by Deb Cupples | It's nice to see people from so-called "opposite" political camps coming together on an issue. Now, if it would only happen a bit more often.
Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher actually co-signed a letter with Grover Norquist, calling for "an investigation into Rahm Emanuel’s activities at Freddie Mac, and the White House’s blocking of an Inspector General who would look into it."
You can see the letter here. by Deb Cupples | I know, you know, we all know that Rupert Murdoch's Fox is all about editorializing, not reporting news.
More accurately, the folks tend to selectively report news items so as to support certain people's political (and personal-financial) agendas. If selective reporting (or omissions) won't work, the folks at Fox tend to spin facts or outright lie in order to promote their financial backers' agendas.
Mr. Murdoch has a constitutional right to editorialize -- and onlookers have a right to point out that Fox is editorializing.
All that said, a White House spokesperson has said it publicly, according to The Politico:
Continue reading "White House Says Fox Isn't Really News: Duhhhhh!" »
"It was a failure of oversight by Treasury" that led to the spring's bonus fiasco, watchdog Neil Barofsky told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee this morning, a failure for which he said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was ultimately responsible.
Treasury essentially abdicated its oversight duties of AIG's compensation structures to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which was "a recipe for disastrous consequences," said Barofsky...Ultimately, Geithner did not learn about the bonuses until March 10, three days before they were paid out, despite running the Treasury Department since January and, before that, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where officials knew about the payments last November. At that time, both parties agreed that there was no legal grounds to stop the payments, a correct determination, according to Barofsky. (ABC News)
by bartleby the scrivener | Digby sums it up: "It looks like the hissy purges have begun."
Van Jones, founder of "Color of Change," helped lead what we all know was a successful charge against Glenn Beck for racist statements about Obama. Following a series of "inflammatory" statements about Republicans made after the GOP's far right minions mounted a smear campaign against him, he is now resigning. And I guess his statements were inflammatory: it's very impolite -- and even cruel -- to call members of the GOP "assholes" when it's clear they can't help it. .
Republicans objected to his "coarse views and extremist rhetoric." In this country, inflammatory statements and "coarse rhetoric and extremist views" are the exclusive property of the GOP, and they're not going to stand by quietly while a Dem trespasses on their territory.
by bartleby the scrivener | So says Anthony Cordesman, senior advisor to Gen. Stanley McChrystal.(ToL) From the Times of London:
"“Nato must change its strategy and tactics after years in which member countries, particularly the United States, failed to react to the seriousness of the emerging insurgency,” he added." (Times of London)
WaPo has more on the expected "long-term, costly effort." At Newshoggers, Steve Hynd asks: "Can everyone say "mission creep?'" Michael Cohen agrees. "If McChrystal is listening to...Cordesman - and if the President is listening to McChrystal -- we are going to be in Afghanistan for not years, but potentially decades." That's right. As Cohen points out, Sir David Richards, the incoming head of the British army, is predicting 40 MORE YEARS in Afghanistan.
by bartleby the scrivener | A bipartisan group of senators, led by Max Baucus, is all set to exclude "a government-run insurance option from the committee’s draft legislation that could be marked up next week." (The Hill) For some reason, Baucus et al. are more worried about attracting Republican support than coming together with their fellow Dems to give US taxpayers the cheaper health care we urgently need. Why is that, hmmmm? Why is that?
The Washington Post points out that the final product of this bipartisan cabal will shed many of Obama's priorities and make hash of many of his promises. (WaPo)
by Damozel | So much for that promise.
The Obama administration's task force on Guantanamo detentions has requested, and been granted, a six-month extension to "flesh out" its plans for closing Gitmo. (CNN) The interrogation task force got a two-month extension. Civil libertarian and attorney Jonathan Turley sums up pretty well the thoughts of this progressive.
Continue reading "Not the President, but the Policy: Obama Administration Blows Gitmo Deadline" »
by Bartleby the Scrivener | The allegedly toothless CIA program for assassinating Al Qaeda leaders wherever they could be found was apparently on the point of growing fangs at the time Panetta pulled it, according to this Washington Post article.
by bartleby the scrivener| AIG wants to give giant bonuses to its executives -- because there's just no way its executives are getting as much out of showing up for work as they expected (or deserve). The Washington Post reports:
The troubled insurance giant has been pressing the federal government to bless the payments in hopes of shielding itself from renewed public outrage.... The request puts the administration's new compensation czar on the spot by seeking his opinion about bonuses that were promised long before he took his post. (WaPo)
As Truthdig observes: "The closest we’ve come to a pitchfork moment in this whole economic crisis was the last time AIG tried to shower its employees with bonuses. You may recall that the financial giant was rewarded with $180 billion in federal funds after losing more money than any company ever did before and helping to ruin the world economy. "
by Damozel | Goolsbee, economic adviser, wants you to know that we're going to end up in a happy place economically. Obama "has taken responsibility" and is "going to fix things." Yay! Stephen just wants to know if Goolsbee's arm is tired from throwing money at problems. After the jump....
Tragic story after the jump of one very elderly man's vendetta....somehow attributed to "the Obama effect." Grief and shock ensue.
"Terribly impressed....the whole package." Also: "Government Motors." Why is the CEO smiling? After the jump:
