June 2007 - Posts
Stopping the War : When it comes to putting pressure on the White House to end the war in Iraq... Democrats in Congress would seem to have no problem with the first step: introducing measures that would bring the troops home. The hard part comes in actually having the spine to pass the legislation once President Bush starts threatening to veto it, and generally bad-mouth the opposition when he does so. Our fifth story on the Countdown: Stopping the war, take two... Picadilly Bomb Scare The London bomb scare. The intent was clearly the real thing. But what these people put together and left parked, and, authorities say, twice failed to "go off"...Did it even constitute a bomb or would it have been at worst, a car fire? The former State Department deputy head of counter-terrorism has his doubts... ODDBALL Mad Murdoch 2 : In 1976, Rupert Murdoch bought from its family ownership, what had been, for thirty years, the country's strongest, self-proclaimed liberal newspaper -- and promised not to change it. It was The New York Post. It could now no longer be described, either as "liberal," or even as a "newspaper." Our third story on the Countdown -- thirty one years later, Murdoch wants the Wall Street Journal, and is negotiating with it's family owners on editorial control. I I, captain: It's come to this. The guy at the head of the line in New York City, waiting to buy his I-Phone at exactly 6 PM prevailing local time tonight, was an inveterate compulsive publicity hound, Greg Packer, known as New York's Official Man On The Street Interviewee. But in Philadelphia, the third guy on the line there, had a little better resume. Mayor John Street.
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD Pets and the GOP: No matter how grand its ambitions, politics often has the feel of a dog and pony show...So it's a good idea to be **kind** to the animals. In our number one story on the Countdown... a disturbing trend: Good Ol' Pets -- and other animals -- mistreated by the Grand Old Party. Most prominently, the case of presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney...
Some of what we're working on for tonight...
In his second full day in office, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is dealing with his first crisis : a car bomb in Central London, not far from Picadilly Circus, that police were able to diffuse overnight. The timing, the BBC points out, comes not only in the wake of the transfer of power but also with the anniversary of the July 7 attacks approaching.< CONTINUED >>
White House In Crisis Re-Mission : Dan Bartlett admits, on his way out the door, that he'd like to take back the 'Mission Accomplished' photo op the Bush admin staged on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln when we "won the war" all those years ago. Richard Wolffe does the honors.
ODDBALL Mad Murdoch : Keith piggybacks on the excellent reporting the NY Times did re: Darth Vader (Emperor is probably a better analogy) of FOX News himself, Rupert Murdoch. It's a well done spot that you should really check out.Reunited: The original "Big Show" tag team are reunited on television with David Letterman hosting the festivities (he called them Dan Olbermann). It was great tv...again, don't miss it.WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD What Have We Learned? : If Paris put you to sleep last night (insert bad joke here)...Keith and Michael Musto will jolt you awake with their hilarious Hilton stylings tonight.
Some of what we're working on for tonight...
Here's why many Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee might have voted to issue subpoenaes to the Bush administration, giving the effort broad bipartisan support. Previously, they may have been laboring under the misapprehension they hadn't been allowed to do so. Okay, not really, but in an interview with NPR this morning, Judiciary CommitteeIf you think the White House is going to answer THOSE subpoenaes, today was the deadline for the White House to hand over documents linked to Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor in the firing over federal prosecutors. That deadline has come and gone . Guess what the White One of the U.S. attorneys fired last year testified yesterday that Attorney General Gonzales considers 5 to 10 minutes an "extensive, unusual" amount of his time to devote to the decision of whether a man should be put to death . Even in a case where a body had not been recovered. That Mr. Charlton asked to meet with Mr. Gonzales, to ask him to reconsider, amounted to insubordination. CONTINUED >>
The Paper Chase If you're scoring at home -- or even if you're alone -- sharpen your pencil. The White House, now claiming it will not release documents related to the warrantless eavesdropping program... on the grounds that the executive branch has a right to receive confidential advice... While, at the same time, still refusing to comply with its own executive order regarding the safeguarding of classified documents... meant to apply to all entities within the executive branch. In our fifth story on the Countdown... Something the White House might find more difficult to argue against: Congressional subpoenas.
Rudy Blames Bill: Rudy Giuliani claims he knew that the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center was part of Osama Bin Laden's declaration of war on us...But then President Bill Clinton didn't see it. Sheez, Rudy, maybe you couldn't mentioned it during those eight years between the attacks.
ODDBALL The GOP Horserace It was one of the funniest videos on the internets this year. Will Ferrell, getting hassled for rent money by his foul-mouthed boozing landlady - Pearl. The two year old daughter of Ferrell's comedy website collaborator Adam McKay. Now in our third story on the Countdown - two months after Pearl debuted to the paranoid -- almost hallucinogenic -- cries of child exploitation by the likes of Bill Orally, she is back. And back for what is described as... her farewell performance. And back as... the ultimate bad cop. The ultimate two-year old... bad cop. TiVo Alert! Much like Tony Blair hinting at retirement in 2005, making an official announcement in 2006, then finally actually stepping down today -- the release of the I-phone has been impending so long that it feels like it's already last year's technology. But in our number two story on the Countdown -- the wait is finally... well nearly... over. Apple's first cell-phone goes on sale this Friday. And as our correspondent Jane Wells reports, people are already lining up for it. Or at least, paying others to line up for them. One caveat: I am not convinced that none of these people in line, are not shills of some sort. WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD Paris and the Sheriff : The wheels of government turn slowly, particularly when the wrench thrown in them, is shaped like Paris Hilton. In our number one story on the Countdown, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was trying, yesterday, to address an inner city hospital so beleaguered, a patient died in it's Emergency Room lobby last month. The Board eventually got around to its health care crisis, but not before facing Sheriff Lee Bocka... to find out why he initially released Ms. Hilton after just a few days in jail. Meantime, Ms. Hilton has now described that jail-cell meltdown...
Here's the report filed by the associated press...rest assured we'll be all over this on tonight's show.
CAPITOL HILL (AP) - A Senate panel is demanding some documents from the White House and from Vice President Cheney's office.
The Judiciary Committee today issued a subpoena for documents related to President Bush's program involving eavesdropping without warrants.
The subpoenas also name the Justice Department and the National Security Council.
A congressional official says the panel is looking for documents that might shed some light on internal squabbles within the administration over whether the program is legal.
Some of what we're working on for tonight...
that has been released to Raw Story. " Addington writes, "The executive order on classified national security information -- Executive Order 12958 as amended in 2003 -- makes clear that the Vice President is treated like the President and distinguishes the two of them from 'agencies.' The executive order gives the ISOO, under the supervision of the Archivist of the United States , responsibility to oversee certain activities of "agencies," but not of the Vice President or the President.”CONTINUED >>
For anyone who has payed any attention to the President's speeches on Immigration reform, you're familiar with the fact that the President is firmly against "amnesty". He repeatedly says so here , here , here and about a bajillion other places.
His critics, and particularly those on his side of the isle, have decried his immigration bill as amnesty in sheep's clothing. They say he's endorsing amnesty without calling it amnesty.
So, you'll imagine their amazement when in a speech on Tuesday, the President changed his position and said his bill calls for, let's all say it together, AMNESTY.
You know, I've heard all the rhetoric -- you've heard it, too -- about how this is amnesty. Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that.
Oopsie. The White House is now saying the President did not mean to say that, and they've linked to a correction on their whitehouse.gov transcript explaining what the President MEANT to say.
Earlier today, in speaking about comprehensive immigration reform, President Bush misspoke. He told a group, "You know, I've heard all the rhetoric - you've heard it, too - about how this is amnesty. Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that." This has been construed as an assertion that comprehensive immigration reform legislation before the Senate offers amnesty to immigrants who came here illegally. That is the exact opposite of the president's long-held and often-stated position.
We're sure his opponents will resepect the mea culpa and not use this one against him...don't ya think?
Sorry so late, folks...
Cheney World Ex Lugar : He's the latest Republican to break ranks and ask the President to bring troops home. He says he took months to arrive at his decision...but he finally came around. Gee, thanks.ODDBALL: Ooh, baby...don't miss tonight's oddball. It was so great. So SO great!Factor Fiction : Bill O'Reilly gets his lunch handed to him by a 16-year-old high school kid (for the second time in as many weeks). We just can't pass up the opportunity to enjoy the moment.
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Well, if you saw the show, you'll notice that our graphic producer used the wrong image of the ultimate worst for this fine Tuesday. Worstie fans will know what we're talking about.Viva Le Paris! : She's sprung from the cooler, she looked fabulous and we wrapped up the day's ridiculous coverage with a redux of the get out of jail news and the one and only Michael Musto.
Some of what we're working on for tonight...
Part Three of the Washington Post's investigative series on Vice President Cheney takes a look at his influence on the administration's domestic policy. Its thesis: That if President Bush is "the Decider" Mr. Cheney serves up his menu of options. For instance, Mr. Cheney led the group that narrowed down the list of potential Supreme Court nominees (we all know how that turned out .)
Mr. Cheney inserted himself in the investigation of Democratic Congressman William Jefferson, apparently as alarmed as Mr. Jefferson's colleagues were about the seizure of the congressman's files... what with being a member of the legislative branch and all. He presented Mr. Bush with the course of action that was taken - the files were placed under seal for 45 days. Lastly, but by no means all, Mr. Cheney has shaped tax cut policy.
The Post reporting that on a rare occasion when the president actually told his alleged second banana 'No' (on deep reductions on capital gains tax on investments) Mr. Cheney did an end run around Mr. Bush and successfully lobbied Congress for them directly. Not that the president will ever even find out about it. He doesn't read newspapers.
CONTINUED >>
The Cheney Presidency : If you are appointed by a Presidential candidate, to head a search committee to find him a Vice Presidential candidate, and the person you ultimately find, and endorse, is you ... it should thereafter surprise no one, that you may be thinking you have completely gamed the system. Nonetheless it had been one of the most cynical jokes made by the critics of the current occupants of the White House: that this wasn't the "Bush Administration," it was really "The Cheney Administration." And yet imperical evidence tonight, that there may be no joke... or even worse... the joke is on us.Mayor Culpa : The Republican who headed the environmental protection agency in 2001 may have finessed whether or not she was blaming Rudy Giuliani for the scandal over the quality of the air at Ground Zero. But she did not pull any punches, blaming him for putting appearances ahead of safety, during the anthrax nightmare. Christie Todd Witman's story and testimony is our Number Four Story.: The world's ugliest dog is really kinda... ugly -- and when attending an air show in Galway, Irelan... don't let the door hit ya.Murder in Ohio : The stomach-turning story from Ohio, turning again. A married police officer charged in the murder of his girlfriend and their child, there is a third woman charged in the case, and the only witness is the two-year old son the dead woman bore him, who told police, "Mommy was crying, Mommy broke the table. Mommy's in a rug."Hung Out to Dry: killing us. The lawsuit that rocked the dry cleaning world -- is over.WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD : When getting your hair cut in Amsterdam, stare straight ahead, talk about the weather, do NOT anger the barber... a shocker, Senator James Inhofe is having some trouble keeping his stories straight... and another Senator announces he's taking his policy cues from right-wing talk radio hosts. Your tax dollars in action.Spoiler Alert! Our modern mythology... The Harry Potter books come to an end in less than a month, and Keith thinks he's figured out the conclusion. Who lives, who dies, and how. It's just an opinion, but you might want to take notes.
ditching Celine Dion already? Not a bar of the French Canadian crooner's "You and I" could be heard at last night's campaign event for Senator Clinton in Manhattan. Instead, loudspeakers were blaring another (far more catchy) tune from the pre-approved list Mrs. Clinton's campaign had offered in its contest: KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See." This helpful tip to the RNC's opposition research staff: Ms. Tunstall is Scottish.Sopranos spoof ?
Some of what we're working on for tonight... Part two of the Washington Post’s excellent
four-part series on the Vice President reveals Alberto
Gonzales is really no more than a Cheney (and
Addington) flunky. Part one revealed that Mr. Cheney even spies on other
senior members of the White House staff.
Mr. Gonzales
apparently has done nothing to investigate the Vice
President’s refusal to comply with that executive
order requiring all federal offices to comply with
reporting procedures on how they’re safeguarding
classified documents. The Justice Department, even
going so far as to claim it has never even received
any letters about the matter.
(In related news, the office of the nation’s chief
executive appears to be trying to claim it isn’t part
of the executive branch either. Please make the
madness stop .)
really is president after all.
CONTINUED >>
this Rolling Stone investigation is required, sorry. The more articles like this we read, the more we realize that one of the men in the photo above is the President of the United States, and one seems to be not much more than our national mascot .CONTINUED >>
Click here for a good summation at ThinkProgress.
Gitmo and Dick Cheney : If, after two years of planning and intent, the White House does not have an exit strategy for Guantanamo Bay... what are the chances it's going to pull one out of somewhere, for Iraq? 24-hours later, still more questions than answers, about the AP report that the Bush administration was nearing a decision to close the detention facility at the U-S naval base in Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Plus...a severe case of whiplash regarding who exactly this Dick Cheney guy is anyway. Today, White House Spokesperson Dana Perino revealed that Mr. Cheney has now evolved to a point where he is not just in the executive branch, but indistinguishable from the president himself.Jewels of Denial : The CIA is about to catalog its own clandestine and illegal-in-multiple-nations activities. As our correspondent Pete Williams reports -- Central Intelligence is cutting out the middle-man... and passing the savings (and the secrets!) on to you!ODDBALL : It's time once again to demonstrate the dangers of fireworks by blowing the crap out of fresh produce and department store mannequins... plus, voyeur video of a robot in the shower, and one airlines' way to"spice up" the friendly skies.The GOP Horserace : When Presidential candidates show up at a memorial for nine firefighters who perished nowhere near the candidates' states or cities, is it paying respects...or playing politics? And why the firefighters had to ask Rudy Giuliani NOT to speak, when the Secretary of Homeland Security did, saying "the tragedy of monday reminds us that we live in a world in which danger is all around us from accidents to natural disasters to deliberate acts of terror."Dangerous Imports: WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD : The British Ministry of Defense says 'nothing to see here, nevermind those two-mile wide UFO's in the sky".... John Travolta takes the Tom Cruise approach to psychiatric medicine... and Glenn Beck does more to divide the country than the terrorists ever could.The Paris Doctor's Padded Resume: The campaign to get Paris Hilton out of jail for psychological reasons, had one hidden flaw, just revealed: The psychologist wasn't quite who he said he was. Oh here we go.
a ruling yesterday that
could be bad news for Scooter Libby's attempt to argue
that his sentencing was unreasonable. In Rita v. U.S.,
defendant Victor Rita, convicted of perjury and
obstruction of justice, had been sentenced to 33
months in prison and had asked the court for a lighter
sentence, based in part on his service to his country,
in this case past military service. All in all, sounds
familiar, doesn't it? By an 8-to-1 vote, the Justices
held that criminal sentences that fall within
guidelines set by a commission -- while no longer
mandatory -- are not unreasonable and can be upheld.
chipmunk .
CONTINUED >>
Doug Mills/The New York TimesThe New York Times reports...For four years, Vice President Dick Cheney has resisted routine oversight of his office’s handling of classified information, and when the National Archives unit that monitors classification in the executive branch objected, the vice president’s office suggested abolishing the oversight unit , according to documents released yesterday by a Democratic congressman. Read the full article here.
Closing Gitmo : The most notorious American prison since the Civil War is reportedly on the verge of being shut down by the Bush Administration after a summit meeting tomorrow. Bush, Cheney, Gonzales, Rice, Chertoff, and Pace among the attendees. What happens to the detainees? What happens to the prosecutions? And was the news of the meeting leaked in order to scuttle the plans to close the prison? The latest on the bombshell news breaking in Washington.Cheney in Charge : How many branches of our government are there? Three? Nope...four! The Executive, the Legislative, the Judicial, and...The Dick! The Vice President's office refuses inspection by the National Archives in the erased and illegal e-mails scandal, claiming that law doesn't apply to it -- the fourth branch of government.ODDBALL : From England, the coolest sculpture ever...the most dramatic hamster ever...and the bizarre case of the missing lake .Romney's Police Force : The campaign drives onward, but the Romney camp denies its security people pulled anybody over. A New York Times reporter says it did just that, and told him it had "run his plates" and he should stop following the campaign bus. And all that sounds pretty bad, and maybe illegal.Keeping Tabs: From chihuahua poo... to the poo hitting the fan in the baseball steroids investigation. Jason Giambi's steroid admission... and Paris Hilton's pet problem. WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD : The Prime Minister of France is afraid of Blackberrys... Delusional Bill is now imposing his own timetable for the War in Iraq... and Michael Graham goes on the Glenn Beck show to see he would have liked to see the Clintons murdered in that diner scene from Hillary's Sopranos spoof .If He Did It here we go.
comments section below as well.
Talking Points Memo ...
Rahm Emanuel's office just sent out a nifty chart illustrating Veep Cheney's latest. As you may have heard by now, Cheney reportedly exempted
his own office from the presidential order establishing government-wide
procedures for the guarding of classified national security info. He
reportedly did this by asserting that his office is not an “entity
within the executive branch.”
Some of what we're working on for tonight... House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on the firing of those nine U.S. attorneys. You will recall that last month, under limited immunity, former Justice aide Monica Goodling accused Mr. McNulty of having provided inaccurate testimony to the Senate. As for what role Mr. McNulty played in carrying out the firings, Attorney General Gonzales first said he wished he'd relied more on his former deputy... only to do a 180 and later name Mr. McNulty as THE underling most responsible for the dismissals.
announced the launch of a website to collect information from Justice Department whistleblowers about incidents of politicized dept. operations.
today's Washington Post , the then-acting Assitant Attorney General, Bradley Schlozman, once asked a colleague if even "a career lawyer who had voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), a one-time rival of President Bush, could still be trusted."
CONTINUED >>
don't need to know.Watch this video to see what's really important to "the folks", then send it to everyone you know so we can all be as minimally informed as possible.
It's the War, Stupid : Hillary Clinton and other Democrats get a cool reception from the anti-war crowd, but what exactly were they expecting? Plus Countdown welcomes General wesley Clark to discuss the reality on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the coverage - or lack thereof - here at homeThe Truth About Abu Ghraib : General Janice Karpinski joins Keith Olbermann to discuss the latest revelations about the Taguba investigation of violations of the Geneva Convention at the Abu Ghraib prison facility in Iraq.ODDBALL : A dude in a Jeep sinks a three pointer at 35 MPH, and we think this video is a fake but we can't be quite sure.Digital Gra fitti: A lawsuit from two Yale students over slanderous items written about them on an internet messageboard could set a new precedent for liability on the world wide wild wild west web thingy.Keeping Tabs: Hugh Hefner has an idea for post-prison Paris Hilton... meanwhile, she's busy making pen pals while in the pen...and Nancy Grace finds herself at the business end of a wrongful death lawsuit.WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD : A bra and panties are two items that should never be flushed down a toilet...your own artificial leg should not be used as a weapon in the course of an assault... and lies about 9/11 should not be used to scare Americans about illegal immigrants.The News According to Bill
: Bill O'Reilly says he's not covering the news from Iraq, because it's too hard, it helps the terrorists, and it's "meaningless". He says he covers what's important to Americans. We took a look at all the important news he's covered, just in the last week. It's MUST SEE VIDEO .
Some of what we're working on for tonight... demonstrating how little time the FOX Noise Channel actually covers the issue most important to Americans right now, the war in Iraq.his show covers what's important, such as "the bear issue ", "Scientology and homosexuality", and the body language of Angelina Jolie.real news organizations of being "jazzed" about the deaths of Afghan children , for example.are still being killed, despite what you see on the "no spin zone". CONTINUED >>
Iraq and Roll If not the Civil War, then certainly the Depression. Not since one of those two epic events, has a single topic seemed, each day, ever more inevitably poised, to utterly dominate a looming presidential election, the way the importance of the war in Iraq, seems to grow, every day even after you think, it's at one hundred percent. Our fifth story on the Countdown today alone: it was a weapon used by one Democratic front-runner against the other; it took a bite out of the campaign of one Republican former Mayor of New York; and it certainly contributed to making that man's successor, a former Republican. The Fall Guy : The first man to investigate the torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has broken his silence to reveal his belief that... the real culprits, higher up, remain unpunished... that he was prevented from identifying them, and that both President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld knew about the abuses well before they said they did. In our fourth story on the Countdown, retired Major General Antonio Taguba, also telling the New Yorker's Sy Hersh that his career was destroyed, and he was forced to retire, as punishment for his pursuit of the truth. ODDBALL The GOP Horserace In our third story on the Countdown, it is imperative to remember that the movie "Citizen Kane" pretty much bombed...And the reviews, and sales, of "Moby-Dick" were at best mediocre. But they and countless other initially unimpressive iconic elements of American culture, grew into their status through word-of-mouth, imitation, and in many cases, parody. Thus we bring you this story, nine days after the event that spawned it. What follows, was presented, between innings, on the giant video screen at a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game. For context, all you need to know is that the Pirates have had a series of mascots, some of them actual Pirates, some of them Parrots.
Britain's Real Talent: Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. And some have greatness thrust upon 'em. But in our number two story on the Countdown, when writing that, in "Twelfth Night," William Shakespeare left out the fourth option. Some win greatness when the singing group made up of Drag Queens, leading the British version of "American Idol," get thrown off the show in the wake of prostitution charges. If you yet haven't heard of Paul Potts, you will.
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD Wild About Larry : Even in the context of the endless Anna Nicole Smith saga... it was ineffably ridiculous. Judge Larry Seidlin wagged a finger and said -- quote -- "There's no circus here, my friend"...Anyone who had watched him for more than 15 seconds knew just how wrong he was.He was the circus... He was each of the three rings... He was the damned tent!
This is supposedly a Ukranian Military Recruitment video posted on YouTube (with a translation if you really wan t ). It appears to have been produced by the same team that does Borat's show.magic chess games and try this approach.
Hillary's own version of the final scene of the Sopranos -- complete with a cameo appearance by Johnny Sack.VIDEO is a must-see.
If you've always wondered why Rudy Giuliani walked
away from the Iraq Study Group - having failed to
attend a single, official meeting - it was because the
events conflicted with six-figure speaking gigs. As
New York Newsday , which broke the story, points out
"by giving up his seat on the panel, Giuliani has
opened himself up to charges that he chose
private-sector paydays and politics over unpaid
service on a critical issue facing the nation." What's
more important to Rudy - Commander-in-Chief
credentials or his checkbook?
FRED BARE
Elsewhere on the (presumptive) Republican ticket,
veteran Watergate journalist Bob Woodward
debunks Sen.
Fred Thompson's role during the Watergate hearings.
Specifically, the myth that Mr. Thompson asked THE
crucial question about whether Nixon kept tape
recordings. Here's Woodward's answer during an online
chat:
"Fred Thompson (who was the Republican counsel to the
Senate Watergate committee) asked Alexander
Butterfield the question about possible tape
recordings in the White House or Oval Office,
Thompson, like a good lawyer, knew the answer --
because three days before the public testimony,
lawyers and investigators for the committee got
Butterfield to reveal the existence of the secret
tape-recording system. Though Thompson seems to get
public credit for asking this critical question, it
was the work of others on the committee staff who dug
out Butterfield's revelation in a lengthy interview on
a hot Friday afternoon on July 13, 1973."
Charlie Savage of the Boston Globe, who won a Pulitzer
for his series of investigative reports uncovering the
fact that, since taking office in 2001, President Bush
has challenged over 1,100 laws by secretly issuing signing
statements, weighs in today on a new GAO report that
says the signing statements might be having their
intended effect. "Federal agencies have
disobeyed at
least six new laws that President Bush challenged in
his signing statements."
TOUCHY SUBJECT
It seems the folks at Kilmer Middle School in Vienna,
Virginia have had a difficult year enforcing
THIS
policy . No touching. None. Hugging? Handshakes?
High-fives? All banned. Ridiculous? Yes.
You've Not Mail : Karl Rove, Andrew Card, Alberto Gonzales and others... At the center of what might be, quote, "the most serious breach of the Presidential Records Act" in its history. The House Oversight Committee says the Bush Administration has widely and improperly used Republican National Committee and Bush-Cheney Campaign e-mail accounts for official government business - and erased most of the records. And there is evidence that the office of then-White House Counsel Gonzales knew the laws were being broken, and did nothing.Not So Clean : Senator Obama's "clean politics" platform takes a hit. Anonymous memos to news organizations about the Clintons' finances turn out to be from the Obama campaign. But did Hillary's team gain the higher ground by releasing the memos themselves?ODDBALL : Wascally wabbits gettin' it on force a major airport to shut down... the Greek police abuse case that we can't stop laughing at... and a countdown at NASA with unexpected results.The Sippy Cup Scandal : The woman passenger who says airport security in DC mistreated her and her toddler because they spilled water from her kiddie cup. The TSA releases the security video to prove it was right...only... it seems to support the position... that they were wrong.Two Princes: Nearly ten years after their mother, Princess Diana, died, Princes William and Harry and their exclusive interview with Matt Lauer.
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD : The high school kid who did a little extra-credit work to raise his grades, hiring thugs to steal his report card... the convicted Administration official trying to get community service instead of jail, by offering to work for a lobbying group... and Sean Hannity's hackery works better when he completely ignores the facts.Still in Jail : Keith thught for sure that Paris would be sprung before he returned from vacation, he was wrong. Yes, it's a flimsy excuse to revisit the story yet again with our pal Paul F. Tompkins.
Perhaps it was inevitable. Perhaps
it was only a matter of time before any defense attorney worth his/her salt was going to defend his/her client in federal court by bringing up the U.S. Attorney firings and then claiming THEIR clients may have targeted for political reasons as well. What would surely qualify as unintended, long-term fallout.
POST-WARNING
Speaking of unintended, longterm fallout... It turns out British Prime Minister
Tony Blair knew the U.S.
had no plans for post-war Iraq, and sent his troops in anyway, his friends and aides have told a television documentary to air next Saturday. What's amazing is that when he shared his concerns with the White House, President Bush apparently offered him a way out, saying "Perhaps there's some other way that Britain can be involved" and Blair didn't take it, demurring, "No, I am with you." What may well be THE pivotal moment of the Blair legacy.
Do I hear 50 years? General David Petraeus is still doing his best to knock down September's assessment reporting deadline to Congress. And he now puts the American presence in Iraq at
an estimated half century , at least.
PHOTO FINISHED
Investigative Reporter Seymour Hersh has yet
another must-read in the New Yorker. The guy who investigated the abuses at Abu Ghraib for the U.S. Military, Army Major General Antonio Taguba, was, of course, punished severely for doing his job well. He was even threatened by General John Abizaid who told him "You and your report will be investigated." Gen. Taguba saying of that moment "I thought I was in the Mafia."
In the end, Gen. Taguba was demoted and forced to retire.
And as for
the White House ? It "didn't think the photographs were that bad."
Pace Off : Pretty soon, General Peter Pace will have all of his days off... now that the Bush administration has decided to replace him as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a decision that General Pace disclosed today was forced upon him. In his words, "I've been told I'm done." But people who are competent are rarely asked to leave their jobs involuntarily, something to keep in mind amid all the "outrage" over Senator Harry Reid's revelation that he once told General Pace -- directly -- "what an **incompetent** man" Reid thought he was.The Pardon Problem : With his approval rating already at 29 percent - could pardoning Scooter Libby actually help President Bush with his base? Even if it hurts -- will 27% or 26% be any more painful? ODDBALL : The world's longest tunnel, the world's craziest birds, and world's most dangerous way to keep fit in the office. The Geek Squad Has Arrived : It shouldn't be surprising that solving computer problems in space isn't nearly as easy as pressing "control, alt,delete"... or even calling Mumbai for tech support. But the Number three story in our countdown: success! The space nerds score at least a partial victory over the balky computers inside the international space station, two-hundred miles over our heads.Resignation: The testimony of Reade Seligman, one of the Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape last year was striking. "We went from being viewed as athletes to being viewed as rapists." In our number two story on the Countdown, the district attorney in that case is now on trial himself for possible ethics violations and today has said he will resign. Step on Down! And after 35 years, Bob Barker signs off the price is right for the last time. Countdown takes a look back at the man, his ladies, and all those Showcase Showdowns. Just remember, America, without him, we'd be overtaken by cats!
The
irrepressible Matt Drudge is having a bit of fun with all the death and destruction going on in Gaza, where
100 people have been killed this week, adding a cute little caption to a photo of a Hamas fighter...
CONTINUED >>
Some of what we're working of for tonight... If you've wondered why President Bush has kept
legislation banning his administration's ability to
use an obscure provision in the Patriot Act to appoint
interim U.S. Attorneys at will - legislation that
passed with broad bipartisan support - on his desk for
nearly two weeks without signing it... here's why: He
was waiting for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to
re-install one final U.S. Attorney
without benefit of
Congressional oversight .
Gonzo re-appointed George
Cardona as interim federal prosecutor for the Central
District of California yesterday. Only then did Mr.
Bush finally
sign the bill , which had been sitting on
his desk since June 4. Naturally, Judiciary Committee
Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy had some choice words to
say about it: "It’s almost like they live in an
alternate world, as though they’re not realizing the
reaction of Democrats and Republicans about this
misuse of this power. That’s wrong."
CONTINUED >>
Here are the latest campaign ads from former Democratic Senator from Alaska. I don't know if David Lynch is directing these, or if these are some kind of Jedi mind trick (those aren't the candidates you're looking for...vote Gravel...move along). All we know is that these ads are frickin' creepy!
Wonkette has speculation on the origins of the ads.
Inmate Scooter : It's a good thing President Bush sees himself as "The Decider" because it looks like he's going to have to make a most controversial decision. Now that a federal judge has said he will not delay the prison sentence of convicted Scooter Libby, the president has to decide whether he's going to give the former White House aide a get out of jail free card.Spiel Like Us : The FBI says it maybe kinda sorta possibly violated the law while collecting phone records and emails. How many times did they break such law? Over a thousand .ODDBALL : The birs in Peoria are on the attack, the cars in France are on the water, and the world's tallest man is off the market.2008 2.0 : The GOP issues a 39 page document warning its candidates of what not to do while on the campaign trail in '08 to avoid another "Macaca Moment", Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton launches her very own version of the Drudge Report. Who's taking the lead in using the internet in 2008? Stuck in Space? Russian computers on the International Space Station go on the fritz -- crashing twice in two days. Problem? They control the station's water and oxygen supplies.Countdown's Dreamgirls: The gifts that keep on giving... Angelina tells the press to step off...Paris moves back to her original jail...and Britney is looking for a few good titles for a comeback album. It's just too easy.
Some of what we're working on for tonight... he will not
delay a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a
ruling that could send the former White House aide to prison within
weeks.
