Dick-Heads & Blog-Blamers & Dubious Sources, Oh My

[BlogBox]

Hot off this week's blogs: DUH Alert - BushCo can't recruit new U.S. Attorneys; what's it like to be a Dick-Head?; Scrubs' Dr. Cox diagnoses right-wing Plame covert-status deniers; DUers Skinner, KansDem, and kpete tell it like it is; Libby's lawyer blames the blogs; and a final word to Lurita Doan - a Blackberry is not an abacus, darling, it leaves a usage trail. All this and much, much more... including the Wikiality of it all. Enjoy.

This Week's Moment Of BushCo DUH

Looks like the Bush administration is having trouble recruiting new U.S. Attorneys. The Blue State has the details, along with this hilarious tidbit:

The controversy appears to be discouraging applications for some of the 22 prosecutor posts that President Bush needs to fill. Of the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys, 22 are serving without Senate confirmation as interim or acting prosecutors. They represent districts in Alaska, Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, West Virginia and Washington.

"I personally was disappointed we didn't have more," said Michael J. Grindstaff, the chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission. "I was wondering if there was a way to attract more applicants."

Duh, indeed. Grindstaff complaining about the current dearth of U.S. Attorney applicants is like a publisher backing a hit-book against Senator Clinton written by a serial Clinton-attacking liar. Oops. That's actually been done. From Media Matters:

Jeff Gerth, meet Judith Miller
by Eric Boehlert

Isn't former New York Times reporter Jeff Gerth writing the definitive book about Hillary Clinton sort of like Judith Miller deciding to write the definitive book about Iraq's WMDs? It just doesn't add up.

(snip)

Gerth's misfires became as predictable as his reporting style. The drill went like this: Gerth would write accusatory, albeit muddled accounts of alleged Clinton wrongdoings and lean heavily on the cover-up angle. The allegations were often fueled by questionable partisan sources, and Gerth often refused to seriously consider alternative (i.e. benign) explanations for the questions raised. Republicans, seizing on Gerth's high-profile work, would then create an investigatory body (such as the Cox committee), or urge for an independent counsel (like Kenneth Starr). That meant Gerth would receive leak after leak from grateful Clinton investigators and then play up their over-the-top accusations without a hint of skepticism, only to have the investigators' final reports and conclusions be widely dismissed as ineffectual and untrustworthy. But by that point, Gerth has moved onto a new target, and the same closed loop began anew.

It's interesting that once President Bush came into office, Gerth seemed to lose his investigative zeal.

Hmm. Is there a cure for a bad case of Gerthiness?

Just What The Doctor Ordered

Remember all of those right-wingnut parrots who squawked, "Plame was not covert" on every possible media platform for years? Thought Crimes lists a bunch of their exact quotes (along with dates) and consults "Scrubs" physician-on-duty, Dr. Cox, to diagnose their, um, sicko-ness with a nice dose of reality. Now, doesn't that feel better? On a more serious note, however...

If You Can't Go On Any Longer...

The mother of anti-Iraq War protests in America is withdrawing from public life. Thousands of blog posts (catalogued by Technorati, Digg, and other blog aggregate sites since Cindy Sheehan's announcement) have, naturally, spanned the entire spectrum of possible reactions. The most notable post, in my humble opinion, comes from democraticundergound.com's Skinner. Here's a snippet:

If you simply cannot go on any longer, and you feel you must resign, then you have my understanding and my gratitude for everything you have done to fight against this terrible war. You have already done way more than anyone to help bring an end to the war in Iraq. You have earned your place in history, and you have earned the right to step aside if you feel you must.

But if you feel you still have some fight left in you, if you feel that you can still keep going, then I hope that you will do so. The anti-war movement, the country, and the world need people like you. Please do not let the criticisms of a few people get you down.

To finish the song's lyrics:

If you can't go on any longer,
Take the hand held by your brother.
Every victory gonna bring another.
Carry it on. Carry it on.

Thanks, Cindy! And thanks for the thoughtful post, Skinner!

Libby's Lawyer Plays The "Bad Blogger" Card

Marcy Wheeler (of The Next Hurrah and Firedoglake) has a seriously snarky piece posted this week at The UK Guardian's Comment Is Free, in which she relates the pathetic argument offered by I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's lawyer to keep the names of those writing on Scooter's behalf prior to his sentencing - tah dah! - a secret. If you think that run-on sentence was a mouthful, imagine what Cheney-loving Scooter promoters have probably written to his judge. Couple that thought with the lawyer's "fear" that bloggers will mock a grown man named Scooter, and the subsequent laugh riot should humiliate even the lowest of freeper lowbrow laments. In other, er, emotional Repuke news...

Doan Cry Out Loud!

Especially, Lurita sweetie, when you're lying about what you were doing during that now-infamous RoveCo PowerPoint presentation, which broke all kinds of federal laws you were charged with, uh, upholding. Think Progress notes that Ms. Doan now claims that she was Blackberrying at the time and didn't notice the law-breaking going on around her. Fortunately, the Office of the Special Counsel investigated her claim and found it to be, of course, blatantly bogus. The snarkiest reader comments:

#Gee…..I didn't think you guys would actually CHECK!

Comment by Trizza — May 28, 2007 @ 11:47 pm

#Lurita Dunce, it's 2007 idiot, you're not using an abacus.

Comment by shane — May 28, 2007 @ 11:50 pm

#Lurita darling, pack your bag, and don't forget your toothbrush.

Um….there won't be any cookies….

Comment by Zooey — May 28, 2007 @ 11:51 pm

#Are all these people techno-tards that just simply don't understand that everything is on record?

Comment by geoman77 — May 28, 2007 @ 11:51 pm

#How does a person navigate to a meeting while clutching a device (Blackberry) that makes you forget time/space/reality?

Comment by Awed and Shock — May 28, 2007 @ 11:39 pm

Last time anyone checked, being a Doan-Head didn't work as a viable defense. Speaking of -Heads...

What's It Like To Be A Dick-Head?

Here's the answer from Jeeni Criscenzo (at After Downing Street), who knows from experience:

What I learned About Being A Dick-Head


Visitors to the San Diego Zoo today had a surprise in store for them - the chain gang trio (Bush, Cheney and Condi) were bobbling their heads and performing their antics, dressed in prison stripes and waving big money around. I got to wear the Cheney head, which I reluctantly admit, means that I spent the morning being a Dick-head.

As always, I never pass up the opportunity to learn from my experiences, so while I stood there on the corner of Park Blvd. & Zoo Place, telling everyone walking by that they should be in Iraq, I came up with a short list of observations. I'll share them with you, in case you were considering becoming a Dick-head yourself one day.

First - getting inside the head of a neo-con is a terrifying experience, but wearing the paper-mache head is no picnic either. It's heavy! And something in the helmet embedded in the contraption kept pulling at my hair. I was certain that when I finally un-donned the beast, I'd have a bald spot in the back of my head. Dick-heading gave me a headache. No wonder Cheney always looks so angry!

Read the rest because you never know when you might have the opportunity to be a Dick-Head for peace. By the way, one could do worse than to be a Dick-Head: there's always being Gee Dubya Bush...

It Would be A Crime To Ignore The Bushisms

Legal Antics actually apologizes to BushBot readers because it's just too damned hard to ignore the many, many Bushisms out there:

Bushisms



For my Republican and/or Conservative readers, I apologize, but I just can't help myself. There's just too much material out there. It would be a crime to ignore it all.

"Politics comes and goes, but your principles don't. And everybody wants to be loved -- not everybody. ... You never heard anybody say, 'I want to be despised, I'm running for office.'"

--George W. Bush, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

That's not a crime, Legal Antics. It's a solemn duty. (Tee hee.)

Wikiality, Anyone?

Have you heard about Wikiality, the site solely dedicated to Truthiness? Anyone can submit and/or edit entries. Have a go at it, and see how many freeper virtual heads you can detonate in the process. Before you depart the mainpage, note the subtle "internet tubes" references in the lefthand sidebar. Good, clean, snarky fun for all.

Thank A DUer!

Thanks to KansDem for this reply in a thread about Scooter Libby's friends expressing their fear that he will be sent immediately to prison after his sentence is read next week.

Hey, Scooter! Your tailor called. Your new suit is ready.



Still working on the matching 'cuffs...

Thanks to kpete for posting a link to Watching Those We Choose, who are fighting back against Scooter Libby's lawyer's random mud-slinging, verbal assaults. Here's a snippet from the linked post:

Just a few minutes ago, an amicus brief was filed in Federal District Court in Washington D.C. petitioning for the public release of the pre-sentencing letters that were submitted to the court for consideration in the sentencing of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. For once, the blogs are pushing back after being singled out by Libby's attorney for scorn and ridicule. Two of the principals from right here at Watching Those We Chose are proud and honored to be the named parties in this formal legal brief filed with the court, not just on behalf of ourselves, but more importantly, for all of the blogosphere.

Thanks, DUers!

Psst! Wanna Buy A Blog?

Want to buy SittingPresident.Com? I hear the bitchin' blog is for sale. Here's my favorite rubric from the site:

Thoughts Going Through His Mind At This Moment:

Not now, Andy. I've got to find out what happens to this pet goat.

You want to really see me do nothing? Just wait until New Orleans floods.

No problem. Cheney's gonna make Scooter take the fall for it.

Huh, just like that memo said would happen.

Hmm. Looks like a good buy to me... if the price is right.

Seriously, one could do worse than being a Dick-Head: nothing says "mock me" like a ginormous papier-mâché Dick Cheney head, does it? One could also do worse than being a wingnut-reviled liberal blogger. And one could definitely do worse than unite the nation against Bush's Iraq War folly, even if the physical and emotional price is eventually too much to shoulder.

In the words of the song, we have to "carry it on," no matter how difficult. No matter how reviled we are by BushCo's mini-brained minions. And no matter how long it takes. Let's carry it on, y'all. All the way.

-- Delilah Boyd

[underpants]

1. *KICK*

Printing out for later read.

I have to make this my Friday morning read just like the top 10 is on Mondays