I heard some lady named Plame is in the news. Anyone ever heard of her?
Can We Pick A Different Hill To Die On?
Writing for Harpers, Scott Horton has covered the politicized DoJ like a cheap suit with a particular focus the remarkably partisan handling of the Siegelman case. For obvious reasons I support Horton 100% in his reporting, but this latest outrage leaves me feeling lukewarm. Although nobody should ignore when a former Bush Attorney General (Bush senior in this case) reviews a recent DoJ indictment and essentially declares it a partisan fraud, for me the parts don’t add up.
For one thing, I worked in and around local Pittsburgh politics long enough to know that the target in this case, coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht, is probably guilty of many of the things that US Attorney Buchanan accused him of. 84 counts seems steep until you recall that Wecht has pushed his weight around the local Democratic machine since Oswald (presumably) shot JFK. Even in an entrenched party machine that falls slightly to the functional side of the Dalys Wecht’s brand of self-serving nepotism has stood out for decades. It wouldn’t surprise that many Pittsburghers if the straightest-shooting US Attorney in America (e.g., Fitz) handed Wecht more or less the same indictment.
Another non-trivial point – Thornburgh is currently a private attorney serving on Wecht’s defense team. Let’s wait for truly independent assessments, please.
Jeebus Doesn’t Love Me This Much
First, I’m Jewish, if only in the heritage sense. My (lapsed) Catholic wife keeps track of holidays so that I know when I’m supposed to show up at my folks’ place in a tie. Other than that we both refer to god mostly when one of us stubs a toe in the dark. Therefore if this comes through it won’t be because of any divine favors on my part. Blame it instead on the whole wealth of karma* that Alberto “abu” Gonzales has built up during his tenure as America’s worst Attorney General.
The funny thing is, Gonzales and the president have been joined at the hip since Governor Bush nominated him for the Texas court (bonus heh). Thus a Gonzales trial previews the many fun legal problems facing president pinhead when he no longer has his finger on the red button.
Some would argue that the Bushies have craftily arcane legal strategies to cover their ass when investigators inevitably start looking into their myriad misbehaviors, but that honestly doesn’t seem to be the case. They just do what feels good and figure that things will work themselves out. So much of the Bush catastrophe amounts to the kind of garden-variety mismanagement that routinely gets middle managers fired.
(*) Before this becomes a theology thread, I know that karma only comes due after a given life comes to an end. Call it connotation vs. denotation.
(**) Some days John’s new post category really hits the mark.
Saturday Open Thread
I’m not dead yet.
RIP, John Henry
The end of the track for a great horse:
John Henry, a true superstar of the racing world, has died at the age of 32. The venerable gelding, winner of 39 of his 83 races and twice North American Horse of the Year, was put down at the Kentucky Horse Park, his retirement home since 1985.
Thirty-two is a tremendous age for a horse, the equivalent of something like 110 in human years. Those closest to him knew the end was near; he had been suffering intermittently from kidney failure and his typical uncertain temper had been mellowing. “John had always been known for his biting and kicking,” said Cathy Roby, barn manager at the establishment’s Hall of Champions. “But he had gotten to the point where he wasn’t really trying, He wasn’t John any more. He was ready to go.”
There is something about the name John Henry that I have always loved, and should I ever get a dog, I will name him John Henry.
Dissing China to Bomb Iran
Ed Henry on Anderson Cooper 360 last night:
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: I told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HENRY: Now, the president insists he still hopes to solve this crisis with Iran diplomatically. But if you will remember, that’s what he said before launching a war in Iraq. And so that’s also why his words carry so much meaning tonight, Anderson.
COOPER: Well, Ed, also the diplomatic fronts got a whole lot more confusing. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has been meeting with the Iranian president. Putin, he seems to be picking sides here.
HENRY: Absolutely. He’s taking swipes at the United States. Mr. Bush obviously thought Mr. Putin was an ally, but for various reasons he’s not looking like one these days. Especially because of this meeting over last few days with President Ahmadinejad. Putin looking like he’s cozying up to him. And Putin also directly contradicted Mr. Bush by saying he doesn’t believe Iran has nuclear ambitions and also basically warning that the U.S. should not launch any attack against Iran, Anderson.
COOPER: So much for the president looking into his eyes, I guess, and seeing his soul, as he once about Vladimir Putin.
HENRY: Yeah.
COOPER: Today in Washington the president was shown with the Dalai Lama. You say that also could come back to have implications for Iran’s nuclear ambitions. How so?
HENRY: Absolutely. I mean, Mr. Bush got plaudits today from even some Democrats on the Hill by standing up and being seen publicly with the Dalai Lama but obviously that makes China irate and China is key here. Because you can’t get any tough sanctions passed in the United Nations Security Council without China on board.
So if they are angry, that is not good. And if you don’t get tough sanctions, sanctions actually with some teeth, that takes a big weapon off the table and makes the possibility — I stress possibility — of war more likely, Anderson.
If Bush really is dead-set on attacking Iran with a military strike, this is precisely what they would want to do to pave the way. It effectively removes the UN from the equation, as he can agitate China to the point hat the UN option will not be available.
It is a win, win, win, win for Bush. Get credit from the mindless droids at home for meeting with the Dalai Lama, get credit with the wingnut right for pissing off China, neuter the possibility of UN sanctions slowing down the decider while also giving the wingnut right more ammunition in the never-ending crusade to further weaken international organizations (no doubt Oil for Food will re-emerge as a blogosphere chant).
A bellicose China torpedoing sanctions in the UN isn’t a bad thing to these guys- it is a feature. It would mean the only thing in between Bush and his desire to attack Iran, should he have one, is the Democrats. And I think we all know how that would end.
If you are familiar with the Bush policy of “Doing Whatever the Fuck We Want,” it makes perfect sense. These folks do a lot of things that have such disastrous outcomes that it is easy to just call them stupid, but they really aren’t. They are merely indifferent to the repercussions of their behavior.
Still Waiting
It has been well over 24 hours, and I am still waiting for the collective freak-out from the frothing right about Mukasey’s traitorous proclamations yesterday.
Where are all the patriots? As we learned with Dick Durbin, we must condemn Mukasey’s comments or mullahs everywhere will be laughing at us.
*** Update ***
And I am no legal scholar, but I just don’t understand how someone trying to get the job as Attorney General can get away with saying things like this in his confirmation hearing:
After some legal argumentation, Mukasey replied, essentially, that going outside a statute is an extreme step, and implied that he’ll take steps to ensure that “push doesn’t come to shove” between presidential authority and statutory limitation. But he left the door open for at least some nebulous presidential power that trumps congressional attempts at limitation.
Why do we even have statutes anymore if they are just for guidance?