Sorry, can't agree with Krugman on this one. Greenwald's point is exactly, well, on-point: pay-to-play conflicts cannot be categorized on the basis of who we think is "legitimate" and who is not, because of course the Republicans and the W Administration think that all the people THEY are paying for "consulting services" behind the scenes are legitimate too. Conflict of interest and secret payments are conflict of interest and secret payments not matter who is in the White House.

Cranky

"As institutions of higher ed struggle financially across the country, some universities are thinking about raising tuition rates just to pay for their athletic programs."

I love sports as much as the next guy. But I wouldn't shed a tear if all forms of public education (K-12 and higher ed) eliminated their athletic programs overnight. (Private organizations would pick up the slack.) They're a distraction that we can't afford.

* This seems like an issue that might have some potency in an election..................As the debate over this issue moves forward, Americans will see who stands with the people. If Republicans believe protecting Wall Street is their key to endearing themselves to the American public, they're in for quite a surprise.
-Chris Harris

Hahahahahah. good one.

Let's be clear. What Republicans know and count on, is that 93.4% of voters don't pay attention. What little info voters get is packaged into sound bites that Republicans work masterfully at cultivating.

Thus in the minds of voters:

Anti-bailout = TEA Party = Conservative = Republican.

As Turdblossom said, reality doesn't matter because they create their own. The media won't inform voters and Democrats are constantly too busy playing defense in the he said/she said game to combat the lies and hypocrisy.

American voters are routinely given a choice between pizza and a shit sandwich, and yet, because of the messaging in this country, too many fall for the slick ads promising a sandwich so tasty that George Washington and Jesus would eat if they were still around.

Mmmmmm........ Americans apparently wants seconds.

I think Brian Williams said it right a night ago..
Hug your loved ones and just feel glad to do that.

No, Krugman's right.

Yes, there are dishonest aspects to the way the Whitehouse has presented Gruber's work, but it's fairly obvious Gruber is a consultant, not the paid advocate involved in organized HCR apologism FireDogLake and Greenwald are claiming.

FDL needs to lay off this one, it makes them look like kooks, and we need to focus on the real problems with the HCR, rather than whether one consultant has made it clear enough that he was paid to advise the Whitehouse on the subject.

I used to read and even support FDL but their constant, 24/7 hysteria finally wore me out. Here's some of what looks like their work. Poison berry anyone?
http://washingtonindependent.com/74105/did-firedoglake-take-out-vic-snyder#more-74105

I'm no expert in these matters, but does anyone have any reason why helicopters could not drop sandwiches and bottled water to the poor Haitians on the streets?

Is Afghanistan a bus ride to a train wreck?

Greenwald's really got the media's number, but he's in danger of getting a bit rabid about the administration. Krugman's distinction is easy enough to understand. I coming to the conclusion that Greenwald is too distant from the action to comment effectively. I live in the far Northwest corner of our country aboard a boat that is almost in Canada so I an certainly not one of Digby's Villagers. But I clearly see the difference between the Gruber and Armstrong cases. It's really not that complicated glenn.

> Yes, there are dishonest aspects to the way the
> Whitehouse has presented Gruber's work, but it's
> fairly obvious Gruber is a consultant, not the
> paid advocate involved in organized HCR apologism
> FireDogLake and Greenwald are claiming.
>
> FDL needs to lay off this one, it makes them look
> like kooks,

Yeah, its not as if any Administration member close to Obama is advocating secret infiltration of web sites that harbor unacceptable ideas or anything.

Cranky

> Krugman's distinction is easy enough to
> understand.

Yes, people who are doing "good solid work [that we happen to agree with]" should be allowed to take large government contracts while being quoted as independent experts on the same subject by the Administration. And when President Liz Cheney uses the same tactic in 2013 we will have no problem with it, right?

Cranky

Joanne in PA, I agree. This is devastating to watch. Military & relief organizations have lots of experience in food/information drops-think they parachute in the heavy items like water

Key West, Florida to Port-au-Prince, Haiti is approximately 750 miles?
Did not we have helicopters in Florida that could have by-passed problems at the airport at Haiti?
I've had a hard time processing this.
Thank you, Ann, for a supportive comment.

703 miles from Homestead AFT to Port-au-Prince. The only helicopter that can come close to that distance is the Mi-26, but with a 1100 mile range even the Mi-26 couldn't do a round trip. And I doubt there are any of those sitting around in the US in any case.

I suspect that tomorrow or Sunday the US will be invited to take control of the P-a-P airport and get traffic moving faster. But another problem is all the facilities in Haiti's major port were destroyed too.

Cranky

Aren't helicopters built for, mostly, short hops? And wouldn't they need to land somewhere to refuel after a 750mile trip? Big runs to the Dominican Republic and short ones from there to Haiti might make better sense. I expect that all those logistical problems are being worked on. The trouble is that every big system, like the US military is ponderous and cumbersome by its nature, while time is getting short for those still alive, whether in the streets or under the rubble.

Cranky, @20:43,

Apparently, Haiti has *already* let USA to take over the port:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2010/01/haiti_gives_us_control_of_airport.php?ref=fpa

And helicopters/aircraft take off and land from ships- when ports or airfields not available.
Do it quickly, please

Not to be ridiculous, but cannot the supplies left at the impaired and ruined airport be tranported by U.S. aircraft--on presumably some very quickly deployed military ships,a country less than 800 miles away, with helicopters available for immediate aid--and, if not, why are these ships from a country just several thousand miles away not already there--come on--this happened this past Tuesday at 5 P.M.==so, several days later==I say this, c0me on--GET REAL-- as evidenced by the initial news reels of people on the streets, those not in the rubble--I could see it--why not send them immediately to the island, knowing just from the initial news footage>>I am just some girl watching television and figuring out solutions==so why did I hear on NPR that the Pentagon was flying reconnisance missions to see what was needed before they sent the resources??
Hey, food and water were needed. Doctors. Tents.
Medical supplies. Medicine. Bandages. Food. Water

Raise tuition to pay for stadium sports.

SigHeil.

New Orleans, revisited

New Orleans, revisited
Posted by: Recognition of the facts regardless of politics

look, to compare new orleans with haiti is silly on the face of it. hurricanes are dangerous, nasty things (i've been through three) but as far as natural disasters are concerned, they do have one major advantage over most others: you know they're coming well in advance.

The national weather service predicted DAYS IN ADVANCE that a large hurricane was going to hit New Orleans. that's critical because it gave the various governments involved time to evacuate people and critically, time to mobilize resources so when the event is over, FEMA et al should have been ready with relief. that they squandered that time is what made Katrina so devastating.

there is no warning at all when an earthquake hits, meaning all your mobilizing comes after the fact. second, a hurricane is over within a few hours of landfall, meaning rescue and relief teams could have been moving into the city in the immediate aftermath; after shocks were hitting haiti a day after the main earthquake, making it an extremely dangerous place. third haiti, is more than 700 miles from the closest point in the u.s.; new orleans obviously is within the u.s. the logistical differences facing relief organizers during the two events should be obvious.

oh and Joanne, sadly in PA, you just don't drop food and water willy nilly in a disaster area (assuming that its positioned someplace in sufficient quantities so that you can transport it there in the first place). you need people on the ground to distribute them. otherwise you have chaos. disasters bring out the best in many people, but it also brings out the worst in others. having been through a few, i know.

Well folks, we have now broken free from or home brane. Yes we are floating free thru the universe the old constants mean nothing in a world where President O'Bomber sends George 'Katrina' Bush to Haiti as to 'help' the dead and dying there.

Reality has no meaning anymore. Even the Onion would not write this!

re the suicide bombing of children (among others) in Afghanistan: What a group these people are - carrion eaters of the worst kind - turning on their own children to make their political statement. These folks have absolutely no honor. They exist far below the level of animals. When is the Muslim world going to acquire the balls to reject these vermin ?

Agree with Chris.
Colleges should not raise tuition one cent for athletic programs. Do away with them if they are costing. Let's concentrate on education for a change.

Glenn Greenwald pretty well eviscerates Krugman on the Gruber disclosure issue. And I note that as someone who is generally in agreement with both Krugman and Greenwald.

Cranky

It seems the mainstream news media are really pushing this meme about conditions descending into "lawlessness" in Haiti, when all the footage and photos and reports indicate the people are anything but. It troubles me that they are trying so hard to characterize Haitians as thugs, almost as if the news media *want* to push things in that direction by planting the seeds in peoples' minds as they talk to people on the streets there! Shameless!

Eh, I'm with Krugman on this; if anyone's to blame, it's the WH for not being clear about the services Gruber was providing.

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