Office of the Independent Blogger

This is absurd. A democratic candidate “mashup?” Sure, some of the questions are alright, like when Bill Maher asked Hillary why anyone should vote for someone who was fooled by George W. Bush, but it’s an exercise that trivializes the political world even further. This debate is no different than the sleazy debates held every fall except that this debate is being orchestrated on the Internet instead of the media’s whoreroom.

Nobody loves baseball more than I do but I don’t believe we should be passing transportation bills with pork provisions aimed at building baseball fields anywhere as transportation issues are transportation issues and should be treated as such. An attempt was made to kill that amendment to the most recent federal transportation bill but it was tabled. Question: why can’t we have one big pork bill once or twice a year where everybody inserts their local needs and we could allocate a set budget for these projects? It’s going to happen anyway — we might as well encourage it in an open form so as to prevent needless machinations with every bill that comes into the Senate. Plus, it’s better to unequivocally order pork chops than to ask for a salad and receive some lettuce with pork bits in it at McDonalds.

George W. Bush has surprised me by nominating Ted Olson to be the Attorney General of the United States. I feel sick hearing it. As David Brock has shown, he’s a crooked, slimey man and he was Bush’s representative for Bush v. Gore, now being rewarded with the AG’s job after having served as Solicitor General for an administration that loves incest like it loves tax cuts. Harry Reid says he’s unconfirmable, but the President already knew that. He’s looking to hire someone who’ll stick it to the democrats and do whatever he is asked to do. Someone a little more like this man:

In a new embarrassment for the Bush administration top spymaster, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell is withdrawing an assertion he made to Congress this week that a recently passed electronic-surveillance law helped U.S. authorities foil a major terror plot in Germany.

The temporary measure, signed into law by President Bush on Aug. 5, gave the U.S. intelligence community broad new powers to eavesdrop on telephone and e-mail communications overseas without seeking warrants from the surveillance court. The law expires in six months and is expected to be the subject of intense debate in the months ahead. On Monday, McConnell—questioned by Sen. Joe Lieberman—claimed the law, intended to remedy what the White House said was an intelligence gap, had helped to “facilitate” the arrest of three suspects believed to be planning massive car bombings against American targets in Germany. Other U.S. intelligence-community officials questioned the accuracy of McConnell’s testimony and urged his office to correct it. Four intelligence-community officials, who asked for anonymity discussing sensitive material, said the new law, dubbed the “Protect America Act,” played little if any role in the unraveling of the German plot. The U.S. military initially provided information that helped the Germans uncover the plot. But that exchange of information took place months before the new “Protect America” law was passed.

Isn’t that nice?

Harry Reid says, “This war is the President’s war.” Republicans hear that and take offense. I shrug and say, “That’s true enough, but every unpopular War is the President’s War.” Look through history — everytime a War becomes unpopular, someone high in Congress declares it “The President’s War,” with “Mr. Madison’s War” being the most famous example but there are many others. Is it appropriate? Maybe not, but it’s historically accurate. It happens to every President with a war, even Clinton, so let’s not get too excited about it. Rhetoric is rhetoric for a reason, and while I know that everybody believes we should be “above politics,” we aren’t.

In other news, this article makes me sicker than anything I’ve read in weeks.

Russia has tested the world’s most powerful vacuum bomb, which unleashes a destructive shockwave with the power of a nuclear blast, the military said on Tuesday, dubbing it the “father of all bombs.” The bomb is the latest in a series of new Russian weapons and policy moves as President Vladimir Putin tries to reassert Moscow’s role on the international stage.

“Test results of the new airborne weapon have shown that its efficiency and power is commensurate with a nuclear weapon,” Alexander Rukshin, Russian deputy armed forces chief of staff, told Russia’s state ORT First Channel television. The same report was later shown on the state-sponsored Vesti channel.

What on Earth is the point of this? Why is it necessary? Because Putin has penis envy and is leading a nation with a thirst for blood and violence unlike any country of the last hundred years?

Oh, and hey. I’m the new copy editor of the Chicago Flame and had my first op-ed published Monday, which you can read here: The glowing elephant in the room. Enjoy!

Let’s just get this out of the way: Pedro Martinez is back in the Major Leagues and he’s won two games, throwing five shutout innings yesterday against Roy Oswalt. He also recorded his three thousandth career strikeout at the age of thirty five. It’s a figure he should’ve reached last year at thirty four but his arm gave out on him when he was two Ks short. Now he’s a finesse pitcher rather than a power pitcher, and he’s savoring every moment of it, now that he truly appreciates his body, skills and the game of baseball. It’s a beautiful story, and if you’d like to read more, check this out.

Pedro is the man.

Martinez isn’t the only person who deserves credit and praise after this weekend: the Japanese Prime Minister does, too, after he vowed to fight his legislature over Afghanistan.

Japan’s embattled Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday refused to resign and defied calls to end a controversial military mission overseas as he faced down a resurgent opposition in parliament. Lawmakers returned after the summer recess Monday with Abe under mounting pressure following a raft of scandals and a heavy defeat in July elections that handed the opposition control of the upper house of parliament.

On the eve of the two-month extraordinary session of the Diet, Abe staked his job on the need to extend a mandate for Japan’s mission to provide support for US-led forces in Afghanistan. Japanese troops “who are devoting themselves to their duties under the scorching sun in the Indian Ocean represent the very international contribution the world expects Japan to make,” Abe later told parliament.

The opposition is against the mission, which provides refuelling and other logistical support, but the United States has warned that pulling out would damage relations between the long-standing allies. A day after telling reporters he could quit if he fails to secure an extension of the mandate, a defiant Abe told lawmakers he would stay in his job to continue his efforts to erase the legacies of Japan’s World War II defeat.

“I am well aware that there is a view that I should step down,” Abe said. “We need to depart from the postwar regime by all means. I decided to stay on out of my sheer belief that we must not stop this reform,” he said.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faces a newly empowered opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) that is doing everything it can to force Abe from office and to scupper his plans to build a more assertive foreign policy. Abe told parliament that Japan must not abandon its “international responsibility” by withdrawing support to US-led forces in Afghanistan. Japan’s mission in the Indian Ocean has become “indispensable” for the global fight against terrorism, Abe said.

The opposition, however, remained unswayed. “Although he (Abe) might seem as if he reflected on his past acts, he is still saying his policies were right. That’s why the public is feeling, ‘What is Prime Minister Abe thinking?’” said DPJ secretary general Yukio Hatoyama.

Of course, I don’t support the militarization of Japan but what they are doing is logistical and peaceful. Unfortunately, the American presence in Afghanistan is pitiful and we’ve all-but turned that country over to the Taliban in the countryside, but it would likely be worse if not for the contributions of the Japanese and for that I’m grateful.

If only we took our commitment to rebuild that country into something resembling a peaceful Democracy half as serious as the Japanese take their responsibility to aid the international community and their American ally.

Osama bin Laden has released a new tape to the world. You can read a news account of it here, as well as a transcript of his comments, verbatim. There are a variety of things to take from the tape. As an analysis found here points out, he may be attempting to make himself relevant once again; he might be sending signals for an attack (as Mohammed used to ask people to become Muslims before he killed them); he may be attempting to bolster a political party or political sentiment in the United States (like, say, “convicing” Republicans to stay in Iraq because it is great propaganda for him and his ilk — which is the CIA’s point of view, since 2004, and no, I’m not saying he “supports” Republicans).

Some people, unfortunately, have taken the speech — in which he praises Noam Chomsky — as an opportunity to declare bin Laden a Democrat. It’s unfortunate and disgusting. The truth is that Osama bin Laden is not a political liberal and he is definitely not an American liberal and by extension he is not an American Democrat. He is not a Republican, either, or a conservative Republican or a Conservative by any Western means. Whatever he says is said for symbollic purposes in the Muslim world, to convey secret messages to supporters, or to incense the American public. There are no endorsements of ideology not relating to the Caliphate in his speeches.

Wonder why he dyed his beard, though. What will people in the Muslim world think of their great, Allah-defending soon-to-be martyr when they realize that he hasn’t struck the West since 2001 but has time to get his (facial)hair done?

Chuck Hagel is calling it quits. Possible replacements are several Republicans and former Senator Bob Kerrey, Democrat, who is now teaching but is very much interested in running again. Those of you Democrats who believe that the Democratic Party truly cares about having “outsiders” in Washington and shaking up “the elite” should be ashamed of yourself and must renounce any belief in either of the Parties as “groundbreakers” as neither of them are.

Beyond the fact that he represents a priveleged class of politicians, he’s hard to support because of the atrocities he committed but can’t come clean to in Vietnam.

Bush had a testy, awkward exchange with the South Korean President today. Roh said to him, “End the Korean War.” Bush said to him, “I’ll be happy to do that when Kim Jung ends his nuclear program.” Roh: “End the Korean War, you aren’t being clear!” Bush: “I am clear!” Roh: “No!”

Translation: “Something was lost in translation,” says the White House. “Technically, he can’t end the War. It was a UN War,” say the historians. “It’s a ridiculous argument to have, by both sides,” says the Independent Blogger of the Office of the Independent Blogger. “Shut up and negotiate something.”

One more note, small: Judith Miller has joined a right-wing thinktank. Her love for Karl Rove makes more sense now.

If this article is true, George W. Bush’s fate with the historians has been sealed and George Tenet’s grave will be made.

On Sept. 18, 2002, CIA director George Tenet briefed President Bush in the Oval Office on top-secret intelligence that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction, according to two former senior CIA officers. Bush dismissed as worthless this information from the Iraqi foreign minister, a member of Saddam’s inner circle, although it turned out to be accurate in every detail. Tenet never brought it up again.

In fairness, one must wonder whether or not this presentation was simply a “Here is the fringe reporting from the Iraqi minister, thought you’d like to know” or an unequivocal pronunciation of “innocence” for Hussein. I’m sure it’s accurate — namely, that Tenet briefed Bush on September eighteenth to let him know that top-secret intelligence indicates Saddam has no WMD — but is the conclusion true? Well, Saddam didn’t have WMD, but that’s not necessarily the issue. If the CIA knew and was unequivocally declaring that it knew to Bush, he’s got a problem. If it was saying, “Here’s another source,” then they’re not damned for that.

They get to go to hell for other reasons. Hey, they should be happy. At least they don’t have to ask for permission from the government to reincarnate, though I suppose that the Christian equivalent would be asking the government for permission to go to Heaven. Don’t know what I’m talking about?

In one of history’s more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is “an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.”

What a world we live in.

Arianna Huffington writes: In the Age of Terror, Isn’t Busting Toe-Tappers an Insane Use of Our Law Enforcement Resources?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wild about walking into a public restroom and seeing a couple using the a stall for something other than, as Sgt. Dave Karsnia, the arresting officer in the Craig case put it, “its intended use.” But that is not what Larry Craig did. If he had, someone in the restroom could have done what most people do when they see a law being broken: go get a cop. And as it happens, since Craig was arrested in an airport, presumably there were plenty of law enforcement officers nearby looking for, you know, real threats — like explosives or folks on a Watch List. Assuming, that is, they weren’t all hunkered down in other bathrooms across the airport, protecting the public against people who might be thinking about having sex.

Let me be clear: I’m no fan of Larry Craig. Indeed, I disagree with almost everything he stands for. And I’d much rather he not be in the United States Senate. But I’d also rather have had his exit be the result of his constituents voting on his ideas and policies, instead of a ridiculous sting operation in an airport bathroom.

You sure you don’t feel like that because your ex-husband was a closet Republican, Arianna? Remember that? And you didn’t care because he would let you run his campaign for the Senate on his behalf and he allowed you to debate his opponent for him, amIright? I think you’re projecting sweetheart. Let’s call it Freudian, eh? (Her criticism is weak, also, because there were definitely plenty of policemen to go around. The airport didn’t go unprotected because someone was in the bathroom waiting for someone looking for unprotected sex inside of a stall.)

According to Jeffrey Toobin’s latest book (The Nine, about the Supreme Court), David Souter really wasn’t happy about Bush v. Gore.

According to Jeffrey Toobin’s new book on the Supreme Court, Justice David Souter nearly resigned in the wake of Bush v. Gore, so distraught was he over the decision that effectively ended the Florida recount and installed George W. Bush as president. In “The Nine,” which goes on sale Sept. 18, Toobin writes that while the other justices tried to put the case behind them, “David Souter alone was shattered,” at times weeping when he thought of the case. “For many months, it was not at all clear whether he would remain as a justice,” Toobin continues. “That the Court met in a city he loathed made the decision even harder. At the urging of a handful of close friends, he decided to stay on, but his attitude toward the Court was never the same.”

I, for one, am happy that he didn’t resign as that would’ve led to yet another Republican appointment. Besides that, I admire David Souter. He’s a great Supreme Court Justice and he’s got a lot of personality. I do wonder how this entreaty upon the Court’s sovereignty affected his jurisprudence and while some might consider it blasphemy to suggest that Souter would respond to an intellectually bankrupt ruling by ruling opposed to conservatives in close cases, it’s a possibility. Would it make him less willing to work with Scalia or Thomas? I think so, but I’ll have to ask him sometime!

He is human, after all. And the human relationships on the Supreme Court are some of the most interesting relationships in all of America’s history.

Three congratulations are in order: first, to George W. Bush, for crying over casualties and planning a Freedom Thinktank after his Presidency. (Credit also goes to Robert Draper for writing Dead Certain, out tomorrow, about this White House.) Second congratulation goes to Piers Morgan, newspaper editor who mocked George W. Bush for falling off of a Segway and then fell off of one himself! And then there’s Pedro Martinez, who struck out his three thousandth batter today in his grand return from rotator cuff surgery.

Not much else for me to comment on today. Thought this was interesting.

The Chinese military hacked into a Pentagon computer network in June in the most successful cyber attack on the US defence department, say American ­officials. The Pentagon acknowledged shutting down part of a computer system serving the office of Robert Gates, defence secretary, but declined to say who it believed was behind the attack. Current and former officials have told the Financial Times an internal investigation has revealed that the incursion came from the People’s Liberation Army. One senior US official said the Pentagon had pinpointed the exact origins of the attack. Another person familiar with the event said there was a “very high level of confidence…trending towards total certainty” that the PLA was responsible. The defence ministry in Beijing declined to comment on Monday.

The Pentagon took down the network for more than a week while the attacks continued, and is to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis. “These are multiple wake-up calls stirring us to levels of more aggressive vigilance,” said Richard Lawless, the Pentagon’s top Asia official at the time of the attacks. The Pentagon is still investigating how much data was downloaded, but one person with knowledge of the attack said most of the information was probably “unclassified”. He said the event had forced officials to reconsider the kind of information they send over unsecured e-mail systems.

John Hamre, a Clinton-era deputy defence secretary involved with cyber security, said that while he had no knowledge of the June attack, criminal groups sometimes masked cyber attacks to make it appear they came from government computers in a particular country. The National Security Council said the White House had created a team of experts to consider whether the administration needed to restrict the use of BlackBerries because of concerns about cyber espionage.

“National security” begins at home. And no, that’s not a Nativist statement. It’s the truth.

Tony Snow has resigned his post as Press Secretary, effective September fourteenth. Can’t say I blame him!

Take a look at this, Dear Reader, and figure it out.

Iran’s president claimed Sunday that his country is now running 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium for its controversial nuclear program _ a long-sought Iranian goal. The claim contradicted a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Thursday that put the number much lower _ at close to 2,000. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said enrichment had slowed and Iran was cooperating with its nuclear probe, which could fend off calls for a third round of sanctions.

“The West thought the Iranian nation would give in after just a resolution, but now we have taken another step in the nuclear progress and launched more than 3,000 centrifuge machines, installing a new cascade every week,” Ahmadinejad told a group of students in remarks carried by the state television Web site. Iran previously announced operating 3,000 centrifuges in April, but the IAEA said at the time that Iran had only 328 centrifuges operating at its underground Natanz enrichment facility in central Iran.

In the latest report, drawn up by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, the organization put the number of centrifuges enriching uranium in Natanz at close to 2,000 with another 650 being tested. The 2,000 figure is an increase of a few hundred of the machines over May, when the IAEA last reported on Iran. Still the rate of expansion is much slower than a few months ago, when the country was assembling close to 200 centrifuges every two weeks.

First question: whose estimate do you believe? Second: is Iran trying to force the West into invading? (1. The CIA’s. Barring theirs, the UNs. 2. They might be trying to goad us into some sort of attack, but they know that they couldn’t handle an invasion.)

Final question (on a different note): “Is Fred Thompson Made of Presidential Material?” Yes, it’s about the Senator and actor. It asks if he has the hunger for the Presidency, because he’s so lazy and laid back.

Ronald Reagan, you’ve got a problem.

Senator Larry Craig has announced his intent to resign, effective September thirtieth. If you ask me, it’s a crazy thing to do if you did nothing wrong. Now I just wonder why he isn’t resigning effective immediately. Maybe he wants to meet up with the men in Washington he’s been involved with before, be it the oil executives who tickle his fancy on the campaign trail or the man he blows at Union Station, for one last go? “Perhaps he wants to give the Governor of Idaho sufficient time to appoint a replacement.” Anything’s possible, right?

The New York Times is running an article, today, about Condi Rice and her eventual return to Stanford University. I concur with the man who says she shouldn’t be welcomed back because the Administration has trampled over everything that higher education is about. That’s not what makes me mention the article. This is:

There was a time when, perhaps more than Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama, Condoleezza Rice seemed to have the best shot at becoming the first woman or the first African-American to be president. But that was before she sounded public alarms based on faulty intelligence to justify the Iraq war, telling CNN, “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.” It was before a former top Bush administration colleague, David Kay, charged with finding unconventional weapons after the Iraq invasion, referred to Ms. Rice in Bob Woodward’s “State of Denial” as “probably the worst national security adviser since the office was created.”

Who wrote that nonsense? Who genuinely believed that a woman lacking in practical, political charisma, who is a pro-choice pro-Affirmative Action black woman in a white male’s Republican Party could have a serious shot at a nomination, let alone the Presidency? These aren’t the Seventeen Nineties. You don’t win the Presidency from the Secretary of State’s Office and nobody ever has or ever will win the Presidency from the National Security Advisor’s position, whatever Dick Morris says be damned. He is not a serious political analyst.

I’ll be out tomorrow, Dear Reader. Family committment. Write you Monday.