I’ll let Josh Marshall’s comments on the fact that Bush’s invasion to Iraq (and indeed, his whole gestalt) have pretty much given OBL a new lease on life, serve as the appropriate comment on the “new” OBL tape that has emerged, in which OBL pontificates incoherently on everything from global warming to sub-prime lending and the “low tax” structure of Islam. You’ve read before (perhaps even here) why it is most unlikely that OBL’s own group will strike us here in”Das Homeland” (as opposed to say, a copycat or knockoff AQ group)… that reason being, of course, that OBL’s principal...

The courage refers to a group of Justice Department attorneys in the Civil Division’s appellate section who have refused to abide by the government’s legally and morally indefensible positions vis a vis its litigation against Guantanamo detainees. The liar, of course, which rhymes with fire (instead we got a resignation), refers to their soon to be former boss Alberto the G., who joins John Ashcroft, John Mitchell and possibly Mitchell Palmer (we really should never forget just how horrible Woodrow Wilson and many in his Administration actually were in their day) in the first ranks of “America’s worst attorneys general...

Congrats to “Making Light’s” Patrick Nielsen Hayden, this year’s winner of the Hugo Award for best editor (long form).

My, my, my, my. What to say about the President’s unscheduled stop in al-Anbar Province in Iraq (on the way to an Asia-Pacific Summit in Australia). He’ll be meeting with Crocker and Petraeus, doubtless to give them pointers on how to read the words Karl has put on their teleprompters for their “big speech” next week (coinciding with 9-11+6.0 TM, a/k/a “Rudy’s Big Show”). Well, a photo op is a photo op. And given that the President can count on Nancy and Harry’s proven continuing support in his warmongering (up to and including our next war with Iran)… well, why...

I inadvertently deleted the August 25th post of the same name, so I am re-posting it, below. It, of course, anticipates the Washington, DC kabuki known as “the mid-September Iraq progress report”, by law, to be written by the White House, and in fact, to be written by the White House, but in (foolish) common parlance and conventional wisdom, foolishly (I can’t say that enough) believed to be the work of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Ah, but assuming for the same of argument that Gen. Petraeus did write it… why should we listen to anything he says?...

In an unusual move for a Republican (I last remember first Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge using it), citing personal financial reasons, White House chief shillpress secretary Tony Snow announced his resignation. One assumes that Rupert has kept Tony’s chair warm for him… Tony would be smart enough not to leave a job with health insurance in the United States today if another weren’t waiting for him, especially given his personal health issues (including colon cancer that has spread to his liver, though his current condition appears stable, at least by his account). They say things come in threes (deaths,...

That kind of sums up my feeling toward the latest financial sleight of hand associated with funding Dick Cheney’s retirement the Iraq War, to wit, the latest request for a supplemental to the supplemental, or another $50 billion in previously undisclosed spending for the Iraq (and Afghanistan!) wars, running their current costs to over $3 billion per week. This, boys and girls, is the one thing a Democratic Congress could do: it can cut off funding. It doesn’t need Republican permission to do that– because the Dems get a veto in reverse: they can either not bring this to the...

The stock market is usually regarded as a “leading indicator” of economic activity, to wit, the traders and speculators who dominate it are usually placing bets on economic activity in the short and intermediate term futures… which makes it all the more worrisome as the market reacts by tanking (around 280 points in the Dow) to the priorities of the Federal Reserve re: “fighting inflation” in response to the current sub-prime mortgage and housing woes. Apparently, the seeming record decline in U.S. home prices — which overwhelmingly impacts those who are not super-rich– is less of a problem than inflation...

One begins to feel bad for George W. Bush, what with many of his childhood friends abandoning him left and right, particularly two important ones by the end of August– first Karl, and now, Alberto “Fuck You, Congress” Gonzales has announced his resignation as Attorney General. He’ll likely be replaced by Michael “Heckuva Job with Hurricane Katrina” Chertoff, our current Homeland Security Secretary, a tried and true proven Bush loyalist (the only criteria for service in the Administration). It was almost amusing, if not pathetic, watching Gonzales’s (few) defenders insist he was being treated “unfairly” by being asked questions by...

I’ll stop seething long enough to pass along this (hat tip to Mahablog’s Barbara): “this” being from Judge Michael Mukasey, who gives us this Rupert’s Journal op ed. Judge Mukasey outlines his case why, contrary to the actual historical facts and our legal, ethical and Constitutional principles, he contends that our justice system is just not up to trying terrrrrrrorists like Jose Padilla (you will recall that Judge Mukasey first issued the material witness warrant pursuant to which Padilla was first arrested, and originally handled Padilla’s first ill-fated habeas corpus petition in which the Supreme Court eventually found that the...