October 20, 2007 – Capitol Hill Blue

The STARK reality

October 20, 2007

One California congresscritter may have a short temper, but he has a far longer attention span. Rep. P. Stark, (D-CA) has that enviable way with words that most people dream about.

You know. A petty public servant says you need Form B (which she waves in your face) but then she informs you that you can only get it through a written application, and by the way it takes 14 days, and your form is due tomorrow. And NO, she won’t copy it one for you now. Then, she goes back to her cell phone.

The American coup d’état

October 20, 2007

The takeover of the government of the United States is progressing nicely and is very nearly complete. Disguised as “privatization” and propelled by an unprecedented grab of power by the “unitary” Executive branch, we the people have been “Blackwatered” to use the phrase born among the ruins of Iraq.

In Jena and Beyond, Nooses Return as a Symbol of Hate

October 20, 2007

The bigots who live among us require symbols for their hate. Thanks to the racists of Jena, the noose has returned as the symbol du jour of racism.

It’s bad enough that these no-neck neanderthals use hate to justify their bigotry but using the hangman’s noose is the lowest of the low.

It would be best if they just used those nooses on themselves.

Rush to judgment

October 20, 2007

Right-wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh, who never met a cause he couldn’t cash in on, is turning a letter from Sen. Harry Reid into fundraising gold.

Limbaugh is using Reid’s letter to question the Senate Majority Leader’s patriotism and raise false questions about the commitment of the Democratic Party to American troops.

This is typical hyperbole for Limbaugh but it is hard to have sympathy for Reid, a corrupt, on-the-take pol from Nevada. Maybe he and Limbaugh deserve each other.

Chasing the conservative base

October 20, 2007

Republican rivals Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and John McCain sought on Friday to become the favorite of anxious social conservatives, each suggesting he offered the best chance of thwarting abortion rights supporter Rudy Giuliani.

“This is not the time to turn our back on the progress we’ve made on the issues that matter most,” McCain, the Arizona senator, told a receptive gathering of “values voters.” “I have a record that can be trusted.”

Martinez out as RNC chairman

October 20, 2007

Mel Martinez, the public face of the Republican National Committee as its general chairman, announced Friday he was stepping down from his post after serving only 10 months.

“I believe that our future as a party and nation is bright and I have every intention of continuing to fight for our president, our party and our candidates,” the Florida senator said in a statement.

His resignation came months earlier than anticipated. Martinez wasn’t expected to step down until a Republican presidential nominee was selected, and the earliest that could occur is February.

Time for a new global narrative

October 20, 2007

What Al Gore’s Nobel Peace Prize says to me is that the world is deeply unhappy with America’s “war on terror” and desperately seeks new global narratives. It’s not that the world wishes us to be less active militarily or even to renounce the tactic of toppling bad regimes. The vision of America’s military Leviathan addressing the world’s many ongoing cruelties is hardly the creation of the neocons alone.

The earth becomes a viable campaign issue

October 20, 2007

In American politics, we’re used to hearing Republicans use the language of faith. And we’re used to hearing Democrats talk tough on protecting the environment.

But this year, we’re starting to notice candidates from both sides mixing the two, perhaps hoping that breaking that language barrier can win them cross-over support.

No rest for the weary

October 20, 2007

Looks like the United States won’t be freed anytime soon from the burdensome role its troops have played — largely by default — as Europe and others turn to for emergency military help.

In 2002, now-ex-Pentagon chief Don Rumsfeld proposed the establishment of a NATO “rapid-reaction force” that could be quickly deployed to the Balkans or any other regional hot spot to serve as peacekeepers to quell violence before it spreads or respond fast to terrorist attacks.