January 2008: Waiting Game

Going...












Going...












Gone.
Photos: REUTERS/Larry Downing
Captions: watertiger



It's the dismal start of the year's jockeying for party nominations, which will take over most of what passes for "news." After years of being courted by him, the press is in love with "maverick" McCain. Whose maverickness is debunked again and again by independent journalists and bloggers—whose reporting will be ignored by the official media.

But, at least we can take heart in knowing the dog owners' vote should pretty much be lost to Romney...

Glenn Greenwald continues to focus on the depressing role of Congress and the media in covering up the regime's criminal activities. As in, "Lawbreaking telecoms still conniving to obtain immunity from Congress."

And on the 28th: "What's at stake today in the Senate's FISA filibuster vote"

If the Democrats had even the slightest strategic sense and/or courage -- just the slightest amount -- this is a political confrontation they would be uncontrollably eager to have. Just imagine if they sustain the filibuster today and instead pass a 30-day extension of the PAA, and then Bush vetoes it, knowingly choosing to leave the intelligence community without the ability to Listen In When Osama Is Calling. It would be the height of political stupidity for Democrats to be afraid of that outcome.

...The veto threat from the President is so unbelievably corrupt and manipulative that if our national press had even the smallest amount of critical faculties and understanding of the issues, that veto threat would be a major story. After all, how can the President possibly threaten the country that he will veto a law that he himself has claimed for months is indispensable for Protecting Us All?

And so on.

But, then as Glenn also notes, the White House is free to regard Congress as a joke, because—

Consequences for ignoring congressional subpoenas: None

This, regarding subpoenas issued to administration officials, past (Harriet Meiers) and present (Josh Bolten).

Bush's blank check/endless war will continue.

On the 15th driftglass, who always has the apt word—usually, many apt words—posts a video of Martin Luther King's sermon, "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam". (A transcript is also here).

And driftglass' MLK birthday message simply—but only too aptly—reflects on that 1967 sermon:

Could not be more timely.

I'm so, so sorry we could not stand to listen to the simple truths you had to tell.

That we could not bring ourselves to live up to our own, pretty words.

That, finally, we could not bear to let you live.