October 2005 Archives

Normally when I see someone using a coffin as a stage for political hackery, I think of Cindy Sheehan. This morning, Chuck Schumer showed that he could ably out-exploit the master with this forceful meeting of boot and tomb:

The real question today is whether Judge Alito would use his seat on the bench, just as Rosa Parks used her seat on the bus, to change history for the better or whether he would use that seat to reverse much of what Rosa Parks and so many others fought so hard and for so long to put in place.

Cindy, take note. You have competition.

Update: The Duchess of Dismay noticed and answers by grinding her stilettos into her son's back. Damn, I love a good fight...

on and off for a couple or three days. We're in the process of moving to a new house, and since we have way too much stuff I expect that I won't have much time for blogging.

Sincerest thanks to everyone for stopping by. I'll be back as soon as I can!

LB

Evidently, someone is selling MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat) on eBay:

U.S. Investigates Sale of MREs on eBay

The investigation is based on the premise that some of the meals provided for hurricane victims may be for sale.

I ate more than a few MREs when I was still active duty. When Desert Storm began, my unit closed our chow hall and issued them out for nearly a month. They weren't really awful, it's just that they weren't, well, good, either. I seriously question the sanity or taste of whoever buys them.

Last Wednesday, Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called for "wiping Israel off the map".

On the same day, Al Jazeera asked, If Israel has nukes, why can’t the rest?

The Anchoress.

More "dignity" and "objectivity" in reporting from the Philly Daily News:

That the left spends it's time celebrating indictments and soldier's deaths should tell you all you need to know. Perpetually bereft of any ideas, this is all they have left.

It's beyond spin and into the realm of delusional when you judge the seriousness of a crime by the potential punishment.

Some of those responsible for New Orleans' woes during Katrina are being held responsible:

New Orleans Police Fire 51 for Desertion

Along with the 15 that resigned when they learned they were under investigation, that makes 76.

This is only a start. The NO Police would be less of an issue if a few city and state officials had done their jobs, and no accounting of this disaster will be complete until a lot more light is shined on why local and state agencies failed to use those famous buses, and prevented federal aid from entering the city.

I heard the press conference on the radio while driving home from work. Fitzgerald seemed to have the press firmly at bay as they asked questions about matters he is required to keep confidential. On the Libby indictment, he was very articulate and sounded very confident of the charges. And well he should - that's his job. However, Libby also has a story to tell, and as this goes to trial we'll get more information. That is unless he gets a plea bargain.

Also, Fitzgerald was pretty clear that the current grand jury was to be dismissed. While he reserved the right to continue the investigation with other grand juries, it seems to me (as a non-lawyer) that he would have to re-cover considerable ground to do so. This alone tells me that it probably won't happen unless Fitzgerald gets something damning that he doesn't already have.

In the meantime, the left is has become even more delusional. Take for instance, Howard Dean's statement about the indictment (hat tip Polipundit):

"Beyond the evidence that the White House manipulated the intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq, a group of senior White House officials not only orchestrated efforts to smear a critic of the war, but worked to cover up this smear campaign. In so doing, they ignored the rule of law, endangering our national security and the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting our nation's security. I. Lewis Libby was a part of this internal White House group."

Obviously the radio in my car is broken, else I would have heard at least some of what Howard did. Here's one from Nancy Pelosi:

"The criminal indictments of a top White House official mark a sad day for America and another chapter in the Republicans' culture of corruption. At the heart of these indictments was the effort by the Bush Administration to discredit critics of its Iraq policy with reckless disregard for national security and the public trust."

Two extra points to Nancy for working in the now ubiquitous "Culture of Corruption". Of course, whenever Nancy speaks, her buddy Harry Reid can't be far behind:

"This case is bigger than the leak of highly classified information. It is about how the Bush White House manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to bolster its case for the war in Iraq and to discredit anyone who dared to challenge the president."

More disturbing are the comments from John Conyers. As many of you know, he's been lurking in the dark and dangerous halls of the Huffington Post:

"I believe it is imperative that Congress pursue these questions and determine how these charges fit into the entire web of deception, manipulation and obfuscation laid bare by the Downing Street Minutes and Treasongate. As a result, I have directed my staff to conduct a comprehensive investigation and review of the facts concerning not only alleged efforts to misuse the White House to out a CIA operative, but misinformation concerning the run up to the Iraq War, and all legal violations and breaches of trust by the Administration concerning the War."

I know "treasongate" is a popular term in moonbat circles nowadays, but a member of congress shouldn't be so cavalier about using the "T" word. It doesn't apply here. Conyers has been one of the nuttiest thoughout the Plame investigation, wanting to impeach Rove before anyone has determined whether any crime was actually committed. And this is the same Conyers who held a mock impeachment trial of the President earlier this year. If they had awards for the most reckless and delusional political attacks, Conyers would get my vote easily.

But back to Libby. If he did lie to the grand jury, well, that will come out, and he'll get his due. But the feverish and irresponsible treatment of this affair by the left and the media have caused damge to Libby and others that can't be reversed.

This AP article has some interesting figures on the number of dead in Iraq - not Americans, but civilians killed by suicide bombers:

In the six months since Iraq's government took office, suicide bombers have struck nearly 200 times, killing at least one-third of the more than 3,902 Iraqis slain in war-related violence since April 28, according to an Associated Press count.

The overwhelming majority of those killed between April 28 and Oct. 28 died in insurgent attacks, suicide or otherwise. Of these, 1,128 were security personnel and 2,774 — or two-thirds — were civilians, according to the count drawn from daily reports from Iraqi government officials, hospitals and the U.S. government. Insurgent deaths were not part of the AP tally.

The anti-war crowd would have you believe that the majority of civilian deaths are caused by American Forces. They're wrong. Also, note to AP - they're terrorists. Insurgents don't blow themselves up in crowds of civilians.

Unusual for an AP piece, there's actually some good news:

Amid the unremitting violence, the new Iraqi government has written the country's constitution, held a nationwide referendum on the document, and is now preparing for Dec. 15 elections for a new government.

There are nonetheless small signs that Iraq's government is succeeding in rebuilding the country with the help of coalition forces. The electricity supply has risen steadily since April, from 3,390 megawatts to 4,117 megawatts in October — although well below the goal of 6,000 megawatts, which was to have been reached by July 2004, according to a Brookings Institution count.

And the number of Iraqis who have telephone access has risen to 4.5 million, compared with an estimated prewar level of 833,000, Brookings reported.

"We have seen Iraqi-elected leaders grow into their positions, becoming more confident, visible and forceful," Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division and Task Force Liberty, said Friday. "They have taken on more and more responsibility for solving problems; in other words, Iraqi solutions to Iraqi issues."

Fact is, we're getting the job done. Maybe slower than most would like, but even AP can no longer hide it. There's no quagmire. If we were to remove our troops now, as the anti-war left desires, all of the progress will be lost. Iraq will fall into anarchy and eventually be taken over by the radical Islamofascists. If that happens, 3902 will seem like a small number indeed. And that's why we have to finish the job.

There's great hope for the future. But not if we cut and run.

A press release today from the folks who are hurt the most from the Femme of Fake Fatality's selfish and disgusting antics:

WASHINGTON, Oct.28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Gold Star parents and military family members issued the following statement regarding Cindy Sheehan's die-ins at the White House this week on the occasion of the 2000th death of American servicemen and women serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom:

"We, the parents and family members of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have served and given their lives defending America in Operation Iraqi Freedom are thoroughly disgusted with Cindy Sheehan and her publicity stunts.

"We are angered that Mrs. Sheehan is once again using our fallen loved ones against our wishes to undermine the cause they voluntarily gave their lives for. Her macabre die-ins in front of the White House do not honor the dead nor do they help the living -- they give encouragement to Al Qaeda to keep killing Americans until we surrender.

"Mrs. Sheehan is offering souvenir bracelets with our loved ones' names on them as bonuses to those who join her in the die-ins at the White House. Her continued abuse of our loved ones makes our blood boil and we demand that she stop trivializing their sacrifices with her tawdry acts.

"We know that Mrs. Sheehan and her allies are not peace activists. She herself has called terrorists fighting for Al Qaeda in Iraq 'freedom fighters'. The groups she works with have openly expressed their support for the terrorists and their contempt for this country. She and they are working to bring about the defeat of America in the war on terror.

"We support our country, we support the war on terror and we honor our loved ones' service."

It's signed by a whole bunch of Gold and Blue Star families. You know, it's one thing for a pundit or blogger to express disgust with Cindy's theatrics, but these are the folks that are directly harmed every time the maiden of malevolence preens for the cameras. If you have a blog or web page, how about publicly thanking these folks for their courage and sacrifice, and let your readers know that there's two sides to the story. Then do it again next week.

You know the MSM won't.

From AP/Yahoo:

Prosecutor Seeks DeLay Associates' E-Mails

AUSTIN, Texas - Three indicted associates of Republican U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay are being asked to hand over to a Texas prosecutor all their e-mails from 2002 in an investigation into an alleged campaign finance scheme.

Now remember, I'm not a lawyer, but... Isn't this the kind of basic investigation you do before you charge someone with a crime?

As if we don't have enough scandals already, there's this:

Noe indicted for laundering money to Bush campaign

Not good for us. I hope he really didn't do it, but if he did, send him to jail and good riddance. We're having enough problems with witch hunts and false accusations without having this added to the equation.

Via the Toledo Blade.

I wonder how long before someone on the left ties this to Bush and screeches, "Culture of Corruption?

Evidently, not long.

The liberal media can hardly contain their glee in anticipation of possible indictments in the Valerie Plame affair. For example, here's the front page of today's Philadelphia Daily News:

Don't these people have any dignity at all?

You probably remember Berkeley cancelling Veteran's Day because veteran's groups opposed moonbat Bill Mitchell being a speaker at the event.

Well, the event is back on, and the moonbat will be there to mock the veterans (emphasis mine):

The local chapter of Disabled American Veterans, which has participated in past Berkeley Veterans Day events, had threatened to pull out if Mitchell were included, saying he would inject partisanship into the occasion.

But the committee approved Bates' compromise: Mitchell is in, although not as the keynote speaker, and the DAV is out, although individual members will still attend.

Bates promised to talk to Mitchell and warn him to keep his remarks non-partisan.

"But by his very presence, he'll be making a statement,'' the mayor admitted.

Some one in Berkeley is missing the point. Veteran's Day is about the veterans, not those that hate them.

In response to this:

Miers Withdraws Supreme Court Nomination

While I hope the re-do goes to Luttig or Brown, I fear we'll probably get Gonzales next.

That's what I get for going to sleep - apparently the Matriarch of Moonbats was arrested.

All the details are at Michelle Malkin

As I've previously mentioned, today Cindy will go to the Iraqi Embassy at 10:30 to hand out sympathy cards. At around 1:00 p.m., back to the white house to mock our fallen heroes and everything they died for by pretending she's one of them as she feigns death on the sidewalk. Her plan is to tie up police resources as many times as possible as she shoots for the one day protest arrest record. I'll bet the DC police have better things to do than to waste their time carrying Cindy. Of course, she doesn't care if an armed robbery or shooting or drug sale goes unaddressed due to personnel shortages.

If you live in DC (or are visiting), are the victim of a crime, and the police took longer than they should to respond, please go ask Cindy what noble cause she's impeding the DC police for.

Tomorrow, she branches out. Since the dead aren't giving her the attention she so desparately craves, she's going to aim for some live troops as well. She'll be harrassing wounded troops and their families at Walter Reed Hospital, at 10:30.

Welcome to Michelle Malkin readers! Please feel free to look around while you're here!

Update: In a related event, Zombie has some pictures of the smiling, happy faces of the folks attending a couple of the festive galas celebrating the deaths of our troops. Via Little Green Footballs.

Apparently not satisfied with desecrating the memory of her son, the Damsel of Desecration is seeking more graves to stand on as she celebrates the 2000th death in Iraq at Arlington National Cemetery today.

For those of you that don't know, I'm retired military (USAF). I have a few friends buried in Arlington. I haven't the words to express how foul and hideous this is. So I'll show you instead:

I had more, but this is all I can stand for today.

but I had lots to do at work today. Several posts coming up before bedtime, though.

If you haven't heard about the new grave-dancing commercial from MoveOn.org, Michelle Malkin has the link here.

I don't know if it's a coordinated effort, but another one has sprung up here from a bunch called Operation "Truth". It's about as you might expect, with lots of gratuitous images of flag-draped coffins. I thought the emphasis on the word "dead" was interesting.

It's obvious that these ghouls have been tracking the numbers and carefully planning so that they could exploit the memories of these heroes for cheap partisan political gain.

Another post from AP/Yahoo. It's mostly a rewrite of previous stuff except for this:

"I'll be laying down and not getting up," Sheehan said Tuesday to a small crowd in which the number of journalists exceeded the number of protesters. "When they let me out, I'll do the same thing if I get arrested."

While it may be amusing to see that the Broad of Bitterness can't draw a crowd, there's another message here. Make no mistake about it, the liberal media supports this demented and pathetic woman 100%. If no other protesters show up, it won't be because the press didn't try.

Via Polipundit.

Update (26 Oct 2005, 0500): Here's a visual:

If you haven't heard about George Galloway lying to congress yet, check it out here and come back...

Welcome back. George responds to the charges:

Come and get me, British MP Galloway challenges US Congress

"I'm still willing to go to the United States and still willing to face any charge of perjury in front of that Senate committee.

"I'm demanding that they charge me with contempt and with perjury, I'm demanding it.

"If a Senate committee can go on the international airwaves without putting this to you, without sending me an advance (copy) and accuse me of lying under oath in front of a Senate committee, then I demand they charge me with perjury -- and I'll be on the next plane to face it."

Can we take him up on it? Please? Pretty Please?

Remember Tonya Harding? Her claim to fame was having her ex-husband and his pal try to break Nancy Kerrigan's knees before the 1994 Olympics. I guess once a star, always a star:

Man Arrested After Tonya Harding Run-In

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Tonya Harding tussled in her home with a man she described as her boyfriend, prompting an emergency call by the figure skater-turned-boxer and an arrest of the man.

Christopher Nolan was charged with assault and pleaded not guilty Monday. He told deputies Harding threw him down and bit his finger when he said she had too much to drink on Sunday. The 27-year-old Nolan was ordered to stay away from Harding and to avoid alcohol.

If he had the ability to avoid alcohol, chances are he wouldn't have been with her in the first place.

The Matron of Melancholy is showing up in the news now that the 2000 dead in Iraq mark has been reached. Here's one (via AP/Yahoo) where she talks about her beef with Hillary Clinton:

"I believe that any candidate who supports the war should not receive our support," Sheehan said Tuesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "It doesn't matter if they're Senator Clinton or whoever."

The whole piece is pretty much a rehash of her earlier writings on Clinton. But we know from past experience that the Tootsie of Torment is eating up all the attention.

And here's the scoop from AFP/Yahoo:

Mother of slain US soldier urges civil disobedience to protest war

For those of that are too young to remember the 70s, "civil disobedience" means break the law. She was going to chain herself to the fence surrounding the White House, but now she's just going to lie down on the sidewalk and play dead.

Yup, that's right - Cindy and her communist wacko friends are gonna honor our war dead by mocking them in a hideous publicity stunt. The Pidgeon of Painful Political Protest Platitudes plans to get pinched in plurality:

"And when they let me out I will come back and do the same thing (again) if I get arrested," she said.

Is it too late for Washington DC to pass a "3 strikes" law?

DJ Drummond has an interesting article over at Polipundit. I'm still digesting it, and may comment later (or not), but wanted to pass it on now:

Incipiency

He makes a lot of very good points about the likelyhood that Harriet Miers will be confirmed, and why those opposed haven't had much traction outside the talking head circuit.

I still remain opposed to Miers, though. If DJ is right, then I'm all dressed up with no place to go.

Good stuff. Go read.

Via AFP/Yahoo:

Senator urges Bush to fire any aide indicted in CIA leak probe

Excerpts from the article:

"I write to encourage you to swiftly and strongly clarify that anyone who is indicted in the ongoing CIA leak investigation will be removed from the White House immediately and until the case is resolved," the New York Democrat wrote in a letter to the president Tuesday.

Independent counsel Patrick Fitzgerald is nearing the end a nearly two-year long investigation into the leak, and rumors have swirled that among those who might face charges are senior White House Bush advisors Karl Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

With indictments possible at any moment, "it is important that you make this clear ... that your standard will not shift depending on the status of the individual(s) indicted -- whether it is a low-level assistant or the most trusted and high-ranking aide," Schumer wrote.

"Anyone indicted, and thus found likely to have violated the law on a national security issue, should be treated the same and removed from the White House staff."

Chuck and his Democratic contemporaries have had a lot of fun parsing the President's statements on this topic. If the speculation is true and the only indictments issued are for perjury or obstruction (in other words, no indictments for leaks or outings), then no national security issue is involved. Will Chuck stop asking for firings? I bet no. Will anyone in the media call him out on it? Again, I bet no.

Also, It's really become an upside down world when Chuck Schumer writes this to the President:

"Recent press stories have contained some troubling statements from anonymous 'White House allies' attempting to discredit Mr Fitzgerald personally, perhaps in anticipation of coming indictments," Schumer wrote, praising Fitzgerald as "an apolitical 'prosecutors prosecutor,' and beyond reproach."

"I urge you to call on your alleged 'allies' to refrain from attacking either Mr Fitzgerald or his decision, whatever it is."

There's still a chance (albeit small) that Fitzgerald will not indict anyone. If that happens, will Schumer continue to be so kind?

Via AP/Yahoo:

BBC World Service to launch Arabic TV channel

The Arabic TV service will compete with the popular Arab TV channel Al Jazeera, which has been accused by Washington of biased reporting on Iraq.

Just when you thought that BBC couldn't be more pro-terrorist...

73% oppose Harriet Miers on Truth Laid Bear's blogger poll.

Not that the President has taken notice. But there are those that think he's telegraphing a way out:

Calling all Republican Senators

Somebody please pass Polipundit's post to every Republican Senator. At least once each day until they pay attention.

The "collective" is swarming over Kay Bailey Huchison's remarks yesterday on Meet the Press. Some examples from the left-wing blogs:

Kos: "This Sunday we got a preview of the GOP post-Fitzmas spin -- that perjury isn't a crime."

Atrios: "Republicans to Americans: It's Okay to Lie Under Oath in a Criminal Investigation!"

John in DC: "Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has a soft spot in her heart for traitors."

Democratic Underground: "Bat Boy Spotted in DU Comment Area!"

Several on Huffington Post:

Alec Baldwin: "Why are contemporary Republicans so full of shit?"

Trey Ellis: "It’s Only a “Technicality” in a Culture of Corruption"

Robert Schlesinger: "Hutchison didn’t always feel this way."

Interestingly, some right wing blogs have joined the fray. Examples follow:

Michelle Malkin: "...I found Hutchison's pooh-poohing more than a bit disturbing."

BullDogPundit: "A Memo To Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison: Please Shut Up"

John Hawkins: "That is not the sort of behavior Republicans should engage in..."

It bothers me a little to see some of the critisism from the right side. I don't think Sen Hutchison was saying that perjury or obstruction should not be prosecuted. I'm not even sure that she was attacking Fitzgerald directly as some have indicated, although I think she could have been clearer with her remarks.

Controversy over those two issues aside, I do agree with her remarks in general. The left would love to have an indictment on the "outing" of Plame. Given only perjury, they will try to make the charge just as serious in their attacks anyway by dragging in peripheral issues. To them, this is about a wider issue on the war itself, and they will use any straw they can grab.

Look for Sen Hutchison and others who understand this to try and deny them that straw. Yes, perjury should be prosecuted. But put it in perspective. If there was no "outing" of a CIA agent, then perjury should stand alone without any attachment to peripheral issues. That is, unless the left goes unchallenged when they suggest otherwise.

The administration gets a black eye either way. This is about how long it will take to heal.

Perhaps I'm just being hopeful to interpret her remarks this way. Hopefully she'll find an opportunity to clarify her remarks.

Cindy is back in DC to celebrate the 2000th death.

My regular readers (both of 'em) knew this was coming.

The Mistress of Misery tells about how badly she wants to go back to jail in her latest post:

Each day we will be passing out black wrist bands and we will have each person who picks one up write a KIA troop's name and number on it. Each wrist band will also stand for 50 innocent Iraqis killed. Everyday at 6 PM we will have a "die-in." We will ask everyone who is present at 6 PM to lie down and represent a dead soldier. At that point, the park police will give us 3 warnings before they arrest us.

"Die-in"? Please, not so close to Halloween, Cindy. The Maven of Moonbattery also wants to go sightseeing:

On Wednesday the 26th at 10:30 AM, we will be going to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then to the White House for our vigil.

On Thursday the 27th at 10:30 AM we will be delivering a wreath and signed sympathy cards to the Iraqi Embassy. We are asking people who come out to our vigil on the Lafayette Park side to bring sympathy cards. Then to the White House for our vigil.

On Friday the 28th at 10:30 AM we will be delivering flowers and get well wishes to Walter Reed Hospital and we are asking people to bring get well cards to our vigil. Then off to the White House for our vigil.

This is developing, I'll have much more later.

Update 1: Cindy was in Marin, CA over the weekend to speak at a rally with Maxine Waters and others. During the event, she spoke with the Marin Journal about getting arrested being a thrill for her:

"I'm kinda addicted to getting arrested," Sheehan said. "It's like getting tattoos."

Way too much information...

Since we're unofficially now up to 1,999 deaths, Cindy could get her sick, ghoulish, and disgusting "fix" today.

Update 2: I almost missed this one. Cindy makes this statement in her latest post:

"More American soldiers have been KIA in the first 32 months of Iraq so far then in the first 4 years of Vietnam."

1964 is when the Viet Nam war started for the U.S., prior to that we had a minimal advisory presence. By the end of 1967, the casualty number was approximately 11,000. I have no idea what she bases her sentence on - maybe she asked John Kerry. But it doesn't matter since it's just dead wrong.

From AP/Yahoo:

Hearing Set for DeLay Judge Request

C. W. Duncan, a former state district judge, will hold a hearing Nov. 1 on DeLay's request that Perkins leave the case because he has contributed money to candidates and Democratic causes that oppose DeLay.

And not a moment too soon. The bogus nature of the charges not withstanding, time is a real issue for DeLay.

Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Lawyers Report:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 - I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday.

Notes of the previously undisclosed conversation between Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, appear to differ from Mr. Libby's testimony to a federal grand jury that he initially learned about the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson, from journalists, the lawyers said.

"Suggest"? "Appear to differ"? The NYT is normally not cautious or shy when it comes to throwing negatives at this administration. Sounds like the NYT is taking some interpretive license here, and I "suggest" not getting wrapped around the axle on this unless something more substantial comes out.

Also, note that there's no suggestion that Cheney directed Libby to do anything with the information. I don't think the Times would have passed up on even a vague hint in that area.

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

Via AP/Yahoo:

Bush Won't Release All Miers Documents

But the disagreement will be over what is privileged and what isn't. Hopefully it won't matter and Harriet Miers will withdraw.

Hey, I can dream can't I?

Howard Dean was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week, and the DNC made a press release from it:

Excerpts of Democratic National Committee Chairman Dean on 'This Week'

Quoting excerpts wouldn't do this justice. Go read the entire moonbatty thing.

This deserves a brutally thorough fisking, but I'm too tired to do it right now. Screamin' Dean manages to sqeeze more dishonesty and hatred into five minutes than most moonbats can in a year. I just wish the mainstream media would give stuff like this the scrutiny it deserves. If the left was subjected to just one or two day's worth of what the right has to endure from the MSM, they would find themselves so unpopular that no amount of dead voters would be enough to get them elected.

Via PoliPundit.

Sorry. I had a glitch with the database, and all my tags got dumped. I had to re-attach them all, and rebuild all the entries.

Also, had decided to abandon the replacement template for now. Maybe when I get more time. I went ahead and started started tweaking this one, so if you see extra columns or everything shows up screwy, you'll know I'm yelling at the computer again.

Naturally, posting will be light until I fix all the problems I've created.

I've been spending way too much time reading, watching and listening about the Plame affair. It's starting to swirl around in my head, all of the speculation, innuendo, bickering between the pundits, and the wholesale concocting of wild, implausible theories all based on leaks and rumors, some obscure, nonsensical, or meaningless. So tonight I'm going to take a break and watch a movie.

Since this is for comfort, I won't risk a new film that may disappoint. Instead, I'm going to watch an old favorite: Murder By Death.

It's nearly 30 years old, but has held up well. A spoof of mystery books and movies based on a Neil Simon play, Murder By Death is about a group of the brightest detectives invited to solve a mystery. They are presented with meaningless, nonsensical and obscure clues, rumors, and innuendo, bicker amongst themselves about who's right on every minor point, accuse each other of vile things, and each concocts wild implausible theories about the crime. In the end, none actually solve the crime, and each is thoroughly discredited. The punch line is that the crime never really happened in spite of all the clues.

Hmm, escape time. Now if you'll excuse me...

about Harriet Miers. Previously, I'd said that I had settled down into the "oh, go ahead and have a confirmation hearing" mode. After further reflection, I think it would be best if she withdrew.

One of my concerns previously was that it would make a subsequent nomination more difficult should she drop out. But considering the circus that this has become, I now think it would be far more damaging to let the hearings go on.

You've all probably seen the stereotypical movies when some underdog gets to a high position in sports or business (or some other endeavor), bypassing the establishment? Usually the hero shoots the winning goal or winds up running the corporation even though they had little more going for them than a little moxie or maybe some unrefined talent. This kind of "feel good" situation is fun for a movie script (hell, who wouldn't like to be Brewster or Annie?) but totally inappropriate for a SCOTUS pick. And no matter how wonderful President Bush's view of Miers is, that's the way she looks to many of us.

75 or 150 years ago, constitutional law was surely less complicated than it is now. Fewer laws, fewer precedents. It was probably OK to pick someone with little or no constitutional law experience back then. Today, we need someone who is totally prepared to perform on their first day of work. SCOTUS is not a place where we should be setting up an OJT program.

Update: N Z Bear is tracking the thumb orientation (up or down) of the blogosphere. So, I oppose the Miers nomination. (His site is scanning for certain phrases, see here for details).

There are other blogs that have noticed the DNC's "Culture of Corruption" meme and the dishonest and shameful smear campaign that spawned it.

While I have been covering only the birth and spread of the campaign through the liberal minions, Conservatives Are Always Right is covering specific examples of why the Democrats shouldn't be throwing stones.

There's other good stuff there, too. I've added Conservatives Are Always Right to my favorites list. Give it a visit!

In early September, the winning design for the Flight 93 memorial sparked a firestorm of controversy in the blogosphere due to the design's obvious similarity to islamic symbolism. Although letter writing campaigns elicited a somewhat vague promise to "make alterations" to the design, recently some concerned citizens have expressed dismay at the lack of action from the Flight 93 Advisory Commission, suggesting that the promises were only lip service.

Well, DGITL has good news for those rightfully concerned citizens! We have intercepted a preliminary press release for the Flight 93 Memorial (below the fold):

Many people have speculated as to whether the Fräulein of Funerals really writes this stuff. No one can say for sure, but read her latest and see if it bears any resemblance to previous writings. If she is writing them herself, she's got to be getting help. And check out some of the pithy new phrases:

"...Bush and his supporters who are crumbling like 3 day old sugar cookies..."

"It is time to get peacefully radical."

Cindy quotes 3 letters from grieving Moms in her latest. Referring to other Moms, the Belle of Beleaguerment reminds us yet again of the dangers of mixing faux tears with torturous math:

"The little vignettes of pain that I have shared with you are just 3 stories out of millions."

And Cindy is going back to Washington, DC, in hopes of getting arrested once again for the cameras:

On the day of the 2000th (death in Iraq - ed), I will be in DC. I will go to the White House. Our house. I will sit on the sidewalk again and demand that the war criminals who live and work in there bring our troops home.

I wonder if the DC cops will bring up the issue of her refusal to pay the fine for the last time she broke the law?

It really was a very smart move. Tom DeLay posed for his mug shot sporting a big smile in hopes that the Democrats wouldn't be able to use it in ads.

Some folks simply won't settle for the truth, though. The folks at Cafe Press have decided to abandon good taste in order to lure dollars from the "reality based community".

I won't put the disgusting and slanderous image here. If you really want to see it, go follow the link.

Via JunkYardBlog, one of my favorites!