American Leaders, Intel Hooligans, and the Mainstream Media aka “The Trump Lynch Mob”
Tag Archives: Obama
Slapping Putin – Obama to sign stiff but flexible new sanctions
WASHINGTON—President Obama is due to sign legislation that will tighten the straightjacket currently choking the Russian economy. As of this writing the Russian Ruble is drifting down to over 75 Rubles per dollar which is a stupendous drop in its value equaling a slip from 30 Rubles per dollar only months ago. NATO allies andContinue reading “Slapping Putin – Obama to sign stiff but flexible new sanctions”
It’s War! Obama Fires Opening Volley in Battle for “Game Day ’10”
Breaking over at NYTimes.com: "Obama Calls GOP on Class Warfare Bluff Will Not Extend Bush-Era Tax Cuts to Wealthy." If Obama starts reminding voters that he signed into law the single biggest one-year tax reduction EVER and ties this into both Bush economic policy failures and a progressive tax agenda — and hammers on theContinue reading “It’s War! Obama Fires Opening Volley in Battle for “Game Day ’10””
Breaking: Scozzafava drops out of NY-23 special election
Breaking on MSNBC, and at Drudgico (they're using the word "suspended" to describe Republican Dede Scozzafava's move, citing cash flow issues among others). Gut analysis: advantage to wingnut carpetbagger candidate Doug Hoffman. But that may be premature: DCIndy reports that NY Independence Party chairman Frank MacKay has endorsed Democrat Bill Owens. Jake McIntyre at dKosContinue reading “Breaking: Scozzafava drops out of NY-23 special election”
Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize: What Larisa Said
I couldn't agree more: When that recipient happens to be the leader of a nation – representing his country all over the world – then that honor is also bestowed on the citizens of that nation. Read the entire article, an answer to the right wing's bad-mouthing of the award, here . (Hat tip: nonnyContinue reading “Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize: What Larisa Said”
Blowing the Whistle on Eliminationists
Props to blogger GottaLaff at The Political Carnival for blowing the whistle on a Facebook poll that asked, "Should Obama be killed?" The story got picked up by PlumLine and the Boston Globe, both of whom report that the Secret Service is looking into the matter. But I have to ask myself — who shouldContinue reading “Blowing the Whistle on Eliminationists”
David Waters: “Values Voters Summit” Sponsors Should Lose Tax Exempt Status
We couldn't agree more. Go read! We're also amazed that this sort of opinion has been expressed in any media venue associated with the name "Sally Quinn" (more here ).
Joke Line, Choking on Sausage
Via Athenae comes this delightful tale of Alpha Villager Joe Klein, a.k.a. Joke Line, choking on his sausage while ranting about Wikipedia and Salon's Glenn Greenwald. The entire tale made my Sunday morning — and if you can't stand the quality of political coverage in the "traditional" American press or the sycophantic antics of BeltwayContinue reading “Joke Line, Choking on Sausage”
Clem Guttata Calls Out Sen. Jay “Coal Comfort” Rockefeller (D-WV)
Go read Clem's comments on Rockefeller's fealty to Big Coal at his blog. I'm generally bullish on the senator, but he has long had a good deal of explaining to do to his real constituents on the matter of his ties to one of the world's biggest environmental wrongdoers.
You Can Drop SC Gov. Mark Sanford from the 2012 GOP List
Looks like Governor "Screw the Stimulus" was screwing more than the stimulus (UPDATED! [NSFW warning])…
The Media covers the DC Holocaust Museum shooting
Here's an interesting contrast between the two credible American cable news networks' coverage of the early afternoon shooting incident at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in downtown Washington:
Laugh(s) of the Morning
From DU: CDC confirms outbreak of "Elephant Flu" in 26 states Off-topic, from Onion News Network: Trekkies Bash New “Star Trek” Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
NY-20: Democrat Scott Murphy Wins Special Election
WABC reports that Jim Tedisco has conceded (and dropped his recount challenge); read Scott Murphy's statement here, Tedisco's here. Memo to Norm Coleman: tale a lesson from Tedisco.
Time for Jane Harman to Go
Late last night. CQPolitics posted Jeff Stein's explosive and thoroughly researched report on an NSA wiretap that picked up Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) "telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee."
Bernie Madoff Pleads Guilty, Gets Jailed Immediately
The former half of the above headline was not surprise; the latter half should not have been. Madoff will be sentenced about three months from now. And at last the press is hinting that this story is far from over; Madoff has been less than forthcoming with authorities about how he managed to Ponzify $65Continue reading “Bernie Madoff Pleads Guilty, Gets Jailed Immediately”
Assassination Squad Reported Straight to Dick Cheney
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh dropped a bombshell on Tuesday when he told an audience at the University of Minnesota that the military was running an "executive assassination ring" throughout the Bush years which reported directly to former Vice President Dick Cheney. [Read the full report here.] And there's more at minnpost.com. I can't see howContinue reading “Assassination Squad Reported Straight to Dick Cheney”
Steve Young on Obama the Role Model
In case you missed it, Steve Young weighs in on Obama as a role model over at philly.com.
You Too Can Be a Fly on the Wall in the Newsroom!
Courtesy of blogger Athenae's Twitter feed comes this link. Enjoy!
Scoobie Davis: Alas, It Won’t Be Hannity and Miller
Scoobie also weighs in on Alan Colmes's replacement at his blog.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK): Guilty Times Seven
The news just broke on the wire services, MSNBC, and…
Larisa on McCain and Matt Drudge: So Over
The McCain campaign is over. Period. I don't care what the explanation is, a leader does not pour gasoline on a racial fire for any reason. … Drudge should finally be flushed from the inter-tubes. His 15 minutes of blue-dress fame should have ended years ago. Larisa Alexandrovna may be stating the obvious, but sheContinue reading “Larisa on McCain and Matt Drudge: So Over”
Ashley Todd Admits Faking Racially- and Politically-charged “Mugging”
"the Race Card" courtesy Photoshop Insurgent Per KDKA, McCain campaign volunteer and College Republican Ashley Todd has admitted that she "confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter 'B' in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker." Todd joins such luminaries as Francisco Nava, Phil Parlock andContinue reading “Ashley Todd Admits Faking Racially- and Politically-charged “Mugging””
From the BBC: 106-year-old voter, thought to be oldest, chooses Obama ?
… and she shares the same last name with our publisher! Hat tip to Koop and Jim deSalvo for the heads-up.
Breaking Late Friday: AK Gov. Sarah Palin “Unlawfully Abused Her Authority”
AP has the details on the Troopergate report. Anchorage Daily News has the complete report (2.02Mb .pdf). The key findings:
Police Blockade the Bush Legacy Bus!
This comes as no surprise: in south Florida, local police engage in political harassment by trying to force America United's "Bush Legacy Tour" bus away from a local McCain/Palin campaign office. See the video here.
Elsewhere: Tweety gets a well-deserved spanking?
… from Athenae. Go read.
Quote of the Day
"For the first time in American politics there is a strong alpha woman with whom mothers identify, and after whom sons lust. The GOP is playing the Oedipal card. And it could mean bloody war, fought house to house."– Avi Steinberg, "Confessions of an RNC security guard", Salon, Sept. 6, 2008
What They Really Think: GOPers Mike Murphy, Peggy Noonan Caught on Mike Trashing Palin Choice
Here is yet more evidence that one should never, ever trust one word from the GOP pundit bobbleheads that mark time on America's "cable news" infotainment outlets: about 38 seconds into this clip, Murph and Nooners express opinions that are in stark contrast to the talking points they spew with alacrity when they know they'reContinue reading “What They Really Think: GOPers Mike Murphy, Peggy Noonan Caught on Mike Trashing Palin Choice”
How truly awful is the 2008 Republican Convention?
Michael Schaffer observes: "[S]omnolent Fred Thompson lambasting the 'Georgetown cocktail party circuit'… evokes Abe Simpson more than Abe Lincoln." Read the rest here.
When The New York Times runs a story like?
… this sockdolager, you know it's a matter of days if not hours before the Republican presidential candidate's choice for running mate bows out "for the best interest of the party and the nation." Have popcorn handy. It's going to be a really interesting convention week.
Married… with Children
One of the funniest observations about all things Palin just hit my inbox from the blogosphere's grand Zen master of snark, James Wolcott: Say what you will about Al and Peggy Bundy, slovenly occupying the sofa lo those many seasons on Married with Children, but they negligently raised a fine, slutty, airhead, bare-midriff daughter–I speakContinue reading “Married… with Children”
A Headline You’ll Never See from America’s Lapdog Newspapers
Actual Sydney Morning Herald headline: US Republican Convention in Turmoil
Top CIA official confesses order to forge Iraq-9/11 letter came on White House stationery…
… and likely came from Cheney. Robert Richer drops the dime that could collapse the entire house of cards, if you will excuse a clumsily mixed metaphor. Can we impeach now, Chairman Conyers? Leader Nance? John Byrne has the details at RawStory.com.
Breaking: Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) Indicted
MSNBC and CNN broke the news late this morning, and the wire services were not far behind with details. [Links follow the jump…]
Breaking: Bob Novak Diagnosed with Brain Tumor
AP has more details. The presence of a tumor could partially explain last week's incident in which Bob Novak's car collided with a pedestrian.
Monday Morning Culture of Corruption Breaking News
• Inspector General: "[Monica] Goodling violated both federal law and [Justice] Department policy"• Former Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Payne Talked About Cash Deal for U.N. "Passport" Nance… Conyers… can we impeach now?
Send Karl Rove to Jail
Watch the video… … then visit the site.
Watch Laura Ingraham Lose It Live, Not Quite Coast to Coast…
… over at the irrepressible Harry Shearer's MyDamnChannel.com subsite.
New Web Site: Require Candidates and Members of Congress to Wear Stun Bracelets!
It makes more sense than forcing airline passengers to wear them! Details here.
Happy Birthday, USA! Jesse Helms Is Dead
One of the most caustic, noxious politicians of the 20th century dies on America's birthday. Bloomberg News has the details, and New York's Village Voice chimes in with their take ("Free at last — of Jesse Helms.").
Hey, if I were that close to Joe Scarborough, I’d puke too!
Courtesy of our pals at HuffPo comes…
Elsewhere: Ted Rall snarks Cindy McCain
Click on the first panel to see the rest at Ted Rall's blog…
Elsewhere: Vote Theft for Idiots
Greg Palast and Ted Rall team up to present part one of their guide to GOP election theft.
Blogger to Publish Personal Information of Members of Congress
Marc Perkel, one of our favorite netizens and free speech activists, has had it with the Constitution-trampling, privacy-trashing members of the 106th Congress in the wake of the FISA fiasco – and he's decided to do something about it. Click here to read the details from Marc himself.
Elsewhere: How Religulous Are You?
Check out disbeliefnet.com, the companion Web site to Bill Maher's forthcoming documentary "Religulous."
Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore Endorses Obama
Details here.
NBC’s Tim Russert Dead at 58
[UPDATED] This afternoon, I was reviewing a product release plan from one of my clients in my office. The Randi Rhodes Show was playing in the background through my PC, and the TV monitors in the opposite corner were tuned to MSNBC and BBC World with the audio off. Randi said something that caught myContinue reading “NBC’s Tim Russert Dead at 58”
Supreme Court Upholds Habeas Rights of Guant?namo Detainees
The Supreme Court ruled early today that foreign nationals being held at Guantánamo Bay have a right to pursue habeas challenges to their detention. You can find more details at the ScotusBlog and AP via the NY Times (hat tip to Christy Hardin Smith). Make no mistake: this is a massive blow to the Cheney Administration'sContinue reading “Supreme Court Upholds Habeas Rights of Guant?namo Detainees”
Memo to Press: Get Over Yourselves!
Our friends at Raw Story report: Reporters traveling with Barack Obama were none to happy to find out he was meeting with Hillary Clinton last night, as they were about to take off in a candidate-less plane from Washington’s Dulles airport.
Hillary Clinton to Suspend Campaign, Endorse Barack Obama Saturday
BREAKING on NY Times, AP, ABC, WNBC4 New York. MSNBC (mercifully) broke into the 7pm EST repeat of The Tweety Show to report the story in detail: David Gregory was anchoring, with boobleheads Michael Smirkonish and Andrea Mitchell Greenspan adding color commentary (the former, a Philly-based conservative radio host, sounding uncharacteristically impressed by Obama, theContinue reading “Hillary Clinton to Suspend Campaign, Endorse Barack Obama Saturday”
Opiate for the Missus: Cindy McCain went unpunished…
… as her husband tried to turn a whistleblower into a criminal. This article from 1994 will give you a taste of how the real McCains operate. It's long, detailed, and is recommended reading for that relative or neighbor considering voting for the Straight-talking™ Maverick™.
What Gore Vidal Said
Interviewer Jon Snow: Gosh, you haven't got a good word to say for anybody.Gore Vidal: No, I don't. And THEY are in trouble, not I.Snow: They being?Vidal: The current regime. A criminal regime. There are going to be trials once this is over. Watch the entire interview, in 2 parts, here and here.
OT: Bike Commuting for Newbies
I've been doing it for years. Firedoglake's Phoenix Woman has put together a good guide you should read.
What Jello Said
Musician-provocateur-activist Jello Biafra responds to Michael Savage's unspeakably vicious cheap shot at Ted Kennedy . [More…]
House Judiciary Committee Subpoenas Karl Rove
It took a while, and it will set off a guaranteed horse hockey tsunami in Washington. MSNBC actually broke into their obsessive "breaking" coverage of the Texas polygamist child custody mess to report that the House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed Karl Rove in an effort to compel testimony concerning his alleged role in the indictmentContinue reading “House Judiciary Committee Subpoenas Karl Rove”
KY, OR Primary: Clinton Takes Kentucky, Obama Wins Oregon
No surprises tonight. MSNBC called KY Democratic Presidential Primary for Clinton at 7pm EST, OR Primary for Obama at 11pm. MSNBC and CNN are both interspersing coverage of the primaries with much talk of Ted Kennedy's health, among their camps of resident bobbleheads and with their guests. It's been a bit too much like watchingContinue reading “KY, OR Primary: Clinton Takes Kentucky, Obama Wins Oregon”
Breaking: Sen. Ted Kennedy diagnosed with malignant brain tumor
Andrea Mitchell broke the news on MSNBC just after 1PM EST, citing an AP report. Mitchell reports a biopsy of Kennedy's left lobe provided a definitive diagnosis of a malignant tumor, which narrowed the carotid artery; Bob Bezell said early on that given the information in the AP report, it is a glioma and isContinue reading “Breaking: Sen. Ted Kennedy diagnosed with malignant brain tumor”
It CAN Happen Here
Go read.
“Cynthia Heinz McCain”
Today's moment of Republican Meltdown ROFL, courtesy of Free Republic. (Hat tip: DU.)
CNN: John Edwards to endorse Obama
The timing couldn't be better. Prepare for the superdelegate tsunami…
West Virwhat? Here’s the BIG Election News Tonight
The AP projects Democrat Travis Childers as winner of the special election to fill the vacancy in Mississippi's 1st Congressional District. (Update: More at ABC News and WSJ.) Make no mistake: we are witnessing a massive tectonic shift in electoral politics at the national level, as the third staunchly Republican congressional district in the lastContinue reading “West Virwhat? Here’s the BIG Election News Tonight”
Culture of Corruption Update: The Vito Fossella Saga Continues
[UPDATED – click here!] For those of you who need to play catch-up on the saga of scandal-plagued Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY13), whose arrest late last week for driving while intoxicated in Alexandria, VA involves a mystery woman in the married Congresscritter's life, here is a good place to start. Mary Ann Akers is reportingContinue reading “Culture of Corruption Update: The Vito Fossella Saga Continues”
Oliver Willis Goes Barack to the Future
Go get your morning laugh.
FBI Raids Office of Special Counsel. Yes, You Read That Correctly…
Wall Street Journal breaks the story here. NPR has more details. TPMMuckraker has a good backgrounder on Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch, who has been accused of politicizing the office and is alleged to have had computer hard drives erased.
The Subpoena to Watch…
AP via HuffPo reports that David Addington, consigliere to Vice President Darth Cheney, has been subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee to testify in connection with the committee's investigation of U.S. military interrogation practices (read: torture). Addington had refused to testify without a subpoena. While much of Blogtopia's and on the Intertubes' attention has focusedContinue reading “The Subpoena to Watch…”
“Sugar Momma Express”
Watch FireDogLake 's Jane Hamsher add a new phrase to the Campaign 2008 Lexicon while making her counterpart from Clownhall.com look like a giggling imbecile:
Petraeus Nominated to Run CENTCOM
Read the breaking story from AFP here. No doubt he is being rewarded for failing in his mission to train Iraq's military forces to do their job without running away.
No Surprise: Hillary “Wins” PA
So says Keith, Tweety and the MSPeacock. You already know the big question: what was the "point spread," and will it give the appearance of victory? Our sources are telling us the popular vote will show a 7-8% difference, which will mean neither Senator Clinton nor Obama can claim a runaway victory.
Jos? Can You See? Greg Palast on Bush’s Trojan Taco
Greg's at it again! Psst! George Bush has a secret While you Democrats are pounding each other to a pulp in Pennsylvania, the President has snuck back down to New Orleans for a meeting of the NAFTA Three: the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of Mexico. here.
Democrats.com obtains letter from Colin Powell to Gen. Petraeus
David Swanson reads it here.