Blah Blah Blog

This one speaks for itself.

[US Rep. Walter B.] Jones led the fight to rename [French] fries and toast at the Capitol in protest of the French leading opposition to the war in Iraq.

Ask him about it now, and he lays his cheek in his left hand, a habit he repeats dozens of times a day when lost in thought or sadness.

"I wish it had never happened," Jones said.

Like many things about Jones, freedom fries lend themselves to caricature. They are an emotional response to a complex problem, easily reduced to a ticker line on CNN.

But Jones now says we went to war "with no justification." He has challenged the Bush administration, quizzing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other presidential advisers in public hearings. He has lined the hallway outside his office with "the faces of the fallen."

Jones represents the state's most military congressional district, running from Camp Lejeune along the coast through Cherry Point, up to the Outer Banks.

"If we were given misinformation intentionally by people in this administration, to commit the authority to send boys, and in some instances girls, to go into Iraq, that is wrong," Jones said. "Congress must be told the truth.

Go read the whole thing.

Labels: in the news

Here's a little something from the Boston Phoenix to help prime you for The Rudds CD release show at the Abbey Lounge in Somerville Friday, June 10.

Ultimate prom-parking-lot-make-out kings the Rudds are putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to their homonymous 2003 power-pop gem, and are aiming for a late-March release, most likely again on Boston-based Sodapop Records. "So far, we have over 20 songs recorded for what could be a double album," says singer-guitarist John Powhida, the Rudds’ resident Prince-aholic. Powhida reports via e-mail that the CD, whose working title is Get the Femuline Hang On, "leans heavier on the soul and R&B tendencies of the group and will feature new bassist Tony Goddess (ex-Papas Fritas). So far, the Figgs’ Mike Gent, Bleu, and Paul Kolderie have all donated their time, mixing abilities, studios, and talents and have asked for nothing in return but the wacky good time of working with the Rudds." The lone cover among the plethora of originals, Powhida says, will be the Gap Band’s "Early in the Morning."

Preview at myspace.com/therudds.

Labels: hiddencity

It's time for another edition of Smiling Through Terror Talk! with your host, Scott McClellan!

transcript | video

You can play along at home by taking a sip of your drink every time Scott says "protocols!"

Two sips for passive language!

Three sips for invoking September 11th!

If you want to skip ahead to the lightning round:

QUESTION: I think there's a disconnect here because, I mean, yesterday you had more than 30,000 people who were evacuated, you had millions of people who were watching this on television, and there was a sense at some point -- it was a short window, a 15-minute window, but there was a sense of confusion among some on the streets. There was a sense of fear. And people are wondering was this not a moment for the President to exercise some leadership, some guidance during that period of time? Was this not a missed opportunity for the President to speak out and at least clarify what -- that he was informed, and what was taking place at that time? If not even during the 15-minute window, why not later in the day?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President did lead, and the President did that after September the 11th when we put the protocols in place to make sure that situations like this were addressed before it was too late. And that was the case -- that was the case in this situation. And in terms of during this time, this was a matter of minutes when this was occurring. And all the appropriate security personal and Homeland Security officials and others were acting to implement those protocols. And we commend all those that worked to follow those protocols and make sure that this situation was addressed. And it worked, in terms of the protocols.

A good reporter, of course, follows up quickly and tries to move the subject away from hypotheticals, from the abstract, and get into the specifics of the situation. To get beyond the hypothetical "protocols."

QUESTION: Beyond the protocols here, I mean we're talking about just simply demonstrating to the American people, I understand what's taking place, we're in control of the situation, and I've been apprised of what is happening here -- because there were thousands of people involved in what was a very scary moment.

Scott will not be moved.

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, and we briefed you about the circumstances of the event shortly after that. But during that time period, it's important in those minutes when this is occurring, that everybody is focused on making sure the people in the area of the threat are protected, and there are protocols in place to make sure that the people in the area of the threat are protected. Those protocols were followed. You all covered this on the coverage last night and pointed out how those protocols were followed and how jets were scrambled. This was an instance where presidential authority was not required because we had put these protocols in place after September 11th.

Really, the guy is a genius. He never answers the question, just says that same three talking points over and over and over again. And seems eager to say the same three talking points over and over and over again without answering the question. I've said it before: it seems like he's in over his head, but really, he's exactly the robot that the position calls for.

April Ryan's take is my personal favorite. She brings to light that for all the talk of protocols and preparedness, there was no intercom alert in the White House press room. Just an e-mail alert. An e-mail! Which, as she points out, sucks for you if you're not at your desk at the time.

She also points out that the Cessna got much closer to the White House than the "within three miles" talking point implies.

How's that for protocol and preparedness in a post-September 11th world?

Again, for your convenience:

transcript | video

Say it ain't so

Here's MSNBC's badge-of-honor conservative Joe Scarborough with his take on the whole thing.

After I watched [Fahrenheit] 9/11, one of the parts that made me the angriest was the part about "'My Pet Goat." I thought it was a cheap shot. I said, seven, eight, nine minutes, big deal. But here you have an attack going on - or something most Americans thought was an attack - for 15, 20, 30 minutes and the president of the United States not notified. Why?

So Joe concludes:

If the President of the United States cannot have his bike ride interrupted to learn of a possible terror attack on Washington, then he is not fit to lead this country in its war on terror.

Say it ain't so, "Regular" Joe.

Joe, remember just two years ago, when it was absolutely "un-American" to question the president's leadership in the so-called war on terror?

And today you're wondering aloud if the president even had a plan in place to protect his own house, a primary target on September 11th. Let alone the nation. Let alone our troops overseas.

So Joe: maybe you owe Danny Glover an apology?

Labels: in the news

You know how often players in the Bush administration, including the president himself, bring up Saddam Hussein in same the breath as September 11th to conflate the two?

To such a degree and so successfully that, at one point, 70% of Americans believed that Hussein had a hand in the September 11th attacks?

Well conflation got as evil and Orwellian as it's ever been this week.

Here's Vice President Cheney, talking about Social Security at yet another fake town hall:

If we don't do anything at all, if we just stay where a lot of people have said we ought to stay -- there are a number of members of Congress of the other faith who have said that we don't need to do anything.

Emphasis mine.

The other faith.

Equating party affiliation with religious affiliation.

A simple slip of the tongue, you might think? Then why were the audience members making the same slip?

My question is, I watched the press conference the other night with the President, and it seems like when the two of you come up with serious ideas that those from the other faith, in the other party, all they do is demonize...

And here:

I think we have a little bit of an easy audience this morning on convincing us of this program -- could you delineate out a few other points from the other side, or the other faith, differences maybe in what you're saying this morning, and maybe what they're saying or not saying?

Remember, they're not talking about the judiciary here. This is a Social Security town hall. They're talking about fiscal policy.

And remember: these things are so scripted they're rehearsed the day before.

There are no accidents.

I'm so angry right now I don't know what to write.

As inconceivable as so many of this administration's actions have been, for them to equate party with religion is beyond any of the Luntzian and Orwellian language games they've played before. Beyond the pale.

In a discussion of Social Security.

In a high school auditorium.

What would Jesus privatize?

You can read more about it at Daily Kos. Hat tip to Kos diarists Coldblue Steele and Magorn for the heads up and analysis.

As one poster noted:

"Wasn't this the way the Nazis described the Jews?"

Um... yes.

Do the math.

The policies are bad enough.

But even if you support the policies, you have to be uncomfortable with the way they're being sold.

If not outraged.

Shhhh... you hear that?

That knocking noise?

That's the sound of me banging my head against the wall.

Again. And again. And again. And again.

B. (son of a preacher man)

Labels: in the news

Sunday was the second anniversary of President Bush's "mission accomplished" moment.



More than 1400 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in Iraq since May 1, 2003, when the president announced:

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."

And as of Sunday morning, May 1, 2005:

A torrent of bloodshed — at least 140 killed in five days — followed the approval of an Iraqi Cabinet that mostly shut out members of the disaffected Sunni minority.

Also on Sunday morning: the leak of a fascinating British government memo from the summer of 2002 with a matter-of-fact admission that the White House was cooking the books on Iraq intelligence in its rush to war.

To quote the document:

C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

Emphasis mine. The memo is dated July 23, 2002 - fully eight months before we started dropping bombs on Baghdad.

So there you have it, Sunday morning's confluence of Iraq War news:

1. the second anniversary of the president's "mission accomplished" PR stunt;
   
2. the breaking news confirming the insurgency to be as strong as ever;
   
3. the leak of a UK memo conceding that the American government was cooking intelligence.

So what did you get if you tuned in to CNN on Sunday?

Live-from-the-scene, non-stop, breaking, breathless coverage and talking head analysis of a hoax.

A hoax that, as of Sunday morning, was already ONE DAY OLD.

A hoax that was, at best, a local news story.

A hoax that was only a national story because CNN made it a national story.

A hoax that was only a national story because unlike the many who go missing in America every day, the "missing" person in this case was rich and "beautimous."

That's not a typo: check out this P.O.S. transcript to this P.O.S. show with its P.O.S. host from Friday night - the night before the hoax was revealed to be a hoax.

GRACE: Mr. Wilbanks, our heart goes out to you so much, sir. I'm showing a picture of Jennifer right now. She is absolutely a beautiful girl and, from all sources, beautiful on the inside and the outside. Sir, did she call you every day? Were you two in touch, her with her family?

WILBANKS: It's been - her nickname is - I call her Beautimous. It's just a thing. And she'll call me on my cell and have me on speaker phone, because she knows that when I see it's her I'll say, "Hey, Beautimous, what are you doing?" And all her co-workers and everything, everybody, get a kick out of that. It's just something between Jennifer and I.

[SNIP]

GRACE: Mr. Wilbanks, tonight you were supposed to be at the rehearsal dinner, tomorrow, I'm sure in a beautiful tuxedo walking down the aisle. But I'll tell you one thing, you have shown a lot of people tonight what courage is all about. And I'm going to go out to this break with another shot of your girl, Jennifer, because she is Beautimous to us, too.

Like I said, P.O.S. host.

So what am I bombarded with this very morning as the top story - the TOP STORY - on the CNN web site?

Now that this hoax is THREE DAYS OLD?



CNN: home of irony-free headlines.

"Perplexed?" You bet.

And as Cindy paraphrased it this morning: "Our top story: some people somewhere have emotions about something."

That's not news. That's stretching the wording to make it seem like it's news when nothing new or newsworthy has actually happened. Which is bad enough.

But she turned herself in Saturday morning.

And this is the top story on TUESDAY.

Three days.

Three days, mind you, with not a peep about the memo that's making headlines all over the U.K.

"Fixed."

"The intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

And not a peep.

Sigh.

But wait: I wonder how elaborate her kidnapping story was? Beautimous must have described her fake abducters, right? And with 24/7 coverage, CNN must have been on the record with that, too, right?

...she told [the chief of police] that when she was jogging last Tuesday, a Hispanic male and white female jumped her from behind, placed her in a van and drove off.

Hispanic male.

Gotta make your stupid fake story believable, right darling?

That fun little tidbit is in the 32nd paragraph in a 33-paragraph story.

Gotta hide it somewhere, right?

We wouldn't want CNN to interrupt our feelings of sympathy for poor, troubled, issues-havin' Beautimous, would we?

Because if we stopped caring about her - hell, we might stop watching the 24/7 coverage.

In other news: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

And I weep.

Peace,

B.

UPDATE 5.06.05

Albuquerque, police said Thursday that Wilbanks also claimed she had been sexually assaulted, but recanted with the rest of her story.

Here's the Associated Press story.

I'm going to go throw up now.

Labels: in the news