C&L: Keith Olbermann Delivers One Hell Of a Commentary on Rumsfeld

To watch the video Click Here

"Thus forgive me for reading Murrow in full:

"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty," he said, in 1954.
"We must remember always that accusation is not proof, and that conviction
depends upon evidence and due process of law.
"We will not walk in fear - one, of another. We will not be
driven by fear into an age of un-reason, if we dig deep in our history
and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men;
"Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to
defend causes that were - for the moment - unpopular.""

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Joining me on the program this evening is Katy Reckdahl. She is a reporter for New Orleans alternative weekly Gambit. The day before Hurricane Katrina hit, she gave birth to her son Hector in the Touro Infirmary in New Orleans. She is currently working on a year-long Katrina Media Fellowship. We'll be discussing her experience in the aftermath of the storm and reflecting upon where New Orleans is now a year after the storm. Join us for the discussion this evening at 7:00 PM CST.

To read Katy's story Click Here

To read her recent article Click Here

Fox News Ratings Take A Nosedive

Somewhere, Keith Olbermann is sticking pins in a Bill O'Reilly voodoo doll: Fox News' ratings, TVNewser reports, are down since August of last year. Like, way down. Like down 28 percent in primetime among all viewers, down 20 percent in primetime in the "money demo" (viewers aged 25-54) and down 7 percent in daytime viewership overall. In fact, the only place Fox is up is during the day, when they managed a ratings increase of just 2 percent, and even then only in the money demo.

VIDEO: Greg Palast on killing the culture of New Orleans

To watch the video
Click Here

Frank Rich: Return to the Scene of the Crime

President Bush travels to the Gulf Coast this week, ostensibly to mark the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Everyone knows his real mission: to try to make us forget the first anniversary of the downfall of his presidency.

As they used to say in the French Quarter, bonne chance! The ineptitude bared by the storm - no planning for a widely predicted catastrophe, no attempt to secure a city besieged by looting, no strategy for anything except spin - is indelible. New Orleans was Iraq redux with an all-American cast. The discrepancy between Mr. Bush's "heckuva job" shtick and the reality on the ground induced a Cronkite-in-Vietnam epiphany for news anchors. At long last they and the country demanded answers to the questions about the administration's competence that had been soft-pedaled two years earlier when the war first went south.

Stats Continue to Show Pattern of Right Wing Authoritarianism

Presidential adviser Karl Rove's net favorable rating among Americans is at -16, according to the latest Gallup poll.

The poll finds that just 22% of Americans hold a favorable opinion of Rove, while 38% see him unfavorably.

I've just been following recent polls and it seems that there might be a correlation here:

John Dean: "I ran into a massive study that has really been going on 50 years now by academics."... "The lead researcher in this field told me, he said, "I look at the numbers of the United States and I see about 23% of the population who are pure right-wing authoritarian followers

From the Center for American Progress:
"Reports of "harassment and discrimination against Muslims are rising." According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, 39 percent of Americans said they "felt at least some prejudice against Muslims" and 22 percent "wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors."

Joe Conason: Salon- "Fifty-two percent say that the recent stem cell debate made them more inclined to vote for Democrats, and 49 percent said the same about flag burning, gay marriage and other "values issues." Only 29 percent -- essentially the conservative base -- said those debates would motivate them to vote for Republicans."

Schieffer on Katrina: Hezbollah more efficient than Bush admin

Alternet: "On Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer rips the Bush administration by suggesting that Hezbollah's effort to help war victims is more effective than Bush's ability to help Katrina victims."

To watch the video Click Here

Away in London But Returning this Week!

The show has been on hiatus for the past two weeks due to my trip to London. But stay tuned this Wednesday, when I'll be back to fill you in on the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. More details to follow...

Olbermann: The Nexus of Politics and Terror

To watch the video Click Here

From Crooksandliars.com: "Keith runs down the timeline from 2002 until the latest UK plot regarding the politicization of terror. Remember when Tom Ridge explained how the administration signaled terror alerts that he didn’t think should have been used?"

Bob Corkers Worst Nightmare

Harold Ford, Jr., is taking on Republican Bob Corker for the open US Senate seat in Tennessee. Two simple words just might bring down Corker's entire campaign...

"Sundquist Republican."

In Tennessee, if a candidate had to choose between being linked to Sundquist or being linked to Osama bin Laden, he'd probably have to flip a coin. Oh, by the way, guess who served as Finance Commissioner for Gov. Sundquist? Yep, Bob Corker.

Did Cheney Go Too Far?

By insinuating that the sizeable majority of American voters who oppose the war in Iraq are aiding and abetting the enemy, Vice President Cheney on Wednesday may have crossed the line that separates legitimate political discourse from hysteria.

Seymour Hersh: U.S. involved in Israeli plans to invade Lebanon

In an article for the New Yorker, renowned investigative journalist Seymour Hersh states that the Bush administration was closely involved in last month's invasion of Lebanon by Israel, RAW STORY has learned.

Wired: U.S. Soldiers Are Sick of It

This is what depleted uranium from U.S. military weapons may be doing to our soldiers...

Since he left a bombed-out train depot in Iraq, his gums bleed. There is more blood in his urine, and still more in his stool. Bright light hurts his eyes. A tumor has been removed from his thyroid. Rashes erupt everywhere, itching so badly they seem to live inside his skin. Migraines cleave his skull. His joints ache, grating like door hinges in need of oil.

U.S., U.K. at odds over timing of arrests

LONDON - NBC News has learned that U.S. and British authorities had a significant disagreement over when to move in on the suspects in the alleged plot to bring down trans-Atlantic airliners bound for the United States.

LEGAL Intelligence Gathering Thwarted London Plot

Glenn Greenwald:
As I noted on Thursday, Bush supporters have been attempting to exploit the U.K. terrorist plot to bolster support for an array of extremist and lawless Bush policies -- from warrantless eavesdropping to torture -- even though there is not a shred of evidence that any of those policies played any role whatsoever, either in the U.S. or England, in impeding this plot.

Blast from the Past -Terrorism Threat Levels

Remember Tom Ridge, former head of Homeland Security? Just thought I'd give everyone a refresher.

"Mr. Ridge said: “More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it [the threat level]. Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don’t necessarily put the country on (alert)… there were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said ‘for that?’”"

The Right Wings Use of Fear

"-Bush followers who exploit terrorist threats for political gain and to gin up support for the president's policies are not pursuing rational arguments. They leap at the chance to manipulate terrorist stories because they want to ratchet up the fear levels, precisely because fear obviates rational analysis and increases the willingness of citizens to cede more power and control to the government, to place more blind faith in political officials in exchange for a feeling of protection."
-Glenn Greenwald

To read the full post Click Here

Right Wing Authoritarianism and Prejudice against Muslims

From the Center for American Progress:
"Reports of "harassment and discrimination against Muslims are rising." According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, 39 percent of Americans said they "felt at least some prejudice against Muslims" and 22 percent "wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors."

John Dean: "I ran into a massive study that has really been going on 50 years now by academics."... "The lead researcher in this field told me, he said, "I look at the numbers of the United States and I see about 23% of the population who are pure right-wing authoritarian followers."

Someone should do some research to find out if this 22% of Americans that "wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors" are also right wing authoritarians. If I were to guess I'd say yes, but I'd love to see some research to back it up.

Wesley Clark Responds to Lamont Win Lieberman Statements

"You see, despite what Joe Lieberman believes, invading Iraq and diverting our attention away from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not being strong on national security. Blind allegiance to George W. Bush and his failed "stay the course" strategy is not being strong on national security. And no, Senator Lieberman, no matter how you demonize your opponents, there is no "antisecurity wing" of the Democratic Party." --Wesley Clark

U.S. Aims to Legalize War Crimes for Officials

The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political appointees, CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or degrading war prisoners, according to U.S. officials and a copy of the amendments.

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Joining me on the program this evening is film Director Deborah Scranton. She declined an offer from the New Hampshire National Guard to embed herself in Iraq and instead handed the cameras over to soldiers in Charlie Company, 3rd of the 172nd Infantry Regiment. They filmed their year long experience serving in the Sunni Triangle in Iraq. Out of these hundreds of hours of footage came the documentary The War Tapes, which became the winner for best documentary feature in 2006 at the Tribeca Film Festival. Tune in this Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM CST for the discussion.

To learn more about the movie Click Here

Why the Neocons Heart Lieberman

Glenn Greenwald:
The love which right-wing extremists have for Joe Lieberman isn't based on the fact that he's a "centrist." If Lieberman were a "centrist," extremists would not care about him. They would not be vigorously urging his re-election, or praising his potential appointment as Bush Defense Secretary, or touting him as a Vice-Presidential running mate for George Allen. They do that because he is one of them -- a neoconservative extremist who is with them on virtually every major issue of the day.

Go Ned!!!!

Alternet:
"This clip, from a mid-July episode of The Colbert Report, sums up Joe Lieberman and the Connecticut primary perfectly."

To watch the video Click Here

Governers Criticize National Energy Policy: "It is a joke"

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Governors worried about damage to the economy and complained about years of neglecting energy policy after an Alaska oil field shutdown, but offered far different solutions on Monday.

Raw Story acquires 91-page Republican playbook for 'homestretch' campaigning

A massive, 91-page memo to Senate Republicans outlining strategies for "homestretch" campaigning during the August recess, has been acquired by RAW STORY.

The document, signed by Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), reveals plans to focus Republican Senatorial campaigns on three themes.

And the War Goes on...

The picture above was taken in Israel. The quotes below are from children in Lebanon:

"I don't want to die. I want to go to school," says Jamal, a four-year-old Lebanese boy scarred by the Israeli bombing of his country. Home for Jamal is now a "displacement centre" in the southern town of Jezzine, where his family fled in fear for their lives.

"We've had our picnic, and we want to go home now," says another child, staying in a makeshift refugee camp in the Sanayeh public gardens in Beirut. "We are bored and afraid and we want to go home," says another.

These are the voices of the dispossessed of Lebanon, the hundreds of thousands of children whose world was changed forever in the seconds that followed the explosion of a bomb. "Mummy, what is a massacre?" another child asks." -Independent UK

Ambassador claims shortly before invasion, Bush didn't know there were two sects of Islam

Former Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith is claiming President George W. Bush was unaware that there were two major sects of Islam just two months before the President ordered troops to invade Iraq

Americans fault President George W. Bush for not safeguarding the environment

Most Americans fault President George W. Bush for not safeguarding the environment and want more federal action to combat global warming, even if it means higher energy prices, a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll shows.

Seventy-five percent of people surveyed also said strong government regulations are necessary because companies can't be trusted to protect U.S. natural resources. Fifty-four percent said the federal government, not states, should take the lead on setting standards to curb global warming.

Bechtel Takes A Hit For War Profiteering

Government auditors who canceled Bechtel's $50 million contract will soon find reasons to cancel the company's
$2.85 billion Iraq contracts.

Will Bush and Gonzales get away with it?

The pilot and Vietnam POW -- a staunch Republican -- who pushed through the War Crimes Act of 1996 is appalled that the Bush administration, facing possible prosecution for war crimes, is devising a legal escape hatch.

Blumenthal: The neocons' next war

By secretly providing NSA intelligence to Israel and undermining the hapless Condi Rice, hardliners in the Bush administration are trying to widen the Middle East conflict to Iran and Syria, not stop it.

Lobbying for Armageddon

Some influential evangelical leaders are lobbying for an attack on Iran. But it's not about geopolitics -- it's about bringing about the End Times.

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Dr. Tony Campolo joins me on the program this evening. He is an ordained minister and the founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education. He has served as a professor of sociology at Eastern University and as a member of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of 32 books including his latest work Speaking My Mind. We’ll be discussing the issues surrounding the rise of right wing evangelism as it relates to the current political climate in the United States today. Tune in for the discussion Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM CST.

To learn more about Dr. Campolo and his work Click Here