I wonder why John McCain doesn't come right out and say he sold his soul.  We miss the straight talk.  He should run with the explicit admission that he plans to pardon Jack Abramoff, and make the former lobbyist Secretary of the Treasury.  Ralph Reed, McCain's newest best buddy, it should be admitted, will get a big role in McCain's administration.  McCain should tell us that Exxon will replace our current EPA.  He should regale us with tales of how his administration will be one big, happy oil company and lobbyist family, like his campaign.  That would be straight talk.

More, yo.

Today Bush’s disastrous homeland security assistant, Fran Townsend, announced that she would “take a respite from public service”. Her career had been “both a blessing and a privilege”—but not, she seemed to think, “a curse”.

Her handwritten letter of resignation, dated simply “November 2007”, tells as much as you need to know about Townsend’s sycophantic career:

In 1937, the playwright Maxwell Anderson wrote of President George Washington: There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, til all men walk on higher ground in their lifetime.

Mr. President, you are such a man.

The English language hasn’t enough foul words to describe quite how a reader of the letter, other than George Bush, ought to receive that particular information. Anyhow Scott Horton is far too polite. His error is in treating Townsend’s blathering as if it were meant seriously.

I was just listening to Blitzkreig interview Fran Townsen, from "Homeland Security" on the New York Times article on torture.

Strike any "women are more compassionate" meme you may have been carrying around.  This chick makes Lizzie Borden look measured, and Bonnie (of Bonnie and Clyde fame.) seem restrained.

She did the most infuriating, "depends on what the meaning of "is" is" dance I have heard in quite awhile.

Oh, and she refused to respond to the word "torture", constantly rephrasing the question to address the "techniques" used in CIA interrogation.

President Bush's Homeland Security Advisor, Fran Townsend recently stated that Bin Laden is "virtually impotent". As opposed to literally impotent like the Commander in Chief.

In the wake of the newest video from Osama Bin Laden, Bush homeland security adviser Fran Townsend feebly attempted to discount the importance of the still at-large Al Qaeda leader.  Trapped in his mountain redoubt, she said, Bin Laden is "virtually impotent."  But with the man he wanted "dead or alive" securely ensconced in his Pakistani safe haven and directing a reconstituted Al Qaeda network, it is President Bush who on this sixth anniversary of 9/11 is looking impotent indeed.

Interesting word choices from Bush aide Fran Townsend when discussing the newest Osama Bin Laden tape today-  from the AP:

"This is about the best he can do," Townsend said of bin Laden. "This is a man on a run, from a cave, who's virtually impotent other than these tapes."

In appearance on two Sunday talk shows, she used the "virtually impotent" reference both times, suggesting the language was chosen with careful purpose.

"We know that al-Qaida is still determined to attack, and we take it seriously," Townsend said. "But this tape appears to be nothing more than threats. It's propaganda on their part."

By L. C. Johnson (bio/blog)

Sorry.  If you're looking for some breathless analysis about another lame videotape, which allegedly contains the latest ramblings of the man behind the 9-11 attacks, this ain't it.  It is meaningless bullshit.  Why?  Because the United States, and the Bush Administration in particular, is not serious about finding and eliminating Bin Laden.  

Frankly it would not surprise me to learn that the person appearing as Bin Laden is someone else.  What's with the beard dye?  Is Bin Laden buying Grecian formula for facial hair?  This video just does not make sense in either a strategic or tactical realm.  It is simply a fuck you to the West.

Now let's go back to why I insist the Bush Administration is not serious about finding Bin Laden.

Here's another one from the "Irony is Dead" file.  

On Wednesday, Jim Rutenberg and Alissa J. Rubin of the New York Times revealed that George W. Bush has taken beleaguered Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki under his wing.  Once every two weeks, sometimes more often, Mr. Bush gathers up Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Steven Hadley and they all head to the White House situation room for a videoconference with Maliki.  These sessions last over an hour, during which the two heads of state discuss leadership, democracy, troop deployments and their domestic challenges.  

Too bad for Maliki that his main mentor on leadership, democracy and troop deployment is a man who has clearly illustrated total lack of understanding of any of those subjects.  On the other hand, if Maliki wanted to learn how to create domestic challenges, he couldn't have picked a better role model than Bush.  And just in case Bush can't tell Maliki the best way to screw up things in his country, Cheney and Hadley are there to pick up the slack.  

Three weeks ago, news of an aborted 2005 U.S. raid against Al Qaeda targets in Pakistan confirmed the failure of a key tenet of the Bush Doctrine, "no safe havens for terrorists."  Now, it would appear, President Bush himself agrees with that assessment.

I read somewhere on the web (now I can't find the link) that Harry Reid basically endorsed the implication by Frances Fragos Townsend that the US would be justified in launching attacks on Pakistan in order to strike Al Qaeda targets.

I don't have time to look up all of the relevant news stories as I have to go to bed soon.  Likewise, I won't be able to respond to comments for the same reason.  But I thought this would be important to put out into the Dkososphere because some of you apparently do get it, tho from what I can tell most of you don't - just like Harry Reid.

Well, why stop now? We're on such a roll with our military victories in Iraq and Afghanistan, why not take our winning streak into Pakistan? Can anyone say three-peat? Woo hoo!

According to CBS News, "The U.S. would consider military force if necessary to stem al Qaeda's growing ability to use its hideout in Pakistan to launch terrorist attacks, a White House aide said Sunday. "

There is a lot of attention being given to the rather ridiculous permutation of reality given us by White house toady Fran Townsend when discussing the continued freedom of Osama Bin Laden.  This regards an interview by the White house correspondent for CNN, Ed Henry, of Townsend.    Here is a copy of the transcript of the exchange on CNN's Situation Room:  

HENRY: You know, going back to September 2001, the president said, dead or alive, we're going to get him. Still don't have him. I know you are saying there's successes on the war on terror, and there have been. That's a failure.

TOWNSEND: Well, I'm not sure -- it's a success that hasn't occurred yet. I don't know that I view that as a failure.

Henrys non followup and my take on it continues below:  

Following CA Rep. Jane Harman's revelation yesterday of the existence of a second NIE on Iraq, and her subsequent demand for its full public release to the public before Nov. &7, the Homeland Security Department held a media conference call last night.

Their announcement? They acknowledge the existence of a second report, but have a little problem sharing it with the nation juuuust yet:

From the "Trust Us" Administration comes the word that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Treasury Secretary Snow, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and...

(the list is too long for an Intro)

comes the word that Port Security Issues "aren't" when considering a foreign government controlling operations at our ports.   Issues of jurisdiction, document retention, implementation of security protocols, container inspections, transit security, and governmental involvement in the operations of any corporations charged with complying with US Maritime law are simply, non-issues.

Why do we care more for planes, which are relatively small transportation devices, than we care for boats and the trucks and trains that will carry the cargo brought here on boats?