I. Scooter Libby's motion to dismiss the criminal indictment against him for perjury and lying to the FBI was denied this morning by Judge Walton of the District Court of the District of Columbia. Libby argued that the authority granted by the Attorney General to Fitzgerald to investigate and prosecute crimes relating to the leak of Valerie Plame's identity vioated the requirement that the Attorney General "supervise and direct" all litigation to which the US is a party, and further argued that the Fitzgerald's appointment by the Attorney General violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution which requires an appointment of certain officers of the government to be made by the President.
What we are hearing about Iran seems eerily familiar (a mirror image of what we heard in the lead up to the Iraq war), while at the same time sounds fucking frightening. Are we getting the correct translation of Ahmadenijad's speech yesterday wherein he threatens that Israel will be annilihated soon?
I think that scandal fatigue has set in with the general electorate and the media. Yesterday, I posted a diary "election sabotage linked to WH," and have since felt a little guilty for the inartful headline. There was no direct link, only circumstantial evidence. I should have paid better attention to detail, but I was in a rush and I am rather new to blogging. I did not think that the post would generate such a response. That said, I still think it is a big story that has now been forgotten by the media. I think that this is a result of scandal fatigue. We are bombarded almost every day by more scandal, and it reminds me of the Clinton years, the end of which introduced the term "Clinton fatigue" by the media.
The phone jamming scheme in New Hampshire in 2002 to keep Dems from the polls has been linked to the White House and the Republican Party. Here's the link:http://news.yahoo.com/...
It seems that there is news of another scandal every day. Lately, the scandals are getting closer and closer to Bush and White House employees. IF not for the other recent scandals, this one would have made more headlines.
According to what I have read, Al Gore is responsible for starting a new TV station. I'd like to support this endeavor, but I haven't seen the broadcast yet. Does anyone out there know if the station is being broadcast on DirecTV? It is important to support progressive media, which, I'm sure I do not have to tell you folks out there. Thanks.
I've been a life-long Dem, but they are losing me. But I was thinking...what's my plan B. Who would I support? The Green candidate? Ralph Nader? I remember giving some of my friends a hard time in 2000 for voting for Nader. I still feel that Gore would have won by a greater margin had Nader dropped out. But now, I'm feeling that the Dems will never change unless they feel the sting of total abandonment by the liberal wing of the party, and maybe not even then. Hillary does not stand a chance, and even if she did, I do not know that I can vote for someone who is so obviously moving to the right (support of flag burning amendment, failure to join in censure resolution, her position on Iraq, etc). It may just be politics as usual, but integrity must begin to matter at some point. Russ Feingold and the new Al Gore understand this and I think the 2008 campaign should be run on competency and integrity as values that have been abandoned by both parties, by the Rethugs much more so than the Dems. But still, what is everyone's plan B if the Dems do not recognize us and we continue to be disenfranchised?
Does anyone else feel like we're living in the former Soviet Union? Is one party rule, abandonment of civil liberties, Orwellian double speak, state run capitalism, spread of empire, etc, now acceptable for this country? I'm so disgusted and devastated that the Dems are incapable of supporting censure let alone bringing down our Crook in Chief when he is at his weakest. The Dems are doomed to failure in '06 and '08 because they ignore candidates with integrity, e.g. Feingold and Paul Hackett. It makes me want to cry and is almost enough to make me want to live my life in Northern California in isolation from everything political and anything having to do with government. I'm a lifelong Dem, but will probably change my party affiliation to Independent. I'm sick of voting for the lesser of two evils. I hope that this doesn't sound defeatest, but hope is dwindling.
Bush is saying that he has the right to spy on citizens based on his emergency war powers under the constitution, I think Article II. When's the emergency over? In other wars between nation states one could pretty well tell when hostilities have ended. But Bush and the neocons have figured out a way to infringe on 4th amendment protections ad infinitum. The so-called "war on terror" will never end. I've yet to hear any talking head ask how we can tell when this "war" is over. This is my first diary, but I'm so pissed that I can't keep it inside. I'm lucky to have Barbara Boxer as my senator and Lynn Wolsey as my rep. We need to raise hell over this.
