Sherlock Holmes in the short story "Silver Blaze" solves the mystery by observing that the dog didn't bark, deducing from the lack of evidence that the intruder was not a stranger.

And in this strange affair, what has troubled me is the extreme lengths and odd sentence constructions that Gonzales and even FBI Director Robert S. Mueller have taken to avoid saying "Terrorist Surveillance Program" (TSP) in their sworn testimony before Congress.

GONZALES: There has not been any serious disagreement -- and I think this is accurate -- there has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed. There have been disagreements about other matters regarding operations which I cannot get into. ... Feb. 6, 2006

As for Mueller, in today's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee's, when questioned by
Representative Lee on the hospital room visit to AG Ashcroft:

Lee: Did you have an understanding that the discussion was on TSP?

Mueller: I had an understanding that the discussion was on a, uh, a, uh -- an NSA program, yes. ... Jul 26, 2007

Why all of the hemming and hawing?

While the American media has been obssessed with the Foley affair, and its coverup by the Republican leadership, John Leyne asks in an article in the BBC News dated 10/06/06:

Why did Condoleezza Rice come to Israel and the West Bank earlier this week?

By all accounts, the US secretary of state had no fresh ideas to offer to revive what used to be called the Middle East peace process.

So why bother?  And why should her visit to Israel and Palestine raise quiet consternation in Europe and the Middle East?

Many Arab and Israeli commentators have found the same answer: Iran.

The 2006 Election year cycle is beginning to heat up, witness the recent cynical efforts by the Republican majority to force symbolic votes on standard right wing wedge issues:

• Gay marriage amendment.
• Flag burning amendment.

We can also expect state and local initiatives on Gay adoption to hit the ballot as another means to energize and mobilize the Republican base and get out the vote.

While progressives may hope that the public's disgust with Congress and the Bush administration translates into success in local races, its not enough to be against Bush.  In fact, while we'd like the 2006 elections to be a referendum on Republican corruption and Iraq, I suspect that when the right wing noise machine cranks up for the mid terms, the message, repeated ad nauseum, will be:

• Democrats are soft on terrorism!

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Lost in the passion and fury of raucous and self-serving debate, in the posturing of servile politicians, in the public pandering to the basest of motivations, in the laundering of votes for campaign contributions, in the ceaseless drumbeat of think-tank pundits and talking-heads ad nauseam, in the oh-so-pure prejudice of religious fundamentalism, is the still, quiet voice of reason.

The moral bankruptcy in America today isn't about black or white, Muslims or Christians, rich or poor, straight or gay, right or left.  Our challenge is the monopoly powers granted to extremists of all persuasions in the marketplace of ideas.  We are a nation whose birth was conceived by revolutionary ideals and baptized on the willingness of those self same idealists to die for the concepts of certain inalienable rights.

"Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness ..."

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The Detroit Free Press recently published IRS tells churches to stay out of abortion politics, an article originally published by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Internal Revenue Service is warning religious leaders in South Dakota that their churches' tax-exempt status could be jeopardized if they campaign against a challenge to a law that bans nearly all abortions in the state, a proposal that could be on the November ballot.  --  CORRINE OLSON, SIOUX FALLS ARGUS LEADER

It's not just South Dakota, and its not just abortion.  From a news release dated June 1st, the IRS website, the IRS "Reminds Charities to Avoid Election Activities During Election Season":

While the vast majority of charities and churches do not engage in politicking, an increasing number did take part in prohibited activities in the 2004 election cycle," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said. "The rule against political campaign intervention by charities and churches is long established. We are stepping up our efforts to enforce it.  (Emphasis added)

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kos quotes Hartford Courant columnist Paul Bass:

The Bush administration values Joe Lieberman because he has been a crucial ally in efforts to free Enron-style corporate crooks from regulation, transfer wealth to the wealthy, hound gays, trample on the rights of government critics and sacrifice the lives of thousands of Americans and Iraqis to dishonest, dangerous military adventurism.

Whilst the Democratic Leadership Council decries the move to unseat Lieberman as The Return of Liberal Fundamentalism

This phenomenon is best illustrated by the nationally driven campaign to deny re-nomination to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT), with MoveOn.org and Democracy for America (an organization founded by DNC chairman Howard Dean and now run by his brother, Jim) playing an especially active role in recruiting money and volunteers for the challenger, Ned Lamont.

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Tip of the hat to ThinkProgress for reporting on another case where the President blatantly lied to the American Public:

You've got to see this.  Tony Snow spills the beans on another case where the President misled the American Public.

 - On May 25th, the President indicated that he had NO indication that Treasury Secretary John Snow was resigning.

 - On May 20th, the President met with Hank Paulson, who accepted the job a day later.

The rather bumbling excuse by Tony Snow, was that the President was "protecting the financial markets".

Heckof a Job, Tony

Give the ACLU Credit.  Not content to simply file in federal court, the ACLU has opened new fronts on the war against illegal wiretapping and "strip mining" of US telephones.

ACLU Files Lawsuit in California Court Demanding End to Privacy Violations by AT&T and Verizon

SAN FRANCISCO - The California affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union today filed two lawsuits in state court requesting injunctions against telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon to prevent them from illegally providing the National Security Agency with the personal phone records of millions of California customers.

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