Category: Politics

Feeling a little paranoid this morning? Well if you like intrigue here’s one for you.

The Pentagon has urged Congress to authorize $500 million for building a network of friendly militias around the world

Ostensibly this would allow the US to pay militia type forces to bring about law and order in “ungoverned” areas of the world (funny, I thought it was pretty much settled who got to govern just about all of the planet by now).

Of course, that leaves open the issue of whether said militias would have to even pretend to follow the Geneva Conventions or any other laws. Not that the US has been all too good at it, but this would be taking another page from the Nixon playbook – plausible deniability. “We were funding them, but no, we had no idea what they were going to do with those finds!” Political assassinations not legal? Leave it to the Militias!

Think I’m kidding?

In his testimony, Wolfowitz also suggested expanding the scope of the war on terror by including into the list of its possible targets radical Islamic clerics, who, in his words, provide “ideological sanctuary” to terrorism.

Hat tip to Larry for the link.

The New Republic thinks Kerry should sue the so-called “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” for libel.

That is why if Bush should lose this November, there won’t be any honeymoon for Kerry His first few months in office will look like the last years of the Clinton presidency: congressional inquiries, constant talk radio trash-talking, and book deals for anyone with a charge to make. Simply, Kerry can’t afford to let the SBVT charges go unanswered if he wants to govern effectively.

I agree completely but I also think it’s not going to happen.

Haven’t been in much of a mood for blogging this week but this is really something. Apparently – and of course nobody is quite sure why – Senator Ted Kennedy’s name found itself onto the FAA’s “Watch List” and Kennedy was barred from flying as a result.

Now, you may not like Ted Kennedy, but putting him on a list of people who are so much of a danger to the USA that they should not be allowed to fly smacks of deep wingnuttery. Except that this time the wingnut in question worked for the US Government.

Kennedy said it took three calls to Tom Ridge and several weeks before his name was removed from the list. Being a Senator, he has the kind of clout to make that happen. We average citizens, who would be lucky to talk to any human being ewith real clout at DHS, let alone Ridge, should be very very concerned.

Just when you think that this administration has been so screwed up for so long and has done so many heinous things that it’s hard to tell them all apart or even care about them all anymore, along comes something that reminds you that the horror is not over and you can still be outraged.

Digby excerpts a long GQ article about Joseph and Bernadette Darby and what has happened to their lives since Joe was identifed as a whistleblower in the Abu Ghirab scandal.

Digby talks about the article as a window into red-state wingnut America and why nobody is supporting the Darbys in their home town. Which is true, and the fact that they have had to be moved into protective custody is sad, but as far as I am concerned, what’s really appaling is why.

Abu Ghirab is in fact worse that we’ve heard. And it’s getting lost in the outrage backwash. Nobody is talking about it. And we don’t know why.

One thing Bernadette didn’t know

The Presidential / VP debate schedule for the fall has been announced: details here. It’s interesting to note that 2 of the 3 of the debates are going to have candidates seated at a table (the 3rd debate doesn’t specify). I have no idea why but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that Kerry is so much taller than Bush, and the more traditional podium debates show the height difference more clearly.

My problem with the whole debate format is it has become yet another way for candidates to get out their spin more than anything else. Nothing that’s said there can be taken as either fact or serious policy proposal.

Here’s an example:

I have a very clear recollection of one of the 2000 Presidential debate – I happened to be driving up Nob Hill at the time and for some reason Candiate Bush’s comment about how he was completely uninterested in “nation building” (the buzzword of the time; considered a criticism of the USA’s involvment in Bosina) stuck in my brain. Look what 4 years have brought.

Yet I’m sure I’ll watch them all anyway.

Hat Tip: All Spin Zone for finding this beautiful quote:

Sen. Tom Harkin called Vice President Dick Cheney a “coward” for avoiding service in Vietnam and called on President Bush to end the “backdoor draft.”

The Iowa Democrat was responding Friday to the call-up of a Des Moines police officer who has already completed his eight-year military commitment.

[snip]

“The part of the U.S. code that provides for this anticipates major wars, major national emergencies,” Harkin said. “That is not what we’re confronting right now. You think about using this law only in (extreme cases), only when we’re really in dire, dire need.”

Harkin also shot back at Cheney, who said in a visit to Iowa on Tuesday that presidential candidate John Kerry lacks a basic understanding of the war on terrorism and cannot make America safer.

He noted that Cheney had several student deferments that allowed him to skip serving in Vietnam.

“When I hear this coming from Dick Cheney, who was a coward, who would not serve during the Vietnam War, it makes my blood boil,” Harkin said. “Those of us who served and those of us who went in the military don’t like it when someone like a Dick Cheney comes out and he wants to be tough. Yeah, he’ll be tough. He’ll be tough with somebody else’s blood, somebody else’s kids. But not when it was his turn to go.”

Nice to see a Democrat finally being blunt about Cheney’s service record (or lack thereof). Let’s hope it continues.