I’m tired!
It is twenty months until the 2016 election. Hillary Rodham Clinton has yet to announce her inevitable candidacy…and I am already tired of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
For the past 36 hours I have watched and listened to the firestorm over Hillary Clinton’s emails, and my reaction is that I just don’t want to deal with this anymore.
Secretary Clinton made the conscious decision to defy federal and White House regulations when she elected to exclusively use personal email accounts to conduct government business.
Secretary Clinton made the conscious decision to defy federal and White House regulations when she elected to secure those emails on a server in her home rather than the requisite servers at the State Department.
When she was asked by the State Department to turn over those emails so that they could be properly archived; Mrs. Clinton made the conscious decision to defy the directive and turn over some but not all of the communications.
When the media began to question her actions she tried to deflect their attention to the activities of her predecessors.
When the media scrutiny grew even more intense she went on the offensive; releasing a statement designed to obfuscate while appearing transparent. “I told the State Department to release all of my emails. I want people to see them.” Of course the State Department could not release all of her emails because she had only released a portion of them.
The Clinton’s make their living in the public eye but they live in a private bubble. They have become so isolated from those they profess to serve that I often wonder what version of reality they are watching. For the past 30 years I have watched the Clinton’s play the game by their own set of rules. I have watched them obfuscate, bend, deflect and stretch the truth to suit their own agenda. I have watched them parse reality to the point of absurdity: “It depends on what the mean of the word “is” is.” And now I see it starting all over again.
Watching the Clinton camp spin this latest controversy brings it all back once more. I am not surprised by it.
I’m just tired of it.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Bebe, Boehner, Clinton, Ferguson and Patreaus
Yesterday was an extraordinary day for our country.
At the invitation of the Speaker of the House; a foreign head of state stood before a joint session of congress and criticized the foreign policy of our president. The majority party in congress was forced to capitulate on a major policy initiative. A presumptive presidential nominee was accused of violating the law. The ugly racial divide in this country was exposed in a new light and a decorated war hero was pled guilty to inappropriately releasing classified documents.
BEBE – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his much anticipated address before a joint session of congress. The atmosphere in the hall was electric. After extending his thanks and appreciation towards the president and the seated congressional body for their support of his country, the prime minister proceeded eviscerate the president’s efforts to stop Iran’s development of a nuclear program. On twelve separate occasions the hall exploded and rose to their feet in acknowledgment of the prime minister’s remarks. He went into great detail about Iran’s violent past and the threat that the regime poses to both Israel and America should it be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb. It was a classic case of Fear Mongering 101. It was vintage Dick Cheney. Historians will remember that like Cheney, Netanyahu got in wrong in the post 9/11 fever to go after Saddam. When the prime minister wasn’t criticizing the president’s policy he was painting the president as naïve to think that Iran could ever be trusted to hold up its end of any negotiated deal. His conclusion was straight forward: “This is a bad deal…a very bad deal.” Unfortunately, like most of the president’s critics, he offered little in the way of a substantive alternative. Netanyahu faces a close election in the upcoming weeks. He is desperate to woo the hardline hawks, who prior to yesterday’s address, were not in his camp. Speaker Boehner allowed the prime minister to use the most important deliberative body in the world as a political prop. Never in the history of our republic has the head of a foreign power been invited to address congress for the purpose of attacking the policies of a sitting president. Speaker Boehner has the dubious distinction of being the first speaker to extend such an invitation. It was hard to watch. It used to be that disagreements over this country’s foreign policy ended at the water’s edge. Patriotism always trumped political opportunism. Never more!
BOEHNER – Once the Bebe pep rally ended, Speaker Boehner quietly called the House into session and went about the bitter task of passing a one year clean bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. This was a complete capitulation on the part of Republicans who vowed for weeks that they would never take up a vote to fund the DHS unless the bill stripped out all of the president’s initiatives on immigration reform. In the end the House did what everybody knew they would do several weeks ago. The Republican Party is in disarray. If they can’t negotiate a consensus within their caucus how will they ever negotiate an agreement with the Democrats? Republican’s had promised us that we would see “effective governance” once they took control of congress. So far…not so much. The Speaker can thank the Bebe love fest for taking over the news cycle and overshadowing this huge defeat.
CLINTON – The firestorm over Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of her personal email account continues to grow. Yesterday, I wrote in this space that her use of a personal email account was in violation of the Federal Records Act. That was a misstatement on my part. The former Secretary of State has yet to be found guilty of violating any laws. However according to the procedural rules in place during her time as the country’s chief ambassador all federal government employees were required to secure their communications on the appropriate government servers so that they may be preserved for archival and security purposes. The White House has confirmed that all administration officials were expected to comply with these rules. We now know that Mrs. Clinton chose not to set up a secure government email account; preferring to use several personal email accounts to conduct government business. While her communications to other State Department officials were sent to their secure state department accounts and therefore archived; we have no idea what communications were sent to other parties by way of her personal email accounts. Consequently when oversight committees, such as Darrel Issa’s committee investigating the Benghazi affair, subpoenaed her state department emails, they found nothing. When the proverbial poop hit the fan the Clinton camp perused through her emails and decided among themselves which emails would be released. So much for oversight, security and archival integrity. From my prospective there is only one reason not to comply with the governments regulations on government communications…so that you can maintain sole control of access. Once again we see a Clinton playing fast and loose with the law. We should expect better from the presumptive nominee for the presidency.
FERGUSON – The Department of Justice released its findings on the inner workings of the City of Ferguson Police Department. You may recall the events in Ferguson, Missouri surrounding the police shooting of unarmed Michel Brown and the days of violent unrest that followed. The DOJ determined that a culture of racial bias was rampant within the police department. The DOJ found that over 85-95% of all arrests, fines, stops and incarcerations involved members of the black community. A review of police department emails produced racially insensitive correspondence. These findings come at the same time that white New York City Mayor Bill di Blasio continues to be disparaged for saying that he has to counsel his black son on how to behave in the presence of police officers. Racism in this country is alive and well. There are two Americas. People need to open their eyes to the reality.
PATREAUS – Former CIA Director and retired four star General David Patraeus has pled guilty to mis-handling classified documents. The war hero and former commander of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, shared classified military secrets including the names of covert operators, war strategies and conversations with the president with his biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell. Patraeus took the plea deal to avoid jail time. Isn’t it interesting how the reaction in Washington to the general’s betrayal pales in comparison to the firestorm over Hillary Clinton’s emails?
At the invitation of the Speaker of the House; a foreign head of state stood before a joint session of congress and criticized the foreign policy of our president. The majority party in congress was forced to capitulate on a major policy initiative. A presumptive presidential nominee was accused of violating the law. The ugly racial divide in this country was exposed in a new light and a decorated war hero was pled guilty to inappropriately releasing classified documents.
BEBE – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his much anticipated address before a joint session of congress. The atmosphere in the hall was electric. After extending his thanks and appreciation towards the president and the seated congressional body for their support of his country, the prime minister proceeded eviscerate the president’s efforts to stop Iran’s development of a nuclear program. On twelve separate occasions the hall exploded and rose to their feet in acknowledgment of the prime minister’s remarks. He went into great detail about Iran’s violent past and the threat that the regime poses to both Israel and America should it be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb. It was a classic case of Fear Mongering 101. It was vintage Dick Cheney. Historians will remember that like Cheney, Netanyahu got in wrong in the post 9/11 fever to go after Saddam. When the prime minister wasn’t criticizing the president’s policy he was painting the president as naïve to think that Iran could ever be trusted to hold up its end of any negotiated deal. His conclusion was straight forward: “This is a bad deal…a very bad deal.” Unfortunately, like most of the president’s critics, he offered little in the way of a substantive alternative. Netanyahu faces a close election in the upcoming weeks. He is desperate to woo the hardline hawks, who prior to yesterday’s address, were not in his camp. Speaker Boehner allowed the prime minister to use the most important deliberative body in the world as a political prop. Never in the history of our republic has the head of a foreign power been invited to address congress for the purpose of attacking the policies of a sitting president. Speaker Boehner has the dubious distinction of being the first speaker to extend such an invitation. It was hard to watch. It used to be that disagreements over this country’s foreign policy ended at the water’s edge. Patriotism always trumped political opportunism. Never more!
BOEHNER – Once the Bebe pep rally ended, Speaker Boehner quietly called the House into session and went about the bitter task of passing a one year clean bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. This was a complete capitulation on the part of Republicans who vowed for weeks that they would never take up a vote to fund the DHS unless the bill stripped out all of the president’s initiatives on immigration reform. In the end the House did what everybody knew they would do several weeks ago. The Republican Party is in disarray. If they can’t negotiate a consensus within their caucus how will they ever negotiate an agreement with the Democrats? Republican’s had promised us that we would see “effective governance” once they took control of congress. So far…not so much. The Speaker can thank the Bebe love fest for taking over the news cycle and overshadowing this huge defeat.
CLINTON – The firestorm over Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of her personal email account continues to grow. Yesterday, I wrote in this space that her use of a personal email account was in violation of the Federal Records Act. That was a misstatement on my part. The former Secretary of State has yet to be found guilty of violating any laws. However according to the procedural rules in place during her time as the country’s chief ambassador all federal government employees were required to secure their communications on the appropriate government servers so that they may be preserved for archival and security purposes. The White House has confirmed that all administration officials were expected to comply with these rules. We now know that Mrs. Clinton chose not to set up a secure government email account; preferring to use several personal email accounts to conduct government business. While her communications to other State Department officials were sent to their secure state department accounts and therefore archived; we have no idea what communications were sent to other parties by way of her personal email accounts. Consequently when oversight committees, such as Darrel Issa’s committee investigating the Benghazi affair, subpoenaed her state department emails, they found nothing. When the proverbial poop hit the fan the Clinton camp perused through her emails and decided among themselves which emails would be released. So much for oversight, security and archival integrity. From my prospective there is only one reason not to comply with the governments regulations on government communications…so that you can maintain sole control of access. Once again we see a Clinton playing fast and loose with the law. We should expect better from the presumptive nominee for the presidency.
FERGUSON – The Department of Justice released its findings on the inner workings of the City of Ferguson Police Department. You may recall the events in Ferguson, Missouri surrounding the police shooting of unarmed Michel Brown and the days of violent unrest that followed. The DOJ determined that a culture of racial bias was rampant within the police department. The DOJ found that over 85-95% of all arrests, fines, stops and incarcerations involved members of the black community. A review of police department emails produced racially insensitive correspondence. These findings come at the same time that white New York City Mayor Bill di Blasio continues to be disparaged for saying that he has to counsel his black son on how to behave in the presence of police officers. Racism in this country is alive and well. There are two Americas. People need to open their eyes to the reality.
PATREAUS – Former CIA Director and retired four star General David Patraeus has pled guilty to mis-handling classified documents. The war hero and former commander of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, shared classified military secrets including the names of covert operators, war strategies and conversations with the president with his biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell. Patraeus took the plea deal to avoid jail time. Isn’t it interesting how the reaction in Washington to the general’s betrayal pales in comparison to the firestorm over Hillary Clinton’s emails?
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Boehner/Netanyahu: Political Hacks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the United States Congress today concerning the impending threat of a nuclear armed Iran. Unfortunately the content of his speech has already been overshadowed by the political controversy surrounding his invitation to speak.
Speaker Boehner and the Republican leadership do not approve of the manner in which the president has used his executive authority to circumvent the obstructionist tactics orchestrated by Congress. They are particularly incensed with the president’s efforts to negotiate a peaceful agreement with Iran over the regime’s development of a nuclear material.
In an effort one up the president, Boehner invited the Israeli Prime Minister to address congress on the Iranian issue without running the idea through the Obama administration. The goal here was to show the world that it is the Republicans, as opposed to the president and the Democrats that are willing to stand with the only democratic government in the region against the Iranian threat.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has accepted the invitation and will address congress today.
This is nothing more than a political stunt orchestrated by two political hacks.
Boehner is terrible at his job. The clown show that he failed to control last Friday proves the point. Inviting Netanyahu without giving the White House a heads up is nothing more than an effort to embarrass the president and score political points. His allowing Netanyahu a worldwide audience a mere two weeks before the prime minister faces a tough re-election vote diminishes congress; turning the institution into a political prop. Boehner has given the world the impression that United States Congress is taking sides in the Israeli election.
Netanyahu is a political hack. His opposition to a US/Iranian accord has been well documented. Boehner’s invitation is like manner from heaven; a lifeline for the embattled incumbent. The only reason he is coming here at this particular time is to strut his bona fides in front of the Israeli electorate. Otherwise why not wait until after the election and avoid all fuss.
No profiles in courage here. Just politics at its worst.
Speaker Boehner and the Republican leadership do not approve of the manner in which the president has used his executive authority to circumvent the obstructionist tactics orchestrated by Congress. They are particularly incensed with the president’s efforts to negotiate a peaceful agreement with Iran over the regime’s development of a nuclear material.
In an effort one up the president, Boehner invited the Israeli Prime Minister to address congress on the Iranian issue without running the idea through the Obama administration. The goal here was to show the world that it is the Republicans, as opposed to the president and the Democrats that are willing to stand with the only democratic government in the region against the Iranian threat.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has accepted the invitation and will address congress today.
This is nothing more than a political stunt orchestrated by two political hacks.
Boehner is terrible at his job. The clown show that he failed to control last Friday proves the point. Inviting Netanyahu without giving the White House a heads up is nothing more than an effort to embarrass the president and score political points. His allowing Netanyahu a worldwide audience a mere two weeks before the prime minister faces a tough re-election vote diminishes congress; turning the institution into a political prop. Boehner has given the world the impression that United States Congress is taking sides in the Israeli election.
Netanyahu is a political hack. His opposition to a US/Iranian accord has been well documented. Boehner’s invitation is like manner from heaven; a lifeline for the embattled incumbent. The only reason he is coming here at this particular time is to strut his bona fides in front of the Israeli electorate. Otherwise why not wait until after the election and avoid all fuss.
No profiles in courage here. Just politics at its worst.
Clinton: Playing Fast And Loose Once Again
The New York Times is reporting that while serving as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton used a personal email account to send and receive her government correspondence. Using a personal email account for government business is a violation of the Federal Records Act; which for security and archival purposes requires that all federal government employees establish and use a federal government email account for all correspondence.
A spokesperson for Clinton said that the Secretary had been “complying with the letter and spirit of the rules” noting that “the Secretary’s emails were sent to department officials at government email addresses where she assumed they were being retained.” According to the Times, the spokesperson did not address emails that were sent to other foreign leaders, private individuals or other government officials outside the department.
The Times reports that last October the State Department, as part of an effort to improve its record keeping, asked all former secretaries as far back as Madeline Albright, to provide copies any records from their time in office for preservation. The Clinton camp reviewed Mrs. Clinton’s correspondence and submitted 55,000 pages of emails.
This is pretty amazing.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, while serving as our nation’s chief ambassador, used an UNSECURED personal email account to transmit correspondence to…well…everybody. Due to her position in the administration, it is safe to assume that some of that correspondence was sensitive in nature and pertained to national security. We know that this sensitive information was sent via her UNSECURED email account because that was the only email account she had.
So we are expected to believe that over a four year period nobody found it odd that they were receiving sensitive communications from the UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE via a freaking HOTMAIL account!!! HRC.hotmail.com!!! Are you kidding me?
Then, 22 months after she leaves office, the state department finally gets around to asking her for her correspondence…and allows HER STAFF to decide which documents they will release?
If you are old enough to remember the Clinton years in the White House you are probably having a Déjà vu moment right about now.
The Clinton’s have always played fast and loose believing that the rules don’t apply to them. The Clinton’s tell a tale…the heathen media unearth the truth…the Clinton’s lawyer up. This scenario repeated itself numerous times during the Clinton years. Are we about to face another rendition of the same Clinton song?
Hillary Clinton is about formally announce her candidacy for President of the United States.
But first she’ll have to clean up another mess.
A spokesperson for Clinton said that the Secretary had been “complying with the letter and spirit of the rules” noting that “the Secretary’s emails were sent to department officials at government email addresses where she assumed they were being retained.” According to the Times, the spokesperson did not address emails that were sent to other foreign leaders, private individuals or other government officials outside the department.
The Times reports that last October the State Department, as part of an effort to improve its record keeping, asked all former secretaries as far back as Madeline Albright, to provide copies any records from their time in office for preservation. The Clinton camp reviewed Mrs. Clinton’s correspondence and submitted 55,000 pages of emails.
This is pretty amazing.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, while serving as our nation’s chief ambassador, used an UNSECURED personal email account to transmit correspondence to…well…everybody. Due to her position in the administration, it is safe to assume that some of that correspondence was sensitive in nature and pertained to national security. We know that this sensitive information was sent via her UNSECURED email account because that was the only email account she had.
So we are expected to believe that over a four year period nobody found it odd that they were receiving sensitive communications from the UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE via a freaking HOTMAIL account!!! HRC.hotmail.com!!! Are you kidding me?
Then, 22 months after she leaves office, the state department finally gets around to asking her for her correspondence…and allows HER STAFF to decide which documents they will release?
If you are old enough to remember the Clinton years in the White House you are probably having a Déjà vu moment right about now.
The Clinton’s have always played fast and loose believing that the rules don’t apply to them. The Clinton’s tell a tale…the heathen media unearth the truth…the Clinton’s lawyer up. This scenario repeated itself numerous times during the Clinton years. Are we about to face another rendition of the same Clinton song?
Hillary Clinton is about formally announce her candidacy for President of the United States.
But first she’ll have to clean up another mess.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
GOP Not Ready For Prime Time
When Republicans were handed control of congress last November they promised a new era of effective government. The dysfunction and gridlock that held the nation hostage was to be replaced with a new found spirit of co-operation and a resolve to get things done.
If the past few weeks are any indication…Republicans may have been handed the keys to the car but they have yet to learn how to drive. Last Friday served as glaring proof that they have yet to master the controls.
Republicans managed to avoid a politically devastating partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security but only after suffering through a humiliating defeat earlier in the day.
During the previous weeks there had been a heated debate within the Party about passing a DHS funding bill that excluded any monies for the president’s executive orders on immigration reform. Moderates in the caucus wanted to pass a clean funding bill and have the debate on immigration reform another day. Hardliners wanted nothing to do with the president’s executive orders and were willing to shut down the DHS rather than give the president what he wanted. The clock was ticking.
As the midnight deadline approached on Friday it became apparent that there was no solving the impasse. The Speaker floated the idea of passing a clean temporary bill that would fund the DHS for three weeks while buying his caucus more time to reach a consensus.
He thought he had the votes.
Speaker Boehner allowed the bill to come to the floor…only to see it fail. 52 Republicans crossed party lines to defeat the bill and in the process embarrass the Speaker.
Speaker Boehner and Republican leadership scrambled to find a palpable alternative before the midnight deadline. With the help of House Democrats a one week extension was passed and sent to the president for his signature. The bill was signed with ten minutes to spare. 55 Republicans voted against the Speaker.
House Democrats said they agreed with the short term extension because the Speaker had promised a vote on a clean bill next week. The Speaker’s office denied that any such promise was made.
This marks the third time this year that the Republican majority had to pull a bill because of internal conflicts within the Party. The question must be asked…if Republicans cannot agree among themselves how do they expect to reach an accord with Democrats.
And why the last minute skirmish over such an important funding resolution? The February 28th funding deadline was no secret. Like Christmas, everyone knew the date. So why all the last minute frenzy?
Why does this “new era of effective government” look more like a bunch of harried procrastinators on Christmas Eve?
If the past few weeks are any indication…Republicans may have been handed the keys to the car but they have yet to learn how to drive. Last Friday served as glaring proof that they have yet to master the controls.
Republicans managed to avoid a politically devastating partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security but only after suffering through a humiliating defeat earlier in the day.
During the previous weeks there had been a heated debate within the Party about passing a DHS funding bill that excluded any monies for the president’s executive orders on immigration reform. Moderates in the caucus wanted to pass a clean funding bill and have the debate on immigration reform another day. Hardliners wanted nothing to do with the president’s executive orders and were willing to shut down the DHS rather than give the president what he wanted. The clock was ticking.
As the midnight deadline approached on Friday it became apparent that there was no solving the impasse. The Speaker floated the idea of passing a clean temporary bill that would fund the DHS for three weeks while buying his caucus more time to reach a consensus.
He thought he had the votes.
Speaker Boehner allowed the bill to come to the floor…only to see it fail. 52 Republicans crossed party lines to defeat the bill and in the process embarrass the Speaker.
Speaker Boehner and Republican leadership scrambled to find a palpable alternative before the midnight deadline. With the help of House Democrats a one week extension was passed and sent to the president for his signature. The bill was signed with ten minutes to spare. 55 Republicans voted against the Speaker.
House Democrats said they agreed with the short term extension because the Speaker had promised a vote on a clean bill next week. The Speaker’s office denied that any such promise was made.
This marks the third time this year that the Republican majority had to pull a bill because of internal conflicts within the Party. The question must be asked…if Republicans cannot agree among themselves how do they expect to reach an accord with Democrats.
And why the last minute skirmish over such an important funding resolution? The February 28th funding deadline was no secret. Like Christmas, everyone knew the date. So why all the last minute frenzy?
Why does this “new era of effective government” look more like a bunch of harried procrastinators on Christmas Eve?
Friday, February 27, 2015
It's CPAC Weekend! Get Your Popcorn Ready!
If you are like me…a person who believes that the dysfunction of our government is exceeded only by the inanity of the discourse offered by those who run it; then this weekend is for you.
For this is CPAC weekend. CPAC…the Conservative Political Action Conference…where the movers and shakers of the conservative movement come together to poke, prod, schmooze and choose their future leaders. Where presidential wannabes spout bat crazy stuff to woo a brain dead base; hopeful that the requisite inflammatory rhetoric of today will be forgotten by more thoughtful voters in the future. The comedic value of this extravaganza is off the charts.
Priority one among those taking the rostrum…bash presumptive Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. After all when you don’t anything resembling a substantive policy thought in your repertoire what else are you going to do?
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is there. He is currently leading in the polls. Walker would have us believe that his stint as governor qualifies him for the presidency. When asked how serving as governor qualifies him for making foreign policy decisions like fighting ISIS; Walker said: “If I can take on a 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.” Let’s think about that. Taking on a bunch of angry elementary school teachers bearing signs and Starbucks versus a bunch of armed fanatical extremists who lop off people’s heads to make a point. I can certainly see the similarities.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is in attendance. He accused Hillary of being on the payroll of foreign nations. When asked by host Sean Hannity to describe Hillary with the first word that pops into his head, Cruz said: “Washington.” After Hannity, doing his best Bill Clinton impression, asked a young “chick” in the audience to meet him backstage; he asked Cruz his one word response to “Bill Clinton.” Cruz said:” youth outreach.” Funny! That’s two words.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christy is in the house. He deflected his state’s poor economic performance by telling a questioner that “Sometimes It’s ok to tell people to sit down and shut up.”
Mogul Donald Trump rolled in. He says that he is very seriously considering a run at the White House in 2016. Seriously! He said he has even put his “Apprentice” TV shtick on hold while he contemplates his decision. In case you forgot…he said the same thing in 2012. Production for the “Apprentice” doesn’t start until May. Look for Trump to bow out then…just like he did two years ago.
Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina addressed the crowd. She challenged Clinton to “name an accomplishment.” And she drew large applause when she said that Clinton: “doesn’t know the meaning of leadership.” Fiorina is best known for running Hewlett Packard into the ground before taking a $20 million dollar buy out to hit the road.
Sarah Palin is there. Enough said.
The big speech at this year’s CPAC soirée will be delivered this afternoon by Jeb Bush. But trouble is already brewing. Evidently a movement is afoot by those who see Jeb as “too squishy” a conservative represent the interests of the base. Rumor has it that a large number of the base intend to walk out of the hall when Jeb begins his remarks. To counteract said rumor, pro-Bush forces are busing in Bush supporters to arrive early and fill the seats; thus avoiding the embarrassing videos of Jeb addressing an empty room.
CPAC! It’s going to be a show. Get your popcorn ready!
For this is CPAC weekend. CPAC…the Conservative Political Action Conference…where the movers and shakers of the conservative movement come together to poke, prod, schmooze and choose their future leaders. Where presidential wannabes spout bat crazy stuff to woo a brain dead base; hopeful that the requisite inflammatory rhetoric of today will be forgotten by more thoughtful voters in the future. The comedic value of this extravaganza is off the charts.
Priority one among those taking the rostrum…bash presumptive Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. After all when you don’t anything resembling a substantive policy thought in your repertoire what else are you going to do?
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is there. He is currently leading in the polls. Walker would have us believe that his stint as governor qualifies him for the presidency. When asked how serving as governor qualifies him for making foreign policy decisions like fighting ISIS; Walker said: “If I can take on a 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.” Let’s think about that. Taking on a bunch of angry elementary school teachers bearing signs and Starbucks versus a bunch of armed fanatical extremists who lop off people’s heads to make a point. I can certainly see the similarities.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is in attendance. He accused Hillary of being on the payroll of foreign nations. When asked by host Sean Hannity to describe Hillary with the first word that pops into his head, Cruz said: “Washington.” After Hannity, doing his best Bill Clinton impression, asked a young “chick” in the audience to meet him backstage; he asked Cruz his one word response to “Bill Clinton.” Cruz said:” youth outreach.” Funny! That’s two words.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christy is in the house. He deflected his state’s poor economic performance by telling a questioner that “Sometimes It’s ok to tell people to sit down and shut up.”
Mogul Donald Trump rolled in. He says that he is very seriously considering a run at the White House in 2016. Seriously! He said he has even put his “Apprentice” TV shtick on hold while he contemplates his decision. In case you forgot…he said the same thing in 2012. Production for the “Apprentice” doesn’t start until May. Look for Trump to bow out then…just like he did two years ago.
Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina addressed the crowd. She challenged Clinton to “name an accomplishment.” And she drew large applause when she said that Clinton: “doesn’t know the meaning of leadership.” Fiorina is best known for running Hewlett Packard into the ground before taking a $20 million dollar buy out to hit the road.
Sarah Palin is there. Enough said.
The big speech at this year’s CPAC soirée will be delivered this afternoon by Jeb Bush. But trouble is already brewing. Evidently a movement is afoot by those who see Jeb as “too squishy” a conservative represent the interests of the base. Rumor has it that a large number of the base intend to walk out of the hall when Jeb begins his remarks. To counteract said rumor, pro-Bush forces are busing in Bush supporters to arrive early and fill the seats; thus avoiding the embarrassing videos of Jeb addressing an empty room.
CPAC! It’s going to be a show. Get your popcorn ready!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
"No one is watching them for the actual truth."
FOXNEWS host Bill O’Reilly is taking a lot of heat lately for allegedly embellishing his reporting experience during the Falklands War.
According to Mother Jones reporter David Corn, O’Reilly wasn’t within a thousand miles of the shooting. Apparently the military authorities refused to allow correspondents covering the conflict anywhere near the action on the Falkland Islands. Reporters were kept on the mainland and fed canned narrative and pool photos of the daily skirmishes. The New York Times has corroborated the Mother Jones’ account.
Since Mother Jones broke the story O’Reilly has come under fire from other news organizations claiming that he has similarly embellished his reporting in other instances.
FOXNEWS is standing steadfastly behind O’Reilly; issuing a full throated statement of support.
O’Reilly is livid. Lashing out as only the bombastic O’ Reilly can, the cable news giant not only defended his reporting, he literally threatened both Corn and the New York Times reporter for doing their jobs. “If you continue with this I will come after you with everything I’ve got. You can consider that a threat.”
There are any number of ways that a reputable news anchor might respond to such allegations. He might own up to the mistake as Brian Williams recently did; and offer up an apology. Or he might issue a rebuttal offering factual proof of the accuracy of his claims.
But O’Reilly is not a reputable news anchor. He is an entertainer who has spent the better part of his career using misstatements and falsehoods to shred the reputation of those with whom he disagrees. Now he finds himself at the receiving end of the criticism…and he doesn’t like it.
I for one am surprised at all the hub bub over the unveiling of O’Reilly’s half-truths. There is nothing to see here. For as Jon Stewart recently said about FOXNEWS…
“No one’s watching them for the actual truth.”
According to Mother Jones reporter David Corn, O’Reilly wasn’t within a thousand miles of the shooting. Apparently the military authorities refused to allow correspondents covering the conflict anywhere near the action on the Falkland Islands. Reporters were kept on the mainland and fed canned narrative and pool photos of the daily skirmishes. The New York Times has corroborated the Mother Jones’ account.
Since Mother Jones broke the story O’Reilly has come under fire from other news organizations claiming that he has similarly embellished his reporting in other instances.
FOXNEWS is standing steadfastly behind O’Reilly; issuing a full throated statement of support.
O’Reilly is livid. Lashing out as only the bombastic O’ Reilly can, the cable news giant not only defended his reporting, he literally threatened both Corn and the New York Times reporter for doing their jobs. “If you continue with this I will come after you with everything I’ve got. You can consider that a threat.”
There are any number of ways that a reputable news anchor might respond to such allegations. He might own up to the mistake as Brian Williams recently did; and offer up an apology. Or he might issue a rebuttal offering factual proof of the accuracy of his claims.
But O’Reilly is not a reputable news anchor. He is an entertainer who has spent the better part of his career using misstatements and falsehoods to shred the reputation of those with whom he disagrees. Now he finds himself at the receiving end of the criticism…and he doesn’t like it.
I for one am surprised at all the hub bub over the unveiling of O’Reilly’s half-truths. There is nothing to see here. For as Jon Stewart recently said about FOXNEWS…
“No one’s watching them for the actual truth.”
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