PEEK

Buzz, perspectives, insight and news from AlterNet

Irish Commission: "No Doubt" Catholic Church Covered Up Child Sex Abuse for 30 Years
Posted by Staff, AlterNet on November 26, 2009 at 7:43 PM.

The Irish Times:

The Commission of Investigation into Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese has concluded that there is “no doubt” that clerical child sexual abuse was covered up by the archdiocese and other Church authorities.

The commission’s report covers the period between January 1st 1975 and April 30th 2004. It said there cover-ups took place over much of this period.

In its report, published this afternoon, it has also found that “the structures and rules of the Catholic Church facilitated that cover-up.”

It also found that “the State authorities facilitated the cover-up by not fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure that the law was applied equally to all and allowing the Church institutions to be beyond the reach of the normal law enforcement processes.”

Over the period within its remit “the welfare of children, which should have been the first priority, was not even a factor to be considered in the early stages,” it said.

“Instead the focus was on the avoidance of scandal and the preservation of the good name, status and assets of the institution and of what the institution regarded as its most important members – the priests,” it said.

In making its main findings, the report it concluded that “it is the responsibility of the State to ensure that no similar institutional immunity is ever allowed to occur again. This can be ensured only if all institutions are open to scrutiny and not accorded an exempted status by any organs of the State.”

The Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation was set up on March 28th, 2006. It completed its report on July 21st last when it was presented to the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.\

Read the entire article here.

Glenn Beck Scoffs at Palin/Beck 2012 Ticket, Doesn't Like Palin's "Yapping"
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on November 26, 2009 at 3:49 PM.

Is your drunk conservative uncle ranting about our fascist President turning America socialist? You could take the classy route and stay quiet until they exhaust their Glenn Beck talking points. Or, you could taunt them with this: apparently the Beck/Palin 2012 ticket, coyly "not ruled out" by Sarah Palin during last week's publicity blitz, is not to be! Beck -- who just last week somberly upbraided Newsweek for running a sexist picture of Palin -- doesn't want to hear her "yapping" as  "I'm not in the kitchen."

How are these two going to make America great again if they can't get along? Does all hope rest with Michele Bachmann?

From Think Progress:

In recent days, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has indicated that she may be open to a conservative presidential dream ticket in 2012: Palin-Beck (or Beck-Palin). “I can envision a couple of different combinations, if ever I were to be in a position to really even seriously consider running for anything in the future, and I’m not there yet,” Palin told Newsmax. “But Glenn Beck I have great respect for. He’s a hoot.” Fox and Friends plugged the idea yesterday morning and asked Palin whether she would run with Beck. She kept the door open, saying, “I don’t know. We’ll see, we’ll see.”

 

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Right-Wing Culture Warriors Warn of Atheist Attack on Thanksgiving!
Posted by Joshua Holland, AlterNet on November 26, 2009 at 2:36 PM.

Michael Tomasky notes that the annual "War on Christmas" has started early this holiday season. But that's old hat -- mainstream stuff that's become just another part of the old holiday spirit among the Fox News set.

If you don't delve into the deeper, darker recesses of the conservative Borg-collective, as Roy Edroso does so bravely each week, then you might enjoy a fine, gluttonous meal today oblivious to the fact that secular hordes are now gunning for Thanksgiving:

HAPPY WAR ON THANKSGIVING! Yes, I was just having a bit of fun, but apparently it's a real menace, says Christian Newswire:

America once was content in allowing civil authorities to select and define its holidays. With the increasing influence of groups which use the courts to challenge any comingling of religion and the function of government, the definition of the some of the nation's holidays have become a war zone.

And while most Americans think of Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas as Christian holidays -- history is clear that Easter and Christmas were originally pagan celebrations, stolen and redefined.

This leaves Thanksgiving as the one American holiday originating within Christian culture. It is a holiday created to remind a nation to thank God. So while talk-show hosts expound upon a war on Christmas -- let's not ignore the war on the one true Christian holiday, Thanksgiving.

Their evidence of this is that Obama said "we observe traditions from every culture" in his Thanksgiving address. George Washington, conversely, referred frequently to God. The word has spread and muskets are loaded.

Another very fine example of Thomas Franks' "conservative plenty-plaint" -- the endless laundry-list of petty cultural grievances pretending to be a coherent political ideology.

And it's funny that anyone could even begin to think that Thanksgiving is a "Christian" holiday. If we believe the tale of the first Thanksgiving told to us in 4th grade -- that the pilgrims got together with a group of Native Americans to celebrate an especially bountiful harvest in 1621 -- then what we have is some Christians sitting down with a bunch of animists to celebrate the harvest festival common to basically every agricultural society in the history of mankind. The idea that Pagans celebrated versions of Easter and Christmas but not the seasonal harvest is crazy talk.

As Roy was researching some right-wing bloggers' dispatches from the War on Thanksgiving, he got suckered by a "satire troll" worth quoting for a laugh:

However, the last few years I have seen a constant assault on Thanksgiving. First we have people having pasta or sushi and not turkey. Now we have people calling Thanksgiving, Turkey Day, Gobble Day or Gobble Gobble Day. Then there is the advertising, "Gobble up Savings", "Don't be a Turkey and Pay Too Much". And of course there is the Black Friday sales and if that were not enough we now have Pre-Thanksgiving or Pre-Turkey Day sales.

When will it end?!

When, indeed? Until it does, have a happy Secular War on Thanksgiving.

27 Reasons to Give Thanks
Posted by Staff, Think Progress on November 26, 2009 at 11:00 AM.

We’re thankful President Obama is thinking long and hard about committing more troops and money to Afghanistan.

We’re thankful President Bush feels liberated now.

We’re (not) thankful Dick Cheney has elected to move from his undisclosed location to the media spotlight.

We’re thankful Al Franken has gone from playing self-help guru Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live to helping rape victims receive justice from their employers.

We’re thankful for the healing power of beer.

We’re thankful there are some on the right who think Glenn Beck is “incoherent,” “mindless,” “erratic,” “bizarre,” and “harmful to the conservative movement.”

We’re thankful for long hikes on the Appalachian Trail.

We’re thankful Michael Steele understands that he can’t “do policy” and that no one has any reason to trust his “words or actions.”

We’re (not) thankful for “birthers,” “deathers,” “tenthers,” or “tea baggers.”

We’re (not) thankful conservatives believe they love America so much that they can root for our President to fail and for our nation to lose out on hosting the Olympics.

We’re thankful NFL players refused to “bend over and grab the ankles” for Rush Limbaugh.

We’re thankful six companies have resigned from the Chamber of Commerce due to its denial of climate change science.

 

 

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Copenhagen Is On; Obama to Lead U.S. Delegation
Posted by Jeff McMahon, True/Slant on November 26, 2009 at 4:00 AM.

First the climate bill was dead, then the climate bill was not dead yet, then Copenhagen was dead, then Copenhagen was not dead yet, and now it’s all back on the table, right where President Obama said it would be: a legally binding climate treaty calling for an ambitious reduction in carbon dioxide–83 percent by 2050.

Patience, people, patience.

Obama’s call for such a treaty today closely follows three other significant events:

• His announcement that he’ll attend the Copenhagen Climate Conference on Dec. 9 to call for the treaty in person. I’ve always said that his decision to attend would depend on the likelihood of a treaty being signed, and the likelihood of a treaty being signed would be worked out behind the scenes in meetings between diplomats from the U.S. and other major players. But not only is Obama attending, according to the White House:

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson are all scheduled to attend, along with Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner.

• Obama’s announcement follows key meetings between Obama and the leaders of China and India, the two developing nations whose participation in the treaty is most essential to its success.

• The treaty Obama has called for matches the climate bill that already passed the House and the one likely to pass the Senate: not the bill that passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, but the one likely to be worked out in a compromise with that bill’s sole no vote, Sen. Max Baucus. Both the House bill and the likely Baucus compromise call for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020.

For the first time, the U.S. delegation will have a U.S. Center at the conference, providing a unique and interactive forum to share our story with the world. In addition to working with other countries to advance American interests, U.S. delegates will keynote a series of events highlighting actions by the Obama Administration to provide domestic and global leadership in the transition to a clean energy economy. Topics will range from energy efficiency investments and global commitments to renewables policy and clean energy jobs.

Quiz: Which African Country Just Proposed Legislation Making Being Gay a Crime Punishable By Up to Life in Prison?
Posted by CaitieCat, Shakesville on November 26, 2009 at 1:00 AM.

Teaspoons up, Shakers, I've got a letter-writing opportunity for you.

The government of Uganda has proposed a new law which would make being gay in the African country a crime, punishable by up to life in prison.

The addresses for Ugandan foreign missions, embassies and consulates can be found here.

Please remember that when addressing diplomats, it is wise to use appropriate language, or risk having your message discarded, unread by anyone with decision-making power.

Deadly Attacks in Mumbai Documented by Bloggers in Real Time
Posted by AlterNet Staff, AlterNet on November 26, 2008 at 7:52 PM.

The coordinated terror attacks in Mumbai, which have left at least 82 dead and 240 wounded, are being documented by citizen journalists throughout the city, and transmitted through social media and information-sharing tools like Flickr, Twitter, and local blogs. 

 From Noah Shachtman at Wired: 

Twitter has fresh news every few seconds, on Mumbai, Bombay, #Mumbai, and @BreakingNewz.

"Hospital update. Shots still being fired. Also Metro cinema next door," tweets mumbaiattack. "Blood needed at JJ hospital," adds aeropolowoman, supplying the numbers for the blood bank.

A Google map of the attacks has already been set up. So has a shockingly-current Wikipedia page, which features a picture of one of the gun-toting attackers.

The local bloggers at Metblogs Mumbai have new updates every couple of minutes. So do the folks at GroundReport. Dozens of videos have been uploaded to YouTube. But the most remarkable citizen journalism may be coming from "Vinu," who is posting a stream of harrowing post-attack pictures to Flickr.

Quick Hits: A Lot to Keep Up With Heading into Thanksgiving Weekend
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 26, 2008 at 4:33 PM.

* Devastating terror attacks in Mumbai: "Several people have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks targeting Mumbai sites popular with tourists and business people, according to police and CNN's sister network in India. Ongoing battles between police and gunmen were reported at two five-star hotels. Gunmen armed with automatic weapons and grenades attacked targets including the hotels, a cafe, and a train station, police say. Maharashtra state government spokesman Bhushan Gagri said 78 people killed and about 200 wounded, while police confirmed 26 deaths."

* The FBI warned of a "plausible but unsubstantiated" threat of a terrorist bomb attack against the New York train system.

* Obama certainly seems to have restored some confidence among investors.

* New reports today shows unemployment, consumer spending, factory orders, and new-home sales all moving in the wrong direction.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Gunmen Kill at Least 78 in Multiple Attacks in Mumbai, India
Posted by Staff, AlterNet on November 26, 2008 at 1:46 PM.

The AP Reports:

MUMBAI, India -- Teams of heavily armed gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant and a crowded train station in coordinated attacks across India's financial capital Wednesday night, killing at least 78 people and taking Westerners hostage, police said. An explosion rocked one of the hotels, the landmark Taj Mahal, early Thursday, followed by raging fires. The attackers specifically targeted Britons and Americans, witnesses said. Fires burned and gunfire was heard for hours. Officials said at least 200 people were wounded.

The motive for the onslaught was not immediately clear, but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed on Islamic extremists, including a series of bombings in July 2007 that killed 187 people.

An Indian media report said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for the attacks in e-mails to several media outlets.

Click here for more.

Cholera Outbreak in Zimbabwe a Humanitarian and Water Crisis
Posted by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages on November 26, 2008 at 1:23 PM.

Shock Jock Michael Savage's Big Gay Apocalypse
Posted by Eli , Firedoglake on November 26, 2008 at 12:04 PM.

I have this theory that Michael Savage's primary purpose in life is to make Rush Limbaugh look tolerant and sane. Here, let me show you what I mean:

Well, socially, we're far worse -- more degenerate than Weimar Germany. At least in Weimar Germany, men couldn't marry men and women couldn't marry women. So we're probably 10 leagues below the degeneracy that brought about Hitler. We're probably 50 leagues below the degeneracy that brought about Hitler. We are the sickest, most disgusting country on the earth, and we are... psychotic as a nation.

It's a psychotic nation when the attorney general of the state of California, when the senator from the state of California named Dianne Feinstein, when the governor from the state of California who posed as a strongman gets up there and says that homosexuals have a right to marry that's equal to a man and a woman, they're insane. They are fundamentally insane.

Got that? The fact that there was opposition to Prop 8, that there are actually people who -- gasp -- believe that gay people should have the same right as everyone else, means that we are the most degenerate country in the world, and that the moral backlash from righteous people like Michael Savage will almost certainly lead to the second coming of Adolf Hitler. Awesome.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Minnesota Update: Not Looking Good for Al Franken?
Posted by tremayne, Open Left on November 26, 2008 at 8:26 AM.

Norm Coleman now leads Al Franken by 231 votes according to the Star Tribune which is 16 more than he started with prior to the recounting. Of course the "real" margin has been almost entirely obscured by the more than 3,600 challenges lodged by the two campaigns. Nevertheless, I am not optimistic because county-by-county results show a clear pattern: the candidate who challenges the most ballots in a county is the candidate who has gained votes in the county. Here are some examples:

County	Who Gained & How Much?	Who Challenged More Ballots?
Aitkin	Coleman by 3	Coleman by 2
Anoka	Franken by 23	Franken by 30
Becker	Coleman by 39	Coleman by 37
Brown	Franken by 4	Franken by 3
Carlton	Coleman by 23	Coleman by 27
Carver	Franken by 8	Franken by 11
Dakota	Franken by 13	Franken by 10
Hennepin	Coleman by 27	Coleman by 34
Meeker	Franken by 43	Franken by 44
Stearns	Franken by 19	Franken by 15
Washington	Coleman by 12	Coleman by 8

There are exceptions to this pattern, mostly counties with a small number of challenges and very small gains or losses. Two other exceptions are Ramsey County where Franken has one more challenge but has gained 34 votes and St. Louis County where Coleman has issued a 100 more challenges but has gained only 57 votes. And Coleman has issued 80 more challenges overall compared to Franken but with 82% of the recount completed that difference alone won't net Franken enough votes.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

California to Investigate Mormons' Political Involvement With Prop 8
Posted by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville on November 26, 2008 at 8:02 AM.

California's Fair Political Practices Commission, which oversees state campaign finance laws, will launch an inquiry after a complaint was filed on November 13:

California officials will investigate accusations that the Mormon Church neglected to report a battery of nonmonetary contributions -- including phone banks, a Web site and commercials -- on behalf of a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage.

... The complaint, filed by Fred Karger, founder of the group Californians Against Hate, asserted that the church's reported contributions -- about $5,000, according to state election filings -- vastly underestimated its actual efforts in passing Proposition 8, which amended the state's Constitution to recognize only male-female marriage.

Broadly speaking, California state law requires disclosure of any money spent or services provided to influence the outcome of an election.

... Mr. Karger's complaint paints a sweeping picture of the involvement by the church leadership, and raises questions about who paid for out-of-state phone banks and grass-roots rallies in California before the Nov. 4 vote.

"Who paid for the buses, travel costs, meals and other expenses of all the Mormon participants?" the complaint reads. "No contributions were reported."

The complaint also touches on a five-state simulcast from church leaders to Mormon congregations, as well as a Web site, preservingmarriage.org, that featured a series of videos advocating passage of the ballot measure and is labeled "an official Web site" of the Mormon Church.

...Mr. Karger said he respected the right of Mormons to vote in line with their religious beliefs, but added "if they're going to play politics, then they need to play by the rules."

Indeed.A spokesperson for the church had no comment on the specific accusations, but said they would cooperate with the investigation. One hopes more readily than they complied with the law, ahem.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Obama to Address Economy ... Bush to Pardon Turkey
Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress on November 26, 2008 at 7:58 AM.

This MSNBC chryon tells the story:

Yglesias extrapolates: "The president-elect working hard while the president is hardly working. Of course, given what we've seen from the Bush administration it's probably just as well that he stick to pardoning turkeys and leave the policy response to Obama's team. If only he'd thought of this strategy when he first moved in to the White House."

Obama Addresses Worries That There Isn't Enough 'Change' in His Cabinet Picks
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 26, 2008 at 6:28 AM.

At his third economic-related press conference in as many days, Barack Obama announced the creation of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, modeled on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board created by President Eisenhower to "provide rigorous analysis and vigorous oversight of our intelligence community by individuals outside of government -- individuals who would be candid and unsparing in their assessment." He introduced former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker as the chairman of the panel, and University of Chicago economist Austan Goolsbee as its staff director and chief economist.

During the Q&A, CNN's Ed Henry asked if there were enough new faces on his team to fulfill Obama's pledge to bring change to Washington. The president-elect first noted it would be even more jarring if his team didn't include officials with experience from the Clinton administration.

"It would be surprising if I selected a Treasury secretary who had had no connection with the last Democratic administration because that would mean the person had no experience in Washington whatsoever. And I suspect you would be troubled and the American people would be troubled if I selected a Treasury secretary or a chairman of the National Economic Council ... who had no experience whatsoever ... What I don't want to do is to somehow suggest that because you served in the last Democratic administration that you're somehow barred from serving again -- because we need people are going to be able to hit the ground running."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Liberal Bloggers Keep Torture Supporter Brennan Out of the CIA
Posted by ZP Heller, AlterNet on November 26, 2008 at 6:00 AM.

In what Glenn Greenwald is calling the best political news he's heard since the election, John Brennan has taken himself out of the running for an intelligence post in the Obama administration.  Brennan has been Obama's top intelligence adviser, but he is also closely connected with Former CIA Director George Tenet and was a staunch proponent of the Bush administration's controversial policies on torture, rendition, detainment, and warrantless wiretapping. 

Perhaps the best part is, the reason cited for Brennan withdrawing his name was that liberal bloggers had "raised a firestorm" about his nomination recently.  Kudos to Greenwald, Digby, Cenk, Andrew Sullivan, Jane Hamsher, and other bloggers who took this on, not to mention the 200 psychologists who wrote to President-elect Obama protesting Brennan's possible appointment.  It's great to know that we have the power to effect change like this in Washington, particularly now when it's so critical for Obama to move away from Bush's legacy of torture and human rights violations.  (Now let's turn our attention to the Gates appointment, especially if it has repercussions for Afghanistan.)

You can support Obama in closing Gitmo and ending unconstitutional military commissions by signing our petition here.

Here are Some Sickening Figures to Help Put the Bailout in Perspective
Posted by Staff, AlterNet on November 26, 2008 at 5:17 AM.

Barry Ritholtz puts the bailout figure into proper historical perspective, and it ain't pretty folks:

If we add in the Citi bailout, the total cost now exceeds $4.6165 trillion dollars. People have a hard time conceptualizing very large numbers, so let’s give this some context. The current Credit Crisis bailout is now the largest outlay In American history.

Jim Bianco of Bianco Research crunched the inflation adjusted numbers. The bailout has cost more than all of these big budget government expenditures –- combined:

• Marshall Plan: Cost: $12.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $115.3 billion
• Louisiana Purchase: Cost: $15 million, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $217 billion
• Race to the Moon: Cost: $36.4 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $237 billion
• S&L Crisis: Cost: $153 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $256 billion
• Korean War: Cost: $54 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $454 billion
• The New Deal: Cost: $32 billion (Est), Inflation Adjusted Cost: $500 billion (Est)
• Invasion of Iraq: Cost: $551b, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $597 billion
• Vietnam War: Cost: $111 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $698 billion
• NASA: Cost: $416.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $851.2 billion

TOTAL: $3.92 trillion

______________________________________________________________________

data courtesy of Bianco Research

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Global Warming Claims Its First Major Political Victim
Posted by Dr. Joseph Romm, Huffington Post on November 26, 2007 at 3:35 PM.

This post, written by Dr. Joseph Romm, originally appeared on The Huffington Post

Global warming takes down its first major political victim:

"Conservative Prime Minister John Howard suffered a humiliating defeat Saturday at the hands of the left-leaning opposition, whose leader has promised to immediately sign the Kyoto Protocol on global warming."

Why the stunning loss? A key reason was Howard's "head in the sand dust" response to the country's brutal once-in-a-thousand year drought. As the UK's Independent reported in April:

... few scientists dispute the part played by climate change, which is making Australia hotter and drier..... Until a few months ago, Mr Howard and his ministers pooh-poohed the climate-change doomsayers.

You can read about Howard's lame attempt to change his rhetoric on global warming here.

Now we are the last industrialized nation with a leader who refuses to take any serious action -- hopefully that dubious distinction will be corrected in next year's presidential election.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Will CNN Censor Questions About Homophobia for the GOP YouTube Debate?
Posted by Marty Kaplan, Huffington Post on November 26, 2007 at 2:00 PM.

This post, written by Marty Kaplan, originally appeared on The Huffington Post

Over 4,000 Americans have submitted video questions for the candidates who have been humiliated into participating this week in the entertainment marketing scam known officially as The CNN/YouTube Republican Debate. It's bad enough that presidential aspirants of both parties are so cowed by the networks that they have ceded their dignity, not to mention our democracy, to these degrading gongshows, complete with breathless postgame analyses by the same preening interlocutors who posed as neutral referees just moments before. But the faux populism of the YouTube format is an Orwellian leap even for CNN, where anchors are already required to i.d. correspondents as "part of the best political team on television." (Every time Wolf says that, an angel is lethally injected.)

Have you looked at the questions submitted on YouTube? An astonishing number of them are heartfelt inquiries about gayness in America. Billy Bean asks whether the GOP candidates will "stop embracing religion-based bigotry against gays and lesbians." If you flip through the posted videos, it seems as though every twenty questions there's the face of a teenager talking about being born gay, a twenty-something talking about being Christian and gay, a plea about LGBT hate crimes, about the Godliness of all human love, about the depression and suicide fostered by fundamentalist preachers and their political fellow-travelers.

You could fill the entire two hours of the CNN/YouTube debate with those questions. But if the New York Times' account of how the seven-person CNN team will select the winning questions is accurate, actually you won't see a single one of them during the televised debate. David Bohrman, CNN's Washington bureau chief and executive producer of the debate, told the Times' blog The Caucus that posts "asking the candidates to defend their opposition to gay marriage" are "'lobbying grenades' [that] would be disqualified by the CNN selection team... There are quite a few things you might describe as Democratic 'gotchas,' and we are weeding those out'... CNN wants to ensure that next Wednesday's Republican event is 'a debate of their party.'"

Not only is this stunningly disrespectful to the many Log Cabin and other self-described gay Republicans who submitted YouTube questions; it's also a telling reminder of the game that CNN is really playing. Sure, their Web site says "YOU ask the questions of the candidates" ("Be original... Be personal"). But if YOU don't fit the CNN profiling division's definition of a Republican, then no matter how personal your sexual orientation may be, no matter how original you are in the way you ask it, the CNN team will yank you from the questioner pool like cyber-crabgrass.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Maliki Government Paves the Way for Permanent US Bases in Iraq
Posted by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report on November 26, 2007 at 1:00 PM.

This post, written by Steve Benen, originally appeared on The Carpetbagger Report

Way back in February 2006, Tom Engelhardt noted that the "debate" over permanent U.S. bases in Iraq was practically non-existent. After a search of the LexisNexis database, he explained, "American reporters adhere to a simple rule: The words 'permanent,' 'bases,' and 'Iraq' should never be placed in the same sentence, not even in the same paragraph; in fact, not even in the same news report."

It wasn't too big a mystery -- talk of permanent bases was considered impolite for the political mainstream. It was a subject best relegated to blogs and talk radio. When congressional Dems started taking the matter seriously, congressional Republicans quickly shut down any policy proposals that might limit a permanent U.S. presence in Iraq.

With that in mind, today's news is not at all encouraging.

Iraq's government, seeking protection against foreign threats and internal coups, will offer the U.S. a long-term troop presence in Iraq in return for U.S. security guarantees as part of a strategic partnership, two Iraqi officials said Monday.

The proposal, described to The Associated Press by two senior Iraqi officials familiar with the issue, is one of the first indications that the United States and Iraq are beginning to explore what their relationship might look like once the U.S. significantly draws down its troop presence.

As Spencer Ackerman explained, "Make no mistake: this is Nouri al-Maliki offering the U.S. a permanent presence in return for guaranteeing the security of his government.... In exchange for a platform for the indefinite projection of American power throughout the Middle East, the Bush Administration probably considers protection for Maliki and his coterie to be a small price to pay."

In the AP report, Bush administration officials are downplaying the significance of these developments....

When asked about the plan, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo noted that Iraqi officials had expressed a desire for a strategic partnership with the U.S. in a political declaration in August and an end to the U.N.-mandated force.

"Thereafter then, the question becomes one of bilateral relationships between Iraq and the countries of the multinational forces," she said. "At that point we need to be considering long-term bilateral relationships and we're following the Iraqi thinking on this one and we agree with their thinking on this and we'll be looking at setting up a long-term partnership with different aspects to it, political, economic, security and so forth."

She said any detailed discussion of bases and investment preferences was "way, way, way ahead of where we are at the moment."

...but Iraqi officials are moving forward apace.

The Iraqi officials said that under the proposed formula, Iraq would get full responsibility for internal security and U.S. troops would relocate to bases outside the cities. Iraqi officials foresee a long-term presence of about 50,000 U.S. troops, down from the current figure of more than 160,000.

Haidar al-Abadi, a senior Dawa member of al-Maliki's Dawa party, told Alhurra television that the prime minister would write parliament in the next few days to tell lawmakers that his government would seek the renewal of the U.N. mandate for "one last time."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Saudis Threaten Rape Victim With Additional Sentence if She Appeals Verdict
Posted by Lucinda Marshall, Feminist Peace Network on November 26, 2007 at 12:30 PM.

This post, written by Lucinda Marshall, originally appeared on Feminist Peace Network

The Saudis are continuing to piously justify the recent sentencing of a 19 year old victim of a gang rape to 6 months in jail and 200 lashes for idling in a car with men who were not her relatives, issuing the following statement, according to the Toronto Star

""We reiterate that judicial rulings in this virtuous country ... are based on God's book and the traditions of his Prophet and that no ruling is issued without being based on evidence," said the statement carried by official news agency SPA."

More ominously, the court has said that if the woman appeals the sentence and continues to use the media to raise awareness of the case, it is possible that the sentence will be increased, giving the clear message that the Saudis also consider it a crime to shed light on their deeply misogynist laws.

"The woman's husband has told local media they would appeal, even though the judge had warned that the sentence could be increased again if she loses the appeal.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

The Real Reason Trent Lott Is Leaving Early
Posted by Matt Corley, Think Progress on November 26, 2007 at 11:00 AM.

This post, written by Matt Corley, originally appeared on Think Progress

Earlier today, news broke that Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS) intends "to resign his seat before the end of the year." Lott will explain his plans in two news conferences in his home state of Mississippi later today.

Though the reasons for Lott's resignation are still unknown, a "congressional official" told the AP that "there is nothing amiss with Lott's health" and that "the senator has 'other opportunities' he plans to pursue." NBC News reports that Lott's "other opportunities" involve joining the "lucrative world of lobbying Congress" before "tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law" take effect:

While the exactly reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is unknown, the general speculation is that a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require Senators to wait two-years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying Congress.

"A Lott friend" confirmed to the Politico that the new lobbying law is "a factor in the timing" of his resignation.

Lott, whose son is a lobbyist, was part of a small bloc of conservatives who voted against the ethics reform bill in August that included the two-year revolving door ban. His vote reflected his longtime position as an opponent of lobbying reform. Here are a few more examples of Lott's defense of his potential, soon-to-be job:

- In Jan. 2006, Lott praised "the practice of secretly inserting special projects into spending bills at the behest of lobbyists," calling it "an effective way for Congress to address a problem or need back home."

- In Feb. 2006, Lott derided the effort to fix lobbying loopholes after the Jack Abramoff scandal as "the usual over reaction that we see happen quite often in Washington."

- In March 2006, Lott voted against establishing a Senate Office of Public Integrity.

- In March 2006, when Congress sought to ban free meals from lobbyists, Lott defended the free meals, saying a ban would imply "that we can be had for the price of a lunch or dinner."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Fred Thompson Says Fox News Is Too Mean to Him
Posted by Pam Spaulding, Pam's House Blend on November 26, 2007 at 5:20 AM.

This post, written by Pam Spaulding, originally appeared on Pam's House Blend

What do you know -- we have a genius observation from the GOP Clown Car. The presidential hopeful and Law & Order actor seems to have felt the love from the "fair and balanced" network. Pull out the tiny violin. (The Hill):

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) suggested on Sunday that Fox News is biased against his campaign, charging that the network highlights commentators who have been critical of his run for the presidency.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," host Chris Wallace pressed Thompson on how some conservatives have lambasted Thompson's campaign and showed clips of Fox conservative commentators Charles Krauthammer and Fred Barnes criticizing the former senator.

Thompson said, "This has been a constant mantra of Fox, to tell you the truth." He noted that other conservatives have praised his bid for the GOP nomination and took issue with a Fox promo that focused on polling in New Hampshire, where Thompson is registering in the single digits.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Huckabee Is No Better Than the Rest of the Pathetic GOP Pygmies
Posted by Howie Klein, Down With Tyranny! on November 26, 2007 at 5:18 AM.

This post, written by Howie Klien, originally appeared on Down With Tyranny!

I woke up a little late this morning and flicked on CNN while I was getting myself together. Mike Huckabee had just joined Wolf Blintzer for a chat. Until last week, when a poll of likely Republican caucus goers in Iowa-- a subset of bigots, rubes and superstitious kooks who don't deserve to influence the outcome of a vote for anything past Miss Sioux City-- showed Huckabee catching up with Mitt Romney in the pointless race for the GOP nomination (at least in Iowa), no one was taking Huckabee seriously. Well wrestlers and professional clowns were.

Last week respected Arkansas Times journalist Max Brantley did an excellent Huckabee expose at Salon, The Dark Side of Mike Huckabee. The subtitle gives it away: "The national media seems to have a crush on our ex-governor, but here in Arkansas, we know better." Huckabee's main goal on CNN this morning was to come across as a friendly, common sense outsider with an easy sense of humor who wants to go to Washington to clean it up. Sounds familiar.

But in Arkansas people know him as an untrustworthy, vicious and distinctly unfriendly purveyor of hard partisan politics. And an incompetent. Even allies call him "petty," "vindictive," and "thin-skinned," and the many who do not admire him, like Brantley, go much further. In his very first campaign (1992), a failed run for the U.S. Senate, "Huckabee revealed an enduring weakness as glaring as that other Arkansas governor's fondness for women. Huckabee seems to love loot and has a dismissive attitude toward ethics, campaign finance rules and propriety in general. Since that first, failed campaign, the ethical questions have multiplied."

After he became governor in 1996, he raked in tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, including gifts from people he later appointed to prestigious state commissions.

In the governor's office, his grasp never exceeded his reach. Furniture he'd received to doll up his office was carted out with him when he left, after he'd crushed computer hard drives so nobody could ever get a peek behind the curtain of the Huckabee administration.

Until my paper, the Arkansas Times, blew the whistle, he converted a governor's mansion operating account into a personal expense account, claiming public money for a doghouse, dry-cleaning bills, panty hose and meals at Taco Bell. He tried to claim $70,000 in furnishings provided by a wealthy cotton grower for the private part of the residence as his own, until he learned ethics rules prevented it. When a disgruntled former employee disclosed memos revealing all this, the Huckabee camp shut her up by repeatedly suggesting she might be vulnerable to prosecution for theft because she'd shared documents generated by the state's highest official.

And liberals aren't the only ones who distrust and dislike Huckabee. He bristled, if only momentarily, when Blintzer asked him about his humane stance on the children of undocumented workers. Humane stances are not what the Republican Iowa caucus goers have been told they are looking for. Huckabee desperately wants to come across as a conservatove with conservatove positions. The Club For Growth views him warily as a big-spending, government-expanding phony. While governor of Arkansas, he raised taxes for schools, highways and children's health, expanding the role of government-- all no-no's for the hard line conservatives. And he's been a model of right-wing hypocrisy when it comes to the social agenda espoused by the non-millionaire end of the far right coalition, 100% homophobic but willing to be bought off by the purveyors of other "vices."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Romney Launches Campaign Against Honesty
Posted by GottaLaff , Brave New Films on November 26, 2007 at 5:12 AM.

This post, written by GottaLaff, originally appeared on Cliff Schecter's Brave New Films

He's being honest. Swift boat him.

Earlier this week in New Hampshire Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke candidly about his past experimentation with drugs and alcohol in high school, and on Saturday--after a question on medicinal marijuana--Obama was prodded a bit further and asked whether or not he had ever inhaled.

"I did," the senator from Illinois said to light applause. "It's not something I'm proud of. It was a mistake as a young man."

The "mistake", according to Mitt Romney, includes Obama's public frankness. It could have--dun dun dunnn -- repercussions.

The question was a reference to a line made famous by former President Bill Clinton who, while admitting to trying marijuana, said he did not inhale.

"I never understood that line," Obama continued. "The point was to inhale. That was the point."

It certainly is was. Did I say "is"? Well, that depends on what the definition of "is" is. Don't ask, don't tell.

Here come the repercussions:

On the campaign trail on Saturday, GOP White House hopeful Mitt Romney said Obama's earlier comments set a bad example for young people.

Is Mitt against honesty? That's unAmerican! Support the troops! 9/11! Makin' progr-- oops. Sorry. I nearly got sucked into the Republican Black Hole of pseudo-patriotism.

On the issue of medicinal marijuana, Obama said that if the "best way to relieve pain and suffering is through medicinal marijuana," then it's something he's open to.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Trent Lott to Resign Before the End of the Year
Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress on November 26, 2007 at 4:59 AM.

This post, written by Faiz Shakir, originally appeared on Think Progress

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) is reportedly informing close allies that he plans to resign his Senate seat before the end of the year. NBC reports, "It's possible a formal announcement of his plans could take place as early as today." Politico adds, "If he resigns, Lott would become the sixth Republican senator to announce they were stepping down this election cycle."

UPDATE: Lott was forced from his Senate Majority Leader seat in disgrace in late 2002 after hailing the segregationist platform of former Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC). Speaking at a 100th birthday party celebration for Thurmond, Lott said, "I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either." He regained a leadership post after the 2006 midterm elections.

UPDATE II: Lott has "scheduled two news conferences in his home state later in the day." AP reports, "No reason for Lott's resignation was given, but according to a congressional official, there is nothing amiss with Lott's health. The senator has 'other opportunities' he plans to pursue, the official said, without elaborating."

UPDATE III: Lott's term expires in 2012, therefore a resignation would trigger a special election for a replacement to serve the remainder of his term.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Smoking Gun: Rumsfeld ordered torture [VIDEO]
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 26, 2006 at 5:29 PM.

There was no "smoking gun" found in Iraq in the form of WMD because there was no smoking gun of that flavor to be found.

A smoking gun of a different flavor has surfaced, however, placing Rumsfeld at the helm of torture at Abu Ghraib and beyond.

Sure, it's something that's been "understood" to have been sanctioned "from above" for the past 4 years, but now Janis Karpinski, former head of Abu Ghraib prison, has told a Spanish newspaper that she is willing to testify that Rumsfeld "personally authorized" torture at Abu Ghraib (Video right). Why she went to a Spanish newspaper to make this claim is anyone's best guess.

Reuters:

"The handwritten signature was above his printed name and in the same handwriting in the margin was written: "Make sure this is accomplished"," she told Saturday's El Pais.

"The methods consisted of making prisoners stand for long periods, sleep deprivation ... playing music at full volume, having to sit in uncomfortably ... Rumsfeld authorized these specific techniques."

The Geneva Convention says prisoners of war should suffer "no physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion" to secure information.

When the Abu Ghraib scandal came to light in the form of a Seymour Hersh article and a shocking 60 Minutes II broadcast in April of 2004, Rumsfeld and the new stenographers, glommed onto the "bad apples" theory. It was just the work of some bad people acting independently, they claimed.

Of course, even were the bad apple theory valid...

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »