From Holden: The Long Dark Shodow of Little Scottie Ha! Pony Blow is now the President’s Press Secretary, but you wouldn’t know it from the White House Press Briefing Page (at least as of this writing, 3:15PM CDT) where Scott McClellan’s is still in the banner. It’s fitting, however, as Pony did not do anything besides introduce John Nunkillergroponte who told us how fabu-lous Michael Hayden is. Helen was having none of it, notice, too, how she slipped in an extraodinary rendition question. Q Why did you want Mr. Goss fired? And also, does the CIA send detainees to secret … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: Chimpy hit another all-time low approval rating yesterday so it’s time to update the list. USA Today/Gallup: 34% USA Today/Gallup: 31% AP/Ipsos: 33% CBS News: 33% American Research Group (ARG): 34% NBC/Wall Street Journal: 36% CNN: 32% UPDATE: Chimpy leaps up to 34% in the latest CNN poll. Fox News: 33% Chimpy surges in the latest Fox News poll to 38%, so that Pony Blow appointment must be paying off already. Gallup: 36% Note: the USA Today/Gallup Poll and the Gallup Poll are conducted independently. <Pony, bitches. Continue reading All-Time Low Update

From Holden: Nice democracy we set up in Afghanistan, don’t ya’ think? An outspoken female legislator was physically and verbally attacked by her colleagues after saying on the parliament floor that some of Afghanistan’s mujahedeen leaders were criminals who shouldn’t now be lawmakers, officials said Monday. Malalai Joya, who apparently was unhurt, said several female lawmakers hit her with empty plastic water bottles and male lawmakers made death threats and lobbed insults at her after her speech on Sunday. Moderate lawmakers in the 249-member lower house formed a circle around Joya to protect her, she and other lawmakers said. ”I … Continue reading Freedom On The March!

From Holden: Karl Rove is counting on a faulty memory defense saving him from indictment. I’m thinking Fitzmorial day will be sweet. VandeHei: Fitzgerald, according to sources close to the case, is reviewing testimony from Rove’s five appearances before the grand jury. Bush’s top political strategist has argued that he never intentionally misled the grand jury about his role in leaking information about undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame to Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper in July 2003. Rove testified that he simply forgot about the conversation when he failed to disclose it to Fitzgerald in his earlier testimony. Fitzgerald is … Continue reading I Dismember Momma

From Holden: Chimpy chooses fish. “You know, I’ve experienced many great moments and it’s hard to name the best,” Bush told weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001. “I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound (3.402 kilos) perch in my lake,” he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. Bush said the worst moment was September 11 when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. “In such a situation it takes a … Continue reading Fish or Goat?

From Scout:

When I was in New Orleans I often heard “Did you read Rose today?” That would be Times Picayune and pulitzer Prize nominee columnist Chris Rose who has become a must read in post Katrina NOLA. If you aren’t familiar with his work he has a book entitled “1 Dead in Attic” and here is a post at Josh Britton.com that includes parts of an interview with Rose. In his column last Friday Rose writes of following his own advice that New Orleanians take out of town visitors on a “Misery Tour.” Rose took some of his visitors to see the lower 9th before going to Jazzfest. On the way they saw a jazz funeral in the 8th ward……

They’d already seen Lakeview and Mid-City the day before. More than anything else, the emptiness of it all is what stirs the soul. That’s what tells this story. Eight months later, the question still hammers home: Where the hell is everybody?

While we were tooling around the 8th Ward, we turned up St. Roch Avenue and got stalled behind a gathering in the street and, unaware of what was going on, I backed up and took a circuitous route around St. Roch Cemetery and then ended up in front of the crowd.

It was a funeral. A jazz funeral, of all things.

It was small. A hearse, one limo and maybe 40 people following. Several men with matching T-shirts followed close behind the hearse, with their hands on the back of it and their heads bowed. A ragtag band played a slow dirge.

Unlike the big and brassy processions that follow the passings of famous musicians around here, this one was off the radar. It was just some family and friends and none of the attendant video and camera crews that can turn these intimate gatherings into culture vulture documentaries rather than unique spiritual reckonings.

The St. Roch area is still so blown out and desolate that this pocket of humanity and color lent a haunting quality to the landscape. It looked like an apparition in the hushed grayness.

“Is this for real?” my guests asked me and I told them yes, this is what happens here.

For the rest…click Read More

Continue reading ““Still Burying Us””

Jericho. MYSTERY! launches its 26th season with a stylish new whodunit starring Robert Lindsay as Chief Inspector Michael Jericho, one of Scotland Yard’s finest officers, revered by his colleagues and the public. With Jericho, MYSTERY! introduces one of its most complex and intriguing detectives yet. Set amidst the social upheaval of post-war 1950s London, Jericho is surveying a city changing before his eyes and he is ahead of his time in his fight for justice without prejudice. Jericho is haunted by memories of his father whose murder he witnessed as a boy. It has left an indelible scar. And he … Continue reading Sunday TV Rec

What follows is a list of the senders of penis, prescription and investment spam mails I’ve gotten in the past week. I don’t know who’s tasked with thinking these up, but whoever you are, I WANT YOUR JOB. Volleyballs Q. Lusitania Saucer H. Sleeplessness Styled Q. Harking Malformations T. Carom Deadlocks L. Meretricious Outlets J. Tangos Midmost C. Underlines Vermin K. Fattest Princeton U. Ambitiousness Fleetingly I. Groaning Defecation M. Apostasy Yiddish P. Veronese Scimitar S. Tailors Legalism J. Rumbling Troops S. Pelt It has gotten to the point where I look forward to the spam just to see what … Continue reading Saturday Fun

From Scout: This was sent to me by FD reader Virgotex. The story is found here. Reporters will be embedded with the government during natural disasters, according to a plan outlined by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at the Radio-Television News Directors Association convention in Las Vegas. Chertoff said that it is not a battleground so “we’re not going to be censoring information.” But he also said that he doesn’t want “interference with our physical operations,” according to RTNDA. The administration came in for some heavy criticism from the media during its handling, or arguably mishandling, of the Katrina Hurricane … Continue reading F*#k This

From Scout: Earlier this week the US military released outakes from a video showing terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi fumbling with a gun in an attempt to mock and discredit him. However in a NYT story retired and active American military officers questioned the strategy. An active-duty Special Forces colonel who served in Iraq also said that what the video showed actually had little relationship to Mr. Zarqawi’s level of terrorist skill. “Looking at the video, I enjoy it; I like that he looks kind of goofy,” said the Special Forces officer, who was granted anonymity because he was not … Continue reading Mockery Shmockery

From Scout:

I found the trailer to “All the Kings Men” on YouTube. I really want to see this. A great story and a great cast (Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet , James Gandolfini, , Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, and Anthony Hopkins) It was filmed in New Orleans (pre-Katrina)

The Democrats should forget the slogan “We Can Do Better.” I say go with “Nail Em Up”

For more on the filming in New Orleans click Read More

Continue reading “Nail Em Up”

Joey thinks you’re delicious. A. Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging

From Holden:

Today in his final gaggle Little Scottie knew about Porter Goss’ impending resignation, but true to form he didn’t spill the beans (and, heck, that is/was his job).

MR. McCLELLAN: Can I — one thing I forgot to mention at the top — and I know this will stir some interest, but the President — I do need to back up, it just popped back in my head and I apologize for not mentioning it at the top — at 1:45 p.m., the President does have a pool coverage announcement. That will be in the Oval Office, so the pool will need to assemble after this briefing. And I’m not able to go further than that at this point. That’s an announcement that will be made with the President.

Q You can’t go further — can you just tell us what it’s about? (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN: No. (Laughter.)

Q Scott, is it personnel —

Q Scott, is it personnel — is it personnel-related?

MR. McCLELLAN: It’s a personnel-related matter.

Q All right.

Scottie’s swan song continues, Read More…

Continue reading “Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle”

From Holden: Continue reading Paging Porter Goss, Porter Goss to the White Courtesy Phone Please

From Holden: Heckuva job, Bushie* The official team bus to be used by the United States during the World Cup will not bear a flag for security reasons. The 32 official buses were presented Thursday in Frankfurt and the other 31 buses have large national flags of the their teams painted on rear sides. German and U.S. security officials came to the conclusion to leave the flag off the U.S. team bus, an official of the German organizing committee said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the topic. *Yes, that is an FDLism. Continue reading Pariah Nation

From Holden: Combine this from Josh Micah… Remember, Wilkes’ scam was getting corrupt contracts deep in the ‘black’ world of intelligence and defense appropriations, where there’s little or no oversight. Foggo was in the contracting and procurement field at the CIA. So you can see how he and Wilkes, who have been friends since high school, had plenty to talk about. The CIA wasn’t the only place Wilkes and his protege Wade plied their corrupt trade. There were also in the mix contracting on the Bush Pentagon’s extra-constitutional spying operations. And I am told that senior appointees at the DOD … Continue reading It’s Going to be a Long Hot Summer in DC

Josh on plausible deniability for Goss: Now, corrupt contractors saucing up Agency officials and members of Congress to get contracts and free money. Hospitality suites where the saucing takes place. Hookers in the mix. It’s going on for more than a decade, various members of the key committees in the mix. Goss, former member of one of those committees, appoints one of the key players in all this mess as the number three guy at CIA? The feds leaning hard on the limo company owner who probably knows all the details and already has a long rap sheet and can’t … Continue reading Disbelief and the Suspension Thereof

From Holden: Looks like Goss got his cock caught in the Bureau drawer. Last week, Harper’s magazine reported that party-goers “under intense scrutiny by the FBI are current and former lawmakers on Defense and Intelligence committees — including one person who now holds a powerful intelligence post.” CIA Director Porter Goss is perhaps the only individual who fits such a description. (“This is horribly irresponsible. He hasn’t even been to the Watergate in decades,” a CIA spokeswoman said. When asked if Goss had attended Wilkes’ parties at the Westin or other locations, she repeated the denial. “It’s horribly irresponsible. Flatly … Continue reading Porter’s Peter!

From Holden: The Senate is still trying to pin the Bush Assministratino down on torture. The Senate Armed Services Committee called on Thursday for a legal definition of inhumane treatment of military detainees as it pressed the Bush administration to comply with a law banning mistreatment of such prisoners. The committee called for a legal opinion from federal departments to pin the administration down on its treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other terrorism suspects as lawmakers cleared a $517.7 billion defense authorization bill. The measure seeks the administration’s stance on whether techniques such as forcing an inmate to … Continue reading Objectively Pro-Panty-On- The-Head

From Holden:

Today is Scott McClellan’s last day as Press Secretary to the President of the United States of America, so I think it is fitting to now look back with respect and admiration for the man we know as Little Scottie.

March 2, 2000: Little Scottie attends a strategy meeting with Karen Hughes during the 2000 presidential campaign.

There are more Little Scottie photos, click Read More…

Continue reading “A Little Scottie Retrospective”

From Holden: The Bush Legacy Poor women are getting pregnant unintentionally at considerably higher rates now than in the mid-1990s, and they are giving birth to many more unplanned children and having more abortions. Continue reading Culture of Life

From Holden: Chimpy hit another all-time low approval rating yesterday so it’s time to update the list. AP/Ipsos: 33% USA Today/Gallup: 34% CBS News: 33% American Research Group (ARG): 34% NBC/Wall Street Journal: 36% CNN: 32% Fox News: 33% Chimpy surges in the latest Fox News poll to 38%, so that Pony Blow appointment must be paying off already. Gallup: 36% Note: the USA Today/Gallup Poll and the Gallup Poll are conducted independently. <Pony, bitches. Continue reading All-Time Lows, Update II

Let us now praise Ray McGovern: RUMSFELD: My words — my words were that — no, no, wait a minute, wait a minute. Let him stay one second. Just a second. QUESTION: This is America. RUMSFELD: You’re getting plenty of play, sir. QUESTION: I’d just like an honest answer. RUMSFELD: I’m giving it to you. QUESTION: Well we’re talking about lies and your allegation there was bulletproof evidence of ties between al Qaeda and Iraq. If Edith Wharton was alive today, she’d be having a field day with the Bush crew and their editorial and pundit enablers, swear on a … Continue reading Shaming

From Holden:

Scottie’s next to last day was a rough one.

Q Yes. Scott, Elizabeth Dole, as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has sent out a fundraising email, and in it she says that if the Democrats take control of the Senate this year they’re going to try to call for endless congressional investigations and possibly the impeachment of President Bush. And she also says that that is worse than losing the war on terror. What is your reaction to that?

MR. McCLELLAN: You know, I haven’t had a chance to look at the fundraising letter. I think that if you have questions about it you ought to ask Senator Dole. We appreciate all that she does to help advance the ideas that the President has outlined in his agenda for the American people. And we appreciate all that she’s doing to support Republican candidates for the United States Senate. But I think we’ve previously talked about how there are some Democratic leaders who think the enemy is the President. The enemy is the terrorist. And that’s why we’re going to continue the stay focused on winning the war on terrorism and doing everything within our power to bring the terrorists to justice and prevent attacks from happening.

Q Would you not think that losing the war on terror would be worse than a congressional investigation of the President?

MR. McCLELLAN: I’m sorry?

Q Would you think that losing the war on terror would be worse than —

MR. McCLELLAN: I don’t know you’re trying to equate the two.

Q Because they’re in this letter.

MR. McCLELLAN: The top priority of this President is winning the war on terrorism. I’m not going to comment on a letter that I haven’t even seen.

Hoo-boy, there’s more, just click Read More…

Continue reading “Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle”

From Scout: Or terribly confused as is the order with FEMA. Now FEMA officials say it was all a misunderstanding that they were leaving New Orleans. A FEMA official was grilled Wednesday at a NOLA City Council meeting. From the Times Picayune article “Council Bares Fangs at FEMA Official”…. In one area an accord was reached. Citing reports that FEMA was closing its long-range planning office in New Orleans because neither the city nor the state could create a timely recovery plan, council members lacerated the agency for deserting desperate citizens and taxpayers. Misczak said that was not the case … Continue reading Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated

From Holden: Little Scottie sez no (which means the same thing in both languages). The White House on Thursday disputed an account of President George W. Bush singing the U.S. national anthem in Spanish during the 2000 presidential campaign, saying his Spanish is not that good. [snip] White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the assertion did not ring true to him because, “The president speaks Spanish, but not that well.” “I’m saying that not only was that suggestion absurd, but that he couldn’t possibly sing the national anthem in Spanish. He’s not that good with his Spanish,” McClellan said. UPDATE: … Continue reading Former Border State Governor, Fluent in Spanish?

From Holden: Here’s why. [D]ata collected by two economists who found that the growth of the Fox cable news network in the late 1990s may have significantly boosted the Republican Party’s share of the vote in the 2000 election and delivered Florida to Bush. “Our estimates imply that Fox News convinced 3 to 8 percent of its audience to shift its voting behavior towards the Republican Party, a sizable media persuasion effect,” said Stefano DellaVigna of the University of California at Berkely and Ethan Kaplan of Stockholm University. In Florida alone, they estimate, the Fox effect may have produced more … Continue reading Why Tony Snow?

From Holden: New Jobless claims rose unexpectedly for the second consecutive week. In the week ending April 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 322,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 317,000. The 4-week moving average was 314,250, an increase of 5,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 309,000. Continue reading The New Bush-Boomless

From Holden: Must have run out of vodka and Xanax that day. First Lady Laura Bush said, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with singing it in Spanish.” “What people want is it to be sung in a way that respects the United States and our culture,” she said. But when it was pointed out that this position differed from her husband’s, the first lady had a different answer. “Well, I think it should be sung in English, of course,” she said. Continue reading She Was For Nuestro Himno Before She Was Against It