alternative hippopotamus

Here’s an example from All The President’s Men that suggests how reporters get caught up in political dirtywork: (All The President’s Men, page 54)

On the freeway, a billboard caught his eye. It pictured a handsome, thirtyish, blond man who looked like a model in a cigarette ad. “Vote for Neal Sonnett, State’s Attorney, Dade County,” it said. Bernstein’s anger at the chief investigator turned to rage.

A couple of weeks before, Dardis had called him for a favor. “It’s on a case we’re working, not related to Watergate,” he had told Bernstein. “You must have some friends at the Pentagon or somewhere in the military. If you could get somebody to look up the records for you… ” Then he asked for any possible derogatory information- arrests, mental illnesses, history of homosexuality- in the file of a Neal Sonnet.

A Pentagon colonel had agreed to try to get Sonnett’s military information for Bernstein, and just before the Republican convention Bernstein had called Dardis to tell him so. Fortunately, Dardis had said he didn’t need it any more.

In this case Bernstein was willing to get damaging material on a source’s political opponent, though he makes it clear that he didn’t know what use the information would be put, and would probably not have approved if he’d known.

I use this example to suggest the possibility that Miller may not have been the source of the leak, but if all the facts came out, she wouldn’t look 100% above-board either.

An excerpt on the Energy Bill:

Grade: (D-). The nation certainly needs an energy policy. But we need an energy policy that is more than a Christmas tree of handouts to the oil, gas, ethanol and coal industries. We need to find ways to decrease dependence on foreign oil, seriously increase incentives for alternative energy use, combat high gas prices, and create a long-term strategy to deal with global warming. This bill does none of those.

Amen. And a reminder to me that the Republican Party, when you take away the Fundies, Freepers, and Neocons, is a hairsbreadth away from the Democrats. In a world where we don’t have to deal with the crazies, the two parties can start to craft legislation that will move the country forward. And yes, in this particular form of democracy, moving society forward is through cooperation of the two parties.

At TPMCafe Anne-Marie Slaughter describes how our outrage has dulled over the systematic abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The article is partly a response to a post I’d written about the Club Gitmo Republicans, a movement inspired by Rush “Fraternity Prank” Limbaugh.

The response in comments is instructive. Given the opportunity to repudiate the Club Gitmoers, the wingers instead choose the “torture saves lives” tack:

She wrings her hands and frets about possible torture and abuse at Gitmo, but never once makes any effort to put these interrogation techniques back into any sort of rational, historical context.

The US military is trying to squeeze information out of prisoners. OK, but why? Are our soldiers a bunch of busybodies and gossips with an abnormal curiosity about life in the Middle East? Are they hoping to titillate themselves with crazy tales about sexual action in the desert? Are they sadists and perverts? Or are they trying to learn things that might make our military actions in the Middle East and elsewhere more effective?

Are they trying, in other words, to save lives?

Support the troops! September 11 changed everything! Saddam, mushroom cloud, etc!

I suspect that those who argue in this vein aren’t aware that Senator Graham, red-blooded America-loving he-man Republican, read memos from JAGs into the congressional record:

The issue of detention is especially important to Sen. Graham because he is a reserve officer in the Air Force’s Judge Advocate General corps. JAG officers have been vocal opponents of the changes in detention rules, but mostly in private. This month, Sen. Graham took those objections public, adding to the Congressional Record memos from JAGs to their service chiefs that the administration’s policies were not on solid legal ground. A Marine JAG officer raised the specter that military personnel could be charged with crimes in other countries for following the administration’s policies on interrogation.

So, Freeperati, ya think the Marines hate America?

The votes had nothing to do with what was best for our country, they were about favors like fundraising appearances by Cheney. Gives you a queasy feeling in your stomach, doesn’t it?

DCeiver on why Supreme Court nominee John Roberts membership in the Federalist Society is not unlike membership in the Communist Party:

Nine times out of ten, you’d have to be a fucking imbecile to take their ideas seriously.

Marty Lederman on JAG memos arguing against the use of torture (Balkinization):

It is fair to say that these accounts reflected sustained, uniform and passionate opposition to the OLC legal theories that were being foisted upon the military. Indeed, the tone of the memos is one of barely concealed incredulity, and outrage—disbelief—that a young legal academic from DOJ could sweep right in and so quickly overturn decades of carefully wrought military policy, using legal analysis that almost certainly would not withstand scrutiny outside the Administration and around the world.

Alex on Bush’s no-show with the Boy Scouts of America (Martini Republic):

No word yet on whether Bush blew off the Boy Scouts because he was reading The Pet Goat, riding his trike, or flipping off the press.

Reminds me of the time I put out a blanket request for any man in the office to go out and get me Playboy, because I knew I was mentioned in a piece and was, naturally, way curious. Naturally everyone ran to the door (quite to the contrary, actually.) Mother Superior K-Lo is what’s wrong with America today!

K-Lo, NRO

“The top salary, paid to 19 aides, is up $4,000 from last year, barely matching the annual inflation rate,” penned National Journal reporter Alexis Simendinger. “At the low end of the pecking order, some young staff assistants and correspondence aides earn $30,000 for the honor of sitting on the fringes of history.”

You can just imagine what would have happened if they really screwed up.

As a side note, it’s interesting that Rove’s and Libby’s salary go up while minimum wage has been fixed since the Clinton administration.

Here we have Mr. Specious Infotainment, Lucianne’s insipid spawn: (emphasis mine)

When you think about it, this dynamic explains most of the really nasty partisan spats in Washington. The anti-Clinton crowd often believed that the left really agreed with the right about the underlying crimes and lies but was willing to forgive them for expediency’s sake. Today, the anti-Bush crowd thinks all conservatives really secretly accept that Bush is a stupid liar but we’re unwilling to admit it because we’re partisan power-worshippers. The reality is that most — certainly not all — ideologues and even a majority of partisans argue in good faith most of the time. And both sides would be better served if they understood that.

What I’ll give the doughy yellow elephant is that some idealogues argue in good faith some of the time. What I see at NRO is for the most part gossip, disinformation, and right-wing propaganda.

Take for instance, this snippet from the typically odious Cliff May:

And BTW, anyone curious how an ex-ambassador to Gabon earned enough to live in Georgetown with a view of the Capitol? How many other former ambassadors to Africa are doing so well? One would think some of those tough-minded MSM reporters interviewing Joe Wilson might at least ask him such questions.

That is not what I call “good faith.” That’s malicious gossip.

CATS cannot taste sweet things because of a newly identified genetic mutation (Mark Henderson writes).

Pet owners have long known that while dogs are fond of sweet treats, cats are indifferent. The lack of a sweet tooth is not confined to domestic cats: lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars are known to share it.

Researchers in the US and Britain have now pinpointed a peculiarity in feline DNA. Cats never develop the sweetness receptors that exist on the tongues of other mammals.

The findings will be used to create better-tasting catfood. Joseph Brand, of Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, a member of the research team, said: “No wonder cats are cranky. Not only do they have to hunt for their food, but they also can’t enjoy a sweet dessert.”

Next up… why fish shun vodka.

Now, let’s play a little solitaire…