Hey Frankie,Your comments about journalist access reminded me of a recent Lefsetz letter about the Geffen/Clinton/Obama mudslinging:----------"In other words, Maureen Dowd doesn't know how the game is played, she's got no EXPERTISE! She gave David Geffen an open forum, not realizing where he was coming from and what he wanted to accomplish. David Geffen charmed and manipulated Maureen Dowd and she had NO IDEA! She just thought she had a scoop, and was thrilled to evidence her access.They don't give you access unless they want something. That's Entertainment Business 101. They're not really your friend, they're not doing you a favor, they're serving THEIR OWN NEEDS!"http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2007/02/26/the-geffen-flap/

That is indeed one fo the definitions of stupid. An inability to learn from one's mistakes.This morning Chalmers Johnson, author of among other works the book BLOWBACK, discussed that ever since the creation of the CIA and its clandestine army, not one president has failed to use this clandestine capacity. Each time that dirty tricks have been used, sooner or later they've blown back to the US. Originally blowback referred only to disinformation campaigns that would end up in US media. Disinformation now appears to be par of the course for the current Administration with the sycophantic media more than willing to play along.Why? For access. In its best light, this play for access is described as part of the job, almost a payment that the journalist has to make. And that is in its best light. In a different light, one could see this quest for access as a gradual co-optation in which one is a willing player, part of an inside group of "those who know." Quite insiduous in Washington but not exclusive to it; much more of a universal phenomenon that any of us would like to admit. You can see it in any playground.

Ok, WHAT was that thing I heard about "doomed to repeat it..." Holy #%$ this Admin is STUPID:http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070305fa_fact_hersh"To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda."Yea, you read that right.

I hadn't checked out the links from the lyrics in that song before. That Meatrix site is pretty scary.

In the meantime, we think "Mad Cow" should be the anthem of all activism.It's Blowback's contribution to the unified field theory as applied to activism.

Seems like Blowback's everywhere these days..."The latest example of blowback from the Bush administration’s cynical hypocrisy and bad judgment was the fall of Prime Minister Romano Prodi’s government in Italy over keeping troops in Afghanistan."http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17302110/site/newsweek/page/2/

"Cheney's Notes Implicate Bush"http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013107Z.shtmlThis may be why Libby and Cheney didn't testify, as previously expected. But even if Libby's convicted of lying, what's the most that could happen to him? Six months at a country club and a pardon just before Bush leaves office? Yeah, I know Clinton set the record for pardons. Maybe both the grand jury system AND executive clemency need major changes.

Closing arguments on Scooter Libby today.None of his Republican defenders seem to care that President Bush said that whoever leaked the identity would be punished - nor that the law was pushed through by the other President Bush.Granted, the trial is not about the leak but about obstruction of justice, i.e. lying to a grand jury.Must say, i have mixed feelings baout grand juries. I had heard somehwere that one cannot plead the 5th amendment when called before a grand jury. Seems kind of fascist if that's true.And what about Kosovo? Did anyone read "A New Generation Draws the Line"? I thought it made an interesting case against the NATO bombing.

This is a bit off-topic, but should be of interest to any aging punk rockers out there. I recently learned of an online comic called "Nothing Nice To Say," which claims to be the first online punk comic. Apparently it's been published off and on since 2002. It's pretty funny, with characters who'll remind you of people you've known or maybe even yourself. The archive is at:http://www.mitchclem.com/nothingnice/comic-archive.phpThere are also links there to other online comics, some of which have indie-rock themes.

No, i'm saying they were definitely directing their message to the Congress. But what was the message? Needs to be laser sharp for it to have traction on the Hill.BTW, i'm still awaiting Don Craig's post! I'm eager to hear what he would have us do about the "political realities".

So Franklin, are you saying the message is being directed at the WH even tho they march to the Capitol and that there's not a specific enough message directed at Congress? Now sure I understand what you mean.

So in terms of political realities, i too do wonder what good it does to bring tens of thousands of people to march around the Capitol, if these same do not focus their message on the Hill.But part of the reason for marching is a steadfast belief that the Hill does need to respond to the will of the people and that bringing people together in a march is one way to manifest the will of the people.

RE: "As for what I posted there about the rally, it would just piss you off -- too focused on political realities..."Oh DO tell...

Well, I haven't been here in a while. There's another board, not exclusively political but with a good amount of political discussion, where I spend most of my time on-line.The universal reaction there was that if Howard was so gungho for Bush and Iraq, he should find 20,000 Australian troops to surge.As for what I posted there about the rally, it would just piss you off -- too focused on political realities.

The most politically compelling way i have heard for derailing the so-called surge is to insist that no troops be put on the streets unless they are "battle-ready." That involves training and equipping them properly, which is not being done, and it would effectively kill the surge. Indeed, which Member of Congress no matter how reactionary or fascistically-inclined he or she might be would argue that they would be in favor of putting troops on the ground that are not battle-ready?A story in today's Washington Post states that a large number of Humvees don't have the necessary armor to protect against the device that is now causing up to 70% of all killings of US soldiers in some areas of Iraq.Getting back, no matter whether you believe the war was warranted or not, whether one should stay the course or get the &^%% out now, everyone can agree that not one more man or woman should be put on the ground unless that person is battle-ready, that we've done all we can to protect that person. Isn't that the least we can do? Especially if one is rallying the troops from the comfort of one's living room couch?Australian Prime Minister stated that Obama's call to end the deployment by year's end was comfort to the terrorists. Obama replied that if he feels so strongly about it he could send a lot more Australian troops then (they number barely more than a thousand). Good on ya mate!

A thousand dead in a week. Sure as hell sounds like a civil war to me.http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/04/iraq.main/index.html

Saw "Scooter" Libby while i was out and about last night.It's amazing: the prosecution is about whether or not he lied about leaking, not about the leak itself.I'm not too psyched about the Directorate of Operations or its covert operatives. So when one of their operatives' cover is blown - provided that they are not killed or otherwise harmed - one could safely say that i might actually be a little happy because that's one less person lying for a living out there and getting people to betray their country. Or as the House Intelligence Oversight Committee wrote a few years back, instigating the breaking of 100,000 laws per year.It is tricky if we start arguing about the infiltration of terrorist cells so that's why i write, it is safe to say i might be happy. So let's save that for another time. There was an interesting paper done for Foreign Policy in Focus about intelligence reform and human rights that addresses some of those nuances.Anyhoo, what is most ironic about all of this, is that it appears that not only did Scooter Libby reveal the operative at Cheney's instigation, but so did Karl Rove, Richard Armitage, and who knows who else!When the leak was first disclosed, Bush stated before the cameras that the perpetrator would be found and punished. Incidentally, it was Bush Sr. who had criminalized the revelation of an operative.But it was all show. It was all B.S. It's all hypocrisy on parade.And that's what gets me.So anyways,