;)
The Commentariat -- March 14, 2015
Internal links removed.
Michael Shear & Dave Philipps of the New York Times: "Nine months after President Obama concluded that a 'corrosive culture' had led to systemic problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s largest hospital system has made only halting progress toward hiring new doctors, replacing incompetent supervisors, upgrading outdated computers and rebuilding trust with veterans.... In a highly stage-managed appearance at the Phoenix hospital on Friday, Mr. Obama acknowledged the need for more improvement." ...
... The Los Angeles Times story, by Christi Parsons & Michael Memoli, is here.
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal appeals court has turned aside the Obama Administration's proposal to accelerate its request for a stay of a lower judge's order blocking President Barack Obama's plan to give quasi-legal status and work permits to millions more illegal immigrants.... A few days delay is not likely to have much direct impact... However, the 5th Circuit's move could be an early sign that the appeals court -- viewed as the most conservative in the country -- isn't favorably inclined to the Obama Administration's view that [Judge Andrew] Hanen's order needs to be overturned quickly."
Nick Gass of Politico: "President Barack Obama said he's 'embarrassed' for the 47 Republican senators who signed a letter to Iranian leaders earlier this week":
... Jaime Fuller of New York: Ministers from other P5+1 countries are not amused. "Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council has begun to discuss whether it might lift sanctions on Iran if a deal on nuclear weapons were reached. One diplomat told Reuters, "There is an interesting question about whether, if the Security Council endorses the deal, that stops Congress undermining the deal." Luckily, we have John McCain to compare the German minister to Neville Chamberlain & Ted Cruz to invoke "Munich in 1938." ...
... Here's the Washington Post's report, by Karen DeYoung. ...
... CW: John Boehner must be enjoying the break. For once, the news is all about how embarrassing the Senate is instead of how embarrassing the House is. ...
... Argumentum ad Hitlerum, Ctd. Simon Maloy of Salon: "'Obama is an appeaser like Chamberlain' ... [ha]s actually become the go-to argument for conservatives looking to get a quick dig in at Obama's foreign policy. If you look back over the years, the historical record is littered with instances of conservatives claiming that Barack Obama just ceded the Sudetenland to Hitler." Maloy produces a parade of horribles. "... conservatives see a world that is just jammed full of Hitlers. Cuba, the Islamic State, the Muslim Brotherhood, Russia, Iran -- Hitlers all. And once you've reduced every single international conflict into 'us versus Hitler,' well, anything less than full-on, guns-blazing, hard-line, World War II-type swagger starts to sound weak and unreasonable. If only Obama would get serious and realize that literally everyone is Hitler, he wouldn't be such a Chamberlain." ...
... James Hohmann of Politico: "One-third of Republican insiders [as defined by Politico!] believe that Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and his GOP colleagues -- including several potential presidential candidates -- crossed the line when they published an open letter to Iranian leaders warning about a possible nuclear deal." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Dumbest Guy in Senate Says "Oops!" Heidi Przybyla of Bloomberg : "The letter 47 Republicans sent earlier this week warning against a nuclear deal President Barack Obama is negotiating with Iran probably shouldn't have been addressed to the regime's leaders, said Senator Ron Johnson, who signed the letter." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
I do believe [Senate Republicans] defied the chain of command in what could be construed as an illegal act. What Senator Cotton did is a gross breach of discipline, and especially as a veteran of the Army, he should know better. I have no issue with Senator Cotton, or others, voicing their opinion in opposition to any deal to halt Iran's nuclear progress. Speaking out on these issues is clearly part of his job. But to directly engage a foreign entity, in this way, undermining the strategy and work of our diplomats and our Commander in Chief, strains the very discipline and structure that our foreign relations depend on, to succeed.... The breach of discipline is extremely dangerous, because undermining our diplomatic efforts, at this moment, brings us another step closer to a very costly and perilous war with Iran. I think Senator Cotton recognizes this, and he simply does not care. That's what disappoints me the most. -- Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton
... CW: A few days ago Philip Weiss of MondoWeiss speculated that neoconservative, invariably-wrong Bill Kristol likely had a hand in the drafting the Senate's 47 Percent letter. ...
... SO ... Tim Mak of the Daily Beast: "The letter, which was conceived of by freshman GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, was influenced in part by prominent national security hawk and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol. Kristol said he had no part in drafting or editing the letter, but did consult with the senator about it. 'I did discuss it with Tom as he was conceiving it and pondering whether and how to do it. I know he consulted with others as well with some government and foreign policy experience, as you'd expect,' Kristol told The Daily Beast." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... CW: These people sit together in little puddles of stupid. When they are not saying stupid things to each other, they are congratulating each other for the stupid things they say. ...
... Jonathan Chait: "The letter episode contains all the characteristic traits of a neoconservative project. First, of course, is the wild confrontationalism, which in this case was directed not against Iran but against the Obama administration.... Second, the letter was drafted and signed with maximum haste and a total contempt for planning or serious thought of any kind.... Third, the ploy has failed even by the standards of its own logic.... And, then, finally, there is the stubborn refusal to concede the plan has backfired even in the face of overwhelming evidence." ...
... Historian Josh Zeitz, in Politico Magazine on the history of the Logan Act: "Two hundred years from now, historians will ponder the [Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron] Dermer and Cotton affairs. Only time will tell whether this newfound repudiation of executive authority in foreign affairs will apply to all presidents, or only to presidents who, by virtue of their politics and provenance, excite the anxieties of people in the throes of great economic and demographic change." ...
... CREDO is circulating a petition to "Tell Democratic leaders in the Senate to put forward a resolution condemning the 47 Republican senators who are endangering national security to damage the presidency." Via Paul Waldman.
Dana Milbank highlights the plight of Washington Post reporter & Iran bureau chief Jason Rezaian, who has been imprisoned in Iran for eight months & whose "only crime is being an American journalist."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Here is the headline of an op-ed in one of the country's top newspapers: "War with Iran is probably our best option." The author is Joshua Muravchik, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University;s School of Advanced International Studies. The newspaper is the Washington Post. ...
... Jim Fallows: "The Post's owners ... have traditionally had a free hand in choosing the paper's editorial-page policy and leaders.... Jeff Bezos, behold your newspaper.... This is appalling." ...
... CW: Maybe Bezos just got bored with his sweatshop operations & playing with drones & decided it would be more fun to become a major player in the military-industrial complex. ...
... Scott Lemieux in LG&M: "Wherever there's a non-ally of the United States not being invaded by the United States, Fred Hiatt[, the Post's op-ed editor,] is there to find a crackpot to advocate that the problem of non-invasion be solved immediately.... I must, however, subtract 5 points because he invokes Hitler without mentioning Chamberlain."
White House: "In this week's address, President Obama laid out his vision for quality, affordable higher education for all Americans":
Scott Wong of the Hill: "What began a month ago with questions about [Aaron Schock]'s [R-Ill.] unusual 'Downton Abbey' inspired office decorations has quickly become a slow drip of more damaging stories by the day.... Conservative critics are now calling for his ouster.... Already, attorney Mark Zalcman, a self-described 'pro-union, Christian conservative' from Normal, Ill., said this week he'll try to unseat Schock next year. His campaign slogan: 'Because Washington needs the Gospel.'" CW: How can something "quickly" become a "slow" drip?
Alan Yuhas of the Guardian: "The Koch brothers' conglomerate Koch Industries has refused to comply with an investigation by three Senate Democrats into whether the company has funded groups or researchers who deny or cast doubt on climate change. In response to a request from senators Barbara Boxer, Edward Markey and Sheldon Whitehouse for information about Koch Industries' support for scientific research, Koch general counsel Mark Holden invoked the company's first amendment rights.... On 25 February, the three Democratic senators -- each a ranking member of committees that oversee environmental affairs -- sent letters to 100 fossil fuel companies and thinktanks.... The senators' investigation was prompted by documents obtained through a freedom of information request by Greenpeace...." Holden cited First-Amendment free-speech rights as the basis for the companies' refusal to comply.
...everything Barack Obama does domestically and in foreign policy is designed to humble the arrogant crackers who have always run the United States. -- Winger Erick Erickson, filling in for Rush Limbaugh
... Paul Waldman: "... it is simply impossible to overstate the ubiquity of this particular theme in conservative media: Barack Obama hates not just America but white people in general, and all of his policies are meant to exact racial vengeance upon them. This is the rancid stew of fantasy, hatred, and yes, racism in which millions upon millions of conservatives have spent the last six years marinating."
Presidential Race
Edward-Isaac Dovere of Politico: "Jerry Brown ran against Bill Clinton in the 1992 Democratic primaries. Now he doesn't think anyone should run against Hillary Clinton when she seeks the nomination next year." ...
... Ezra Klein: "The question for the Democratic Party is whether Clinton is going to be as strong in the visible primary [[ and the visible election -- as she is in the invisible one. The skills necessary to win over Democratic Party elites may not be the skills necessary to win the election -- and if Hillary doesn't face serious opposition in the visible primary, Democrats may not find that out until too late." ...
... Josh Gerstein: "Hillary Clinton's claim that most work-related emails sent from her personal account were preserved in the electronic files of other State Department officials fell apart Friday. After a week of deflecting questions about how emails were handled during Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, the agency finally acknowledged that the email traffic of other senior officials was not automatically or routinely archived." ...
... Here's the New York Times story, by Michael Schmidt & Julie Davis. ...
... Jaime Fuller: "The last time we saw a politician doing this workout was an hour before Biden debated vice-presidential candidate Representative Paul Ryan in 2012. Time magazine published photos of Biden's opponent doing the exact same pose. However, Ryan only used 25-pound dumbbells.... The White House made the Vine to publicize Michelle Obama's #GimmeFive challenge and the fifth anniversary of the First Lady's 'Let's Move' campaign."
Jeb Breaks Law, Faults Hillary for Not Breaking Law. Michael Barbaro of the New York Times: "Jeb Bush has rebuked Hillary Rodham Clinton for her use of a private email account as secretary of state, holding up his own conduct as an example of transparency in government. But it took Mr. Bush seven years after leaving office to comply fully with a Florida public records statute requiring him to turn over emails he sent and received as governor, according to records released Friday. Mr. Bush delivered the latest batch of 25,000 emails in May 2014, seven and a half years after leaving the Statehouse and just as he started to contemplate a potential run for the White House, according to a newly disclosed letter written by his lawyer. A Florida statute governing the preservation of public records requires elected officials, including the governor, to turn over records pertaining to official business 'at the expiration of his or her term of office.' ...
... Reid Epstein of the Wall Street Journal: "Jeb Bush said he would be open to allowing illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and said his position on immigration is 'the grown-up plan.'" ...
... Steve M.: "When you describe a position of yours that's unpopular with the voters as 'the grown-up choice,' what you're saying is that those who disagree with you are children.... Look, I understand -- GOP voters are stupid children. But you're not supposed to say that to them if you want their votes."
Christie Lays Out Reasons Not to Vote for Him. Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R)told leading GOP policy analysts this week that he will make overhauling Medicare, Social Security and other long-term entitlement programs a centerpiece of his likely presidential campaign, according to participants in the talks. Christie's decision to embrace a politically risky campaign theme is central to an attempt to revive his wilting national prospects, according to people familiar with his plans."
Robert Costa & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Sen. Marco Rubio has been cultivating a relationship with Mitt Romney and his intimates, landing some of the 2012 Republican nominee's top advisers and donors and persistently courting others as he readies an expected 2016 presidential campaign."
Well, I was a Boy Scout, and I always thought maybe campsites should be cleaner. -- Scott Walker, responding to a second-grader who asked him what he would do about climate change
Absolute proof there is no business lobby opposed to clean Boy Scout campsites.* -- Constant Weader
*As long as the campsites are not in the way of loggers, frackers or miners. Anyway, making Boy Scout clean up their campsites is an excellent overall strategy to fight climate change. ...
... Gail Collins on GOP candidates positions on climate change: "Have you ever heard anybody say he couldn't comment on tax policy because he wasn't an accountant?"
Beyond the Beltway
Kelly Weill of Capital New York: "Computers operating on the New York Police Department's computer network at its 1 Police Plaza headquarters have been used to alter Wikipedia pages containing details of alleged police brutality, a review by Capital has revealed.... The edits and changes were linked to the NYPD through a series of Internet Protocol addresses, or IP addresses, which can be publicly tracked by various websites.... Computer users identified by Capital as working on the NYPD headquarters' network have edited and attempted to delete Wikipedia entries for several well-known victims of police altercations, including entries for Eric Garner, Sean Bell, and Amadou Diallo.... NYPD IP addresses have also been used to edit entries on stop-and-frisk, NYPD scandals, and prominent figures in the city’s political and police leadership." ...
... Jessica Roy of New York: "The NYPD told Capital the editing incident is under 'internal review,' so look out for future edits to the entry 'NYPD Wikipedia Scandal.'"
Abby Ohlheiser of the Washington Post: "The former members of Oklahoma University's disbanded Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter are considering a lawsuit against the school, according to statements from the fraternity's newly retained attorney, Stephen Jones.... Jones, who served as Timothy McVeigh's lead defense attorney during the Oklahoma City Bombing trial, told KFOR that the fraternity members objected to statements from the school's president that, they say, painted all of the fraternity members as racists and bigots." CW: Jones sure gets the worst clients: a mass-murdering terrorist & frat-boy racists. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Dan Williams of Reuters: "Flagging in opinion polls before Tuesday's election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to rally Israeli rightists by casting his centre-left challengers as tools of a global campaign to usurp power. Over social media and broadcast interviews, the three-term leader has accused unspecified foreign governments and tycoons of funneling 'tens of millions of dollars' to opposition activists working to undermine his Likud party and boost the Zionist Union joint list led by Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni."
Barbie Nadeau of the Daily Beast: "Russian president Vladimir Putin appears to be back at the Kremlin after a mysterious disappearance that had people wondering if the Russian leader might be seriously ill or at risk of a coup. But a Swiss newspaper says the Russian playboy was just in Lugano for the birth of his lovechild. In an article titled Es ist ein Mädchen! or 'It's a Girl,' the paper Bilk claims that Putin and his alleged 32-year-old lover, Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva, welcomed their daughter at the private Santa Anna di Sorgeno clinic in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino on the Italian border -- a favorite playground for wealthy Russians." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... In a report filed after lovechild story broke, Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times writes that Putin is still MIA. The report does not mention the Italian theory.
News Lede
Hill: "At least 10 Americans potentially exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone will be flown to the United States for observation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reports Saturday. CDC and the State Department are working to fly the U.S. citizens via private planes to the United States, where they will be monitored for 21 days, the maximum incubation period for Ebola, near either the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the National Institutes of Health or Emory University Hospital."
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Reader Comments (5)
Who has plan B? Billions are available for the defamation of Hillary with huge programs in all the media. In addition there is a group of Hillary Haters including Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd. Rich and Dowd used their columns for weeks to keep Hillary from the nomination.
The Times while generally liberal, will continue a long history of getting the Clintons. The baggage may be just too much to overcome and there seems to be no way to tone it down as the Democrats can sell nothing and are a miserable bunch of whiners.
A strong opponent for the Democratic nomination would change the attitude and intention of the defamers.
Elizabeth, we need you.
http://www.salon.com/2015/03/09/john_oliver_eviscerates_the_condescending_treatment_of_u_s_territories/
Another depressing example of our "exceptionalism." Sounds like colonialism to me.
From yesterday: Marie––thanks for pointing me to Arit John's piece on the Secret Service––missed that. However, except for a few instances in the past, the massive problems in that agency appear to have happened on Obama's watch––one right after another. And that fact, I would think, needs to be looked at very carefully.
Thank you also to James for that link to the Guardian's excellent essay on O'Malley. What fun to learn that the character of Tommy Carcetti in "The Wire"(one of the most interesting) as mayor of Baltimore was possibly based on O'Malley.
Putin has a love child? How sweet is that? Can you imagine an American President having a mistress who bears him a child and it's no big deal? (although we've had a few presidents in the past that fit the bill) We know France and Italy toy with this kind of thing but Americans? horrors! Look what happened to John Edwards––even if he had been presidential material he'd never have gotten to first base politically; he obviously accomplished it otherwise.
I really like Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton's statement. Such a polite way of saying 'stupid self serving scumbag'.
I wish I had said that; "These people sit together in little puddles of stupid." Remember that line, you will be given many occasions to reflect on it as the clown cars occupants display their contempt of reason.