Rumsfeld v. Bartlett.

post from Think Progress on 28 June 2007 07:11:00 PM. © Think Progress

Donald Rumsfeld, claiming he took the phrase “mission accomplished” out of a draft of President Bush’s speech:“I took ‘Mission Accomplished’ out,” Rumsfeld said. “I was in Baghdad and I was given a draft of that thing and I just died. And I said, it’s too inclusive. And I fixed it and sent it back. They [...]

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Same Time, Next Year

post from TalkLeft on 28 June 2007 07:10:00 PM. © TalkLeft

Via Atrios:

Joe Klein on 6/18/06:
In fact, the responsible path is the Democrats' only politically plausible choice: they will have to give yet another new Iraqi government one last shot to succeed. This time, U.S. military sources say, the measure of success is simple: Operation Forward Together, the massive joint military effort launched last week to finally try to secure Baghdad, has to work. If Baghdad isn't stabilized, the war is lost. "I know it's the cliche of the war," an Army counterinsurgency specialist told me last week. "But we'll know in the next six months—and this time, it'll be the last next six months we get."

Joe Klein, over two Friedmans later [today]:

It is, indeed, a moment of truth in Iraq. "This is a decisive phase," a member of Petraeus' staff told me and began to laugh. "That's one of our favorite jokes. It's always a decisive phase. But this time, I guess you'd have to say, it actually is." Operation Phantom Thunder, the nationwide offensive launched by U.S. and Iraqi troops in mid-June, may well be the last major U.S-led offensive of the war. "We couldn't really call it what it is, Operation Last Chance," says a senior military official. There is widespread awareness among the military and diplomatic players in Baghdad that, with patience dwindling in Washington, they have only until September — when Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are due to give Congress a progress report — to show significant gains in taming the jihadist insurgency and in arresting the country's descent into civil war.

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So this is how we stop discrimination

post from the field negro on 28 June 2007 07:05:00 PM. © the field negro

I just caught the "tell black people what they want to hear" debates and I must say that I had this real uneasy feeling the entire time. Maybe it was watching some of those CBC members in the audience, and the fact that Tavis, once again, seemed to be auditioning for his perfect close up with "Mr. De Mille."

Just remember that a politician will say or do almost anything to get elected. But what are we going to do? Looks like we are stuck with these Democrats. I believe that we should exercise our right to vote, and given the choices we will have come election time, I think we will just have to choose the lessor of two evils.

Of course the main issue tonight among the poli-tricksters is what I want to talk about with this post. Now I rarely blog about legal issues, because, well, it's too much like work for me, and I consider my blogging as a tool to vent and release some of my stress from the daily grind. But I feel compelled to write a little about this latest decision from the Supremes down there in Washington.

We all know by now that the Supremes in a very close decision (5-4) came down with a ruling yesterday, that in essence, invalidated programs in hundreds of public school districts all over the country. Programs that sought to maintain school by school diversity by using race as one of the factors to admissions to certain schools. The Seattle and Louisville School Districts had actually been victorious in lower Federal court, but...well you know some white folks weren't going for that: "Honey it's just not fair, why should those black kids get special treatment over our child just because they are black? This is not what Martin Luther King was talking about being judged by the content of their character. I spend good money on private tutors and I will be damned if I let some bureaucrat let my child miss out on a good education."

So anyway, King Georges appointee, Chief Just-us (white folks) John G. Roberts, Jr., in speaking for the majority,well almost the majority (more on that in a minute) said; that such goals as these school districts were trying to achieve were"directed only to racial balance pure and simple". This is a goal he said was "forbidden by the constitutional guarantees of equal protection." If that all sounds a little confusing to all you laymen out there, it's because it is. It's nothing but twisted pretzel logic to justify some racist bullshit. I mean, if the consequence of living in an unequal society (for whatever f*****g reason) is a form of de facto re segregation, shouldn't we be trying to structure some remedy to make the playing field more equal? Not according to Chief Just-us Roberts, Uncle Clarence, and his other two side kicks; Alito (thank you frat boy)and Scalia. No, according to these geniuses,"the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." Huh? Soooo how the f**k could I be discriminating against someone on the basis of race, when I am the one that is being discriminated against? I must have missed something in my Introduction to Con Law class. These wise men actually called up the memory of that landmark 1954 civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education in their opinion. How ironic is that? And you thought some of these kids out here on the blocks were gangsters. No, what the Supremes did today was some gangster for your ass. They actually cited the very case they are weakening as the corner stone of their argument to weaken it.

There is one saving grace though. Even though Justice Kennedy was one of the five striking down the school districts remedy in this particular case. He did write a separate opinion which attacked Chief Just-us Roberts, and Uncle Clarence and company for their opinion. Justice Kennedy seemed to be giving school districts some guidelines for future cases to stop racial insulation and de facto re segregation. What he seemed to be saying in his separate opinion, is that If they ( public school districts) try a more narrowly tailored remedy which can take race into consideration he would vote with the other four justices who were in the minority this time around. Lord please don't give the frat boy anymore appointents.

But what does this all tell you folks? I will tell you what it tells me. That we need to get our shit together and fast. These white folks out here are not playing. Now truth be told, I was kinda down with separate but equal myself. So I am not the one to carry this integration torch. Give me what they have, and I will be cool. I know some of you black folks lose your freaking minds if "charlie" doesn't let you into his clubs, his schools, his restaurants, or his f*****g house. Not me, "charlie can have it all to his lonesome,as long as he gives me the same resources to build my own. "Oh field you are such a segregationist" No, I am a realist. White folks self segregate from us, and if you don't believe me look at the make up in the public school systems in large urban areas around the country. Here in Philly some white folks who barely have a pot to piss in will spend $500 per month to keep their kids in catholic schools. Why do you think that is? Because they want little Johnny to get a Jesuit education? I don't think so. They don't want little Johnny in school with Jamaal that's why. So don't tell me about wanting to segregate, tell that to those other folks.

But I understand when certain school districts want to give some poor black kid with potential who is in a failing school a shot at the school across town with all the nice facilities. That is admirable, and until us black folks get our acts together, I suspect that will be happening more and more. Which is why this decision by the Supremes is so scary. They are basically saying; "stay your black ass over there, we have white kids over here who need those seats."

Alright Chief Just-us Roberts, I will stay with my own people; just give me something to work with. I will start with about forty f*****g acres!

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http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2007/06/so-this-is-how-we-stop-discrimination.htm
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Waxman, White House Strike Deal on Security
Officers' Testimony

post from TPMmuckraker on 28 June 2007 07:01:02 PM. © TPMmuckraker

It's been one subpoena-crazy day, what with the White House refusing to comply with congressional demands for information about nine fired U.S. attorneys. But there's at least one set of subpoenas...

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http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003549.php

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Undoing America

post from Connecting.the.Dots on 28 June 2007 07:01:00 PM. © Connecting.the.Dots

In 1954, after coming home from an unavoidable war, I was proud that, with Brown v. Board of Education, the country I fought for was taking a big step toward racial justice by declaring separate but equal schools were wrong.

It never occurred to me I would live long enough to see my country trapped in an avoidable war and taking steps back toward segregation, as the Supreme Court did today.

It never occurred to me that a President who had avoided fighting for his country would appoint a Chief Justice who, despite his avowed respect for precedent during confirmation, would move so swiftly to start undoing half a century of social progress.

Who are these people and what kind of America are they creating for our children and grandchildren?

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http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/06/undoing-america.html

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WTF Washington Post

post from The Newshoggers on 28 June 2007 06:58:00 PM. © The Newshoggers

by shamanic

Somebody buy the Post an editor with a brain and a headline writer with some sense. All I can say at this point is "What a shill"--whoever you are. It isn't like your own paper hasn't covered Democratic annoyance at the way Republicans truncate the name of our party.

Jump inside to Chris Cillizza's article, and there are the words "Democratic Debate" right at the top, but on the frigging main page of WaPo.com, some chump misspells the name of America's majority party.

Lovely work, guys. Really.

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http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/2007/06/wtf-washington-post.html

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A sad-sack president

post from Crooks and Liars on 28 June 2007 06:45:53 PM. © Crooks and Liars

The president responded to the failure of his immigration bill with a brief statement to the press. Take a look.Josh noted, ?Have you ever seen such a sad-sack president? ? He almost looks and sounds like someone has literally knocked the wind out of him.?I think that?s true, but I also believe the president looked [...]

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Specter: Let's Get What We Can Get

post from TPMmuckraker on 28 June 2007 06:38:37 PM. © TPMmuckraker

So what does Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, have to say about the White House's invocation of executive privilege? Sen. Specter has supported the...

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http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003565.php

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The GOP Senate Obstructionists

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 28 June 2007 06:37:00 PM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Republican Senators have been on a filibuster frenzy this year. This video captures them in action:

video details and more

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/128848234/gop-obstructionists.html

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Fred Thompson’s Made-For-Hollywood Terror
Warning

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) has dealt first-hand with nuclear weapons — on the Hollywood big screen. In 2005, he starred as President Charles Ross in Last Best Chance, a docudrama about terrorists trying to smuggle nuclear weapons into the United States. One of Hollywood’s favorite plots is the threat of so-called suitcase nukes, [...]

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http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/28/thompson-suitcase-bomb/

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