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Tuesday’s Mini-Report

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Today’s edition of quick hits.

* Uh oh: “The possibility of a mistrial emerged on Tuesday in the United States’ first war crimes trial at Guantanamo, after prosecutors said the judge gave flawed instructions to a jury of military officers in the case against Osama bin Laden’s driver. Prosecutors asked the judge to revise the instructions he gave in what constitutes a war crime to the jurors, who began deliberating on Monday in the case of Yemeni prisoner Salim Hamdan.”

* For crying out loud: “The soaring price of oil will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end an American federal oversight agency has concluded in an analysis released on Tuesday. The unspent windfall, which covers surpluses from oil sales from 2005 through 2008, appears likely to put an uncomfortable new focus on the approximately $48 billion in American taxpayer money devoted to rebuilding Iraq since the American-led invasion.” Ya think?

* Interest rates stay unchanged: “The Federal Reserve, confronted with the perils of a slumping economy and rising inflation, has decided for a second straight meeting to leave interest rates unchanged. The Fed announced Tuesday that it was keeping its target for the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other on overnight loans, at 2 percent. Wall Street seem pleased with the decision.”

* I’ve long believed John Kerry is much funnier than people give him credit for: “I don’t know if you know this. John McCain is looking for someone for vice president who has more economic expertise than he does. So congratulations to all of you, you’re on the short list.”

* TPM: “Looks like we have yet another point in common between John McCain and George Bush: Both are responding to Nouri al-Maliki’s inconvenient endorsement of Barack Obama’s 16-month withdrawal timeline by saying that Maliki didn’t really mean it.”

* Fascinating Newsweek piece: “What the massive turnout for a free medical and dental clinic in southwest Virginia reveals about the widening gap between health-care haves and have-nots in the United States.”

* Fox News is boasting about a KFC restaurant opening in Fallujah. The establishment doesn’t actually exist.

* Stevens wants a change in venue: “Lawyers for Sen. Ted Stevens (R., Alaska) filed a motion Monday to move his trial to Alaska so he can campaign for re-election during the trial…. ‘Were venue transferred to Alaska, Senator Stevens would have the opportunity to campaign in the evenings and on weekends during the trial,’ the motion said. In the filing, Stevens’ legal defense team argued the ‘center of gravity’ of the case was based in Alaska, and that very little of the alleged underlying conduct took place in Washington, D.C., where the case is currently being heard.”

* Don’t underestimate Oprah’s political power.

* I’m only vaguely aware of who Toby Keith is, but he appears to be an unusually foolish political commentator. I expect a Fox News contract to be extended his way soon.

* “Ethnic cleansing” doesn’t mean what Stephen Biddle, Michael O’Hanlon, and Kenneth Pollack seem to think it means.

* I’m glad to see someone at MSNBC is reading Media Matters’ reports.

* No more Dana Milbank on “Countdown.” Keith Olbermann’s backstory on this is worth reading.

* As a rule, I consider political figures’ families entirely off-limits. But when a Republican candidate for Senate has an adult son who declares “Slavery Gets Shit Done” on his Facebook page, I think it’s fair-game.

* And finally, asked about the illegal employment decisions made by his Justice Department, the president said yesterday, “I had a lot of hires in this administration, a lot of parts of it. I’ve read the critique. I’ve listened very seriously to what they said. And other than that, I have no comment.” I have no idea what this means, but I found it amusing.

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

Comments

  • Dennis-SGMM

    says:

    The soaring price of oil will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end an American federal oversight agency has concluded in an analysis released on Tuesday.

    “It is unimaginable that the United States would have to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars and highly unlikely that we would have to contribute even tens of billions of dollars.”

    Kenneth Pollack
    former director for Persian Gulf affairs
    National Security Council
    September 2002

    “When it comes to reconstruction, before we turn to the American taxpayer, we will turn first to the resources of the Iraqi government and the international community.”

    Donald Rumsfeld
    Secretary of Defense
    March 27, 2003

    “There is a lot of money to pay for this that doesn’t have to be US taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people. We are talking about a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.”

    Paul Wolfowitz
    Deputy Secretary of Defense
    testifying before the defense subcommittee
    of the House Appropriations Committee
    March 27, 2003

    We’re still waiting…

  • The Answer is Orange

    says:

    Were venue transferred to Alaska, Senator Stevens would have the opportunity to campaign in the evenings and on weekends during the trial,’

    Oh how I wish I could have seen the judge’s face.

    “Ethnic cleansing” doesn’t seem to mean what Stephen Biddle, Michael O’Hanlon, and Kenneth Pollack think it means.

    Wow. If this idiocy were from one person it would be impressive, but three people contributed to this morass of moronicness.

  • FreeProton

    says:

    “I had a lot of hires in this administration, a lot of parts of it. I’ve read the critique. I’ve listened very seriously to what they said. And other than that, I have no comment.”

    Bush then added: “I come in to work every morning. I walk through a lot of doors. I put one foot in front of the other. I use my ass to sit at a desk. I sometimes pick up a pen and apply it to paper. Occasionally, people come through my office and speak words. We may glance at one another. I find it all very challenging.”

  • Steve

    says:

    “I had a lot of hires in this administration, a lot of parts of it. I’ve read the critique. I’ve listened very seriously to what they said. And other than that, I have no comment.”

    Translation: “I, Commander Deciderer, choose to not further incriminate myself.”

  • Dennis-SGMM

    says:

    The possibility of a mistrial emerged on Tuesday in the United States’ first war crimes trial at Guantanamo, after prosecutors said the judge gave flawed instructions to a jury of military officers in the case against Osama bin Laden’s driver.

    Bushco: too incompetent to even run a kangaroo court. The Bush administration could eff up an anvil in a sandbox.

  • MsJoanne

    says:

    Hey CB, you just got a 4 minute shoutout by Randi Rhodes about your McCain sunscreen as a healthcare policy post! 4:54 – 4:58 CDT.

    She didn’t see your name…shoot her an email!

    Congrats!!

  • The Answer is Orange

    says:

    Bush then added: “I come in to work every morning. I walk through a lot of doors. I put one foot in front of the other. I use my ass to sit at a desk. I sometimes pick up a pen and apply it to paper. Occasionally, people come through my office and speak words. We may glance at one another. I find it all very challenging.”

    Due to some random firing of neurons, I read the above and got B. Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” stuck in my head.

    I frickin HATE that song.

    And I’m not too crazy about Bruce.

    I guess it makes sense.

  • zeitgeist

    says:

    CB, if you aren’t familiar with Toby Keith, you need to watch the Dixie Chick’s documentary “Shut Up and Sing,” which I highly commend to anyone – I’m not a huge Dixie Chicks fan and I still thought the documentary was a great look at how costly free speech really is under mob-rules society.

  • Drew

    says:

    Why is it fair game? Either we are ultimately responsible for the conduct and statements made by our family or we are not. Assuming the guy’s son had no role in his political occupation/office, I think this is very out of bounds. The reason it’s a rule (and a good one) is that you don’t want to get in the habit of line drawing. What if it was his mom? What if she was elderly? What if she was borderline elderly? What if she’d just had a stroke? What if doctor’s said her stroke hadn’t effected her cognitive ability? What if the son is mildly autistic? What if he was raised by him mother who was an abusive alcoholic? What if he and his son live together? What if he and his son haven’t spoken in 10 years? What if he’s adopted? I love your blog but I have absolutely no idea why the outragousness of the comment makes a difference. And why the inclusion of the word Republican? Your sentence structure very much makes it sound like you wouldn’t have included the item if the son of a Democratic senator had said the same thing. This is gross and grossly partisan in my opinion.

  • jen f

    says:

    Drew,

    On one hand I would agree. Parents are not responsible for the behavior of their adult children. But if the child, mother, distant relative of a Democrat had said that about slavery, it would be on CNN non stop. The question I have is – is the son influenced by his parents’ opinions or does he hate his parents so much that he’s doing this to hurt them? There is a third option – he’s spectacularly stupid.

  • Bruno

    says:

    Drew @ 10 said:

    And why the inclusion of the word Republican? Your sentence structure very much makes it sound like you wouldn’t have included the item if the son of a Democratic senator had said the same thing. This is gross and grossly partisan in my opinion.

    The likelihood of a Democrat actually uttering those words are very slim. Obviously, you’re a Republican or claim to be a so called independent, hence your outrage at insinuating the republican tag. It’s only ‘partisan’ when it implicates Republicans, and it’s merely pointing out the facts, when something implicates Democrats.

    I wonder: Where you just as outraged when Fox News identified Rep Foley as the Democrat from Florida? As a refresher that was the Republican Representative who enjoyed chasing underage pages in Congress. He was one of those family value guys who happened to be chair of a committee on exploitation of children.

    In case you haven’t noticed:
    Most bigotry happens on the R. side.
    Most corruption has been on the R.side.

    When Republicans screw things up, they reflexively want to shout from the roofs: They all do it – implying Democrats are just as bad” or “Clinton did it too”

    And that is the party of personal responsibility for you.

  • JohnR

    says:

    RE the Newsweek article on Remote Area Medical Foundation. They had a piece on 60 Minutes last season about them, that should be compulsory for every person railing against universal health care (were talkin’ to you McCain) They have it posted on their website. http://www.ramusa.org/learn/media.html. If it does not embarrass you or move you to tears and outrage that this is happening in the United States there is something wrong with you . These are the working poor who have been hoodwinked into voting against their own self interest. Just people trying to make a living , too rich to qualify for Medicaid , Too poor to afford insurance or doctors. So Sad

  • Scu

    says:

    Dude, I am a major fan of this blog, but seriously, a person’s 19 year old son is not fair game.

    Sure, his facebook is offensive (and in at least one case, seems to be irony impaired), but what makes this uniquely fair game? Family is not fair game, period. End of story. Stand up people don’t go after teenagers who are just going for offensive shock value.

  • Hannah

    says:

    1) http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usvotemediahilton
    Vote for Paris! Hilton ‘enters’ election race with spoof ad

    2) The article on free medical/dental care should be required reading for everyone in this country who thinks “we have the best care in the world”. Depends how you define “we”. Our church serves lunches for homeless/poor people on Saturdays and most everyone has missing or rotted teeth. And I’m not in Appalachia, but a state that is doing OK. There are plenty of millionaires in our town, too. It’s heartbreaking and it’s not right.

  • Drew

    says:

    Jen F,
    My argument would be that it’s irrelevant, not to mention impossible to determine, why this kid put something so offensive and stupid on his facebook page. If he claims it’s a direct quite from his father, I guess that would be newsworthy, otherwise he’s just a fool, of which there are plenty, and I’m not sure his bloodline should make him a special object of ridicule.
    Bruno,
    I’m a committed Democrat, thanks for asking, though I do prefer the more trendy term “Progressive” to be honest. What I’m not is an ideologue. And, what I don’t do is condemn someone for their affiliation, even if that affiliation is “so-called independent” or, god forbid, Republican. The exception, of course, would be an organization that had openly endorsed a racist, misogynist, etc. viewpoint, which is clearly how you see the Republican party. I disagree. I think a disproportionate amount of racists choose the Republican party, but that’s not because racism is on the Republican Party platform, it’s do to a ton of different factors. Additionally, I promise you there are many, many self identifying racist Democrats out there. Surely you’ve run into some as well.

    Was I as outraged when Fox News identified Mark Foley as a Dem, you ask? Outraged? Not really. More amused. I haven’t thought of Fox News as a legitimate news organization in a long, long, time. Most racism happens on the ‘D’ side you say? More corruption? If your political life began in 2000 I can see where you’re coming from, and if you’re young or have only gotten the opportunity to observe or study politics during the Bush administration I understand your viewpoint, and your animosity toward the Republican Party. But, I promise you, the Democratic Party has a fine, long tradition of both racism and corruption. Now, one could argue the modern Democratic Party isn’t he Democratic party of 1960, etc., but nevertheless… I just don’t want you to insist on Republican demonization as a requisite for being liberal, which is what it seemed like you were doing. The truth is much more complicated than Republicans = bad, Democrats = good. We should all be tired of that kind of analysis by now.

    If you’re interested in hearing me blather on and on, I do write a political blog at pseudobodypolitic.blogspot.com

  • RAM

    says:

    So congratulations to all of you, you’re on the short list.

    I hear Danny DeVito’s on the short list too.

  • NonyNony

    says:

    Not to get into the argument about who is “fair game” for criticism, but I have to ask – why are some people so damn stupid that they don’t realize that the Internets are public and that anything they put on Facebook,or Myspace, or Blogger, or whatever with their name attached to it is able to be seen by everyone on the frickin’ planet? Why post stupid embarrassing or incriminating crap in a public venue like that? Not to sound like Abe Simpson, but back in my day if you were drinking underage in your dorm room you had the decency to not post a sign on your door telling everyone else in your dorm, all of your teachers, and your parents that you were doing it. With pictures. And “clever” anecdotes.

    And that kid’s collection of stupid logos is something else. The kid must either have had his irony circuits removed or his parents have done a horrible job with his religious edu-ma-cation for him to unironically hang that “Republican Jesus” image among the rest of his collection. (I’d guess he’s Catholic if his parents are shelling out to send him to U.D. which, for those not in the know, is a private Catholic university).

  • ROTFLMLiberalAO

    says:

    Fox News is boasting about a KFC restaurant opening in Fallujah. The establishment doesn’t actually exist.

    http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/robertfrost/718

    The people along the sand
    All turn and look one way.
    They turn their back on the land.
    They look at the sea all day.

    As long as it takes to pass
    A ship keeps raising its hull;
    The wetter ground like glass
    Reflects a standing gull

    The land may vary more;
    But wherever the truth may be–
    The water comes ashore,
    And the people look at the sea.

    They cannot look out far.
    They cannot look in deep.
    But when was that ever a bar
    To any watch they keep?

  • Bruno

    says:

    Scu @ 16 said:

    Stand up people don’t go after teenagers who are just going for offensive shock value.

    You are absolutely correct!. McCain is NOT a stand up guy. He made fun of Chelsea Clinton when she was still a pre-teen. What makes that incident even worse, is that Chelsea didn’t do or say anything to offend, McCain just made fun of her for absolutely no reason, other than to score some cheap points with his rabid base.

    On the other hand. The so called 19 year old ‘teenager’ sure doesn’t look like a teenager in that picture. It’s actually better that he is taught a lesson about his despicable behavior now, when he’s still young. It’s obvious that his parents didn’t teach him proper values. Or maybe those were the values instilled by his parents and considered proper?

    In short that shit head spoiled brad called attention to his stupidity himself. Chelsea, not so much.

  • libra

    says:

    * Fox News is boasting about a KFC restaurant opening in Fallujah. The establishment doesn’t actually exist. — CB

    But it sounds fingerlickin’ good, no? Alternative response: at least they didn’t say that it was a “North Carolina BBQ” joint, with a bearded, faintly Muslim-looking guy, with an axe, chasing a pig, painted on its wall (my favourite BBQ joint, discovered by accident in Richmond, of which I’ve been getting a “fix” every time I travel either to or from Norfolk, for the past 33yrs)

    Drew, @10,

    I think this is the classic case of “apple, tree, doesn’t fall far off”. Also, “twig, bent, as”. Also, “father, son, like”.

    The unesteemed Papa of this sprig has, unapologetically, done some campaigning among the neonazis, speaking right in front of a big portrait (altar?) of Hitler; they share some of the same sentiments, like visceral dislike of “the other”, especially in the form of “brown immigrant”. Now, it seems that Papa has passed on his “family values” to the scion.

    So yeah, it’s “fair game”, because it shows how unfit the man is — to raise a child or to run for office. Though I’ll agree with you on one thing: it would have been equally despicable (and equally “fair game”) had the candidate been a Dem. Only… I can’t, quite, imagine a Dem running on a xenophobe platform. Not even in CO. This guy is just a reprise of Tancredo (and bad cess to both of them)

  • zeitgeist

    says:

    It’s obvious that his parents didn’t teach him proper values. Or maybe those were the values instilled by his parents and considered proper?

    And of course this is why his page is relevant and fair game. Because his father is running as a candidate of the party that wants to tell me how to run my life, what i have to do to be moral. the point – and a perfectly fair one against any Republican – before your party tries to tell me what defines a “family” and how I should behave privately, get your own screwed up house in order, hypocrite!

  • Bruno

    says:

    Drew @ 18
    Point well taken. I apologize for assuming you were a Republican. You are correct that I”m only looking since 2000, and don’t go as far back as the time when a lot of Southern Democrats were bigots and racist until President Johnson had something to do with signing a bill that pissed off a lot of people in the mid 60’s. Oh yes…. They were corrupt as well.
    Then the Republicans saw an chance and welcomed all the bigots and racists under their ‘big tent’.
    The rest is history, and you are correct; it is far more complicated than what can be talked about in a blog here.

    I hope you can agree that what the majority of Republican politicians have done to our country is a disgrace.

  • Tom Cleaver

    says:

    I’m only vaguely aware of who Toby Keith is, but he appears to be an unusually foolish political commentator. I expect a Fox News contract to be extended his way soon.

    Uhh…. he’s the guy who led the lynch mob against the Dixie Chicks, so I guess he has some idea what he’s talking about.

    Past that, he’s the living embodiment of the term “southern traitor ign’ern’t redneck white trash.” Also the embodiment of a four-letter ethnic slur that starts with “o” and ends with “e”.

  • Bruno

    says:

    This is a little off topic, but check this site out, where they are trying to have a “moneybomb’ fundrasing day to make an impact on the people who voted for FISA and all the enablers in congress.

    strange bedfollows

    I pledged today, hopefully other people will do the same. Those blue dogs have to be shown that regular voters are serious about the Constitution.

  • Tom Cleaver

    says:

    Jen (#12) said: The question I have is – is the son influenced by his parents’ opinions or does he hate his parents so much that he’s doing this to hurt them? There is a third option – he’s spectacularly stupid.

    Given the level of boneheaded moron stupidity publicly demonstrated by dear ol’ Dad, I’d go with the last option – with Republicans, that kind of stupid is in the DNA.

  • libra

    says:

    An odd tidbit from TPM (Election Central):
    * The McCain campaign has bought up $6 million of ad time on NBC during the Olympics, topping the $5 million recently blocked out by the Obama camp.
    It appears that McCain is *seriously* divesting himself of every last penny of primary funds (and possibly, getting in debt, the paying off of which can be pushed down the line). I’m sure some of that money is also coming from NRC, which makes me count my pennies twice and thinking of sending a bit to DNC.

  • libra

    says:

    The “thread” about Hess contributions to McCain’s campaign has died (broken?) long time ago, so I’m tacking this little head-scratcher onto the open thread:

    http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/report_hess_execs_ponied_up_hu.php

    Sounds to me like a typical, hard-nosed deal between two hard-headed businessmen: 10% before, the rest on delivery. Just because the down payment was bundled, doesn’t change the picture in the least or, if it does, it changes it for the worse.

    The limit — *to a party* — is $28.5K, which is what had been delivered once McCain “delivered”. Beforehand, nobody at Hess wanted to risk any more than the allowed donation to the *presidential campaign* ($2.3K per person) but needed a larger “proof of goodwill” than what 10-or-so people were allowed to donate, to make it worth McCain’s while…

    I sure hope that TPM will keep digging, like they did with the attorneys scandal. And that they’ll be able to unravel the whole to the point where even the adoring (corporate) media won’t be able to ignore the story.

  • Bruno

    says:

    Here’s a zinger for the Republicans regarding the fun they’re having with the tire gauges mocking Obama:

    “Now two points, one, they know they’re lying about what my energy plan is, but the other thing is they’re making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by 3 to 4 percent. It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant.”

    And that comes straight from Obama’s mouth.

    Check it out at TPM Election Central

    Obama is getting his stride… A few more days of this and the GOP won’t know what hit them.

  • Final Notice

    says:

    I had a lot of hires in this administration, a lot of parts of it. I’ve read the critique. I’ve listened very seriously to what they said. And other than that, I have no comment.”

    Bush then added: “I come in to work every morning. I walk through a lot of doors. I put one foot in front of the other. I use my ass to sit at a desk. I sometimes pick up a pen and apply it to paper. Occasionally, people come through my office and speak words. We may glance at one another. I find it all very challenging.”

    He also added: I read the headlines and I hear the voices, and I’m keeping Don Rumsfeld, I mean, I’m behind Toby Keith. The voices told me so! Hang ‘m high, Yeehaw! And they don’t need no dang trial or privacy either. I’ll peek in their windows, listen to their phones, and tap their internet connection whenever I want. I lock up who I want, torture who I want, lynch who I want, and drown who I want. Thank God for Katrina. It’s a lot easier to let those people die when I can have my reverend friends come on the TV and say that the death and carnage was “God’s will” in order to punish them for their miserable and sinful lives. Go Toby!

  • Bruno

    says:

    Ouch that must hurt…. At Talking Point Memo Marshal is doing a great article called “In Bob Shaffer’s Defense”

    If it is no longer on the main page, you might have to look for the title as listed above. Here’s the clincher from the article:

    …Paul Kiel and I had to consider the possibility that rather than being corrupt stooge willing to gloss over manifest outrages in exchange for a seat on the Abramoff gravy train, Schaffer may just have been ideologically pro-sweat shop and pro-slavery. And now Schaffer’s son’s endorsement of slavery on his Facebook page lends some new credence to this theory.

    He explains how Bob went with Abramoff on the famous ‘sweatshop’ trip to the Mariana Islands, where Shaffer declared there were no abuses going on.

    That will put to rest all the people who think that his son should be off limits. Apparently, it runs in the family.

  • Michael W

    says:

    Interest rates stay unchanged

    Thanks to whatever gawds there may be for that. Hubby and I are trying to close on a house right now. If interest rates stay the same or go down, we’re fine. If they go up, we might be screwed. Luckily, we were able to lock in a rate yesterday before this little fart in a wind storm happened.

    And now that we’re in a more progressive state, hubby wants to look into adoption again. We’re both in our 40s, and I don’t think he realizes just how much our lives would change by adding a child into the mix. Add raising a child into the mortgage payment, the car payments, and the other costs of just living in the USA, and you’re starting to talk some real money, long term.

    I admire couples who want to take on the burden of having children, but I’m also of the opinion that over-population is the primary or secondary cause of most of the world’s problems. Adoption is the way to go for those who don’t want to contribute to the problem, but want to help make a difference in the long run.

    Couples, straight or gay, who have only one child (or none, for that matter), are truly showing some altruism by not adding to the burden we’re already placing on this planet. Those who adopt are showing even more.

  • Hannah

    says:

    Stephen Colbert did a pretty good slam on McCain’s tire gauge stunt tonight (Tuesday’s show).

    Re Schaffer: my mom, a staunch Republican who lives in Colorado, apparently isn’t too thrilled with him. I don’t remember our exact conversation or how it came up but I brought up the Senate race between Mark Udall and… I couldn’t remember Schaffer’s name, and my mom practically spat out “Schaffer”. She said nothing further. Too funny.

  • chrenson

    says:

    IDEA: if the Republican talk of drilling is responsible for the drop in oil prices, then Obama’s talk of timetables MUST be responsible for the decrease in violence in Iraq, and not the surge after all. Ipso facto.

  • TR

    says:

    Obama is getting his stride… A few more days of this and the GOP won’t know what hit them.

    That soundbite was great, and it’s getting wide play today. (CNN just ran it in full.)

    Meanwhile, they have a new ad up responding to McCain’s “I’m the original maverick” ad:

    http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/48055-obama-ad-the-original-maverick-or-more-of-the-same

    If you can’t watch it, it has a terrific clip of McCain himself boasting that he voted with Bush about 90% of the time. Brutal.