Monday’s Mini-Report

March 26, 2007

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* Monica Goodling, a senior counselor to Gonzales who worked closely with Kyle Sampson on the prosecutor firings, will plead the 5th. I’ll have more on this tomorrow morning.

* Best wishes to Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas) for a speedy recovery.

* Last week, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insisted he would stay on the job because he’s so “focused on protecting our kids.” It was a rather weak defense, and as it turns out, protecting children isn’t his strongpoint anyway: “Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton…are now being accused of failing to prosecute officers of the Texas Youth Commission after a Texas Ranger investigation documented that guards and administrators were sexually abusing the institution’s minor boy inmates.”

* Supporters of the Democrats’ deadline for the war in Iraq outnumber opponents, 59% to 33%.

* You’ve probably heard rumors that the United States does not negotiate with terrorists. When it comes to Iraq, the rumors aren’t true: “The senior American envoy in Iraq, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, held talks last year with men he believed represented major insurgent groups in a drive to bring militant Sunni Arabs into politics…. Mr. Khalilzad’s willingness even to approach rebel groups seemed at odds with the public position of some Bush administration officials that the United States does not negotiate with insurgents.”

* George Will apparently equates Paul Krugman with Ann Coulter. Wow.

* The NYT ran a rather shameless puff piece on 32-year-old Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), the number three man in the House GOP caucus. As far as I can tell from the article, Putnam’s most notable accomplishment this year has been levying false charges against Speaker Pelosi about her military plane. Putnam later acknowledged that he didn’t know if his charges were true, and didn’t care if he was lying. The NYT article neglected to mention this.

* The Smithsonian announced this afternoon that its top official, Secretary Lawrence Small, has resigned in the wake of a scandal involving his expense account. An internal audit in January found that Small had made $90,000 in unauthorized expenses, including private jet travel and expensive gifts, and charged the Smithsonian more than $1.1 million for use of his home since 2000. (thanks to Gridlock for the tip)

* It wasn’t a good weekend for privacy advocates. Not only was the NYPD spying on harmless, law-abiding protestors, but the government database that serves as a feeder for all terrorist watch lists has quadrupled in size. It’s too easy to get added to the database, and practically impossible to get out of it.

* If this racist and homophobic email from a military recruiter to a potential recruit isn’t enough to get the guy fired, the military needs to reevaluate its employment standards.

* The state of Massachusetts chose a Diebold competitor for a state contract, so Diebold is suing local officials. (thanks to R.M. for the tip)

* If you’re interested, here’s an online survey exploring the role of Internet advertising in American politics.

* The satirical newspaper The Onion is out with a special issue this week, “The War in Iraq: Celebrating Four Years of Winning.”

* Jonathan Chait explores why some conservatives seem to become more hostile to climate change science whenever it’s bolstered by more evidence.

* I have mixed feelings about Katie Couric’s interview with John and Elizabeth Edwards, though I’m inclined to believe she was over the top in her rougher-than-necessary questions. C&L has the clip; take a look.

Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.

“I have mixed feelings about Katie Couric’s interview with John and Elizabeth Edwards, though I’m inclined to believe she was over the top in her rougher-than-necessary questions.”

Gee. Where was Horic’s aggressive questioning when we had an administration taking us to war based upon lies and deception, etc. etc. etc.

  • Geroge Will also claims the anger/disdain element in politics is due to Bill Clinton and Howard Dean. Where the hell has he been the past 15 years. What a lying, misleading hack of sh*t.

  • “Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton…are now being accused of failing to prosecute officers of the Texas Youth Commission after a Texas Ranger investigation documented that guards and administrators were sexually abusing the institution’s minor boy inmates.”

    The Republicans are building a real record of not protecting kids against sex crimes, as long as the perp is a Republican, aren’t they? Add that to not doing anything about poor conditions in hospitals and homes for veterans and it’s quite a record. It’s the same thing as the prosecutor purge scandal- letting Republicans get away with crimes when you’re supposed to protect people from crime. What kind of people are these?

  • Since the release of that calendar entry on Friday, Justice aides have said Gonzales meant he was not involved in selecting the prosecutors when he said he didn’t participate in discussions about their firings.

    HAHAHAHAHA

    pathetic.

  • re: The Smithsonian

    Lawrence Small’s expenses are only the tip of the iceberg with this Republican’t appointee. He negotiated a secret contract with Showtime, selling off the Smithsonian’s film archives.

    If you remember, Mr. Small was appointed back in 2000 by Chimpy, another non-scientist in charge of a scientific institution. His appointment caused a number of the museum directors within the Smithsonian to resign in protest…a purge of sorts.

    From the NYT: ”He has become what is surely the most reviled and detested administrator in the institution’s history,” wrote Stores L. Olson, the National Museum of Natural History’s senior ornithologist, in a letter this month sent to key lawmakers and the Smithsonian’s Regents. Mr. Olson wrote that ”Americans in general and free-thinking scientists in particular do not perform their best in a dictatorship,” and predicted that the ”ruination” of the institution was ”virtually assured unless remedial action is taken very soon.”

    Also this: Mr. Small, 59, whose salary of $480,000 a year is a small fraction of what he made in corporate life, does not mind if he shatters traditions. and from the 3/21/07 NYT:
    The audit proceeded nonetheless, and about two months later, Ms. Ritt broadened it to examine Mr. Small’s annual compensation, which was most recently $915,698.

    Wow…nearly doubled his income in 7 short years…nice.

  • Pleading the Fifth certainly inspires confidence in me that the Justice Department has nothing to hide.

  • ***If this racist and homophobic email from a military recruiter….***

    26 March 2007.
    From: The United States of America.
    To: Sgt. Marcia Ramode.

    Dear Marcia,

    Your new posting, deep within the exotic vacation paradise known as SADR CITY, BAGHDAD, IRAQ is currently being prepared for you. However, due to current shortages in materiel, we will not be able to provide you with any weapons, body armor, or food. We did manage to find you a unique uniform; it’s made from a life-sized wax mannequin of President Bush—and is emplazoned both front and back with bright, shiny targets.

    Have a nice day….

  • The satirical newspaper The Onion is out with a special issue this week, “The War in Iraq: Celebrating Four Years of Winning.”

    That issue was actually up last week, CB, and in any event, it was just a rerun of previous war-related articles. Editor & Publisher is apparently running late.

  • Goodling, one of several aides involved in the firings of federal prosecutors, will refuse to answer senators’ questions.

    “The potential for legal jeopardy for Ms. Goodling from even her most truthful and accurate testimony under these circumstances is very real,” Dowd said. Goodling was key to the Justice Department’s political response to the growing controversy. She took a leave of absence last week.

    “One need look no further than the recent circumstances and proceedings involving Lewis Libby,” Dowd said…

    Gonzales had promised to let his top aides testify under oath before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

    “The American people are left to wonder what conduct is at the base of Ms. Goodling’s concern that she may incriminate herself in connection with criminal charges if she appears before the committee under oath,” said Leahy.

    He, if the Bimbette of Belsen doesn’t want to be charged as a professional liar, all she has to do is “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” I know Republican lawyers have problems with this since they’re professional born-in-the-womb criminals, but there is a simple way out of here for her.

    Particularly if Sampson decides to become the John Dean of AttorneyGate.

  • George Will apparently equates Paul Krugman with Ann Coulter. Wow.

    That’s cool. I equate George Will with toilet paper substitute.

    As far as Katie Whoric is concerned, does anyone pay attention to anything this chirping bimbo says???

  • If this racist and homophobic email from a military recruiter to a potential recruit isn’t enough to get the guy fired, the military needs to reevaluate its employment standards.

    If you, too, as a veteran, want to tell Sgt. Marcia C. Ramode what you think of her \”exemplary service,\” you can do so directly:

    [editor\’s note: Sorry, Tom, I appreciate your point here, but Sgt. Ramode\’s email is private, so I\’m not comfortable with publishing it – CB]

  • I loathe what Sgt. Ramode said, but posting her email address is the kind of thing we criticize Michelle Malkin for, with good reason. Steve, you should take this down immediately, and apologize.

  • From Kyle Sampson’s attorney: “Kyle plans to testify fully, truthfully, and publicly. Hearings in a highly politicized environment like this can sometimes become a game of gotcha, but Kyle has decided to trust the Congress and the process.”

    Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the new John Dean.

  • Monica Goodling wiell plead the fifth? Hmmm.
    Here’s the last paragraph in Saturday’s AP story on the e-mail about Gonzales’ involvement in the firings:

    Meanwhile, the Justice Department said yesterday that Monica Goodling, a senior counselor to Gonzales who worked closely with Sampson on the firings, took an indefinite personal leave from her job Monday. A Justice official said she is still employed there but it was not clear when she will return.

  • While I would usually agree with the argument in favor of not posting emails in general, I must note that the email address in question is a government address (note the domain “mil.” in that address). We’re talking about the United States Army, and a specific dunderhead who has not only “disgraced itself as a human being,” but has also irreversibly soiled the chevrons of the noncommissioned officer’s rank, the colors of uniform worn beneath the chevrons that rank, and the image of the Army as a whole.

    And coming from a member of a long-standing Naval-tradition family, that’s a really hard thing for me to say….

  • Sgt. Ramode: YOU GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED

    Damn it. Gay people have all the fun!

  • George Will apparently equates Paul Krugman with Ann Coulter. Wow.

    No, George, I’m not angry. Just let me take one end of your bowtie in my left hand. Why yes I do have very strong arms. And let me take the other end of your bowtie in my right hand. Yes, you do have a rather thin neck. Now hold still. Is garrote a French word, George? Or is it Spanish?

  • No worries, the tale of Ms. Commode’s antics are spreading through the internons e’en now.

    I do so love it when bigots take the moral high ground. They make a bigger splat when you give them a kick.

  • “Today, many people preen about their anger as a badge of authenticity: I snarl, therefore I am. Such people make one’s blood boil.” – George Will

    I had already used “pompous” today and I didn’t want to do that again but I knew it applied. So I checked out my thesaurus and it’s like a George Will character sketch.

    Vain, snobbish, snooty, pontifical, supercilious, showy, inflated, stilted, turgid, turgid, turgid, fustian, histrionic and patronizing!. And there are more. And they all work.

    If you want a chuckle, check out the comment thread at the link. It’s long and Will ain’t gettin’ a lot of love.

    Will’s blood is boiling but everybody’s angry except for him. He and Broder need to get a hotel room.

  • There’s a lot of disingenuous people around now. In these times, it’s important to know how they operate.

    For example, if someone thinks I’m tough, they’ll try to show me they’re for real if they choose to threaten me. But this isn’t honesty. It’s just so I’ll believe it when they tell me the truth or when they bluff.

    If you’re someone who is more likely to believe their lies, maybe even desperate to, the same person may be more dishonest with you. If they want to tell you false things about a person, they may intersperse it with a lot of accurate statements- they’re realistic sounding. Everyone knows that’s a great way to lie. So you have to look at what the person says and ask yourself why they would want you to think that. If you don’t, then when they say one or two small unflattering things about the person- but just enough to turn you sour on them if you buy them- that very believable (from your point of view of ignorance) bit of lying will work. This is especially true if the liar is your only, or main source, of information, which they’ll try to be.

    You can see how this all applies to the mainstream media.

  • The NYT ran a rather shameless puff piece on 32-year-old Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), the number three man in the House GOP caucus.

    Okay Bush has won me over. Let’s test the torture thing out. We’ll start with that weasel Putnam.

    Hey Swan, have you gotten to the bottom of that How many women Democratic staffers, liberal women in journalism, and women liberal social activists in DC do you think have actually fellated a guy who they thought was a liberal but actually wasn’t, or at least thought wasn’t dating them just to manipulate them, but actually was? question yet? I’m eager to see how that turns out.
    🙂

  • “Gee. Where was Horic’s aggressive questioning when we had an administration taking us to war based upon lies and deception, etc. etc. etc. ”

    As I recall, she was on the Today Show talking about Tom Cruise and kittens playing ping pong.

  • Pete Williams at NBC has an interview with AG AG, in which the AG, claims that he was only doing what his subordinates told him to do and should he find out that their motives weren’t pure he would have to scapegoat them.

    AG AG:f I find out that, in fact, any of these decisions were motivated, the recommendations to me were motivated for improper reasons to interfere with the public corruption case, there will be swift and — there will be swift and decisive action. I can assure you that.

    Williams: Meaning people would be fired?

    AG AG: Absolutely.

    This conjures up images of Radar O’Reilly slipping leave papers for Hawkeye and Trapper into a stack of requisition papers that Henry Blake was signing.

  • “Putnam later acknowledged that he didn’t know if his charges were true, and didn’t care if he was lying. The NYT article neglected to mention this.”

    Fuckin’ New York Times.

    I don’t suppose they mentioned that Adam Putnam fucks goats, then, did they?

    Because there’s *just* as much evidence for *that* charge as well.

    Adam Putnam fucks goats. Though he’s in good company; from what I hear, so do Bill Keller, Max Frankel, Adam Nagourney, and Judith Miller.

  • George Will should get a room and keep his mental masturbations to himself.

  • jurassicpork,

    Nice photoshopping and commentary on the 300.

    Off topic, but I saw the 300 this weekend and I have to say that it was a great comedy. I laughed as the Spartan king would mention his love of freedom and liberty (two words disdained by real Spartans and not their comic book counterparts.) Or the mixed political messages it seemed to be blaring with all the subtleness of a spear in the eye. As a movie without the historical context, it is a renter. When placed in the proper context, it is a steaming pile of shit (just my stupid opinion.)

    Read this link if you don’t have a full bladder or stomach:
    http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0307/0307iraqfever.htm

    The link is even funnier than the movie because the writer gives the impression that he/she believes that the movie is based on historical “fact” except that it is based on a frigging Frank Miller comic book with most of the inconvenient facts and context removed.

    A couple of the inconvenient facts that were deleted is that a 1000 Spartan Slaves were also killed with the 300, but unlike the 300 they didn’t have the choice but to stand and die with their king. Hard to beat one’s chest about freedom and liberty when one has slaves (even enlightened Athenians had their own slaves.) The Spartans loved their young men in a Ted Haggart and Mark Foley way, but unlike the Dobsons and their ilk, they actually encouraged their soldiers to couple to improve unit cohesion (so much for the theory that gay soldiers don’t fight.)

    • Comments are closed.