May I take this opportunity to thank Kevin for an outstanding blog site. Happy Holidays to all!

It is an outstanding site indeed when I find myself in agreement with "ex-liberal."

Kevin, I want to take just a little time out from my incredibly busy holiday social schedule (/sarcasm) to wish you a happy 12/25.

Thanks for all your work.

PS: I knew you'd show up before the new year. I would expect no less from a "Political Animal".

I want to say Merry Christmas to the lurkers. Political blogging isn't about those of us who comment so much as it is about the many more who read the comments but never enter a keystroke. They want to know what's happening or they wouldn't be here. So here is warm holiday wishes to them and the informed decisions they make; based in part on how cogently we put forth our arguments.

Of course now that we know that Atta was not the guy fingered by Able Danger it must therefore be true that he met with Iraqi Intelligence as Dick Cheney says.

In fairness to weldon, a lot of Arabs do look the same. ... and are named "Mohammed."

Since it is Christmas, perhaps we can spend some time wishing for a world where 16 months and who knows how much resources are not spent chaising down some half-baked right-wing wet dream conspiracy theory but instead are expended on something that will actually, you know, make a difference, like proving health care for those who need it.

Merry, Merry; Happy Happy, all you Political Animals out there!

I notice a lot about Weldon's indictment in the LAT article concerning his daughter's lobbying. Did the LAT ever write about Murtha's brother Kit and his lobbying activities that have made both rich? Or, how crazy is it to off-base in Okinawa, where Murtha, Rosie O'Donnell in drag, wants to stage our Iraq forces?

And the Senate Intelligence Cte is no more reliable than the Pentagon investigation, which is part of the organization which squelched the Able Danger in the crib and had every reason to assert that it was inaccurate.

Very seldom does the LAT commit journalism.

Dave: You might want to browse the internets for a few moments before you ask questions like that. The Kit Murtha story was broken by Ken Silverstein and Richard Simon of....the Los Angeles Times. The LAT not only reported the story, they were the first ones on the scene.

There was never anything more to "Able Danger" than Weldon desperately flailing about for a way to pin the blame for 9/11 on President Clinton.

Because it couldn't possibly be George Bush's fault, now could it?

Shorter Dave: "Can I distract from Weldon's insanity with a slam combining a Democrat and the LA Times? No, in fact, I cannot."

You might want to start a little smaller - you know, work your way up. Quality nuttery only looks easy.

You interupted your holiday for a story about Able Danger (Wasn't he a porn star once)?

Gee Dave, you just got your Christmas spanking.

Oh Dave...No...You did not bring that junior-varsity game into this arena, did you?

Yes, apparently you did. I hope you learned a lesson here Son, otherwise I fear you might do yourself an injury and bear constant supervision.

Now Kevin, regulars, return Dave's balls so he can slink on home.

As a relatively new and infrequent poster here may I say that I've enjoyed your posts one and all--even Al,American Hawk, and the first Paul. I don't always agree with what you have to say but figure that those of you on the wrong track are worth saving. So hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Honica, Kwanza, or non sectarian holiday. May the New Year bring you peace, prosperity, happiness, and wisdom.

Bu, but, but Lou Dobbs said.......

Yes, Able Danger and Buck Naked were in..........

Buck Naked! His obituary from the Chronicle was on the mirror behind the bar of the original Grand Emporium until the day it closed. (Sorry to go on about a defunct bar, but it is worth googling, and Paul can second me here).

Speaking of the legendary GE - James Brown passed away, on Christmas Day, dramatic to the very end. Roger Naber, my boss at the GE when I took a detour out of science and medicine for a year, brought James Brown and Dave Alvin to town the same night during the GE's 17th anniversary celebration in 2002. Of course, Roger tended to the James Brown show at the City Market, and left me at the bar to handle the Dave Alvin crowd, so I missed out on meeting the Godfather, but Roger did bring me back a signed CD.

St Peter, there is somewhere at the gates with a guitar, singing, "I feel good"

I would bet his irreverent self is singing Santa Clause go Straight to the Ghetto at the pearly gates, if I were a betting sort.

Mysterious iconography in God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,

hymns and carols of christmas

What is the thing on the pedestal? A cat? An owl wearing sunglasses?

And in the far background, is that a sort of stag leaping through the air?

To the estimable 3rdP, I tip my Red Ale in your general direciton.

To Global: Though my lurking comment keystrokes are few, I applaud that yours are many.

Cheers,
EHT

I think it is now safe to conclude that Curt Weldon is crazier than a run over dog.

Instead of worrying about where Mohammed Atta's picture was shown years ago, we should now be worrying about how to prevent several thousand Iraqi orphans, whose parents we have blown to smithereens, from coming over and flying an airliner into the White House.

Have a nice vacation, Kevin.

Thank you kindly, EHT. You don't say much, but what you do is primo. Here's toasting you with a quad-shot mocha that has Bailey's substituted for the steamed milk.

EHT,

Would imagine your Red Ale is of the finest quality. I, simply, have to make do with Wassail, JubelAle and Wreck the Halls - Building up to that final Celebration by SN for New Years.

Cheers,

t3P

PS to GC, Careful driving over that keyboard, hear?

Merry Christmas to all, and thanks Kevin for showing I'm not such a nerd to prefer politics an blogs to more football on this quite satisfactory Christmas at the Chez Minion.
BTW, I'm being kicked out of the Rovian Institute for my frequent apostacy, [and for screwing up the Diebold programming last year] so I'm asking all the generous souls at Political Animal comments section to suggest a new moniker for the new year. Please be nice, and I will select a "winner" if there is enough interest in this offer to make it a real contest.

Minion, I have been waiting for someone to ask for assistance with a screen name, because I have what I think is a good one waiting in the wings:

Fearless Reader

GC,

I'm honored that you would trust me with that handle.

Well, you are one of my favorite representatives of the alternative viewpoint.

When it comes to nuttery, you flamethrowers miss the point. You second-raters don't address the main point:
"And the Senate Intelligence Cte is no more reliable than the Pentagon investigation, which is part of the organization which squelched the Able Danger in the crib and had every reason to assert that it was inaccurate."

The LAT is a second-rate publication and one has to be a grown-up before claiming to spank. This place seems to have a lot of moonbats on the wing
sounding like lil 'Kos.

Here is a quote that makes my point, even though like a broken clock, the LAT was right as it occasionally must be:
"Yet despite a front page story in the Los Angeles Times last June exposing Kit Murtha's firm's enormous success in steering defense contracts to its clients, other newspapers have been mostly silent: the Times has yet to follow up, and Murtha's lobbying ties have earned coverage by Roll Call and only single mentions in the Village Voice, Investor's Business Daily, and the Boston Globe just this week.

If Murtha were a powerful Republican legislator, the media would probably be all over this story."

And what about Murtha's assertion that staging the US forces off-shore in Okinawa would be "welcomed" by the locals? The Okinawans have been trying to get US bases off their island for decades.

Weldon may be goofy, but Murtha is a fool who is still on the Armed Services Committee.

Dave. Dave. Rep. Murtha is not on the Armed Services Committee, dummy. But hey, don't let your complete lack of knowledge about this subject keep you from posting. It's amusing.

Dave, you really must get acquainted with the Google. Check the website for the House Armed Services Committee. Representative Murtha does not hold a seat on HASC.

If you want to be outraged, let me point you in the right direction. Representative Murtha does hold a seat on Appropriations. Feel free to pitch a fit about that, as there is some valid basis to do so.

You do yourself and your side no favors by peddling disinformation on a site full of astute regulars who know the topics we post about and have the good sense to keep our fingers off the keys otherwise.

As usual, the aroused citizenry have been quicker on the draw - House Appropriations, sub-committee on defense -

Yes, the LA Times has not been the same since the reign of the Owens Valley water robbing Chandlers - Since, that CHICAGO gum chewing outfit, the Tribune bought the paper, the paper has started to resemble their other purchase, the Cubbies. The Cubs probably have had a better year, but two of the LAT reporting staff did break the Murtha story. Perhaps, no Lou Pinella to attempt to rescue the LAT, but, they did get it correcto this time - News flows soooo slowly to Florida at times.

News flows soooo slowly to Florida at times.

and to wingnuts in their allegorical Floridas.

Quality nuttery only looks easy.
Posted by: fishbane

Nice one.

... trying to convince a grand jury that it was only a coincidence that his [insert family member here] got a million bucks worth of lobbying contracts from his pals.

We'll have to return to the story next year.

Meanwhile, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to you all.

You astute Beltway Banditos do have the bureaucracy down pat. The Washington Post, which commits journalism on a frequent basis, has this on the Abscammer-wannabe Murtha.
"The main source of [Murtha's] power is his perch as the top Democrat on the defense appropriations subcommittee, which controls nearly a half-trillion federal dollars a year. His largess to his friends and hardscrabble district is legendary. But now that he is assuming the chairmanship of the defense subcommittee, his actions are coming under new scrutiny."
Happily, the Post will keep Rosie-in-drag's feet to the fire, unlike the LAT, which drives by and then drives away on his lil bro Kit.

And Able Danger has not been discredited by an in-house Pentagon and compliant Senate Intell Cte cover-up.

Merry Xmas and too bad the Jets beat the Dolphins. But happily, the Ogress gave Elian back to Fidel and hence Florida went overwhelmingly for GWB in 2000. Stupid actions have consequences!

Hey, Dave. Someone's calling you for midnight supper.

Bitter! Party of one.

the Ogress gave Elian back to Fidel

...and I thought it was all about a boy having his choice and being with his father.

But on reflection, you're right of course. The propaganda needs of a state should always take precedence over individual desires, individual relationships. My thanks for helping me see the light. It is long past the time I joined the Party and became a full-fledged member of the Conintern. And to be honest, I've been getting quite tired of this thinking thing. So much easier to just follow the Big Men(plus it's a good career move to boot and sure beats wasting time and effort struggling to qualifications).

Happy Boxing Day (and where do I get my gloves so I can start beating up on lieberals as ably as Dave?)

One would think that the party that likes to tout Family Values would be in favor of reuniting a child with his one surviving parent. The United States has, after all, interceded on multiple occasions in efforts to press for the return of children spirited off to other countries by one parent to their American parent.

For the record, I felt almost as much contempt for those on the left who wanted to return the child to Cuba to stick a sharp stick in Jesse Helmes' eye and rub the noses of the conservatives Miami Cubans in it as I did those on the right who would flog family values out of one side of their mouths and the destruction of another family from the other.

It was a shameful display and no ones finest hour, that is for damned sure. Fortunately the family was reunited. And you know what? That was the right thing to do, and sometimes you just step up and do what's right and let the chips fall where they may.

Minion, I have been waiting for someone to ask for assistance with a screen name, because I have what I think is a good one waiting in the wings:

"Fearless Reader"

I think Kim Jong-Il has that one nailed down.

One would think that the party that likes to tout Family Values would be in favor of reuniting a child with his one surviving parent. The United States has, after all, interceded on multiple occasions in efforts to press for the return of children spirited off to other countries by one parent to their American parent.

For the record, I felt almost as much contempt for those on the left who wanted to return the child to Cuba to stick a sharp stick in Jesse Helmes' eye and rub the noses of the conservatives Miami Cubans in it as I did those on the right who would flog family values out of one side of their mouths and the destruction of another family from the other.

It was a shameful display and no ones finest hour, that is for damned sure. Fortunately the family was reunited. And you know what? That was the right thing to do, and sometimes you just step up and do what's right and let the chips fall where they may.

I don't see it as any different than, in the 1800s, sending an escaped slave child from the North back down to a plantation just because his father happened to live there and wanted him back.

At some point, there's a limit to parental rights, such as when a parent lives in a crack house. Or a totalitarian state.

Cuba and the American Left got their propaganda hit out of it, and at least Elian is safe and prosperous enough as a poster boy for Castro. It's a living.

Well, at least in Cuba, Elian will have health insurance.

(Those who decry Cuba - and I'm among them - would do well to acknowledge the advances in literacy and health care that had real meaning to the more downtrodden; would you choose to have the life of the typical Cuban or Haitian?)

' hence Florida went overwhelmingly for GWB in 2000. Stupid actions have consequences!
--daveinboca

Actually, Dave, GWB lost Florida in 2000. The recount showed that by any reasonable method of tallying the vote, Gore won. But you are right, stupid actions DO have consequences - look at Iraq. 3,000 Americans dead, 650,000 Iraqis dead and a half trillion American dollars pissed into the sand.

Hope you don't stick around long. Your cute little phrases you get off FreeRepublic or the Rush Limbaugh Show that only you understand (e.g. Ogress), are trite and idiotic.

"Boxing Day" refers to the act of boxing one's gifts up and shipping them or putting them away--nothing to do with the sport of boxing. I know because my sister lives in London.

Boxing Day - The Boxer's Rebellion began in China?
Men's rebellion against boxing shorts?

Or the day the upper class in England, gave boxes of gifts to their servants?

The Lady of the manor gave a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover, along with descriptive assistant, to the young chauffeur.

The Lord of the manor, gave a box of "protective covers", with descriptive assistance, to Monique, the upstairs maid.

Happy Boxing Day, ya'll.

May I take this opportunity to thank Kevin for an outstanding blog site. Happy Holidays to all!

May I take this opportunity to congratulate "ex-liberal" for discrediting neocon wingnuttery with his/her/its serial dishonesty, which would have embarrassed anyone with a modicum of shame.

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