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You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / The War on Sunstein

The War on Sunstein

by John Cole|  September 9, 20095:59 pm| 56 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Media, Assholes

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The excuse for the hold on Sunstein is just priceless:

Nine months later, Sunstein is still not working at the regulatory office. In May, he went through confirmation hearings before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. In June, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) placed a hold on his nomination, citing concerns about Sunstein’s opposition to hunting. In July, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) placed another hold on Sunstein, for the same reason. On August 7, before leaving for recess, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed for cloture on the nomination. But another senator, who has not made his or her name public, has placed a hold on Sunstein, making it unclear when the Senate might take up his nomination.

That would have been treason in 2003. Again, where is the media? Oh, that’s right, they are worried about lobbyist’s feelings:

    QUESTION: I’m sorry. What did you just mean by it’s bouncing around K Street?

    GIBBS: I was told that — that K Street had a copy of the Baucus plan, meaning, not surprisingly, the special interests have gotten a copy of the plan that I understand was given to committee members today.

    QUESTION: And…

    GIBBS: It wasn’t cryptic. It’s who…

    QUESTION: I mean, who is that a…

    (CROSSTALK)

    QUESTION: Are you impugning somebody here? I mean, it sounded like you were impugning, like, well, K Street has it. I mean, what…

BTW, it was none other than Chuck Todd worried that mean Robert Gibbs was “impugning” the parasites from K Street. I’m glad you’re looking out for the important issues, Chuck.

It sure didn’t take Chuck Todd long to go native, did it? Although he really wasn’t concerned with anyone’s feelings, he was just trying to stir up shit, because a little fight between Gibbs and K Street lobbyists could lead to all sorts of dramatic headlines like “White House lowers the Boom on K-Street” and then they can spend the next three weeks with “news analysis” pieces concern trolling whether or not the Obama team “mis-stepped” by attacking the important people in the insurance and health care lobby and whether that mistake could be the end of health care reform and the end of his Presidency and proof that the GOP might come back to power in 2010. That is so much easier than actually spending the time to learn what the bill says and will do, and the actual workings of health care in America. Let the little people worry about that. The big guys with face time on the Nightly News have more important stuff to do and talk about, because why else would they be on tv every night? And you know I am right.

Regardless, Margaret Mead he ain’t.

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Reader Interactions

56Comments

  1. 1.

    Zifnab

    September 9, 2009 at 6:03 pm

    Oh sure, you’re going to go to town for the Big Bad regulatory office administrator, but when it comes to poor 9-5 blowjob giving lobbyists it’s all dry eyes.

    Screw you John Cole! Corporate Tools are people too, god dammit!

  2. 2.

    DonkeyKong

    September 9, 2009 at 6:03 pm

    Chucky’s all grows up now!

  3. 3.

    demkat620

    September 9, 2009 at 6:07 pm

    Nice, Chucky doesn’t even defend the GOP that quick.

    There must be something in the water in the Village.

  4. 4.

    winguts to iraq

    September 9, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    @demkat620: or when you’re paycheck is signed by GE.

  5. 5.

    Calouste

    September 9, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    OT, but remember that Russian ship that went missing for two weeks recently?

    the BBC reports that a senior Israeli intelligence figure told them that “Israel had told Moscow it knew the ship was secretly carrying a Russian air defence system for Iran. “

  6. 6.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 9, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    It sure didn’t take Chuck Todd long to go native, did it? Although he really wasn’t concerned with anyone’s feelings, he was just trying to stir up shit,

    He gave us the single mainstream NBC poll that said the public didn’t support the public option. It was an outlier because Todd didn’t think it appropriate to say it was a “choice”. And of course it started a shitstorm of wingnuts running around hollering we were right all along that America don’t want no govment run healthcare, which of course is another falsehood. And even to this day, the RW uses that poll, nevermind that there have been eleventy hundred others that say just the opposite when people are given the “choice” word, which is true.

    Todd seems to already be a legend in his own mind and that is a huge problem for the rest of us since he is the NBC Political Director.

  7. 7.

    JK

    September 9, 2009 at 6:14 pm

    Chuck Todd is Tim Russert’s fault. Russert inflicted Todd on an unsuspecting public just like John McCain inflicted Sarah Palin on an unsuspecting public.

    If Russert hadn’t hired Todd for NBC, he’d still be toiling away in relative obscurity at the Hotline. If McCain hadn’t selected Palin, only Alaskans would have to put up with all you betchas, winks, and also.

  8. 8.

    blahblahblah

    September 9, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Todd used to be good on C-SPAN. What the hell happened to him? Is this the effect of the demands his bosses make? Does he know the stupidity he spouts and just wants to collect the check? Or was an editor holding his reigns while he was at Hotline, and now he’s off on his own?

    Because the quality of his work has declined dramatically since he made the move to NBC.

  9. 9.

    Grumpy Code Monkey

    September 9, 2009 at 6:16 pm

    In June, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) placed a hold on his nomination, citing concerns about Sunstein’s opposition to hunting.

    Concerns over opposition to hunting? What the fuck?!

  10. 10.

    Zifnab

    September 9, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    @JK: Pick your poison. You’d rather a VP Sanford or Pawlenty trolling across Facebook screaming about death panels and gay marriage abortion Hitlers?

    Pick your favorite shit smoothie, it’ll all go down just as smooth.

  11. 11.

    Alan

    September 9, 2009 at 6:18 pm

    It’s more like the committee got a copy of the plan from the K Street special interests.

  12. 12.

    freelancer

    September 9, 2009 at 6:19 pm

    @Grumpy Code Monkey:

    Everyone knows you’re not qualified to govern or manage anything unless you got a Cabela’s catalog in your bathroom reading rack.

    DUH.

  13. 13.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    September 9, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    I liked Todd while he was on C-SPAN and with Hotline so I thought that he would be great on MSNBC. Dead. Wrong.

    I don’t know what happened but this is not the Todd I enjoyed reading and listening to before his rise to MSNBC. His start at MSNBC looked promising but it quickly foundered.

    He must have learned the ropes from Gregory.

  14. 14.

    Violet

    September 9, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    Ugh, I can’t stand Chuck Todd. And to think, I liked him during the election season. I thought he was good. Either I was blind or he’s changed. Could be either, I guess. These days he’s like a low rent David Gregory. That’s not a compliment.

  15. 15.

    Davis X. Machina

    September 9, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    You’re not supposed to like Sunstein anyways. He’s insufficiently progressive.

  16. 16.

    gopher2b

    September 9, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    Sunnstein is sick smart. Like so smarthe drives to work and takes the bus home because he forgot he drove to work because he got lost in his head smart. That being said, he probably shouldn’t be in charge of anything important.

    How can you be opposed to hunting. Have you ever seen what an unchecked deer population will do. Deers fuck like rabbits (PS I’m not saying his nomination should be held up for opposition to hunting, I’m just pointing out you shouldn’t be opposed to hunting).

  17. 17.

    John Cole

    September 9, 2009 at 6:24 pm

    Chuck Todd is being misused. He is a numbers guy, and was fantastic during the election. I only really paid attention to him and Nate Silver.

    He just isn’t good at what he is doing now, and thus has regressed to the mean. Sadly for us, the mean is a dimestore David Gregory.

  18. 18.

    Zifnab

    September 9, 2009 at 6:25 pm

    @gopher2b: You know what does a good job of controlling the deer population? Wolves. You know what they’re issuing hunting permits for in Minnesota right now? Wolves.

    I’m not saying hunting should be illegal, or even that hunting is bad on some nebulous ethical level. But don’t give me the “Only we can prevent overpopulation!” bullshit. Next you’re going to be telling me how we have too dump toxic waste in the ocean or we’ll have too many fish.

  19. 19.

    celticdragon

    September 9, 2009 at 6:26 pm

    I guess this is what they are getting at…

    For starters, Sunstein believes in regulating hunting out of existence. He told a Harvard audience in 2007 that “we ought to ban hunting.” And in The Rights of Animals: A Very Short Primer (2002), he said:

    I think we should go further … the law should impose further regulation on hunting, scientific experiments, entertainment, and (above all) farming to ensure against unnecessary animal suffering. It is easy to imagine a set of initiatives that would do a great deal here, and indeed European nations have moved in just this direction. There are many possibilities.

    http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-anti-gun-radical-cass-sunstein-could-ban-hunting-r-1252443316

    I have no idea if this is true, but if it is, then I wouldn’t be wild about having him in the position either. We have seen enough abuse of federal power from the last crew, thank you very much.

  20. 20.

    JK

    September 9, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    @Zifnab:

    Palin, Pawlenty, and Sanford all suck.

    The reason we’re worse off by McCain choosing Palin over Pawlenty, Sanford, etc is that Palin has acheived celebrity status and the MSM can’t get enough of her. Do you think the MSM would give a damn about op-eds or Facebook entries from Pawlenty or Sanford?

    I guarantee you that John Cole would not be posting any commentary titled “The Pawlenty Generation” or “The Sanford Generation” if McCain had selected either of these losers to be his running mate.

    By giving Palin national exposure, McCain created a Frankenstein we’re going to have to deal with for a generation.

  21. 21.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 9, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    @John Cole:

    I used to wait for Todd to come on Washington Journal about every morning for his polling analysis update because he had his shit together and was accurate as anyone out there.

  22. 22.

    Beeb

    September 9, 2009 at 6:30 pm

    Sorry to nitpick, JC, but his name is Sunstein, not Sunnstein. In other news, Chambliss and Cornyn are idiots. Oh, wait. That’s not news. Never mind.

  23. 23.

    celticdragon

    September 9, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    Reading some more…it does look like a lot of his quotes are out of context, so it is really hard to say just what is going on with him. Some conservatives and libertarians (like Glenn Reynolds) say this a waste of time and he is unlikely to introduce onerous regulations wrt hunting/animals/etc.

    Beats me.

  24. 24.

    BFR

    September 9, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    Chuck Todd is being misused. He is a numbers guy, and was fantastic during the election. I only really paid attention to him and Nate Silver.

    Chuck Todd is not a numbers guy.

  25. 25.

    JK

    September 9, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    @John Cole:

    You nailed it. Todd’s calling card was his number crunching skills. NBC’s decision to make him a WH correspondent was criminally negligent. I still think Russert deserves partial blame because he hired Chuck in the first place.

  26. 26.

    GregB

    September 9, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    Chuckie Baby underwent the vaunted GE corporate brain pithing once he ascended to the position of White House correspondent.

    Terri Schaivo has more brain activity than poor Chuck.

    -G

    I guess Russia wasn’t so happy about Israeli support of Georgia. Bibi better not drink anymore tea.

  27. 27.

    Wile E. Quixote

    September 9, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    Fuck it. It’s recess appointment time. Wait for Congress to go on recess and then ram all of these appointments through and make a speech calling the Republicans on their obstructive bullshit. Point out that while the Constitution allows for the Senate to “advise and consent” on appointing government officials that there is nothing that allows for individual senators to place a hold on a particular nomination other than the rules of the Senate.

    When the wingnuts scream, as they predictably will call them on their bullshit and tell the senators involved to put up or shut up and allow a vote on the nominee. Point out also that this is only being done as a last resort because of a bunch of fucking worthless southern Republican racist asswipes senators are too chickenshit, as all southern Republicans are unwilling to risk losing a vote. Further point out that Bush did this sort of thing too.

    Obama needs to start playing hardball with these fuckers. Seriously, I’m tired of hearing about his Jedi powers or his long game or how he’s playing seven dimensional chess or whatever. I keep hearing the phrase “rope a dope” to describe Obama’s strategies but Muhammad Ali didn’t just sit there and take punches when he was using this strategy against Frazier and Foreman, he also beat the Hell out of them while he was on the ropes and then, once they tired, went for the KO. He didn’t just sit there doing nothing for eight rounds and then start fighting.

  28. 28.

    arguingwithsignposts

    September 9, 2009 at 6:34 pm

    I have no opinion on Sunnstein, but I do have an opinion on these Senate “holds.” They should be banned, along with the practice of “non-filibuster” filibustering. The senate is an overgrown romper room filled mostly with three-year-olds, with a few grownups thrown in because some states got lucky and voted them in.

  29. 29.

    Zifnab

    September 9, 2009 at 6:34 pm

    @JK:

    Do you think the MSM would give a damn about op-eds or Facebook entries from Pawlenty or Sanford?

    Yes. There was a celebrity vacuum in the media. Bush should have been the cool Reagen-style ex-President everyone fawned over, but he killed too many puppies. Dick Cheney had the same problem, except he would regularly eat the puppies. McCain got to be a media darling more or less for a while longer, but no one really likes a loser. Michael Steele is a ‘tard (and black! ew!) Newt Gingrich is soooo 10 years ago. Eric Cantor doesn’t have a cool comb over. Mitch McConnell is a grouchy old man. John Boehner’s tan scares small children. Jeb Bush’s last name continues to be an issue. And everyone else is too busy having sex with gays or hookers.

    So that leaves Sarah Palin. If the GOP had a better person to latch on to, they’d have done it by now.

  30. 30.

    John Cole

    September 9, 2009 at 6:36 pm

    @BFR: Horse race guy is probably a better description.

  31. 31.

    arguingwithsignposts

    September 9, 2009 at 6:36 pm

    @JK:

    NBC’s decision to make him a WH correspondent was criminally negligent.

    I’d rank it right up there with giving Gregory the MTP gig.

    Also, recall that it was russert who gave us Katie Couric, as the week-long hagiography pointed out when he died.

  32. 32.

    Rhoda

    September 9, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    What was classic? Ben Smith @Politico and the whole Obama “lectured” journalists at Cronkite’s funeral and how hypocritical was it b/c the freakshow took out HRC for Obama in the primary.

    All b/c he called out the “who won the day” mentality that Politico does (and that doesn’t bother me, it’s a niche site) and everyone else has imported so that the fucking Washington Post spends only a quarter of the time actually explaining health reform and the rest on the political ups and downs.

  33. 33.

    Svensker

    September 9, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    Sunstein is not qualified to be a regulator because he is opposed to hunting? That makes tons of sense.

    I don’t particularly like Sunstein, or at least what I’ve read about him, but he seems perfectly qualified for the job. The GOP is insane, and the media and the Democrats are enablers.

    It’s time to go Network on them all.

  34. 34.

    Ed Marshall

    September 9, 2009 at 6:42 pm

    They can get rid of Sunnstein if they want to. I certainly couldn’t give a damn. He’s a neo-liberal, dereg, guy. I sure as hell don’t want him.

  35. 35.

    John Cole

    September 9, 2009 at 6:43 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts: “week-long hagiography?”

    As if. They were still doing nightly odes to Russert months later during the election- “Boy, how much would Tim have enjoyed this” in between cutting to Luke Russert to give live reports about what the youth of America thought.

    A week-long hagiography would have been bearable.

  36. 36.

    JK

    September 9, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    @Zifnab:

    “No one really likes a loser”

    If McCain is a loser by virtue of getting beaten by Obama, Palin should be viewed as just as much of a loser given the fact that she was McCainiac’s running mate.

    By resigning from office, Palin should have been by tagged by the MSM as a quitter and a coward.

    Apparently sex appeal trumps everything and Palin’s ability to produce erections among a wide swath of male America including many male pundits allows her to escape any accountability for her actions.

  37. 37.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 9, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    I just want Obama to come out with a Texas sized white dunce hat and offer it to Saxby Chambliss. It’s will all be gravy after that.

  38. 38.

    arguingwithsignposts

    September 9, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    @John Cole:

    Yes, they did invoke Saint Timmeh a lot during the election, but the actual Bruce Springsteen-music-drenched fawning lasted about a week, as i recall.

    I wonder if they have a special Timmeh memorial page on their web site? I’m too afraid to look.

  39. 39.

    JK

    September 9, 2009 at 6:52 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    Tim Russert was the anti-Miles Davis. Many musicians who began as sidemen with Miles went on to enjoy great critical acclaim when they started recording under their own names. I can’t think of any Russert hire who has done journalism proud.

  40. 40.

    Mark S.

    September 9, 2009 at 6:52 pm

    Anyone who thinks Chuck Todd isn’t a complete idiot should read his interview with Glenn Greenwald. He comes across as so incredibly stupid that the only logical conclusion is that what he was doing during the election was similar to what Vanna White does with those letters.

  41. 41.

    Demo Woman

    September 9, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    @Rhoda: I haven’t read Politico but they are probably following Rush’s lead.
    Why did Laura Rozen join them?

  42. 42.

    ericblair

    September 9, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts: Also, recall that it was russert who gave us Katie Couric, as the week-long hagiography pointed out when he died.

    Oh yeah, after I heard that Pumpkinhead went to the ol’ pumpkin patch in the sky, I turned off the TV for a week. With all the weepy villagers beating their chests, I figured this was going to be just as bad as the Reagasm and I guess I was right. De mortuis nil nisi bonum and all that, but that guy spent his very comfortable life speaking power to truth and left our world that much worse off for being here.

  43. 43.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 9, 2009 at 6:56 pm

    I’m hearing Ed Shultz say that Obama will, if not tonight, then shortly, come out and say we need to let expire, or repeal ALL 3 Bush tax cuts. Something I said he should do a while ago.

    Sell it as going back to the Clinton rates and the 90’s prosperity. He will take heat from the right on reneging on a campaign promise, but it should allay the fears of independents and moderate goopers on paying for all his initiatives, especially HCR,

  44. 44.

    kay

    September 9, 2009 at 6:57 pm

    @gopher2b:

    Sunstein’s written some stuff about animal rights that I haven’t read. I’m not going to read it, either. He loves animals, that much is clear.
    I think they’re going to go after him next, and I would like for him not to be disappeared. I think they probably use the animal rights stuff to smear him. There’s nothing else to smear him with.
    You all here love animals. I expect you to rally to his defense. He’s worth it.

  45. 45.

    Tsulagi

    September 9, 2009 at 6:58 pm

    GIBBS: I was told that — that K Street had a copy of the Baucus plan, meaning, not surprisingly, the special interests have gotten a copy of the plan that I understand was given to committee members today.

    Not sure Gibbs got the order right. Given the current Baucus plan containing mandates and fines, more likely those special interests gave Baucus the Baucus plan rather than the other way around. He then graciously passed on “his” plan to the committee members. Wonder if he read it first in case there were questions.

    As we learned today, some lawmakers like to spank lobbyists. I’m guessing Baucus’s preferences lean more toward being the willing spankee.

    Speaking about lobbyists, feelings, and tards today, the collective at RedState has a post up about the banging, spanking family values R-pol in CA. The RS frontpager, Leon, had the extremely predictable takeaway from the state senator’s actions: The Gooper Party is continually and relentlessly victimized! I’d be surprised if his keyboard survived his flood of tears.

  46. 46.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    September 9, 2009 at 7:06 pm

    Sunstein is a Beltway mandarin who believes going after war criminals in the last administration would effectively criminalize public service. Glenzilla pwned his ass this past summer on Democracy Now. Although I believe a President should be allowed to choose advisers as they see fit, the Republicans are probably doing us a solid by delaying his entry into the administration.

  47. 47.

    PTirebiter

    September 9, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    @John: for what it’s worth, to me it reads like Todd was asking Gibbs if he was taking a shot Bauchus. Maybe it’s common, but sending it to K Street before the White House seems like a punk move . Either way you’re right about how quickly Todd was seduced by the trappings of his new frat.

  48. 48.

    IndyLib

    September 9, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    @JK:
    I think the MILF thing is part of it, but with the MSM’s focus on left/right contention I think it’s the fact that the liberals can’t stand her that makes them keep putting her forward. Someone in the earlier Palin thread pointed out that if the left wouldn’t respond to every stupid things she utters or has ghost written, she wouldn’t be very much use as the MSM postergirl for the conservative side of the culture war.

    It’s a vicious cycle, we scream about the media giving her attention and treating her as a serious politician, and the media sees our screaming as a reason to take her seriously. They think that if she wasn’t a real threat to liberals we wouldn’t get so upset when she says stuff.

    I don’t know how we end the cycle, but damned if I don’t wish we could. I’m sick of her.

  49. 49.

    ronin122

    September 9, 2009 at 7:09 pm

    Sorry this is off topic, but while we’re repeating beltway gems and conservative talking points, Drill baby drill 4eva! DK has a rec-list diary on it too

  50. 50.

    Corner Stone

    September 9, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    @ericblair:

    as bad as the Reagasm

    Stealin’ it.

  51. 51.

    kay

    September 9, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    @The Grand Panjandrum:

    I strongly disagree. Sunstein made a (correct) distinction between impeachment and criminal prosecutions, and Greenwald pounced on it, and took it all the way out. Greenwald completely stopped addressing each issue, specifically, midway through, and conflated three separate issues in a broad indictment. He did that because he was losing, and badly.
    Greenwald was a disorganized, if passionate, mess. Sunstein cleaned his clock without breaking a sweat, and he did it politely.

  52. 52.

    JackieBinAZ

    September 9, 2009 at 7:48 pm

    I think the real story here is that Gibbs is tying the Baucus plan to K Street, now that Baucus made sure he got his name all over it. I’m pleasantly surprised.

  53. 53.

    IndyLib

    September 9, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    Weird planet convergence – Cloture vote on Sunstein passes, up or down vote will come later this week.

    http://washingtonindependent.com/58355/cloture-passes-on-cass-sunstein-63-35

  54. 54.

    mvr

    September 9, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    I’ve met Sunnstein several times. He’s very smart and has a sly sense of humor, likes to toy around with various ideas, and provoke debate, part of why it is easy to find quotations that piss people off. He thinks and talks well on his feet and is a genuinely nice guy. His views on executive power these days are not what I’d wish them to be, but that somewhat endears him to some on the right. Probably all of that is going to make it hard for them to cause any permanent trouble for his appointment because he has friends in many camps, including those who disagree with him.

    While I disagree with is views on some things, such as the powers of a president, his appointment as I understand it would be to look at unintended consequences of various regulations or the absence of regulation and things like that. He’s probably well suited to that, and in any case is not passing legislation on his own.

    And when we remember that the objections come from Glenn Beck, it is hard not to favor his appointment in a knee jerk fashion.

  55. 55.

    Mary

    September 10, 2009 at 9:14 am

    @kay: Now that Sunstein is no longer involved with Martha Nussbaum, I suspect that his views on animal rights might soften.

    That said, he certainly loves animals. He brings his dog everywhere, including work, despite the fact that said dog has a.) used other professors’ offices as a toilet, and b.) bitten at least one student. (I’m a huuuuuuge dog lover and would bring my dog to work if I could, but not if it had a history of doing either of the above.)

    Republicans that are holding up this nomination are incredibly stupid. I like Sunstein, and I think the whole libertarian paternalism is a worthwhile experiment. But the fact that Republicans seem so afraid of Sunstein blows my mind – he’s still more or less a free-market capitalism kind of guy.

  56. 56.

    mutt

    September 10, 2009 at 1:14 pm

    Chuck Fuckin Todd.
    Really made me question Rachel Maddows common sense when this tool was a daily “source” during the election run up. I figured he was an in house propagandist & she was under orders, still, havin him on undermined her credibility in my eyes.
    Izzy Stone was right….

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