MW: The Haps, International Edition
Posted by: madamab on: November 29, 2010
- In: Afghanistan | Breaking News | Current Events | Government | Hillary Clinton | Iran | Israel | Media Tripe | Morning Widdershins | Open Thread | Propaganda
- Comment!
From WikiLeaks to Iran to the Koreas, the international scene has been hopping lately. The bubbling mix of friends and enemies, foreign and domestic, definitely deserves its own Haps.
D’oh! WikiLeaks dumps 250,000 State Department cables.
The United States was catapulted into a worldwide diplomatic crisis today, with the leaking to the Guardian and other international media of more than 250,000 classified cables from its embassies, many sent as recently as February this year.
At the start of a series of daily extracts from the US embassy cables – many designated “secret” – the Guardian can disclose that Arab leaders are privately urging an air strike on Iran and that US officials have been instructed to spy on the UN leadership. These two revelations alone would be likely to reverberate around the world. But the secret dispatches which were obtained by WikiLeaks, the whistleblowers’ website, also reveal Washington’s evaluation of many other highly sensitive international issues.
WikiLeaks, so far, has remained mum on the motivation behind its latest release of classified information. I can’t see the point of it, myself. I agree with Christopher Dickey of Newsweek that diplomatic communications are a stupid target for an expose.
Already, despite the Obama administration’sbest efforts at preemptive damage control, it’s obvious that many of the revelations could make very dangerous situations even more precarious, especially in the Middle East. The problem is what the good ol’ boys I grew up with used to call “fightin’ words.” There are certain things you just don’t say to your enemy’s face, or anywhere in public, unless you want a showdown.
(snip)
The problem the State Department faces now is not just the difficulty of having frank conversations with allies or secret negotiations with enemies who think—who know—it leaks like a sieve. It will also be harder to have frank exchanges within the United States government itself. To avoid this kind of massive leak in the future, documents will get higher classification and less distribution, and a lot of the most important stuff may not be committed to the keyboard at all.
As a former US ambassador in some of the Middle East’s most sensitive posts wrote me (privately) this morning: “The consequence will be even less written reporting and communication—a disaster if you ever want to reconstruct what happened. It is already bad and now will be even worse. Everyone (or those in the know) will be passing info verbally. Ever play that whisper game as a kid?” He means the one where you pass a message from mouth to ear and discover it’s utterly distorted at the end of the chain. “Yep!” he wrote, that’s what internal communications are going to be like.
Hmmm. No matter how I try, I can’t find promoting war and hobbling the State Department on WikiLeaks’s mission statement. I can’t help wondering: could WikiLeaks be a Trojan horse?
In fact, I also wonder if the document dump was timed as an attempt to force international action on Iran and North Korea. According to the New York Times, one State Department cable contains information that North Korea has been supplying Iran with advanced missiles based on a Russian design.
The Feb. 24 cable, which is among those obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to a number of news organizations, makes it clear that American intelligence agencies believe that the complete shipment indeed took place, and that Iran is taking pains to master the technology in an attempt to build a new generation of missiles. The missile intelligence also suggests far deeper military — and perhaps nuclear — cooperation between North Korea and Iran than was previously known. At the request of the Obama administration, The New York Times has agreed not to publish the text of the cable.
The North Korean version of the advanced missile, known as the BM-25, could carry a nuclear warhead. Many experts say that Iran remains some distance from obtaining a nuclear warhead, especially one small enough to fit atop a missile, though they believe that it has worked hard to do so.
Still, the BM-25 would be a significant step up for Iran.
How interesting: the New York Times has agreed not to publish the text of the cable which is the sole source of this information on Iran and North Korea’s alleged partnership in WMD. Why is that? Is it because we can’t handle the truth? Or is the Times lying again, basing its claims on faulty intelligence, the way it did repeatedly in the runup to the Iraq War? My tinfoil chapeau is vibrating again!
Speaking of North Korea, the situation has gone from bad to worse. South Koreans overwhelming support military actions against an ever-more-aggressive North.
A poll requested by the independent East Asia Institute think-tank showed 72 percent of South Koreans surveyed thought the government response to Tuesday’s violence was inappropriate and 69 percent supported a “restrained military attack.”
That figure was up sharply from less than 30 percent in the previous poll after the sinking of the Cheonan naval vessel in March, also blamed on the North.
Both Beijing and Pyongyang have been pressing regional powers to return to talks in some form or other for the past few months in a move analysts say is aimed at extracting concessions.
China, which agreed with South Korea that the situation was “worrisome,” suggested the emergency talks for December. It did not say whether Pyongyang had agreed to join.
Well, Widdershins, should we all get ready to build bomb shelters again? Should we view the warmongering and strangely-timed leaks with Iraq-tinged skepticism? Should we scream “Julian Assange is an asshole” on our Twitter feeds? Should we plan to move to Canada? Or should we just forget about it all and eagerly anticipate Willow Palin’s appearance on “Skating with the Stars?” (SNARK!)
I dunno. I’m just a dumb opera singer. But frankly, even if I could put the moral issues aside, it doesn’t seem possible for the U.S. to deal with another war in the Middle East – especially one in which the enemy is well-armed and capable of fighting back (unlike Saddam in Iraq). I hope that despite this potentially devastating blow to our diplomatic efforts around the world, we can somehow gain the trust of our allies again, and keep saying NO to those who think we should “bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.”
This is an open thread.
Like this:
82 Responses to "MW: The Haps, International Edition"
November 29, 2010 at 9:02 AM
Yes, this is some scary sh@t. The US and South Korea were running a military exercise over the weekend.
November 29, 2010 at 9:58 AM
Achmadinnerjacket says that the whole mishegoss is a psy-ops against Iran.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11860435
November 29, 2010 at 10:17 AM
Hmmm… I haven’t made up my mind about WikiLeaks in general. We didn’t object to their leaks of photos from Iraq and Afghanistan. But something struck a nerve with the documents in this release. Is it because it’s going after diplomats? They can be just as dangerous, deadly and heartless as a crazed soldier with a machine gun.
I do find some fascinating information here, including that Saudi Arabia was encouraging the US to attack Iran. This blows my mind. What has Saudi Arabia done about Iran? What have they done to help their own region? Nothing. No, they want the US to sacrifice its own soldiers and money to take care of Iran for them. We all know what the payment would be: oil!
November 29, 2010 at 10:31 AM
This is weird. If I go to my bookmarks to open Widdershins, Sunday’s post is at the top of the page. I have to go through John’s blog to access Monday’s post.
Am I doing something wrong?
November 29, 2010 at 10:42 AM
@4 – Yes, the statements regarding Saudi Arabia and other Arab leaders on bombing Iran are very interesting. Achmadenijad says the U.S. is making that up, but I find it extremely credible.
Here is what Israel had to say on the matter. At first, the focus appeared to be on “regime change,” but in a social, covert way as opposed to through military action. Now, Israel seems to be prepared to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, using American weapons.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=197116
November 29, 2010 at 10:43 AM
@6 – The same thing happened to me. Let me see what’s going on.
November 29, 2010 at 10:58 AM
Well, I “stickied” the post so that it will definitely appear on the front page. Not sure why WordPress is playing games. Perhaps it’s because I created the post in Google Chrome and then used Internet Explorer to open TW this morning.
November 29, 2010 at 10:59 AM
I have to admit I am unsure how to view these leaks. Are they about serving the “good” or the “bad” in terms of diplomacy?
What I have seen so far is a lot of petty digs at one another but the overall message seems to be war, war, war and plenty of it. Nobody seems to “trust” anybody else (and with good reason) and a lot of back and forth sniping.
But judging from the content I have absorbed at this point, there seems to be quite a bit of urging that the US make the first strike against Iran as the others stand by holding their butts in approval.
I may be naive, but it also answers the question of why we are still in Afghanistan. It appears that we just have not quite made up our minds as to how to proceed because of Iran. It may be that decision, or lack thereof, that keeps our presence in that part of the world.
November 29, 2010 at 11:06 AM
@4 “They can be just as dangerous, deadly and heartless as a crazed soldier with a machine gun.”
Regarding “diplomates”. Yes John Bolton comes to mind. We all know his feelings on the UN. Bolton ironically just came out and said he is considering running for Prez in 2012.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=197193
November 29, 2010 at 11:12 AM
I think we are also in Afghanistan because there is at least $1 trillion in mineral wealth awaiting extraction. That’s why the U.S.S.R. bankrupted itself in that country as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?_r=1
November 29, 2010 at 11:19 AM
“US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a cable to American embassies and missions around the world in 2009, ostensibly directing the diplomats to be part of the intelligence, according to classified documents made public by the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks today.
The 8,358-word National Humint Collection Directive (Humint being Human Intelligence) “reflects the results of a recent Washington review of reporting and collection needs focussed on the United Nations,” the documents say.
The information Clinton directed the diplomats to ascertain ranged from basic biographical data such as diplomats’ names and addresses to their frequent flier and credit card numbers, to even ‘biometric information on ranking North Korean diplomats.’
Couple things about that cable. I want to read the whole thing:
1) I find that very interesting. I seriously doubt the world will care that much the info was being gathered on “North Korea”.
2) In the National Geographic show they did on Clinton and the State Department recently, Clinton said that her staff collects info on Diplomates…so they would know what gifts to give people and engage in conversations with people about their personal interest. Clinton just flat out said that she wants and uses the info when she meets foreign diplomats to be able to help break the ice. Her staffs puts together a very detailed binder for her to read to get to know these people before she meets them.
——-
The media seems to be blurring the two issues together. “Friendly” info that she wants, and the North Korean intelligence. Though not quite sure why she wants to know people’s frequent flyer numbers. Unless they want to gift these people miles.
November 29, 2010 at 11:31 AM
Slightly off topic but I find it interesting that these documents saw the light of day yet we were unable to get any information from the Cheney meeting with oil and gas executives that Cheney refused to reveal during the first year of the Bush administration.
So much of the information during that 8 year tenure coming from that odious period has been doled out in small dribbles and drabs yet these “document dumps” are coming out in bulk and frequency.
Much of what is contained is focused around events that have transpired since that misadventure into Iraq and we have had to live with the consequences since.
Although the tv series “Rubicon” was based on fiction there seems to be an element of “fact” lying within the narrative.
November 29, 2010 at 11:51 AM
@14 – Very interesting, LTD. The idea of friendly intelligence gathering makes a lot of sense – especially since we know she does it.
@15 – I agree. Remember the millions of emails that were “lost” during that era? That could be one reason why so little information has come out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7192731.stm
BTW – amazing news! I am the finalist candidate for my dream job. I just have to interview with the VP of the department, who has to make sure he approves of the hiring manager’s choice, and then an offer should be forthcoming. HOOORAAAAYYYYY!
November 29, 2010 at 11:52 AM
@12> Oh yes, I remember Bolton. With diplomats like that… I hope he does run for Prez. That should be entertaining.
November 29, 2010 at 11:53 AM
@15, I agree, Pat. Where is all the Bush administration stuff? And, is it really possible that one person managed to steal all of this information on his own and not get caught until the info was irretrievable? Heck, years ago I was at the office searching for downloadable Microsoft Clip Art (For use at the office) when I got a call from IT asking what I was doing online for so long (over 30 minutes). My tinfoil hat is twitching too.
November 29, 2010 at 11:59 AM
madamab: Congratulations! Told you so!
That “final” meeting with the VP is just a “formality”. Believe me, I did this for years with upper level hiring. Even the doctors had to go through that one last meeting before the final offer.
Unless I am off my game, you are as good as “in”.
November 29, 2010 at 12:03 PM
janicen: That very same thing happened to me as well.
I was doing a project that required pulling data from multiple sources and it took awhile to complile and sort. About an hour in my department received a call from IT just checking the source and the intent of the project.
Big Brother at work but this was a hospital where data was most sensitive if in the wrong hands.
November 29, 2010 at 12:06 PM
@18 – Remember that this is the federal government. I have a relative who works for them, and from what he tells me, their IT systems are pathetically out of date. A hacker could definitely get access to a lot of information.
That being said, I have a lot of questions on the timing and reasons for these leaks.
@19 – Pat, you have been 100% correct the whole time. According to what the hiring manager told me, this is indeed a formality. I am looking forward to it as a “get to know your boss” session.
I am so excited I can hardly contain myself! But I have to until I have an offer in hand. From what I have heard about these people, they are not in the business of short-changing anyone, so it should be a much better offer than I received at my last job. Fingers, toes and everything else I can possibly cross, are crossed!
November 29, 2010 at 12:14 PM
madamab: I share your enthusiasm. You have earned that right.
In the few years that we have been together, posting, blogging, agreeing, disagreeing, laughing and generally getting to “know” one another through cyberspace, you have always impressed me with your knowledge, feistiness, and sincerity when debating your point of view.
I would hazard a guess that those very same elements have earned you this job offer based on the qualities you exhibit via this blog and others. I know I am speaking for others here as well in wishing you the very best in starting the New Year.
Just don’t go getting a swelled head in the meantime!!!!!!!!
November 29, 2010 at 12:15 PM
O/T: But Wonk the Vote has just resigned from posting at TC.
November 29, 2010 at 12:15 PM
@15> That’s a great point! So much info…and nothing about Cheney!
@16> MB, that is amazing!!! I’m crossing everything for you.
I’m still home today; was supposed to start a new job today, but the fever is hovering right on the cusp…refusing to drop below. I know I’m getting better, but not fast enough damn it! I might take tomorrow off as well if the fever keeps hovering like this. I’ll have to work next weekend to make up the time, but it’s a terrible first impression to make! Ugh!
November 29, 2010 at 12:17 PM
Pat @ 24> I haven’t been to TC since the big day. Who’s Wonk the Vote?
November 29, 2010 at 12:20 PM
@16 “The idea of friendly intelligence gathering makes a lot of sense – especially since we know she does it.”
She flat out says she does it and directed the staff to do so in the NATGEO piece. The binder her staff presents to her before she travels is huge. Hillary Clinton did that as first lady. How the fuck do they think Clinton’s are so popular around the world. A foreign diplomat is interested in “football” and a particular team, you break the ice and talk about “football”.
November 29, 2010 at 12:22 PM
@24 Gesum, Pat where are you getting your “intelligence” gathering. 
November 29, 2010 at 12:22 PM
@23 – Bless you, Pat. Thank you so much for your extremely kind words. Right back atcha!
@25 – DYB – I was “hoping” I wouldn’t see you this morning as you would be starting your new job. I guessed because you were here, that you were not 100%. 
I’m crossing everything for you so that you can kick this bug once and for all!
November 29, 2010 at 12:25 PM
DYB: She was a front pager over there who posted an essay decrying Palin when she went after Hillary and feminists over the weekend. She took that post over to John W. Smart and it created a stir of sorts.
She just posted her intent to resign from posting at TC but they only kept it up for a NY minute and immediately replaced it with another. They took it down before I had a chance to bookmark the links she gave for those who wished to follow her.
I was hoping that she would come to this site and madamab had the same thoughts. TC has become Palin Central these days and apparently Wonk had had enough primarily since the issuance of those slams against Hillary and the feminist movement.
November 29, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Yes, I have thought the same. WTV did post a few comments here a long time ago, and I remember they were excellent. I suppose she soon found out our site was anathema to That Place and stopped coming here. Maybe she’ll come back!
November 29, 2010 at 12:38 PM
@30 Where is the link to “the post”? You said she took it to Smart’s.
November 29, 2010 at 12:44 PM
la: She posted it within an essay by John. Not sure which one. Let me check.
November 29, 2010 at 12:46 PM
la: Wonk’s posting is contained within John’s essay about Obama slipping in the polls. It has around 130 comments. He allowed her to post within that topic and you can follow it from there.
November 29, 2010 at 1:20 PM
@4 DYB:
What has Saudi Arabia done about Iran? What have they done to help their own region? Nothing. No, they want the US to sacrifice its own soldiers and money to take care of Iran for them. We all know what the payment would be: oil!
My sentiments exactly DTB!!!!
Saudi Arabia is keen to put our service men/women in danger to save their asses yet bash our country, our lifestyles and our democracy at ever turn.
Elements within the Royal family secretly fund terrorism and their Neanderthal treatment of women, all in the name of their “Sky God” is deplorable and yet, they want us, as a nation, to do their dirty work?
I say: Let THEM attack Iran! Let them be the ones that have to deal with the consequences of stirring up that hornets nest.
It;s high time the hypocrisy that is the Saudi Arabian “Royal Family” be known to all the major players in that region!!!
November 29, 2010 at 1:36 PM
When I lived over there, it was well-known that the Saudis were reluctant to engage another Moslem nation. When they bombed Yemen in the 70′s it was with American pilots and British radar.
November 29, 2010 at 2:44 PM
This is a bunch of media spin until these cables are read and blogged about with facts and not a bunch of media mumbo jumbo. These cables are from 1966 to Feb of 2010. Probably half of the snippet “quotes” the media stories are using are piecemeal throughout many years. If we want to not have a tinfoil hat about this, I suggest we read them and which administrations did what.
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/
November 29, 2010 at 3:41 PM
I’ve been cruising around this am, lurking as usual, but a couple of posters have the same concern, to the extent that they are suggesting that Soros and Assange have a past association. Conspiracy theory, don’t know, but it should get interesting if that is the case (as I adjust my tinfoil chapeau)
November 29, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Oh, and just came from Dakini’s – Wonk has her own site but will be contributing to Sky Dancing as well.
November 29, 2010 at 3:57 PM
The Clinton cable in question. It is worth a read. It just doesn’t read like the hype it is being made out to be. Sounds like security issues and protections to make sure people are who they say they are. Kinda like background checks. I guess I don’t get the hype.
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/07/09STATE80163.html
November 29, 2010 at 5:03 PM
Ht@41: Yes, DK left TC some time back. It looks like several others have left also. The day I was there I just saw multiple posts by myiq, whats-her-name the founder and maybe one other. I looked at the list of posts and there were a *lot* of names not there. Just kind of wondering what kind of shakeup they’ve had.
November 29, 2010 at 5:05 PM
Oh and MB congrats!! We’ll wait to celebrate when it’s official, but it definitely sounds good! When do you go for your final Senate confirmation? 
November 29, 2010 at 5:16 PM
@43 – Reallllly! I had no idea. The last post I read was Wonk’s about how Palin was “Both Ways Barracuda,” and that was only because I was directed there by John Smart’s site. Is State of Disbelief still there?
@44 – Thanks so much! My “Senate” confimation is Friday.
November 29, 2010 at 5:19 PM
PS, LTD – read the cable and it looks like the concern is, are these people who they say they are? There are so many members of the UN who are from nations where Al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations have a presence. It seems like this was a security check to me.
November 29, 2010 at 5:24 PM
Fredster: I can offer a little background judging from what was published online.
That blog has been coopted for awhile by myiq and his never ending push for Palin. Dakinikat published an essay decrying what happened to that woman who was pushed to the ground and had her neck stomped at a Rand rally. The comments, many following myiq’s lead, pooh poohed the assault because they were making references to her being a “plant” and that the press “made it appear” that the guy had his foot planted on her head but on her back instead. In other words, “she asked for it”.
Not sure if you remember, but Dakinikat had suffered the same treatment awhile back by some policemen in New Orleans and was arrested. Her sensibilities were basically forgotten when she posted this assault as many of the commentators refused to see the crime.
Since that blog has now become a melting pot of sympathizers for the GOP, she apparently made the decision to leave. About a week later, Bostonboomer followed suit, along with MABlue, and joined her at Sky Dancing. All three have been “scrubbed” from the blogroll along with former posts.
State of Disbelief (SOD) disappeared somewhere during July. Not sure what led to her defection but she too is no longer on the blogroll and her prior postings have been scrubbed.
I always enjoyed both SOD and dakinikat’s posts along with MABlue who (openly stated that he was fed up with all the Palin lovebombs) so though I hardly bothered with reading the comments I did read the posts. Now Wonk has thrown in the towel which leaves just a few left over there to fill the Front Page.
Any blog that tolerates myiq is suspect. Riverdaughter puts up with him because they “share” a similar fundamentalist upbringing which allows him to basically rule that blog like it was his own. My belief that much of the dissension was due in large part to myiq and his vulgar assertions disguised as humor, along with his almost now daily paoens to Palin which can only go so far if one still considers themself a liberal.
What once was a vibrant, diverse thinking blog, has now become a mere shell of itself and for that I think we can all thank myiq whose presence has driven many of us away.
I enjoy reading other posters thoughts and positions but TC has become a playground of Right Wing sympathizers who have found that place largely in part to the Palin worship that myiq contributes. You would think he was defending his wife the way he carries on.
November 29, 2010 at 5:34 PM
State of Disbelief has been gone since July at least. All her postings have been scrubbed along with Bostonboomer, dakinikat, and MABlue. They don’t fool around over there!
November 29, 2010 at 5:37 PM
MB: That was prolly a month or so ago when I was there so not sure about S.O.D.
November 29, 2010 at 5:45 PM
Madamab, SOD left quite awhile ago – I believe it had to do with personal issues, but Bostonboomer would know more about that. BB has left, and is over with Dakinikat at SkyDancing. MaBlue is there as well as a lot of the previous commenters at TC, and of course, now Wonk is joining them. As Pat mentioned, Wonk put up a post this morning to say goodbye, but it was removed almost immediately, however she has it posted at her site, in case you’re interested.
http://letthemlisten.wordpress.com/
November 29, 2010 at 5:50 PM
I think I see the egg on the N.J. guv’s face from here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_bi_ge/us_trans_hudson_tunnel
November 29, 2010 at 6:16 PM
Think my last comment got eaten by Spammy. To repeat, SOD left quite awhile ago – something personal I think, but no explanation. Bostonboomer would know – she’s no longer there either, she’s with Dakinikat and Mablue at SkyDancing, along with a bunch of commenters from TC, and now Wonk is going to join them. As Pat mentioned, Wonk put up a post explaining why she was leaving this morning but it only lasted for a minute before it was removed, however, if you’re interested, it’s posted at her site.
http://letthemlisten.wordpress.com/
November 29, 2010 at 6:52 PM
hello all-
Congrats to Madamab (I still believe it is a plot to take her away from us by giving her an offer she cant refuse but I will reserve judgement)
Pat-I am always sad to hear disheartening news from the former mother blogg that at one time was a refuge for all of us Dems/liberals/fems in exile! How could it have gone so wrong?
Pat have you spoken to taggles lately? I do miss her too…cant imagine her a Palin Puma!
I saw Angie at john Smartss blog so I have hope most of of can come back together and continue the good fight…
About the “Lucky” release of these wikileaks at this time…it sure puts my little minipost about north-south korea in focus as well as Iran.
I hear even China is fed up with DPRK!
remember one should get involved a land war in asia! (I learned that from the princess bride)
November 29, 2010 at 6:54 PM
Madamab at least you wont have to worry about a DeMint Fillibuster on your job..
November 29, 2010 at 6:55 PM
I just saw this about the WikiLeaksGate in an AP article:
Attorney General Eric Holder said the government was mounting a criminal investigation, and the Pentagon was tightening access to information, including restricting the use of computer storage devices such as CDs and flash drives.
“This is not saber-rattling,” Holder said. Anyone found to have broken American law “will be held responsible.”
Holder said the latest disclosure, involving classified and sensitive State Department documents, jeopardized the security of the nation, its diplomats, intelligence assets and relationships with foreign governments.
They are planning on going after the guy who took leaked these documents. Now, I do find this so interesting. Holder and his Justice Department – who found no wrong-doing in actions of Bush, Cheney, their torture cohorts, and those who destroyed the videotapes of torture – will be going after this one guy. And I bet you they will go after him with all they’ve got. After all, he’s not as connected as the others were!
November 29, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Fredster @48 I wonder how many jobs werelost when that project was canceled by Gov. Grandstand rrrr Christie?
Like New Jersey can afford to turn down a jobs program that will relieve congestion and traffic issues with NYC…Stupid!
November 29, 2010 at 7:06 PM
DYB @ 53 you can believe and on FOX news this guys A$$ will e served up nightly by their blovating Gas Bags of righteous indignation!
I want cheney’s heart (the part that is still working) served up to us on a silver platter!
November 29, 2010 at 8:15 PM
fuzzy@54: who knows but it sure makes him look like the fool he is!
November 29, 2010 at 8:17 PM
OMG! There *is* football tonight if yo want to call San Fran versus the AZ Cardinals football. 
November 29, 2010 at 8:29 PM
Don’t you just love the GOP? I know I do.
All over the tubes tonight, screaming and whining about Wickileaks. And although I am not sure just where I come down on this stuff, I have to laugh at their faux outrage.
Where the hell were these f*ckers when Valerie Plame was outed? And when WMD proved to be a myth that sent our youth to their death and destroyed an innocent population in the bargain?
I hate these hypocrites.
November 29, 2010 at 8:31 PM
fuzzy: If you want to catch up with Angie she has returned to TC and had joined the Palin Fan Club.
SOD, Bostonboomer, MABlue, dakinikat, and now Wonk have bailed.
But if you want to take up knitting, katiebird is your girl!
November 29, 2010 at 8:33 PM
fuzzy: If you want to catch up with Angie she has returned to TC and had joined the Palin Fan Club.
But if you want to take up knitting, katiebird is your girl!
November 29, 2010 at 8:34 PM
AMEN Pat! you tell them as I said Cheney’s miserable little heart on a silver plater
November 29, 2010 at 8:50 PM
fuzzy: No I have not been in touch with taggles but Angie is back at TC and a Palin fan.
November 29, 2010 at 9:05 PM
Pat@60: That’s a damned shame considering she’s a professional woman, i.e. lawyer and single. I’d think the choice issue would make her feel different. Oh well…
November 29, 2010 at 9:07 PM
Big day tomorrow for the congress of the US. Tomorrow we are going to see up close just what makes a Repub tick as they vote to either extend or cut off unemployment benefits to the suffering weeks before Christmas.
Also it will be interesting to see just how far Obama is willing to go in the Bush tax extension debates. Will he bend? Go with the flow? Give in? Or will he stand firmly against this hijacking?
Something tells me that his stance will signal either the beginning of a new beginning or an end to a second term simply by where he comes down on just this one issue alone.
Either way we are in for a preview of the January agenda brought to you by the GOP and the Tea Party. Won’t be pretty.
November 29, 2010 at 9:10 PM
Pat@63: Oh hell you know he’s going to cave on everything. He doesn’t have a spine nor the gumption to fight them because it takes a Clinton.
November 29, 2010 at 9:14 PM
Fredster: It is just my belief but I have a feeling that the 2008 election brought out interest in a lot of people who normally were not political junkies as some of us.
Hillary’s chances excited them to a large degree and they came to the blogs to feel involved. After her awful defeat, and being abused by the Obot clan, their thinking took on a cast of revenge against the Dems and a cry to elect a woman to take the place of Hillary.
Junkies like us who closely follow what is going on, and not overlooking our basic belief in the Dem Principles, found that our reasoning was no longer important.
Much of their angst is in reliving and replaying the 2008 election and see Palin as the key to the revenge. This makes sense to them.
November 29, 2010 at 9:18 PM
DADT will also face another vote. This too will signal just how far Obama is willing to go because according to Lindsay Graham there are not enough votes in the Senate to override.
All Obama has to do is sign an Exec Order to overrule this hateful position and though I do not expect any miracles coming from that quarter, he needs to keep his eye on that 2012 election as he is going to need every gay vote he can get.
November 29, 2010 at 9:33 PM
Pat said: Much of their angst is in reliving and replaying the 2008 election and see Palin as the key to the revenge. This makes sense to them.
(sigh) Republicans have no, zero interest in the issues of everyman or everywoman. Over at her blog Uppity Woman continues to caution her readers not to buy the Republican b.s. saying both parties are equally disgusting right now.
I voted for McCain/Palin the 08 election but that was more of a protest vote than anything else. There was no way I bought their nonsense. However, it seems that some of our former blog friends have done a “full tilt boogie” over to the other side and it really makes no sense if you believe in the basic tenets of the Democratic Party.
Of course they’ll find this out the hard way.
November 29, 2010 at 9:39 PM
I voted the same. Here in MA there was no question that Obama was going to win and had it been close I more than likely would have had to reappraise my position.
The Dems have led us down but going over to the GOP to “correct” this was not the answer. Having fewer Dem reps in congress was not going to hold back the GOP tide by just assuring themselves that “sending a message” was going to bring balance.
With Obama a candidate in 2012 with a GOP fruitcake from the other side as opposition, I may find myself reluctantly casting my ballot because of an e-mail sent by Al Franken. I like Al.
November 29, 2010 at 9:55 PM
I like Al
Me too. I like that he doesn’t bite his tongue when it comes to his more conservative colleagues. 
November 29, 2010 at 10:08 PM
So happy to hear it’s a ‘formality”…good luck, MadamaB!
November 29, 2010 at 11:00 PM
Hey all – I was out at a rehearsal and then went out to dinner with the hubby. Yum!
I am laughing over Chris Christie. What a moron! Just a big, stupid thug drunk with power.
I am also laughing about the idea of putting my interview on C-SPAN! I thought REGULAR C-SPAN was boring…
November 29, 2010 at 11:12 PM
I am also laughing about the idea of putting my interview on C-SPAN!
Well hell, you’ve gone through more checking and scrutiny than the Prez and probably most of his appointees have.
November 30, 2010 at 12:04 AM
Fredster, “Turbo Tax Timmy” has nothing on me!
Night all!
[...] I wandered over to John W. Smart’s site last night, and what did I see? Another conspiracy theory on the bizarrely-timed, non-mission-applicable WikiLeaks of the State Department cables – one which, I hope, makes more sense than mine. [...]
Comments are closed.
L 2012 – Support Your Local Lefties!
Recent Comments
 | madamab on New Year’s Eve Widdershi… |
 | Eddie on New Year’s Eve Widdershi… |
 | HT on New Year’s Eve Widdershi… |
| madamab on New Year’s Eve Widdershi… |
| madamab on Happy New Year – We… |
November 29, 2010 at 8:54 AM
Much less a war in the Far East. Good Lord.