President Barack Obama bluntly defended his administration’s response to the undersea gusher fouling the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, telling an interviewer he has met with experts to learn “whose ass to kick.”
“I was down there a month ago, before most of these talking heads were even paying attention to the Gulf,” Obama told NBC’s “Today” show in an interview scheduled to air Tuesday. “A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there, standing in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be.”
A variety of critics have accused Obama of being too cerebral in his reaction to the undersea gusher now fouling the Gulf of Mexico, of failing to put the full force of the administration and of putting too much trust in oil company BP. But Obama told NBC his deliberations have been more than academic.
Hmmmm, perhaps maybe The President should try starting in his own cabinet? Maybe he should startwithhimself? After all, he is a pretty skinny guy, I just wonder if he is double jointed?
One of the Kalamazoo Central students — who was seated behind keynote speaker President Barack Obama during Monday night’s commencement ceremony — fell asleep.
The student, who earned such a prime seat by singing in the choir, was captured on video due to his proximity to the president. He also was a hot topic on Twitter and the subject of several recently created Facebook pages.
Our video, at left, shows the student yawning and fighting to stay alert. At one point, he leans back, only to jump alert and join in during applause. The student then leans forward and appears to nod off.
Man, if that is not a good video for someone running against Obama in 2012, what isn’t? Anyways, Yes, Kid, we feel your pain. Poor guy just was up late and had to get up early and listen to the President tell how wonderful he is. It can make for some pretty heavy eyes!
Dutchman Joran van der Sloot, long the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of a U.S. teen in Aruba, has confessed to killing a young Peruvian woman in his Lima hotel room last week, a police spokesman said.
Peru’s chief police spokesman, Col. Abel Gamarra, told The Associated Press that Van der Sloot admitted under police questioning Monday that he killed 21-year-old Stephany Flores on May 30.
According to La Republica newspaper, Van der Sloot told officials he broke Flores’s neck in a rage after he discovered she had used his notebook computer without permission and learned he was involved in the disappearance of Holloway.
“I did not want to do it,” La Republica quoted him as saying. “The girl intruded into my private life.”
I have no problem believing that this tool killed Natalee Holloway and covered it up. This time he was not so lucky to be able to cover it up. Throw the book at the bum and lock him away for good.
SPC Bradley Manning - Fresh Meat for the Army brig circle jerk!
Federal officials have arrested an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records to whistleblower site Wikileaks, Wired.com has learned.
SPC Bradley Manning, 22, of Potomac, Maryland, was stationed at Forward Operating Base Hammer, 40 miles east of Baghdad, where he was arrested nearly two weeks ago by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. A family member says he’s being held in custody in Kuwait, and has not been formally charged.
Manning was turned in late last month by a former computer hacker with whom he spoke online. In the course of their chats, Manning took credit for leaking a headline-making video of a helicopter attack that Wikileaks posted online in April. The video showed a deadly 2007 U.S. helicopter air strike in Baghdad that claimed the lives of several innocent civilians.
He said he also leaked three other items to Wikileaks: a separate video showing the notorious 2009 Garani air strike in Afghanistan that Wikileaks has previously acknowledged is in its possession; a classified Army document evaluating Wikileaks as a security threat, which the site posted in March; and a previously unreported breach consisting of 260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables that Manning described as exposing “almost criminal political back dealings.”
“Hillary Clinton, and several thousand diplomats around the world are going to have a heart attack when they wake up one morning, and find an entire repository of classified foreign policy is available, in searchable format, to the public,” Manning wrote.
This man is getting just what is coming to him. You take a political stance and you break the law? Your ass is going to jail. I hope he enjoys the big house, because that is right where he belongs.
Helen Thomas, the longtime White House correspondent made famous for her no-holds-barred questioning of presidents, announced her resignation Monday following controversial remarks she made about Israel.
In a statement from Hearst newspapers, where she works as a columnist, she said she is “retiring, effective immediately.”
Thomas started at the White House as a reporter during the Kennedy administration but became more outspoken in recent years, when she shifted to column writing.
The reaction of most reporters, friends and former White House officials was that while the end to Thomas’s career is sad, it is hardly surprising.
“It really is sadness. She should have retired years ago,” one longtime friend said. “But I don’t think anyone is surprised at the anti-Israeli remarks. She has never made any secret of her animus toward Israel. I just hate to see her remembered for this instead of the pioneering work she did.”
Former White House press secretary Dana Perino said: “It’s a sad but appropriate end.”
Let this be a lesson to any leftest loon, who decides to be journalist. Keep your mouth shut and stick to your job; if you want to keep your job. Antisemitism is not cool, fashionable or any of the other stupid labels that they put on it. It is a sick disease and should not be in the public square.
Somehow or another, I somehow doubt that this was an accident, something tells me, that this woman knew who she was talking to and knew what sort of trouble it would cause. She wanted to retire and was looking for a way out and found it.
In case, you did not notice, I do have a ribbon on my blog now; and yes, I will say it. I do support Israel. The only reservation that I have, is that some of the players in Zionism sometimes resort to race or “Semite-Baiting”, but other than this, I have no issues with Israel and the Jews. America is the prosperous Nation that it is today, because of the relationship that it has with the Nation of Israel. God help this Nation, if we ever got the idiotic idea to abandon Israel or turn against her.
For more about how I feel about this issue. Please click and read this Gospel Tract. It will explain just how I feel about this whole thing. I may have had reservations about Israel in the past. But, that is all different now, I totally understand and believe, that Israel is God’s holy land and he will use it one day. You’ll see. Bush understood it, I understand it, and any Conservative who does not understand it, is not a Conservative and should not be calling themselves one! Remember this, come 2010 and 2012.
SC Gov candidate Nikki Haley (R) and SC State Sen Jake Knotts (R)
It sounds like South Carolina State. Sen. Jake Knotts’ “raghead” comments last night are even worse than first reported.
Not only did he refer to Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley as a “raghead” during an internet political radio show taped in a bar — but Knotts called her a “f—ing raghead” afterward, according to a report from the Free-Times.
“She’s a f—ing raghead,” Knotts reportedly said.
This report comes on the heels of an earlier account from the co-host of the internet political talk show Pub Politics, the forum for Knotts’ comments. Knotts — who supports Haley opponent Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary — did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment this morning.
The show is co-hosted by Phil Bailey and Wes Donehue. Donehue, a GOP operative, figured into an earlier chapter in the scandal surrounding blogger Will Folks’ claim that he had an affair with Haley. Donehue sent Folks an expletive-laced text message about the story being discussed, and was reportedly trying to shop an affidavit to reporters. For his part, Bailey works with the Senate Democratic Caucus.
The state senator also reportedly seemed to suggest when approached by Free Times reporter Corey Hutchins after the show last night that Haley was some kind of Sikh Manchurian candidate.
[….]
Knotts has apologized for his comments, explaining them as part of a “freewheeling, anything-goes Internet radio show that is broadcast from a pub.”
If it had been recorded, the public would be able to hear firsthand that my ‘raghead’ comments about Obama and Haley were intended in jest. Bear in mind that this is a freewheeling, anything-goes Internet radio show that is broadcast from a pub. It’s like local political version of Saturday Night Live, which is actually where the joke came from.He continued: “I still believe Ms. Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I do apologize to both for an unintended slur.”
So Haley’s family is Indian and we’re fighting Muslim jihadis, and … close enough, I guess? Today Jenny Sanford leveraged some of her moral authority on Haley’s behalf by denouncing the scumbaggery being practiced here, but I fear South Carolina’s a lost cause. My mental picture of the state these days is of a giant sleaze blob laying waste to the land, consuming everyone and everything it touches. Note to Hot Air readers in SC: Get out while you still can.
HEH! That’s so wrong, but quite funny. 😀 The Allahpundit statement, not the stupidity by this idiot who looks like he’s eaten way too many triple whoppers for supper. I mean, this idiot is still in politics and still making statements like these? Ouch. South Carolina is got some issues.
Oh, But the stupidity does not end there!
We get this little gem from the ugliest damn White House reporter on the planet: (H/T to my good friend Sammy at YidWithaLid)
First this feckless….um, woman, goes ape poop over the White House’s reaction to the attempt to run a blockade in Gaza by Terrorists, watch:
….and then, she lets this little gem fly last week:
Sammy over Yid with a Lid says:
I used to attribute Thomas’ venom to the combination of her liberal leanings and Lebanese heritage, video below indicates that her intentions are more nefarious than that, Thomas is not a big fan of the Jewish people.
Uh, Sammy? What gave you your first clue? 😉
He goes on:
Go back to Germany and Poland?? Why Ms Thomas? You do remember the Holocaust right? Heck you are old enough to remember the crusades.
HEH! Now that’s funny… 😀
Sammy’s very important point here:
There are some people who believe that any criticism of Israel is Anti-Semitism. That belief is as ignorant as Anti-Semitism itself. There is however, a great deal of crossover between hatred of Israel and Hatred of the Jews. To find out what people really mean you need to examine the words they use.
Helen Thomas’ comparing of the IDF to Nazi Germany is nothing but an attempt to water-down the horror of the Holocaust, and to dehumanize Israel. And her advice to the Jews to get the hell out of Palestine, and go back to Poland and Germany is nothing short of anti-Semitism. If Thomas’ comments were directed toward any other group but the Jews, she would have been out of work a very long time ago. Maybe it’s time for Helen’s bosses to retire her to the “The Home For Old Crazy Anti-Semites.”
Amen and Amen! Er, wait, Sammy’s Jewish… *scratches head*
??? and ???!
Update: D’oh! I guess WordPress won’t pass Yiddish….. Sorry Sammy, I tried buddy… 🙁
Helen Thomas issued the following statement today: “I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.”
Feh…. Whatever…
Oh, but the stupid doesn’t stop here… There’s more, believe it or not….
Good old Pat Buchanan, just when you think that this idiot couldn’t sink any lower. He goes a little deeper: (H/T AP)
Stupid is as stupid does....
But that 2 a.m. boarding of an unarmed ship with an unarmed crew, carrying no munitions or weapons, 65 miles at sea, was an act of piracy. What the Israeli commandos got is what any armed hijacker should expect who tries to steal a car from a driver who keeps a tire iron under the front seat…
But we have a blockade of Gaza, say the Israelis, and this flotilla was a provocation. Indeed, it was. And Selma was a provocation. The marchers at Edmund Pettus Bridge were disobeying orders of the governor of Alabama and state police not to march.
Yet, today, liberal Democrats who regard Martin Luther King as a moral hero for championing nonviolent civil disobedience to protest injustice are cheering not the unarmed passengers trying to break the Gaza blockade, but the Israelis enforcing the blockade…
Israel has a right to secure Gaza to deny Hamas access to weapons, especially rockets that could reach Israel. But that does not justify denying 1.5 million people what they need to live in decency.
Freakin’ Jesus Christ on a Cheese Cracker already! That guy is terminally stupid or woefully uninformed. 🙄
Told ya, it comes in three’s anymore!
Like I said in the title… PLEASE, STOP THE STUPID MACHINE! 😯 😮
I have zero clue who produced this, but man is it ever good….
This comes via The Daily Paul, who has gone out of their way to bash me in the past —- figure I will be different and show a little class and give them credit on this find.
It’s one thing to say our Iran policy is making things worse, it’s quite another to pretend that regional war, possibly with a nuclear component, in the Middle East wouldn’t much matter to America if we just hurried up and got our troops out. I can’t tell if this guy doesn’t realize or simply doesn’t care that opening up Gaza’s port will mean more arms in the hands of more fanatics, which means more of a chance of war and thus a more precarious position for U.S. interests. But let this serve as yet another reminder that, for all the grief we give The One on foreign policy, we can do much, much worse. And not just on the left either.
Amen to that. For all the grief that I give President Obama, I also know that it could be and would be much worse, if Ron Paul was the President. Also, about “AllahPundit,” before anyone says a damned thing in the comments section; was less than 10 miles from the World Trade Center, when it was hit in 2001. Hence his desire to see something done about the terrorists.
Ron Paul’s problem is, that he is shilling for the terrorists who want to destroy this Country and he is too stupid to know it. Either that or he knows it and really does not care. Gaza starving; what idiotic bullcrap! 🙄 Only thing starving is Ron Paul’s brain.
Only five years ago, the progressive political blogosphere was still predominately a gathering place for amateur (that is, unpaid or barely paid) journalists and activists unattached to existing media companies and advocacy organizations. Those days are almost completely over. Now, the progressive blogosphere is almost entirely professionalized, and inextricably linked to existing media companies and advocacy organizations.
This transformation has been brought about by three developments (fellow bloggers, please forgive me in advance if I fail to mention your or your blog as an example):
1. Established media companies and advocacy organizations hiring bloggers to blog, full-time: The Washington Post, New York Times, Politico, Center for American Progress, Salon, CQ, Atlantic, Washington Monthly, the American Independent News Network, and more have all hired hired bloggers to blog, full-time. Many of these bloggers, such as fivethirtyeight, Unclaimed Territory, or the Carpetbagger Report, operated their blogs independently of any established organization, and were key hubs in the “amateur” or “independent” progressive blogosphere. Now, those bloggers do pretty much the same thing they did before, they just (quite understandably) do it for a much better salary from an established organization.
2. Previously “amateur” progressive blogs became professional operations: Another trend, less common than the first, has been for blogs like Daily Kos, Fire Dog Lake and Talking Points Memo to transform themselves from hobbies into professional media outlets and / or activist organizations. These blogs have increased their revenue stream to the point where they can hire multiple full-time staff.
3. Bloggers translate blogging into consulting and advocacy work: Many bloggers have also found a way to make a living by combining their blogging with blog-friendly advocacy and consulting work. This is actually the path I am currently following, as are, I believe, Oliver Willis, Atrios, Jerome Armstrong, and more. This involves finding part-time or full time work in politics that is conducive to still maintaining a full-time blog (which also generates a part-time income).
Look, I am not going to do the pile-on here, but I will say this; Chris Bowers does have a point. The problem is, Bowers sounds like he whining because no one bought him out. The same thing, which Bowers is referring to, has happened and continues to happen on the right too. Michelle Malkin off-loaded her mega-Conservative site HotAir.com off to a Conservative Media conglomerate Salem Communications for a hefty price tag, I am told. So, this is not anything new.
So far, no one has offered me a job in politics or in the world of “New Media.” Nor has anyone offered to buy out my blog or anything of that sort. Not that I have been pimping myself out either. I know what my qualifications are. I mean, there would have to be a check with a one and WHOLE BUNCH of zeros in front of it, before I would give this baby up. Couple hundred million and I would consider it. Otherwise, you all will have to contend with me for a long time to come. 😉
Well, Humph, Here’s a novel idea. You do not want your kid being killed by the IDF? Then don’t let him attack the IDF, when they legally board a ship to inspect it.
The Story:
Furkan Dogan - Arab Terrorist who attacked IDF
A U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey is among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship heading for the Gaza Strip, officials said today. The victim was identified as Furkan Dogan, 19, a Turkish-American. A forensic report said he was shot at close range, with four bullets in his head and one in his chest, according to the Anatolian news agency.
Dogan was a high school student studying social sciences in the town of Kayseri in central Turkey. He was born in the United States and moved to Turkey at the age of 2. He will be buried in his hometown tomorrow.
Dogan’s body was returned to Turkey today along with eight others, all Turkish nationals, who were on board the Mavi Marmara
As for Dogan, it is reported that he was shot five times at close range, four times in the head. If that is correct, it is reasonable to infer that he was one of those attacking Israeli soldiers with a club, knife or other weapon and was shot in self-defense. The Times quotes his brother saying, on behalf of the family, “we were not sorry to hear that he fell like a martyr.”
Yeah, he fell alright. Fell like the little pip-squeak weasel terrorist that he was. Like I said before. The only language that these terrorist thugs understand, is the one one spoke at the end of gun. Israel had every right in the world to enforce that blockade, and they did. These Arab terrorists went looking for a confrontation and they got it. The sick and sad part is, that our Government is now siding with the Arabs and the Terrorists! What a difference a Presidential Administration makes.
I would be willing to be bucket-loads of money that there are many Liberal Jews right now that are deeply regretting their vote for Barack Obama and the Democrats at this point. Because essentially what this White House has done, is sided with the terrorists themselves. Which is what Democrats are basically known for. It did not used to be that way, but it has been that way since about the time of Jimmy Carter’s Administration.
Here’s what President Obama didn’t see when he visited the Gulf Coast: a dead dolphin rotting in the shore weeds.
“When we found this dolphin it was filled with oil. Oil was just pouring out of it. It was the saddest darn thing to look at,” said a BP contract worker who took the Daily News on a surreptitious tour of the wildlife disaster unfolding in Louisiana.
His motive: simple outrage.
“There is a lot of coverup for BP. They specifically informed us that they don't want these pictures of the dead animals. They know the ocean will wipe away most of the evidence. It’s important to me that people know the truth about what's going on here,” the contractor said.
“The things I’ve seen: They just aren’t right. All the life out here is just full of oil. I'm going to show you what BP never showed the President.”
“I saw a pelican under water with only its wing sticking out,” he said. “I grabbed it and lifted it out of the water. It was just covered in oil. It was struggling so hard to survive. We did what we could for it.
“Nature is cruel, but what’s happening here is crueler.”
The uninhabited barrier islands are surrounded by yellow floating booms, also stained black, that are supposed to keep the oil out. It’s not working.
“That grass was green a few weeks ago,” the contractor said. “Now look. … This whole island is destroyed. How do you write a check for something like this?”
He said he recently found five turtles drowning in oil.
“Three turtles were dead. Two were dying and not dead yet. They will be,” he said.
As the boat headed back amid the choppy waves, a pod of dolphins showed up to swim with the vessel and guide it to land.
“They know they are in trouble. We are all in trouble,” the contractor said.
While I am not stupid enough to blame Obama for this spill. I do blame the Companies that were running that oil platform. Because of corner cutting and just plain old incompetence; we have this on our hands. It is not BP’s problem, It is not Obama’s Problem — although, the President will take the heat for it. The oil spill is OUR problem, it’s America’s problem and it will be something that our great-grand children will be talking about, some 50 years from now. The only question I ask is, what will they be saying about us? As a Christian, I believe in being a good steward of the earth that God has given us. It is quite and glaringly obvious that we failed that responsibility. For this, we have fish and other such sea creatures —- God’s Creatures — who are now dying because of the recklessness of a few men.
Not to be overly philosophical about this whole thing; but, what kind of World are we giving to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren? A ton of National Debt? An ocean that will be polluted beyond repair?
Sometimes, I believe that Indian wept — for a good reason….
A war tells a people terrible truths about itself. That is why it is so difficult to listen.
We were determined to avoid an honest look at the first Gaza war. Now, in international waters and having opened fire on an international group of humanitarian aid workers and activists, we are fighting and losing the second. For Israel, in the end, this Second Gaza War could be far more costly and painful than the first.
In going to war in Gaza in late 2008, Israeli military and political leaders hoped to teach Hamas a lesson. They succeeded. Hamas learned that the best way to fight Israel is to let Israel do what it has begun to do naturally: bluster, blunder, stonewall, and fume.
Hamas, and no less, Iran and Hezbollah, learned early on that Israel’s own embargo against Hamas-ruled Gaza was the most sophisticated and powerful weapon they could have deployed against the Jewish state.
Here in Israel, we have still yet to learn the lesson: We are no longer defending Israel. We are now defending the siege. The siege itself is becoming Israel’s Vietnam.
These are the same people that crashed those planes into the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and into that field in PA. (which was headed for the White House) These Dogs are terrorists. That is the only life they know. They are sub-human lifeforms. They are scum, the only language they understand, is from the end of a gun. 12 Dead? I am quite sorry is was not more.
When will America wake up and smell the damned Coffee? When??!
At this point, I miss Bush….like bloody hell. 😡
…and yet, the Democrats — They side with these murderous bastards. But yet, they are just as American as the rest of us. Yeah sure they are.
I can’t say that I am surprised by the level of aggravation and acrimony in the comments of my “Letting the Chips Fall” post. I certainly promised more than I delivered. You should have seen the first six drafts. They were much better.
For the few cheery souls remaining, I appreciate that you got the point — it’s exactly what Will Folks has been doing, but doing in a ridiculous third person narrative. The emails and phone calls from people in the media wanting to know when exactly I was going to do the big reveal on this were more than a little illuminating.
To the rest of you, I apologize for clearly rubbing you the wrong way on this one.
Unreal. “The One” is now doing photo-ops at the expense of those in the oil spill area.
"Hey are these pom-pom's for me?"
Maybe the alternate photo caption should read something like “I can see the end of my presidency from here.” Well, we all figured this would be a carefully choreographed photo op for the current occupant of the White House, but little did we know having their boot firmly on the neck of BP meant the folks at BP were obliged to send in some stooges for the visuals. I guess the goons from SEIU were off harassing some bank workers or getting an early start on the holiday weekend and weren’t available. Or maybe Organizing for America didn’t factor stuff like this into their budget. I saw a report earlier from Grand Isle and the place was a virtual ghost town. Seems they have to pay the folks to show up.
…and no, JWF is not kidding about BP paying people to make that shoreline look good. Here is the story.
What this President will not do to make himself look good in the sight of his own people. It is truly unbelievable. This man is more interested in his image; than he is in actually taking a leadership position and actually fixing the problem. If this little controversy does not kill this man’s Presidency, the Sestak controversy will.
The clock is ticking…. November 2010 cannot happen fast enough and November 2012 cannot come fast enough. The question is; will America survive that long? It is to wonder.
Judicial Watch filed its original FOIA request on May 29, 2009. The Justice Department acknowledged receiving the request on June 18, 2009, but then referred the request to the Office of Information Policy (OIP) and the Civil Rights Division. On January 15, 2010, the OIP notified Judicial Watch that it would be responding to the request on behalf of the Offices of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, Associate Attorney General, Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs, Legal Policy, and Intergovernmental and Public Liaison.
On January 15, the OIP also indicated that the Office of the Associate Attorney General found 135 pages of records responsive to Judicial Watch’s request, but that all records would be withheld in full. On January 26, the OIP advised Judicial Watch that the Office of Public Affairs and Office of Legal Policy completed their searches and found no responsive documents. On February 10, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division indicated that after an extensive search it had located “numerous responsive records” but determined that “access to the majority of the records” should be denied. On March 26, the OIP indicated that the Office of Legislative Affairs and the Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison completed searches and found no documents.
Judicial Watch appealed the determinations of the Office of the Associate Attorney General and the Civil Rights Division. To date, Judicial Watch has received neither a response regarding searches conducted by the Offices of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, nor responses to its two administrative appeals prompting its lawsuit. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, an independent, bipartisan unit of the federal government charged with investigating and reporting on civil rights issues, has also initiated a probe of the Justice Department’s decision to dismiss its lawsuit.
The Justice Department originally filed its lawsuit against the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and several of its members following an incident that took place outside of a Philadelphia polling station on November 4, 2008. A video of the incident showing a member of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense brandishing police-style baton weapon was widely distributed on the Internet. According to multiple witnesses, members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense attempted to block access to polling stations, harassed voters and hurled racial epithets. Nonetheless, the Justice Department ultimately allegedly overruled the recommendations of its own staff and dismissed the majority of its claims.
“The Obama administration owes the American people an explanation. How can the Justice Department dismiss a clear-cut case of voter intimidation involving the use of a weapon? Are voting rights important at the Justice Department? If there is nothing to hide, then Eric Holder should release this information as the law requires. And this is just one more example of how Obama’s promises of transparency are a big lie,” said Judicial Watch Tom Fitton.
A knowledgeable lawyer e-mails me: “Notice DOJ revealed nothing about the number of panther documents in the AG and deputy AG office. Even for the associate attorney general they revealed there were 135 but they weren’t going to turn them over. Failing to even name a number is extremely suspicious because those units can be searched quicker and easier for compliant documents. It leads one to conclude any number would be an embarrassment, and a high number would be a catastrophe. So, don’t reveal a number. Typical of this non-transparent operation.”
And now we’re going to see the administration’s true colors played out in open court. As a Judicial Watch spokesman said: “If there is nothing to hide, then Eric Holder should release this information as the law requires. And this is just one more example of how Obama’s promises of transparency are a big lie.”
But the Obama team may have a different problem: if either or both houses of Congress flip to Republican control, new chairmen will populate key committees and subpoenas will begin to fly. Congress is in an even better position to get access to the documents, as attorney-client privilege doesn’t work against a co-equal branch of government. In sum, Holder is running out of room to hide, finally.
Let’s see Mr. Eric “Nation of Cowards” Holder wiggle his way out of this one! Of course, you know what is going to happen; Eric Holder will call Obama and let him know the heat is on. Then Obama will call up MSNBC and the rest of the libtalkers and they’ll descend on JW and start calling them racist. They will say that this is an attack started by the Conservative Jews or something to that effect. You wait and see.
Judge to Kilpatrick: "To Jail with your dumb ass!"
10:46 a.m. | An audible gasp erupted in the courtroom as Judge David Groner sentenced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to 18 months to five years in state prison for probation violation.
Deputies rushed up to a row where Kilpatrick friends and relatives are sitting. They escorted one unidentified woman out.
“Your testimony in this court amounted to perjury,” the judge told Kilpatrick. “Most compelling is that you lied to this court, continue to lie, after you pleaded guilty to lying….
“The initial 120 days incarceration did nothing to rehabilitate you.”
After the gasp from the audience, Kilpatrick was ordered to sign papers. Some reporters saw his hands shaking. Groner asked Kilpatrick’s lawyer, Schwartz, to assist the former mayor.
As the courtroom began to buzz, Groner raised his voice and ordered Kilpatrick to be swift.
“Sergeant could you secure the defendant please and put him in the back?” Groner said. A deputy then handcuffed Kilpatrick behind his back and led him to a side room. The former mayor kept looking over his shoulder, mouthing words toward his sister.
His attorneys vowed an immediate appeal of Groner’s sentence.
Comment from Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Athina Siringas: “We always felt a department of corrections sentence was appropriate. We are pleased.”
The judge’s order also raises questions about whether Kilpatrick will continue to have a job with a Compuware subsidiary in Texas. Compuware chief Peter Karmanos had given Kilpatrick a six-figure sales job with Covisint in an office just outside Dallas after the ex-mayor’s release from jail in February of last year. But Karmanos said at the time that Kilpatrick’s continued employment was contingent upon Kilpatrick staying out of further trouble.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was fired from his job today after being sentenced to prison for probation violation.
“Kwame Kilpatrick will be off the Compuware Corporation payroll at the end of the month,” said a company statement. “We don’t have any choices. It’s an unfortunate situation, and we feel bad for his family, but our hands are tied.”
Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos Jr. hired Kilpatrick for his Detroit-based company the day after the former mayor was freed from jail in February 2009. The job paid a base salary of $120,000 with potential for bonuses.
Rep. Shanelle Jackson, D-Detroit, today criticized former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s sentence as too harsh for a nonviolent parole violation.
She said it would be better to have Kilpatrick repay the city and require him to do community service than sit in a costly prison cell.
“This sentence shows there is no mercy in society and no grace in the judicial system,” Jackson said. “We are looking at ways to reduce the prison population because of a lack of revenue, yet we’re giving this to someone who could ideally have more to contribute to society if we looked at restorative justice.”
She goes on:
Womack said the sentence perpetuates a common public perception that politicians are crooked.
Um, Mrs. Jackson? That because Kilpatrick WAS a damned crook and he is getting just what is coming to him. It is about damned time, that this idiotic thug was put right where he belongs. The video is priceless and is one that should be shown to anybody thinking of running for Mayor of Detroit or any other city. You decide to lie, cheat or steal and you get caught; your ass is going to jail. Here is hoping that he will get the FULL 5 years in jail, as that is just what this goldbricking jack ass needs.
Since I founded FITSNews three-and-a-half years ago, I’ve made more than my fair share of powerful enemies in this state.
One reason for that? I call it like I see it – whether you like it or not, agree with it or not, or even believe it or not. Clearly, there’s no shortage of opinions about me, my website or the impact it’s having on South Carolina’s political process, but I like to think that the stories I break, the debates I drive and the opinions I help shape all speak to the potency of the brand I’ve created.
At the heart of this brand is telling it like it is – which this website has always done, and which it will continue to do no matter what “Damocles sword” is being held over my head on a personal level by the less savory elements of this state’s failed status quo. Preserving my ability to shoot straight – free from threats and intimidation – is essential to my professional livelihood, while being able to look myself in the mirror each day is essential to who I am as a person.
The two are inseparable, actually, and to compromise one is to eventually wind up sacrificing both.
Beyond these considerations, this website is fighting for several fundamental ideals – academic opportunity for all of our state’s children, the promotion of individual liberty, and the creation of a more prosperous economic climate, to name just a few. These ideals obviously matter a great deal to me – which is why I fight so hard for them – and why I cannot (and will not) permit anyone to compromise my ability to continue fighting for them.
In recent weeks, however, a group of political operatives has attempted to do just that. In fact, on a very personal level I have become the primary target of a group that will apparently stop at nothing to destroy the one S.C. gubernatorial candidate who, in my opinion, would most consistently advance the ideals I believe in. For those of you unfamiliar with the editorial bent of this website, the candidate I am referring to is S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley.
This network of operatives has made it abundantly clear that in the process of “taking down” Rep. Haley, they will also stop at nothing to humiliate me, destroy my family and take a sizable chunk out of the credibility this website has managed to amass for itself. Such is the blood sport of S.C. politics, I suppose – particularly in the wake of the scandal that consumed my former boss, Gov. Mark Sanford.
Specifically, within the last forty-eight hours several pieces of information which purportedly document a prior physical relationship between myself and Rep. Haley have begun to be leaked slowly, piece by piece, to members of the mainstream media. I am told that at least one story based upon this information will be published this week. Watching all of this unfold, I have become convinced that the gradual release of this information is deliberately designed to advance this story in the press while simultaneously forcing either evasive answers or denials on my part or on Nikki’s part.
I refuse to play that game. I refuse to have someone hold the political equivalent of a switch-blade in front of my face and just sit there and watch as they cut me to pieces.
The truth in this case is what it is. Several years ago, prior to my marriage, I had an inappropriate physical relationship with Nikki.
That’s it.
I will not be discussing the details of that relationship, nor will I be granting any additional interviews about it to members of the media beyond what I have already been compelled to confirm.
It is what it is, and aside from the Haley family – Michael, Nikki, Rena and Nalin – I feel no need to apologize or explain myself to anyone. People are human. We make mistakes. And as I have learned from experience, the key to life isn’t the mistakes we make, it’s how we choose to handle them.
I do owe my wife, Katrina, an apology for failing to disclose certain things that took place prior to our marriage. I know that’s not the technical definition of infidelity, but it is a form of unfaithfulness that has broken the trust between us – a trust which must now be rebuilt. I also owe her an apology for the storm that my family has been facing for the past few weeks, and the storm we will no doubt continue to face in the weeks to come.
In preemptively addressing this matter, I am well aware that conspiracy theories will abound regarding my motives. In fact, I have already been assigned so many roles in so many different conspiracies that I have lost count of which villain I’m supposed to be playing. I also know that no matter what I do, I will be end up being smeared in some form or fashion by someone.
That’s fine.
I can sleep at night knowing I handled this the best way I knew how (the way my wife and I decided together that it needed to be handled), which was to simply tell the truth.
After that, wherever the chips fall, they fall. That’s the way it’s always been on this website, and that’s the way it will continue to be moving forward.
The Va-Va-Voom in question?
Oh Yeah, I'd hit it!
I mean, she could have screwed me all day long and no one would care! Well, maybe except her husband. I’m not married, so, the damage would be minimal. But NOOOO.. she has to go oink some married blogger and a farking moronic one at that!
It’s quite obvious these women need to be more aware of me. Hey, Married hot women! I am available for sex slavery you know! 😀 😉 😛 😆 😮 😯
Democratic strategist James Carville and MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, two reliable supporters of President Barack Obama, have issued withering critiques of the administration’s handling of the Gulf oil spill.
Carville, the famously outspoken Louisianian who was a chief political aide to Bill and Hillary Clinton, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday that the administration’s response to the spill has been “lackadaisical” and that Obama was “naive” to trust BP to manage the massive clean-up effort.
“I think they actually believe that BP has some kind of a good motivation here,” he said. “They’re naive! BP is trying to save money, save everything they can… They won’t tell us anything, and oddly enough, the government seems to be going along with it! Somebody has got to, like shake them and say, ‘These people don’t wish you well! They’re going to take you down!'”
Carville also accused the White House of going along with what he called the “let BP handle it” strategy.
Carville is not just any Democrat; he is one the more respected voices in the Party. I think it would do Obama well to listen to what he is saying.
WASHINGTON – In his battle with the titans of Wall Street, President Barack Obama almost got upstaged by a rat.
But he didn’t even seem to notice. Assuming that’s what it was, scurrying in front of his podium Thursday in a sun-drenched Rose Garden.
Obama had just begun an afternoon statement to reporters lauding the end of a Senate filibuster on his financial overhaul plan when some kind of rodent — opinions differ on which — dashed out of the bushes to his right, just outside the Oval Office.
As photographers snapped away, the critter trundled straight past the gray podium with the presidential seal and made a bee-line for another set of bushes to Obama’s left.
It’s not clear if the president could even see the streaker, but he didn’t show any reaction. And he concluded his statement minutes later, returning to his office without answering a few shouted questions on other topics.
Once he was safely inside the Oval Office, a fierce debate erupted among the photographers and reporters who’d witnessed the dash. Was it a rat or a mouse? Or maybe a mole, or a vole, or some other kind of related creature.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time a rodent’s been spied in the White House, or even the Rose Garden.
Just last week, as camera crews set up for an Obama statement on the Gulf oil spill, what’s believed to have been the same rodent made a dash across the famous garden.
The press work areas behind the White House briefing room have had at least one rat sighting, though that was before a multimillion-dollar rehab project finished by the Bush administration.
Moreover, rodents of all kinds are pretty common in Washington. From time to time, city officials issue alarms about surges in the rat population when residents put out extra-big summer piles of garbage.
Washington is, after all built, along a river, on what used to be a malarial swamp.
Update #4: …and if anyone really cares, I made this myself about a year ago…:
Update #5: Not to sound like a rip off of this guy, But….. HIT THE FREAKIN’ TIP JAR! It’s been a slow month for the blog revenue and I could really use the help. I am in Michigan and the job market is well, um, you know — bad? Thanks! If you cannot, there is ZERO pressure. But those of you who can…. *Please?* (Puppy Dog eyes here…)
Update #8: Thanks to Hugh in MA for the Donation! (I’ll list all donations here!)
Update #6: The Freepers Link in, Thanks Guys, you’re awesome! 😀
Update #7: 3,292 hits this morning BEFORE 8:00 AM EST…4,010 blog hits as of 8:20AM EST 6,508 as of 1:42 P.M. 7,078 hits on this Blog Entry alone Yesterday. Amazing. 🙂
At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut rose and spoke of an earlier time in his life.
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”
There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records.
The deferments allowed Mr. Blumenthal to complete his studies at Harvard; pursue a graduate fellowship in England; serve as a special assistant to The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham; and ultimately take a job in the Nixon White House.
In 1970, with his last deferment in jeopardy, he landed a coveted spot in the Marine Reserve, which virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam. He joined a unit in Washington that conducted drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive.
Many politicians have faced questions over their decisions during the Vietnam War, and Mr. Blumenthal, who is seeking the seat being vacated by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, is not alone in staying out of the war.
But what is striking about Mr. Blumenthal’s record is the contrast between the many steps he took that allowed him to avoid Vietnam, and the misleading way he often speaks about that period of his life now, especially when he is speaking at veterans’ ceremonies or other patriotic events.
Sometimes his remarks have been plainly untrue, as in his speech to the group in Norwalk. At other times, he has used more ambiguous language, but the impression left on audiences can be similar.
In an interview on Monday, the attorney general said that he had misspoken about his service during the Norwalk event and might have misspoken on other occasions. “My intention has always been to be completely clear and accurate and straightforward, out of respect to the veterans who served in Vietnam,” he said.
But an examination of his remarks at the ceremonies shows that he does not volunteer that his service never took him overseas. And he describes the hostile reaction directed at veterans coming back from Vietnam, intimating that he was among them.
What this man needs to do, is resign. There is no greater shame, no greater crime —- outside of martial infidelity, than stealing the honor of those who did serve in our armed forces. Besides all of that; who in their right mind would straight up lie about theur Military Service? Are these people that damned short sighted that they do not realize that sooner or later, this sort of thing would catch up with them?
"You see these parts? They're as big and heavy as my wife's butt cheeks, which is why I am screwing my staffer instead..."
Souder, a Republican, will will step down on Friday. He said in remarks obtained by Fox News that he “sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff.”
“I wish I could have been a better example,” he said. “In this poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain. I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process. … We are a committed family, but the error is mine and I should bear the responsibility. Not only am I thankful for a loving family but for a loving God.”
Multiple senior House sources indicated that the extent of Souder’s affair with the staffer would have landed him before the House Ethics Committee. Sources told Fox News that the aide, identified as Tracy Jackson, a woman in her mid-40s, would accompany the congressman to events and to record ads at a Christian radio broadcast station.
Elected as a family values conservative as part of the Republican revolution in 1994, Souder survived a tough re-election challenge in 2008 and survived a contested primary two weeks ago.
Here is the video of the woman he was oinking, instead of his wife: (Via TPM)
Thankfully, this guy is doing the right thing and getting the hell out of dodge and sparing the Republican Party some very unneeded embarrassment.
