Jean Schmidt really took everyone for suckers when she proclaimed she didn't know the notorious Tom Noe. Oops. Seems connections between Schmidt and Noe are really not all that rare after all. Atrios points us to another one via E&P. It really does seem Noe had some type of dealing with everyone in the Ohio Republican Party. And for Schmidt, I guess it's easy to think you can snow the media when you hire a consultant who masqueraded as a political reporter.
Ohio really is a GOP cesspool. Paul Hackett has to be the start of the change out there.
The Washington Post has a long piece on Supreme Court Nomimee John Roberts role in trying to limit bias laws during his days in the Reagan Justice Department:
In the early 1980s, a young intellectual lawyer named John G. Roberts Jr. was part of the vanguard of a conservative political revolution in civil rights, advocating new legal theories and helping enforce the Reagan administration's effort to curtail the use of courts to remedy racial and sexual discrimination.
Just 26 when he joined the Justice Department as a special assistant to Attorney General William French Smith, Roberts was almost immediately entrusted to counsel senior department officials on such incendiary matters of the day as school desegregation, voting rules and government antidotes to bias in housing and hiring.
In prolific missives of a few pages and densely-written 30-page legal memos, Roberts -- whose co-workers recall had primary responsibility for civil rights matters in his office -- consistently sought to bolster the legal reasoning for the administration's new stances and to burnish its presentation of the policies to Congress and the public.
None of this should be a surprise really. It does show this guy is a true believer. And, clearly, he has been groomed for years. It's like the GOP has a judicial pipeline. They started preparing Roberts for the Supreme Court back when he was 26. He proved his mettle, then they kept him around...waiting for the chance.
My really favorite part of the article was learning about his strong opposition to Title IX:
Roberts's writings also show that he favored another pillar of the administration's new civil rights policies in education: an effort to limit the use of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which allows the government to withhold federal aid from schools that discriminate against women. Until then, Title IX had been interpreted to mean that all of a school's funding could be cut off if it discriminated at all, but Reagan officials rewrote the rules so that only the specific program found guilty of discrimination would lose money -- an interpretation that Congress later overruled.
His second summer working for the attorney general, Roberts wrote Smith a memo on this topic, urging that the administration stand behind a lower court decision siding with the University of Richmond in a case brought by the U.S. Department of Education for alleged sex discrimination in its sports programs.
"I strongly agree with [the] recommendation not to appeal" the court's decision that the university did not have to turn over athletic records to the government because its intercollegiate sports received no federal aid, Roberts wrote. "Under Title IX, federal investigators cannot rummage willy-nilly through institutions, but can only go as far as the federal funds go."
Read the whole article. When you're finished, you can't think for a minute that Roe v. Wade stands a chance with this guy. And if Roe goes, a whole lot of privacy rights go with it.
Republicans in Ohio really just think they can say and do anything without repercussions. That was true for too long. In the first election since the major Ohio GOP scandals broke, Jean Schmidt is learning that the rules have changed.
Interesting little Q & A distributed by the Associated Press today about the Rove Scandal. Okay, they call it the "CIA leak probe," but we all know it's now about Karl.
I found it a little thin -- but then, those of us in blog world know way more about the Rove scandal than AP can fit in an article. It left out some key facts, for example, in the first question about the origins of the case, they piece discusses the Niger Uranium issue. But it forgot to mention that Bush used it in his 2003 State of the Union address as a reason for going to war...those infamous 16 words.
Having AP do this piece, on top of the latest revelations from Time magazine, should re-invigorate the media. Time told us that they've learned Rove found about Plame "from within the Administration rather than from media contacts." Apparently, Karl told the grand jury that he found out about Plame from the media. Prosecutors love to find those inconsistencies.
Ugh. I hate traveling. Used to love it. Then 9/11. Now going to airports, not so much fun. Though I'm flying Air France, which I adore. Even in coach, where I'll be, the service and seating is still better than anything I've ever had on an US carrier (and I will not touch United or Delta to fly international ever again).
Anyway, lots of last minute to-dos to do, driving me nuts. Still haven't written this week's RADAR piece yet - I get to do that in Paris tomorrow (see, I told you'd be working). Doing some last minute laundry at Joe's - need to shrink those CafePress shirts so I can wear them in Paris and help spread the word.
Anyway, here's for a bit more, than it's Joe's for the evening, I should hopefully be online in Paris by the time you guys wake up tomorrow morning. What a very odd small world it is. JOHN
Seems Karl didn't get his info. about Plame from reporters after all according to Time:
As the investigation tightens into the leak of the identity of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame, sources tell TIME some White House officials may have learned she was married to former ambassador Joseph Wilson weeks before his July 6, 2003, Op-Ed piece criticizing the Administration. That prospect increases the chances that White House official Karl Rove and others learned about Plame from within the Administration rather than from media contacts. Rove has told investigators he believes he learned of her directly or indirectly from reporters, according to his lawyer.
As if the master of all politics learned something like that from a reporter. In the Bush White House, policy and politics are the same thing -- and all roads lead to and through Rove.
Now if Karl told something different to the FBI or the Grand Jury...he's in big trouble. And this also increases the likelihood that people in the White House knew Plame's undercover status when they were outing her.
Jean Schmidt, the GOP candidate for the open US House seat in Ohio, being voted on this tuesday, apparently lied about her ties to CoinGate-man Tom Noe.
Schmidt told a local news show this morning that she didn't know Tom Noe, never met him, and never even HEARD of him. Funny, because she testified before Noe only three years ago, and Schmidt apparently has almost total recall of everyone she's ever met. Guess when those multi-million dollar scandals kick in, that total recall starts to get a bit fuzzy. Maybe she'll start parsing the definition "met."
And she seemed like such a nice woman, that Jean Schmidt.
Even more evidence that global warming is real. If I didn't have to live on this planet, I'd think it ironic that Bush and his cronies were helping destroy the only home they have. Unfortunately, it's the only home WE HAVE too.
The other day, I happened to finally watch the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." You remember, the one where the NYC and the Statue of Liberty are frozen over, and the Republicans all flipped out last year saying the movie was a fraud. Well, apparently the science in the movie was a bit fanciful, but nonetheless, that flik freaked me out. I thought it was pretty good, disaster movie-wise, and nothing like a good movie to help you imagine the worst case scenario.
I'd recommend folks rent it, then get really pissed off at the Republicans for ignoring what they're doing to destroy our only home. And then, if you're a foreigner, get mad at your own country for letting George Bush push them around on this issue. Uzbekistan has bigger balls than Europe when it comes to standing up to Bush. Come on, guys.
Jimmy Carter let loose on the war in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay while at a conference of Baptists in Birmingham, England:
Former President Jimmy Carter said Saturday the detention of terror suspects at the Guantanamo Bay Naval base in Cuba was an embarrassment and had given extremists an excuse to attack the United States.
Carter also criticized the U.S.-led war in Iraq as "unnecessary and unjust."
"I think what's going on in Guantanamo Bay and other places is a disgrace to the U.S.A.," he said at a news conference at the Baptist World Alliance's centenary conference.
"I wouldn't say it's the cause of terrorism, but it has given impetus and excuses to potential terrorists to lash out at our country and justify their despicable acts."
Carter said, however, that terrorist acts could not be justified, and that while Guantanamo "may be an aggravating factor . . . it's not the basis of terrorism."
Critics of President Bush's administration have long accused the U.S. government of unjustly detaining terror suspects at Guantanamo. Hundreds of men have been held indefinitely at the prison, without charge or access to lawyers.
"What has happened at Guantanamo Bay . . . does not represent the will of the American people," Carter said. "I'm embarrassed about it. I think it's wrong. I think it does give terrorists an unwarranted excuse to use despicable means to hurt innocent people."
Well, what else can I even say. He's right.
Meanwhile, AP is reporting that five more American troops were killed yesterday in Iraq.
Back from Alaska in time for John to head to Paris.
Loved the trip. It helped that my guide for the week, Chris, was a veritable encyclopedia about his state. And, the one thing that struck me is how matter of fact everyone is about the effects of global warming in Alaska. It's not a scientific debate for people who live there. It's a fact. They've seen first-hand the dramatic results of warming climate change over the past few years.
You may have noticed that Chris in Paris has been gone for a few days. That's because he and his lovely wife are on vacation for the next 3+ weeks (ah, the French). They needed a cat-sitter for their wonderful two kitties (who bear somewhat of a resemblance to Atrios cat-children), so I volunteered.
I'll continue blogging from their apartment, and writing for RADAR, and trying to scrape up more clients, etc. etc. etc., but as DC is just so dead in August (the town pretty much empties out and politics grinds to a stand still, and it's hotter than hell), it seemed like a great opportunity, so I'm taking it.
I'll still have wi-fi access in Chris' apartment, so nothing much should change from your end, other than you'll probably get more than a few Paris Photo-blogging posts. And, of course, as is my tradition, as soon as I leave all hell will probably break loose either here at home or in the country I'm visiting.
Seriously, I'm like the typhoid Mary of travel disasters. I was in the Aleutian Islands during the Russian coup (which was a real bitch since, at the time, I was a foreign policy adviser to a US Senator and, well, there's not a lot of news in the Aleutian Islands (pretty, though)), I was in Chicago for Christmas when Romania and other governments were overthrown in 1989 or so (and didn't have CNN, so I was briefing the boss from what I read in the Chicago Trib!), went to Indonesia right before the terrorist attacks a few years back, to Cote d'Ivoire right before its coup, to Morocco several years back right before its terrorist attacks, to London ON THE DAY of its recent terrorist attacks, and on and on and on - you get the picture.
The lesson here? If you really hate someone, buy me a ticket to their homeland.
Anyway, I'm very excited. I do love France, and it's not very often you get an opportunity to visit another country for an extended period of time at a pretty low cost (my plane ticket was pretty much the only cost, since I can work from there, have the apartment for free, etc). So I consider myself lucky. I'm also looking forward to seeing Chris' adorable cats Nasdaq and Sushi - who were kind of bitchy at first, but now like me - and rest assured there will be some Friday Cat-blogging in all of your future.
Anyway, I don't leave until Sunday evening, so I'll be posting tomorrow. And if I can get my Vonage phone to work in Paris, that will be way cool (since now I have my cell phone unlocked too!)
Just bought a Vonage phone. With the rebate, the phone came to, oh, carry the one, um - NOTHING. It's a $50 or so box with a $50 or so rebate, and the monthly service is $25 when I pay $70 to Verizon.
Kiss Verizon goodbye. Buh bye. And they appear to have the 911 problem solved as well.
We find out that Bush bluntly ignored the advice of every branch of the military. In the strongest terms, the army, navy, air force and marines all denounced the use of extraordinary force during interrogations (what granola-eating wimps refer to as torture). Yep, every branch of the military argued that the case for torture was legally suspect at best, went against our country's core values and would put our troops in unnecessary danger. And it probably wouldn't do any good anyway.
Bush dismissed their advice with a wave of his hand and did it anyway. Why did Bush ignore his top military leaders? Why did he put our troops in harm's way whenever one of ours gets captured by an enemy? What are his reasons for dismissing the military advice of his top commanders?
But where did the story of Bush's dismissive lack of concern for our troops get buried? On page 21 of the New York Times.
Yikes. When asked about Democratic House candidate Paul Hackett's obviously experience with the Iraq question, he served as a US soldier in Iraq, his Republican opponent, Jean Scmidt, responded that she just got back from a memorial for a local soldier who died.
Huh? Well with THAT kind of experience she should be an expert on the war pretty soon since the deaths keep going.
He served in Iraq and she just got back from a memorial for a soldier killed in Iraq. Yeah, sounds like pretty comparable experience to me. Not to mention, I'm not sure I like the idea of some political candidate going to some dead soldier's memorial 3 days before the election - sounds more than a bit crass to me.
Not to mention, craaaaaaazzzzyyyyyy. Check out about three and a half minutes into this interview - she kind of starts to lose her cool in a kooky way. Also, she's one big GOP talking point, no substance whatsoever. With regards to Iraq, she thinks it's all going real well. "The best defense is a good offense," is what she'd tell President Bush about the war. Uh huh.
Oh, check out 6:40 into the video, she loses it again. What a fraking witch. Oh my! Gee, tightly strung much? Then she gets on a roll and just doesn't stop even for air, she gets more and more and more wound up. Oh my God, what a nut!
This is from a few days ago, but still good news, though the proof is in the pudding. Obviously, Bush's invasion of Iraq is directly responsible for this -- if he hadn't lied to the American people and gotten bogged down in the Middle East, how would the IRA have known to renounce terror...or rather extremism? Bush's invasion will also be credited with bringing the shuttle safely home and with ending the heat wave smothering the east coast these last few days.
