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My Favorite Post of The Day Open Thread

Tell us about a post you read that you particularly liked today.

I really enjoyed this one from Matt Yglesias:

I guess I'm glad that after relentlessly propagandizing on Scooter Libby's behalf, Fred Hiatt has decided that commuting the entirely of Libby's sentence was the wrong thing to do, but I would have traded that small concession to reality for them not making reference to Libby's "long and distinguished record of public service." What record? What distinction? As best I can tell, Libby has done exactly two things in government service -- he's worked for Paul Wolfowitz and he's worked for Dick Cheney.

. . . Hilariously, of Libby's two patrons Wolfowitz is the less embarrassing one. . . .

There's a record of service here, but it's not distinguished. Indeed, at 11-12 years it's not even all that long. Joe Wilson had a long career of distinguished service. Valerie Plame had a long career of distinguished service. Libby had a medium length career that mostly lacked distinction and involved the occasional -- but extremely accute -- lapse into catastrophe, before he found himself resigning because he'd been caught breaking the law.

Heh. Tell us about the piece you enjoyed the most today.

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    I have to give credit to the Times editorial page (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by andgarden on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 04:49:29 PM EST
    Calling George Bush "Soft on Crime" is an excellent touch.

    DA (1.00 / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 09:58:18 AM EST
    No. What I refuse to agree with is someone making a point that leaves out some rather important facts.

    Ta Ta

    I must be an awful person.... (1.00 / 1) (#28)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 06:40:16 PM EST
    Yet still no one here can answer my questions.

    Did Armitage and Maj Gen Valley tell the truth? And if they didn't, here is the proof??

    Parent

    Here's an answer. (none / 0) (#29)
    by Edger on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 06:47:29 PM EST
    "No".

    If you think you can refute "No" with some fact and reason go ahead and beat yourself to death trying.

    It's your case to make. Make it or give it up.

    Parent

    Nope. It's not my case. (1.00 / 0) (#37)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 09:53:33 PM EST
    I am just the postman. You might even say I am merely presenting some inconvenient truth, or if you prefer, questions.

    Because the facts are they both said what they said. I don't have to prove it. The two questions just hang there. They won't go away, and unless refuted, they will exist forever.

    A government offical, perhaps a flawed one if we can believe the Left, but he spoke when he had no motive. Mid June 2003. So, why would he lie??

    Armitage: (over) Everybody knows it.
    Woodward: Everyone knows?
    Armitage: Yeah. And they know 'cause Joe Wilson's been calling everybody. He's pissed off 'cause he was designated as a low level guy went out to look at it. So he's all pissed off.

    And a retired Major General. What was his motive? Why would he lie? Yet he said:

    Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely told WorldNetDaily that Wilson mentioned Plame's status as a CIA employee over the course of at least three, possibly five, conversations in 2002 in the Fox News Channel's "green room" in Washington, D.C., as they waited to appear on air as analysts.

    So no case edger. Just questions. Questions that, after awhile, start to bug people. Make people say... Why would they lie???

    Parent

    OK. For me, from NR: (none / 0) (#2)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 04:50:37 PM EST
    There were a lot of reasons why presidential clemency was appropriate. The first is that the CIA-leak investigation was a fundamentally political exercise from Day One.

    Even before the appointment of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in December 2003, Justice Department investigators knew that it was former State Department official Richard Armitage, not Libby, who originally leaked the identity of CIA employee Valerie Plame Wilson.

    The Justice Department also knew enough to conclude that Libby had not violated the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, the law at issue in the case.

    Lacking proof that an underlying crime took place, and knowing the source of the leak, the Justice Department should have shut down the investigation then and there.

    It was a political fishing expedition.

    Hey, you asked.

    Underlying crime (5.00 / 2) (#34)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 08:26:03 PM EST
    JimakaPPj being pissed off at Edgar resolves to get his gun and hunt Edgar down. Three days later He spots Edgar in the parking lot, cooly draws his gun, fires and misses Edgar completely. Officer Squeaky witnessed the entire event and arresst JimakaPPJ for attempted murder.

    The underlying crime to attempted murder is murder. Since no proof of the underlying crime exists (no murder = no proof of murder) should D.A. Fitzgerald dismiss the charges?

    Here is another:

    Jarober and JimakaPPJ decide to rob Riggs Bank. They meet at Edgar's Bar n Grille to plan the robbery. Officer Squeaky, on his day off,  is sitting in the next booth trying to decide which horse to bet on in the 5th race at Pompano and overhears Jarober and JImakaPPJ planning their robbery. Squeaky arrests both and charges them with conspiracy.   Since no proof of the underlying crime exists (the underlying crime to the conspiracy being the bank robbery which did not occur) should D.A. Fitzgerald dismiss the charges?



    Parent

    MB (1.00 / 0) (#38)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 10:07:37 PM EST
    Hmmm, funny, but not even close to the real world...

    I guess I would summarize it like this..

    How many leakers could a leaker leak if a leaker could leak leaks..

    I guess all the leakers and concern over who the leaker leaked and was the leakee actually an illegal subject to be leaked just made everyone quit paying attention when Armitage and Major General Valley said....

    "Hey!! Your missing the main leaker.....!!

    Parent

    Beware the Jabborwock my son! (none / 0) (#41)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 11:16:01 PM EST
    That was my point BTW (none / 0) (#43)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 11:23:51 PM EST
    The whole underlying crime bit that you Neocons keep pulling out is not even close to the real world.  I just pointed out where it leads. No judge or lawyer would buy it - the "it" being there was no underlying crime, therefore Libby can't be convicted of perjury.



    Parent

    ROTF... Too funny! (none / 0) (#35)
    by Edger on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 08:34:16 PM EST
    That just might be my favorite post of the day. :-)

    Parent
    You be sooooooo right. (none / 0) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 10:49:43 PM EST
    You're not dumb enough to believe that, sarc. (none / 0) (#32)
    by Edger on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 08:04:47 PM EST
    Edwards' phrase (none / 0) (#3)
    by magster on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 04:54:21 PM EST
    "clinically incapable" was the best politician soundbite.

    And this snippet of hypocrisy in the media by Phoenix Woman at FDL was interesting:

    http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/07/02/wafer-thin-hypocrisy/

    Maybe it's hubris ... (none / 0) (#4)
    by Sailor on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 05:57:16 PM EST
    ... but my favorite is mine about the anniversary of Bring 'em On

    Hey Fred, what about Val ?? (none / 0) (#5)
    by RedHead on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 05:57:56 PM EST
    I wonder if someone with lexis can determine if WaPo's ed page has ever said anything positive about Wilson and Plame.

    Froomkin (none / 0) (#6)
    by squeaky on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 06:08:19 PM EST
    As usual Froomkin puts it all together very nicely. Worth a perusal.

    Yes he does (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Alien Abductee on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 10:33:55 PM EST
    All of this means that Bush's decision yesterday to commute Libby's prison sentence isn't just a matter of unequal justice. It is also a potentially self-serving and corrupt act.

    Was there a quid pro quo at work? Was Libby being repaid for falling on his sword and protecting his bosses from further scrutiny? Alternately, was he being repaid for his defense team's abrupt decision in mid-trial not to drag Cheney into court, where he would have faced cross-examination by Fitzgerald? ...

    It's true that the Constitution grants the president unlimited clemency and pardon power. But presidents have generally used that power to show mercy or, in rare cases, make political amends -- not to protect themselves from exposure.

    The Framers, ever sensitive to the need for checks and balances, recognized the potential for abuse of the pardon power. According to a Judiciary Committee report drafted in the aftermath of the Watergate crisis: "In the [Constitutional] convention George Mason argued that the President might use his pardoning power to 'pardon crimes which were advised by himself' or, before indictment or conviction, 'to stop inquiry and prevent detection.' James Madison responded:

    "[I]f the President be connected, in any suspicious manner, with any person, and there be grounds [to] believe he will shelter him, the House of Representatives can impeach him; they can remove him if found guilty. . . .

    "Madison went on to [say] contrary to his position in the Philadelphia convention, that the President could be suspended when suspected, and his powers would devolve on the Vice President, who could likewise be suspended until impeached and convicted, if he were also suspected."



    Parent
    Alien (1.00 / 1) (#10)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 10:52:57 PM EST
    uh Madison is dead and that's not in the constitution...

    also...

    the House of Representatives can impeach him; they can remove him if found guilty. . .

    That also didn't turn out of Madison's spec... The House can impeach.... The Senate must convict..

    A small but very important point, don't ya know??

    Parent

    A small and idiotic point (5.00 / 0) (#12)
    by Alien Abductee on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 12:43:15 AM EST
    Alien (1.00 / 2) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 09:56:33 AM EST
    Let me see. The Senate acts as the Jury in this matter and you call it a small and idoitic point??

    You don't think we need juries?? Let's just let the prosecutor get the evidence together and hang'em???

    Thank you. I can always depend on the Left to display their collective feelings.

    Parent

    So how do you feel about Hamden and Hamdi? (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 10:02:02 AM EST
    MB (1.00 / 0) (#19)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 01:18:57 PM EST
    Hmmm

    I was not aware that they had no jury....

    Parent

    Jury? we don't need no stinkin' Jury (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 02:34:27 PM EST
    Hamdi: The claiming of  authority to detain American citizens as enemy combatants indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay on the president's say-so alone.

    In the case of Hamdi, had it stood, Bush could have labeled you, JimakaPPJ, an enemy combatant, picked you up off the street, thrown you in Gitmo. Indefinitely. No trial, no jury needed. Thank you, have a nice day. Go directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.00. Hamdi was born in the USA, just like you.

    That is GWB in all his power hungry, anti-American, anti-constitutional, glory.



    Parent

    Did you misunderstand?? (1.00 / 1) (#26)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 06:35:52 PM EST
    If you get picked up in a combat zone I don't care if you get a jury or not.


    Parent
    Did you misunderstand (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 07:56:15 PM EST
    If you, JimakakPPJ,  an American citizen, are picked up in a combat zone do you care if GWB immediately declares you to be a an enemy combatant and sends you to Gitmo- no trial, no jury?

    For purposes of this questionand lets stipulate that you are not a "terrorist" or "enemy combatant". You were armed, but you did not fire on US troops or intend to fire upon US troops. You were exercising your 2nd amendment rights of self protection and considering where you were, its more than reasonable that you were exercising your 2nd amendment rights. In short, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you care whether or not you get a trial let alone a jury?



    Parent

    But (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Edger on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 07:59:35 PM EST
    ppj is special, Molly.

    That could never happen to him.

    He's an American Citiz.........

    Never mind.

    Parent

    edger (1.00 / 1) (#39)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 10:08:56 PM EST
    Please pay attention... the person in question was fighting for the otherside.....

    Parent
    Jim. (5.00 / 0) (#40)
    by Edger on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 10:17:05 PM EST
    Pay attention here.

    You are the other side.

    Parent

    Was he? (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 11:17:03 PM EST
    How do you know?

    And you didn't answer my question.



    Parent

    MB (1.00 / 1) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 01:32:02 PM EST
    Allow me to expand...

    If you get picked up in a combat zone I don't care if you get a jury or not.

    But maybe they will both get one...

     

    Following the Supreme Court ruling on another case, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Hamdan was granted a review before the Combatant Status Review Tribunal, which determined that he was eligible for detention by the United States as an enemy combatant or person of interest.[

    Or perhaps not.

    Parent

    Charges dismissed (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 02:43:53 PM EST
    Oddly enough, when faced with the prospect of having to give a fair trial....  charges were dismissed against both - for Hamden on June 4, 2007   and Hamdi was released on October 9, 2004.

    To be accurate, HAmden is not out of the woods yet.

    Why do you oppose fair trials? I know why Bush does, absolute rulers (and those suffering under the delusion they are an absolute ruler) don't worry about such things.



    Parent

    I gather you are not from the original (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 10:01:20 AM EST
    intent school of constitutional intrepretation.

    Also, recent events considered your statement

    Madison is dead
    implies a lot more than you probably realize...



    Parent

    lol (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by Alien Abductee on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 10:57:03 AM EST
    Alien (1.00 / 1) (#21)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 01:21:56 PM EST
    Now, do you have a point that makes sense when the real facts are applied???

    Parent
    MB (1.00 / 1) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 01:21:02 PM EST
    Psycho babble aside.....

    I am an independent so I don't have to quote something that implies something that isn't there.


    Parent

    Hint: Madison is generally considered the father (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Molly Bloom on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 02:13:41 PM EST
    of the US Constitution. It doesn't take a psychic to derive my meaning. Just basic knowledge of US history. Not that the Constitution matters any more.



    Parent

    <B (1.00 / 1) (#27)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 06:37:28 PM EST
    The father??

    So??

    Alien posted something. I pointed out something and you got excited.

    Heating getting to you??

    Parent

    On a lighter note (none / 0) (#7)
    by roy on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 07:19:38 PM EST
    From the generally irrelevant GamePolitics:

    An official of the Florida Bar proposed late last week that controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson submit to psychological testing and accept a 91-day suspension of his law license, according to an e-mail GamePolitics received from Thompson himself.

    Thompson is a raving loon who thinks the 1st Amendment protects only him.  Is a prostate exam a standard part of psychological testing?

    I wouldn't call this my :favorite: post (none / 0) (#33)
    by Edger on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 08:15:36 PM EST
    In fact, I wish I'd never read it.

    IS THE UNITED STATES KILLING 10,000 IRAQIS EVERY MONTH? OR IS IT MORE?

    How, then, is the US accomplishing this carnage, and why is it not newsworthy? The answer lies in another amazing statistic: this one released by the U.S. military and reported by the highly respectable Brookings Institution: for the past four years, the American military sends out something over 1000 patrols each day into hostile neighborhoods, looking to capture or kill insurgents and terrorists. (Since February, the number has increased to nearly 5,000 patrols a day, if we include the Iraqi troops participating in the American surge.)
    ...
    ...the Americans usually `come at night, sometimes by day, always protected by helicopters.' They "sometimes bomb houses, sometimes arrest people, sometimes throw missiles'"

    If they encounter no resistance, these patrols can track down 30 or so suspects, or inspect several dozen homes, in a days work. That is, our 1000 or so patrols can invade 30,000 homes in a single day. But if an IED explodes under their Humvee or a sniper shoots at them from nearby, then their job is transformed into finding, capturing, or killing the perpetrator of the attack. Iraqi insurgents often set off IEDs and invite these firefights, in order to stall the patrols prevent the soldiers from forcibly entering 30 or so homes, violently accosting their residents, and perhaps beating, arresting, or simply humiliating the residents.

    The battles triggered by IEDs and sniper attacks almost always involve the buildings surrounding the incident, since that is where the insurgents take cover to avoid the American counter-attack. Americans, therefore, regular shoot into these buildings where the perpetrators are suspected of hiding, with all the attendant dangers of killing other people. The rules of engagement for American soldiers include efforts to avoid killing civilians, and there are many accounts of restraint because civilians are visibly in the line of fire. But if they are in hot pursuit of a perpetrator, their rules of engagement make it clear that capturing or killing the insurgent takes precedent over civilian safety.

    This sounds pretty tame, and not capable of generating the statistics that the Lancet study documented. But the sheer quantity of American patrols--1000 each day--and the sheer quantity of the confrontations inside people's homes, the responses to sniper and IED attacks, and the ensuring firefights add up to mass slaughter.



    Schwarzenegger (none / 0) (#36)
    by squeaky on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 08:37:31 PM EST
    Exposed as a fraud on Global Warming

    He is the guy that got GM to make the Hunner.