falls to 23%. There's other polling information, but here's the money shot via the LA Times: The survey found public approval of President Bush's job performance at a new low for the Times/Bloomberg Poll: only 23% approved of the job Bush is doing, and 73% disapproved.
Link via Atrios.
Judge: Why Litigate When You Can Arrest? A U.S. District Judge asks the obvious as congressional democrats drag their feet while pretending to get to the bottom of, I dunno, something. TPM Muckraker reports: In a motion hearing in federal court today, U.S. District Judge John Bates questioned why Congress didn't simply arrest former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff Josh Bolten after both refused to respond to subpoenas issued by the House Judiciary Committee...
Because the congressional democrats are engaging in political kabuki, that's why Judge Bates. The judge promised a quick decision, but there will be appeals which, no doubt, won't be resolved until after the new president is inaugurated. But I'm sure that congressional democrats won't sit tight and they'll see to it that Miers and Bolten.........
The democrats are complicit. That's why impeachment is off the table.
Glenn Greenwald writes about George Bush's latest powers, courtesy of the Democratic Congress. And it ain't pretty. There's more to hate in this bill than telecom immunity, but the immunity provision is particularly filthy since it creates the illusion that the courts will consider the role the telecoms played in abetting W's violation of our fourth amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures when the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Think I'm overreacting? Greenwald cites Bond's response to the house capitulation: With some AT&T and other telecommunications companies now facing some 40 lawsuits over their reported participation in the wiretapping program, Republican leaders described this narrow court review on the immunity question as a mere "formality."
"The lawsuits will be dismissed," Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 2 Republican in the House, predicted with confidence.
The proposal -- particularly the immunity provision -- represents a major victory for the White House after months of dispute. "I think the White House got a better deal than even they had hoped to get," said Senator Christopher Bond, the Missouri Republican who led the negotiations.
Oh yes they did, Kit. So why did the house democratic "leadership" capitulate (and read Russ Feingold's comment about the vote, because he calls it a capitulation too)? I smell complicity. That is, if the lawsuits went forward, I'm guessing that during discovery the plaintiffs' counsel would have discovered that several prominent democrats were fully informed and on board with the illegal wiretapping and datamining by the NSA. Yeah, I'm look at you Representatives Harman, Hoyer and Pelosi, and you too Senator Rockefeller.
So what can be done know? Is there anyone in the democratic party who is, say, a constitutional scholar and it's de facto leader who can save the day? Yes there is, but, sadly, it looks like he is only going to make a half-assed effort to strip the immunity provision out and, when that fails, shrug his shoulders and say he tried his best.
Greenwald writes: Barack Obama got around to issuing a statement and -- citing what he calls "the grave threats that we face" -- he just announced that he supports this warrantless eavesdropping and telecom amnesty "compromise":
Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people. . . .
After months of negotiation, the House today passed a compromise that, while far from perfect, is a marked improvement over last year's Protect America Act. . . It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses.
It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives -– and the liberty –- of the American people.
Greenwald adds: Telling Americans that we have to give up basic constitutional rights -- and allow rampant lawbreaking -- if we want to save ourselves from "the grave threats we face" sounds awfully familiar. He says he will work to remove amnesty from the bill, but once that fails, will vote for the "compromise." Obama has obviously calculated that sacrificing the rule of law and the Fourth Amendment is a worthwhile price to pay to bolster his standing a tiny bit in a couple of swing states.
I voted for Obama in the New York primary, primarily because John Edwards stepped down shortly before. I couldn't stand Hillary Clinton and, while I wasn't sure about Obama, I thought it might be nice to have a candidate running for the presidency who was well-versed in and, I assumed, respectful of our constitution. Guess I was pwned. Never thought I would say this out loud, but Ralph Nader was right. They all suck.
P.S. Dear Hillary Clinton: I am a disgruntled constituent who did not support your run for the democratic presidential nomination. Hell, I didn't vote for you in 2006. I can't believe I'm typing this, but if you want to show Barack Obama up and get my vote in 2012 you can achieve both by mounting a real filibuster to defeat this bill. Remember, the bill has to be defeated and you have to do it. And anyone reading this post: I mean it. I can't stand Hillary, but if she pulls this rabbit out of her hat, I'll vote for her in 2012 and I won't think twice.
The "improved" version of FISA that guarantees that the telecom companies will be given immunity for assisting this administration in violating our fourth amendment rights was pushed through the house early this afternoon. Now, it is on its way to the senate. I know that you are probably familiar with the back story about how Steny Hoyer, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have worked to get this bill passed while making it appear that are opposed to it--well, at least Reid and Pelosi are playing the "I'm not to blame" game. But long and short, if Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid don't want to see this version of the FISA bill passed, they could stop it in its tracks by never allowing this monstrosity to see the light of day. They--the democratic leadership--want this. Was it because Steny Hoyer loves him some lobbyist money (this could be a factor)? Was it fear that the people would discover that some prominent democrats were complicit (ding, ding, ding)? Were they being blackmailed (probably not, but who knows?). Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. If this FISA bill passes, the constitution is permanently scarred. The bell cannot be unrung. Any corporation that is asked by some future administration to assist them in violating our constitutional rights will jump right in. And why not? If they say no they may be denied fat government contracts. And if they say yes? No worries, congress will have their backs. Anyhow, I met my friends John and Jenn this morning for an angry breakfast. You see, I called Steny Hoyer's office right before leaving to join them, and it was ugly. By the time I got to Florent--a fabulous iconic restaurant in the Meat Packing district that is losing its lease after twenty something years because the commercial landlord wants to jack up the rent from $6,000 a month to $60,000 a month--I felt like one big exposed nerve. Sorry Jenn and John, I know I was not good company. I promise to try to not care about this crap anymore, because I am tired of being angry all the time. I really am. That said, in my defense I have a brief write up of my conversation with the smug little boy who answered Steny's phone. I originally wrote this as a comment to a thread at Kos (yeah, I know) about how the congressional democratic leadership sold us down the river: I called Hoyer's office this morning, and it wasn't pretty folks. Yeah, I was angry, but for good reason. When I asked the staffer why Hoyer was selling out our fourth amendment rights the staffer tried to tell me that this version of the FISA bill was better. I stopped him and told him that I was a lawyer and quite capable of reading the bill, and it was clear that the telecoms would get immunity from the courts. I then asked whether Hoyer was selling us out because of contributions from the telecoms, which I thought were about $170k. The staffer told me that it was only $93k. So I said, "so can we buy his vote to protect our rights for only $94k?" He said it was ridiculous to suggest that Hoyer could be influenced by $100k, so I asked what his price was. Then I told the staffer to have Steny ask his former colleague Al Wynn what it is like to be handed his ass in a primary. The staffer told me that Al Wynn was working with a prominent lobbying firm. He said this in a condescending voice, as if Wynn got the last laugh. Folks, this is what we are up against. They don't even try to pretend anymore. I finished the call by stating that if it wasn't the money, was Steny pushing FISA because he and other democrats were complicit and would rather not face criminal charges. Let's just say the call ended very soon thereafter. Note to self: In the future, do not call Steny Hoyer's office to complain about democratic capitulation until after I meet my friends for breakfast.
Housing crisis brings Wall St arrests. Reuters reports:The U.S. housing crisis produced its first high-profile Wall Street arrests on Thursday, while the Bush administration called for broadening the Federal Reserve's powers over investment banks and said it has charged hundreds of people in a mortgage fraud probe.
Yes, this is a start, but the question is whether any of the really high flyers will get nailed or whether the foot soldiers will bear the brunt, not unlike the result of the Abu Ghraib investigation. Sure, two Bear Stearns managers were indicted today, but are people sweating at Morgan, Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Goldman or any other investment banking firms? Are the CEOs of mortgage companies lawyering up? I don't know. I also don't know whether any real dent can be made in the huge amounts of cash that seemingly have disappeared from the face of the earth. What I do know? Someone, somewhere has made an enormous amount of money.
Still, there is more to this story than going after the bad actors. What will this administration do for consumers who were fucked over? Here's the answer:
At the same time, the White House issued a surprise veto threat against a Senate bill aimed at preventing hundreds of thousands of foreclosures. The threat signaled more partisan warfare on Capitol Hill as homeowners struggle.
Because the class war won't be over until the middle class is completely destroyed. That's why.
Obama to forgo public funds for election campaign. Reuters reports: "We've made the decision not to participate in the public financing system for the general election," Obama said in a video statement e-mailed to reporters.
* * *
"It's not an easy decision, and especially because I support a robust system of public financing of elections," [Obama] said. "But the public financing of presidential elections as it exists today is broken and we face opponents who've become masters at gaming this broken system."
Obama said his rival McCain's campaign and the Republican National Committee were fueled by contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest groups that can make unlimited donations.
Obama will outraise McCain in a heartbeat. Hell, I think that even the RNC's fundraising and those of their allied 527s and other players could be dwarfed. Thing is, as long as McCain is riding around in C-word's corporate jet and getting 527s to do the rat-fucking for him, why should Obama disarm himself? I also hope that maybe, just maybe, if Obama and the DNC, et al., vastly outraise McCain and the republicans, that finally a publicly funded campaign program could be adopted. After all, it won't be quite as fun for the republicans to continue the system as is when, in the end, they are the net losers.
Enough. And if you don't have Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein bookmarked, do it now. You'll thank me later.
Militants found recruits among Guantanamo's wrongly detained. McClatchy Newspapers reports: Mohammed Naim Farouq was a thug in the lawless Zormat district of eastern Afghanistan. He ran a kidnapping and extortion racket, and he controlled his turf with a band of gunmen who rode around in trucks with AK-47 rifles.
