Pentagon to Allow Photos of Returning War Dead.
One more decision which shines an even brighter light on the deceit and manipulation of the Bush administration.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Momentum for Investigations into Bush Crimes
It's building. Today Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) took the Senate floor to call for a "Truth Commission" to investigate torture and other misdeeds by the Bushies. Salon's Glenn Greenwald explained that this could open to the door to prosecutions. That long post has an interesting quote from Whitehouse:
Still, regarding a potential torture commission, he told Salon, "I am convinced it is going to happen." In fact, his fervor on the issue was palpable. When asked if there is a lot the public still does not know about these issues during the Bush administration, his eyes grew large and he nodded slowly. "Stay on this," he said. "This is going to be big."
Greenwald has two other interesting points about this. First, since Barack has been saying that he wants to focus on the problems he currently has rather than past misdeeds, Congress seems to be stepping up to fill that gap. This is appropriate, since they are the body with independent investigative power. Second, Greenwald thinks that once Bush misdeeds come to light, the DOJ might be under too much pressure to avoid prosecutions.
Furthermore, Nancy Pelosi openly called for prosecutions to be on the table in an interview with Rachel Maddow today.
I'll be shocked if this ever reaches the level of Cheney or Bush (seems like the really high ups always skate), but it certainly seems like there is some momentum for some sort of reckoning for the crimes of the last administration.
Still, regarding a potential torture commission, he told Salon, "I am convinced it is going to happen." In fact, his fervor on the issue was palpable. When asked if there is a lot the public still does not know about these issues during the Bush administration, his eyes grew large and he nodded slowly. "Stay on this," he said. "This is going to be big."
Greenwald has two other interesting points about this. First, since Barack has been saying that he wants to focus on the problems he currently has rather than past misdeeds, Congress seems to be stepping up to fill that gap. This is appropriate, since they are the body with independent investigative power. Second, Greenwald thinks that once Bush misdeeds come to light, the DOJ might be under too much pressure to avoid prosecutions.
Furthermore, Nancy Pelosi openly called for prosecutions to be on the table in an interview with Rachel Maddow today.
I'll be shocked if this ever reaches the level of Cheney or Bush (seems like the really high ups always skate), but it certainly seems like there is some momentum for some sort of reckoning for the crimes of the last administration.
Republicans are screwed
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Nobody messes with Joe!
i'm kinda not really liveblogging the state of the union. really just trying to stay awake.
is nancy pelosi's face frozen like that? it's freaking me out, her eyes move (left to right and back) but nothing else does.
8:37: I still can't get over that Biden is sitting back there as Veep. I keep thinking he's going to whip out some playing cards and a cigar. I'm pretty sure he and Nancy were drinking in the cloak room, she looks totally tanked.
8:39: How awesome is Hillary's bright pink coat. Work it, girl!
8:40: I'm officially sick of the standing ovations.
8:45: i love how he turns a phrase, that bit about health care weighing down our economy and weighing down our conscience long enough, is brilliant. he connects the emotional to the practical. it did make me sad, though, not to see senator kennedy's face in the crowd during this bit. he's fought for health care for so long.
8:49: on dropping out of highschool: it's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on this country. goosebumps. seriously, how does a democrat make me feel so damn patriotic?
8:50: Kennedy just got a shout out. Loves it!
8:51: a little rumble across the aisle over the deficit that "we inherited". obama can bring it!
8:53: seriously, nancy and joe are back there yukking it up. the dems are just giddy. it's been a long eight years, my friends.
8:55: oh yeah: taxing the wealthy, closing loopholes on corporations, tax cuts for the rest of us. sassy is beside herself. and mitch mcconnell is clapping! WTF?!?!?
9:02: getting bored so checked out 538. "The GOP needed to have a better clapping gameplan." so true! they're clapping at the dem high points and not clapping and looking like sore losers the rest of the time. they're a hot mess.
9:06: from Nate/Sean: Trademark Obama cynicism-to-hope pivot begins. We're near the close of the Obama part. Bobby Jindal really wanted to follow this?
9:07: holy crap. how amazing is that girl from s. carolina? and how gorgeous is michelle?
9:07: barack is giving undeserved props to the repugs. we all want america to succeed. but do they, really? or do they just want some of us (the wealthy, the corporations) to succeed? he's giving them more credit than they deserve.
9:08: oh, it's over. wow, that 50 minutes went fast. sassy's sleepy, off to bed.
is nancy pelosi's face frozen like that? it's freaking me out, her eyes move (left to right and back) but nothing else does.
8:37: I still can't get over that Biden is sitting back there as Veep. I keep thinking he's going to whip out some playing cards and a cigar. I'm pretty sure he and Nancy were drinking in the cloak room, she looks totally tanked.
8:39: How awesome is Hillary's bright pink coat. Work it, girl!
8:40: I'm officially sick of the standing ovations.
8:45: i love how he turns a phrase, that bit about health care weighing down our economy and weighing down our conscience long enough, is brilliant. he connects the emotional to the practical. it did make me sad, though, not to see senator kennedy's face in the crowd during this bit. he's fought for health care for so long.
8:49: on dropping out of highschool: it's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on this country. goosebumps. seriously, how does a democrat make me feel so damn patriotic?
8:50: Kennedy just got a shout out. Loves it!
8:51: a little rumble across the aisle over the deficit that "we inherited". obama can bring it!
8:53: seriously, nancy and joe are back there yukking it up. the dems are just giddy. it's been a long eight years, my friends.
8:55: oh yeah: taxing the wealthy, closing loopholes on corporations, tax cuts for the rest of us. sassy is beside herself. and mitch mcconnell is clapping! WTF?!?!?
9:02: getting bored so checked out 538. "The GOP needed to have a better clapping gameplan." so true! they're clapping at the dem high points and not clapping and looking like sore losers the rest of the time. they're a hot mess.
9:06: from Nate/Sean: Trademark Obama cynicism-to-hope pivot begins. We're near the close of the Obama part. Bobby Jindal really wanted to follow this?
9:07: holy crap. how amazing is that girl from s. carolina? and how gorgeous is michelle?
9:07: barack is giving undeserved props to the repugs. we all want america to succeed. but do they, really? or do they just want some of us (the wealthy, the corporations) to succeed? he's giving them more credit than they deserve.
9:08: oh, it's over. wow, that 50 minutes went fast. sassy's sleepy, off to bed.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday Update
I'm in a blogging mood today, so here are a couple interesting items from the news (i.e., liberal blogs) today.
First, I'd like to point out that we Sassy writers were once again ahead of the mainstream. The bloggers are discussing an article from the Guardian UK which argues that when Barack openly reached out to Congressional Repugs he was really reaching out to the country. Duh! Nice of you to join us, mainstream. We've been saying for days that Barack's main victory was political. This is supported by two recent polls: 1) an AP poll showed that 62% of the public think the Prez is doing enough to reach out to Repugs, while only 27% feel that the GOP is doing enough to reach across the aisle, and 2) a Fox poll showed that 66% of the public think Barack is doing enough, while only 33% said the same about the Repugs. That's called political capital.
Second, there was a slight hint of optimism in Krugman's column today. Yes, he still warns that the economic slowdown could be long, but he concedes that Barack's trying to do right. Money quote: "Let’s be clear: the Obama administration’s policy initiatives will help in this difficult period — especially if the administration bites the bullet and takes over weak banks." That counts as high praise from our favorite economic Chicken Little.
Finally, an amusing tidbit. Richard Perle was almost laughed off the stage yesterday when he tried to claim that there's no such thing as neoconservatism. He even tried to say that when he talks about regime change, he's not talking about the military. Jackass.
First, I'd like to point out that we Sassy writers were once again ahead of the mainstream. The bloggers are discussing an article from the Guardian UK which argues that when Barack openly reached out to Congressional Repugs he was really reaching out to the country. Duh! Nice of you to join us, mainstream. We've been saying for days that Barack's main victory was political. This is supported by two recent polls: 1) an AP poll showed that 62% of the public think the Prez is doing enough to reach out to Repugs, while only 27% feel that the GOP is doing enough to reach across the aisle, and 2) a Fox poll showed that 66% of the public think Barack is doing enough, while only 33% said the same about the Repugs. That's called political capital.
Second, there was a slight hint of optimism in Krugman's column today. Yes, he still warns that the economic slowdown could be long, but he concedes that Barack's trying to do right. Money quote: "Let’s be clear: the Obama administration’s policy initiatives will help in this difficult period — especially if the administration bites the bullet and takes over weak banks." That counts as high praise from our favorite economic Chicken Little.
Finally, an amusing tidbit. Richard Perle was almost laughed off the stage yesterday when he tried to claim that there's no such thing as neoconservatism. He even tried to say that when he talks about regime change, he's not talking about the military. Jackass.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Everyone Chill the F*** Out
I got this.
Bridget and I were talking over the weekend about how everyone is freaking about the economy and ohmygod Barack is screwing up, Geithner this, and stimulus that, does he know what he's doing, the tides turning, we're gonna lose, blah blah blah. Sound familiar?
One of many great quotes in this piece:
Bridget and I were talking over the weekend about how everyone is freaking about the economy and ohmygod Barack is screwing up, Geithner this, and stimulus that, does he know what he's doing, the tides turning, we're gonna lose, blah blah blah. Sound familiar?
One of many great quotes in this piece:
But he is aware that some Republicans think they can gain "political advantage" if they can "enforce conformity" within their ranks and thus "invigorate" their base.
He
declined to judge whether this strategy will work for the Republicans, but President Obama 2.0, the version slightly chastened since Inauguration Day, did not mind explaining how their approach has affected him.
"You know, I am an eternal optimist," he said. "That doesn't mean I'm a sap."
Friday, February 13, 2009
Krugman Feeling the Friday the 13th Vibes
He's pretty upset about the stimulus package and about how the whole thing went down. While he has plenty of negative things to say about the Repugs, he's also pretty discouraged by how Barack handled it. Money quote:
And I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach — a feeling that America just isn’t rising to the greatest economic challenge in 70 years.
Ugh. Happy Friday, everyone!
And I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach — a feeling that America just isn’t rising to the greatest economic challenge in 70 years.
Ugh. Happy Friday, everyone!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Stimulus Stuff
Okay, so Krugman's no fan of the Senate version. Really. He thinks the stimulus package needs to be twice as big and more focused on government spending. And, he's pretty harsh on Barack. Yikes.
Krugman does like the House version a little better. So does Speaker Pelosi. In this LA Times article, she's quoted as saying that the Senate's changes were "very damaging."
So, I guess that leads to the conference, and my questions to those of us who've worked closely with conference committees--namely, Bridget. Do we know who's on the committee yet? How likely does it seem that the House Dems will be able to restore some of the measures cut by the Senate?
Krugman does like the House version a little better. So does Speaker Pelosi. In this LA Times article, she's quoted as saying that the Senate's changes were "very damaging."
So, I guess that leads to the conference, and my questions to those of us who've worked closely with conference committees--namely, Bridget. Do we know who's on the committee yet? How likely does it seem that the House Dems will be able to restore some of the measures cut by the Senate?
Friday, February 6, 2009
Road Signs Warn of Zombies
I read yesterday in the local Bloomington, Indiana paper that hackers have started breaking into traffic signs and changing their message. I love this. Here's the photo that accompanied the story:
I don't have a larger point. I just find this really funny.
Former DCers - is this amendment language typical?
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has introduced an amendment to prohibit any funds in the economic stimulus bill from going to museums, casinos, aquariums, theaters, art centers. ...
The language of the amendment, (Amendment No. 175, as filed) is, "None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, arts center, or highway beautification project, including renovation, remodeling, construction, salaries, furniture, zero-gravity chairs, big screen televisions, beautification, rotating pastel lights, and dry heat saunas."
So ... NON rotating pastel lights are okay? huh WHAT??
The language of the amendment, (Amendment No. 175, as filed) is, "None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, arts center, or highway beautification project, including renovation, remodeling, construction, salaries, furniture, zero-gravity chairs, big screen televisions, beautification, rotating pastel lights, and dry heat saunas."
So ... NON rotating pastel lights are okay? huh WHAT??
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Daschle withdrew ...
and I leave it to those of you with more time on your hands to detail the implications!
Monday, February 2, 2009
A Headscratching Picture of Staggering Weirdness
So Blago was obsessed with Tricky Dick? I blame all of us for not intuiting this.
In retrospect, this is the least-surprising really-surprising revelation since we learned Ilsa enjoyed yoga, meditation and the Steelers' defense in equal measure.
(ummm, is "intuiting" a word?)
Anyhow, more on it, The Weirdness, can be found here:
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