April 13, 2006
4/13: All That's Right In The World
Iran, Iraq and a number of retired generals who no longer think Def/Sec Donald Rumsfeld is up to the job dominate the news this a.m. While yesterday's commentary about Iraq was mainly from the left, today we experience the righty push-back. The right also speaks out, if not more forcefully than more vociferously, about Iran than they have to date. And we try something new: Quick hits of your favorite WH '08 candidates. We think you'll be surprised by the amount of negative coverage each candidate gets.
IRAN: When Should I Be Worried?
There's some debate as to just how close Iran is to having a nuclear weapon. Bloomberg reported on the admin's claim that the country was 16 days away. New York Times measures time in years, not days. 
Flopping Aces: "Will they have a bomb in 16 days? Highly doubtful, but we now know they are moving a bit faster then we first thought." AMERICAblog quotes the State Dept.'s "own Web site" as saying Iran is 10 years away. "[T]hat would be THE definitive federal government report on this issue, not just 'one' report." He then details how Dems should talk about Iran, and tries to sum it up as such: "Iran is ten years away from developing nuclear weapons. There is no discussion of America rushing into another premature war until either [Pres.] Bush leaves office, or Congress is able to provide effective oversight of, and can serve as a counter-balance to, the Bush administration's incompetence." Riehl World View: "I doubt we have a 100% certain take on where they are in the grand nuclear scheme of things, regardless of how many experts one polls. There's another problem, too. All of the talk has been about missiles and nuclear bombs. We know that enough radioactive material let loose in the US in the form of a dirty bomb could cause enough problems in and of itself." TigerHawk: "If Iran can get 3,000 centrifuges on line by the end of 2006 and is otherwise ready to build its first bomb, it could have a nuclear weapon by this time next year." Oliver Willis plays up the NYT account. "So you're saying the Republican party is hyping up a threat without regarding the facts? That's all their capable of doing. They can't construct an honest argument or conduct meaningful diplomacy because their perverted ideology prevents them from being able to do it." Captain's Quarters: "Unfortunately, the genie is out of the bottle, and their ability to produce centrifuges is no longer dependent on outside resources. Unless we interrupt their manufacturing capability, they will be able to produce centrifuges at whatever rate their resources allow. Ten years is a ludicrous estimate under these circumstances." The Agonist: "I think Richard Armitage knows a little more about Iran's nuclear situation than Capt. Ed does. As Armitage says, 'He said the administration could afford to be patient 'for a while' on Iran because Tehran would not have access to a nuclear weapon for some time, and also because the IAEA, Russians and Chinese were all putting pressure on the Islamist Republic." Vital Perspective says the debate shouldn't be framed in terms of a timeline: "That is not the issue, because once Iran masters the process and crosses the technological threshold, then it's not a matter of if, but when. Iran has shown its willingness to skip key steps in the enrichment process and is leaping forward in its capabilities faster than the diplomatic process can advance." Firedoglake, in boldface: "Iran is ten years away from the ability to develop weapons grade uranium. It possesses no nukes today. This is a situation fundamentally unlike any we faced during the cold war with the USSR. All Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, should stand shoulder to shoulder to demand that plans for preemptive nuclear strikes against Iran be scrapped." In an update: "The central argument here is for a check on an unreliable president with an established track record of failure, crafted to appeal to the majority of Americans who recognize war in Iraq was a bad idea." Scott SHields: "At the end of the day, the unavoidable fact is that, on matters of war, the administration of George W. Bush is not to be trusted. They have proven over and over and over again that when they want to go to war, the truth will not stand in their way."
USS Neverdock, on UN action: "Remind me again, how well 12 years of sanctions work against Saddam? Remind me of how France, Russian and others ignored the sanctions, made Saddam and themselves rich and allowed Saddam to fund terrorists while developing WMDs."
Yesterday, the left pounced on the Washington Post trailers story (see Blogometer) as more evidence of Bush admin deception. Now, the right fights back. Seixon breaks the story down. "It seems as if the war to drown the Bush administration in old news presented as scandals has begun. Who will be able to come up with the most hot air? ... I'm not concluding that they were in fact biological weapons labs. However, the hydrogen for balloons story is even more ridiculous and taking all other information into account, seems completely laughable in comparison. Was there perhaps another illegal use for these trailers?" Captain's Quarters: "Their front-page story announces breathlessly that the Bush administration ignored the findings of a team of experts who concluded that the trailers could not have acted as portable bioweapons platforms prior to a Bush announcement of exactly the opposite -- but below the fold, they tell a different story." Stephen Spruiell says the Post is "juxtaposing two events and implying a connection. The Washington Post doesn't tell us whether the president got the report before making his statement, and therefore leaves the most important question unaddressed. The story that surrounds this unanswered question is nothing more than obfuscation followed by insinuation." chez Diva: "I honestly can report that every time I hear, read or see anything related to 'Bush Lied' I get physically ill and feel an overwhelming since [sic] of exhaustion. I think I have a name for my sickness, it's called Bush Lied Fatique (BLF)."
Kevin Drum responds: "Nice try, but cutesy advertising jingles to the contrary, this episode fits the usual MO of the Bush administration perfectly: a flat statement of fact about intelligence matters that's made with great fanfare even though they know there's significant dissent within the intelligence community. I haven't been keeping my list of examples up to date, but here are seven cases of the exact same thing" Josh Marshall wants to know when Congress was informed about the trailers' true use. Mia Culpa: "I miss the days of old when acting Presidents made their public statements based on the most up-to-date, and accurate information available, rather than the carefully selected information that matched the agenda du'jour." Also enflaming the left was WH Press Sec. Scott McClellan's suggestion that the Washington Post should apologize for reporting the story. News Hounds, Left Coaster Informed Comment offers top reasons why a mobile bio-lab doesn't make sense. Among them: "Germs might get carsick. Now that's something you don't want to have to clean up." Gun Toting Liberal thinks Bush would have gotten his way had he laid out the truth. Daily Kos notes that Howard Dean wants Bush to declassify the field report.
And ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich's (R-GA) recent criticism of the war in Iraq is drawing attention from the left side of the blogosphere. Some liberal Firedoglake: "Newt didn't just support the war. In addition to sitting on the Defense Policy Board and being one of its more enthusiastic cheerleaders, he created a climate where it became impossible to question the war, the rationals given for it or any of the disastrous decisions made by George W. Bush by branding people who did so as anti-American turncoats." John Cole gets irritated by the double standard applied to critics of the war in Iraq from both parties: "How is the latest round of criticism from [William F.] Buckley, [Frances] Fukuyama or Gingrich qualitatively different from the tantamount-to-terrorism stuff that you heard two years ago from Howard Dean? Save your energy, it is not. Howard Dean, Newt Gingrich and Frances Fukuyama, among others, have now gone on record as saying that invading and occupying Iraq was a counterproductive mistake. Yet unless you count the ongoing [Charles] Krauthammer-Fukuyama cage match, silence. Treason apparently is only treason if a Democrat does it." Glenn Greenwald is similarly upset. LiberalOasis calls Gingrich "what passes for a conservative elder statesman these days." Arianna Huffington thinks the anti-war movement should "embrace repentance" and sums up other responses to Newt's change of heart from the left.
More reaction to Robert Scheerer's conversation with ex-Sec/State Colin Powell, who supposedly said "that he and his department's top experts never believed that Iraq posed an imminent nuclear threat." Jane Hamsher: "Obviously he was not saying this for attribution because I think I would have remembered a NYT headline reading 'Secretary of State Calls Bullshit on BushCo.'" More: "I can't believe I'm sitting here defending Dick Cheney but Colin Powell's attempts to portray himself as some sort of truth teller, and George Bush as having been mislead, are extremely disingenuous. Powell needs to be telling us why he didn't have the courage to say what needed to be said, what Joe Wilson finally did." Shakespeare's Sister calls Powell a traitor. "Colin Powell decided his allegiance to the president was more important than the right of the American people to have their Secretary of State be their ally." State of the Day: "Powell should be ashamed. Just like everyone else who was in a position to speak out before the bombs started to drop. Powell's remorse means nothing to me." Taylor Marsh: "This is such an insult, such a disgusting admission, an unmitigated cowardly confession at this late date, that it completes the ruination of former general Colin Powell's public persona, not to mention his career."
Last p.m., ex-Cheney CoS Scooter Libby's legal team filed a 29-page response [PDF] to Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's amendment to a previous filing. TalkLeft, which posts the PDF, offers a short roundup of the brief: "Watch out Marc Grossman, Ari Fleischer, Karl Rove, George Tenet and Joe Wilson: Scooter's coming after you." Riehl World View's take: "Libby asserts that neither Bush nor Cheney gave him any instructions to leak Plame's name, or anyone elses. Libby also asserts that the CIA at the highest levels, including Tenet are hostile to him and he wants to see the CIA referral to the Justice Department, which is being withheld." Anonymous Liberal, Kevin Hayden, JustOneMinute and Media Blog comment.
.WHITE HOUSE '08: More Pol-Pourri From Our To-Be Candidates
It's a slow news day, so we're taking a look at some quick hits on everyone's favorite Pres. candidates from around the blogosphere.
Commonwealth Conservative attended one stop on Sen. George Allen's (R-VA) re-election kickoff tour. He'll have pictures later today, and he thinks Allen is safe -- for now. Lefty Brian Patton, who recently noted Allen's eight web banners -- none of which mentioned which office he was seeking -- points out that a ninth, with "Senate" on it, is up now. Allen also took first place in the SC College GOPers straw poll last weekend.
RedState's Mark Kilmer, noting that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is seemingly losing support from the media: "Can he do it without his media buddies?" The Moderate Voice asks about understanding McCain's methods and abilities. His commenters provide in-depth responses, including Joshua, who provides McCain's three-point plan for winning the nomination. And Bull Moose calls McCain the modern Teddy Roosevelt. McCain finished tied for second in the SC College GOPers' straw poll.
MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) continues to receive press -- both good and bad -- on his new health-care plan. Right-leaning American Geek: "It sounds intriguing, to say the least." Lefty Things Going Round & Round, on Romney's veto of certain parts of the legislation: "I get that it's tough to be a conservative in charge in Massachusetts; it's not a conservative state. But this maneuvering looks a little practiced and perhaps consultant advised with Iowa in mind." News Hounds takes issue with Romney's claim that he wrote the bill. A DailyKos diarist examines what Romney said on yesterday's "Hardball" regarding marriage. Righty Once More Into The Breach, a "Blogger for Allen": "Socialism is an odd path to take to the Republican nomination." Romney finished tied for second in the SC College GOPers' straw poll.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has fans in Sharon Stone and Madonna. ProudMemberVRWC notes: "both like Hillary Clinton. They both think she should run for President. And they both think she'll lose." Bloodless Coup, noting that McCain and HRC are their parties' frontrunners: "I wouldn't trust either of them to boil water correctly."
Righty Bullwinkle Blog takes on ex-Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) for joining a major investment firm: "John Edwards was right about there being 'two Americas' in his speech, he chose to join the one of the rich and work on Wall Street."
And OxBlog offers a mea culpa for supporting Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): "There is no question that I have egg on my face. How could I endorse a candidate whose values are so diametrically opposed to my own?"
IN THE STATES: McGavick Cantwell Win With Libertarians Siphoning Off Votes
In VA's ongoing Sen Dem primary, the AFL-CIO-affiliated Dept. of Professional Employees endorsed ex-Navy Sec. Jim Webb (D) over Dem activist and ex-lobbyist Harris Miller. The group's exec. dir. wrote a letter to the Sec-Treas. of the VA AFL-CIO, which The Modern Patriot posts. DailyKos remains solidly behind Miller, while The Richmond Democrat posts reasons Miller isn't the right candidate to take on Allen. Howling Latina, a Webb supporter, notes Miller's '84 run against Rep. Frank Wolf (R) in a positive way.
Noting WA's supposed leftward tilt, of which the author is skeptical, Proof Through the Night analyzes the WA Sen race through the lens of a progressive who's fed up with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D). Another lefty, Upper Left, says he's still on Cantwell's side. Sound Politics notes the entry of Libertarian Bruce Guthrie into the race and encourages righties to stick with ex-SAFECO exec. Mike McGavick (R).
MOUSSAOUI: Reliving Tough Memories
This week's revelation of flight recordings from United Airlines Flight 93, played at the sentencing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, have a few bloggers remembering 9/11/01. Washington Post has the transcript. The Counterterrorism Blog on the tapes: "I think the attention given to the Flight 93 recording has been positive because people are now revisiting what happened on September 11. It's been more than four years since 9/11, and the public is starting to lose its sense of the enormity of the attacks against the United States on that day. There is now a feeling in law enforcement circles that the tide of public opinion is turning against them -- that the government will be attacked at every turn for allegedly going overboard, in a tone that is neither measured nor temperate. Replaying the Flight 93 tapes and revisiting the 9/11 attacks will help to jog our collective memory and make us reflect on what we are up against, and the magnitude of the threat that we face." The Talking Dog, noting an at times flawed prosecution by the gov't, provides Moussaoui with a possible defense. RightWinged has had enough with conspiracy theorists.
MISCELLANY: A Lot Of Helium In This Trial Balloon
Power Line, on rumors that ex-Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) is being considered for the OMB job: "If we could get the spending-hawk DeLay of the 1990s rather than the 'no more fat to cut' DeLay of more recent years, he'd be a good choice. No one knows more about the budget. And I'd like to see the administration show some support for DeLay."
Talking Points Memo has some fun at the expense of CA 50 loser Howard Kaloogian (R). You may remember, he gained fame for posting a picture he said showed a peaceful Iraq, which was actually a scene from Turkey. Josh Marshall posts a picture of Kaloogian's "victory party" (hint -- that's Dem VA Gov. Tim Kaine).
Jim Lindgren at Volokh wonders if Comedy Central censored Mohammed in last night's "South Park." The episode was about Cartman trying to get Fox to pull an episode of "Family Guy" because the fictional episode was to show Mohammed. Our guess is that it was part of the joke, and that Comedy Central kept its hands off. If not, it'd be terribly ironic.
BLOGGERS VS. THE MSM: Immigration Complications
RedState laments the MSM's "inevitable comparison of the immigration demonstrations to the Civil Rights movement. In truth the media will compare any large-scale demonstration by aggrieved minorities to the Civil Rights movement, and in most cases we all just shake our heads at the asininity of it. This case is much more than asinine; it is disastrous."
BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: Benen There, Doing That
Today the Blogometer talks to Steve Benen, who writes The Carpetbagger Report.
What is your full name?
Steve Benen
What is your age?
32
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Miami, Fla.
Where do you live now?
I moved to the Burlington, Vt., area three years ago, after seven years in DC.
What is your occupation?
I wear a few hats. I'm a blogger, in addition to working as a freelance writer, researcher, and consultant.
Have you ever worked on a political campaign or for the mainstream media?
I was the communications director for a congressional campaign in 1996. I've also consulted and/or written direct-mail pieces for over two dozen congressional and state legislative races nationwide.
When did you start blogging and why?
I started The Carpetbagger Report three years ago for a couple of reasons. One, a job opportunity fell apart rather suddenly and I was left with nothing to do. I enjoy filling blank pages, and I was inspired by bloggers like Josh Marshall and Kevin Drum, so blogging was a natural outlet. Two, I would frequently bother my wife with hours of political tirades. She ultimately suggested I take it online.
What has been your favorite post, or favorite story to write about, in that time?
In terms of subjects, the Bush White House's "Bubble Boy" policies are a particular favorite. As for individual posts, I had an exclusive in December about Fox News' John Gibson threatening one of his guests after the cameras had been turned off. Months later, I still find it amusing.
Describe your typical blogging schedule.
I've reluctantly become a morning person. I get up dreadfully early and start reading and making notes. A few hours later, I usually publish my first item around 9 a.m. (eastern). I usually wrap things seven hours later, around 4 p.m., unless there's a key late-breaking story.
And what is your average output?
On weekdays, I usually publish between 10 and 12 posts a day. On weekends, I'll usually put together six or seven posts total. I'm also the co-editor of Salon.com's Daou Report, where I typically generate an additional 20 items per weekday. I also contribute posts to The American Prospect's Midterm Madness blog most weekdays and write maybe one item a week for the Huffington Post.
Who is your favorite political blogger?
If I could pick just one, I would. Some of my favorites include Kevin Drum, Think Progress, Josh Marshall, Digby, Tapped, and Crooks & Liars.
Favorite non-political blogger?
I'm embarrassed to admit that my blog reading tends to be one-dimensional. I suppose the closest I come to reading a non-political blog is Chris Mooney's Intersection, which covers the relationship between science and politics brilliantly.
Who is your favorite mainstream media columnist?
There are several whose work I genuinely look forward to, including Leonard Pitts Jr., Dan Froomkin, Jonathan Chait, Molly Ivins, Paul Krugman, and E.J. Dionne Jr.
What is your favorite television news program, either network or cable?
I'm afraid I largely gave up on television news a few years ago; I find most of it unwatchable. That said, I still make a point to check PBS's Now, Meet the Press, and if we're willing to expand the definition of "news programs" a bit, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
What MSM-produced websites (i.e. newspapers, magazines) do you visit on a daily basis?
The Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSNBC, Slate, Salon, ABC News, Knight Ridder Washington Bureau, The New Republic, Washington Monthly, Weekly Standard, Roll Call, The Hill, and the Miami Herald's sports section.
What non-MSM websites (i.e. blogs) do you visit on a daily basis?
There are far too many to list here. I check each of the 30 or so blogs on my blogroll at least once a day. In addition, as the Daou Report's co-editor, I routinely visit several dozen other blogs -- left, right, and center -- every weekday.
How often, or do you ever, read a newspaper in its dead-tree (i.e. print) form?
I get the Sunday New York Times delivered, but otherwise, unless I'm traveling, I do all of my newspaper reading online.
How do you see the new media and old media affecting and influencing each other in the next five years?
There's an awkward combination of animosity, cooperation, competition, and grudging respect working itself out right now, and my hunch is the clumsy dance won't end anytime soon. Traditional media will probably continue to harbor some resentment towards the blogs for fact checking their work and highlighting the stories they've overlooked, while using Technorati religiously to see who's said what about their reports. Blogs will continue to complain bitterly about the traditional outlets being lazy and easily bullied, while relying on reporters for most of their blogging content.
Over the next five years, however, it's easy to imagine a scenario in which some of the lines are blurred and the roles are slowly reversed -- traditional media outlets will start doing far more blog-like work to keep up with public demand, while blogs rely less on the traditional outlets and begin breaking stories on their own, doing shoe-leather reporting and in-depth research that has always been the domain of established reporters.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Mis-Steps Abound
James Wolcott traces the descent of the GOP's approval ratings to last year's death of Terri Schiavo, and warns the immigration debacle may be even worse for the party: "Talk radio and cable news tilted heavily for Schiavo's parents and against Michael Schiavo, Jeb Bush jowlily postured and interposed himself with shameless zeal, Congressional Republicans stuck their beaks into this private turmoil, Bush broke precedent to interrupt his precious downtime in Crawford to sign a hocked-up bill,--and they all misread the public's mood. ... But the misreading of public opinion re Schiavo didn't cost Republicans much. The misreading, the mishandling, of the immigration controversy will."
LEST WE FORGET: God, And Baseball, Has Been Very Very Good To MC
It's been a while since we checked in with MC Hammer. He has a serious post, in honor of Holy Week: "This is the week that I have set aside in my heart to say Thank U to the Lord for all he's done for me and my family." Earlier this week, he included a link to his ad for the Atlanta Braves' broadcasts on Turner South. It's worth a viewing for those who miss his lyrical stylings.
Posted by at April 13, 2006 01:00 PM
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