Gregarius » Crooks and Liars

Crooks and Liars (20 unread)

Open Thread

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 11:30pm EDT by Logan Murphy

(Cartoon by Steve Greenberg.)
For a good laugh, check out the Obama ‘08 bumper sticker on the back of the Straight Talk Express. Damn kids!
C&L’s Late Nite Music Club with The Brecker Brothers

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 11:00pm EDT by John Amato

Enclosure: [download]

One of my favorite all time bands. You know how I feel about Michael. He’s one of my heroes.

‘Dennis Chambers on Drums, Mike Stern on Guitar, and James Genus on bass, and George Whitty on keyboards.’

Brecker Brothers Live In Barcelona - Some Skunk Funk
Countdown: Nothing About The FBI’s Anthrax Story Adds Up

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 10:00pm EDT by SilentPatriot

Keith interviewed investigative journalist Gerald Posner last night, who did a great job of shattering all of the inconsistencies and improbabilities in the FBI’s official case against alleged anthrax killer Bruce Ivins.

The strongest evidence they have going for them is also their Achilles‘ heel and that he‘s psychological profile. That fact that he‘s very unstable, that he was someone who was an alcoholic, that he might wanted to have the vaccine continue to go along, but that‘s also the fact that he could have been set up as a cutout or puppet or used by a group of people who wanted the anthrax out there.

They also knew about his weak psychological profile. How was he employed with the most secret biological warfare lab in the United States with this type of background that we now hear about? That they should have known about from day one. The Defense Department should hang its head in shame.

For even more on this story, see Glenn Greenwald’s extensive coverage:

Vital unresolved anthrax questions and ABC News

Additional key facts re: the anthrax investigation

Journalists, their lying sources, and the anthrax investigation

The FBI’s emerging, leaking case against Ivins

The FBI’s selective release of documents in the anthrax case

Full transcript below the fold:

OLBERMANN: A memorial service was held today for Dr. Ivins at Fort Detrick and Dr. Ivins‘ attorney in a statement reasserted his client‘s innocence.

Let‘s call in once again, investigative author, Gerald Posner, who wrote, “Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11.”

Thanks again for your time, sir.

GERALD POSNER, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Thanks, Keith. Good to be with you again.

OLBERMANN: The flask of anthrax with identical spores, ostensibly, their strongest piece of evidence. What do you make of this?

POSNER: That‘s what they make it sound like, but it‘s not. Let me tell you, the late public hears this, they think that‘s the evidence. Those are the spores that got people sick, sent out from the envelopes, not true. That was liquid anthrax in that flask.

Even if the FBI can tie to that flask, they can‘t explain how it was then made into this extremely sophisticated type of weapon with small milligram with electric charges to it, with polyglots on top of the coating, all to go deep inside the lungs, to spread to the air. This was weaponized, military anthrax. They cannot explain how from that glass flask in a liquid form into the form that was sent in the envelopes, that they don‘t have the evidence on it.

OLBERMANN: What, if anything that they presented today, is the strongest evidence? What do they got going for them?

POSNER: Well, they threw out this machine what they called the lyopholizer, they say that can make wet anthrax into dry anthrax, but I talked to six different microbiologist today and people involved formerly in weapons programs in the United States and in Russia, who say that the machine that the FBI talks about can‘t do that.

The strongest evidence they have going for them is also their Achilles‘ heel and that he‘s psychological profile. That fact that he‘s very unstable, that he was someone who was an alcoholic, that he might wanted to have the vaccine continue to go along, but that‘s also the fact that he could have been set up as a cutout or puppet (ph) or used by a group of people who wanted the anthrax out there.

They also knew about his weak psychological profile. How was he employed with the most secret biological warfare lab in the United States with this type of background that we now hear about? That they should have known about from day one. The Defense Department should hang its head in shame.

OLBERMANN: Right. Thirty-five years of murderous intent and nobody knew about it, and they let him in to the germ warfare lab. As to motive, they mentioned it but almost as if it were in passing? Is that a weak part of the case? Do they offer anything that made any sense?

POSNER: Well, I‘ll tell you. I thought it was a weak part of the case. I listened to a press conference today and then sort of at the end as though they felt they had to throw something out, they said, “Oh, by the way, let‘s give you the reasons to why we think he sent and went on this homicidal rage.”

And the motive they said was, “Well, he‘d helped developed a vaccine for anthrax, he probably wanted to continue to see that developed by killing people by having come up with an unknown way of this high military grade anthrax. We would keep the vaccine program going.”

That was pretty weak, and, you know, I thought they‘re just literally were fishing. They don‘t have a good motive, unfortunately, for them and their prosecution. But as you said in the lead into this, they don‘t need to because the primary suspect, the only suspect is dead. They‘re going to close this case.

OLBERMANN: But the declaration that he is the only, it‘s not just a question of proving a dead man did this, or was part of this, but the insistence is, he did by himself alone, mad scientist thing. Did they get anywhere near confirming that?

POSNER: No. As a matter of fact, that‘s my major problem with this. You know, if you look at it and you say, “He‘s involved, he‘s got a role in it, he‘s done something.” That‘s the evidence I‘m waiting to see that and they may nail that down. But I spoke to enough experts in the last few days, who have convinced, who know how this process works, that these spores that were sent out, were not the work of one lone scientist and that, I believe, is the case.

OLBERMANN: Investigative journalist and author, Gerald Posner, your help on this has been invaluable. Thank you, sir.

POSNER: Thank you, Keith.
Ben Stein has officially lost it

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 9:10pm EDT by SilentPatriot

So according to political hack Ben Stein, Barack Obama is responsible for the Paris Hilton “response” ad, and the hotel heiress is not merely a socialite party girl, but a bona fide hard core porn star (he knows! he’s seen the tape!) and a little “tramp” who “isn’t even close to being pretty.”

The American Spectator:

Now, this is perfect. First of all, Paris Hilton was a total nobody party girl in West Hollywood until she and her boyfriend made AND then “someone” SOLD a hard core video of Paris Hilton having sex. So basically, she got her start as a porn star. And she’s being trotted out by the media barons to smear John McCain, as brave and patriotic a man as lives in this nation. This little tramp, who isn’t even close to being pretty, is belittling a man who spent six years in brutal captivity for defending his country.

Paris, get this: in modern day America, we don’t mock people because of things they have done that are unavoidable and not in any way blameworthy. We don’t make fun of blacks for being black. We don’t make fun of women for having breasts. We don’t make fun of old people for being old. This is uncool from any source. It is downright disgusting coming from a porn star — and not a very good porn star at that (yes, I have seen the tape). And we especially don’t like being told how to vote by porn stars. If this is the best the Hollywood pals of Barack Obama can do, maybe John McCain has more of a shot than I thought he did.

Wow. So not only is Ben Stein psychotic and petty, he’s a creep, too.
MO Republican Indicted, Charged With Sexual Assault Of 14 Yr Old Girl

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 8:20pm EDT by Logan Murphy

STLtoday:

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri state Rep. Scott Muschany, R-Frontenac, was indicted today in connection with a reported sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl on May 17, the day after this year’s Legislative session ended.

The alleged victim is the daughter of a state employee. The girl’s mother and Muschany -– who is married and has two children — were romantically involved, the woman said.

A Cole County grand jury returned an indictment today charging Muschany with the Class C felony of “deviate sexual assault.” The indictment identifies the victim only by initials. It says that on May 17, Muschany “had deviate sexual intercourse” with the girl, “knowing that he did so without” her consent.

The document also alleges that the mother “did admit that the incident did take place, including her witnessing same.” Read on…

After so many Republican sex crimes and scandals, you just have to scratch your head and wonder how one party could attract so many deviant hypocrites. Ready for the money shot? Muschany co-sponsored a bill in 2006 that toughened sex offender laws.
McCain Campaign Yanks “True Conservative” Ad from YouTube, Web Site

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 7:30pm EDT by Jon Perr

Enclosure: [download]
Just one day after the McCain campaign proclaimed its man the “Original Maverick,” Barack Obama blasted that assertion both on the stump and in a new ad of his own. “You can’t be a maverick when politically it’s working for you,” Obama said, “and not a maverick when it doesn’t work for you.” Which may explain why the McCain campaign has apparently tried to purge any traces of its “True Conservative” ad, a February 2008 spot designed to win over hard right GOP primary voters.

As it turns out, McCain’s latest ads (”Broken” and “Praising McCain”) tout the Arizona Senator as the populist “Original Maverick.” But that resurrection of McCain’s tattered maverick image is contradicted by the “True Conservative” TV spot he used during the Republican primaries. In February, McCain to be sure wasn’t the maverick battling special interests in his own party:

Announcer: As a prisoner of war, John McCain was inspired by Ronald Reagan.

Mr. McCain: I enlisted as a foot soldier in the Reagan revolution.

Announcer: Guided by strong conservative principles, he’ll cut wasteful spending and keep taxes low. A proud social conservative who will never waver. The leadership and experience to call for the surge strategy in Iraq that is working.

John McCain: The true conservative. Ready to be commander-in-chief on Day One.

As it turns out, McCain’s claim to be a “true conservative” didn’t just disappear once he sewed up the Republican nomination. For the most part, so did the ad itself.

The mystery began when I looked back at some of my earlier pieces from May and June about the ad - and McCain’s mad dash back to the center. As I noted previously, back on February 1, the release of McCain’s “True Conservative” ad was widely covered by the American media. The New York Times, the Politico, the Boston Herald, Slate and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (among others) reported on the spot as part of McCain’s strategy to “shift right” and stress his credibility among the GOP’s conservative base. But the YouTube link used by all of the sites above no longer works; clicking on the embedded video they display simply produces an error message:

“We’re sorry, this video is no longer available.”

That same day (February 1), the McCain campaign also issued a press release titled, “John McCain 2008 Launches New Television Ad: ‘True Conservative.’” But that release, too, is no longer available on the McCain web site in either its standard web format or print layout versions. (The former links to an error page, the latter to a blank page.) However, not only did other web sites run the text, but Google cached versions of the McCain site from July 1 and July 11 show the original content as well.

And it makes for interesting reading. The press release tells readers to visit one of two locations on YouTube and the McCain web site to view the “True Conservative” 30-second spot:
- [www.youtube.com]
- [www.johnmccain.com]
The ad is no longer available at either location.

Even more fun, though, is the background information on McCain’s conservative street cred contained in the now-purged February 1 press release. For example, former Senator and McCain adviser Phil Gramm, later disgraced by his “whiners” remarks, praises McCain as a deficit hawk. And Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Tom Coburn (R-OK), both ardent foes of women’s reproductive rights, laud McCain’s pro-life bona fides in a section of the press release subtitled:

John McCain “Is Far And Away The Most Consistently Anti-Abortion Of All The Top Contenders”

Which isn’t to say the “True Conservative” ad has been completely purged from the McCain web site. While it is apparently no longer accessible from the campaign’s TV Ads page, Multimedia page or its Multimedia archive, a search of the site shows the February ad is still available in a post oddly dated April 17, 2008. An earlier January 22nd spot titled “Proud Conservative” can also be accessed through a site search. The “True Conservative” ad can also be viewed elsewhere on YouTube (as displayed above).

While tracking down McCain’s “True Conservative” ad was a bit of puzzle, there’s no mystery as to why his campaign wanted to sweep it under the rug. Almost as soon as McCain locked up the GOP nomination, his campaign rapidly reversed the hard right turn it has executed during the primaries. In early May, McCain senior adviser Charlie Black declared that John McCain was now magically “slightly right of center.” And McCain’s own dismal “green screen” speech of June 3rd was delivered in the hopes of running away from the moribund Republican Party and its wildly unpopular president.

As John McCain’s endless flip-flops show, he’s no maverick. And as Barack Obama suggested yesterday, John McCain is a true conservative, or at least was until he won the Republican presidential nomination. Apparently, that’s a secret the McCain campaign just doesn’t want Americans to know.

UPDATE: John McCain’s latest ad released Thursday, “Praising McCain,” features old clips of Democrats lauding McCain. The spot is introduced by a screen stating, “John McCain is a Maverick.”

(This piece was cross-posted from Perrspectives.)
Ted Stevens: Felony? Really….it’s no big deal

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 6:40pm EDT by Nicole Belle

It’s rule #1 in the Republican playbook that if you repeat something often enough — irrespective of its veracity — it becomes common wisdom. Somehow, I don’t think that rule is going to work for Senator Tubes. TPMMuckraker:

On Saturday, Stevens visited the small town of Ketchikan, for their annual blueberry festival and gave an interesting quote to the Ketchikan Daily News (sub. req.):

“This is an indictment for failure to disclose gifts that are controversial in terms of whether they were or were not gifts. It’s not bribery; it’s not some corruption; it’s not some extreme felony.”

Felony, schmelony. Interesting that his levels of severity have bribery and corruption as extreme, but his felony…that’s nothing.
Anthrax Bruce Ivins wins highest civilian award from Defense Dept. in March, 2003

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 5:50pm EDT by John Amato

I’d love for somebody to explain this one to me. I know he was working on the anthrax vaccine, but who nominated Ivins for this award? This item has not been picked up by the press like it should have. C&L’s Mark Groubert tells me via email:

On March 14th, 2003 Bruce Ivins, the alleged anthrax killer and anthrax vaccine inventor, was awarded the highest civilian honor of the Pentagon by Army Secretary Thomas White. Exceptional Civilian Service Award

The LA Times:

At a Pentagon ceremony on March 14, 2003, Ivins and two colleagues from USAMRIID were bestowed the Decoration of Exceptional Civilian Service, the highest honor given to nonmilitary employees of the Defense Department. “Awards are nice,” Ivins said in accepting the honor. “But the real satisfaction is knowing the vaccine is back on line.

As David Willman reports:

Bruce E. Ivins, the government biodefense scientist linked to the deadly anthrax mailings of 2001, stood to gain financially from massive federal spending in the fear-filled aftermath of those killings, the Los Angeles Times has learned.

Ivins is listed as a co-inventor on two patents for a genetically engineered anthrax vaccine, federal records show. Separately, Ivins also is listed as a co-inventor on an application to patent an additive for various biodefense vaccines...read on

On April 26th, 2003, almost a month after White gave Ivins the award, the Army Secretary was fired by Donald Rumsfeld supposedly for this:

Last year, White locked horns with Rumsfeld over the Pentagon’s decision to cancel one of the Army’s pet projects, the $11 billion Crusader artillery system.

The defense secretary was said to be furious about an Army lobbying campaign that attempted to save the Crusader by circulating a memo of “talking points” on Capitol Hill, arguing that killing the program would “put soldiers at risk.” As secretary of the Army, White’s job was mainly to make sure the Army is properly equipped and ready to respond during a war. He oversees the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki.

Obviously this is a weird coincidence to me, but still interesting. I would think that winning this award would help deflect scrutiny away from Ivins.

From my earlier post calling for an investigation of the FBI, the idea that the killer anthrax came out of Fort Detrick was common knowledge and not some “universe” the FBI claimed they had to investigate. The NY Times and Kristof were sued by Hatfill over op-eds like this back in May 24, 2002—-Connecting Deadly Dots:

One of the first steps we can take to reduce our vulnerability is to light a fire under the F.B.I. in its investigation of the anthrax case. Experts in the bioterror field are already buzzing about a handful of individuals who had the ability, access and motive to send the anthrax.

These experts point, for example, to one middle-aged American who has worked for the United States military bio-defense program and had access to the labs at Fort Detrick, Md. His anthrax vaccinations are up to date, he unquestionably had the ability to make first-rate anthrax, and he was upset at the United States government in the period preceding the anthrax attack.

I say all this to prod the authorities, for although the F.B.I. has known about this handful of people since October, it has been painstakingly slow in its investigation. Let’s hope it will pick up the pace, for solving the case would reduce our vulnerability to another attack.

Reuters:

Bruce Ivins, seen in this photograph taken during an award ceremony at a Pentagon ceremony March 14, 2003 where Ivins was awarded the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, which is equivalent to the Distinguished Service Medal for military service, took an overdose of painkillers and died on July 29, 2008 in an apparent suicide.

I’ve covered a few aspects only of this insane case. Glenn is also looking at ABC’s behavior and examining the evidence as well.
A surge for all seasons

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 5:00pm EDT by Steve Benen

Enclosure: [download]

What can I say, John McCain just loves surges.

If you’ve got a problem, John McCain has a surge. In Iraq, of course, McCain loves the surge so much, he’s willing to credit the surge for events that occurred before it even began. In Afghanistan, McCain opposed sending additional troops, that is until a few weeks ago, when McCain announced he supports a … wait for it … surge in Afghanistan.

Over the last several days, McCain has become so enamored with this child-like formulation — surge = problem solved — that he’s now willing to extend it to policies that have nothing to do with the military or foreign policy. On Saturday, addressing the Urban League, McCain talked about his approach to inner-city crime. He recommended a surge.

It’s become so reflexive, the McCain campaign, two weeks ago, was talking about the debate over energy policy, and said, in relation to Obama’s position, “This is the domestic policy equivalent of the surge.”

But this is especially odd given today’s remarks about the economy. What’s the difference between McCain’s economic policy yesterday and his new-found support for an “economic surge”? Nothing, except now, McCain’s policy is surge-rific.

I’m curious — if McCain was challenged to give a speech without the word “celebrity” or “surge,” could he do it? I really doubt it.
What’s Up With Debbie Wasserman Schultz?

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 4:10pm EDT by Nicole Belle

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is one of those politicos that I can’t figure out. She was absolutely great taking down Chris Shays, terribly frustrating talking to Ed Schultz about impeachment, and now, she’s downright infuriating with her refusal to assist fellow Democrat Annette Taddeo over incumbent Republican Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, an even more heinous betrayal considering that Wasserman Schultz has a leadership position in the DCCC, whose job it is to — get this — increase the number of Democratic seats in Congress. AmericaBlog:

DavidNYC reports that leading House Democrat, Debbie Wasserman Schultz (DWS), still won’t help Annette Taddeo’s campaign. It’s ludicrous. Taddeo’s opponent is the Bush-loving, right winger Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. It’s especially galling considering DWS has a leadership role in the DCCC — and may even try to run that organization in the next cycle. So, you’d think supporting all Democrats running for Congress, especially those in her home state, wouldn’t be a tough call for DWS. But, it is. (Also, it should go without saying that supporting all Democratic House candidates should be THE main criteria for anyone in DCCC leadership.)

It’s not like DWS is lacking funds. Besides her own campaign account (where DWS is sitting on over half a million with no real opponent this year), she has a leadership PAC, Democrats Win Seats PAC (DWS PAC, get it?). Check out her list of expenditures here. She’s managed to contribute to a lot of House candidates across the country and to groups like the Ohio Democratic Party. But, she can’t help Annette? What’s up with that? If DWS wants to be a Democratic leader, DWS needs to help all Democrats — and not put her friendship with a Republican ahead of party loyalty. That’s not too complicated, is it?

Since Wasserman Schultz is a no-show on trying to turn this seat for the Democrats, won’t you consider donating to Annette Taddeo’s campaign through Blue America? At least we’re committed to getting more and better Democrats in Congress.
Chris Shays: Champion of the Environment

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 4:00pm EDT by John Amato

Enclosure: [download]

(h/t Scarce) Chris Shays, Champion of the Environment. Watch and cringe.

Please support Jim Himes with a small donation so we can get rid of this wanker extraordinaire.

Blue America is the #2 ranked page on ActBlue.
When national security and a right-wing culture war collide

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 3:20pm EDT by Steve Benen

Enclosure: [download]

Most of the time, the conservative culture-war efforts are simply annoying. Some far-right activists will try some stunt, it’ll fail in the courts, and the rest of us can focus our attention on real problems.

But it’s much harder to tolerate conservative intolerance when national security is at stake.

This morning’s Christian Science Monitor reports that the Army is preparing to offer a staggering $150,000 retention bonus to service members who are proficient in Arabic, “in reflection of how critical it has become for the US military to retain native language and cultural know-how in its ranks.” Indeed, as the war in Iraq goes on, and the military subsequently finds fewer and fewer people anxious for extended stays in the desert, retaining trained troops is becoming a critical centerpiece of many commanders’ strategies. The supply of Arabic speakers just isn’t keeping up with the demand created by ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The military’s conventional language training program, the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., could not churn out enough American soldiers proficient in Arabic, Kurdish, Dari, Pashtu, and Farsi, and the military quickly turned to private contractors to fill the gap,” reporter Gordon Lubold writes. “Numerous programs have sprouted up, including one at Fort Lewis, Wash., where soldiers are given a 10-month immersion program in language and culture.”

The Army is taking almost every step imaginable — from six-figure bonuses to civilian interpreters in the warzone to recruitment campaigns targeting Arab-American communities — to beef up its language capability.

Well, almost every step imaginable. While the military is searching desperately, and willing to pay enormous sums for those proficient in Arabic, the exact same military, at the exact same time, has driven 60 linguists who specialize in Arabic or Farsi out of the military because of their sexual orientation.

Republicans, including John McCain, think this makes sense. I have no idea why.

I’m reminded of the example we learned of a couple of years ago when Bleu Copas, a decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist was thrown out of the military under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Copas, who joined the Army after the 9/11 attacks out of a sense of duty, was responsible for helping translate intercepted messages from possible terrorists, but he was thrown out anyway.

The Daily Show’s Jason Jones sat down with Paul Cameron, one of the nation’s leading anti-gay activists, who said, “I think the country, on the aggregate, is safer without Bleu in the military.” Asked why, Cameron explained, “Guys don’t want to think about other guys, other fellas, ogling them in the shower or whatever.”

Jones responded, “I know I’d rather die in a terrorist attack than suffer through an uncomfortable shower with a gay.” Cameron grudgingly responded, “Yes.”

Our government agrees with this. Again, I have no idea why.

It’s very simple. What’s more important: translating these communications intercepts, or discriminating against patriotic, gay volunteers who are willing to serve in the military in a time of two wars? It’s one or the other.
Krugman: Republicans have become the party of stupid

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 3:00pm EDT by John Amato

Thank you Paul.

Watching Kudlow scramble and sound like a lunatic on his show today because the economy is tanking is a sad but true example of Republicans playing stupid.
Daily Show: “Off shore drilling has already saved us!”

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 2:30pm EDT by SilentPatriot

Enclosure: [download]

Jon Stewart traces the roots of off-shore drilling from Bush 41’s initial ban, to both candidates’ realistic and sensible positions against it, to both candidates’ public opinion-pandering flip-flop in support of it.

Download | Play Download | Play

You really have to marvel at how the GOP is able to transform a problem they’re primarily responsible for creating into an issue that they base their entire 2008 strategy on. What’s worse, they somehow manage to convince a majority of Americans in the process that their so-called “solution” — which is nothing other than a Big Oil land giveaway that would have ZERO short-term impact — is somehow a great idea. It really is a classic example of what Naomi Klein has coined the “Shock Doctrine.”
Bruce Ivins-Anthrax Scientist/FBI Story is a joke. Investigation needed of the FBI

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 1:40pm EDT by John Amato

Enclosure: [download]

This whole story concocted by the FBI smells really, really bad. Are we supposed to believe this yarn? I’ll try to do a bunch of posts on this because it is a completely insane story. Did it really take seven years for the FBI to finally catch Bruce Ivins, a scientist who was working with anthrax and then helping the FBI to finger Steven J. Hatfill—who just so happens was wrongly accused and smeared until he happened to fight back?

June 27: The federal government awards Hatfill $5.8 million to settle his violation of privacy lawsuit against the Justice Department.

Have you ever seen a huge settlement like that right before they catch the real killer?

Did you watch the press conference yesterday? It absolutely made no sense. The feebs made it sound like there were millions of people that could have had access to anthrax. When they were asked why it took so many years to come up with Army scientist Bruce Ivins—they looked to the universe.

Q:When did you get around to him as a suspect from March 31st in 2005?

A: It’s important to remember how complex and complicated this investigation was. At the outset we had to identify the universe of persons and labs that might have access to this type of anthrax. Once we identified what type of anthrax it was, then over the years there were efforts to shrink the size of the pool…

What the hell is he talking about? I’d say the FBI was drowning in a pool of lies. Are there 8 million people and labs to check out to see who actually had anthrax? I want to see the FBI logs on this case. The day to day activity. Really, there needs to be a full investigation of this. How many hours did they spend on this case? What did they know and when did they know it? Ivins was actually helping the FBI with their own case! It’s right out a serial killer novel. I’ll have more later. There are so many layers to this story.

Read this NY Times story for some information…

Emptywheel has a good time line.

And Glenn Greenwald is on top of it too.
Jack Cafferty on McCain: “This maverick stuff is a lot of hooey”

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 12:50pm EDT by SilentPatriot

Enclosure: [download]

Jack Cafferty injects some much needed sanity into the conversation as Gloria Borger and Michael Gerson seem to still be living in the 20th century, when John McCain used to be somewhat independent from the rest of the bottom-feeders in the Republican Party.

Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Heather)

CAFFERTY: John McCain was opposed to the Bush tax cuts until he decided he was for them. John McCain was opposed to offshore drilling before he decided he was for it. John McCain, in his years in the Senate, has voted with the Bush administration between 90 and 95 percent of the time. So this…this maverick stuff is a lot of hooey. And for him to claim that he’s some sort of Washington outsider who has — who’s divorced from the Bush administration is the ultimate hypocrisy.

[…] If any Republican can overcome the wretched stain of eight years of George Bush and win the White House, we deserve whatever bad things will happen to us.

After his flip flop on the Bush tax cuts, offshore drilling, campaign finance, immigration reform, the religious right, negative campaigning, torture, etc., etc., I don’t see how it’s possible for anyone to go on television and say with a straight face that McCain is still the “maverick” of the 2000 election. Perhaps his adoring fans in the media are just having a tough time coming to grips with the fact that their old buddy is no longer recognizable.

Transcript below the fold:

BLITZER: You know, Michael, Senator McCain did something extraordinary today. He released a new ad in which he not only wants to not only distance himself from President Bush, but he goes after him.

Listen to this little clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM JOHN MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Washington’s broken. John McCain knows it. We’re worse off than we were four years ago. Only McCain has taken on big tobacco, drug companies, fought corruption in both parties. He’ll reform Wall Street, battle big oil, make America prosper again. He’s the original maverick.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: All right. Michael, I mean, the fact that he’s going after a sitting Republican president, a president almost for eight years, and saying Washington is broken, we’re worse off than were four years ago, that’s pretty extraordinary.

GERSON: It is pretty extraordinary, but it’s also pretty understandable. John McCain has at least two advantages going into these things. He’s not the vice president of a sitting president. He has actually been a pain in the neck for this president in many ways and he might as well get some credit for it.

(LAUGHTER)

GERSON: And I think the reality also is that he’s been a pain of the neck for leadership of Congress for 20 some years. And he might as well get credit for that, too. He is genuinely disliked by many establishment elements of the Republican Party. He was chosen to be the nominee because of — in spite of this.

But, in fact, I think he’s doing better than any of the other primary candidates would be doing at this point precisely because he’s not identified either closely with the administration or with the Republican Congress, which was deeply discredited.

BORGER: Well, and when you look at polls, you know, McCain is his own brand. And he’s running ahead of Republicans in Congressional races and in Senate races because people do identify him separately.

And I might add, the theme that Washington is broken is kind of a theme that everyone agrees on. And both of these candidates are competing as to who’s got the best way to fix it. And McCain has a story to tell here.

CAFFERTY: John McCain was opposed to the Bush tax cuts until he decided he was for them.

BORGER: Yes…

CAFFERTY: John McCain was opposed to offshore drilling before he decided he was for it. John McCain, in his years in the Senate, has voted with the Bush administration between 90 and 95 percent of the time. So this…

BORGER: Well, that’s the Obama ad.

CAFFERTY: …this maverick stuff is a lot of hooey. And for him to claim that he’s some sort of Washington outsider who has — who’s divorced from the Bush administration is the ultimate hypocrisy.

BLITZER: Well, let’s…

GERSON: (INAUDIBLE).

BLITZER: Hold on, Michael.

GERSON: OK. BLITZER: I want you to respond to that.

GERSON: Sure.

BLITZER: But listen to this new ad that the Obama campaign just released specifically on this point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM BARACK OBAMA CAMPAIGN AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He’s the original maverick.

MCCAIN: The president and I agree on most issues. There was a recent study that showed that I voted with the president over 90 percent of the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John McCain supports Bush’s tax cuts for millionaires, but nothing for 100 million households. He’s for billions in new oil company giveaways, while gas prices soar and for tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.

The original maverick or just more of the same?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, you get the point, Michael.

GERSON: Yes, I do get the point. But if you look at the issues, you look at immigration, you look at torture, you look at campaign finance reform, you look at a variety of these issues, McCain has bucked his party.

I would challenge anyone to name a single area where Barack Obama bucked the liberal consensus of his party. And I think it’s a real contrast.

BORGER: But then the question is why are these Republicans supporting John McCain, who they’ve loved to hate for the last 25 years?

GERSON: Because, I mean he — I think he was supported in the primaries simply because he had the best chance. I think there are plenty of conservatives that are willing to hold their nose and vote for him. And, you know, I think that that’s the main argument for the McCain candidacy and he needs to press it.

BLITZER: Jack?

CAFFERTY: If any Republican can overcome the wretched stain of eight years of George Bush and win the White House, we deserve whatever bad things will happen to us.
An Unlikely Pair

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 12:00pm EDT by Nicole Belle

Last week I linked to an op-ed by Jon Voight with the caveat that I generally don’t really care about the opinions of celebrities. Today, I want you to meet one of the few exceptions to my rule: Mike Farrell. I had the honor of meeting Mike at a death penalty protest several years ago and he truly does walk the walk of his values and there’s no way to do anything but respect him for that and for the dignity he brings to activism and this important topic. He and his friend Don McCartin contributed this op-ed, originally in the LA Daily News, but here for you from Truthdig:

We are an unlikely pair-not “The Odd Couple,” but close. Forty-five years ago, one was a successful lawyer practicing in Orange County, the other an aspiring actor living there because his new wife taught at Laguna Beach High School.

The lawyer had lawsuits to handle, papers to be filed, people to be found, summonses and subpoenas to be served.

The actor, unable to count on work in show business, ran an attorney service that took care of the lawyer’s business.

Both former Marines, we thus knew each other, if casually, for years.

Two decades later, the lawyer, then a judge of the Superior Court, had sentenced more men to death than any other in his jurisdiction. He was known as “the hanging judge of Orange County.”

The actor had gotten lucky, becoming a member of the cast of “M*A*S*H,” one of the nation’s most beloved TV shows, and was an ardent and outspoken opponent of the death penalty.

Today, while coming at it from vastly different perspectives, the now-retired “hanging judge” and the actor, who chairs Death Penalty Focus, find themselves working together again, this time to close California’s death chamber.

Don McCartin, having sentenced nine men to death and then watched as the system examined, re-examined and finally overturned all of his convictions while executing none of them, now believes the death penalty is a hideously expensive fraud. It tortures the loved ones of murder victims by dragging them through the years of complex appeals required by the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to protect the innocent.

He’s aware of the constitutional dilemma created by the tension between the need to protect the rights of the accused in a death case and the desire for some form of justice to be done. But he’s outraged that the mother of Robin Samsoe, a 12-year-old girl raped and murdered in 1979, is now required to sit through yet a third trial of the alleged killer almost 30 years later. A sentence of life without parole would have allowed her to go on with her own life so long ago.

Mike Farrell, having seen the harm done by this same system-both to the innocent caught in it, sentenced to death and sometimes executed, as well as to the prosecutors, defense attorneys, investigators, judges, juries, guards, chaplains, killing teams and executioners tainted by it-believes our entire society is harmed by the dehumanization process inherent in state killing.

“When stripping away the remaining shreds of one’s humanity and killing him while helpless and defenseless is called `justice’ by the leaders of our state and nation, a lesson is taught,” says Farrell. “Unfortunately, that lesson is being played out today, not only in our cities, but by young Americans in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Bagram and `black sites’ run by the CIA across the world, again with the full authority and approval of those who pretend to leadership.” Read on…
Mike’s Blog Roundup

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 11:00am EDT by Mike Finnigan

Sic Semper Tyrannis: Col. Pat Lang is no wild-eyed leftie, but he’s talking about a Bill of Impeachment.

Greg Palast: The McCain Plan: Homer Simpson without the donut

DCist: Anthrax case has some big holes in it.

The Largest Minority: Physicians for Human Rights has reported that Israel has been forcing sick Gazans to trade intelligence information about Hamas for medical treatment.

qwerty’s qoncepts: What Lies Beneath

HOLY CRAP: Jews in “our churches“…Church-paid trips for White House aides…Better than ‘Holy Underwear‘?…Presidential campaign religious smear…God made her a “Cultural Warrior“…Without a prayer…’Christian’ gossip…Religious Right nixes Romney…Another moron has found Jesus on yet another piece of junk food…Creationists ignore evidence…Catholic calls for Catholic VP….The Godly career of Jesse Helms…BUSHCO says religious beliefs trump human health…
Glenn Beck: Bush is Batman!

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 9:45am EDT by SilentPatriot

Enclosure: [download]

Glenn Beck has sure said some stupid crap in his lifetime, but the tortured logic he employs here easily makes this one a Top 5 contender.

Download | Play Download | Play

“This seems to be a movie that extols some of the conservative viewpoints that we are dealing with terrorists, that you can trust people to make the right decision, that sometimes you have to do things that you don’t want to do, and you have to cross lines that you don’t want to cross, if you’re going to save - if you’re going to save your city, in this case it’s Gotham.

“But Batman goes into another country and with a C130, snatches a guy out, then throws him back here into Gotham. So there’s rendition! At one point, the Morgan Freeman character says to Batman, ‘Wait a minute, hang on…you’re eavesdropping on everyone in Gotham?’ And Batman says, ‘Yes, to stop this terrorist.’ Morgan Freeman says, ‘I can’t be a part of it.’ And yet Morgan Freeman does become a part of it, and they find the Joker. One of the ways they find the Joker is through eavesdropping. I mean the parallels here of what’s going on is to me stunning.”
The lunatics are running the RNC’s asylum

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 8:30am EDT by Steve Benen

In any party or political movement, there’s bound to be a mainstream and a fringe. As a rule, the fringe looks to the mainstream for validation, and the mainstream looks at the fringe as kind of icky.

Things get interesting, of course, when the line between the mainstream and the fringe blurs. Take the Republican National Committee, for example.

The RNC is a fairly predictable, far-right animal. It’s run by lobbyists and business interests who divide their time between raising money and lying about Democrats. The RNC likes to exploit the ignorance of its base, and stoke the culture-war fires from time to time, but generally steer clear of the kind of insanity one might find in, say, a thread at the Free Republic. It’s the whole mainstream/fringe dynamic in practice.

At least, that’s usually the case. Yesterday morning, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan sent out this email to Republican donors.

It seems the Democrats’ would-be president of the United States of America really believes that the rest of the world’s problems, and approval, trump the interests of Americans when it comes to how we live our lives and where our money is spent. […]

A bill he has sponsored in the U.S. Senate, the so-called Global Poverty Act
(S. 2433), would raise the amount of American tax dollars allocated to United Nations’ redistribution efforts to $845 billion.

That’s $2,500 from every American taxpayer, when many in our country already are struggling to make ends meet.

And with that, the line between the unhinged fringe and the Republican National Committee has disappeared. The lunatics, it appears, are running the asylum.

You can check Google and find literally thousands of right-wing activists who are just livid about Obama’s “plan” to give the United Nations $845 billion of our money. And they can’t imagine why the media refuses to tell the public about this nefarious scheme, but they’re pretty sure news outlets are in on some kind of conspiracy to keep this dastardly plan under wraps.

The problem, of course, is that there is no such plan. It’s a right-wing myth that has been making the rounds for months, and to which the Republican National Committee has finally given its imprimatur.

At issue here is a U.N. initiative to implement its Millennium Goals on global poverty, which would, in fact, total $845 billion over 13 years — from industrialized nations across the globe.

The Congressional Budget Office did a cost-estimate analysis of Obama’s legislation, co-sponsored by Joe Biden, and found that U.S. responsibilities “would cost less than $1 million per year.”

I know Republicans can struggle with math, so I’ll make this one simple: $1 million is a lot less than $845 billion.

Jonathan Cohn concluded, “[I]t certainly appears that the Republicans are telling a pretty bald-faced lie about Obama here. Of course, that wouldn’t be so new or surprising either, would it?”

No, not at all. But it is a little surprising that the RNC would jump head-first into the nutty end of the pool. This conspiracy theory isn’t just wrong, it’s plainly insane. That the RNC is talking about it, in writing, and emailing it to supporters nationwide suggests a) these guys really are desperate; and b) they’ve completely lost their mind.