A Cliff's Notes summary of Greg Palast is Dangerous by GregPalast

GREG PALAST IS DANGEROUS
Written by Greg Palast
Posted by Greg Palast's manservant Zach

A big meanie-head wrote a mean diary about me. Meanie-heads shouldn't write mean diaries about people who work for the BBC and the UK's #1 newspaper, the Guardian. Especially if they haven't read my New York Times-bestselling book, "Armed Madhouse," which by the way is now updated with a new chapter. If I knew how to make links I would say click here to buy it now.

Here are the facts: one day in 2004 Karl Rove e-mailed me his evil plot to take over the world. My team of research assistants used up ALL of their cell phone minutes making calls to verify this. Two or three experts you have never heard of agree with our conclusions. Karl Rove's henchmen claim the e-mail in question contained no such plot. Little do they know, I have OVER 500,000,000,000,000 OTHER INCRIMINATING E-MAILS AND DOCUMENTS in my secret London office. Boy oh boy are they incriminating! Have I mentioned you should buy my book, "Armed Madhouse."

If you've paid attention to the Congressional Iraq debate during the past few days, then you've probably heard the GOP's devastating new charge against the Democratic party.

"Their flexibility is constrained by people sitting here in Washington, sitting in the Congress, trying to micromanage this war."

• Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

"We don't need 535 Members of Congress micromanaging this war..."

• Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

"I ask my colleagues: is such micromanagement of warfare the responsibility of this body?"

• Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Yep, you heard right. The Republican party has uncovered a menace more shocking than the FBI Patriot Act abuse, Walter Reed and U.S. prosecutor firing scandals COMBINED. Will a Constitutional amendment banning Gay Micromanagement follow? Answers to that and more below.

This just in from the Unites State Senate: the Republican Party has cut and run from its filibuster of the Iraq War debate. President Bush responded predictably.

Breaking a parliamentary roadblock, the Senate on Wednesday began its first formal debate on the Iraq war since Democrats took control of Congress, taking up a measure calling for President Bush to withdraw combat troops by the end of next March. The White House swiftly issued a veto threat.

Despite the [89-9] vote, most Republicans opposed the Democratic bill and it was expected to eventually fall short of the 60 votes it will need to pass. Even so, the debate would give Democrats a chance to put Republicans on record as opposing a timetable on the war at a time when most American voters oppose the conflict.

A transcript of Senator Chuck Hagel's breakfast prior to this morning's important press conference was just released to media outlets - some choice excerpts:

Sen. Hagel: Honey, I have an important announcement to make.

Mrs. Hagel: What is it, dear?

Sen. Hagel: I haven't decided which tie to wear this morning.

Mrs. Hagel: That's a tough one. Maybe you should wait until May or June to pick one.

Sen. Hagel: That seems sensible. Would you pass the milk?

Mrs. Hagel: 2% or skim?

Sen. Hagel: Oh, for heaven's sake, ask me on Thursday.

On Febrary 27, when U.S. stocks declined more than 3%, newspaper headlines declared that the market had "plunged." If a 3% decline is a plunge, what, then, is a 7% drop?

That's a question Ann Coulter is currently pondering, after seven of the estimated 100 newspapers carrying her column canceled it after her March 2 hate slur against John Edwards, including 4 in the last 48 hours. Will there be more to come?

Read on to learn more and see how you can help accelarate the Coulter Crash of '07.

The distributor of Ann Coulter's column, Universal Press Syndicate, has come up with the most interesting excuse for not dropping Coulter's column.

[Universal Press Syndicate Vice President and Editor Lee Salem] said: "The contracts with the many writers and cartoonists we represent call for specific products and we have no legal interest in what they may do or say outside of that relationship.

"In the case of Ann Coulter (and others across the political spectrum whom readers have urged us to drop), she is not an employee and we have no legal power to 'fire' her, though, of course, any of her subscribing newspapers can drop her column at any time."

The head editor of Coulter's syndicator must think we're all as dumb as donuts if he expects anyone to believe that it's illegal for Universal Press Syndicate to fire its columnists.

Everyone put on your imagination caps.

Let's pretend that former "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards (Kramer) has a nationally syndicated weekly newspaper column. Now imagine that Richards makes a hate slur during an onstage appearance - and clips of the incident quickly circulate on the Internet and television. Now imagine that Richards goes on television to laugh off the slur as a "schoolyard taunt."

What do you think would happen to "Kramer's" syndicated newspaper column?

If you said, "It would get dropped faster than a jilted astronaut," I'm sorry to say you're incorrect.

In response to the Walter Reed soldier health care scandal, Sen. Barack Obama (with Sen. Claire McCaskill as lead cosponsor) has introduced the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act, outlining steps to ensure proper treatment of wounded veterans.

Called the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act, the bill would mandate housing standards for the wounded, overhaul disability review boards, require one caseworker for every 20 recovering service members, extend job protections for service members to include family members who are at their side during recovery, demand that an ombudsmen be available around the clock by phone and in any hospital with more than 100 patients, and create a new independent oversight board to monitor how recovering service members are treated.

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois... the chief sponsor of the bill, said it is designed to "not only fix problems at Walter Reed but improve conditions at other hospitals... We think this is a comprehensive bill."

The latest shoe to drop in the Walter Reed scandal - Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey has resigned amid speculation that the scandal's fallout could reach all the way to the White House.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates accepted the resignation of Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey on Friday amid a scandal over the quality of care given to injured troops recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"The problems at Walter Reed appear to be problems of leadership," Gates said at the Pentagon...

The White House said the president would name a bipartisan commission to assess whether the problems at Walter Reed existed at other facilities.

The action came after The Washington Post documented squalid living conditions for some outpatient soldiers at Walter Reed and bureaucratic problems that prevented many troops from getting adequate care...

The administration's response came amid growing outrage about the poor treatment of some veterans — and the prospect that it could backfire on the White House.

Tired of the Senate Republicans' refusal to debate the Iraq War? Take action! Download, print and mail or fax one or more of the personalized letters below urging all 99 active Senators to end the filibuster and support binding legislation outlining a plan to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Each letter can be downloaded in PDF or MS Word format, and is personalized by party and position. Letters sent by mail & fax remain a very effective way to make an impact, but you can also reach your Senator by e-mail or phone.

+ + = HELP END THE IRAQ WAR!

The Senate GOP continues to stonewall the Iraq debate, but its ranks are thinning. 7 Republicans crossed party lines to vote against the filibuster yesterday - up from 2 on Feb. 5, but short of the 11 needed to initiate debate.

Would you like the Senate to move forward on Iraq? Take action! Below I've prepared personalized letters to all 99 active Senators urging them to break the filibuster and pursue binding legislation outlining a plan to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Each letter can be downloaded in PDF or MS Word format, and is personalized by party and position. Letters sent by mail & fax remain a very effective way to make an impact, but you can also reach your Senator by e-mail or phone.

Senators Lisa Murkowski, Sam Brownback, George Voinovich and Lamar Alexander are cowards. Spineless, toothless, gutless, intellectually dishonest, weak-willed, watered-down, cloture-ducking, cut-and-run cowards. When they were children, their preferred playground game was "Hide and Go Hide Some More." They harbor intense jealousy over the instinctive defensive poses of the flamingo and the turtle. If they were shoe salesmen, they would flee at the sound of a distant footstep.

In short, these four Republican Senators are the antithesis of the U.S. troops they are effectively sentencing to death by filibuster.

[Update 2/24/07: Click here for a newer version of these printable letters.]

Frustrated about the Grand Obstructionist Party's filibuster of the Senate's Iraq escalation debate? Take action! Tell your Senators to break the filibuster and pursue binding legislation outlining a plan to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq, such as bills proposed by Senators Feingold, Obama and Kerry.

Below, I've prepared personalized letters to all 99 active Senators that you can download, print and mail or fax. Each letter can be downloaded in PDF or MS Word format, and is personalized by party and position. Letters sent by mail & fax remain a very effective way to make an impact, but if you'd rather reach your Senator by e-mail or phone, that contact info is available here.

[Update 2/11/07: Click here for a newer version of these printable letters.]

Although Monday's GOP filibuster of a non-binding Senate anti-escalation resolution appears to have derailed the Senate's Iraq debate, now is no time to give up. We need to pressure all U.S. Senators to begin debating binding legislation outlining a plan to end the war, such as Russ Feingold and Barack Obama's proposed bills.

To that end, I've prepared personalized letters to all 99 active Senators that you can download, print and mail/fax. The basic letter templates are below, but each downloadable letter is personalized with the mailing address. Letters sent by mail & fax remain a very effective way to make an impact, but if you'd rather reach your Senator by e-mail or phone, that contact info is also available here.

Yesterday's GOP filibuster of a non-binding Senate anti-escalation resolution was a stark reminder that Republicans will have to be dragged kicking and screaming from Baghdad. To get that process in motion, we need to pressure Senate Republicans to vote with the Dems to break filibusters and pass binding legislation outlining a plan to end the war.

To this end, I've prepared personalized letters to all 49 Senate Republicans (and Lieberman) that you can download, print and mail/fax. The basic letter template is below, but each downloadable letter is personalized and includes the mailing address. Letters sent by mail & fax remain a very effective way to make an impact, but if you'd rather reach your Senator by e-mail or phone, here's a complete U.S. Senate contact list.

Now that the GOP has rechristened itself the Grand Obstructionist Party, it's time for a comparison of some "golden oldies" from the Iraq Escalation debate with today's brand new tunes. Disclaimer: Only the quotes from prior to today are real. Since many GOP Senators haven't yet explained why they oppose debating the Iraq War, I used the Cyrus Nowrasteh method for producing today's quotes.

NEBRASKA: Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE):

Jan. 24, 2007: "If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes. This is a tough business. But is it any tougher, us having to take a tough vote... and have the courage to step up on what we're asking our young men and women to do?"

Feb. 5, 2007: "Shoes for sale! Reebok, Converse, Nike, Dr. Scholl's, Vera Wang and more! Special today on flip-flops! Everything must go!"

Hey folks... BIG UPDATES this morning on yesterday's NEW TERROR ALERT. First a recap:

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a new terror alert Thursday after a threat assessment of several posters in the Children's section of his East Boston neighborhood Blockbuster store.

The 18"x24" posters, which promoted the March 2006 DVD release of the animated Disney film "Chicken Little," brought the city to a virtual halt for the second straight day. Shutdowns affected the Longfellow and Boston University bridges and Interstate 93, and Coast Guard units were seen searching the AMC Loews Boston Common 19 cineplex for additional advertisments.

"It's clear that Boston is in the grips of a dangerous Animated Terror Cel," said Menino, appearing at a hastily arranged press conference with Assistant Attorney General John Grossman. Menino, noting that similar images have been found planted in dens and lounges in many private residences throughout Boston, was interrupted by Grossman, who declared "Henny Penny! The sky is falling!" before fleeing the press conference.

Sorry for the brief diary, but I wanted to share the big breaking news...

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a new terror alert Thursday after a threat assessment of several posters in the Children's section of his East Boston neighborhood Blockbuster store.

The 18"x24" posters, which promoted the March 2006 DVD release of the animated Disney film "Chicken Little," brought the city to a virtual halt for the second straight day. Shutdowns affected Storrow and Memorial drives, the Longfellow and Boston University bridges and Interstate 93, and Coast Guard units were seen searching the AMC Loews Boston Common 19 cineplex for additional advertisments.

"It's clear that Boston is in the grips of a dangerous Animated Terror Cel," said Menino, appearing at a hastily arranged press conference with Assistant Attorney General John Grossman. Menino, noting that similar images have been found planted in dens and lounges in many private residences throughout Boston, was interrupted by Grossman, who declared "Henny Penny! The sky is falling!" before fleeing the press conference.