« September 2005 | Main | November 2005 »
October 31, 2005
CBS reporter calls Alito "sloppy seconds" at White House briefing
CBS White House correspondent John Roberts used a sexually disparaging term to describe Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito in a question to presidential press secretary Scott McClellan.
This could be one of the lowest points of the White House Press Corps.
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:22 PM | TrackBack
Reid complains of sharp ocular pain
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is already complaining about the nomination of Samuel Alito to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. He had previously warned President Bush not to appoint a conservative, something he likened to a "poke in the eye."
'Souplines' Reid says, "Ouch!"
I say, "It's about time - battle stations!"
JUDGE SAMUEL A. ALITO, JR., BIOGRAPHY:
Ø Samuel A. Alito, Jr., was born in April, 1950, in Trenton, New Jersey.
Ø Alito received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and attended Yale Law School, where he served as an editor on the Yale Law Journal.
Ø Alito clerked for Judge Leonard Garth of the Third Circuit, who is now his colleague on that court.
Ø From 1977-1980, Alito served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the appellate division, where he argued cases before the circuit court to which he was later appointed.
Ø From 1981-1985, Alito served as Assistant to the Solicitor General. He has argued 12 cases on behalf of the federal government in the U.S. Supreme Court and he has argued numerous others before the federal courts of appeals.
Ø From 1985-1987, Alito served in the Office of Legal Counsel as Deputy Assistant Attorney General where he provided constitutional advice for the Executive Branch.
Ø From 1987-1989, Alito served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey where he is best known for prosecuting white collar and environmental crimes, drug trafficking, organized crime, and violations of civil rights.
Ø Alito was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Ø In 1990, President George H. Bush nominated Judge Alito to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Ø Alito was unanimously confirmed by voice vote by the U.S. Senate for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Ø Judge Alito has participated in thousands of appeals and authored hundreds of opinions.
Ø Judge Alito has argued 12 Supreme Court cases and argued at least two dozen court of appeals cases and handled at least 50 others.
Ø Alito has participated in various professional associations including the New Jersey Federal Bar Association (member of advisory board); the New Jersey State Bar Association; the American Bar Association; and the Federalist Society.
Ø In 1985, Alito married Martha-Ann Bomgardner, with whom he has two children.
Wow, the Federalist Society, this is going to be fun!
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 29, 2005
Bill Maher's Jeff Gannon obsession
Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas was a guest on HBO's "Real Time", hosted by comedian Bill Maher. She fielded several questions about me, ignoring some of the important news stories of last week.
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 28, 2005
Libby to be indicted for false statements to Grand Jury (and Jeff Gannon won't be)
It appears that Vice Presidential aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby will be indicted in the CIA leak probe for making false statements to the Grand Jury. He should ask for the same deal the Bill and Hillary Clinton got for the same offense:
• Lying under oath to a federal judge - a crime U.S. District Court Judge Susan Webber Wright determined that President Clinton committed in the Paula Jones sexual harasssment case. Legal resolution: No criminal indictment.
• Lying under oath to a federal grand jury - as Independent Counsel Ken Starr found President Clinton had done in the Monica Lewinsky investigation. Legal resolution: No criminal indictment.
• Lying under oath both to Congress and to federal investigators - as Independent Counsel Robert Ray concluded that Mrs. Clinton had done in the Travel Office probe. Legal resolution: No indictment
• Hiding evidence from Starr's Whitewater investigation - as the Senate Banking Committee concluded Mrs. Clinton did in the case of her missing Rose Law firm billing records. Legal resolution: No criminal referral, no indictments.
• Trading presidential pardons for finanical contributions - which President Clinton allegedly did in the Pardongate case. Legal resolution: No indictments.
• Trading presidential clemency for votes in a federal election - as President Clinton allegedly did with village elders in New Square, NY - which backed Mrs. Clinton's 2000 Senate candidacy 1400 to 12. Legal resolution: No indictments.
• Nuclear missile guidance technology allegedly traded by the Clinton adminsitration to China in exchange for campaign contributions. Legal resolution: No indictments.
• The Illegal gathering of confidential FBI files on political opponents - as the Clinton White House did in the Filegate case. Legal resolution: No indictments.
• Misusing the IRS to audit political opponents - as the White House allegedly did with numerous conservative organizations, as well as with witnesses against the Clintons. Legal resolution: No indictments.
• Hiring private detectives to intimidate and/or smear potential witnesses in the Starr investigation. Legal resolution: No indictments.
• Illegally leaking Linda Tripp's confidential personnel file to the press. Legal resolution: No indictments.
Source: www.Newsmax.com
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 27, 2005
"Cut-and-run" Kerry urges troop withdrawals
I knew it was just a matter of time before John Forbes Kerry would "flip-flop" on his support for the war in Iraq. The wishy-washy failed presidential candidate who "reported for duty" 35 years ago only to return from the battlefield and accuse his "band of brothers" of committing war crimes appears to be shifting toward an antiwar stance that will appeal to the hard Left base of the Democratic party. story
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Conservative revolt has Dems reeling
Conservative opposition to the nomination of Harriet Miers to become the next Supreme Court justice has resulted in her withdrawal. The Republican base has flexed it muscle and will likely demand a truly conservative judge.
This is bad news for the Democrats who had hoped to savage the nominee over administration policies during the confirmation hearings. They may have to fight the battle they had feared all along for control of the court.
It looks like we're going to have a rumble on the Hill after all. Bring it on!
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 26, 2005
Grand Jury skepticism has leak investigators scrambling
Since everyone in the Old Media is speculating about this week’s developments in the CIA leak probe, I’m going to advance my own scenario:
The Grand Jury went home early today amidst skepticism about the central issue facing them as they consider possible charges against high-ranking officials in the Bush administration. Members expressed doubt last week that Ambassador Joseph Wilson’s wife, Valeria Plame was a “covert” agent at the time her name appeared in a Robert Novak column, the basis of any prosecution under a 1982 statute.FBI investigators scrambled to confirm that Plame’s association with the CIA was a secret. On Monday, agents combed the Wilson’s neighborhood asking neighbors when they became aware of the intelligence officer’s identity.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald met with Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan to request permission to issue a final report about the investigation because the Grand Jury indicated it did not have sufficient cause to issue indictments before its term expires on Friday.
My scenario is based on just as much information as that of anyone else. It could happen.
Posted by jeffgannon at 04:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The backward Plame probe
Like everyone else inside the Beltway, I have been watching the leak probe investigation as it draws to a close. In lieu of reliable information coming from the secret proceedings of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and the Grand Jury, the Old Media has been repackaging various tidbits with more breathless speculation. It is clear what outcome it is rooting for.
For a variety of reasons, I have resisted commenting at any length about this whole affair, until now. The news services are reporting that the FBI was interviewing the Joe and Valerie Wilson’s neighbors this week to determine if her they knew of her association with the CIA before Robert Novak’s column was published – over two years ago.
The lead investigator, Jack Eckenrode, has been on the case since the beginning, conducting the first interview with me in March of 2004. The bureau’s 11th-hour mop up operation appears to be a CYA move by investigators who failed to address the central issue in the case from the outset. Valerie Plame’s “covert” status is at the heart of this matter. If she was not a secret agent at the time Novak wrote his piece, there is no leak, no crime. I believe there is sufficient evidence to conclude that she was not.
It was my questioning of Wilson in Fall 2003 about a memo that detailed a meeting at which Plame suggested her husband for the mission to Niger that brought agents to my door. Wilson denied his wife’s role in his selection. The CIA also tried to refute the account of a whistleblower who exposed a group within the agency that was actively engaged in undermining the Bush administration’s policy toward Iraq. In December 2003, the Washington Post ran a story that quoted unnamed sources claiming that the memo was a forgery and that the meeting never took place. It specifically singled out the news outlet that pubished my interview with the former ambassor during which I confronted him about the memo. The Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed the accuracy of the memo in its July 2004 report and chastised Wilson for his “misleading statements.”
It appears that indictments will be forthcoming in this case. Despite the distraction for the White House and the difficulty for those who will have to defend themselves against whatever charges might be filed, I am hoping for a trial where the roles of Wilson, Plame and CIA officials can be examined. It would probably confirm what I have been saying for some time, that a rogue group within a politicized and dysfunctional agency was conducting a covert operation against the White House. Some of this group’s leaders may be among those who left the CIA when Porter Goss took over.
The role of reporters should also be examined, particularly the Washington Post’s Walter Pincus. The New York Times wrote that the long-time Washington journalist “has earned the respect and envy of his colleagues for the government contacts he has cultivated….” He was one of the reporters that the CIA used to refute the INR document about the meeting where Plame offered up Wilson’s name for the trip to Africa. Accuracy in Media wrote a lengthy article on Pincus in 2002, his relationship to the CIA and his wife Ann’s position with the State Department as a Clinton appointee.
The Washington Post reporter who was in the Wilson’s home well before the alleged leak was to have occurred should also be questioned. He was doing an “in-depth” interview of Wilson, but it would be difficult to believe that he had no questions about his wife. This is not the conduct of a couple with a secret to protect.
The point of all of this is, the Washington journalism elites knew all about Wilson and his wife. Let me tell you about Washington, it’s a very small town, a company town. Everyone’s identity inside the Beltway is attached to who it is they work for. By all accounts, Plame has been stateside for the past six years, a disqualifying factor in the “covert” business. In the unlikely circumstance that she had still been classified as a secret agent, her marriage to the flamboyant, self-important, publicity-seeking Wilson and their Washington socializing was what “outed” her, not anyone at the White House.
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 25, 2005
Franken uses violence against conservatives to sell book
The peace-loving liberal Al Franken attacks a "right wing jerk" in a promotional bit for his new book. Is Amazon.com in on this also?
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
If you don't have an agenda - get a good slogan!
Democrats have struggled in recent years to decide what they actually stand for, with little success. But now they have decided on a slogan that the party can use on T-shirts and bumper stickers. That should be enough.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
And in other news...
Iraqis who went to the polls on October 15, overwhelmingly approved their country's new constitution. The historic step toward democracy was little noticed by the Old Media, except in pessimistic reports.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
DNC chair blasts "Ayatollahs of the Right"
Howard Dean, the gift that keeps on giving, has bitterly complained about Republicans, comparing them to the Islamic fundamentalist despots of Iran. As least it's a change from comparisons to the Taliban. Keep talking, Howie.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Journos targeted by terrorists
Despite being an important part of a strategy to undermine the resolve of the United States to continue to fight the war on terror in Iraq, the hotel used by journalists in Baghdad was attacked by three truck bombs on Monday.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Galloway may have lied to Congress, taken bribes
British MP George Galloway, an unabashed supporter of the former regime of Saddam Hussein, may have lied to Congress in his petulent testimony two months ago.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 24, 2005
Anti-war ghouls ready to ring in 2000
Anti-war activists and the Old Media are gearing up to celebrate the 2000th American killed in the war on terror in Iraq.
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 22, 2005
Corruption at the grassroots level
With all of the high-profile cases of alleged corruption that have been dominating the news, some of the truly egregious ones don't get the notice they deserve.
There's something rotten in the Bronx, where Democrats stand accused of selling judgeships.
A Democratic mayor in Missouri was forced to resign after being convicted of stealing $73,000 from a former employer. He has been ordered to pay restitution to avoid a prison term.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 21, 2005
Goss cleaning up the CIA, will State be next?
Once again, it becomes clear that CIA Director Porter Goss is making significant progress in reforming the dysfuntional agency. David Ignatius, a columnist for the Washington Post launches a full-frontal assault on the new boss, likely gathering his information from the disgruntled leakers he has been relying on several years.
Ignatious declares that the "Gosslings" have driven out "a half-dozen top officers, most recently the DO's [Directorate of Operations] No. 2 official, 35-year veteran Robert Richer."
He goes on to write that White House officials have warned Goss to "clip the wings of the head Gossling, his chief of staff, Patrick Murray. Goss should heed that advice before even more officers quit in disgust at the political meddling." There's the key. Goss and his staff that he brought with him from Capitol Hill are cleaning out the political operatives at the agency that have been working against the Bush administration since getting the blame for not preventing the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Again, I am reluctant to make predictions about the CIA leak probe, but I think at some point if there are indictments handed down, the activities of the group over at Langley that actively opposed the President's policy toward Iraq and tried to defeat him in the 2004 election will be exposed. Some of that was already brought to the surface as the result of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report last year that confirmed the INR document that proved Valerie Plame put up her husband for the mission to Niger and that Joe Wilson lied about that and his report to the CIA.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Dems may need to advance an agenda
Democrats are seething because they won't be able to use Tom DeLay's mug shot for fundraising and in next year's campaigns.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
More speculation, no facts
The New York Times quotes unnamed sources as saying Scooter Libby and Karl Rove have "been advised they are in serious legal jeopardy" in the CIA leak probe. Anyone called before the Grand Jury is in serious legal jeopardy, since so many things can happen that have nothing to do with the alleged crime that was the reason for the investigation. The source doesn't say the two have received letters indicating they are targets of the investigation, so it must be assumed they haven't and aren't.
The article goes on to say that, "possible violations under consideration by Mr. Fitzgerald are peripheral to the issue he was appointed in December 2003 to investigate..."
What I get from this article is that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will not be able to charge anyone with leaking the name of Valeria Plame, perhaps because she was neither covert nor her identity a secret around Washington, DC. It appears that any prosecutions with have to be on the basis of conflicts in testimony about what is essentially nothing at all.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 20, 2005
Shhhh! Dems have ties to Abramoff, too
Not much ink coming from this story in The Hill today. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, under indictment for any number of unsavory things has dealings with Democrats! Sen. Tom Harkin forgot to declare some perks to the Federal Election Commission. No problem, Tom. No news here. Let's get back to the DeLay story.
Nancy? Nancy? What is your comment about Harkin?
How about this: Democrat ex-Rep heads for prison
Nancy? Nancy?
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Air America fails to attract audience in DC
John Kerry won 90% of the vote in Washington, DC last year, so one would assume that a liberal radio network in the city would be a "slam dunk." Not so, reports the Washington Post:
"Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn't detect a measurable listenership for the station this time around."
I just called over to the Boys and Girls club and the line was busy. Not a good sign.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Old Media bracing for a letdown?
The Associated Press took a peculiar pause from the Old Media's breathless reporting of the CIA leak probe that has Vice President Dick Cheney resigning and Karl Rove and Scooter Libby marched off to die in prison. The tone and content of the article suggests that the two key figures in the case may actually have told the truth to the Grand Jury.
It may be that Rove and Libby weren't aware of Plame's status with the CIA and that the information they got was from reporters. If they heard about Wilson’s wife from reporters, there is NO LEAK to investigate. That would make perjury, conspiracy and obstruction indictments unlikely as well. The information in the article gives the impression that both men have been forthcoming in their testimony – even if there are differences. It is possible that the Grand Jury is trying to reconcile these discrepancies, which may be just memory lapse instead of obfuscation.
This article strikes me as odd - almost as if someone has decided to stop the madness of this feeding frenzy by getting acquainted with reality. Is this the start of lowering expectations in the face of the possibility that there will be no indictments?
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 19, 2005
Speculation, rumors and outright fabrication
Just like everyone else in Washington, I have been following the breathless "news" reporting by the Old Media on the CIA leak probe. There has been so little information coming from Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that reporters are engaging in speculation over body language and treating rumors as fact - but mostly just making things up. The common theme: Not a single named source in any story, not one.
This could end up in many different ways, and is hard for anyone to predict with any degree of certainty. Everyone is just guessing - and hoping. The one prediction that I will make is that if Fitzgerald doesn't indict anyone and doesn't file a final report (some are suggesting he couldn't legally do so even if he wanted to) that Old Media journalists may have to be put on suicide watch. At the top of that list would be MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who has been having spontaneous orgasms every night on his "Hardball" program while contemplating the downfall of Rove and the Bush administration.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 18, 2005
AP runs editorial as news story
Not that it's any surprise, but this "news" story, Probe sheds light on Bush assault on critics from the Associated Press is blatantly an editorial.
It begins: "Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's CIA-leak inquiry is focusing attention on what long has been a tactic of U.S. President George W. Bush's administration: slash-and-burn assaults on its critics, particularly those opposed to the president's Iraq war policies."
Shamelessly biased reporting.
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 17, 2005
CIA's anti-Bush agenda emerging in leak probe
An Associated Press news story about New York Times reporter Judith Miller's recent testimony suggests "tension" between the White House and the Central Intelligence Agency over the war in Iraq. The story barely scratches the surface, but as I have been saying for some time now, a number of officials at the CIA actively worked to undermine the Bush administration because it got most of the blame for not preventing 9/11. The Wilson trip was only one incident.
CIA Director Porter Goss has been cleaning house over at Langley, which explains a recent spate of dispate reports of his performance in reforming the agency. Judge the viewpoint of the source by the news outlet reporting the story.
NEW YORK TIMES: After Year Leading C.I.A., Goss Is Struggling, Some Say
NEW YORK POST: Goss' Good Grades
NEWSWEEK: CIA: 'An Agency Version of the "Jerry Springer Show"
Posted by jeffgannon at 05:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
BREAKING IN CIA LEAK PROBE: Rove garage 'typical'
The Associated Press has gained access to the garage of White House advisor and described the contents as 'typical." It is unclear what impact this new information will have on the investigation of the alleged disclosure of a CIA agent's identity.
This is news?
Posted by jeffgannon at 02:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Reporters miffed by McClellan barbs
Members of the White House press corps are upset because Press Secretary Scott McClellan has begun to push back against their agenda driven questioning. NBC's David Gregory is quoted in the Washington Post complaining, "There's been an attempt to put reporters on the spot and question the motivation of reporters."
I suppose the White House would have no reason to do that, DAN RATHER, MARY MAPES, ELIZABETH BUMILLER, et al.
In the same article, CBS's John Roberts said that McClellan, "has adopted this siege mentality in which the best way to deflect the question is to attack the questioner. I'm not quite sure who he's playing to -- maybe the segment of the Republican Party that believes we're a bunch of liberals who have our own agenda."
For the record, that would be the ENTIRE Republican Party and a fair number of Democrats who hold that view, particularly of CBS. The White House press corps has provided ample evidence to support that perception. John, did you learn nothing from Rathergate?
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
AP rues passage of Iraq constitution
The Associated Press didn't even bother to hide its disappointment that voters approved Iraq's new draft constitution with A story titled: Sunnis Appear to Fall Short in Iraq Vote.
The AP has been rooting for the terrorists and against our troops and the Bush Administration for some time now. Just listen to the questions their political operatives posing as reporters ask at White House press conferences if you need any futher proof.
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 15, 2005
Old Media casts doubt on Zarqawi letter's authenticity
Led by Reuters, the Old Media appears to be agreeing with al Qaeda's claims that the letter from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a fake.
By contrast, the same news services paid little attention to the phony CBS documents the network used in a politically motivated story about President Bush's military service record until it became impossible to ignore.
Rep. John Conyers will likely convene a "hearing" on the documents authenticity when Congress reconvenes next week. It is unknown whether al-Zarqawi will appear.
Posted by jeffgannon at 01:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
"Queer Eye" for the al Qaeda guy
The charge would be aiding and abetting terrorists, but it's probably more like braiding and highlighting. Taking down al Qaeda's hairdresser might small victory, but a win is a win.
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
NBC caught staging phony flood report
In the midst of the Old Media attack on the White House and Pentagon for an organized press event with troops in Iraq, NBC gets caught staging a story of its own.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 14, 2005
Bush poll numbers still higher than lows of last 7
The Old Media is gleefully reporting the falling approval numbers of President George W. Bush. Its portrayal of a negative picture of just about everything probably has something to do with it. But an interesting point found over at World Net Daily is that the last 7 presidents had lower lows at one point or another during their terms.
And the media's approval ratings are still lower that all of them.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 13, 2005
McClellan exposes press corps' antiwar advocate
It looks like White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has grown impatient with the unprofessional antics of Hearst columnist Helen Thomas. In an exchange today during a briefing for reporters, he noted that Thomas's opposition to the war on terror is well known. ABC's Terry Moran tried to defend her, but dropped the issue when he realized that McClellan was right and the cameras were rolling.
From the transcript:
Q [Thomas] What does the President mean by "total victory" -- that we will never leave Iraq until we have "total victory"? What does that mean?
MR. McCLELLAN: Free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the Middle East, because a free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will be a major blow to the ambitions --
Q [Thomas] If they ask us to leave, then we'll leave?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm trying to respond. A free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the broader Middle East will be a major blow to the ambitions of al Qaeda and their terrorist associates. They want to establish or impose their rule over the broader Middle East -- we saw that in the Zawahiri letter that was released earlier this week by the intelligence community.
Q [Thomas] They also know we invaded Iraq.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Helen, the President recognizes that we are engaged in a global war on terrorism. And when you're engaged in a war, it's not always pleasant, and it's certainly a last resort. But when you engage in a war, you take the fight to the enemy, you go on the offense. And that's exactly what we are doing. We are fighting them there so that we don't have to fight them here. September 11th taught us --
Q [Thomas] It has nothing to do with -- Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you have a very different view of the war on terrorism, and I'm sure you're opposed to the broader war on terrorism. The President recognizes this requires a comprehensive strategy, and that this is a broad war, that it is not a law enforcement matter.
Terry.
Q [Moran] On what basis do you say Helen is opposed to the broader war on terrorism?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, she certainly expressed her concerns about Afghanistan and Iraq and going into those two countries. I think I can go back and pull up her comments over the course of the past couple of years.
Q [Moran] And speak for her, which is odd.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I said she may be, because certainly if you look at her comments over the course of the past couple of years, she's expressed her concerns --
Q [Thomas] I'm opposed to preemptive war, unprovoked preemptive war.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- she's expressed her concerns.
It should come as no surprise that Thomas is a hero to the Left (and al-Zarqawi, al-Zawahiri, bin Laden, al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah...)
Posted by jeffgannon at 05:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bush gets reports from troops in the field
President Bush held a live conversation with troops stationed in Iraq this morning. These men and women are upbeat and confident, brimming with the good news about the war that the Old Media won't report.
The template of Vietnam is becoming less and less applicable to America's efforts in Iraq. There have been elections in Iraq and voters will go to the polls on Saturday and will likely adopt a constitution. These are events that still don't take place in communist-controlled Vietnam.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 12, 2005
Miller mum after second Grand Jury appearance
New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who was jailed for 85 days for refusing to cooperate with the investigation of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald into the alleged leak of the identity of a covert CIA agent, appeared before the Grand Jury for a second time. Neither she nor her lawyer had any comment about the proceedings when exiting the court house.
Odd, don't you think?
Posted by jeffgannon at 02:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Al Qaeda leader: Iraq center of war on terror
A letter from Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, Ayman Zawahiri, to Iraqi terrorist leader Abu Musab Zarqawi offers al Qaeda's assessment of the war in Iraq and the global jihad in outlining its battle plans. It is remarkably consistent with what President Bush has been saying about the importance of elections in Iraq and the attitude of the American people in regard to the war.
As many like myself have been pointing out, al Qaeda is relying on the template of America's Vietnam experience as the basis for the withdrawal of U. S. troops. Cindy Sheehan and her ilk have been doing the work the terrorists need to keep their movement alive in Iraq.
Additionally, the al Qaeda leader admitted that is more than half the battle is being waged in the media. America's Old Media has been doing much more than their share to support the terrorists.
Because the letter so fully confirms what the Bush administration has been telling us from the outset, it won't be too long before some moonbat on the Left suggests that Karl Rove is behind the letter.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 08, 2005
These guys ran the country once
Bill Clinton and Al Gore made statements recently that should make you shiver to know that they once led the free world. Sher Zieve gets it exactly right. STORY
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:57 AM | TrackBack
October 05, 2005
Harriet Miers - I told you so - Part I
Let's see where the Miers nomination stands today:
Dallas Morning News: "Some called her little more than crony..."
NYT: President, Citing Executive Privilege, Indicates He'll Reject Requests for Counsel's Documents
NYT: In Midcareer, a Turn to Faith to Fill a Void
Washington Post: Strong Grounding in the Church Could Be a Clue to Miers's Priorities
Interesting twist: A Leftist attack from Editor & Publisher implying Miers handled the infamous August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing titled: "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U. S."
E & P: Miers Briefed Bush on Bin Laden PDB, But Papers Handle Photo From That Day Quite Differently
E & P's Greg Mitchell is doing a little 9/11 politicizing that he so often criticizes President Bush about.
Confederate Yankee: Editor & Publisher's Wishful Thinking
I'm taking the rest of the day off so the punditocracy has a chance to catch up.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 04, 2005
A Stealthy Court Pick
President Bush caught everyone off guard when he announced that White House Counsel Harriet Miers was his choice to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by the retirement of Sandra Day O’Connor. Miers, who had been vetting candidates for the position, ended up with the job herself, much in the same way Dick Cheney got onto the ticket in 2000.
Since Miers has never been a judge, Democrats have no record to attack. Instead, they circulated a talking point that the choice smacked of “cronyism.” NBC’s Katie Couric led off with it shortly after the nomination was announced and repeated by reporters throughout the day. ABC’s Terry Moran used it during the White House press briefing and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said it so many times it sounded like a chicken clucking.
Oddly enough, cronyism wasn’t the Old Media’s cry when a president’s wife was put in charge of a government takeover of the national health care industry or the entire staff of the White House travel office fired to make room for political supporters.
Conservatives are up in arms because Miers does not have a known judicial philosophy. She is not one of the judges that the Right views as the payoff for supporting Bush for another term. They wanted another Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas. Pricilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown were favorites of the movement conservatives because their views are well known. They’ve been gearing up for this fight for a long time, to avenge Robert Bork and compensate for David Souter.
Rush Limbaugh said that the pick was made “out of weakness.” Bill Kristol said he was “disappointed, demoralized.” Ann Coulter called Miers a “complete mediocrity.”
I have to confess I wanted a nominee that would be the “stick in the eye” that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid warned the President would trigger a filibuster. Like most conservatives, I have grown weary of how the Democrats continue to assert their relevance in governance when voters have removed them from power and reduced their numbers in three successive elections.
When you peel away the top layer of beltway bloviation, the brilliant strategy becomes easier to see. Bush has worked closely with Miers for over a decade and knows her philosophy. Conservative critics point to her campaign contributions to Democrats in Texas in 1988 as some indication that she might have liberal tendencies. That may trouble some, but I am encouraged, since I know that a convert to a cause seems to adopt its principles with greater fervor than those who come to it naturally.
If you view political strategy as war, as I am sure Karl Rove does, the Miers pick makes perfect sense. Her lack of a record makes Democrats focus on other aspects for clues to her philosophy. Initially, their plan of attack will be to demand information about her work in the White House, initiating a battle over Executive Privilege, which is technically attorney-client privilege, a battle they will lose. Ultimately, they will focus on her religious beliefs. Miers is an evangelical Christian, something that liberals view as a disqualifying factor. There is great peril in pursuing this strategy, since the insinuation that Democrats would employ a religious litmus test to will only serve to rally the conservative base. Think Bill Pryor.
She will be confirmed, probably as easily as John G. Roberts. Thus, the balance of the Supreme Court is effectively tipped to the right. Where O’Connor sometimes sided with the liberals on 5-4 decisions, Miers will not. The battle for the Court will be won at that point. Strict constructionists will be in the majority and a long period of judicial activism will come to an end. When conservatives stop to think about it, they will be comforted by what Bush has achieved. He will have delivered the Court he promised, without the political bloodshed everyone assumed would take place. A principle of Sun-Tzu is to have won the war before the first shot is fired.
The real fireworks will come next year, when the mid-term elections begin to heat up. This is where the long-awaited political battle will be fought. Liberal Justice John Paul Stevens has signaled that he would retire soon. If he steps down at the end of the current term, a red-meat conservative will be nominated, that Democrats will be hard pressed to defeat. Their base will demand a bloody war that Senate Democrats can’t win. Vulnerable Democrats in red states will be forced to choose between supporting a filibuster led by Charles Schumer, Ted Kennedy and Barbara Boxer and getting re-elected. Think Tom Daschle.
Bush is once again being “misunderestimated.”
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 03, 2005
Keep talking, Hollywood
First there was NBC's "West Wing", a post-2000 television fantasy of an Al Gore presidency. Now ABC has come up with a preview of what life will be like in America when Hillary Clinton takes over the White House.
The series' co-star Donald Sutherland provides some hysterical comments in a BBC interview. The Left Coast never disappoints when it comes to helping increase the Republican majority in the United States.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:47 AM | TrackBack
More on that culture of corruption
Just when it seemed that there was nothing more to add to the mountain of convictions and evidence as to the culture of corruption that existed under the Clinton administration, lawyers for the former First Lady are trying to quash a report that indicates, much, much more.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:35 AM | TrackBack
October 01, 2005
Could it be?
I'm into the guessing game on the next SCOTUS nominee. I've more or less given up hope for Janice Rogers Brown, so I will advance my best guess: Consuelo Callahan
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:51 AM | TrackBack
Culture of corruption
There is an epidemic of amnesia that has overtaken the Democrats and their Old Media operatives. The talking point phrase "culture of corruption" is being repeated in an effort to damage George Bush and the Republicans in Congress. At this particular point in time, there have been ZERO convictions for any wrongdoing by anyone in the Administration or the Republicans in Congress.
Let's take a trip down memory lane to focus on the most corrupt administration in history.
The corruption didn't end when the Clinton's left the White House in January 2001. Recently, Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger was sentenced following a conviction for stealing classified documents from the National Archives.
Now that's a culture that doesn't quit!