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October 01, 2005
Cheney's Blogcast: "This is not a scandal."
(Written and recorded by Marc Evan Jackson)
03:02 PM | Comments (4) | Posted By Vice President Dick Cheney
Meanwhile, back in the Iraqi Civil War -- what?!
Robert Dreyfus of TomPaine.com smacks us in the face with a little reality about the recently forgotten war -- CIVIL WAR -- in Iraq:
This time, it’s the simmering battle between two Shiite paramilitary armies: the forces of the Badr Brigade, the 20,000-strong force controlled by the Iranian-supported Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and the Mahdi Army, the thousands-strong force that worships the fanatical Muqtada Al Sadr. The battle, which might flare into a Shiite-Shiite civil war in advance of the October 15 referendum on Iraq’s divisive, rigged constitution, could put the final nail in the coffin of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy.It shouldn’t be a news flash that neither one of these Shiite forces is led by “good guys.” It’s a mafia-style war between two descendants of Iraq’s leading ayatollah-led families, the Sadrs and the Hakims, who don’t exactly express affection for each other. Beginning in the 1950s, with the overthrow of the king of Iraq in 1958, the Sadr and Hakim clans mobilized Iraq’s Shiites in a struggle against Iraqi nationalists, the Baath Party, and the communists. It was then that the Sadr-Hakim mafia founded Al Dawa, the militant, terrorist-included theocratic party which still exists, out of which Prime Minister Jaafari emerged. In more recent years, the Sadr faction and the Hakim faction became like Hatfields and McCoys, feuding—with guns.
When I was in college, I had a particularly brilliant political science professor, Dr. Cheryl Wilf, who, during the lead-up to the first Gulf War predicted this outcome almost to the word. She was wrong only in that it happened in this time around and not the first pass. So how did such a bloodsoaked debacle occur without the Bushies or their parrots in the press predicting it? Sorry. Loaded question with obvious answers.
Now it's a full-blown Civil War with named armies and no end in sight. We can be pretty sure that the Iraqi votes are rigged by American intelligence operatives. The constitutional process is mockery. And there are still delusional people in this country who believe what we're doing is the right thing to do. What needs to happen to get us out of there? The Center for American Progress has released an admirable redeployment strategy which will probably be ignored by the Democrats.
It's a disgrace -- one which historians, filmmakers, and future generations will study as one of many black (or blood red) marks on the American record.
09:10 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
GAO: Bushco engaged in 'covert propaganda'
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Education Department violated a ban on covert propaganda when it paid a columnist to tout government policies and produced a video that seemed like a news story, congressional investigators said Friday.The public relations efforts violated the government's "publicity or propaganda prohibition" because the Education Department contracts did not ensure that the department's role was clearly disclosed, the Government Accountability Office said.
Can we impeach this group? My list of White House scandals has been forced to expand into an airplane hangar. Odd for an administration that promised to bring honor and integrity back to the White House.
08:58 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
September 30, 2005
Some comedy on a Friday
After a month of insanity, it's time for a little fun.
This made me laugh the laugh of all laughs.
12:51 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
You son of a bitch
Arnold vetoed the California gay marriage bill again confirming the inconsistent: gay marriage is bad, while steroid-abusing womanizer marriage is fine and dandy.
Story here.
12:34 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
September 29, 2005
Philadelphia Inquirer: Scooter leaked to Miller
The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting tonight that Dick Cheney's chief of staff Scooter Libby is the person who leaked the identity of Valerie Plame to Judith Miller.
Breaking news here.
Corruption in the office of the vice president? Shocking!
08:29 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
When will the FCC fine Bennett?
John Conyers is calling for the suspension of Bill Bennett as the result of -- what did he say? Oh yeah. He said that if you were to abort all black babies, the crime rate would go down.
Staggering that Howard Stern can be fined millions of dollars for talking about farts and vaginas, while Bill Bennett (author of "The Moral Compass For Children") can get away with -- perhaps -- just a suspension after musing about the genocide of an entire race of people. Come to think of it, has Mike Savage ever been fined by the FCC?
08:13 PM | Comments (3) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Abu Ghraib photos to be released
How much more tragic can this war become? Stand by and we'll see all of it.
Full story from Editor & Publisher.
08:09 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
September 28, 2005
Bill Bennett, Author of 'The Moral Compass'...
On his radio show today, via Media Matters:
But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky.
This is what you call... evil. It's also a perfect example of the Republican psychosis. It's beyond "impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible" to abort all black babies -- in fact, it's an unthinkable notion. Leave it to Bill to conjure it on the air. But for him to somehow correlate African Americans and the nation's crime rate is almost as evil. This from a man whose party has produced such fine, law-abiding citizens. A party which has given us Abu Ghraib, stock scams, money laundering, corporate cronyism, drug abuse, and on and on and on.
09:35 PM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
We will call him... 'Mini-DeLay'
BeyondDeLay.org introduces us to the man who will replace Tom DeLay as Majority Leader, Representative Roy Blunt (R-MO):
You got your nepotism, your Big Tobacco, your questionable ethics, and your "moral values" divorce:
In 2003, Rep. Blunt divorced his wife of 31 years to marry Philip Morris (now Altria) lobbyist Abigail Perlman. Before it was known publicly that Rep. Blunt and Ms. Perlman were dating – and only hours after Rep. Blunt assumed the role of Majority Whip – he tried to secretly insert a provision into Homeland Security legislation that would have benefitted Philip Morris, at the expense of competitors.In addition, Rep. Blunt’s son Andrew lobbies on behalf of Philip Morris, a major client he picked up only four years out of law school. Notably, Altria is Rep. Blunt’s largest campaign contributor, having donated more than $270,000 to political committees tied to him.
You got your -- um -- more nepotism, and your Iraq War corporate cronyism:
In 2003, Rep. Blunt also helped his lobbyist son Andrew by inserting a provision into the $79 billion emergency appropriation for the war in Iraq to benefit U.S. shippers like United Parcel Service, Inc. and FedEx Corp. The provision required that military cargo be carried only by companies with no more than 25% foreign ownership. UPS and FedEx were seeking to block the expansion of a foreign-owned rival’s U.S. operations. Andrew Blunt lobbies on behalf of UPS in Missouri, and UPS and FedEx have contributed at least $58,000 to Rep. Blunt since 2001.
You know, between Frist, DeLay, Safavian, Limbaugh, Brownie, Rove, Libby, and Abramoff, I wonder if the Republican leadership is wishing they hadn't been so heavy-handed on the "moral values" and "integrity" switches.
Tip to TPM.
07:47 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Just how partisan is Ronnie Earle? Hardly.
Compiled by Think Progress:
EARLE HAS PROSECUTED FOUR TIMES AS MANY DEMOCRATS AS REPUBLICANS: “Over Earle’s 27-year tenure, his Public Integrity Unit has prosecuted 15 elected officials, including 12 Democrats.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]
EARLE PROSECUTED DEMOCRATS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF STATE GOVERNMENT: “Some of the Democrats prosecuted by Earle and his Public Integrity Unit are former Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis, former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, former State Treasurer Warren Harding and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Yarbrough.” [AP, 12/12/04]
EARLE AIDES WENT ON TO RUN FOR OFFICE AS REPUBLICANS: “Some of his top assistants have been with him for decades. A few have gone on to run for elected office as Republicans.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]
FRIEND OF OFFICIAL TARGETED BY EARLE CALLED HIM A ‘BOY SCOUT’: “Democrats, for their part, are still upset over the prosecution of Attorney General Jim Mattox for bribery in 1985. … He was acquitted and years later, Jim Marston, a civil lawyer in Austin and friend of Mr. Mattox, asked Earle why he went ahead with the questionable case. “I said, ‘Ronnie, how can it be an abuse of power to threaten a lawyer? We threaten each other all the time.’ He told me that elected officials are held to a higher standard. They are supposed to be [above suspicion] like Caesar’s wife.’ It was then that Mr. Marston realized how deep Earle’s principles run. ‘Ronnie Earle is a Boy Scout who is offended by wrongdoings, chief among them, public officials’ abuse of power.’ [Christian Science Monitor, 12/03/04]
EARLE HAS REPUTATION AS PRINCIPLED, ‘OVERLY CAUTIOUS’: “Deliberate in the capital cases he sends to juries, Earle is well known for examining an issue from all angles before acting. ‘If I have any complaint about Ronnie, it’s that he is overly cautious about who he prosecutes,’ says Marston. ‘The fact that it has taken two years to investigate Tom DeLay is a sign not of partisanship, but of being completely careful.’” [Christian Science Monitor, 12/03/04]
EARLE HAS REPUTATION FOR ‘STRONG MORAL STREAK’: “[T]o those who know him, Earle has always exhibited a strong moral streak - from his formative years growing up in a small town outside Fort Worth, to his time on the Austin night court, to his political service in the state legislature. But they contend his morality is tempered by his compassion. ‘Ronnie is very principled and will do the right thing even if it isn’t the smartest political thing to do,’ says Ellen Halbert, a victim’s rights advocate.” [Christian Science Monitor, 12/03/04]
EARLE HAS REPUTATION FOR RESPECTING THE RULES: “‘One of the things I admired most about Ronnie was his indefatigable ability to go and meet with groups all over town all the time–right-wing groups, left-wing groups, the Rotary,’ says Bill Reid, an attorney who retired from Earle’s office in 1997. ‘He’s not a bloodthirsty prosecutor who wanted to get notches on his gun. There are some who have a reputation for walking close to the line in terms of evidence and rights, but there was never a push or inclination from him that we ought to bend the rules. Working for him, I was doing what I wanted to do, and I could go home and sleep at night.’” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: ALLEGATIONS OF PARTISTANSHIP NOT SUPPORTED BY FACTS: Chronicle editorial: “The record does not support allegations that Earle is prone to partisan witch hunts.” [6/14/04]
Do these words justify the following comments from various Fox News pundits (compiled by Media Matters):
BRIAN WILSON (FOX News Channel correspondent): "DeLay is making a not-so-veiled reference to this man, Ronnie Earle, the intensely partisan Democratic district attorney of Travis County, Texas.JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO: I was being polite when I said quasi-renegade. The Republican leadership today called him a political crackpot. And there is a basis for calling him that. [FOX News Channel, The Big Story with John Gibson, 11/16/04]
MICHAEL BARONE (FOX News Channel contributor and U.S. News and World Report senior writer): "Ordinarily I would agree with the Democrats' point of view on this. This is, you know, changing the rule, lowering the ethical standards. But the fact is what you've got here is a prosecutor -- Travis County prosecutor, Ronnie Earle, a partisan Democrat who has done some really rotten, political prosecuting. ... So this is a rotten prosecutor who -- and I think in those circumstances, it's appropriate." [FOX News Channel, Special Report with Brit Hume, 11/17/04]
07:37 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
DeLay charged, will step down as House leader
A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, an indictment that could force him to step down as House majority leader.DeLay attorney Steve Brittain said DeLay was accused of a criminal conspiracy along with two associates, John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay's national political committee.
GOP congressional officials said the plan was for DeLay to temporarily relinquish his leadership post and Speaker Dennis Hastert will recommend that Rep. David Dreier of California step into those duties.
01:02 PM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Brownie does a heck of a job of...
...possibly perjuring himself. Think Progress might have the smoking gun here.
09:59 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Indictment of Tom DeLay today?
The Grand Jury might finish their proceedings today which could result in an indictment being handed down on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The AP:
House GOP rules require any member of the elected leadership to step down temporarily if indicted, and it would be up to the rank and file to select an interim replacement. Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., could make a recommendation, whether choosing to elevate another member of the leadership or tapping an alternative to reduce the possibility of a struggle if DeLay were cleared and then sought to reclaim his post.The Associated Press spoke to several lawyers familiar with the case, all of whom requested anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. DeLay, R-Texas, said Tuesday that prosecutors have interviewed him. He has insisted he committed no crimes and says Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, was pursuing the case for political reasons.
One down -- many to go.
09:53 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
The press admits to giving Bush a pass
Since Katrina, many in the press have begun to admit that after 9/11 they gave the Bush administration a lot of latitude and failed to challenge the White House on many issues. Though I'm pleased they're finally admitting it, I'm sickened that they let us down so much for so long -- reverting back to a pre-Watergate, pre-Vietnam style of reporting which plays more like patriotic claptrap and propaganda than actual reporting. Media Matters has the full on-the-record story. But meanwhile, here's Andrea Mitchell on REAL TIME:
MAHER: But by the same token, I don't think you would ever be able to ask those kind of questions you were asking to that man to George Bush either, would you?MITCHELL: Well, I think you can. It doesn't always happen. I've been looking back at all of this -- it's one of the reasons I wrote the book -- and I think there has been self-censorship. And that since 9-11, or after 9-11, there was sort of a rallying around -- and understandable sort of patriotic effect -- and I think reporters were less challenging.
Brian Williams:
"I think we've always had our voice," he said. Still, "I do think -- and this is a subject for a long-term study -- the news media have been operating under a loose kind of 9/11 syndrome."Perhaps we are guilty of settling in to too comfortable a journalistic pattern, and perhaps this tragedy did serve as a reminder that this is what we do," Williams added. "I think too many people had forgotten that. There is a reason we show up after awful events. We really were the viewers' advocates on this."
Attention future leaders of America! Allow an attack to occur on American soil early in your first term and you'll get a free pass from the press!
It's been a dark era for this nation and I hope it's not too late to turn things around.
08:37 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
September 27, 2005
Congratulations to John Christian Plummer!
It's a boy! All our best to John, Maia, Charlie and the new member of their family!
09:31 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Arianna nails Frist with the question of the day
The question on everyone's mind, perfectly asked by Arianna Huffington:
So, if owning HCA stock wasn’t a conflict of interest when it was trading at $24, $27, $40, and $41 a share, why did it suddenly become a problem at $58 a share? Was the Majority Leader’s sudden burst of ethical sensitivity due to the latest round of complaints raised by… oh, sorry, there weren’t any complaints. Then maybe it was the brewing firestorm over… hmm, there wasn’t a firestorm either.
More here.
03:15 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
September 26, 2005
Hate Mail of the Month, Year, and Decade
Sent from an anonymous e-mail address with no name attached other than the ominous signature: "the one who warned you". Brave of him/her.
How can you be such an ignorant shithead? HUH?....you dont have an fucking idea of what the bible means because you humanly interpret it......you take things literally in the bible and thats why you and the rest of american atheist and crooked dumbfucks cant comprehend the bible.........do you think god put things in there so it will be completley obvious to ignorant men,such as yourself...NO ASSHOLE.......to interpret the bible you have to be spiritually subjected to it...then things will be undertsood as they are meant..i dont go to church like i used but when i did things were really different in terms of understanding the bible.......you mock the word as if it was one of your bullshit articles, man today think they are so wise...motherfucker you will pay for mocking god...god is very jealous with what is his.....you will pay...when your alone depressed or sick and dying you will remember god..except he wont be there to help you because you dont ackoknowledge him now...jesus didnt come to earth to politic with assholes about faggots and dikes.....he came to fulfill his duty as saviour of the world....GOD his father condems those immoral fucks because they are sinners....god hates their sins, not them....people often try to say that GOD HATES HOMOS...he hates their sins but not them, he hates a liars sin as much as a faggots sin because sin is all equal to him........homosexuality is immoral and sick.......those people are filled with legions of demons...if god loved their actions so much dont you think he would curse them with a high AIDS rate??..its a strong penalty for their actions just like every sinner must pay for their sins....you keep writing corny ass articles mocking gods word and your life will be shortened by his wrath.....when god judges you he will feel sorry for you and remind of all the shit you talked about him.......i pity you bob......change your ways like i need to change mine or well both be talking about this over a frappucino in a fiery hell next to a mob of homos
If this guy is a Christian who believes every word of the Bible, then he must know about the passage from Corintians regarding "revilers". Who will introduce the constitutional amendment to prevent this guy from marrying?
09:43 PM | Comments (16) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Cheney's Blogcast: "I Feel Awesome!"
(Written and recorded by Marc Evan Jackson)
06:37 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Vice President Dick Cheney
Breaking News: Cindy Sheehan arrested
From the LA Times:
Cindy Sheehan, whose protest camp outside President Bush's vacation home in Texas became a focal point of the antiwar movement this summer, was arrested today outside the White House at the head of a civil disobedience campaign intended to dramatize the opposition to the war in Iraq.On the third day of demonstrations that brought tens of thousands of opponents to the war to Washington on Saturday, a much smaller group sat down in front of the executive mansion, after being refused an opportunity to meet with a White House staff member.
Before Sheehan, 48, was arrested, she took a picture of her son, Casey, who was killed in an ambush last year in the Sadr City section of Baghdad, from around her neck and tied it with a pink ribbon to the tall, wrought iron fence that surrounds the White House.
More here. Yet Bill Frist, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay, Scooter Libby, Pat Robertson, and Jack Abramoff are still at large.
03:08 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
100,000 or 500
Cindy Sheehan was arrested today, joining the proud ranks of incarcerated non-violent civil protestors like Rosa Parks, M.K. Gandhi and Dr. King. She's in great company. Oh, I just thought of another non-violent civil protestor who was arrested for his beliefs: Jesus of Nazareth.
Reading the comments that have spun out of my Idiot Nation post below, I'm grateful to so many people for taking time to join the dialogue. Not everyone agrees with me, and that's fine. At least we're talking. Hopefully we're all thinking a little more, too. And in the spirit of Christ, I want to encourage people to think about what Jesus would do not only about supporting gay marriage, but about protesting against the Iraq War.
I mean, we're talking about a man who devoted his life to non-violence. The story goes that when Jesus was being picked up for what was certain to end in crucifixtion, Peter took up a sword and sliced one of the centaurians in the ear. Jesus then admonished Peter, had him put down the sword, and encouraged him to always act peacefully. Jesus then walked off to meet his executioners. He truly epitomized non-violence as a way of life. The point of my Idiot Nation post, as well as my The Anti-Christians post from a few weeks back, is that there are a lot of people who need to stop calling themselves Christians. Their lives and choices do not reflect, in any way, the teachings of Christ, things like:
"I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples."
As to the title of this post: as you know, over 100,000 people demonstrated Saturday against the war. The following day, Sunday, there were "pro-war protests" (What is with this Orwellian-esque phrase? What it is these people think they are "protesting"? The only answer is contained in the new term "counter protestors." They are protesting the right to free speech. Lovely.). But so over 100,000 people on Saturday. How many showed up on Sunday to cheer on the war effort? "Roughly 500."
Be encouraged by these numbers. America wants out of Iraq. Now. It's what Jesus would want, too.
03:07 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By John Christian Plummer
Paul's 'opinion' versus Paul's 'word of God'
Graduated up from the comments are some insightful thoughts from commenter "Sojourner Wolf". -Bob
Unbeknownst to many sitting in the pews on Sunday are some things that are taught in seminary (yes, I have a Masters of Divinity degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary). One, some of Paul's writings might not be Paul's writings.
A common practice of the time was for someone who considered him or her self a disciple of a religious or philosophical figure of reknown was to write their own beliefs and post them under that person's name rather than their own.
The letters of Paul that have come down to us include several that use language found nowhere else in other letters by Paul which may strongly indicate Paul may not have been the author. This is not unusual throughout most of the Old and New Testaments. Another note, inspired by God does not necessarily mean handed down by God. Paul's teachings on celibacy, for example, he admits are his own opinion. Likewise, when Christ speaks of divorce, Jesus said that Moses gave men that "due to your hardness of heart".
What does this have to do with the issue addressed? Well, also according to Jesus the Christ is the "New Covenant" by which we are no longer under the Law, but under Grace, for all the Law proved was we could not follow it. The "New Covenant" may succinctly be summed up in another passage where Jesus the Christ acknowledges that the two greatest commandments are "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your might"..."and the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Little enough love in this world of any kind, be it the agape we are to have for each other or the philios/eros which is found in relationships between those who would be friends, lovers, partners and mates in a monogamous, devoted relationship (which it sounds as if these women have after 22 years) This is skimpy and perhaps not as in depth as it could be, but don't want to be a space hog. I suggest to you that through prayer and meditation and yes, study of the Bible as the "inspired" Word of God, i.e. human beings trying to understand what God is trying to tell us and realizing that errors occur in trying to understand (recommend the book of Judges for stories about some real blunders) God. It is the record of the struggle to which we add our own to understand.
Not that writ indelibly as the be all and end all...for God delights when we seek God and God's True Nature (Love) not use our own blundering about trying to understand to play isogesis (cut and paste interpretation for purposes of supporting a personal agenda or untenable position.)
01:42 PM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Constitutional ban on 'reviler marriage', too?
In response to John's Idiot Nation and my Bigotry In The Name of Jesus H. Christ, one of the most oft quoted New Testament passages which we've received has been:
1 Corithians 6:9-10: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (King James Bible)
By this measure, should there be a constitutional amendment banning "reviler marriage", too? In other words, anyone who uses abusive language should be stripped of their marriage rights and their basic freedoms as Americans? There's a lot of effeminate heterosexual people out there as well. Should they be stripped of their rights, too?
Anyone who answers 'yes' to those rhetorical questions, I have one thing to say to you: maybe our form of democracy isn't for you. The Bible condemns a lot of things. But should those condemnations be the guide by which we legislate in this country -- in the land of the free? No way.
12:11 PM | Comments (7) | Posted By Bob Cesca
September 25, 2005
Cheney's Blogcast: Surgery a Success!
(Written and recorded by Marc Evan Jackson)
12:43 PM | Comments (3) | Posted By Vice President Dick Cheney
Brownies, Brownies everywhere
A couple weeks back, Paul Krugman asked what other federal agencies, beyond FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, were being run by Bush cronies who weren't qualified for the job.
Time Magazine has some of the answers, and they aren't pretty. One of the agencies to be cronified is the FDA. But Scott Gottlieb, the crony there, isn't an unqualified, ignorant rube like Brownie. The FDA crony knows a lot about drugs and food, especially about big companies like Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Roche and Proctor & Gamble.
His official FDA biography notes that Gottlieb, 33, who got his medical degree at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, did a previous stint providing policy advice at the agency, as well as at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and was a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. What the bio omits is that his most recent job was as editor of a popular Wall Street newsletter, the Forbes/Gottlieb Medical Technology Investor, in which he offered such tips as "Three Biotech Stocks to Buy Now." In declaring Gottlieb a "noted authority" who had written more than 300 policy and medical articles, the biography neglects the fact that many of those articles criticized the fda for being too slow to approve new drugs and too quick to issue warning letters when it suspects ones already on the market might be unsafe.[snip]
Would he ever be involved in determining whether an individual drug should be on the market? "Of course not," Gottlieb told Time. "Not only wouldn't I be involved in that ... But I would not be in a situation where I would be adjudicating the scientific or medical expertise of the (FDA) on a review matter. That's not my role. It's not my expertise. We defer to the career staff to make scientific and medical decisions." Behind the scenes, however, Gottlieb has shown an interest in precisely those kinds of deliberations.One instance took place on Sept. 15, when the FDA decided to stop the trial of a drug for multiple sclerosis during which three people had developed an unusual disorder in which their bodies eliminated their blood platelets and one died of intracerebral bleeding as a result. In an e-mail obtained by Time, Gottlieb speculated that the complication might have been the result of the disease and not the drug. "Just seems like an overreaction to place a clinical hold" on the trial, he wrote. An FDA scientist rejected his analysis and replied that the complication "seems very clearly a drug-related event."
Do you think Bush calles Gottlieb "Gotti"? It would be fitting. Read the whole piece to learn more about the similarities between the Bush administration hiring practices and those of, say, the Soprano family.
11:07 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By John Christian Plummer
Which prison gang will Frist join?
The stock-holding members of Congress are bound by law to have their money in "blind trusts." This way, they don't know what companies may benefit or suffer from the way they vote on bills before them.
But as usual for the GOP, these rules don't apply. Senate Leader Bill Frist knew he owned stock in his family's business, HCA. $13 million worth of stock. He knew it as he voted on Medicare legislation related to HCA's business. And he knew it when he told his broker to sell a month before the stock, as predicted by HCA, tanked.
Is this hearsay? Nope. It's on record:
Frist, R-Tenn., received regular updates of transfers of assets to his blind trusts and sales of assets. He also was able to initiate a stock sale of a hospital chain founded by his family with perfect timing. Shortly after the sale this summer, the stock price dived.A possible presidential contender in 2008, Frist now faces dual investigations by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Securities and Exchange Commission into his stock sales.
So Frist isn't going to court in Tennessee or Washington, D.C. He's going to court in New York. You know, where Martha Stewart went to court.
Another political problem for Frist: His own statements suggest he had no knowledge of his blind trust investments.Asked in a television interview in January 2003 whether he should sell his HCA stock, responded, "Well, I think really for our viewers it should be understood that I put this into a blind trust. So as far as I know, I own no HCA stock"
Ah. "I don't know whether or not I own stock in my family's company, I really don't, but I've been getting these reports from my brother about it (who's on the board of trustees, so he knows what he's talking about, but he really hasn't said if I own any stock in his company -- we just talk about it a lot but not about whether or not I'm a multi-million dollar shareholder) but so just in case I DO own the stock, sell now, all 13 million bucks worth, baby!"
10:33 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By John Christian Plummer
100,000
In Washington today, at least 100,000 citizens marched against the war. Republicans, Democrats, independents. Young, old. Vets, pacifists. United in one thought: get out of Iraq.
It's taken Tony Blair two years to figure out his country doesn't want to be in Iraq, and he's pulling troops out starting in May. Japan, which only has 550 soldiers in the country, will follow. Leaving pretty much only the USA. Which, statistically, is pretty much how it's always been. And as far as we know, we'll be staying for quite some time.
Members on both sides of the Congressional aisle, as well as media pundits, take Macbeth's position: "I am in blood steeped so far that returning were as tedious as go o'er."
But the truth is: they are quite pointedly not steeped in blood. The lion's share of talking heads we see expounding about the war -- be they Senators, members of the Bush administration, Fox News or CNN anchors, learned televisual pundits, whatever -- have one thing in common: they are NOT in Iraq. They are not fighting the war they are suggesting we continue, at various levels, to keep fighting.
To keep fighting means one thing to average Americans: more dead Americans. Some Americans even understand that to keep fighting means we continue to foster the kind of anti-American sentiment that feeds bin Laden's rationale. But whether you get that relatively basic fact or not, you cannot deny that the longer we stay in Iraq, the more American corpses will be shipped back to our shores. And for what, Mr. Bush? For what, members of Congress? It's not your blood, is it?
04:42 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By John Christian Plummer
