From Baghdad to Alaska, Weekend Love Fest

Porter Goss
Bruce Bartlett

"If You Think It's About Greed, You Don't Know Me" - Al Gore

"We can't have a secret intelligence service if we keep giving away all the secrets." - Porter Goss

"Protestors need to do a better job of figuring out what they are protesting and devise a real plan for dealing with our nation’s fiscal problem." - Bruce Bartlett


craigslist > casual encounters > warning & disclaimer


Hillary Clinton paid her first visit to Iraq this year, and commented on the recent surge of suicide bombings. From Politico: "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in unannounced visit to Baghdad that the recent spate of bombings is a sign that the situation in Iraq is improving, downplaying sectarian violence and said that U.S. support will not waiver.

“We are committed to Iraq, we want to see a stable, sovereign, self-reliant Iraq,” Clinton told an audience including 120 invited Iraqi civilians at the U.S. embassy. "As we make this transition, the United States will stand with the people.”

Clinton's visit comes after two days of bombing that targeted Shiite Muslims and killed nearly 150 people. "I think the suicide bombings ... are, in an unfortunately tragic way, a signal that the rejectionists fear that Iraq is going in the right direction," she said, referring to two days of bombings that killed nearly 150 people. “Are there going to be bad days? Yes there are. But I don’t know of any difficult international situation anywhere in the world or history where there haven’t been bad days.”

Here in Colorado we are waking up from hibernating, the newspapers are full of warnings on how to handle a bear attack, which is different than confronting a mountain lion. In my townhouse complex, we primarily worry if the foxes have taken and killed our pets during the night... and my cat is still here.

We not only are trying to get fresher foods onto our school lunch plates, but, it seems, in our jails too. The NY Times reports: "The Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry L. Nichols has lost a round in his lawsuit seeking more whole grains and fresh food in his diet at the federal prison in Florence. A federal judge in Denver denied Mr. Nichols’s request for a preliminary injunction. The judge said Mr. Nichols did not show that he faced immediate and irreparable injury. The court has not ruled on the suit itself. Mr. Nichols contends his diet consisted of “unhealthy dead and refined foods” and is causing him physical problems. He also said the food violated his religious beliefs. Mr. Nichols is serving a life sentence for conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter in the 1995 courthouse bombing." We're all doomed to life with chicken nuggets and velveeta cheese pizza. I wonder if the food contributes in any way to anti-social behavior...

Public service announcement: a new strain of swine flu is traveling north from Mexico, where it has killed over 60 people. There are reported cases in California and Texas. From the SF Chronicle:

Signs of possible swine flu

-- Flulike symptoms, including fever, sore throat, cough, and possibly vomiting and diarrhea.

-- Recent travel to Mexico, or contact with someone who has been to Mexico recently.

-- Recent travel to San Diego or Imperial counties in Southern California, or contact with someone from there.

-- Recent plane travel to airports in affected areas, including Mexico, San Diego and San Antonio.

What to do if you're sick

-- If you have a fever, stay home. Do not go to work, and do not send sick children to school.

-- If symptoms worsen, contact a doctor. Be sure to report other risk factors such as recent travel to Mexico.


I love Sarah Palin. She has become such a cartoon figure that you can always count on her and Michele Bachmann for comic relief. The lates gaff comes from CNN: "For Alaskans, the time has come to end the siege on our government by political tricksters. Enough is enough. With the help of reform-minded advocates from across our nation, we will stand up for what is right," said a message on the Web site for the Alaska Fund Trust.

"Your maximum contribution of $150.00 will allow the Governor, her family, and her colleagues to retire their legal debt at no cost to Alaskans and reduce the incentive for mischief by her opponents. Together, we can help Governor Palin and future elected officials turn back the tide of overtly partisan and unnecessarily personal political attacks."

And some reader's reactions: "Money for Palin? Yeah, and I'm going to give my house to Donald Trump, my car to Junior Earnhardt, and all my food to Emeril. Not! Stop acting corrup, Palin, and you won't need anybody else's money." - Tom

"Here is an idea Sarah, Pay your own freakin legal bills for your own freakin legal problems. Don't create a freebie money fund open your purse strings and be responsible for your own obligations!!!" - AVoR

"Do any of the Professional Liberal Bloggers(PLB) know that the reason Gov. Palin needs the legal defense fund is because the liberals are filing ridiculus lawsuits over a lot of nothing! They are trying to bankrupt her and ruin her name which tells me they still fear her.
Get your facts straight, PLB's, and earn your money from ACORN, LaRaza, and Obama "honestly". - Sue

"I'm not sure I want Gov. Palin to go away. For absolutely no cost to myself, I get to watch somebody bungle their personal & political life on a regular basis, live in comical & woeful denial & sound an obviously false note of indignation that she should become a victim of external forces, not recognizing the chickens are coming home to roost." -Bernard

And good ol' Steve Benen weighs in on the author of the torture memo on Political Animal:

"Unlike the other Bush administration officials who provided the justification for torture policies, Jay Bybee currently enjoys a lifetime appointment on a federal appeals court. The nomination was an insult, his confirmation was absurd, and as amn NYT recently noted, "These memos make it clear that Mr. Bybee is unfit for a job that requires legal judgment and a respect for the Constitution. Congress should impeach him."

As the jurist comes under closer scrutiny, Bybee's friends want the political world to know that the poor guy just feels awful about the whole mess. The Washington Post was kind enough to publish a lengthy piece today on Bybee's "regret...

But if Bybee feels bad about all of this, it suggests maybe the infamous Bybee Memo was a mistake. If he's filled with regret, maybe he realizes his legal guidance was wrong. Indeed, Bybee's anonymous friend said the torture memo "got away from him," and ended up in a place Bybee "never intended." Another source said Bybee "was not pleased" with the memo that bore his name.

I'd find it a lot easier to believe this if Bybee were to say something publicly, and perhaps explain his conduct.

The Post piece added that Bybee didn't even want to work in the OLC in the first place.

Bybee's friends said he never sought the job at the Office of Legal Counsel. The reason he went back to Washington, [Randall] Guynn said, was to interview with then-White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales for a slot that would be opening on the 9th Circuit when a judge retired. The opening was not yet there, however, so Gonzales asked, "Would you be willing to take a position at the OLC first?" Guynn said.

Being unable to answer for what followed is "very frustrating," said Guynn, who spoke to Bybee before agreeing to be interviewed.

But that's hardly helpful. As Adam Serwer explained, "So Bybee knew he was breaking the law in allowing the use of torture, but you have to understand, he only did it because he really wanted to be a federal judge."

Late night jokes on post-war Iraq:

"The FBI is investigating Americans -- just for opposing the war. You know, maybe when we're done establishing a democracy in Iraq, we could try it over here." --Jay Leno

"Pentagon records show that at least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. Army have deserted since the Iraq war began. Hey, at least somebody has an exit strategy." --Tina Fey

"Looks like some kind of civil war brewing in Iraq. Well, who could have seen that coming? That came out of left field, huh? They say it is total chaos over there. People are roaming the streets with guns. It's like everyone is Dick Cheney now." --Jay Leno

"Rumors are that the reason Dick Cheney didn't say anything about the hunting accident for about 24 hours was because he had been drinking. And I'm thinking, well jeez, he was probably drinking when we planned the invasion of Iraq." --David Letterman

"President Bush admitted that the United States went to war in Iraq based on bad intelligence. But he says knowing what we know now he would still do it again. So at least we're learning from our mistakes." --Jay Leno

"The general election's taking place today in Iraq, so I guess that means we're one step closer to being there for another 10 years." --David Letterman

"Already there have been reports of 1000 fake ballots in the Iraqi election. So it looks like another victory for Republicans." --David Letterman

"A new study suggests that middle-aged adults who go on periodic drinking binges may face a heightened risk of dementia later on in life. The study is entitled, 'National Strategy for Victory in Iraq.'" --Tina Fey

"President Bush getting tough. In his speech at the naval academy he said we will not leave Iraq until we have achieved our goal. He calls this plan 'leave no oil barrel behind.'" --Jay Leno

"In his speech President Bush said we need to rebuild Iraq, provide the people with jobs, and give them hope. If it works there maybe we'll try it in New Orleans." --Jay Leno

"For the first time ever, Republicans in Congress -- Republicans! -- are demanding to know the president's exit strategy from Iraq. Yeah, in response the president said I have an exit strategy, I'm leaving office in 2008." --Conan O'Brien

"A new poll shows that 66% of Americans think President Bush is doing a poor job on the War in Iraq. And the remaining 34% think Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church." --Tina Fey