Daily Kos - Found: Rove's Playbook for Attorney Scandal - by Deep Harm
In the U.S. attorneys scandal, all eyes are on Karl Rove as the presumed architect. But, long before Karl Rove began plying his trade, Fred Malek wrote the manual for politicizing the Justice Department. Malek, a little known but influential Republican operative and "hatchet man," devised the strategies used to remove Democrats and whistleblowers from the civil service and to turn the federal government into a Republican Party headquarters. Malek's connections with President Bush may explain why the U.S. Attorney's office discontinued investigation of wrongdoing at Fannie Mae, where Malek was then a board member and was one of several individuals named in a civil suit. Rather than face criminal penalties, Fannie Mae settled with the SEC and OFHEO for a $400 million civil penalty.This Kos Kid dissolves into esoteric conspiracy theory that would even make Alex Jones blush. Since this guy worked for Nixon, he must be the root of all evil instead of the fact there was no oversight over the last six years. Poor Orange Hippies, still fighting Nixon in their nightmares. But here is my favorite part: Malek co-owned the Texas Rangers with George W. Bush. So this guy is horrible because with Bush and Malek both traded Sammy Sosa for $100 and a bucket of chicken.
Red State - A word of explanation... - by AcademicElephant
As you may have noticed, I’ve been on something of a blogging hiatus since I returned from Iraq. In part, this had to do with personal circumstances as I was home for five days before I departed again on a work trip for my “day” job, and I wanted to take a break to absorb the Iraq experience. And another event has commanded my attention: Donald Rumsfeld offered me a job as a research consultant on his staff and I accepted. I started last week.
This really breaks my heart, because I have always liked AcademicElephant, and he did have the stones to go to Iraq for quite sometime, instead of the week long junket like Malkin did so she could gain the "moral high ground" to bash his critics with. He went because he really cared about the troops, and I guess that's what lead him to Rumsfeld. But Rumsfeld is the worst commander since Montgomery, and Iraq was his Market Garden. Might have to find a new Right-leaning blog if they keep bleeding users like AcademicElephant.
HuffingtonPost -Cheney Punished Justice Official Who Questioned Domestic Spying- By Dan Eggen
Seriously, nothing Darth Vader does will ever shock me. I get it, Cheney is evil, and his undisclosed is the City of Dis. I get it. But seriously, while the Democrats spend all their time on this obscure political scandal, the homeland wiretaping and infringing on our civil liberties goes unaddressed. And lord knows Cheney will run out the clock on any scandal they might pin on him. Seriously, move on to the real issues instead of the place it safe bullshit story.Vice President Cheney told Justice Department officials that he disagreed with their objections to a secret surveillance program during a high-level White House meeting in March 2004, a former senior Justice official told senators yesterday.
The meeting came one day before White House officials tried to get approval for the same program from then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, who lay recovering from surgery in a hospital, according to former deputy attorney general James B. Comey.
Comey's disclosures, made in response to written questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, indicate that Cheney and his aides were more closely involved than previously known in a fierce internal battle over the legality of the warrantless surveillance program. The program allowed the National Security Agency to monitor phone calls and e-mails between the United States and overseas.
Comey said that Cheney's office later blocked the promotion of a senior Justice Department lawyer, Patrick Philbin, because of his role in raising concerns about the surveillance.
Townhall - John McCain is ready to lead - By Trent Lott
John McCain did indeed stand alone in last night’s presidential debate -- as the only candidate ready to lead on day one and take on the big challenges facing our country. Candidates often need to use these debates to make the case that they can be presidential. Not John McCain. Every room he walks into, every podium he approaches, he’s a Commander-in-Chief. We saw that in the forum’s second hour, when a young woman from Bedford, New Hampshire, showed great courage in standing up to talk about her brother, who lost his life serving our country in Iraq, and asking what the candidates would do to ensure the safe return of his comrades in harm’s way. And in return, she got straight, heartfelt talk from John McCain, who stood up, walked to the edge of the stage, and told her that though this conflict was poorly mismanaged, the sacrifices made by her brother were not in vain, and that in this titanic struggle, we will prevail. It was truly the defining moment of the evening. Note to Walnuts, do not have a man supports a Dixiecrat for president come out in support for you. Really, Trent Lott? Shouldn't you be crying on your broken-down porch the insurance company won't pay for even though you did their bidding in the Senate for years? Besides Ron Paul, I have to admit McCain next best is slapping down "White Sheets" Tancredo for his blatantly racist remarks on the use of other languages in this country. But to have Trent Lott, the biggest knucklehead in the senate behind Orrin Hatch and Ted Stevens, write you up on a huge conservative blog is the worst idea ever. Well, unless Alan Keyes writes a pro-Obama piece and puts it on Daily Kos.
Matt Lepacek, the reporter who was kicked out of the CNN press room and arrested after asking Rudy Giuliani's staff a question, has now been released on bail. Criminal indictments are now being pursued against the police involved as well as Giuliani's staffers for their flagrant abuse of the First Amendment, assault and wrongful arrest.
Watch the video below.
Seems Giuliani has a habit of making obscure people famous, take Ron Paul for instance and Ghouliani's absurd statement about Iraq and blowback. This time the Ghouliani Goons, fearing answering a question that was not a softball, decided to get all Gestapo on a tier-3 blog reporter. Now they will get to look like Nazis defending their boot stomping on the Freedom of Press. Nice, seems this 3-times divorce cross-dressing baby eater just can't catch a break.
