Treating Bush's nominees with the same respect they treated Clinton's

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the State Bar of Texas requesting an investigation into misrepresentations White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales made in a written response to a question posed to him by the Senate Judiciary Committee which is considering Gonzales’s nomination for Attorney General.

The complaint alleges that Gonzales inaccurately portrayed his role in appearing before a Texas court when President Bush, then Governor of Texas, was summoned for jury duty. Gonzales has claimed that although he appeared in court with the Governor, he merely observed the defense counsel make a motion to strike the Governor from the jury panel and then when asked by the Judge whether the Governor had any views on this, replied that he did not.

In marked contrast, Michael Isikoff, reporting for Newseek, has written that the defense lawyer, prosecutor and judge involved in the case all recall the incident differently. In their version, Gonzales asked to have an off-the-record conference in the judge’s chambers where Gonzales then asked the judge, David Crain, to strike Mr. Bush from the jury, arguing that the Governor might one day be asked to pardon the defendant. Isikoff writes that Judge Crain found Gonzales’s argument “extremely unlikely” but out of deference, agreed to allow the motion to strike, which the defense lawyer then made.

Gonzales knew Bush had a DUI conviction and tried to use it to get Bush out of jury duty based on the conviction. He then denied ever having made that statement when questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Eternal September is over

AOL plans to cancel September. Millions of usenet denizens celebrate.

America Online has quietly announced that it will discontinue providing member access to Usenet newsgroups next month. In recent days, AOL subscribers who access keyword "Newsgroups" are greeted with a pop-up message informing them of the change: "Please Note: The AOL Newsgroup service will be discontinued in early 2005."

So, this isn't looking like a good day

I just found out that the job I had lined up in NYC vanished. ANyone know of any good employment prospects for me there? I'm willing to do just about anything. I'm hoping to do something customer service/admin oriented. If you want my resume, give me a call or email, or reply to this comment.

Iraqi human rights minister claims Iraq is a "violent society". Um, this is news?

Iraqi human rights minister Bakhtiar Amin said on Tuesday that his government was trying to eliminate the "terrible legacy" of police brutality and torture, but is hampered both by a violent society and the urgent need to get a police force on the ground to fight a growing insurgency.

How can the US support human rights in Iraq if we're trying to support the right of our interrogators to use torture?

Also

Iraqi authorities routinely torture prisoners, a leading human rights group says, citing examples of abuse which will sound all too familiar to those who suffered under Saddam Hussein.

Prisoners have been beaten with cables and hosepipes, and suffered electric shocks to their earlobes and genitals, the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. Some have been starved of food and water and crammed into standing-room only cells.

So. This is democracy in the Middle East. I can tell that Iraqis must be looking forward to being tortured in the name of democracy. After all, if you're being tortured by a democraticaly elected government, you get to choose who tortures you.

Life is skittles, life is beer

I just had a job interview with people in the NY office for American Lawyer Media. Customer service, the same pay I'm making now (unless I ask for more, which I will) With benefits.

Go me!

A thousand little Mai Lais in Iraq

Army personnel have admitted to beating or threatening to kill Iraqi detainees and stealing money from Iraqi civilians but have not been charged with criminal conduct, according to newly released Army documents.

Only a handful of the 54 investigations of alleged detainee abuse and other illicit activities detailed in the documents led to recommended penalties as severe as a court-martial or discharge from military service. Most led to administrative fines or simply withered because investigators could not find victims or evidence.

[...]

An officer in the 20th Field Artillery Battalion deployed in Taji, for example, was given an unspecified nonjudicial punishment and fined $2,500 after he admitted to threatening to kill an Iraqi, firing a pistol next to the man's head, placing the man's head in a barrel, and watching as members of his unit pummeled the man's chest and face.

One of those who administered the beating told investigators that the officer "had given us a talk about how some circumstances bring about extra force." Another said the officer told them after it was over: "This night stays within" the unit. "We all gave a hooah" before parting, the soldier said. The document indicates that four soldiers received suspended nonjudicial punishments and small fines, while a decision on a fifth soldier was pending.

A few bad apples? Boys will be boys? War is hell? Fraternity pranks? Bringing this up hurts the troops? Why can't you people focus on positive things?

What's the new excuse going to be?

"Oh shit. We didn't really mean it!"

So, hree's my commentary on the Presidential inauguration speech:

The best thing the left can do is to start talking to as many dissidents in nations like CHina, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Russia. We can bring them to America, give them huge podiums, and le tthem make a case to the American people, and most of all to President Bush.

We can hold him to his promise loudly, and without shutting up. I call it political judo.

If the man promises he'll focus on ending tyrany, hit him where he's weakest. In his integrity. If he ignores or tries to silence dissent from other nations, the American people will see him as a hypocrite. If he suddenly hsa to deal with pople like the House of Saud threatening him because of his support of secular dissidents in Saudi Arabia, Russia and China, and he stands up to them, everybody wins.

Seriously. We can't loose on this issue.

Did the Bush campaign pay bloggers to pustch promote a political agenda?

Well known anti-SSM (and anti-gay) blogger Maggie Gallhager got paid over $20,000 from the Bush Administration

The Daily Kos blog mentioned prominently that he was a paid consultant for the Dean campaign. Gallhagers blog Marriagedebate.com has no mention of being paid by the government.

For gridlore

Uber cool Milblog. OK, so it's an Tanker blog. But still, you might enjoy reading these guys going on about how incredibly cool it is to blow shit up.

Virginia is for haters

Coded anti-gay message propsed on official Virginia plates

Hat ip to docwebster