Thursday’s Mini-Report

January 10, 2008

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* This isn’t going away anytime soon: “The United States on Thursday lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Iran over an incident last weekend in which Iranian speedboats harassed U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf. The protest repeats U.S. complaints about Sunday’s “provocative” action in the Strait of Hormuz and was sent to the Iranian Foreign Ministry via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran, the State Department said.”

* On the other hand: “Just two days after the U.S. Navy released the eerie video of Iranian speedboats swarming around American warships, which featured a chilling threat in English, the Navy is saying that the voice on the tape could have come from the shore or from another ship. The near-clash occurred over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz. On the U.S.-released recording, a voice can be heard saying to the Americans, ‘I am coming to you. You will explode after a few minutes.’ The Navy never said specifically where the voices came from, but many were left with the impression they had come from the speedboats because of the way the Navy footage was edited. Today, the spokesperson for the U.S. admiral in charge of the Fifth Fleet clarified to ABC News that the threat may have come from the Iranian boats, or it may have come from somewhere else.”

* I think it’s safe to say the Fed is worried about the health of the economy: “Any confusion as to whether the Federal Reserve plans to cut rates further to help a struggling economy may have been cleared up today. In prepared remarks, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke pledged Thursday to slash interest rates yet again to prevent housing and credit problems from plunging the country into a recession. The Fed chief made clear the central bank was prepared to act aggressively to rescue a weakening economy. ‘We stand ready to take substantive additional action as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks,’ he said.”

* The Abramoff/GOP culture of corruption claims another victim: “Well, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) finally made his much-anticipated announcement, and curiously enough, the ongoing federal investigation and his near-certain defeat in the Republican primary apparently didn’t figure into his decision to retire.” Doolittle, recently the subject of an FBI raid, said he and his wife are “ready for a change after spending almost our entire married lives with me in public service.” That’s even lame by Republican standards.

* Mitt Romney got choked up today, talking about his father. One assumes that this will now be the subject of intense media scrutiny? Observers will obsess endlessly about whether the emotions are legitimate? I doubt it.

* I can’t believe Time magazine actually published this: “Pelosi has so far stayed out of the race. But when her top advisor who also happens to be a famous champion of women politicians endorses Obama, does it send the signal: is there room in Washington for both a Speaker Pelosi and a President Hillary?” Worse, it was written by a woman, Jay Newton-Small.

* Andrew Sullivan, whose distaste for Hillary Clinton knows no bounds, mentioned today (in response to a thoughtful email) that he’s “going to try a little harder to be a little more temperate.” Good for him.

* Blackwater didn’t need another controversy, but it has one anyway: “Suddenly, on that May day in 2005, the copter dropped CS gas, a riot-control substance the American military in Iraq can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders. An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers operating the checkpoint…. Both the helicopter and the vehicle involved in the incident at the Assassins’ Gate checkpoint were not from the United States military, but were part of a convoy operated by Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor that is under scrutiny for its role in a series of violent episodes in Iraq, including a September shooting in downtown Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead. None of the American soldiers exposed to the chemical, which is similar to tear gas, required medical attention, and it is not clear if any Iraqis did. Still, the previously undisclosed incident has raised significant new questions about the role of private security contractors in Iraq, and whether they operate under the same rules of engagement and international treaty obligations that the American military observes.”

* My personal test for great writers? When something happens on their beat, I look forward to what they have to say. For example, here’s Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick on the voter-ID case at the Supreme Court. If Lithwick’s not one of the very best at covering legal issues like these, I don’t know who is.

* Did CBS News’ Scott Conroy really write a piece complaining about the quality of the food on the Romney campaign plane? I mean, sure, we’re all human beings, and we all enjoy warm meals, but this just seemed weak. (thanks to DOK for the tip)

* If you missed it, here’s the video of Kerry’s Obama endorsement.

* There’s been some speculation about voter-machine mischief in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary. Josh Marshall isn’t buying it.

* Quote of the day by way of Jon Chait: “Basically, trying to explain why the Fairtax is a bad idea is like trying to explain why having trained elephants perform open-heart surgery on every first-grader in America is a bad idea. The whole idea is one bit of lunacy stacked upon another, so when you focus on any one element of it, you let the other side suck you into into arguments about details — maybe there could be benefits to preemptively fixing the hearts of six year olds! Perhaps elephants do have the potential intelligence to one day perform this task!! — that inadvertently make the plan sound semi-credible.”

* And finally, with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert calling Bush “a great guy,” it looks like Bush may have found himself a new poodle: “I know that people say all kinds of things about him. Gentlemen, he’s a graduate of Yale and Harvard. People don’t graduate from Harvard and Yale without wisdom and understanding of processes and domestic and international relationships. He’s a very wise man.” Oh my. (Thanks to LM for the tip)

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

If they were to make a movie about Bush and his new poodle, I bet they’d call it “Bend It Like Olmert”.

What a swell guy…..

  • “the threat may have come from the Iranian boats, or it may have come from somewhere else.”

    Since there was no background motor noise, it’s pretty obvious that it came from somewhere else.

    That event was a scam, and it would be interesting to know who really was the scammer.

  • “People don’t graduate from Harvard and Yale without wisdom and understanding of processes and domestic and international relationships. He’s a very wise man.”

    I certainly hope this was a joke. It’s a fairly clever thing to say as a joke. It was frighteningly dumb otherwise. I believe this was a major theme of Vonnegut’s novel Jailbird, which mocked this very idea. I wonder if Olmert has read it.

  • Concerning rumors of vote-counting mischief in New Hampshire:

    Since the fiasco of the 2000 election in Florida and the irregularities observed in Ohio in 2004, many Americans have good reason to doubt that our elections are being administered fairly. Nothing is more basic to democracy. It’s a scandal that seven years after the Florida debacle, a relatively enlightened place like New Hampshire still lacks transparency in its election process.

    This is the sort of thing that starts revolutions. Violent, bloody revolutions, Our very democracy is at stake.

  • When I heard that Bush had said today that Israel will need to withdraw from the territories that it has occupied since the 1967 war, I was a bit stunned. How will that play with Bush’s ultra-conservative backers? Kristol comes to mind, for one.

    I want to hear the Republican presidential candidates address this topic at their next debate. Talk about shucking and jiving! 🙂

  • The first order of business when you’re dealing with a stupid idea is to take away any retarded framing/names they want to give it. Don’t use the term “Fair tax” unless you think it’s fair. It’s called a FLAT TAX.

    Frames matter. If we get to call our plans whatever we want, I could come up with a plan I call “talking to conservatives” which they might call “RacerX punching me in the face”.

  • * There’s been some speculation about voter-machine mischief in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary. Josh Marshall isn’t buying it.

    This is just GOP anti-Hillary crap to try to deflect questioning of the polls.

    OT, you had a quote from Phillip Carter earlier today about how the Iraq war has dropped out of the news. Another thing that isn’t in the news, but might be– and in a big way, if “the shoe were on the other foot,” politically– is how the Republicans are so evasive of court inquiries and congressional inquiries. It’s too bad the Dems either can’t, or won’t bother, to try to raise a big stink-fest over how Republican officials are refusing to acknowledge their official inquiries over misdeeds of Republicans in government, KBR contractors, Blackwater, and so on, because this is the type of thing the Republicans would be dragging us over the coals with and trying to spell our political demise with if our situations were switched.

    * Andrew Sullivan, whose distaste for Hillary Clinton knows no bounds, mentioned today (in response to a thoughtful email) that he’s “going to try a little harder to be a little more temperate.” Good for him.

    I don’t trust Andrew Sullivan at all, even though he had some columns making some good points for a while there. Smoke screen, as is this, in my opinion.

    Mitt Romney got choked up today, talking about his father. One assumes that this will now be the subject of intense media scrutiny? Observers will obsess endlessly about whether the emotions are legitimate? I doubt it.

    Well, Romney lied about the MLK marching in his family. Maybe he thinks crying did the trick for Hillary, so now he wants to try it. He’s certainly dishonest enough.

  • Okie says: “When I heard that Bush had said today that Israel will need to withdraw from the territories that it has occupied since the 1967 war, I was a bit stunned. How will that play with Bush’s ultra-conservative backers? Kristol comes to mind, for one.”

    I predict he will backpedal, bigtime. And unfortunately all the Dems will clap loudly, because The Lobby is watching, and they play hardball.

  • Actually RacerX it’s a 30% sales tax, not a flat income tax rate.

    Still stupid though.

    I think Olmert was trying to undermine Boy George II’s credibility with the Palestinians. Convince them that BGII is not an honest mediator and nothing will happen.

  • Today, the spokesperson for the U.S. admiral in charge of the Fifth Fleet clarified to ABC News that the threat may have come from the Iranian boats, or it may have come from somewhere else.

    I swear I must be living in a dream when I find Iran more credible than the US Navy.

    How can we sit by while they start a war like this?

    Mitt Romney got choked up today, talking about his father.

    Used to be, it took a pretzel to get someone all choked up. Now everyone’s doin’ it.

    — that inadvertently make the plan sound semi-credible.

    No way, no how. Supporting the FairTax, which would lead to the complete destruction of the world economy, should be considered nothing short of treason, and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

    One only needs to know the dishonest way these fiscal terrorists (I’m taxmongering) calculate the rate (inclusive versus exclusive) to understand the sheer magnitude of the deceptions. To borrow a phrase from Bill Clinton, it’s the biggest fairytale I’ve ever seen.

    People don’t Bush didn’t graduate from Harvard and Yale without wisdom and understanding of processes and domestic and international relationships. He’s a son of a very wise rich man.

    Fixed it for you Prime Minister. Hope that hand up your ass doesn’t hurt too much, you puppet.

  • I have a real-life story to tell about voter ID.

    My 87-year-old mother votes in the lobby of the long-term care facility where she has lived for the past six years. Everyone there knows her. Her signature matches the one that she put on the voter registration card that I helped her fill out when she moved to her present residence.

    It’s extremely difficult to take Mom anywhere because of her inability to walk, which fortunately isn’t necessary very often. She’s sharp as a tack and interested in politics. But she hasn’t had a driver’s license for twenty years.

    Now the geniuses in the Republican-controlled Oklahoma legislature are proposing our very own version of the smelly Indiana voter ID law. They don’t want to allow Mom to vote without a new government-issued photo ID. I have never seen a birth certificate for her, but I could probably get one from the state where she was born. Of course it would only have her maiden name on it anyway, not the name by which she has been known for over sixty years. I have never seen my parents’ marriage certificate either. Where do I get that?

    To my knowledge, there is zero evidence that an unregistered person has ever been allowed to vote in Oklahoma. So why is our legislature doing this to us? To suppress Democratic votes, that’s why. They may deny it, but that is 100% of the reason for it. And our sorry Supreme Court may well say that it’s perfectly legal.

    I suppose that I’ll just help Mom get absentee ballots from now on. Maybe we won’t need a photo ID for that.

  • Actually RacerX it’s a 30% sales tax, not a flat income tax rate. -Lance

    When looked at honestly, too, it’s realistically a 68% sale tax rate because of all the book cooking done to make it appear revenue neutral, like having the government pay itself taxes.

    That’s also assuming there is no tax dodging, but we know with a high tax rate like that the incentives to do so would be too great.

    It’s just ming-bogglingly stupid to consider and anyone who is pushing it is pandering to the ultra-wealthy.

  • Ole Mitt is certainly a quick study; Hillary’s tears are credited (in some venues) with putting her over the top in New Hampshire, and they’re barely dry on the tabletop before Mitt is on the edge of sobbing. I wonder if some hardcore Conservative publication which there’s no need to name will do a piece about how Mitt’s actually almost a woman, making it sound as negative as possible.

    Look for Mitt to appear in blackface in South Carolina, talking about change and peppering his narrative with Martin Luther King references.

  • I looked into the voter fraud reports today and the only thing I found to be credible was a county where a whole family said they voted for Paul and the vote totals for their county showed zero votes. It was later reviled that there were 31 votes for Paul and the mistake was blamed on human error.

    Now this could be a false story but I can see why most voters are not trusting of paperless voting systems.

  • ***…is there room in Washington for both a Speaker Pelosi and a President Hillary?***

    Why, of course there’s room for them both. They’re the latest fad in tag teams. They’re the “Dubya Duo”—one enables the Bush/Cheney bloodied maw of war, while the other takes impeachment off the table.

    And before anyone wants to call be a chauvinist—I’d much rather have seen someone like Darlene Hooley from the Oregon 5th running right now, instead of Chillary. Her resume includes Banking and Financial, Budget, Energy and Commerce, Vet-Affairs, and Science/Tech. Imagine that—a single member of the House with more combined experience in all those critical critical domestic-issue areas than all the Reskunk candidates—combined. Plus she’s been around the Hill longer that Hillary—just in case the “Mrs. Big Dog trauma team” wants to play the “experience” card on me….

  • And before anyone wants to call be a chauvinist—I’d much rather have seen someone like Darlene Hooley from the Oregon 5th running right now, instead of Chillary. Her resume includes Banking and Financial, Budget, Energy and Commerce, Vet-Affairs, and Science/Tech. Imagine that—a single member of the House with more combined experience in all those critical critical domestic-issue areas than all the Reskunk candidates—combined. Plus she’s been around the Hill longer that Hillary—just in case the “Mrs. Big Dog trauma team” wants to play the “experience” card on me….

    And then there are wonky people who like to tool around in the background, but don’t have the character / ambition to lead and take the reins. If they ever find themselves (inadvertently, of course) in the position of actually being the one all the way at the top, they spazz around, look bad, are so scared they defer to untrustworthy people to make decisions for them, etc. There’s a difference between a fighter and a general.

    I wonder if some hardcore Conservative publication which there’s no need to name will do a piece about how Mitt’s actually almost a woman, making it sound as negative as possible.

    Actually it was the New York Post, which tries to pass itself off as mainstream although it’s totally undermined, that was calling Barack Obama not-really-a-man for no reason the other day. We all know you Republicans think that your fathers are one of the things it’s gosh-darn alright and noble for a man to cry over, because it’s aw-shucks all about how men are manly and should be worshipped and should be running things, even if Mitt’s dad was a schmuck, or Mitt’s a schmuch for liking him. Gosh-darn it.

  • Steve at 15, God forbid we let some flaccid wimp who’s too scared to either lead or put someone who should be leading into the leadership position.

    That’s a highway to getting things all fucked up.

  • Why are there so many liberal commenters on blogs who hate everybody whose opinions are not 100% in accord with yours?

    Do you realize you are at odds with 300 million Americans (i.e., Hillary talks to corporations therefore she can’t be a politician)?

    It sometimes looks like we’d be better off if you got back on whatever UFO brought you here and returned to your home planet.

  • This isn’t related to any of the items in this post, but I did want to comment on Richardson bowing out of the race. I realize this was treated earlier in the day, but that said, I think his run is worth remembering. (And yes..it is because I’m from New Mexico, and I like Bill). Anyway, I’m not sure where the conservative line came from given his record here in NM. His tenure as governor here has been great for this state and I think he would have made a fine president. I also disagree that he was on awful candidate. Having never before backed a long shot candidate, I can understand the frustration that many probably have regarding the utter lack of attention by pundits. (Why is it that everyone seems to understand the agenda setting function of the media except the members of that institution? But I digress). Anyway, I did want to share aspects of the email that the Richardson campaign sent out. It was positive and upbeat. Following is an excerpt:

    “Running for president brings out the best in everyone who graces the stage, and I have learned much from the other candidates running. They have all brought great talents and abilities to the campaign.

    Senator Biden’s passion and intellect are remarkable.

    Senator Dodd is the epitome of selfless dedication to public service and the Democratic Party.

    Senator Edwards is a singular voice for the most downtrodden and forgotten among us.

    Senator Obama is a bright light of hope and optimism at a time of great national unease, yet he is also grounded in thoughtful wisdom beyond his years.

    Senator Clinton’s poise in the face of adversity is matched only by her lifetime of achievement and deep understanding of the challenges we face.

    Representative Kucinich is a man of great decency and dedication who will faithfully soldier on no matter how great the odds.

    And all of us in the Democratic Party owe Senator Mike Gravel our appreciation for his leadership during the national turmoil of Vietnam.

    I am honored to have shared the stage with each of these Democrats. And I am enormously grateful to all of my supporters who chose to stand with me despite so many other candidates of accomplishment and potential. ”

    If only other politicians could remember this civility.
    Well, here’s looking forward to a great campaign. Dammit, now I’m undecided.

  • “The United States on Thursday lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Iran over an incident last weekend in which Iranian speedboats harassed U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf. […] On the other hand, perhaps they didn’t; we don’t really know (the next item)…

    When in doubt, “Bomb, bomb, bomb; bomb bomb Iran”… Sigh. 375 more days of slogging through this crap.

  • I’ve linked this article in a couple previous comments about the FairTax, but I think it’s great and bears repeating. It does a great job explaining just how insidious the supporters of the FairTax are.

    A 2000 estimate by Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation found the tax-inclusive rate would have to be 36% and the tax-exclusive rate would be 57%. In 2005, the U.S. Treasury Department calculated that a tax-exclusive rate of 34% would be needed just to replace the income tax, leaving the payroll tax in place. But if evasion were high then the rate might have to rise to 49%. If the FairTax were only able to cover the limited sales tax base of a typical state, then a rate of 64% would be required (89% with high evasion).

    In short, the FairTax is too good to be true, and voters should not take seriously any candidate who supports it.

  • One assumes that this will now be the subject of intense media scrutiny? Observers will obsess endlessly about whether the emotions are legitimate? I doubt it.

    Of course. With Clinton, there was some doubt as to her humanity. But everyone knows that Mitt Romney is an animatronic constructed by the Walt Disney Company. His tears couldn’t have been real…

  • Shorter Ben Bernanke:

    Cheap money got us into this mess…
    cheap money will get us out.

  • The Week in God makes an early appearance and CB’s favorite TVPreacher is involved.

    TULSA, Okla. – Two televangelists have resigned their posts as regents at Oral Roberts University, as the debt-ridden school tries to regroup following a spending scandal involving its former president.

    Benny Hinn and I.V. Hilliard have resigned as regents, where they were involved in making major school decisions, university spokesman Jeremy Burton said Thursday. Burton declined to say why the two resigned, but said both wrote the board to express their support for the school’s mission.
    […]

    Hinn and Dollar are among six televangelists being investigated by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley to determine if the high-profile preachers violated their organizations’ tax-exempt status by living lavishly on the backs of small donors. They have denied wrongdoing.
    […]
    Former regent Harry McNevin, who resigned 20 years ago over what he says was excessive spending by Oral and Richard Roberts, said Thursday’s resignations couldn’t have come soon enough.

    “The whole board needs to go,” McNevin said. “I see (the university) as a corporation belonging to the Robertses.”

  • Ok,

    #23 was not me– the usual Swan who comments on this website. Of course, I can’t guarantee that no one will steal my handle again. This has happened to me before, though. I can say that I usually link my handle to my website, and this namestealer didn’t do that.

    I don’t read all the posts, so hopefull CB will ban that person’s IP before they do anything else with my handle.

  • Bernard HP Gilroy: But everyone knows that Mitt Romney is an animatronic constructed by the Walt Disney Company. His tears couldn’t have been real…

    He is so earnest in his earnestlessness that it is almost becoming…
    His ambition is so naked it is almost charming…
    I love watching him try to explain something…
    After you get passed being amazed…
    His schtick will make you laugh.
    After the primaries… SNL ought to offer him a contract.

  • Pingback: ABC News reports and Moonbats abound. « Wayward Fundamentalist Christian

  • Today there are authenticity questions raised about tears, voices, and ballots.
    Trickery is so common place now, that suspicion is the norm.

  • Olmert knows which side his bread is buttered on, and like any thief he wants to get the best deal when he’s finally hauled before the bar of justice. Watch him try to make a deal with the Palestinians in time to help his Republican buddies, since he knows the Christian Zionist wing of the GOP can’t do anything to cover up his crimes if there isn’t a Republican in the White House.

    That and “birds of a feather, flock together.”

  • I am not Buddha Blaze Champion — Swan, @23

    I was beginning to suspect you were — similarities in the style of writing (untidy and illogical) and in the general manner (“we like to talk to ourselves, to maintain the conversation with the smartest person around”). Now that you’ve denied it, I’m certain-sure 🙂

    Duckling, dear… It’s not enough to change the *username*; you have to change the entire persona to be able to hide successfully. And that “I like to have a discussion with myself” trait of yours really *is* telling, whether you call yourself a Swan, a Buddha, or a Contented Republican…

  • In the litany of things about Sadaam Hussein we deemed so abhorrent that we needed to attack Iraq it seems the US has duplicated nearly the whole lot of them, except for one notable incident: gassing his own people. Thanks to Blackwater’s dropping of CS gas on US troops, we can check another odious milestone off the list that makes this government’s handling of Iraq just as Sadaam would have done.

  • Was Romney brainwashed?

    Buddha: Nice try, but I won’t click on your name still. Complaining about invisible insults while trolling with insults reminds me of AOL flame wars a dozen years ago. If I want tantrums, I listen to Bush rail against all of the bogeyman that make him go wee-wee in his pantaloons.

    As for voting irregularities in NH, I still favor paper trails as a universal check on tampering, along with the elimination of all hackable machines. But I’m with Josh: very skeptical, because the exit polls don’t display much to support it and the NH Secretary of State is a Democrat. Though anyone’s potentially capable of corruption the cases of significant fraud in recent decades have always involved GOP SoSes.

  • Just a thought.
    Couldn’t the voter rolls at polling stations have pics next to the name?
    Then no photo ID needs to be brought in.

    The data should be obtainable readily enough from dept.s of Motor Vehicles for most folks and a snapshot could be taken at the polling place the first time they come to vote without an ID.

    Just thinking out loud.

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