THE KISS ARMY! YEAH!
"I-i-i, wanna rock n roll all ni-i-ight! And party ev-er-y day!"
Friday, May 30, 2008
Say, This Crow Isn't Bad With A Bit Of BBQ Sauce
Hahahaha. Well, it seems that Scott McClellan and Richard Clark ran into each other at the Essex House Hotel. You know, Richard Clark, the former Counter-Terrorism Czar that quit in disgust and wrote a book, to which press secretary Scott McClellan said:
Awkward.
So how did that go?
Mmmmmm. That's some good crow.
[PS: For some reason embedding links has stopped working... I'll put them in when this changes]
"Let's remember why we are having this conversation, because Mr. Clarke made assertions that we have said are flat-out wrong," McClellan said. Moreover, in his book, "Mr. Clarke certainly decided on his own to go ahead and reveal conversations that were considered private previously," the spokesman said.
...
McClellan pointed to the timing of Clarke's book.
"If Dick Clarke had such grave concerns, why wait so long? Why wait until the election?" Instead, McClellan said, Clarke "conveniently" released a book in the middle of the campaign season.
Awkward.
So how did that go?
"I should have known how personal it would get when they went after me, well, I mean, after what I said about you", Clarke says McClellan told him
Mmmmmm. That's some good crow.
[PS: For some reason embedding links has stopped working... I'll put them in when this changes]
Blind Justice
Well, despite getting off to a rocky start, Gov. Patterson in New Jersey recently went 2-2 in big decisions.
Governor Patterson issued a directive to all government offices in New York to recognize out of state marriages regardless of the gender of the couple. The Fourth Circuit decision in Martinez v. Monroe (PDF) held that under the New York Constitution same-sex couples married out of state remain married in New York. Patterson simply instructed the state government to comply with the ruling. This doesn't mean that gay and lesbian couples can get married in New York, that would require a change in our marital statutes. Still, it's great to have a sitting Governor just being so openly supportive of the idea.
On a totally non-related note, he also granted a full pardon to Riky "Slick Rick" Walters. Slick Rick was one of the early pioneers of hip-hop, comming on the scene with his first album in 1988. Now he is mostly known for the people that cover (Snoop Dog covered "LaDiDaDi" on Doggystyle) or sample him.
Governor Patterson issued a directive to all government offices in New York to recognize out of state marriages regardless of the gender of the couple. The Fourth Circuit decision in Martinez v. Monroe (PDF) held that under the New York Constitution same-sex couples married out of state remain married in New York. Patterson simply instructed the state government to comply with the ruling. This doesn't mean that gay and lesbian couples can get married in New York, that would require a change in our marital statutes. Still, it's great to have a sitting Governor just being so openly supportive of the idea.
On a totally non-related note, he also granted a full pardon to Riky "Slick Rick" Walters. Slick Rick was one of the early pioneers of hip-hop, comming on the scene with his first album in 1988. Now he is mostly known for the people that cover (Snoop Dog covered "LaDiDaDi" on Doggystyle) or sample him.
Remember When The World Recoiled In Horror? No? Me Neither...
As Atrios points out, it's the fifth anniversary of Tom Friedman's justifiably infamous (although sadly only infamous in lefty blog circles) appearance on Charlie Rose. Gaze in awe as Tom Friedman justifies the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people as some kind of international machismo demonstration.
Seriously, if you watch that clip and don't come away thinking that Mr. Friedman has serious moral deficiencies you're not comprehending the horror of what he's saying. It's literally "i think we should destroy a country which is no real threat to the US, cripple their infrastructure, displace families, and kill thousands so that the US can prove we're tough."
This statement did not label him as a moral pariah. He did not lose his nationally syndicated column. He ... no everyone still thinks he's some kind of smart guy in international affairs. You would be better off getting your foreign policy advice from chicken shit bingo.
Seriously, if you watch that clip and don't come away thinking that Mr. Friedman has serious moral deficiencies you're not comprehending the horror of what he's saying. It's literally "i think we should destroy a country which is no real threat to the US, cripple their infrastructure, displace families, and kill thousands so that the US can prove we're tough."
This statement did not label him as a moral pariah. He did not lose his nationally syndicated column. He ... no everyone still thinks he's some kind of smart guy in international affairs. You would be better off getting your foreign policy advice from chicken shit bingo.
Pitch Perfect
Check THIS out:
Now that's the best thing to come out of this Scott McClellan book so far. This ad shows Scott's comments about the buildup to war in context. Then it shows in-context quotes from John McCain doing exactly what the white house wanted. It's just spot on. I don't even think it's a "negative campaign" per se. I mean it is designed to make people have a negative opinion of the candidate, but the quotes are accurate and in-context. Is it really negative to accurately display your opponent saying things explicitly intended for a public audience?
Another point here is that this shows a major strength of Obama in a general election race. Obama can credibly say "I thought that it was a dumb idea, and it was. My opponent loved this war so much he helped lead the PR campaign to convince you, the American people what a good idea it was. And he was wrong." Hillary as a general election candidate COULDN'T use this line because SHE VOTED FOR THE STUPID WAR. This line of attack is really powerful now that 70% of America thinks it was a bad idea, but it needs to come from a credible source.
Now that's the best thing to come out of this Scott McClellan book so far. This ad shows Scott's comments about the buildup to war in context. Then it shows in-context quotes from John McCain doing exactly what the white house wanted. It's just spot on. I don't even think it's a "negative campaign" per se. I mean it is designed to make people have a negative opinion of the candidate, but the quotes are accurate and in-context. Is it really negative to accurately display your opponent saying things explicitly intended for a public audience?
Another point here is that this shows a major strength of Obama in a general election race. Obama can credibly say "I thought that it was a dumb idea, and it was. My opponent loved this war so much he helped lead the PR campaign to convince you, the American people what a good idea it was. And he was wrong." Hillary as a general election candidate COULDN'T use this line because SHE VOTED FOR THE STUPID WAR. This line of attack is really powerful now that 70% of America thinks it was a bad idea, but it needs to come from a credible source.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
STRIKE FIRST! STRIKE HARD! NO MERCY!
Scott McClellan (background middle) shown here with the film's antagonist (foreground) and the merciless Cobra Kai sense.
So Scott McClellan is coming out with the first salvo of the inevitable post W. Bush fingerpointing wars. It turns out, ok sit down before you read this shocker, the White House made "a decision to turn away from candor." (AKA - they lied). WOW. Big news I know. Prior to now, this extremely insider information was available only to people with a functioning cerebral cortex and access to information sources other than Fox News.
I suppose this is significant because a Bush insider, a guy he brought with him from Texas, is the source. Maybe the media will look at criticizms from a source so close to the President and actually believe the things he says instead of listening to the inevitable denials. On the other hand, I think it's really obvious what's going to happen. McClellan will be subject to character assasination and any smear that can be brought forward in an attempt to move the discussion away from the substantive claims of the book. They've already started calling him a "disgruntled former employee." Worse is to come. I mean, it's not like this hasn't happened before. Or before. Or before. Or before that.
Look, it would be nice if at least the press were to learn some lessons from this. Scott basically calls them all a bunch of patseys. He said that the press wasn't critical enough, and that the White House was able to successfully play the media game and drive their narrative to achieve war the same way they worked the press during the campaing (calling it a "campaign mentality"). Sadly, when the heads, or at least the faces, of ABC, CBS, and NBC nightly news got together, they... agreed on what a good job of reporting they did!
Sigh. Some times the state of our democracy is really depressing to contemplate. The press is a really important part of our democracy (it is mentioned EXPLICITLY in the constitution) and it seems to be badly ill. The good news is that with the availability of foreign news sources, internet reporting and commentary, etc, the information is out there, and traditional sources of information are rapidly losing market share. Still, it would be nice if there was one network, ANY network, that had actually used critical thinking and questioned the claims of this administration BEFORE the war started.
And as Ezra says, no Scotty, you don't get any hero points. You were there in 2002. You were there in 2004. Now that this president is setting all time records for being unpopular you decide to come out and tell us you lied for your master. I don't think I'm reserving a chapter for you in the update of "Profiles in Courage."
UPDATE:
Kos points out here that one of the people discrediting Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neil was... SCOTT MCCLELLAN. I guess he will at least know what's coming.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Congressional Race Update
Here's a link from yesterday on dailykos covering some developments in the House and Senate races. Some pretty good news there for Democrats. In addition to the McConnel race (discussed below) Al Franken looks like he's rebounded nicely from a bad news cycle (it turned out he owed $70,000 in back taxes) and has pulled closer to Coleman. Norm Coleman is one of those "moderate" Republicans who talk about how they're moderate but really only break with the party on environmental issues and when their vote doesn't matter to the outcome. What's worse, he took Paul Wellstone's seat after his untimely death in a plane crash during the campaign. Paul Wellstone was truely a committed progressive. He was probably a damn sight more liberal than I, but he was so unabashedly honest and enthusiastic in his advocacy. It was really refreshing to have his voice in the senate. His being replaced by a war-approving lobbiest-loving Republican is an insult to Paul's legacy. I'd LOVE to see Al Franken in that seat. First, he's ... well come on! He's AL FRICKEN FRANKEN!! This is the guy that could draw a complete map of the US freehand and know the number of electoral votes each carried. He's really smart as hell.
Plus, he'd make CSPAN kill in the ratings.
Plus, he'd make CSPAN kill in the ratings.
This Week In Global Climate Change
Check out these cool photos of the church in Sant Roma, Spain, which had been submerged since the 1960s to create a resevoir.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
WOW. Kentucky Poll Seems... Unreal
Ok, keep in mind: 1) it is WAY early, there's tons of time to go before the election; 2) this is ONE poll only, but according to the latest Rassmusen poll from Kentucky, Lunsford (D) leads Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel by 5 points.
Like I said, take this with a major grain of salt. Lunsford just came off his primary win with a boost in name recognition, and it's just one poll, etc... The real thing to keep your eye on here is that McConnel's approval is below 50%, and it was below 50 in the only prior poll on pollster.com. Any time an incumbent is polling below 50, it means that they are vulnerable. Not that they will lose, but it is a clear indication that there is a large enough block of the electorate out there that is persuadable that a run against an incumbent is realistic.
Part of this is also taint that McConnel got from his long association with and support of Ernie Fletcher, the very corrupt Kentucky governor.
Still, this is pretty big news. McConnel is one of the most odious pricks in the Senate. He will go on television and lie about any Republican talking point, and he's always been the GOP point man against Campaign Finance Reform. If his scalp is taken while he's Minority Leader, that would be a major coup.
Like I said, take this with a major grain of salt. Lunsford just came off his primary win with a boost in name recognition, and it's just one poll, etc... The real thing to keep your eye on here is that McConnel's approval is below 50%, and it was below 50 in the only prior poll on pollster.com. Any time an incumbent is polling below 50, it means that they are vulnerable. Not that they will lose, but it is a clear indication that there is a large enough block of the electorate out there that is persuadable that a run against an incumbent is realistic.
Part of this is also taint that McConnel got from his long association with and support of Ernie Fletcher, the very corrupt Kentucky governor.
Still, this is pretty big news. McConnel is one of the most odious pricks in the Senate. He will go on television and lie about any Republican talking point, and he's always been the GOP point man against Campaign Finance Reform. If his scalp is taken while he's Minority Leader, that would be a major coup.
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