Shit, Shit, Shit

It's November already and that means our friends at the Adgita Diaries will be closing up shop. From M and T themselves:

On this our first anniversary in blog space, we herein post our last words to plan for an active transfer of priorities. Our experience here has been a rich and bountiful blessing. Thank you for reading and taking the time so often this past year to make your presence known to us with thoughtful commentary. You have been integral in raising our consciousness these past twelve months: A particular thanks to Jane at Firedoglake; Diane, Phillipe and the Collective at Pourquoi Pas; Fallenmonk; Robin and Robert at Dharma Bums; Fixer and Gordon at Alternate Brain; OWL at It's Morning Somewhere; AOB at Angry Old Broad; Wanda at Podunt Post; Culture Ghost; author Phil Rockstroh at Dissident Voice; Simbaud at King of Zembla and Thom at Societas. Thank you for the honor of an occasional cross post and mention of us on your sites. You have been an inspiration, and we have deeply appreciated your support and encouragement. We encourage our readers to support Counterpunch and the excellent collective by Sunil Sharma at Dissident Voice.

Harry Hound wishes to give a hearty goodbye to wonderful fur persons of all persuasions: Airbeagle, Cotton, Cairo, Mango, Shayna, Lili, Hoppy, Moxie, Buddy, Kobe, Katie, Lucy, Louis, and Sadie.

On behalf of the assorted nuts here at the Brain, I wish M and T well in their endeavors. Shayna the Cattle Dog also sends out a bark and a tail wag to Harry, whom she hopes will keep in touch with his furry, four legged pals. We'll miss their insight and their excellent writing. Good on yas, guys.

"Bye, Harry."

Oddities

My fellow New Yorker finds a couple.

Out of sight is not out of mind...

You've probably heard of fugu, the blowfish considered a delicacy by the Japanese that can kill you instantly if not properly prepared. Well, imagine if a tuna fish sandwich could do the same thing.

This article in the Allentown/Bethlehem PA Morning Call is not particularly timely although I think it relates to today. Worth a read.

The Army's ocean dumping of chemical weapons ended abruptly when Congress discovered what had been going on and halted an operation that could have sent a cloud of deadly nerve gas over New York City.

Also, the plan to encase ''a whole world war's worth'' of VX nerve gas in concrete before sinking the ship was flawed from an engineering standpoint, and the concrete wouldn't contain a catastrophe, scientists determined.

Scientists feared water pressure changes as the ship sank would set off an explosion that would cause a chain reaction that would blow up the entire ship, Meselson said.

That could have sent a toxic cloud high into the air, and prevailing winds could have swept it toward New York City, Meselson said.

A drop of the nerve gas can kill a person within a minute.

That was 35 years ago. If the ship had withstood the sinking, there would be tons of nerve gas lying on the bottom of the ocean. Dump the shit right at the bottom of the food chain, you fuckin' morons!

The moral of the story, I think, is: Don't let the DoD plan a goddam thing. I'm glad Rumsfeld wasn't in charge back then.

Fall of a Vulcan

Good article in Time about

How a very smart and very loyal aide to Dick Cheney got indicted for allegedly lying about his role in defending the war

Details the war-within-a-war between the White House and the CIA. This line got my attention and made me grin 'til my teeth hurt - and they're in the bathroom!

[...]
And Fitzgerald's indictment sets the stage for either a trial next spring or a plea bargain that almost certainly would mean jail time for Libby. That possibility has already been discussed: a source close to the investigation told TIME that Fitzgerald and Libby's attorney Joseph Tate discussed possible plea options before the indictment was issued last week. But the deal was scotched because the prosecutor insisted that Libby do some "serious" jail time.

Fixer's right - don't fuck with The Company! Or with an honest man with a Grand Jury.

The new SCROTUMSCOTUS

The Sister has gone in depth on this sucka (here, here, & here), including lotsa links and the Rude One has his own take on this motherfucker.

Statement from Cheney

HuffPo

The following is the first draft of a statement by Vice President Dick Cheney regarding I. Lewis Libby, unreleased by the White House.

Mr. Libby has informed me that he is resigning to fight the charges brought against him. I have accepted his decision with deep regret. It is indeed a sad day for our nation when lying, perjury, and obstruction of justice can be interpreted by an activist prosecutor as somehow inconsistent with winning the war on terror.

Scooter Libby is one of the most capable and talented individuals I have ever known. He has given many years of his life to public service and has served our nation tirelessly and with great distinction. Should this investigation spiral out of control however, I will of course deny ever having met the man.

In our system of government an accused person is presumed innocent until a contrary finding is made by a jury after an opportunity to answer the charges and a full airing of the facts...or he or she is tortured to the point of death at the discretion of the president. Mr. Libby is entitled to that opportunity.

Because this is a pending legal proceeding, in fairness to all those involved, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the charges or on any facts relating to the proceeding; however I will work tirelessly behind the scenes to smear, denigrate and threaten all those who differ with my hallucinative reality.

Now go fuck yourselves.

Pissin' Contest...

From RadarOnline

When newly-promoted CBS News president Sean McManus gets around to chatting with Dan Rather about the fallout from his Bush National Guard story, we hope he uses more tact than Mike Wallace. According to sources inside the network, Wallace recently got into a shouting match with Rather after telling the disgraced journo he should have resigned over "Memogate" - while the two men were standing side-by-side at a urinal.

My inside sources report that Wallace took exception to Rather for his performance:

"Goddammit, you young whippersnapper! Watch it! Those are thousand-dollar Italian shoes!"

Shocking

Yahoo News

WACO, Texas - A pastor performing a baptism was electrocuted inside his church Sunday morning after adjusting a nearby microphone while standing in water, a church employee said.

I just couldn't resist. I wonder how much "resistance" (in ohms) the pastor...

AT&T to Cingular

Let's just say if you were an AT&T mobile customer before Cingular took them over, prepare to get reamed when you try to upgrade. (The Mrs. had to upgrade to a bigger plan for business) The Mrs. and I went round and round with them yesterday for 2 hours. You see, Cingular looks at you as a new customer if it doesn't cost them any money. You're an existing customer if they have to reach into their pockets. Then I spent another couple hours tranferring my address book from my old phone (dinosaur) to my new one. Thanks to contract overlaps, I wasn't gonna pay $500 to get away from Cingular, but I suggest if you're in the market for a new mobile provider to look for someone besides Cingular. I'll add that their sales people at the Smith Haven Mall store were extremely courteous and helpful. Unfortunatley the corporate policies under which they operate suck.

300% yield

Hell of an investment, but that only happens if you're a Republican in Ohio. And a question to Ohioans(?), do you enjoy taking it in the ass . . . dry?

Smoking Guns and Red Herrings - A Prosecutor Considers Libby's Indictment

While you're at TomDispatch, read this one by California Girl Elizabeth de la Vega too.

The Grand Jury supervised by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has returned an indictment charging Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide and reputed "alter-ego" I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby with perjury, obstruction of justice, and false statements to the grand jury. But this indictment does not end the story; rather, a close reading suggests that these charges are most likely merely a chapter in a long and tragic story. Here, from a former federal prosecutor, are thoughts about four things we should expect, four things we shouldn't, and one question we should all be asking.

Excellent overview and deep crystal-ball gaze. Read.

The White House Criminal Conspiracy

A little light reading at TomDispatch. You know about TomD - take a lunch.

Legally, there are no significant differences between the investor fraud perpetrated by Enron CEO Ken Lay and the prewar intelligence fraud perpetrated by George W. Bush. Both involved persons in authority who used half-truths and recklessly false statements to manipulate people who trusted them. There is, however, a practical difference: The presidential fraud is wider in scope and far graver in its consequences than the Enron fraud. Yet thus far the public seems paralyzed.

Americans may have been unaware of this deceit then, but they have since learned the truth. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted in June, 52% of Americans now believe the President deliberately distorted intelligence to make a case for war. In an Ipsos Public Affairs poll, commissioned by AfterDowningStreet.org and completed October 9, 50% said that if Bush lied about his reasons for going to war Congress should consider impeaching him. The President's deceit is not only an abuse of power; it is a federal crime. Specifically, it is a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, which prohibits conspiracies to defraud the United States.

By now it's no secret that the Bush administration used the 9/11 attacks as a pretext to promote its war. They began talking privately about invading Iraq immediately after 9/11 but did not argue their case honestly to the American people. Instead, they began looking for evidence to make a case the public would accept -- that Iraq posed an imminent threat. Unfortunately for them, there wasn't much.

It can hardly be disputed, finally, that the Bush Administration's intentional misrepresentations were designed to interfere with the lawful governmental function of Congress. They presented a complex deceit about Iraq to both the public and to Congress in order to manipulate Congress into authorizing foreign action. Legally, it doesn't matter whether anyone was deceived, although many were. The focus is on the perpetrators' state of mind, not that of those they intentionally set about to mislead.

The evidence shows, then, that from early 2002 to at least March 2003, the President and his aides conspired to defraud the United States by intentionally misrepresenting intelligence about Iraq to persuade Congress to authorize force, thereby interfering with Congress's lawful functions of overseeing foreign affairs and making appropriations, all of which violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

I think the case against the bastards is well enough made that it needs to be thoroughly investigated so it can be proven without a doubt, reasonable or otherwise. Now we just need somebody with enough sack - and clout - to do it.

Joe Wilson

In his own words:

[. . .]

The war in Iraq has claimed more than 17,000 dead and wounded American soldiers, many times more Iraqi casualties and close to $200 billion.

It has left our international reputation in tatters and our military broken. It has weakened the United States, increased hatred of us and made terrorist attacks against our interests more likely in the future.

It has been, as Gen. William Odom suggested, the greatest strategic blunder in the history of our country.

[. . .]

Thanks to DR for the link.

Questions

Tristero at Digby's:

What is wrong with this country? Bush's approval is at 39%. True, it's the lowest ever for the Post/ABC survey but think about it. How could more than 1/3 of the people think this president, whose performance in office makes it clear that Yale was already cursed with serious grade inflation when they gave him a C+, be so clueless?...

I've been asking myself that since we reelected this fucking idiot.

Don't listen to me

Listen to him.

AUSTIN Oct 29, 2005 - Democrats can't be afraid to talk about hot-button issues, including abortion, and should fight back against personal attacks from conservatives if they want to regain power in Washington, former President Bill Clinton said Saturday.

"You can't say 'Please don't be mean to me. Please let me win sometimes.' Give me a break here," Clinton said. "If you don't want to fight for the future and you can't figure out how to beat these people then find something else to do." [my em]

[. . .]

Link via Oliver Willis

The Dogs of War

Literally. Brought to you, most appropriately, by Ol' Yella.

Stragedy*

Sense comes in the form of Steve Soto from The Left Coaster:

[. . .]

Yet the initial reaction from the media and academia from the Libby indictment shows that the Democrats have their opening to begin the "Enough, Already" campaign for next year. Here are some possible lines of attack for such a campaign:

[. . .]

I urge all our candidates to adopt this strategy in the '06. There are serious talking points here, it just takes a set of testicles. Reach down and grab a feel and remember what they're all about. Ladies, that goes for you too.

Hat tip: My man Dave

*Hat tip: Bugs Bunny

It Ain't Over

Raw Story has a hopeful post:

While many people were left confused by news reports that said Rove wouldn't be indicted Friday, the lawyers said that Rove remains under intense scrutiny and added that Fitzgerald is betting on the fact that he can secure an indictments against him or other officials on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, the misuse of classified information, and possibly other charges, as early as next week.

"This investigation is not yet over," one of the lawyers in the case said. "You must keep in mind that people like Mr. Rove are still under investigation. Rather than securing an indictment on perjury charges against Mr. Rove Mr. Fitzgerald strongly believes he can convince the grand jury that he broke other laws."

Specifically, the lawyers said Fitzgerald is focusing on phony intelligence documents that led to the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson's identity: the documents that claimed Iraq was attempting to purchase yellow-cake uranium from Niger.

NATO sources told United Press International Monday that Fitzgerald's team of investigators has sought and obtained documentation on the forgeries from the Italian government.

One inning, even a long one with many swings at the ball but only one run, does not a ball game make.

Cheney's New Asshole Brain

Tennessee Guerilla Women has the info and many links.

Where there has been controversy over the past four years, there has often been Addington. He was a principal author of the White House memo justifying torture of terrorism suspects. He was a prime advocate of arguments supporting the holding of terrorism suspects without access to courts.

Addington also led the fight with Congress and environmentalists over access to information about corporations that advised the White House on energy policy. He was instrumental in the series of fights with the Sept. 11 commission and its requests for information. . . .

Colleagues say Addington stands out for his devotion to secrecy in an administration noted for its confidentiality. . . .

Even in a White House known for its dedication to conservative philosophy, Addington is known as an ideologue, an adherent of an obscure philosophy called the unitary executive theory that favors an extraordinarily powerful president.

Oh fucking swell. Those bastards have enough gangsters waiting in the wings that they don't even have to break stride in their march to ruin the country.

Sounds like they're startin' in on the 'B' team, though. Maybe they'll be easier to catch.

Happy Fitznukkah, Everybody!

Al Franken in The HuffPo

That's right -- it isn't a one-day holiday like Fitzmas. This could go on and on. One day a great gift like Libby, the next day a pair of socks (Ari Fleischer), the next day, who knows: maybe an Xbox 360 (Karl Rove)! Maybe this can be dragged out until the 2006 midterms.

Anyway. Boy, did he lie! Wow. That. Is lying. Hoo boy.

And how about Rove telling the press he was going to have a great Friday and a great weekend? They can't even not lie about what kind of weekend they're going to have.

I hope the words to a song from my youth (Yes, we had songs then), Charlie Brown, are coursing through all the heads in the White House:

"He's gonna get caught,
Just you wait 'n see.
"Why's ever'body always pickin' on me?"

It ain't over.