"And this litany of lies he will versify with reverences for God and the flag and democracy, when just what he and his party are doing to our democracy is choking the life out of it."
- E.L. Doctorow
Congress Needs to Lean on Bush to Change Course/Policy on Iraq
Americans are watching President Bush's stubborn determination with understandable confusion. It's becoming clear that his depth of heart comes nowhere near his hardball political ambition. George W. Bush seems to see himself as "big radical daddy" who wants to change everything we "children" have been raised to believe about the traditional values we've shared. Through his policies, he seems to want to take away the traditionally American (Bible-based) compassion for our fellow man and replace it with "selfy-based" policy (while calling it "faith-based"). We used to know how to translate our Christian hearts into good and decent governmental policies. One unnecessary war and 1800 dead Americans later, citizens are paying close attention to the man at the bully pulpit.
E.L. Doctorow writes:On the eve of D-Day in 1944 General Eisenhower prayed to God for the lives of the young soldiers he knew were going to die. He knew what death was. Even in a justifiable war, a war not of choice but of necessity, a war of survival, the cost was almost more than Eisenhower could bear.
But this president does not know what death is. He hasn't the mind for it....To mourn is to express regret and he regrets nothing...He wanted to go to war and he did...
..He does not feel for the families of the dead, he does not feel for the 35 million of us who live in poverty, he does not feel for the 40 percent who cannot afford health insurance, he does not feel for the miners whose lungs are turning black or for the working people he has deprived of the chance to work overtime at time-and-a-half to pay their bills - it is amazing for how many people in this country this president does not feel.
I realize that E.L. Doctorow's words are blunt and harsh. Perhaps they are overly judgemental - and yet my own intuition has led me to think the same thoughts about Mr. Bush.
I took note of Doctorow's words for a few reasons. First, my own grandfather died, in 1975, of Black Lung disease. We knew poverty in my family, and we were able to work and climb our way out of it, thanks to our work ethic, commitment to education, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's policies. Second, I believe Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of America's greatest presidents. He knew, all too well, the cost of war and would not lead our boys into war without good reason. Third, actions speak louder than words, and the domestic policies of the current President hold no solace or promise for those living in poverty, but instead pay lip service while, by his policies, paying off special contributors who are living off the backs of the middle class in America. I see the effects of Bush's indifference to the poor in the attitude of his journalist-minions such as Mark Steyn.
It's become fashionable to laugh at the poor - surely not an encouraging example of where we appear to be going in this country."The president we get is the country we get. With each president the nation is conformed spiritually. He is the artificer of our malleable national soul. He proposes not only the laws but the kinds of lawlessness that govern our lives and invoke our responses."
I thank God, each day, that we have a two-term limit for the office of President. I wonder what has happened to the Republican party of old - the one that gave us Abe Lincoln, who taught us the hard lesson of the value of a united nation and the value of central government - - I look for the party that gave us the great heart of Dwight D. Eisenhower. It's become an empty money-worshipping shell.
I pray, too. I pray that we have all learned a lesson after all of this. I pray for a man (or woman) with a true heart and a keen mind to come to lead our nation. Does that sound like a wish from a gothic fairy tale - a Lord of the Rings or Superman -inspired dream? Perhaps - - but aren't you having the same hopes?
_____________________________________________
We must look at where we stand in Iraq before we can plot a respectful and successful guide for safekeeping their burgeoning democracy
Is there any man or woman out there today who can look us in the eye and tell us they have a plan to rectify the many mistakes that the Bush administration has made in Iraq?
The only way to preserve America's reputation is for all of Congress to lean upon President Bush to admit his huge mistakes and to bring our warrior-troops home and to make a humble appeal to our international allies for material support in a peace-keeping mission in Iraq. Republicans in Congress need to leave their clinging partisanship at the door and do what is right for America. It only makes sense that we cannot leave Iraqi troops to fend for themselves, because it will not preserve the fragile democracy blooming in Iraq. It's also clear we can no longer occupy the nation - even those who THANK us for freeing them from Saddam Hussein are asking us to leave. Where are the sensible ideas? Are they being squelched because of the President's pointless determination to follow a failing course?
There would be no question that every lost life was worth the cost if only Congress would put their partisanship aside and work in America's best interests, applying political pressure to get Iraq right, for once and for all. No further American troops should be committed until they are committed for a peace-keeping effort with meaningful international cooperation. It is only through an American healing and uniting, with a full dose of humility from the Bush administration, that Iraq can be placed on the best course for success.
If only we could go back to the day before 9/11. Since we can't, let's get back to the spirit of the days following 9/11, when every good soul around the world was an American, if only for that moment. I am an optimist who believes that true civility in mankind can overcome extremism. The atmosphere of American politics that have entered the picture since 9/11 have not tapped into the spirit required to show the world our best intent. I would ask all people serving in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives to recommit themselves to the spirit of a united nation. You have strayed too far from the Promise.
Larry Diamond on "Squandered Victory"At TPM Cafe, Stanford University professor and democracy expert Larry Diamond has posted his thoughts about his new book, "Squandered Victory." He hopes to have provided an account Americans will see as an honest one, at a time when honesty from our government seems to be a rare commodity. He lays much of the blame for the failure in Iraq at the feet of the civilian war planners in the Pentagon. (And from what we all now know, I'm not surprised). Diamond says:
"In my public speeches, as in the book, I have been quite critical of the mistakes we have made in Iraq, mistakes not just of strategy and preparation but, crucially, of attitude and demeanor as well.
Yet I have also endeavored to highlight some of the things we did, or tried to do, right in Iraq, the efforts we made to establish the precedent for a future Iraq that would be democratic, federal, and united, and the long odds that we were up against. I have found, both in the responses to the book and in my many speaking events since its publication, a great deal of public anger about the human, financial, and strategic costs of our mistakes in Iraq—with many Americans viewing the decision to invade in the first place as the seminal act of folly.
I find a growing number of Americans who believed we did the right and necessary thing to launch a war to topple Saddam Hussein, but now wonder if the effort was worth the price—or how long we can stay there. Most of all, I find a country here at home that remains confused, uncertain, even torn by the experience, and eager for an honest account. My ambition in writing this book was to begin to fill that urgent and very justifiable need."
Peter Jennings Has DiedMy thoughts, as conveyed last April, will tell you how I feel tonight. Peter has died at the age of 67. I am very sad, and my prayers go out to Peter's family and friends. I'll miss him very much. He was as much a part of my life as any close member of my community. I considered him to be a friend who I had never had the opportunity to meet. I thank him for coming to my home each night and telling me the stories that filled in the outline of history and caused me to care. Godspeed, Peter.
In my end is my meaning.
-Thomas Merton
Scott from Powerline Joins Steyn in Mocking the Poor"..John Edwards dusts off his "Two Americas" stump speech -- the one with the heartwarming Dickensian vignette about the shivering girl whose parents can't afford to buy her a winter coat ($9.99 brand new from Wal-Mart) -- he might want to add a section about how an easy way for shivering coatless girls to keep warm is to run around the block a couple of times."
- Mark Steyn - an ugly man in many ways, in a Sun-Times column (the newspaper that fails to edit out CIA outings)
Does anyone think the quote above is funny or amusing in any way? A right winger mocking the poor? And can anyone actually find me a decent $9.99 winter coat (that will actually keep a little girl warm in the harsh Illinois winter) at a Walmart? Nowadays, you pay about that much at the goodwill store for a decent winter coat. Of course, I wouldn't expect Steyn to know that because he probably hasn't stepped his foot (which should be in his mouth) into a goodwill store in quite some time.
Powerline thought enough of this excerpt from Steyn's column to paste it into their blog today. I don't think that says much for their good faith or good taste. All this in the name of attacking Air America? All I can say is that Air America must be driving some of these wingnuts mad when we see them driven to mock Americans who live in poverty. Shame on you, Scott.
If Powerline offered any type of commentability, I would have made a comment at the entry site. I guess Powerline doesn't like to be challenged. Unchallengeable journalism doesn't seem like the American way, does it? Regardless of whether or not you agree with Michelle Malkin , you cannot say that she's afraid to take on a challenging comment or two. [edited]
It's a Time to be Enchanting"..experts, who include a pioneer in personality profiling, say al-Qaida, always loosely knit, is mutating into satellites that attract local operatives bound by disenchantment with the Western societies in which they grew up."
It isn't rocket science, so where have we gone wrong?Main Entry: en·chant
Pronunciation: in-'chant, en-
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French enchanter, from Latin incantare, from in- + cantare to sing -- more at CHANT
1 : to influence by or as if by charms and incantation : BEWITCH
2 : to attract and move deeply : rouse to ecstatic admiration
synonym see ATTRACT
We must learn the art of counter-enchantment, and our best traditional values should reflect that in every political and diplomatic move we make. We should reinforce the belief that the West welcomes diaspora communities and still holds the promise of integration and a better life. Ask yourself why so many youths have stopped believing in the promise of opportunity in the West. Enchant them with a genuine "promise of freedom" in a society in which they are welcomed and in which they can honestly participate and feel they are an important part. Empower them with education. Enlist them in a campaign to end the ideology of murdering one's fellow man as the only desperate way to achieve a feeling of justice. Show them what real social justice means - and that the spirit and the promise of it lives here in the West.
US politics have moved so radically to the right that winning hearts and minds seems to have lost its meaning altogether. Now, England is having a debate about the way certain people will be routed out of their own society. How can anyone ever attract support in this way? A war against poverty and social injustice cannot be won by creating a social atmosphere of distrust of diversity, alienation of immigrants, or an abandonment of multiculturalism.
This is the toughest battle we've ever seen. I fear the murderous side is getting ahead of the game because we do not understand how to mesmerize the "invisible people" who live amongst us with light and hope. The politics of fear will continue to cause us to lose. What a shame.
"How do you attack an ideology?"
Come up with a better idea.
It's what the GOP keeps telling the Democrats when it comes to many issues, including a plan to defeat al Quaeda extremism. When will the party who has enjoyed the electoral majority for the past decade come up with a successful idea?
Attention TrustHave you heard about Attention Trust? Read about it at Got Ads? or at Corante. Attention Trust wishes to educate you about a new way to think about the data that you create every day, whether or not you are cognizant of the fact that you're doing so. Examples might be your Google searches, your Amazon transactions, or your connections on a social network, ie. your LinkedIn account. Think of "attention" as a valuable resource, and since you create it, you own it. We are operating in an "attention economy." It's natural to expect that others will want to exploit our individual "attention," and its evidence, for their economic ends, rather than our own. This Trust moves us toward more self-control over economics of choice. Definitely interesting and worth looking into.
Arianna and Gore Vidal Discuss Judy MillerMeowwww - I just love today's Arianna Huffington piece - her latest on the Judy Miller file. Doug Jehl at Miller's own newspaper, the NYT, is digging deep so as to avoid getting the NYT scooped by another media source. Arianna has been talking to Gore Vidal, one of my personal favorites. Arianna says:"During a conversation with Gore Vidal (more about that tomorrow) we talked about the fact that we had both heard from different people that Judy was planning to start writing a book about her experiences in the Plame case while in jail. "De Profundis it's not going to be," Vidal said, referring to Oscar Wilde's jailhouse classic. "More like De Shallow-undis."
Gore also made the point that Miller had continued to carry water for her neocon chums right up until her incarceration. The last articles she wrote before going to jail -- about Kofi Annan and that neocon bugaboo, the UN -- stand as an example of sloppy and slanted journalism that required two Times corrections, one of them an entire article. For chapter and verse on this, look here and here.
I can't wait to hear the rest tomorrow.
Sen George Allen: Bush should face Cindy SheehanSen George Allen just told Wolf Blitzer, on his Sunday Late Edition show, that President Bush should meet Cindy Sheehan face-to-face. A national security aide has met with Sheehan, but Allen says that is not enough - Bush needs to face her - to met privately with her. (That aide was none other than Stephen Hadley - who was responsible for those 16 lying words in the President's SOTU speech in 2003 - talk about a slap in the face).
Barbara Boxer, also a guest on Blitzer's CNN show, said that she thinks it would be a very important thing for President Bush to do. Boxer also encouraged Ms. Sheehan to continue speaking her mind. Bush has refused to meet with Ms. Sheehan.
I think it's the worst PR for President Bush - ever - to have the public knowing that the Secret Service is trying to intimidate Ms. Sheehan to leave Crawford while Bush is refusing to meet with a woman who lost her son while fighting for America in Iraq. This is the age of the Internet. Intimidation and the dirty secrets surrounding it don't fly these days.
The White House is saying they already have met with Sheehan, along with other parents of the fallen, in the past. I'm not impressed with the White House excuse for snubbing this woman.
Wolf Blitzer invited Cindy Sheehan to participate on today's show, and she accepted. She is the one who TOLD Joe Hagin and Stephen Hadley, in a meeting yesterday, that she had met with President Bush once before, on June 17, 2004, after her son Casey had been killed in Iraq. Bush had met with Sheehan and some of her family members, as he had done with about 15 other families that day. He breezed in with a "party" attitude, in Sheehan's view. He was jovial and impersonal, and seemed to wish to keep his business strictly impersonal. The first thing he'd said was "Who are we honoring here?" (He didn't even take a moment to put Casey's name to memory, if only for that brief moment). He refused to look at pictures of Casey when they were offered. He refused to take the time to hear some stories about Casey.
This past week, too many Marines died in Haditha for Sheehan to let her conviction rest. When she heard President Bush once again invoke the fallen soldiers to encourage Americans to support his "killing policies" in Iraq, she demanded a new meeting with him. She says that Bush's representatives, Stephen Hadley and Joe Hagin, with whom she met yesterday, gave her spin on the reasons for the war and she stated, flat out, that she didn't believe them...and couldn't believe THEY really believed what they were saying.
When they left, they told her they would convey her feelings to the President.
"I am the son of a historian. I want people to be able to say in ten years, 'He was not party to this.'"
- Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking about Israel's planned pullout from the Gaza strip, protests over which have caused Netanyahu to dramatically resign
If Israel Ever Needed a Friend - They Need it NowLikudnik Benjamin Netanyahu's political move shows that Ariel Sharon needs the firm support of America now - more than ever. Israel cannot afford to have its government or their sense of fragile unity torn apart. Don't they have enough adversity facing them - all around them? If President Bush is committed to battling extremism everywhere, he should back Ariel Sharon and make it very clear that we support him - now.
Netanyahu feels strongly about this issue and he is saying that his move is purely political (Israeli elections will take place in November and Netanyahu will surely seek the office of Prime Minister), but let's not fail to think about how this symbolic act will affect the Israeli street. Expect extremism to flourish - because extremists will feel they have been greatly empowered by Netanyahu's resignation.
Haaretz reports:A minister opposed to an important governmental decision is not supposed to be a part of that government. After his resignation the former minister can criticize the government at will, something he was not free to do beforehand.
Whose side is the Bush administration on? And why? I think we Americans deserve to hear Bush speak about these questions. We have a stake in Israel's future, because it involves stability in the Middle East. (In case you haven't noticed, over 1800 American soldiers have died in the Middle East because of the deliberate instability aggravated by the neocon Likudniks of America).
Last spring, the Bush administration had reaffirmed U.S. support for the Gaza-disengagement proposal, but had taken no stand on the political maneuverings surrounding it. An AIPAC spokesman (recently the target of espionage indictments in the US) said the group would not comment on "private discussions" with the Israeli prime minister's office. It seems we, in the US, can no longer play both political sides, seeing that they are so deeply divided.
Update: A good posting and quote from DHinMI at The Next Hurrah (with interesting discussion as well - a question of the timing of elections may make or break the Gaza pullout plan):It's a real statement about how screwed up Israel's politics are these days that a cabinet resignation that puts more power in the hands of Ariel Sharon should be such as clear improvement, that progressives and those hoping for peace between Israelies and Palestinians should be heartened that Sharon may be on the verge of dispatching a rival. Or, rather, if the Gaza pullout is a success, that Sharon's rival may have just dispatched himself.
Augie Schroeder and Jeff Boskovitch
Augie Schroeder...............Jeff Boskovitch
They're two boys you'd see on any American street - in any mall, school, Scout meeting, rock concert, sports event...
They're two of the Marines from Brook Park, Ohio (Lima Company) who were killed in Haditha, Iraq, and who were represented by their families today on ABC's This Week. Rosemary Palmer and Jim Boskovitch appeared, along with Ohio Rep Dennis Kucinich. All were interviewed by George Stephanopoulos, who did a commendable job.
The Marines' photos can be seen at VOA along with these words:Rosemary Palmer was convinced this would happen the last time she saw her son Augie alive. She says, "The pictures that we took before he went, we were sure that was the last time we'd ever see him."
Imagine the pain for Lance Corporal Jeff Boskovitch's family. His body and belongings have been displayed for TV by Iraqi insurgents. Recalling his nephew, "He was like the all-American kid."
I've seen the ugly display of propaganda from the extremists, and frankly, I wouldn't link it here if you paid me a million dollars.
You can see the story of Rosemary Palmer's sorrowful experience, being told that her son had died, at the beginning of this recent Newsweek article titled Sorrow and Debate by T. Trent Gegax.
There is also an article about the Schroeder/Palmer family at NJ.com (Star Ledger)
ABC Radio National (Au) reporter Michael Rowland has a quote from Augie Scroder's father, Paul: Paul Schroeder, the father of 23-year-old Edward 'Augie' Schroeder, is not only grieving, he's also very, very angry.
PAUL SCHROEDER: To honour him I can no longer sit still, keeping quiet and being politically correct. I will not rest the rest of my life until the Republican Party is considered an afterthought for a generation or two and the Democratic Party finds some people with backbone to stand up and do what's right. [column: Debate rages in US over Iraq]
Chuck Culpepper writes a sports column for Newsday - a fairly unusual place to find political comment - and he says: "Of the six who died Monday in a gun battle near the city of Haditha, they found one separate from the others, an indication that he, apparently Boskovitch, might've struggled back toward his unit before he died.
Ohio teachers dialed Ohio teachers, and families dialed families, and a wizened coach said, "I just hope this isn't in vain.
"That's what it comes down to. I'm like most Americans: If we're going to lose our youngest and our best, let's hope it's for something."
And President Bush, in his weekly radio address, having addressed Brook Park briefly Thursday, spoke 682 words exclusively on the economy, [my emphasis] beginning with: "Good morning. As families across the country enjoy the summer, Americans can be optimistic about our economic future."
And three-quarters of the way up that fence at Brook Park, above the flowers and the flags and the signs near the barbed wire at the top, you could spot it there in news photographs: two tiny American flags tucked on the shoulders, a jersey all white, with orange No. 16 and lettering - BOSKOVITCH."
-- Here's hoping there's a point to all of this pointlessness
How the Bush Admin is Responsible for Miller's ImprisonmentMurray Waas writes about a meeting between NYT reporter Judy Miller and "Scooter" Libby on July 8, 2003 in Washington DC - six days before Reptile Novak wrote his column outing Valerie Plame as a "CIA operative."
Waas says Libby's failure to produce a personal waiver may have played a significant role in Miller’s decision not to testify about her conversations with Libby, including the one on July 8, 2003.
I have blogged that Miller's attorneys have intimated that Miller was not comfortable discussing her source, because of the conditional nature of that source's general waiver. (Perhaps Libby told her she could talk about some things, but not others, and that was not satisfactory to Miller, who is understandably worried about being incriminated herself.)
A quote from my prior blogpiece titled Michael Ledeen, Judy Miller, "Scooter" Libby:"Judy's view is that any purported waiver she got from anyone was not on the face of it sufficiently broad, clear and uncoerced."- [Source- WaPo]
In his current article, Waas shows that President Bush was disingenuous, at best, when he averred that he would ensure that the White House would cooperate fully with Fitzgerald's investigation. If that was true, Bush would have pushed Libby to sign a personal waiver rather than a general one.
In essence, for their foot-dragging and non-cooperative nature, the Bush administration can be held partially (and directly) responsible for Judy Miller's imprisonment.
I know there's a lot of speculation about Judy's aggressive style of journalism and the ethics that surround that style, but let's not forget that her choice to remain in prison is because some folks in the White House decided it was more convenient to watch their own ass rather than worry about Judy's summer plans.
Related post - Dave Johnson
US Ambassador to Iraq Offers Shaky ReassuranceZalmay Khalilzad is the US Ambassador to Iraq. In today's WSJ, he promises Iraqis that the US intends to to "win over" the people of Iraq, and then isolate and destroy "the enemy." As this plan is implemented, the US-led coalition will hand over control of specific areas to Iraqi forces and withdraw its units from these areas. He is preparing Iraqis for the future, telling them that elements of the Multi-National Force will be leaving Iraq. These are his words:"..the U.S. is working with the Iraqi government to build up Iraqi security forces. These are growing in numbers and becoming more capable. With the cooperation of the people and with more robust Iraqi forces, the Iraqi government and the U.S. will use highly targeted military force to capture or eliminate the terrorists who irreconcilably oppose the new order."
Question - It's apparent we haven't "won over" most Iraqis, given the disastrous security issues we've "brought on" (and have literally invited others to "bring on") in their country today. Here we are telling Iraqis we will soon be leaving them, offering reassurance through an attempt to assign credibility to the narrative about trained Iraqi forces, which is folderol - and we know it - and they know it. If you lived in Iraq today (and thank God if you do not), would you feel comforted by the US ambassador's reassurances, as showcased in this article?
I don't consider myself to be a naysayer for the sake of naysaying, and I am a realist and a conflicted soul who knows that the mission in Iraq was misled and misguided and unjust - yet my heart mourns for the people of Iraq, who never deserved this type of unjust violence to be brought across and into their borders. I'm not the only one who believes this. Here is a statement from a young man who fought in the Iraq war:"This is a new generation. We have the Internet, discussion forums, cable news. Soldiers don’t just march into battle blindly anymore. They have a lot more information."
- Army Sgt John Bruhns
We are now witnessing more false and terribly shaky promises and reassurances from the people responsible for turning Iraq into an embattled wasteland ripe for terrorist recruiting. I am an American, and if there was a message I could send to citizens of Iraq today, it would be that I am terribly sorry for what my nation did (the way they did it); that the young men and women we sent to their nation are there because they trusted our leaders and were doing a duty to their nation, most of them not having a full understanding of the reason they were sent there; and that I wish our leader would admit the glaring errors and make a commitment, this very day, to turn things around and do his honest best to work, with humility, with world leaders to tackle extremists instead of the US acting as counter-extremists. (Even Ariel Sharon is learning, from hard lessons, that all forms of extremism must be squelched - who would have thought he'd be ahead of the curve?). Neocon war-planners should be banished from the White House - and from Washington DC. Forever.
Tar Heel TavernThe latest edition of Tar Heel Tavern is up at the Anonymoses blog. It's titled Going to Blogolina in My Mind/A blog tour of North Carolina - - and let me tell you, it's one hell of a summary. Don't miss it! The theme is "automatic penciling" and/or 'tooting' your blog. I've never been a big tooter - Mommy taught me that it wasn't graceful to be a "look-at-me Louie," so you can imagine how freeing this exercise was for a fuddy duddy like me. (..and I hope you don't think my toot was codswallop. Amen.)
Toot My Blog
LET
IDDYBUD
BE THE ONE
YOU RUN TO
In this busy workaday world, you don't have time to read every news story with a fine-tooth comb. You're having trouble trusting the foxes of Cable - those talking heads with the perfect coifs and the shiny Chiclet teeth. You want the Headlines to come to life. Where do you turn? Who do you trust?
Iddybud.
Who will dig into the slop-pile of spin and emerge with the diamond of reality?
Iddybud.
Who does CNN refer to when they want the supreme skinny from the blogs?
Iddybud.
Seen in the LA Times, Greensboro's Yes Weekly, and the Syracuse Post Standard/Syracuse.com, recommended by Sen John Edwards's One America website, a diarist at Daily Kos, bashed by National Review, adopted daughter of Blogsboro and the Tar Heel Tavern keepers of North Carolina, poetry appearing at Billy the Blogging Poet, photography appearing at Hey Jude and Flickr, pin-up at Bloggrrrlz Gallery, award-winning Proud Liberal, one of the Sisterhood of political blogging.
When the spin gets you too dizzy to think, run to Iddybud.
Who's Who - The Wilson EntryJosh Marshall has gotten a hold of the Who's Who in America with Joseph Wilson's name, along with the name of his wife Valerie. (Thanks for sharing, Josh.) As I said before, the only COVER that the Who's Who was capbable of displaying is its own book cover.
Someone blew Valerie Plame's CIA(NOC) COVER in a Chicago Sun-Times article - and it sure as hell wasn't a BOOK that revealed the CIA cover. Someone told Novak. We don't know who it was - yet. He made a conscious decision to run with the information and blow the lady's cover, no matter WHAT her name was, and no matter how the shuffling and equivocating Novak tries to weasel his way out of the responsibility for the part he played by blaming a book for blowing a CIA cover.
You can't judge a book by its cover - but you CAN judge a journalist who blows CIA covers.
Listen to this - thanks to Atrios I've learned about a Jay Rosen column where Jay explains how, well before the recent swearing-snit and walk-off, Bob Novak probably knew he was "about to be faced with a gigantic contradiction in his public stance, and the CNN Network wanted it." Jay points to a prior Ed Henry/Bob Novak exchange. As I said before, why on earth would any of us WANT to see him as a pundit on any CNN show (or any political news show) when HE will not and cannot talk about the hottest subject matter? (And while he sits there looking like the cat reptile who swallowed the canary -as if he's onto something to which the interviewer will never become privy because of Novak's own manipulation-dance.) Jay offers a quote by the experienced journalist Joe Gandelman of the Moderate Voice,“Is walking off the set a big deal? It’s only the most unprofessional thing a newsperson or actor can do.”
*By the way, I'm looking forward to seeing both Duncan (Atrios) and Jay (Press Think) in October at Converge South. Kevin Sites, too.
"At the time I thought it was like a 2.5 [on the scale on pundit show smackdowns]. But when I heard it again later, I thought, no, it's more like a 1.5."
- James Carville, talking to Josh Marshall about Carville's comments, which some believe may have been the cause for Bob Novak's snit and walk-off on CNN's 'Inside Politics' earlier this week. Others say it was the edition of "Who's Who" in America which caused Novak's fight or flight response.
HeadlinesTom Hayden provides an exit rationale for the Iraq war. (Thanks, Tom). [Huffington Post]
James Carville spoke to Josh Marshall about Bob Novak. Here is what he said.. [TPM Cafe]
One of my favorite authors, Annie Lamott, thinks Novak knew his days with CNN were numbered.
Gen. Wesley Clark will be guest-blogging at the TPM Cafe from August 29th to September 2nd.
Michelle Malkin reports that New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has launched an investigation into the $875,000 loan from Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club to Air America. Spitzer's inquiry is focusing on the conduct of Gloria Wise's board of directors. "The question is: Was their action appropriate?," Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp told the Post. My personal comment: I trust Attorney General Spitzer and am confident he will get to the truth of the matter. I couldn't imagine he'd let a situation like this go on, in the court of public opinion, without his involvement.
I deeply appreciate the showcase at Billy the Blogging Poet's website. The people of Greensboro, NC (aka Blogsboro) have come to be just like family to me. You'll never meet a more welcoming, diverse, and genuinely interesting group of people as you'll meet in Blogsboro.
- continuing
"Bloggers themselves are starting to recognize the value of a segment dedicated to their collective voice."
- Jacki Schechner
CNN's Abbi and Jacki Interviewed by CJR
Abbi Tatton and Jacki Schechner, the lovely ladies of CNN's "Inside the Blogs" (which is a part of the CNN show "Inside Politics" - soon to be "The Situation Room") are interviewed at CJR. According to Jacki, they plan to expand their Blogging segment "to include politics, international and domestic security, which will give us the opportunity to access more news of the day and report on what's happening on the blogs and beyond. The blog segment will appear regularly on "The Situation Room," anchored by Wolf Blitzer, beginning next week."
Browne's Times Column Causes Blog-StirAnthony Browne's London Times guest-column is causing quite a stir amongst bloggers in the UK because of his warm collegiality with V-Dare and his comparing Islamic fundamentalism to Nazism. V-Dare is well known for opposing immigration and multiculturalism.
Level of Blog Credibility Depends Upon IndependenceEditor and Publisher reminds the world of what makes a credible and successful blogger, and I follow their quote with the slogan I've used since I started the IDDYBUD blog.An independent blogger's greatest asset, besides wit, energy, bravery, and doggedness, is sincerity. We read them to hear a credible independent voice -- not the shills of a corporation, lobbying group, a government agency, or a party. But now it seems that every auto company, PR firm, and politician is taking up blogging -- to sell us the same old pitches in a sleek new package. Some bloggers, unfortunately, are selling out and jumping on the payroll of corporations and political parties.
- Editor and Publisher
~ ~ ~ ~ "Daring, bold, never sold."
- Iddybud blog-motto
