On PDB Day, a New Direction against Terrorism? John Brennan's Coming Out Party?
Soft power is all well and good, provided the US is still capable of it. But if John Brennan is leading that effort, will it be legal, or will it be more abuse of power like the domestic surveillance program Brennan was intimately involved with?
Does Lanny Breuer Have a Conflict in the Cheney Interview FOIA Case?
Lanny Breuer provided John Kiriakou, who responded to Dick Cheney's inquiries at CIA about Joe Wilson, with at least $5000 of legal services. Doesn't that mean he probably shouldn't have been the guy at DOJ who submitted a declaration insisting on keeping Cheney's interview with Patrick Fitzgerald secret?
Mark Ambinder Thinks Granny "Really" Is a Clunker
There's a problem with Mark Ambinder's argument in favor of covering the Rent-a-Mobs. It suggests he believes that Granny really is going to be euthanized as a result of Obama's health care reform.
Cash for "Assembled in the USA" Program
Yesterday, I showed that the only "made in America" car (including engine and transmission) that would get someone trading in an Explorer the full $4500 Cash for Clunker benefit was a Ford Focus (though I shortchanged the Chevy Malibu and Saturn Aura, which are assembled in the US though may have an engine or transmission made in Canada or the US).
The point being that manufacturers don't make many efficient cars in
Why Not a Cash for Ford Focus Program?
Want to know why the Cash for Clunkers program wasn't the Cash for US vehicle program? Because you'd have to buy a Ford Focus.
Rosenberg Guilty of "Unnecessary Profanity" But Not Harassment
Ut oh. Carol Rosenberg said some bad words to Jeffrey Gordon. I hope she didn't say blowjob.
Why Can't CIA Handle the Same Level of Oversight the Military Gets?
Congress has managed to review all aspects of torture used in the military, with no untoward outcome. Yet CIA insists if the same happens for the torture used in the CIA, the sky will fall.
Greg Craig in Trouble ... But for What?
I've disliked Greg Craig since the time--before Obama was elected--he insulted our intelligence by suggesting Obama had flip-flopped on FISA because FISA (and not the odious Protect America Act) was expiring. But I'm worried that Greg Craig's job as White House Counsel may be in jeopardy for the wrong reasons.
Consumers Can't Save $750 by Driving a More Efficient Gun to Work
Everytime I do TV, there's one line I immediately wish I had used as soon as the opportunity passes, and that's the line I wish I had used to rebut Bob Franken's inane argument that we ought to replace the Cash for Clunkers program with the Gravy for Guns program. "Consumers can't save $750 a year driving a more efficient gun to work." I also wish I had had about 20
Is Robert "Gold Bars" Luskin Hoping for Real Estate in Antigua?
Allen Stanford found the perfect guy to defend him even though his prospects of payment are slim: Robert "Gold Bars" Luskin.
McCain Is A Clunker, Can I Trade Him In?
/
bmazJohn Sidney McCain III, the blue blooded husband of a beer heiress, who cannot remember how many houses he owns, has decided he will be the Republican face of opposition to continuance of the wildly successful Cash For Clunkers program.
Breaking! Crazy Pete Hoekstra Wants to Refuse New Jobs for Michiganders
Michiganders need jobs. Gitmo detainees need a new home. But Crazy Pete Hoekstra doesn't want to bring Gitmo's detainees to Michigan.
Lurita Doan: Still a Moron, Though Thankfully Not on Our Dime
Lurita Doan tries to lecture Henry Louis Gates, Jr. But she sounds just as stupid as she has always sounded.
The Stealing Wars: What's Good for Gawker Is Good for WaPo's Slate
Ian Shapria rightly complains that Gawker appropriated huge chunks of his work without practicing good linking etiquette. But he ironically links to Slate doing precisely what she complains Gawker is doing.
Army Responds to its Own Spy Program--by Investigating Lynndie England
The Army says it's going to respond to the infiltration of peace groups by several of its employees--by investigating just one fo them.
Leon Panetta Begs and Threatens for Consensus Rather than Oversight
Remember when the Obama Administration appealed to a "fundamental compact" between Congress and the Executive Branch when arguing the intelligence community didn't need more oversight? ("Fundamental compact, my ass," I thought was the best response.) Well, Leon Panetta's out with a similar appeal to inflated, but bogus, language in an attempt to avoid increased Congressional oversight.
Karl Rove: That's Why They Call It a Limited Hang-Out
Now why do you suppose Robert Luskin went to the trouble of orchestrating a limited hang-out in the NYT and WaPo yesterday?
Senator Al Franken!
Senator Al Franken has the proper manners of a party stalwart.
House Adds $2 Billion to Cash for Clunkers
The House just put another $2 billion into the wildly popular Cash for Clunkers program; presumably, the Senate will follow suit before they leave today.
From the comments made during the House discussion on this, it sounds like the program was wildly more successful than even reported yesterday--largely because (in spite of an arguably crappy design) it is working to do what it's supposed to: