Your brilliant diarist has FINALLY figured out what's going on with BP/BS & their "off count" (to be charitable about it) concerning how much oil's been spewing from the Deepwater Horizon site; they're using teh TurdBlossom math!
There's a whole lot of bitter sweetness in many of the "this day in history" items, but I'll try to end on a good note! On June 22, 1898, Erich Maria Remarque, the German-born author of All Quiet on the Western Front, was born. When the Nazis were coming to power, this book was routinely on the burning pile because it was deemed anti - war & anti - Germany.
There are a couple birthdays today that aren't quite THE cake worthy but come fairly darn close; yes, I'm sparing y'all from THE cake for those of you with "sensitive" dispositions. ;D Senator Diane Feinstein (? - CA) is 77 today; Brit Not - Diggin' - on - Them - Heathen - Buddhists Hume is 67 today. Dianne Feinstein got to where she is today with the bloodshed of the deaths of George Moscone & Harvey Milk and hasn't exactly been friends to "progressives". And, Brit Hume...well...his "characteristics" should be obvious. So, while you 2 don't earn THE cake, you do get this.
Finally, get the tissues out; I already have. George Carlin died 2 years ago today. I've said before; I'll say again. When I think of what he would've done to St. Sarah from Wasilla, I smile...smile...SMILE.
Let's Countdown - 64 days since the explosion & sinking of the Deepwater Horizon off - shore oil facility in the Gulf of Mexico.
#5 "General Dissatisfaction" AKA "General Dissent" - I read the Rolling Stone article in question; it was...um...interesting. General Stanley McChrystal has absolutely no respect for civilian authority in military matters. And, why should he? The State Department gets a mere pittance allotted to them in the budget compared to what the Defense Department gets. I would love love LOVE for President Obama to go all Harry Truman on his sorry hide, but I know he won’t. Hell, the general might even get a chance at his own "old soldiers never die" speech in Congress – with a few updates for the times, of course. Old soldiers don’t die these days; they join the military industrial complex in the private sector & end up stinkin’ rich! And, I have just 2 other words that sums up the general rather "nicely": Pat Tillman.
Robert Gibbs claimed President Obama was angry with the article; that we’d know it if we saw him. Afghanistan’s President just loves General McChrystal, though. Doesn’t that make you feel better? Nah...me neither! Here’s what might just be coming down the pike for ‘ol Stan per the Uniform Code of Military Justice:
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any state, territory, commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court – martial may direct.
Huh! That sounds clear to me! General McChrystal might be prepared to offer his resignation tomorrow; again, I hope President Obama doesn’t give him the chance. Ya’ know, if a general shows "poor judgment," he probably shouldn’t be a damn general! Just sayin’...
If you read the Rolling Stone article, soldiers in Afghanistan aren’t real thrilled with him, either. The general’s very strict rules of engagement are putting a lot of soldiers’ lives at risk more than they already are. Here’s Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson. Colonel Wilkerson thinks the bigger picture is how our blood & treasure in Afghanistan now might think of their CIC because of General McChrystal’s interview. The general might want to stay in Afghanistan longer than everyone else wants to. Colonel Wilkerson thinks that if President Obama doesn’t fire General McChrystal tomorrow, the President should at least ask for his resignation, think about it awhile, then turn it down. I don’t think I want that. I either want the general gone or not gone; I don’t want no pussy – footin’ around. And, he needs to be gone, baby, gone! Jonathan Alter talks politics concerning the general. President Obama has taken General McChrystal to task in the past; they’ve had a rocky relationship since day #1. Jonathan mentioned Pat Tillman, too! If President Obama thinks sacking McChrystal will hurt the mission in Afghanistan, General McChrystal ain’t goin’ anywhere. It doesn’t matter if President Obama "pushes back hard" to regain civilian control; McChrystal never has and never will RESPECT civilian control.
#4 "BP Oil Leak: Day 64" AKA "Judge Oil" - The AP is reporting that Secretary Ken Salazar will impose the drilling moratorium anyway in spite of the ruling today. Uh...OK. I know the administration is going to immediately appeal the decision. And, file in "No $hit, Sherlock" the fact that the judge in the case IN NEW ORLEANS has ties & a vested interest in the success of big oil! There are 3600 off – shore oil facilities in the Gulf; the moratorium is only going to affect around 30. Judge Martin Feldman granted a temporary injunction:
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an unprecedented, sad, ugly, and inhuman disaster. What seems clear is that the federal government has been pressed by what happened on the Deepwater Horizon into an otherwise sweeping confirmation that all Gulf deepwater drilling activities put us all in a universal threat of irreparable harm.
The judge further stated:
An invalid agency decision to suspend drilling of wells in depths over 500 feet simply cannot justify the immeasurable effect on the plaintiffs, the local economy, the Gulf region, and the critical present – day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in this country.
Wow...Did Joe Barton write that opinion for him?!
Judge Feldman’s 2008 income included investments in TransOcean, Halliburton, and being a shareholder in BP/BS. Where have I heard about especially those first 2 companies before? It’s déjà vu all over again! Could this decision eventually end up in front of SCOTUS? Rep. Ed Markey is not thrilled with today’s decision but is all over the possibility of Secretary Salazar going at the moratorium anyway.
** The North Carolina Howard Hughes Big Foot is back! It sounds like Mr. Peeler has made numerous 911 calls before! Chinese robots are racing & kung – fooing away. A doggie in England ate some ceramic kitty statues – OUCH! **
#3 "BP Oil Leak: Day 64 Part Deux" - Tony Hayward was supposed to give a speech in London today about global responsibility in off – shore oil drilling. Wow!
BP/BS’s COS gave the speech instead, and the speech was crashed by Green Peace. The broken well head is leaning over something awful! Kerry Sanders is on a barge in the Gulf. Look at all that ugly glop on the water. Ugh... Robert Cavnar is with Kerry Sanders. One relief well is 40% ahead of schedule; the other one is just under 30% ahead of schedule. Can you just imagine the smell out there?!
WPITW – BillO wants Lady Gaga to grope herself in front of him. Well, of course he does; he misses Andrea Macris! Michael Steele claimed that GWB created a lot of jobs during his reign. DUMB A$$! Sharron Angle told Human Events that she wants to "personalize" Social Security – not privatize it. Well, THAT’S totally different – NOT!
Special Comment – Senators Graham, McCentury, and Joementum didn’t appreciate what General McChrystal told Rolling Stone, either. Uh – oh! Keith’s review of the history of the relationship between the civilian government & the military was vital. Remember how damn cozy General Petraeus was with GWB?! Keith thinks General McChrystal will offer his resignation in the morning, President Obama will fold it up, and tell the general to get his sorry hide back to Afghanistan? HELLO? Keith went on to illustrate the history of general replacement under GWB. Yes, that’s true, but none of those gentlemen, as far as I can remember, made such personal derogatory statements about civilian leadership. What the GWB generals did does not match up with the previously sited military code of conduct. And, here’s Pat Tillman again.
Keith thinks President Obama will be taking a needless political risk in this extremely unbipartisan environment by firing McChrystal or accepting his resignation. Hell, the GOBPers will fight the President on everything anyway. So, why NOT do what President Obama SHOULD do tomorrow? Keith, President Obama will never "own" this man; the feeling I get from reading the article is that McChrystal will think he’s won another battle and will keep behaving as he already has. I do buy into what Jonathan Alter said. Cool – headed President Obama WILL keep the general around if he thinks his continued presence will keep the mission in Afghanistan moving forward. Keith, General McChrystal won’t be humbled. I hope Keith is wrong, but I have a feeling he won’t be. Hell, I predicted President Obama NOT sacking General McChrystal earlier today – as satisfying as President Obama going all Harry Truman would be!