Burrowing

I thought the only burrowing I'd hear about in the eight years of this hellish administration is Barney at the ranch in Crawford. This is more mailicious than stealing all the "W's" from the White House computer keyboards.

Obama Going for Jugular: Attack Ad from Georgia

This Might Be...His Finest Moment

Troubling, But Certainly Not Surprising

In the article "Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand in tomorrow's New York Times, we learn the not-so-surprising manipulation by the administration of the military talking heads as a "rapid reaction force" to counter critical news coverage that shed an unfavorable light on the War in Iraq.

Though many analysts are paid network consultants, making $500 to $1,000 per appearance, in Pentagon meetings they sometimes spoke as if they were operating behind enemy lines, interviews and transcripts show. Some offered the Pentagon tips on how to outmaneuver the networks, or as one analyst put it to Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, “the Chris Matthewses and the Wolf Blitzers of the world.” Some warned of planned stories or sent the Pentagon copies of their correspondence with network news executives. Many — although certainly not all — faithfully echoed talking points intended to counter critics

Paraphrasing Al Gore, I have to download my outrage to external hard drive to make room for more outrage.

Update: PBS has produced a report on the story, and had in fact invited the other broadcast and cable news outlets to weight in. Their response: crickets.

File Under Schadenfreude

Feeling down, so I blog.

Saw this today and had that, as yet undefined (at least in the English language) sense of feigned disappointment, or as Wikipedia defines it, "pleasure from misfortune":

Alberto R. Gonzales, like many others recently unemployed, has discovered how difficult it can be to find a new job. Mr. Gonzales, the former attorney general, who was forced to resign last year, has been unable to interest law firms in adding his name to their roster, Washington lawyers and his associates said in recent interviews.

Surprised his former boss' reference doesn't seem to carry much weight, I guess.

News Item from Friday Night

Noted without comment:

White House: Computer hard drives tossed

Transparency: Thy Name is Oversight

From a Republican standpoint, anything to eliminate a view into their machinations represents the worst kind of governmental intervention. Should it surprise then that the White House is maneuvering to eliminate the office that handles FOIA requests? I didn't think so.

Tappity Tap Tap, Da Tap Tap Tap

Former White House Shill T. Snow on Bill Maher, tap dances his way through this last segment when former Judge Catherine Crier commences listing the impeachable offenses of the Bush Administration.