Conversations About The Conversation

post from Ezra Klein on 14 March 2007 12:58:00 PM. © Ezra Klein

Sort of related to The American Conservative article linked below, this Joe Klein post offers an interesting example of how blogs open up the discussion on topics like, but not limited to, Israel. Given the limitations of a print magazine,...[...]

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The pumps don't work and it ought to be a scandal

post from Eschaton on 14 March 2007 12:56:00 PM. © Eschaton

Tbogg here.

Since Atrios left the key under the mat I thought I would ~~break~~ pop in and point out that here is no tragedy in America that can't be capitalized upon by someone with some kind of connection to the administration. It's like six degrees of corruption.

The Army Corps of Engineers, rushing to meet President Bush's promise to protect New Orleans by the start of the 2006 hurricane season, installed defective flood-control pumps last year despite warnings from its own expert that the equipment would fail during a storm, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The 2006 hurricane season turned out to be mild, and the new pumps were never pressed into action. But the Corps and the politically connected manufacturer of the equipment are still struggling to get the 34 heavy-duty pumps working properly.

The pumps are now being pulled out and overhauled because of excessive vibration, Corps officials said. Other problems have included overheated engines, broken hoses and blown gaskets, according to the documents obtained by the AP.

[...]

The drainage-canal pumps were custom-designed and built under a $26.6 million contract awarded after competitive bidding to Moving Water Industries Corp. of Deerfield Beach, Fla. It was founded in 1926 and supplies flood-control and irrigation pumps all over the world.

MWI is owned by J. David Eller and his sons. Eller was once a business partner of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in a venture called Bush-El that marketed MWI pumps. And Eller has donated about $128,000 to politicians, the vast majority of it to the Republican Party, since 1996, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

MWI has run into trouble before. The U.S. Justice Department sued the company in 2002, accusing it of fraudulently helping Nigeria obtain $74 million in taxpayer-backed loans for overpriced and unnecessary water-pump equipment. The case has yet to be resolved.

Doesn't anyone ever read Arthur Miller anymore?

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http://atrios.blogspot.com/2007_03_11_atrios_archive.html#117389265151100813

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Senate Committee Requests White House Interviews

post from TPMmuckraker on 14 March 2007 12:54:39 PM. © TPMmuckraker

The Senate Judiciary Committee sent five letters late yesterday asking White House Counsel Harriet Miers, her deputy White House counsel William Kelley and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to cooperate with the committee?s investigation into the mass firings of...

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McCain wimps out

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 14 March 2007 12:44:00 PM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Amidst the imperial stormtrooper aesthetic of his presidential website, Senator McCain has a section in which one can fill out college basketball brackets. You might not think his own tourney selections would indicate just how lame and conservative he is . . . but they do! The distinguished Senator picked not one, not two, not three, but all four number one seeds to make the Final Four. First of all, it's a terrible prediction, as all four number one seeds have never once all made it all the way through the field of 64.

More importantly, though, it's an all-time wuss move to pick all four number one seeds.

And not only that, he has no team seeded lower than 3 in his entire elite eight! What kind of person picks no significant upsets throughout the entire tournament? In the whole first two rounds, comprising 48 games, he picks only five upsets, two of which are just one seed number apart and none of which involve anything lower than a 10 seed. The fine Senator from Nevada even picks against the University of Nevada - Las Vegas in the first round. Disgraceful. I'm offended as a basketball fan and as a political observer.

Bracket picks aren't high on my list of presidential qualifications, but really, Senator, these are just awful.

Of course, you can't expect much from a guy who skipped a critical vote on the 9/11 Commission recommendations on Tuesday . . . to attend a fundraiser in California.

To view his bracket, you have to submit an email address here -- after you enter a random email address, click on "Basketball Bracket" on the left side and then "View John McCain's" and you can witness the shame.

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So More Than A Million Documents Go In The Deep
Freeze

post from Cut to the Chase on 14 March 2007 12:30:00 PM. © Cut to the Chase

Mind you, for the record amounts - in the hundreds of billions - spent on so-called homeland security, we KNOW we aren't any safer (in fact, with Bush's charge, likely far LESS safe) but these bozos pull all these documents anyway:More than 1 million[...]

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BREAKING: CBC Chooses CNN Over Fox

post from Think Progress on 14 March 2007 12:26:00 PM. © Think Progress

Last week, the American Prospect reported that the Congressional Black Caucus Institute was close to nearing a deal to host two Democratic presidential primary debates in concert with Fox News:[T]he Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute plans to announce two debates in concert with Fox News, according to a source familiar with the [...]

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http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/14/breaking-cbc-chooses-cnn-over-fox/

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With Friends Like "Friends of Israel", Does
Israel Need Any More Enemies

post from Cut to the Chase on 14 March 2007 12:24:00 PM. © Cut to the Chase

The previous post re: Israel and civil rights reminds me of this scary story in Talk2Action, one of those evangelical fanatical rightwing groups "dedicated" to the Israeli state in a way that only sees Israel as a necessary component in their rush to[...]

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"Civil Rights Under Siege In Israel"

This letter from Mark Hage of Montpelier in the Time Argus, I believe, states some excellent points: Thank you for your editorial ("Israel's Dilemma," Feb. 23) on the controversy in Israel over a manifesto that calls for the country, officially a "Jewish[...]

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Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

Matt's wrong. This article is largely about me and how awesome I am, and also about you guys and how awesome you are....[...]

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http://ezraklein.typepad.com/blog/2007/03/wrong_wrong_wro.html

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Food for Thought

If you consume meat or dairy products, how much thought do you give to the quality of life experienced by the animals that provide you with such sustenance? In an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times, Nicolette Hahn Niman offers some much-needed food for thought: Pig Out WITH some fanfare, the world?s largest pork producer, [...]

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http://kmareka.com/index.php/?p=980

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