If any would-be Obama Administration employee can show me a copy of their application with question #59 marked "None of your f***ing business, @$$#oles," I will buy them a bottle of whatever they're drinking.
Ive seen floated for that question being on the form is that its to cover themselves if they have any problems on gun ownership issues. If someone comes after Obama for being anti-2nd amendment he can say "Look at this list of people in my administration who own guns, ask them if they think I want to take them away"
I dont know how plausible all this is, even if its just on personal privacy grounds. But Obama has been pretty good at anticipating his opponents attacks so far, so this might just be some pre-emptive CYA rather than an attempted gun grab.
Someone has/had a registered gun, but at one point was late on reregistering it or let it lapse.
Some enterprising blogger finds out and it's "OMG! Hypocrite!!!!" and a mini scandal ensues...hand-wringing and fainting couches...not a bad idea to know ahead of time if something like this would pop up. Of course, we all know that bloggers/radio talk show hosts/Fox news would "never" do such a thing...perish the thought.
Yes, if the shoe was on the other foot, liberal blogs would be all over whatever the minor offence was, too.
This, from the future of the GOP -- Governor Palin pardoned a turkey just in time for Thanksgiving, an old political tradition that makes kids happy everywhere.
And then proceeded to give a Name That Talking Point interview. While a guy slaughtered turkeys in the background. (Check out the look on the guy's face before he resumes. He can't believe she's doing this either.)
Well, done, Governor Palin. Looking forward to 2012!
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
I had been thinking Monty Python, but this scene and the previous "pardoning" are straight out of a Coen film. That kind of funny...
But then Sarah Palin seems like a character out of one of those films anyway...
I really wish that some folks would realise that not all liberals are gun grabbers or vegans...
We shoot our own meat, but I'm still not going to go on Television standing in front of a gut pile while the husband butchers the elk...unless I was on Ted Nugent's hunting show.
. . .liberals whining about something related to turkeys and Republicans (at least we're not seeing Huffingtards claiming that the turkeys are plastic this time around). Now I *know* Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
Just remember, guys--the more you call her an idiot, the more embarrassing it'll be for the self-aware among you when she comes back to kick your @$$es.
So are you implying, then, that Governor Sarah Palin is not a corrupt, ignorant and incurious fool who has a consistent record of:
1) General failure at her elected offices, and
2) Regular display of her only talent, which is manipulating people not to understand how incompetent she is
?
Because if so, please see (2).
--
It's impossible to debate if people simply hold beliefs that have no grounding in reality.
When was any other course of action advocated? Of course we're dealing with it; we're noticing that Gov. Palin is being really stupid again, and we're going on with our lives.
--
It's impossible to debate if people simply hold beliefs that have no grounding in reality.
I have no problem with meat, or slaughtering turkeys.
The video is hilarious because she's babbling on and on (in a very turkey-like manner) while a guy in the background who happens to be slaughtering turkeys keeps looking to the camera...
Oh, never mind. I guess it needs to be explained to the 'exceptional' people, and I don't really want to bother.
This isn't about poor turkeys being slaughtered. It's about all the poor slaughtered brain cells in Sarah Palin's head, babbling non sequitor talking points while turkeys are being slaughtered in the background -- as good a metaphor for her political career specifically, and the GOP generally, as I can think of.
I make it even simpler.
Pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey doesn't mean you don't understand that turkeys are slaughtered and eaten for Thanksgiving. It means holding a post-pardon interview in front of the process is moderately dim.
I expect Althouse to get it wrong. That's her metier. Not sure why you're confused.
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
I don't care if the person in question is R or D, going straight from a turkey pardoning ceremony to a photo op with turkeys getting slaughtered in the background is funny. I'm not grossed out by the slaughter, it's the incongruity of going immediately from one to the other that is so bizarre. Not to mention that the guy slaughtering the turkeys is looking at her with a quizzical half smile on his face. It would be like Obama getting a dog from the pound for his kids and them doing a photo op while they put down dogs and cats behind him.
"he just started shaking and he collapsed," said Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor. "They're very concerned."
Sounds serious. I've been disappointed w. Mukasey's tenure, but think he's been the best Bush admin AG and I respect his integrity. From what I've read and heard he's worked to de-politicize the DOJ.
I heard some idiot on ESPN radio call Mussina an "accumulator" who didn't belong in the Hall of Fame. Mussina went 270-153 with an ERA+ of 123 for his career--playing his entire career in the AL East, the toughest division in baseball. Anyone who thinks he is unqualified for the Hall of Fame is incompetent to comment on major league baseball.
. . .at that ESPN guy to check baseballreference.com to refresh my memory and confirm my suspicions about just how ignorant he was. Mike Mussina was 117 games above .500 for his career and finished with--as I mentioned recently--270 wins and a .638 W/L percentage. Glancing at the list of starting pitchers whose careers began after 1900, every single pitcher who is eligible for the Hall of Fame and who finished more than 100 games above .500 is in the Hall of Fame. Many, many pitchers who are in the Hall of Fame aren't close to that standard (Steve Carlton--an overwhelming first ballot Hall of Famer--readily comes to mind).
That's one--how about this one? Of all of the starting pitchers whose careers began after 1900, are eligible for the Hall of Fame, and who had a combined 200 career wins and a .600 W/L percentage (far, far below Mussina's actual numbers in those categories) precisely *one* pitcher is not in the Hall of Fame: Carl Mays, who has the twin handicaps of:
Matt Eagan--notes that of the list of the ten most comparable pitchers to Mike Mussina in terms of career similarity as listed on baseballreference.com, five are in the Hall of Fame and five aren't. This is true; however, if you look at this list, you notice the following things:
--three of the top five are in the Hall (Juan Marichal, Jim Palmer, Carl Hubbell), and the other two are David Wells and Curt Schilling, *who are not yet eligible to be elected*.
--the next five are:
Kevin Brown (844)
Jack Morris (838)
Clark Griffith (831)
Jim Bunning (826)
Andy Pettitte (824)
Griffith and Bunning are Hall of Famers, and Morris and Pettitte are decent candidates for induction who are far lesser pitchers than Mussina (and Pettitte isn't eligible yet). Conclusion: Matt Eagan is a lazy idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about.
The charming and trend savvy type. They are especially attuned to the big picture and anticipate trends. They often have sophisticated language skills and come across as witty and social. At the end of the day, however, they are pragmatic decision makers and have a good analytical ability.
But how did it know it would be ME that clicked on?
... but I got two different responses within the space of about six hours. I don't think the FP changed any since then. Or is it digesting the recent comments?
I was sharpening my knives for a Penny Pritzker diary but alas, she is no longer in the running. Luckily for us she is going to preoccupy herself with further strengthening the economy, read up on the bang up job she’s done so far here.
--
"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
Such unpleasant language. Why, I can't remember seeing that kind of rhetoric since. . .well, reading what moonbats had to say about Condi Rice and Clarence Thomas, actually. Who says that American exports aren't in demand?
is the PC translation. What Zawahiri said was 'abeed al-beit', which, as Blaise will tell you I'm sure, literally means "house slaves", more specifically, "house black slaves". When bin Laden was captured on videotape discussing the WTC bombing after it happened, he referred to black American casualties several times as 'abeed'. The singular is, I believe, usually "abed".
'Abd' is an incredibly common root in Arabic, according to what I've read (I'm certainly no linguist), and figures in many personal names like 'Abdul' or 'Abdullah', ie 'god's slave', so it's usually reserved as a pejorative only for black people.
Worse - he opens himself up to discovery of his personal life (#137177)
by tomsyl on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 3:59pm
as part of the defense of general douche-bagginess on his part. Every date he ever when out with will be questioned, with very embarrassing results likely. Maybe Dominick Dunne should follow the case for Vogue.
Standard primate dominance display. They know they'll get what they want; why not flaunt their status a little in the meantime? We're not dealing with people who go to anyone with their hat in their hand.
--
The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
GM and Ford say that it is a corporate decision to have their CEOs fly on private jets and that is non-negotiable
You ask for handouts, everything is negotiable.
This is a great test for Obama. A real test, rather than the inside the beltway Lieberman nonsense. Wagoner has to go, and his lieutenants, and the whole damned board.
my brother lost his job because the company he worked for went under. Instead of getting to work right away on finding a new one he sat around playing video games until he had only about a month of unemployment left. Of course it ran out before he could find a new job and he feel behind on his bills. He made the rounds in my family asking for 'loans' we all knew he'd never pay back and it eventually became my turn. As we sat there and pleasantly chatted about things (bad form to just take the money and run I guess) he freely offered up that he was a member of no less than 5 fantasy football leagues (at $200 a piece), a bowling league, a dart league, and that he usually ate out 2 or 3 times a week, all right there when he was hitting me up for money to buy my nephew school clothes. I think there is a fair number of people in this world who are completely oblivious as to what their actions and attitudes say about them.
--
"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
Stevens and Byrd were first rate, shameless porkers with a ton of seniority.
The senate is by any measure more responsible with the 2 of them gone and replaced by younger, more idealistic senators (who themselves will slide that way given enough time) -- "there will still be pork" is not a useful statement, of course there will be. I'll settle for having significantly less pork. 11 new senators in the last 2 cycles (12 now? i lost count).
Do we really want to live in a perfect world? (#137311)
by mmghosh on Thu, 11/20/2008 - 8:38am
Or even a semi-perfect world? Is it even possible?
Its an interesting psychological need, true, but surely, it is arguable that the world has not changed significantly in a moral sense for millennia. At the same time, economic success and political advantage has simply moved around the globe.
Dean: I haven't seen the blogs about this because this just happened but I'm sure the sentiment online is one of outrage. But I would line up with Barack. I don't think you were told to go screw yourselves at all. I think he has got to now practice what he preaches during two years of campaigns if he wants to bring America together and as objectionable as Joe's behavior was, and frankly unprincipled, I don't think that this is the thing that should divide us. And I don't think it's about his votes for FISA or anything else. I think it's about what kind of a tone do we want to send. Do we want a purge as the first thing we do? I don't think so.
'Nuff said. Folks, it's time to burn the Democratic Party down and start over.
--
The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
As much as I would wish to pillory Lieberman, emotionally, I do agree with Dean.
Kicking him to the curb, however deserved and satisfying that would be, would be counter to what Obama was speaking to. If "we" had exacted our revenge, the Right would be having a filed day with that, too.
So, as an actual Democrat, I say keep your hands off the match. If I remember correctly, you aren't even a Dem..though if I am wrong I apologise.
I thought the election went on forever, but the days before January 20th are an eternity. It's a total wankathon.
No doubt that makes it a little easier, emotionally, for me to call for the party's destruction, but this isn't an emotional thing. It has nothing to do with what Lieberman did during the election, and everything to do with what he did for the last eight years. There was no stronger enabler of Bush's policies on Iraq, unlawful detention, and warrantless wiretapping -- Democrat or Republican -- than Joe Lieberman.
For the democrats to vote by a more than 75-25 margin to keep him on as HS&GA chair, then send Howard Dean out to placate the netroots with some tripe about bipartisanship and burying the hatchet, sends the clearest possible message about what the party plans to do for the next four years.
--
The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
Care to put that paranoia to the test? How about some concrete predictions re future betrayals by the Obama administration based on this 'clearest possible message.'
Thanks!
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
The Democrats will not stop or meaningfully roll back Bush's surveillance program. They will initiate at least one preemptive military operation against another country. They will not bring every detainee currently held at Guantanamo and other black sites to trial. They will not bring criminal charges against any member of the Bush administration. They will not eschew "enhanced interrogation" techniques including induced hypothermia, solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, etc. They will attempt to deny the ability of wrongfully incarcerated Guantanamo inmates to bring suit against the US government.
Is that specific enough? I sure don't think any of it's paranoid, just realistic.
--
The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
Now if I can trouble you with a question of my own: In the event that I turn about to be correct about all or most of these predictions, do you anticipate voting for Democrats in 2010 and 2012?
--
The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
Look, the Republicans lied about the torture. We know they authorized it, contrary to their statements.
One thing is for sure, the tenor of any reforms will come from the Attorney General. As with Ashcroft, sick in bed, this sort of thing will require his say-so. Will Obama behave more decently? None of us know, yet, but he has made promises to that effect.
EDIT: Here's this from Froomkin: from a speech Holder gave before the American Constitution Society in June.
"I never thought I would see the day," Holder said, "when a Justice Department would claim that only the most extreme infliction of pain and physical abuse constitutes torture and that acts that are merely cruel, inhuman and degrading are consistent with United States law and policy, that the Supreme Court would have to order the president of the United States to treat detainees in accordance with the Geneva Convention, never thought that I would see that a president would act in direct defiance of federal law by authorizing warrantless NSA surveillance of American citizens. This disrespect for the rule of law is not only wrong, it is destructive in our struggle against terrorism. . . .
"Our government authorized the use torture, approved of secret electronic surveillance against American citizens, secretly detained American citizens without due process of law, denied the writ of habeas corpus to hundreds of accused enemy combatants, and authorized the use of procedures that violate both international law and the United States Constitution.
"Now, I do not question the motives of patriotism of those responsible for these policies. But this does nothing to mitigate the fact that these steps were wrong when they were initiated and they are wrong today.
It seems like you're saying you mind torture less than hypocrisy.
It's encouraging to see Holder say that the American people are owed a reckoning, but I'll believe that when the subpoenas are issued. Anyone can give a speech.
--
The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
What is this, the Red Queen? Sentence first, verdict after? (#137215)
by BlaiseP on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 5:51pm
You're gunning the jump here. I'm not sure we can put the word "really" into any sentence in this context, as for my intent, I've made it pretty clear I think ordering torture, torture, lying about torture and hypocrisy are the ranking of the sins here.
Sounds familiar. Republicans come into power, give a huge middle finger to the rule of law. Democrats finally get elected, let the thugs walk. A few cycles later, those people get hired by a new Republican white house.
This isn't bringing the country back together. It's preparing it to be raped again by the same people.
Forget everything he did during the campaign -- tho' I'd rather not -- how about the fact that he continues to be an absolutely horrible choice for the Homeland Security Committee? (And one whose views put him at odds with the Prez-elect.)
I'm keeping my powder dry until we start seeing action - or inaction - on Guantanamo, on reversing executive orders, etc. I'm not sure why I should be incensed by this bit of parliamentary manuevering.
The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee (#137197)
by stillnotking on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 4:56pm
wields enormous power, h. This is not some inconsequential bit of fluff to placate Joe Lieberman's ego. The Democrats are voluntarily putting Lieberman in a position to directly shape key aspects of our nation's future, and there is absolutely no doubt about how he will use it.
--
The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
If the election is seen as a ratification of one's beliefs, then any time those beliefs are not validated by the newly elected Prez and his administration it is seen as a betrayal. Given Obama's pragmatic streak? I'm guessing there's going to be a lotta pissed off prom dates in the coming months.
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
Mr. Obama, I'd suggest creating your own scandals rather than adopting those of the Clintons--particularly one that infuriated even your fellow Democrats.
Almost any competent Democrat is going to have some ties to the Clinton administration, especially if you're looking for people with actual experience. Heck, Bush filled out his team with holdovers from the Nixon administration and nobody seemed to be all that concerned about that.
Let me remind you all that William Jefferson Clinton, zipper problems and all, left office with an approval rating roughly double that of the Current Occupant. If you're going to try and spook people with the specter of a third Clinton administration, you'll find a lot of people nodding, "Yes, that sounds fine to me".
As for the Marc Rich thing...if that's the best hand you got, it's time to fold early. Anyone who nodded approvingly at the Scooter Libby pardon has no standing to say anything about Marc Rich.
Not to mention that I expect the last thing Republicans are going to want to talk about next year is Presidential pardons. I'm just sayin'.
--
Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.
And no, it's not about anyone trying to scare somebody. But I'm not sure where else these appointees are going to come from. And it would be nuts to staff your Admin. with a bunch of folks with no experience in governance. I understand the appeal of the 'Best and the Brightest' approach. But, I'm not sure it's the best idea for this new administration. Except for Bill Ayers. I would love to see him get a position of some kind.
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
But it's just a Clinton Administration redux so far. (#137138)
by tomsyl on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 2:03pm
Janet Reno, like most of Clinton's appointees, was a third-stringer, which means Holter wouldn't even make the team in most high schools. Barack Obama ran a counter-campaign against the Washington status quo. that would mean that any true supporter should be disappointed that he is conducting business as usual by paying off people who helped him in his campaign, instead of picking the most qualified even if they are outsiders. You cannot seriously argue that Eric Holder is the best qualified among liberals for the AG's office, so I assume you are not.
I'm impressed by Daschle's smarts if not his politics, but he is an ultimate DC insider, and remains so even after losing his House reelection bid years ago.
Maybe Ayers could get a job with Homeland Security telling them how terrorists make pipe bombs and set them off in public places, or how they kill cops. On that subject, am I the only one seeing a certain resemblance between Bernadette Dorhn and Squeakie Fromm?
I don't know. I'm guessing you know precious little about Holder, so there's no need to go into it. As for 'paying off people', do you have any basis for that conclusion other than the usual free-floating animus?
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
Emmanuel and Holder were main players in Obama's campaign. (#137178)
by tomsyl on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 4:03pm
AFA Holder, he couldn't even get the AG job over Janet Reno. How sad is that? And are you doubting that Clinton ended up mostly with third-stringers in his administration, people he had to scrape together when more qualified, reputable ones turned him down? Study the runup to the Ginsberg nomination if you don't know that already.
Meanwhile, perhaps you could enlighten us about what makes Eric Holder the most qualified liberal lawyer in the country to be our attorney general. Of is your endorsement of him just free-floating unicorn love?
In Obama's extremely well-run, effective campaign? (#137201)
by Jordan on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 5:07pm
Wait, I lost my train of thought.
--
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. -JH
First of all the Reno pick was 16 year ago. You think maybe Holder might have picked up a little experience in those 16 years? Maybe serving as the Deputy AG second in charge at the DOJ for three years from '97 through 2000 works in his favor some this time around?
Second, Clinton wanted a woman for AG in 1993. Remember Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood? Reno may not have been the best choice, but after experiencing Ashcroft and Gonzalez, in retrospect she looks like a real prize.
Most important, what's this nonsense about "most qualified"? There's no such thing as "most qualified" for a top job like that. You could literally hire almost anyone for a job like that, so there's no way you figure out who in the country is "most qualified". Is he supposed to conduct a nationwide search for the best person for each cabinet post?
--
Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.
-Holder is qualified because he was an assistant to Reno for three years.
-There are no real qualifications for the AG job; so anyone Obama picks is qualified by definition.
Doesn't sound like you know anything about Holder beyond what's on his Wikipedia page, but if he's OK with Obama, he's OK with you. Since you don't feel there are qualifications for the job and I do, nothing much here to discuss.
1) Just because someone was third choice for a job, that doesn't make them a "third stringer". Everyone on the short list for AG is almost certainly top-line selection.
2) The qualifications that allowed Holder to take the 2nd spot in the DOJ combined with his subsequent experience in that position make a strong argument as to his suitability for the AG slot. FYI, the Deputy AG isn't the AG's "assistant".
3) When did I ever say that there are "no qualifications" for the AG job or imply anything of the sort? I simply said that expecting Obama to pick the "best qualified" person for a job like AG where all of the candidates are going to be extremely well qualified is just silly.
What exactly is your issue with Holder? He's worked in the DOJ as a litigator, prosecuting some very high-profile cases. He's been a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He served as US Attorney for the District of Columbia and then as Deputy AG. What experience is missing from that list that you think he should have?
If you look at Holder's CV, it's obvious why Obama picked him. He's someone who's very familiar with the workings of DOJ. After the mess left by the Bushies, Obama wants someone who can start fixing things on day one without wasting a lot of time getting up to speed on how things work.
Look, if you want to have a discussion about this, I'm up for that. If you want to play snark games, make sh-t up about what I said and spout right-wing talking points, I'm not all that interested.
--
Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.
But your approach here is still manifestly stupid, and I'm not sure why. Again. Habit? Reflex?
Read the frickin' Greenwald piece. It makes a very good case for Holder, it includes some fair-minded questions/doubts, too. There are even neat quotes you can read and think about. Research is fun!
But at the moment you're just spewing nonsense. And seem more interested in pretending to be correct (Holder's not qualified!!) than making an honest attempt to understand if in fact he's a good fit for the job. At some point you need to move beyond the Fox News Marc Rich anecdote you half-heard while walking past your television on the way to the fridge to something, I dunno, more substantive.
Maybe you're confusing him with Rashid Khalidi?
And as mentioned before, surely there's a better way to get thru the bitter dregs the election left you. Liquor? Hookers? Yahtzee? (Playing Yahtzee with drunk hookers also counts.)
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
Hey, chill, man - you already won. Don't mimic Olbermannn. (#137241)
by tomsyl on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 8:14pm
Your approach here is still manifestly stupid
Read the frickin' Greenwald piece.
you're just spewing nonsense.
Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed and didn't take his politeness pills this AM. Like I said, there's an obvious pattern here: I criticize something Obama is doing, you brew up a sh!tstorm of nastiness aimed at me, I laugh or shake my head at your tantrum. The election's over, Harley; so is the time for blind fanaticism.
I know Greenwald (along with "Sullie") is your go-to guy for liberal cant, but I read the salon piece anyway. It was a more elaborate version of what Chuchundra said: the guy must be qualified because there are no qualifications, because Obama picked him, and because he hung around the Clinton Justice Dept. while Janet Reno was running it so poorly. His resume is pedestrian at best; Greenwald refers to "Holder's stature and record of high accomplishment" but never says what either of them are. Besides being a judge on an insignificantly low-level court in DC, Holder's only accomplishment I can discern from his wiki is being appointed Deputy AG by Clinton. Oh, and he was a key Obama campaign operative. Which brings us right back were I started before you started throwing a tantrum.
Greenwald thinks Holder gave a nice speech on judicial independence - hey, giving good speeches is an important qualification these days - but ends with a lame "we'll have to see what develops about the guy" statement. Such a lukewarm reception makes me wonder whether you even read the Greenwald column before linking to it. If he's guarded, why aren't you? do you know something about Holder he doesn't that makes him a real dazzler?
Anyway, calm down. He'll get in if Obama wants him in, obviously, and if that's your main criteria it's already been satisfied. But if your blood pressure skyrockets every time I criticize a political appointment of the new administration as representing business as usual, I hope you have a good cardiologist.
Particularly as I now understand what's going on here. Conservatives have long since given up discussing actual issues. It's a loser for them, why bother. Instead, it's all about attacking individuals. Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Rashid Khalidi. Some deserve the criticism, some don't. But that's actually beside the point. The urge is simply to take one's animus and pour it over the nearest and newest public figure, and hope the spew sticks to Obama (by the way, it never does, but don't let that stop you).
Once the habit kicks in, it appears to be very hard to break. So now, even after the election is over, it's the same vacant game. Today it's Holder. I'm sure there'll be new names in the coming weeks and months.
Yawn.
--
To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
You're the guy who had a 'Sarah!' sign on his lawn.
heh, heh, heh.
And to answer your question, I'll quote Chuchundra: "Just because someone was third choice for a job, that doesn't make them a "third stringer". Everyone on the short list for AG is almost certainly top-line selection."
If any would-be Obama Administration employee can show me a copy of their application with question #59 marked "None of your f***ing business, @$$#oles," I will buy them a bottle of whatever they're drinking.
Once a gun-grabber, always a gun-grabber.
--- Login or register to post comments
)It's really not so yucky.
- Login or register to post comments
| parent )Ive seen floated for that question being on the form is that its to cover themselves if they have any problems on gun ownership issues. If someone comes after Obama for being anti-2nd amendment he can say "Look at this list of people in my administration who own guns, ask them if they think I want to take them away"
I dont know how plausible all this is, even if its just on personal privacy grounds. But Obama has been pretty good at anticipating his opponents attacks so far, so this might just be some pre-emptive CYA rather than an attempted gun grab.
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| parent )Someone has/had a registered gun, but at one point was late on reregistering it or let it lapse.
Some enterprising blogger finds out and it's "OMG! Hypocrite!!!!" and a mini scandal ensues...hand-wringing and fainting couches...not a bad idea to know ahead of time if something like this would pop up. Of course, we all know that bloggers/radio talk show hosts/Fox news would "never" do such a thing...perish the thought.
Yes, if the shoe was on the other foot, liberal blogs would be all over whatever the minor offence was, too.
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| parent )- Login or register to post comments
)This, from the future of the GOP -- Governor Palin pardoned a turkey just in time for Thanksgiving, an old political tradition that makes kids happy everywhere.
And then proceeded to give a Name That Talking Point interview. While a guy slaughtered turkeys in the background. (Check out the look on the guy's face before he resumes. He can't believe she's doing this either.)
Well, done, Governor Palin. Looking forward to 2012!
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
- Login or register to post comments
)I had been thinking Monty Python, but this scene and the previous "pardoning" are straight out of a Coen film. That kind of funny...
But then Sarah Palin seems like a character out of one of those films anyway...
I really wish that some folks would realise that not all liberals are gun grabbers or vegans...
We shoot our own meat, but I'm still not going to go on Television standing in front of a gut pile while the husband butchers the elk...unless I was on Ted Nugent's hunting show.
- Login or register to post comments
| parent )I think she'd be fun to base a character around. She really does have a distinctive way with words + amusing mannerisms.
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| parent ). . .liberals whining about something related to turkeys and Republicans (at least we're not seeing Huffingtards claiming that the turkeys are plastic this time around). Now I *know* Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
Just remember, guys--the more you call her an idiot, the more embarrassing it'll be for the self-aware among you when she comes back to kick your @$$es.
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| parent )So are you implying, then, that Governor Sarah Palin is not a corrupt, ignorant and incurious fool who has a consistent record of:
1) General failure at her elected offices, and
2) Regular display of her only talent, which is manipulating people not to understand how incompetent she is
?
Because if so, please see (2).
--It's impossible to debate if people simply hold beliefs that have no grounding in reality.
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| parent )Look up the definition of "whine" or "whining" some time.
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| parent )this, I'm not too worried.
I actually find it surprising that you appear to support her as a candidate.
--I blame it all on the Internet
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| parent )shoulder pad man actually supports her as a candidate. The new republican attitude is 'I like whatever non-republicans do not like.'
It's all they've been eating for the last several years.
So now there's a fantasy wherein sarah palin comes back and 'kicks our @$$es?'
Glad you're back MSE. Good stuff.
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| parent )Deal with it, you candy-asses.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )When was any other course of action advocated? Of course we're dealing with it; we're noticing that Gov. Palin is being really stupid again, and we're going on with our lives.
--It's impossible to debate if people simply hold beliefs that have no grounding in reality.
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| parent )at an airport before it boarded a plane to Vegas.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )I have no problem with meat, or slaughtering turkeys.
The video is hilarious because she's babbling on and on (in a very turkey-like manner) while a guy in the background who happens to be slaughtering turkeys keeps looking to the camera...
Oh, never mind. I guess it needs to be explained to the 'exceptional' people, and I don't really want to bother.
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| parent )if you cared to follow the link and yes, like Sullivan's obsession over who birthed her down baby, this needs to be explained to me.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )This isn't about poor turkeys being slaughtered. It's about all the poor slaughtered brain cells in Sarah Palin's head, babbling non sequitor talking points while turkeys are being slaughtered in the background -- as good a metaphor for her political career specifically, and the GOP generally, as I can think of.
I make it even simpler.
Pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey doesn't mean you don't understand that turkeys are slaughtered and eaten for Thanksgiving. It means holding a post-pardon interview in front of the process is moderately dim.
I expect Althouse to get it wrong. That's her metier. Not sure why you're confused.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )liberals despise Palin and will seize upon even the most trivial of matters to engage in 5 more minutes of hate.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )I don't care if the person in question is R or D, going straight from a turkey pardoning ceremony to a photo op with turkeys getting slaughtered in the background is funny. I'm not grossed out by the slaughter, it's the incongruity of going immediately from one to the other that is so bizarre. Not to mention that the guy slaughtering the turkeys is looking at her with a quizzical half smile on his face. It would be like Obama getting a dog from the pound for his kids and them doing a photo op while they put down dogs and cats behind him.
BTW, you're confusing hate with mockery.
--I blame it all on the Internet
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| parent )It could have been a sketch from Monty Python for cryin' out loud.
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| parent )was the perfect kick off for my holiday season.
Thanks, Harley.
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| parent )Basically just testing to see if I can even add a comment.
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)it was there, it just wasn't displaying.
--I blame it all on the Internet
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| parent )"he just started shaking and he collapsed," said Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor. "They're very concerned."
Sounds serious. I've been disappointed w. Mukasey's tenure, but think he's been the best Bush admin AG and I respect his integrity. From what I've read and heard he's worked to de-politicize the DOJ.
Best wishes to him + his family.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=6303065
edit: "The Attorney General is conscious, conversant and alert. His vital statistics are strong and he is in good spirits.
just read an update:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/20/michael.mukasey.collapse/index.html
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)Mike Mussina retires after going 20-9 at age 39.
I heard some idiot on ESPN radio call Mussina an "accumulator" who didn't belong in the Hall of Fame. Mussina went 270-153 with an ERA+ of 123 for his career--playing his entire career in the AL East, the toughest division in baseball. Anyone who thinks he is unqualified for the Hall of Fame is incompetent to comment on major league baseball.
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)How many pitchers, heck, athletes, actually go out after their best (or one of their best) years? And in this case, the guy is 30 wins away from 300.
Mussina always did it his own way. Good for him.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent ). . .at that ESPN guy to check baseballreference.com to refresh my memory and confirm my suspicions about just how ignorant he was. Mike Mussina was 117 games above .500 for his career and finished with--as I mentioned recently--270 wins and a .638 W/L percentage. Glancing at the list of starting pitchers whose careers began after 1900, every single pitcher who is eligible for the Hall of Fame and who finished more than 100 games above .500 is in the Hall of Fame. Many, many pitchers who are in the Hall of Fame aren't close to that standard (Steve Carlton--an overwhelming first ballot Hall of Famer--readily comes to mind).
That's one--how about this one? Of all of the starting pitchers whose careers began after 1900, are eligible for the Hall of Fame, and who had a combined 200 career wins and a .600 W/L percentage (far, far below Mussina's actual numbers in those categories) precisely *one* pitcher is not in the Hall of Fame: Carl Mays, who has the twin handicaps of:
--being the only pitcher in major league history to kill a batter with a pitch, and;
--having been the subject of rumors that he threw games in the 1921 World Series.
Of course, Carl Mays is on the short list of pre-WWII players being currently considered for the Hall by the Veterans Committee, so the list of conceivable excuses the ESPN guy could use for not being considered an idiot may soon be empty of names.
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| parent )Ken Davidoff--while waffling about whether Mussina should be a Hall of Famer--drinks deeply of the stupid by suggesting thatGreg Maddux is not a member of the list of the elite pitchers of his generation with Clemens, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez. Turn in your BBWAA card, doofus.
Matt Eagan--notes that of the list of the ten most comparable pitchers to Mike Mussina in terms of career similarity as listed on baseballreference.com, five are in the Hall of Fame and five aren't. This is true; however, if you look at this list, you notice the following things:
--three of the top five are in the Hall (Juan Marichal, Jim Palmer, Carl Hubbell), and the other two are David Wells and Curt Schilling, *who are not yet eligible to be elected*.
--the next five are:
Kevin Brown (844)
Jack Morris (838)
Clark Griffith (831)
Jim Bunning (826)
Andy Pettitte (824)
Griffith and Bunning are Hall of Famers, and Morris and Pettitte are decent candidates for induction who are far lesser pitchers than Mussina (and Pettitte isn't eligible yet). Conclusion: Matt Eagan is a lazy idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about.
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| parent )go to this site - http://www.typealyzer.com/ - and enter www.theforvm.org. Good for a laugh!
--I blame it all on the Internet
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)Phew.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )But that metrosexual Christopher Robin-type picture is not. Is this thing a netbot?
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )Now we've been classified as "INTP - The Thinkers".
I think that pretty much clinches my suspicion that it's random and fake...
--Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. - W. Somerset Maugham
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| parent )But how did it know it would be ME that clicked on?
Veeeery clever!
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| parent )If so, what is it on?
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )I saw this earlier, entered our little neck of the internets, and got a completely different response than I did just now.
Apparently we're schizophrenic.
--Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio.
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| parent )almost on a daily basis, so I don't think this really means anything.
Agree about the schizophrenia, though.
--I blame it all on the Internet
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| parent )... but I got two different responses within the space of about six hours. I don't think the FP changed any since then. Or is it digesting the recent comments?
--Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio.
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| parent )and recent comments on the FP change all the time. Based on the speed of the response, I doubt the site scans anything except the front page.
--I blame it all on the Internet
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| parent )I was sharpening my knives for a Penny Pritzker diary but alas, she is no longer in the running. Luckily for us she is going to preoccupy herself with further strengthening the economy, read up on the bang up job she’s done so far here.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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)Such unpleasant language. Why, I can't remember seeing that kind of rhetoric since. . .well, reading what moonbats had to say about Condi Rice and Clarence Thomas, actually. Who says that American exports aren't in demand?
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)is the PC translation. What Zawahiri said was 'abeed al-beit', which, as Blaise will tell you I'm sure, literally means "house slaves", more specifically, "house black slaves". When bin Laden was captured on videotape discussing the WTC bombing after it happened, he referred to black American casualties several times as 'abeed'. The singular is, I believe, usually "abed".
'Abd' is an incredibly common root in Arabic, according to what I've read (I'm certainly no linguist), and figures in many personal names like 'Abdul' or 'Abdullah', ie 'god's slave', so it's usually reserved as a pejorative only for black people.
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| parent )"house nigger". It doesn't make any sense in Arabic, you'd be the slave of someone.
Actually, it's sorta funny, because Obama will find himself the slave of the house. The White House, which was built by slaves.
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| parent )- Login or register to post comments
| parent )Careful who you apply one of your favorite labels to--some of those douchebags have lawyers and aren't afraid to use them.
John Edward could not be reached for comment. ]:-)
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)I'd like to see this go to trial.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )You run the risk of a court deciding that the claim isn't false - and moving thereby from merely being a douchebag, to becoming an official douchebag.
--Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio.
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| parent )as part of the defense of general douche-bagginess on his part. Every date he ever when out with will be questioned, with very embarrassing results likely. Maybe Dominick Dunne should follow the case for Vogue.
I just hope he has a real douchebag for a lawyer.
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )"I just hope he has a real douchebag for a lawyer" - is there any other kind? :)
--I blame it all on the Internet
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| parent )Finally, a court case worth following!
--Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio.
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| parent )Absolutely clueless.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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)Standard primate dominance display. They know they'll get what they want; why not flaunt their status a little in the meantime? We're not dealing with people who go to anyone with their hat in their hand.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )Just a subset of the larger stupidity, I guess.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )GM and Ford say that it is a corporate decision to have their CEOs fly on private jets and that is non-negotiable
You ask for handouts, everything is negotiable.
This is a great test for Obama. A real test, rather than the inside the beltway Lieberman nonsense. Wagoner has to go, and his lieutenants, and the whole damned board.
--Of course not!
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| parent )my brother lost his job because the company he worked for went under. Instead of getting to work right away on finding a new one he sat around playing video games until he had only about a month of unemployment left. Of course it ran out before he could find a new job and he feel behind on his bills. He made the rounds in my family asking for 'loans' we all knew he'd never pay back and it eventually became my turn. As we sat there and pleasantly chatted about things (bad form to just take the money and run I guess) he freely offered up that he was a member of no less than 5 fantasy football leagues (at $200 a piece), a bowling league, a dart league, and that he usually ate out 2 or 3 times a week, all right there when he was hitting me up for money to buy my nephew school clothes. I think there is a fair number of people in this world who are completely oblivious as to what their actions and attitudes say about them.
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )Ted Stevens bites the dust.
Evil tool. Good riddance.
--God help the while, a bad world I say.
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)Byrd's retiring too. End of an era.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )Pork barreling is no more eliminable than the common cold.
One era is followed by another. The old school is followed by the new school.
But the frauds and the cheats will always be with us.
Because evolution is on their side.
--God help the while, a bad world I say.
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| parent )Stevens and Byrd were first rate, shameless porkers with a ton of seniority.
The senate is by any measure more responsible with the 2 of them gone and replaced by younger, more idealistic senators (who themselves will slide that way given enough time) -- "there will still be pork" is not a useful statement, of course there will be. I'll settle for having significantly less pork. 11 new senators in the last 2 cycles (12 now? i lost count).
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| parent )Or even a semi-perfect world? Is it even possible?
Its an interesting psychological need, true, but surely, it is arguable that the world has not changed significantly in a moral sense for millennia. At the same time, economic success and political advantage has simply moved around the globe.
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| parent )http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/18/163850/55/62/663040
'Nuff said. Folks, it's time to burn the Democratic Party down and start over.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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)As much as I would wish to pillory Lieberman, emotionally, I do agree with Dean.
Kicking him to the curb, however deserved and satisfying that would be, would be counter to what Obama was speaking to. If "we" had exacted our revenge, the Right would be having a filed day with that, too.
So, as an actual Democrat, I say keep your hands off the match. If I remember correctly, you aren't even a Dem..though if I am wrong I apologise.
I thought the election went on forever, but the days before January 20th are an eternity. It's a total wankathon.
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| parent )No doubt that makes it a little easier, emotionally, for me to call for the party's destruction, but this isn't an emotional thing. It has nothing to do with what Lieberman did during the election, and everything to do with what he did for the last eight years. There was no stronger enabler of Bush's policies on Iraq, unlawful detention, and warrantless wiretapping -- Democrat or Republican -- than Joe Lieberman.
For the democrats to vote by a more than 75-25 margin to keep him on as HS&GA chair, then send Howard Dean out to placate the netroots with some tripe about bipartisanship and burying the hatchet, sends the clearest possible message about what the party plans to do for the next four years.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )Care to put that paranoia to the test? How about some concrete predictions re future betrayals by the Obama administration based on this 'clearest possible message.'
Thanks!
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )The Democrats will not stop or meaningfully roll back Bush's surveillance program. They will initiate at least one preemptive military operation against another country. They will not bring every detainee currently held at Guantanamo and other black sites to trial. They will not bring criminal charges against any member of the Bush administration. They will not eschew "enhanced interrogation" techniques including induced hypothermia, solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, etc. They will attempt to deny the ability of wrongfully incarcerated Guantanamo inmates to bring suit against the US government.
Is that specific enough? I sure don't think any of it's paranoid, just realistic.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )Now if I can trouble you with a question of my own: In the event that I turn about to be correct about all or most of these predictions, do you anticipate voting for Democrats in 2010 and 2012?
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )Look, the Republicans lied about the torture. We know they authorized it, contrary to their statements.
One thing is for sure, the tenor of any reforms will come from the Attorney General. As with Ashcroft, sick in bed, this sort of thing will require his say-so. Will Obama behave more decently? None of us know, yet, but he has made promises to that effect.
EDIT: Here's this from Froomkin: from a speech Holder gave before the American Constitution Society in June.
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| parent )It seems like you're saying you mind torture less than hypocrisy.
It's encouraging to see Holder say that the American people are owed a reckoning, but I'll believe that when the subpoenas are issued. Anyone can give a speech.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )You're gunning the jump here. I'm not sure we can put the word "really" into any sentence in this context, as for my intent, I've made it pretty clear I think ordering torture, torture, lying about torture and hypocrisy are the ranking of the sins here.
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| parent )http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_admin_wont_prosecure_Bush_war_1117.html
Sounds familiar. Republicans come into power, give a huge middle finger to the rule of law. Democrats finally get elected, let the thugs walk. A few cycles later, those people get hired by a new Republican white house.
This isn't bringing the country back together. It's preparing it to be raped again by the same people.
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| parent )To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )...
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| parent ).
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )I'm keeping my powder dry until we start seeing action - or inaction - on Guantanamo, on reversing executive orders, etc. I'm not sure why I should be incensed by this bit of parliamentary manuevering.
--Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio.
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| parent )wields enormous power, h. This is not some inconsequential bit of fluff to placate Joe Lieberman's ego. The Democrats are voluntarily putting Lieberman in a position to directly shape key aspects of our nation's future, and there is absolutely no doubt about how he will use it.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )If the election is seen as a ratification of one's beliefs, then any time those beliefs are not validated by the newly elected Prez and his administration it is seen as a betrayal. Given Obama's pragmatic streak? I'm guessing there's going to be a lotta pissed off prom dates in the coming months.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )and we could start with taking away Joe's committee.
--Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President. - Bruce Springsteen
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| parent )Amazingly enough, a worse candidate for Attorney General than Jamie Gorelick has been proposed.
Mr. Obama, I'd suggest creating your own scandals rather than adopting those of the Clintons--particularly one that infuriated even your fellow Democrats.
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)This might come as a surprise.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )One can do fairly well taking the opposite position to any statement or argument made by Dick Morris. I'm underwhelmed.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )I have a hunch that by January 2009 worrying about a single, possibly political pardon will seem -- how to put it? -- quaint, perhaps?
--More Wagster!
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| parent )the full-length one is "change back to the Clinton administration".
Shocking. Really.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )Who did you expect them to hire?
Almost any competent Democrat is going to have some ties to the Clinton administration, especially if you're looking for people with actual experience. Heck, Bush filled out his team with holdovers from the Nixon administration and nobody seemed to be all that concerned about that.
Let me remind you all that William Jefferson Clinton, zipper problems and all, left office with an approval rating roughly double that of the Current Occupant. If you're going to try and spook people with the specter of a third Clinton administration, you'll find a lot of people nodding, "Yes, that sounds fine to me".
As for the Marc Rich thing...if that's the best hand you got, it's time to fold early. Anyone who nodded approvingly at the Scooter Libby pardon has no standing to say anything about Marc Rich.
Not to mention that I expect the last thing Republicans are going to want to talk about next year is Presidential pardons. I'm just sayin'.
--Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.
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| parent )I'm getting just about exactly what I expected, if a bit sooner than anticipated.
I'm not trying to spook anyone, and my point has nothing to do with Clinton's approval ratings.
--The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.
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| parent )then why all the hope and change nonsense? Why not just elect Hillary?
--"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!"- Dr. Seuss
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| parent )And no, it's not about anyone trying to scare somebody. But I'm not sure where else these appointees are going to come from. And it would be nuts to staff your Admin. with a bunch of folks with no experience in governance. I understand the appeal of the 'Best and the Brightest' approach. But, I'm not sure it's the best idea for this new administration. Except for Bill Ayers. I would love to see him get a position of some kind.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )Janet Reno, like most of Clinton's appointees, was a third-stringer, which means Holter wouldn't even make the team in most high schools. Barack Obama ran a counter-campaign against the Washington status quo. that would mean that any true supporter should be disappointed that he is conducting business as usual by paying off people who helped him in his campaign, instead of picking the most qualified even if they are outsiders. You cannot seriously argue that Eric Holder is the best qualified among liberals for the AG's office, so I assume you are not.
I'm impressed by Daschle's smarts if not his politics, but he is an ultimate DC insider, and remains so even after losing his House reelection bid years ago.
Maybe Ayers could get a job with Homeland Security telling them how terrorists make pipe bombs and set them off in public places, or how they kill cops. On that subject, am I the only one seeing a certain resemblance between Bernadette Dorhn and Squeakie Fromm?
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )I don't know. I'm guessing you know precious little about Holder, so there's no need to go into it. As for 'paying off people', do you have any basis for that conclusion other than the usual free-floating animus?
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )AFA Holder, he couldn't even get the AG job over Janet Reno. How sad is that? And are you doubting that Clinton ended up mostly with third-stringers in his administration, people he had to scrape together when more qualified, reputable ones turned him down? Study the runup to the Ginsberg nomination if you don't know that already.
Meanwhile, perhaps you could enlighten us about what makes Eric Holder the most qualified liberal lawyer in the country to be our attorney general. Of is your endorsement of him just free-floating unicorn love?
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )Wait, I lost my train of thought.
--Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. -JH
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| parent )First of all the Reno pick was 16 year ago. You think maybe Holder might have picked up a little experience in those 16 years? Maybe serving as the Deputy AG second in charge at the DOJ for three years from '97 through 2000 works in his favor some this time around?
Second, Clinton wanted a woman for AG in 1993. Remember Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood? Reno may not have been the best choice, but after experiencing Ashcroft and Gonzalez, in retrospect she looks like a real prize.
Most important, what's this nonsense about "most qualified"? There's no such thing as "most qualified" for a top job like that. You could literally hire almost anyone for a job like that, so there's no way you figure out who in the country is "most qualified". Is he supposed to conduct a nationwide search for the best person for each cabinet post?
--Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.
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| parent )-You've confirmed that Reno was a third-stringer.
-Holder is qualified because he was an assistant to Reno for three years.
-There are no real qualifications for the AG job; so anyone Obama picks is qualified by definition.
Doesn't sound like you know anything about Holder beyond what's on his Wikipedia page, but if he's OK with Obama, he's OK with you. Since you don't feel there are qualifications for the job and I do, nothing much here to discuss.
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )1) Just because someone was third choice for a job, that doesn't make them a "third stringer". Everyone on the short list for AG is almost certainly top-line selection.
2) The qualifications that allowed Holder to take the 2nd spot in the DOJ combined with his subsequent experience in that position make a strong argument as to his suitability for the AG slot. FYI, the Deputy AG isn't the AG's "assistant".
3) When did I ever say that there are "no qualifications" for the AG job or imply anything of the sort? I simply said that expecting Obama to pick the "best qualified" person for a job like AG where all of the candidates are going to be extremely well qualified is just silly.
What exactly is your issue with Holder? He's worked in the DOJ as a litigator, prosecuting some very high-profile cases. He's been a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He served as US Attorney for the District of Columbia and then as Deputy AG. What experience is missing from that list that you think he should have?
If you look at Holder's CV, it's obvious why Obama picked him. He's someone who's very familiar with the workings of DOJ. After the mess left by the Bushies, Obama wants someone who can start fixing things on day one without wasting a lot of time getting up to speed on how things work.
Look, if you want to have a discussion about this, I'm up for that. If you want to play snark games, make sh-t up about what I said and spout right-wing talking points, I'm not all that interested.
--Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.
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| parent )is that Obama picked him.
Next question?
--I blame it all on the Internet
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| parent )it's a twofer!
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )America's Biggest Lawyer!
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )If so, Chuchundra feels you qualify for AG, apparently. Go for it, man.
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )But your approach here is still manifestly stupid, and I'm not sure why. Again. Habit? Reflex?
Read the frickin' Greenwald piece. It makes a very good case for Holder, it includes some fair-minded questions/doubts, too. There are even neat quotes you can read and think about. Research is fun!
But at the moment you're just spewing nonsense. And seem more interested in pretending to be correct (Holder's not qualified!!) than making an honest attempt to understand if in fact he's a good fit for the job. At some point you need to move beyond the Fox News Marc Rich anecdote you half-heard while walking past your television on the way to the fridge to something, I dunno, more substantive.
Maybe you're confusing him with Rashid Khalidi?
And as mentioned before, surely there's a better way to get thru the bitter dregs the election left you. Liquor? Hookers? Yahtzee? (Playing Yahtzee with drunk hookers also counts.)
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )Your approach here is still manifestly stupid
Read the frickin' Greenwald piece.
you're just spewing nonsense.
Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed and didn't take his politeness pills this AM. Like I said, there's an obvious pattern here: I criticize something Obama is doing, you brew up a sh!tstorm of nastiness aimed at me, I laugh or shake my head at your tantrum. The election's over, Harley; so is the time for blind fanaticism.
I know Greenwald (along with "Sullie") is your go-to guy for liberal cant, but I read the salon piece anyway. It was a more elaborate version of what Chuchundra said: the guy must be qualified because there are no qualifications, because Obama picked him, and because he hung around the Clinton Justice Dept. while Janet Reno was running it so poorly. His resume is pedestrian at best; Greenwald refers to "Holder's stature and record of high accomplishment" but never says what either of them are. Besides being a judge on an insignificantly low-level court in DC, Holder's only accomplishment I can discern from his wiki is being appointed Deputy AG by Clinton. Oh, and he was a key Obama campaign operative. Which brings us right back were I started before you started throwing a tantrum.
Greenwald thinks Holder gave a nice speech on judicial independence - hey, giving good speeches is an important qualification these days - but ends with a lame "we'll have to see what develops about the guy" statement. Such a lukewarm reception makes me wonder whether you even read the Greenwald column before linking to it. If he's guarded, why aren't you? do you know something about Holder he doesn't that makes him a real dazzler?
Anyway, calm down. He'll get in if Obama wants him in, obviously, and if that's your main criteria it's already been satisfied. But if your blood pressure skyrockets every time I criticize a political appointment of the new administration as representing business as usual, I hope you have a good cardiologist.
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )Particularly as I now understand what's going on here. Conservatives have long since given up discussing actual issues. It's a loser for them, why bother. Instead, it's all about attacking individuals. Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Rashid Khalidi. Some deserve the criticism, some don't. But that's actually beside the point. The urge is simply to take one's animus and pour it over the nearest and newest public figure, and hope the spew sticks to Obama (by the way, it never does, but don't let that stop you).
Once the habit kicks in, it appears to be very hard to break. So now, even after the election is over, it's the same vacant game. Today it's Holder. I'm sure there'll be new names in the coming weeks and months.
Yawn.
--To think is not enough; you must think of something -- Jules Renard
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| parent )And congrats on cleaning up your act.
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )'Sarah!' sign on your front lawn?
heh heh heh...
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| parent )But thanks for asking. The McCain/Palin sign wasn't as collectible, apparently.
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )can hang it next to his 'Ishtar' poster.
So hilarious that you're criticizing Holder's qualifications. I'm sure it all makes perfect sense to you, though. I'm sure.
Heh, heh, heh.
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| parent )I can't tell from your inanities.
--Even a dead midget is far from light. - Confucius
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| parent )You're the guy who had a 'Sarah!' sign on his lawn.
heh, heh, heh.
And to answer your question, I'll quote Chuchundra: "Just because someone was third choice for a job, that doesn't make them a "third stringer". Everyone on the short list for AG is almost certainly top-line selection."