On Sunday, Alex Gibney won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for his work directing “Taxi to the Dark Side,” which investigated the Bush administration’s interrogation practices. Gibney’s next project — due out later this year — is a documentary on the Abramoff scandal, including Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) role. “Interestingly enough, not many politicians went on the record,” Gibney sarcastically added.

Apparently the pre-spinning has begun as to why Texas doesn’t count. Probably not a good sign for Clinton’s fortunes in the Lone Star State.

Speaking before the Republican Governors Association yesterday, President Bush took a moment to predict the future, claiming Americans will ultimately be thankful for his foreign policy decisions:

I believe 50 years from now, people will look back at this period of time, and say, thank God the United States of America did not lose its faith in the transformative power of liberty to bring the peace we want for our children and our grandchildren.

The notion of the public thanking the almighty for Iraq is becoming increasingly popular with Bush cronies. Karl Rove said last week, “I think that people will look back at the Iraq war and say ‘Thank God, he [Bush] had the courage to do what he did.’”

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During today’s White House press briefing, spokeswoman Dana Perino announced that the Bush administration will be holding a “background briefing” on wiretapping this afternoon. Resisting their calls to have the briefing on the record, Perino claimed that it was for reporters to “understand the complexities of the issue and where we stand.”

The briefing, however, seems intended to brainwash reporters with White House talking points, rather than clear up any so-called “confusion.” Reporters quickly said that they are “quite clear” on the White House’s positions and the facts. Perino then snidely replied, “I don’t think so.” From today’s exchange:

QUESTION: I mean, the president’s made quite clear his position on retroactive liability and so on and so forth. I mean, what specifically is the point of confusion that you might be trying to address?

PERINO: I could go back to yesterday’s transcript. … There’s confusion as to what — what are the implications and the consequences of not having the Protect America Act. [...]

QUESTION: What’s the big mystery here? Don’t we know what this is about?

PERINO: From where I stand and the questions that I get, no. I don’t think so.

Watch it:

Perino pointed to the transcript of yesterday’s briefing as evidence of the reporters’ ignorance. The only one who appeared confused by the facts, however, was Perino.

Yesterday, Perino repeatedly claimed that because Congress refused to pass the administration’s version of the Protect America Act, U.S. intelligence collection was impaired. One reporter pointed out, “You’re still collecting intelligence.” Another charged that the government’s wiretap orders will last until at least August. Someone else stated that new targets can be pursued “as long as you come back within three days and get a warrant under FISA.”

Perino eventually gave up and responded with equivocations such as, “I’m not a lawyer” and “It’s a little bit more complex than that.” Seems like she’s the one who needs the “background briefing.”

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Transcript: Read more

The Washington Times ran a front page article today headlined “Military fears ‘unknown quantity,’” attacking Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) “commander-in-chief qualifications.” The Times’s only sources for those in the “military” who fear Obama, however, include a “retired Air Force Lieutenant General who doubles as a Fox News analyst,” a unnamed “senior Pentagon official,” and a defense “industry executive“:

“We’re very concerned about his apparent lack of understanding on the threat of radical Islam to the United States,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, who is pro-Iraq war and a Fox News analyst. “A lot of retired senior officers feel the same way.”[...]

A senior Pentagon official said an Obama swearing-in “will give the Arab street the final victory, the best optics, and the ultimate in bragging rights. They win. We lose.” [...]

“We’ve got some trepidation. There is no track record,” said an industry executive of the first-term senator. “He’s an unknown quantity and that scares us a little bit.”

TPM’s Greg Sargent asks: “Is it really possible that such gutter journalism tactics would be signed off on by such a great journalist, as Beltway types keep calling [John] Solomon?