December 08, 2005
12/8: Slow Burn
It remains a slow week in the political blogosphere. Several debates from previous days -- about DNC chair Howard Dean, ex-House Maj. Leader/Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) -- have faded, though Sec/State Condoleezza Rice and her statements about the treatment of US detainees still remains a pointed topic. Meanwhile, a new CBS/NYT poll has Pres. Bush's supporters sensing a turnaround, while war critics point to the same poll and see public support for the war still on the wane. The Miami air marshal incident also figured as a big story last p.m., but has diminished some.
But it would be wrong to say there are no interesting stories out there -- it's just that they aren't picking up that much buzz. There's the now-corrected claim by liberal bloggers that SCOTUS nominee Samuel Alito's father was not born in Italy, and there's some talk about Sen. Hillary Clinton's name turning up in Able Danger's test run. And there's some flame-fanning re: the House Dem leadership's division on Iraq. So there's all that, and our latest Blogger Spotlight.
BUSH: 40 Is Over The Hill, But Is It Over The Hump?
A new CBS/NYT poll shows a "bump" in Bush's approval rating, up to 40% -- but it also contains some ominous numbers re: Iraq. 
John Hinderaker: "It shows a five-point bump since last month, to 40%. That still isn't a great number, of course, but this is also a 'random adult' poll, and it is reasonable to assume that a 'likely voter' survey would yield a higher number. Mystery Pollster hadn't been willing to say Bush had turned things around based on the Rasmussen and FNC polls, and is still cautious. He too focuses on Iraq: "At the very beginning of the interview, they ask respondents to say in their own words why they approve or disapprove of Bush's performance. The results show just how central the Iraq war is to those who disapprove."
Centrist Joe Gandelman: "So this means: (1) People who totally wrote off the Bush presidency perhaps jumped the gun (if his polls continue to go up) (2) He has regained some of his lost base, and (3) When Democrats call for some kind of timetable they're more in sync with what most Americans want than the White House and those who insist no kind of timetable should be set."
DEMOCRATS: Hoyer Story
David Sirota argues that House Min. Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is "doing everything he can to self-servingly undermine his party as a way to hurt," then topple, House Min. Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Not only did Hoyer criticize Pelosi's recent comments on the Iraq war, but while she has been fighting to limit the influence of "corporate interests," he has been "deliberately landing stories in newspapers about his efforts to formalize his own system of legalized bribery." Hoyer, Sirota writes, "is clearly interested only in his own self-promotion, not his party."
Oliver Willis looks at the CBS/NYT poll, focuses on the low approval of the war, considers Dems' Iraq stance, and declares: "It's 2002 all over again." Dems are ignoring their anti-war base, they' ve "conceded the most important issue of the last thirty years" to the GOP, and are positioned again to get whipped electorally." He adds: "The most insane part is that getting out of Iraq isn't just morally superior, it's politically smart!"
IRAQ: Still Not Much Of A We-Must-Stay Cry From The Right
AP reports, the Pentagon has "tentative plans to halt the scheduled deployment of two brigades to Iraq and instead send in smaller teams to support and train Iraqi forces in what could be an early step toward an eventual drawdown of U.S. forces." James Joyner is concerned that this report comes from an unauthorized leak, but adds: "Sending select soldiers for cadre duty rather than whole brigades and their attendant support tail will reduce the American footprint somewhat."
ABLE DANGER: Another Brick In The Wall?
A National Journal/Gov Exec report turns up more info on Able Danger (see previous coverage), including reports that names caught in the data mining included then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, then-Stanford provost Condoleezza Rice and then-Defense Sec. William Cohen. The program was soon terminated. Ed Morrissey observes, "as the results got wider exposure in Washington, the pressure of having all these important political players sitting in a database must have triggered a case of nerves at the Pentagon." AJ Strata had previously entertained the possibility that Able Danger had been tested on Chinese sources and abandoned when it implicated Clinton officials. He writes: "It is now highly possible 9-11 happened because the Clinton administration was afraid of bad PR."
MIDTERMS '06: Wait, Does This Count As Voter Fraud?
Markos Moulitsas posts an e-mail from Lieberman's re-elect campaign urging voters to go participate in a Hartford Courant poll "in which we have just fallen behind" ex-Sen. Lowell Weicker. More: "We've been ahead all day, but one of the internet bloggers got hold of it and is promoting it among the extreme lefties." Moulitsas is amused: "It's kind of funny talking about 'extreme lefties' voting for Weicker, a former Republican. It's also kind of funny hearing talk about 'extreme lefties' coming from a Democrat."
THE ALITO NOMINATION: Dadblamed Dad Blame
Earlier this week, KRT's Henderson wrote an article portraying Alito as promoting a "conservative legal agenda" through his rulings. The WH pushed back (see 12/7 Blogometer) and a few conservative bloggers have cried foul. One with the clout to move the issue is Hugh Hewitt, who had Henderson on his radio show last p.m. Hewitt posted a follow-up, quoting a Henderson appearance on C-SPAN recently, saying: "I think for example that we didn't find a single case in which Judge Alito sided with African Americans alleging racial bias, which I think, is again, rather remarkable. We found very few cases, maybe one or two, in which he sided with a woman in a gender bias case." Hewitt claims this is wrong, noting that "there are three employment discrimination cases in which Alito ruled at least in part for the female plaintiff, at least two of whom were black." Andrew Hyman, at Confirm Them: "What we're hoping for is a judge who will faithfully interpret the laws in a judicially conservative manner, which means interpreting laws in a manner that respects the intent of the words of the law, rather than seeking particular outcomes."
In the last edition, we passed along a report that Alito's father was not an Italian immigrant, as Bush and other Alito backers had claimed. Now a more thorough records search indicates that Alito Sr. did immigrate to the U.S. as a young child. The report origiinated on Daily Kos, and that's where the correction is noted. Daily Kos contributor Uncle Bug shows how he put this together using records from Ancestry.com, and concludes: "Looks like George was telling the truth, for a change."
TERRORISM: The Marshal Plan
The 12/7 fed'l air marshal shooting of a mentally ill man who claimed to have a bomb in Miami got plenty of attention. Wizbang's Jay Tea probably speaks for most of the conservative blogosphere: "Hindsight is 20/20, and all sorts of people will probably form a line to vilify the unknown air marshal, but there's 118 passengers and crew on the flight who are probably glad they didn't have to find out whether or not he really had a bomb." TalkLeft's Jeralyn Merritt posts the news without adding much. In the comments below, her commenters are split between defending the marshal and second-guessing the decision to shoot. JustOneMinute expects plenty of comparisons to the mistaken shooting of a man on the London Tube following the 7/7 bombings.
Counterterrorism Blog: This incident "doesn't have a terrorism nexus, but we'll learn a lot from this incident for use in airline protection from possible terrorist attack. We've gone from 32 air marshals pre-9/11 to hundreds of them, and they have the toughest shooting accuracy standards to meet among all federal agents. Now we know that the air marshal system worked, and the terrorists have to consider it."
PLAMEGATE: Stalking The Elusive "Vivak"
Lawrence O'Donnell, for Huffington Post: "If Fitzgerald does not indict Rove after hearing from Novak, then it will be Viveca Novak who saves [Karl] Rove. Which is to say it will be Luskin's relationship with the press, with Viveca Novak in particular, that saved Rove." Jane Hamsher disagrees completely: "Fitzgerald is dogged. He may not indict until he thinks he has enough to do so, but if he thinks Rove's guilty -- and my guess is he most certainly does or he would not still be pursuing him after two years -- he will keep digging and keep digging until he has enough to go after him."
Also worth noting, Hamsher has nicknamed V. Novak "Vivak."
ABRAMOFF: Let's Not Kidan Ourselves Here
Noting that ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff business partner Adam Kidan has agreed to testify, Josh Marshall wonders how Kidan avoided the murder rap: "I'm sure Kidan's more than happy to testify against [Kidan's mafia associates arrested for the murder of SunCruz founder Gus Boulis]. But it seems to me that given the associations, context and movements of money, it would be awfully hard to see where these three whacked Boulis without also believing that Kidan wasn't part of it. Or, for that matter, Jack Abramoff ... Both guys happened to be out of the country when Goulis was iced. Is it really possible that they pass on charging Kidan for a killing if he was the guy who ordered the hit? Or is the theory of the case that Kidan just wanted these three gents to sit down with Gus and have a talk and things got out of hand?"
WHITE HOUSE '08: Windows Manager
TNR's Lizza wrote recently that Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) best shot at the WH will be '08, going on the law of politics that one must win the WH from 14 years of their 1s "major elected office" or they do not win at all. Kevin Drum is skeptical, and suggests measuring "how long it usually takes between becoming nationally famous and becoming president" -- which suggests that WH '16, when Obama will have been in the public eye for 12 years, is closer to the sweet spot than it is to the upper end of his shelf life."
TORTURE: You Put Your Terrorist In, And You Shake Him All About ...
Washington Post quotes Sec/State Rice saying of the U.S.'s prohibition of inhumane treatment: "those obligations extend to U.S. personnel wherever they are, whether they are in the United States or outside of the United States." Slate's Eric Umansky, at his personal blog: "Now, here's the trick: Do 'those obligations' apply to U.S. treatment of foreigners abroad? Not according to the Justice Department's legal opinion. And bonus weasel: The anti-torture treaty also says that countries are only responsible for the actions that occur in 'any territory under its jurisdiction.' Those secret CIA prisons? They aren't in 'territory under U.S. jurisdiction,' so, in the administration's opinion, the U.S. isn't responsible. QED!"
BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: I Can See Cleary Now The Rain Is Gone ...
Today the Blogometer talks to Nat'l Assn. of Manufacturers VP Pat Cleary, who writes NAM's Manufacturer's Blog and contributes to RedState.
What is your full name?
Patrick J. Cleary
What is your age?
50 (Oldest blogger on earth. Don't believe me? Google it....)
Where did you grow up?
Butler, NJ
Where do you live now?
Fairfax County, VA
What is your occupation? Have you ever worked on a political campaign or for the mainstream media?
Sr VP -- Communications, National Association of Manufacturers; Worked for the Republican National Committee from 1982-1985; Never worked for the MSM;
When did you start blogging and why?
Started blogging almost a year ago -- before I was in the Communications job. I thought it would be a good way to show that manufacturers were cutting edge (which we are). In the ensuing year, it has become an essential part of our communications. Thanks to Gov. Engler for giving us a green light, and for not asking, 'What's a blog?'
What has been your favorite post, or favorite story to write about, in that time?
Favorite story... Hmmmm... That's tough. The implosion of the AFL-CIO really launched us, but we've had fun with Lou Dobbs, energy and of course our Saturday videos of 'Cool Stuff Being Made.'
Describe your typical blogging schedule. And what is your average output?
Typical blogging schedule: I write the blog on my own time -- from home -- in the 8 p.m.-11 p.m. window, every day. I post usually 2-3 entries a day, each one anywhere from 100-500 words.
Who is your favorite political blogger? Favorite non-political blogger?
Favorite political bloggers are my brothers at RedState. They are edgy, great writers, and a lot of fun: Mike Krempasky, Erick-Woods Erickson, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Mark Kilmer, Nick Danger, the whole gang. Favorite non-political blogger: Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion. For non-political blogs, there is also Make magazine's blog. Way cool.
Who is your favorite mainstream media columnist?
Favorite MSM columnist: Don't really have one, but Bob Samuelson and Charles Krauthammer usually write stuff I agree with.
What is your favorite television news program, either network or cable?
Favorite TV news program: Don't have one. I leave CNN on in my office all day, in case a bus overturns or there's a high-speed chase in LA.
What MSM-produced websites (i.e. newspapers, magazines) do you visit on a daily basis?
Don't visit any MSM-produced websites routinely.
What non-MSM websites (i.e. blogs) do you visit on a daily basis?
Websites? I check Drudge every day, and RedState.
How often, or do you ever, read a newspaper in its dead-tree (i.e. print) form?
Dead-tree papers: Sad to say, yes (remember, I'm old, standing in the technology gap): Daily: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal. Sunday NY Times.
How do you see the new media and old media affecting and influencing each other in the next five years?
Eric McErlain describes every blogger as a termite eating away slowly at the MSM. I think he's right. I see a synergy coming, however: I think there will be an eventual marriage of talk radio and blogs. Talk radio creates a community and the blogs will allow those communities to live on after the show is on the air. Podcasting (which we do) is the third leg of this stool, so people will listen to talk radio on their time and then go to the appropriate blog sites to continue the discussion. The final step (how many legs am I up to...?) is activism, i.e., where these groups are harnessed to take action. We do quite a bit of that on our blog, with growing success. I see that conversion: talk radio, blogging, advocacy as the future. As for MSM television and newspapers, they will continue to try to figure out blogging but in the end it spells the end of control for them. At the end of the day, blogging comes out of their hide. That's bad for them, good for democracy and information flow.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: We Didn't Start The Fire
At TAPPED, Garance Franke-Ruta posts an unknown contributor's outline for why Dems should support a flag-burning amendment: "Get it off the table," as its only purpose is to put Dems "in an awkward position over an almost purely symbolic issue"; it only affects a "couple of jackassess who think burning flags is a groovy way to protest. Screw'em. They should get a life"; "Let conservatives expend money and manpower getting this thing passed all across the country. It'll take years"; "Watch them look stupid as years of silly litigation unfolds" to answer "obvious questions" such as, if you burn a T-shirt with with a flag on it, "are you burning the flag?" Franke-Ruta comments: "I'm not sure, however, that kicking controversial questions over to the courts to decide is going to be a reliable strategy for much longer. ... The courts have already become conservatism's favorite scapegoats -- no need to make life harder for the judiciary."
LEST WE FORGET: All The Fluff That's Fit To Print
If it's too good to be Google News, then you're probably looking at Goodle News.
Posted by at December 8, 2005 12:26 PM
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