Where's the Outrage?

Senator Robert Byrd is dead at age 92.

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From WaPo:

Robert C. Byrd, 92, a conservative West Virginia Democrat who became the longest-serving member of Congress in history and used his masterful knowledge of the institution to shape the federal budget, protect the procedural rules of the Senate and, above all else, tend to the interests of his state, died at 3 a.m. Monday at Inova Fairfax Hospital, his office said.

Mr. Byrd had been hospitalized last week with what was thought to be heat exhaustion, but more serious issues were discovered, aides said Sunday. No formal cause of death was given.

Starting in 1958, Mr. Byrd was elected to the Senate an unprecedented nine times. He wrote a four-volume history of the body, was majority leader twice and chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee, controlling the nation’s purse strings, and yet the positions of influence he held did not convey the astonishing arc of his life.

A child of the West Virginia coal fields, Mr. Byrd rose from the grinding poverty that has plagued his state since before the Great Depression, overcame an early and ugly association with the Ku Klux Klan, worked his way through night school and by force of will, determination and iron discipline made himself a person of authority and influence in Washington. (more…)

Chris Matthews who I think is over-the-top most of the time had an interesting tribute to Senator Robert Byrd. Take a look:

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Tags: Congress, Hardball, Senate by ecthompson md
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This video ties in very nicely with one of my earlier posts on the Pittsburgh shooting. Leaders on the Right are taking advantage of the fear and isolation some on the Right are feeling. There is a huge difference between wanting to regulate assault weapons and taking everyone’s gun away.

Watch the video (From Media Matters):

Charles Blow from the NYT spend a good deal of time absorbing right-wing media. Here’s what he found:

Lately I’ve been consuming as much conservative media as possible (interspersed with shots of Pepto-Bismol) to get a better sense of the mind and mood of the right. My read: They’re apocalyptic. They feel isolated, angry, betrayed and besieged. And some of their “leaders” seem to be trying to mold them into militias.

At first, it was entertaining — just harmless, hotheaded expostulation. Of course, there were the garbled facts, twisted logic and veiled hate speech. But what did I expect, fair and balanced? It was like walking through an ideological house of mirrors. The distortions can be mildly amusing at first, but if I stay too long it makes me sick.

But, it’s not all just harmless talk. For some, their disaffection has hardened into something more dark and dangerous. They’re talking about a revolution.

Some simply lace their unscrupulous screeds with loaded language about the fall of the Republic. We have to “rise up” and “take back our country.” Others have been much more explicit. (more… )

Tags: Blogging issues, Domestic Issues, Hardball, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Wednesday Evening News Roundup

• I feel pretty confident that Roland Burris will be seated in the Senate sometime soon. Everyone, slowly but surely, is coming to the same conclusion. We have no evidence that Roland Burris has done anything wrong. The man has an ego the size of the state of Illinois, true, but as far as I know, that is not a crime. Representative Bobby Rush, who looks something like Skeletor, is a perfect character in this relatively unbelievable tale. He was the one who was called to the podium after Ronald Burris was introduced as Governor Blagojevich‘s choice for the vacant Senate seat. Rep. Rush keeps using these race-based analogies which just don’t fit. I would go so far as to say they’re completely and totally inappropriate. He went on Hardball with Chris Matthews and equated not seating Ronald Burris with the dogs that were commanded to attack blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. I just hope someone can find him a good psychiatrist.
• A cease-fire was negotiated in the Gaza Strip so that humanitarian aid could get into Gaza City.  The cease-fire which was supposed to last three hours lasted approximately 15 minutes.
• President-elect Barack Obama stated that the stimulus package may grow as change is needed. I find this completely appropriate.
• Senator Dianne Feinstein, who had nothing but venom to spew at Leon Panetta on Monday, is now supporting his nomination. Maybe Tuesday was the first time she had an opportunity to see how much progressives really despised her role in facilitating the crimes against the Constitution that George Bush perpetrated.
• President Jimmy Carter gives his assessment of what is happening in Gaza.  Whether you believe his version of events or not, it is clear that he has tired to broker peace and stop the blood-shed.

I am again having some computer issues and may not be able to post as much as I would like to this evening.

Tags: Hardball, Israel, Obama administration, Senate by ecthompson md
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Senator Barack Obama has taken some heat from the left over the last two to three weeks. Well, on Thursday of last week, Obama seemed to leave the door open to changing his Iraq policy. The media went crazy over the weekend. It is was flip-flop-a-thon. “There appears to be no issue that Barack Obama is not willing to reverse himself on for the sake of political expedience,” said Alex Conant, a Republican National Committee spokesman.

From Reuters:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama waded into controversy on Thursday over his plans to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq, first saying he might “refine” his views but later declaring his stance had remained unchanged for more than a year.

Obama was forced to call reporters back for a second news conference in Fargo, North Dakota, after he initially left open the possibility of revising his 16-month timetable for pulling U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

“Let me be as clear as I can be. I intend to end this war. My first day in office I will bring the joint chiefs of staff in and I will give them a new mission and that is to end this war,” Obama told reporters in his second news conference.

But he added: “I would be a poor commander in chief if I didn’t take facts on the ground into account.” (more… )

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball, Iraq by ecthompson md
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I had a long discussion on vice presidential candidates back in February (here and here). Many readers became commenters. It is interesting how nothing has really changed since February. Hardball has a nice discussion on the Vice Presidential candidates with Howard Fineman from Newsweek and Roger Simon from Politico.com.

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball by ecthompson md
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I don’t like when these news guys talk about political primaries and caucuses like horse races.  Each of these candidates have something to say.  It is worth noting the importance of Iowa and New Hampshire.  The candidates know and understand the importance of these states.  This is one reason why I posted that post on how democratic is our nation and our constitution.  If folks in Iowa and New Hampshire are that important to the outcome of an election then what about folks in San Diego, Portland and Houston?  (Sorry, I went off on a tangent.)

Momentum is very important in primaries.  If you can look invincible, then you roll thru the later states.  On the other hand, if you look beatable then you get rolled.   Obama has to prove that a Black man can be elected and electable.  If he comes in a distant third he is dead in the water.  On the other hand, Hillary has sold herself as presidential material.   She knows how to beat Republicans because she has done it.  At least that is what she is saying.  I’m not sure that that’s true but that’s her tale.  She held former President and Hubby Bill Clinton back for several months then brought him out on the campaign trail as a secret weapon.  I’m not sure that bringing him out in Iowa and New Hampshire helped or hurt.  Did he increase crowd size?   Did he help Hillary get her message out?  I don’t know.  I think that he is a mixed blessing.  John Edwards on the other hand, has been slow and steady.  He has been pushing those popular buttons.  He has worked with unions.  He has pushed for main stream middle America stuff.  If Edwards comes in a strong second, he will be okay in New Hampshire.  If Hillary doesn’t win, she looks vulnerable.

On the Republican side, it is a free for all.  I think that the top 2 or 3 winners in Iowa will get a boost of money and momentum.  Romney has the most to lose in Iowa.  He has sunk a ton of his own money in Iowa.  John McCain and Mike Huckabee have the most to gain.  Ruby Giuliani is just dead in the water.  His strategy is one that I don’t believe that anyone in last 30 years has tried.  Rudy must believe that no one gains any significant momentum in the primaries.  Each state is a completely isolated race.  If he is waiting until Florida to make his surge it might be way too late.

Hardball - Who gains the most by winning in Iowa? [ 11:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball by ecthompson md
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Chris Matthews has David Kuo, former White House point man for faith based initutives and Tony Perkins, from Focus on the Family. David Kuo is a religious man. He makes some very good points. Tony Perkins just makes me nauseated as he seems to be reading off a cue card.

The bottom-line is that Kuo is right. Huckabee credits God for his raise in poll numbers. If he has a meteoric fall, will he credit God for that too? The question isn’t if God is on Huckabee’s side, instead, is Mike Huckabee on God’s side.

Huckabee Scary [ 6:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball by ecthompson md
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Senator Joe Biden talks with Chris Matthews about Iran and nuclear weapons.  One of the things that you can say about Biden is that he is passionate about what he feels and believes.  He is clearly not a typical politician.

HB - Biden [ 7:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball by ecthompson md
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Judith Regan filed a lawsuit a couple of days ago which will dog Rudy Giuliani for the foreseeable future.  Being associated with Bernie Kerik is tough enough for a presidential candidate to shake.  It now appears that pressure was placed on Bernie’s girlfriend to lie to the FBI. At least, that is what the lawsuit is alleging.  Judith Regan is saying that a top NewsCorp executive, Roger Ailes asked her to lie about her affair with Mr. Kerik.  Giuliani and Ailes turn out to be old buddies.

Someone get me some popcorn.  This is going to be a great show.

———–

From NYT:

Judith Regan, the former book publisher, says in a lawsuit filed today protesting her dismissal by the News Corporation, the media conglomerate, that a senior executive there encouraged her to lie to federal investigators about her past affair with Bernard B. Kerik after he had been nominated to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.

The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik’s mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post.

Ms. Regan makes the charge at the start of a 70-page filing that seeks $100 million in damages for what she says was a campaign to smear and discredit her by her bosses at HarperCollins and its parent company, News Corporation, after her project to publish a book with O.J. Simpson was abandoned amid a storm of protest.  (more…)

Giuliani - no comment [ 3:35 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball by ecthompson md
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There are times when I just get tired of talking about Iraq.  This war which is not really a war just keeps going on and on and on.  The news comes in 2 flavors – awful and bad.

Today White House press secretary Dana Perino had a very interesting response to the CBO’s figure of $2.4 trillion price tag if the war continues for 10 years assuming that we downsize the force to around 50,000.  She said who knows.  That number doesn’t really matter.  Spending on the global war on terror is an investment in our own security.  This is something that the President is committed in prioritizing in the budget.   What?  That’s a crock.  The War in the Iraq hasnever been in the budget.  Instead it has always come up in supplemental spending requests.

So, the game that the administration is paying is that it will say any big number is wildly out of bounds.  It is too far into the future for us to guess.  That’s been our problem.  If we would have been told from the start that taking down Iraq would cost $500 billion and over 3,000 American troops AND after spending that much money we still wouldn’t have a stable Iraq, how many Americans would have gone for it?  I would bet only a couple of neocons and that’s it.

Chris Matthews talks to Rep. Obey  Chairman of the budget and finance committee.

2.4 trillion reasons to leave Iraq [ 4:29 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Budget, Congress, Hardball, Iraq by ecthompson md
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Frankly, I don’t think that anyone should apologize. We need to get over jumping on what people say. Whether it is Imus or President Bush or Representative Pete Stark (D – Ca.), actions speak louder than words. What are the actions? That is what President Bush has been allowed to get away with the past 6 years. Everyone is focusing on his words – Healthy Forests, Clear Skies, Iraqi Freedom. What has he done? Gutted the EPA. Tried to cut funding for every kind of social program from S-Chip to LIHEAP (Low income home energy assistance program). Tax cuts to Big Oil. Please why? For record profits? No bid contracts to Blackwater and Halliburton. All the while, the President talks about fiscal discipline. Let’s focus on actions.

It is great to see Stephanie Miller beat back this blow hard.

Finally, I hate this format. Like there are only 2 sides to an issue – Liberal and Conservative.

Fightin' words? [ 9:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Hardball, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Most Republicans understand that Larry Craig is an anchor and he is pulling the Republican Party down with him. As far as I’m concerned Larry Craig and Mark Foley belong in the same sentence.

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From WaPo:

Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) vowed to serve out the remainder of his term yesterday despite losing his bid to withdraw his guilty plea for disorderly conduct in an airport men’s restroom.

Craig, who said earlier that he would resign if unable to withdraw his plea, said he is considering appealing yesterday’s decision by a Minnesota judge. The judge ruled that some of the senator’s legal arguments were “illogical.” (more…)

More on Larry Craig [ 2:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Congressman Mark Foley, Hardball, Senate, Senator Larry Craig by ecthompson md
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Why are we talking about an ad in the NY Times?  We should be talking about the Surge and how can we bring our troops home.  Markos does a great job at redirecting the conversation to the real point.

HB - Markos and MoveOn [ 7:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Hardball, Iraq by ecthompson md
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I have had Brian Katulis from the Center for American Progress on my radio show on a number of occasions.  He’s a great guest.  On this video, Brian does an outstanding job of Hardball style debate against some Right Wing talking point.  Brian introduces some new information to me.  I didn’t know that shopkeepers were being paid to open their shops for the photo-ops.

Chris Matthews asks the stupid question on well we get the truth from Petraeus and the White House.  My answer is why?  They haven’t told us the truth yet.  Why would they change course now.   We will get small pieces of truth wrapped in the big lie that life is really a Disney movie in Iraq like Song of the South!

HB - Iraq report and truth [ 6:42 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Hardball, Iraq by ecthompson md
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Did you notice that Craig didn’t say that he was going to resign, instead, he said it was his intent to resign?  Sloppy language?  Hidden agenda?  One of the things that bothers me with the party of “moral values” is the continual double standard.  Craig has to resign.  Vitter, whose phone number was in the DC Madam’s Rolodex, did some backdoor creeping and he gets nothing.

HB - Republican fallout [ 3:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball, Senate by ecthompson md
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What?  You can’t be serious.  It seems that every year Bush or Cheney trot out in front of the VFW and tell us a whopper of lie.  The Vets get all whipped up and the lie enters the mainstream.  Whether it was Cheney’s famous (August 26, 2002) -

“But we now know that Saddam has resumed his efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.”

“Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us. And there is no doubt that his aggressive regional ambitions will lead him into future confrontations with his neighbors — confrontations that will involve both the weapons he has today, and the ones he will continue to develop with his oil wealth. “

I remember that fondly because back then I said, No Doubt?  And last year, he continued to bob and weave with the truth.  He said, “I know some have suggested that by liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein, we simply stirred up a hornet’s nest. They overlook a fundamental fact: We were not in Iraq on September 11th, 2001, and the terrorists hit us anyway.”   Vice President Cheney’s argument for Al Qaeda in Iraq is so bad I can’t even go there.  So, to top Cheney we have the President.

President Bush has gone out of his way not to link Vietnam with Iraq.  Now, 5 years after the war has started.  4 years into the insurgency, he now sees lessons in Vietnam that we need to learn.  Okay, now, stay with me as I try to take you thru Bush’s Logic.  When we left Vietnam the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia.  The ruthless reign of the Khmer Rouge caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people.  So, the price of us leaving Vietnam was paid by the deaths of possibly millions of people in Cambodia.  I’m happy to admit that I’m not a student of Cambodian history but this seems to be far fetched.  Bush is saying that if we leave Iraq millions of people possibly in Jordan, Syria or Iran may die.  

What I’m saying is get out of Iraq.  We don’t know the consequences.  I do not that if we aren’t there more Americans won’t be dying there.  I’m not saying forget the Middle East.  We need to stay engaged.  We need to be in Afghanistan fixing the mess that we left there.  We need to find Al Qaeda, not a facsimile of Al Qaeda.  We need to find the real thing and arrest them or kill them.

HB - Bush draws parallel between Iraq and Vietnam [ 3:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Hardball by ecthompson md
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Update II and Re-Posted Again:  Eric Boehlert of Media Matters has a nice article on this.  The importance of Eric’s piece can’t be understated.  Eric states that if a Democratic candidate had said the same thing they would have been roasted on the front page of every major paper in the country.  Most papers didn’t even cover it in their political sections or even in their political blogs.   Retardedly stupid gaffes by Republicans are overlooked or not important.

Updated and Re-posted: Video Added

I think that it is funny that we have these Hawks talking about how important this war in Iraq truly is but they can’t seem to convince their own family. None of the major Republican hawks have a loved one serving in the military.

Here’s what Romney said when asked the question -

“Hi, my name’s Rachel Griffiths, thank you so much for being here and asking for our comments. And I appreciate your recognizing the Iraq War veteran. My question is how many of your five sons are currently serving in the U.S. military and if none of them are, how do they plan to support this War on Terrorism by enlisting in our U.S. military?”

Governor Romney: “Well, the good news is that we have a volunteer army and that’s the way we’re going to keep it. My sons are all adults and they’ve made their decisions about their careers and they’ve chosen not to serve in the military and active duty. I respect their decision in that regard. I also respect and value very highly those who make a decision to serve in the military. I think we ought to show an outpouring of support just as I suggested. A surge of support for those families and those individuals who are serving. My niece, for instance, just to tell you what a neighborhood can do and how touching it can be.

“My niece, Misha, living out West, her husband I think he got a call on a Tuesday. He’s in the National Guard. He got a call on a Tuesday that he was going to be called up and shipped overseas on a Thursday. And they just bought a home -– they hadn’t landscaped it -– but the rules in the neighborhood were that unless you got your home landscaped within a year of the time that you bought your home, they began fining you, because they didn’t want people having mud holes in front of their homes. And she was very worried and just before the year expired, she woke up one morning and looked out the window and all the neighbors were out there, rolling down sod, putting up trees, getting it all done.”

“It’s remarkable how we can show our support for our nation and one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected, because they think I’d be a great president. My son, Josh, bought the family Winnebago and has visited 99 counties, most of them with his three kids and his wife. And I respect that and respect all of those in the way they serve this great country.”

————

I just hope that Romney’s hair continued to look perfect.  His hair seems to be his only redeeming quality.   Any one who would stand up and equate service in the military with service for his father’s self serving campaign is frankly nuts.  

HB - Romney ChickenHawk [ 4:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball, Iraq by ecthompson md
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What the heck in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here? Chris Matthews isn’t the best journalist in the world but at least you can usually get some political news. Well, I guess Matthews needs ratings. He had on Ann Coulter for no apparent reason (outside of the fact that Matthews’ new book is published by the company as Ann Coulter’s). Now, he turns to hot, well, almost hot babes. Yep, it is the Obama girl and the Rudy girl. Why? If I want T&A, there is the playboy.com or I can watch old episodes of Bay Watch. Give me a break.

HB - Bimbo watch [ 3:40 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008, Hardball by ecthompson md
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On going violence.  Huge explosion in the Kurdish city of Kirkuk.  Prime minister Al-Maliki’s wild statement that the Iraq Armed forces can protect Iraq.  Senators are battling for support.

HB - political battle [ 4:21 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Al Qaeda, Hardball, Iraq by ecthompson md
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• Estimates for the total cost of the Iraq War now top $1.4 trillion.  I have only one question, what have we got for our money.  Oh, I forgot, we’re safer.  NOT!
• Iraq refugees are getting no love from anyone. 
• US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the ACLU can not sue the NSA about its wiretapping program.  The court ruled that the ACLU could not show direct damage from the program.  The ACLU can appeal to the Supreme Court.  The ever more conservative Supreme Court would have an opportunity to make us all gasp in horror.
• Ties between Chris Matthews and Ann Coulter are documented here.  Maybe this explains why she continues to get airtime on his show.
• Tomorrow on the Errington Thompson Show I’ll discuss why Scooter was convicted and should still go to jail.

Tags: Hardball, Iraq, Media by ecthompson md
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