Wide Eyed Innocents

A letter to the editor in this morning's New York Times, on the topic of the NSA spying scandal, reiterates a familiar refrain: the innocent have nothing to hide.

You hear this a lot lately, from Bush supporters who are perfectly willing -- eager, even -- to trade essential liberty for temporary safety. Because the world is a very, very, very scary place.

Hat Tip Crooksandliars.com

Reality v. Beltway Fantasy


Too see CNN Gallup Poll
Click Here

Could reporters and timid Democrats who think that it’s still 2002 and the country is awash in blind reverence for George Bush please take note of the following facts, and -- on every significant issue, from the Alito filibuster to Iraq withdraw to the NSA scandal -- adjust your thinking and tactics accordingly: From Thursday's CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll:

A majority of Americans are more likely to vote for a candidate in November's congressional elections who opposes President Bush, and 58 percent consider his second term a failure so far, according to a poll released Thursday. . . .

Fewer people consider Bush to be honest and trustworthy now than did a year ago, and 53 percent said they believe his administration deliberately misled the public about Iraq's purported weapons program before the U.S. invasion in 2003, the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found . . . ..

Fifty-eight percent of those polled said Bush's second term has been a failure so far, while 38 percent said they consider it a success. A smaller number -- 52 percent -- consider his entire presidency a failure to date, with 46 percent calling it successful. . . . But 51 percent of those polled said they were more likely to vote for a candidate in congressional elections who opposes Bush, while 40 percent said they were likely to vote for a candidate who backs the president.

And from the same poll, we have this:

Americans' overall assessment of the country today is fairly negative. Only 35% are satisfied with the way things are going in the United States; 65% are dissatisfied. This is consistent with Americans' generally dour mood on this measure for the past year.

And then there is this, from the new CBS/New York Times poll:

President Bush's approval rating is stuck at a dismal 42 percent as he heads into next week's State of the Union address, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll. Fifty-one percent of Americans give him a negative job approval rating. It's the first time in his presidency he'll give a State of the Union speech with a majority of the residents of the country saying they disapprove of the job he's doing. . . ..

At the same time, a clear majority, 64 percent, is concerned that the Bush administration’s anti-terrorism measures could threaten their civil liberties...read on

posted by Glenn Greenwald

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Joining me this week is Steve Doherty. He is the former minority leader of the Montana Senate and serves as co-chair of Progressive Legislative Action Network. We'll be discussing his latest article regarding lobbying reform, co-written with John Podesta, who served as President Clinton’s White House Chief of Staff and is President and CEO of the Center for American Progress.

The Progressive Legislative Action Network's mission is to drive public policy debates and change the political landscape in the United States by focusing on attainable and progressive state level actions. Tune in for the discussion strong>Wednesday at 7:00 PM CST

To read his most recent article Click Here

To learn more about Progressive Legislative Action Network Click Here

Gore responds to White House 'hypocrisy' comments

The Administration's response to my speech illustrates perfectly the need for a special counsel to review the legality of the NSA wiretapping program.

The Attorney General is making a political defense of the President without even addressing the substantive legal questions that have so troubled millions of Americans in both political parties.

2002 Memo Doubted Uranium Sale Claim

A high-level intelligence assessment by the Bush administration concluded in early 2002 that the sale of uranium from Niger to Iraq was "unlikely" because of a host of economic, diplomatic and logistical obstacles, according to a secret memo that was recently declassified by the State Department.

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Joining Cecily on the next show is Paul Craig Roberts. He'll be on to discuss the Bush administration's economic policy. He has held a number of academic appointments and has contributed to numerous scholarly publications. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. His graduate economics education was at the University of Virginia, the University of California at Berkeley, and Oxford University. Tune in on Wednesday at 7PM CST.

To read his recent article Click Here

To learn more about Paul Craig Roberts Click Here

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Joining me this Wednesday is Colonel Samuel Gardiner (retired). He has taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, Air War College and Naval War College. In addition, he was a visiting scholar at the Swedish Defence College. We will be discussing his report entitled "Truth from these Podia: Summary of a Study of Strategic Influence, Perception Management, Strategic Information Warfare and Strategic Psychological Operations in Gulf II", which reveals over 50 stories, manufactured by the Pentagon and others, to sell the Iraq war to the American people and the international community. Join us for the discussion this Wednesday, January 11 at 7:00 PM CST.

To learn more about Col. Samuel Gardiner Click Here

Straussian or Machiavellian?

Jack Abramoff and his deeply religious right-wing cronies express their "biblical worldview" by swindling Indian tribes and bribing legislators. Verily, mysterious are the ways of the Lord.


A quote from Randi Rhodes site that relates:
“One of the more sinister aspects of the current crisis is the influence of Leo Strauss on the pro-war, “neo-cons” who are determining so much of our foreign policy. While the Christian right thinks it is running the show, Leo Strauss’ irreligious philosophy is actually in control. Strauss believed that the rulers should not be religious, but should use religion to manage the people — which he evidently regarded as a stupid herd. He also believed that a state of war was great for controlling and directing the masses. So it’s all come together: the weirdest book of the bible [Revelations], with its mysterious disasters; the scheming behind the scenes warmongers and an incident of terrorism that has served admirably as the Project for a New American Century’s hoped-for ‘new Pearl Harbor.’” Adrien Rain

Moral Relativism- The Lack Thereof

Jeremy Pikser hits one out of the ballpark on Huffington Post:

Imagine Lyndie Englund, out of the stockade so she could pee on the Book of Revelation to loosen Ralph Reed's tongue a little.

Picture a pyramid of pestilent Republican lobbyists piled naked on top of one another.

Happy New Year!

Is this the year? Is this the time you reset your intent and cut a wide swath and upset your preconceptions and infuriate the fearmongers and the fundies and the sexually terrified, even as you disavow your grudges and cleanse your spiritual colon and wave your bitchin' flame of self around like a Bic lighter at a 1984 Journey concert?

Inspiring words from Mark Morford. My cousin sent this one to me. It made my day. Thanks Jeff!

The Emperor's Powers

How many laws will President Bush actually have to break before we can get legitimate inquiry by Congress? It wasn't enough when Bush hit the legal trifecta of lying us into war, condoning torture, and Plamegate. David Cole has some insights into the newest way Bush has chosen to thwart our laws for the sake of "freedom and democracy". Check out the link below.

When Congress authorized the President to use all "necessary and appropriate" military force to respond to the 9/11 attackers, little did members know that in George W. Bush's mind they were freeing him to wiretap innocent American citizens without probable cause or a judicial warrant, to hold indefinitely without charge US citizens arrested within US borders and to order torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of suspects.