Melissa McEwan

Obama would like to appoint Republicans Chuck Hagel and Dick Lugar to key cabinet positions, like Secretaries of Defense and State, if elected.

So what, precisely, would change under a President Obama?

I agree with Rudi Giuliani  Read more 

Times:

In adamantly refusing to declare waterboarding illegal, Michael B. Mukasey, the nominee for attorney general, is steering clear of a potential legal quagmire for the Bush administration: criminal prosecution or lawsuits against Central Intelligence Agency officers who used the harsh interrogation practice and those who authorized it [Bush], legal experts said Wednesday.

So it’s come to this:  Read more 

The advanced penal code.  Read more 

Corrente’s policy on activism discourages violence, a position with which I wholeheartedly agree. In that spirit let us all unite in clearly and unequivocally condemning the deplorable actions described below. Retelling the story should in no way be considered supportive or an endorsement of such rash and dangerous conduct.  Read more 

What a surprise. Maybe somebody could ask Mukasey if he blew up frogs by shoving firecrackers up their assholes when he was a kid, like Bush did. Perhaps that would form a common bond. Anyhow, WaPo:

Mukasey also demurred when he was repeatedly asked whether a simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding constitutes unlawful torture. Mukasey had strongly condemned the use of harsh interrogation tactics yesterday and said that the president could not order treatment that violated constitutional prohibitions.

But Mukasey said he could not elaborate on what techniques might be allowed, and specifically refused to answer questions from Democrats about whether waterboarding specifically was unconstitutional, saying he did know enough about what the technique entailed.

Oh, bullshit. Pure obfuscation. How about we keep it simple, and just say that if the Spanish Inquisition did it, it’s torture. Well, guess what?  Read more 

Remember the latest Republican election scam? The one where they were going to hold a referendum to eliminate winner-take-all in California only, so whichever districts were still voting for Kool-Aid would throw the election to a Republican in the electoral college?* Turns out the winger billionaire who was secretly funding the scam was a Giuliani suporter! LA Times:

A confidant of Republican presidential contender Rudolph W. Giuliani, and one of the candidate’s biggest donors, was the source of a mystery $175,009.11** donation to a stalled initiative proposal seen as an attempt to help the GOP win a portion of California’s 55 electoral votes.

New York hedge fund billionaire Paul E. Singer issued a statement Friday acknowledging that he gave the six-figure gift, ending speculation over its secrecy and fanning criticism of the Giuliani campaign.

Giuliani said he knew nothing about it, and his spokeswoman, Maria Comella, called the contribution “completely independent from our campaign.”

Of course, of course.

But here’s the weird thing:  Read more 

What Dominionists believe in:  Read more 

Their next legacy has to be naming the Thunk Tank/SinkHole.

There isn’t much that can be said good about the departed and unlamented pretender to the title of Attorney General, but I find it notable that he’s getting a further kick from our Dallas media giant. Splashed across its editorial section today, the Dallas Morning News prints a nice selection of unfriendly parting shots kinda epitomized by William McKenzie’s “I thought President Bush had made a good pick … I was wrong”.  Read more 

Jesus, the Republicans have defined deviancy down. And the famously free press plays right along. WaPo:

[Bush’s temporary AG Paul] Clement “has a very strong sense of institutional arrangements and institutional integrity,” said Kenneth W. Starr.

Right. That’s sorted then.  Read more 

Heckuva job:

[Mine and Health Safety Administrator Richard Stickler] used to be a mining executive who - according to various media reports - ran mines which had several fatalities and “…an incident rate that was often twice the national average.”

Well, I’d say that qualifies him! Certainly other Bush appointees—Brownie, Rummy, Cheney—put the “execute” in executive at far, far higher rates than average.

Also coming to light, is the fact that Stickler’s nomination to head the mine administration was twice rejected by congress and rejected when republicans were still in charge. Rejected reportedly by senators who were concerned about Stickler’s safety record when he operated mines.

Stickler was too much even for the Congressional Republicans?!  Read more 

Heh. I’ve already made trouble and I’m not even there yet. I’ll try to post as often as I can, but I’m not going to be an official attendee, just floating around at the margins and otherwise being Above It All. I will try to get Lambert’s question answered, but I’m sure they won’t let me within 100 yards of the candidates…

Washington D.C. is in a fuss over the replacement of eight United States Attorneys after President Bush’s reelection in 2004. One of the main talking points of the Bush administration’s minions is that no matter what the reason for these eight attorneys’ demanded resignation, all of the 93 U.S. Attorneys “serve at the pleasure of the President.” Is that explanation enough?

President Bush said on March 14, 2007, “U.S. attorneys and others serve at the pleasure of the President. Past administrations have removed U.S. attorneys. It is their right to do so.”

Karl Rove said on March 8, 2007, “Look, by law and by Constitution, these attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president and traditionally are given a four year term.”

Despite this acclimation of unfettered power, there must be some reason for a decision. Of course, “at the pleasure” does not require a reason to be justified. If the basis for a change in Department of Justice personnel is simply on a Presidential whim, then that is as scary, if not more so, than partisan politics.  Read more 

I don’t know if it’s the stomach flu or his resulting flatulence (regardless of the orifice), but Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff’s prediction of attacks on the United States this summer, stinks.

On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune that he had a “gut feeling” about a new period of increased risk of terrorist attacks within the United States.

“Summertime seems to be appealing to them,” Chertoff said. “We worry they are rebuilding their activities.”

Who needs Chertoff when we have a very capable great American to truly use magic to protect our country? I say – David Copperfield for Secretary of Homeland Security. Then an illusionist can report directly to the “delusionist.”  Read more 

North Korea agreed in talks with 7 powers on February 13th to begin dismantling its nuclear facilities. The U.S. insisted that funds held in Macao would be released when signs of that commitment’s being fulfilled had been received. We have agreed to release the funds. Nothing has happened. North Korea continues building its nuclear facilities.

Yesterday, No. Korea began its talks with So. Korea on military accomodation with a joke about our famously incompetent president.  Read more 

If this was all on the up-and-up, why delete the mention of “Republican” at all? McClatchy:

Congressional investigators are beginning to focus on accusations that a top civil rights official at the Justice Department illegally hired lawyers based on their political affiliations, especially for sensitive voting rights jobs.

Two former department lawyers told McClatchy Newspapers that Bradley Schlozman, a senior civil rights official, told them in early 2005, after spotting mention of their Republican affiliations on their job applications, to delete those references and resubmit their resumes. Both attorneys were hired.

One of them, Ty Clevenger, said: “He wanted to make it look like it was apolitical.”

Oh, Ty, Ty… Out of the mouths of babes…

Schlozman did not respond to phone calls to his home Sunday. But he denied the allegations in an earlier phone interview with McClatchy Newspapers and through a department spokesman. In the interview he said he “tried to de-politicize the hiring process” and filled jobs with applicants from “across the political spectrum.”

Sure, “across the political spectrum” from right to far right. Honestly. These people must never have been challenged, their excuses are so lame.

But don’t worry! The life forms that Schlozman hired were extremely legitimate and totally qualified:  Read more 

A new twist in the Justice prosecutor’s saga? From the transcript:  Read more 

Okay, at the last minute he was reminded that what he was doing was unconstitutional and added a sentence. But if Murray Waas is to be believed, there’s something really, really fishy here.

Can’t quote a lot out of the National Journal, and this is a moderately long piece. Really quite balanced—all relevant “Clinton did it too!” excuses are noted. But Abu Al basically delegated to Sampson and Goodling—who had maybe one actual prosecution between them as legal experience—authority to take dictation from the White House on hiring and firing decisions of all non-Civil Service Justice Department employees.

And hide it from Congress.

oopsie…Abu Al may have to come back and sit with the dunce Can’t Recall cap on again for awhile longer.  Read more 

What does an effective Attorney General do?

Why, fire any honest Republican Federal Prosecutors Dear Leader might have accidently appointed and who might feel obligated to investigate people like Duke Cunningham, or Jack Abramoff, or the outing of the CIA agent keeping you from a lucrative war, or prosecuting the tobacco companies or Halliburton or anyone else in Bu$hie’s Ba$e, and replace them with Regent University TheoCon Faithful who realize the need for discretion in the government’s Reconstruction for the Faith.

Oh, yeah, and forget everything when asked.

The title of this post is a homily that makes her smile, but Elizabeth de La Vega remembers it fondly from the early days of her years in the U.S. justice system. Soon to be made into a movie, her book “United States v. George W. Bush et al.” details some of the outrages that are becoming horribly familiar to the U.S. public. She wrote on Monday about some of the horrors she has witnessed.  Read more 

I don’t really give a crap about the ambassador to Belgium. They are a gracious and intelligent people, and will endure 19 months of this twit with their accustomed aplomb, and excellent chocolates. Bush expending a recess appointment to push through the poop-chute a man whose only qualification is financing the smearing of a man who faithfully served his country in wartime serves only to remind everybody of what Bush didn’t do.

Good job there, Little Snot-Nose!  Read more 

There once was a Bush boi from Texas
Who was wont to place all of his betses
On men who were fools
Or worse, who were ghouls
It’s clear he wasn’t one of the Mensas

Jake

The present composition of the Supreme Court is increasingly showing a dark side. Today’s decision is hardly encouraging, either.  Read more 

By now just about everyone has gasped at the sheerly ridiculous quality of David Broder’s ’advice’ in “An Opening For Democrats” to the Democrats to stop exposing crimes of the maladministration because it isn’t what he thinks we people want. However, I am most amazed at his statement that:

Despite this (poll figures), the survey finds significant growth in support for liberal measures that would expand the role and cost of government.  Read more 

In the rising accusation that Clinton did it first, don’t forget, Tom DeLay was providing the drag during Clinton’s terms against Clinton’s power of appointment. In the rising steam of presidential privilege palaver, don’t forget, the power of appointments was severely hindered in Clinton’s terms by the drag of delay by Tom DeLay.

In 1997: Herman Schwartz in Washington Monthly

Judges, watch your backs : The Congressional Republicans have officially declared war on “judicial activists,” judges who go beyond interpreting the law into the realm of what GOP lawmakers consider “making” the law. Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia is but one of several Republicans to denounce the current crop of jurists for “assuming for themselves the powers and responsibilities of legislators or executives”—an offense those on the right say must not be treated lightly. They have been particularly incensed over a few recent decisions setting aside death sentences, excluding evidence in a drug case, and blocking the implementation of the California referendum ending affirmative action programs. This May, Barr joined Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas in calling for the impeachment of judges as a “proper tool” for “political offenses,” with an impeachable offense defined by DeLay as “whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history” Their stated goal, according to DeLay: “The judges need to be intimidated”

With an eye toward weeding out future judicial activists, GOP senators have virtually hijacked the appointment process. Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch has declared he will not “stand by to see judicial activists named to the federal bench” To this end, Hatch and his fellow Republicans have instituted a massive slowdown on judicial appointments. According to political scientist Sheldon Goldman of the University of Massachusetts, who has been studying the nomination process-for 40 years, the Republicans are engaged in an effort “unprecedented in its scope… to deny the Clinton administration as many nominations as possible”

[emphasis added]  Read more