The Liberal Coalition

The Washington Monthly
OK, I can see that I was way too clever here for my own good. Sorry about that. Obviously one interpretation of this post is that I think Anne-Marie Slaughter is nuts. I don't. What I meant to point out is that the Bush administration is now so widely viewed as unhinged and malignant that even traditionally serious™ people like Anne-Marie Slaughter think nothing of suggesting that they might well start a war with Iran for purely partisan gain.[Highlight by editor. That would be me]

There are times I want to grab Drum by the shoulders and shake the living shit out of him. Where the hell has he been these last three years?

For one thing, most of the <quote type='finger'> Serious™ players </quote> have, most likely, thought this. Now that things have gone completely shitters, they are finally finding the courage to speak up. Which is a damn shame, considering had they spoken up initially, all the death and misery could have quite possibly been avoided.

But that's neither here nor there. Bottom line is that some days Kevin seems damn naive.

However, considering Kevin is probably smarter then the average voter, it goes a long way towards explaining the former 49 percenters (minus Diabold votes).


Technorati Tags: Kevin Drum, Iraq, Partisan Politics

Cross posted at Rook's Rant

Soldier to defend bin Laden's driver - 08/07/2007 - MiamiHerald.com
With reputed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed not yet charged with any crime, Hamdan is the most prominent alleged al Qaeda member facing prospective trial by the Bush administration. He gained prominence as the Guantánamo captive in a Supreme Court challenge that upended President Bush's first effort to try war-on-terror captives by military commissions.

I'm sorry, but when I read this graph, all I can think is....

The chauffeur did it.

Next thing you know, they'll announce his butler is on trial.

Oh, and if we are having such a hard time with meeting recruitment goals, is this really a good idea?

Hamdan's military lawyer, Swift, led the charge and was passed over for promotion, forcing his retirement last week under an up-or-out Pentagon system.

Not to mention the total "fuck you" of passing the man over for doing the very duty he was commissioned, defending his client to the utmost of his ability.

Welcome to the Soviet States of America.

Technorati Tags: Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Osama bin Laden, Salim Hamdan

Cross posted at Rook's Rant

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 08/06/2007 | Iraqi government unraveling as more ministers announce boycott
BAGHDAD — Iraq's government, already unable to reconcile rival Sunni and Shiite Muslim factions, seemed headed for complete paralysis Monday as five more Cabinet ministers announced that they'd boycott government meetings. If the ministers from the secular Iraqiya political list hold to their decision, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki will be unable to convene a quorum of the council of ministers to approve legislation or take other action weeks before U.S. officials are to make a crucial mid-September assessment of the success or failure of American policy here. U.S. officials said they'd have no immediate comment. "Things change here by the hour," U.S. Embassy spokesman Phil Reeker said in an e-mail.

So, is this another one of those corners? We must be on a myriagon circuit.

It's Question and Answer time at The American Street.

Technorati Tags: Humor, Alberto Gonzales

Oh, and that's Q&A, not T&A. Seriously, get your mind out of the gutter.










Unless that's an improvement.












Which makes you a Republican, you know.

Victims Missing in Bridge Collapse Identified - New York Times
“Our message to the Twin Cities is we want to get this bridge rebuilt as quick as possible,” the president said. “We understand this is a main artery of life here, that people count on this bridge, this highway system, to get to work.”

This sounds familiar. When have I heard this before?

Bush: New Orleans to 'rise again' - Katrina, The Long Road Back - MSNBC.com
NEW ORLEANS - SEPT 15, 2005 - President Bush promised Thursday night the government will pay most of the costs of rebuilding the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast in one of the largest reconstruction projects the world has ever seen. “There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again,” the president said.

Say, New Orleans, how's that going for you?

New Orleans Residents Take Rebuilding Into Their Own Hands - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News

But New Orleans is now at only about half its pre-Katrina population, and less than half of the city's public schools have reopened, with the additional 6,000 or so new students this fall not sure whether they'll have classrooms to go to. Many roads are still difficult to travel, and authorities are strangely boasting that the hurricane pumps, used to drain flood water from the city, are now back up to "pre-Katrina" levels. (Um, didn't we all see that wasn't good enough?)

According to Colonel Terry Ebbert, Homeland Security director for New Orleans, the levees have been repaired and, in some spots, increased in height — although they are still "much lower" on the West Bank than the East. Construction on the system, he says, will take another four years. Meanwhile, a report last week found that, ironically, recent repairs have actually left the French Quarter and Marigny more vulnerable than before. "We do know that we have that problem," Ebbert admitted.

[snip]

Beyond security, though, a question remains: With billions in federal funding, why has rebuilding taken so long? The answer is simple and embarrassing: political infighting, local corruption and loads of red tape. According to Ed Blakely, the city planner appointed just this winter to lead the city's recovery efforts, New Orleans has received absolutely no federal funding for long-term community recovery. Last week, the Louisiana Recovery Authority approved funneling millions into 17 "target zones" in the city to help support natural patterns of resettlement — part of Mayor Ray Nagin's larger $1.1 billion recovery plan announced in March. But with construction in those zones starting as soon as September, Nagin's plan has yet to receive financing. Topping it off is the fact that the very first public-works project, a library in the middle-class Broadmoor neighborhood, was funded not locally but by a private foundation in New York.

I'm not holding my breath on that promise, Mr. Bush.

Technorati Tags: I35W Bridge Collapse, New Orleans,

Cross posted at Rook's Rant&