I'm not sure since Chris Matthews was hawking tomorrow's Hard Ball by saying that Lance Armstrong had a "big announcement" to make on there tomorrow.

No, you're right, Gonzo still beats a Tweety/Armstrong combo.

Kevin, you're completely wrong. Gonzales already said he corrected any mistakes he made with a reporter. What's your problem with that? Memories aren't perfect you know.

Ah, Kevin.

You know, if Gonzalez was really as bad as you accuse him as, don't you suppose the President would have cut him loose by now? Do you really think President Bush would stand by Mr. Gonzalez if he wasn't supporting him to the utmost?

Please.

How is pro cycling any different than pro baseball, pro basketball, or any of the others. (pro wrestling anyone?). The organizations that run these enterprises are corrupt to the core (no surprise Bush was a former baseball team owner). They've got to keep the appearance that the games are not rigged, so that they can lure suckers into the GAMBLING.

Just like the stock market/financial industry (including the press).

And also, just like the War industry - only they don't need the suckers to gamble. Just pay taxes.

egbert: Do you really think President Bush would stand by Mr. Gonzalez if he wasn't supporting him to the utmost?

No, which is what scares me.

Doesn't anyone make a troll repellent?

Don't they come that way?

Professional cycling knows there is a problem, has announced it publicly, and has established an aggressive anti-doping strategy to solve the problem. Moreover, the Tdf just gave Vino (and his whole team) the boot for cheating. That's more than most other sports and certainly more than the Bush administration which lives in denial, denial, denial. Bad analogy.

Unfair to professional cycling?

Sadly, no.

...Alberto Gonzalez has about as much credibility left as Tim Donaghy...

Fixed.

The merger between al-Qaida and its Iraqi affiliate is an alliance of killers and that is why the finest military in the world is on their trail.

Professional cycling knows there is a problem, has announced it publicly, and has established an aggressive anti-doping strategy to solve the problem. . . .
Posted by: none on July 24, 2007 at 8:15 PM | PERMALINK

Well, during last year's TDF steroids scandal, I asked a friend of mine, who follows cycling closely; why would someone take that kind of risk, if he knew he was going to be tested?

Well - he didn't sound at all shocked about it, and said that the cyclist's sample had been tested out of order, so it was tested when he didn't expect it to be tested - which means - there are expected gaps in the testing strategy which allow athletes to take these illegal drugs anyway, and get them cleaned out of their system in time for the test. The system is designed to be gamed.

In other words - the strategy is not rigorous enough - the athletes are not honest, they are not competing for competition, they're competing only to win. Damn what's right or wrong.

If you ask me - I do feel a little hypocritical about telling another person what they can and can not put into their bodies to ruin them long term, in exchange for short term wealth and glory.

But don't go putting these guys on some pedestal of idealistic athletic achievement and purity of purpose. Don't tell me that there's no corruption or cheating when there are holes in the system that permit them to cheat most of the time. Don't expect me to point to that athlete, and tell my son - "look, that guy is so fast, and he works so hard, and doesn't cheat, he's an excellent role model for you!" - or "sports are great for our society because they teach us all good values about competition and teamwork and fairness."

It's all a bunch of crap.

Either legalize the steroids - or guarantee that nobody's doing them - or don't SELL us a fairy tale story about human competition, heroism, and achievement.

It's all just a big fake, cheap lie, designed to sell you sports drinks and shoes, just like Gonzalez and Bush are a big fake cheap lie designed to sell you patriotism and war.

OK, it's unfair to professional cycling. How about "Alberto Gonzales has about as much credibility left as NBA refereeing"?

Abu G is Bushies Praetorian Guard. He is all that is standing between the man who probably privately disdains him, and a possible stretch in the dock. If Abu goes, a competent AG will be installed, and then - you know what he did to the country? Well, it would be the countries turn.

Cycling's credibility-damaging steroid use is at least performance enhancing. Gonzales' utter lack of credibility reflects (& further affects) the utterly shambolic performance of the Justice Department under his grotesque mismanagement.

The other trait that truly distinguishes Gonzo as a credibility-free figure - in an Administration absolutely characterised by mendacity - is his spectacular incompetence as a liar. He not only lies so often, he lies so badly that his comparable equivalent in the cycling world would be shooting up 'roids at the starting line saying "What syringe?"

May I say I am watching a rerun of the hearings and am shocked, and that Dianne Feinstein and moderate Senator from Penna. Arlen Spector have hammered him, and he seems very much like a goofus with "recusal" as opposed to "I do not recall."

"Well - he didn't sound at all shocked about it, and said that the cyclist's sample had been tested out of order, so it was tested when he didn't expect it to be tested - which means - there are expected gaps in the testing strategy which allow athletes to take these illegal drugs anyway, and get them cleaned out of their system in time for the test. The system is designed to be gamed."

If he's talking about Floyd Landis, this makes no sense. He'd just won the stage, and stage winners are routinely tested. It wasn't out of order at all. And Landis, having bonked the day before, was clearly gunning to get back in the Tour. Furthermore, the yellow jersey and three random cyclists are tested after each stage; how one deduces an "order" from that I don't know. I continue to be perplexed at Landis, and now at Vino.

How about "Gonzalez has as much credibility as Al and egbert"?

More, I'm afraid. Because he has something to gain by lying.

Yeah, consider wisely, today's hearing was just mind-blowing. I urge everyone to check out www.talkingpointsmemo.com and Spencer Ackerman's blogging on the subject in the Muckraker section. Big, big news. I can't believe everyone is talking about cycling when what happened today is SO IMPORTANT!

Mind you, I was eventually doing housework, but I am certain I heard very negative rants from people in the room where the hearing occurred as it went to a break. AG is toast?
Additionally, Patrick Leahy is speaking with the press and gulping some coffee (likely worn out) saying his testimony occurs more often than not, and as he said in his opening statement the Attorney General does not have his trust. He is terribly torn with what he sees in the department than he what has seen in 33 years in the Senate--from people there from both parties...
What I like about CSPAN is it continues to tape conversations as the event has gone to break.
I love this (one last) element of free speech in this country. Even the singing of chants can be heard.
Senator Leahy feels what we should be doing is getting answers to our questions, there will be contempt citations--he is not looking for a show trial--he wonders why the prez would want to go down in history for having the most dysfuntional DOJ in history, with such disdain for law and order...back up the rhetoric with results--and the president and AG have not done that.
The testimony on the laid up, medically compromised Attorney Ashcroft was pricely disengenous. Am pleased my arrival at home after a long day working and in travel was rewarded. I literally heard "whoops--OOh!!" as the senators quizzed this minion of the decider

Say what you want, but today's Tour events were enough for me to give up on the sport forever. We have seen so many cheaters over the years.... and last year I truly found Floyd's comeback exciting and even redeeming in a way.... But I have been fooled once too many times. It's apparent now to me that they are all cheaters, and so another good sport goes the way of the devil. Fuck it -- I will find my inspiration elsewhere.

consider wisely,

Those 'whoops' you heard were a small group of people in the hearing room who yelled "Resign! Resign!" during each break of the panel. They were smart to do it that way, avoiding getting thrown out by causing disorder while the hearing was taking place.

AND you can still listen to the hearing online at cspan.org (C-span 3).

Well said, Nepata, and thank you for your keen listening.
It was certainly overwhelming paying attention to the doublespeak presentation of AG

Senator Feingold is really laying it out, telling Gonzales he played a huge role in the illegal program for wiretapping, that he has been misleading, and actually shifting responsibility to Ashcroft. Says it was you, Mr. AG, who visited Ashcroft in the hospital...In every case you managed to come up with---a pattern of misleading Congress time and time again.
Whoo--piling on, and I love it. I just admire the esteemed Russ Feingold, who notes he is not able to elaborate in this setting, but WTF with the dishonorable AG!!!! Says how can you come to Congress with a straight face.
I hear laughter in the background and feel hope

"AG is toast?"

I don't think so. Bush won't let him go until and unless he has absolutely no choice -- e.g., Gonzalez goes on trial for perjury or impeachment proceedings are initiated. Bush simply cannot afford to have a competent, reasonably independent attorney general for the next 18 months. The risk would be enormous.

After all, what's the worst that can happen to Bush if Gonzalez stays? Gonzalez' credibility is destroyed? It already is. Bush's approval ratings are damaged? They're just about as low as they can go, and the 28 percenters don't care about Gonzalez. If anything, they approve of him "standing his ground." The investigations continue? They would continue either way. Congress wants Gonzalez replaced? They already do. Absent a willingness from Senate Republicans to take serious action against Gonzalez, I think he stays.

What's interesting about all of this is that Senate Republicans are playing a dangerous game these days. They've gotten away with a hell of a lot solely because their constituents just aren't paying that close attention. When we get closer to election season, though, and they start getting hammered with ads that point out what they are doing, I think they'll be in trouble.

My take was that Gonazales presents as very guilty, as if "caught" right about now, and when the lovable Senator Leahy asks about underling Monica Goodling's issues re: Gonzales asking this career hire improper questions...and did he ever consider political aspects as if loyalty to the decider was a factor, the AG says they changed policies...Leahy asks if the White House also realizes this--the AG says I do not know, and much laughter is heard in the room.
As to Monica's "uncomfortable conversation" with Gonzales--he calls her emotionally distraught--and I am ready to hurl. No wonder she was nervous and got weird. Oh my god, he called her "confused."
Arlen Specter tells him his testimony is not credible.
The committee will subsequently review Gonzales' testimony to see if it is actionable. HA HA HA

IMPEACH ALL OF THEM

I thought the Attorney General did a fine job today of exposing what a self-important hack Charles Schumer really is.

The hearing was merely an opportunity for grandstanding Senators to sit there in front of an audience of less than a dozen howling liberals and flap their gums and try to humiliate a good man who has been doing his part to keep us safe from head-severing Jihadis. You can't expect someone to remember everything their incompetent staff does. Gonzales has cleaned house; now all he has to do is weather the "storm" being brewed by a handful of Democrats who can't seem to get a single piece of legislation through the Senate, even though they have the majority.

I weep for this country. One day the bloodthirsty Jihadis will hit us and there will be no one left to defend us--you liberals and your Bush Derangement are hounding them all out of Washington.

Oh, Norman, you silly little goofball!! Your republicans are going down.

This is oversight. Senatorial oversight. And I love it. We are taking the lead in investigative matters and I have to tell you, this administrative representative is tongue tied, and troubled...
Notice he was not prevented from appearing, with his non-existing credibility, like Harriet Miers. And they both are the president's personal attorneys. Fall guy?

As to Monica's "uncomfortable conversation" with Gonzales--he calls her emotionally distraught--and I am ready to hurl. No wonder she was nervous and got weird. Oh my god, he called her "confused."

When a man has to deal with a dingy chick in the workplace, it is really difficult to ascertain whether she is being dingy on purpose or whether she is being sly and coy in order to achieve some secret agenda. I used to think I could spot dingy and call it what it was, but as the 1980s turned into the 1990s, I realized that young women were getting smarter and smarter about when to play dingy and when genuinely act dingy when they wanted to be disingenuous.

Four major lawsuits, all of them settled amicably. Is that the answer to your next question?

Your republicans are going down.

And yet, 65 years of life on this planet and experience in the arena tells me the Democrats have nothing to show for their time in charge of the Congress. The American people don't sit there in the evening hours and put a tic mark next to Harry Reid's picture every time the Republicans in the Senate masterfully block each and every attempt he makes to undermine the conduct of the war. The American people aren't even paying attention--it is summer. Only hyperactive political junkies are paying attention right now.

Twelve million dollars in ads, and the American people (in select markets, of course) will have all the impression of Democrats they need. And that impression will be of "weak, whining, impotent fools who want our enemies to win."

Next.

I question your judgment but assume you are drinking margaritas at this late hour.

Oh, and I hear the "resign now" shouts from the lovable audience at the Senate hearing that the Bush administration, if in charge, would have led out by their hair, no less. P.S. Note the lawsuits by people prevented from participating in tax-payer paid political events of the decider

Actually Gonzales is like WADA and the other anti-doping agencies in that they all have a lack of respect for due process and the rights of the accused. Check out the Trust But Verify blog to see the documentation of some of the atrocities comitted against the cyclists.

Folks are crying for the impeachment of Gonzales, but it's really not Gonzales - Bush and Cheney wanted a yes-man and if it were not Gonzales it would have been another lying, two-faces Bullshitter.

And what is congress to do with Bush's latest executive privilege document that prohits any US attorney from charging Gonzales - Gonzales can lie if he wants - congress can't do a damn thing about it.

And Washington Post has this headline:

Poll: Republicans Like Giuliani's Electability
Post-ABC News poll shows former New York mayor with sizeable lead over his three principal rivals.

Dan Balz and Jon Cohen | 5:00 p.m. ET

I don't know if the e-voting machines will have a paper ballot or not by 2008. But I would bet that with Republicans, Giuliani's is about as electabily, if not less so as Kerry was.

Which American troops is President Bush and the Republican Party urging us to support?

The American troops in Iraq who are still alive or the American troops shipped home from Iraq dead or wounded?

As to the AG, he is a lying sack of shit.

Back to important things. Landis taking testosterone, a long term performance enhancer, the day before a big stage makes no sense. Landis’ samples weren’t blinded, and the same lab tested the primary and secondary samples. Landis’ technical witness, who is well respected, testified the various hormone ratios reported in the sample made no sense physiologically, suggesting serious technical problems with the test protocol. It’s not that hard to properly blind samples and send them to multiple labs so the evidence is irrefutable. Instead I get the impression the (French) Man decided Landis was doping (and don’t get me wrong, maybe he was), and when he couldn’t prove it properly decided to hang him anyway.

Ward Churchill Fired.

Notice he was not prevented from appearing, with his non-existing credibility, like Harriet Miers. And they both are the president's personal attorneys.

Neither the White House Counsel nor, especially, the Attorney-General, is the President's personal attorney, though, of course, those holding both positions in this administration (possible excepting John Ashcroft) have acted as if they were.

Norman -

I know you are old and rich (sort of anyway) and think us liberals are morons. That’s interesting because I’m old (not as old as you but close), rich sort of, and I tend to think you are a moron.

I can’t believe you really support throwing bad money after good. Bush and his crew have been operating the Iraq operation for four years now, and every year they say things are better and when the report comes in things are worse. Fool Norman once, shame on you, fool him again and again and again, shame on Norman. If Bush’s Iraq operation was a business, you would have cut him off a long time ago, so you could invest your money were it would do more good.

A huge item that came out was that Gonzales wrote a memo authorizing the office of the vice president to have access to investigations conducted by the Justice Department. That is incredible. The JD is supposed to be independent. Janet Reno once wrote a memo describing how the WH was excluded from contact with ongoing investigations. What a turn of events. And now the GW says that he will instruct US Attorneys not to prosecute Congressional contempt citations. This is clearly an impeachable offense.

And yet, 65 years of life on this planet and experience in the arena tells me the Democrats have nothing to show for their time in charge of the Congress. The American people don't sit there in the evening hours and put a tic mark next to Harry Reid's picture every time the Republicans in the Senate masterfully block each and every attempt he makes to undermine the conduct of the war. The American people aren't even paying attention--it is summer. Only hyperactive political junkies are paying attention right now.

Twelve million dollars in ads, and the American people (in select markets, of course) will have all the impression of Democrats they need. And that impression will be of "weak, whining, impotent fools who want our enemies to win."

Always nice when the troglodytes are forthright about the depths of their calculating cynicism.

Rare as...well, as infantry enlistments at College Republican conclaves--but nice to see all the same.

Al: "Memories aren't perfect you know."

Without a doubt, as you show us almost daily.

egbert: "Ah, Kevin."

Guess the Kaopectate finally kicked in.

brick: "Ward Churchill Fired."

Wow. What a surprise. Who saw that coming? Aloha. Don't let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you. Plagiarist. Asshole.

One of the hallmarks of a fascist government is cronyism and putting people in positions of power and authority who have no business being there. Gonzalez is a prime example of this. He was a dirt lawyer in Texas for Vinson and Elkins (James Baker's firm) and handled some of Dubya's crooked business dealings before he was thrust into jobs he had no qualifications for, such as Secretary of State and Supreme Court Justice in Texas. Cronyism from the get-go.

If the mainstream media had been doing their job, instead of obsessing over Bill and Hillary Clinton's marriage, neither of these incompetent criminals (Bush and Gonzalez) would be in positions of power.

Norman: I am old, rich, and I have been to Iraq twice this year. Notice, please, that Iraqis cut each others' heads off, or drill them full of holes, etc etc. Iraq is not a nice place.

Notice, please, all those brave American soldiers there protecting us from the hole drillers and head cutters. Now tell me Alberto Gonzalez is essential to the GWOT.

Alberto Gonzales doesn't protect us from these people. He just gets the credit from folks like you.

Go watch his testimony. Listen to his press conferences. He is not a person of substance, period, and he clearly obfuscates the truth at his convenience. If the truth makes us free, then the AG is enslaving us, not protecting us.

Donald from Hawaii,

Missed his name, but loved your Representative from Hawaii who challenged the Repuke Georgia Rep on the House floor yesterday. Sorta a step outside moment.

And, I thought that Abu G was only hanging around to hit 757.

Egbert,

" ... if Gonzalez was really as bad as you accuse him as ... "

You flunk again.

Competitive drug-taking and truth-avoidance are the new Sports.

[Even parody grows stale and tiresome]

Egbert,

And by the way, it's "Gonzales", not "Gonzalez."

Can anyone tell me if this batch of criminals can be prosecuted and/or sued when they're out of office. The thinking is that the repubs will be such a small minority after the next election that they won't be able to obstruct anything.

With an objective and Machivellian point of view, it would seem that (at least up till now) Gonzales has been a much more effective lawyer and bureaucratic infighter than Leahy, Specter and Feinstein.

Gonzales has been able to obfuscate the facts, conveniently forget much important material and get away with it, and effectively stymie the Senate committee in their search. In this way he has protected not only himself and the executive legislation he and his department have put in place, but he has also protected his master from implication of wrongdoing by former DOJ aides and from the Senate itself.

It would appear that while he may have lost on points in all rounds, at this stage in the fight he is still winning because his opponents are not making any headway in establishing or ascribing legal wrongdoing to Gonzales, Rove or Bush. Even the fired and resigned DOJ staffers have all gotten away clean, and no subpoenas issued thusfar have caused any testimony.

This all could change (and fast), but thusfar Gonzales is beating the pants off the Senate by playing the dummy.

Did they forget to ask Gonzalez "Who made the list of US Attorneys to be fired and why?" We still do not have answers to those two very simple questions.

We will never know what this administration has done until they are all dead and buried.

I hate to admit it, but part of the fun of reading this site is watching Al defend the indefensible. Occasionally, he'll disappoint by merely trying to change the subject, but he'll often come up with some fascinating spin. I think he must do it for the challenge: "OK, how can I play devil's advocate on THIS one?"

If Abu goes, a competent AG will be installed, and then - you know what he did to the country? Well, it would be the country's turn.

What a noble premise, naively optimistic I fear but noble. Let's remember who came before AG the AG. Wasn't it Ashcroft? I suppose we might get a better singer, but if GwB makes the appointment, you can probably expect another of the same ilk.

If Abu goes, a competent AG will be installed, and then - you know what he did to the country?

Blue Girl, you're usually a lot more astute than that. What in the last 6 years would make you thing that if Abu falls on his sword that Bush would find, much less appoint, a competent AG?

What in the last 6 years would make you thing that if Abu falls on his sword that Bush would find, much less appoint, a competent AG?

I'm with BGRS on this one. It isn't the last 6 years, it's the last 9 months. Bush would have to make an effort to find an AG as incompetent and corrupt as Gonzales. Which isn't to say that he wouldn't do so, but he'd never get someone that rancid out of Senate committee. The Democrats simply won't confirm anyone who doesn't at least meet the appearance of honesty and competence.

If I've told you liberals once, I've told you a thousand times--the next person in line for a cabinet position (Or, one prays, the Supreme Court seat now held down by Justice Stevens) is Rick Santorum, defender of the faith.

I encourage you to continue with your Bush derangement, your unhinged support for people who disrupt the proceedings of Congress with their catcalls and their hooting and hollering. I encourage you to continue making it look as though you are jibber-jabbering little maniacs. A careful sample of the postings here show just how crazed and freaky the left really is.

And when Rick is attorney general, all bets are off. Abortionists, pornographers and liberals might as well pull up stakes and move to Denmark or Botswana. Rick won't tolerate your shenanigans.

OT: I hope you guys that whined about the "Suzie for President" ads are happy.

Your pal, Porky

And when Rick is attorney general, all bets are off. Abortionists, pornographers and liberals might as well pull up stakes and move to Denmark or Botswana. Rick won't tolerate your shenanigans. Posted by: Norman Rogers

Rogers is really off his meds today...

Wow. The counter blogger(s) were out in force on this thread. The relative amount of adminitration damage is equivalent to the number of mhr and norman rogers entries you find. Ted Kennedy? Yowza.
Gonzo will be impeached. Then Congress cannot recess for more than a couple of days until this administration is locked away. Disaster. They could just resign and save their party? I think Mitch needs to go up and offer them their escape plan.

Rick Santorum - Defender of the Faith.
*(Until it comes out that he was videoed by a cellphone, snorting coke off a transsexual stripper's tits in a Las Vegas brothel).

thethirdPaul: "Missed his name, but loved your Representative from Hawaii who challenged the Repuke Georgia Rep on the House floor yesterday."

That would be my old boss, Neil Abercrombie. I don't blame the Georgia representative for ducking the challenge -- Neil bench presses over 300 lbs., and is built like a small tank.

osama_been_forgotten: "Rick Santorum - Defender of the Faith. *(Until it comes out that he was videoed by a cellphone, snorting coke off a transsexual stripper's tits in a Las Vegas brothel)."

Stop spreading rumors. There is no room for "transsexual strippers" in Sen. Santorum's life, but only real honest-to-God, 100% all-American whores who are definitely all woman -- well, OK, the 38DDs probably do look a tad artificial on women who're only 5'3", and could probably put your eye out if you landed wrong ...

Rick won't tolerate your shenanigans. Norman Rogers at 10:51 AM

Report Suggests Laws Broken in Attorney Firings

…The report also provides the first written account of the Democrats' interpretation of the firings and the administration's response to the controversy.
The memorandum says the probe has turned up evidence that some of the U.S. attorneys were improperly selected for firing because of their handling of vote fraud allegations, public corruption cases or other cases that could affect close elections. It also says that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and senior Justice aides "appear to have made false or misleading statements to Congress, many of which sought to minimize the role of White House personnel."
In one of more than 300 footnotes, the Democrats point to a Jan. 6, 2005, e-mail from an assistant White House counsel that says that Rove "stopped by to ask . . . how we planned to proceed regarding U.S. attorneys, whether we were going to allow them to stay, request resignations from all and accept only some of them, or selectively replace them, etc."…

Needles: And by the way, it's "Gonzales", not "Gonzalez."

My nickname for him is...."Fredo"....

Do you think he knows....its not a compliment?

Do you think he cares?

It's apparent now to me that they are all cheaters...

Um, if everybody's doping, doesn't that imply a level playing field? What's the big whoop?