American Politics Journal

Pundit Pap
for Sunday, May 21, 2006
Stick to Brahms, Condi!
by the Pundit Pap Team: Gene G | Leah | Xan

May 21, 2006 (correntewire.com / apj.us)— ... but first, a word from the chief bottle washer at APJ: it's time for everyone to bookmark http://www.correntewire.com – Corrente, the home of our favorite bloggers (and partners in "crime" against the corrupt media). They've upgraded to a new server and have upgraded everything, including comments (so do not forget to register.

And now, onto the Sabbath horror shows: much fun was to be had this particular Sunday. Veep-Shouldabeen John Edwards told George Stephanopoulos that George W. Bush is the worst president of his lifetime, worse even than Nixon – and Steph responded by asking, "Worse than Watergate?", which naturally betrayed the Conventional Press Wisdom that the high crimes and misdemeanors of the present occupants of the Executive Branch aren't half as bad as the cover-up of a bungled break-in. And of course Alberto Gonzales pretty much threatened to start arresting journalists who dare report news brought to them by federal whistle-blowers – in a creepy voice that is a little more than eerily reminiscent of beloved PBS kiddy-show host Fred Rogers.

Ah, but there was more. Much more...

—GG

Meet The Press
by Leah

Tim Russert Has at Condi; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) and Rep. Norwood (R) Have At Each Other

Am I the only one who has noticed the coiled tension that Madame Secretary Condoleezza Rice projects every minute of every public appearance?

Some of it is probably biographical; understandable, given the personal discipline it took to make possible the spectacular, upward incline of her career. But much of it, I suspect, is the tension of a practiced propagandist. Hers is not the nervous energy of a public spokesperson who wishes to communicate a complex truth she believes to be true. It is the iron discipline of a front-woman who knows what she has to do, and does it.

Which is to say, she was ready for Little Russ.

Their starting point was the "new" Iraqi cabinet, and the wonder of that national unity government; "democracy has broken out;" yes she actually said that.

Russert came back with a lengthy recent quote from John Murtha, describing the current situation in Iraq as worse than it was six months ago, with no plan on the part of this administration for any kind of real progress. Condi's response was to pretend that Murtha was attacking the Iraqi people, and as ever, she stuck up for them–yes, security is a problem, but the administration, and the international community will be sitting down with PM Maliki to discuss what can be done about the security situation, this said without the slightest embarrassment about the number of years the security crisis in Iraq has gone on, and on, and on; and then there was that perennial favorite–as Iraqis are able to take increasing responsibility, so shall we, the US be able to stand down. And yes, this was said with a straight face, if a tense straight face.

But what about those 2/3rds of America who have soured on our involvement in Iraq? Rice's answer–let's remember why we are in Iraq–suggested to me the administration isn't even trying to be persuasive anymore, at least in the short run–else why would Condi be asking us to ask ourselves a question the Bush administration itself has had such a difficult time answering.

Condi's answer–remember Saddam, a man who invaded, etc., who was very bad, etc., and who represented a destabilizing force in the "region." As opposed, say, to the Iraq of today? Then there's all that violence folks see daily on TV; heavens-to-Betsy, of course they're turned off. Patience is the key.

I hesitate to invoke Kabuki theatre; it's become a tired metaphor. Still, one can't help but be struck by the dispirited, by-rote, (though tensely dispirited and by-rote), tenor of Condi's defense of the Bush record in Iraq. It is the art of Kabuki that the actors can make these oft told tales, performed in the same style for centuries, alive in the moment. Condi has repeated this script about Iraq well beyond her capacity to make it seem anything beyond a tired performance. Yes, mistakes were made, misjudgments made, but so, too, were there mistaken suggestions made by others–like the one about Iraqis being incapable of Democracy, or the one about the need to go in with a big footprint and take total control of their government, suggestions not taken, so, please give us credit for that. Apparently, Secretary Rice has forgotten Viceroy Bremer's big knee-high leather boots.

I don't think I've ever seen Condi interviewed when she didn't get off at least one outrageous lie. This morning's finest example was in response to a quote Russert read from The Economist, which had supported the Iraqi invasion, but which last week accused the Bush administration of pretty much getting everything about and in Iraq wrong, and managing to betray American values in the bargain, at Abu Ghraib and at Guantánamo. Since a UN Committee had just this week released a report calling for Guantánamo's closure on the basis that it is a site of torture by the mere fact of the way it has imprisoned its inmates, Russert asked the administration's response.

Why, there's no one in the world who wants to be able to close Guantánamo more than the Bushies. But what are they to do with those dangerous terrorists, picked up on the battle field, who proclaim that they want nothing more than to be able to continue their jihad against the US? I don't think there's anything I find more shocking about this administration than the ubiquity of its lies, and the ease with which they tell them.

Here are a few facts about the 500 to 700 prisoners left at Guantánamo, as assembled by a group of law students at Seton Hall, using government records only: 55% of those prisoners are not accused of any hostile act towards this country, only of being members of suspicious groups; only 5% were even captured by US Forces, on or off a battlefield; only 8% are listed as "fighters." Some of them were detained because they were wearing Casio watches; I kid you not.

Seems to me there is one reason and one reason only for the refusal of this administration to either charge these prisoners or release them–fear of what will be found out about the idiocy and ineffectiveness of the entire Guantánamo operation. I'll have more to say about this study by those law students, and about other Voices of Guantánamo; check back Tuesday.

About Iran, Condi emphasized how strongly in step we are with the international community; if John Kerry had said similar things during the 2004 election a special campaign spot would have been made highlighting his words.

And finally came the topic of the NSA eavesdropping and the possible data-mining of telephone records of American citizens. Like General Hayden, Condi assured us that everything the President is doing is strictly legal, else it wouldn't be done. So much for checks and balances.

Here's an antidote to all the Bush-Cheney-Rice fear-mongering–this article by Robert Parry from which our "Thought For The Day" in the sidebar is taken.

The rest of Meet The Press was taken up with a discussion between two Republicans about the immigration issue. Senator Graham wants a comprehensive immigration reform bill that secures the border, but allows those among the undocumented who are already here to have a path to citizenship. Rep. Norwood wants border security, and for those 11 million aliens already here to be nudged to go home of their own accord. At first Graham and Norwood seemed miles apart; both insisted that they represented a majority opinion among Americans; both were sure that the other's position would doom the Republican party in the future. My impression–Senator Graham thinks a comprehensive immigration reform bill could revive the electoral prospects of Republicans. Norwood insisted that the House Republicans would never allow anything remotely resembling the Senate version of what Norwood sees as amnesty.

Norwood made several allusions to his own plan for nudging current illegal aliens back across the border–and when he spelled that out–an invitation issued to illegals to come in for a talk, maybe to be housed at Ellis Island, presumably in smaller groups than the whole 11 million, where they would be encouraged to go home, with the promise they could then get in line and wait their turn to get back into this country legally. Those who didn't accept such an invitation would have shown themselves to be undesirable–so who would mind if they were considered felons at that point.

Oddly, Norwood's discussion of this plan encouraged Graham to believe that their ideas were closer than would appear at first–and that now it was possible to have a real discussion within the Republican party.

Democrats were absent from this discussion, except when Russert mentioned Harry Reid's statement that something about that English-is-our-national-language resolution had a whiff of racism about it–which elicited from both Republicans a similarly snide grin, although Norwood, who hails from Georgia, was left to pronounce the shared judgment that Reid's was one of the stupidest statements ever heard in the long history of the world.

Don't let anyone get away with that bunk that Lindsey Graham is a centrist, ready to reach across party divisions, because he ain't; he's a modern right-wing Republican and he's a genuine pisser.

ABC ThisWeek With George Stephanopoulos
by Xan

AG Al Gonzales, John Edwards, and the Roundtable

I would like to thank the Associated Press for providing prompt coverage of the only important news from today's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday he believes journalists can be prosecuted for publishing classified information, citing an obligation to national security.

The nation's top law enforcer also said the government will not hesitate to track telephone calls made by reporters as part of a criminal leak investigation, but officials would not do so routinely and randomly.

> "There are some statutes on the book which, if you read the language carefully, would seem to indicate that that is a possibility," Gonzales said, referring to prosecutions. "We have an obligation to enforce those laws. We have an obligation to ensure that our national security is protected."

"Our" of course mean's "George Bush's and my" as the only security Speedy "Abu Al" Gonzales has any interest in protecting. This is probably the most dangerous man in Washington, America and possibly the world right now. He has the inestimable advantage of looking like a nice reasonable guy, unlike Cheney who looks like a just post-op Darth Vader and should really take up wearing a mask, and Bush who just looks like the brain-damaged cokehead twitch he is.

Gonzales just reasonably, politely, for our own good, repealed the First Amendment. Interestingly enough, the New York Times had this story up in their "AP/Reuters" down-page box barely half an hour after ThisWeek ended. It isn't there any more. And they don't have a story of their own up yet (as of circa noon CDT) despite the fact that their paper's name and employees were specifically cited by both George and Abu, er Al, as targets of this post-First Amendment prosecution. Way to go NYT.

John Edwards had some nice things to say about poverty, and even better things to say about why people should vote for Democrats this fall and in ‘08: At Least We'll Quit Making Things Worse. Frankly that's a slogan I can live with although it has the disadvantage of being the naked, honest truth, which does not seem in favor with the American populace at the moment if indeed it ever was.

FOX News Sunday
by Leah

Condi Again, John McCain (of course), and the Roundtablers

Condi was considerably more relaxed on FOX, although she said nothing that different than she did on Meet The Press. Iraq's new cabinet is a "new chapter" in something-or-other, so Condi wasn't the least concerned about the lack of agreement on a Minister of the Interior and one for Defense, the two key ministries for securing Iraq against sectarian violence; in fact, it shows the care of the new Prime Minister, who wants to get it right.

Chris Wallace quoted an LA Times report which talked about the stomach turning details of the sectarian violence to which Iraqi's are subject, none of which seemed to penetrate our Secretary of State's awareness, and certainly not her conscience. She's spoken with the new Iraqi P.M., who has made it clear that he is determined to use maximum force to restore civil order to his country. Oh, good. That should certainly work. And, as Condi pointed out, such focus and determination, (and implied violence but on the part of government) is what is required to reassure Iraqis and give them confidence in their own government.

What about a draw down of troops? Rumsfeld was right to say we can't give any assurances; it would be foolish to do so.

Next up, the UN Committee on Torture's report on Guantánamo. Condi thought it would be helpful if the committee had gone to Guantánamo; yeah, right, it's been such an open facility. Again, Condi reiterated that we don't wish to be the world's policeman; boy, could of fooled me. Again the lie that there is some real problem in knowing what to do with the prisoners there; "we have an obligation to keep all of us non-terrorist safe from Jihadis; we have to make sure they never have another chance to commit their dastardly deeds again. Might be nice if we figured out first which ones have actually committed anything, but then again, everything changed after 9/11; everything but the obdurate dishonesty and incompetence of this President and this presidency.

On Iran, Condi emphasized that the world is on our side, as well as what a bad government Iran is–gosh, they support terrorism, and want to destroy Israel. The one question that might be interesting to see Condi handle is the one question none of the Sunday gasbags will ever ask her, about the desire of Iran, right after the fall of Baghdad, to enter into unilateral negotiations with Washington to address all the outstanding conflicts between our two countries, including support of terrorism, the nuclear question, and Israel, an offer that was turned down cold by Washington. Oh, well.

About Mexico not liking the idea of militarizing the border, Condi's answer was to extol President Bush as the President with the best, most comprehensive immigration policy ever. Okay.

The interview concluded with the most shameless flattery for Condi–Wallace shilling for Condi, the concert pianist, who is determined to play Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto, which is surely one of the greatest of all concerti, and damn if she doesn't also like the classic rock of "Cream."

John McCain was up next; I almost don't have the energy to describe this interview. Was McCain selling out when he went to Liberty University? Do you care? I don't. Nothing was said about the New School. McCain does have the knack of sounding like an actual person, but I still think he's vulnerable on many issues. Immigration is probably not one of them, and he's anxious to see Republicans get the credit for comprehensive reform. On amending the constitution to define what marriage can be, he's against the amendment on the basis of state's rights; damn, couldn't he just say that it's inappropriate to stick something like that in the constitution; guess not. On the Guantánamo issue, McCain lacked any passion, which surprised me; he wanted to make sure everyone understood he didn't think any of these guys down there deserved a "fair trail," and that's the problem, we have to find a way to adjudicate their cases to move forward, but God forbid, not by treating them like they have any of the inalienable rights mentioned in our founding documents.

On Iraq, well, we can't afford to fail. To which I say, at what?

The All-Stars glittered next. Immigration–a good week for the Republicans, the President, and comprehensive reform–so agreed Brit, Mara and Bill. Juan Williams tried to bring up the issue of nativism, the animus towards Hispanics in particular, but the other three were having none of it.

On Iraq, Brit Hume was impressed about the way the Iraqis meet every new challenge laid down for them, elections, forming a government, despite the violence, maybe even because of the sectarian violence, i.e., they know they need us. Kristol felt that this was our big chance, once again, to save the whole mission, maybe even beef up our forces there, because defeating the insurgency will require our full participation. More troops–Juan's eyebrows seemed to be asking. Brit jumped in; don't need more troops, the Iraqis have shown that they can do all this democracy and governance stuff even in the midst of chaos, death, horror and destruction, so what's the problem, really?

If anyone doubts that the Iraqi people are nothing more nor less than props for a drama about American omnipotence, spend next Sunday with this group and see what you think.

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