Issa’s politically-motivated witchhunt literally putting lives, security at risk

MSNBC:

Libyans who have been secretly helping the U.S. have had their identities exposed by documents released Friday by House Oversight Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, a senior administration official confirmed to NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell.

Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy’s “The Cable” blog broke the story following Rep. Darrell Issa’s release of State Department communications, part of his effort to demand answers on security failures related to the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi:

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) compromised the identities of several Libyans working with the U.S. government and placed their lives in danger when he released reams of State Department communications Friday.

An indignant letter Issa and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) sent to President Obama accompanied the 166 pages:

The American people deserve nothing less than a full explanation from this administration about these events, including why the repeated warnings about a worsening security situation appear to have been ignored by this administration. Americans also deserve a complete explanation about your administration’s decision to accelerate a normalized presence in Libya at what now appears to be at the cost of endangering American lives.

The White House and State Department had no prior notice of what is often referred to in Washington as a  Friday night “document dump” on the weekend before the presidential foreign policy debate.  A senior official tells NBC News that many of these documents weren’t provided by the State Department to the Oversight committee— and there wasn’t any discussion about their sensitivity prior to the committee posting them online. Only about 50 pages of the 166 had been previously released.

“The official says had the State Department been given that opportunity, they would have pointed out which documents needed to be handled with extreme care so as not to endanger anyone. Issa did not redact the names of Libyans mentioned in the cables,” the report continues.

So people may die so that Issa can do a little grandstanding before Mittens goes lightly armed into a foreign policy debate. At this point, we shouldn’t be talking about what a lousy legislator Rep. Darrell Issa is or how he’s a worthless, dishonest partisan hack. The discussion we should be having should involve just what a shitty American this guy is and how to keep him and people like him out of government forever.

Mitt’s main foreign policy talking point coming apart at the seams

ThinkProgress:

Mitt Romney has recently made the administration’s response to the attacks in Libya a centerpiece of his campaign. Romney and his campaign allege that the Obama administration “covered-up” the facts about the attacks for their political benefit. Romney’s core message is that: 1. The attacks were linked to al Qaeda, and 2. The attacks had nothing to do with an anti-Muslim video on YouTube. Here’s an excerpt from Romney’s major foreign policy address on October 8:

The attack on our Consulate in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 was likely the work of forces affiliated with those that attacked our homeland on September 11th, 2001. This latest assault cannot be blamed on a reprehensible video insulting Islam, despite the Administration’s attempts to convince us of that for so long.

A new report this morning from the LA Times casts serious doubt on Romney’s claims:

The assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi last month appears to have been an opportunistic attack rather than a long-planned operation, and intelligence agencies have found no evidence that it was ordered by Al Qaeda, according to U.S. officials and witnesses interviewed in Libya.

…[I]n in Benghazi, witnesses said members of the group that raided the U.S. mission specifically mentioned the video, which denigrated the prophet Muhammad.

The LA Times bolsters earlier reports by the New York Times and Reuters.

This is a problem for Romney, since the final debate will be devoted to foreign policy. Other than Libya and some simpleminded crap about talking tough with China and Iran, all he’s got is a trade deal talking point that’s already been shown to be bullshit. He’s already had one massive, televized flub on Libya, he can’t afford another.

Mitt’s not heading into this debate with any sort of wind at his back.

Mitt's priorities

Mitt's opportunism

News Roundup for 11/30/11

At least Herman still has a way with the ladies

-Headline of the Day-
"Cain: 'Stupid people are ruining America.'"

And, as America's leading stupid person, Herman Cain ought to know.

"Here’s what I need you to do," Cain told a crowd in Dayton today. "Stay informed, know the facts because stupid people are ruining America."

"They are," he went on. "We just have to out-vote them."

And so far, it seems to be working. The more people know about Herman, the less they seem willing to vote for him.

"The former Godfather's Pizza CEO has referred to Uzbekistan as 'Ubeki-beki-beki-stan-stan,' didn’t seem to know that China has nuclear weapons, asked Cuban-Americans how to speak 'Cuban,' struggled to remember the U.S. role in ousting Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, worried that the Taliban was forming a new government in Libya, and decided that CNN host Wolf Blitzer’s name was simply 'Blitz,'" the report reminds us.

Herman Cain will be happy to know that Herman Cain is one stupid person who doesn't stand a chance of ruining America. (Raw Story)


-Minor blessings-
Voters react to Herman Cain.


Click to embiggen

Thank goodness for small miracles. (Truthdig)


-Bonus HotD-
"Herman Cain's campaign a study in ineptitude."

Won't get any argument from me. (Politico)

Stories to Watch: 10/20/11

OK, better late than never. Now here's the news...


Sen. Lindsey Graham wants to spend a big ol' pot of money on infrastructure -- Libya's infrastructure. America, on the other hand, can go screw herself.


More Republicans come out with the bizarre argument that President Obama didn't win Libya right. Mitt Romney looks especially stupid on that point.


Marco Rubio's story about being the son of Cuban exiles turns out to be bullshit.


Herman Cain comes out as pro-choice. Everyone's pretending to be confused over the fact that he personally opposes abortion, yet says the government has no business making that decision for people. I'm sorry, he's saying he's pro-choice. The only thing I find confusing about this is all the confusion.


Louisiana has passed what may be the stupidest, most poorly thought out law in history.


Andrew Sullivan: "To rid the world of Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Moammar Qaddafi within six months: if Obama were a Republican, he'd be on Mount Rushmore by now."


Finally, the GOP's claims about what they laughably call their "jobs bill" are, quite frankly, insane.

Related articles

• Herman "Sanger" Cain: Pro-choice and gonna lose (americablog.com)
• GOP Sen. Marco Rubio's harrowing family immigrant story that never happened (americablog.com)
• Santorum labels Cain 'pro-choice,' Cain rebuts (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)

News Roundup for 10/20/11

Was killed wrong

-Headline of the Day-
"The GOP's 'Thank America Last' crowd."

Moomer Qadaffy's dead. Yay! Everyone's celebrating, even the GOP. Tea Party darling Sen. Marco Rubio went on Fox News to give credit where credit was due.

"Today's not a day to point fingers," Marco said. "I'm glad it's all working out. Ultimately this is about the freedom and liberty of the Libyan people. But let's give credit where credit is due: it's the French and the British that led in this fight, and probably even led on the strike that led to Gadhafi's capture, and, or, you know, to his death."

"So, that's the first thing," he went on. "The second thing is, you know, I criticize the president, for, he did the right things, he just took too long to do it and didn't do enough of it."

Wait, I thought "today's not a day to point fingers." Oh well, whatever. What's really important is the flag-humping Marco offers thanks to the people who deserve it -- the French, who I guess 'baggers no longer hate.

"In the mind of this rising Republican star, the American military that helped drive Gadhafi's regime from power deserves no credit at all," writes Steve Benen. "Marco Rubio is comfortable crediting the French, but not American men and women in uniform."

Well yeah. If you start giving credit to the men and women in America's fighting forces, you're going to wind up having to give Obama credit -- and who wants that? It'd totally undermine Rubio's argument that Khaadoffi wasn't killed right.

Not to be left out in the cold with the troops, Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham -- America's only conjoined twin senators -- issued a statement congratulating "British, French, and other allies, as well as our Arab partners, especially Qatar and the UAE" for Ghadfaffle's death. It was just too bad "this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the United States to employ the full weight of our airpower." Once again, Obama didn't kill Kgaqffk right, so no thanks for you, American fighting person. You won the war wrong!

So, to sum up the GOP's response to Ghqkkff's death: "Suck it, troops." (Political Animal)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
"Hey kids, Dogboy and Mr. Dan are back -- Yay! -- and they're in a cartoon coincidentally called...


Click for animation

Conservatives have weird ideas about gratitude. (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Trump upset Gadhafi killed before U.S. got Libya's oil."

I mean, just because the oil's under their dirt doesn't mean it's the Libyans' oil. (Raw Story))

Stories to Watch: 8/22/11

Mowed the lawn today. Still hate everything about that concept. Now here's the news...


Gallup polling shows that the race is tight between President Obama and Republican challengers. Doesn't mean a whole lot at this point in the game, though. Over at Rasmussen though, the report is that Sarah Palin would get her ass kicked, landslide-style.


Paul Ryan says he won't run. I have no idea why The Weekly Standard has been pushing him, his destroy-Medicare plan has left him about as electable as Herman Cain.


President Obama on Libya; "Although it’s clear that Qaddafi’s rule is over, he still has the opportunity to reduce further bloodshed by explicitly relinquishing power to the people of Libya and calling for those forces that continue to fight to lay down their arms for the sake of Libya." Of course, Republicans are busy being dicks about it. If they could cook up some rationale for crediting Bush with this, they would.


Meanwhile, the Libyan people thank the "Fantastic Four"; President Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and U.S. Ambassador the U.N. Susan Rice.


How would you go about making American media even worse? This would be a good start.


Wait, the AFL-CIO didn't have a Super PAC? They do now.


Punctuality is not a Michele Bachmann trait.


Finally, Remember "Joe the Plumber?" Most people don't. He wrote a book that sold 500 copies.

Related articles

• Fox News Wants You To Think Obama Just Gave His Libya Statement From The Golf Course (businessinsider.com)
• US-2012 President: 50% Obama (D), 33% Palin (R) (Rasmussen 8/11-12) (huffingtonpost.com)
• GOP Hopefuls: No Praise for U.S., NATO Role in Libya (blogs.wsj.com)
• FiveThirtyEight: There's Room for More G.O.P. Candidates (fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com)

Stories to Watch: 6/28/11

Had to do a clean install of my browser this morning, which means I lost almost everything. Ever come to rely on something, then can't remember where you got it from when you want to replace it? Yeah, that's fun. Now here's the news...


Not only is Michele Bachmann dumb, but she also hasn't accomplished a whole lot.


Also on the Bachmann front, if your "knowledge" of history is making you look like a fool, just change history. It's not like it hasn't been done before.


And, to top it all off, Shelly gets no love from a former top aide. And Tom Petty doesn't like her, either.


President Obama caves to the GOP on Bush's tax giveaway to the wealthy, leaving House dems wondering why they even bother to show up to work in the morning.


Pawlenty agrees with Obama on Libya, making him the most Bush-like neocon contender of the GOP field.


Florida's Rick Scott is officially the most unpopular governor in America.


Finally, one of my senators is Ron Johnson. Fuck you, Ron Johnson.

Related articles

• Rep. Michele Bachmann On TODAY: 'I Intend To Be The Nominee' (mediaite.com)
• Michele Bachmann's Facts Not So Factual (theroot.com)
• Michele Bachmann sets record straight: 'I'm a substantive, serious person' (dailykos.com)
• Sarah Who? (themoderatevoice.com)

Stories to Watch: 4/21/11

Wisconsin voters are split on recalling Gov. Scott Walker. For a guy who won easily, this is bad news. Here's hoping he hasn't bottomed out yet. Now here's the (rest of the) news...


Amazon's network problems continue, bringing down major internet sites and no doubt improving worker productivity for the day.


President Obama approves the use of predator drones in Libya. Expect plenty of stories about innocent people being killed by drones, because that seems to be what they're best at. If it were up to me, they'd be listed as "technology that doesn't quite work yet" and they'd be back on the drawing board, not out in the field.


Another town hall event goes off the rails over GOP plans to replace Medicare.


Obama takes a shot at global warming deniers in congress.


Scandal-plague Republican Sen. John Ensign will retire in 2012.


The Onion gets it right on Mittens Romney and Republican voters. No, really.


Reason no. 7,346,627,403 why I don't bother with the Drudge Report.

Stories to Watch: 3/30/11

Cooking chicken. You can't have any. Now here's the news...


Reuters breaks news that the Obama administration has secretly ordered the arming of Libyan rebels. Needless to say, this opens up a whole can of worms.


In an effort to show their trying to avoid a government shutdown, House Republicans introduce the Government Shutdown Prevention Act. Of course, these are Republicans, so bill titles always mean the opposite of what they say.


Republicans are all about local control, so it only stands to reason that a congress critter from Ohio gets to run the DC school district.


Wisconsin Rep and former reality TV star Sean Duffy's complaint about low congressional pay prompts the GOP to try to erase the statement from history. Luckily, they failed. Sean Duffy will forever be remembered as the guy who couldn't make it on $174,000 a year.


Just because he's a private citizen now doesn't mean that former Senator Russ Feingold is going away.


More fun with local control: NJ Republican Rep. Chris Smith takes a trip to end all abortion in Kenya -- even in the case of a threat to the life of the mother -- because that's a super-important thing for America, I guess. It'd be business as usual for a photo-op-seeking GOPer trying to shore up his anti-choice street cred, except he went there on the taxpayers' dime. Way to cut that deficit, GOP.


Finally, Tennessee moves to all but outlaw science in the classroom. Welcome to the 19th century!

Stories to Watch: 3/27/11

It's Sunday, so that means sourdough. I've got starter bubbling in the kitchen and I'll make dough later. Then I put it in the fridge overnight and raise and bake it the next day. This seems to work the best so far. Tomorrow, fresh bread. I'm also thinking of making this puffed pancake for dinner, because I'm a big fan of the brinner. Now here's the news...


Juan Cole continues to make the humanitarian case for military action in Libya.


Also on Libya, I continue to be amazed that no one in the media is asking how it's going. Turns out, it's still going pretty well.


As protesters riot in England over budget and spending cuts, John Hinderaker -- in true, panicky, histrionic neocon fashion -- sees the end of British civilization. His suggestion for saving the UK from dissolution? Fire cannons at the protesters. No, really. Scroll down to the end of the piece.


It probably should be pointed out that Newt Gingrich is a serious candidate for the GOP nomination. He's also a ridiculous boob.


Speaking of which, Michele Bachmann was a big hit at a rightwing shindig in Iowa. Steve Benen asks a crucial question here; "Are those right-wing activists enamored with Bachmann thinking, 'I can't wait to support her campaign' or are they thinking, 'She's terrific, but there's no chance I'll ever vote for her'?"


UW historian William Cronon, under fire from the GOP for pointing out who's behind the Republican heist in Wisconsin, is proven right with a single headline: "State GOP health bills mirror model ALEC legislation."


In addition to the horrible abuse of oregano, another reason to skip Godfather's Pizza.


Finally, Libya has jack to do with the price of oil.

News Roundup for 3/23/11

Happy Birthday, Obamacare!

-Headline of the day-
"Poll: One Year On, Most Favor Health Care Law or Wish It Was More Liberal."

Huzzah! The healthcare reform law is now one year old -- happy birthday, healthcare law!

Unfortunately, most Americans hate the law with the burning passion of a thousand hating suns -- boo, healthcare law!

Except, we don't. CNN ran a birthday poll and found that, yeah, it's not the most popular thing in the world. According to Dave Weigel, "There's never been a point when most people approved of the health care law in CNN's poll -- the closest they came was in December 2010, when 43 percent approved of it and 54 percent opposed it. The overall approval number has fallen to 37 percent, its lowest level, leaving it almost unchanged from the number at the time of passage."

However, through the magic of math, we learn that the big thing holding it back is that it didn't go far enough. If you break down the number of people opposed to the law, you see that 46% want it gone because it's too liberal, while 13% don't like it because it's not liberal enough. So, add that 13% to the 37% who think it's fine as it is and you've got 50% who either think healthcare reform is fine as it is or who think it should go farther, as opposed to 46% who don't like anything about it.

Shoulda went with that public option or even singlepayer. That's all I'm saying. (Weigel)


-Feel the love-
CNN's been on a polling bender today. In addition to getting a handle on how people feel about healthcare reform, they also took a look at how people feel about the words "President Trump." Long story short, healthcare reform is more popular. By a country mile.

According to the report, The Donald "would just barely crack double digits in the crowded field of potential GOP candidates," but -- good news! -- his run "could hurt former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin." Apparently, the stupid people are torn.

Trump scores an anemic 10%, while Sarah pulls a slightly less sickly 12%. But remove Trump from the equation and Palin shoots up to a towering 13%.

In other words, if the thought of a "Pres. Palin" or "Pres. Trump" is keeping you up at night, you can knock off the worrying and get some sleep. (CNN)


-Bonus HotD-
"Gingrich Criticized Obama For Not Intervening In Libya, But Now Criticizes Him For Intervening In Libya."

Of course he does... (ThinkProgress)

Stories to Watch: 3/20/11

Dark, cold, dingy, rainy day here -- in other words, spring. I don't have to go out and shovel rain though, so I'll take it. Now here's the news...


Libya isn't likely to be a protracted action, but it's worth noting that it is war and, like every other war we've been in in my lifetime, it's without a formal declaration of war. Liberals in congress ask what's up with that. Meanwhile, John McCain -- who throughout his congressional career has never voted against military action -- thinks President Obama waited too long. No declaration of war = unconstitutional. No vote by the UN Security Council = illegal. This war may still be unconstitutional, but it's apparently become way too legal for John McCain's liking. Then again, no matter what Obama did, McCain would be against it. His sore-loserism requires no less.


Things in Syria aren't so great either.


Nor Bahrain.


Nor Yemen.


Where things stand at the nuke plant in Fukushima Prefecture at the moment.


Finally, with the economy still in recovery and still high unemployment, House Republicans focus on the things that really matter -- like voting to affirm that "In God We Trust" is our national motto. That whole "E Pluribus Unum" thing reeks of collectivist socialism, I guess. The next time a Republican tells you the party is focused on jobs, grab your sides, fall to the floor, and laugh like a lunatic.

Stories to Watch: 3/19/11

I saw a robin the other day, which is the traditional sign of spring. But I knew it was spring when I saw flies in the backyard. Robins? Who needs them? When you've got insects, things are obviously turning around. Now here's the news...


French fighters are now enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya, as President Obama's rhetoric becomes more bellicose.


Radiation-contaminated food is found 90 miles from the Fukushima plant and "slight amounts" of radioactive iodine have been detected in Tokyo tap water. A food scare is so not what the government needs right now.


And what's the absolute worst case scenario for Fukushima? Pretty goddam bad. According to one expert, it's possible that the area around the plant could become uninhabitable and that an area "as large as several northeastern states" would be affected. That last estimate would include sea area, obviously.


RIP Warren Christopher.


Super full moon tonight, so go out in the backyard and read a book.


Ironically and hypocritically, James O'Keefe doesn't want to appear on video.


Finally, Greg Sargent reports that the GOP is testing what he calls "hard-core anti-union messages" in polling. He says this is "another sign that some folks may be getting mighty nervous about the Dem drives to recall Wisconsin GOP state senators."

They should be nervous.

Stories to Watch: 3/18/11

I posted earlier about a judge's decision temporarily blocking Gov. Walker's union-buster. But I failed to mention that the move was absolutely, positively, without question the very worst thing ever! Dear sweet Jesus, save us!!

At least, according to the wingnut blogosphere. I apologize for neglecting to report the fact that it's the end of the freakin' world. Now here's the news...


Are we on the brink of war with Libya?


The GOP's small government philosophy in action: have an abortion, get an automatic audit from the IRS. Just to be clear, it's small government for corporations and the wealthy, but a big ol' honkin', intrusive government for you. Huzzah for liberty!


The Japanese government finally admits that radiation leaking from a damaged nuclear plant is deadly. The plant's chief breaks down in tears at the news. The Japanese PM leaves out the sugar-coating, telling his nation, "We will rebuild Japan from scratch. In our history, this small island nation has made miraculous economic growth thanks to the efforts of all Japanese citizens. That is how Japan was built."


Paul Krugman states the obvious: Washington in general and Republicans in particular have given up on the unemployed.


Meanwhile, Minnesota Republican want to make it illegal for people on public assistance to carry cash. You think I'm exaggerating -- I'm not.


Rep. Anthony Weiner makes Shelly Bachmann look like an idiot. Not really much for shooting at the moving targets, is he? Still, always fun to watch.


Finally, a new poll shows that most Americans support marriage equality.