FromHolden:

Oh my. It sounds like theend of Katherine Harris’ political career will be anything but graceful.

Katherine Harris, who is trying to become a U.S. senator, says she is writing a tell-all about the many people who have wronged her. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to: the Republican leaders who didn’t want her to run, the press that has covered her troubled campaign, and the many staffers who have quit her employ, whom she accuses of colluding with her opponent.

She is vague about what, precisely, makes her a victim, but she says she has it all documented.

“I’ve been writing it all year,” she says in that kittenish voice. She often smiles and cocks her head as if she’s letting you in on a secret. “It’s going to be a great book.”

The Melt-Down Continues…

Continue reading “Your Tuesday Morning Republican Juggernaut Update”

Pony Blow is back, andHelen Thomas is all over him.

Q Does the President owe the Democrats an apology for saying that the terrorists — that they will appease the terrorists?

MR. SNOW: No. Let’s take — you know what’s interesting, Helen, and I’ve said this before —

Q How bellicose was Holden?

MR. SNOW: I don’t think it’s bellicose. Look, let’s listen to what the Democrats — or let’s think about what Democrats are doing in this election campaign. When it comes to winning the war on terror, what is their plan? They’ve not said. They have talked about withdrawal —

Q — 101 in Iraq —

MR. SNOW: — they’ve talked about a whole series of things, in terms of complaining — looking back over their shoulders and complaining about past decisions. But when it comes to the key issue, how do you achieve victory — they say they want to achieve it, but they won’t tell you how. They will tell you what they oppose what the President is doing. They oppose the Patriot Act; they have opposed the Terrorist Surveillance Program; they oppose the program by which we detain, question and bring to justice the worst of the terrorists. So they have opposed all of those things, so we know what they oppose, but we don’t know what they’re going to do.

Q How does the President propose to win? How does the President — 101 in October dying —

MR. SNOW: The President understands that it is difficult. This is a man who signs each and every condolence note. He is absolutely aware of the human cost. And he grieves for every family and every person that we’ve lost. But on the other hand, he also knows two things. First, as General Casey said last week, there is not a single military engagement that we have not won, and we don’t give our soldiers credit for that.

[snip]

Helen, you and I have been students of the region long enough to know that everybody is watching — everybody is watching. And the way they see it in the region is either terrorists win or democracy wins. And the President is absolutely determined that democracy wins.

Obsession continues…

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

Chimpy sat down for a chat withSean Hannity yesterday. Values Matters Well Well, I suspect people are going to vote for [Georgia Republikkkan] Max [Burns] because they know him as local boy who’s got — share their values. Now, values matters well in a race. Deep Thinker Well, I think this: I think that if you don’t think we’re in a war that you can’t win the war. A Trip to the Concession Stand Now, you can imagine these radicals getting a hold of a country where they’re able to pull oil off the market to run the price of … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

The Brits abandon their consulate inBasra, chased out by insurgent mortar fire. The British consulate in Basra will evacuate its heavily defended building in the next 24 hours over concerns for the safety of its staff. Despite a large British military presence at the headquarters in Basra Palace, a private security assessment has advised the consul general and her staff to leave the building after experiencing regular mortar attacks in the last two months. The move will be seen as a huge blow to progress in Iraq and has infuriated senior military commanders. They say it sends a message to … Continue reading Cut-n-Run

Consumer confidence takes a hit. The market was uneasy after the Conference Board said its index of consumer confidence fell to 105.4 from 105.9 in September. The reading was well below the 107.8 analysts expected and raised concerns on Wall Street about the strength of consumer spending, and in turn, the economy, in the coming months. Karl E. Rove:Super Genius. Continue reading Let’s Talk About The Economy

US forces in Iraqmeekly comply with the orders of the Iraqi Prime Minister. U.S. troops on Tuesday abandoned checkpoints around the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City on orders from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the latest in a series of moves by the Iraqi leader to assert his authority with the U.S. administration. [snip] U.S. forces disappeared from the checkpoints within hours of the order to remove the around-the-clock barriers by 5 p.m., setting off celebrations among civilians and armed men gathered on the edge of the sprawling slum that is under the control of the Mahdi Army militia run … Continue reading Whatever Nouri Wants, Nouri Gets

Bowers: I am a progressive, and I joined the Democratic coalition because that is where progressives belong. Just one look at the opposing coalition should make that clear. Fighting for progressives and fighting for Democrats does not in any way seem like a conflict to me. That goes for every time I support a conservative Democrat in a general election. As long as we all follow the guidelines I laid out above, it shouldn’t be a problem for centrists and conservatives in our coalition to see no conflict here either. I desperately wish that lack of conflict is something more … Continue reading A Majority At Stake

The Bush Assministration certainly loves theoil industry. The Interior Department has dropped claims that the Chevron Corporation systematically underpaid the government for natural gas produced in the Gulf of Mexico, a decision that could allow energy companies to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties. The agency had ordered Chevron to pay $6 million in additional royalties but could have sought tens of millions more had it prevailed. The decision also sets a precedent that could make it easier for oil and gas companies to lower the value of what they pump each year from federal property and … Continue reading Giving Your Money Away

I think Katherine Harris shoulddemand a recount. There are 22 daily newspapers in Florida. All 22 have endorsed Bill Nelson for re-election to the U.S. Senate. The first was The Palm Beach Post, the latest two on Sunday were The Orlando Sentinel and the Jacksonville-based Florida Times-Union. The only newspaper that has endorsed Republican candidate Harris is ironically named the Polk County Democrat, published four days a week in Harris’ girlhood hometown, Bartow. Continue reading Your Monday Afternoon Republican Juggernaut Update

Maliki is calling the shots in Iraq now. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered the removal of U.S. and Iraqi military checkpoints from Sadr City Tuesday, according to his office. The order came after a general strike ordered by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadral-Sadr shut down the sprawling Shiite slum. Most shops, schools and government buildings there were closed for the day. The order pertains to all entrances of Sadr City and says they must be reopened by 5 p.m. (9 a.m. ET), according to al Maliki’s office. For the last week, U.S. and Iraqi troops have imposed checkpoints at … Continue reading The Puppet Becomes A Real Boy

More about thesofter side of Katherine Harris. She’s a Thesbian! An arts lover, [Katherine Harris] reveled in Sarasota’s galleries, theaters and diamond-studded social scene. She volunteered, raised money and planted the seeds of her political future. Robert Plunket, a Sarasota writer, said no one worked harder. “I adored Katherine; I loved her,” he said. “She was a force for good.” Plunket, who has since soured on Harris’ politics, arranged her Sarasota stage debut. In 1991, he cast her in a late-night revue that he produced. Harris had a one-night role as a “Vanna White character” who escorted guests onstage. At … Continue reading Your Tuesday Morning Republican Juggernaut Update, Part II

New numbers just in time for the mid-terms. Traders are betting on Tuesday that U.S. employers added about a median 113,450 jobs in October in the first of five derivatives auctions, according to preliminary data from the firms holding the auction. The latest median forecast of economists polled by Reuters predicted a 125,000 job increase in nonfarm payrolls against a 51,000 gain in September. The U.S. Labor Department will issue the October payroll report on Friday at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT). So, last month derivitives traders bet that the US economy had created 125k jobs when in actuality only 51k … Continue reading October New Jobs Report Due Friday

Fat Dennyhones his message of pitiful co-option of sci-fi movie clichs before the slavering hordes of orcs (hey, if he’s gonna take it there): They want, quite simply, to terror-bomb us and our values back to the Dark Ages. As far as we are concerned, our enemies present to us a choice not between war and peace but between war and chaos. They will fight us whether we choose to fight back or not. As far as Republicans are concerned we are in a fight for our freedom and even our lives. But the reception is less than kind: You … Continue reading Dead Man Talking Hangs At Red State

Worst Senate Campaign (Ever?) Sen. George Allen of Virginia is running the worst campaign in the country, political insiders said in a poll released Saturday by the National Journal. Fifty-three percent of Republican and 66 percent of Democratic “insiders” think George Allen’s campaign is the sloppiest of the 2006 season, according to the survey of 138 political experts with campaign experience, insider knowledge and ties to key voting blocs. [snip] The National Journal survey also listed Rep. Katherine Harris of Florida, Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana, and Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, all Republicans, among this year’s bad campaigners. But … Continue reading It’s Macacawitz By A Nose

Pity the traveling press corps, flying to Georgia andstuck with Dana Peroxide. Q Did Steve Hadley go to Iraq — what for? MS. PERINO: Yes, I can confirm that Mr. Hadley did go to Iraq. This is a long-planned trip to the region. With the President out of town this week, it’s a good time for him to go, as part of our ongoing assessments and continued cooperation to get Iraq to be a democratically led country that can govern, sustain and defend itself, and become an ally in the war on terror. I’m not going to provide any other … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

Actually, thisLuckovich cartoon was published Friday, but it’s a good one. Continue reading Cartoon of the Day

Check outJuan Cole onJeff Jarvis’ andDoughy Pantload’s abandonment of their Iraq War videogame. Continue reading Monday Morning Must-Read

New column’s up: In a vague order of priority known as “things I’d like to see them do,” here are the tasks which could face a Democratic Congress: A repeal of the Military Commissions Act, signed by the president last week, which condones torture and cancels out centuries of established law by giving the executive branch the right to determine, on its own and with no oversight, who does and does not deserve a hearing on the charges against him. The law is monstrous, unnecessary, and unworthy of a great nation, and erasing it from the books should be a … Continue reading To-Do List

Time magazine calls Bush the “Republican resident”. This midterm election is also turning out to be all about Bush, but it’s a much lonelier experience for him. He still fills smaller rooms, especially the kind where people are willing to write five-figure checks for the privilege of lunch with a Republican resident. Continue reading Wake Me When They Start Calling Him “Chimpy”

Eat your heart out, Justice League: I give you a mere sampling of America’s mighty progressive champions. Sir Al Gore – all-powerful guardian of the planet Sir John Edwards – tireless champion of the poor and disadvantaged Sir Byron Dorgan – relentless protector of the middle-class Sir Russ Feingold – diligent defender of the constitution Sir Henry Waxman – ace eliminator of governmental waste and fraud Sir John Conyers – eagle-eyed enforcer of all things judiciary But a few card-carrying members of our illustrious blue team ready, willing and able to right this wavering ship of state. A. Continue reading A Superhero Movie In The Making

OK, the White House dispensed with the likes of Dana Peroxide and Tony Fratto and brought back the A-Team (such as it is) in the guise of Pony Blow.

But one can hardly tell the difference astoday’s gaggle was largely occupied with Pony’s inability to convincingly explain away Dick Cheney’s love for waterboarding.

Q Tony, your argument that Vice President Cheney didn’t know that he was being asked about water boarding or wasn’t being asked about water boarding and didn’t intend to give an answer that suggested he was saying the United States uses water boarding, it doesn’t follow when you read the transcript and it doesn’t follow sort of common sense.

MR. SNOW: Well, I’ll tell you what he —

Q How can you really make that argument?

MR. SNOW: I’ll tell you what he said. He was asked the question, “You dunk somebody’s head in the water to save a life, is it a no-brainer?” And also, if you read the rest of the answer, he also — the Vice President, who earlier had also been asked about torture, he said, “We don’t torture.”

[snip]

Q Then how can you say that he’s not referring to water boarding, when it was very clear, when you look at the whole context, not only that specific question —

MR. SNOW: Does the word —

Q — but the one before?

MR. SNOW: Did the word “water boarding” appear?

Q It came up in the context of talking about interrogation techniques and the entire debate that has been conducted in this country.

MR. SNOW: I understand that. I’ll tell you what the Vice President said. You can push all you want, wasn’t referring to water boarding and would not talk about techniques.

Q Let’s Holden it up here for a second, because what we’re saying is — and I’ve got the transcript — “Would you agree a dunk in water is a ‘no-brainer’ that can save lives?” Vice President: “It’s a ‘no-brainer’ for me.” Tony —

MR. SNOW: Read the rest of the answer.

Q What could “dunk in the water” refer to if not water boarding?

MR. SNOW: I’m just telling you — I’m telling you the Vice President’s position. I will let you draw your own conclusions, because you clearly have. He says he wasn’t talking —

Q I haven’t drawn any conclusions. I’m asking for an explanation about what “dunk in the water” could mean.

MR. SNOW: How about a dunk in the water?

Q So, wait a minute, so “dunk in the water” means what, we have a pool now at Guantanamo, and they go swimming?

MR. SNOW: Are you doing stand up?

Obsession continues…

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

Ben Sargent. Maliki is playing Chimpy like a drum. Continue reading Cartoon of the Day

Today at HuffPoBob Cesca notes that George F. Allen, Jr., appeared in the Confederate-friendly bombGods and Generals. This reminded me that someone near and dear to my heart also appeared in that film: Les Kinsolving! Yes, Your Daily Les portrayed confederate Brigadier General William Barksdale, a role he revisited inG and G after debuting it in the equally-floppy filmGettysburg. That’s Les in costume on the right. Continue reading Co-Starring With Sen. George Allen — Les!