Touch and Go
Just a quick compilation tape for you guys tonight.
Glenn Greenwald’s new book is available for pre-order. The last two have shot straight to number one on Amazon. Let’s see if we can’t make it three in a row.
Crooks and Liars has won ‘Best Blog About Politics’ award in the 2008 Weblog awards. Whoo-hooo! Yay, John!
Speaking of the Bloggies, my girls at Jezebel took the honors in two categories, Best Group Blog and Best New Blog. Not too shabby!
Frankly, I don’t give a shit if Elliot Spitzer hired prostitutes. This commenter at G2’s place sums it up rather nicely to my thinking:
I have always found it very curious that one of the following, but not the other, is illegal:
(a) Two people have sex, one of them gets paid for it;
(b) Two (or more) people have sex, all of them get paid for it, and it is videotaped and sold to third parties as a commodity.
I have yet to hear a convincing argument why this difference makes any actual sense.
I feel about the same as I did about the whole Monica Lewinsky thing when it happened. Yes, people in public office should refrain from sexual indiscretions, but why are we so surprised when they occur? At least he wasn’t doing the Adult Baby thing at night then crusading for “Family Values” at his day-job like David Vitter. I have genuine questions about whether or not this is some politically motivated thing, by the way, and I’m thinking I’m not the only one.
Scott Horton: However, there is a second tier of questions that needs to be examined with respect to the Spitzer case. They go to prosecutorial motivation and direction. Note that this prosecution was managed with staffers from the Public Integrity Section at the Department of Justice. This section is now at the center of a major scandal concerning politically directed prosecutions. During the Bush Administration, his Justice Department has opened 5.6 cases against Democrats for every one involving a Republican. Beyond this, a number of the cases seem to have been tied closely to election cycles. Indeed, a study of the cases out of Alabama shows clearly that even cases opened against Republicans are in fact only part of a broader pattern of going after Democrats.
Treat yourself to a former Hillary Clinton supporter who got mugged by reality.
She has no idea how many times I defended her. How many right-leaning friends and relatives I battled with. How many times I played down her shady business deals and penchant for scandals — whether it was Whitewater, Travelgate, Vince Foster, Cattle Futures, Web Hubbell, or Norman Hsu. She has no idea how frequently I dismissed her husband’s serial adultery as an unfortunate trait of an otherwise brilliant man. For sixteen years, I was a proud soldier in the legion of “Clinton apologists” — who believed that peace and prosperity were more important than regrettable personality traits.
And then she ran for president.
And ruined everything. The kicker:
On Friday, one of Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisors, Samantha Power, resigned after calling Senator Clinton “a monster” during an off-the-record exchange. It was an unfortunate slip, but one that echoed the sentiments of many Clinton apologists like me — who’ve watched Hillary’s descent into pettiness and fear-mongering with the heartbreak of a child who grows up to realize that his beloved mother has been a terrible person all along.
Are the conservatives right about the Clintons? Will they do and say anything to get elected?
I don’t know.
All I know is…I’m through apologizing.
I am still kind of struggling with how the woman who was the legislative equivalent of water tetrazzini, a Lieberman enabler, and a right-of-center consensus monger has ended up being painted as the last, great Liberal hope for President.
Well, she’ll go away soon enough.
And that’s what I’ve got tonight, kids. How are you guys?
52 Responses to “Touch and Go”
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 10:14 pm |
Howdy T!
By TRex on Mar 10, 2008 10:16 pm |
Betsy said
Evening!
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 10:17 pm |
Doing good T! Water tetrazzini…dang, you do have a way with words.
There will be more forthcoming regarding Spitzer, we can count on it. Meanwhile, Diaper Dave is still loved madly here in the land of delusion.
e-got EPU’d, left something for you downstairs.
By Mary McCurnin on Mar 10, 2008 10:18 pm |
Spitzer should have spent more time spooning with his misses and less time paying for a forking.
By Sharonlee on Mar 10, 2008 10:19 pm |
Are you doing a scholarship thread? I left a note on the last thread. Now off to sleep.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 10:19 pm |
I am having lunch with Wangdangdoodle and Greenwarrior this week while I am off from work. That’s the big news.
Also, we now own a new basketball and lots of ear buds. But I have determined that it is far cheaper to shop for these kinds of things alone than with texteen.
By Mary McCurnin on Mar 10, 2008 10:22 pm |
Tell Greenwarrior hi. We have met. And, of course, Wangdangdoodle, too.
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 10:22 pm |
Betsy said
Leather or synthetic? The basketball, I mean.
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 10:24 pm |
Mary McCurnin said
have you ever seen a more miserable looking woman in all your life? What is it with parading the wife at these self-flagellating episodes? It was telling that he never mentioned her specifically, only generally as “family”. I’m guessing the divorce lawyer is on speed-dial.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 10:24 pm |
Who knows? It cost $25.
By Mary McCurnin on Mar 10, 2008 10:26 pm |
I would have wacked him upside the head and walked out of the presser.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 10:28 pm |
Mary McCurnin said
WILL DO. i’ve met them both. Look:
http://picasaweb.google.com/TexBetsy/TrexxieIndoorPicnic
By may on Mar 10, 2008 10:29 pm |
EPU
what would happen if clinton named clinton as VP?
can Hillary do it?
is Bill able to accept?
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 10:30 pm |
Mary McCurnin said
With a shoe, preferably a stiletto.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 10:31 pm |
may said
would they have to live in two different places?
By Mary McCurnin on Mar 10, 2008 10:32 pm |
Nice pics Betsy. The food looks wonderful.
By Mary McCurnin on Mar 10, 2008 10:33 pm |
Former president/vice president Bill Clinton.
All rise.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 10:34 pm |
Mary McCurnin said
we always do good food at our meet-ups! one of them even had two donkeys in attendance to represent the dem party. we have a good time.
By e on Mar 10, 2008 10:34 pm |
Mary McCurnin said
Wouldn’t it be nice if just ONE of these wives did that just once?
Yer right madmommy, what the fuck is it with these joint appearances? What self-respecting woman would put herself through that? What whore-banging asshole who got caught would ASK her to?
By TRex on Mar 10, 2008 10:34 pm |
God save us all from a Double Clinton ticket.
By may on Mar 10, 2008 10:35 pm |
Betsy said
i nearly read that as palaces.
but i dunno,whatever they like as long as they they get on with it and do a good job.
and bill doesn’t frighten the horses.
By isit2009yet on Mar 10, 2008 10:36 pm |
Hey, whatcha want?? Clinton’s willing to give Obama the VP spot!
As for Spitzer, the Bush Justice Department must have thought he was easy pickings…his approval ratings were in the toilet, and he was an easy one to get rid of. Just ask Don Siegelman…
By Titanyum on Mar 10, 2008 10:37 pm |
maybe it was the vast right wing conspiracy
By Mary McCurnin on Mar 10, 2008 10:38 pm |
Has Don Seigelman gone off the radar? What is happening to his case? Did the bastards finally get the transcripts to his lawyers?
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 10:39 pm |
e said
A shrink would have a field day with all the subtleties of the relationships involved. Power, position, money, etc. Who knows what the dynamics of a particular relationship are behind closed doors.
When I caught my ex-hubby cheating I just threw all his stuff in the front yard, set it on fire, packed my stuff and chucked my wedding band out of the window on the way out of town. That’s how I roll
By Mary McCurnin on Mar 10, 2008 10:40 pm |
madmommy said
Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.
By may on Mar 10, 2008 10:41 pm |
Madmommy!!
i’m impressed!!!
By isit2009yet on Mar 10, 2008 10:41 pm |
Mary McCurnin said
I don’t think so. He’s also still hoping for a bail hearing, and that hasn’t happened. There’s a website up http://donsiegelman.org/,
and his family and attorneys are trying to keep the case as public as possible.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 10:43 pm |
wow madmom!
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 10:45 pm |
isit2009yet said
The scoop I get from family living in Alabama is that Siegelman got caught up in another guy’s problems. A fellow named Scrushy and a company called Health South, along with charges of bribery and mail fraud. This information is colored by the leanings of the person providing it, (very red). I haven’t seen much on this in the recent coverage of his case, so I don’t know.
By e on Mar 10, 2008 10:46 pm |
isit2009yet said
actually the situations are not comparable. Siegelman was a popular Dem governor in a red state, they could NOT get rid of him, and he didn’t do anything wrong.
wrt Spitzer, yes, a lot of folks are getting fired up about this being a repub hit job, and maybe it was…..but I really think that’s a different issue from him having fucked up, big time and brazen, and proved himself a hypocrite. Nobody MADE him do that.
By TRex on Mar 10, 2008 10:47 pm |
Yeah, Madmom, that’s as good as that scene in “Waiting to Exhale” when Angela Bassett burned up all her husband’s things in his BMW in front of their house.
By e on Mar 10, 2008 10:51 pm |
“When I caught my ex-hubby cheating I just threw all his stuff in the front yard, set it on fire, packed my stuff and chucked my wedding band out of the window on the way out of town. That’s how I roll.”
only rock’n'roll…….but I LIKE it.
By e on Mar 10, 2008 10:52 pm |
TRex said
and the one in “Heartburn” when Meryl Streep shoved the key lime pie in Jack Nicholson’s face at the dinner party.
By peanutbutter on Mar 10, 2008 10:53 pm |
Yeah. I think spitzer should resign (assuming these charges are true), not because OMG Teh Sex, but because OFYAH (Oh F- Yet Another Hypocrite).
Put another way, I always gave Clinton a pass on the blowjob because he never ran on a platform decrying blowjobs or sex outside of marriage or whatever, His platform was a wee bit different
But Spitzer made a big deal out of putting out prostitution and such, so for him getting caught in that…oh pleeeeeeze. That was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This is Gary Hart stupid.
On second thought, scratch that. I call for his resignation on grounds of stupidity. There ya go.
By peanutbutter on Mar 10, 2008 10:54 pm |
madmommy said
Sweet. Yes, more of these women should do exactly that.
I undrestand that some will “stand by their man,” but what I don’t understand is why they ALL seem to. Is it something in the water?
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 10:55 pm |
TRex said
Yeah, but that was a BMW full of designer clothes. In my case it was more like a pile of Goodwill rejects. Still, very satisfying.
There is nothing lower than a cheater, IMHO.
By TRex on Mar 10, 2008 11:05 pm |
Alright, kids, I’m outta here. It’s a grocery night.
See you soon.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 11:10 pm |
grab me some veggies TRex. Thanks
By isit2009yet on Mar 10, 2008 11:11 pm |
e said
The only comparison I was making was that they perhaps conveniently chose to wiretap Spitzer. It’s true that Spitzer did this to himself. Siegelman, OTOH, was a set up from start to finish. If he went down, there were Republicans that should have gone with him.
By madmommy on Mar 10, 2008 11:17 pm |
Time for bed. Hubby worked late and the kiddos wouldn’t go to bed till daddy got home. I am going to have to set their hair on fire to get them out of bed in time to catch the bus tomorrow morning. Goodnight everyone!
By isit2009yet on Mar 10, 2008 11:22 pm |
madmommy said
Night…have a good one!
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 11:26 pm |
sleep well madmom.
By Betsy on Mar 10, 2008 11:46 pm |
Any Trexicans want to fly to Texas? Lunch Thursday!
By pellora hussein on Mar 11, 2008 12:11 am |
Hey Betsy.
Randi kept saying she was tired of not speaking up on all the sh*t that’s happened and happening. I was sorry to miss the show. I could maybe listen at the replay again later, but would have to stay up way late and the time change is hard enough without me intentionally making it worse on my body clock!
OT - Did you catch Randi’s show today? I heard just a little bit and she was rounding on a caller (a woman Hillary supporter) who was calling to give Randi hell for her Friday “enough is enough - Hillary is doing all kinds of bad things” show - Randi was definitely coming back at the woman! Some fireworks! Randi current attitude reminds me of movie Network “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”!!!
By pellora hussein on Mar 11, 2008 12:14 am |
from some links at Raw Story.
Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton carefully sidestepped questions Monday about the sex scandal engulfing Eliot Spitzer, her home state governor and political ally.
“I don’t have any comment on that. Obviously I am sending my best wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family,” Clinton said, opening her first campaign swing through Pennsylvania, which holds its presidential primary April 22.
It was a blow to Clinton, who recently had intensified her criticism of rival Barack Obama’s relationship with Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a political patron on trial in federal court in Obama’s hometown of Chicago for alleged fraud and corruption.
The website Radar reports that within an hour of the Spitzer story breaking, Clinton’s campaign website removed the news that Spitzer had endorsed her. (Note - there is little picture of Spitzer and Hillary together, laughing, having some fun!)
Does this fit the Karma is a B****????
Karma can be, no doubt about it.
By TRex on Mar 11, 2008 12:21 am |
Frrrrrrrresh (and FUNKY!!) thread:
http://www.iamtrex.com/?p=483
By pellora hussein on Mar 11, 2008 1:38 am |
Spitzer is stoopid, and methinks he’s a jerk. I’m all for two people in a marriage owning their portions of the problems that lead to disrespect and the resultant bad behaviours - but the “cheater” is a jerk in every case, in my opinion.
But I wonder about the wife, well wives, there have been quite a few lately that have gone on TV with the philandering husbands. They all looked a bit like deer in headlights. I don’t get it. Been there, done that, and I know the shock. But even so I don’t know how these women can bring themselves to stand there on TV and listen to the story. I would have been more than unwilling to be seen in that position, to have been asked would have definitely offended me, and I don’t get it if it was a voluntary appearance. It’s okay to think you will show strength and integrity and at least offer up the possibility that one will work on the marriage… but that can be done in private without being on the stage. So in this case, either the “cheater” asked her to appear on stage with him while he admits to the prostitute flings and he’s a really BIG jerk or the “cheatee” has so little self esteem and is so in shock that she is not thinking.
But I also think some of the points made earlier about how this all came about (other than the flings I mean) - no one is safe from the Bush Justice Dept. They are in full witch hunt mode. And they have some ground to make up to get the numbers even. There have still be more Repug philanderers, and worse.
By jimbo on Mar 11, 2008 2:20 am |
All this cutsie shit is a bit wearing.
The question has bush politics gotten Spitzer? Looks like it, Spitzer made himself vulnerable, the bush machine is making him pay.
HRC would be nuts to want Obama on the ticket as VP. Obama is vulnerable to the bush machine until he completely shows himself to be squeaky clear re: Rezko. Think two weeks before the November election, bush prosecutors do a Spitzer on him. Can’t happen? Wanna bet on it?
By Joe Max on Mar 11, 2008 11:05 am |
Really, T-Rex, must every post you make about any subject ultimately morph into a smack at Clinton?
Go read Wolcott’s essay on the subject and try the decaf already.
“Lawd, you’d think it was Judgment at Nuremberg, with all this lofty, Oscar-caliber emoting.”
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/blogs/wolcott/2008/03/look-i-understa.html
By Bonacci on Mar 11, 2008 11:13 am |
“At least he wasn’t doing the Adult Baby thing at night then crusading for “Family Values” at his day-job like David Vitter.”
Indeed, we all know it’s impossible for someone with a fetish to have family values, right?
By Happenstance on Mar 11, 2008 2:09 pm |
Joe Max: Thank you. You’ve just described why I’ve taken this blog off my bookmarks; it’s tiresome.
Jimbo (one post above Joe Max) is exactly correct; Obama’s Clean Machine has been negative (and corrupt) from day one, but some ABC (Anybody But Clinton) pseudoprogressives are just so desperate to buy into the “inside-outsider bring change” malarky they’ll ignore anything and everything. Surprise coming, and not a pleasant one.
At best it’ll be like a combination of Michelle’s comments (before she got sent off for some PR training) and Barack’s SNL sketch; when he pulls off the Barack Obama mask and you see the real thing, you’ll realize how much he stinks–but you’ll already be married to him. Divorce takes four years.