Friday, August 29, 2003
Exeunt
I'll be making the trek back to DC soon, so no blogging for me. I'll be back sometime next week. In the meantime, if you feel like saying something, leave a message in the comment section and please, no jokes about my failed marriages to Beyonce and David Horowitz.
5:29am. | permanent link | -Eric.
Talk Show Notes
Scheduled to appear this week ...
Sen. Clinton - Leno, 9/1
Al Franken - Letterman, 9/1
Stephen Colbert - Conan, 9/1
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross - Jimmy Kimmel, 9/1
Amy Sedaris - Conan, 9/2
Liberal Books Hit NY Times List
3 new, liberal books will hit the best-seller list ...
Al Franken's new book will debut at No. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list, riding a tide that's also lifting titles from two other liberals. New York Observer columnist Joe Conason's "Big Lies," subtitled "The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth," will bow at No. 11. Witty Texas populist Jim Hightower's "Thieves in High Places," will debut at No. 13. The books' strong sales last week will be reflected in the list to be published Sept. 7.
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Big Lies
Thieves in High Places
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Wounded, Weary And Disappeared
Is the morale of the GI Joes the next casualty of Bush's unilateral war? Bill Berkowitz takes a look.
Time Magazine's new cover story wonders whether we're stretched too thin. Doesn't the next senator from Hawaii, appointed under Clinton, look smart ...
That, of course, would only make the problem worse. In February, General Eric Shinseki, who was then Army Chief of Staff, set off fireworks when he said the U.S. might have to dedicate "several hundred thousand soldiers" to postwar duty in Iraq, a remark that looks prescient today. Before he left the service in June, Shinseki issued a warning to his colleagues who stayed behind. It was aimed as much at the security of the nation as the security of the troops and their families. "Beware," he warned, "the 12-division strategy for a 10-division Army." No one listened to Shinseki when he wore four stars. Now that he is retired, he is finally being heard.
Our Incredible, Compassionate President?
Where's the compassion? Joe Conason examines the compassionate conservative myth.
Now, after observing Bush's first few years in the Oval Office, we have a clearer understanding of what his words meant on that auspicious day in New Hampshire. Being a "fiscal conservative" meant passing lopsided tax cuts for the wealthy few and leaving the federal budget in deficit for the foreseeable future. Being a "family conservative" meant looking after certain families, particularly if their annual incomes are higher than $200,000 and their estates are valued at more than $2 million. And so far, being a "compassionate conservative" appears to mean nothing very different from being a hardhearted, stingy, old-fashioned conservative.
Bush's budgets prove that he still emphatically prefers cutting the taxes of wealthy individuals and corporations to maintaining living standards for poor and working-class families. States and localities, their economies soured and their budgets overstrained, are unable to maintain services for their neediest citizens. Food deliveries to many of the helpless elderly will end. Nearly a million Americans are losing their Medicaid benefits in what the National Governors Association describes as "the worst fiscal crisis since World War II." For the first time in a decade, the rate of poverty is rising again, with 1.3 million Americans falling below the poverty line in 2001.
The most vigorous response of the Bush White House to these grim prospects is to propose abolishing "double taxation" of stock dividends. "That is very much pro-poor," according to R. Glenn Hubbard, the former chairman of Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, even though the poor won't get any of the benefits.
NY Times: Clark Wants to Run
Friends of Clark have told the NY Times that the retired four-star general wants to run for president:
"It's safe to say he wants to run," said a longtime friend who has had frequent political conversations with General Clark. "But he approaches this like a military man. He wants to know, Can I win the battle? He doesn't want to have a situation where he could embarrass himself, but I'm absolutely certain he wants to run."Political primaries are about policy debates and finding the best fit for the party voters. I don't know if Clark's the best man for the party - heck, he's not even a member of the Democratic Party - but that's not the point. The question is whether or not Clark will add a constructive element to the debate. The answer is yes, he will. He doesn't appear to be a divisive figure. Because of his positive element, the Democratic Party needs his ideas in the primaries.
Whether he does, his friends said, will be determined by his instincts and a firm assessment of Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, whose early success has come in part through criticism of White House strategies in Iraq that are every bit as strong as General Clark's.
While General Clark has consistently maintained that he has not yet made up his mind, his friends said a major obstacle has been cleared — family approval. They said his wife, Gert, who had initially expressed reservations, now favors his running.
"He is going to do it," said another of General Clark's friends. "He's just going back and forth as to when" to announce.
NBC News: One of Big Summer Stories is Kerry's Fall
Writes Mark Murray and Huma Zaidi in NBC News' First Read
Kerry builds up to his formal announcement of candidacy next week by rolling out his economic plan today in New Hampshire, but the spotlight is on Dean with those new Zogby numbers in New Hampshire and Dean's expected (lowballed?) fundraising total for the third quarter, to which many of the campaigns are now having to react.Indeed. When I think of what excites me about Kerry, it's his military background. And what else? Can't really tell you. Kerry's military service is admirable, and a valuable asset, but enough to make him the nomination? I'm just not excited about him. And unless Kerry creates a movement behind him - something, anything - then he'll continue his downhill slide.
If the recall and Dean's meteoric rise have been the two biggest political stories this summer, the third might be how Kerry, once considered the frontrunner among the Democratic Nine, no longer is. Today, he begins an important slate of events putting him in the media spotlight and giving him the opportunity to contrast his candidacy with Dean's — and perhaps even regain his frontrunner status. In the process, his words and appearances will re-raise those questions of electability, how much Democratic voters will have the general election against Bush in mind when they go to the polls to choose a nominee, and how important the party's nominating electorate sees national security credentials in that process.
Lies and the Lying Liars
Which president told the biggest lies? Washington Monthly reports, you decide.
Blame Clinton
Times have changed,
Our kids are getting worse,
They won't obey their parents they just want to fart and curse
Should we blame the government?
Or blame society?
Or should we blame the images on TV?
No,blame Clinton, blame Clinton
His liberal, womanizing ways have packed our heads so full of lies, blame Clinton, blame Clinton,
We need to form a full assault its Clinton's fault.
Sort of from the South Park movie, but it's apparently the new theme song of the Right. Hence, Rich Lowry.
Ooohh. Black coat. That cover scares the Charles Dickens out of me.
Sigh. Personal responsibility is obviously a trait of the Right ...
White House Website Rewrites History
Forget WhiteHouse.gov as the place for an accurate record of the Bush administration. As Spinsanity points out, the ol' official site of the president is turning into whitehouse.org.
Now the White House is once again attempting to revise history, albeit in a more subtle way -- by changing the title of a major address the President gave about the end of combat operations in Iraq. In the May 1 speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of San Diego, the President said, "major combat operations in Iraq have ended." The transcript on the whitehouse.gov website and other references to it (here, here, and here, for instance) are now titled "President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended." As several blogs such as the site Likely Story have noted along with Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, when originally published, the speech and references to it were titled "President Bush Announces Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended." The absence of the word "major" is a crucial difference given ongoing combat in Iraq since the President's speech.Outrage? Hello? Rewriting history? No? Ok.
A Washington Post story from last week confirms that the speech was originally titled as such, as does numerous copies of the speech on other sites that have not been changed, including Newspaper in Education, GlobalSecurity.org, and even the State Department. In addition, the "event backgrounder" on the White House website still has the old title.
There's no way to directly verify now when the page was altered, but the original title cited in the Post story indicates that it was on or after August 18, as does this screenshot of the White House website. It seems clear the White House no longer wanted to give the impression that Bush had said all combat operations were over on May 1. Changing the title of a speech is certainly not as bad as lying about what the President actually said, but it's indicative of a disturbing habit of the current administration: when the past is inconvenient, simply fix it up a little bit and hope no one notices.
TBogg Back
Tom is back blogging at his ol' blog. Chickiti check-it.
Uh-Oh, Guess We Have to Boycott Indiana Jones 4
Harrison Ford critical of US policy, saying he is "disturbed about the direction American foreign policy is going."
"I think something needs to be done to help alleviate the conditions which have created a disenfranchised and angry faction in the Middle East.Ford is somewhat active in politics. He's done ads and other campaigns for environmental interest groups. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he spoke at the Democratic National Convention once. Not certain ...
"I don't think military intervention is the correct solution. I regret what we as a country have done so far," said Chicago-born Ford, 62.
Fox Insiders: Franken Lawsuit "Public Relations Train Wreck"
From a Howie Kurtz's snide interview with Al Franken.
The view inside Fox News is that the suit -- which called Franken "shrill" and "unstable," among other choice adjectives -- was a public relations train wreck that embarrassed the network and boosted Franken's book, which is being rushed into stores to capitalize on the publicity. These sources say that top executives, including Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, argued against the suit, but that O'Reilly was so loudly adamant that the network went along to placate its prime-time star.
Wed, August 27, 2003
Franken Hits #1
Franken hits #1 spot on NY Times Sept 7 list, Drudge is reporting. Kudos to Al.
Arnold Orgy: Fair Game
This article from Oui Magazine is fair game since it was a published interview. It's Arnold's words, not rumor and innuendo. Obviously Arnold doesn't look great (still better than Mary Carey), but then again, who thinks Arnold is a saint?
CNN-Turned-Fox Anchor Susteren: AOL Ruined CNN
The not-so-shrill Greta Van Susteren, who is very nice in person, says (and I agree) "What happened to CNN is a disgrace."
The problems at CNN, she said, started when parent company Time Warner merged with AOL and laid off employees. But she also criticized recent moves by Jim Walton, named president of Atlanta-based CNN early this year.Greta also says CNN has a morale problem. True. Many at Fox don't have a morale problem because most think they're working for a cause - conservative politics - and that, to them, is rewarding.
Van Susteren thinks Walton made a mistake by downsizing boisterous debate show "Crossfire" from an hour at 7 p.m. to a half-hour in the afternoon ...
"I told CNN, 'Don't you get it? This is not about money. Don't you understand? I am not having fun here anymore. I can't stand what AOL is doing to CNN and its people, and I can't stand the atmosphere there.' "
War Against Rivers
How seemingly small bureaucratic rules can change the fate of one river, and the surrounding environment. From Ted Williams in Mother Jones.
THE NEW GUIDELINES and proposed rule-making are just part of a larger offensive on the Clean Water Act. The statute contains a provision -- never implemented -- that would have gone a long way toward controlling the "nonpoint pollution" from such sources as agriculture and city streets. The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program, which deals with nonpoint pollution, is a commonsense approach requiring pollution to be limited so that a stream is no longer "impaired." At the behest of agribusiness and the timber industry a reasonably effective TMDL rule, promulgated by Clinton's EPA, was neutralized April 2, 2003, by the Bush administration. Bush's EPA proposes to redefine "impaired" waters as clean and to preserve the status quo by letting the states -- which had ignored the TMDL program -- worry about discharges.
And surviving Clean Water Act provisions aren't being enforced. According to EPA documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, nearly 30 percent of the largest municipal, industrial, and federal facilities were in serious violation of pollution permits at least once between January 2000 and March 2001. The response of the Bush administration was to cut the EPA's enforcement budget.
Controversy Erupts Over New EPA Rules
The EPA will release a "ruling this week allowing thousands of power plants, refineries, and industrial facilities to upgrade without reducing the pollution they emit." Industry applauds, environmentalists yell.
So why do environmentalists think the ruling is bad? Why, NRDC?
The new final rule would allow facilities to avoid installing pollution controls when they replace equipment -- even if the upgrade increases pollution -- as long as the cost of the replacement did not exceed 20 percent of the cost of what the EPA broadly defines as a "process unit." For example, if a coal-fired power plant replaced a boiler whose cost was less than 20 percent of the replacement cost of the entire process unit -- the boiler, turbine, generator and other equipment that turns coal into electricity -- the company would not have to control the resulting pollution increases.
Under this scheme, all of the Clean Air Act violations the Justice Department is prosecuting at nine Tennessee Valley Authority power plants and those at a recently convicted Ohio Edison plant would have been allowed, according to NRDC. The upgrades at those plants increased air pollution by hundreds of thousands of tons, but because they cost less than 20 percent of the replacement value of the process units, TVA and Ohio Edison would not have had to install modern pollution controls under the new rule.
Will Hillary Run?
Columnist Richard Reeves says it's possible ...
For the record, our new senator has said she was not interested in the presidency. So has former Vice President Al Gore, who might be rethinking his own future. Not for the record, though, Hillary and her advisers, including her husband the ex-president, her money men and pollsters, will meet shortly after Labor Day - Sept. 6, I hear - to discuss whether she should go for it. It is a decision that has to be made earlier rather than later because of November and December filing deadlines for the early primary elections that will almost certainly (and very quickly) identify the 2004 Democratic nominee.Conservatives, of course, are having a field day with the possibility of Hillary 2004.
Arianna Blogs
Though Arianna temporarily quit her day job as a syndicated columnist, it appears she hasn't completely stopped writing. Arianna's Journal is her personal blog and, unlike some other candidate blogs, she writes all the entries herself.
Dean Takes Huge Lead in NH
Zogby poll finds Dean with a huge lead, 21%, in New Hampshire. Pollster John Zogby says:
This is stunning. Dean's surge seems to be at a heavy cost to Kerry, who led Dean in previous New Hampshire polling. Dean has also taken from Gephardt's standing, and from the undecideds. His support is really across the board … both Congressional districts, men and women, Democrats and independents, liberals and moderates. He's the candidate to watch at the top of the scale, while some of those down the line might re-think their candidacy at this point.Indeed. Here are the numbers:
Dean 38% (22% - June 4-7)
Kerry 17 (25)
Lieberman 6 (10)
Gephardt 6 (7)
Edwards 4 (2)
Clark 2 (-)
Graham 1 (1)
Kucinich 1 (2)
Sharpton 0.4 (1)
Mosley Braun - (1)
Someone Else 1 (3)
Conservation Groups Win Over Navy re: Whales
A federal judge ruled that "the Navy's plan to deploy a new high-intensity sonar system violates numerous federal environmental laws and could endanger whales, porpoises and fish." Enter expert quotes:
Naomi Rose, Humane Society of the United States: "The science is clear -- intense active sonar can kill whales, porpoises and fish. The Navy must find ways to test and train with the LFA system that do not needlessly damage marine life."
Judge Laporte: "The public has a strong interesting in minimizing, as much as possible, any disruption or injury to these creatures from exposure to the extremely loud and far-traveling naval sonar system. Public concern has been heightened by incidents where exposure to another kind of Navy sonar has led to lethal strandings of whales on the beach, as in the Bahamas in 2000."
Dean on Top; Fundraising "more than any other Democrat in a similar period save for President Bill Clinton in 1995"
The NY Times sums up Dean's popularity:
The staggering, seemingly spontaneous crowds turning up to meet him — 10,000 in Seattle Sunday and 8,000 last night in Bryant Park in Manhattan — are unheard of in these young days of the race, when most candidates concentrate on the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, and would seem formidable even in October 2004.As usual, the best place for Dean news is the "Blog for America."
Yesterday morning, the campaign took another audacious step, saying that it would broadcast television advertisements in six new states beginning on Friday, and that it expected to raise $10.3 million in the three months ending Sept. 30 — more than any other Democrat in a similar period save for President Bill Clinton in 1995.
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
There She Is ... Moseley Braun Receives Endorsements
Moseley Braun, perhaps the least known of the 9 Dem presidential candidates, has picked up endorsements from NOW and the National Women’s Political Caucus. NOW called Braun a "“prime example of what feminists strive for — women moving up through all levels of political office."
Braun's camp undoubtedly hopes the two endorsements will help fundraising efforts. Braun only has $22,126 in the bank.
Clark: White House "tried to get me knocked off CNN"
Hmmm ... from (surprise) Fox News:
"The White House actually back in February apparently tried to get me knocked off CNN and they wanted to do this because they were afraid that I would raise issues with their conduct of the war," Clark told Newsradio 620 KTAR. "Apparently they called CNN. I don't have all the proof on this because they didn't call me. I've only heard rumors about it."
CNN had no immediate comment on the general's allegations. White House officials told Fox News that they are "adamant" that they "never tried to get Wesley Clark kicked off the air in any way, shape or form." Beyond that, the White House "won't respond to rumors."
USPIRG: 2002 Smog Season "worst smog season in recent years"
Ah, I was wondering when they'd release this report. Every year US PIRG looks at the number of ozone monitor exceedances in every state. An ozone monitor exceedance is when the concentration of ground-level ozone pollution exceeds the EPA-set "safe" 8-hour standard of .085ppm. According to the latest report from USPIRG, 2002 was the worst smog season (based on ozone exceedances) since 1998. Among other statistics from the USPIRG study:
The obligatory quote from the report's press release:
Clear the Air Director Angela Ledford: "We can't depend on the weather to protect Americans from diseases caused by breathing polluted air. We may have gotten lucky this summer because of the break from the summer heat, but smog levels are still unacceptably high and will rise again unless we clean up old, dirty power plants and other pollution sources."
High concentrations of ozone pollution can lead to many serious health problems, including asthma, respiratory problems, eye irritation, and birth defects.
Among the report's recommendations:
The .pdf report is here. In the credits, you may see a familiar name. You can find out how your state did here
Now You Can Cite USC to Money-Elitist Friends
That's right. Study: "Money Doesn't Make Us Happier." From the University of SoCal
A University of Southern California researcher released a study Monday refuting the belief that increased wealth leads to greater happiness, and stating that happiness typically comes from spending quality time with loved ones and from good health.Which reminds me, if you want to help the-hamster.com keep down the costs of this site ...
"The problem is we don't realize that our material wants increase with the amount of money we make. We always think the more money we make the happier we'll be," said Richard Easterlin, a USC economist.
"This illusion leads us to misallocate time to material pursuits rather than non-material pursuits, such as spending time with the family," he said.
Cool-Hand Dean
Reuters calls Dean the "It candidate of the moment." With Time, Newsweek, US News cover stories, who can disagree?
Howard Dean is the It candidate of the moment. From Rolling Stone to Modern Physician magazine, everybody wants a piece of the 2004 Democratic presidential contender.
Aboard the "Grass Roots Express," the chartered jet ferrying him coast to coast on a late summer political swing, the doctor and former governor of Vermont found himself squeezed in a center seat discussing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with a reporter on his left and medical malpractice caps with a correspondent on his right. German television, The New Yorker magazine and CBS' "60 Minutes II" vied for face time with the one Democratic contender to create early buzz with a sense of momentum almost five months before the first contests on the road to the White House.
Dean was the flavor of the week as his "Sleepless Summer" tour stopped in Chicago on Tuesday en route to a big late-night finish in New York City and no one seemed more surprised than Dean himself. "Holy cow!" were the first two words out of his mouth at a rally in Seattle that drew an estimated 10,000 people. It was his fifth stop on a 10-city marathon dreamed up by his young staff.
O'Reilly Snaps at Peabody Column
More funniez from Bill O'Reilly. This time, against The Oregonian columnist Peter Ames Carlin.
"For you to write in your column that I repeatedly said I won a Peabody Award is absolutely untrue, all right?" he snapped. "I know you would want to correct something like that."Uh-oh ...
What he never did correct was the implication that he had something to do with winning the award. He didn't: The story that won "Inside Edition" its Polk aired the year after O'Reilly left the show. Nevertheless, O'Reilly tended to whip out the award (whether Peabody or Polk) whenever he was being attacked personally, as in May 2000 when Neville accused him of being "a sellout."Hey, I don't understand what's the big deal about a Peabody. I mean, something named after Mr. Peabody from Rocky and Bullwinkle can't be that prestigious. What? Hey, shut up. SHUT UP. You had your one comment in the comment section.
"We won Peabody Awards!" he retorted.
"You got a lot of money, and you sold out!"
"We won Peabody Awards! We won --"
But O'Reilly's "we" doesn't actually include him. Except, as he told my editors last week, in the loose, intimate way a former collegian might say "we won" while describing the alma mater's football team, the alumni "we."
A plausible explanation? Perhaps. But a fuzzy one, particularly given the highly personal terms of the debate that had led to O'Reilly's "we won" statements.
And while it's plausible that his slips were as innocent as O'Reilly now says they are, it's harder to understand why a man who boasts that his code of ethics requires him to never "distort anything or exclude anything" would have stopped short of explaining that he had nothing to do with the award in question. Particularly when he's insisting, as he did on my voicemail last Wednesday, that he "never claimed I won any award."
"Black Women Get Worse Heart Care, Study Finds"
"Black women may have a higher risk of heart disease than white women, but they get worse care," according to the American Heart Association .
The study, published in the journal Circulation, may help explain why black women are more likely to die of heart disease.Another reason why Blacks are more likely to vote for Democrats. Democrats realize the need to provide health insurance for every American. Fear of medical costs shouldn't prevent someone from seeking heart treatment or, at the very least, medical consultation. The inaction in the United States on this subject is disappointing, not only to me, but the 41 million without health insurance.
"We found that black women had nearly twice the rate of heart attack and death due to coronary heart disease," Dr. Ashish Jha of the San Francisco Veteran's Administration Medical Center said in a statement.
"Despite this greater risk of coronary events, black women were less likely to have adequate blood pressure and cholesterol management and less likely to receive preventive treatment."
Doctors may need to move sooner to treat black women with early heart disease signs, Jha said.
Postwar = War
Words are words, but since Bush declared the end of major combat operations, 138 US military men and women have died. This is the same number of deaths as during the war.
"Bring Them Home Now!" from Executive Director of Veterans For Peace Wilson "Woody" Powell.
Lenny Bruce, Porn and Ashcroft
"They call it the Halls of Justice because the only place you get justice is in the halls."
Another great article from Salon.com, this time about speech, entertainment and John Ashcroft's recent crackdown on porn.
Has that dragon really died? It's true that no comedian or author or singer will probably ever again be led away in handcuffs for using what some beat cop decides are offensive words -- certainly not for saying that Eleanor Roosevelt "had the nicest tits of any lady in office" or doing a shtick about a wife who returns home to find her husband screwing a chicken. But the outdated obscenity laws and murky Supreme Court rulings used to arrest and convict Bruce remain, a testament to our nation's complete inability to deal with the issue of obscenity. (Indeed, as Ronald Collins and David Skover point out in their excellent book, "The Trials of Lenny Bruce," his final New York conviction has never been formally overturned: In the eyes of the law, disgracefully, Lenny Bruce remains a criminal.)
Most tellingly, the highest powers in the land are still eminently capable of using those laws to crack down on material they deem immoral -- even if millions of Americans spend billions of dollars a year consuming that material. The issue today is not dirty words or offensive comedic routines, but pornography -- America's favorite not-so-secret vice and the bęte noire of cultural conservatives and religious fundamentalists. (At least the official bęte noire: According to many in a position to know, the most Bible-thumping types tend to be the most avid watchers of porn.) Pornography may not be as inspiring a subject to defend as a Lenny Bruce spritz, but free speech is free speech. It's also hard to avoid the feeling that Attorney General John Ashcroft and his ilk, who are constantly calling for a return to the good old days of clear moral guidelines and harsh sanctions, would have been among Bruce's most zealous persecutors.
Chris Matthews Wrong on Coulter
On an appearance last week on Hardball, Chris Matthews challenged Joe Conason's version of the truth.
MATTHEWS: Yes. By the way, there's something inaccurate in her book. There is something inaccurate in her book, because you said that she was on my show, HARDBALL, eight times. I would be surprised if she was on once.Enter radio's Dennis Prager
PRAGER: What he is telling you.Apparently, Chris DOES need to be told. From Conason's salon.com journal
CONASON: What I would appreciate right now, Chris.
PRAGER: He is telling you how many times she was on your show.
Not only did she appear on "Hardball" eight times between the publication date in June 2002 and the following January to help promote her book -- as the Nexis database clearly shows -- but she made three appearances within the first two weeks after "Slander's" publication. (For a broader, more astringent perspective on the Hardball festivities, check out the current Daily Howler). It's a subject to which I plan to return tomorrow. (And I understand that Coulter will be on "Hardball" tonight. I bet she's sorry she missed me last week. Well, maybe Chris has looked up the record, found that little "surprise," and will correct himself).Daily Howler correctly notes:
I'd be surprised if she was on once? The record is clear on this matter. When Slander was released in the spring of 2002, Coulter appeared on the 1) Wednesday, June 26 Hardball to discuss the book with guest host Mike Barnicle. And 2) six days later, the tough-talking author was back ... To all appearances, Matthews knew this was Coulter's second appearance in support of her book. And in the weeks and months that followed, Coulter did regular guest spots on Hardball. She appeared on 3) August 14, 4) September 2, 5) November 15, 6) December 5, 7) January 2, and 8) January 16, always introduced as the author of Slander. Presumably, these comprise the eight appearances to which Conason's book refers. (numbers are mine - eric)Not once? Why doesn't Matthews know basic facts about his own show?
Hamster Poll: Clark Finds Popular Support
If Clark runs for the Democratic nomination, how likely would you be to vote for Gen. Wesley Clark in the primaries?
Very likely 403 59%
Likely 101 15%
Neutral 46 7%
Unlikely 41 6%
Not Likely 55 8%
Undecided 31 5%
I'm not voting Democratic 6 1%
The final poll numbers from the unscientific the-hamster.com weekly poll. As you can see, at least according to this poll, General Wesley Clark enjoys very popular support among readers and visitors to this site. The poll's intent is to gage initial and early reaction to Wesley Clark. I should note that I made a screw-up. I meant to put "very unlikely" instead of "not likely." The way the poll was positioned - "not likely" at the lowest end of the options - I think it was clear that that was the most negative response. But if it wasn't, my apologizes.
Because Clark isn't a declared candidate, he hasn't received the same criticisms and scrutiny as the other 9 candidates. If Clark declares (and it appears likely he will), then there needs to be a strong, and fair public debate about Clark. His role as NATO commander, issue positions and solutions, etc, need to be scrutinized. Right now, again, that hasn't happened since Clark is a non-candidate.
No poll for this week, may return next week. In related Clark news, Howard Dean said he would consider a Dean-Clark ticket in 2004. Many Dean fans, including Janeane Garofalo, have been intrigued by the possibility.
Also, Zogby did a poll for the Draft Clark people. Here's the PR.
· 84.1% of likely Democratic primary voters say it is not too late for a new entrant into the race to win their support;Atrios says "some of it is a bit rigged - some questions are asked after providing bio info, which is pretty stacked in Clark's favor." A valid caveat about the poll. The pdf of the poll. Kos has a little more on Clark.
· 73.5% of all likely voters rate military/national security experience as "very" or "somewhat" important for a presidential candidate;
· Clark comes in first in a blind-bio match-up versus six key Democratic candidates (Dean, Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman, Gephardt, Edwards, and Graham);
· Clark wins 49.4% to 40.2% in a blind-bio match-up versus President Bush among a national poll of likely voters;
· Even when the poll question referred solely to candidate names (no bio information), Clark jumped to 5th place (4.9%) nationally among likely Democratic primary voters – despite his low name recognition, and the fact that he has not spent a dime.
It's clear a Clark candidacy would provide a serious jolt to the race, likely taking support in varying doses from Dean, Kerry, Lieberman and Edwards. The only candidate that would seem to benefit from a Clark candidacy, at least initially, is Gephardt, making an Iowa victory an easier proposition (thanks to a weakened Dean). Clark's still must raise money, and lots of it. The competing Draft Clark movements make organization a somewhat easier task, but Clark would still need to bring in experienced hands. If any are left.Sounds about right to me.
Regardless, there's no doubt Clark can inject a great deal of excitement in the race. And I am willing to bet Clark will run to Dean's left, given his latest rhetoric and what little of his writings exist.
Monday, August 25, 2003
The Invisible VP Appears, Stifles Energy Probe
Cheney and the Bush administration impeded the GAO's investigation into Cheney's 2001 energy task force, reports Reuters. John Dingell?
"This report is a sad chronicle of the efforts of the office of the vice president to hide its activities from the American people," said Michigan Rep. John Dingell, the senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.Secretive, they are.
There Goes the Neighborhood
Peace activists don't have to go far to march against Bush. A Dallas peace activist, John Wolf, bought a ranch house near Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch home. From the AP
Inside, where an air conditioner struggled to keep the house cool, Lucas explained why she regularly drives from her home 25 miles away to help care for what everyone here calls the Crawford Peace House.
"People thought it would be nice to have a place in Crawford that embodied the consciousness of peace, rather than the consciousness of war," said Lucas, a 60-year-old women with a gray ponytail.
"The rest of the world thinks very lowly of our country because we are arrogant, exploitative and thoughtless in the destruction that we do to another country when we go after whatever it is that we want from them."
Was "Faith Healing" a Homicide?
Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office has ruled that the death of Terrance Cottrell Jr., an autistic boy who died during a weekend prayer service, is a homicide. Few details now, as police are still investigating.
Fox Drops Lawsuit; "It's time to return Al Franken to the obscurity that he's normally accustomed to"
Think they sound bitter? Well, that ends that. I'll now return you to your regularly scheduled program. Fox will not further pursue the "fair and balanced" lawsuit. Darn.
Will Hart Return to Senate?
The former Colorado senator, who briefly flirted with a run for president, may run against GOP incumbent Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Nighthorse Campbell switched parties in 1995. Hart's still popular in Colorado, and it's clear Hart wants to return to public service, so the run may be prudent.
I Wonder if O'Reilly Will Sue FAIR
The Oh Really? Factor
I'm sure FAIR is crossing its fingers.
Busy Week for Al Franken
Al's going to be on TV a lot this week. Here's the scheduled appearances:
August 25-26 - Crossfire
August 25 - Today Show
August 25 - Live from the Headlines with Paula Zahn, CNN @ 8pm
August 26 - Newsnight with Aaron Brown, CNN @ 10pm
August 26 - Extra! Syndicated.
August 27 - Countdown with Keith Olberman, MSNBC @ 8pm
August 28 - Capitol Report, CNBC @ 9pm
Sept 2 - Crier Live, Court TV @ 5pm
Sept 3 - Fresh Air, NPR
Oct 4 - Tim Russert, CNBC @ 10pm
Some may wonder why I promote Franken so much. Simply put, if it wasn't for Al, this weblog wouldn't exist and I'd probably be in accounting or something.
Why Dean's Blog Works
TAPPED, Hamster-linkless since the Era of Nabonassar, notes why Dean's blog is so successful. Not everyone is in the mood for The Nation writing-style
But Tapped has thought for a while that the great unacknowledged secret of the Dean campaign's wildly succesful blog -- at least during this slowish news month of August -- is that it has a heck of a lot more in common with Parade Magazine and US Weekly than it does with Slate. The Dean Blog is as goofy and cheesy and low-brow as the American people themselves -- God bless them -- and it is loaded with recipes, pictures of pets and people going to sporting events (here and here). It is often hilarious, both intentionally and unintentionally. Take this recent, lo-fi, clip-art animation for Dean's upcoming Sleepless Summer Tour. It looks like the kind of so-bad-it's-good animation you'd see on Letterman, featuring a pop-up Dean at the end who looks a little too much like Dr. Phil for comfort. And the Blog has recurring themes in photos and comments: campaign manager Joe Trippi with his ubiquitous Diet Pepsi, the McFun Iowa van, transportation snafus and, of course, the governor's fondness for cookies. (Believe it or not, whether the Guv is eating too much ice cream or too many cookies was a huge debate topic on the blog for an entire week. One representative comment, post-Iowa State Fair: "It would seem that the cookies, Krispy Kremes, Fried Oreos, etc. etc. ARE A REPUBLICAN PLOT TO CREATE A VERY FAT NEW PRESIDENT WITH ADVANCED ATHEROSCLEROSIS!!!!" [sic] This was after they discussed whether his shirt-collars were too tight, that weird thing he did with his lip on Larry King, what was wrong with his hair at the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association Candidates' Forum, and whether he should get his teeth whitened.) It's like watching a reality TV show with a very chatty audience -- and even has the same weird mix of edited-for-consumption real moments and self-consciously authentic presentations, like Trippi's recent stump speech, delivered while standing on a stump.Some of the political consultants I've talked with believe that they can't use the internet too much because it can create an atmosphere of "dumbing down their candidate." In other words, posting recipes or digital camera pictures distracts from the original message of the campaign. Hence, many candidate websites post only press releases. It's a valid concern; you don't want your candidate's website to appear amateurish. However, Dean's blog shows how an official candidate blog can be down-to-earth yet smart. That balance is important. The average American – and the one who votes – wants to be spoken to, not spoken over.
Best
Best wishes to TBogg.
Who doesn't like death penalty statistics?
"A poll from the Pew Research Center reveals that public support for the death penalty has dropped significantly since 1996 when 78% of poll respondents supported the death penalty. Today only 64% support the death penalty."
"Between 1973 and 2003, 111 death row inmates in 25 states were found to be innocent and released from death row, more than a third of them in the last seven years."
"Almost all death sentences in this country – 81 percent – involve white victims. 178 black people have been executed for killing a white person, but only 12 white people have been executed for killing a black person."
"Of the more than 700 executions performed in the U.S. in the last 25 years, 82% were carried out by 10 states (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MO, OK, SC, TX and VA). Texas and Virginia accounted for almost half of these executions."
"A study headed by Professor James Liebman of Columbia University found a startlingly high error rate of 68% in death penalty cases over a twenty-three year time period."
From Mother Jones :
Unmanned aerial vehicles "weren't designed to dispense biological or chemical weapons." Bush administration had claimed otherwise.
"People do recognize him from his films, but he is now undertaking a very serious mission and we want people to be told all about it." - Fox News VP John Stack. Claims the not so reliable Drudge Report.
Quotes
From the West Wing
C.J.: Mr. President.
Bartlet: Yes.
C.J.: Hi.
Bartlet: Hi.
C.J.: I'm sorry to ask you this, sir, but...
Bartlet: Not too late to stop yourself.
C.J.: I need you to pardon a turkey.
Bartlet: I already pardoned a turkey.
C.J.: I need you to pardon another one.
Bartlet: Didn't I do it right?
C.J.: You did it great, but I need you to come out here and pardon another one.
Bartlet: Aren't I going to get a reputation for being soft on turkeys?
"The president was out here this week, trying to stay away from our recall mess. He was sort of backing away from endorsing Arnold because Arnold Schwarzenegger's views on abortion and gay rights are a little too liberal for the president. Also Bush said, on a personal note, he wants to know how you pick up a German accent when you come from Australia." Bill Maher
"So far, Canada is blaming the United States for the blackout, and the United States is blaming Canada. Not surprisingly, President Bush is blaming France" Conan O'Brien
"Today in Iraq, American and British forces handed out food to hundreds of starving Iraqis. Ironically, the Iraqis handed the British food back." Conan O'Brien
From "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right"
Another lie from Sean Hannity. Or was it? It occurred to me that I had been escorted out – by Colmes. In addition to being Sean's liberal on-air punching bag, maybe, just maybe, Colmes also worked security detail at Fox. In fact, now that I thought about it, as the only liberal on Fox, Colmes probably did a lot of other odd jobs around the network.
As it turns out, I was right. In the "Odd Jobs" chapter in Alan's new autobiography, Back to You, Sean: The Alan Colmes Story, we learn that Colmes's duties as cohost of Hannity and Colmes include adding toner to the copiers and printers, loofah-ing Roger Ailes in his personal steam room and ordering Chinese food for editors working on misleading video packages. A scrupulous removal of lint from Sean's jacket using Alan's trusty lint roller, and it's show time. After another fabulous show, Hannity may be headed home, but Alan Colmes's day is just beginning. There's floors to be mopped, plants to be watered, light bulbs to be replaced, and coffee to be ground for the morning. It's lonely being the only liberal at Fox, but Alan doesn't mind. There is so much satisfaction to be had, not just from occasionally getting a word in edgewise on his own show, but from hearing Roger Ailes's chuckle when he sees the little paper strip reading "Hannitized for Your Protection" that the former comedian carefully placed across the seat of the toilet in his private bathroom.
John Ashcroft is coming to town. And no, not for the annual Dr. Who convention.
Cartoons (not posted directly to ease load-time)
Brian Fairrington: California or Bust?
Nick Anderson: Roy Moore: Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Bill Day: Sweet Home Talibama.
Mike Luckovich: The Liberators.
Rob Rogers: GW action figures.
I don't know about you, but I'm voting for Dave Grayvis.
Sing along to the Fair and Balanced Song.
New LA Times poll shows Bustamante with a 13 point lead over Arnold. Still, according to the poll, "half say their choice for a successor to Davis, if he is ousted, may change."
New poll from Newsweek finds that Americans are increasingly fed up with the Iraq war and its costs.
Check out the Bush / Cheney '04 compassion page , which includes the compassion photo album and the compassion action. Ah, there's also a compassion search, where I guess you search compassionately. Bush / Cheney 04 should trademark the word compassionate. Two cents from Hamster, JD.
Who says liberal books can't sell? Currently, Al Franken's book is number one while Big Lies, at this time, is at number four. Without the help of a lawsuit, too! Help make Joe's book number 2 (or 1).
Oh, will entertaining wonders never cease.
Interestingly enough, reports the semi-reliable NYPost.
The new release from my buddies at Christian Coalition of Alabama. Hopefully God doesn't intervene in our human affairs and cause a real earthquake - some Christians believe God causes natural disasters and, apparently, terrorist acts - because, damn, I'm this close to forgiving the ACLU for 9-11 and an earthquake would really make me mad at them all over again.
Meanwhile, some are calling Roy Moore the "modern-day Daniel."
President Bush is set to relax clean air rules. Thankfully, some in the media are taking him to task ...
Take a deep breath
Berkshire Eagle
HamsterChatter: "The Bush administration's contempt for public health, public opinion and the democratic process is, pardon the expression, breathtaking. It has changed the rules on air pollution in spite of the 225,000 people who wrote in opposing the change, against the scientific advice of its own Environmental Protection Agency and a parade of state and local officials who testified at a public hearing. Mr. Spitzer of New York will be suing shortly, and we wish him success because a successful lawsuit is the only way to stop the rules change from going into effect ."
Clean Air Rules To Be Relaxed - EPA Will Ease Power Plants' Requirements
Washington Post
HamsterChatter: "But environmentalists, state officials and congressional Democrats who have long fought the rule change -- which was first reported yesterday in the New York Times -- warned that it would undermine the only effective tool to combat industrial polluters. They said it would allow antiquated industrial plants that should have been shut down years ago to go on polluting -- or even increase pollution -- without fear of prosecution ."
Bush gives power plants a get-out on pollution control
UK Indy
HamsterChatter: "At least until it was leaked, the administration's Environmental Protection Agency was due to make its final ruling on modifying the 1972 Clean Air Act in the next few days. It appears the White House wanted to draw as little attention to the change as possible, choosing a moment when Congress is not in session and when the position of EPA administrator is temporarily vacant ."
Bush's pollution charter - Republican supporting energy firms set to escape controls on emissions
The Guardian
HamsterChatter: "The Bush administration plans to open a huge loophole in America's air pollution laws, allowing an estimated 17,000 outdated power stations and factories to increase their carbon emissions with impunity. Critics of draft regulations due to be unveiled by the US environmental protection agency next week say they amount to a death knell for the Clean Air Act, the centrepiece of US regulation ."
Fouling the Air
NY Times
HamsterChatter: "What really bothers industry is that the rule requires significant capital outlays. Many companies have therefore tried to evade it, leading to lawsuits by, among others, Mr. Spitzer. Confronted with industry's howls, the administration decided simply to scuttle the rule. This is hardly the first time that the White House has ordered the rollback of a law that discomfits its friends. But this is a particularly egregious example, and one that could do the environment great harm ."
Are you Republican? Are you a conservative? Why not support a reaalll Republican. If you're a Republican, vote Tom McClintock for Governor! Spread the word, Republican friend.
The story ... linked from Fox. OOOoooh, the funniez. Franken, by the way, will guest-host "Crossfire" on Monday and Tuesday.
Give Franken a celebration gift: your support with a book buying.
Edit: Added "For Now" and removed "lawsuit" part of "wins lawsuit" in re: to possibility of Fox appeal.
US News has its overrated college guide out again.. Harvard is on top, while The George Washington University is at number 51. And, of course, because GW is ranked so low, I'll link to this article.
Former CNN military analyst Clark was banned from Moneyline with Lou Dobbs. Dobbs reportedly didn't like Clark's political statements. Dobbs, by the way, is a Republican-party donor.
Gail Shister in the Philly Inquirer on the former "SNL" player:
The EPA will release its final rule on the the Clean Air Act's definition of "routine maintenance." As expected, it will allow significantly more air pollution. NRDC has the press release.:
The question from Zogby Polling: "Do you think President Bush deserves to be reelected or do you think it is time for someone new?"
Deserves Reelection 45
Someone New 48
Not Sure 8
Meanwhile, the largest American state is unsatisfied with Bush: "Half the state's voters approve of his performance, 45 percent disapprove and the rest are undecided in the Field Poll. Immediately after the attacks, 74 percent approved and 16 percent disapproved of his performance. Democrats have since reversed their views, with 72 percent now believing he is doing a poor job. Among independent voters, 48 percent now hold a negative view. Bush continues to enjoy an overwhelming 86 percent approval rating from Republicans."
Poor Coulter. She ran away from Joe Conason.
See Conason in Salon for the 1st person story.
Arianna responds to Estrich's reprehensible ad-hominem attack (see 4 posts below).
How will the right-wing media attack General Clark? Look no further than Paul Greenberg in the Washington Times. Apparently Clark hates peace and loves dictators and dead bodies! Joy.
Congrats to Howard Dean. As Mother Jones notes Bush is copying his Internet success.
From Newsmax:
What else can you find in the book? Franken on O'Reilly's dirty writing about fellatio and other sinful deeds ... Hmmm ...
If you want to see Franken on television, here's the schedule (subject to change):
August 25 - Today Show
August 25 - Live from the Headlines with Paula Zahn, CNN @ 8pm EST
August 26 - Newsnight with Aaron Brown, CNN @ 10pm
August 26 - Extra! Syndicated.
August 27 - Countdown with Keith Olberman, MSNBC @ 8pm
August 28 - Capitol Report, CNBC @ 9pm
Sept 2 - Crier Live, Court TV @ 5pm
Sept 3 - Fresh Air, NPR
Oct 4 - Tim Russert, CNBC @ 10pm
Politics can be a dirty business. For politicians with children, it can be even more troublesome: to run for office means potentially exposing them to the slings and arrows of critics. Thankfully, the media rarely uses children as ammunition to score political points. Unfortunately, not all in the media have a sense of decency. Enter Susan Estrich. Estrich, a commentator for Fox News, has shown herself to be beneath contempt in her latest column. In it, Estrich launches on tirade against Arianna Huffington, using Arianna's private family life and children to support her thesis that Arianna is a hypocrite.
When did the personal lives of children become fair game for self-righteous columnist dribble? Email "Professor Estrich" and ask her why she feels the need to embarrass Arianna's children and dirty the public debate by invading Arianna's private family life.
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
An excerpt from Al Franken's new book, in stores today:
God chose me to write this book.
Just the fact that you are reading this is proof not just of God's existence, but also of His/Her/Its beneficence. That's right. I am not certain of God's precise gender. But I am certain that He/She/It chose me to write this book.
This isn't hubris. I'm not saying this in an egotistical way. God didn't choose me because I'm the greatest writer who ever lived. That was William Shakespeare, whose work I have a passing familiarity with. No. I just happened to be the right vessel at the right time. If something in this book makes you laugh, it was God's joke. If something makes you think, it's because God had a good point to make.
The reason I know God chose me is because God spoke to me personally.
God began our conversation by clearing something up. Some of George W. Bush's friends say that Bush believes God called him to be president during these times of trial. But God told me that He/She/It had actually chosen Al Gore by making sure that Gore won the popular vote and, God thought, the electoral college. "THAT WORKED FOR EVERYONE ELSE," God said.
"What about Tilden?" I asked, referring to the 1876 debacle.
"QUIET!" God snapped. God was angry.
God said that after 9/11, George W. Bush squandered a unique moment of national unity. That instead of rallying the country around a program of mutual purpose and sacrifice, Bush cynically used the tragedy to solidify his political power and pursue an agenda that panders to his base and serves the interests of his corporate backers.
God told me that Bush squandered a $4.6 trillion surplus and is plunging us into deficits as far as God can see. And that Bush squandered another surplus. The surplus of goodwill from the rest of the world that he had inherited from Bill Clinton.
And this was pissing God off.
He/She/It was right. But it sounded like a lot of work.
"Look, God, I'm flattered, but I think you got the wrong guy. The kind of book you're talking about would require months of research."
And God said, "LET THERE BE GOOGLE. AND LET THERE BE LEXISNEXIS."
"Very funny, God. I use Google all the time."
"YES, I KNOW," God said. "FOR HOT ASIAN TEENS."
"You must be thinking of my son, Joe."
"AL? I'M OMNISCIENT."
"Okay, okay." I changed the subject. "It's just that I can't do this book myself."
"LEAVE THAT TO ME," God boomed.
And that's when Harvard called.
***
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government asked me to serve as a fellow at its Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. After my varied and celebrated career in television, movies, publishing, and the lucrative world of corporate speaking, being a fellow at Harvard seemed, frankly, like a step down.
I couldn't think of anything less appealing than molding the minds of tomorrow's leaders, unless it was spending fireside evenings sipping sherry with great minds at the Faculty Club. Yawn.
To my surprise and delight, though, all Harvard wanted me to do was show up every once in a while and write something about something. That gave me an idea.
"Would it be okay if I wrote a scathingly partisan attack on the rightwing media and the Bush administration?"
"No problem," Harvard said absentmindedly.
"Count me in," I replied. "From now on call me 'Professor Franken.'"
"No," Harvard said, "you're not a professor. But you can run a study group on the topic of your choosing."
"Great," I said. "I've got the perfect topic: Write My Son's Harvard College Application Essay."
"No," they said. "Harvard students already know how to write successful Harvard applications, Al. We want you to teach them something new."
Harvard was right where I wanted it. "How about if the topic is: How to Research My Book?"
"Sure," Harvard said. "Most of our professors teach that course. Why, in the Biochemistry department, most of the graduate level courses are-"
Harvard was boring me. "I gotta run, Harvard. Thanks."
***
I had my Nexis, I had my Google, I had my Harvard fellowship, and I had my fourteen research assistants. I sat down to write. Nothing.
So I got on my knees and prayed for guidance. "How, God, can I best do Your work through this book? Who, dear Lord, is the audience for a book like this? And what's a good title?"
God answered, "YOU KNOW THOSE SHITTY BOOKS BY ANN COULTER AND BERNIE GOLDBERG?"
"The best-sellers that claim there's a liberal bias in the media?" I asked.
"TOTAL BULLSHIT," God said. "START BY ATTACKING THEM. HE'S CLEARLY A DISGRUNTLED FORMER EMPLOYEE, AND SHE JUST LIES. BY THE WAY, THERE'S SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH HER."
"That's pretty obvious."
"SO GO AFTER THEM, THE WHOLE LIBERAL BIAS MYTH, AND THEN GO AFTER THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA. ESPECIALLY FOX."
"Okay, God, I'm writing this down."
"THEN USE THEM AS A JUMPING-OFF POINT TO GO AFTER BUSH. YOU KNOW, BIG TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, SURGING UNEMPLOYMENT, IGNORING EVERYONE BUT HIS CORPORATE BUDDIES, SCREWING THE ENVIRONMENT, PISSING OFF THE REST OF THE WORLD. THAT STUFF. AND THAT'S YOUR BOOK."
"Got it. One last thing. Title."
"HOW ABOUT BEARERS OF FALSE WITNESS AND THE FALSE WITNESS THAT THEY BEAR?"
"Hmm. I, uh, I'll work with that."
Reprinted from Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them-A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken by permission of Dutton, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © Al Franken, Inc., 2003. All rights reserved. This excerpt, or any parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
Nice article from Eric Mink in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The former head of Gore's camp said that to the Utah Dems, according to DraftClark2004.com
The Nation's Matt Bivens has the numbers on the Pentagon's pay cuts and puts the numbers in perspective ...
On a somewhat related note, veterans are mad at the GOP because they reneged on a pledge to pass $3.2 billion for VA medical care.
So says Robert Reich in TomPaine.com. Reich writes that the real reason why Capitol Hill opposes the new FCC rules on media ownership is ...
Bill Clinton at an Aspen Institute conference, from Michael Wolff in the New York Metro.
Chris Rock on Letterman and Conan tonight.
Martin Sheen on Kilborn Friday.
David Cross on Carson Tuesday.
Kucinich on Daily Show tonight.
Wesley Clark on Hannity and Colmes tonight.
Michael Moore on The View today. Repeat.
Al Franken on The View Monday. Repeat.
The San Diego chicken should sue O'Reilly for trademark infringement, because O'Reilly's copying his act.
From Tuesday's show. No link available as of now.
To be fair to the Fox and Murdoch empire, they do produce one of the most liberal shows on television, "The Simpsons." Kudos to that, and only that.
"The public doesn't care about figures," he said.
The Surface Transportation Policy Project, a great group from the DC area that often works on public-interest matters, reports that air pollution in LA costs $1.8b in health costs per year. The full report is here.
There are many, many health effects associated with smog. For example, if you often play outdoor sports in Los Angeles as a child, you are more likely to develop respiratory problems.
Oh, I can cite journals of medicine for years, but you'll fall asleep and send me more email worm viruses. Why the Bush administration doesn't care about this, and has pushed the "Clear Skies Initiative," I don't know. Regardless of what you think about global warming, the government has a duty to protect the public health by reducing smog.
A notable career in public service will undoubtedly be tarnished after these recent findings. Jankow was speeding and ran a stop sign when he hit and killed a motorcyclist. Prosecutors are looking at possible charges. Jankow may receive second-degree manslaughter.
That liberal media is up to its old tricks again. According to a new study from FAIR, right-wing think tanks dominated media citations in 2002:
1. Brookings, Centrist
2. Council on Foreign Relations, Centrist
3. Heritage, Conservative
4. AEI, Conservative
5. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Conservative
6. Cato, Conservative / Lib
7. RAND, Center-Right
8. Carnegie, Centrist
9. EPI, Progressive
10. Family Research Council, Conservative
Statistics, Death Penalty Statistics
Who doesn't like death penalty statistics?
Stay Out of the Bushes
From Mother Jones :
Experts Down Another US Claim About Iraq
Unmanned aerial vehicles "weren't designed to dispense biological or chemical weapons." Bush administration had claimed otherwise.
Drudge: Fox Wants Serious Coverage for Serious Candidate Arnold
"People do recognize him from his films, but he is now undertaking a very serious mission and we want people to be told all about it." - Fox News VP John Stack. Claims the not so reliable Drudge Report.
Comedy Monday
Quotes
From the West Wing
C.J.: Mr. President.
Bartlet: Yes.
C.J.: Hi.
Bartlet: Hi.
C.J.: I'm sorry to ask you this, sir, but...
Bartlet: Not too late to stop yourself.
C.J.: I need you to pardon a turkey.
Bartlet: I already pardoned a turkey.
C.J.: I need you to pardon another one.
Bartlet: Didn't I do it right?
C.J.: You did it great, but I need you to come out here and pardon another one.
Bartlet: Aren't I going to get a reputation for being soft on turkeys?
"The president was out here this week, trying to stay away from our recall mess. He was sort of backing away from endorsing Arnold because Arnold Schwarzenegger's views on abortion and gay rights are a little too liberal for the president. Also Bush said, on a personal note, he wants to know how you pick up a German accent when you come from Australia." Bill Maher
"So far, Canada is blaming the United States for the blackout, and the United States is blaming Canada. Not surprisingly, President Bush is blaming France" Conan O'Brien
"Today in Iraq, American and British forces handed out food to hundreds of starving Iraqis. Ironically, the Iraqis handed the British food back." Conan O'Brien
From "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right"
Another lie from Sean Hannity. Or was it? It occurred to me that I had been escorted out – by Colmes. In addition to being Sean's liberal on-air punching bag, maybe, just maybe, Colmes also worked security detail at Fox. In fact, now that I thought about it, as the only liberal on Fox, Colmes probably did a lot of other odd jobs around the network.
As it turns out, I was right. In the "Odd Jobs" chapter in Alan's new autobiography, Back to You, Sean: The Alan Colmes Story, we learn that Colmes's duties as cohost of Hannity and Colmes include adding toner to the copiers and printers, loofah-ing Roger Ailes in his personal steam room and ordering Chinese food for editors working on misleading video packages. A scrupulous removal of lint from Sean's jacket using Alan's trusty lint roller, and it's show time. After another fabulous show, Hannity may be headed home, but Alan Colmes's day is just beginning. There's floors to be mopped, plants to be watered, light bulbs to be replaced, and coffee to be ground for the morning. It's lonely being the only liberal at Fox, but Alan doesn't mind. There is so much satisfaction to be had, not just from occasionally getting a word in edgewise on his own show, but from hearing Roger Ailes's chuckle when he sees the little paper strip reading "Hannitized for Your Protection" that the former comedian carefully placed across the seat of the toilet in his private bathroom.
John Ashcroft is coming to town. And no, not for the annual Dr. Who convention.
Cartoons (not posted directly to ease load-time)
Brian Fairrington: California or Bust?
Nick Anderson: Roy Moore: Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Bill Day: Sweet Home Talibama.
Mike Luckovich: The Liberators.
Rob Rogers: GW action figures.
I don't know about you, but I'm voting for Dave Grayvis.
Sing along to the Fair and Balanced Song.
Sunday, August 24, 2003
The Arnold Collapse; Recall Losing Support
New LA Times poll shows Bustamante with a 13 point lead over Arnold. Still, according to the poll, "half say their choice for a successor to Davis, if he is ousted, may change."
Saturday, August 23, 2003
America: Enough Already; Bush Down 18 Points from April
New poll from Newsweek finds that Americans are increasingly fed up with the Iraq war and its costs.
SIXTY-NINE PERCENT of Americans polled say they are very concerned (40 percent) or somewhat concerned (29 percent) that the United States will be bogged down for many years in Iraq without making much progress in achieving its goals. Just 18 percent say they're confident that a stable, democratic form of government can take shape in Iraq over the long term; 37 percent are somewhat confident. Just 13 percent say U.S. efforts to establish security and rebuild Iraq have gone very well since May 1, when combat officially ended; 39 percent say somewhat well.Further, Democrats are holding the lead on many important domestic voting issues. Bush is still ahead on terrorism / national security issues (though his points are considerably down).
Nearly half of respondents, 47 percent, say they are very concerned that the cost of maintaining troops in Iraq will lead to a large budget deficit and seriously hurt the U.S. economy. And 60 percent of those polled say the estimated $1 billion per week that the United States is spending is too much and the country should scale back its efforts. One-third supports the current spending levels for now, but just 15 percent of those polled say they would support maintaining the current spending levels for three years or more.
The biggest shift in opinion, however, comes in Bush's handling of non-terror issues. A plurality of voters now think the Democratic leaders in Congress have a better approach to dealing with the economy, tax cuts, healthcare, education, social security, the environment and energy policy.
This Isn't a Joke
Check out the Bush / Cheney '04 compassion page , which includes the compassion photo album and the compassion action. Ah, there's also a compassion search, where I guess you search compassionately. Bush / Cheney 04 should trademark the word compassionate. Two cents from Hamster, JD.
The 1-2 Punch
Who says liberal books can't sell? Currently, Al Franken's book is number one while Big Lies, at this time, is at number four. Without the help of a lawsuit, too! Help make Joe's book number 2 (or 1).
Court Audience Laughs at Fox Lawsuit
Oh, will entertaining wonders never cease.
Fox also objected to the use of a picture of Bill O'Reilly, one of its prominent news personalities, on the cover, claiming that it could be mistaken as an endorsement of the book.Har!
But these arguments were met by laughter in the crowded courtroom, as Fox tried to defend its signature slogan. Part of the network's burden was to prove that Mr. Franken's use of the phrase "fair and balanced" would lead to consumer confusion.
One round of laughter was prompted when Judge Chin asked, "Do you think that the reasonable consumer, seeing the word `lies' over Mr. O'Reilly's face would believe Mr. O'Reilly is endorsing this book?"
The giggling continued as Dori Ann Hanswirth, a lawyer for Fox, replied, "To me, it's quite ambiguous as to what the message is here." ...
Judge Chin said, "The president and the vice president are also on the cover. Is someone going to consider that they are affiliated with Fox?" The courtroom broke into laughter again.
Even Fox Won't Touch Savage
Interestingly enough, reports the semi-reliable NYPost.
MICHAEL Savage is delusional. "Fox would hire me in a minute," the right-wing ranter tells Jake Tapper in the September issue of GQ. "And believe it or not, CNN would, too." Savage was fired from MSNBC for telling a gay caller to "get AIDS and die." A Fox News Channel spokesman told GQ, "Not a chance would we ever be interested in him." CNN won't touch him, either: "[We] had not pursued nor are we pursuing Mr. Savage. And we have no interest in him." Tapper also reports that anchor Tom Brokaw had expressed concerns to NBC executives about hiring Savage, given his history of offensive commentary. For example, while discussing high school programs to feed the homeless, Savage, who now has a show on WOR Radio, suggested female student volunteers "go in and maybe get raped . . . because they seem to like the excitement of it. There's always the thrill and possibility they'll be raped in a Dumpster while giving out a turkey sandwich."Haha, but come on people, that last line was obviously a joke. I mean, when doesn't the ol' female teenage student getting raped in a dumpster with a turkey sandwich joke get a laugh?
Christian Coalition on Roy Moore Suspension: "This is not just a tremor; it is an earthquake that will shake America from the east coast to the west coast"
The new release from my buddies at Christian Coalition of Alabama. Hopefully God doesn't intervene in our human affairs and cause a real earthquake - some Christians believe God causes natural disasters and, apparently, terrorist acts - because, damn, I'm this close to forgiving the ACLU for 9-11 and an earthquake would really make me mad at them all over again.
Meanwhile, some are calling Roy Moore the "modern-day Daniel."
News Resources on Bush and Recent Air Pollution Rules
President Bush is set to relax clean air rules. Thankfully, some in the media are taking him to task ...
Take a deep breath
Berkshire Eagle
HamsterChatter: "The Bush administration's contempt for public health, public opinion and the democratic process is, pardon the expression, breathtaking. It has changed the rules on air pollution in spite of the 225,000 people who wrote in opposing the change, against the scientific advice of its own Environmental Protection Agency and a parade of state and local officials who testified at a public hearing. Mr. Spitzer of New York will be suing shortly, and we wish him success because a successful lawsuit is the only way to stop the rules change from going into effect ."
Clean Air Rules To Be Relaxed - EPA Will Ease Power Plants' Requirements
Washington Post
HamsterChatter: "But environmentalists, state officials and congressional Democrats who have long fought the rule change -- which was first reported yesterday in the New York Times -- warned that it would undermine the only effective tool to combat industrial polluters. They said it would allow antiquated industrial plants that should have been shut down years ago to go on polluting -- or even increase pollution -- without fear of prosecution ."
Bush gives power plants a get-out on pollution control
UK Indy
HamsterChatter: "At least until it was leaked, the administration's Environmental Protection Agency was due to make its final ruling on modifying the 1972 Clean Air Act in the next few days. It appears the White House wanted to draw as little attention to the change as possible, choosing a moment when Congress is not in session and when the position of EPA administrator is temporarily vacant ."
Bush's pollution charter - Republican supporting energy firms set to escape controls on emissions
The Guardian
HamsterChatter: "The Bush administration plans to open a huge loophole in America's air pollution laws, allowing an estimated 17,000 outdated power stations and factories to increase their carbon emissions with impunity. Critics of draft regulations due to be unveiled by the US environmental protection agency next week say they amount to a death knell for the Clean Air Act, the centrepiece of US regulation ."
Fouling the Air
NY Times
HamsterChatter: "What really bothers industry is that the rule requires significant capital outlays. Many companies have therefore tried to evade it, leading to lawsuits by, among others, Mr. Spitzer. Confronted with industry's howls, the administration decided simply to scuttle the rule. This is hardly the first time that the White House has ordered the rollback of a law that discomfits its friends. But this is a particularly egregious example, and one that could do the environment great harm ."
Friday, August 22, 2003
Vote Tom McClintock for Governor!
Are you Republican? Are you a conservative? Why not support a reaalll Republican. If you're a Republican, vote Tom McClintock for Governor! Spread the word, Republican friend.
Franken Wins For Now; "Without Merit, Both Factually and Legally."
The story ... linked from Fox. OOOoooh, the funniez. Franken, by the way, will guest-host "Crossfire" on Monday and Tuesday.
Give Franken a celebration gift: your support with a book buying.
Edit: Added "For Now" and removed "lawsuit" part of "wins lawsuit" in re: to possibility of Fox appeal.
Boo US News
US News has its overrated college guide out again.. Harvard is on top, while The George Washington University is at number 51. And, of course, because GW is ranked so low, I'll link to this article.
Lou Dobbs Banned Wesley Clark from Show
Former CNN military analyst Clark was banned from Moneyline with Lou Dobbs. Dobbs reportedly didn't like Clark's political statements. Dobbs, by the way, is a Republican-party donor.
Columnist: "Carlson is no match for Janeane Garofalo"
Gail Shister in the Philly Inquirer on the former "SNL" player:
"Tucker's madly in love with me," says Garofalo, 38, tongue firmly incheek. "His shrill nature and constant need to marshal my opinions are just masking his deep admiration.The transcript of Crossfire is here.
"Like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, his aloofness is a cover for his ardent feelings."
Garofalo's scathing public criticism of the United States' going to war with Iraq angered many Americans. An actor's opinions, they said, held no weight. News flash: Garofalo is no political dilettante. A Providence College grad with a degree in American studies and history, she devours all things political. She even watches C-Span.
The stereotype of airhead actors "is perpetuated by the mainstream media's need to idolize and tear down celebrity," says Garofalo, whose movie credits include The Truth About Cats and Dogs and Reality Bites.
EPA Will Ease Pollution Rules Next Week
The EPA will release its final rule on the the Clean Air Act's definition of "routine maintenance." As expected, it will allow significantly more air pollution. NRDC has the press release.:
Zogby: More Want Someone New
The question from Zogby Polling: "Do you think President Bush deserves to be reelected or do you think it is time for someone new?"
Deserves Reelection 45
Someone New 48
Not Sure 8
Meanwhile, the largest American state is unsatisfied with Bush: "Half the state's voters approve of his performance, 45 percent disapprove and the rest are undecided in the Field Poll. Immediately after the attacks, 74 percent approved and 16 percent disapproved of his performance. Democrats have since reversed their views, with 72 percent now believing he is doing a poor job. Among independent voters, 48 percent now hold a negative view. Bush continues to enjoy an overwhelming 86 percent approval rating from Republicans."
Run Away! Run Away!
Poor Coulter. She ran away from Joe Conason.
See Conason in Salon for the 1st person story.
Fox's Susan Estrich: Dutifully Representing the Hatefilled Media
Arianna responds to Estrich's reprehensible ad-hominem attack (see 4 posts below).
I assumed we were long past the argument over whether you could be a woman, a leader and a mother without having the powers that be shaking their heads and pulling out the slime. This kind of dirty politics is one reason more than 13 million Californians didn't vote in the last election. People are sick and tired of campaigns as demolition derbies, with candidates -- and their designated hatchet men and women -- attacking each other until there is only one candidate left standing.You can email your comments to "Professor Estrich"
See Conservatives Attack Clark
How will the right-wing media attack General Clark? Look no further than Paul Greenberg in the Washington Times. Apparently Clark hates peace and loves dictators and dead bodies! Joy.
Bush Copies Dean Grassroots
Congrats to Howard Dean. As Mother Jones notes Bush is copying his Internet success.
Conservative Slander
From Newsmax:
Still, the obstreperous comedian got so out of line that Kilmeade asked him to leave, saying, "I personally thought we'd end up coming to blows." According to Internet scribe Matt Drudge, when witnesses spotted the liberal ranter later he was bleeding from the chin.Uh, no. As we find out in the new book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right", Matt Drudge actually saw Franken earlier in the night, BEFORE Franken talked with errand-boy Colmes. And, the bleeding was from a shaving cut. One of the many exposed lies you'll find in "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right"
What else can you find in the book? Franken on O'Reilly's dirty writing about fellatio and other sinful deeds ... Hmmm ...
If you want to see Franken on television, here's the schedule (subject to change):
August 25 - Today Show
August 25 - Live from the Headlines with Paula Zahn, CNN @ 8pm EST
August 26 - Newsnight with Aaron Brown, CNN @ 10pm
August 26 - Extra! Syndicated.
August 27 - Countdown with Keith Olberman, MSNBC @ 8pm
August 28 - Capitol Report, CNBC @ 9pm
Sept 2 - Crier Live, Court TV @ 5pm
Sept 3 - Fresh Air, NPR
Oct 4 - Tim Russert, CNBC @ 10pm
Thursday, August 21, 2003
DIGUSTING: Fox's Susan Estrich Attacks Arianna Huffington's Private Family Life
Politics can be a dirty business. For politicians with children, it can be even more troublesome: to run for office means potentially exposing them to the slings and arrows of critics. Thankfully, the media rarely uses children as ammunition to score political points. Unfortunately, not all in the media have a sense of decency. Enter Susan Estrich. Estrich, a commentator for Fox News, has shown herself to be beneath contempt in her latest column. In it, Estrich launches on tirade against Arianna Huffington, using Arianna's private family life and children to support her thesis that Arianna is a hypocrite.
When did the personal lives of children become fair game for self-righteous columnist dribble? Email "Professor Estrich" and ask her why she feels the need to embarrass Arianna's children and dirty the public debate by invading Arianna's private family life.
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
An excerpt from Al Franken's new book, in stores today:
God chose me to write this book.
Just the fact that you are reading this is proof not just of God's existence, but also of His/Her/Its beneficence. That's right. I am not certain of God's precise gender. But I am certain that He/She/It chose me to write this book.
This isn't hubris. I'm not saying this in an egotistical way. God didn't choose me because I'm the greatest writer who ever lived. That was William Shakespeare, whose work I have a passing familiarity with. No. I just happened to be the right vessel at the right time. If something in this book makes you laugh, it was God's joke. If something makes you think, it's because God had a good point to make.
The reason I know God chose me is because God spoke to me personally.
God began our conversation by clearing something up. Some of George W. Bush's friends say that Bush believes God called him to be president during these times of trial. But God told me that He/She/It had actually chosen Al Gore by making sure that Gore won the popular vote and, God thought, the electoral college. "THAT WORKED FOR EVERYONE ELSE," God said.
"What about Tilden?" I asked, referring to the 1876 debacle.
"QUIET!" God snapped. God was angry.
God said that after 9/11, George W. Bush squandered a unique moment of national unity. That instead of rallying the country around a program of mutual purpose and sacrifice, Bush cynically used the tragedy to solidify his political power and pursue an agenda that panders to his base and serves the interests of his corporate backers.
God told me that Bush squandered a $4.6 trillion surplus and is plunging us into deficits as far as God can see. And that Bush squandered another surplus. The surplus of goodwill from the rest of the world that he had inherited from Bill Clinton.
And this was pissing God off.
He/She/It was right. But it sounded like a lot of work.
"Look, God, I'm flattered, but I think you got the wrong guy. The kind of book you're talking about would require months of research."
And God said, "LET THERE BE GOOGLE. AND LET THERE BE LEXISNEXIS."
"Very funny, God. I use Google all the time."
"YES, I KNOW," God said. "FOR HOT ASIAN TEENS."
"You must be thinking of my son, Joe."
"AL? I'M OMNISCIENT."
"Okay, okay." I changed the subject. "It's just that I can't do this book myself."
"LEAVE THAT TO ME," God boomed.
And that's when Harvard called.
***
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government asked me to serve as a fellow at its Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. After my varied and celebrated career in television, movies, publishing, and the lucrative world of corporate speaking, being a fellow at Harvard seemed, frankly, like a step down.
I couldn't think of anything less appealing than molding the minds of tomorrow's leaders, unless it was spending fireside evenings sipping sherry with great minds at the Faculty Club. Yawn.
To my surprise and delight, though, all Harvard wanted me to do was show up every once in a while and write something about something. That gave me an idea.
"Would it be okay if I wrote a scathingly partisan attack on the rightwing media and the Bush administration?"
"No problem," Harvard said absentmindedly.
"Count me in," I replied. "From now on call me 'Professor Franken.'"
"No," Harvard said, "you're not a professor. But you can run a study group on the topic of your choosing."
"Great," I said. "I've got the perfect topic: Write My Son's Harvard College Application Essay."
"No," they said. "Harvard students already know how to write successful Harvard applications, Al. We want you to teach them something new."
Harvard was right where I wanted it. "How about if the topic is: How to Research My Book?"
"Sure," Harvard said. "Most of our professors teach that course. Why, in the Biochemistry department, most of the graduate level courses are-"
Harvard was boring me. "I gotta run, Harvard. Thanks."
***
I had my Nexis, I had my Google, I had my Harvard fellowship, and I had my fourteen research assistants. I sat down to write. Nothing.
So I got on my knees and prayed for guidance. "How, God, can I best do Your work through this book? Who, dear Lord, is the audience for a book like this? And what's a good title?"
God answered, "YOU KNOW THOSE SHITTY BOOKS BY ANN COULTER AND BERNIE GOLDBERG?"
"The best-sellers that claim there's a liberal bias in the media?" I asked.
"TOTAL BULLSHIT," God said. "START BY ATTACKING THEM. HE'S CLEARLY A DISGRUNTLED FORMER EMPLOYEE, AND SHE JUST LIES. BY THE WAY, THERE'S SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH HER."
"That's pretty obvious."
"SO GO AFTER THEM, THE WHOLE LIBERAL BIAS MYTH, AND THEN GO AFTER THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA. ESPECIALLY FOX."
"Okay, God, I'm writing this down."
"THEN USE THEM AS A JUMPING-OFF POINT TO GO AFTER BUSH. YOU KNOW, BIG TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, SURGING UNEMPLOYMENT, IGNORING EVERYONE BUT HIS CORPORATE BUDDIES, SCREWING THE ENVIRONMENT, PISSING OFF THE REST OF THE WORLD. THAT STUFF. AND THAT'S YOUR BOOK."
"Got it. One last thing. Title."
"HOW ABOUT BEARERS OF FALSE WITNESS AND THE FALSE WITNESS THAT THEY BEAR?"
"Hmm. I, uh, I'll work with that."
Reprinted from Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them-A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken by permission of Dutton, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © Al Franken, Inc., 2003. All rights reserved. This excerpt, or any parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
"The Cost of Dissent: Franken, The White House and Intimidation"
Nice article from Eric Mink in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Comedy's a funny thing, though, and at Fox News, run by chairman Roger Ailes, it seems to come packaged with intimidation. "Ailes doesn't deny that he tries to intimidate people," Ken Auletta wrote in The New Yorker last spring. Ailes told the writer: "I'd say half of it is because people let their heads be played with and half of it is just my sense of humor."Read more.
Fox News anchor Paula Zahn didn't find Ailes amusing in 2001 when CNN offered to hire her after her Fox contract expired several months later. Ailes fired her, sued her agent for breach of contract and publicly compared her to "a dead raccoon." Fox personalities began berating her on the air, and a publicist for the channel, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, sneered that Zahn "reinventing herself as a journalist is like putting a fresh coat of paint on an outhouse."
Two New York courts have since thrown out the breach-of-contract suit, and the one against Franken - which refers to him as "unstable," "shrill," a "parasite" and "deranged" - could well end similarly. But this is less about law than about sending a message: Displease us and it's going to cost you - in money, time, professional reputation, personal embarrassment or worse.
However ugly its tactics, Fox is still just TV. Far more troubling are signs of the same attack-dog, smear-any-opponent sensibility in President George W. Bush's administration, the policies and practices of which Fox News steadfastly promotes:
Donna Brazile: Wesley Clark Will Run
The former head of Gore's camp said that to the Utah Dems, according to DraftClark2004.com
More Danger-Pay? No, Silly, It'll Trickle Down from Halliburton
The Nation's Matt Bivens has the numbers on the Pentagon's pay cuts and puts the numbers in perspective ...
When Congress returns after Labor Day, it will have to act fast to counter Pentagon plans to cut danger-pay by $75 a month and family-separation allowances of $150 a month. The Pentagon doesn't want to spend money on such trivia; it says these pay cuts will save $25 million a month. For perspective, that's about 0.6% of the war's monthly cost. Or, if you prefer another comparison: The Pentagon says its proposed pay cuts will save about $300 million this year; which is still less than the $324 million Halliburton listed as second-quarter revenues solely from work in Iraq.Speaking of Halliburton, find out who benefits from the Iraq war.
On a somewhat related note, veterans are mad at the GOP because they reneged on a pledge to pass $3.2 billion for VA medical care.
"Veterans more and more are beginning to sense a loss of faith and confidence in the administration," said Richard C. Schneider, director of veteran and state affairs for the Non Commissioned Officers Association. "They're no longer willing to be the quiet, accepting veterans that they have been in the past. I think they're actually going to hold some people accountable."
Reelection = Dislike of FCC Rules
So says Robert Reich in TomPaine.com. Reich writes that the real reason why Capitol Hill opposes the new FCC rules on media ownership is ...
Among these small businesses -- most notably -- are local newspapers, local radio stations and local television affiliates. These local media don't want to be taken over and bossed around by big media conglomerates whose headquarters may be hundreds or thousands of miles away. They want their independence. And they've let their members of Congress know exactly how they feel. Most other local businesses agree. When they choose to advertise, they'd rather deal with their local media, not some giant corporation. Senators and Representatives facing re-election need to have the local media on their side. And they listen carefully to the local chamber of commerce. No amount of lobbying or bellyaching from the National Association of Broadcasters, or the White House, is going to change this fundamental political reality. So come this fall, it's my guess that you can kiss the FCC's new media-ownership rules good-bye.
See Clinton Attack
Bill Clinton at an Aspen Institute conference, from Michael Wolff in the New York Metro.
Clinton had lost weight and—with a great collection of just-out-of-the-wrapper pastel-colored polo shirts on view throughout the conference—seemed in fabulous form. He was in campaign mode but without the restraints of campaign mode. While there was clear bitterness on his part toward the successor who had rushed "to undo everything I'd done," and the Republicans who "will run over you unless you beat their brains out," there was a feisty humor too. Of the disputed Harken oil deal, Clinton said Bush had "sold the stock to buy the baseball team which got him the governorship which got him the presidency."
Clinton kept referring to the media as (contrary to Kinsley's view) the "supine" media, pointing out that when Bush insulted Helen Thomas (who, by asking a rough question in the infamous prewar press conference had, Clinton said, "committed the sin of journalism"), no "young journalists" stood up and walked out.
The media, the supine media, was going to have to "go to the meat locker and take out its brains and critical skills." Everybody seemed to love this. Clinton was not just the beloved former president, but he had become some sort of sassy oracle.
TV Time
Chris Rock on Letterman and Conan tonight.
Martin Sheen on Kilborn Friday.
David Cross on Carson Tuesday.
Kucinich on Daily Show tonight.
Wesley Clark on Hannity and Colmes tonight.
Michael Moore on The View today. Repeat.
Al Franken on The View Monday. Repeat.
O'Reilly Refuses Debate with Joe Conason
The San Diego chicken should sue O'Reilly for trademark infringement, because O'Reilly's copying his act.
The wingers are starting to whine defensively, and it's no accident that the loudest would be Bill O'Reilly. In Monday's Daily News he offers this silly, self-pitying rant about the Franken embarrassment -- as if Fox & Friends and so much of the other pap served up by the Murdoch machine were not tainted by hateful rancor. Oh, and O'Reilly is also the only cable TV program of any significance so far to decline hosting me to discuss my new book, "Big Lies."
Michael Moore on Buchanan and Press
From Tuesday's show. No link available as of now.
NACHMAN: I want to talk to you about a fellow satirist, because you brought up the issue of lying. Al Franken has a book out called "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." Fox has sued him for infringing on a service mark or a trademark. Who are you rooting for in this dogfight?Things that make you go Hmmm ...
MOORE: Oh, well, I got to tell you, Fox and the Murdoch empire, they are great at helping to sell books on the left. They tried to hold my book up after September 11, "Stupid White Men", and in fact, they threatened to shred it. They weren't even going to release it after they printed 50,000 copies of it. They said, you've got to rewrite 50 percent of this book. You've got to say nicer things about Bush or we're not going to put the book out in the bookstores. And I refused to do it. I refused to change a word. Word got out that the -- that Murdoch publisher was going to do this, and they had to release the book reluctantly, but the publicity they gave it by doing that catapulted the book to number one. They've done the same thing for Al Franken. They're the best friend the left has ever had...
To be fair to the Fox and Murdoch empire, they do produce one of the most liberal shows on television, "The Simpsons." Kudos to that, and only that.
Arnold Refuses to Provide Budget Figures
"The public doesn't care about figures," he said.
Smog Causing "Epidemic" For LA
The Surface Transportation Policy Project, a great group from the DC area that often works on public-interest matters, reports that air pollution in LA costs $1.8b in health costs per year. The full report is here.
There are many, many health effects associated with smog. For example, if you often play outdoor sports in Los Angeles as a child, you are more likely to develop respiratory problems.
Researchers clearly linked elevated pollution levels to reduced breathing capacity in girls. Nitrogen dioxide and particulates apparently were the greatest culprits, although high ozone exposure played a significant role in girls with asthma.A UCLA study in LA found that women who are exposed to high levels of ozone pollution and carbon monoxide are at an increased risk of giving birth to babies with serious heart defects, such as holes in the heart or pervasively malformed hearts (Epidemiology, Vol. 12, pp. 413-419, 2001). Another study found that PM10 air pollution retards lung function growth as much as smoking (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. Vol 164, pp. 2067-2072, 2001). And still another study found that exposure to ozone pollution was correlated with reduced growth in peak lung flow rate (Am. J. Respir. Crit.Care Med. Vol. 166, pp. 76-84, 2002).
Boys' breathing capacity was affected by high ozone exposure too, but only in those who spent a lot of time outdoors. Boys tended to be more affected by respiratory illnesses. In their case, wheezing was linked to nitrogen dioxide and acid vapor. But researchers noted that although boys initially suffered more from asthma, girls essentially caught up with them in that regard by the time they reached high school.
Oh, I can cite journals of medicine for years, but you'll fall asleep and send me more email worm viruses. Why the Bush administration doesn't care about this, and has pushed the "Clear Skies Initiative," I don't know. Regardless of what you think about global warming, the government has a duty to protect the public health by reducing smog.
Trouble for Janklow; Speeding, Ran Stop Sign
A notable career in public service will undoubtedly be tarnished after these recent findings. Jankow was speeding and ran a stop sign when he hit and killed a motorcyclist. Prosecutors are looking at possible charges. Jankow may receive second-degree manslaughter.
Progressive Think Tanks Receive Little Media Attention
That liberal media is up to its old tricks again. According to a new study from FAIR, right-wing think tanks dominated media citations in 2002:
The center-right slant in media citations of think tanks continued in 2002, with conservative groups receiving 47 percent of last year's citations, centrists 41 percent and progressives 12 percent--the least representation for the left since 1998 ...The Top Ten Cited Think Tanks:
Meanwhile, think tanks with a concentration on international issues gained ground. The centrist Center on Foreign Relations increased citations by 55 percent. Right-leaning foreign policy think tanks, such as the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, also increased in exposure. While this trend was evident among centrist and conservative think tanks that examine foreign policy issues, it did not extend to similar progressive think tanks. The two progressive think tanks in this survey with the most interest in international issues, the Center for Defense Information (CDI) and the Institute for Policy Studies, declined in media exposure, 39 percent and 10 percent respectively. CDI declined 28 percent in citations from major newspapers in 2002, but dropped a precipitous 59 percent in the electronic media.
1. Brookings, Centrist
2. Council on Foreign Relations, Centrist
3. Heritage, Conservative
4. AEI, Conservative
5. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Conservative
6. Cato, Conservative / Lib
7. RAND, Center-Right
8. Carnegie, Centrist
9. EPI, Progressive
10. Family Research Council, Conservative