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News of the Week in Review
When you post once a week, the outrages build up. So do the emails: 'Swami, what do you think about Harriet Miers?' 'Do you think Patrick Fitzgerald went far enough?' 'What about Iraq?' 'And Samuel Alito?'
Like you, I have opinions on all those topics. Here they are, briefly:
Harriet Miers: Not qualified. But that wasn't why Bush pulled her out. A better reason: She was very possibly tainted by some Texas Lottery business that might have allowed a guy to testify who had something to say about Bush's sweetheart relationship with the Air National Guard. (Sounds like a stretch, but this is Texas.) Which could have reminded us what a Favorite Son our President is. Which is worse than a case of cronyism, no planning and executive contempt for the citizenry--hey, that's just another day in our White House.
Patrick Fitzgerald: Astute lawyer, great performance. The spin doctors are throwing sand in our eyes the way Libby tried to throw sand in Fitzgerald's, but it's really pretty simple: The prosecutor couldn't find the crime because the lies were so thick, so he brought indictments only on the lies. A solemn, sad day for our country, no matter the outcome: In a time of war, one of the highest officials in the land is accused of committing treason. A random thought kept popping into my head: Tony Blair staked his reputation on these crooks?
Iraq: Bad and getting worse. The Financial Times cites a report from Stuart Bowen, the special U.S. inspector-general for Iraq reconstruction: We entered the war with no real plan to rebuild Iraq. Makes everything that follows tragically predictable. I know there are Republicans out there who voted for Bush and may even now support the war; outside of the wingnuts, why do we never hear from them?
Samuel Alito: This is all you need to know: In Doe v. Groody, Alito argued that police officers didn't violate the constitutional rights of a mother and her ten-year-old daughter when they strip-searched these females while carrying out a search warrant that only authorized the search of a man and his home.
Like you, I have opinions on all those topics. Here they are, briefly:
Harriet Miers: Not qualified. But that wasn't why Bush pulled her out. A better reason: She was very possibly tainted by some Texas Lottery business that might have allowed a guy to testify who had something to say about Bush's sweetheart relationship with the Air National Guard. (Sounds like a stretch, but this is Texas.) Which could have reminded us what a Favorite Son our President is. Which is worse than a case of cronyism, no planning and executive contempt for the citizenry--hey, that's just another day in our White House.
Patrick Fitzgerald: Astute lawyer, great performance. The spin doctors are throwing sand in our eyes the way Libby tried to throw sand in Fitzgerald's, but it's really pretty simple: The prosecutor couldn't find the crime because the lies were so thick, so he brought indictments only on the lies. A solemn, sad day for our country, no matter the outcome: In a time of war, one of the highest officials in the land is accused of committing treason. A random thought kept popping into my head: Tony Blair staked his reputation on these crooks?
Iraq: Bad and getting worse. The Financial Times cites a report from Stuart Bowen, the special U.S. inspector-general for Iraq reconstruction: We entered the war with no real plan to rebuild Iraq. Makes everything that follows tragically predictable. I know there are Republicans out there who voted for Bush and may even now support the war; outside of the wingnuts, why do we never hear from them?
Samuel Alito: This is all you need to know: In Doe v. Groody, Alito argued that police officers didn't violate the constitutional rights of a mother and her ten-year-old daughter when they strip-searched these females while carrying out a search warrant that only authorized the search of a man and his home.
