I've avoided the debates until now because I saw them as little more than exercises in media manipulation.  This time, I wanted to watch the Republican debate just to hear the other candidates respond to Ron Paul.  Unfortunately, I had a scheduling conflict so I asked a kid to take notes for me.  As the debate began, I drew a quick seating chart of the candidates to help the kid keep track of who said what and then ran off.  BTW - this is not snark.  This is a straight rendition from a 9 year old.  The only changes I made were for spelling errors (except the names).

It must have been more difficult thant I thought to keep track of all the new names.  That's the only reason I can think of to explain why this  reporter devised their own naming strategy to keep track of the candidates.  Aside from that, it seems they got all the high points.

Follow me below the fold for the 9-years old rendition of a fight between Sarge, Wrinkles, Bunny Ears, Oily, Beagle Eyes and Carrot Face...  

Captain Maria Ortiz was buried at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday afternoon.  If you were in Washington DC then, now you know why the city was drenched with the tears of angels.

Last month, noweasels covered the death of Capt. Maria Ortiz in a beautiful IGTNT piece, "She Was The Jewel".  There is little I can add to the story of her life.  Instead, I want to take this opportunity to thank Governor Corzine for his executive order to fly the flags in his state at half-staff in her honor because her family now lives in New Jersey.

I think all flags should be flown at half-staff every day a soldier dies in Iraq to honor their sacrifice and also to serve as a protest against an administration that refuses to recognize their sacrifice except as an excuse to throw more bodies into the meatgrinder. 

Today, we remember Maria Ortiz the way she will be remembered by her colleagues:

Her work wasn't finished until everybody was cared for.

We have unfinished business... 

I confess.  I was unhappy when they said, "impeachment is off the table," but I dismissed it as a tactical dispute.  At least we knew there were "no more blank checks" and Congress would starve the beast by exercising the power of the purse.  When they capitulated, I was vexed.

When the AG told Congress he didn't recall any Constitutional guarantee of habeas corpus, I was stunned.   I didn't realize Art. I, Sec. 9 of the Constitution was a figment of my imagination.  At least that explains why no one uses it anymore.  

This week really surprised me, though.  I hear Congress just granted more unchecked powers to Gonzales.  I can't understand how that happened.  It's like no one recalls his testimony.  It was awhile before I figured out the problem: we haven't been supportive enough.

Instead of calling them Vichy Democrats who cower in front of glass-jawed bullies, we should be supporting them.  We've done it before.  We can do it again.  In 2006 we gave them a mandate.  You and I know the majority of America was behind them.  The problem was they didn't feel it.  That's our fault.  We need to show them we're behind them.

Working together, we can solve this ...

Bruce Fein, a constitutional lawyer with unimpeachable conservative credentials was on Bill Moyers Journal saying things that used to be considered "porn" on Daily Kos.  He is saying things many people their still have to be convinced make sense.  He's calling for the impeachment of Bush AND Cheney.  Immediately!

Here is the Link to the ENTIRE interview and transcript.

Fein was there at Watergate.  Fein helped draft the articles of impeachment for Clinton.  This is stunning. Someone needs to send it to Nancy, tape her eyelids open and make her watch it.  This is historic.

HERE'S THE BOTTOM LINE TAKE HOME TALKING POINTS:

1. Impeachment is not a constitutional crisis. It is the CURE for constitutional crisis. (Nichols)
   
   
2. Let unchallenged, these powers will be lying around like loaded weapons for future presidents. (Fein)

More pyrotechnics below the fold as Fein defends "The Fighting Constitution"...

Compared to the body counts in Iraq and elsewhere, this may seem like nitpicking.  But unlike the USA firings or the Energy Policy meetings or the leaking of classified information, inappropriate use of computers at work is something most people understand.  It's no joke.  I have fired people for:

a) using unauthorized personal devices on secure networks
b) transmitting confidential information over unsecure channels
c) violating procedures for maintaining network integrity
d) using government networks for personal business

These policies and procedures exist for a reason.  How many people reading this have found their name on spam lists because someone put you in their address book and then got compromised?  Why anyone associated with this kind of flagrant actionable abuse of resources is still working at the White House, let alone has a security clearance, is beyond me.  Speaking of security.... What about those Blackberry's?

"The Cherokee people exercised the most basic democratic right, the right to vote," said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

How are you going to argue with an Indian Chief named Chad Smith? Besides, what better weekend to exercise this right than the first weekend in March?

When marchers gathered at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, to demand voting rights, the nation was forced to acknowledge the depth and breadth of racial discrimination and bigotry that existed in the United States.

Sounds like a success story to me. I mean, an historically disenfranchised nation that has suffered discrimination and hardship on a truly epic scale should be proud they have overcome the odds. Free at last, free at last, free to embrace their heritage by exercising their rights to determine their destiny.

Before you start doing a victory dance, you might want some background information about the Constitutional Amendment they are voting on....

"Islam doesn't have a Pope. So there isn't one guy who can say, 'This isn't kosher.'"

-- Fareed Zakaria

That's why I love Fareed.  He's got a grasp on the situation.  He can break it down for you in simple terms that make it clear where the problems are.  And he brings the funny.   Unfortunately, you have to work really hard to find the funny in Iraq these days.  

The recent reports of massive military operations are going to get all sorts of attention the next few weeks.  Early reports aren't doing anything to brighten my spirits.   However, it is still crucial we get a clear sense of the situation so we can see where the problems are, even if Dubya & Friends can't be bothered.

I know that the recent operation in Najaf is going to be played out as some sort of victory vindicating the Decider's New and Improved Strategy For Victory.  In reality, this is like trying to quell unrest in Northern Ireland by helping Protestants kill Catholics at the start of Lent.  

Actually, it is worse....

I can't help it.  When I see a headline quoting Gates, I immediately assume they're quoting Bill Gates.  It's a reasonable mistake.  Bill Gates is a successful entrepreneur with a grand vision to change the world and improve the lives of future generations.  He's worth quoting.  When Gates talks, people listen.

Of course, I lose interest once I get past the headlines and it turns out they are quoting Robert Gates, Rumsfeld's replacement.  He is just the latest in a long line of sock puppets on TV since Shari Lewis first stuck her hand up Lambchop's ass and made her dance.

Now that anyone with any brains has tuned out everything this administration says in defense of Mr. Bush's War, I'm sure the bozo's left on the bus are constantly looking for new ways to catapault the propaganda.  After his recent press conference, it's clear the only thing Gates has going for him is his name.  It buys them a brief window of confusion to get people's attention one more time.  Trading on confusion to borrow credibility when you have none left is an old parlor trick, but it works.  Don't take my word for it.  Ask Frank Luntz...

I'm going to admit it.  I'm  prejudiced.  They say you should never judge a book by its cover.  I say you don't have to eat the whole apple to know its bad.  And once you've had a bad apple, you know what to look for so you don't have to go through that again.   You know the old saying... "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me repeatedly for three and a half years and I'm just asking for it."

In the reality-based world, anticipating future events based on past experience is considered prudent risk management.  If you look at it from an evolutionary standpoint, it is a positive survival characteristic.  Here's why that's important...

 Ross McGinnis was 19 years old when he died.  Nineteen years old.  I've got ties that are older than that.   They are well made, but nothing outstanding.  That's the difference between Ross McGinnis and my ties.  He was outstanding.  The kid was one in a million.  Actually, more like one in 2 million.  You'll see where that number came from in a moment, but first I want you to really appreciate just how special he was.  If you meet sixty new people every day for the next hundred years, you will be lucky if you meet one like Ross McGinnis.    Think about that the next time you get on a bus, or a train, or a plane.  Every day.  For a 100 years...

crossposted from MacDubya: A Modern Tragedy

ACT I.

Scene I:  Baghdad, 1991.

This dark, grim tragedy begins with Three Witches dancing in the streets of Baghdad.

Missiles, explosions, and screams paint a gloomy picture, setting the tone of this play.  As the "fireworks" fade, the witches agree to meet again at the turn of the century.  They straddle cruise missiles that look decidedly phallic and fly off.

The TV set at the edge of the stage sputters to life. We hear Bernard Shaw reporting from Baghdad on the night of the first attack marking the opening of Operation Desert Storm. This is followed by a series of screen shots and video clips with occasional sound bites that rapidly advance us through the Clinton Years. A minute later, nine years have passed... ...

Imagine the horror of watching someone drowning before your eyes.   Now imagine watching it in slow motion.   Repeatedly.   For years I have been watching Israel's suicidal spiral with that kind of despair.

I used to explain Israel's current situation by comparing the occupation of the West Bank to the period in American history when Andrew Jackson was president.   He was willing to violate the law of the land and there was no political will to stop him.   His famous contempt for "John  Marshall's decision" paved the way for the Trail of Tears and all the genocide that followed.  Now we learn even this fig leaf of judicial restraint is gone.   In a strange, sad Hanukkah gift to itself, the Israeli Supreme Court delivered a unanimous decision declaring extra-judicial executions are now legal.   

"One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.
And sixty cents of it was in pennies...."

Thus begins O. Henry's classic short story, The Gift of the Magi.  O. Henry presented it as a retelling of the Christmas Story, but if you listen carefully, you can hear faint echoes of another Bible story, The Widow's Mite.

Now comes a modern ballad that weaves together threads of these and other stories.  You can thank country music star, Kenny Chesney, for this treasure.  I know some folks think they are too sophisticated for country music.  I used to think that way until the night I heard "I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lyin' On My Back In My Bed While I Cry Over You."  

In the true spirit of Christmas, let me share the lyrics of Kenny Chesney's song, The Christmas Shoes (For Mama).  It is not every day that listening to a song can heal you, but this one is a cure for what ails us.  

Once again, Charles Krauthammer has jumped into the Iraqi quagmire  debate with both feet firmly in his mouth.   The amazing part is he can  do that without pulling his head out of his ass.  I'm telling you, the  guy deserves his own Cirque de Soleil act.  They could call it "Pretzel  Logique" and make a fortune.

Normally I hurry past his crap the way I pass puddles of vomit outside  of frat houses.  I hold my breath and quickly move on, hoping none of  the ooze will stick to my shoes.  Occasionally, he outdoes himself and  you just can't help but stop and gawk in amazement.

Today was one of those days....

I always get a chuckle out of the folks who say "some scientists" question global warming... because the US NAVY sure as hell doesn't have any question about it.  In fact, it looks like they are positioning to ask for a whole new fleet to police the newly opened seas!

Consider this recently declassified report:

It's called "Naval Operations in an Ice Free Arctic"