Wednesday’s Mini-Report

October 25, 2006

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* I love the new DNC ad about “stay the course.” Considering the fact that some of these quotes were just aired a few days ago, I also applaud the DNC for a nice, quick turn-around on putting the spot together.

* The prize for the fastest high-profile denunciation of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex relationships goes to Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas). This surprises…absolutely no one.

* Military prosecutors have told the Pentagon’s Criminal Investigation Task Force “not to worry about making a criminal case against alleged 9/11 accomplice Mohammed al-Qahtani} because what had been done to him would prevent him from ever being put on trial.” In other words, the Bush administration may have made it impossible to prosecute the man who may be the 20th hijacker.

* On Monday, Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.), after a contentious debate, threatened a rival whose multiple sclerosis keeps him confined to a wheelchair. Yesterday, Cubin said, “In retrospect I was wrong in what I said and I apologize.”

* The British military wants to withdraw troops from Iraq within a year.

* The American people want to withdraw troops from Iraq within a year, too.

* As much as 55% of the budget of some reconstruction projects in Iraq goes to overhead. 55%? A government estimate released yesterday explained that, in some cases, more money was being spent “on housing and feeding employees, completing paperwork and providing security than on actual construction.” The highest proportion of overhead was incurred in oil-facility contracts won by … wait for it … Halliburton.

* Wesley Clark 1, Bill O’Reilly 0.

* The CIA’s personnel problems seem to be more than a little serious, particularly now.

* What is it with congressional Republicans and their shady land deals? (thanks to K.Z. for the tip)

* How big a political problem is the war in Iraq for GOP congressional candidates? Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R) is urging Republican hopefuls not to talk about the issue on the campaign trail at all. Wow.

* Media Matters asks, “RNC Ad Received Free Airtime; Will DNC Get the Same Treatment?” I have a hunch we know the answer to that one.

* GOP slogan of the day from conservative über-activist Paul Weyrich: “I suppose we’ll have to vote the jerks back in and see what we can do.” As Michael Crowley asked, “Why can’t the Democrats come up with winning soundbites like that?”

* To respond to the actor who played Alex P. Keaton, conservatives get the actor who played Jesus.

If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.

On several topics: Iraq for Sale is a must-see movie. Soldiers training private contractors to do their jobs and then doing guard duty while the private guys are making 100k a year doing that job. $40,000 vehicles destroyed when they have flats because it is easier to get repaid by the government if Halliburton burns them. New SUVs for contractors who live on an army base and don’t commute anywhere. Also burned when the person leaves Iraq. Stuff like that. Take your blood pressure medicine first.

  • (referring to the first item)
    Why can’t more political advertising be like that? It’s damn well-produced, very watchable, tells a narrative, solid music, straightforward, informative — the only voices you hear are those of the clowns in charge. It doens’t even resort to name-calling, like I just did. I’ve always wondered what generic production house is out there that generates political advertising that all seems the same. ACME Negative Campaign Productions. I hope the trend continues toward straightforward, fact-based messaging that doesn’t insult the intelligence of the viewer and away from the manipulative drivel we’ve all been trained to expect.

    P.S. I know, I know. The manipulative drivel works; that’s why its used. I just like to imagine a world where it doesn’t sometimes.

  • The ad is a good one, but it should have done a better job of wrapping Iraq around the necks of Bush’s enablers in Congress. But maybe its enough to get the lefties out to the polls and keep the wingnuts at home.

    I wish we had more ads like it, and like Hankster says it’s not rocket science.

  • Yes, thanks for the DNC ad – it was _very_ good. (I don’t get many political ads in TX).
    Do you think they had those clips sitting around, waiting for Bush to flip-flop?

  • Clark is so good at not letting these conservative asses get to him. He did a great job of getting his points across and defending Soros, but how anyone can think it’s okay for O’Reilly to say “your lips are moving…” — man!

  • To respond to the actor who played Alex P. Keaton, conservatives get the actor who played Jesus.

    yeah, cause y’know, people are stupid and will really think it’s Jesus, lol.

  • That “Stay the Course” ad is really good.

    As to how Bush and his gang of thugs are doing on Iraq, here are the results of today’s AOL poll:

    Do you support President Bush’s policy on Iraq?
    No – 72% yes – 28%

    Will the war in Iraq be a factor in your vote:
    Yes: 81% No – 19%

    “I am satisfied with the performance of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense…”
    Disagree: 79% Agree – 21%

    I believe I will be working with a Republican House and a Republican Senate”
    Disagree – 76% Agree – 24%

    “We’re winning in Iraq and will win unless we leave before the job is done.”
    Disagree – 71% Agree – 29%

    “Prime Minister Maliki is the right man to achieve our goals inIraq.”
    Disagree – 73% Agree – 27%

    Ultimate accountability for the war rests with me.”
    Agree – 89% Disagree – 11%

    I would say these kinds of numbers mean Bubble Boy is f-u-c-k-e-d.

  • Yes, the new DNC ad is great.

    I assumed it was a MoveOn ad.

    As I’ve said elsewhere… Yes please, Chairman Dean, may I have another?

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  • *The prize for the fastest high-profile denunciation of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex relationships goes to Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas). This surprises… absolutely no one.”

    What continues to surprise me is how the right-wing manages to get away with calling a “rights denial act” a “marriage protection act”. They’re dumb in many ways, but they’re sure brilliant when it comes to misdirection-by-naming.

    Any-and-all gays who might be reading CB… Would you please start lobbying for “marriage dismemberment act”? “Let there be *no* legally-recognized unions between two consenting adults!” could be your rallying cry. That would really give the nuts something to chew on.

    *[…] the Bush administration may have made it impossible to prosecute the man who may be the 20th hijacker.”

    So… who gives a damn? Prosecution (successful or otherwise) of individuals is so… so… so antithetical to the *Global* war on Terra. Besides, legal procedings don’t bring Rapture any closer, while waterboarding the ragheads… I’m coming, Jesus; oh Jesus… I’m coming… Moan.

    * As much as 55% of the budget of some reconstruction projects in Iraq goes to overhead. 55%? A government estimate released yesterday explained that, in some cases, more money was being spent “on housing and feeding employees, completing paperwork and providing security than on actual construction.” The highest proportion of overhead was incurred in oil-facility contracts won by … wait for it … Halliburton.

    Some of the folk were in place, having been called in in a hurry, for as long as *9. effing. months* — fed, housed, protected — in a ravaged country, before they even got the first sight of an assignment…

  • Bill O’Reilly on diplomacy, with rebuttal by Wes Clark:

    O’Reilly: I’m not opposed to chatting. I just don’t know if it’s going to do any good.

    Clark: I call it diplomacy, Bill. not chatting. Diplomacy.

    O’Reilly: OK, you can call it whatever you want, General–you’re still moving your lips…

    … So, to paraphrase von Clausewitz, war is moving your lips by other means … doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. O’Reilly has the worst case of oral diahrrea ever seen, well maybe tied with Limbaugh .. and Coulter .. and Hannity .. and ………

  • Wes Clark’s gotten a lot smoother over the last 2 years. And he handles O’Reilly beautifully.

  • Clark actually impressed me in the discussion with Orally (as Olbermann calls him), something he never did in the ’04 campaign, although I wanted to be impressed. I liked and respected him but the deer in the headlights things scared me away. He seems to have lost that.

    A couple of thoughts from that interview:

    Orally says that the Iraqis have decided that they want to put up with killing each other. Really? Wow, I didn’t see that vote. Maybe Bill, you idiot, they can’t stop the violence. It appears that 130,000 heavily armed US troops can’t stop it either. But Mr. Corner-Bakery with his one-room apartment and wife and 3 kids is supposed to be able to. Moron.

    I also liked the fact that Orally was so critical of Soros, but yet Clark quickly called him on the fact that Orally hadn’t read Soros’ book (and note that Clark had read his!). Now, I haven’t read Soros’ book either, but then I’m not attacking him for his positions either. Thanks Bill, I think you just made a sale as I’m going to go buy Soros’ book now.

    That, and “Worst Persons in the World.”

    Good night and good luck.

  • From what I’ve read about waterboarding it doesn’t sound like “simulated” drowning at all but real asphyxiation. You are largely prevented from breathing for periods of time, that has the potential to cause brain damage or death every time.

    Also I think the descriptions of waterboarding that say it produces a “gag reflex” is misleading and probably wrong. The gag reflex causes the throat to close involuntarily to prevent choking. A feeling of suffocation would produce an involuntary response of some kind, but I can’t see it *closing* the throat, when the body is desperately trying to receive air.

    I think what is really happening in waterboarding is the “breathing reflex” is kicking in overwhelmingly – NOT the gag reflex – which can become so powerful in a drowning person that they will try to breathe even if submerged. If air the airway is blocked as in waterboarding, of course they will panic and could even break their own ribs trying to draw air.

    I just wanted to share what I learned about the gag reflex vs the breathing reflex because I think the descriptions of waterboarding that I have seen going around are purposely misleading and meant to make us think that it’s no big deal, no worse than being forced to eat a vegetable you can’t stand.

  • “In about ten percent of people, water – anything – touching the vocal cords triggers an immediate contraction in the muscles around the larynx. In effect, the central nervous system judges something in the voice box to be more of a threat than low oxygen levels in the blood, and acts accordingly. This is called laryngospasm. It’s so powerful that it overcomes the breathing reflex and eventually suffocates the person. A person with laryngospasm drowns without any water in his lungs.” ( http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/hcqs/ems/DeBoer%20-%20Drownings.doc on the Texas Department of State Health Services website).

    If this is true, then it sounds like 1 out of 10 subjects might die just from having a bit of water trickle onto the vocal cords if their oxygen was already low. Simulated, indeed.

  • The GOP has always tended to stupidity and cruelty. Rush Limbaugh, as we’ve been recently reminded, is the epitome of this.

    Bob Herbert, however, tells us from South Bend that Ronald Reagan’s picture is still up at GOP campaign HQ, but not George Bush’s. So maybe there’s some hope for some moderates, yet.

  • 1. Do ya think the CIA’s personnel shortage also might stem from the fear that some fat bastard will ruin their careers and endanger their lives in a fit of pique? Nah.

    2. To any one from Kansas who might be reading this: I’ll give you 20 bucks if you’ll dump a quart of rubber cement into that ugly hole under Sen. Blowback’s nose. Another 20 if you can flip him over and seal off the other orifice he talks out of.

    3. Thanks Katie, I remember public safety ads warning that people could drown “in” a teaspoon of water. But it’s just further proof that this Admin isn’t about getting information to protect anyone. It just wants to indulge in a little vicarious sadism.

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