From Holden: Stephen “Yellow Cake” Hadley was on gaggle duty in Scottie’s place today, and the gagglers want to know more about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the new Iranian president Chimpy’s belicose words helped elect. Q Steve, has the United States been able to determine whether Iran’s new President was indeed one of the captors of the 52 Americans who were held for 444 days? MR. HADLEY: We have seen reports of that. I understand there’s some photographs. We obviously are looking into it. At this point, no determination has been raised. It obviously raises some questions, and we’re looking into that. … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

“Of all the souls that stand create I have elected One When Sense from Spirit flies away And Subterfuge is done When that which is and that which was Apart intrinsic stand And this brief Drama in the flesh Is shifted like a Sand When Figures show their royal Front And mists are carved away Behold the Atom I preferred To all the lists of Clay! — Emily Dickinson MADRID, June 30 – The Spanish Parliament gave final approval today to a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making Spain only the second nation to eliminate all legal distinctions between same-sex and … Continue reading Stand Create

From Holden: I’m sick of the claim that Judith Miller and Matt Cooper risk going to jail because they are protecting “sources”. The two reporters are protecting felons, traitors to be exact. Miller and Cooper are witnesses to a crime, and according to Novak the criminals who revealed Valerie Plame’s identity are “senior administration officials” – traitors in high places no less. There is no honor in protecting them. Imagine the reaction if, during the Watergate years, Bob Woodward had witnessed Mark Felt committing a sexual assault. The cops had the victim but could not identify the perpetrator. They knew … Continue reading Criminals, Not Sources

From Holden: Yes, it is my birthday as I reach the ripe-but-not-too-ripe age of XX today. This was a helluva nice present. It is a wonderful day to say thanks to a few of the bloggy folks I’ve met and corresponded with over the past three years or so starting with the fabulous Tena and the soon-to-be-$25-poorer Athenae who graciously share this space with me. Thanks as well to Attaturk, Robert M. Jeffers (who was also born on this date), NTodd, Backslider, skippy, Dan Froomkin, TBogg, watertiger, and of course the daily (hourly) read – Atrios who gave the opportunity … Continue reading They Say It’s Your Birthday

From Holden: Something tells me this is not the kind of announcement Chimpy wanted Condi’s department to issue yesterday. The State Department called Iraq too dangerous for American travellers on Wednesday, hours after President George W Bush pointed to “significant progress” there. “Attacks against military and civilian targets throughout Iraq continue,” and targets include hotels and restaurants, the State Department’s travel warning said. “There have been planned and random killings, as well as extortions and kidnappings.” The State Department issues warning against unnecessary travel to countries where internal conditions such as war, political unrest or terrorism may make American tourists, … Continue reading Reality Tramples Fantasy

From Holden: Journalist, the most dangerous job in Iraq. Yasser Salihee, an Iraqi special correspondent for Knight Ridder, the parent company of the Free Press, was shot and killed in western Baghdad on Friday as his car neared U.S. and Iraqi troops who had stopped to search a building for snipers. Salihee, 30, was driving alone when a bullet pierced his windshield and then his skull. The shot appears to have been fired by a U.S. military sniper, though Iraqi soldiers in the area also may have been shooting at the time. U.S. Humvees blocked three entry points to the … Continue reading Eason Jordan Will Burn For This

From Holden: Divorce rate doubles for Army couples. Continue reading Support Our Troops!

Why shit like this works. “The point is that you are supposed to vote for the principle of the thing, not the itsy-bitsy detail about this percent and that percent. And it is perfectly obvious that Labour stands for the principle of sharing, kindness, gays, single mothers and Nelson Mandela as opposed to braying bossy men having affairs with everyone shag-shag-shag left, right and center and going to the Ritz in Paris then telling all the presenters off on the Today program.” –Helen Fielding, “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” And the principle of the thing at work here is … Continue reading Bridget Nation

From Holden: After wasting the first half of the gaggle on Frances “Pinball Wizard” Townsend’s discussion of the rearrangement of the intelligence deck chairs, the gaggleres got down to busines.. Q Can I follow on that? Part of what Senator Rockefeller said was that by using the references to 9/11, that the President was trying to click a patriotic button that would make people more patient. He called it “amazing.” He further said that there was no connection between Osama bin Laden, Iraq and 9/11, and effectively was saying the President was using that national tragedy. How do you respond … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: George W. Bush, June 28, 2005: And to those watching tonight who are considering a military career, there is no higher calling than service in our Armed Forces. Some chose a lower calling we know as punditry. UPDate: I’m through being coy. Adding the names. Rich Lowery Michelle Maglalang Ben Shapiro Laura Ingrahamsandwich Glenn Reynolds Jonah DoughyPantLoad While others failed to heed the call despite the fact that they campaigned on behalf of the president who is their father or uncle. The NotJennster The Jennster Pierce Bush Lauren Bush George Pee Bush Noelle Bush Marshall Bush (center) Continue reading No Higher Calling

From Holden: CAFTA will be bad for workers. The Bush assministration knows that, and they are lying about it. The Labor Department kept secret for more than a year government studies that supported Democratic opponents of the Bush administration’s new Central American trade deal, internal documents show. The studies, paid for by the department, concluded that several countries the administration wants to be granted free-trade status have poor working conditions and fail to protect workers’ rights. The agency dismissed the conclusions as inaccurate and biased, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. [snip] The studies’ conclusions contrast with the … Continue reading Reject CAFTA

From Holden: American can’t handle the truth. The French-based press freedom organization, Reporters Without Borders (RWB), on Wednesday called on Iraq and the United States to provide information about the disappearance of two TV journalists early last month and for an explanation on the murder of a local TV producer on Tuesday. Cyrus Kar, a US national of Iranian origin and his Iranian cameraman Farshid Faraji, were both arrested in Iraq on May 2, 2005, while making a documentary called, “In search of Darius the Great.” And only yesterday, Ahmed Wael Al Bacri, a producer on local Al-Sharkiya television, died … Continue reading Damn You Eason Jordan!

After reading this, all I have to say is that I want a snow cone. And that’s about the most coherent thought you’re going to get out of me until this heat wave breaks. What’s your favorite summer treat? A. Continue reading Summer In The City

From Holden: George Bush, September 18, 2003: “No, we’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th,” Bush said. But in this morning’s gaggle Little Scottie put a different spin on the issue, according to Talk Radio News Service’s Gregory Gorman. When asked if the president is willing to admit that there is no specific Iraqi link to what happened on 9/11, McClellan responded that Iraq was a state sponsor of terrorism and that Iraq shared the ideology of those that participated in the 9/11 attacks. Continue reading Scottie vs. The Chimp

From Holden: I just have to promote ltsply2’s comment from another thread to the main blog page: Take a look at the SurveyUSA results at: http://surveyusa.com/Bush50StateApproval0605.htm Holden wins in 11 states including: ME, MA, DE, NV, NJ, MI, CA, CT, IL, NY, RI, and VT Nationwide approval at 43%. Wow. The good people of 14 states rate Chimpy’s job performance at less than 40%, including these red states: Iowa: 39% Nevada: 39% Ohio: 38% Come on, America, let’s make it less than 40 by the 4th. Howard Dean needs Athenae’s money. Continue reading Less Than 40 By The 4th Is Breaking Out All Over

From Holden: This is how it begins. Democrats are eyeing several parliamentary maneuvers to prod Congress into investigating the so-called Downing Street memo and other recently disclosed documents that they contend shows that the Bush administration manipulated prewar intelligence to build support for the war in Iraq. Although any Democratic move will almost certainly fail in the face of vigorous Republican opposition, such maneuvers would constitute the first steps toward filing articles of impeachment, a bold step that some Democrats have left as an open question in recent weeks. “If you read the record of the writing of the Constitution, … Continue reading Chimpeachment!

From Holden: Chimpy will try tonight anyway. He’ll probably tell us how much better life is in Iraq now that Saddam is in prison. Police opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators in the southern Iraqi city of Samawa on Tuesday wounding seven protesters, including one man who was shot in the head, witnesses and hospital staff said. He’s likely to claim that Rummy knows what is going on in Iraq and is doing a FABulous job. United States forces have not held talks with insurgent leaders involved in attacks in Iraq but may do so soon, the US commander … Continue reading You Can’t Polish a Turd

Because y’all seemed to think I was batshit insane when I wrote this, read a couple of things. This. There is no power without resistance. Without the resistance of a “regular army” or even an organized group that our military can decimate, it has no power. It has the power of destruction: of bombs, missiles, bullets, rockets, death brought about in hundred brutal and technological ways. And this. Clearly, I favor the latter over the former. And here’s why. If we admit what’s been done is done, we move the fight to the future. Nobody’s fighting that yet. We’re Downing … Continue reading Influences

From Holden: I see that Josh Marshall noted today’s WaPo report that the Dukester’s landlord, MZM Inc., just lost a major Pentagon contract. But how did he miss this bit tying the White House to the troubled defense contractor? Government procurement records show that MZM, which Wade started in 1993, did not report any revenue from prime contract awards until 2003. Most of its revenue has come from the agreement the Pentagon just cut off. But over the past three years it was also awarded several contracts, worth more than $600,000, by the Executive Office of the President. They include … Continue reading Bush White House Tied to MZM

From Holden: The Right’s take on GITMO Koran abuse has morphed from “It Never Happened” to “Damn Right It Happened – Woo-Hoo!” so I doubt it matters much to them that accusations continue to be made. However the thinking portion of the populace, and the rest of the world, greets the latest news with outrage. Pakistanis freed from jail here after being held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, alleged Monday that they saw American interrogators throw, tear and stand on copies of the Koran, and one former detainee said naked women sat on prisoners’ chests during … Continue reading Newsweek Did It

From Holden: As they did with the Downing Street Memo, Democrats held their own hearing on Halliburton’s sugar-sweet contracts in Iraq and revealed – Surprise! – overbilling by Dick Cheney’s employer now adds up to more than a billion dollars. The estimates of excessive spending and improper billing by Halliburton, a Texas-based company that provides logistical support and oil-field repairs in Iraq, are more than twice as high as those in previous official reports. The findings, including previously unpublicized internal Pentagon studies, were released at a Democrat-sponsored forum that was held, Democratic leaders maintained, because the Bush administration and Congressional … Continue reading Halliburton Hearings

I’m reproducing the entire link here so that y’all can see that they tagged this story “Santorum – Puppy Love.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050627/ap_on_go_co/ santorum_puppy_love You would think that would be the funny part, but no. It gets better. Here’s the lead: WASHINGTON – Puppies and kittens likely are not the first things that come to mind when many think of Sen. Rick Santorum — the conservative No. 3 Senate Republican known for his tough stance against abortion and gay marriage. Look. I understand that AP writers can’t spend their entire lives online mainlining every reference to Senator Man On Dog like we … Continue reading Funniest. AP Story. Ever.

From Holden: In today’s gaggle Little Scottie opens with a preview of Chimpy’s speech tomorrow. Tomorrow, the President will also talk about the strategy for success. He will talk in a very specific way about the way forward. There is a clear path to victory. It is a two-track strategy: there is the military and political track. On the military front, it’s important to continue training and equipping the Iraqi security forces so that they’re able to defend themselves, and then our troops can return home with the honor that they deserve. And then there is the political track. The … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: Protesting the protestors at the Chicago Pride Parade. HA! Continue reading Closeted

From Holden: So far no word on whether or not Rehnquist will retire but the Supremes did send Matt and Judy to jail while splitting hairs on the Ten Commandments. In a narrowly drawn ruling, the Supreme Court struck down Ten Commandments displays in courthouses Monday, holding that two exhibits in Kentucky crossed the line between separation of church and state because they promoted a religious message. The 5-4 decision, first of two seeking to mediate the bitter culture war over religion’s place in public life, took a case-by-case approach to this vexing issue. In the decision, the court declined … Continue reading The Supremes

From Holden: Just a couple of headlines… US Begs Japan to Stay Apache Helicopter Shot Down …and an excerpt. President George Bush had declared that Abu Ghraib would be torn down in a symbolic gesture after shocking pictures emerged of Iraqi inmates being abused and tortured by American forces. But the continuing insurgency and rising death toll has meant that not only can the US not hand over Abu Ghraib to the new Iraqi government, according to a planned timetable, but other prisons including Camp Bucca in the British-controlled south of the country are being expanded. [snip] The decision by … Continue reading Skimming Iraq

I hereby declare Operation Iraqi Freedom a resounding success. I’m very serious. Mission accomplished. All hail President Bush. We’ve vanquished tyranny, ended oppression, brought democracy to a previously totalitarian regime and are reshaping the Middle East in the image of freedom. Our strategy is wildly popular at home and abroad, those who disagreed with us will be sorry for it when they see how it all turned out, and liberals are pussies who don’t understand. Okay? Are we done now? Is that what you wanted? Can we please for the love of any God that may exist get these people … Continue reading We Won!

I know I’ve put up more than one post here that was along the lines of “OMG JOHN KERRY HAWT!1!!,” but really I try not to turn into a fawning goofball over too many celebrities. One good thing about journalism training is that it gives you sort of general expectations: you ask a question of someone, whether it’s a NASCAR driver or a preschool teacher, and they answer it. Being easily starstruck in such a job doesn’t serve you well, as Elisabeth Bumiller demonstrated when she talked about being too intimidated to question the president on the eve of war. … Continue reading Gibbering Fangirl

Members of the service write to Karl. To hear a man like Karl insinuate that only conservatives are really patriotic is a knife in the back to every man and woman in Iraq who serves here. At least a third of us voted against Bush and pals. The number increases every day that we stay here, forced to make bricks without straw for months on end. We’ve been here for 6 months. We’re going to be here for at least 6 more. And next week we’re moving to a more ‘active’ sector because the unit there is rotating home and … Continue reading The Rest of The Time

Karl Rove does not speak for Rep. Rob Simmons of Connecticut. (Neither do Howard Dean nor Dick Durbin, for that matter, but we expected that.) Earlier today the gentleman from Connecticut sent this e-mail to two of his constituents. From: “Representative Rob Simmons” To: Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 12:27 PM Subject: From Rep. Simmons (http://www.house.gov/simmons) June 24, 2005 Dear XXX: Thank you for contacting me regarding president advisor Karl Rove and his comments concerning the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is good to hear from you. Mr. Rove’s recent comments that accused liberal Democrats of wanting “therapy and understanding” for … Continue reading Rep. Simmons: ‘None of these individuals speak for me’