Just change the name to Duma and be done with it. And Mukasey promises to follow in Fredo’s footsteps. Ours is truly a decayed house . . .
[Update] The above highlights our dismay that Rockefeller and others in the Senate would cave so easily. They grant the astonishing precedent of retroactive private sector immunity for complying with Executive direction to violate clear statutory law. Should the Senate ratify the SSCI’s poor decision, given the failure of House RESTORE Act, it’s likely this precedent would undermine Congress’ status as a co-equal branch (and drag down the Judiciary with them). Not to mention the little thing called the 4th Amendment and American citizens’ protection from a rogue regime here at home. We didn’t mean to imply, however, that the telco immunity was the only problem with Rockefeller’s Senate ‘compromise’ with the regime — indeed the Senate side was expected to give it.
The original FISA Court ruling which triggered all this sought to deal with the regime’s untrammeled reaching for ‘foreign’ communications data which passed over a U.S.-based server or switch. The decision apparently sought to put the surveillance within a legal framework. You may recall that earlier this Spring, the regime tried to ward off any interference with its surveillance by pushing the farcically named PROTECT Act through the Democratic Congress. The Democrats caved and approved it before the August recess. This largely gutted the FISA Court ruling according to sources.
Now, it is true that when FISA was enacted in 1978, there was little anticipation that the U.S. would be by both design and accident the temporary hub of global digital communications traffic, both foreign and domestic. And it is also true that as negotiated originally, FISA never intended to restrict collection activity directed against non-U.S. citizens abroad.
This new Rockefeller Senate compromise apparently embraces the regime’s PROTECT Act with some slight modifications to allow some vague tip of the hat towards oversight. Initial reports indicate that this apparently was the trade off that Rockefeller and others thought worth undermining the Senate itself. But, we know from Verizon’s recent confession, the regime has been asking for more. Not only for the carriers to turn over forward primary set ups involving foreigners, but secondary (teriary?) data on call/communication set up/information. Now, frankly, the Stiftung has some serious doubts about the real utility of this approach ( and even the regime’s ability to turn all that data into useful information), but Verizon itself claims as a carrier it is not capable of meeting all the government’s requests (although AT&T was noticeably silent on this point).
We’ll need to see the fine print. But if initial reports are correct, Rockefeller’s feeble clutching at a sham agreement for such tenuous (and meaningless) “nods” to the FISA Court is typically shortsighted action by contemporary Democrats. In exchange for the permanent ratification of the PROTECT Act in large measure? And the acknowledgment that private actors deserve immunity for breaking clear statutory law when commanded by the Executive? One can’t expect a whole lot from a man who, after meeting with Cheney and disagreeing with him over illegal wiretapping, merely wrote Cheney a “stamping my foot” letter and put a copy in his desk drawer for a couple of years.
It is not a good day when one must place one’s hope on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Back in 2001 we tried to warn to some of Leahy’s Committee staff about the PATRIOT Act and mention potential long term problems (sadly born out). There was no traction. The impulsive rush to act was too strong. (Yes, Dear Reader, you may forget that the PATRIOT Act passed a Democratic Senate and Leahy then as now was and is Chairman). Still, one must live in hope.
Comment says
It’s all in the execution – It’s just an idea – with the potential to be a concept.
Comment says
Congresswoman Lowey, do you support legislation and block grants for l.o.m.a.n plates? Congressman McHenry – Your colleague Rep Lowey comes from a thiner district than you and she refuses to supplement the Handicapp parking status law with Fat man’s equity. Where do you stand?
Dr Leo Strauss says
re LOMAN/AFM
Could have great potential. Those Dan Marino ads for getting diet food mailed to your door are ubiquitous — people too lazy to go the the grocery store and buy healthy food for themselves.
Comment says
Just as with the AARP you only have to be 55 to join a group that represents 65 years old – The American Fat Man Association of America (AFMAA) allows you to join if you can demonstrate being at least 10 pounds overweight for a moving average of 270 days.
Comment says
Marion Wright Edelman would also be a good interview – especially when she has to listen to someone insist that “Fat Americans” should be taught about equally in school as African Americans etc.
Comment says
This could also be followed with an “I’m A Fat American” ad campaign sponsored by the Ad Council
Comment says
If you google “The American Fat Man,” you will see it is not even a phrase – or a concept, much less a meme. Not yet – not in the way were meant: Now imagine a correspondent setting up an interview with Michael Rubin – Bring 1 large video camera and multiple small ones for coverage – You tell him you want to talk about “Discrimination in Arab world and Persian prejudices” – Once you get him on tape saying that the Arabs and Persians don’t like fat American, you flip a moral equivalence argument on him and get him to enagage on the “American Fat Man” and why it’s just as bad here for him, as Baghdad (except for the heat) – Show pictures to Rubin of some ‘Fat Men’ – but make sure the pictures are only slightly heavier than him – When he notices, you insist to him that he is actually much much thinner, but since he is not part of ‘The Thin Power Class’ he should understand why the modern fatso has to deal with.
Comment says
This could be connected to a suggested history program for schools – showing the history of ‘The American Fat Man’ from Revolutionary times to our present Fat heroes – Find example of revoltionaries who were fat — and celebrate them as part of a distinct fatso class that has suffered at the hands of the Thin Man for years, Boss Tweed – not just a crook, but a fat leader. Declare not William Howard Taft, but John Adams , as Our First Fat Leader.
Comment says
When pronoucing “The American Fat Man’ think ‘American Black Man’ – just suibstiture Fat for Black. Without a doubt – trust us, if you start using this dumb phrase, and you act as if it were standard and well known – People will respond and take it seriously and soon you will get people to fall into the trap of arguing for or against the absurd.
Comment says
But for the comedy to really work and not be just another malicious slight – ‘The American Fat Man’ would have to be defined as someone about 30 pounds overweight – not the kind of enormous colossas that people usually thing – This way, proposed legislation would cover most Americans – Keep “Man” in the title to serve as bait for some to fall in the trap of adding “and women,” thus validating the absurd.
Comment says
A good Daily Show segment could be made by getting correspondent to interview Congresspeople, civil rights types, and others about feigned sleights against ‘The American Fat Man’
The trick is for the correspondent to use the phrase ‘The American Fat Man’ as if it were a recognized term representing an aggrieved group. This takes some rehearsel and many interviews to get enough funnny clips for proper editing. It would help to have phony dossiers of hate speech against The American Fat Man – proposed legislation asking for special license plates for Licensed Obese Men and Women (LOMAN -plates) – with privlidged parking rights – Also requests for aide in the form of school snack allotments and vouchers for Pepto Bismal and Ex Lax
A Random Quote says
“I actually believe that Arabs are feigning outrage when they protest what they call American (or Israeli) “atrocities.” They are not shocked at all by what in truth must seem to them not atrocious at all. It is routine in their cultures. That comparison shouldn’t comfort us as Americans. We have higher standards of civilization than they do. But the mutilation of bodies and beheadings of people picked up at random in Iraq does not scandalize the people of Iraq unless victims are believers in their own sect or members of their own clan. And the truth is that we are less and less shocked by the mass death-happenings in the world of Islam. Yes, that’s the bitter truth. Frankly, even I–cynic that I am–was shocked in the beginning by the sectarian bloodshed in Iraq. But I am no longer surprised. And neither are you.”
Mart Peretz
11-19-06
Dr Leo Strauss says
re Hillary and Ahnold on obesity, this quote from the database comes to mind. (It’s from Popbitch):
‘FAT-WA
Leno’s routine is a thriller
Jay Leno likes to try out his TV jokes each week at the Comedy and Magic club, Hermosa Beach, California. Last Sunday he started with his standard family entertainment routine, but then suddenly launched into a rant about how fat Americans have become. He ended up telling a story about a kid who was “so fat it would take Michael Jackson an hour to molest him.”
The audience went deadly silent. Leno just shouted back, “Oh, fuck you! You’ll be telling this joke tomorrow morning, I know it!”
And they did.’
Comment says
We just went to Media Matters and we had to laugh – Because, as noted – they just quote Limbaugh saying some really nasty stuff. And it does sound unreal and when you read it, you think “huh?” It just sounds way over the top – even though it’s just quotes. Rush has some serious issues -and that’s just obvious – that link you posted showed part of it. But if he ever really dealt with his “issues” then he would not be able to tap into what ails him and articulate that shared insanity and hate with forty million or so people. He’s in the middle of tragedy. It’s hard to imagine him not taking painkillers and having to go thru the day with all that bile sloshing about inside. We do not mean to poke fun here – just speculating about a truly bizarre person and his unconventional “success.”
Comment says
It’s clear – we think – that Tweety does not have any idea when he critises Hillary for mild nutrition remarks, that he recently praised the Governator for the same thing. He has no idea. Because when he hears Hillary – he just hears Wellsleyfeminist hectoring – He does not hear the words. She conjures up deep resentment – based on mostly imaginary past slights. He can’t grasp the fact – easy to anyone who has seen others in Hillary’s family- that she is not part of the elite – Tweety is so mesmerized by false images and movie constructs that he is unable to see this. He admires Jack Kennedy – but its easy to imagine Kennedy just scorning him (behind his back) if they ever met. Because he was a good politician, he could read the weakness and the pandering. Maybe Kennedy would have had Ethel or Eunice send him a box of cookies or some Irish doo-dad.
Matthews sluices all blame for Iraq to the neocons – and away from Bush – Many do this, but Matthews is way over the top in his excusing of the Decider for his Decision. If all the neocons had been members of his Phili parish, he might have responded differently -LOL
Comment says
It is funny that BillO and Matthews et al get annoyed at media matters – But we understand it – Facts can be stubborn things and media matters is filled with Harvards who just sit around and correct their facts and quote them and Matthews and Bill can’t pound them and beat them up –
Tweet also does not really know he says things that he says – Have you ever had the experience of looking at some old emails you sent and saying to yourself, “S***, did I write that?” Tweety probably has that feeling about hearing so much of what he has said in the past.
Comment says
It is sort of cliche to point this out, but Stewart and Colbert generally do have the most actual news on – more than CNN/MSNBC/FOX shows – And they have interesting books on – not just media types books. The news is delivered implicitly as the mock other news or other footage.
That being said, CNN could regain footing if they decided to make their International station the standard – and they cast aside the crap they now have. This would take some work and they would lose initially, but they could rebuild as an orthodox news outlet (like knight ridder befor the war), but global and high tech – to compete with the coming Murdoch move into business.
They could begin by poaching CBC and BBC for educated English speakers –
Comment says
You are correct that the cable outlet value inevitably erodes – but there is gonna be a pardoxical boom, before the final bust in value – We have not really thought this out, but …
With Matthews looking at Miller (she is attractive but not the type he usually hits on on live tv) and knowing his veneration for Goldwater (and JFK) – there may be a Freudian aspect to his being hampered – since he must know of Bill Miller.
Comment says
Rubin is very bright and adept, but he is hampered by his comic quality. He cannot help it – but he has a sitcom character aspect to his aspect. It comes thru on tv – when he is sitting at a panel and his eyes dart back and forth in a comic-sinister way. Indeed – his attempts at misdirection are so so unsubtle that they border on the clownish – Yet – as a careerist, he is adept. He fails and rise, fails and rises, fails and rises. Pampleteers can be very effective – think of Tom Paine or William Cobbett
DrLeoStrauss says
re Stephanie Miller
We’re actually fans of her of show when we can get it. Here in the Imperial City, progressive radio is on a station that, to quote the I-Man, requires dogs’ ears to pick up. (The right wing radio signals are exceedingly strong).
Miller proves Hitchens the fool for his misogynistic claims women aren’t funny. It helps that she knows politics as her father was on the ticket with Goldwater (how that must screw with Tweety’s head) and she herself spent years honing her current craft doing the stand up comedian circuit. That she photographs well for the camera is a double plus good.
re Media Matters, it is funny how O’Reilly, Rush, Tweety and all the journalists claim attack and bias simply for having their own words quoted. It’s really quite remarkable. Perhaps that is why Russert claims he’s “the toughest interview on television”. (He’s apparently never heard of Mike Wallace or a host of others).
Technology in a way may solve many of our concerns. Tweety is significant only because he controls/is a figurehead for one news distribution bottleneck. As more and more television and news migrates directly to the Internet, the value of controlling a cable platform inevitably erodes. People will suck up/pull punches with Tweety merely to be invited back. Once that sword overhead is removed or even inverted (he needs the ‘gets’) he fades into background noise.
All the more reason we argued back in 2003 indirectly to those in touch with certain money people affiliated with a certain recent prize winner that the best thing to do politically would be to buy out CNN from Time Warner ala Henry Kravis and ‘break it down’, go aggressively into the Net and intellectually deconstruct Fox/MSNBC. There were some explorations to make a business case on this but interests ultimately went in another direction as we all know.
In any event, we think Tweety is an ephemeral phenomenon, damaging and harmful to politics and discourse, but ultimately footnote material. We’ve been wrong before but here we especially hope not.
DrLeoStrauss says
Great Rubin quote, the Middle Neocon Generation (the Ledeens and others of that demographic) always look towards the future for cadre recruitment, keeping an eye out for those to groom. Rubin and other younglings are just latest. Another reason the Neocons constantly crush vacilators and rudderless technicians like the Benchpresser and General Jello.
Neocons typically fall into three groups: the Thinking Class (proven by well reviewed books among certain circles); the Policy/Men of Action Class; and the Pamphleteers/AgitProp. The quiet knock on Wolfowitz is that he is incapable of truly joining the Thinking Class by producing such a book — that’s why Meyrav Wurmser feels safe calling him out in public as a ‘dreamer’.
Rubin’s efforts so far to break into the first category at AEI have not born fruit, and even with a sympathetic Fred Hiatt editorial page at the Post his Op-Eds have been unintentionally funny, not effective. As much as people put Adelman down as a pamphleteer (including the Stiftung) in truth it does take some talent to be good at it.
My guess is that Rubin’s destiny is more towards that middle role, one that Abrams, David Wurmser, Feith and others proved adept at slinking into (from the Neocon perspective).
A Random Quote says
“An Islamic Republic accountable to its own citizenry would invest in better schools, hospitals, wages and infrastructure, and it would not divert billions for uranium enrichment and ballistic missiles.”
~Michael Rubin
Comment says
That’s that Aldershot sense of humor kicking in, but how do you see things ten years from now –
Aldershot says
“Doc – we were thinking of a mini sci fi concept – just 10 years in the future and everything is the same – just a bit grosser and everyone is just really enormous in size.”
Alright, that made me laugh.
Comment says
This probably was no a freudian slip and we did not see the whole scene, but Matthews was lashing out againt ‘woodstock nation’ at one point on his show.
Maybe that is why Russert hates him so much (MM) – Afterall, Russert is veteran of Woodstock, not Vietnam. Sister Mary Lucy probably warned him not to go – and now he sometimes seems to be having flashbacks.
Comment says
Howie Kurtz on Hardball – West declines more.
A Random Quote says
“He [Patrick Fitzgerald] seems very repressed and angry to me.”
~Tucker Carlson
Comment says
We’re not too familiar with Stephanie Miller – but she called Matthews a “right wing tool” on Hardball – She should have provided some examples – But she sort of backed down, but Matthews slipped and let the world know that media matters has been calling him that – Actually, that is not what they do, they just correct his facts and quote him – and they don’t translate his mistakes for his benefit.
Comment says
Doc – we were thinking of a mini sci fi concept – just 10 years in the future and everything is the same – just a bit grosser and everyone is just really enormous in size.
Comment says
Richard Land has been trashing Rudy on a personal level – in front of the values voters. In fairness, to Land, Rudy has aa rather expansive view of what constitues his private life. We’ll see how Huckabee does in Iowa.
Comment says
He will be on Maher tonight – which we will miss, so if you happen to catch it, give us your update.
Comment says
With Tweety, it’s not reall Catholic networking – even though he may think so himself. Rather, it’s a certain slice of Catholic – a certain type of Catholic, and not others. Tweety is filled with anxiety.
Comment says
If Obama really worked it – he could get his military donation numbers to skyrocket among enlisted ranks – Just imagine Barone and Brit having a cow if it looked like the myth of a red state military exploded in black and brown technicolor.
DrLeoStrauss says
Sci Fi Channel has greenlighted “Revolution,” a two-hour futuristic action-drama pilot from writers Ed Redlich and John Bellucci, with Simon West in negotiations to direct.
Redlich describes the project, from CBS Paramount Network Television, as “re-envisioning the American Revolution 200 years in the future.”
“Revolution” is set in New America, a distant colony on an Earth-like planet struggling for its independence from an increasingly hostile homeland, the United State.
http://tinyurl.com/332jd9
Dr Leo Strauss says
re Ron Paul, that is interesting, and Obama as the overall number one.
Given that the Warlord is making good on his threat to activate more of the National Guard during an election year to replace the crumbling Army, this may be only the beginning.
DrLeoStrauss says
Indeed, and so many other political hacks have used a “column” to become “journalists” — Tweety more successfully than the others. But he is good at shedding skin, from Goldwater Boy to Carter and Tip O’Neil. What’s funny is how these political hacks cum journalists are arrivistes yet the first to denounce or criticize the blogosphere as an ncouth and improper upstart.
Slate also doesn’t delve into the shameless Catholic networking on Tweety’s show and MSNBC from plagerizer Barnicle to Peggy Noonan to Russert, to Buchanan to O’Donnell, etc. and how that point of view impacted his so-called “journalism” from the impeachment period down until Nov. 2006.
Anon says
Regarding the above expose on Matthews – We admit now that we first knew Matthews from that bogus title described below and we bought his book “Hardball” on that basis – It was not really a book – it was a pamphlet.:
“Chris Matthews wanted to be a pundit, a player, a face on the Sunday political talk shows,” Rosenstiel writes. But the transformation required journalistic credentials, which Matthews lacked. The San Francisco Examiner, then the underdog afternoon daily in the Bay Area, was only too obliging. In 1987, it made Matthews an Examiner columnist and inflated him with the title of “San Francisco Examiner Washington bureau chief,” something that would look distinguished on a TV Chyron below his grinning face. (At the time, the Examiner had only one other D.C. reporter.) – The dodge worked. In 1989, Washingtonian named Matthews one of the city’s “top 50 journalists,” writes Rosenstiel. It was a nice trick considering that Matthews was barely even a journalist. “
Anon says
Winston Churchill hated draft dodgers like Chris Matthews- So Doctor, you’ll have to consult Freud and Sophecles to explain this:
http://www.slate.com/id/2176191/nav/ais/
Anon says
Jpod is too high minded:
http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjVjYTQwNWFkMDRlNGM0NTJmYTcxMTc2NmRhZDc2ZmU=
Anon says
Doc – Ron Paul may be a problematic candidate in many ways – but one must tip one’s hat over this news (Obama too):
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/10/the-weekly-stan.html
Anon says
Why would Rockefeller need cash? He’s a Rockefeller. Anyway – David Frum (son of CBC’s famous Barbara Frum and wealth developer Murray Frum) sets the record straight on neocon nepotism:
http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/nepotism_and_the_neocons.php
Jon H says
Apparently Rockefeller’s been getting lots more of that sweet, sweet telco cash lately.
Anon says
The world is catching up – we heard (but have not read) that Henniger in WSJ has been writing about Sanchez and talking up his stab-in-the-back (good, from his pov) pitch and his blame the media etc. Now we have the left Spencer Ackerman doing the same – basically saying, “this dude is bad.” A good example of how misleading the gist of the NY Times was in its original report – But we commented earlier.
http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/ackerman_versus_sanchez.php
Comment says
There is something about that Boehner quote – clunky in a Darryl Issa kind of way, but more self-voiding. It’s just banal and dumb – stupid party stuff, but not in a good kind of stupid way.
Comment says
Whenever Boehner speaks , he just spreads sadness and dust – Tweety probably likes him. Speaking of Tweety, he got that catatonic look today when hearing and speaking about HRC’s woman-centered pitch – He clearly feels emasculated on some existential level. She taps into something insecure. Both Tweety and Russert (went to woodstock, not Vietnam) are very insecure in their manliness – LOL
Dr Leo Strauss says
re Boehner, we have always understood why DeLay and his people thought he was a lightweight.
Comment says
We were referring to the Wapo article
Comment says
Doc – just for laughs check out that absurd picture of John Boehner in from of the Washinton painting and read his moronic quote. Just a totally moronic lightweight quote.
Comment says
Doctor – you must remain hopeful and the grain of hope in you post is the likely failure of the regime to make any legitimate use of excessive caller community info. It’s entirely possible that they will figure out ways to use this collection of data for illegitmate means and they will trip up. Indeed – it may become a problem when HRC becomes President and power works its magic.
Anon says
Dubya has totally groked the Iraq war lies – so he no longer has to lie when he tells falsehoods like this:
http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/why_did_we_invade_iraq.php