"The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power." - Franklin Roosevelt

"Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini

Pakistan

Admit it: you woke up this morning and went, "Huh? Pakistan? Bhutto? Ummm....I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no babies, Miss Scarlet."

Well, here's a handy-dandy primer, courtesy of Juan Cole.

The NYT reported that US Secretary of State Condi Rice tried to fix Musharraf's subsequent dwindling legitimacy by arranging for Benazir to return to Pakistan to run for prime minister, with Musharraf agreeing to resign from the military and become a civilian president. When the supreme court seemed likely to interfere with his remaining president, he arrested the justices, dismissed them, and replaced them with more pliant jurists. This move threatened to scuttle the Rice Plan, since Benazir now faced the prospect of serving a dictator as his grand vizier, rather than being a proper prime minister.

With Benazir's assassination, the Rice Plan is in tatters and Bush administration policy toward Pakistan and Afghanistan is tottering

.

This is pretty much a disaster for both Bush and Musharraf. And probably for everyone else.

The last thing Musharraf wants is for Bhutto to be a martyr.

And Bhutto was touted by the Bush administration as the one who would deliver democracy, despite the fact that she didn't have popular support. The saviour. That now looks like a really bad move, and another foreign policy blunder.

What a man.

What is it with Republicans that they have to go through these weird macho rituals to prove themselves to Republican voters? Republican voters must be godawful insecure to need a daddy so badly.

Huckabee Aims To Show He's A Real Hunter

You know, I'm not against hunting at ALL - I'm far too carnivorous, and it would make me a raging hypocrite. But this guy killed three pheasants just to show how MANLY he was?

That's really sickening.

Merry Christmas

This could be fun

Jose Rodriguez, the CIA chief who ordered the destruction of the torture tapes is seeking immunity in exchange for testimony.

Guess he doesn't want to be the White House fall guy.

CBS - A former CIA official is expected to seek immunity when testifying before a House committee investigating the destruction of videotapes recording CIA interrogation sessions, reportedly to implicate the White House in the tapes' destruction, according to intelligence sources quoted in a London newspaper.

Same old stuff

They ignore everybody's warning.

Bad shit happens.

They pretend that it was impossible to foresee, when they were the only ones who failed to.

WASHINGTON POST - The U.S. government disregarded numerous warnings over the past two years about the risks of using Blackwater Worldwide and other private security firms in Iraq, expanding their presence even after a series of shooting incidents showed that the firms were operating with little regulation or oversight, according to government officials, private security firms and documents.

So, HAS your head exploded?

If not, this should do it.

Right-wingers heads explode

Moveon - pack of America-hating commies that they are - raised 275,000 in the last 24 hours to get American soldiers calling cards.

"A lot of our members are veterans or military families, so the war affects them personally," Pariser said in a phone interview with Politico. "We wanted to do something that was very direct in terms of helping those in harms way. It's very clear for our members that you can support the troops and be against the war."

Links for 12/22/2007

9/11 Panel Study Finds That C.I.A. Withheld Tapes
Senate stays in session over holiday to thwart Bush
The Politics Of Delusional Pundits
Romney backpedals on statements - again
Iraq Today

From the Onion

Sent my way by Iggy Jr.


Rove Resigns To Spend More Time In Shadows

Remember the Bankruptcy Bill?

Remember 2 years ago, when they passed that bill that stopped people from declaring bankruptcy?

They didn't count on a housing recession.

Bankruptcy Law Backfires as Foreclosures Offset Gains

Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Washington Mutual Inc. got what it wanted in 2005: A revised bankruptcy code that no longer lets people walk away from credit card bills.

The largest U.S. savings and loan didn't count on a housing recession. The new bankruptcy laws are helping drive foreclosures to a record as homeowners default on mortgages and struggle to pay credit card debts that might have been wiped out under the old code, said Jay Westbrook, a professor of business law at the University of Texas Law School in Austin and a former adviser to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

``Be careful what you wish for,'' Westbrook said. ``They wanted to make sure that people kept paying their credit cards, and what they're getting is more foreclosures.''

Basically, people can't declare bankruptcy anymore. So rather than letting the credit cards go so they can pay off the house, they're letting the HOUSE go so they can pay off the credit cards.. And the housing lenders are taking it in the ass.

"Whosoever diggeth a pit shall fall in it."

I just came across this

"Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause... for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country."

-- George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

Heh.

Rudy's new ad.

What a sad, pathetic clown.

Bye, Rudy

Rudy Giuliani has decided to stop campaigning in New Hampshire, and focus on Florida instead.

From my email:

Victory! FISA Bill Pulled from Senate

Majority Leader Harry Reid just pulled the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act from the floor of the Senate, only moments ago.

What does this mean?

Well, first, it will come back up again in January after the recess. We'll continue the fight against ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity.

As Chris Dodd just said on the floor, "If it's not [stripped], I'll be back here engaging in this very same effort."

Second, this is what leadership that delivers results look like. It's been a while, but you saw it on display all day on the floor of the Senate.

A leader who stands on principle. And a leader who can turn that principle into results.

Finally, this is evidence of what grassroots advocacy along with real leadership can accomplish.

We'll keep up the fight in the White House, and I'm sure you'll be there right by Chris Dodd's side the entire way.

We'll have updates all night at ChrisDodd.com if you want to drop by and share your thoughts or send a message to Senator Dodd.

They can hear us now,

Tim Tagaris
Proud to work for Chris Dodd for President

If you want to donate to Senator Dodd, it's here. Even a little sends a message.

FISA pulled

The FISA bill that granted telecomm companies immunity has just been pulled from the Senate floor.

Senator Dodd threatened to filibuster. Harry Reid whined about how unfair that was, and rolled over for it. Good.

You know, Senator Dodd IS running for President. He has been dubbed as one of the marginal candidates by the press, of course. So why is the one of the only Democrats who is actually doing what he citizens want a marginal candidate? And the ones who keep rolling over for one of the most unpopular Presidents in history the mainstream ones?

It's OK for Iran to Waterboard American POWs.

Do you need proof of the utter bankruptcy of Bush's position on torture?

His minions can't even say that it would be wrong for Iran to do it American Soldiers.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “The Legal Rights of Guantanamo Detainees” this morning, Brigadier General Thomas W. Hartmann, the legal adviser at Guantanamo Bay, repeatedly refused to call the hypothetical waterboarding of an American pilot by the Iranian military torture. “I’m not equipped to answer that question,” said Hartmann.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who asked the hypothetical, pushed Hartmann on his answer, asking him directly if it would be a “violation of the Geneva Convention”:

GRAHAM: You mean you’re not equipped to give a legal opinion as to whether or not Iranian military waterboarding, secret security agents waterboarding downed airmen is a violation of the Geneva Convention?

HARTMANN: I am not prepared to answer that question, Senator.

After Hartmann twice refused to answer, Graham dismissed him in disgust, saying he had “no further questions.”

The Bush Administration has given America's enemies the green light to torture American POWs.

How sickening.