Jed Babbin, the editor of Human Events, has written what may be the stupidest article of the year. In it he wastes 1200+ words arguing that GE/NBC is terribly upset with the prodigious success of its cable news network MSNBC. Obviously - anyone would be disturbed with a business enterprise that doubles its audience year after year.

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News Corpse
The Internet's Chronicle Of Media Decay.

On Thursday, John McCain's wife Cindy declared she would never release her tax returns.  Unfortunately, the McCains are bucking the tide of public opinion regarding her income and href="00 million fortune.  The American people by lopsided margins overwhelmingly believe presidential candidates should disclose their tax returns.  And as they showed four years ago in the imbroglio over Theresa Heinz Kerry, the leading lights of the Republican Party and the conservative movement used to agree.

There have been many changes in the Government in the past 6 months.  Emptywheel at TNH, who I believe to be one of the most insightful bloggers on the web, has now put together many pieces of a puzzle that indicates what the changes may mean.

Adding to the narrative, we must also consider the indications of upcoming Bush Administration legislative priorities, Government behavior in Warrantless Surveillance suits, and a new understanding of the mechanism and scope of the Warrantless Surveillance Program.  In consideration of all of the evidence, we can surmise that actions of Bush Administration DOJ may have exposed US telecommunications companies to liability, potentially from every single person in the United States who owns a phone or connection to the internet.  It is increasingly evident that a principle intention of Bush's remaining days in office is to protect major TelCos from the liability that Administration decisions created.

Here is proof that General Petraeus is a political HACK.

Sunday, September 26, 2004; Page B07. Notice the date there 3 years ago. This article at the Washington Post was written by our DEAR General in 2004.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

BAGHDAD -- Helping organize, train and equip nearly a quarter-million of Iraq's security forces is a daunting task. Doing so in the middle of a tough insurgency increases the challenge enormously, making the mission akin to repairing an aircraft while in flight -- and while being shot at. Now, however, 18 months after entering Iraq, I see tangible progress. Iraqi security elements are being rebuilt from the ground up.

3 years ago Petraeus was declaring GREAT PROGRESS in Iraq. Where are we now 3 years later when this person last declared Progress in Iraq? Can we really wait another 3 years to trust this man?

In case you haven't already booked your summer vacation, you might want to look into this event brought to you by the folks at The National Review:

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Senator Allen along with this campaign team tapped dance around this racial issues. Republican Ed Gillespie:

First the lie.  In an essay for the New York Times (sorry, it is probably subscription only) Ed Gillespie, former RNC Chair and current lobbyist wrote last Thursday:

Upon seeing those exchanges, Hastert confronted Foley with a choice: Resign your seat or I will call on the House to expel you.

more after

The high-power world of politics often makes for strange bedfellows. Forget images that call to mind card games and hookers at the Watergate hotel or gay prostitutes posing as reporters in order to propagannon propagate Republican talking points. Envision a majority party supporting an opposing candidate, such as the GOP ditching one of their own to muster support for Joe Lieberman, whose party snubbed him after 18 years of "loyal" service for an upstart challenger.

We first reported our suspicions on August 10th, after a new domain called "IsupportJoe" went `live' for the CT primary. When the spinup cycle tracked with the initiation of its virtual neighbor "Veterans for Freedom Action Fund," we discerned the outline of a Swiftboaty-like ploy through the thick smoke, hosted by GOP front agent Campaign Solutions.

Join us as we delve the ramifications of CT-Sen 2006 election and explore new revelations regarding Vets for Freedom, "The Kiss," the candidates and the nation in what appears to be yet another case of strange bedfellows for the Republican party.

Declaring himself a "non-combatant," U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, in remarks at a New Haven press event Friday, raised anew the question of whether his "independent" candidacy will help Republicans hold onto three Congressional seats in Connecticut -- and control of the U.S. House of Representatives. . . .

"I'm a non-combatant," Lieberman declared. "I am not going to be involved in other campaigns. I think it's better if I just focus on my own race."

That's a "devoted Democrat" for you. Sounds more like a Lieberman for Connecticut to me. Or maybe even Ed Gillespie and his anybody-but-Lamont, pro-Bush refrain.

MATTHEWS:  Do you support Alan Schlesinger up in Connecticut?  The party candidate?

GILLESPIE:  The party there has urged neutrality there, in that--

. . .

MATTHEWS:  This is amazing.  A guy is a nominee of your party and you don't endorse him.

GILLESPIE:  Here is the thing, though.  The Republican party is a bottom up party; it is not a top down party.  It is not run out of Washington, the way the DNC runs things out of Washington.  And in Connecticut, what the party is telling us is, we ought to be putting our resources and our time and our energy in the House races and into the governor's race....   I think whoever the voters of Connecticut choose is fine by me and would--

MATTHEWS:  But you are not--

GILLESPIE:  As long as it is not Lamont.

MATTHEWS:  Just to finish this, you're not endorsing the Republican candidate.

GILLESPIE:  If the Republican candidate wins, that is fine by me.  That would be great, actually.  As long as it is not Lamont, is my point, because I think Lamont would be bad for Connecticut and bad for the country.

And there is Joe's present to the GOP. They want to focus on the House and governor's race, and he's clearing the way for them. Not only is he paying GOP pollster Neil Newhouse, who's working two of those races, he's refusing to support any Democrats in their races.

Psssst, Joe.... That makes you a Republican. I guess we know now how much stock to put in Joe's protestations of devotion to the Democratic party. Actually, when you think about it, Joe's always been a non-combatant when it comes to standing up to the GOP. But that's the Lieberman Principle for you. If it's good for Joe, it's good.

Seriously, though, late yesterday afternoon, around 35-40 Webb supporters and about 15-20 Allen supporters gathered about a mile from Ed Gillespie's house near Mt. Vernon, where GeorgeBushAllen was/were holding a fundraiser and celebrating his/their 97% agreement on pretty much everything.  We couldn't get close enough to hear the conversation between George and George, but my guess is that it went something like this:

The first important news is that, this evening, George W. Bush will be in Alexandria to raise money for his George "Macaca" Allen.  The event will be at the home of former Republican National Committee chairman, Ed Gillespie.  In June 2003, Public Citizen issued a 25-page report that called Gillespie "The Embedded Lobbyist," and said he "Brings Corporate Loyalties to Top Job in the GOP."  Among others, Gillespie's firm (Quinn, Gillespie & Associates) has lobbied for:

N. H. Continued, Continued: Leads! Angles!

Maine's Bangor Daily News
http://www.bangornews.com/...
offers reporters an angle to pursue if anyone's interested in pursuing the much undercovered story of Republican phone-jamming in New Hampshire. Turns out that small fish Republican consultant Allan Raymond, a cooperative conspirator in the scheme to tie up Democratic and union phone lines during the 2002 senatorial race, gets out of Federal prison in Pennsylvania next week after serving three months (his sentence reduced from five months after bigger fish Tobin was convicted). Recall that Raymond's telemarketing firm was co-founded by Haley Barbour.

Jump here.

Matalin, who previously served as counselor to Vice President Cheney, will oversee the fundraising for the Allen Victory Committee. Funds raised for the state GOP will go to get-out-the-vote efforts, according to Allen chief of staff Dick Wadhams.

"Senator Allen is very pleased that a Virginia leader of such prominence would agree to be treasurer of this important committee," said Wadhams.

While Matalin's high-profile among Republicans is sure to aid Allen's reelection fundraising, her real importance is only properly understood in a 2008 context.

Allen has made little secret of his interest in a 2008 presidential bid and is sure to get a boost among party insiders and activists by landing the well-regarded Matalin.

unfold with care...possibly explosive

Don't let it be forgot
That once there was a spot
For one brief, shining moment that
was known as Bribelot.
--President Bush's favorite lyrics from the Broadway play "Bribelot."

Fig. 1: GWB and Jackie (pillbox hat by Halston): Premonition of disaster

This portrait of George W. Bush and bedfellow Jackie Abramoff, taken at a stylish barbeque in Crawford Texas, illustrates much of what Americans loved about George W. Bush and his main cash cow: a young, vivacious duo who projected a sense of born-again warmth and fun, despite their wealth and connections. GBW (or just "W") was a dashing ex-pilot in the Texas Air National Guard, with a romantic secret substance-abuse record, and a unique way with words, while Jackie Abramoff was a stylishly-coiffed apartheid propagandist and member of Washington's upper crust, a donor to private schools, sports foundations, and Israeli militia. Despite well-publicized blemishes, this "bright shining moment" in American history lives on in our collective memory.

More on the magical kingdom of Bribelot, below

The talking point lies that the GOP has gotten away with for two years, whenever the Iraq War or Intelligence Fabrication comes up, is that "hey, the Democrats and everyone around the world had the same intelligence and made the same decision.  Then McAuliffe let him get away with it.  I like McAuliffe a great deal, and believe he is usually one of the most effective spokespeople we have, but he missed two balls in a row on this one.  

This massive deception is the main issue!  And this is an issue for Impeachment Hearings for both Cheney and Bush, not for just for the Federal Prosecutor anymore.