The Xsociate Files

Labels: The 'Tubes

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Relatively slow news weekend, but there some blurbs Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

I'll give Bush supporters (the few that remain outside of Laura and Barney) one thing: at least they haven't been passing off coinage with his visage as the save all of the economy ala Ron Paul supporters. Then again with the value of the dollar failing as fast as his approval ratings, if they did mint a coin of the realm with his likeness, even the preferred metal would likely be too expensive by then.

Remember what I said about journalists being the ones able to push a particular narrative? Case in point, a silly screed by columnist Robert Novak pushing rumors about rumors (not that I am implying the Douchebag of Liberty is in any way to be considered a "journalist"). Thankfully Team Obama lobbed the derisive molotovs in the right direction. Perhaps if Kerry had taken a similar track in '04 instead of waiting three years too late, we might have had a far different outcome.

And the media, ever mindful of their true patronage, are trying to muddy the waters of this election season's Swift Boating. Unfortunately for the revered target, these particular "veterans" come armed with something the last group lacked: the truth.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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Another lazy Sunday, so here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

It must be "Bring a Parent to Work" week as the Presidential and potential Presidential parents have been out in force defending their offspring. Bush Sr. just wants everyone to leave his poor boy alone (and go ahead and forget what he said before about Iraq). Meanwhile, fellow GOPer John McCain had his mom in tow during an interview but probably thought better of it the instant she opened her mouth to utter some Mormon malapropisms.

In addition to Paul Krugman, another must read columnist freed with the demise of the Times' dreaded firewall was Frank Rich, who with today's piece skewers the Bushies' Musharraf policies and the quite coup they've managed to conduct with the help of an abdicating and capitulating Congress.

And it's that time of year again boys and girls. Time to dust off those Holiday ornaments because it's open season on the War on Christmas season. As an added bonus, I hear the Feds, in an effort to thwart would-be holiday gift givers who adorn their presents with insufficient garland, will be rummaging through fruit cake buyer receipts.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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Another lazy Sunday, perfect for the "Panderers on Parade Edition" of Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

There sure was a whole lotta pandering to the pious populace going on at the "Values Voters" summit this weekend. Here are just some of the things we learned from the fidelity festivities:

1. Despite unease about his Mormonism, Mitt Romney was able to read just enough of the script to win the top place in the straw poll.

2. Runner-up Mike Huckabee likens legalized abortion to the Holocaust. No word on whether he agrees that abstinence should be termed "genocide prevention".

3. Rudy Giuliani was down on bended knee and not in a sign of worship. Forget his past stances on gay marriage, Rudy's now all for a marriage amendment to the Constitution. Thankfully the thrice marriage candidate forewent the usual mid-speech phone call from the wifey this time.

3. John McCain. Yea he's still in the race.

4. Fred Thompson is more effective than Lunesta.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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Let's call this the "Felled Firewall Flood Edition" of Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Godwin's law was in full effect yesterday as righties bemoaned Frank Rich for equating American's complacency with some of the Bush administration's most nefarious practices with that of a similar mentality amongst the general German populace during the Nazi era. Whether the metaphor was apt or not, some say Rich sidestepped the issue of his own efforts at being a member of the complacent sect. But one consolation is he's taken up linkfesting like the rest of us lowly bloggers.

Paul Krugman says that the reason the righties have been going after Gore so vehemently is because he has succeeded in spite of their efforts to discredit him.

And Maureen Dowd's column was hijacked by some guy with a television show.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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TGIF and here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Ann Coultergeist, who no one can ever accuse of being good at political strategery, thinks it'd be a good idea to repeal the 19th amendment. You know the one giving women the right to vote. She says its a personal dream of hers that if women aren't allowed to vote anymore, there will never be another Democratic president elected. According to her, single women vote "stupidly" and thus shouldn't be given the chance. Take it from Coultergeist, she knows all about voting stupidly.

The Republican National Convention released their official logo for next year's event and promptly broke the innuendo-o-meter. The gifted snark was too good to pass up for some in the blogosphere and given my own fetish for Photoshop, I couldn't resist adding my own contribution to the fun.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

Labels: Coultergeist, Fun with Photoshop, The 'Tubes

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Another lazy Sunday and here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Looks as though The Big G is out for the '08 race. No not Gore, Gingrich. Satirists, cartoonists and Democrats are saddened by the loss.

Those still left in, however, are ripe for snarkification. I mean seriously, it's almost as if they want to make it easy for us. John McCain says that the US Constitution established a Christian nation and questions whether a Muslim is fit to be president. But I don't think Crazy Train should be positing about whether or not a person of a certain religiosity is worthy of office given his seeming inability to pick one himself.

Then there's Rescue Rudy, who now fancies himself a modern day Jesus because of how his personal life is scrutinized. The ironies in his allusion are so rich as to cause diabetic coma. And again with the 9/11, this time explaining his reason for taking a call from his wife at a function where he was already well over his 9/11 quotient for the day. Seems Rudy didn't get the memo that we're all outta 9/11 F.U.'s.

Update: Is Rudy's pandering not playing with the pious populace?

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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I'm still trying to find my muse this morning so here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Despite warnings that it could be read as tacit approval for military confrontation with Iran, the Senate, following in the suicidal footsteps of their counterparts in the House, overwhelmingly passed an amendment by Joe "When can we bomb Iran?" Lieberman. And even though the amendment was parred down, removing some of the more provocative language, there is still debate about how the remaining provisions could still be used to draw the US into another war.

And since we're on the subject, a Spanish newspaper released what were claimed to be transcripts of a pre-Iraq war conversation between President Bush and Spanish Jose Anzar in which Bush claims he'd already made up his mind to invade Iraq no matter what. This Telemundo version of Downing Street might be food for thought for all those Congress Critters to think about the next time Bush says he wants to resolve the standoff with Iran diplomatically. Then again, it may already be too late.

But while the legislature may be willing to sign away their duties and responsibilities, thankfully there are those in the judiciary who aren't as eager. A second judge as ruled portions of the Patriot Act are unconstitutional, specifically those regarding the issuance of search warrants without probable cause.

And finally, a group of bloggers has set up a memorial fund in honor of Sgt. Omar Mora and Sgt. Yance T. Gray, the two soldiers who dead in a vehicle accident weeks after writing a New Times Op-ed critical of the surge strategy. I urge you to visit. For while the media may have chosen to move on, we would be doing a huge disservice to their sacrifice should we merely let them and the countless others be consigned to the forgotten.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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TGIF and it's the "Fauxtage Edition" of Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

The righties still can't move on from MoveOn. In the clearest sign yet that the Congress has their priorities seriously screwed up, they overwhelming voted to condemn a newspaper ad that disparaged Gen. Petraeus. President Bush even got in on the fun, calling the ad "disgusting" and chiding the Democrats for being to scared to challenge leftwing groups like MoveOn. Keith Olbermann took the Prez to task over his remarks in a must see Special Comment. His genuine outrage, as opposed to the trumped up kind being generated over MoveOn, is palpable.

But the MoveOn Maelstrom succeeded in the only respects that mattered to the righties: distracting from Petraeus' actual testimony. Indeed, since this came to dominate the headlines, when was the last time anyone outside of the blogosphere addressed the substance of his claims? My point exactly.

Something else that has the righties knickers in a twist was a request by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to visit Ground Zero. Now I can appreciate the concerns of some over having him visit what many see as hallowed ground. And I certainly have no love loss for the guy. But like Josh Marshall, I have to wonder if the righties (and a few lefties) upset by this aren't suffering from some prepubescent mentality where they continue to view everything through the prism of a good vs. evil paradigm. One would think our ever shifting alliances in Iraq, which they also herald as signs of success, would have disabused them of that world view. But then, these are the righties were talking about.

Update: More from Kevin Drum.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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Another lazy Sunday, so here are some quick blurbs of what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Everyone was talking about the newest novel from the "Salvaging My Legacy" collection, this one from Alan Greenspan. The former Federal Reserve Chairman had some tough words for the Bushies. In addition to deriding them for not being fiscally conservative enough, he also says that the war in Iraq was "largely about oil". File these morsels of hindsight under "BO" for Blatantly Obvious.

The MoveOn Maelstrom continues to churn, this time with Crazy Train McCain suggesting the stock GOP answer to everything.

Implicit in Ragin' Rudy's salvo at Hillary Clinton yesterday was the claim that she is anti-military for questioning General Petraeus' credibility. But keeping that meme alive just got a little harder considering who has endorsed her candidacy.

And since we are on this subject of decrying those who attack the military, what I would like to know is when can we see attack ads against this guy? Oh, right. I forgot. IOKIYAAR.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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We'll call this the "Pimpin' Petraeus Edition" of Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

With the literal ton of bloggage being generated by Gen. Petraeus' testimony today before a joint session of two House committees, it is hard to know where to start. So as with most things, we'll start from the top and work out way down.

As expected, Memeorandum was full of commentary today about Petraeus, and the top story for most of it was righties decrying MoveOn.org for running a full page ad claiming that Petraeus will "Betray Us". I hate to admit it but I'm in agreement with righties on this one that it was a poor choice of words for little more than some cheeky wordplay. If you want an idea of a far better "prebuttal", check out this vid from National Security Network.

Of course the big hang up for the righties was the hyperbolic headline. Few, if any, were actually addressing the claims made in the ad itself. Republicans who attended today's event also directed some ire at MoveOn, though it might not have been a good idea in retrospect. Some suggested that MoveOn should have waited until after the General gave his testimony before issuing their claims.

And while they may have been a bit harsh in their criticism, some of their claims were not without merit. For even though he spent most of August preparing for his oral exam and despite the soft ball reception, to say that his presentation was underwhelming would be a gross understatement.

Quick read on just some of the things we learned:

- Like most members of the Bush administration, General Petraeus seems to have forgotten the nifty little invention called "video tape". He says that no one could have foreseen the progress in Anbar even though back in January a similarly ribbon and medal bedecked general was doing just that. He also says that it's "premature" to think about withdrawal now and that we shouldn't be "projecting too far into the future". This from the guy who thinks it will take up to a decade to get Iraq on it's feet.

- Petraeus seems to love colorful, yet ambiguous charts giving only the slightest hint of what actual plans are for Iraq. And in addition to missing a few, the methodology for them are also equally absent.

- Is it a bad omen when your mic breaks just before giving perhaps the most anticipated war progress report in almost thirty years? Was the ghost of generals past in attendance?

- Petraeus credits the surge with allowing troop levels to be lowered come next year. The fact check is far more ominous and depressing.

I'll have more as I continue to gorge myself on all things Petraeus, so be sure to check back for updates.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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TGIF and here's what Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Top story on the blogs is the righties who are currently wetting themselves over the pending 9/11 anniversary video featuring Osama Bin Laden who has apparently discovered the wonders of Just For Men hair coloring. I also hear he's learned what a loofah was and that exfoliate doesn't mean what he thinks it means.

With the slew of reports coming out showing progress in Iraq is all but non-existent, the Bushies are doing what they do best: fudging the numbers and smearing those who suggest they are. Karl may be gone, but his tactics sure still live on. And everyone wonders why so few have faith in He Who Should Never Be Questioned.

Two big developments on the civil liberties front. First up is word that a controversial data-mining that was still in the test phase has been scrapped because it used real data without the required privacy safeguards. Not really surprising this happened given this administration's penchant for conducting all sorts of questionable activities without any sort of oversight.

And it was this lack of oversight that lead a federal judge to strike down a part of the revised Patriot Act. Specifically it involved the National Security Letters, which we had learned have been subject to quite a bit of abuse in the past. The judge says that the newly revised Patriot Act "offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers."

As come to know all too well with this administration, "checks and balances and separation of powers" means very little. But surely the Bushies wouldn't attempt their expansion of executive power at the expense of protecting Americans would they? You tell me.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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This installment might best be called the "Lingering Legacy Edition" of Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

First up: the GOP. With two Repub Senators calling it quits, the forecasts for '08 are looking cloudier by the day. Will the skies clear or will it be a rain out to wash away more of the grime? Stay tuned.

Next is President Bush, who is having a self-pity party about his legacy as commander-in-chief. Considering the pitilessness with which he has treated the highest office in the land, much less the country, you'll have to excuse those of us to choose to drown out the sound of the world's smallest violin.

But have no fear, Karl's on the case. Even has he gets all choked up as he exits the stage, Turdblossom can't help but plop another steaming load praising the decisive leadership of The Decider. He says that history will remember Bush as a 'far-sighted leader'. Near-sighted historians would probably beg to differ on that. If you are willing to risk sudden cranial expansion, check out more from Eli.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who some thought had gone the way of Bush's war czar, is also thinking about her legacy. And while she is trying to paint a much broader image for posterity, she is willing to except that Iraq will be a stain that no amount of revisionist detergent will ever be able to remove. Insert Monica and her little blue dress joke at leisure.

Of course, just as stale is the joke that proponents of continuing the war in Iraq refuse to remove their rose colored glasses. But there comes a time when we move beyond mere mis-corrective lens and into laser surgery, such as when you have a set of lawmakers who despite almost having their plane blow out of the air, still profess the surge is working. Gallows humor aside, one wonders at what point we should mandate that such individual have not only their vision but their heads examined.

Sticking with the perception theme, there has been an almost imperceptible shift in the Beltway conventional wisdom. This is in no small part do to the months in the making PR blitzkrieg by Gen. David Petraeus. For despite available evidence to the contrary, we now have members of Congress who were once against the surge now wavering on their stance. I guess they don't call them neo-cons for nothing.

And finally, a Bushie once famously said that you don't introduce new products in August. Keeping that advice in mind, Cernig peruses the foreign markets and finds that the Bushies might be planning another blitzkrieg of a decidedly different nature.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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Hillary Clinton is getting some flak for her comments about how Republicans might exploit a pre-election terror attack. Judging from the criticisms, it's as if Clinton uttered some taboo claim. I mean come on people, it's not like this hasn't been out there in the ether. Heck there are those actively advocating for another attack. I understand people getting upset with Clinton for supposedly buying into GOP talking points but it probably would be better to debate this now as opposed to say after another attack comes. Because thanks to Bush's failed policies, that outcome is only becoming more and more likely everyday.

Bill Kristol's comments of wanting to "stretch" the military in Iraq for another few Friedmans or so makes me wonder if as a child, Billy Boy would stretch his parent's rubber bands to the breaking point. And when they did finally snap, as rubber bands are often known to do when over extended, would Billy call up or write the manufacturer to scold them for not making the bands elastic enough? Of course, even Billy Boy wasn't stupid enough not to point them at his eyes. More on Kavalier Kristol from Micheal.

Sticking with the stretch theme, Rep. Pete "We found WMD!" Hoekstra now says it was a "stretch" to try to supplant democracy in the Arab world. Just like Kristol, the only thing these guys are good at stretching is the truth.

I'm still finding it hard to believe that Bush's speechwriters would include a reference to Graham Greene in his VFW speech the other day (and I wasn't the only one). They even went so far as to include the famous criticism of the title character, Alden Pyle, as never "a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused." Doesn't that fit Bush to a T? Then again, it's probably more fitting to refer to Bush as more a Gomer then an Alden.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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It's Monday, and like most people feel at the start of their work week, I just can't seem to get up the gumption to blog coherently about anything in particular. So let's see what Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Like many who blog, I don't get paid for my opinions. I blog for the passion (some might say obsession) of the writing. It is this lack of monetary gain that some like journalism professor Micheal Skube says should disqualify our opinions from being taken seriously. Funny thing is, one of the bloggers who Skube singled out got him to admit to never even having read any of the work he was so dismissive of. So much for "patient sifting of facts". Presumably Skube was paid for his opinion. Perhaps they should ask for their money back. More from the unpaid masses here.

One of the people who is often referred to as a "journalist" is Fox News' Sean Hannity. Well now the Hannity's America host has delved into that nether realm that separates journalism from activism. At least when bloggers do it, we don't pretend to still be impartial. But it's good that Sean's finally decided to drop the whole pretense thing.

Sticking with the "journalism" jabs, anyone else think that having the same people who were involved in the Plamegate affair grilling Karl Rove probably wasn't the brightest idea the Sunday talkies could have made? And how weird was it that Fox News was the only network willing to ply the skillet, even if Rove was having none of it?

Something else I noticed about Rove's roving of the Sunday shows was his intense interest in Hillary Clinton. Is the architect working on his next master plan? Stay Tuned.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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I'm hard pressed for inspiration this morning, so here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Mitt Romney is taking some flack for defending the decision of his five sons not to don flak jackets and serve their country. I'd actually have to agree with Mitt that because we still have an all volunteer military, the decision to join ultimately rests with his offspring themselves. But to then go on to suggest that there is some sort of equivalence with that type of national service with this son's efforts to help get him elected isn't the type of thing that will sit well with a lot of people.

Ann Marie Slaughter is considered a sort of maven of bipartisanship in foreign policy circles. But as Kevin Drum notes, when even she suggests that the Bushies would do something so partisan as start a war to help Republicans get elected, people should probably sit up and take notice. It also puts that Executive Order Bush signed not too long ago in a different context, doesn't it? And they call us paranoid.

Speaking of sneaky plots to thwart elections, one wonders if the Bushies are casting a longing glance at the goings on in Pakistan. Cheney is no doubt taking notes in his undisclosed location until it's time for him to pop up again and predict there'll be another six more months of war.

Susan Landau says that is not just our government spying on us with their newly expanded surveillance powers that we need to worry about.

And if you are so inclined, go wish Ron Chusid a Happy Blogiversary.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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TGIF and here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

No YouTube debate for the GOPers? That seems to be the inkling coming out of the blogs. Some wonder if it has anything to do with the questions that are likely to be submitted. Others note that the GOPer apologists seem to be settling on the "bias venue" line. That they are making the exact same arguments now that they once derided the Democratic candidates for in refusing to appear on a Fox News debate doesn't even register with them. But then, seldom does these days.

But surely, to paraphrase Roger Ailes, if the GOPers can't face the Tubers then they can't face the Terr'sts.

Speaking of not being able to handle confrontation, the latest Bill O'Reilly drummed up controversy is a perfect example of how frightful blowhards like Billo are of the burgeoning influence of the progressive blogosphere and venues where they can't control the narrative. For those not up to speed, the short of it is that Bill went nutpicking on the liberal blog Daily Kos for some disparaging comments. He then used those as a "gotcha" to suggest that all liberal blogs deal in hatred and acrimony. Of course he's one to talk since commenters to his own site aren't exactly all sunshine and daisies. Though try and point it out and you either get banned or have your mic cut. I guess free speech is only free if BillO approves of it.

Did ya hear? Turdblossom got a subpoena yesterday. Gordon says its about time someone made the little piggy squeal.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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I'm gonna enjoy a bit of lazy Sunday respite so in the meantime, here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Wow, the GOP is on track to be the most obstructionistiest body in a while. Luckily, I here were due for a congressoscopy in September to remove some of the blockage.

Mitt Romney is taking some heat for being photographed holding a sign disparaging not one but two Democratic presidential candidates. His excuse is pretty lame for someone who prides himself on being steadfast in his decisions.

And speaking of lame Repubs with poor judgment, Rudy Giuliani's invocation of 9/11 and his status as mayor during that horrific time comes so frequent now that it's become the butt of many a joke at places like The Onion. Whether it's healthcare, education, immigration or even HIV, somehow Rudy will always find some round about way to lead us back to those halcyon days when no one questioned his leadership abilities. In light of this, Carpetbagger has a suggestion that might make things easier for all of us.

A lot of people were noting the cognitive dissonance from the usual suspects, most of them corralled in the pages of the Weekly Standard. Maha berated Barnett, Kathy crushed Kristol, and Libby mopped the floor with WaPo's Fred Hiatt. Remind me not to mess with any of these ladies.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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Relatively slow news weekend. Nonetheless there are some things Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

With Al-Qaeda having been the center of attention this past week, one had to know that another Bin Laden video would be forthcoming. I think it's still up in the air whether this was a "new" release or simply a "Best Of" rehash. But perhaps the most interesting commentary comes courtesy of a man who knows a thing or two about being Public Enemy #1.

The '08 election suffered it's first casualty yesterday and it wasn't Crazy Train like everyone has been breathlessly speculating. Instead it was former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III who bowed out of the campaign citing poor fundraising numbers. Of course there's also the fact, as pointed out by Carpetbagger over at TPM, that no one really knew who the hell Gilmore was, let alone that he was running for president.

President Bush is desperate to stave off judgment of the 'surge'. Friday saw yet more bad news as Sens. Lugar and Warner unveiled legislation to change the mission in Iraq (nevermind that Bush has been doing that for years). So to brunt some of the pressure, Bush has taken to placing increased emphasis on Gen. Petreaus. But his has some wondering if the general is just being set up as the fall guy.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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