Media Matters writes: “Before the November 2006 midterm elections, NBC News political director Chuck Todd predicted several times that if the Democrats won ‘control of Congress’ and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became speaker of the House, then President Bush’s ‘approval rating will be over 50 percent by the Fourth of July next year.’ … Will NBC News question Todd about his inaccurate prediction?”
UPDATE: MissLaura has more.
Shockingly enough, there continues to be a substantial quality control problem with the blogging that occurs under The New Republic‘s banner written by the magazine’s editor in chief. Today, for example, we learn this remarkable series of facts about the trial of Scooter Libby:
It was from the beginning a politically motivated case, as Dershowitz argues in this morning’s Post, the appointment of the special prosecutor, the prosecutor’s own obsessions, the case itself with the doubtful and understandably doubtful but diverse memories of many witnesses, including the defendant, the especially harsh sentence pronounced by the judge, the refusal of the appellate court to continue Libby on bail -all of these were politically motivated. And, thus, in and of themselves, unjust.
The prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, became a US Attorney when appointed to that post by George W. Bush on the advice of the Republican Senator from Illinois. The decision to name a special prosecutor was made by James Comey, who was appointed by George W. Bush to be a US Attorney and then appointed by George W. Bush to be Deputy Attorney General. Fitzgerald made the decision to prosecute. The jury undoubtedly had members of both political parties. The judge who offered the “especially harsh sentence” (actually: a sentence in line with federal sentencing guidelines) was appointed to his seat on the federal bench by . . . George W. Bush. The appellate court that unanimously rejected Libby’s claims contains — at last! — a Democratic appointee. And also two Republicans.
This is the kind of patently absurd statement you expect to see published when the author of the statement, say, owns the publication in which it appears. Given that that’s not the case, the existence of this paragraph is somewhat puzzling.
UPDATE: I see Andrew beat me to this.
Earlier today, Brazilian authorities “obtained a court injunction suspending the Live Earth show in Rio de Janeiro on concerns about security.” But Brazilian judge Denise Tarin has “revoked her own injunction,” meaning that the only free concert in the Live Earth series is back on. Take the Live Earth Pledge HERE.
Pete Domenici comes out in favor of his own re-election campaign:
I have carefully studied the Iraq situation, and believe we cannot continue asking our troops to sacrifice indefinitely while the Iraqi government is not making measurable progress to move its country forward. I do not support an immediate withdrawal from Iraq or a reduction in funding for our troops. But I do support a new strategy that will move our troops out of combat operations and on the path to coming home.
When Domenici starts voting with Democrats to override presidential vetos, then we can start discussing whether or not he deserves any kind of credit for a deathbed conversion.
Or was there a story early today about Hillary Clinton’s campaign trumpeting her endorsement by failed minority leader and current corporate lobbyist Dick Gephardt?
Gen. William Odom, the former head of the National Security Agency under President Reagan, writes that Congress should begin cutting off funds for Iraq and must force Bush to begin a withdrawal before he leaves office:
To force him to begin a withdrawal before then, the first step should be to rally the public by providing an honest and candid definition of what “supporting the troops” really means and pointing out who is and who is not supporting our troops at war. The next step should be a flat refusal to appropriate money for to be used in Iraq for anything but withdrawal operations with a clear deadline for completion.
The final step should be to put that president on notice that if ignores this legislative action and tries to extort Congress into providing funds by keeping U.S. forces in peril, impeachment proceeding will proceed in the House of Representatives. Such presidential behavior surely would constitute the “high crime” of squandering the lives of soldiers and Marines for his own personal interest.
On Tuesday, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani said President Bush’s decision to commute former Cheney aide “Scooter” Libby’s 2 1/2 year sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice was “reasonable” and “correct,” despite the fact that the president “quickly made the decision” without consulting the Justice Department or the pardon attorney.
Giuliani hasn’t always believed that such a hasty process was “reasonable” for executive clemency. In 1982, when he was an assistant attorney general in the Reagan DoJ, Giuliani said clemency entailed “a complex, yearlong procedure“:
According to Associate Attorney General Rudolph W. Giuliani, executive clemency involves a great number of people and a complex, yearlong procedure. Every request is subject to a detailed inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which conducts as many as 50 interviews to flesh out each application. That background investigation is as comprehensive as any the bureau conducts on a prospective United States Attorney, Mr. Giuliani said.
The case is next studied by the pardon attorney, who makes a judgment that Mr. Giuliani reviews. His judgment, in turn, goes to Fred Fielding, the White House counsel who re-examines the files and makes his own judgment. Then, according to Mr. Fielding, every request is presented to the President for his concurrence.
In 1982, Giuliani also said that remorse was important for bestowing clemancy. “We also look at the reason for the request and a recognition that the person knows he’s done something wrong,” said Giuliani. In fact, Giuliani even “recommended that the President deny the request of an embezzler who insisted he had committed no crime.”
In 2001, while castigating former President Bill Clinton for pardoning financier Marc Rich, Giuliani said it was important to confer with prosecutors before offering executive clemency:
The op-ed piece in The New York Times raises more questions than it answers. He’s left out the trading with Iraq. Somehow he thinks that a pardon is now intended to determine whether indictments are wrongful enough. But he doesn’t talk to the prosecutor, just the defense lawyers. [Marketplace Morning Report, 2/19/01]
Libby never admitted any guilt nor did Bush consult special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald prior to issuing his commutation. But that didn’t stop Giuliani from ignoring his previous standards and concluding that President Bush acted properly.
UPDATE: Giuliani on Larry King Live in 2001:
I think the questions the former president has created here put in doubt the pardon process, and it’s not just — you’re focusing on the Marc Rich part. He did about 50 that he didn’t run through the Justice Department.
Bush didn’t run the Libby commutation through the Justice Department either.
Via Tom Lee, I learn that Pirate Bay is responsible for half of all BitTorrent traffic. I suspect that this isn’t helpful in convincing anyone that BitTorrent technology has substantial non-infringing uses (though it certainly does), or — perhaps more importantly — that the entire “piracy” conceptualization of copyright infringement is badly flawed.
The Olympian in Olympia, WA, “a McClatchy newspaper with a heavy military presence in its circulation area,” came out strongly for withdrawal from Iraq yesterday. The paper, located near Fort Lewis, “which has sent tens of thousands of troops to Iraq,” including 134 who have died there, concluded that the war “isn’t worth a single more American life.”
… you can see it streaming at www.LiveEarth.MSN.com.
… or watch three hours of primetime coverage, live and taped, from Giants Stadium on NBC, which “will feature some of the day’s highlights from around the world as well as live performances by the Police and others.”
… or “Bravo will carry 18 hours of the U.S. concert and highlights from the others … from 8 a.m. EDT Saturday to 2 a.m. EDT Sunday.”
… or “Sundance Channel and Universal HD plan 22 hours of live coverage from 4 a.m. EDT — when Live Earth kicks off in Sydney — through 2 a.m. EDT Sunday.”
… or “CNBC has seven hours beginning 7 p.m.”
… and whatever you do, check out commentary all day Saturday right here at Climate Progress!
Powered by NewsWhip
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
About ThinkProgress | Contact Us | Donate
