In a word, no. But since when have we had government officials that made decisions on behalf of the public interest, not to mention within the rule of law. They don’t even try to hide this stuff anymore. So Martin will look directly into the camera as he looks personally wounded at the suggestion, the merest suggestion, that a company would do anything other than act honorably. Then when (and if) any indictments come down, Martin will be shocked, shocked that anyone misused his well-intentioned rules.

Just as the Consumer Safety Board is shocked by lead in toys, or the FDA at drug recalls, or the Mine Safety folks at mine accidents. Who could possibly have known? We spend so much time contemplating the ways DoJ has been perverted, but it is a systemic problem. And I don’t see it going away anytime soon. Certainly not while the lobbyists and big campaign donors call the shots.

OPhred, you are absolutely right about the systemic corruption and evisceration. I can’t speak for others, but the reason I have always been so focused on the DOJ end of it is twofold. One, it is directly related to what I do and actually half know something tangible about; and, two, the DOJ is really the biggest correcting mechanism for ills in our government and society, so it kind of sits as the crowning glory on the pile of crap Bush/Cheney has turned our government into. To me, at least, that makes the DOJ the most important, in addition to the most symbolic, of the ills.

Sorry bmaz, didn’t mean to imply that I thought we were inappropriately focused — I quite agree, if we can’t get the legal system functioning properly everything else is entirely beside the point. I was just railing against the metastatic cancer that is eating away every agency we have. It’s an enormous problem. And this is why I get so torqued about Congress turning a blind eye to the Constitution and rule of law. If we have so utterly lost our grasp of the basic functions of government, how can we begin to address the operational aspects? It’s maddening. And everywhere you look corrupt officials forge ahead with their corrupt acts, because no one will hold them to account.

And Mad Dogs that’s exactly what I’m getting at, the DLC wing of the Democratic Party sees no problem with any of this, they just want to make sure they get in on the action. Which of course, brings me back to my favorite rant about campaign finance reform… Until we can change how elections are funded, our elected officials will continue to turn a deaf ear (goes with their blind eye) to their constituents. Meanwhile, they’ll keep telling us how horribly awful the world will be if we vote for the other party or worse vote for a third party, thereby handing victory to the evil other party. So the electorate will do their part to keep the whole system rolling along until it goes off the rails entirely.

Phred – I didn’t take it that way at all, and never any reason to apologize to me. I think you made a valid point; I was just kind of thinking aloud as to why it was true as to me personally. It is maddening and it is what drives me so crazy that there has been NO instance of substantive accountability. Not one. There is the Dukestir and Abramoff; but of the inner core that propagated and perpetuated this, they either remain untouched and effectively unscathed, or they slip away into the night like Rove, Gonzales, Goodling etc. I don’t get it. You would think that that the Dems would insist on headhunting for at least a sidekick as a show trophy to trot out as the patina of action; but they won’t even do that. I truly thought we were moving toward impeachment of Gonzales for a short while, when that slipped away without a fuss I think the only real chance of piercing their veil may have gone down the drain. I dunno.

Neil – I have been pondering the implications of the Regan bombshell since the second I saw it. It is fascinating. It has so many facets that touch on so many things on so many different levels. In that regard, it is somewhat similar to the Dan Rather lawsuit. Contra to Rather though, I think Regan can be made to go away with the right package offered up. I can’t really picture Ailes (assuming the ”executive” is indeed him) or Murdoch getting nicked. Hope I am wrong. You are right about Molly Ivins; but it didn’t even take that. Bush kept saying he was ”running on his record” from Texas. He didn’t have much of one, and what record he did have was pathetic and full of fraud. It was plain as day for anybody that took half a look; but since the media (except Ivins) generally refused to report on that, nobody did look or think.

bmaz, don’t be so down. Two good things led the news today. Krongard got caught in conflict of interest matters — Condi clearly has to arrange to get him removed as her inspector general — and the Regan story leads everywhere, largely because of the implied Sexual Arrangement at Hallowed Ground Zero with Kerik, but I suspect her tapes link to Ailes as well as to the mob, and at least Guiliani ought to have had the brains to figure that all out. In fact we have Guiliani recommending a mobbed up guy to head Homeland Security, and Bush going along with that idea until someone sat the idiot down and explained the facts of life to him.

Will there be acountability? of course there will be, and it will come next November. This is all about laying down all the chapters in the narrative. Before next November there will be a lollypop for everyone. (though I still wish that Guiliani had been strung up on the Alan Placka matter).

Bmaz.
there are days that are less worse than others. Today gave us Cookie crumbling and in response to a Republican representative, to boot and, although I can’t find it now, I am sure I saw an AP piece on the Feds closing in on Rep. Young of Alaska and Veco, which may not be news to readers of the Muck but is news for the MSM.
Oh yes, now the late hour is getting me silly:
If you follow men’s tennis, it was also betterer because somebody, a real ordinary tennis player, beat R. Federer.

Bmaz,

here’s the AP story, courtesy of TPM, of course.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/n….._corru.php

Well, Invited out for Thanksgiving, but my Grocery Delivery Service just sent me an E-Mail about a small turkey that has never been in a cage, only raised on pure organic stuff, lived in a small flock, to be delivered fresh killed, so sometime next weekend, I will fix a second feast. I am big on fixing the whole thing, and then putting it up in the freezer for next February and March, and then putting the remains in the Soup Pot, and extracting soup base. Remember, I am a tail end of the Depression kid who actually remembers FDR — and I learned from masters how to use everything and make it taste fantastic. Some folk like sports — for me, it is cooking. (Remember, I bought that super stove last year.)

Anyhow, we all need to be realists. We can’t expect the Bushie’s to indict and prosecute themselves — but what we can do is start asking our Democratic Candidates about what is tolerated, and what needs to be prosecuted. For instance, no one has yet asked a question about any of our candidate’s philosophy about military contractors, and whether they should be under normal military command and control. Should the CIA be outsourcing intelligence operations? How should black ops be audited? As of today’s hearings, we have yet another example of ”can’t remember” or ”never knew” — we should be asking whether appointees will be given memory tests before appointment, and held responsible for knowing what goes on in their domain. (Same questions need to be asked of House and Senate Candidates).

I doubt it will be settled quietly, if she doesn’t get what she want, it’s gonna be a long drawn out trial. How fun.

hey, we got real problems now

remember when the bushies used to ”create their own reality” ???

well, it seems that reality found out the repuglicans were cheating on her, and she bit the repuglicans in the ass BIG TIME

all over the front page of the ny times

Several senior administration officials said that with each day that passed, more administration officials were coming around to the belief that General Musharraf’s days in power were numbered and that the United States should begin considering contingency plans, including reaching out to Pakistan’s generals.

IT’S nice to know that reality can still intrude into the bushworld, and I guess that I should be happy that somebody finally thought of this OBVIOUS FACT …

but somehow I suspect that we’ll soon hear that instability in Pakistan is just another reason to attack Iran

I think george bush’s legacy just got butt fucked by history, but the repuglicans ain’t figured that out yet

so what do we do now ???

Bmaz, good morning
As a newbee here, I am always amaz-ed when I get B-mazed, that’s in my house, getting an response to my response from my most admired Bmaz.

Hope your day today is a-mazing.

And you are right about Federer. I admit to wanting an opportunity to insert my effort at being Odgen Nash (if anyone remembers his poems), with the betterer/Federer. But I like change in my champions and seeing the previously defeated have a chance.

My BlueState being the Bay State, rooting for the previously defeated comes with the territory. Or used to until recently.

bmaz, If Regan has this tape that corp leaders told her to lie to officals doing an investigation, why have those officals not indicted the corp heads? Is there something I missed did they not thwart a criminal investigation? Maybe my mind is too simplistic, or ignorant of how the law works.

xenos – Regan’s complaint was (wisely I might add) filed in New York State court as opposed to Federal District Court. I have never been in a NY state court and have no clue what the local rules and practice in on intervenors. I would assume that, like most jurisdictions, third party intervenors are discouraged; which is as it should be. You don’t want every Tom, Dick and Harry out there getting involved in every suit that comes into court. Bottom line, you would have to have an awfully compelling interest to intervene, and I am having a hard time picturing what and who that would be. The government, through law enforcement with jurisdiction, doesn’t need to intervene to seize the evidence if they are so inclined. The court itself might (I emphasize might) could order the evidence impounded, but I find it unlikely even if possible.

Darclay – I have no idea exactly how this obstruction/suborning perjury situation played out; i.e. what interaction Regan has had with the DOJ on the News Corp. crimes as opposed to the underlying Kerik investigation. It may be the DOJ/FBI is learning of this part of the story, and apparently tapes of some kind, for the first time with the rest of us; they may already have known since talking to Regan about Kerik, we just don’t know. One way or another, they kind of have to look at it now; it will be interesting to see how that goes….

Thinking about this last night, It occurred to me that someone currently running against Guiliani might have standing to go to the FEC on the grounds that Newscorps policy, and Ailes/Fox execution of it, is an unfair and unreported campaign contribution. More than that, it appears to be a Corporate Contribution, not cleaned up as having come from an Executive or a political PAC. KO had another piece of it tonight — apparently Newscorps hired Guiliani to lobby for them, a sort of no appearance job, for which they paid big fees.

I think anyone could make such a complaint — but it would be nice if a good campaign outfit were to explore taking it up. CREW anyone?