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Yglesias

Liars

By ThinkProgress on Dec 22, 2007 at 10:17 am

Bush administration lies to 9/11 Commission, says it’s turned over all “documents,” “reports” and “information” related to the interrogation of al-Qaeda members while withholding videotapes:

Mr. Kean, a Republican and a former governor of New Jersey, said of the agency’s decision not to disclose the existence of the videotapes, “I don’t know whether that’s illegal or not, but it’s certainly wrong.” Mr. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, said that the C.I.A. “clearly obstructed” the commission’s investigation.

But look, people, get real: Al Gore said something that, if deliberately misconstrued, could be understood as claiming that he invented the internet. Think about it.

Yglesias

Newsesque

By ThinkProgress on Dec 22, 2007 at 10:13 am

Looks to me like it’s time for a blogger ethics panel:

“Did your local news recently do a two-minute clip on music copyright infringement? If so, you can thank the RIAA. They sent out a video press release to local news stations as part of their ‘holiday anti-piracy campaign.’ In it, they warn people that the best way to avoid counterfeit music is to avoid ‘compilation CDs that could only exist in the dreams of a music fan’ and to trust their ears, because illegally copied music usually sounds ‘atrocious.’ Instead, they encourage watchers to buy ringtones for Christmas.”

The hard-working, diligent reporters of America who shed light on the dark corners of the world’s most powerful institutions and let people know what’s really happening beyond the superficial flow of events deserve — and, I think, often receive — all the respect in the world. But the fact of the matter is that such work is a minority of what takes place under the banner of “journalism” in America.

Politics

Mitt’s Little Lies

By ThinkProgress on Dec 22, 2007 at 9:54 am

Michael Luo runs them down with admirable thoroughness for The New York Times. Obviously, this accumulation of fibs isn’t the biggest deal in the world. One suspects, however, that one reason the pile grows so large is that Mitt Romney’s fundamental approach to political self-presentation is so deeply dishonest — it’s in part a “what a tangled web we weave” phenomenon.

It’s also a bit sad that while George Romney didn’t march with MLK, he really was a pillar of moderate Republicanism and a staunch civil rights man. Romney, for a while, seemed like he was very much his father’s son. And one could imagine an alternate reality in which he took a tough stand and tried to use his influence to return the GOP to something more like George Romney’s political party. Instead, though, he decided to sell it all out and sign up for the party of gay-bashing and immigrant-hating and “no atheists allowed” and dim-witted idol worship like the Reagan zone of economic freedom.

Culture

Missing the Point

By ThinkProgress on Dec 22, 2007 at 9:09 am

Rihanna’s “Umbrella” is, it seems to me, a very sweet — almost treacly — song: “When the sun shines / We’ll shine together / Told you I’ll be here forever / Said I’ll always be your friend / Took an oath / I’mma stick it out ’till the end.” The video, not so much:

Just saying.

Politics

Review finds CIA withheld tapes from 9/11 Commission.

By Ali Frick on Dec 22, 2007 at 8:27 am

The New York Times reports that a “review of classified documents by former members of the Sept. 11 commission shows that the panel made repeated and detailed requests to the Central Intelligence Agency in 2003 and 2004 for documents and other information about” the interrogation of terrorist suspects:

In interviews this week, the two chairmen of the commission, Lee H. Hamilton and Thomas H. Kean, said their reading of the report had convinced them that the agency had made a conscious decision to impede the Sept. 11 commission’s inquiry. [...]

Mr. Kean, a Republican and a former governor of New Jersey, said of the agency’s decision not to disclose the existence of the videotapes, “I don’t know whether that’s illegal or not, but it’s certainly wrong.” Mr. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, said that the C.I.A. “clearly obstructed” the commission’s investigation.

On Wednesday, the Times revealed that at least four top White House lawyers, including Harriet Miers and Alberto Gonzales, had discussed with the CIA whether or not to destroy the tapes.

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