Tangled Webs

Friday, October 19, 2007

Doddmania

It's stuff like this that can get a guy elected. Email from Chris Dodd:

Are you willing to go to the mat to restore the Constitution?

Just last night, we heard there are plans to disregard Senator Dodd's intention to place a hold on a FISA bill that includes amnesty for telecommunications companies.

That would be a pretty extraordinary move, but Chris Dodd has pledged to stop this horrible bill any way he can.

So if the hold is not honored, he is prepared to go to the Senate floor and filibuster.

Rolling back the Bush Administration assault on the rule of law has been a major focus of Chris Dodd's work in the Senate -- and it's also a centerpiece in his campaign for President

A filibuster by a Democrat against the Democratic majority would certainly be interesting. It would also put the Democratic leadership and Congresspeople on the line in a vote. Can't you just picture a bunch of insurgent Democrat progessive candidate primary ads featuring a vote to immunize the telecoms?

The war between Democrats for the soul of the future progressive movement is going to get hotter as time moves forward. Think McCarthy vs. Humphrey. It's too bad it must go that way, but if it must it must.

On a related note:

Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) were the only two no votes on the FISA bill that came out of the Senate intelligence committee late last night.

DumbAss

Mark Danner has written a fine article in the New Yorker about Bush's push for war with Iraq. The article focuses on conversations between Bush and former Spainish Prime Minister José Marìa Aznar.

The short version? Bush comes off every bit the stupid ass we know him to be.

Bhutto

The bombing attack on Benazir Bhutto yesterday has all the foreign policy types all abuzz. The conventional wisdom is that the attacks were carried out by "al Qaeda" and/or Taliban. William Arkin makes a good point that it could have been any number of terrorists groups and that Pakistan/Afghanistan have simply become a single large battle ground (think Warziristan right smack in the middle of the two countries).

Maybe I've been around Bush and Rove too long, but my first thought was that this attack was carried out by President Pervez Musharraf. He's struggling to stay in control. Does he really want to have a very popular moderate competitor in country? And he's needed a good excuse to get tough anyway. So why not have his crack intelligence thugs stage a bombing?

Thursday, October 18, 2007

No Way

The Iraq government has told the U.S. that there will be no permanent military bases in Iraq.

We'll see.

Chinook

There's an ill wind blowing.

Get What You Pay For

Barry Ritholtz is talking about international taxes. He puts up this comparison chart:

Barry concludes that our taxes, relatively speaking aren't that bad. And I would agree. But I'd take it step further. There's a reason why our country is literally falling apart, and it has to do with the mentality sold by conservatives that we can have it all without paying for it, aka a "free lunch". The rest of the world knows better. I'd much rather have a society like the top 10 in this list, than the bottom 10.

Guts

Ask, and ye shall receive. From the esteemed Senator Chris Dodd:

It's been a busy day, but I wanted take a moment and let you know that I have decided to place a "hold" on legislation in the Senate that includes amnesty for telecommunications companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.

I said that I would do everything I could to stop this bill from passing, and I have.

Good job Chris. You deserve a second look. Visit Chris Dodd's web site and consider giving him some love. Good behavior deserves rewards.

Update: Here's a good primer on Senate holds.

The Bush Effect

I've been observing a trend for several weeks now in the oil markets. Below is a chart of the amount of oil in U.S. inventory:

As is readily apparent, there is no shortage of available oil. So why have prices continued to do this:

One word explains it all. Bush. Oil continues to climb because of international tension. Speculators continue to drive the price up in anticipation of something blowing up in the middle east.

Here Comes The Turks!

Here's a quick summary of the potential problems of a Turkish attack in Iraq. William Arkin

Consider this scenario: Turkey crosses the Iraqi border to pursue its Kurdish enemy and protect its borders. Syria and Iran, which also have disgruntled Kurdish minorities pressing for independence, are encouraged to launch strikes, too. The American military in Iraq goes on alert. Israel prepares. NATO awakens. The Gulf States panic.

For now, a Turkish incursion seems unlikely. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he won't order an immediate attack. Still, there is a danger that events could conspire to create a situation where everyone, simultaneously, makes bad choices.

Arkin goes on to say he thinks it's an unlikely possibility but that events could spiral out of control.

Cheney's Law

If you missed PBS's very good documentary on Cheney, "Cheney's Law" the other night, it's now online here. It's well worth a watch.

Cave In Part Deux

I'm having a bad Democrat morning.

Please, more and better Democrats:

Elizabeth Williamson writes in The Washington Post: "Chances for a U.S. resolution calling the mass killings of Armenians that began in 1915 genocide eroded dramatically last night, as sponsors dropped off in droves and senior Democrats urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to abandon her support. . . .

This "we're going to piss off Turkey" argument is such nonsense. Turkey is going to do what Turkey is going to do to preserve it's own self-interest. That includes attacking Iraq and continuing an alliance with the U.S. with or without some meaningless resolution.

Mukasey

Well, the Dems caved on demanding documents from the White House before holding hearings on Attorney General nominee Mukasey, so the hearings have begun.

He's saying all the right things. But then they always do. I don't think anyone will know anything real about this guy until he's in office. What we do know is the guy was acceptable to Bush, which suggests that there's a three-card-monty game going on in front of the Senate.

Count me as skeptical. January 2009 can't come soon enough.

Bullshit Part Deux

I'm really sick of this crap. This time it's regarding FISA and telecom immunity.

Please. More, better Democrats:

News of the agreement came after Republicans in the House managed to use parliamentary tactics to delay a vote on a surveillance bill that would have placed more restrictions on the administration. There was a lot of partisan bickering, but it all ended when Democrats pulled their bill after Republicans introduced a measure "that on its face asked lawmakers to declare where they stood on stopping Osama bin Laden," notes the NYT. Democrats feared they'd be labeled soft on terror (what else is new?), so the leadership pulled a major bill before a scheduled vote for the first time since taking control of Congress. As the Post makes clear, it all amounted to a victory for Bush and an embarrassment for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The Congressional Democratic leadership continues to grab it's ankles for the Republicans.

Update: Maybe Chris Dodd can break out with this issue? It would certainly cause me to give the guy a second look.

Update II: How to Legislate Like A Seven Year Old.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Bullshit

Well, we have the two big scare stories of the week.

The first one is the "maneating" staph bacteria that is GOING TO INFECT YOU! Nevermind that this thing has been around for over 50 years, routinely lives on about 1/3 of all human bodies naturally, and is as likely to kill you as getting hit by a meteor, it still led off the ABC News tonight ..... again.

The other is the internet predator things. Alicia whatever her last name is was the "victim" of an internet predator. Ok, now I don't like that there are criminals posing on the internet to prey on people, and I think they should be prosecuted. But this woman (she was 13 at the time) had an ongoing internet relationship with this guy for 9 months, then voluntarily walked out of her house and into his car when he came by to meet her. Here's the grab-line from today's testimony:

"The boogey man is real. And he lives on the Net. He lived in my computer -- and he lives in yours," she said, looking at the lawmakers. "While you are sitting here, he is at home with your children."

Where were her parents? Why did a 13 year old feel the need to have, and keep, a relationship with someone on the internet a secret? Aren't there criminals types around us all the time, i.e. at the shopping mall?

My point is that the internet is a public place. Don't people have some responsibility in protecting themselves in public? And if they don't, should the general public suffer with civil liberty restrictions because some people don't use common sense? And above all, is this really a national story any more than the numerous child abductions that take place every week?

Fear baby. It sells. And it will sell us right down the drain eventually.

More Troops

The Pentagon is saying that this is part of a normal rotation which will result in fewer troops ultimately. I don't believe them:

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is preparing to alert eight National Guard units that they should be ready to go to Iraq or Afghanistan beginning late next summer, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.

The U.S. military is reaching out to more Guard units in an effort to maintain needed troop levels, ease some of the strain on the active duty Army and provide security for ports, convoys and other installations.

According to defense officials, seven of the units would deploy to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the orders had not yet been signed and the announcement is not expected until the end of this week.

These new troops are being used as part of a plan to cover southern Iraq where the Brits are leaving. We will have more troops covering less area by the time they are deployed. Does anyone really believe that when the time comes for others to come home that 1) there'll be less violence or 2) the Iraqi's will be ready to take over? If you believe that, I've got this bridge ......

A Tie!

Bush is now tied with the all-time Nixon low of 24%! I wonder who he's lost now, the nazi's or the KKK.

Good job Bushie.

Inflation News

This month, Bonddad gives us the update on how we have no inflation .... except for inflation:

So -- why am I focusing on these two paragraphs rather than the headline number? I am personally having a really difficult time believing the "headline" inflation number largely because my personal experience just isn't jibing with an "inflation is benign" scenario. Here's why. I go shopping every 4-5 days. Over the last year or so I have seen chicken increase from about $4-$5 to $7-$8. Milk is now almost $4/gallon when it use to be $2.99/gallon. Simply put, the numbers just aren't adding up. While I don't know what is wrong exactly with the BLS' calculations and/or methodology, it simply isn't tracking what I am seeing at the retail level. Now I realize that the prices above are for food which isn't part of "core" inflation. This also illustrates how incredibly stupid the Fed's reliance on "core" inflation is. Core inflation is a great measure if you don't consume food or energy. For that small minority of the population that actually does consume food and energy, total inflation is a hell of a lot more relevant to daily life.

That's pretty much my experience. The only, and I mean ONLY thing I can think of that has gone down in price at all is car insurance in California. Something to remember when watching the news tonight when broadcasters trumpet the "inflation is under control" message of the administration.

Second Guessing Turkey

It looks like the House support for a resolution condemning the Ottoman Empire for genocide against the Armenians is falling. Right now Pelosi may not even have a majority as members fall for the "Turkey won't like it" argument.

What's really interesting is Turkey's reaction. Does anyone really think it will change Turkey's plans to continue their quiet little war in northern Iraq?

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

But .... Will They Go?

The Iraqi government has completed it's investigation and is officially asking Blackwater to leave Iraq.

It's hard to keep track of all the different Blackwater probes. But the government of Nouri al-Maliki says that its own investigation of the September 16 Nisour Square shootings has concluded, and it found that Blackwater committed "unprovoked and random killings," CNN reports. Its stance on Blackwater, which the State Department is apparently no longer challenging, is that the private-security firm has to leave Iraq

Your move Condi.

Rats, Sinking Ships

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) won't seek re-election in 2012 and may bow out early to run for governor in 2010.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)