Two links via Steve Benen at Carpetbagger:
What would be on The Note’s to-do list if it had the [White House chief of staff] position today?
1. Whatever it takes, do not let the President’s job approval rating fall into the 20s in any public survey.
Sounds reasonable. The Note has proven a reliable barometer of rightwing conventional wisdom so there’s no reason to doubt that this idea has some resonance in DC.
Oops:
President Bush’s job approval rating has fallen to 29%, its lowest mark of his presidency, and down 6% in one month, according to a new Harris poll. And this was before Thursday’s revelations about NSA phone surveillance.
Of 1,003 U.S. adults surveyed in a telephone poll, 29% think Mr. Bush is doing an “excellent or pretty good” job as president, down from 35% in April and 43% in January.
From a comment by a Republican reader of this blog:
those [approval] numbers include people like me, who happen to think he’s failing us more with each passing week, if you can imagine that. But it’s not over this faux scandal. It’s more likely over illegal immigration and gas prices. This NSA thing is your little sandbox toy.
President Bush, trying to build momentum for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, is considering plans to shore up the Mexican border with National Guard troops paid for by the federal government, according to senior administration officials.
One defense official said military leaders think 3,500 to 10,000 troops could be required, depending on the plan.
Two and two makes four.
As far as the plan goes, increasing personnel at the border seems like a fine idea. Building a better fence forces people to cross in less-protected areas where the crossing is more likely to kill them, while boots on the ground will do a better job of intercepting people and returning them to Mexico unharmed. On the downside the states obviously have mixed opinions about a plan which would stretch our National Guard commitments even further past the breaking point. The plan would sound less half-assed and temporary if the president asked Congress to simply expand the INS budget for more border guards. Moving around the National Guard might make for good press but it’s a necessarily temporary fix that the president can un-deploy as soon as the cameras have left and the poll situation is a bit less dire.
***Update***
Of course the president is so serious about beefing up the border that he slashed 10,000 border patrol agents last year. This is pure poll-driven damage control.
Mac
It matters little at this point what President Chimpy does. This is a way to divert media attention from the NSA debacle, and like everything else he touches, Chimpy will turn this into a giant negative.
I suppose that Chimpy is doing his part already by clearing brush from his ranch in Texas. Ranch. All it grows is brush.
Perfect for the guy who takes vacations to clear brush. And lots of them. Clear fields of fire.
Pb
But the President doesn’t pay attention to the polls, remember? He just pays attention to the other people on his staff who pay attention to the polls…
…be very afraid…
Perry Como
There’s no problem the Federal government can’t fix. Just ask the conservative President Bush.
Otto Man
Unfortunately, their “objective” is to get as much power as they possibly can.
Andrew
Bush is just testing the faith of his followers to find out who the true believers really are. They’ll get special DHS notice of the Rapture, local traffic conditions, and where to go during the coming nuclear war with Iran. The bomb shelters can only hold about 25% of the country, so he’s got a little more work to do.
ppGaz
Bush fancies himself a wiseass frat boy, still to this day.
That Hume interview in its entirety was the performance of a college boy having a good time. To him, the whole president thing is just another good time.
Why would polls be of interest to somebody like that?
Picture this: You are President of the United States. You live in a giant protected bubble of fawning staff and bodyguards. You are in this bubble for five of the most turbulent years in American history.
YOu don’t get up one morning and slug down a coffee, and say, Hey, bring me some newspapers. Bring me the Times and the Post and the Daily News and the Philadephia Inquirer and the Miami Herald. Cancel my morning briefing. Get me two poached eggs and some toast and those newspapers pronto, and leave me alone for an hour.
You know, just because you know that keeping in touch with that real world out there is a part of the job. Just because you are curious. Just because you give a shit.
Try to imagine that.
Rudi
This is a great “idear”, almost “nucleeear”. I hope he rolls up his sleeves and helps/cheers the National Guard with some air guitar English pep songs. Then he can tell DHS Chirtoff they are doing a heck of a job. Why didn’t he do this after 9-11, I guess his poll numbers were almost 3 times what they are today.
Otto Man
I haven’t seen it, but that’s apparently a plot point in the new flick “American Dreamz.” An incurious president played by Dennis Quaid, wakes up after his re-election and reads the newspapers for the first time ever. Then it all goes to hell.
Darrell
Although I don’t think it’s fair to ‘blame’ Bush for $70+/barrel oil, he is definitely to blame for pushing amnesty for illegal aliens and not controlling our borders. Hell, have you seen how the number of crackdowns on employers of illegal aliens has plummetted under Bush. Tim is right to say that the national guard on the border initiative is pure, politically driven damage control.
Paddy O'Shea
I don’t think there can be much doubt that the GOP is going to run against Mexicans this time around. Gays, flag-burning, Jesus haters, terrorism, none of these fine issues have anywhere near the punch left to overcome the deperate political condition the Republican Party finds itself in this year.
It would appear that the David Duke wing of the GOP has overcome the Poppy Bush cheap labor faction, and is now readying itself for a run to the border.
Fat, pink and raising a stink.
We’re about to see our first race-based political campaign since George Wallace swept the Deep South in 1968.
Speaking of polls, this one has got to have the morality sluts of the far right all a-foam:
CNN: In a new poll comparing President Bush’s job performance with that of his predecessor, a strong majority of respondents said President Clinton outperformed Bush on a number of issues.
Including honesty …
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/12/bush.clinton.poll/
Darrell
Please make sure you frame all opposition to illegal immigration as nothing but pure KKK racism. I want Americans to get an up close look at how whacked so many of you on the left really and truly are. Louder now! I can’t hear you!
Perry Como
If you stopped clapping so much, maybe it would be easier.
ppGaz
Oh, absolutely. Nothing that happens in his five year term so far can be “blamed” on him. For that matter, nothing that has happened can be tracked back to anything he or his people have said — since everything they’ve said hasj turned out to be crap, or wrong:
Someday, we’ll do a great retrospective on the horsehit put out by these assholes, and of course, a supported and defended by you.
Paddy O'Shea
C’mon Darrell, David Duke swore off the Klan when he became a Republican. The reference is yours, not mine.
You’re not slandering one of your own here, are you?
ppGaz
You stupid fuck. After five years of being governed by these idiots, do you really think that kind of spoofy rightwing horseshit is what people are thinking about today?
ppGaz
What? If we only believed half of the crap you post here all the time, why would they need to do damage control? If there’s damage, why are you defending them all the damned time?
Damage from what? To whom?
Do you really think that when 70% of the people think you suck, that there is such a thing as “damage control?”
The fucking ship has rolled over, Darrell, and only the propellers are sticking out of the water. “Damage control?” No, time to notify the underwriters that the vessel has gone to the fucking bottom.
Perry Como
I can credit Bush with at least one good thing. My commodities investments are through the fucking roof. Once the Decider was reelected it seemed to be a good time to put some money into harder assets (not real estate). Quickly approaching 100% gains thanks to these incompetent fuckbags.
The USD is testing .80 and the technicals point to it plummeting if it breaks the support. Heckuva job Bushie.
ppGaz
Mine too, actually.
I’ll put a quarter million away for health insurance. And a little sumpin’ for $5/gallon gasoline.
Paddy O'Shea
This is interesting …
Rove Informs White House He Will Be Indicted
Within the last week, Karl Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publically announces the charges against him, according to sources.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051206Y.shtml
Perry Como
In all fairness I can’t wholly credit the Bush administration for the commodities bull. Emerging markets in Asia is a big push. But massive US debt and starting very expensive and long wars certainly help. When Bush decides to start a war with Iran (he has no choice, says the Defenders) I should be able to retire.
vealshank
Well, if it makes his rich buddies happy, he’ll do it.
He’s their Decider.
ppGaz
A stroll down memory lane with that radical lefty outfit, the CATO institute. No, not Kate O’Bierne, the CATO institute.
That blurb is two years old, kids.
Two years old, and counting.
The CATO institute. Not Ted Kennedy. The Not Ted Kennedy Institute.
Ancient Purple
I do.
His own administration told us that one of the grand benefits of invading Iraq would be super cheap oil and, therefore, super cheap gas to fill the tank on the Hummer.
That was one of the justifications. So either they produce those rock-bottom prices they said would be inevitable after we got rid of Saddam or admit they were two-bit lying hacks that sold us a bill of goods regarding Iraq.
Their choice.
Paul Wartenberg
Bush may push for more guards at the border but all that will do is drive up the prices people will have to pay to the smugglers getting them across…
We’ve had INS and border guards for years, and it’s never stopped. Put up walls, and people will get around them. What you need to do is get them to stop being motivated to come here, in terms of getting better jobs where they’re from, better security, better livelihoods.
BTW, it isn’t just Mexicans. A good amount of the illegal immigration is from Central America.
And another thing, its not like this were all a bunch of Chinese trying to sneak in, oh wait, they are too! And they’re coming through Canada to do that! Any chance Seattle will see an increase in National Guarding?
Well, if this were all a bunch of Irish and Itali… oh bother, that was 100 years earlier! We’re much more comfortable with them sneaking into the country right boyz?
CaseyL
I heard an interesting snippet on NPR a few days ago. Someone was talking about immigration and national borders, and how relatively modern the concept of both is. “Humans migrate,” they said.
And, really, when you think about it – if you can look at the issue as part of the sweep of human history, rather than from a here-and-now perspective – it does seem that hard national borders are as artificial as the rest of the urbanized culture. All the great “Ages” – Bronze, Iron, Steel – were the result of humans leaving their ancestral lands to go somewhere else, somewhere better.
I think that’s particularly true when you’re talking about intracontinental migration, where there aren’t major geographical barriers to overcome.
It seems to me that building walls between countries to preserve a particular economic, ethnic or racial status quo is a doomed enterprise from any long-term perspective. You’re trying to hold back something that’s hardwired in people.
Paddy O'Shea
Truthout.org is now reporting that Patrick Fitzgerald has served attorneys for Karl Rove with an indictment charging him with perjury and lying to investigators.
Fitzgerald told one of the attorneys present to tell Rove that he has 24 hours to get his affairs in order.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051306W.shtml
Better pop some popcorn. We have a frogmarch to watch.
Perry Como
That’s inside the beltway stuff. Didn’t you hear that gay atheist Mexican liberal trial attorneys are invading from our southern border? To arms Minutemen!
Ancient Purple
We all know that Fitzgerald is going to indict Amb. Joe Wilson this week for outting his own wife.
Just like he did when Scooter Libby was indicted.
capriccio
“Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia!” Bush cries out to Bolten, who pulls the head out of a gunny sack and hands it to the President to lustily wave in front of the cameras during his Monday night appearance, which is wrongly billed as a speech. It will not be a speech, but a sideshow to distract the rubes from the Rove indictment. Will it work? We’ll probably know by Tuesday p.m.
But–and this is obviously grist for another thread entirely–does everyone realize how frickin’ close we are to becoming an utterly rudderless country for the next two years?
srv
Yes, the Iraq war has brought nothing but stability to the ME. And the Axis-of-Evil stuff has worked out spectacularly with Iran.
It is utterly impossible that GW’s foreign policies could have any impact oil. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a crazed moonbat.
And as we move our carriers into the Gulf next month, it will do nothing, nothing whatsover, to oil prices. It is just impossible that there could be any connection.
ppGaz
This year they are going to shift that meme slightly, to the “Axis of Evil Knievel.”
The stuntman’s image, dressed in the stars and stripes, is the new icon for Bush’s “Missionary Position Accomplished” theme on family values and marriage.
Pb
Perry Como,
Indeed–and the massive US debt + trade policies is doing a lot to finance all that growth in Asia…
ppGaz
Sorry, my malo. I meant “Evel Knievel” of course.
The roadshow tour, which is aimed at reelecting GOP congressmen, will feature Dale Earnhardt and an animated likeness of Charlton Heston.
They are pulling out all of the stops to appeal to their base.
ppGaz
Sorry, my malo again. I meant “Dale Earnhard Jr.”
ppGaz
Whoops …. another last minute change to the roadshow.
Seems that a mechanical figure of Karl Rove crying out that Americans should “vote Republican or Risk Another Terrorist Attack” is going to have to be replaced. Officials from the office of Patrick Fitzgerald met with Animatron technicians Saturday morning and delivered a courtesy letter stating that their animated figure was a depiction of a person about to be indicted, and should its affairs and tubing in order.
Perry Como
The hangover is not going to be pleasant.
Paul Wartenberg
I was joking in an earlier post about trying to close down the Canadian border? Turns out there’s this news blurb about it:
Opposition grows to US-Canada Border Passport plan
Interesting to note we want a passport plan with Canada but not Mexico.
Also interesting to note how the northern states (and Canada) are upset about the massive bureaucracy this will create as well as placing a hinderance on stuff like trade and business.
ppGaz
bilmon.
The Anti-Darrell.
That’s “It’s Okay If Most People Agree With Me That It’s Okay” Darrell. Our own Darrell.
We’re still trying to figure out what Darrell is going to do with the 70% who say Bush should be tarred and feathered. To Darrell, they’re just “lefties.”
Jon H
“Although I don’t think it’s fair to ‘blame’ Bush for $70+/barrel oil, he is definitely to blame for pushing amnesty for illegal aliens and not controlling our borders.”
*At least* $15 of the price of oil (per barrel) is because of the Middle East instability caused by Bush.
And Bush is such a moron, and Cheney is such a paranoid loon, they’re likely to continue making things worse by escalating tensions with Iran.
Darrell
Iraq’s drop in oil production from pre-war production amounts to maybe 1% of total world oil production. As long as we’re picking numbers out of thin air, I blame Bush for $3.75/barrel of the cost
I blame Bush for Iranian mullahs too. It’s not like Iran was run by crazy islamo-whackjobs or anything before ‘moron’ Bush pushed them over the edge.
I think it makes perfect sense that a country flush with oil should be building nuclear power plants, don’t you? I sure hope Bush and Cheney doesn’t escalate things like you say, as it would be much better to do nothing and hope everything turns out for the best
Ancient Purple
I read that on Bilmon earlier, ppG. I am glad you brought that to B-J.
Unfortunately, people like Darrell have no time to bother themselves with things like the Federalist Papers, except when it furthers their own goals. “Tyranny of the majority” was a major concern for the anti-Federalists, led by Benjamin Franklin, who put forth one of the greatest political moves in history by forcing the Federalists to enshrine guaranteed rights into the Constitution.
Guaranteed rights. That is what they are supposed to be. But people like Darrell are more than happy to chalk them up as “helpful hints” that the President and his minions can ignore on a whim.
Put me on the list as the “Anti-Darrell” as well simply because I believe in civil liberties.
Darrell is too busy cowering under the covers to care.
Brian
Whatever Bush says Monday night will be pre-election pandering to the base of the GOP. It’s transparently so. This is something he could have suggested any time over the past 5 years, and didn’t. It’s still a bad idea anyhow, using National Guards to do the job of ICE. He has no credibility on this usse with me, and he probably never will.
Darrell
I’m sure glad you brave bold champions of civil liberties are here to save us from Bush trampling the constitution with his ‘illegal’ and ‘unamerican’ secret programs.
Let me know when it’s safe to come out from underneath the covers, ok?
Darrell
Amen
tzs
Well, as long as our Prez is doing monkeyshines with border control trying desparately to pump up his sagging approval.
I was worried this presentation was to say we were about to attack Iran.
We attack Iran == bye bye USA economy.
Ancient Purple
Sorry, but no.
We prefer you stay under there so we don’t have to listen to your drivel.
croatoan
I do, because he said he could lower the prices during the 2000 campaign.
Unless he’s retracted his claim that the president can affect oil prices, I think it’s fair to criticize him.
Gas was $1.35 a gallon in February 2000.
Otto Man
You’re the one who went running there after 9/11. Come out whenever you’re done pissing your pants with fear about the mean ol’ Islamofascist boogeymen.
Darrell
Yes, because the Islamofascist threat is nothing more than a ‘boogeyman’ product of our fantasies, right? We are at a war with ruthless terrorists who have killed innocent Americans, and would like to kill a lot more. We can disagree over what measures to fight them, but let’s not pretend that they are some sort of imaginary threat, ok?
ppGaz
What are you the bold champion of, Darrell?
Scouting bans on gay scout leaders?
Two thousand miles of razor wire along the Mexican border?
The war in Iraq?
Month after month of the same tired, worn-out “lefties are poopyheads” crap that you post here?
ppGaz
Yeah, credibility with you is all-important, Darrell.
You are the wind beneath our wings.
Ancient Purple
You don’t get it, do you, Darrell? Of course the terrorists are a threat. We already know that. But you have made them into the boogeyman by making it out as though the end is nigh because of them; that only if we all but suspend civil rights and peek into people’s windows and tap their phone calls without a warrant, will the threat be reduced.
The terrorists love nothing more than seeing the fundamentals of American life change because of them. All they have to do now is get one suicide bomber to hit an outdoor cafe in Omaha and you and Bush would be standing on a soapbox screaming of how the Fourth Amendment and other parts of the Constitution should and will be suspended because we can’t win without Americans giving up some of their freedom. Then, the terrorists clap their hands and see that one suicide bomber in Omaha can get Americans to change their way of life. So why not more.
And the cycle starts again.
Thanks, Darrell, for giving the terrorists exactly what they want.
Darrell
If the NSA programs are kept in place, the terrorists have already won!
tBone
Considering the alternative, is that really a bad thing?
ppGaz
Something happens to Dick Cheney?
burnplant
Moving around the National Guard might make for good press but it’s a necessarily temporary fix that the president can un-deploy as soon as the cameras have left and the poll situation is a bit less dire.
***Update***
Of course the president is so serious about beefing up the border that he slashed 10,000 border patrol agents last year. This is pure poll-driven damage control.
Wow, it only takes you 6 years to feel the dick up your ass?
I guess that’s why you are the “sensible” wingnut.
jeebus, do you ever get tired of being a stooge?
DougJ
That story in the Times about Cheney wanted to do domestic tapping without a warrant seems to me a knife in the back to Big Time. I think Bolten is trying to oust Cheney.
Anyone want to start taking bets on when Cheney resigns?
ppGaz
Not before Joe Wilson is indicted.
Otto Man
Of course they’re a real threat and of course they want to kill a lot more. But you know what? Wanting it doesn’t make it so.
Just because they want to hit us doesn’t mean we need to hit the self-destruct button ourselves. Our country has survived two British invasions, including one where they burnt down the White House. We made it through two World Wars and a half century of Cold War with an entire Russian nuclear arsenal pointed at us. We made it through all those conflicts without shredding the Constitution, installing a Dictator/Decider, or destroying everything we believe in.
It’s funny you mention imaginary threats, because that does seem to be what this administration specializes in. They let the real bad guys get away, and now we’re approaching the fifth anniversary of Bush’s meaningless little “dead or alive” vow. Instead of getting the people who actually attacked us, they drummed up a fake war against a fake enemy over a fake WMD threat.
So, yes, there’s an imaginary threat and a real threat. It’s sad that these incompetent assclowns have been focused on the former and not the latter. And it’s even sadder that people like you keep rooting them on.
Otto Man
Check the top of the post. The part where it says “Tim F.” indicates that the post was written by … wait for it … Tim F.
leefranke
Keep in ming the tightening of the border might have some Unintended Consequences. Like INCREASING the number of illegal immigrants staying in the country.
So by pandering to his base, Bush gets EXACTLY what he wants…more illegals. I think this move would be Rove’s last and quite possibly most elegant move.
/golf clap for Rove
Ancient Purple
Ah, the sarcasm of the traitor to the Constitution.
RonB
Lemme help you out, Darrell.
Slide.
Kind of off topic here but have you noticed how John Cole hardly posts anymore? I know its a busy time for a Professor and all but I think this post by Glenn Greenwald may have more to do with it.
Happy Mother’s Day John.
RonB
Exactly what I was beginning to feel.
Bruce Moomaw
Whether the NSA thing ends up as “a little sandbox toy” depends, of course, on whether or not we find out that the Administration really has been misusing wiretapping for political purposes, as a certain former President and a certain former FBI Director used to. The fact that this Administration is absolutely frantic to prevent ANY kind of semi-independent judicial monitoring whatsoever of just what they are doing with those wiretaps — including modest oversight of the sort suggested by Richard Posner and Adm. Poindexter — suggests, in itself, that something genuinely smelly is going on. And if that does turn out to be the case, the public will no longer be in a forgiving mood — note in particular the fact that the polls now consistently show that, by about 60-40, the people now regard Bush as “dishonest”.
Andrew
What with all of the spoofing these days, that post may have been written by John Cole, Darrell, DougJ or Santa Claus.
Zifnab
What bothers me is that the response to just walk away seems to tacitly admit two things – that they are able and willing to tune out the cries of disgust and despair coming from their own country, and that their political opinions will never actually change. The Anchoress will walk away today, and for a year, maybe two, she’ll keep her distance from the snakpit of politics (cause, you know, it wasn’t a snakepit when the Great Saint DeLay was running things).
But in five years she’ll be back. And she’ll be pitching the same old snakeoil that fell out of fashion years ago. She’ll be singing the praises of our former Glorious Leader and Grand President Mr W. And she’ll be remarking about how, like in Vietnam, if we’d only stayed in Iraq for a few more weeks, a month at the outside, that everything would be fine there now. Or that, if we’d just invaded Iran in time, they wouldn’t have the bomb. And damn that evil little Blue State traitor sitting in the White House today, talking about Global Warming and depressed minimum wages and budget deficits while our nation sits unwittingly at nuke-point. And how we should all be afraid. And how only Republicans can save us.
It’s not the Great Walkback of the right wing punditry we’re witnessing, but the great slink back into the shadows until America’s back is turned. I swear, we should have a terror alert system for Republican bullshit. At least then, when it was always yellow, it would be more believable.
Kirk Spencer
Darrell, way back upthread you talk about how you have a hard time understanding how a nation flush with oil needs nuclear powerplants. I’d like to point out a couple of things that may at least make you go “hmmmm.”
Item one: Iran imports coal. no kidding. Of course, if you get to looking at how everyone generates industrial level electricity you’ll see that petroleum is way down toward the bottom. Lots of reasons for it, of course, which boil down to it being VERY expensive. Even if petroleum itself is cheap. So there is a decent chance the nuclear powerplant is to reduce coal imports.
Item two: economics. Let’s assume for a moment that you can produce lots and lots of widgets for a dollar apiece. You decide that if you make the plant you can produce some gizmos to do about the same thing for four dollars apiece. But you can sell widgets to other people for eight dollars apiece. Every widget you use inside your nation is a four dollar loss of opportunity (that is, you could have used the four dollar gizmo instead). Doesn’t making a gizmo plant make sense?
These two reasons set aside the fact that the plant under construction can’t make the stuff for nuclear weapons. It’s a PWR – a thermal (slow) – reactor, not a fast breeder system. But I thought I’d give a couple of good, non-military reasons for a nation that’s swimming in oil reserves to build a nuclear reactor.
Ah – I should have added a third reason, though it’s speculation. One of the constant ‘unknowns’ of the peak oil crowd is how much oil is “really” in the middle eastern reserves. The nations there haven’t been sharing data, just saying, “We’ve got this much – trust us.” What if the Iranians think their reserves are smaller and they might just need some alternative energy sources in the not so distant future? As I said, speculation.
Larry
As soon as the PartyOfGod decides on their 08 candidate.
Figure the hopeful Senators’ll shiv each other.
McCain is poison to the base.
No pro-choicers – re: Rudi et.al.
Who’s left?
Johnny
Far too many Jews hold power in the German government, they hold the banking and business industries in their hands, and we are here to right that injustice!
Ooops!?!
Wrong century.
Interesting how things never really change. For those anthropologists out there who wonder how the process in Germany really went, I would recomend reading Eric Fromm’s “Escape from Freedom”. But any modern American newspaper can give you a break down on how a democracy turns facist and picks their targets.
ppGaz
“Americans are especially vulnerable to demagogic appeal.”
Richard Nixon
Dave_Violence
Democrats will win in 2008 with:
Al Gore running for president… up to the convention, when he makes the annoucement that he’s putting his support behind Hillary!, who then wins the nomination and picks Barak Obama as VP candidate.
GOP can, however, beat that with the economy we have now, provided it keeps progressing. It’s noted that the front page of the NYTimes doesn’t say anything about gas prices… GOP can also win by producing a documentary series of successes in Afghanistan and Iraq – it would be nice to see a Mudville Gazette movie.
GOP will lose, though, if they fail to find someone with elocution skills, integrity, and brains. That means they’ll need to run Condi Rice and Rudy Giulliani or similar.
demimondian
Ermm, Kirk? PWR’s produce plutonium, just not as efficiently as breeders. In fact, in a standard PWR, 25% of all power produced by the end of a fuel cycle is actually due to the spontanteous fission of Pu240 or the stimulated fission of Pu239. Reprocessing works Just Fine, thank you very much, on the fuel from a standard reactor.
Don’t believe it? Chernobyl (a graphite and heavy-water moderated reactor) was a copy of a far older reactor design, first perfected just north of Hanford, Washington. The citizens of Nagasaki, Japan might have a few choice things to say about PWR’s and plutonium production…
None of which has anything to do with Iran’s current efforts. It’s a great deal harder to build a plutonium bomb than it is to build a uranium bomb, and Iran’s current efforts appear to be focussed on making highly enriched U235. That’s a different beast entirely. Enrichment to 5% for power plant usage? Fine — but that doesn’t need gas centrifuges; thermal enrichment columns serve that purpose better, with less waste and higher yield. There’s only one use for a gas centrifuge, and that use isn’t peaceful.
DougJ
http://www.rightsided.org/
Spoof or not a spoof? What do you guys think?
ppGaz
I’d call it Tongue in Cheek here and there, more than spoof. But today, spoofed righty and real righty are not really distinguishable from each other. On this blog right here, I’d say at least half if not two thirds of what is presented as righty is in fact spoof. And the third that is not spoof is halfhearted and almost apologetic these days, except for Darrell, who is a fucking idiot and an embarassment to the other real righties. Hell, he’s even an embarassment to the spoofed righties, who mostly ignore him.
I’d reckon that you yourself, Doug, are writing at least three, if not six, characters who appear on these pages regularly.
RonB
Demi, where are you reading that gas centrifuges only are for nuclear weapons? What I’m seeing is that the centrifuge method takes less electricity than other methods of enrichment.
DougJ
Are the three me, Tim F, and John?
Kirk Spencer
Demimondian, I might have been willing to easily change my mind if it’d not been for the bit about gas centrifuges. Europe’s enrichment programs of the last 30 years to provide fuel for their nuclear powerplants have mostly been with gas centrifuges. And USEC – the enrichment company for the United States – has announced that it intends to use gas centrifuges for future enrichment.
On the plutonium production, actually, you’re right, the PWR reactor can make plutonium. The key difference between using it and using a ‘fast’ reactor is time. The Besahr facility can – probably – produce enough plutonium for a bomb a year. Provided, of course, that the plant is shut down and the fuel rods scrapped. One of the issues I keep raising on other lists is the fact that if the Iranians really want to build a bomb we’re going to get at least a full year of warning. The warning is “the plant isn’t producing power”. Gas centrifuges running all out to produce HEU? At least a year using all the material for weapons grade uranium and none for the powerplant. Run the plant and then pull the rods? At least a year (on rods that could run longer), then turn off the power and pull those rods.
You’re right, I was literally mistaken. Practically speaking, however, I think I was correct.
demimondian
You’re right that I was wrong about centrifuge versus diffusion, but you’re confused confused about PWR versus gas centrifuges. Gas centrifuges are useful for enriching uranium. Reactors are useful for power and plutonium generation. Plutonium and uranium are chemically separable. You don’t get U235 out of a PWR; you get Pu239 and Pu240. They’re totally unrelated to one another.
The question of whether Iran plans to stop with a PWR or if it plans to make a plutonium bomb (which I personally find unlikely, given that they have plentiful natural uranium deposits inside their territory) is irrelevent to whether the installations in Iran are for “peaceful purposes” or not.
ppGaz
Heh. You tell me.
TallDave
Rasmussen has Bush around 39-40, which makes more sense. Rasmussen polls continuously and doesn’t bounce around like the others, and was the most accurate in predicting election results. These other polls tend to assume there are more Dems than Repubs and weight according, which is sort of odd when you consider the GOP has won the Senate, the House, the Presidency, and the majority of governorships. The Dems might be competitive in town dogcatchers’ races or something, but I don’t see how the pollers assume they’re the majority party by a large number of points.
But I doubt Bush cares all that much anyway. He knows how media-driven the polls are; he’s had some of the highest ratings ever, too. The only important poll was Nov 2004, and he won it.
Sojourner
True. After all what matters is winning elections, not actually governing.
ppGaz
Oh lord. The “we won, get over it” ploy from Tall Dave.
It’s going to be an interesting year.
demimondian
You’re not quite right.
The most recent important poll was in Nov. 2004. The next important one will be in Nov. 2006.
Richard Bottoms
Damn the last West Wing was good. Is George Bush still president?
ppGaz
And interesting ramble on the subject of the Hobbesian worldview, via DKos.
Hmm, why does it sound vaguely familiar …..?
{ ellipsis mine }
DougJ
Tall Dave — I’ve been getting you to agree with completely assinine right-wing spoofery at Dean Esmay, Swordscrossed, and elsewhere. You’re a moron.
Pb
TallDave,
Duh.
SurveyUSA also did quite well at that.
Actually, unlike most pollsters, Rasmussen does weight–they say so on their web page, in fact. Their target was 36.6% Democrat, 33.5% Republican, and 29.9% Unaffiliated–this also helps stop their results from ‘bouncing around’, as it were. His previous weights exaggerated the Republican side more, as he put them both at 37%.
Not odd at all, really. Current national polling has little to do with previous regional elections–that would depend more on individual states, and districts, really, as well as previous approval ratings. In fact, current national polling would suggest a Democratic landslide in 2006, but a more regional analysis may not, due to factors like gerrymandered Congressional districts, the incumbent advantage, and similarly the fact that the generic party lead only goes so far in any specific election.
That’s been my general impression of him as well–and it has shown quite clearly in his style of governance of late.
DougJ
Pb, why would you bother trying to explain these things to Tall Dave? I don’t try to explain the weather to my cat.
The Other Steve
If Bush started working in a bi-partisan manner, or more specifically… Doing the right thing and working with Democrats, rather than the divisive thing and pandering to the Republican base. He might be able to turn around this approval ratings.
fwiffo
Being snarky has been hard work ever since irony died. There needs to be a Turing test for wingnuts. If a spoofer is able to emulate right-wing babblery perfectly enough to fool an experienced reader, then they have succeeded in becoming an actual wingnut.
———————
I find it ironic that the Darrells, the Brians, etc. who’ve defend Bush and conservatives in almost any circumstance are now quite upset that Bush has actually implemented a policy (sending troops to the border) that they’ve been screaming for. I guess hypocrisy is a bigger sin than being wrong (the artist formerly known as having a difference of opinion).
Darrell
The IAEA found traces of highly enriched uranium at the Iranian Lavisan facility in Feb., which is operated by Iran’s military.. and had not been previously disclosed to be a site of enrichment activity. Incredible how so many on the left (demim not included) are making excuses for the Iranians.. worse, they are scolding the US for even thinking about doing anything to stop nuclear armed mullahs in Iran.. blaming the US rather than the mullahs for ‘escalating’ tensions. Reality-based community, right?
DougJ
I find it ironic that the Darrells, the Brians, etc. who’ve defend Bush and conservatives in almost any circumstance are now quite upset that Bush has actually implemented a policy (sending troops to the border) that they’ve been screaming for.
In fairness, I see why they’re angry. What Bush is doing is almost a spoof of what they suggested. After cutting 10,000 border patrol guards last year, this year he is going to send 10,000 National Guardsmen down to Mexico temporarily, since as Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, we have plenty of extra national guardsmen that we’ll never need in the case of a national emergency. It’s a bit like he’s telling them that he thinks they’re so stupid that they’ll be appeased by big sham photo-op. I’d be mad too if I were them.
Punchy
Show me ONE retired general that does not work for Faux News that advocates an invasion of Iran. Why retired? Free to speak the truth. I’d like to see just one, oh-so Leftist military general (b/c the military is so far left!) who is encouraging an invasion of Iran.
Punchy
And of course he does this 3 weeks away from the start of hurricane season. So, I guess by “temporarily”, he means 21 days. I suspect a lot of smugglers will be planning The Big Smuggle to be the day after the first ‘cane strikes land…
Pb
Darrell,
First, it’s heartening to hear that UN weapons inspectors have finally found something. However, that ‘something‘ doesn’t necessarily consist of anything more than some possible contamination that they’d already found in 2003. Which was, you know, more of a nuclear program than Iraq had in 2003, but still nothing to start a war over.
Andrew
What’s really great is that the blogosphere, as a sort of modern teletype between parties, replicates the actual interface proposed by Turing.
Furthermore, one of the supposed objections to the test is that actual humans may appear, via this interactive medium, to be so stupid and incapable that we conclude that they are unintelligent machines.
And so we have Brian and Darrell, as if sent from the afterlife by Turing himself, to rebut this charge. Of course, Darrell wouldn’t let Turing near his boy scout, but that’s a different issue.
fwiffo
DougJ,
I’d agree with you, but using the National Guard for border control is something that has specifically been called for by quite a few right-wingers (see O’Reilly, Falafel.) Also, considering that lip service is about all they’ve gotten on most of their hobby-horses, I’m somewhat surprised that they find it less than satisfying this time around. The dominionists are also making some unsatisfied noises right now too, so maybe I underestimate the current right-wing frustration.
Krista
Well, why not? He’s been telling everybody else that for years. He’s run out of people to patronize with lip service and photo ops. And I don’t blame them for being angry either. Cutting those border patrol guards was beyond idiotic, for a man who supposedly cares so much about keeping America safe.
I don’t know…I approved of the U.S. going into Afghanistan. It made sense. But to go into Iraq, when funds and manpower would really have been better spent tightening up the border, port and rail security? That still strikes me as akin to running out of your house with a gun to look for burglars, while leaving the door unlocked behind you.
demimondian
fwiffo — you’re confused here. This isn’t the UNSCOM weapons inspectors in Iraq, it’s the INEA in Iran. This isn’t 2K3 redux; this is a real worry. The uranium in question was unreported; it was found in a nuclear installation; Iran has lied about it. Until we know about the provenance of that sample, we should be worried about it.
I just wish that Darrell would stop making bs comments about “the Left”. There’s plenty of reason to be worried about Iran, and the Lefties I know are worried about Iranian intentions. That doesn’t mean we should be plotting another dog-wagging war, though: we’ve known how to handle the threat a nuclear Iran would handle since the time of Truman and the launch of the Cold War.
The Other Steve
I make no excuses for Iran.
I just don’t find them as scary as you do.
It’s not your fault that you beat your wife, it’s her fault for not capitulating to you when you demand she behaves in a certain way. And then you say it’s her fault when she fights back.
It takes two to tango. While I’ll not excuse the Iranians for their behavior, we certainly do everything in our power to encourage them.
ppGaz
Rove speaks live on C-SPAN as I write.
My audio isn’t great but I think he just said that Darrell is a poopyhead.
chopper
worse, they are scolding the US for even thinking about doing anything to stop nuclear armed mullahs in Iran..
no they’re not. the left has no problem with ‘doing something’ to stop nuclear armed mullahs in iran. the left in general does have a problem with the right-wing charge that we should be bombing the shit outta the country, *yesterday*.
there’s something called diplomacy, you know.
The Other Steve
Oh shocking! Iran *LIED* to us. They *LIED* to us by not telling us the truth.
What incentive do they have to tell us the truth?
This is fucking REALITY here. In the real world, people who don’t like you don’t tell you the truth.
Why does our Foreign Policy have to be based on the rantings of Drama Queens?
Krista
Well, to borrow a leaf from his own book, it’s who he is. (Let me know if you’ve obtained a copyright on that, Darrell, and I’ll send you your royalty cheque.) :)
The Other Steve
But they lied to us! We have to bomb them. Otherwise they’ll think we are poopy heads!
Slide
Does this scare anyone out there? The government spying on our top news media? Anyone? Ladies and Gentlemen, we are heading towards a totalitarian government unless we get a grip on the criminals occupying the white house. Be scared, very scared.
Its time for liberals and conservatives to join forces and say, “enough”. Big Brother can NOT do whatever it wishes under the guise of “fighting terrorism”.
DougJ
My audio isn’t great but I think he just said that Darrell is a poopyhead.
What he actually said is “there are some who say that Darrell is a poopyhead.”
ppGaz
Short Rove: Our economy is booming and tax revenues are huge.
Disposable income is up 14 percent.
The tax cuts are part of the reason.
Free trade is creating opportunity, building economy and spurring growth.
And, restraint of spending is the third component of growth. How was this done? Veto threats.
(note: I am not making this up).
Challenges: Baby boomers are getting ready to retire.
No president has made a more determined effort to reform Social Security than (this one has).
Rove quotes John Paul on “work” as key to dignity.
Things happen … because of right policy and leadership.
—–// speech ends, question session begins
Will entitlement reform be put on the right track before the end of this presidency?
Rove: Yes.
Revenue-expenditure ratio peaks and begins to decline at FY09.
Q: What voters heard was, benefits go down and taxes go up.
Rove: But that’s not what we were saying. (Pimps private investment scheme, personal accounts …. ) ….
Q: Census data show that real median household income are declining. Aren’t Americans suffering real income losses under Bush?
Rove: Not necessarily. (that’s what he said, honest). More younger workers might depress the numbers …..
(basically blew off the question) ….
Q: Can benefits actually be reduced in entitlements? (politically difficult).
Rove: You have change peoples’ behavior. Health savings accounts, for example. People don’t understand how benefits have to grow in the out years.
Q: What has gone wrong (politically) with this administration?
Rove: The war is putting people in a sour mood. We’re going to be just fine in the elections. We stand for strong national defense ….. fiscal restraint …. our opponents stand for nothing. Obstructionism. The war looms over everything.
Q: Budget discipline …. why don’t conservatives agree with you? Are they missing something?
Rove: Yes, they are missing the facts. We are cutting non-discretionary spending. This requires a lot of will and nerve.
Q: Medical costs are part of entitlement equation. What about people who don’t have insurance?
Rove: Health savings accounts will draw uninsured into the system. It’s a low cost high quality vehicle. It’s a complex problem. Liability and defensive medicine have (high costs). Health I.T. will reduce costs.
Q: Why hasn’t public been given an explanation (on CIA leak) what your involvement was?
Rove: I have nothing to add (to statements already made).
Nice try, though.
Q: Veto threats? Why hasn’t (Bush) vetoed when bills did not meet the target in the veto threat?
Rove: They didn’t breach the targets. Did we like a lot of the earmarks? No. But the targets were met.
Q: What are stakes in the immigration (speech tonight)?
Rove: Tune in tonight, pres will talk about comprehensive approach. How to deal with people already here? It’s about getting the right policy, and the politics will take care of itself.
—-//transcriber has to run, sorry.
DougJ
I’d agree with you, but using the National Guard for border control is something that has specifically been called for by quite a few right-wingers (see O’Reilly, Falafel)
It’s not fair to hold Brian and Darrell accountable for things O’Reilly said. I’m not Brian’s or Darrell’s bigget fan, but they’re not O’Reilly.
ppGaz
Had to add this:
Q: Why are people so unhappy (in polls) with this administration?
Rove: People are feeling good about where they are, but there’s a disconnect …. because of the war.
—-//
Don’t yell at me, that’s what he said.
Punchy
What CSPAN didn’t broadcast:
Q: Mr. KKKarl Rove, why are you so damn fat? I mean, seriously, you’ve got more chins than a Chinese phonebook. More spare tires than Gary, Indiana. Look at yourself…you’re a freakin’ tub of lard. Why?
Rove: I heard prison food is very low in calories. Gunna need a 18 month supply of energy. Not to mention, the bigger I get, the harder it will be for them to find my ass while in the pokey.
Steve
Considering Brian and Darrell want to hold the lot of us responsible for every extremist wacko on the left, that’s very big of you.
DougJ
It’s called divide and conquer, Steve.
Perry Como
When President Hillary decides to use these nifty new tools to monitor the “vigilantes with assault weapons” that are at the Mexican border (aka the Minutemen), I’m going to lean back and laugh at the Right. Alot. Then I’m going to get up and join the people on the Right in demanding that the government stop. When President Hillary starts pulling Fox News phone records and sees who Limbaugh is calling and who is calling Limbaugh, I’m going to stand there and say “told you so”. Then I’ll gladly join the Right in saying it’s an outrageous affront to journalism and causes a chilling effect on reporting in a free society.
Somehow I doubt many from the Right will agree with me (suprisingly Trevino does!) as long it is President Bush, and not President Hillary.
Ancient Purple
Slide,
Yeah, I saw that. Chilling.
Cue Darrell coming in and wanting to suspend the First Amendment to help the GWoT.
ppGaz
The problem with O’Reilly is that he’s gone off the reservation. His strange views can no longer be counted on the be completely Rovian. He just says things to get people stirred up and … he thinks … bump up his ratings. I don’t think it’s working, but that’s his approach.
Darrell, on the other hand, is pure GOP Talking Point.
And Brian … well, we all know who writes Brian’s part.
fwiffo
Well, I was under the impression that it was quite a popular position among wingers.
I think you’re confused. I haven’t posted anything in this thread about Iran or Iraq. My own position on Iran is that there is no point in discussing what the idea course of action is while the current cabal is in charge. Even if they took some theoretical best course of action, they would surely find a way to screw it up. It’s almost certainly best that their hands be tied until someone competent is in charge.
Jill
Slide…they aren’t fighting against terrorists, they are fighting against political foes and reporters. Didn’t they deny all of this a few days ago? Maybe Kerry should wonder aloud, during a press conference whether or not his campaign HQs was monitored!
Perry Como
btw, data mining all call logs to figure out what reporters are doing is exactly the type of abuse that was warned about, oh, a few days ago.
Cue the nannystatists to start the Defending:
“Someone leaked classified information, so it’s perfectly acceptable to check all reporters phone calls to see who that someone is.”
Perry Como
And from the memory hole:
The Other Steve
Actually I think this is a very good thing.
When Clinton was in office, it would have allowed us to identify exactly who leaked the blue dress story to Kenneth Starr. We could have exacted revenge upon them, maybe having their IRS returns audited or something like that.
Oh wait, I forgot. I’m not a Republican.
Slide.
funny today I don’t find much humor in what our government is doing.
Slide.
Well, Jill this is how it works with these guys. If a reporter prints a story about torture, secret prisons, rendition, illegal warrantless wiretaps etc, well then they are aiding terrorists. Don’t you see? We are at war after all. American lives can be lost so we have to stamp out this freedom of the press thing.
Jill
I guess Andrea Mitchell’s question to James Risen about CNN’s Christiane Amanpour being tracked by the illegal NSA wiretapping might have some teeth to it after all.
The Other Steve
Funny for the day… Could be changed to apply to Cuningham and his ho’s. :-)
The conflict between Sales and Finance set to the tone of the movie “A Few Good Men”.
Sales: “You want answers?”
Finance: “I think we are entitled to them!”
Sales: “You want answers?!”
Finance: “I want the truth!”
Sales: “You can’t handle the truth!!!”
Sales (continuing): “Son, we live in a world that requires revenue. And that revenue must be brought in by people with elite skills. Who’s going to find it? You? You, Mr. Operations? We have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom.
You scoff at the sales division and you curse our lucrative incentives. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we know: that while the cost of business results are excessive, it drives in revenue. And my very existence, while grotesque and uncomprehensible to you, drives REVENUE! You don’t want to know the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at staff meetings … you want me on that call. You
NEED me on that call!
We use words like comps, migration, discounts, flex licensing , global purchase agreements. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent negotiating something. You use them as a punch line!
I have neither the time nor inclination to explain myself to people who rise and sleep under the very blanket of revenue I provide and then question the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said “thank you” and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a phone and make some sales calls. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!”
Finance: ” Did you expense the lap dances?”
Sales: “I did the job I was hired to do.”
Finance: “Did you expense the lap dances?”
Sales: “You’re goddamn right I did!”
The Other Steve
Interesting point. It’s sounding like that accusation was true.
I agree that it is scary.
Slide.
ahhh… I had forgotten about that. I think if this is true, that the government is tracking or monitoring the calls of our major news organizations, without any kind of judicial overview, that even the most diehard right wing kool aid drinking brain dead Bush supporter is going to be troubled. Of course that excludes Darrell and MacBuckets who undoubtedly will still be around to find excuses for the Great Decider.
ppGaz
Meet your new friend in the War on Terror.
Does anyone besides me remember when Saddam Hussein was our new buddy in the Middle East?
I have such tremendous confidence in what the people in this government tell me. I’m putting an “I Heart Q’adaffi” sticker on my car. Did I put that apostrophe in the right place? I wanna show respec’.
Santa Claus
Qaddafi’s been a good boy this year. Looks like I’ll be making a stop in Tripoli this Christmas! That hasn’t happened in a while.
Ho ho ho, bitches!
Darrell
Has anyone else noted that all the cool kids on the left have changed their talking points which they repeat endlessly, from “clap harder” to Bush is the “Decider”? Prior to that, it was “Dear leader”.
The Other Steve
Shh… Don’t tell anybody, you might weaken our war on terrorism by letting Al Qaeda know.