From Holden: Rove returns to testify before grand jury: Federal prosecutors have accepted an offer from presidential adviser Karl Rove to give 11th hour testimony in the case of a CIA officer’s leaked identity but have warned they cannot guarantee he won’t be indicted, according to people directly familiar with the investigation. [snip] Rove has already made at least three grand jury appearances and his return at this late stage in the investigation is unusual. [snip] Rove offered in July to return to the grand jury for additional testimony and Fitzgerald accepted that offer Friday after taking grand jury testimony … Continue reading Crank Up The Frogmarch

From Holden: FEMA Chief Testifies R. David Paulison said today that millions of dollars worth of federal hurricane-relief contracts that were awarded with little or no competition will be rebid to minimize waste and abuse. Continue reading Are The Adults Back In Charge?

From Holden: At the dedication of Texas’ first official state veterans cemetary. In his keynote address, former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker said that it is America’s duty to use its military wisely in Iraq. “If we falter in our duty to see that our military is used properly,” he said, “the price of our failure will be tallied by the tombstones of brave young Americans who fill up cemeteries like this before their time.” Continue reading Bush Family Fixer Sends a Message

From Holden: No hurricanes for nearly two weeks yet New Jobless Claims surged again. In the week ending Oct. 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 390,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 369,000. The 4-week moving average was 404,500, an increase of 15,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 388,750. Continue reading No Hurricanes; No Bush Boom

From Holden: Did you wonder what bubble Chimpy was babbling about in his press conference on Tuesday? Could have been this. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed 109 oil platforms and five drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, but only a small portion of production will be lost for good, the US government said Tuesday. Rita accounted for most of the damage in a region that ordinarily produces nearly one-third of US crude oil imports, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said in presenting a preliminary assessment report. Rita destroyed 63 platforms and one drilling rig when it tore through the region … Continue reading A Bubble in the System

From Holden: Last year Chimpy famously told Unity Conference attendees, “Tribal sovereignty means that. It’s sovereign. You’re a … you’re a … you’ve been given sovereignty and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity.” I wonder how that applies to Iraq. “It is a matter of public record that in the final weeks of the process, the newly arrived US ambassador [Zalmay Khalilzad] took an extremely hands-on role,” Justin Alexander, legal affairs officer for the office of constitutional support with the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq told Inter Press Service (IPS). “Even going so far as to circulate at least … Continue reading “Sovereignty means that… It’s Sovereign”

From Holden: Last year Chimpy famously told Unity Conference attendees, “Tribal sovereignty means that. It’s sovereign. You’re a … you’re a … you’ve been given sovereignty and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity.” I wonder how that applies to Iraq. “It is a matter of public record that in the final weeks of the process, the newly arrived US ambassador [Zalmay Khalilzad] took an extremely hands-on role,” Justin Alexander, legal affairs officer for the office of constitutional support with the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq told Inter Press Service (IPS). “Even going so far as to circulate at least … Continue reading ”Sovereignty means that… It’s Sovereign”

Please, please, please, please, please. A. Continue reading Chilling Champagne

From Holden: The last topic Little Scottie would wish to discuss in any gaggle is Roe v. Wade (Drinking Game: shots each time Scottie says “Litmus Test”). Q Scott, if the President has never discussed with Harriet Miers her personal views on abortion, and if he never talked to her about it as a litmus test during their conversations about her going on the bench, how does he know that she shares his view? MR. McCLELLAN: Shares his view on what? Q On abortion and whether abortion should be legal in the United States. MR. McCLELLAN: The President doesn’t have … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

Damned if he isn’t just the cutest thing. A. Continue reading Happy Democrat Photo: Gore Edition

From Holden: Each and every year for the past three years Wampum has passed out the Koufax Awards. They do a tremendous job reviewing each of the thousands of nominations and winnowing them down to a deserving few. They get hit pretty hard when the awards are coming due, and bandwidth costs money. So this year the kids at Wampum have started their Koufax Award fundraising early. Give them a hand. Continue reading Support the Koufax Awards

From Holden: Of course no one would be shocked to learn that Ms. Huge lies like a dog. The shocking part is that the media is actually calling her on it. Continue reading Karen Huge, Liar

From Holden: Americans don’t seem to like Republicans considering a run for the presidency. A new poll released Tuesday by the University of Massachusetts shows Gov. Mitt Romney (R) trailing state Attorney General Tom Reilly (D) by 15 points in a head-to-head matchup. And, only 39 percent of those tested think Romney “deserves re-election” compared to 55 percent who said it is “time for a change.” Most politicos expect Romney to pass on a run for a second term; instead, he’s one of the often-mentioned names for the 2008 presidential nomination race. As such, it makes sense to look at … Continue reading The GOP’s Bench is Empty

From Holden: Bankruptcy filings hit a new record in advance of the new federal Bankruptcy law. Continue reading Thanks Alot, Senator Biden

From Holden: Under intense pressure from the UN for a last minute change that gave the word “vote” two different definitions within the same passage, the Iraqi Parliament rolled back its Sunday change in the way the Transitional Consitution is interpretted with regard to the upcoming constitutional referendum. Iraq’s National Assembly voted on Wednesday to reverse last-minute changes it had made to rules for next week’s referendum on a new constitution following criticism by the United Nations that the rules were unfair to the Sunni minority. After a brief debate, the Assembly voted 119-28 to restore the original voting rules … Continue reading Doing the Do-Over Over

Go read scout. NOW. A. Continue reading Department of You Have Got To Be Fucking Kidding Me

From Holden: He just can’t seem to understand why a little tokenism hasn’t helped him win more Black votes. BUSH: But I was disappointed, frankly, in the vote I got in the African-American community. I was. I’ve done my best to elevate people to positions of authority and responsibility — not just positions, but positions where they can actually make a difference in the lives of people. I put people in my Cabinet. I put people in my sub-Cabinet. I’ve elevated people from all walks of life, because I believe there’s a responsibility for the president to reach out. And … Continue reading Your President Speaks

From Holden: Chimpy did not alienate enough of his base with the Miers nomination, so he’s going after the rest of them. At a time when Latino immigrants are expected to form a big part of the Gulf Coast reconstruction labor pool, the Department of Homeland Security has temporarily suspended sanctioning employers who hire workers unable to prove their citizenship, essentially allowing contractors to hire undocumented workers. That move followed President Bush’s Sept. 8 decision to lift in Katrina-hit areas the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act, which requires federal contractors to pay at least the average regional wage. Bush says it will … Continue reading Chipping Away at the Base

From Holden: John Bolton’s visit to his alma matta probably did not work out the way he had hoped. The audience interrupted Bolton throughout his speech with loud banging on desks and hissing, the typical YPU [Yale Political Union] expressions for approval and disagreement. When asked about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, Bolton said the U.S. — not other countries or international organizations ­– should hold its own citizens accountable for possible abuse. “We don’t need anybody else to judge us,” he said. “We judge our own.” The answer prompted loud hissing from the audience, … Continue reading Homecoming

From Holden: What to make of the new indictments? Was Earle’s case weak, or was he intending to seek indictments on additional charges all along? [A] source close to the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he lacked authority to speak publicly, noted that Earle told reporters last week that his investigation was continuing and asserted that Earle had intended to bring these charges even before the challenge raised by DeLay’s lawyers. Last week there was some speculation that DeLay had reached an agreement with Ronnie Earle in which DeLay would waive applicaton of the statute of limitations … Continue reading DeLay Speculation

From Holden: Some have counseled the left-hand side of the political world to give Harriet Miers a pass, reasoning that she is not as bad as many other judicial candidates Chimpy could have named. But how do they know how she compares to the frothy right? What we do know about Miers is enough to oppose her. She’s a Bush crony who can be relied upon to side with the administration. With important cases pending regarding parental notification for abortion, “enemy combatants”, “extraordinary rendition”, and a myriad of other Bushite illegalities that may come before the court during her term … Continue reading Why We Should Oppose Harriet Miers

But I think you should read his whole thing. His approach — polite, conciliatory, in favor of reaching people where they are and toning down the rhetoric — is the polar opposite of mine, and every once in a while I like reading somebody who’s eloquent and sincere and utterly disagrees with me. A. Continue reading Well, This Guy And I Would Have Very Little To Talk About

Okay, I’ve already fallen for one joke tonight, evidence of my mounting writer’s block, panic, and current mental tailspin. So when I saw this column calling for more “nuanced” coverage of the war, I thought it was another prank. Except I don’t think it is. I read it three times and the casual monstrousness of it still threatens to overwhelm me. Many readers object to the daily publication of the “War Toll” of U.S. military deaths, which they perceive — understandably, I believe — as a reflection of the newsroom’s bias about the war. Typical is this from Ralph Little, … Continue reading Let’s Fight Like Lovers If We’re Going To Fight

Hispanic groups upset with Miers pick: “President Bush has again ignored highly qualified Latino judges, attorneys and law professors who could serve the nation ably on the United States Supreme Court,” said Ann Marie Tallman, executive director of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, after Miers’ nomination was announced Monday. Several Hispanic lawyers and judges were thought to be on the president’s short list, including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales — the first Latino attorney general and a close friend of the president — and federal appellate judge Consuelo Callahan. Also mentioned during the search were Hispanic lawyer Miguel … Continue reading And The Hits Just Keep On Coming

From the Tribune: PEMBROKE TOWNSHIP, Ill. — As if residents haven’t endured enough down here, the area’s underground sewer system has deteriorated and now raw sewage is bubbling up–at times, cauldron-style–in some of their yards. New Orleans? No. This is happening in Pembroke Township, about 80 miles south of downtown Chicago. If you want to know hard times and poverty, you don’t have to travel to Louisiana or Mississippi. You simply can take a drive through this rural township, where some houses still have no running water, heating systems or telephone service. And rusting trailers and old school buses pop … Continue reading Katrina Didn’t Invent Poverty, And No, That’s Not An Excuse

Kablooie. A Texas grand jury indicted Rep. Tom DeLay on a new charge of money laundering Monday, less than a week after another grand jury leveled a conspiracy charge that forced DeLay to temporarily step down as House majority leader. Both indictments accuse DeLay and two political associates of conspiring to get around a state ban on corporate campaign contributions by funneling the money through a political action committee to the Republican National Committee in Washington. The RNC then sent back like amounts to distribute to Texas candidates in 2002, the indictment alleges. The new indictment came hours after DeLay’s … Continue reading DeLay: Tastes So Good We Indicted Him A Second Time

When all is said and done and I’m looking back upon the race I’ve run when my heart gives in I know you will be beside me, precious friend It’s just the same from the beginning to the end, When all is said and done If I lose my way And I wander down this open road for days And if the sun should fall And the dancing we once did become a crawl let the memories move like shadows on the wall If I lose my way When I’m coming home And I walk across the bridge of death … Continue reading If The Sun Should Fall

Mooom, Billy says since I voted for the bankruptcy bill he won’t play with me anymore! Still, there’s palpable anger in Washington at the behavior of party rank and file. One Chief of Staff for a midwestern Senator said, “It’s getting hard to ignore such aggressive Democratic voters.” A Senator from New England agreed. “Democratic voters don’t have any idea how much work is involved in hammering out compromises with the Republicans, who have earned their reputation for being completely unreasonable. We can’t get anywhere if we are always dropping everything to listen to complaints from our own side.” That’s … Continue reading Sucking This Much is Hard Work

From Holden: Little Scottie put the gaggle transcript up early today. Lots of good gaggleage on Miers. At least a couple of members of the press corps have been doing their homework. Q Scott, you mentioned her legal experience. Part of that experience is that she was the President’s personal lawyer. Can you tell us some of the matters that she would have represented the President in? I understand there was a real estate matter. Did she get involved in the National Guard stuff, the jury duty — can you tell us — MR. McCLELLAN: There will be a confirmation … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: Wow, the right is digging up dirt on Miers faster than the left. Prof. Bainbridge: The May 2000 Class Action Reporter described a $ 22 million paid by Texas law firm Locke Liddell & Sapp to settle a suit alleging it aided a client in defrauding investors. At the time, SCOTUS nominee Harriet Miers was the law firm’s president, although there is no allegation she took part in the fraud. Continue reading Securities Fraud