLICAN BLASTS BUSH ADMINISTRATION "STONEWALLING"
"The disdain and uncooperative nature that this administration has shown toward Congress... is so egregious that I can no longer assume that it is simply bureaucratic incompetence or isolated mistakes. Rather, I have come to the sad conclusion that this administration has intentionally obstructed Congress' rightful and constitutional duties."
That rather damning criticism comes not from a liberal opponent of the Bush Administration, but from one of its most right-wing supporters in Congress, California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.
"This administration is setting a terrible precedent. What people have to understand... is when there is a liberal Democrat in the White House, the President will have set [the precedent] that Members of Congress can simply be dismissed, and that when they are trying to do a congressional investigation need not be cooperated with, in fact, can be obstructed. Is that the type of President that we want? Is that acceptable? It shouldn't be acceptable to Democrats and it shouldn't be acceptable to Republicans," he said on the House floor on February 26.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2008/rohr022608.html
Rep. Rohrabacher described a series of incidents in which the Bush Administration blocked congressional initiatives or failed to meet his expectations. Some of the offenses described, like the failure to administer a polygraph to former national security advisor Samuel R.Berger concerning his theft of documents from the National Archives, seem idiosyncratic or otherwise questionable. But the Congressman's outrage appears genuine enough.
"It is truly with a heavy heart, Madam Speaker, that I stand here reciting example after example of the maliciousness and condescending attitude exhibited by this administration. It is a problem that's flowing from the top."
"When I hear my friends on the other side of the aisle accusing this administration of stonewalling, of coverups, or thwarting investigations, I sadly must concur with them," Rep. Rohrabacher concluded.
Wrap...
HOUSE REPUBLICAN BLASTS BUSH ADMINISTRATION "STONEWALLING"
"The disdain and uncooperative nature that this administration has shown toward Congress... is so egregious that I can no longer assume that it is simply bureaucratic incompetence or isolated mistakes. Rather, I have come to the sad conclusion that this administration has intentionally obstructed Congress' rightful and constitutional duties."
That rather damning criticism comes not from a liberal opponent of the Bush Administration, but from one of its most right-wing supporters in Congress, California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.
"This administration is setting a terrible precedent. What people have to understand... is when there is a liberal Democrat in the White House, the President will have set [the precedent] that Members of Congress can simply be dismissed, and that when they are trying to do a congressional investigation need not be cooperated with, in fact, can be obstructed. Is that the type of President that we want? Is that acceptable? It shouldn't be acceptable to Democrats and it shouldn't be acceptable to Republicans," he said on the House floor on February 26.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2008/rohr022608.html
Rep. Rohrabacher described a series of incidents in which the Bush Administration blocked congressional initiatives or failed to meet his expectations. Some of the offenses described, like the failure to administer a polygraph to former national security advisor Samuel R.Berger concerning his theft of documents from the National Archives, seem idiosyncratic or otherwise questionable. But the Congressman's outrage appears genuine enough.
"It is truly with a heavy heart, Madam Speaker, that I stand here reciting example after example of the maliciousness and condescending attitude exhibited by this administration. It is a problem that's flowing from the top."
"When I hear my friends on the other side of the aisle accusing this administration of stonewalling, of coverups, or thwarting investigations, I sadly must concur with them," Rep. Rohrabacher concluded.
Wrap...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Most unusual films and books...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
INSPIRATIONAL:
Rita winner and triple finalist Tamera Alexander's IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, the first in a series set during the Civil War about an impoverished woman who becomes an assistant to the owner of a plantation and the richest woman in America -- involving blockade running, runaway slaves, the art world, and a master gardener who teaches her where true beauty can be found, to Charlene Patterson at Bethany House, at auction, by Natasha Kern at Natasha Kern Literary Agency (World).
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Greg van Eekhout's NORSE CODE, a contemporary fantasy incorporating Norse mythology in which the end of the world (Ragnarok) is approaching, prompting the ancient Norse gods to enter our world -- some to prevent, and some to hasten the ultimate destruction of the world of man, to Juliet Ulman at Bantam Dell, by Caitlin Blasdell at Liza Dawson Associates (world English).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Marisha Pessl's NIGHT FILM, a psychological thriller about obsession, family loyalty and ambition set in raw contemporary Manhattan, moving to Kate Medina at Random House, by her new agent Amanda Urban at ICM.Richard Grant's CAVE DWELLERS, a literary thriller set in World War II Berlin, to Gary Fisketjon at Knopf, in a nice deal, by Howard Morhaim at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (NA).
Author of DRIVING WITH DEAD PEOPLE COWBOY AND WILLS: A Love Story, Monica Holloway's adventurous, inspirational narrative about how the family's golden retriever, a gentle dog who ached from cancer, gave their son, a bright and loving spirit who struggles with autism, a life-affirming confidence and trust, to Tricia Boczkowski at Simon Spotlight Entertainment, by Laurie Fox at the Linda Chester Literary Agency.
D&J Book Packaging and Media's BACON: A LOVE STORY, a salty survey of everybody's favorite meat, written by proprietor of the blog "Bacon Unwrapped" Heather Lauer, to Anne Cole at Collins, at auction, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (NA).
FILM:
Clare Morrall's NATURAL FLIGHTS OF THE HUMAN MIND, optioned to Mick Audsley of Scrimpo Productions, by Meg Davis at MBA Literary Agents.
Film rights to A Lee Martinez's novel IN THE COMPANY OF OGRES, about Never Dead Ned who discovers why he keeps returning from the dead, and suddenly realizes he must do everything he can to stay alive, optioned to Rough Draft Studios (The Simpsons Movie, Futurama), by Sarah Self at The Gersh Agency on behalf of Sally Harding at The Cooke Agency.
Valerie Block's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, optioned to Marilyn Agrelo, director of MAD HOT BALLROOM, by Bill Contardi, on behalf of Gail Hochman at Brandt & Hochman.
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Member of the Memphis Mafia and DJ George Klein's ELVIS: MY BEST MAN, an intimate portrait of Elvis Presley, who stood as best man at Klein's wedding, chronicling decades of friendship that began in the 8th grade, candidly sharing the many highs and lows, culminating in Presley's comeback album from American Studios in which Klein was instrumental, to Kristin Kiser at Crown, with Jed Donahue editing, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.
COOKING:
BET gospel icon Dr. Bobby Jones's collection of recipes from well-known African-American musicians, authors, and celebrities, taking traditional recipes in the African-American community and making them heart-healthy, to Sarah Sper at Center Street, by Kirby Kim at Vigliano Associates (NA).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author of APOCALYPSE 2012: An Inquiry into the End of Civilization, journalist Lawrence Joseph's follow-up, 2012: The Aftermath, which will systematically assess the greatest threats to our daily life from the 2012 scenario of global upheaval, and suggest the best ways to prevent them and to control the damage, should the unthinkable come to pass, to Becky Cole at Broadway, by Andrew Stuart at The Stuart Agency (World).
Colorado Congresswoman and chief architect of stem cell legislation that President Bush has vetoed twice Diana DeGette's SEX, SCIENCE, AND STEM CELLS, an indictment of Republican positions on sex education, birth control, abortion and embryonic stem cell research, to Gene Brissie at Lyons Press, for publication in July 2008, by Mel Berger at the William Morris Agency.
NARRATIVE:
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Brian Biegel and author Peter Thomas Fornatale's MIRACLE BALL: My Hunt for the Shot Heard Around the World, the story of Biegel's search for the lost Bobby Thomson 1951 home-run ball and how the discoveries he made along the way would change his life forever, to Jed Donahue at Crown, at auction, for publication in conjunction with a documentary about the search, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.
SCIENCE:
Pete Dunne's CUMBERLAND SUMMER, the natural history of summer, revealed by a close look at the plants, animals, and people of one rural New Jersey county, to Lisa White at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in 2010, by Russell Galen at Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency (NA).
UK:
Eminem's THE WAY I AM, a collection of photographs, art, sketches for lyrics, notes from journals, and at least a little actual writing, to Ian Preece at Orion, by Marc Gerald at The Agency Group and Luca Scalisi (UK/Commonwealth).
Wrap...
INSPIRATIONAL:
Rita winner and triple finalist Tamera Alexander's IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, the first in a series set during the Civil War about an impoverished woman who becomes an assistant to the owner of a plantation and the richest woman in America -- involving blockade running, runaway slaves, the art world, and a master gardener who teaches her where true beauty can be found, to Charlene Patterson at Bethany House, at auction, by Natasha Kern at Natasha Kern Literary Agency (World).
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Greg van Eekhout's NORSE CODE, a contemporary fantasy incorporating Norse mythology in which the end of the world (Ragnarok) is approaching, prompting the ancient Norse gods to enter our world -- some to prevent, and some to hasten the ultimate destruction of the world of man, to Juliet Ulman at Bantam Dell, by Caitlin Blasdell at Liza Dawson Associates (world English).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Marisha Pessl's NIGHT FILM, a psychological thriller about obsession, family loyalty and ambition set in raw contemporary Manhattan, moving to Kate Medina at Random House, by her new agent Amanda Urban at ICM.Richard Grant's CAVE DWELLERS, a literary thriller set in World War II Berlin, to Gary Fisketjon at Knopf, in a nice deal, by Howard Morhaim at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (NA).
Author of DRIVING WITH DEAD PEOPLE COWBOY AND WILLS: A Love Story, Monica Holloway's adventurous, inspirational narrative about how the family's golden retriever, a gentle dog who ached from cancer, gave their son, a bright and loving spirit who struggles with autism, a life-affirming confidence and trust, to Tricia Boczkowski at Simon Spotlight Entertainment, by Laurie Fox at the Linda Chester Literary Agency.
D&J Book Packaging and Media's BACON: A LOVE STORY, a salty survey of everybody's favorite meat, written by proprietor of the blog "Bacon Unwrapped" Heather Lauer, to Anne Cole at Collins, at auction, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (NA).
FILM:
Clare Morrall's NATURAL FLIGHTS OF THE HUMAN MIND, optioned to Mick Audsley of Scrimpo Productions, by Meg Davis at MBA Literary Agents.
Film rights to A Lee Martinez's novel IN THE COMPANY OF OGRES, about Never Dead Ned who discovers why he keeps returning from the dead, and suddenly realizes he must do everything he can to stay alive, optioned to Rough Draft Studios (The Simpsons Movie, Futurama), by Sarah Self at The Gersh Agency on behalf of Sally Harding at The Cooke Agency.
Valerie Block's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, optioned to Marilyn Agrelo, director of MAD HOT BALLROOM, by Bill Contardi, on behalf of Gail Hochman at Brandt & Hochman.
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Member of the Memphis Mafia and DJ George Klein's ELVIS: MY BEST MAN, an intimate portrait of Elvis Presley, who stood as best man at Klein's wedding, chronicling decades of friendship that began in the 8th grade, candidly sharing the many highs and lows, culminating in Presley's comeback album from American Studios in which Klein was instrumental, to Kristin Kiser at Crown, with Jed Donahue editing, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.
COOKING:
BET gospel icon Dr. Bobby Jones's collection of recipes from well-known African-American musicians, authors, and celebrities, taking traditional recipes in the African-American community and making them heart-healthy, to Sarah Sper at Center Street, by Kirby Kim at Vigliano Associates (NA).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author of APOCALYPSE 2012: An Inquiry into the End of Civilization, journalist Lawrence Joseph's follow-up, 2012: The Aftermath, which will systematically assess the greatest threats to our daily life from the 2012 scenario of global upheaval, and suggest the best ways to prevent them and to control the damage, should the unthinkable come to pass, to Becky Cole at Broadway, by Andrew Stuart at The Stuart Agency (World).
Colorado Congresswoman and chief architect of stem cell legislation that President Bush has vetoed twice Diana DeGette's SEX, SCIENCE, AND STEM CELLS, an indictment of Republican positions on sex education, birth control, abortion and embryonic stem cell research, to Gene Brissie at Lyons Press, for publication in July 2008, by Mel Berger at the William Morris Agency.
NARRATIVE:
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Brian Biegel and author Peter Thomas Fornatale's MIRACLE BALL: My Hunt for the Shot Heard Around the World, the story of Biegel's search for the lost Bobby Thomson 1951 home-run ball and how the discoveries he made along the way would change his life forever, to Jed Donahue at Crown, at auction, for publication in conjunction with a documentary about the search, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.
SCIENCE:
Pete Dunne's CUMBERLAND SUMMER, the natural history of summer, revealed by a close look at the plants, animals, and people of one rural New Jersey county, to Lisa White at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in 2010, by Russell Galen at Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency (NA).
UK:
Eminem's THE WAY I AM, a collection of photographs, art, sketches for lyrics, notes from journals, and at least a little actual writing, to Ian Preece at Orion, by Marc Gerald at The Agency Group and Luca Scalisi (UK/Commonwealth).
Wrap...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
In bad shape: The guards at Gitmo....
From The Guardian UK via truthout.org:
Guantanamo Guards Suffer Psychological Trauma
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022608T.shtml
James Randerson for The Guardian UK reports that "The guards at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp are the 'overlooked victims' of America's controversial detention facility in Cuba, according to a psychiatrist who has treated some of them."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Guantanamo Guards Suffer Psychological Trauma
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022608T.shtml
James Randerson for The Guardian UK reports that "The guards at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp are the 'overlooked victims' of America's controversial detention facility in Cuba, according to a psychiatrist who has treated some of them."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Gitmo...where the prisoners came from....
From Alternet via truthout.org:
Shocking Stories About the Forgotten War in Afghanistan
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022608B.shtml
Joshua Holland, reporting for AlterNet, interviews Andy Worthington. He writes: "In his book, 'The Guantanamo Files,' historian and journalist Andy Worthington offers a much-needed corrective to the draft of the Afghanistan conflict that most Americans saw on their nightly newscasts.
Worthington is the first to detail the histories of all 774 prisoners who have passed through the Bush administration's 'legal black hole' at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But his history starts in Afghanistan, and makes it abundantly clear that the road to Guantanamo - not to mention Abu Ghraib - began in places like Kandahar."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Shocking Stories About the Forgotten War in Afghanistan
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022608B.shtml
Joshua Holland, reporting for AlterNet, interviews Andy Worthington. He writes: "In his book, 'The Guantanamo Files,' historian and journalist Andy Worthington offers a much-needed corrective to the draft of the Afghanistan conflict that most Americans saw on their nightly newscasts.
Worthington is the first to detail the histories of all 774 prisoners who have passed through the Bush administration's 'legal black hole' at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But his history starts in Afghanistan, and makes it abundantly clear that the road to Guantanamo - not to mention Abu Ghraib - began in places like Kandahar."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Monday, February 25, 2008
Disney at Walter Reed Hosp...& Mitt has "best smile"...
From American Progress:
Think Fast...
"A year after a scandal erupted over the long-term treatment of soldiers at the hospital, the Army has turned to Disney for help. 'Service, Disney Style' is newly required for all military and other government employees at Walter Reed."
More and more economists foresee the country falling into a recession, according to the latest survey by the National Association for Business Economics. "The group said in a report being released Monday that 45 percent of the economists on its forecasting panel expect a recession this year."
Yesterday, a suicide bomber attacked a large group of Shiite pilgrims heading to the southern Iraqi city of Karbala to commemorate the death of one of the religion's major figures, Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. At least 56 pilgrims died in that attack, while two other roadside bombs targeting pilgrims went off in eastern Baghdad wounding four.
The Bush administration announced on Saturday that "wiretaps will resume under the current law 'at least for now,'" as "telecommunications companies have agreed to cooperate 'for the time being' with spy agencies' wiretaps."
Last week, Talking Points Memo was awarded a George Polk Award for its coverage of the firing of eight United States attorneys. The New York Times writes that the award signified for many that "anyone can assume the mantle of reporting on the pressing issues affecting the nation and the world, with the imprimatur of a mainstream media outlet or not."
The number of troops and their families "seeking help from a Pentagon employee-assistance hotline -- often linked to war deployments -- has grown 40% every year since 2004." The calls, which provide "confidential sessions with a licensed therapist," underscore concerns "that more and longer combat tours strain troops and their families."
Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard public policy lecturer Linda Bilmes write, "We have attempted to identify how much we have been spending -- and how much we will, in the end, likely have to spend” for the Iraq war. They conclude: "The figure we arrive at is more than $3 trillion."
"Will any candidate be ready to lead on Day One?" asks the USA Today. "You need to both be able to chart a course that emphasizes your priorities but (also) be able to handle and manage things that you never even thought of that are coming at you from left field," Center for American Progress President and former White House chief of staff John Podesta said. "Stuff just happens."
Women's lives in Afghanistan are "worse than ever." A new report finds that violent attacks against women "are at epidemic proportions with 87 per cent of females complaining of such abuse -- half of it sexual. More than 60 per cent of marriages are forced."
And finally: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney may not have won the GOP nomination for president, but he did win a Chicago Dental Society poll for "best smile." Forty-five percent of dentists thought preferred Romney's pearly whites over all the other presidential candidates. On the Democratic side, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and former senator John Edwards "were neck and neck at 38 percent and 36 percent of the vote." Coming in last? Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), with just six percent of the vote.
Wrap...
Think Fast...
"A year after a scandal erupted over the long-term treatment of soldiers at the hospital, the Army has turned to Disney for help. 'Service, Disney Style' is newly required for all military and other government employees at Walter Reed."
More and more economists foresee the country falling into a recession, according to the latest survey by the National Association for Business Economics. "The group said in a report being released Monday that 45 percent of the economists on its forecasting panel expect a recession this year."
Yesterday, a suicide bomber attacked a large group of Shiite pilgrims heading to the southern Iraqi city of Karbala to commemorate the death of one of the religion's major figures, Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. At least 56 pilgrims died in that attack, while two other roadside bombs targeting pilgrims went off in eastern Baghdad wounding four.
The Bush administration announced on Saturday that "wiretaps will resume under the current law 'at least for now,'" as "telecommunications companies have agreed to cooperate 'for the time being' with spy agencies' wiretaps."
Last week, Talking Points Memo was awarded a George Polk Award for its coverage of the firing of eight United States attorneys. The New York Times writes that the award signified for many that "anyone can assume the mantle of reporting on the pressing issues affecting the nation and the world, with the imprimatur of a mainstream media outlet or not."
The number of troops and their families "seeking help from a Pentagon employee-assistance hotline -- often linked to war deployments -- has grown 40% every year since 2004." The calls, which provide "confidential sessions with a licensed therapist," underscore concerns "that more and longer combat tours strain troops and their families."
Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard public policy lecturer Linda Bilmes write, "We have attempted to identify how much we have been spending -- and how much we will, in the end, likely have to spend” for the Iraq war. They conclude: "The figure we arrive at is more than $3 trillion."
"Will any candidate be ready to lead on Day One?" asks the USA Today. "You need to both be able to chart a course that emphasizes your priorities but (also) be able to handle and manage things that you never even thought of that are coming at you from left field," Center for American Progress President and former White House chief of staff John Podesta said. "Stuff just happens."
Women's lives in Afghanistan are "worse than ever." A new report finds that violent attacks against women "are at epidemic proportions with 87 per cent of females complaining of such abuse -- half of it sexual. More than 60 per cent of marriages are forced."
And finally: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney may not have won the GOP nomination for president, but he did win a Chicago Dental Society poll for "best smile." Forty-five percent of dentists thought preferred Romney's pearly whites over all the other presidential candidates. On the Democratic side, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and former senator John Edwards "were neck and neck at 38 percent and 36 percent of the vote." Coming in last? Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), with just six percent of the vote.
Wrap...
HRC staffer does disgusting thing....
From Levine Breaking News:
MONDAY • FEBRUARY 25, 2008
CLINTON STAFFERS CIRCULATE 'DRESSED' OBAMA:
With a week to go until the Texas and Ohio primaries, stressed Clinton staffers circulated a photo over the weekend of a "dressed" Barack Obama. The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat frontrunner fitted as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya. The senator was on a five-country tour of Africa.
"Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?" questioned one campaign staffer, in an email obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT.
In December, the campaign asked one of its volunteer county coordinators in Iowa to step down after the person forwarded an e-mail falsely stating that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Obama campaign manager David Plouffe quickly accused the Clinton campaign Monday of 'shameful offensive fear-mongering' for circulating the snap.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Other leaders have worn local costumes.
Wrap...
MONDAY • FEBRUARY 25, 2008
CLINTON STAFFERS CIRCULATE 'DRESSED' OBAMA:
With a week to go until the Texas and Ohio primaries, stressed Clinton staffers circulated a photo over the weekend of a "dressed" Barack Obama. The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat frontrunner fitted as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya. The senator was on a five-country tour of Africa.
"Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?" questioned one campaign staffer, in an email obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT.
In December, the campaign asked one of its volunteer county coordinators in Iowa to step down after the person forwarded an e-mail falsely stating that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Obama campaign manager David Plouffe quickly accused the Clinton campaign Monday of 'shameful offensive fear-mongering' for circulating the snap.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Other leaders have worn local costumes.
Wrap...
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Cuba's next president....
From Reuters via New York Times:
[an excerpt]
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's rubber-stamp National Assembly will name Fidel Castro's successor on Sunday, ending the 49-year rule of the bearded revolutionary who turned Cuba into a communist state on America's doorstep.
His brother Raul Castro, who has been running Cuba since the 81-year-old leader was sidelined by illness 19 months ago, is widely expected to become the next president.
The 614-member legislature meets at 10 a.m. EST. An announcement on composition of the Council of State, the island's highest executive body, is expected in the afternoon.
Wrap...
[an excerpt]
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's rubber-stamp National Assembly will name Fidel Castro's successor on Sunday, ending the 49-year rule of the bearded revolutionary who turned Cuba into a communist state on America's doorstep.
His brother Raul Castro, who has been running Cuba since the 81-year-old leader was sidelined by illness 19 months ago, is widely expected to become the next president.
The 614-member legislature meets at 10 a.m. EST. An announcement on composition of the Council of State, the island's highest executive body, is expected in the afternoon.
Wrap...
Friday, February 22, 2008
Taxes under Clinton & Bush...What's wrong here?
From Tax Foundation:
Taxes under Clinton vs. Bush
Consider these stats before VOTING !!!!
Interesting... This needs to be forwarded to those living in "DENIAL"Check your tax bill. Double check using the tax table provided. This is like the movie The Sting with Paul Newman; you scam somebody out of some money and they don't even know what happened.
Based on using the actual tax tables (see link below), here are some examples on what the taxes were/are on various amounts of income for both singles and married couples. http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html Check out this link!
Taxes under Clinton 1999 Taxes under Bush 2008
Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250
If you want to know just how effective the mainstream media is, it is amazing how many people that fall into the categories above think Bush is screwing them and Bill Clinton was the greatest President ever. If any democrat is elected, A LL of them say they will repeal the Bush tax cuts and a good portion of the people that fall into the categories above can't wait for it to happen.
Remember the old cliche: "Welfare votes for Welfare" The Liberals never, ever, mention the dreaded question of: Where and Who does the money come from?
Wrap...
Taxes under Clinton vs. Bush
Consider these stats before VOTING !!!!
Interesting... This needs to be forwarded to those living in "DENIAL"Check your tax bill. Double check using the tax table provided. This is like the movie The Sting with Paul Newman; you scam somebody out of some money and they don't even know what happened.
Based on using the actual tax tables (see link below), here are some examples on what the taxes were/are on various amounts of income for both singles and married couples. http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html Check out this link!
Taxes under Clinton 1999 Taxes under Bush 2008
Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250
If you want to know just how effective the mainstream media is, it is amazing how many people that fall into the categories above think Bush is screwing them and Bill Clinton was the greatest President ever. If any democrat is elected, A LL of them say they will repeal the Bush tax cuts and a good portion of the people that fall into the categories above can't wait for it to happen.
Remember the old cliche: "Welfare votes for Welfare" The Liberals never, ever, mention the dreaded question of: Where and Who does the money come from?
Wrap...
Making money from war...
From The Chicago Tribune via truthout.org :
Inside the World of War Profiteers
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022208C.shtml
David Jackson and Jason Grotto, reporting for The Chicago Tribune from Rock Island, IL, write, "Inside the stout federal courthouse of this Mississippi River town, the dirty secrets of Iraq war profiteering keep pouring out."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Inside the World of War Profiteers
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022208C.shtml
David Jackson and Jason Grotto, reporting for The Chicago Tribune from Rock Island, IL, write, "Inside the stout federal courthouse of this Mississippi River town, the dirty secrets of Iraq war profiteering keep pouring out."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Checking Clinton's "35 years of experience" out...
From CQ Politics:
CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS Feb. 21, 2008 – 12:48 a.m.
Adding Up Clinton’s 35-Year Claim
By Bill Adair, editor, PolitiFact, CQ Staff
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton often boasts that she has a long resume — 35 years long, to be precise.
“I have 35 years’ experience making change,” she said in a TV ad.
“I’ve gotten up for 35 years every day and tried to figure out what I could do to help somebody else,” she said in a TV interview.
Asked about the difference between her and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama , she replied, “Well, about 35 years of experience.”
She has used the phrase “35 years” in at least 55 speeches, debates and interviews since 2004, according to our search of a public statements database maintained by Project Vote Smart. So it’s no surprise that a Google search of “Hillary Clinton” and “35 years” yields 515,000 hits.
Several PolitiFact readers asked us to explore the 35-year claim, which Clinton uses to distinguish herself from Obama, her younger (and less experienced) rival. To examine the claim, we interviewed two authors of Clinton books, Sally Bedell Smith and Suzanne Goldenberg, and we examined bios from Clinton’s campaign Web site, her Senate office, the White House and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
In simple terms, any experience counts as experience, but it’s clear from the context of Clinton’s remarks that she’s speaking about public policy experience, so that’s how we have focused our examination. We’ll start with the math.
Clinton is 60, so if we assume that her 35 years were consecutive, they would have begun in 1973 when she graduated from Yale Law School at age 25. That year she joined the Children’s Defense Fund, an advocacy group for children.
But her math was way off when she claimed the difference with Obama is “35 years of experience.” By our count, Obama, who is 14 years younger than Clinton, has three years of experience as a community organizer, four years as a full-time attorney handling voting rights, employment and housing cases, and 11 years in the Illinois Senate and U.S. Senate. That’s a total of 18 years. So the difference between Clinton and Obama is really 17 years. We rate her claim False.
Has Clinton really awakened every morning for 35 years and “tried to figure out what I could do to help somebody else,” as she claims? We can’t read the senator’s mind, so this one’s not verifiable. If she’s like us, our first thought every morning is about coffee, not helping mankind.
But the broader question of whether Clinton has “35 years of experience” relevant to her quest to become president can be verified.
Her career can be divided into four parts: her first years after law school, her work at the Rose Law Firm and as first lady of Arkansas, her time as first lady in the White House and her seven years in the U.S. Senate. There’s little question that her time in the Senate can be considered political experience, so we’ll focus on the other three.
After law school, Clinton worked briefly for the Children’s Defense Fund and then joined the House Judiciary Committee to work on the impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon. She then taught law in Arkansas for three years (while running a legal aid clinic) before she joined the Rose Law Firm, a prominent corporate firm in Little Rock.
Although she has not always drawn a paycheck for her political work, it’s clear from her resume that public service, particularly involving the welfare of children, has been a major focus for her career and outside activities.
As first lady of Arkansas, she was active in several groups involving education, child welfare and poverty. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the board of directors for the Legal Services Corp., a federal agency that provided legal aid to the poor. She was co-founder of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and she served as president and a member of the group’s board of directors until 1984. She also chaired an advisory committee on rural health, served on a task force on infant mortality and chaired an Arkansas education task force. She chaired the Children’s Defense Fund board from 1986 through 1992.
This work occurred while she was practicing corporate law at the Rose Law Firm.
Goldenberg, author of “Madam President: Is America Ready to Send Hillary Clinton to the White House?”, said Clinton couldn’t work full-time in politics or on children’s issues because she needed a well-paying job to compensate for her husband’s modest salary as governor. (Arkansas ranks near the bottom of the states for gubernatorial pay.)
“Hillary Clinton was the breadwinner — and that was an important role,” said Goldenberg.
Sally Bedell Smith, author of “For Love of Politics: Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years,” said Clinton has sometimes exaggerated her involvement with political causes, especially for her Arkansas years. “I think she certainly has, over time, been involved in children’s issues at various intervals. But the fact is she was not employed in the nonprofit sector. She was a corporate lawyer.”
Clinton also had parental responsibilities. Her daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980, after Clinton had been at the law firm for four years.
“Like many women, her life was a juggling act,” Goldenberg said. “She had her family, her full-time job and she had these other activities that really were on the side.”
Her legal work gave her entree into the corporate world: She served on the boards of Wal-Mart, the frozen yogurt chain TCBY and the French building materials company Lafarge.
After her husband was elected president in 1992, Clinton left the Rose Law Firm and became first lady. By most accounts, she was one of the more active first ladies in U.S. history. In contrast to some predecessors (Mamie Eisenhower once described her duties as “Ike runs the country. I turn the pork chops,”) Clinton became especially involved in public policy.
She chaired the White House task force that made an unsuccessful proposal to provide universal health care and she played a key role in creating a children’s health care program. Soon after the legislation passed, the New York Times reported, “Participants in the campaign for the health bill both on and off Capitol Hill said the first lady had played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in lining up White House support.”
As first lady, she advised her husband on Cabinet appointments and senior White House staff positions, Smith said. Clinton also was active on welfare reform and foreign policy issues.
“Her activism was quite unprecedented,” said Smith.
Smith said if she’d been given a title that matched her role, it would have been special counsel to the president.
And so we find Clinton’s resume and accomplishments generally support her claims of 35 years of political experience.
There are a few periods during her Arkansas years when she had less time for public service because she was busy with corporate law and her duties as a new mother. But an examination of her resume and interviews with her biographers show she had a wide range of political and public service roles over those 35 years.
Her claim to be “an agent of change” for that time is a flourish of campaign rhetoric (she was trying to match Obama’s claim to the word change), but we find it’s reasonable because advocating for any group or cause often means to seek change. We find her claim to be Mostly True.
For more truth-o-meter ratings, visit Politifact.
Wrap...
CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS Feb. 21, 2008 – 12:48 a.m.
Adding Up Clinton’s 35-Year Claim
By Bill Adair, editor, PolitiFact, CQ Staff
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton often boasts that she has a long resume — 35 years long, to be precise.
“I have 35 years’ experience making change,” she said in a TV ad.
“I’ve gotten up for 35 years every day and tried to figure out what I could do to help somebody else,” she said in a TV interview.
Asked about the difference between her and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama , she replied, “Well, about 35 years of experience.”
She has used the phrase “35 years” in at least 55 speeches, debates and interviews since 2004, according to our search of a public statements database maintained by Project Vote Smart. So it’s no surprise that a Google search of “Hillary Clinton” and “35 years” yields 515,000 hits.
Several PolitiFact readers asked us to explore the 35-year claim, which Clinton uses to distinguish herself from Obama, her younger (and less experienced) rival. To examine the claim, we interviewed two authors of Clinton books, Sally Bedell Smith and Suzanne Goldenberg, and we examined bios from Clinton’s campaign Web site, her Senate office, the White House and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
In simple terms, any experience counts as experience, but it’s clear from the context of Clinton’s remarks that she’s speaking about public policy experience, so that’s how we have focused our examination. We’ll start with the math.
Clinton is 60, so if we assume that her 35 years were consecutive, they would have begun in 1973 when she graduated from Yale Law School at age 25. That year she joined the Children’s Defense Fund, an advocacy group for children.
But her math was way off when she claimed the difference with Obama is “35 years of experience.” By our count, Obama, who is 14 years younger than Clinton, has three years of experience as a community organizer, four years as a full-time attorney handling voting rights, employment and housing cases, and 11 years in the Illinois Senate and U.S. Senate. That’s a total of 18 years. So the difference between Clinton and Obama is really 17 years. We rate her claim False.
Has Clinton really awakened every morning for 35 years and “tried to figure out what I could do to help somebody else,” as she claims? We can’t read the senator’s mind, so this one’s not verifiable. If she’s like us, our first thought every morning is about coffee, not helping mankind.
But the broader question of whether Clinton has “35 years of experience” relevant to her quest to become president can be verified.
Her career can be divided into four parts: her first years after law school, her work at the Rose Law Firm and as first lady of Arkansas, her time as first lady in the White House and her seven years in the U.S. Senate. There’s little question that her time in the Senate can be considered political experience, so we’ll focus on the other three.
After law school, Clinton worked briefly for the Children’s Defense Fund and then joined the House Judiciary Committee to work on the impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon. She then taught law in Arkansas for three years (while running a legal aid clinic) before she joined the Rose Law Firm, a prominent corporate firm in Little Rock.
Although she has not always drawn a paycheck for her political work, it’s clear from her resume that public service, particularly involving the welfare of children, has been a major focus for her career and outside activities.
As first lady of Arkansas, she was active in several groups involving education, child welfare and poverty. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the board of directors for the Legal Services Corp., a federal agency that provided legal aid to the poor. She was co-founder of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and she served as president and a member of the group’s board of directors until 1984. She also chaired an advisory committee on rural health, served on a task force on infant mortality and chaired an Arkansas education task force. She chaired the Children’s Defense Fund board from 1986 through 1992.
This work occurred while she was practicing corporate law at the Rose Law Firm.
Goldenberg, author of “Madam President: Is America Ready to Send Hillary Clinton to the White House?”, said Clinton couldn’t work full-time in politics or on children’s issues because she needed a well-paying job to compensate for her husband’s modest salary as governor. (Arkansas ranks near the bottom of the states for gubernatorial pay.)
“Hillary Clinton was the breadwinner — and that was an important role,” said Goldenberg.
Sally Bedell Smith, author of “For Love of Politics: Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years,” said Clinton has sometimes exaggerated her involvement with political causes, especially for her Arkansas years. “I think she certainly has, over time, been involved in children’s issues at various intervals. But the fact is she was not employed in the nonprofit sector. She was a corporate lawyer.”
Clinton also had parental responsibilities. Her daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980, after Clinton had been at the law firm for four years.
“Like many women, her life was a juggling act,” Goldenberg said. “She had her family, her full-time job and she had these other activities that really were on the side.”
Her legal work gave her entree into the corporate world: She served on the boards of Wal-Mart, the frozen yogurt chain TCBY and the French building materials company Lafarge.
After her husband was elected president in 1992, Clinton left the Rose Law Firm and became first lady. By most accounts, she was one of the more active first ladies in U.S. history. In contrast to some predecessors (Mamie Eisenhower once described her duties as “Ike runs the country. I turn the pork chops,”) Clinton became especially involved in public policy.
She chaired the White House task force that made an unsuccessful proposal to provide universal health care and she played a key role in creating a children’s health care program. Soon after the legislation passed, the New York Times reported, “Participants in the campaign for the health bill both on and off Capitol Hill said the first lady had played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in lining up White House support.”
As first lady, she advised her husband on Cabinet appointments and senior White House staff positions, Smith said. Clinton also was active on welfare reform and foreign policy issues.
“Her activism was quite unprecedented,” said Smith.
Smith said if she’d been given a title that matched her role, it would have been special counsel to the president.
And so we find Clinton’s resume and accomplishments generally support her claims of 35 years of political experience.
There are a few periods during her Arkansas years when she had less time for public service because she was busy with corporate law and her duties as a new mother. But an examination of her resume and interviews with her biographers show she had a wide range of political and public service roles over those 35 years.
Her claim to be “an agent of change” for that time is a flourish of campaign rhetoric (she was trying to match Obama’s claim to the word change), but we find it’s reasonable because advocating for any group or cause often means to seek change. We find her claim to be Mostly True.
For more truth-o-meter ratings, visit Politifact.
Wrap...
#1 problem in DC....for election...
From Nick Nyhart via email:
Democracy Corner: Mr. Schneider Comes to Washington
Jon Schneider was tired of the role of money in the political process and wanted to do something about it. So he quit his job as a producer in Hollywood and set out to make a documentary. A few years later, his film, Mr. Schneider Goes to Washington, takes on special interests and highlights how money really does rule in Washington, DC.
“I’ve been frustrated with what goes on in Washington for a while. I’ve talked about getting more involved -- I just never got involved,” he said. “It was time to stop talking and start doing.”
Jon is currently putting together a campus tour of the film and is looking for other venues for spreading the word on his issue. See some clips from the movie and sign up to be his friend on MySpace.
Wrap...
Democracy Corner: Mr. Schneider Comes to Washington
Jon Schneider was tired of the role of money in the political process and wanted to do something about it. So he quit his job as a producer in Hollywood and set out to make a documentary. A few years later, his film, Mr. Schneider Goes to Washington, takes on special interests and highlights how money really does rule in Washington, DC.
“I’ve been frustrated with what goes on in Washington for a while. I’ve talked about getting more involved -- I just never got involved,” he said. “It was time to stop talking and start doing.”
Jon is currently putting together a campus tour of the film and is looking for other venues for spreading the word on his issue. See some clips from the movie and sign up to be his friend on MySpace.
Wrap...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Who, in DC, wants war with Iraq?
From Information Clearing House:
What Would It Take to Launch a War With Iran?
By Bruce Ramsey
"A struggle is under way in Washington, D.C. Those opposed to an attack include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Those wanting an attack, he says, are the deputy national-security adviser for global democracy strategy, Elliott Abrams; Vice President Dick Cheney, "and the hard-line Israel lobby."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19395.htm
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
What Would It Take to Launch a War With Iran?
By Bruce Ramsey
"A struggle is under way in Washington, D.C. Those opposed to an attack include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Those wanting an attack, he says, are the deputy national-security adviser for global democracy strategy, Elliott Abrams; Vice President Dick Cheney, "and the hard-line Israel lobby."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19395.htm
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
From McCain's loan to $60,000 for 1 year's golfing..
From American Progress:
Think Fast...
In a letter to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) this week, Federal Election Commission Chairman David Mason says the presidential candidate "can't drop out of the primary election's public financing system until he answers questions about a loan he obtained to kickstart his once faltering presidential campaign."
Federal agents are investigating whether former Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) "knowingly played a role in an alleged conspiracy in 2006 to influence a Mississippi judge presiding over a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against" his brother-in-law, "famed plaintiff attorney Richard 'Dickie' Scruggs." In November 2007, Scruggs was indicted for bribing the judge.
Despite recent interest rate cuts, "the Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its projection for economic growth this year, citing damage from the double blows of a housing slump and credit crunch. ... It said it also expects higher unemployment and inflation."
In a statement to Parliament, British foreign secretary David Miliband "has admitted two US 'extraordinary rendition' flights landed on UK territory in 2002." Miliband said he was "very sorry" for previous denials from top British officials, who said in 2005, 2006 and 2007 that "there was no evidence that rendition flights had stopped on UK territory."
An Urban Institute study found that "the average number of Americans who lost their insurance each year increased faster during the economic recovery of 2004-2006 than the recession years of 2000-2004." The study concludes that this spike resulted because the number of Americans receiving coverage from their jobs declined, while wage increases failed to match growing insurance premiums.
A new study concludes that the "supposed 'global cooling' consensus among scientists in the 1970s -- frequently offered by global-warming skeptics as proof that climatologists can't make up their minds -- is a myth." An examination of "dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles from 1965 to 1979" found that "only seven supported global cooling, while 44 predicted warming."
"The Army has shut down public access to the largest online collection of its doctrinal publications," a site "popular with researchers for its wealth of field and technical manuals and documents on military operations, education, training and technology." Open government advocates call it "unnecessary secrecy by a runaway bureaucracy."
The Pentagon's disbursement of "roughly $1 billion a year for the past six years" to Pakistan is facing allegations of "disputed expenses and suspicions about overbilling." Congress has asked the Bush administration "to provide receipts for every Pakistani expense over $1 million," but has not yet received a response.
And finally: It's no secret that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) enjoys golfing. Harper's, however, reports that in 2007, Boehner "used money from his political funds to pay for food or lodging at least 16 resorts or country clubs. His combined spending between 2005 and 2007 at the Wetherington Golf & Country Club alone came to nearly $60,000," roughly "equivalent to the median family income (for a three-person family) in Boehner's home state of Ohio."
Wrap...
Think Fast...
In a letter to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) this week, Federal Election Commission Chairman David Mason says the presidential candidate "can't drop out of the primary election's public financing system until he answers questions about a loan he obtained to kickstart his once faltering presidential campaign."
Federal agents are investigating whether former Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) "knowingly played a role in an alleged conspiracy in 2006 to influence a Mississippi judge presiding over a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against" his brother-in-law, "famed plaintiff attorney Richard 'Dickie' Scruggs." In November 2007, Scruggs was indicted for bribing the judge.
Despite recent interest rate cuts, "the Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its projection for economic growth this year, citing damage from the double blows of a housing slump and credit crunch. ... It said it also expects higher unemployment and inflation."
In a statement to Parliament, British foreign secretary David Miliband "has admitted two US 'extraordinary rendition' flights landed on UK territory in 2002." Miliband said he was "very sorry" for previous denials from top British officials, who said in 2005, 2006 and 2007 that "there was no evidence that rendition flights had stopped on UK territory."
An Urban Institute study found that "the average number of Americans who lost their insurance each year increased faster during the economic recovery of 2004-2006 than the recession years of 2000-2004." The study concludes that this spike resulted because the number of Americans receiving coverage from their jobs declined, while wage increases failed to match growing insurance premiums.
A new study concludes that the "supposed 'global cooling' consensus among scientists in the 1970s -- frequently offered by global-warming skeptics as proof that climatologists can't make up their minds -- is a myth." An examination of "dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles from 1965 to 1979" found that "only seven supported global cooling, while 44 predicted warming."
"The Army has shut down public access to the largest online collection of its doctrinal publications," a site "popular with researchers for its wealth of field and technical manuals and documents on military operations, education, training and technology." Open government advocates call it "unnecessary secrecy by a runaway bureaucracy."
The Pentagon's disbursement of "roughly $1 billion a year for the past six years" to Pakistan is facing allegations of "disputed expenses and suspicions about overbilling." Congress has asked the Bush administration "to provide receipts for every Pakistani expense over $1 million," but has not yet received a response.
And finally: It's no secret that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) enjoys golfing. Harper's, however, reports that in 2007, Boehner "used money from his political funds to pay for food or lodging at least 16 resorts or country clubs. His combined spending between 2005 and 2007 at the Wetherington Golf & Country Club alone came to nearly $60,000," roughly "equivalent to the median family income (for a three-person family) in Boehner's home state of Ohio."
Wrap...
Cheney & DOJ office agree....
From Secrecy News:
JUSTICE SEES NO MISCONDUCT IN CONFLICT BETWEEN VP AND ISOO
The Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility has declined to open an investigation into allegations that Justice Department attorneys improperly refused to respond to the Information Security Oversight Office when it challenged the Office of the Vice President's failure to cooperate with ISOO's oversight of the classification system.
In a January 2, 2008 complaint, the Federation of American Scientists had argued that, under the terms of the President's executive order, the Justice Department was obliged to render an opinion on the executive order's applicability to the Office of the Vice President when ISOO asked for it. Yet Justice attorneys at the Office of Legal Counsel refused to do so. (Secrecy News, Jan. 3).
The Office of Professional Responsibility was not persuaded."We have concluded that the facts do not raise an issue of attorney misconduct that requires an investigation by this office," wrote H.Marshall Jarrett, OPR Counsel. "This matter does not involve an allegation of affirmative malfeasance, but rather, the alleged improper failure to perform an act," he wrote.
Furthermore, the Justice Department's handling of the matter appeared to be consistent with the support of the Vice President's position against oversight that was expressed by the White House counsel, Mr. Jarrett said.
Finally, he suggested, if there are still questions of interpretation of the executive order that remain unresolved, "the ISOO may request an opinion from the Department clarifying the matter."
The Department's prior refusal to render such an opinion was the basis of the original complaint.
See the February 14, 2008 letter from H. Marshall Jarrett, Office ofProfessional Responsibility, Department of Justice, here: http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2008/02/opr021408.pdf
The FAS complaint to which Mr. Jarrett responded may be found here: http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2008/01/fas-opr.pdf
Wrap...
JUSTICE SEES NO MISCONDUCT IN CONFLICT BETWEEN VP AND ISOO
The Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility has declined to open an investigation into allegations that Justice Department attorneys improperly refused to respond to the Information Security Oversight Office when it challenged the Office of the Vice President's failure to cooperate with ISOO's oversight of the classification system.
In a January 2, 2008 complaint, the Federation of American Scientists had argued that, under the terms of the President's executive order, the Justice Department was obliged to render an opinion on the executive order's applicability to the Office of the Vice President when ISOO asked for it. Yet Justice attorneys at the Office of Legal Counsel refused to do so. (Secrecy News, Jan. 3).
The Office of Professional Responsibility was not persuaded."We have concluded that the facts do not raise an issue of attorney misconduct that requires an investigation by this office," wrote H.Marshall Jarrett, OPR Counsel. "This matter does not involve an allegation of affirmative malfeasance, but rather, the alleged improper failure to perform an act," he wrote.
Furthermore, the Justice Department's handling of the matter appeared to be consistent with the support of the Vice President's position against oversight that was expressed by the White House counsel, Mr. Jarrett said.
Finally, he suggested, if there are still questions of interpretation of the executive order that remain unresolved, "the ISOO may request an opinion from the Department clarifying the matter."
The Department's prior refusal to render such an opinion was the basis of the original complaint.
See the February 14, 2008 letter from H. Marshall Jarrett, Office ofProfessional Responsibility, Department of Justice, here: http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2008/02/opr021408.pdf
The FAS complaint to which Mr. Jarrett responded may be found here: http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2008/01/fas-opr.pdf
Wrap...
Bloggers thwart US Court order...
From The Guardian UK via truthout.org:
Leaked Documents Spring Up Across Web After Court Order
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022108P.shtml
Elana Schor reports for The Guardian UK, "The US court order shutting down the website Wikileaks today appeared to backfire on the Swiss bank that sought the legal action, as bloggers and other fans of the site gave new life to leaked documents the bank was working to suppress."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Leaked Documents Spring Up Across Web After Court Order
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022108P.shtml
Elana Schor reports for The Guardian UK, "The US court order shutting down the website Wikileaks today appeared to backfire on the Swiss bank that sought the legal action, as bloggers and other fans of the site gave new life to leaked documents the bank was working to suppress."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Upcoming film and books on the way...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION/DEBUT:
Grant Ginder's THIS IS HOW IT STARTS, following one post-collegiate idealist on his quest to fit in with - and then separate himself from - D.C.'s political and social elite, to Colin Fox at Simon & Schuster, by Richard Pine and Libby O'Neill at Inkwell Management (NA).
Peter Neofotis's CONCORD, VIRGINIA, a Southern gothic novella concerning the residents of a fictional town in the Shenandoah Vally and the sometimes dark goings on there, brought to life through the author's downtown New York one-man show, to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's, in a nice deal, by Michael Murphy at Max & Company (world).
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Jaye Wells' RED-HEADED STEPCHILD, the story of a half-mage/half-vampire assassin with divided loyalties, to Devi Pillai at Orbit, for three books, for publication in Summer 2009, by Jonathan Lyons at Lyons Literary (world English).
THRILLER:
Vince Flynn's next four novels, again to Emily Bestler at Atria, for publication beginning in 2010, by Sloan Harris at ICM (world).Film rights to his eight novels featuring "postmodern franchise action thriller hero" CIA operative Mitch Rapp to CBS Films, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Nick Wechsler negotiating to produce, by Ron Bernstein at ICM.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Author of The Book of Air and Shadows, New York Times bestseller Michael Gruber's untitled novel about a kidnapped Jungian psychologist and expert in the Islamic mystical traditions who uses all her therapeutic skills and knowledge to engage her captor while her son, who works for the National Security Agency, tries to rescue her, to Marjorie Braman at William Morrow, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House (NA).
NYT bestselling author Stephen Cannell's AT FIRST SIGHT, to Roger Cooper at Vanguard Press, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (NA).
O.J. Simpson's long-time sports agent Michael Gilbert HOW I HELPED O.J. GET AWAY WITH MURDER, promising to "detail O.J.'s late-night confession" and provide "shocking new proof that O.J. Simpson did indeed murder Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman" along with information on Gilbert's crucial role in obtaining the not guilty verdict and why he stayed silent for so long, to Regnery, with a portion of his royalties pledged to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
HEALTH:
One of the first graduates in Andrew Weil's Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona and medical director of Beth Israel Hospital's Continuum Center for Health and Healing, Roberta Lee, M.D.'s book presenting a paradigm-shifting approach to stress and the extensive health problems it can cause, with tools to stop and reverse it, to Caroline Sutton at Random House, in a pre-empt, by Richard Pine at Inkwell Management (NA).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Reporter from Pakistan for Slate, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and elsewhere, Nicholas Schmidle's TO LIVE OR TO PERISH FOREVER, about the last two years in Pakistan, where he was expelled by the Pakistani government after his article Next-Gen Taliban ran in The New York Times Magazine, to David Patterson at Holt, by Rafe Sagalyn of The Sagalyn Agency (world).
MEMOIR:
Boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya's AMERICAN SON, a "frank and touching" memoir about his pursuit and achievement of the American Dream, to Rene Alegria at Harper Entertainment, in a pre-empt, for publication in May 2008, by Luke Janklow of Janklow & Nesbit (world).
Wrap...
FICTION/DEBUT:
Grant Ginder's THIS IS HOW IT STARTS, following one post-collegiate idealist on his quest to fit in with - and then separate himself from - D.C.'s political and social elite, to Colin Fox at Simon & Schuster, by Richard Pine and Libby O'Neill at Inkwell Management (NA).
Peter Neofotis's CONCORD, VIRGINIA, a Southern gothic novella concerning the residents of a fictional town in the Shenandoah Vally and the sometimes dark goings on there, brought to life through the author's downtown New York one-man show, to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's, in a nice deal, by Michael Murphy at Max & Company (world).
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Jaye Wells' RED-HEADED STEPCHILD, the story of a half-mage/half-vampire assassin with divided loyalties, to Devi Pillai at Orbit, for three books, for publication in Summer 2009, by Jonathan Lyons at Lyons Literary (world English).
THRILLER:
Vince Flynn's next four novels, again to Emily Bestler at Atria, for publication beginning in 2010, by Sloan Harris at ICM (world).Film rights to his eight novels featuring "postmodern franchise action thriller hero" CIA operative Mitch Rapp to CBS Films, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Nick Wechsler negotiating to produce, by Ron Bernstein at ICM.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Author of The Book of Air and Shadows, New York Times bestseller Michael Gruber's untitled novel about a kidnapped Jungian psychologist and expert in the Islamic mystical traditions who uses all her therapeutic skills and knowledge to engage her captor while her son, who works for the National Security Agency, tries to rescue her, to Marjorie Braman at William Morrow, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House (NA).
NYT bestselling author Stephen Cannell's AT FIRST SIGHT, to Roger Cooper at Vanguard Press, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (NA).
O.J. Simpson's long-time sports agent Michael Gilbert HOW I HELPED O.J. GET AWAY WITH MURDER, promising to "detail O.J.'s late-night confession" and provide "shocking new proof that O.J. Simpson did indeed murder Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman" along with information on Gilbert's crucial role in obtaining the not guilty verdict and why he stayed silent for so long, to Regnery, with a portion of his royalties pledged to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
HEALTH:
One of the first graduates in Andrew Weil's Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona and medical director of Beth Israel Hospital's Continuum Center for Health and Healing, Roberta Lee, M.D.'s book presenting a paradigm-shifting approach to stress and the extensive health problems it can cause, with tools to stop and reverse it, to Caroline Sutton at Random House, in a pre-empt, by Richard Pine at Inkwell Management (NA).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Reporter from Pakistan for Slate, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and elsewhere, Nicholas Schmidle's TO LIVE OR TO PERISH FOREVER, about the last two years in Pakistan, where he was expelled by the Pakistani government after his article Next-Gen Taliban ran in The New York Times Magazine, to David Patterson at Holt, by Rafe Sagalyn of The Sagalyn Agency (world).
MEMOIR:
Boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya's AMERICAN SON, a "frank and touching" memoir about his pursuit and achievement of the American Dream, to Rene Alegria at Harper Entertainment, in a pre-empt, for publication in May 2008, by Luke Janklow of Janklow & Nesbit (world).
Wrap...
23 feet long and they'll swallow you whole...
From www.sfgate.com :
FUTURE STRANGLEHOLD ON CALIFORNIA?
Giant pythons are slowly slithering from Florida toward the Bay Area.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/20/MNABV5PP3.DTL&nl=top
FUTURE STRANGLEHOLD ON CALIFORNIA?
Giant pythons are slowly slithering from Florida toward the Bay Area.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/20/MNABV5PP3.DTL&nl=top
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Michelle Obama clears things up...
From The New York Times/Caucus:
February 20, 2008, 5:49 pm
More from Michelle Obama on ‘Pride’
By Sarah Wheaton
Michelle Obama sought today to clarify her “pride” in her country after two days of criticism, most notably from her potential Republican counterpart.
In Milwaukee on Monday, the wife of Senator Barack Obama said, “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country. Not just because Barack is doing well, but I think people are hungry for change.”
Asked today to clarify the remark by a local news station in Rhode Island, which holds its primary during the next round, on March 4, she said, “What I was clearly talking about was that I’m proud in how Americans are engaging in the political process,” according to the Associated Press. “For the first time in my lifetime, I’m seeing people rolling up their sleeves in a way that I haven’t seen and really trying to figure this out — and that’s the source of pride that I was talking about.”She added that she has “absolutely” always felt proud of her country and that she and her husband owed where they are today to America’s possibilities.
Some saw her original comments as ungrateful, and on Tuesday, Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, told a Brookfield, Wis., audience, “I’m proud of my country. I don’t know about you – if you heard those words earlier – I’m very proud of my country.’’ It was widely seen as a swipe at Mrs. Obama.
Wrap...
February 20, 2008, 5:49 pm
More from Michelle Obama on ‘Pride’
By Sarah Wheaton
Michelle Obama sought today to clarify her “pride” in her country after two days of criticism, most notably from her potential Republican counterpart.
In Milwaukee on Monday, the wife of Senator Barack Obama said, “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country. Not just because Barack is doing well, but I think people are hungry for change.”
Asked today to clarify the remark by a local news station in Rhode Island, which holds its primary during the next round, on March 4, she said, “What I was clearly talking about was that I’m proud in how Americans are engaging in the political process,” according to the Associated Press. “For the first time in my lifetime, I’m seeing people rolling up their sleeves in a way that I haven’t seen and really trying to figure this out — and that’s the source of pride that I was talking about.”She added that she has “absolutely” always felt proud of her country and that she and her husband owed where they are today to America’s possibilities.
Some saw her original comments as ungrateful, and on Tuesday, Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, told a Brookfield, Wis., audience, “I’m proud of my country. I don’t know about you – if you heard those words earlier – I’m very proud of my country.’’ It was widely seen as a swipe at Mrs. Obama.
Wrap...
Navy did the job on the satellite....
From Levine Breaking News:
MILITARY SAYS MISSILE HIT SPY SATELLITE:
A missile launched from a Navy ship struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, the Pentagon said. It was not clear whether the operation succeeded in its main goal of destroying a tank aboard the satellite that carried a toxic fuel that U.S. officials said could pose a hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area.
"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said in a written statement.
The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles -- not orbiting satellites -- launched the attack at 10:26 p.m. EST, according to the Pentagon. It hit the satellite as the spacecraft traveled at more than 17,000 mph.
Because the satellite was orbiting at a relatively low altitude at the time it was hit by the missile, debris will begin to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere immediately, the Pentagon statement said.
"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days," it reported.
Wrap...
MILITARY SAYS MISSILE HIT SPY SATELLITE:
A missile launched from a Navy ship struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, the Pentagon said. It was not clear whether the operation succeeded in its main goal of destroying a tank aboard the satellite that carried a toxic fuel that U.S. officials said could pose a hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area.
"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said in a written statement.
The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles -- not orbiting satellites -- launched the attack at 10:26 p.m. EST, according to the Pentagon. It hit the satellite as the spacecraft traveled at more than 17,000 mph.
Because the satellite was orbiting at a relatively low altitude at the time it was hit by the missile, debris will begin to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere immediately, the Pentagon statement said.
"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days," it reported.
Wrap...
Between Dem Prez and Congress....
From David Sirota via email:
FYI...this article is out in the February edition of In These Times.It looks at which presidential candidate would most empower progressives in Congress. - D
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3537/its_also_the_congress_stupid/
It's Also the Congress, Stupid By David Sirota
In These Times
2/20/08
During one of the mind-numbing arguments between the candidates, Sen.Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was fighting off the claim that his universal healthcare proposal might not cover up to 15 million Americans. As an academic issue, it was an important exchange. But I suddenly realized: In real-world terms, the back-and-forth didn't much matter.
In this epic race for the Democratic nomination, the most minute policy differences are extrapolated into bombastic TV ads, direct mail pieces and debate one-liners. Amid the noise, few remember that what candidates say or propose can bear little resemblance to what ends up happening once they are in the Oval Office.
As proof, look no further than candidate Bill Clinton who said, "I'd be for, but only if it lifted their wage rates and their labor standards and they cleaned up their environment so we could both go up together instead of being dragged down." And yet, he subsequently steamrolled NAFTA through Congress.
Of course, every presidential election is, in that way, a leap of faith. But we can make an educated guess about what the different candidates' relationship to Congress will likely be, and that relationship dictates the possibilities for progress far more than any campaign promises. For example, in 2000 and 2004, a vote for Bush was a vote to centralize more government power in the hands of the White House, and, just as importantly, to create a rubber stamp for an extremist Republican Congress.
With Bush vetoing the fewest bills of any president since the Civil War, movement conservatives were emboldened by the Bush administration to wield as much raw legislative power as the president himself.
For voters trying to distinguish between Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Obama, the question should be who is more apt to empower a Democratic Congress whose seniority and power rests in the hands of committed progressives.
**Seniority and ideology**
A look across the committee structure on Capitol Hill highlights a unique opportunity for exponential change under a Democratic president. In the House, progressives are concentrated in two clusters: New members swept in by the recent wave of anti-Bush sentiment, and senior lawmakers elected in the more progressive, pre-Reagan era.
Liberal Reps. David Obey (D-Wis.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) chair the two most powerful panels in Congress: the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending, and the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes. Another liberal, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), heads the Education and Workforce Committee that will be charged with reforming No Child Left Behind and strengthening labor laws. And progressive stalwart Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) heads the Judiciary Committee that could reform or scrap the Patriot Act.
In the Senate, the situation is much the same. Though many mid-level members of the Democratic caucus are rooted in the mealy-mouthed politics of mid-'90s Clintonism, progressive backbone is found among freshman populists like Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and, more importantly, among committee chairs like Sens. Barbara Boxer(D-Calif.), Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Pat Leahy (D-Vt.). These three, respectively, run the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee overseeing climate change legislation; the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee involved in most domestic policies; and the Judiciary Committee impacting both civil liberties and nominations to the federal bench.
The less these progressives are inhibited by the executive branch and the threat of presidential vetoes, the more progressive change will come from Washington. In other words, the more Ted Kennedy is allowed to be Ted Kennedy, the better.
**Clinton: "hands-on"**
Clinton has promised to be a "hands-on" president and criticized Obama for being vague about his policy prescriptions, a sure fire sign that her administration would mean heavy executive branch influence over Congress. As political theorist James David Barber might say, Clinton would be an "active" archetype, involved in the most granular details of the legislative process.
In and of itself, this is not a negative. Passing some of American history's most important legislation has required such presidential engagement, from the New Deal program of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the landmark bills of the '60s shepherded through Congress by Lyndon Johnson.
A domineering executive branch under Clinton, however, poses a potential problem, best summed up by one word: triangulation. The first Clinton administration would position itself against Democrats in Congress when it believed doing so was politically opportune. In a Republican Congress, such triangulation meant the Clinton White House worked with the right to pass initiatives like NAFTA and welfare reform, to name just two.
In a Democratic Congress today, triangulation could mean stopping the passage of progressive legislation, with a President Hillary Clinton vetoing bills as a way to burnish her so-called "centrist" credentials. Couple Clintonism's ideological affinity for triangulation with Hillary Clinton's public defense of corporate lobbyists, and the perils come into full relief. It would be no stretch to imagine a Democratic Congress passing some form of single-payer universal healthcare measure, only to have it crushed by a triangulating Clinton veto (or veto threat). The plaudits for such "toughness" would come from both the faux "centrists" in the Washington press corps and the health industry that has given more money to Clinton than to any other candidate.
**Obama: Alinsky and lawmaking**
The Nation's Chris Hayes recently wrote that Obama's overarching diagnosis of what 's wrong with politics is the way it is conducted rather than for whom. Put another way, it's not the what but the how. Fix how politics is waged, build a "working majority," as Obama says, and solutions to big problems will come. This is a theme of famed activist Saul Alinsky, whose community organizations Obama worked with as a young man in Chicago. As Alinsky wrote in Rules for Radicals, the best organizers possess a belief that if people have the power to act in the long run, they will, most of the time, reach the right decisions. A President Obama would probably apply such a principle to Congress.
Thanks to Obama's nonconfrontational message of hope and unity, he would be elected less with a mandate to enact anything specific than a mandate to get things done. almost irrespective of what those things are.
n James David Barber's terms, Obama would be a more "passive" president, like the one he credited with political acumen: Ronald Reagan. The Gipper spent his political capital outlining overarching themes, and he avoided Capitol Hill brawls. A Democrat in that Reagan mold working with an assertive Democratic Congress clearly has more potential upsides than downsides.
Certainly, Obama has, on occasion, rhetorically triangulated against fellow Democrats. He once appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" to publicly lambaste proposals to withdraw troops from Iraq. However, his concrete legislative actions (votes, bill sponsorships, etc.) have been solidly progressive, suggesting his general aversion to conflict-charged vetoes would be most pronounced when dealing with progressive legislation. To again cite the healthcare hypothetical, it is easy to imagine a President Obama calling for universal healthcare with certain broad parameters, letting Democratic congressional leaders wage the trench warfare needed to pass it, and then signing a final bill, even if it ended up being more progressive than what he had in mind.
Admittedly, predicting future presidential behavior is all conjecture, and the known qualities of the candidates could produce far different results. Clinton's hands on style could result in a string of legislative victories for progressives that would have been impossible without that leadership style. Likewise, Obama's potential aversion to the veto pen might halt him from obstructing progressive bills, but it may also prevent him from stopping conservative ones that should be blocked. Though the media's obsessive focus on presidential politics may lead us to believe the White House is all-powerful, Congress has been central to most of history's great reforms. That means this race is not just about which candidate appears more progressive, but also about which candidate will allow progressives in Congress to be strongest.
Wrap...
FYI...this article is out in the February edition of In These Times.It looks at which presidential candidate would most empower progressives in Congress. - D
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3537/its_also_the_congress_stupid/
It's Also the Congress, Stupid By David Sirota
In These Times
2/20/08
During one of the mind-numbing arguments between the candidates, Sen.Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was fighting off the claim that his universal healthcare proposal might not cover up to 15 million Americans. As an academic issue, it was an important exchange. But I suddenly realized: In real-world terms, the back-and-forth didn't much matter.
In this epic race for the Democratic nomination, the most minute policy differences are extrapolated into bombastic TV ads, direct mail pieces and debate one-liners. Amid the noise, few remember that what candidates say or propose can bear little resemblance to what ends up happening once they are in the Oval Office.
As proof, look no further than candidate Bill Clinton who said, "I'd be for, but only if it lifted their wage rates and their labor standards and they cleaned up their environment so we could both go up together instead of being dragged down." And yet, he subsequently steamrolled NAFTA through Congress.
Of course, every presidential election is, in that way, a leap of faith. But we can make an educated guess about what the different candidates' relationship to Congress will likely be, and that relationship dictates the possibilities for progress far more than any campaign promises. For example, in 2000 and 2004, a vote for Bush was a vote to centralize more government power in the hands of the White House, and, just as importantly, to create a rubber stamp for an extremist Republican Congress.
With Bush vetoing the fewest bills of any president since the Civil War, movement conservatives were emboldened by the Bush administration to wield as much raw legislative power as the president himself.
For voters trying to distinguish between Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Obama, the question should be who is more apt to empower a Democratic Congress whose seniority and power rests in the hands of committed progressives.
**Seniority and ideology**
A look across the committee structure on Capitol Hill highlights a unique opportunity for exponential change under a Democratic president. In the House, progressives are concentrated in two clusters: New members swept in by the recent wave of anti-Bush sentiment, and senior lawmakers elected in the more progressive, pre-Reagan era.
Liberal Reps. David Obey (D-Wis.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) chair the two most powerful panels in Congress: the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending, and the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes. Another liberal, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), heads the Education and Workforce Committee that will be charged with reforming No Child Left Behind and strengthening labor laws. And progressive stalwart Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) heads the Judiciary Committee that could reform or scrap the Patriot Act.
In the Senate, the situation is much the same. Though many mid-level members of the Democratic caucus are rooted in the mealy-mouthed politics of mid-'90s Clintonism, progressive backbone is found among freshman populists like Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and, more importantly, among committee chairs like Sens. Barbara Boxer(D-Calif.), Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Pat Leahy (D-Vt.). These three, respectively, run the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee overseeing climate change legislation; the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee involved in most domestic policies; and the Judiciary Committee impacting both civil liberties and nominations to the federal bench.
The less these progressives are inhibited by the executive branch and the threat of presidential vetoes, the more progressive change will come from Washington. In other words, the more Ted Kennedy is allowed to be Ted Kennedy, the better.
**Clinton: "hands-on"**
Clinton has promised to be a "hands-on" president and criticized Obama for being vague about his policy prescriptions, a sure fire sign that her administration would mean heavy executive branch influence over Congress. As political theorist James David Barber might say, Clinton would be an "active" archetype, involved in the most granular details of the legislative process.
In and of itself, this is not a negative. Passing some of American history's most important legislation has required such presidential engagement, from the New Deal program of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the landmark bills of the '60s shepherded through Congress by Lyndon Johnson.
A domineering executive branch under Clinton, however, poses a potential problem, best summed up by one word: triangulation. The first Clinton administration would position itself against Democrats in Congress when it believed doing so was politically opportune. In a Republican Congress, such triangulation meant the Clinton White House worked with the right to pass initiatives like NAFTA and welfare reform, to name just two.
In a Democratic Congress today, triangulation could mean stopping the passage of progressive legislation, with a President Hillary Clinton vetoing bills as a way to burnish her so-called "centrist" credentials. Couple Clintonism's ideological affinity for triangulation with Hillary Clinton's public defense of corporate lobbyists, and the perils come into full relief. It would be no stretch to imagine a Democratic Congress passing some form of single-payer universal healthcare measure, only to have it crushed by a triangulating Clinton veto (or veto threat). The plaudits for such "toughness" would come from both the faux "centrists" in the Washington press corps and the health industry that has given more money to Clinton than to any other candidate.
**Obama: Alinsky and lawmaking**
The Nation's Chris Hayes recently wrote that Obama's overarching diagnosis of what 's wrong with politics is the way it is conducted rather than for whom. Put another way, it's not the what but the how. Fix how politics is waged, build a "working majority," as Obama says, and solutions to big problems will come. This is a theme of famed activist Saul Alinsky, whose community organizations Obama worked with as a young man in Chicago. As Alinsky wrote in Rules for Radicals, the best organizers possess a belief that if people have the power to act in the long run, they will, most of the time, reach the right decisions. A President Obama would probably apply such a principle to Congress.
Thanks to Obama's nonconfrontational message of hope and unity, he would be elected less with a mandate to enact anything specific than a mandate to get things done. almost irrespective of what those things are.
n James David Barber's terms, Obama would be a more "passive" president, like the one he credited with political acumen: Ronald Reagan. The Gipper spent his political capital outlining overarching themes, and he avoided Capitol Hill brawls. A Democrat in that Reagan mold working with an assertive Democratic Congress clearly has more potential upsides than downsides.
Certainly, Obama has, on occasion, rhetorically triangulated against fellow Democrats. He once appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" to publicly lambaste proposals to withdraw troops from Iraq. However, his concrete legislative actions (votes, bill sponsorships, etc.) have been solidly progressive, suggesting his general aversion to conflict-charged vetoes would be most pronounced when dealing with progressive legislation. To again cite the healthcare hypothetical, it is easy to imagine a President Obama calling for universal healthcare with certain broad parameters, letting Democratic congressional leaders wage the trench warfare needed to pass it, and then signing a final bill, even if it ended up being more progressive than what he had in mind.
Admittedly, predicting future presidential behavior is all conjecture, and the known qualities of the candidates could produce far different results. Clinton's hands on style could result in a string of legislative victories for progressives that would have been impossible without that leadership style. Likewise, Obama's potential aversion to the veto pen might halt him from obstructing progressive bills, but it may also prevent him from stopping conservative ones that should be blocked. Though the media's obsessive focus on presidential politics may lead us to believe the White House is all-powerful, Congress has been central to most of history's great reforms. That means this race is not just about which candidate appears more progressive, but also about which candidate will allow progressives in Congress to be strongest.
Wrap...
From Pervez to Colbert's down on April Fool's Day!
From American Progress:
Think Fast...
Despite the defeat of President Pervez Musharraf's party in the Pakistani parliamentary elections, the Bush administration is still trying to "construct a coalition that will keep Mr. Musharraf in power as president." Officials admit that Musharraf "remains the administration's preferred Pakistani leader."
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency misspent millions of dollars it received from selling used travel trailers," according to a draft report by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. "Instead of buying more trailers," FEMA paid for "sport utility vehicles, travel expenses and purchase card accounts."
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has threatened to lift a six-month cease-fire widely credited with helping reduce violence in Iraq. The cease fire was declared in August and is due to expire at this month's end.
Oil closed "above $100 a barrel Tuesday for the first time in history -- a surprise price surge that leaves experts and motorists wondering if there's no limit." U.S. gas prices could average "$3.75 a gallon by Memorial Day -- more than 50 cents higher than the record $3.227 set on May 24."
In "a radical change to its financial aid program," Stanford University will announce today that it will no longer charge tuition to students whose families earn less than $100,000 a year.
Yesterday, about 1,000 students from Prairie View A&M University in Texas marched more than seven miles from campus to the Waller County courthouse on the first day of early voting to bring attention to county voting problems. "The students organized the Tuesday rally to convince lawmakers to allow early voting on campus, since other county voting centers are long distances away from the Prairie View."
Brent Wilkes, "a California defense contractor and prominent GOP campaign contributor," was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison yesterday for lavishing former Rep. Duke Cunningham (D-CA) with money and other bribes "in exchange for nearly $90 million in work from the Pentagon."
And finally: Stephen Colbert's "portrait" has been hanging over the restrooms in the National Portrait Gallery for more than a month now. Some of the feedback: "He's an amazing person." "Colbert is essential to our existence." The Gallery has decided to extend the display life of Colbert's portrait until April Fool's Day.
Wrap...
Think Fast...
Despite the defeat of President Pervez Musharraf's party in the Pakistani parliamentary elections, the Bush administration is still trying to "construct a coalition that will keep Mr. Musharraf in power as president." Officials admit that Musharraf "remains the administration's preferred Pakistani leader."
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency misspent millions of dollars it received from selling used travel trailers," according to a draft report by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. "Instead of buying more trailers," FEMA paid for "sport utility vehicles, travel expenses and purchase card accounts."
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has threatened to lift a six-month cease-fire widely credited with helping reduce violence in Iraq. The cease fire was declared in August and is due to expire at this month's end.
Oil closed "above $100 a barrel Tuesday for the first time in history -- a surprise price surge that leaves experts and motorists wondering if there's no limit." U.S. gas prices could average "$3.75 a gallon by Memorial Day -- more than 50 cents higher than the record $3.227 set on May 24."
In "a radical change to its financial aid program," Stanford University will announce today that it will no longer charge tuition to students whose families earn less than $100,000 a year.
Yesterday, about 1,000 students from Prairie View A&M University in Texas marched more than seven miles from campus to the Waller County courthouse on the first day of early voting to bring attention to county voting problems. "The students organized the Tuesday rally to convince lawmakers to allow early voting on campus, since other county voting centers are long distances away from the Prairie View."
Brent Wilkes, "a California defense contractor and prominent GOP campaign contributor," was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison yesterday for lavishing former Rep. Duke Cunningham (D-CA) with money and other bribes "in exchange for nearly $90 million in work from the Pentagon."
And finally: Stephen Colbert's "portrait" has been hanging over the restrooms in the National Portrait Gallery for more than a month now. Some of the feedback: "He's an amazing person." "Colbert is essential to our existence." The Gallery has decided to extend the display life of Colbert's portrait until April Fool's Day.
Wrap...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Soldier: It's time to bring us home...
From Information Clearing House:
Fort Hood soliders breaking the silence in war in Iraq:
"The honest truth is that if the American people knew what was going on over there everyday, they would be raising their voices too. They would be saying, 'Hey, bring those guys home," Sgt. Selena Coppa said.
http://snipurl.com/1zz1r
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Fort Hood soliders breaking the silence in war in Iraq:
"The honest truth is that if the American people knew what was going on over there everyday, they would be raising their voices too. They would be saying, 'Hey, bring those guys home," Sgt. Selena Coppa said.
http://snipurl.com/1zz1r
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
From Castro quits to Costly Clemmons' autograph in DC
From American Progress:
Think Fast...
Due to "ailing" health, Cuban President Fidel Castro is stepping down, "ending one of the longest tenures as one of the most all-powerful communist heads of state in the world." "The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty," President Bush said in response.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has scheduled pro forma sessions for Tuesday and Thursday "so that Bush cannot call Congress back into special session to take up the now-expired Protect America Act." The Senate will take similar action.
Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano penned an op-ed in yesterday's Los Angeles Times arguing that the Protect America Act is unconstitutional. "The government should be required, as it was until FISA, to obtain a 4th Amendment warrant to conduct surveillance of anyone, American or not, in the U.S. or not," he wrote.
A McClatchy analysis finds that "jobless Americans are spending more time looking for work and that those who can't find work now make up a greater share of the unemployed." As of January, "almost one in five unemployed workers" had been jobless for six months or more.
Next week, the Senate is planning to vote on a cloture motion on Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) bill "to set a timeline for withdrawing combat troops." They are also planning to take up a second Feingold bill, "which would require the Bush administration to develop strategies to limit repeated deployments of troops and defeat al-Qaida."
Nine of 10 current and former military officers say the war had stretched the military "dangerously thin," according to a survey conducted by Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for a New American Security. Sixty percent of the 3,400 officers said the military is weaker today than five years ago.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr "is expected to announce his decision in the next few days about whether to maintain the ceasefire he ordered six months ago. There has been pressure from the rank-and-file members of his militia to call off the truce."
And finally: Last week, "scores of Hill staffers" -- and a couple of senators -- snagged "all-star baseball pitcher Roger Clemens' coveted John Hancock last week." Yet none of these staffers or lawmakers is now confessing to receiving an autograph after reports that it may "be a violation of the Senate and House rules that ban gifts worth more than $50." A Clemens signature reportedly goes for about $75, and "a signed baseball can garner upwards of $450."
Wrap...
Think Fast...
Due to "ailing" health, Cuban President Fidel Castro is stepping down, "ending one of the longest tenures as one of the most all-powerful communist heads of state in the world." "The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty," President Bush said in response.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has scheduled pro forma sessions for Tuesday and Thursday "so that Bush cannot call Congress back into special session to take up the now-expired Protect America Act." The Senate will take similar action.
Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano penned an op-ed in yesterday's Los Angeles Times arguing that the Protect America Act is unconstitutional. "The government should be required, as it was until FISA, to obtain a 4th Amendment warrant to conduct surveillance of anyone, American or not, in the U.S. or not," he wrote.
A McClatchy analysis finds that "jobless Americans are spending more time looking for work and that those who can't find work now make up a greater share of the unemployed." As of January, "almost one in five unemployed workers" had been jobless for six months or more.
Next week, the Senate is planning to vote on a cloture motion on Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) bill "to set a timeline for withdrawing combat troops." They are also planning to take up a second Feingold bill, "which would require the Bush administration to develop strategies to limit repeated deployments of troops and defeat al-Qaida."
Nine of 10 current and former military officers say the war had stretched the military "dangerously thin," according to a survey conducted by Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for a New American Security. Sixty percent of the 3,400 officers said the military is weaker today than five years ago.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr "is expected to announce his decision in the next few days about whether to maintain the ceasefire he ordered six months ago. There has been pressure from the rank-and-file members of his militia to call off the truce."
And finally: Last week, "scores of Hill staffers" -- and a couple of senators -- snagged "all-star baseball pitcher Roger Clemens' coveted John Hancock last week." Yet none of these staffers or lawmakers is now confessing to receiving an autograph after reports that it may "be a violation of the Senate and House rules that ban gifts worth more than $50." A Clemens signature reportedly goes for about $75, and "a signed baseball can garner upwards of $450."
Wrap...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Ken Kuhlken writes great mystery books....
A few sentences from Ken Kuhlken's blog:
I sent a manuscript to a Christian agent, and got the following reply. “I’d be happy to represent you and I would try to sell this book, but I don’t think I can. It’s too Christian for the secular market and has too much sex for the Christian market.”
I said, “Huh? There’s no sex in it.”
He said, “The character thinks about sex.”
I said, “But what he thinks isn’t very graphic, and besides, Christians I know think about sex a lot.”
He said, “Not in Christian books, they don’t.”
***************
His blog: http://aka-california.blogspot.com/
His website: http://www.kenkuhlken.net/
Wrap...
I sent a manuscript to a Christian agent, and got the following reply. “I’d be happy to represent you and I would try to sell this book, but I don’t think I can. It’s too Christian for the secular market and has too much sex for the Christian market.”
I said, “Huh? There’s no sex in it.”
He said, “The character thinks about sex.”
I said, “But what he thinks isn’t very graphic, and besides, Christians I know think about sex a lot.”
He said, “Not in Christian books, they don’t.”
***************
His blog: http://aka-california.blogspot.com/
His website: http://www.kenkuhlken.net/
Wrap...
Repub endorses Obama...
From AP via truthout.org:
Former GOP Senator Endorses Obama
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021408T.shtml
Michelle R. Smith reports for The Associated Press: "Former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee endorsed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday, saying he is the best presidential candidate to restore the nation's credibility."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Former GOP Senator Endorses Obama
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021408T.shtml
Michelle R. Smith reports for The Associated Press: "Former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee endorsed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday, saying he is the best presidential candidate to restore the nation's credibility."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Bush wants Supreme Court to review...
From The NY Times via truthout.org:
Bush Appeals to Justices to Limit Disclosure of Detainee Data
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021508M.shtml
Linda Greenhouse, of The New York Times, reports: "The Bush administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to review an appeals court decision that it said had created a 'serious threat to national security' by requiring the government to supply extensive evidence supporting the classification of more than 180 Guantanamo detainees as enemy combatants."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Bush Appeals to Justices to Limit Disclosure of Detainee Data
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021508M.shtml
Linda Greenhouse, of The New York Times, reports: "The Bush administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to review an appeals court decision that it said had created a 'serious threat to national security' by requiring the government to supply extensive evidence supporting the classification of more than 180 Guantanamo detainees as enemy combatants."
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
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