From my National Review Cruise journal
Day 3 - Dubrovnik

We had a distressing incident last night/this morning. The very rough seas in the Adriatic found me awake when Candy came in at 3:30. She was surprised to see me up as I am usually a heavy sleeper. I was even more surprised to see her wild hair, smeared eye makeup and palazzo pants askew! She explained that during a sudden jerk of the ship, she had caught her heel in a torn piece of carpet on the aft stair and gone tumbling down. I was furious at the ship’s negligence and wanted to go out and inspect the staircase but Candy seemed to want to put the incident behind her.

This morning I insisted that the head of housekeeping come with me to see the problematic flight of stairs. There were no rips in the carpet that we could find so I do give them points for speedy repair. I would never have sued them like a litigious lib, but I am still considering asking for a shipboard credit.

We docked in Dubrovnik this morning. Candy decided to stay on board and in bed. I don’t blame her after her ordeal. At breakfast I had an absorbing conversation with three consultants who are trying to protect the few remaining profits of the oil, pharmaceuticals and insurance industries against the powerful consumer lobbies on the left. I don’t envy them this constant battle! The four of us decided to go out and see Dubrovnik together.

I am not a big fan of walking so we tried to hire a cab for an impromptu tour. The quoted price of $5 per person was outrageous considering the standard of living in Croatia. We gave up after my attempts to haggle seemed to anger the man. Slavs are so dark and broody. In general Eastern Europeans are not nearly as evolved as their Western European counterparts.

As we strolled through one of the squares we were approached by a group of children giving us the “peace sign” while smiling and shouting, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.! Obama! Obama!” I’m not sure how they knew we were Americans. We ignored them and they finally left us right about the time I was considering finding a law enforcement official. Even children can be dangerous in political mobs, especially with a number of Bosnian Muslims around.

After about 20 minutes I got tired and headed back to the ship. Candy’s short nap must have restored her because she was not in the cabin and I didn’t locate her for hours. I spent the rest of the afternoon in a deck chair eating ice cream and chatting with former Senator Larry Craig, who says he is taking this cruise to reconnect with his wife. It was a little hard to hear him as Michael Savage was nearby talking extremely loudly into his cell phone, using words I usually associate with lefty vocabularies on blogs. The “my way or the highway” Democrat Congress is driving even the class acts to profanity.

Senator Craig and I had a good talk about the way liberals keep accusing conservatives of homosexual acts that most on the right have never even heard of. The teabagging incident and the foot signals “crime” the senator was charged with are parallel occurrences. No one in the liberal media ever thinks to ask just how the left seems to know all about every kind of deviance.

Tonight’s show will be Mr. Reagan’s Hollywood, featuring songs, dances and film references of the 1940s and 1950s. Our toes will be tapping!

That's brilliant, Myke. Hope Candy is OK!

Be sure to address the next one "Dear NSA".

Nice to think that some asshole in Ft. Meade will get a laugh out of it too.

OK, is there a single super-genius in the world who will admit to believing, for so much as a nanosecond, that the Central Intelligence Agency - America's foremost SPY organization - would never, ever in a million years even consider so much as a trifling eluding of the truth while testifying to congress?

It's the C. I. A.!!! They're spies. Spooks. Secret Agents. Plants. Moles. Sleepers. They lie for a living. That's what they DO. Hell, it's what they're supposed to do. That's why you have to watch them like hawks and clean out the stables every once in a while. Jesus. When the fuck did wide-eyed naivety become a prerequisite for elected office and television journalism!?

Hey, Myke, let me know if their retrospective includes "Bedtime for Bonzo". I remember back when Reagan was first elected, there was a lot of talk about Bedtime for Brezhniev (sp?).

Otherwise, very funny. Let us know when Craig's wide stance encroaches on your personal foot space. :)

Iraqi Kurds have a vision for a semiautonomous region. Maliki insists Iraq "cannot be divided into two."

While most of the news media has focused on the problems between Shiites and Sunnis, the situation in Kurdistan has been quietly coming to a boil. The US and Iraq have been constantly punting the issue of Kirkuk down the line for last 4 years but they will not be able to do that for much longer. The Kurds will not accept a compromise that leaves kirkuk under the control of Iraq's central government. And of course the Shiites who dominate the government want to make certain they retain control of Northern Iraq's oil wealth.

The situation on the Turkish border has quieted down somewhat but by no means has gone away.

For all the talk of 'calm' in Iraq the situation still very much a powder keg.

Indeed the White House controlled the information totally so, insanely so and did the illegal.

Lawrence B. Wilerson told us this in October 2005, he having served as chief of staff to Colin Powell 2002-2005, his disclosures eventually entitled "The White House Cabal:"

"...I believe that the decisions of this cabal were sometimes made with the full and witting support of the president and sometimes with something less. More often than not, then-national security advisor Condoleezza Rice was simply steamrolled by this cabal.

Its insular and secret workings were efficient and swift -- not unlike the decision-making one would associate more with a dictatorship than a democracy. This furtive process was camouflaged neatly by the dysfunction and inefficiency of the formal decision-making process, where decisions, if they were reached at all, had to wend their way through the bureaucracy, with its dissenters, obstructionists and "guardians of the turf."

But the secret process was ultimately a failure. It produced a series of disastrous decisions and virtually ensured that the agencies charged with implementing them would not or could not execute them well.

I watched these dual decision-making processes operate for four years at the State Department. As chief of staff for 27 months, I had a door adjoining the secretary of State's office. I read virtually every document he read. I read the intelligence briefings and spoke daily with people from all across government.

I knew that what I was observing was not what Congress intended when it passed the 1947 National Security Act. The law created the National Security Council -- consisting of the president, vice president and the secretaries of State and Defense -- to make sure the nation's vital national security decisions were thoroughly vetted. The NSC has often been expanded, depending on the president in office, to include the CIA director, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Treasury secretary and others, and it has accumulated a staff of sometimes more than 100 people.

But many of the most crucial decisions from 2001 to 2005 were not made within the traditional NSC process..."

The failure of the media to address that democracy was surrendered--that "In Bush We Trust" media (a phrase coined by Bernie Chazelle,) shares the blame.

I'm going to be fucking sick.

The Bush Administration was, and still is, impressive with its ability to be worse than you imagine it was -- even when you imagine they were the worst in our history.

Fuck history. I want to judge these reptiles NOW.

There are conflicting reports, but it seems Rep. Mark Kirk's (R) campaign plans in Illinois next year are very much in flux.

The WaPo printed rumors from Kirk's enemies in the GOP without bothering to call Kirk's office. If you want more reliable IL pol gossip, try someone in IL, like Greg Hinz.

The more interesting story is why has no one heard anything from Chris Kennedy sin
ce LMad announced she was punting.

Bat-shit crazy versus Dog-shit dumb

Benen on Noonan on Palin:

Noonan, methodically and thoroughly, simply takes Palin apart, detailing the governor's inability to be thoughtful, unwillingness to learn what others think, reluctance to explain or even understand her own policy positions, and tendency to say things that are "scattered, illogical, manipulative and self-referential to the point of self-reverence."

koreyel on McCain on Palin:

"She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America."

I mean really... top that!
If that is not the most insanely inane thing you have ever heard... then what is?
Oh wait...

Oh, the endless atrocities of the Bush Administration.....back in Feb. 2005, Scott McConnell, writing in "The American Conservative," discussing fascism, expansion of federal power, historical references, the fragility of democratic systems, concluded

"...And yet the very fact that the f-word can be seriously raised in an American context is evidence enough that we have moved into a new period. The invasion of Iraq has put the possibility of the end to American democracy on the table and has empowered groups on the Right that would acquiesce to and in some cases welcome the suppression of core American freedoms. That would be the titanic irony of course, the mother of them all—that a war initiated under the pretense of spreading democracy would lead to its destruction in one of its very birthplaces. But as historians know, history is full of ironies."

Does no one else see that "Candy" is banging the casino boss?
I love how oblivious Myke seems to be.
Maybe its just my deviant liberal mind?

"Myke K" totally nails "Mike K"

(For anyone not yet aware this is actually a delightful yet sickeningly accurate parody of a one smarmy old fuck from Orange County, CA.)

Snarlin' Arlen is looking for a constituencey. He desperately hunkers after another six years in the Senate dashing peoples' hopes and dreams while her wallows in corporate dollars, and strokes his own ego playingpower broker to the rich and nauseating. He hasn't tried to manipulate minorities in decades. I guess the timing is right. (Oh god, not another six years!)

"Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) says he's investigating charges of racism at a private pool in suburban Philadelphia...

Conclusion: Racism didn't turn those students away from the pool; the Magic Bullet did!

vwmeggs, you hit the nail on the head!!! hehehe!!!

That is to funny!

I think she (Candy) is banging the casino guy too.

But then, as I said before, most of the women the GOP have, they are just props.

Think about it, the way the GOP behave, always trying to order people around, bullying....I bet when they USED to have sex with their women, they would yell during sex, "Left, Right, Left."

VWMEGGS,
BTW, I'll bet the casino boss didn't need to use a date rape drug either.

The GOP don't know how to love - their have no tender side in their host of character flaws.

I'm a NoGoodnik on the 2nd Stimulus:

I know the Krug-man has given quite a few NYT's column inches to arguing for a second stimulus package: Here and here.

But what about this article that appeared in Tuesday's NYT's business section: France, Unlike U.S., Is Deep Into Stimulus Projects?

Here a a few killer paragraphs from it that may give you pause:

All told, Paris has set aside 100 million euros in stimulus funds earmarked for what the French like to call their cultural patrimony. It is a French twist on how to overcome the global downturn, spending borrowed money avidly to beautify the nation even as it also races ahead of the United States in more classic Keynesian ways: fixing potholes, upgrading railroads and pursuing other “shovel ready” projects.

“America is six months behind; it has wasted a lot of time,” said Patrick Devedjian, the minister in charge of the French relance, or stimulus. By the time Washington gets around to doling out most of its money, Mr. Devedjian sniffed, “the crisis could be over.”

Gallic pride aside, Mr. Devedjian has a point. While he plans to spend 75 percent of France’s stimulus money this year, the White House is giving itself until fall 2010 to lay out that big a share of the American expenditure. And many experts predict that Washington will fall short of that goal.

Otherwise the 2nd Stimulus is just another Dog's Breakfast that will give credence to every conservative complaint about Big Fucking Govt.

Show me something lasting and significant...
Or spend the first stimulus goddamn it!

This is too funny! I can't help but make another comment about Myke K.

Maybe he feels that his MONEY will keep Candy from leaving him.

Yet, it sounds like she did everything to avoid spending any time with him - seems she ditched him at all costs.

News--Dan Froomkin, fired by The Washington Post, is hired by The Huffington Post.
As such, speaking of great writing, the illustrious Glenn Greenwald said the following:

"...Clearly, journalism itself is not dying. What is dying -- and rightfully so -- is the staid, establishment-serving, passion-free, access-desperate, mindless stenographic model to which establishment journalism rigidly adheres. As The Post's Ombudsman reported from personal experience, Froomkin's firing left "an army of angry followers" and "an outcry from a loyal audience." People are obviously hungry for the type of real journalism Froomkin practices. The Huffington Post immediately capitalized on the Post's short-sighted and myopic decision to fire one of their most (and one of their very few) vibrant, passionate and innovative journalists. In this episode lies many insights about the real reasons establishment journalism is struggling severely."

This morning I insisted that the head of housekeeping come with me to see the problematic flight of stairs. There were no rips in the carpet that we could find so I do give them points for speedy repair. -- Myke K, @17:41

I wouldn't expect anything less; the ship's company would, naturally, do their very best for the cruisers of The National Journal. OTOH, I wouldn't try to get a refund/credit, either; they might claim that it was Candy's stilettos that tore the rug in the first place. As a matter of fact, you might want to take a *really close* look at your final bill, to make sure that they haven't charged you for damages and repairs to that rug... Doubtless, most of the crew members are also union members and you know what those people are like; only to happy to charge you for their own faults.

Enjoy your foot tapping with Sen Craig tonight!

Admiringly yours,

Regarding the CIA, Panetta and Congress:

Apparently this super-secret CIA program was intermittent, switched on whenever circumstances warranted, and then switched off, lying dormant in some CIA department, until something triggered it being switched on again...which actually accurately describes what a CIA special "operations" team would experience between assassination assignments, let's say. (Although this intermittent CIA activity could involve some other CIA operation, even worse than assassinations, torture, illegal spying on U.S. citizens, although it's hard to imagine what this might be).

One clue might be what was in the news around the time CIA director Leon Panetta learned of this CIA program. Something in the news which might indicate what triggered this dormant CIA program to be activated, thus coming to the attention of Panetta, a CIA program that he scuttled within 24 hours, leading him to inform Congress about it's existence.

So, what was in the news about two months ago that might hint at what caused a dormant CIA program to be activated, a program created after the 9/11 attacks on orders of former CIA director George "Slam Dunk" Tenet, probably on orders of Dick Cheney and the neo-con Republicans in the Bush administration?

Something to do with Iran, maybe? Using covert CIA agents to destabilize Iran, similar to the reports that the Bush administration inserted CIA agents into Iran after the 9/11 attacks to map Iran's nuclear facilities and work with sympathetic anti-Tehran Iranian tribes? Or something else, somewhere else?

Whatever, wherever, this super-secret CIA program, that was even deemed too sensitive to be reported to our representatives in Congress, will someday be revealed, as will all the criminal acts committed by Republicans over the past eight years will be revealed, just not anytime soon apparently.

koreyel posted:

"By the time Washington gets around to doling out most of its money, Mr. Devedjian sniffed, 'the crisis could be over'."

Highly doubtful. We're still accelerating downward:

RECORD DELINQUENCY RATE ON HOME-EQUITY LOANS

(Bloomberg) - Late payments on home-equity loans rose to a record in the first quarter as 18 straight months of job losses and a slumping economy left more borrowers unable to pay their debts, the American Bankers Association reported.

The U.S. economy lost an average 691,000 jobs a month in the quarter, and more than 6.5 million positions have been shed since the recession began in December 2007. The economy this year will shrink the most since 1946. Employment is the single biggest factor impacting late and delinquent credit payments.

"The number one driver of delinquencies is job losses, which we've seen build and build," James Chessen, the group's chief economist, said in a telephone interview. "Delinquencies won't come down without a dramatic improvement in the economy."

WORSE THAN SUBPRIME

(McClatchy) - Call it son of subprime. Experts warn that a new wave of mortgage foreclosures may be coming soon and could rival the default rates for subprime mortgages and slow efforts to find bottom in a prolonged national housing slump.

The mortgages in question are $230 billion of option adjustable-rate mortgages, creative lending products that flourished at the height of the housing boom. In an option ARM, a borrower can opt to pay less than his or her monthly balance due, and the difference is tacked onto the outstanding loan balance.

Many experts had expected an explosion of defaults in the springtime on these roughly 564,000 outstanding mortgages. However, interest rates dropped to historic lows, and that delayed the detonation of what many housing analysts still see as a ticking time bomb.

"They're probably going to default at a rate that makes subprime look like a walk in the park," warned Rick Sharga, senior vice president for RealtyTrac, a foreclosure research firm in Irvine, Calif.

The bulk of outstanding option ARMs - a product no longer available to homebuyers - were issued between 2004 and 2007. Monthly payments on these mortgages are due to reset to a higher lending rate between 2009 and 2012.

"They're going to have a loan they cannot afford on a house that's probably way underwater and not have a lot of good options on how to avoid foreclosure proceedings," Sharga said.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE IS A 'TIME BOMB'

(Bloomberg) - The $3.5 trillion commercial real estate market is a ticking "time bomb" that may lead to a second wave of losses at large U.S. banks, congressional Joint Economic Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney said.

About $700 billion in commercial mortgages will need to be refinanced before the end of 2010 and "doing nothing is not an option," Maloney, a New York Democrat, said at a committee hearing today. This "looming crisis" may lead to significant losses for banks, force shopping center and hotel owners into bankruptcy, and impede economic recovery, she said.

The response by banks to this "growing threat has been slow and inadequate," said James Helsel, a partner at RSR Realtors in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and treasurer for the National Association of Realtors. "The lack of liquidity and banks' reluctance to extend lending are also becoming apparent in the increasing level of delinquent properties."

Gonzales' letter to Comey (acting Attorney General at the time) dated March 16, 2004:

"Your memorandum appears to have been based on a misunderstanding of the President’s expectations regarding the conduct of the Department of Justice. While the President was, and remains, interested in any thoughts the Department of Justice may have on alternative ways to achieve effectively the goals of the activities authorized by the Presidential Authorization of March 11, 2004, the President has addressed definitively for the Executive Branch in the Presidential Authorization the interpretation of the law."

Is it just me or is this really f*cked up?

* Iraqi Kurds have a vision for a semiautonomous region. Maliki insists Iraq "cannot be divided into two."
---
Am I the only one who, having suffered through Latin classes, immediately thought about this: "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres..."

Iraqi Kurds have a vision for a semiautonomous region. Maliki insists Iraq "cannot be divided into two."

Well if the Kurds won't respect Iraqi democracy then Maliki will just have to use Bell Helicopters that we sold him to gas them in the name of freedom.

Or something.

I'm willing to bet that "the C-Street Mafia Crew" had Cynthia McKinney detained in Israel.

Notice how the news didn't cover the story? No problem, go to freegaza.org and you can find out what's happening!

My bad, it should be "the C-Street Nazi Crew"

It would be an insult to the Mafia - because at least they take care of their wife, kids and the neighborhood.

And here I thought I was just stating the obvious.
Loved annjell's additional comments.
Rethug women are just there to stand by their man. Thank goodness my dad raised me to think for myself; turned me into a pretty far-left progressive.
Exlibra was spot on about not asking for a refund/credit; might find "Candy's" skeletons.
I'm sure the union crew offers a MUCH better lay than Myke K. Great fantasy writer that he is, he still sounds like a douche.

Interesting read on TPM, about the firefighter the repubs are bringing to attack Obama's supreme court judge nominee. He apparently got his job originally by instigating a charge of discrimination against the city, ny claiming to be dyslexic.

thanks myke k....

funny stuff...

how's the service on the ship?

and the food?

Yes, Myke K, very funny - The irony is that a real pre-Christmas cruise by the NRO staff up the Inland Passage to Alaska started the national push of Palin. She and Todd were guests of NRO. Lowery raved about her "leadership" skills. They pushed her into the McCain camp.

But, you are really putting Doc Mikey K to shame - He might come out of retirement just to go back into "medicine" and reject more Work Comp claims. Anything for "The Cause", eh, Doc? Semper Fi!

"charges of racism at a private pool in suburban Philadelphia"

Irrespective of whether or not Specter's investigation is on the level, the fact that the situation being investigated occurred shows that central PA is expanding. Remember that PA is Philly in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in between. Murtha also made this observation not too long ago and took a beating for stating the obvious. Now it looks like "the center is holding."

As for whether or not Ensign can recover from his scandal, Giuliani and Gingrich have certainly recovered from much worse, so why not Ensign? Whether he WILL or not is another question. Some Republicans still have the remnants of a sense of shame.