…and it has been a VERY busy couple of days, leaving us with a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started…

POLITICIANS BEHAVING BADLY:

• The request made a year ago for Sarah Palin’s emails…still unfulfilled by the Governor’s Office, that usually responds to such “public record requests” in TEN DAYS.  The department says that it sometimes takes longer for “complicated” requests…but since we all know that pulling up archived emails is not complicated, some are asking what the delay REALLY signifies.
• Senator Kyl (R-AZ) may have really stepped in it when he mocked women’s need for Maternity Care to be covered by their insurance…saying it wasn’t fair to include it because, in his words: “I don’t need maternity care.”  Not only have ads been run in his state, to make women aware of Kyl’s statements…but now mothers are showing up at his Senate Office in protest.  It certain doesn’t help Kyl and the GOP’s image with women voters, that they voted AGAINST an amendment that would bar companies from getting government contracts…if they pressure female employees not to file harassment claims.
• In an increasingly disturbing trend involving Republicans attempting label Democrats as “enemies” of America, Representative Paul Broun (R-GA) referred to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a “domestic enem[y] of the Constitution.“  Broun wasn’t finished: “When I was sworn into the Marine Corps, I was sworn to uphold the Constitution against every enemy, foreign and domestic.  We’ve got a lot of domestic enemies of the Constitution and one of those sits in the speaker’s chair of the United States Congress, Nancy Pelosi.“  Broun, when you were sworn into the Marine Corps, you were also sworn to obey and respect your Commander in Chief…but that didn’t stop you from calling Obama “Hitler.“  Maybe you didn’t understand your oath?
• Of course, Broun isn’t the only one lobbing insults at Pelosi…the National Republican Congressional Committee said Pelosi should “be put in her place” over her remarks about Afghanistan.  Number of Republican, female legislators and Republican women’s groups willing to declare the statement sexist and inappropriate:  ZERO.  Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)…no.  Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)…nope.  Representative Sue Myrick (R-N.C.)…nuh uh.  Representative Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio)…not a word.  Representative Mary Bono Mack’s (R-CA)…no way.  The list of shame goes on, and on…sad.
• Robert Lowry, the Republican running against Representative Wasserman Schultz in her bid for re-election…well, he thought it would fun at a “shooting event” to shoot at a target, which showed the silhouette of a body, and upon which Wasserman Schultz’s initials had been written next to the head of the target.  First he tried to call it a “joke“…and then later said it was a “mistake.”  You were right the second time Lowry…it’s a big mistake.
• That’s right:  the latest defense bill…the Republicans are voting against it…because it also has provisions that would protect gay people against violence.  Message received: The GOP believes in defending America’s citizens…just not if they’re gay.
• Paul Krugman has written an interesting column about the GOP’s current “politics of spite:”  that they will vote against anything, no matter how worthwhile, if it came from the President or other Democrats.  How else can you explain that THIRTY Republican Senators voted against Al Franken’s bill to punish government contractors who “restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court?“  The Senators who voted against the bill are:

Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

THE MEDIA -- PUNDITS, HACKS, AND OTHER INVETERATE LIARS:

• It was a hard week for FOX’s Sean Hannity.  First…former comedian and now noticeably UNFUNNY political hack, Dennis Miller (what happened to you, Dennis…seriously) appeared on the O’Reilly Factor.  After Miller was done poking fun at CNN and MSNBC…he went after Hannity and Beck.  Of course…after that, he kissed O’Reilly’s behind…and Beck’s…and Roger Ailes’…and all the women on FOX…yick.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM3FZtTnQhA

• Next up in Hannity’s “not-so-hot” week…his smear campaign against Kevin Jennings, who President Obama has appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, was derailed by Hannity’s guest, George Stephanopoulos.  Hannity was, as usual, attempting to misrepresent Jennings as some sort of “lefty-gay-activist-who-is-going-to-turn-all-kids-gay“…but George wasn’t having any of it, and points out that the facts just aren’t on Hannity’s side:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYaZVZKBhW4

• The third “Hannity Fail” came when Hannity decided he had what it took to face off against filmaker Michael Moore’s facts…armed only with his usual assumptions and generalizations:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dptz3PnOPJ8

• Saturday, we wrote about conservatives rejoicing over America’s loss (regarding the Olympics)…simply because it is also a loss for Obama.  We also mentioned that one conservative set aside partisanship and actually wrote a column thanking the President for trying to bring the Olympics (and the resulting pride, revenues, and JOBS) back to our country.  That conservative was talk show host, and former Republican legislator, Joe Scarborough.  So what can we expect when a conservative takes a “time out” to behave like a reasonable, patriotic American?  That’s right…Rush Limbaugh  has decided to pronounce Scarborough a “neutered chickified moderate.“  You have to appreciate that Scarborough, unlike so many other conservatives to face Rush’s wrath, did not back down: “I would be careful if I had put my testicles in a blind trust for George W. Bush for eight years.  So now, I guess what you do to prove that you’re a real conservative, because you weren’t a real conservative over the past eight years, you call the president names.” Yowch!
• As one last item…let’s watch Stephen Colbert mock Glenn Beck’s breathless and weepy fearmongering, as only Colbert can…

THE OVAL OFFICE:

• President Obama…has won the Nobel Peace Prize.  For his work to advance nuclear disarmament, foster better relations with Muslim countries, and to encourage cooperation towards shared goals, Obama has been awarded the most prestigious peace award the international community can bestow.  The citation reads, in part, “Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics,” the citation read, in part. “Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts.“  Two very interesting groups have received this news with disgust and outrage: American conservatives…and Taliban/Al Qaeda/Terrorist organizations.  In fact…Rush Limbaugh went as far as to say, “Our president is a worldwide joke. Folks, do you realize something has happened here that we all agree with the Taliban and Iran about and that is he doesn’t deserve the award. Now that’s hilarious, that I’m on the same side of something that the Taliban, and that we all are on the same side as the Taliban.“  Are you sure that’s what you really want to say, Rush…that you side with TERRORISTS against the PRESIDENT?  Joe Scarborough and his guests voiced a very different complaint…that receiving an “international award” can ONLY be seen as a bad thing.  Scarborough said, “The upside is the Nobel Prize committee that has had suspect selections in the past has just befuddled a lot of people across the world,” and Time‘s Mark Halperin added, “I predict right now that he will find a way to basically turn it down…I think he is going to say, I share this with the world or whatever. I don’t think he’ll embrace this. Because there is no upside.“  Really?  The Nobel Peace Prize?  I mean…really?  You’re going to call receiving it a NEGATIVE event?
• Saturday Night Live chose to use its knack for scathing political satire to point out a more common complaint about President Obama…he just hasn’t done that much.  And given that we still have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Wall Street remains unregulated, we’re told not to expect Climate Change legislations, and they say that Obama will start to fight for gay people’s civil liberties at the “right time“…it seems SNL may have a good point:

THE HEALTH CARE CARNIVAL OF DESPAIR:

• Health Care Reform has a new ally:  former Presidential candidate, and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kansas).  Not only did Dole predict that the bill will be signed in 2010…he explained exactly why Republicans are opposing it: “Sometimes people fight you just to fight you.  They don’t want Reagan to get it, they don’t want Obama to get it, so we’ve got to kill it…Health care is one of those things.  Now we’ve got to do something.“  Dole warned, as other analysts have, that blind opposition to reform will, in the end, help the President politically and hurt the GOP.  As more distinguished GOP leaders from days past come forward and make these assertions…it seems to be having an impact, and there is some word that the GOP might be scrambling to find ways to both save face and vote for the bill.  RedState.com’s Erick Erickson reports,  “I am told quite reliably that in a meeting today on Capitol Hill, Republican Senators began to rapidly move toward concessions on health care because they are afraid they cannot hold their members. Some Republicans are now thinking of supporting a government program.“
• There’s new life in the “public option” and some are calling it the “opt-out public option.”  Details are few, but it appears that it would involve a government-run insurance plan…and states could choose not to allow it in their state.  Democrats and several Republicans seem nominally on board with this, with two primary concerns:  One…is it a “robust” version of the public option, or a watered down one.  Two…how many people will it truly help, if many states choose not to implement it?  The first seems a valid concern, while the second does not.  Our prediction: If states choose NOT to allow their citizens the option to buy affordable public insurance in their state…it will be political suicide for those governors and legislators.  People will leave states that don’t offer it…and will vote out of office the people responsible for not allowing it to be purchased, particularly once word gets out that the people who DO purchase it in other states, are very pleased with it.
• Hilda and Krikor Sarkisyan travelled with friends and supporters to the CIGNA headquarters in Philadelphia to speak to the CEO…and to complain that his company’s actions had KILLED THEIR DAUGHTER.  CIGNA had refused to pay for their daughter’s liver transplant because they said that the completely proven and established surgery was…wait for it…”too experimental.”  CIGNA eventually, following protests, changed its mind, but it was too late for Nataline Sarkisyan.  While there, several CIGNA employees on a balcony decided to show their support and sympathy for the Sarkisyans…by heckling them and making obscene gestures, and eventually the police were called to remove the Sarkisyans from the property.  CIGNA’s HR Director’s response: “I was very disappointed to learn of the behavior of one of our employees when you were at our company’s headquarters.  I sincerely regret this individual’s offensive and inappropriate action.  Please know that he did not represent the views of our company or the views of other employees who work here. We deeply empathize with you and wish you peace and comfort in your loss.“  Sorry…I don’t think one smarmy letter from your company’s HR hack is going to smooth this one over.  To make matters worse, the Sarkisyan’s can’t take legal action:  A 1987 Supreme Court ruling shields CIGNA from lawsuit.
• Still haven’t seen Keith Olbermann’s special on Health Care Reform?  See it here.  Seriously, go watch it now…we’ll wait right here for you to come back.

MISCELLANY:

• Dick Cheney has been noticeably absent from the talk show circuit as of late…most likely because he is about to be under serious investigation regarding his part in the “Valerie Plame Scandal” and his part in authorizing torture, or perhaps because President Obama has now made substantial gains in the area of counter-terrorism.  Liz Cheney, after a few public debacles where defending her father’s ideology served only to make her appear insufficiently informed on all topics, has similarly been off the radar.  But that’s all ok…because there is still ANOTHER Cheney:  Mary Cheney.  That’s right…The latest of the family to grab headlines is Dick Cheney’s lesbian daughter…who is now pregnant, and on the way towards having her second child with her partner, Heather Poe.  Well, since Dick Cheney has come out supporting his daughter fully, and has switched to a “pro-gay marriage” stance, I’m sure that the rest of the conservative community will be totally fine with this.  What’s that?  Oh…maybe not.  Here is just a sampling of the nauseating reactions gathered from the conservative site, the Free Republic, by Pam Spaulding:

“I respect Dick Cheney, but I don’t understand why he is allowing his daughter to take innocent children into her lesbianic home. Can anyone claim that these kids won’t be scarred for life? So sad.

Also repugnant, IMNSHO, is the use of ‘they are expecting a child’ when, for obvious reasons ‘they’ could not POSSIBLY have conceived. It is the slight [sic] of hand that the left does with rediculous [sic] name reversals (like ‘FAMILY PLANNING’) that implies something that in fact does just not happen…

As much as I don’t like it, God will have to sort this out in the end.

Who is the father? Yes, you selfish lesbians, there is ALWAYS a father. Not that the baby will benefit from one. sick.

I wonder if Hallmark makes a card for this occasion? Yathink? Congratulations on your baster bastard?”

• 75 years ago, the Veterans of Foreign Wars erected a cross in the Mohave Desert, to commemorate soldiers who lost their lives in WWI.  The problem:  it’s federal land, and a former National Parks employee (who, it should be noted, is a devout Catholic) says that he has no problems with crosses…he just has a problem with a cross on public land.  Citing the Separation Of Church and State, this employee also points out that the memorial is clearly unfair to soldiers who were Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or who practiced any faith (or no faith) other than Christianity.  It’s a good thing we have nine clear-headed Supreme Court Justices who can settle this easy dispute.  Or….maybe there are only eight clear-headed Justices…here’s Antonin Scalia: “It’s erected as a war memorial. I assume it is erected in honor of all of the war dead.  What would you have them erect?…Some conglomerate of a cross, a Star of David, and you know, a Muslim half moon and star?…I don’t think you can leap from that to the conclusion that the only war dead that that cross honors are the Christian war dead. I think that’s an outrageous conclusion.“  Yes…that’s Antonin Scalia, who holds one of the highest positions in the land…saying that a cross REPRESENTS EVERYBODY.

Let’s hope for a quiet weekend…some of these folks could use a little “quiet reflection time.”  Until Monday…have a great one.

POLITICIANS BEHAVING BADLY:

• I love a good sparring match as much as the next guy…and how could you do much better than Michele Bachmann (R) debating with Barney Frank (D), moderated by CNN’s Lou Dobbs. Frank is crazy-smart, Dobbs is crazy-angry, and Bachmann is just crazy-crazy. The subject: Bachmann has proposed that federal funding should be withdrawn from any group that has any of its members indicted. Her primary goal, is to see the funding for ACORN taken away…but it didn’t take long for Frank to point out how ridiculous the idea really is. I once heard “you can indict a ham sandwich,” and it’s true…and because it is true, it means that anyone who wanted to hurt a group for political reasons would only have to get one of its members indicted, which is easy to do. Frank also pointed out that funding ACORN and groups like it…was an idea that came from Republicans during the BUSH ADMINISTRATION, as an effort to contract out community outreach instead of growing government agencies. He also mentioned that her measure could hurt groups she doesn’t intend it to, citing when AIPAC members got indicted, only to have all charges dropped…and also, that when Tom DeLay was indicted, under Bachmann’s plan, all the House Republicans would have lost their funding. Way to really think it through, Michelle.
• Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) has a new argument against Global Warming theories: CO2 emissions CAN’T be harmful…because there is CO2 in carbonated soft drinks. It’s arguments like this that have led The Economist to include Barton in their series, “Profiles in Stupidity.” An excerpt: “We’ve chronicled Mr. Barton’s stupidity (there really is no other word for it) before. Anyone looking for exhibit A in what’s wrong with the Republican Party should start with the good congressman…Please don’t get me wrong, it’s not simply that Mr. Barton is a climate-change skeptic. There are plenty of those and some make decent arguments against moving ahead with measures to control emissions. The problem with Mr. Barton is that he is wholly uninterested in the science and statistics of the global warming debate. He is about as curious as a dead cat, as is his colleague in the Senate, James Inhofe.“
• I continue to be shocked to see the RNC trot out attacks on Obama that were used during the presidential campaign, were debunked/explained at that time, and in the long run, proved ineffective. Their latest: they want to remind you, that during the campaign Obama said there was a “fundamental flaw” in the Constitution…and that means he doesn’t respect the document…or America. Of course, the flaw that Obama was referring to…WAS SLAVERY. Even the founding fathers expressed disappointment in themselves for failing to resolve the issue at that time, and for leaving the door to slavery open. So, unless you just happen to be a “big fan” of slavery…I think we can all agree with Obama on this one.
• AND in ANOTHER classic example of failing to learn from past mistakes…you’ve probably heard people speak of LBJ’s “Daisy” ad…the ad which showed a little girl playing, and then the image of a mushroom cloud. When people talk of this ad, they use it an example of the lowest, most shameful form of blatant fearmongering ever perpetrated on the American public in the form of a public TV spot. It is the one, disgusting act, by which all other attempts to manipulate voters by scaring them to death, are judged by. Want to see it? Look no further than the NEW RNC ad. Here it is:

• Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) recently took some heat for his suggestion that Texas should secede from the United States…some people seemed to think that was kind of “un-American.” And now, engaged in the political fight of his life against fellow Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, his advisor, David Carney has come up with a provocative reason why Hutchison should not be considered. Carney said that drawing in new voters, like the women that support Hutchison, would be good for the GOP, but “that doesn’t mean you take your principles and throw them out the door and become a whorehouse and let anybody in who wants to come in, regardless.” Nice…if there’s one thing women voters like to hear, it’s female politicians inferred to be “whores.”
• A Public Service Announcement from RNC Chairman Michael Steele: Being a liberal…can KILL YOU. Steele says, “The Republican Party’s credibility as the reliably conservative choice has been damaged, and it’s up to us to fix it. Faith, freedom, personal responsibility, respect for life and prosperity…Like a bad diet, liberalism will kill you. It’s a drug we don’t need to be hooked on. We are what stand between an America of prosperity or dependency. Which one do you want?” Now you know…and knowing is half the battle.
• Georgia Republican Representative Paul Broun has a dream…he wants 2010 to be officially declared the Year of the Bible. Broun also wants to make sure that nobody thinks this has ANYTHING to do with Christianity…because, of course, some people might call the government endorsing religion “unconstitutional.” No…Broun says it’s just because the book has been really, really important in the creation of America. And people say the Republicans don’t have any new ideas…

MEDIA HACKS, PUNDITS, AND OTHER INVETERATE LIARS:

• Under allegations that she knew our government was using torture and she did nothing, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has claimed that the CIA never briefed her that that torture was being utilized. So…how does the conservative media question the veracity of Pelosi’s claims? By attacking her looks, of course. Media Matters put together this list, which includes comparisons between Pelosi and a “hag,” assertions that she uses Botox, and a claim that she is unable to perform “human facial expression.” Very highbrow. Here’s a clip:

• I feel like I’m taking crazy pills: recently, right-wing radio host Michael Savage attacked…Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh? Savage said: “...here in America, I’ve had some people come to my aid. They see the bigger picture. They’re not like [Bill] O’Reilly; they’re not like Limbaugh, who’s the biggest disappointment of all. Limbaugh has turned out to be the biggest phony of all of them, all of them. Amongst all of them, he is the biggest fraud. Rush Limbaugh is a fraud. When he was accused of the drug usage, I supported him. But that man is a one-way street. It’s all about him. He’s in it for nobody but himself.” This seems to stem from the fact that neither O’Reilly nor Limbaugh defended Savage when the United Kingdom announced that Savage was not welcome in their country because he is a person who “stirs up hate.” Ooops…I’m sure they’ll all be BFF’s again in no time.
• Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura is on a MEDIA RAMPAGE. First…he proves that he is clearly “crazy, not stupid” on Sean Hannity’s show, where he proceeds to make Hannity very uncomfortable…leading Hannity to make several inane assertions, like saying that Bush “inherited” 9/11 (Sean…it’s hard for a president to inherit something that happens nine months AFTER he takes office), and that “loving Reagan” counts as a notable accomplishment. That clip, is worth viewing. Ventura was upset that Hannity cut the interview short, as he wanted to discuss waterboarding…as a Navy SEAL, Ventura experienced waterboarding during his training, and he claims that he could waterboard Hannity and get him to admit that “Barack Obama is the greatest president.” He says the reason Hannity cut things short: “He’s scared to death of me. It was over in a few minutes and that was it.” Ventura recently took on Elisabeth Hasselbeck of The View, and to a similar result. He told her: “If waterboarding is OK, why don’t we let our police do it to suspects so they can learn what they know? If waterboarding is OK, why didn’t we waterboard [Timothy] McVeigh and Nichols, the Oklahoma City bombers, to find out if there were more people involved?…We only seem to waterboard Muslims…Have we waterboarded anyone else? Name me someone else who has been waterboarded.” Hasselbeck could only respond by trying to make the debate about Pelosi…at which point Ventura points out the obvious fact that ordering and performing torture is certainly a worse crime than “knowing about it,” and therefore is more deserving of our attention. Lastly, Ventura visits FOX and Friends, where he reminds the hosts that we are a nation of LAWS…to which Brian Kilmeade responds than laws aren’t so important when “people are on fire” and “buildings are blowing up.” Kilmeade goes the ridiculous step further of saying that he will stop supporting torture when “they’re dead.” Ventura…again, a Navy SEAL, was not impressed with Kilmeade’s tough talk: “Really? Have you enlisted? Have you enlisted or are you just talking?…Go walk the walk, don’t talk the talk.“
• I’ll just treat this item with a brief summary of events: FOX’s Glenn Beck is invited to appear on The View. Glenn Beck bumps into Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters on the train and they have a pleasant discussion. Glenn Beck goes on the radio, lies about what happened on the train, and portrays Goldberg and Walters as bitchy divas. Glenn Beck goes on The View, the clip from his radio show is played, and it is pointed out that he is a fraud and a liar. Glenn Beck sheepishly smiles, reminds his hosts that he is not a journalist, and is therefore not required to research, use facts, or make true statements on his show. Goldberg responds that he is a “lying sack of dog mess.” Glenn Beck on his next radio show…demands “a damn apology.” Here’s the clip from The View…it’s really amazing:

GAY RIGHTS:

• Yesterday, I was very critical of President Obama, for not taking steps to end the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, under which valuable, veteran soldiers are being discharged from the service because they are gay. In part, I was reacting to statements from Pentagon officials, which indicated that the president was taking no significant steps towards changing or repealing the policy. However, yesterday, White House Press Secretary Gibbs painted a very different picture, saying that “active discussions” were taking place and that “the President is involved in these discussions. It was the President’s commitment to overturn the policy that’s not in our national interest that is the reason for these discussions and for the effort to overturn this. So I think the notion somehow – the reason Congress is involved is the only durable and lasting way with which to overturn the policy is to do it by law.” Let’s hope this is the case.
• The National Organization for Marriage is at it again. You may remember they put out a TV spot recently that was so overly dramatic, and so overtly pandering to fear and ignorance, that it was openly mocked from almost every side. So, of course, in their second ad they’ve learned from their mistakes and present a more reasonable, intelligent argument…oh no, wait…they put out this nonsense about terribly sad and confused children, psychically damaged by the very thought of same-sex marriage. I don’t know about you…but most children I have seen dealing with gay relationships of parents or parents’ friends, do better at grasping the important concepts than most adults do. Children…understand what it means to be with someone because you love them. Here’s the clip:

GHOSTS OF THE PAST:

• Members of the Bush Administration have been attempting for months now to hide behind the Justice Department memos, taking the position that while the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” (read as “torture”) may have been illegal….because they had memos say “it’s ok” they are in the clear. But, what if they ordered/condoned/implemented the techniques BEFORE the memos? Well, that may be the case, since the White House’s own statements place the capture and interrogation of Abu Zubaydah as starting in March 2002…and the memos were not issued until August. Ali Soufan, a former FBI interrogator, has been testifying in Congress about Zubaydah’s interrogation, and has made it clear that the detainee was cooperative and gave good information…until the CIA and its contractors took over and instantly began torturing him. One source indicates that the CIA interrogator would send a “top-secret cable” to the CIA each day, requesting permission to torture Zubaydah…the CIA would forward the memo to the White House, and White House counsel Alberto Gonzales would approve the measures. Oh Alberto…you may have really stepped in it this time: your appearances before Congress told us you were incompetent and had no knowledge of Constitutional Law, but this seems to indicate that you were foolish beyond even our worst imagining.
• Oh…I pointed out Wednesday that some GOP leaders think that Pelosi did the UNTHINKABLE in accusing the CIA of deceiving Congress…despite the fact that they have OFTEN been found to be deceiving Congress, and there are several other legislators (including Republicans) ALSO accusing the agency of similar behavior. In light of these accusations, the CIA has produced documentation regarding who gave briefings, on what dates, and which subjects were covered. Some initial discrepancies were immediately detected (wrong dates, wrong attendees, falsified entries)…and now…more mistakes. CIA…after the whole “weapons of mass destruction” thing and now this “we swear we told Congress we were using torture” thing…it’s looking like they’re either incompetent or deceptive…there’s no third option.
• A lot has been made of the “showdown” between Obama’s speech on the subject of closing Gitmo, and former VP Cheney’s speech in defense of Gitmo and torture tactics. Obama’s speech has been met with mostly favorable review…Cheney’s speech… not so much. It appears some people are a bit put off by the obvious omissions, errors, and hyperbole, in Cheney’s argument. For example, he cited the Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair as supporting the techniques…when what Blair really said was, “there is no way of knowing whether the same information could have been obtained through other means. The bottom line is that these techniques hurt our image around the world, the damage they have done to our interests far outweighed whatever benefit they gave us and they are not essential to our national security.” Cheney said that torture had “prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people,” despite the top-secret 2004 CIA inspector general’s investigation which found that these techniques had not provided ANY significantly helpful information, nor had they prevented ANY attacks. He said that Obama’s release of the “torture memos” has “flatly” contrary to U.S. National Security…when, in fact, Admiral Blair had recommended it. Cheney patted himself on the back for pursuing Al Qaeda…even though Osama bin Laden and his chief lieutenant, Ayman al Zawahri still remain at large. For a thorough examination of how Cheney played fast and loose with the facts (which should surprise NO ONE)…here’s a good read.

PALINWATCH:

• Most Misguided Campaign Idea: John Coale, husband to FOX News’ Greta Van Susteren and one-time Palin advisor, approached Palin during her husband’s Iron Dog “snow machine” race with a DOOZY of an idea: pay off Hillary Clinton’s campaign debt. Coale’s idea consisted of using money from Palin’s PAC to help Clinton pay down her debt…in hopes that this “friendship” would help Palin among moderates and liberals. Even Palin realized instantly that this idea was a non-starter. One: conservatives who donated the money to her PAC would be furious. Two: the geniuses who would vote for Palin just because she is a woman already support her. Three: the rest of the moderates and liberals…will never support someone with Palin’s agenda (or her loopy behavior), no matter who she befriends.
• Sarah Palin, after RNC Chairman Steele’s recent speech where he attempted to revitalize the Republican Party, declared Steele to be “bold and courageous.” Really? This guy is trying to rebrand the GOP as the “party with lots of ideas“…but can’t think of one to mention. He is consistently mocked for his use of “hip-hop” language which comes across as forced, juvenile, and unprofessional. His own party wants him replaced as chairman, and until that can happen they are trying to take away all of his control over the party finances. This…this is the guy you’re going to support, Sarah? She said: “Today, we have a friend in RNC Chairman Michael Steele, and his bold and courageous speech defines his leadership goals that will guide us all through this most difficult time for our nation.” His speech can also be seen here, along with Palin’s comments…I think when the majority of the GOP thinks the guy is an embarrassment and a media whore, it would be best not to label him as the “great hope” of the party’s future.

MISCELLANY:

• Ok…I know it’s the worst kind of gossip, but if it is true, it is HYSTERICAL. By now everyone has heard the name “Carrie Prejean.” Quick Summary: Prejean is Miss California…she entered the Miss USA pageant…when asked about gay marriage, she voiced her opposition to it…when she lost the competition she blamed the judges for being prejudiced against prejudiced people…it came out that the Miss California pageant committee paid for her breast implants…several partly-nude pictures of her surfaced…Trump did not take her crown, even though the photos clearly showed she violated her contract…now she serves as a spokesperson against gay marriage. AND NOW…a woman has come forward claiming that she had a lesbian relationship with Prejean’s mother…a recent relationship that ended only weeks before the Miss USA competition. AWK-Waaaard!

Another interesting week…as long as Obama stays busy, Fox News stays on the air, Palin still thinks she can be president, and Republicans keep struggling to make sense to somebody (anybody!)…I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about.

Have a great weekend, my friends…