April 12, 2006

4/12: Reheating The Leftovers

Iran continues to dominate headlines, though Iraq makes a comeback. Lefties say the admin lied about Iraq, and therefore how can they be trusted with decisions about Iran, while righties adamantly maintain that other factors are at work and that the issue is more complex than liberals allow for. Then comes word that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has amended a court filing from last week concerning the Valerie Plame leak investigation, and the same arguments from several months ago play out again.

In new news, one righty has a theory about why Pres. Bush's poll numbers are so low, and his post begets a substantial amount of criticism. That criticism, though, is from fellow righty blogs, and is aimed entirely at Bush. Could the righty blogosphere become openly disenchanted with the pres.? If that develops, it seems that immigration will be the straw that broke the camel's back.

Finally, results are in near San Diego in the race to replace disgraced ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R). Dems had hoped to score a knockout, 50%+ win by their top candidate, but fell short. GOPers, however, may not have gotten the candidate they most wanted to win, and that could spell trouble. Reaction from the blogosphere is predictably split.

IRAN: Membership Card Not Handed Out Happily

Iranian Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced 4/11 that the country had successfully enriched uranium. Big Lizards tries to sort out the particulars on how close they are to having the materials for a bomb. The Moderate Voice: "[I]t's clear that the tempo of this crisis is now being determined not in Washington -- but Tehran." Ace of Spades HQ: "If it takes nukes to destroy Iran's nuclear capacity, we have to do just that. The man is a messianic maniac." Gina Cobb: "Ignoring the Iranian threat allows you the luxury of continuing to rip into America's current commander-in-chief ... and allows you to undermine and show contempt for any action involving Iran, firmly convinced in your own mind that you're not undermining your own nation's security by doing so." Confederate Yankee: "If Iran succeeds in its unholy task, Islam itself may die because the remainder of the world will deem it too dangerous to exist. Iran will kill Allah." Captain's Quarters is one of several bloggers making a Nazi/Iran comparison: "If we allow Ahmadinejad to celebrate this defiance without fixing consequences to his actions, then we will have re-enacted the capitulation of 1936 seventy years later." Riehl World View: "We often talk of bombing something back into the stone age. I would lift the concept above the rhetorical and actually attempt to do it as much as possible. Communications, commerce, travel ... all gone. I would then, in essence, embargo the country and then simply wait." Cold Fury: "Bush needs to show some leadership here and stop dicking around trying to get the cooperation of people who will never, ever give it to him. You'd think he would have learned that lesson from the absurd impasse leading up to the Iraq invasion." Mark Steyn's latest column gets some kudos on the issue.

As the notion of a nuclear strike truly seems to be sinking in, Billmon generates buzz on the left for a lengthy post. It begins: "I've been at least a little bit surprised by the relatively muted reaction to the news that the Cheney Administration and its Pentagon underlings are racing to put the finishing touches on plans for attacking Iran. ... I mean, what exactly does it take to get a rise out of the media industrial complex these days? A nuclear first strike against a major Middle Eastern oil producer doesn't ring the bell?" Digby: "after the last few years I have to say that Billmon's dark prediction sounds entirely believable to me. This Iran thing scares the hell out of me, and I'm not sure what anyone can do about it." Needelnose: "Until reading this post, I must admit I've never seriously considered the possibility that even this misAdministration would consider something so over the top." Kevin Hayden, who presumably doesn't have an army at his disposal: "I agree that Bush might do it. I doubt the world would stand for it. I, for one, would renounce my citizenship, and would seek a country where nukes are outlawed as a matter of principle. ... If Bush does it, I will become a declared opponent of his government and will use whatever means I can to topple his regime." Rising Hegemon: "I'd certainly put my practice on some sort of hold while I took to the streets, like millions of other Americans until Bush resigned in shame and handed himself over for trial." Alternate Brain: "[Y]ou know, if we release the nuclear genie, retaliation will come, and it will probably make 9/11 look like a walk in the park." Pandagon: "Having determined that he's on the cusp of becoming a far larger failure at being President than Senior ever was, Bush probably has lost all sense of proportion. Anything less than insane action will result in him being a smaller man than Daddy"

Some bloggers also take note of a Khaleej Times report, that Saudi Arabia has sent Prince Bandar, ex-U.S. Amb., to Russia to develop a response in case the U.S. does bomb Iran. Norwegianity: "Apparently, some good has finally come from Bush's misadventures. Now, if the Sauds would just do us one last favor and cut off our oil, forcing us to tackle the subject of energy independence in earnest..."

IRAQ: Trailer Park

Washington Post reports this a.m. that two trailers found in Iraq 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, claimed by the Bush admin as proof positive of the existance of weapons of mass destruction, had already been shown not to be a part of a weapons program, according to a secret U.S. report made public only recently. The left instantly jumps on the article and recycles oft-repeated claims about the suspect veracity of the Bush admin's justification for war. John Aravosis: "The President of the United States lied to the country in order to justify war." Taylor Marsh: "They said they didn't hype intelligence. They said they didn't manipulate it either. What they did was make it up out of whole cloth." Brilliant at Breakfast sees the matter in terms of Iran: "It takes only one lie to destroy a president's credibility. Republicans wrung their hands in the 1990's because a president lied about sex. Now, Bush's apologists would tell us to trust the president on Iran because he's the president -- even when he has a track record of lying that has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and has destroyed our moral authority in the world." State of the Day: "The Bush administration needed a public statement, they needed a bit of red meat to throw at their supporters, they needed the facts to fit their warped perspective. The bottom line is that intelligence was cherry-picked before and after the war to suit their lying ways." And, after citing WaPo's assertion that the report by inspectors was shelved for several years, Stygius sarcastically notes: "I suppose it wasn't in the national security interest to declassify this particular bit of intelligence." Darksyde, Obsidian Wings, Economist's View, Oliver Willis, John Cole, The Carpetbagger Report, BlondeSense and Reality-Based Community all comment. Mahablog: "As I recall, Saddam Hussein had the same deal going with his weapons scientists. They'd tell him what he wanted to hear so they could keep their jobs. This sort of thing is not supposed to happen with the government of a free nation."

After commenting on the article, Left Coaster notes an interview ex-Sec/State Colin Powell gave to a journalist in L.A., in which Powell claimed never to have believed stories about alumnium tubes and Niger yellowcake, but testified about them anyway because of pressure from VP Cheney. Left Coaster: "Thanks for nothing Colin. The families of over 2300 dead Americans and thousands more maimed may not value your sense of loyalty as much as you apparently do."

From the right, Captain Ed deconstructs the artcile and concludes that it is misleading. Noting that the Pentagon sent three teams to investigate the trailers, and that only one of those three concluded that the trailers were not weapons labs, he opines: "The Pentagon relied on that majority opinion, as did the administration, and no one can argue that doing so constituted either an intent to deceive or even an unreasonable decision at the time. No one can argue that, of course, but the Post and the media in general." Blue Crab Boulevard: "Full of facts, the story implies great and willful wrongdoing. What it lacks is any common sense whatsoever."

IMMIGRATION: I See Earthquakes And Lightnin'

Washington Post's Weisman reports that several GOP members of Congress "are worried that a tough anti-illegal-immigration bill they thought would please their political base has earned them little benefit while becoming a lightning rod for the fast-growing national movement for immigrant rights." The Senate is set to take up immigration reform when they return from Easter recess. The conservative right continues to take issue with more moderate GOPers over immigration. Righty Riehl World View: "What is the problem with these Republican legislators? They did not pass a bill that made immigrants illegal, they passed a bill that called illegal immigrants precisely what they are. And now they are going to run away from it? What a disgrace. ... Damn these vote-sniveling bastards. If they can't lead America, then just like illegal aliens, they need to get the hell out - at least of the majority, if nothing else. And they will do exactly that the way they are heading. Ronald Reagan must be turning over in his grave." ParaPundit agrees: "[The GOP's] base really does want tough legislation to stop illegal immigration. The Republican Party's best hope for maintaining control of Congress in the November 2006 elections is to stop alienating their base and show they give a damn about their base. But these idiots are more impressed by lots of Mexicans marching in US cities carrying Mexican flags and delivering speeches in Spanish. They are ready to cave." Confederate Yankee: "We've been 'Fristed' again in the illegal immigration debate, and this time House leader Dennis Hastert has joined the chorus of cowardice."

The Moderate Voice: "It's too soon to definitively judge who's going to be hurt by this (there could be a backlash if demonstrations get ugly) but all signs points to the fact that the GOP is divided on this issue, the issue is accentuating the party's divisions -- and right now the issue looks like it's going to hurt it the most." The left is enthusiastic about recent developments. TalkLeft, noting the GOP reaction: "The demonstrations are working. We need to keep them going until we get an immigration reform bill that protects the undocumented among us." After opining that "Democrats haven't had a majority in the House since 1995 and they've been unable to even get extra pepperoni on a pizza order without the consent of the Republicans," Bark Bark Woof Woof concludes: "It looks like the Republicans got suckered into this corner by their own devices, and blaming the Democrats for not stopping them is laughable."

Meanwhile, the New York Times notes that Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) "drive to strike a deal with Republicans is making some in his party nervous. They worry that the senator, in his desire to bring about changes in immigration law, will cede too much to Republicans and that the end product will fall short on the guest worker and citizenship provisions favored by most Democrats. They believe Mr. Kennedy made similar miscalculations when he cut initial deals with Republicans on Medicare drug coverage and education policy." Righty A Blog For All: "When there are factions among Republicans, this was touted by media outlets as a split and weakness among the GOP. But the papers didn't particularly pay attention to the fact that the Democrats face a situation nearly as bad." Orrin Judd takes a different view: "Sad to say that Ted Kennedy is one of the few remaining Democrats who understands the proper role of a senator in a republic. In exchange for Education and Medicare money he gave the President vouchers and HSAs. Give him amnesty and he'll toss the Right their 'border protection.' Too few of his colleagues are capable of such compromise."

PLAME: Amendments Aren't Always A Good Idea (See, For Example, The 18th)

After last week's revelation that ex-Cheney CoS Scooter Libby misrepresented claims in the CIA's '02 NIE about the importance of yellowcake from Niger, Fitzgerald has amended his filing. Fitzgerald's correction reveals that enriched uranium from Niger was not a "key judgment" of the CIA's report, but was buried farther back in the document. Washington Post reports. The right takes the opportunity to defend Libby and attack Fitzgerald. Captain Ed jumps right in: "One would expect an attorney to write a little more concisely and accurately than did Fitzgerald in his original brief, and this hasty correction calls into question the performance of this prosecutorial team once again. Tasked with determining whether a crime had been committed in the release of Valerie Plame's identity, Fitzgerald wound up never addressing it at all. Instead, the only crime he discovered was one supposedly committed by Libby in the course of the investigation itself, and now even Fitzgerald can't get his story straight on Libby's testimony and his alleged actions regarding his conversations with [Judy] Miller." Flopping Aces, on the correction: "Baloney! He lets this "mistake" brew and fester for a week before he issues a correction? Typical political maneuver by a man who is sinking as fast as the Titanic." After saying Fitzgerald's case is based on "a marginal matter," AJStrata notes: "Everything Fitzgerald is doing is marginal to the nation. It only appears important to a few sadly obsessed folks on the left." Atlas Shrugs: "What gets lost in this whole twisted sister is the fact that the President was trying to get his message out on why we went to war on Iraq." Decision '08, Right Wing Nut House and Byron York also comment.

The Moderate Voice doesn't think the amendment changes the case: "This may be an important legal distinction (doesn't seem like it), but whether or not this was a "key judgment" of the NIE is pretty much moot, yes? The result, regardless of whatever language was amended in this sentence, still remains that the administration pushed the press to pursue the story that Saddam was indeed 'vigorously trying to procure' uranium." And after concluding that the amendment is actually worse for Libby's case, for a number of reasons, Left Coaster writes: "At this point, we should ask the White House to clearly state what it was that Libby was asked to leak. This new revelation by Fitzgerald doesn't help Libby or the White House." TalkLeft adds to the debate.

IN THE STATES: California Dreamin'

The voters in CA 50 started the process of replacing ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) 4/11. Hotline's On Call has results. Chris Bowers started the night by saying that 44%+ would be "great" for Francine Busby (D). Well, she got just a hair under 44%. Bowers writes at the end of the night: "Busby is in command in this district, which is solid red. Or rather, it was solid red, but like a lot of districts nationwide, that isn't the case anymore. I like our chances in June." Kos: "Not enough voters voted for change and we'll have to do this again in June. Democrats need to be given a reason to vote so they turn out for Busby during the runoff. This is very much a winnable race." Earlier, Kos said of the low turnout: "The Democratic leadership thinks that the GOP implosion will ipso facto translate to Democratic victories in November. But the electorate is universally disenchanted with politics."

Real Clear Politics righty Jay Cost: "The media is going to spin this as a good development for the Democrats in their quest to take the House. I could not disagree more. The election will go to a June runoff, but this seems to me to have been the Democrats' only real chance at this seat. GOP candidates pulled in a majority of the vote -- and it is hard to imagine that not happening in June." Some GOPers may not be happy with Bilbray's win, though. San Diego Politics Blog sums up some GOPers' angst, including a post by ex-CA GOP exec. dir. Jon Fleischman called "Vote Republican, But Not For Bilbray." Calitics offered a few comments before going to bed early. Words Have Power noted light turnout all day.

Meanwhile, Instapundit interviewed Rep./TN SEN hopeful Harold Ford Jr. (D). "I found it a very interesting interview. We're not on the same page on some issues ..., but we agree on some others (including the pork). He's a smart guy, and I found him less polished-and-packaged than I'd anticipated; it's easy to see why people expect him to have a big future in politics."

WHITE HOUSE '08: Clinton Wins! (Sort Of)

MyDD updates on the '08 Dem straw poll conducted with DailyKos. Last week, he wrote: "There is a clear consensus online, and that consensus is that we want one of Feingold, Clark, Warner or Edwards on the Democratic ticket in 2008." Now, he looks at last-place choices. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) led, followed by Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) and Evan Bayh (D-IN). Among his findings:

• "A lot of readers here really do not like Joe Biden."
• "There are no major 'anyone but' campaigns for the online favorites".
• NM Gov. Bill Richardson "has a shockingly low number of last-place votes."
• "Kerry hating is definitely subsiding online."
• "When it comes to Vilsack, who regularly finishes last in these straw polls, it isn't so much of an anti-Vilsack sentiment as it a 'whatever, dude' sentiment."
• "Memo to Daschle: don't bother."
• "Feingold and Edwards supporters were more anti-Biden than anti-Clinton, while Clark and Warner supporters were more anti-Clinton than anti-Biden."

MA Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) op-ed in the 4/11 Wall Street Journal on MA's new universal health care proposal received a few comments around the blogosphere. Blue Crab Boulevard: "If I were Bill Clinton, I would be hiding right now. Why? Because Hillary will be looking to kick any damn thing she can right now." The program "gives Romney a huge boost in his presidential ambitions. Unlike a certain US Senator who has no real accomplishments aside from nasty attacks." Righty Decision '08: "It's often said that a candidate for president needs a story, some convincing reason that the job should be his. Has Romney found his story?" EconLog calls MA's proposal "a phony solution for a phony crisis" and analyzes the program's flaws.

BUSH: The Base Of The Matter

Citing the latest Gallup poll, PunditGuy believes that Pres. Bush's sinking poll numbers "are a direct result of the push back he's receiving from his base. There's a general distaste in the mouths of Conservative Republicans over the way GOP members of Congress are conducting their jobs, and that spills over onto the president." JunkYardBlog agrees: "Bush is tanking, but not because the country has moved to his left. It's because he and the GOP have moved to their base's left, combined with the administration's complete inability to articulate its own defense or makes its case on the issues." Riehl World View: "Push to shove, I'm still a Bush voter, but his position on immigration has really pushed me away."

The Moderate Voice, noting the absence of good news for Bush: "None of this suggests that the prospects for recovery are good -- and there are three more years to go." Righty John Cole, who's no fan of this admin: "The Plame leak continues to wreak havoc with the Bush administration." Georgia10 puts some lefty spin on the poll. And, noting Bush's two-month trend of steady poll numbers, skippy the bush kangaroo writes: "If that was an ekg on a hospital patient, we wouldn't say 'steady,' we'd say 'flat-lined.'" Righty Don Surber thinks the poll's questions about leaks are ridiculous, and that Americans are anti-Bush no matter what: "Right now, if asked, 60% of Americans would disapprove of his handling of the weather." Brainster agrees.

ITALIAN ELECTIONS: Forza Prodi

After a day of uncertainty, opposition leader Romano Prodi has been declared the winner of Italian elections. But as Atrios notes, "the question remains as to whether [PM Silvio Berlusconi will] walk out or have to be dragged out."

BLOGGERS VS. THE MSM: Calling All Liberals

Eric Alterman takes on Time magazine's Joel Klein, who at a recent event said Dems won't win "if their message is that they hate America -- which is what has been the message of the liberal wing of the party for the past twenty years." "[S]ince it fired Margaret Carlson, Joe Klein, believe it or not, is its most liberal columnist. That's right. The most liberal columnist at the America's largest weekly newsmagazine pretends that the message of liberals for the past twenty years has been that they 'hate America,' just as if he were reading from talking points issued by Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter. ... How about a little noise in the blogosophere politely asking Time to hire a genuinely liberal columnist?"

Firedoglake and others criticize the Washington Post for a report that makes it seem like VP Cheney was booed at the Nationals game yesterday for his pitch. In fact, video shows he was booed as he walked to the mound. "Coming up: Howard Kurtz informs us the boos were actually for the wounded servicemen on the field and Cheney was quite bravely trying to distract the crowd."

BLOGGERS VS. BLOGGERS: My Pet Schlussel

The fallout over righty Debbie Schlussel's attacks on freed Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll, and Schlussel's subsequent eviction from the ranks of acceptable righty bloggers (see 4/1 Blogometer) continued 4/11 as Jawa Report's Dr. Rusty Shackleford and Schlussel tangled on the "Hoist The Black Flag" radio show, hosted by Ace of Spades and Protein Wisdom. Ace provides a run-down of the debate, which sounds like it wasn't terribly pleasant. Patterico's Pontification and the Anti-Idolitarian Rottweiler continue to call out Schlussel's bad behavior.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Boulevard Of Burned-Out Dreams

Philadelphia Inquirer's Blinq interviews Billmon, who says he is "a little burned out, ... a little depressed. He's wondering if this is a natural cycle with blogging -- something that saps so much of your being. He's threatening to launch something completely different. Maybe a blog on the history of travel." Billmon's take on the MSM v. Blogger debate, with "journalists thinking bloggers are undisciplined and the bloggers thinking journalists are hacks who don't know their stuff": "My current opinion is that they are both right. I see lot of legitimate grievances from each camp. It's interesting how bloggers are being absorbed -- they're hooking up with the mainstream media, which is kind of ironic. Michele Malkin and Glenn Reynolds fulminate against the MSM while they write for it. And the left is hooking up with the Democratic party and becoming political operatives. There is a blurring of the boundaries. One thing about me I am completely out of touch with that. I'm just an old-fashioned blogger who really only exists in cyberspace."

LEST WE FORGET: For Those Of You With Dinner Plans Tonight And Tomorrow...

If you've forgotten what your rabbi taught you, or if you're just attending a seder at a friend's or neighbor's house, Slate.com's Michael Rubiner offers a little help in the form of the two-minute Haggadah. Fortunately, it's in English: "The story of Passover: It's a long time ago. We're slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh is a nightmare. We cry out for help. God brings plagues upon the Egyptians. We escape, bake some matzoh. God parts the Red Sea. We make it through; the Egyptians aren't so lucky. We wander 40 years in the desert, eat manna, get the Torah, wind up in Israel, get a new temple, enjoy several years without being persecuted again. (Let brisket cool now.)"

Posted by at April 12, 2006 12:39 PM