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Tuesday
Feb102015
The Commentariat -- Feb. 11, 2015
Internal links & defunct video removed.
Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "The Obama administration has informed lawmakers that the president will seek a formal authorization to fight the Islamic State that would prohibit the use of 'enduring offensive ground forces' and limit engagement to three years. The approach offers what the White House hopes is a middle way on Capitol Hill for those on the right and left who remain deeply skeptical of its plans to thwart extremist groups. The request, which could come in writing as early as Wednesday morning, would open what is expected to be a monthslong debate over presidential war powers and the wisdom of committing to another unpredictable mission in the Middle East while the nation is still struggling to cope with the consequences of two prolonged wars."
Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "The Obama administration is considering slowing its planned withdrawal from Afghanistan for the second time, according to U.S. officials, a sign of the significant security challenges that remain despite an end to the U.S. and NATO combat mission there. Under the still-evolving plans, Army Gen. John F. Campbell, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, could be given greater latitude to determine the pace of the drawdown in 2015 as foreign forces scramble to ensure Afghan troops are capable of battling Taliban insurgents on their own, the officials said."
David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "Negotiators meeting in Minsk, Belarus, reached a tentative deal for a cease-fire in Ukraine on Tuesday night, setting the stage for a meeting of the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France to sign the agreement on Wednesday, according to media reports. The initial reports came from Tass, a Russian government-connected news service, and BelTa, a Belorussian news agency. However, in a report on its website, a Ukrainian weekly newspaper, Zerkalo Nedeli, disputed the report of a deal."
Julie Davis of the New York Times: "President Obama will announce Wednesday that he is withdrawing almost all the American troops who were sent to West Africa to help contain the spread of the Ebola virus, administration officials said Tuesday. He will also outline new steps aimed at eradicating the disease now that the crisis has eased, said the officials...."
Ben Smith of BuzzFeed: "President Barack Obama said Tuesday he is heartbroken by the death of American hostage Kayla Jane Mueller, who had been held by ISIS for more than a year. Obama, who said telling hostages' families that the U.S. won't pay ransom is 'as tough as anything I do,' also said that Mueller was one of the hostages the United States sought -- and failed -- to rescue in a raid in Syria last summer." Includes video of the interview. ...
... Lindsey Bever of the Washington Post on the failed efforts to rescue Mueller. ...
... In a statement purported to be for the purposes of extending "condolences to President Obama, the American people and the family of Kayla Mueller," Israel PM Bejamin Netanyahu writes,
Disagreements over Israel's security have occurred between prime ministers in Israel from the left and from the right and American presidents from both parties.... We do have today a profound disagreement with the United States administration and the rest of the P5+1 over the offer that has been made to Iran.... This is not a personal disagreement between President Obama and me. I deeply appreciate all that he has done for Israel in many fields. Equally, I know that the President appreciates my responsibility, my foremost responsibility, to protect and defend the security of Israel. I am going to the United States not because I seek a confrontation with the President, but because I must fulfil my obligation to speak up on a matter that affects the very survival of my country. I intend to speak about this issue before the March 24th deadline and I intend to speak in the US Congress because Congress might have an important role on a nuclear deal with Iran.
... CW: IMHO, Bibi just can't stop doing the wrong thing. He's a diplomatic catastrophe. Using the death of Kayla Mueller is a mighty cheap way to lead into a long-winded excuse for a foolish political ploy & unprecedented antics. I hope more Democrats will find other things to do while Republicans are feting him. ...
... Kendall Breitman of Politico: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking his plight from the House floor to social media. On Tuesday, Netanyahu tweeted, 'I'm determined to speak before Congress to stop Iran. RETWEET if I have your support.' Unlike many of the prime minister's tweets, which are written in Hebrew, the tweets were timed for the East Coast's morning news cycle and written in English." Later, he sent more tweets in English. ...
... Burgess Everett of Politico: "The partisan divide over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's March address to Congress deepened further on Tuesday, with the Senate's most-senior lawmaker announcing that he will not attend the speech. In a highly critical statement on Tuesday morning, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont called the speech arranged by House Speaker John Boehner 'a tawdry and highhanded stunt that has embarrassed not only Israel but the Congress itself.' Leahy joins Vermont's other senator, independent Bernie Sanders, in skipping the speech, as well as a number of House Democrats...." ...
... Edward-Isaac Dovere & Lauren French of Politico: "The audience for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress on March 3 is shaping up to be largely Republican -- and almost completely white. Many members of the Congressional Black Caucus say they're planning to skip the speech, calling it a slight to President Barack Obama that they can't and won't support."
Over to You, Orange Man. Rebecca Shabbad of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that the House has to make the next move on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).... 'It's clearly stuck in the Senate,'" McConnell said. ...
... Ya Shoulda Listened to Ted, Mitch. Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Sen. Ted Cruz blamed Republican leaders Tuesday for his party's failing strategy to overturn President Barack Obama's immigration actions, arguing that if they had listened to him and more forcefully confronted Obama they would be succeeding." CW: Never mind that under the Cruz Plan, Congress would have had to shut down the government again.
Jeremy Herb of Politico: "Ash Carter's nomination to be the next defense secretary was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee and sent to the full Senate for final consideration. Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the Senate was still on track to confirm Carter this week to succeed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, with a final vote as early as Wednesday."
Dylan Scott of TPM: "Rising income inequality has damaged Social Security's fiscal health, and progressives believe that addressing it could go a long way toward improving the program's long-term outlook. That's the primary finding in a new report from the liberal Center for American Progress [Hillary Clinton's friends!], which was provided exclusively to TPM on Tuesday. The report lands as a renewed fight over Social Security is bubbling up in the new Congress. Last month, House Republicans passed a rule that blocks a revenue transfer between the retirement and disability funds, the latter of which is projected to be unable to pay full benefits starting late 2016, unless the program's overall solvency is improved." ...
... Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, lays out in detail (pdf) what Republicans are up to here. Via Paul Waldman. CW: We've mentioned this here in the past; it will come up again.
Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg View: "Obamacare and its precursors (Kennedycare, Hillarycare, Romneycare) were rooted in a liberal moral vision -- that no one in so wealthy a nation should be denied health care because they lack the means to buy it. Many Americans accept that premise. Republicans have all but ceded the argument; they just don't like the redistributive consequences of it. Rather than combat the morality of Obamacare head-on, conservative opponents typically divert their attacks to adjacent playing fields: Obamacare is government overreach. It's bureaucratic. It threatens American exceptionalism. It will destroy jobs and the economy. Such arguments, ranging from practical to philosophical to foolish, have helped to raise public doubts about the efficacy of Obamacare.... Five years of sustained Republican outrage over Obamacare has yielded no replacement because it would require conservatives to either publicly capitulate to the moral logic of Obamacare, or renounce it."
Paul Lewis of the Guardian: "Barack Obama's nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch, has warned that HSBC could be prosecuted over tax evasion connected to its Swiss subsidiary, despite the controversial agreement she negotiated with the bank two years ago. In her first remarks since the Guardian and other media obtained a huge cache of leaked data from HSBC Switzerland, Lynch said the Department of Justice would not be constrained from bringing tax evasion charges against the bank if there were sufficient evidence."
Julian Hattem of the Hill: "A district court in California has issued a ruling in favor of the National Security Agency in a long-running case over the spy agency's collection of Internet records. The challenge against the controversial Upstream program was tossed out because additional defense from the government would have required 'impermissible disclosure of state secret information,' Judge Jeffrey White wrote in his decision."
Ben Smith: "President Obama Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's signals that marriage equality is on the verge of becoming the law of the land, adding that he expected local Alabama officials resisting the shift to be swept aside by federal courts." With video. ...
... Obama "Evolved" Long Ago. Zeke Miller of Time: "Barack Obama misled Americans for his own political benefit when he claimed in the 2008 election to oppose same sex marriage for religious reasons, his former political strategist David Axelrod writes in a new book, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics. 'I'm just not very good at bullshitting,' Obama told Axelrod, after an event where he stated his opposition to same-sex marriage, according to the book. Axelrod writes that he knew Obama was in favor of same-sex marriages during the first presidential campaign, even as Obama publicly said he only supported civil unions, not full marriages. Axelrod also admits to counseling Obama to conceal that position for political reasons." ...
... David Graham of the Atlantic: "By cloaking his own views, the president didn't polarize the issue ... until the die was cast. Once he did announce his stand, it seems to have helped bring new supporters with him, particularly black Americans. By fall of 2012, what might have been a fatal liability in the 2008 campaign was one of Obama's top talking points during the 2012 campaign -- which successfully won him another four years. It's unthinkable that any future Democratic nominee would oppose gay marriage, and even Republicans are said to be 'evolving' on it, realizing the utility of that slick term." ...
... Jonathan Chait: "... this process of industrialized spin is a bad thing. When a candidate contributes to public misinformation, regardless of his good intentions, he has done something morally questionable." ...
... Paul Waldman: "... it isn't that he was secretly plotting all along to create marriage equality for every American (the Supreme Court is the one that will do that). The policy steps his administration has taken on gay rights issues -- ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' opposing DOMA -- were things he said in 2008 he was going to do, and he ultimately did them. All of which could reasonably lead us to the conclusion that although it was certainly wrong for Obama to hide his true feelings on this issue, it may not be among the worst sins presidential candidates have committed." ...
... CW: Because the rights of Americans were at issue, in a just world, Obama should have done more to lead on gay marriage. On the other hand, a candidate can personally favor a policy that s/he realizes would cause acute societal stress. When one is talking about a right that has been almost universally denied since the beginning of civilization, I'm not sure four more years is so awful, particularly if those years are used -- as they were -- to incrementally advance rights for gay Americans. Sometimes a lie in service of a higher purpose is justified, & this appears to be one of those times: had McCain been elected because voters were appalled by Obama's support for gay marriage, we would have had a president who would have left DODT intact (as he said during Senate hearings), his Justice Department most likely would have continued to defend DOMA, & perhaps he would not have extended benefits to the families of gay federal employees. Given the alternative, then, Obama's lie can be morally justified.
ALSO TOO, the President doesn't like Maureen Dowd, for some reason. And he doesn't invite her to the White House, as he does Brooks & Friedman.
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.
Finally someone is being held to account for misleading America about the Iraq War. -- Jon Stewart, Monday
Dylan Byers of Politico: "NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has been suspended for six months without pay following his false claims about an experience he had during the Iraq war, NBC News president Deborah Turness announced Tuesday night.... Turness wrote in a memo to staff, 'We let Brian know of our decision earlier today. Lester Holt will continue to substitute Anchor the NBC Nightly News.' In addition to Williams' false claims about Iraq, Turness said she the Comcast/NBCUniversal brass had 'concerns about comments that occurred outside NBC News while Brian was talking about his experiences in the field.'" Byers reproduces Turness's full memo.
Tom Brokaw must be pleased. Lloyd Grove of the Daily Beast: Brokaw really dislikes Brian Williams because on election night 2012, "Williams made no secret of his wish to exclude Brokaw from the live coverage. [Said an NBC News veteran,] 'Brian did not want to be in the same studio as Tom. He thought Tom talked too much and was hard of hearing. He showed Tom tremendous disrespect and Tom knew this and knows this... When Tom wants to get something on Nightly, Brian fights that every step of the way.'" CW: Okay, that ups my respect for Williams. ...
... CW: What's more dangerous for the health of the country? (a) multimillionaire egotist Brian Williams' making himself the center of stories he was supposed to be reporting; or (b) multimillionaire egotist Tom Brokaw' repeatedly telling viewers the federal government must cut entitlements & rein in spending? Both presented their stories as facts, & employed graphics masquerading as supporting data. Viewers were likely to believe both of them. AND with Brokaw still exerting influence over the news division, according to multiple reports, you can bet that screw-the-needy meme is baked into NBC News's DNA. You think Chuck Todd is going to cross Brokaw? Look what happened to Brian Williams when he displeased Brokaw.
Gabriel Sherman of New York: "Earlier this morning, Williams and his agent met with NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke, and were presented with a dossier of Williams' apparent lies, according to sources.... This likely won't be the end of Williams's troubles. The network announced today that Richard Esposito, the senior producer conducting the fact-checking investigation of Williams's statements, will continue his inquiry. The fact that NBC lawyers are said to be reviewing the list of Williams's fictions is an ominous sign. Another source told me today that NBC has widened their probe to include Williams's expense accounts." ...
... CW: I'm guessing Williams will take over Jon Stewart's spot. He always wanted to do late-nite comedy. A fake news show is perfect for him. ...
... Update. Terrence McCoy of the Washington Post makes the case that Williams & Stewart should switch jobs.
Steve M: "What Fox has done to America is the great untold news story of our generation. Jon Stewart got that, and mainstream-media figures admired him, but the mainstream press never followed up on his stories. The MSM figured he had it covered (or, more likely, figured that he never had to worry about suddenly needing a job in an industry where only Murdoch seemed to be expanding). So Stewart, along with the comics he'd mentored, were alone on the media equivalent of Tora Bora. And Murdoch and Ailes got away. We got Saddam Williams, but the liars who really committed terrorist assaults on the truth escaped."
2016 Races
Jindal Promises Not to Evolve. Jeremy Diamond of CNN: "Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal won't join the ranks of politicians who have 'so called evolved' on same-sex marriage, he said Tuesday. Jindal, a Republican who is considering a presidential run, suggested that politicians like President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton changed their views on gay marriage because of polling indicating more Americans in support of gay marriage. 'I'm not one of those politicians,' Jindal said on CNN's 'New Day.' 'My faith teaches me that marriage is between a man and a woman. I don't believe in discrimination against anybody. I'm not for changing the definition of marriage.' A CNN/ORC poll in December found that 57% of Americans support gay couples' right to marry, including 36% of Republicans."
Transparent to a Fault. T. C. Sottek of the Verge: "Jeb Bush ... just decided to publish hundreds of thousands of emails sent to him during his time as governor of Florida.... Neither Bush nor those who facilitated the publication of the records ... decided to redact potentially sensitive personal information from them.... Some ... contain the email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers of Florida residents. The emails are available in Outlook format, and can be searched on the web at Bush's website.... Florida's freedom of information laws are very broad.... However..., as Florida private attorney Richard A. Harrison tells The Verge, social security numbers are 'both confidential and exempt' from public disclosure under state law.... Jeb Bush's camp was quick to shift blame to the state.... While a Florida bureaucrat may ultimately be to blame, it's not a good look for Jeb Bush -- someone who called himself the first 'eGovernor.'..." ...
... Caroline Bankoff of New York: "And here we thought the nascent campaign's biggest technology problem was its CTO's old tweets about gays and 'sluts.'" ...
... That Didn't Last Long. Adam Lerner of Politico: "The newly hired chief technology officer of Jeb Bush's Right to Rise PAC resigned Tuesday amid controversy over inflammatory comments he had written on Twitter and a blog for a college radio show. 'The Right to Rise PAC accepted Ethan Czahor's resignation today,' a Bush spokesperson said in a statement. 'While Ethan has apologized for regrettable and insensitive comments, they do not reflect the views of Governor Bush or his organization and it is appropriate for him to step aside.'" ...
... P.S. Czahor is a racist, too. ...
... So Much for the Small Stuff. Ben White of Politico: "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will raise money on Wall Street on Wednesday at an eye-popping $100,000 per-ticket Park Avenue event hosted by private equity mogul Henry Kravis and his wife. The price of admission to the event, which will raise funds for Bush's 'Right to Rise' super PAC, surprised even Wall Street veterans used to high-dollar fundraisers.... Bush is moving quickly to consolidate financial support in the wealthy enclaves of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, in many cases squeezing out New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie." ...
... MEANWHILE.... Ken Vogel of Politico: "The main super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton is struggling in its early efforts to line up cash toward a fundraising goal of as much as $500 million, according to sources with knowledge of its fundraising. The group, Priorities USA Action, is trying to secure 30 or more pledges of at least $1 million apiece to be unveiled publicly when the former secretary of state officially enters the race, sources say. But, so far, it has received only about 10 firm commitments...." ...
... BECAUSE Déjà vu All Over Again. Nick Confessore & Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Lingering tensions between Hillary Rodham Clinton's loyalists and the strategists who helped President Obama defeat her in 2008 have erupted into an intense public struggle over who will wield money and clout in her emerging 2016 presidential campaign. At issue is controlling access to the deep-pocketed donors whose support is critical to sustain the outside organizations that are paving the way for Mrs. Clinton's campaign. It is a competition that has been exacerbated, many Clinton supporters said, by Mrs. Clinton's reluctance to formally enter the race and establish a campaign organization with clear lines of authority."
Ninety-two million Americans aren't working. -- Sen. Ted Cruz [RTP-Texas], Sunday, on CNN's "State of the Union"
Louis Jacobson of PolitiFact: "Once you strip out senior citizens and school-age Americans, the number is less than half that.... Another point worth noting: Just because someone in the prime working-age range (25 to 64) isn't working doesn't mean that they are unemployed. They may be disabled, taking care of children full-time or have gone back to school. The actual number of officially unemployed Americans in January was a little under 9 million -- just one-tenth of the figure Cruz cited as 'not working.'" CW: Get to work, you lazy kids & old slackers!
If Rand Paul were the Republican nominee & Sherrod Brown the Democratic nominee, it would be a swell contest. And every day would be Bad Hair Day:
Manu Raju of Politico: "Sen. Harry Reid summoned dozens of staffers to the Senate's Mansfield Room Tuesday and delivered a clear message: He's running for reelection next year. The comments are in part aimed at putting to rest growing speculation inside the Senate that the 75-year-old Nevada Democrat -- badly hurt from a painful injury to his right eye -- would call it quits after nearly three decades in the chamber."
Beyond the Beltway
Kalyn Wolfe, et al., of the New York Times: "A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday on whether to order local officials here to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, as some Alabama counties granted the licenses for a second day, but most continued to refuse. Late Monday, gay rights advocates asked Judge Callie V.S. Granade of Federal District Court in Mobile to direct the probate judge here, Don Davis, to issue the licenses. The state's second-most populous county, Mobile was by far the largest where officials refused to issue licenses to anyone on Monday. The state attorney general, Luther Strange, filed a response Tuesday morning, opposing the request."
Tammy Grubb of the Raleigh, North Carolina, News & Observer: "Police charged a Chapel Hill man Wednesday with first-degree murder in the deaths of three Muslim students.... Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, is being held in the Durham County Jail on three counts of first-degree murder. Hicks is accused of shooting his Finley Forest neighbors, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, and his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha’s sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. Barakat was a doctoral student in UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Dentistry. The sisters were N.C. State University students. Chapel Hill police found all three victims dead at the scene, after responding to a report of gunshots ... at 5:11 p.m. Tuesday."
Al Baker & David Goodman of the New York Times: "A New York City police officer was indicted Tuesday in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in a Brooklyn public housing complex stairwell in November, several people familiar with the grand jury's decision said."
Ya Can't Trust Anybody. Chicago Sun-Times: "The Jackie Robinson West Little League All-Stars [of Chicago] are no longer the 2014 Little League National Champions. Little League International confirmed Wednesday it has vacated their title due to residency violations. Jackie Robinson West manager Darold Butler has been suspended from Little League activity. Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly has been removed from his position."
News Ledes
CBS News: "Bob Simon, the longtime 60 Minutes correspondent and legendary CBS News foreign reporter died suddenly tonight in a car accident in New York City. The award-winning newsman was 73."
New York Times: "Rose E. Frisch, a scientist whose work showed that women without enough body fat would have trouble becoming pregnant but also had a lower risk of breast cancer, died on Jan. 30 at an assisted-living facility in Cambridge, Mass. She was 96."
Guardian: "The US, Britain and France have closed their embassies in Yemen over security concerns in the Arab world's poorest country, where Shia rebels finalised their power-grab last week."
Washington Post: The Navy announced Tuesday that it has censured three admirals for ethics violations as part of a historic corruption scandal that has already tarred several other high-ranking officers and is threatening to spread further through the ranks. Navy officials said the three admirals improperly accepted 'extravagant dinners' and other gifts from Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor who made a fortune by supplying Navy vessels at Asian ports until his arrest in 2013." ...
... Stars & Stripes: "The commander of naval forces in Japan and two other admirals are retiring following letters of censure issued by the secretary of the Navy in connection with a wide-ranging bribery scandal in the Asia-Pacific region. Naval Forces Japan commander Rear Adm. Terry Kraft, along with rear admirals Michael Miller and David Pimpo, were censured by Secretary Ray Mabus to 'document their failure of leadership' related to dealings with Glenn Defense Marine Asia between 2006 and 2007, according to a Navy statement."
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Reader Comments (18)
Well, the true genius of the founders is coming clear again. They recognized that there can be no such thing as democracy if there is any interaction with religion. In fact democracy is, by definition, government by the people without religion.
So now we have Alabama, Jindal and many others who don't understand what democracy is. You don't have to agree with same sex marriage but as a sworn member of the government you must follow the law. If you can't do that feel free to quit your public position as judge or governor. And if you cannot live in a place that is called a democracy, as I said yesterday move to somewhere else. You know Russia, Saudi Arabia or any other place that fits your beliefs. These guys would do great in Saudi Arabia right? I mean they oppose same sex marriage, oh and they treat Christians with full rights.
Re; you're sitting where and you're listen to who? And I'm fucking paying for it? You're shitting me right?
Just wondering if any of our flag covered congress members are secretly second guessing sitting and listening to a foriegn agent tell the United States government what to do for the betterment of the foriegn agent's state.
Stated like that it sounds a little like " aiding and abbeding" to this freedom loving patriot.
I applaud Leahy for boycotting the Netanyahu dog and pony show. I am so angry that he is being given quarter by those in Congress that do not respect the norms of our system of government, I wrote to my (Democratic) congressman. All Democrats should avoid this travesty - but that likely won't happen.
Jonathan Chait certainly got a reaction (512 comments thus far) to his moralizing commentary on Obama's 'misinformation' of where the candidate stood. Suddenly everyone is on their high horse and acting goody, goody two shoes these days.
As Jon Stewart said it the other night, (to paraphrase somewhat) go after the bastards in the MSM who do it regularly and unfortunately, often without consequences.
@JJG Who are you mad at? Is it about Netanyahu's upcoming speech and those who encouraged him to come? Or the NSA? Orange man? All of the above? Other?
It is even more galling and insulting that Netanyahu is using social media to try to drum up support for his effort to short circuit negotiations between the United States and Iran, using his lap dogs in congress to help him derail the foreign affairs policies of a sitting American president. Republicans are also allowing him to use the congress as campaign flunkies in his reelection bid. Are Boehner and McConnell drawing checks from Likud? They should be.
This is treason. He's not here to say "Hi, hello, howaya?", he 's here to try to fuck up delicate negotiations for his own purposes. Anyone who aids this effort, and those who planned it in the first place, are traitorous bastards.
And Netanyahu has demonstrated, again, that he is an untrustworthy back stabbing piece of shit. He takes our money then tells us to fuck off. He is no friend to the US.
@MAG; let's go with "other(s)". I am mad that for the last half of century or more we have supported and condoned the state of Israel's land grab from the Palestinians. Carving nations out of the desert sands of the Middle East has been historically the work of western Europe. We picked up the job after World War Two. The Israeli government has used the "best of friends" BS since day one knowing that our ignorance and greed, (don't like Arabs, love that oil) will always conflict. So yea, old Bibi in my opinion is just another snakeoil salesman with the potion for what's ailing US.
@Akhilleus: If I were John Boehner (perish the thought), I would use Bibi's latest statement as an excuse to disinvite him: "Gee, Mr. Prime Minister, I had no idea you planned to speak against our beloved President. Better that you stick to Twitter."
Congress's blatant effort to undermine State Department peace negotiations (and that's what we're talking about here) is, as you suggest, an act of sedition. It's fine for Boehner & especially McConnell to try to influence the administration's foreign policy, & they have Constitutional prerogatives to do so. But inviting a foreign leader to slap the faces of the Secretary of State & the POTUS & to speak against them in the most public way possible is not part of that Constitutional duty.
Marie
@MAG: I read some of the comments in Chait's thread. What I gleaned was that Barack Obama is going to hell & that it's okay of Bush Pere said Clarence Thomas was the best qualified Supreme Court nominee in the whole wide world.
Also, I wondered what the point was of writing stuff, however lacking in nuance & thoughtful reflection (I believe Chait's piece is so wanting), if most of your readers are so damned dumb & are devoted to nah-ne-nah-ne-nah-ne correspondence?
Marie
@Marie When Chait is good, he is very, very good...when he is bad, he just mails it in. This was certainly sub-standard class mail!
@back to JJG Yeah, know what you mean about BiBi. And, as CW points out, "he just can't help doing the wrong thing."
What an out-sized ego!
I remember quite clearly when he first came to my attention. Back in 1991 (?) when Iran was firing missiles into Israel, BiBI was the ubiquitous showboater, (errr-r) spokesperson available everywhere on CNN from morning to night.
Well, the Jebster is certainly off with a bang.
So his technology guru has to resign because he's a homophobe, misogynist, and, it seems, an industrial strength asshole. He gives a highly anticipated speech to corporate muck a mucks in Detroit, giving every indication that he is ready and willing to accept the challenge of taking on the responsibilities of being mayor of Toledo, or maybe Little Rock. Then, in the interests of "transparency", he releases emails containing mountains of personal data, private information, addresses, names, and SS numbers!!! C 'mon down all you identity thieves! Uncle Jebbie is holding a clearance sale. Now all he needs is a brain dead woman he can wrench away from her family for his own cynical uses. But wait. No one would be that much of a hypocritical douchebag, would they?
I want someone to explain how in the hell the Bushes became so powerful in this country? One brother steals millions and triggers an enormous banking scandal, another, who failed abysmally at everything he ever did and demonstrated his support for one war by deserting, then, I guess because he totally missed that one, lied to start another war then blew up the economy on his way out the door. The dad had his own war, which he fucked up, then sailed off into the sunset after his own recession. Christ, they're like the Borgias without any of the good stuff. Inept, incompetent, bubble wrapped privileged clowns. The sons make Poppy, at best a middling muddle of a pol, look like fucking Demosthenes. And then there's Barbara--Lady Macbeth.
But now Jeb wants us to give him the keys to the car. Sorry, pal, we're still paying for the fuck ups created by the other members of your crime family. Why don't you be a good boy and find a nice boardwalk down in FLA where you can roll some drunks and not get in trouble for hanging out with gay-bashing women haters.
The regulars over on Charlie Pierce are up in arms over the redesign of Esquire's Web site. Guess you have to blame it on VOX, which had a head start on this cutting edge design concept. Tho', whenever I go to VOX...I sit and click and click around the page trying to figure out how I am supposed to get to the story. Turns out it's as simple as the right-side scroll, which is a tad discreet, but I forget and miss it every time.
MSNBC did a pictures only kind of thing on their Web site a while back. It was met with beaucoup angry reactions. Ultimately, they caved and redesigned the redesign to a more reader-friendly layout with WORDS.
Even Vanity Fair just did it. I must be getting to my old fogie stage because these changes are taking a whole lot of getting used to!
The pages have all the breathless excitement of my first grade reader. See Dick. See Jane. See Dick run.
Cassidy presents a capsule history in the New Yorker of Jeb the governor for those of us who didn't experienced it first hand.
@MAG: Yeah, Charlie's new web page is a mess. But it's trendy, post-internet cool, and hip. Hard to tell it, though, from other cookie cutter sites--the Guardian, the LA Times, VOX, and I'm sure many more. All of them difficult to impossible to navigate, especially around and over all the pop-up and dancing pig eyecatching ads.
What interesting states of affairs: Besides the Bibi bully business we have the demise of Brian Williams who embellished (lied) about his forays into foreign and domestic situations and has been sacked for six months without pay; we have Jon Stewart who announced that he is leaving his show which is NOT fake news (the only fake part is when those sidekicks of his pretend to be in places they aren't) and has been able to zero in on the TRUTH, although satirically; and finally we learn that Obama was just pretending (lying) that he was for marriage between one man and woman in the beginning of his political campaigns and gradually evolved (changed his mind). What we have here is a matter of truthiness writ large. Someone who is a revered media messenger has been outed as a lier and there is pandemonium unlike, as Stewart pointed out last night, lacking during the time of those other LIERS that got us into a war that has mushroomed into actual pandemonium. And Obama's decision to lie was necessary for him to get elected and necessary to bring this country along gradually (since it is still only operating in its teenage years). Sometimes you have to do something bad to get something good. Chait needs to brush off the fairy dust.
Boehner just made an emotional statement supporting the Pipeline, and calling those who oppose it anarchists. What an out of touch poser, as well as a real piece of work. As a strong opponent of the pipeline and hardly an anarchist, I take offense.
I think Boehner, who violated decades of precedent to invite the head of a foreign country to address Congress, is much closer to an anarchist than those he accuses, since rules seam to mean nothing to him.
Boehner's full characterization of opponents of Keystone: "...left wing fringe extremists and anarchists." Moi?
Here's a link to Boehner's remarks:
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/232442-boehner-obama-standing-with-left-fringe-extremists-and-anarchists
According to this article at the Daily Kos, Boehner and his cronies are going to fill any of the empty seats during Bibi's sabotage speech with GOP operatives who will be there to stand up, howl, and clap their robotic arms together every five minutes or so.
The current GOP, proving they can "govern", because no one is actually convinced yet, has dumbed down our body politique to such a low level, that sending unpaid interns and secretaries to fill in for optics for what would normally be considered an important foreign policy moment in the capital is now reported as simply the new normal. Which it is now, and that speaks volumes.
I share JJG's view on our despicable aiding and abetting of the rogue Israeli regimes, particularly when it became clear post-Oslo accords that a two state solution is dead and inhumane treatment is apparently a new right they've invented to justify their actions. I hope Bibi pays dearly for this in the long run and looks back at this moment as the speech that turned the tide against him.
He'll Wing reelection because he's like Burlesconi and will never l'épave until forced out, but he'll (and Israël) will be more isolated than ever. It's a cold world out there when you backstab all your friends...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/11/1363815/-House-GOP-to-fill-empty-seats-with-staffers-to-ensure-standing-ovations-for-Netanyahu-speech