Friday, June 26, 2009

Outing A CIA Agent Now Legal In The U.S.

There is only one logical conclusion that can be drawn from the fact that the Supreme Court has declined to hear Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson's case against Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Richard Armitage. The conclusion is that undercover CIA Agents can now be outed in this country with impunity. Overwhelming evidence points directly to Dick Cheney for initiating the leak of Valerie Plame's name when he became outraged at her husband's article exposing the Bush Administration's false assertions regarding Iraq's nuclear program.

This was a clear case of treason committed purely for petty political vengeance. Nobody was ever held accountable for this most un-American of acts. There are many to blame for the lack of accountability in this case. President Bush said he would terminate anyone found responsible for leaking the information, but he never fired anybody connected with the leak (Cheney, Rove, Armitage, Libby). He added insult to injury by pardoning the guy (Libby) who blatantly obstructed the investigation.

Armitage was the primary source because he recklessly blabbed Plame's name to Robert Novak and Bob Woodward. Rove, by multiple accounts, was the confirming source in his conversations with reporters Matt Cooper and Robert Novak. These guys were beyond careless and I don't buy for a second their lame explanations. Her name was floating around out there in the Bush White House because Cheney got the ball rolling after Joe Wilson's article. Even Ari Fleischer (White House Spokesman) and Dan Bartlett (Counselor to the President) were mentioning Plame's name. Fleischer was granted immunity by Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald and admitted revealing Plame's name to David Gregory of NBC News after he heard Bartlett openly reveal that Plame worked for the CIA aboard Air Force One.

Fitzgerald was unwilling to go forward with a case against any of the principles because he claimed that he was obstructed by Libby. But there was a LOT of evidence that this was a politically motivated act of vengeance initiated by Dick Cheney. The final stage of leaking was carried out by the Rove's, Armitages, etc. I think Fitzgerald had a strong case, but decided not to pursue it for reasons I still cannot fully comprehend. Imagine for a second that the Clinton or Obama administrations outed an undercover CIA agent. The Republicans would lose their minds. But due to the Bush Administration, Patrick Fitzgerald, and the Supreme Court we have established a new precedent in the United States: It is now acceptable to out an undercover CIA agent without any consequences whatsoever. It is a sad day for this country and a triumph for future traitors.
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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Frank Rich Nails It Again - A Must Read About Conservatives Stoking The Fires of Irrational Hate

I have been very clear about my opinion of the Bill O'Reillys, Rush Limbaughs, and Glenn Becks of the world in terms of their irresponsible use of inflammatory language as they carelessly fan the flames of hatred in this country. What makes it all the more despicable is that they try to stoke the fire over the most preposterous, false "issues" (Obama is a socialist-Nazi-terrorist, wants to take your guns away, is not a U.S. citizen, etc., etc.).

I include Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney in this group. Dick Cheney says that Obama is making the U.S. less safe, but is unable to provide any evidence to support this careless charge. His daughter Liz Cheney implies that Obama is un-American because he does not cite "American exceptionalism" during his overseas trips, even though there is videotape of President Obama using those exact words! New York Times columnist Frank Rich sums it all up very eloquently in this must-read editorial. Here is one excerpt:

What is this fury about? In his scant 145 days in office, the new president has not remotely matched the Bush record in deficit creation. Nor has he repealed the right to bear arms or exacerbated the wars he inherited. He has tried more than his predecessor ever did to reach across the aisle. But none of that seems to matter. A sizable minority of Americans is irrationally fearful of the fast-moving generational, cultural and racial turnover Obama embodies — indeed, of the 21st century itself. That minority is now getting angrier in inverse relationship to his popularity with the vast majority of the country.

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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Sotomayor Hearings To Begin July 13 - Republicans Outraged (Again)

Senator Patrick Leahy announced that the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor will begin July 13th. This will put her on track to be confirmed before the congressional recess in August.

Although this timeline is almost exactly the same as the one for Chief Justice John Roberts when he was nominated by President Bush in 2005, this hasn't stopped Senate Republicans from crying foul. In ANOTHER case of false outrage, Mitch McConnell says that "We're not clear yet how long it's going to take to work our way through her extensive record..."

I can now tell you how long it is going to take to examine her record: From now until July 12th. Again, the Republicans think they can still dictate these decisions even they though they were voted out of power. Maybe this will snap them back to reality. I was surprised when I heard Newsweek's Howard Fineman predict that the hearings would be held in the Fall. My reaction was why in the world would they put off until then when the Democrats are in control? Looks like I got it right this time.
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Republican False Outrage Watch: Obamas' Night Out In New York City

The latest example of Republican False Outrage is in response to The President of the United States and his wife having the gall to have a night out in New York City after 4 months in office. The bogus "uproar" from the right appears to center around the cost of transportation for the trip.

In another case of Republican amnesia they have somehow forgotten that it was THEIR PRESIDENT who took 149 trips to Camp David for a total of 487 days. Bush also took 77 trips to his "ranch" in Crawford, Texas and spent all or part of 490 days there! Thar's a grand total of 977 days! How much do they think it costs to fly Air Force One from Washington D.C. to Texas? We're not talking about the "mini" Air Force One Obama took to New York, we're talking about the big dog.

This is just another case of "projection" from memory-challenged partisans in the Republican party. It reminds me of the outrage of the Tax Day Tea Protesters. It was THEIR PARTY that took budget surpluses and turned them into record budget deficits and created the worst economic crisis of my lifetime. And even more bizarre was the fact that 95% of people will experience a tax cut under Obama.

BLOGGING DEMOCRATIC False Republican Outrage Watch:

- President's Obama's Use of A Teleprompter Rather
Than Written Notes.
- Tax Day Tea Protests.
- Hugo Chavez Handshake.
- Ordering A Hamburger With Spicy Mustard.
- Obama's Date Night In New York City.

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Monday, June 1, 2009

Another Case of Domestic Terrorism In the U.S.

The terrorists are not just located in far-away middle eastern countries. They are also located here in the U.S. The person who murdered Dr. Tiller today in Kansas was sending a clear message to other doctors who perform abortions. If you perform LEGAL abortions in this country you are placing your life at great risk. That is terrorism and we need to fight it just as aggressively as we are fighting international terrorism. I must commend President Obama and Attorney General Holder for their swift actions in this case.

I live in the heart of probably the most notorious city for anti-abortion violence in the U.S. - Pensacola, Florida. I still remember the foggy night on Christmas eve 1984 when I was standing outside and speaking with a good friend after we left a party I attended at another friend's house. Suddenly the calm was shattered by an explosion and then by another much stronger explosion. I then drove home wondering what it was I had just heard. Little did I know that I was the first car to drive by the abortion clinic that was bombed that Christmas eve. Two other doctor's offices were also bombed. My friend and I are probably the only people to hear 2 out of the 3 bombings that night.

More Pensacola history: In 1993 Dr. David Gunn was shot and killed outside an abortion clinic. This was the first murder of an abortion doctor in the United States. In 1994 Dr. John Britton and clinic escort retired Air Force Lt. Colonel James Barrett were both shot and killed outside of another facility in Pensacola. Thankfully, all of the domestic terrorists were captured and convicted in these cases. Reverend Paul Hill, who committed the 1994 murders, was executed in 2003 - good riddance to that unrepentant, arrogant piece of trash who committed his terrorist acts in the name of God. The other terrorists were sent to prison and Michael Griffin, who committed the 1993 murder, is serving a life sentence.

There are no easy solutions to stopping this steady stream of domestic terrorism which has been occurring on U.S. soil for more than 25 years. But we must do what we can to protect the medical staff and escorts at these offices and clinics from a handful of insane, misguided fanatics.
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