Tuesday’s Mini-Report

August 7, 2007

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* If the New York Post is right (which is not always a gimme), the New York Times is poised to give up on its TimesSelect project and will re-open its op-ed page, for free, online. “The timing of when TimesSelect will shut down hinges on resolving software issues associated with making the switch to a free service, the source said.” If true, it’s good news.

* The AFL-CIO will host a Democratic presidential forum (technically, it’s not a debate, though I suspect it will look and sound like one) tonight at 7pm eastern. The event will be in Chicago and will be hosted by Keith Olbermann. It will be carried live on MSNBC.

* NYT: “A federal judge yesterday rejected New York City’s efforts to prevent the release of nearly 2,000 pages of raw intelligence reports and other documents detailing the Police Department’s covert surveillance of protest groups and individual activists before the Republican National Convention in 2004. In a 20-page ruling, Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV ordered the disclosure of hundreds of field intelligence reports by undercover investigators who infiltrated and compiled dossiers on protest groups in a huge operation that the police said was needed to head off violence and disruptions at the convention.” (thanks to Homer for the tip)

* There are more U.S. troops serving in Iraq right now than at any time since the war began. As of this week, there are approximately 162,000 American troops currently on the ground. Remember when Paul Wolfowitz said, “It’s hard to conceive that it would take more forces to provide stability in post-Saddam Iraq than it would to take to conduct the war itself and secure the surrender of Saddam’s security forces and his army. Hard to imagine”? Neither does he.

* I guess the Democrats’ ethics-reform measure is a success: lobbyists on the Hill seem rather annoyed by the restrictions.

* AP: Addressing a town-hall meeting in Iowa, [Giuliani] was asked whether he considered himself a “traditional, practicing Roman Catholic.” An audience member also called on Giuliani to discuss the role his faith played in making decisions on issues such as abortion. “My religious affiliation, my religious practices and the degree to which I am a good or not so good Catholic, I prefer to leave to the priests,” Giuliani said. “That would be a much better way to discuss it. That’s a personal discussion and they have a much better sense of how good a Catholic I am or how bad a Catholic I am.”

* I wonder if Bill O’Reilly will denounce this as hate radio: On the August 3 edition of Fox News host John Gibson’s nationally syndicated radio program, the show’s executive producer, who goes by the name “Angry Rich” on the program, claimed Democratic presidential candidate former Sen. John Edwards (NC) “whored his wife’s cancer as a fundraising gimmick.” He also went on to call him “a fraud” and “a pansy.”

* Apparently, Barack Obama is facing protestors who are urging him not to invade Pakistan. Folks, he said he’d attack high-level terrorists in the mountains of Pakistan if Musharraf left them alone. This is not an invasion policy.

* Howard Fineman continues to perceive bad news for the GOP as bad news for Dems. I think he’s confused.

* The Oklahoma Dept. of Motor Vehicles is now offering a license-plate upgrade that says, “Global War on Terror,” alongside an eagle, the Twin Towers, and a small banner that says, “9/11.” Oh my. It’s as if it were designed by Stepehen Colbert — without the sense of irony.

* ABC: “A manhunt is on in Afghanistan for the man President Hamid Karzai wanted to name head of his country’s border police, ABC News has learned, following the discovery that the official owned a car filled with heroin intercepted by members of the Kabul City Criminal Investigations Division.”

* Fox News plays chyron games.

* Pat Robertson’s Regent University is experiencing some financial trouble. Good. (thanks to Rege for the tip)

* And finally, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) doesn’t think Iraq will be the big issue next year. It also won’t be healthcare. Or the economy, the environment, or energy policy. “I think the defining issue in ’08 is going to be Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in Washington who are busily at work trying to raise taxes, add more regulation and more litigation,” he said. Once in a while, I almost feel sorry for McConnell, and wonder how it is he managed to become Senate Minority Leader.

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

“My religious affiliation, my religious practices and the degree to which I am a good or not so good Catholic, I prefer to leave to the priests,”

The priests will be as fair, and as clement, with Giuliani as they were with that other Catholic. Sen. Kerry.

And I am Marie of Roumania.

  • About the “Global War on Terror” license plates here in Oklahoma: It’s embarrassing, but I can’t possibly come up with a better comment than the readers at Think Progress have already made. Check them out at CB’s link, above.

    Regent University shouldn’t have any future financial problems. When all the Regent law grads lose their low-paying government jobs in about 18 months, they will be in the private sector earning the big bucks that they deserve. Then their annual financial support to Regent will be enough to fund current operations AND rebuild the endowment.

    What? Did I hear someone say that Regent is a third-rate law school, and their graduates will be lucky to find jobs bagging groceries when they leave the Bush Administration? Hmmmm.

  • TimesSelect is not dead until it’s dead. Let’s all hope that it moves to the great dustbin of history.

  • I would really rather see a Republican debate moderated by Olbermann. Now that would be amusing.

  • If the New York Post is right (which is not always a gimme), the New York Times is poised to give up on its TimesSelect project and will re-open its op-ed page, for free, online. “The timing of when TimesSelect will shut down hinges on resolving software issues associated with making the switch to a free service, the source said.” If true, it’s good news.

    Yay

  • “I think the defining issue in ‘08 is going to be Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in Washington who are busily at work trying to raise taxes, add more regulation and more litigation,”

    And when that flops, they’ll flip through their trusty playbook of gay marriage, abortion, flag burning, terror terror terror and 9/11. The repub dogs are getting old, and they’re not so good with new tricks.

  • At 7 PM ET, we will hold a live chat during the AFL-CIO Democratic candidate forum at Soldier Field in Chicago. So join us at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, enter a nickname and start chatting with other progressives as you watch live on MSNBC. See you all then.

    http://www.thebluestate.com

  • To the New York Times: If you do in fact get rid of the odious Times Select, feel free to keep the BS issued forth by David Brooks behind any impregnable and hermetically sealed barrier you wish. Or better yet, just can his ass.

  • As far as Guiliani and the Catholic issue goes, reporters need to start asking those four archbishops who said their dioceses should deny Kerry communion if that same standard applies to Guiliani?

  • The Oklahoma Dept. of Motor Vehicles is now offering a license-plate upgrade that says, “Global War on Terror,” alongside an eagle, the Twin Towers, and a small banner that says, “9/11.”

    Does that come with a collectible action figure?

  • “I think the defining issue in ‘08 is going to be Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in Washington who are busily at work trying to raise taxes, add more regulation and more litigation…” — Mitch McConnell

    Of course that’s what Republicans will try to make issues of — what else do they have? Might as well cash in on the bogus perceptions they’ve spent decades instilling into the culture. Think of it as propaganda equity.

  • “My religious affiliation, my religious practices and the degree to which I am a good or not so good Catholic, I prefer to leave to the priests,”

    And also because they have taken a vow of secrecy.

  • I watched the Democratic ‘forum’, out of one eye and with half an ear, and I’d swear I heard Kucinich advocate building a tunnel to China followed by Edwards pointing out that he had stood in a picket line on Saturn.

    The scary part: I didn’t bat an eye.

  • * […] Police Department’s covert surveillance of protest groups and individual activists before the Republican National Convention in 2004.

    Bloomberg for President?

    * “A manhunt is on in Afghanistan for the man President Hamid Karzai wanted to name head of his country’s border police,

    Karzai for Vice-President? Guliani’s, of course — two peas in a pod, when it comes to their choices of head policemen. Mind you, one would want to know whether Karzai is at least as good a Muslim as Giuliani is a Catholic…

    * Pat Robertson’s Regent University is experiencing some financial trouble.

    That’s what you get when you tack conservative. All those young repubs can think of is “me, me, me”, and, when they’re done with thinking of themselves, they think of Jesus. The old alma matter? Who the hell cares?

  • Hmmm – Times Select becoming free….Murdoch buying the Journal….sounds like the WSJ is about to become the cheapie we all thought.

  • * If the New York Post is right (which is not always a gimme), the New York Times is poised to give up on its TimesSelect project [deletia] If true, it’s good news.

    Good news for us, but bad news for the newspaper industry since it’s more proof they can’t find a pricing model that works. They’re doomed and since political blogging depends on newspapers we’re diminished.

  • Regent’s endowment currently at about $275 million. What a joke.

    God must love Harvard better, LOL.

  • “As far as Guiliani and the Catholic issue goes, reporters need to start asking those four archbishops who said their dioceses should deny Kerry communion if that same standard applies to Guiliani…”

    Especially since Kerry had only one strike against him (abortion), whereas Giuliani has both abortion *and* divorce on his resume.

  • Oh, waaah, they can’t serve pizza to interns anymore.
    …Wait, they can, if it’s el-cheapo cut into cookie sizes.

    What, they’ll be at fundraisers more? More than… Always? Look, if lobbyists want to engage our legislators, then they should engage us.

    Popularly attended events, indeed. How about making sure that lawmakers know something is important with letter-writing campaigns?

    These guys just got lazy. The rest of us have to work hard to get our dole.

  • PLEASE don’t underestimate the power the brand name “Republican has.”

    People have been convinced for a long time that the Chris Matthews synonym of “handling taxes” and “lowering taxes” is valid.

    No one reduces taxes better than the GOP. We can’t hope to compete. It takes a total absence of conscience to spend 200+ billion on a war, rain drug benefit largess on the senior citizen voting block, but only minor discretionary funds that DON’T adversely affect their base and not raise taxes a dime to pay for any of it and cut taxes for the rich and hand out one time rebates for the great little people (like me.)

    The average household credit card debt is 8000 bucks and climbing. They pay noi attention to their own looming disaster, how can we think they’d agree to raise their own taxes because “the government” has a disturbingly high credit card balance (aka the national debt).

    Tax cuts are a winner, ALWAYS.
    Republicans NEVER lose votes promising one. They should, but they don’t.
    Maybe…just maybe we can demonstrate that low taxes leads to collapsing bridges and random death in a way that will sink in with the sincere concern it is due.

    Virginia finally agreed to higher taxes when Mark Warner beat Earley despite tax cut promises because their schools were falling apart.

    Bridges, schools…. can the US realize there’s no free lunch like Virginia finally did?

  • When taxes are cut at the federal level, the states end up short on revenue, and then what happens? The money that Uncle Sam puts in your pocket, the state reaches in and takes out. Oh, it may not be an income tax – it might be higher fees to register your car and boat, it might be higher fees for dog and cat licenses and fishing licenses, or any number of “fuser ees” that will help replace the lost federal money. It could be a state-imposed gasoline tax, or an increase in the property tax rate (or my favorite – cutting the property tax rate but raising the assessment) – but either the state replaces the missing federal funds, or it makes cuts in services.

    That “more money” you think you have as a result of tax cuts – what do you do with it? Spend it on more frequent front-end alignments after driving on crappy, pot-holed roads that aren’t repaired often enough because there is no money for it? With that “extra” money in your pocket, do you continue to complain about the decline in the quality of all those things you no longer contribute as much money to?

    Wake up, people – this is smoke and mirrors.

  • Apparently, Barack Obama is facing protestors who are urging him not to invade Pakistan. Folks, he said he’d attack high-level terrorists in the mountains of Pakistan if Musharraf left them alone. This is not an invasion policy.

    Sorry, but if one country enters another country without permission, even if it’s the right thing to do, it IS technically an invasion, even if a country like the US is going into an uncontrolled part of a a country, like Waziristan, Pakistan.

    At some point, you just have to call a spade a spade.

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