The Commentariat -- October 11, 2015
Internal links removed.
Afternoon Update:
Mike Lillis of the Hill: "The United States will 'make condolence payments' to the families of those killed last week in an errant strike on a trauma hospital in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Saturday. A Defense Department spokesman said it's 'important to address the consequences of the tragic incident' which killed 22 people at the facility in Kunduz, which was run by the international aid group Doctors Without Borders."
Jake Tapper's interview of Bradley Podliska, the Behghaazi! investigator whom the committee fired, is here. (See link to related NYT story below.) ...
... Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), "the chairman of the House committee on Benghazi, struck back Sunday morning at a fired staffer who is accusing the panel of engaging in a partisan probe to tarnish Hillary Rodham Clinton, with the lawmaker saying that the claims appear newly manufactured and that the staffer himself appeared obsessed with the presidential candidate.
David Hoffman of the Washington Post: "President Richard Nixon believed that years of aerial bombing in Southeast Asia to pressure North Vietnam achieved 'zilch' even as he publicly declared it was effective and ordered more bombing while running for reelection in 1972, according to a handwritten note from Nixon disclosed in a new book by Bob Woodward.... Nixon's private assessment was correct, Woodward writes: The bombing was not working, but Nixon defended and intensified it in order to advance his reelection prospects. The claim that the bombing was militarily effective 'was a lie, and here Nixon made clear that he knew it,' Woodward writes."
Erica Hellerstein of Think Progress: "An attorney for [Tamir] Rice's family called the reports [which called the killing of Rice "reasonable"] a 'charade' and blasted the prosecutor's office for 'releasing supposed "expert reports" in an effort to absolve the officers involved in Tamir's death of responsibility.'z' See related NYT report linked below under Beyond the Beltway.
Still Crazy. Patrick Temple-West of Politico: "...Ben Carson said on Sunday he wasn't exaggerating when he suggested limiting access to guns in the U.S. could hinder Americans' ability to topple a government authority like the Nazis.... Appearing Sunday on CBS's 'Face the Nation,' Carson said the history of the Nazis' rise to power could repeat in the U.S. if access to guns were to be limited." ...
The Gun Lobby's interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American People by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies - the militia - would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires. -- Chief Justice Warren Burger, The Right to Bear Arms, Parade Magazine, January 14, 1990
*****
Nicole Perlroth & David Sanger of the New York Times: "The Obama administration has backed down in its bitter dispute with Silicon Valley over the encryption of data on iPhones and other digital devices, concluding that it is not possible to give American law enforcement and intelligence agencies access to that information without also creating an opening that China, Russia, cybercriminals and terrorists could exploit. With its decision, which angered the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies, the administration essentially agreed with Apple, Google, Microsoft and a group of the nation's top cryptographers and computer scientists that millions of Americans would be vulnerable to hacking if technology firms and smartphone manufacturers were required to provide the government with 'back doors,' or access to their source code and encryption keys."
David Nakamura & Hamil Harris of the Washington Post: "Thousands of black men, women and children gathered on the [National] Mall on Saturday to demand justice at a time of growing anger and fraying tensions in African American communities across the nation over the killings of young black men by police. By noon Saturday, the crowds had swelled just beyond the stage at the west front of the Capitol, with onlookers watching on several jumbo screens set up on the lawn. Some people sat on lawn chairs and others on blankets to listen to the speakers, including Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, which sponsored the 'Justice or Else' rally."
Noam Scheiber, et al., of the New York Times: "Bradley Podliska, "a former investigator for the Republicans on the House Select Committee on Benghazi, plans to file a complaint in federal court next month alleging that he was fired unlawfully in part because his superiors opposed his efforts to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic mission in the Libyan city. Instead, they focused primarily on the role of the State Department and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, he said.... The committee firmly disputed Major Podliska's allegations, saying Saturday that he had been 'terminated for cause.' In a statement, the committee cited Major Podliska's 'repeated efforts, of his own volition, to develop and direct committee resources to a PowerPoint "hit piece" on members of the Obama administration, including Secretary Clinton, that bore no relationship whatsoever to the committee's current investigative tone, focus or investigative plan.'... Major Podliska, a lifelong Republican, holds a doctorate in political science from Texas A & M University and spent more than 15 years working at a federal defense agency, as an intelligence analyst for much of that time." ...
... Jake Tapper of CNN has interviewed Podliska. The interview is to air during "State of the Union" at 9 am ET.
Paul Krugman: "... the [White House] is telling me that the [TPP] agreement just reached is significantly different from what we were hearing before, and the angry reaction of industry and Republicans seems to confirm that. What I know so far: pharma is mad because the extension of property rights in biologics is much shorter than it wanted, tobacco is mad because it has been carved out of the dispute settlement deal, and Rs in general are mad because the labor protection stuff is stronger than expected. All of these are good things from my point of view."
Andrew O'Hehir of Salon: "The fanatics of the Satanic Suicide Caucus [a/k/a Freeedom Caucus] and their supporters do not want the current Republican leadership to govern anything, or even try to. They have devoured the old Republican Party ... from within, like an alien parasite. When they repeat its catchphrases about fiscal responsibility and social order in their metallic parasite voices, what they really mean is fiscal holocaust, social anarchy and class war against poor women, black people and immigrants. They dream of conquest, but whatever they can't conquer -- starting with their own political party -- they will happily destroy." CW: Excellent personification of the old GOP in O'Hehir's Mrs. Supinger. ...
... Sophia Tesfaye of Salon: "While calls for [Paul] Ryan to jump into the speaker’s race may be mounting, they are hardly deep enough to be emanating from the right-wing base, which seems to be working up its machine to lay claim to its third 'establishment' victim in two weeks."
William Saletan of Slate dissects the latest House Planned Parenthood "show trial." ...
... CW: When I was young, I learned to associate show trials with the most repressive, horrifying dictatorships. They were unconscionable miscarriages of justice that could never happen in the Land of the Free. Ha! I realized later that even then, we had conducted plenty of show trials in the U.S., especially in the South, & honorable Americans were their victims. Today, show trials are a feature of Capitol Hill. Once again, the House conducted such a show trial with the accused in abstentia. (Planned Parenthood was not invited to the hearing.) The most exercised members of these House judges "represent" districts so gerrymandered that they would have to dance with Claire Richards to be removed from office. That is, they're just like members of the Soviet Union's Politburo. "Hitler can happen here," Dr. Ben? Looks like Stalin already is.
Matt Apuzzo, et al., of the New York Times: "Last fall, federal agents raided the home and office of Robin L. Raphel in search of proof that she, a seasoned member of America's diplomatic corps, was spying for Pakistan. But officials now say the spying investigation has all but fizzled, leaving the Justice Department to decide whether to prosecute Ms. Raphel for the far less serious charge of keeping classified information in her home.... If the Justice Department declines to file spying charges, as several officials said they expected, it will be the latest example of American law enforcement agencies bringing an espionage investigation into the public eye, only to see it dissipate under further scrutiny.... Over the years, the stories of American officials mishandling classified information have at times seemed as peculiar as they were serious."
Elias Isquith on how one of Mitt Romney's billionaire backers tried to shut down Mother Jones, & why this tactic against a free press will work more & more effectively in the United States of Plutocrats. If you can't buy 'em, sue 'em. More on the Anthony Kennedy Show linked under Presidential Race.
CW: At the end of yesterday's Comments thread, there's an interesting discussion on gun safety legislation: Haley S. wrote, "I think I know a good way to stand a chance of passing some gun control laws. Pictures. Pictures of dead victims taken at the crime scene. And yes, I mean Sandy Hook. Most certainly Sandy Hook. I think we'd have new gun control laws in a NY minute."
The Washington Post has a long account of the attack on the Kunduz Médecins Sans Frontières hospital, although the U.S. military has refused to release details.
Presidential Race
Nicholas Confessore, et al., of the New York Times: "Just 158 families, along with companies they own or control, contributed $176 million in the first phase of the [presidential] campaign, a New York Times investigation found. Not since before Watergate have so few people and businesses provided so much early money in a campaign, most of it through channels legalized by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision five years ago.... They are overwhelmingly white, rich, older and male, in a nation that is being remade by the young, by women, and by black and brown voters.... And in an economy that has minted billionaires in a dizzying array of industries, most made their fortunes in just two: finance and energy."
Daniel Strauss of Politico: "Hillary Clinton sat down with Black Lives Matter activists Friday for a policy-centered discussion of criminal justice in the African American community.... The meeting, at the National Council of Negro Women in Washington D.C., comes as Clinton plans to roll out more of her criminal justice reform platform in the next few weeks, according to the Clinton aide with knowledge of what was discussed at the meeting."
Beyond the Beltway
Motor Voter. Alice Ollstein of Think Progress: "On Saturday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that will allow the state to automatically register millions of residents to vote, using their DMV records. Starting in 2016, every eligible California citizen who goes to a DMV office to get a driver's license or renew one will be instantly registered to vote, unless he or she chooses to opt out." ...
... Patrick McGreevy of the Los Angeles Times: "Brown also signed a bill that permits county elections officials to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at satellite offices during the 14 days immediately preceding Election Day.... Another bill signed by the governor will make voting more convenient by allowing voters who use vote-by-mail ballots to drop them off at secure boxes to be located throughout the community before election day." ...
... CW: California voters can also register to vote online. ...
... The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has a helpful Website that tells voters in every state how they can register & when they must do so.
Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "Two outside investigators looking into the death of Tamir Rice have concluded that a Cleveland police officer, Tim Loehmann, acted reasonably in deciding last year to shoot when he confronted the 12-year-old boy carrying what turned out to be a replica gun. Those opinions, reached separately by a Colorado prosecutor and a former F.B.I. supervisory special agent, were released Saturday night by the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, Timothy J. McGinty, whose office will ultimately present evidence in the case to a grand jury to decide on possible criminal charges."
News Ledes
Reuters: "Eight senior figures from Islamic State were killed in an air strike while meeting in a town in western Iraq, but the group's reclusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did not appear to be among them, residents of the town and hospital sources said. Iraq said on Sunday its air force had hit the meeting and had also struck a convoy that was carrying Baghdadi to attend it. It said Baghdadi had been driven away from the convoy in an unknown condition.... The United States military declined to comment on the Iraqi military's report."
Washington Post: "Iranian judiciary spokesman said a verdict has been reached in the espionage case of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, but he gave no details on the judge's decision or a potential sentence."
CNN: "The U.S. military officer in charge of last month's hearing for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has recommended he not do any jail time, Bergdahl's legal team says. In a memorandum dated Friday, the legal team said it agreed with Lt. Col. Mark Visger's conclusion that their client face 'nonjudicial punishment.' The recommendation, which hasn't been announced publicly by the U.S. military, is a significant development for Bergdahl, who in March was charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy."
Share Article
Reader Comments (4)
This passage from the Andrew O'Herir article describing the "Freedom" Caucus is terrific, and tells you most of what you need to know to understand this misguided gang:
"They represent freedom in precisely the same sense that death represents freedom from being alive. They could just as well be called the Suicide Caucus – or the Satanic Caucus, in the grandiose spirit of Milton’s fallen angel, who fights on with no hope of victory: “To do ought good never will be our task,/ But ever to do ill our sole delight.” "
Re Trump's "early modern lottery winner" pad: It's well known that Trump has horrible taste; his garish design sense reflects his over the top hyperbolic speech. But what is surprising is how many idiots seem to be impressed with his digs and his other properties.
On the other hand, Trump isn't the only rich guy who wastes money on ugly architecture and design, in fact it is sad to see so many missed opportunities for good design when the uber-rich commission projects. The picture of Michael Bloomberg's apartment isn't much more impressive from a design perspective, albeit cozier. It seems surprising that the first instinct of so many wealthy people is to flaunt their wealth through the design of their homes rather than to commission something beautiful and enduring.
Question for the Freedom Caucus:
What is the difference between your definition of freedom and that of a spoiled child?
Probable answer: babble something about responsibility.
Follow up question:
What does it mean to be responsible if you will experience no consequences for your actions?
Re Nixon note:
What? You mean Dicky lied? Oh dear. Oh my.
One of the most enduring memories of my misspent youth is of sitting around a bivouac listening to a radio broadcast of a Nixon press conference, in which he declared that there were no American ground forces in Cambodia. "We are either seriously lost, or that (expletive deleted) is lying his ass off." Of course we knew the score. Still, it's an odd feeling to hear your Commander in Chief tell the world that you don't exist. Thanks for the memory.